Homily by Nancy Meyer, RCWP

The ancient biblical world contained, it was believed, 70 or 72 nations.  So in Luke’s gospel, Jesus sent out the disciples to the whole world, not just to the Israelite communities.   The disciples were to take up the strenuous work of evangelization.   How they are to be is peaceful, gentle and loving in the midst of intense resistance.  They are dependent on the hospitality of the people that they meet.  They were to cure the sick and proclaim that ‘the reign of God is at hand’. 

What does ‘at hand’ mean?  My understanding is that wood crafters lay their tools out in order so that they are ‘at hand’, right here, in the same space when they are required for a particular task.  The reign or the kin-dom of God is right here, at hand, among us, and within us.  So the disciples were to make ready the towns and villages to receive Jesus, to alert that the reign of God was right here with them.  Jesus warned the disciples that the mission would not always go well and so they were then, to move on to another place.

They came back from their mission jubilant at their success and all that they had accomplished.   There have been those moments for us as well, when we focus on the visible result and take false pride in what we think we have accomplished by our own efforts!  Yet Jesus may have thrown a wet blanket on the disciples high spirits and our spirit when he said to them, rather be glad that your names are written in heaven.  Be glad that you have made a difference in someone’s life, something beyond yourself, something bigger than your own self interests. 

That is the Christian formula for success.  Make a moral difference.  Be a part of something larger than yourself.  This is not the teaching of the world’s criteria for success which is: lots of money, power, prestige and consuming a lot. 

One evening the news reported the flood that was imminent from the rising river in river town.  It was the same town that had devastating floods a couple of years earlier and people had just recovered.  The young people were there filling and stacking hundreds of sandbags to protect their town.  A reporter interviewed several of the young workers.  It was backbreaking labor they reflected, yet they had become numb to the pain in their backs and arms because they were part of something that made a difference.  Each one was talking about being a part of something larger than them self.  They felt really good contributing to the saving of their town in an effort that really brought people together.  United in this common cause they worked to lessen the devastation facing them.  They were unified for the common good, a very new experience, it seemed, for some of them.

My oldest sister Charlotte and Dorothy were good friends in high school.  As happens at graduation each went their different ways.  Dorothy entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, taught school and then was missioned to Brazil. 

Dorothy worked on behalf of the peasant farmers there who were sustaining threats from the loggers, ranchers and their hired gunman.  It was the farmer’s land they were after.  Some urged her to leave or crank down her outcry against the devastation of the Brazilian rain forest.   Sr. Dorothy would not leave the poor farmers whose livelihood and land were in peril.  She traveled to their villages over almost impassable mud roads to read scripture and pray together, to uplift their spirits and sustain their courage.  They had each other and they could continue to live in harmony with themselves, the rainforest and their God. 

On her way through the forest to a gathering of farmers, Dorothy Stang was stopped, questioned, and gunned down by two men in February, 2005.  An older woman standing with, praying with, and being with poor peasant farmers is viewed as a subversive activity against the powerful.  That simple activity cost her life.  How you are to be is peaceful, gentle and loving in the midst of intense resistance.  You will be sent as sheep among wolves, Jesus promises us.

Our mission and challenge today is here, bringing the word of the Holy One’s loving maternal presence with us and being attentive to the common good that is desperately being called for in our neighborhoods, city, nation and world.  That is what we are called to discern and act upon. 

Jim Wallis of Sojourners has just published a new book: On God’s Side: What religion forgets and politics hasn’t learned about serving the common good.  I would like to end with the quote from John Chrysostom that Jim begins his book with:

“This is the rule of most perfect Christianity; its most exact definition, its highest point, namely, the seeking of the common good… for nothing can so make a person an imitator of Christ as caring for [ones] neighbor.” 

Nancy Meyer, RWCP

Scripture Readings for the Feast of the Living Presence/Body and Blood of Christ:
1st Reading - Genesis 14:18-20
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel - Luke 9:11b-17

When do you experience a sense of awe and wonder? .................

What emotion does this bring up in you? ............ (Gratitude and praise to God)

Would you say that this also is an experience of the Divine? .................

[Note:  On Sunday, we didn't get past this section.  People had so many experiences they wanted to share.]

What other experiences have led people to a sense of awe and wonder?  (i.e. night sky, cathedrals of Europe, works of art and music, crowds of youth gathered in praise of God, in service to those who are poor, etc.)
Where has their gratitude led them?

[We started again here] What about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, here with us - Christ who is both human and divine!  We come here or somewhere time after time because we believe  in this special living presence of Christ.

