My friends, jumping right into today’s Scriptures, beginning with the 1^st reading from Genesis, I think we can see that if only one person had been found to be “faithful” in Sodom, our God would save the city for that one! We know this to be true from the stories our brother Jesus shared in his lifetime, as one of us:  something that Old Testament folk, such as Abraham were not privy too, thus, explaining his continual questioning of God about how many would be saved.  Had he heard Jesus’ stories of the Good Shepherd who left the 99 who were safe, in search of the one, lost, or the beautiful story of the Prodigal, and of the parent who would always welcome us back, no matter what we may have done, he wouldn’t have had to question God.  And in this vein, there is also the more feminine version of our loving God in the Woman and the Lost Coin, who turns her house upside-down looking for that lost one.  And to all of this, our response must be the same as the psalmist’s today, “Your love is constant forever.” 

   Moving into the 2^nd reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we see him, in his own way, sharing “for his followers,” another aspect of our great God—that of universality.  We must remember that Paul only knew Jesus as “the Christ,” not having met him in his human form.  The Christological Jesus, theologians and Scripture scholars tell us, “Is big enough” for all believers in God, and from all different starting points.  So, I think we can see that Paul could reach out to the wider world of possible believers in ways that the other apostles couldn’t.

   Paul simply says in today’s 2^nd reading, “In baptism…you were raised with Christ…”  Another way that we might look at these words would be to say, that following, “the way, the truth, and the life” of Jesus, unites us all, from different place, times and cultures. 

   The lovely gospel from Luke today, pairs nicely with the Genesis reading in that it shows the extent to which God will go for us. Jesus speaks of the goodness that human parents show toward their children, adding that God will not be outdone in that goodness.  We hear, “whoever asks, receives, whoever seeks, finds, whoever knocks, is admitted.” 

   Yet, hearing these words, I think we humans tend to think and even wonder at times if God hears our prayers, such as in the times in which we currently live, when for all our best efforts, working to change what seems to be simply, “not right,” where national injustice, selfishness and greed, among other bad things, seem rampant. 

   And my friends, I can only speak for myself, and because of my faith, that I truly believe that our God hears every prayer, and stands with us, encouraging, and strengthening us to do all we can to bring about the change we want to see.  Hopefully, my faith and my words can give you courage too, if yours is waning. 

   So, where does that leave us?  Just as my ongoing message to you and me that Ordinary Time is really more than “ordinary” in the challenges that it uplifts for us; the same can be said for us as Christians, as followers of our brother, Jesus.  If we are going to claim the title of “Christian,” we should always, or at least often, be standing outside of the crowd who would tend to act in ways that “don’t make waves.” 

   Granted, there is always more comfort in not standing alone, and doing what others are doing may be safer – “what would others think of me?”  But the truth of the matter is that we are called, often these days, “to be better than that,” “to be our best selves,” in fact,it iswhat Jesus did and asked us to do too!  So, in our day-to-day world, what might this look like? 

• Starting at the top – upon taking an oath to uphold the Constitution of our country, attempting every day to serve all the people, poor, and less poor, they should be looking for a balance that allows each, and all, to live in basic, and good ways. There should be the realization that they have been given the privilege of serving, and that their each and everyday duty, what they do in office, should never, ever be about whether it gets them re-elected or not!  I call these folks to task because 88% claim to be Christian! 
• In our Church, those called to serve should likewise see their calls as privileged, and as a result, it should humble them about their awesome tasks to lead, teach, and guide others. 

   Today’s world so needs the voices, the strength, and the leadership of clerics in the Catholic church, and in the Church Universal, in its many denominations to speak truth to power.  In our Catholic church, priests and bishops should be following the lead of Pope Leo who just this week stated, “It is disheartening to see…that the strength of international law and humanitarianism no longer seem binding, replaced by the presumed right to overpower others.”  Where are the clerical voices?? Can you imagine a world with all those in power standing together speaking a truth that it is wrong to systematically starve pregnant women and children, as is happening today in Gaza.   

   And the apparent “leadership” in Washington sees no need either to speak against these tragedies, but rather to travel to Scotland for yet, “another deal” and of course to check out his golf properties there.  We can’t underestimate the power of people standing together, whether in Church or State to bring about change.

   Some of you may recall that back in 2002, when Spotlight, the investigative wing of the Boston Globe, uncovered the massive coverup of child sexual abuse by priests in Boston, and the then cardinal, Bernard Law who was asked to step down because he was instrumental in the coverup. This only happened when 50 priests stood together saying that he must go!

   So, friends, what do we do in the face of all this as followers of Jesus?  The group, Pace Bene, meaning, “Peace and all good,” under the auspices of This Non-violent Life, daily shares a quote to inspire us:  Friday’s quote was: “Refuse to believe the lie that your small actions can’t make a difference, that nothing you say or do matters.  If someone can make you give up hope, they can control you.  Set aside the idea that hope is a feeling you’re waiting to experience.”  This quote was shared by Sharon McMahon.

   So, my friends, keep writing, calling, and demonstrating, keep showing up, doing your part – it all truly matters! Amen?  Amen!