BUILDING A SPIRITUAL HOUSE

[1]When we were living in Hawaii, my next-door neighbor came over one day and told me of a pile of discarded wood on the Air Force base. He said the wood looked good enough to be used for building material if I needed any. I drove over and checked it out. Sure enough, there was enough discarded wood that I was able to build a play house for our kids. The play house wasn’t much to look at, but it was sturdy and became a magnet for other neighborhood kids. I built the playhouse four feet off the ground next to a tree in the backyard; I even put a rope off one side for them to swing off. One day, I looked out to the backyard and counted ten kids on the playhouse, none of them were ours![2]

If you want to build a house that lasts, that attracts others, then you need to focus on the quality of the materials you use. Paul tells us, “You are God’s building.” (1 Cor 3:9) Peter also wrote in his first letter, that we are like “living stones… being built up as a spiritual house.” (1 Pt 2:5) While the great Lateran Basilica is the oldest public church in the west and ranks first among the four Major Basilicas of Rome, it is built of stone, mortar, and wood. Our “spiritual house” is being built with different materials – “living stones”.

Let’s use our imaginations, what if an earthquake reduced the Basilica to rubble? Would not the Church still exist, would its members still be sent to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the entire human family?

What kind of building materials are we giving God to build with? If we give God attitude and disobedience, or dualistic behaviors, He wouldn’t have much quality to work with. If we give God a willing heart and enthusiasm to serve, the quality of the material is better. If we were to spend time in God’s Word, in prayer, and in allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our very being, then God would have the highest quality of material to use in building us into a “spiritual house” that draws others to know, love, and serve Him.

Each of us was baptized, not into some exclusive club, but into the living Body of Christ. Our responsibility to share the Good News always exceeds our rights as baptized Catholics. As we gather here today, in St. James Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Orlando, to reaffirm our Baptism, to be nourished by the Scriptures, and the Body and Blood of Jesus. It’s through us; others are drawn to and encounter the living Christ.

May today’s feast help us to realize that each one of us is a “living stone” of the Church, the “spiritual house”. To be the best quality of building material, for the Master Builder, we need to open our hearts more widely and live more fully in the life-giving waters of our Baptism that flows from the perched side of our risen Lord, the one foundation that we continue to build upon.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22.

[2] Bethelvandalia.org, Building Materials for God, posted February 22, 2019.

MORNING MIRROR

[1]Have you ever noticed that your morning mirror never lies about what it sees? How it never judges the reflection? It just reflects back what it sees. It is we who judge the image. It is we who attempt to adjust the image according to our desire.

During facilitator training I learned the phrase that I was to “be in the group but not of the group.” Which meant while I am the facilitator of a group, my goal is to be a mirror of truth for those in the group. To give the group members an opportunity to see themselves unfiltered, to see their authentic self through others. The challenge is always to build trust through honest feedback while maintaining the dignity of each person.

Paul is writing to remind the people about what they already know, that God has called him to be an apostle to the gentiles. He is being a mirror to the community, so they can see the Christ in him and he proclaims the fruit this reflection is the conversion of the gentiles. We need to remember, for Paul to get to this position, he had to be knocked off his horse, blind for a time, and be formed by the very people he was persecuting. They were the mirror that allowed Paul to see and embrace Christ as well as his mission.

The steward in today’s Gospel attempted a more convenient route, envisioning a life of ease after he manipulated the debts owed to his master. The beneficiaries of the manipulation, however, would be very unlikely to put a great deal of trust in that steward as they’d be wondering when he might betray them. Someone who betrays one side in a conflict may enjoy a temporary reward, but the second set of masters is unlikely ever to fully trust the betrayer.[2] You see the mirror works both ways. For others to see themselves and for us to see our true selves.

The Gospel Acclamation tell us, “Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” (1 Jn 2:5) As his disciples, we are told to “be in the world but not of the world.” Meaning to be a mirror for others in our everyday lives. How do we become the purist mirror for others? First, we must look into the morning mirror to take a full accounting of our stewardship. Yes, the stewardship of our physical resources, but also our human and spiritual gifts. Too often our pious words and actions, are facades, costumes, or masks we wear, in an attempt, to disguise or hide our brokenness. Looking deeply enough into a trusted mirror of another, we can discover, acknowledge, and make an informed decision to reconcile our own image. Thus, purifying the image, we reflect back to others.

As we prepare to enter into this mystery, to receive the very image we are called to be. The image of total self-giving, an image of compassion, love, and mercy. Let’s ask ourselves am I a morning mirror another person can look into that provides feedback, without judgment or manipulation, so they may see themselves as a beloved child of God, able to make an informed decision to reconcile themselves with what they see in the morning mirror?

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 7:18-25; Luke 12:54-59.

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps, Homily Suggestion by Pat McCloskey, OFM

LOOKIN' FOR LOVE

[1]Have you ever had one of those days where you get a song stuck in your head and it just wouldn’t go away? Yesterday evening right after I read today’s scriptures to reflect during my walk, Johnny Lee’s song, Lookin’ for Lover wouldn’t leave me alone. The chorus of the song goes like this:

“I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places;

Lookin' for love in too many faces;

Searchin' their eyes

Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of

Hoping to find a friend and a lover;

I'll bless the day I discover another heart

Lookin' for love.”

Paul’s message seems to reflect the interior conflict of the self. Our desired self that will: “take delight in the law of God, … but see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Rom 7:22-23)

We don’t often refer to the Psalms in our homilies, but today’s psalm speaks of the desire of my heart: “Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. Never will I forget your precepts, for through them you give me life.” (Ps 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93)

We know and desire, yet it seems we spend so much time lookin’ for love (God) in all the wrong places. And this is the case when Jesus accuses his contemporaries of studied indifference. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Using some stern words, “You hypocrites!” “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Lk 12:56-57) To equally see the obvious signs, within and around them.

St. Pope John Paul II, whose memorial we celebrate today, in his “Theology of the Body” speaks of the four original experiences between God and man (original innocence, intimacy, unity, and sin). All too often we spend an inordinate amount of time focused on sin, our own and others. This is lookin’ for love in all the wrong places. St. John Paul suggests our interior desire and “delight in God’s law” reflects the original innocence shared by God and Adam, while the weakness of our human nature reflects original sin.

In this section of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus repeatedly exhorts us to live the here-and-now in light of the inevitable reality of death. In today’s passage, he encourages us to live in peace with those around us, to be reconciled to those we’ve offended or who’ve offended us. He doesn’t want us to live with loose ends that will have to be tied up after we die. Lest we be turned over and “will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” (Lk 12:59) He wants us to resolve here-and-now everything we can. Repent, reconcile, let it go, and trust God can turn our mistakes into opportunities of further growth and deeper intimacy with His, who is love. This is the path to the experience of original innocence, even if it’s only for a fleeting moment.

We have all heard stories of people who were agitated and upset by regrets, they groaned about unfinished business, as they lay on their deathbed. Jesus doesn’t want us to be one of those people. If we’re lookin’ for love it’s within us, it exists within every person we meet, this is where God dwells in each and every one of us. Listen and trust that He desires to draw us all back into the experience of original innocence.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 7:18-25; Luke 12:54-59.