My friends, we come back to Ordinary Time once again after side-stepping it last Sunday for a special mass to uplift the ministry of women in our Church, and especially Mary Magdala, the Tower of Faith.  Ordinary Time, we have come to realize in many ways is really an “extra-ordinary” time due to the challenge each Sunday’s readings contain to help us become our best and live as such in our daily lives. 

   The Scriptures today give us a clear path to follow in the words of Isaiah, Paul, and Jesus.  Let’s take a look:

   “All you who are thirsty, come to the water,” from Isaiah in the 1^st reading seems to be about what truly satisfies…Isaiah continues, “why spend your money for what is not bread?” And of course, we realize that the prophet is speaking about more than being physically thirsty, even though we do  have the need for physical liquid and physical food, but Isaiah seems to be indicating that we humans “thirst” in emotional and spiritual ways too – to be accepted, to be listened to, to be appreciated, to be loved.  We addressed this a bit last week uplifting women in a general way through the use of language that includes us all. 

   This past week Robert and I watched an older movie, from last century, 1987 to be exact, entitled, Can’t Buy Me Love, highlighting the Beatles song of the same title.  It’s a sweet, and a bit heart-breaking story about young people trying desperately to be noticed, accepted, and ultimately loved. Ronald, the nerdy lawn boy aches to be noticed by Cindy, whose lawn he mows, as she is the most popular girl in school. 

   He lays out a great deal of cash to get her to pretend to be “his girl” for a month so that he will acquire some status at school through association with her.  Both young people learn a great deal about what is truly important in life through this “experiment.”  “Why spend money for what is not bread,” Isaiah reminds. 

   The gospel today from Matthew opens up our hearts in much the same way as the movie does.  Jesus has just learned that John the Baptist has been beheaded.  We know these two were most likely close, 2^nd cousins in fact.  Yet, as Jesus seeks solace and refuge, he cannot really care for himself  because the “crowds have followed him.” Jesus’ reaction is to be “moved with pity.”

   There is much in our world my friends that calls for the same reaction from us—that we be moved with pity. The chaplain in me always adds that we look for balance in the good that try to do, caring for ourselves as well. 

   The 2^nd part of today’s gospel gives us another wonderful key in modeling our brother, Jesus. The people gathered, many no doubt sick, lonely, or bereft in other ways, are physically hungry too.  Jesus shows us how to help.

   Scripture says, [He] “looked up to heaven, blessed the food, broke it, and gave it to the people.”  In looking deeper, as I often encourage us to do, there are Scripture scholars who have suggested that Jesus “brought forth” enough bread to feed everyone by suggesting that those with food share what they have with others, thus making enough for all. 

   “Breaking” and “opening up” ourselves to others cannot only feed physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.  And when you think about it, isn’t that what the “Eucharist” is all about – meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual hungers we find in our world?  What we do here, at this table, is just the beginning …

   And friends, in all the good that we attempt to do in our world – we have a great companion assisting us in our brother Jesus.  Paul affirms this for us in the 2^nd reading from Romans today, one of the more beautiful quotes from him:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ?  Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? … For I am certain that neither death nor life … or any pain, neither the present or the future, neither heights or depths, nor anything else … will be able to separate us from the love of God … in Christ Jesus.”

   I believe most of us turn to God in times of trouble and we should … we might also turn to our God with praise when good things happen as well,  because this God loves us mightily and is interested in all that happens to us.  The psalmist in #145 today lets us know that our God is, “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness … just in all … ways, holy in all works.”

   So, you might be thinking, well pastor, how do you know this is so?  I know it because Jesus said as much before leaving us – “I will be with you all days …

   In all my years, I have never met anyone who has testified to have seen God, but I have met countless others who are grateful for much good in their lives. 

I believe, and I hope you do as well that our God is loving us through each act of goodness we see and receive in our lifetime. 

   In today’s gospel, Jesus tells his followers who are worried about feeding so many, “You give them something to eat” … you and you and you …  Amen? Amen!

35 of us gathered on the Redig Family farm today for an outdoor Mass celebrating Mary Magdala and all women called to ministry – in fact all women in whatever the fields they pursue. And in the end, it is a day for all men as well, because when each and all are given respect for who they are and what they do, men and women, all, are better. We followed with a potluck lunch and much good community time. We were additionally joined by several of our sister community from First Congregational where we share space. We prayed well together!

_____________________________________________________________________________

My friends, for those who have joined us for this special feast uplifting Mary Magdala’s true image –not of a prostitute, but as a prophet and priest and loyal follower of Jesus of Nazareth, the new exegesis that became available in 2017 about this Mary, through the work of Elizabeth Schrader, a then master’s candidate in New Testament studies, has been shared in full for several years now, so today, I won’t share all of it again, but just the highlights.  Those of you who might want a “deeper dive,” let me know and I can send it to you. 

   To begin with then, as your program says, “Once there was a follower of Jesus who loved him enough to show the courage necessary to watch him be crucified. He is turn loved her enough to choose her as the first to know of his resurrection.”

   This wonderful example of our brother Jesus toward inclusivity of both women and men called to serve the People of God was unfortunately not carried through by the men who ultimately took power in the early days of the Church. 

