Homily
[Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26]
In the course of my visit to your parish, I have had occasion to speak with many people, both young and old, about a variety of topics pertaining to the life of this parish and to the Church in general. For the purpose of entering into the message of the Scriptures, I would like to reflect with you on a theme that has been common to all of my conversations here: your concern for, and commitment to, the mission of the Church.
Evident to me is the realization among the parishioners of the importance of engaging the culture of our day with the message of the Gospel. At the same time, I have heard a clear acknowledgement of the challenge implicit in evangelization, and a desire to understand how we can remain, in the face of a society that is at times unwelcoming to Christianity, strong and steadfast in our dedication to the mission that is ours, both individually and as a community.
The text given today from the Gospel of Saint Luke highlights clearly the fundamental reason the teachings of our Lord do not always find a ready acceptance in the minds and hearts of those who hear them. In the Beatitudes as recorded for us by Saint Luke, Jesus preaches a radical reversal of the world’s understanding of “blessedness” or happiness. According to our Lord, “blessed” are those who are poor, who are weeping, who are persecuted, while “woe” to those who are rich, rejoicing, well thought of and so on.
What we learn from this is that the acceptance of Christ and his teachings, the adoption of the Christian way of life, begins with a radical change of mindset and a consequent alteration in our behaviours and assumptions. For the follower of our Lord, it is Jesus who establishes the meaning of human existence, who defines what is right or wrong, who establishes the direction of one’s life, whereas the secular mindset of our world is that of self-determination – I am my own moral compass, I must be free to pursue my own desires, I create the meaning of my own life. Small wonder that those of a self-centered worldview find it difficult to understand or accept the Gospel to which we give witness.
A question that flows from this, and which I heard posed often in the course of my meetings here, is: how do we remain strong and steadfast in our fidelity to Christ and his Church? Allow me to indicate three indispensable supports for the Christian life.
First, and this is a theme I repeat often, let’s pay close attention to the voices to which we are listening. There is only one voice worthy of our trust, worthy of our following, and that is the Word of God. The follower of the Lord must make the decision – daily – to listen first to the Word of God so that all else we hear can be assessed in its light.
Second is the necessity of the sacraments through which the Lord communicates the grace we need to remain faithful to the life and duty to which he calls us. Of supreme importance, of course, is the celebration the Most Hoy Eucharist, where Jesus renders himself truly present to be our very food, the sustenance that deepens our life in him and strengthens us for witness along our pilgrim journey toward eternal life. I have noticed here your love for the mass, and have heard about the growing number of participants, now seventy percent above pre-pandemic levels. Let’s continue to celebrate the mass worthily and well, and not hesitate to invite others to join us.
Third is the importance of a community of support. It is wonderful to witness how you make this a reality. You know one another in the parish and are ready to offer support to each other, especially in moments of acute need. Your conversations with me testify to your readiness to speak openly with one another about the faith so as to grow together in your appropriation of it. It is particularly important to stress the importance of this for our young people. They pose challenging questions, among them how to stay strong in the faith as they leave school for university or various other pursuits. They know well that the support they have experienced in family, parish, and school settings will not always be there in other contexts. How can we help them find the communities of faith that will provide a “home” within which they can continue to grow in their love for the Lord and his Church?
Let us bring all of this now to the Eucharist. Our Risen Lord, truly present in this sacrament, provides us with everything we need when he feeds us with himself and thereby deepens our communion with one another. May the grace we receive in this mass strengthen us to be confident witnesses to the Gospel.
✠ Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
St. Martin of Tours Parish, Vegreville
Holy Heart of Mary Parish, Viking
Feb 15-16, 2025