Daily Homily 4-1-2020
5th Wednesday of Lent (John 8:31-42) “We Ask to be Set Free”
The Corona virus might be called the great equalizer. This sickness does not care who we are nor does it care how wealthy we are. Anyone can get sick, anyone can die. The pandemic touches everyone. Prince Charles has been infected. A prime minister has been stricken. Movie stars are felled as well as senators and congressional representatives. In the church, cardinals and priests fall ill.
Usually, the wealthy, the powerful and the famous can shield themselves from the effects of an economic downturn. Affluent people can hire others to go and fight their wars. But in the pandemic, we find ourselves in the middle of, everyone is equal. No one is safe. We don’t like to be in this position.
The United States, the most powerful country in the world, has the most cases of Covid 19. We believe we should be able to avoid this. We are not a third world country. We have been chosen. We are the “shining city on the hill.” We are the leaders of the free world. We have been raised on the myth that we are a chosen people. We can overcome anything and achieve anything.
If we feel angry about this new reality. Then maybe we are like the Jewish leaders that Jesus argues with in the Gospel that we read at Mass today. The Jews that Jesus argues with are the privileged people of his society. Such people believed, since they were the children of Abraham, that they were chosen. Also, they believed that they were slaves of no one. One of the tenants of Jewish law was that no Jew could own another Jew.
Jesus angers the people he is speaking with. He calls them slaves. What are they slaves of? They are slaves of sin because sin is ruling their lives. Jesus disagrees with the rich and the powerful, the well educated and elite, the people who are addicted to privilege. Such people will do anything they can to hold on to what they got. Jesus tells them they are grasping for the wrong thing.
We are being reminded presently, that all people are equal before God. There is no nation that should want to win world domination at any cost. No one is entitled. May we find freedom from the illness that is attacking us and may we leave arrogance behind us. If we do that then there will be a new day dominated by peace and justice.
Dear Parishioners,
Participating at Masses online will never take the place of being physically together in our church community. Watching Mass on a screen is a passive experience. But as many have said the last few weeks it is better than nothing.
There are few things we can do to enhance the experience. One thing is to make sure we are in a quiet space. Maybe want to sit our electronic devise on a homemade altar with candles and a statue or holy picture. Answering the prayers and standing, sitting and kneeling might make watching Mass more prayerful.
A couple of other things that we might do to connect us would be to share our prayer intentions. At our regular Masses we have a book where people can inscribe their intentions. I would suggest that you email your intentions to me or all them in and I can inscribe them in the prayer intention book, and we can place it on the altar for our live stream Mass.
Another thing that we will do for Palm Sunday is that we will put the palms we purchased outside the back door of the rectory starting tomorrow morning starting at 8:30 a.m. The palms will be blessed. You are free to stop by and get a palm that you can hold next weekend for our live stream Mass on Saturday at 4 p.m. Jut stop by and pick a palm up. The weather is going to be a little rainy the next few days and this area is out of the weather. Also, it is fully accessible if people have problems with steps. If you are out picking up groceries or going to the drug store come by and pick up a palm starting tomorrow. The only thing we would ask is that you do not congregate. Just come and pick up the palm and go.
May the Angels watch over you today and the Blessed Mother intercede for us.
Fr. Mark