My friends, I don’t know about you, but I have always appreciated having a new start.  I love the change of seasons that we experience here in Minnesota – the new life that spring affords us – I never quite get over the mystery and miracle of how each year, new, little, green buds pop out of ground just very recently frozen.  Then the continued growth of flowers and vegetables to labor over, and to enjoy – the harvest, and then the shutting down of all growing things, and a much-needed rest, of which we are upon now.  

   The Church Year follows a somewhat same journey through time which I likewise appreciate and am grateful for.  With today, the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, and next week, a feast to celebrate Jesus, the Christ, our brother, friend, and model, hopefully, that we pattern our own lives after, we will end another Church Year of grace. 

   The holy season of Advent begins then on November 30^th, and we are into a new Church Year.  But I am getting ahead of myself…Let’s look then at today’s readings.  There seems to be an urgency in all of them, to, simply put, as I always say, “be our best.”  We are encouraged to basically, “take a look,” to see how we are doing.  We might ask, “could we be accused and convicted, for being a Christian? – would there be enough evidence?  Not to be too dramatic though, we  are encouraged to look  into our lives to see where possible change may be needed. Perhaps we may not be doing “anything wrong,” but again, would others be able to know, looking at our actions, that we are Jesus’ followers? Not an easy task, and in our present day world, so much injustice to address.

   A very good friend to Robert and I over the years since I was ordained started out as my religion instructor in my freshman year at Cotter High School, Jim Fitzpatrick, who was then an active diocesan priest.  After ten years in ministry, he became aware of the sexual abuse of minors that was happening among some of his brother priests.  He took his knowledge to the bishop, who basically did nothing.  Jim, being the moral person that he was, left active ministry over this issue and through the rest of his life, along with his wife, Karen, was “active” in new and different ways, being true to his call to follow his brother Jesus.  I think he and she could be accused and convicted of being Christians. 

   Sometimes, many times, our faith calls us to being, “more than,” “just good.”  Sometimes, we must be about “good trouble,” as John Lewis said. 

   When I think of Jim Fitzpatrick, who stood not much more than 5 feet in height, I marvel at the attention he was able to get in our lowly group of beginning high schoolers.  When we didn’t seem to produce the answers quick enough or with enough interest, he used to exclaim, “C’mon, catch fire!” 

   Our national group of bishops “caught fire” this past week in their quite strong statement against the treatment of immigrants by the powers-that-be in our country. Now, if they just continue the “good words” with sustained action demanding change, that will be good!  The past couple of days, I was with a group of my sister and brother Cojourners at Assisi Heights in Rochester, home of the Franciscan Sisters there. Cojourners are lay folks who attempt in their lives to live Franciscan values alongside the sisters. We spent many good hours trying to understand, and decide, how we may continue to not only exist, but be vibrant in our world, once the sisters have all gone home to God.

   So, my friends, these readings today, as we are winding down another Church Year, are instructing us as Paul did the Thessalonians in today’s 2^nd reading, “to be concerned about giving good example.”  Paul puts it rather bluntly today, “If you do not work, you should not eat.” Now there are those in power today who would agree with that,but that is because they and Paul are applying a black and white solution to an often very gray problem.  If someone is lazy, well then fine, but if someone is incapable of work, that is another thing. I would probably soften Paul’s words to say, rather, “get your heart in the right place!”  None of us can do all, but all of us can do something to make our world better. 

   Our brother Jesus gives us some pointers in today’s gospel from Luke at what “our walk in his footsteps” will be like –words good to heed, I think:  “Take care not to be misled,” you will suffer for my name.”  In speaking with many of you, I know you suffer the estrangement of family members ands friends, because your morals don’t allow you to accept the rhetoric and tone of many in our country today – if your heart won’t allow you to agree and those who may have supported you in the past, no longer do, our brother Jesus understands that from personal experience in his world,  and he encourages, “patient endurance” or we might say, “keep on keeping on.”

   When our friend Jim Fitzpatrick died, many, including us attended his Celebration of Life, now 6 years ago.  Another of his students, a religious sister who gave the homily, spoke of Jim’s favorite Scripture passage – that of the Transfiguration wherein Jesus takes his apostles, Peter, James and John up a mountain and he shows himself to them in a different way as he appeared alongside Moses and Elijah. 

   What Jim loved about this passage were Peter’s impetuous and spontaneous words, to what he was seeing, “It is good for us to be here!”  Evidently, the only time in Scripture that we hear these words about “it being good that we, each of us, is here!   Jim Fitzpatrick took these words, “the goodness of his being here” to heart, knowing that Jesus was calling him to make a difference. 

   At the beginning of November, the Church celebrated, “All Saints Day,” a day we remember so many who have gone on before us, who made a difference.  Perhaps you have a favorite saint or two.  I always take great joy in thinking of my patron saint, Catherine of Siena, who took issue not only with bishops, but with the pope too for not being their best. An aside, if you don’t know how to find your patron saint, and perhaps there is more than one, as in my case, with Catherine, you would take the one closest to your birthday.  If there is only one saint with your name, then it is easy.  I also like to add, every day, ordinary people, like many in our own personal lives, are saints too, uncanonized, but saints just the same. 

   So, my friends, tying this all together, being a follower of our brother Jesus, is far from an easy task if we are truly “walking” with him, but the hope is always, with each passing day, each passing Church Year, we can begin again, making a difference.

   And when it comes right down to it – it really is, “all about love!”  Most Monday evenings since March of this year, I have stood on the corner of Main and Broadway along with approximately 100 or more others advocating for a better world. Robert is on my left, and two older, sweet ladies are on my right somewhat comfortably seated, doing the same.  This past week, one of them said, “being here maybe doesn’t make much of a difference, but I get hope that I am doing something,”  especially when cars go by honking approval. I told them, “Ladies, we are walking the talk!”  We don’t always know what seeds we are planting…

   Teilhard de Chardin said it better and even though I have shared these words before, I think they are a fitting way to end today:   “Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love.  Then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.”  And again, Jim Fitzpatrick would say, “C’mon, catch fire!”  Amen? Amen!