My friends, as we begin today thinking about these Scriptures, I want to publicly admit to some “literary license” in choosing the beginning verses of Chapter 5 to the Romans instead of the later verses chosen in the lectionary.  I have consciously done this so as to give us a more hopeful message for our daily living than Paul does in the section chosen for today.  Additionally, I want you to know that my intent in my weekly homilies is to stick to the chosen readings, good or not so good, in my mind so as to be in union with the Church Universal and trust that the Spirit will lift up what we are to know. 

   She and I (the Spirit that is) “agreed” that Paul’s chosen words today are an old message that has been drilled into us for so long, that in fact, we’ve got it! – we are a sinful people that are capable of nothing but sin, and can be saved only and solely through Jesus. 

   Therefore, I chose the 3 verses from Romans just before the above chosen ones as these three speak of joy, hope and the possibility of us being, “all that we can be” – all that God intends for us because we have been given the Spirit, he says, to assist us.  That old message leaves me, and perhaps you too, thinking, “well heck, why try, because being the sinful person that I am, there is no hope anyway!”

   So, my friends, I apologize for veering from the given message to replace it with a more hope-filled one, as I know for myself, I need to hold onto the idea that all of us humans can do better than where our world is at present.

   So, with that rather long opening, let’s continue looking at today’s Scriptures for direction.   The Old Testament reading from Exodus let’s us know that we are a “priestly people, a consecrated nation.”  In the Old Testament, being a “priestly people” simply meant, “to be chosen.”  Through our baptisms, friends, each of us is “chosen” too – to live as Jesus did. 

   We get a wonderful image of that from today’s gospel from Matthew in the opening lines … “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity.”  I find myself often, as no doubt you do as well, feeling as Jesus did, when I daily watch news reports of wars around the world, often with no stated cause, and little direction as to the end game, people starving for good, physical food, in a world that has the where-with-all to feed everyone, if there was the will to do so!  When the will is not there at the highest levels to share adequately with all, in our country, we call that, “unfettered capitalism.” 

   For those of us who pretty much have the basics of life covered, Jesus’ continued words today challenge us – “freely you have received, now, freely give.”  This of course is not to say that we haven’t worked for the life that we have, no, but many in our world can’t get the basics, even when they work hard, a thought that is good for us to keep in mind. 

   For this reason, I have such respect for you and pride in being able to pastor a parish that consistently gives away most of what is given here to help others. And granted, we have been blessed through our many years as a parish in having nearly free rent, but also in being affiliated with like groups who see as we do the need to share our bounty with those less fortunate. 

   Thus far in this homily, I have been speaking of physical sharing, but these Scriptures do call us to emotional and spiritual sharing as well – to rise above the material to see the greater needs of our neighbors and friends. 

   Last week we celebrated the wonderful feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ, that in the best sense calls us to move from the “comfort” of the table here, and into the world of our “days and nights,” as we will sing about in our closing hymn, and see Jesus’ “body and blood” in all that we meet, extending a helping hand where and when we can, bringing kindness rather than meanness, bringing truth where there are lies. 

   As I always say, we must get beyond surface meanings that allow for reverence in a “small way” here at the table, but not in the greater way that Jesus sent those first disciples out to do.  “ Freely you have been given – now freely give.”

   We can’t say that it is enough to “reverence” the “bread on the table” without likewise reverencing that same “bread” in women, LGBTQ+ folks, children and their families struggling with trans-gender issues, and so on.  To reverence the Eucharist on the table without taking that same action into our world, addressing all the issues that the hierarchical church is consistently on the wrong side of, is to cancel out the 1^st action! 

   A fine-tuning of this would be to say as the priest did at a family wedding in the past, “If you are not a practicing Catholic, you can’t receive, but please come forward with your hands crossed over your heart and receive a blessing.”  I personally wouldn’t find this enough if I came “to the feast,” and was told that I wasn’t worthy.  And, at this point, the “Eucharist” being offered to some, but not to all, ceases to be the Eucharist, as Jesus gave it originally with the attention that it was meant for all! That friends, is why he took the “meal” to the hillside, as everyone in his time wasn’t welcome in the temple.

   Today’s psalm, #100 proclaims that “we are God’s people” and that as a result, should “make a joyful noise to God.  Our God is good and God’s steadfast love endures forever.” 

   And Paul picks up on this idea in the opening lines of Chapter 5 to the Romans:  “We look “joyfully” to the day that we will be all that God has intended.  When, in fact, women will be included in those who are sent out to “gather in the harvest” that our brother Jesus has said, “is bountiful,”  but that “the laborers are few.” Amen? Amen!