Homily Fifth Wednesday of Easter (Acts 15:1-8) “Am I Qualified to Follow Jesus?”
Homily Fifth Wednesday of Easter (Acts 15:1-8) “Am I Qualified to Follow Jesus?”
Whenever a new religion begins there is a membership drive. We read about the membership drive for Christianity in the Acts of the Apostles. What we notice is that at first there was a welcoming attitude. Everyone could come and follow Jesus.
In the section that we read from the Acts today, Paul has completed his first missionary journey and he reports on his great success to the leadership in Jerusalem. There seems to be great joy at the news of all those who were being baptized, but then the trouble begins.
Another truth about the beginning of any organization whether it is religious denomination, or a social club is that the question quickly becomes who is eligible to join. Who is in and who is out?
Some Pharisees had joined the Christian movement, but they were scrupulous believers in following the Mosaic law. They believed that in order to follow Jesus one had to be Jewish first. Paul was baptizing anyone who wanted to join the Christian Church.
This disagreement led to the first possible schism in the church. The Apostles listened to the Holy Spirit and worked through the problem. In the centuries that have followed, there have been other arguments that have led to divisions in Christianity. We see that there are many denominations or Christians today.
We live in a divided church right now that goes along with our divided society. The temptation for all of us is to say that we are more eligible to belong to the church than the next person. But the truth is that we are all sinners and thus we are disqualified at some level. If we can remember that we are the humble church that Jesus would want. If arrogance enters in that it divides and wounds the church.
Reflection Questions:
- Does our church welcome people when they want to join or are there a lot of questions about whether people are qualified to join? What might drive people away from the church?
- What are some issues that keep people away from the Catholic church that are not all that important? Have I ever felt unwelcome when I have tried to join a parish? What might St. Paul have said?
Dear Parishioners,
Last summer we had a series of outdoor Masses. They were held at 9 a.m. on Sunday. They were well attended. Many people have been asking when the outdoor Masses will begin again.
Before the pandemic special permission was needed to celebrate a parish Mass outside a church building. Because of the pandemic these rules have been relaxed.
We will be having outdoor Masses outside Culemans Hall about once a month this summer. The first such Mass will be on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (May 30th) at 9 a.m. Spread the word to parishioners who may still be reluctant to enter the church building.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark