Homily

There once was a man who was called to go to a church and be it’s pastor. The church, he was told, was dead. He believed that he could resurrect it and so he went. After months of intense preaching, after improving their music and getting more musicians, nothing had changed. He realized that the community was truly dead. So, as the last act in the church he decided to hold a funeral -- a funeral for the dead church. People came from all over to attend. The music was great. The man gave a very inspirational sermon. Still nothing affected them. Finally, at the end, people were invited to leave by passing by the casket. As they would peer down into the casket, each person would rise up finally shocked and moved. As each person filed by the casket, they would look down. What did they see? The pastor put a mirror in the casket, and so each person saw themselves as they bent over the casket to look. They finally knew that they had died.

Are you spiritually dead? How can you tell? The Scriptures today offer us similar challenges from the prophet Hosea and the Gospel of Matthew. In Hosea we heard the prophet correcting the people. They practiced piety that had no substance and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Their sacrifices had become empty. It became a poor substitute for real love. Sacrifices are not real if they mean nothing.

In Matthew, Jesus tells the people that it is mercy that he desires, not sacrifice. Again, he is correcting them for their lack of faith. Their sacrifices had become little more than empty pieties which did not mean anything to the people. Their hearts were still just as hard and unwilling to be moved. What was one of their problems? They would never associate with those who were unlike themselves. In their hardness of heart, they would not reach out to those in need.

Today, people critique us Catholics for involving ourselves in empty sacrifices. They say that we believe that we re-sacrifice Christ every time we celebrate Mass. How would you respond to such a challenge? Some challenge us by saying that our liturgy is dead. We say the same words every week. We go through the same motions every Sunday. Some even go to Mass daily. They challenge us and accuse us of participating in mere religion and superstition. How would you respond to such a claim? Are we really the people whom Hosea and Jesus were speaking against?

As Catholics, we have a saying: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi. It means that the law of prayer is the law of belief. It means that if you wish to understand what someone believes, just watch how they pray. If someone was to come into this church and simply observe our Mass, they should be able to understand what we believe. Fundamentally, Mass is a rite of sending out for mission. The words at the end speak of it. It is where we get the the name, Mass means “mission.” So if someone could understand what we believe to be important by watching our Mass, they could equally conclude what is important by how we live afterwards. So, how do you live afterwards?

Would a stranger be convinced that you truly believe what you proclaim in Word and Sacrament at Mass? Is there a continuity between being inside here and going outside there. Or would the stranger conclude that we are like the people Hosea and Jesus spoke about? Are you a person of real faith or simply of empty religiosity. What do you think a stranger would conclude about you?

The Mass is repetitious. However, we do not re-sacrifice Christ over and over. We believe that Mass makes present the one event of the last supper and sacrificial death on the cross. We re-present it each time we celebrate Mass. The Mass is our sacred meal. It is about the living God. If Mass is dead, then which one of us is killing it? If your life outside of Mass is completely contrary to what you proclaim to be true, then you may be the person who is mocking our religion. Or maybe you just need to be reconciled with God. Come to Reconciliation and make a heart-felt confession. Change your heart to match the actions you proclaim while you are here.

Try these ideas that may help you. Try praying the Our Father with some feeling and emphasis. At meals, pray the blessing slower and with meaning. In our Mass, concentrate more deeply on the prayers that are being said, on the creed we will say, on the words that are said during the Eucharistic prayer. Seek out some people who could use your skills. Donate food to St. Vincent DePaul or begin to research the issues of hunger and poverty in our world. Seek out that person who you find distasteful and offer them help. Talk to them.