Why is this so important?  Why is everything we do here so important - from the opening song, the readings and reflection on those readings, the ritual of the words and actions we use, the music? …………  (Because we need to experience a closeness to the divine - Why? so that we, weak, forgetful humans continue to have the Spirit of Christ, the courage, the faith and eagerness, the love to go out from here to be Christ in our world.)

Every year we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ to renew our enthusiasm for this awesome gift from God.  Every year on this day we read something about who Christ is for us.  This year we read about the ruler-priest Melchizedek who brought special bread and wine to Abram, blessed him in the name of God as a thanksgiving to God for Abram's being saved from his enemies.  In return Abram gave a tithe to the priest as a his sign of thanksgiving. 

Paul's account in 1 Corinthians of the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper uses the ritual formula he received from the faith community, the usual way a religious heritage is transmitted in most cultures.  Paul is showing that he has the authority to hand down the tradition, and that the Risen Christ is transmitting the tradition through the members of his Body, the Church.  

In that tradition, at the Last Supper Jesus showed the lines of continuity between the old and new covenants and making a clear distinction.  He focused on the bread and wine.  Faithful to Jewish etiquette, as either the head of the household or the host, he gave thanks and broke the bread.  Then he began a new covenant, a new bond between himself and his followers.   He identifies the bread as his body about to be given vicariously on behalf of those present. 

Again faithful to Jewish tradition, when the supper was over, Jesus took the cup and pronounced words over it as well.  He identified the cup with the new covenant and with his blood, which like sacrificial blood, ratified the covenant.  Jesus took the idea of a new covenant from a theme from Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31-34) and the blood ratification from the Jewish sacrificial system, incorporated them and reinterpreted them.  He showed that he is the offering himself.  He is giving himself for all who would come after him. Then Jesus charged his followers to repeat this memorial as a participation in his death and a sharing in the benefits that would come from it.

Now Christ continually gives what the dying Jesus gave once for all.  The past, present and future are merged as one: his death and resurrection, the ritual of remembrance enacted by communities of believers, and the future of his coming again.  Talking about awe and wonder - how can we even say these words without being in awe at the awesome privilege, joy and responsibility that is ours?  To show our gratitude to God we are called to be the living presence of Christ following the example of the first women and men disciples. 

Christ, where are you leading us?  The gospel gives us a clue.  See a need, ask Christ what to do about it, and then follow his instructions in a response of love. 

Let's go to the altar together and do what Jesus instructed us to do, asking for the courage to listen and follow the leading of his Spirit.

Maria Thornton McClain, RCWP
June 2, 2013

Homily by Maria McClain, RCWP, Pastor

What a rousing group of readings!  What do you think of that last paragraph of the Gospel?  "Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven.  If you retain anyone's sins, they are retained."  Was Jesus speaking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  Was he exaggerating?   Was he saying that the Holy Spirit would make the disciples infallible?  What was he saying?
 
Think of the phrase "body and blood" we use for the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?   We mean "the whole Jesus Christ" all of him - his mind and heart, desires, intentions, humanity, divinity."  The same is true with the opposites that John uses: "forgiven" and "retained."  They mean the whole authority of a leader or judge - "forgive, " "retain" and everything in between.  Like what?  What about negotiation,  setting priorities, boundaries, choosing leaders, trading, sharing?    In other words, Jesus gave the disciples complete authority to carry on his mission with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 
That was the evening of the Resurrection.  Then Jesus left them, coming back occasionally for 40 days.  By that time Jews from all over the known world were starting to arrive for the festival of Pentecost (50 days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread)- - one of the three main holydays.  The disciples hid in someone's upper room because they were afraid that they would be killed like their leader, Jesus.
 
When Pentecost arrived, the power of the Holy Spirit, appearing in wind and flame, banished all their fear.  They began to understand that they were being called to embody the ministry Jesus had begun, to internalize it and carry out! 
 
 And by the way, who are you picturing was there?  Just a group of 11 men and Jesus' mother, Mary?   What about the women disciples, like Mary of Magdala and the other Mary?  The other disciples?  One account  (Acts 1:15) indicates that there were about 120 people.  Later in Acts it says that there were  only the eleven Apostles and all were men.
 
What did the power of the Holy Spirit bring?  Obviously joy, enthusiasm, knowledge, understanding, courage.  Some had the power to heal the sick, speak in tongues, travel to the distant parts of the Roman Empire to teach people about Jesus and his mission.  Did they understand everything all at once?  Apparently not.  We read later in Acts they that had arguments, some stole from the general fund and did other things that showed that they didn't get it completely.
 
