by Fr. Rich Andre, C.S.P.
August 26, 2024

 

Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B) on August 25, 2024, at Old St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Chicago, IL. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18; Psalm 34; Ephesians 5:21-32; and John 6:60-69.

A special word of welcome to everyone who is back with us for the first time after summer vacation. My name is Rich Andre, and I became the pastor of Old St. Mary’s 8 weeks ago. I’m thrilled to be with you! 

In social settings, when I mention that Fr. Dan, Fr. Bob, and I belong to a religious community with a special devotion to St. Paul, it’s surprising how often strangers immediately interrogate me about a specific verse often attributed to Paul: “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands.” Well, guess what? That’s part of our second reading today. Our homily today will concentrate on the other readings, but here are two things to consider about the Ephesians passage:

1. In the preceding verse, Ephesians exhorts all people to “be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
2. The most radical part of the passage is this: “Husbands, love your wives.” In Greco-Roman culture at the time of Paul, husbands did not love their wives. Men got married for the sole purpose of raising progeny. Husbands loved their mistresses, not their wives.

Let us all pray for the wisdom to submit ourselves to God’s great love and mercy.

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When I teach about the Bible, I explain that it is not so much a history book as much as it is a compilation of stories that illustrate how we can encounter God in our own lives. Part of our discipleship comes through our interactions with other people. We are inspired by the stories of other people of faith. And our belief in God should radically change the way we interact with those around us.

I usually end my introductory sessions on the Bible by asking everyone to pray together with the passage that we heard today from Joshua. After the Exodus from Egypt, after the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, after 40 years of wandering in the desert, and after the military battles to claim the Land of Canaan, Joshua once again presents the Israelites with a choice. Joshua says he and his household will continue to serve the LORD. In a scene that begs for a cinematic treatment, the thousands of people assembled around Joshua thunderously affirm that they also will continue to serve the LORD. Discipleship is not a one-time choice. Every day, we must choose whether or not to re-affirm our commitment to Christ.

Many people who were attracted to Jesus because of his feeding of the multitude started to walk away when he taught that he is the Bread of Life, that people would need to eat his flesh and drink his blood. John tells us that Jesus did not chase after them, shouting, “You misunderstood me! I only meant it in a metaphorical sense!” Instead, he allows them to go. Jesus places the same choice before the apostles that Joshua placed before the ancient Israelites: “Decide today whom you shall serve.” Peter replies with a very group-oriented response: “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

In recent years, a lot of Americans have walked away from organized religion. The vast majority of Americans continue to say that spirituality is an important part of their lives, but more of them are seeking the transcendent on their own. As Lillian Daniel, a Congregational minister in Iowa, famously wrote: 

There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself. ¹

It takes hard work to continue to belong to a religious institution. We believe that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, but we also know that the Church is comprised of fallible, imperfect people. All people in the Church — be we popes, priests, paid employees, key volunteers, or anyone else in the pews — we all make mistakes. If anyone hangs around the Church long enough — just as if anyone works for a corporation, socializes in a group, or belongs to a family long enough — someone will eventually make a mistake.

Sometimes, our mistakes are errors in judgment. Other times, they are rooted in the sins of favoritism, jealousy, or pride. Sooner or later, someone in the Church, either accidentally or maliciously, either locally or universally, will make an error that will leave us feeling ignored, alienated, or hurt.

Whether we are insulted through a petty squabble in a parish social group, marginalized by an official Church teaching, or even worse, victimized by an abuser ordained by the Church — we once again face that choice posed by Joshua and Jesus: “Do you want to leave?”

If you have ever been hurt by anyone in the Church and you don’t know where else to turn, we on the pastoral staff of Old St. Mary’s––Fr. Dan, Fr. Bob, Oblate James, Ms. April, and I — we are each willing to compassionately journey alongside of you. We each have plenty of tissues in our offices. If you need to express your rage or grief, we have shoulders that you can lean on. If you need help discerning the next phase of your faith relationship with the Catholic Church, we will listen to you with unconditional regard.

Even if some people decide that they need to take a break from the Church, I pray that they don’t give up on God in whatever decision they make. As the people responded to Joshua en masse: “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods!” Or as Peter said to Jesus: “You have the words of everlasting life.”

Since the earliest days of the Church, Christians have believed that the bread and wine brought to the altar are inexplicably, miraculously transformed into Christ’s body and blood, Christ’s soul and divinity. Bread and wine are not found in nature. They are products made with human hands, brought to the altar to represent us. In Eucharist, our hopes and our dreams, as well as our weaknesses and anxieties, are placed on the alter, transformed into Christ, and given back to us to ingest into our very bodies.

Even if we’re having doubts about the true presence in the Eucharist, even if we’re struggling to forgive people in the Church who have hurt us, even if we’re questioning if we still want to belong to the Church, it’s OK to receive communion at Mass. As we come forward in the communion line, we can offer the simple and profound prayer of the father of the epileptic boy in Mark chapter 9: “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief!” And with that prayer offered, we can once again extend our hands to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. And whether we feel tentative or confident, we can once again proclaim “Amen!”

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