Homily for 29 Apr 2016

29 Apr 2016

Jesus left a lot of questions unanswered . . . sort of.  He didn’t say anything about property laws, or taxes, or the form of government that works best.  He didn’t say anything about how to make the faith more attractive to youth.  He didn’t say anything about the role of art and architecture in our worship.  Jesus left a lot of questions we deal with unanswered . . . sort of.

“Love God, and love one another” is what he said in so many words.  And, in that, he gave us a lens through which to approach life and all its questions: the lens of charity, of mercy and justice; the lens of humility and sacrificial love; the lens of the community which has love for one another.  Jesus left a lot of questions answered—but he gave us the lens through which those questions can be answered.

And we see this in the question about circumcision that was brought to the Apostles.  Jesus hadn’t said anything to them about circumcision.  But through the lens of charity and humility before God, the Apostles were given an answer by the Holy Spirit—the Church was given an answer. 

As we know, a lot of life questions can’t be answered by turning to Scripture.  Instead, we have to turn to the community of believers—to the Church—to get an answer . . . trusting, of course, that the Holy Spirit is guiding the wisdom and teachings of the Church throughout the centuries.  And we do that because that’s the “tool” Jesus gave us to get those questions answered: he gave us the Church, and he put a pair of glasses on the Church whose lens is charity and mercy and truth.

Every Sunday we profess our faith in Jesus.  And we profess our faith in the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”  And that’s right.  We believe in the Church who guides us with charity and mercy.  We believe in the Church whose voice, we trust, is the Voice of Christ.