Homily Twenty-Ninth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Ephesians 2:12-22) “Jesus is the Capstone, and it is We Who are the Building”
Homily Twenty-Ninth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Ephesians 2:12-22) “Jesus is the Capstone, and it is We Who are the Building”
We are putting brick facing on the new garage being building here at Sacred Heart. The process is an interesting one. The bricks are glued in place. At first, they look fragile, but then mortar is injected between the bricks and they look more like the wall they are supposed to be.
Our reading from Ephesians reminds us that the church is like a building. Each one of us are the bricks in the structure of the church. Jesus is like the mortar that holds us all together. Without faith in the Lord we quickly fall apart.
As we look at our church community right now, we know we are going through a time of great travail. It is hard to come together as a community. The Mass is what usually holds us together. We draw strength from seeing each other. But now our numbers at Mass are small. We have community members viewing Mass from afar.
We are going to find out in the months ahead what is holding our parish together. It certainly cannot be built on the personality of its leaders. Nor can it be only a parish that is all about its social events. We have not had any of those in the last eight months. There is going to have to be something supernatural that is going to sustain us.
The church is not like any other business or organization in the world. We are sustained by our belief in Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit who is God with us. We cannot see the effects of the spirit working most of the time. But it is the Spirit that will sustain us and bring us back together in the months to come.
Let’s try to be confident that Jesus will carry us through our struggles to a brighter tomorrow.
Reflection Questions:
- Is the church like other organizations suffering through the present uncertainty? If not, what is different about it?
- What should I be praying for today? Should it be a quick cure for COVID or for the strength to carry on?
Dear Parishioners,
I will be going down to our Diocesan Chrism Mass today. We usually have this during Lent, but it was called off last March. At the Chrism Mass we bless oils that will be used for the Sacraments.
As I pray today, I will be thinking everyone who is sick in our community. One the most difficult parts of the present situation is that I cannot spend much time with the sick and dying. I know it is difficult for all of you as well.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints be with you today.
Fr. Mark