HOMILY – 13^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH

JULY 2, 2006  -  9 & 11AM MASSES

May the Lord give us His peace.

More than one way to die.  Love shows up.  I say to you arise!

More than one way to die.  The book of Wisdom is clear - God did not make death.  We know God conquered death in Jesus’ Resurrection.  Yet we experience death.  Perhaps God is telling us we can bring what He has not made, a more dramatic and terrible death. Spiritual death.

I’ll try to illustrate what I mean. One of the things Christians do to follow Jesus is go to jail.   We visit His people there because nothing is ever lost with God.  I met a young man in jail I want to tell you about.  After having been used sexually by both his mother and father, after having been given addictive drugs by his father with the words, “have a good time son,” he became an addict.  He robbed people to get money for his new habit, a gift from his dad.  Then he met Roberta.

He eventually broke the addiction with help from her and went straight through a terrific counseling program and was living in a small step down place near the coast where he was a waiter.  One day when he was walking with Roberta after a two year mandatory no-see policy ended, a handsome upper class college boy came onto the beach, she broke the news to him that they had been dating he lost it.  He beat up the young man so bad it killed him.  He was sent here to await death sentencing.  That’s when I met him.  He had died already. Spiritually.

You and I have our story about what gets to us, what we give power that takes us down.  These stories reveal deep wounds.  Maybe someone touched you wrong, left you behind, dropped you, made life awful. We can die from relationships, or the lack of them.   We hear the scripture more deeply, or perhaps for the 1^st time, “God does not rejoice in the destruction of the living.  God formed us to be imperishable.” So we don’t worry as much about physical death as we worry that our soul, yours or mine, becomes lifeless when God wants life.  Live with an ace up your sleeve. God wants life.  Trust that God will win you back.

Love shows up.  Paul is speaking to the people in a wealthy city called Corinth.  He has just come from Jerusalem where people are dirt poor due to a famine.  He arrives in Corinth having come through Macedonia where, when he told the story of the poor, the people there sent their love in a huge collection of money, food and clothing. Love showed up. 

It reminds me of the stories we’ve told you so many times, and the stories you’ve brought to us.  How we also love in various ways. Paul appeals to Corinth, they have it.  He hoped to make connections there like we have made here.  Paul would be proud of you.  You are the Macedonia of the year 2006.  We love.  Love shows up.  Garden, house, food, bills paid, people are educated, visited. We are connecting with our neighbors, with city leaders.  We look forward to doing more in September for our Diocese and its needs.  Love shows up.  God is visible.

I say to you arise!  Just like Jairus’ daughter in our Gospel, there are dead in our midst.  Spiritual dead.  There are still people who think religion is holiness for the holy, sugar for the full, a country club of like-minded people; or worse, that it’s all fake, a deception.  Some may be.

I say arise!  What is true?  Reveal to the city that this faith is new life, a oneness where there wasn’t before, that this faith stretches us, leads us to build a kingdom according to a design we did not create for ourselves.  Arise!  Let someone come with you to this church – and then the hospital for visiting.  Show them patients are not alienated, second class, prisoners either.  Let someone hold the nail bag as you swing the hammer that makes someone a homeowner.  8 homes in one week!

Stand as a witness to make a crowd that will not accept violent deaths in our city.  Maybe we can even convince Washington of another way to resolve conflict – that lives are too precious.  We can end death row options for people like the young man I cared for until he was executed.  Religion fake?  Dead?  Arise!  Staying alive is not just a 70’s disco tune.