One thing they did feel was the need for community.  They needed to get together to pray -  to worship God as Jesus had taught them, to pray for guidance, to eat the Bread of Life and drink the Cup of Salvation.  That naturally led them to a love so great that they would die for what they believed and for each other.   It led them to open their eyes and have empathy for those around them, their own community and those outside.  That empathy led them to actions.  That was what Jesus had done.  That's what they would do.
 
We are direct descendants of those disciples.  We have received the Holy Spirit!  We also need community.  We also need to worship God as Jesus taught, eat the Bread of Life and drink the Blood of Salvation.  We need to pray for guidance and show great love for each other and those beyond our community.   We also need to do what people everywhere do when they come to a gathering of family and friends.  We need to have a leader who calls the group together, a group of people who plan liturgies and recruit people carry out the various tasks: from setting up to cleaning up, and everything in between.
 
We're going to be personally recruiting more of you to be an active part of keeping this community alive and healthy, part of the ministries of lector, Eucharistic minister, hospitality ministry, usher and  more, part of visioning the future.  You already tell  others we are available for those who want to be part of an inclusive Catholic community.  We want more people to  know that this is a spiritual home for all people searching for inclusive leadership, language and ministry in the sacramental tradition of the Roman Catholic Church.   We want to be a community that is listening for and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 
Pentecost calls us to gather around the table of Jesus Christ.  Like those Christians at the first Pentecost, we, too, can have our faith enflamed by  the Holy Spirit!   Let's go there together!
 
Maria Thornton McClain, RCWP
5/18/2013

Homily by Nancy Meyer, RCWP

Monday of Holy Week found us with 9 inches of snow…at least at my home.   Winter has to have its last word!   It was Thursday until the greater part of the snow melted and I could take Leisel out to the back yard.  There out of the mulch and dead leaves in my garden where the beautiful deep purple reticulated iris with their fine leaves and pedals.  It was a shout in the cold wind that spring was coming and no wintry weather or snow was going to keep it away forever.  There is a belief deep within us that whispers life is coming again.  Resurrection and new life are a lived reality.

The Gospel this evening seems fitted just for us.  The disciples were gathered in the upper room close to evening.  They were reeling from all the events of the previous days.  Jesus, their Teacher and the one they believed would be their leader was crucified like a common criminal, died, and was buried.  Now the women said that he had risen and Mary Magdala gave testimony of her encounter with the living Jesus.  They had seen the empty tomb.  The disciples were sad, confused, unnerved, withdrawn and paralyzed in this upper room behind closed and locked doors.  They, who had run away, denied Jesus, were there with their emotions and uncertainty. 

Jesus comes in quiet and serenity and bids them Peace.  Peace be with you he says again.  There is no anger, no accusations, no finger pointing, no questions of them…like what happened to you guys when the going got rough?  You left me!  Jesus accepted them where they were…broken, sad, not understanding, confused.  Again he wishes them peace. He shows Thomas his wounds because he needed something more and not just the word of the others.  There was no chiding or shaming.   In their emotional, psychological, physical state of mind Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit. 

Is this not what happens to us?  Is this not our story as well?  We close the doors of our hearts and the windows of our mind in our confusion, sadness and fear.  We lock ourselves away in the best security systems that we can find.  When we are in our greatest shut-down self, unforgiving self, ego-centered self the Spirit of the Risen Christ breaks in and says to us Peace.  Peace.

The story from Acts, reflects a Peter that had received that Peace and growth of faith in the Resurrected Jesus.  The poor, sick, lame, were waiting for Peter’s shadow that was healing.  The confused, hurting, poor are waiting for our shadow and the healing that is our part of the ministry of healing to give. 

Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realized it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?” “No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.” Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”

Knowledge smiled, “Oh that was Time.”

“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

Source [slightly adapted]

The Risen Christ is Love made visible.  We are that visible love of God.  Ours is to live the peace and the message of truth.  Our mission is a holy and awesome one.  Like the disciples we are gathered in this upper room, some confused, some of us sad, some of us fearful, some of us here not knowing or seeing what will be asked of us and some of us in quiet joy.  Together as a community of faith gathered together we are to help the larger church discern its continued mission and to live each day in Love and peace.

Seeing is not believing but rather believing is a way of seeing beyond what can blind us.  This seeing is the gift of the Spirit.  This is our challenge!

End with a quote from St. Francis to his followers:

“You must have peace in your hearts.  Let no one be provoked to anger or scandal by you, but may they be drawn to peace and good will, to kindness and concord through your gentleness.  We have been called to heal wounds, to bring together what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.”