   In the past, I have shared that Pope Gregory I in the 6^th Century “put” all the Mary’s in Scripture, except for Jesus’ mother, into a composite giving them one character trait, that of prostitute, so as to discount any other exemplary traits they may have had. Thanks Gregory!  By the way, I discovered that this same Gregory is a canonized saint, hopefully not for the above action!  —  because…

   This action took away the honor and integrity of these women, along with any reason to take them seriously, then or now, with women in general. We may wonder why this was done, and the answer has to be about “power,” being in control.  We have all seen examples both in Church and State of what those afraid of losing their power, or even sharing it, are capable of – it shows itself in excommunication, firing, bullying, denying the truth, and more. 

   Thus, these celebrations are meant to set the record straight – to tell the truth – even if the powers that be in our Church never hop on board –the Spirit is today calling women as She did in the past, and as Jesus once did, in order that all the voices are heard. 

   So, let’s look at the highlights of Elizabeth Schrader’s research and exegesis:

1. Throughout most of time as we know it, our Mary celebrated today was known as Mary of Magdala – the thing is, in Jesus’ time there was no city of Magdala!
2. Elizabeth Schrader was interested in knowing more about this Mary and so she studied the Greek, Aramaic, and Coptic languages. In the earliest texts, specifically, Papyrus 66 from 200 A.D. in John’s gospel, chapter 11, in the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, she discovered that “Martha” was probably “an addition” to the story! 
3. There is a similar story in Luke’s gospel, chapter 10: 38-42, and we are made to think that the two stories speak about the same 3 people.
4. Taking a look at the story from Luke, we read, “Jesus entered a village where a woman, Martha, welcomed him to her house.”  This is telling in that women in Jesus’ time didn’t own property if they had a father, brother, son or husband.  Reading further, she had a sister Mary – no mention is made of a brother, Lazarus. 
5. Going back to the reading from John, Schrader found that the earliest texts had been changed by someone in the 4^th Century giving Lazarus two sisters, one Mary, the other Martha. 
6. Again, we have to ask why this was done. Schrader makes the case that it solves the early Church “problem” of leadership – was it Peter or Mary, maybe both, whom Jesus called to lead…maybe he intended them to share this awesome responsibility!  Think what it could mean for our Church if men could have seen women as Jesus did!  Just like Pope Gregory making an unflattering composite of all the Mary’s, — someone in the 4^th Century did the same!
7. Schrader goes on to demonstrate that in the John text, Lazarus has only one sister, Mary, and that it was she, and not Martha who proclaimed as did Peter that, “Jesus is the Christ, come into the world”[!]
8. Even Tertulian, early 2^nd Century Church father, known for being the most misogynist of his time, stated that Lazarus had one sister, Mary. 
9. “Magdala,” as stated above, was not the city where Mary was from, but a character trait – in  the Greek, “magdala” means, “tower” and was most likely given her because she was, “a tower of faith.”

   So, what are our takeaways?

• The Luke and John stories are about two separate families.
• Mary, formerly thought to be from “Magdala” is now reclaimed as “Mary, the Tower of Faith,” and was most likely from Bethany where the supposed family, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Jesus’ friends were from. 
• It is this Mary, not Martha, in Matthew’s gospel who utters the same words as Peter, naming Jesus as the Christ.  You might be asking why it matters that Mary, rather than Martha uttered these prophetic words … in this story from Matthew, Martha is depicted as a housemaid, and cook – nothing wrong with that, whereas Mary is depicted as one sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to his every word  — learning from him. If the words are put in Martha’s mouth, then Mary can be dismissed as a “starry-eyed girl” rather than the prophet that she was!
• It is this Mary, “the Tower of Faith” who remained faithful to the end, and proclaimed the Resurrection to the men hiding in the Upper Room. 

   So, my friends, at the end of the day, why is this important?

1. The truth should always be told, because when it is not, people get hurt, misused, abused and dishonored.
2. If our Mary is no more than a prostitute, she doesn’t have to be listened to, nor any woman, for that matter.
3. I can think of 3 women who were called to be priests in a Church whose men said, “No,” at a time when there were no other options for answering that call, as in present time, and if I know 3, certainly there are more. 
4. There have been orders of religious women, some called “Magdalens” who offered their “reformed” lives to God on a lie, and suffered needlessly from the powers over them. 
5. On the merit of so much misogyny throughout the history of our beloved Church, Pope Benedict XVI, in present time, in all sincerity claimed that women seeking ordination as priests were committing sin on the level of male priests who abuse children!  Think of that!  As my sister priest Alice would say, “It’s crazymaking!”
6. On a personal note, in a Church that uplifts men over women, I am reminded of my days back in the 9o’s serving on the Pastoral Council at the Cathedral in Winona.  We were advocating then for girl servers.  One of the younger men on the council who was originally against the idea shared a personal example that changed his mind. One Sunday at Mass, his 7-year-old daughter asked why she couldn’t be a server – he looked at her and realized, “there was no good reason why she couldn’t. 

This also reminds me of the early days of Roman Catholic Women Priests, when many of the women were already quite elderly who were getting ordained – I specifically remember a 70-something year-old woman who said one of the reasons beyond service that she wanted to be ordained was so that little girls could see someone at the altar [table] who looked  like them!

• My friends, when truth is told, whether it ever bears fruit in change or not, in our patriarchal church, we know that Jesus had no problem with women, seeing them as an image of the divine, nor should we!
• The changes made to Scripture over time to accommodate men after power speaks profoundly to Scripture scholar, Sister Sandra Schneiders’ comment that, “Scripture was written by men, about men, and for men!”  Sister Sandra also has an article—copies on the table, “God is More Than Two Men and a Bird.”
• Another interesting comment that always makes me smile comes from another Scripture scholar , Sister Elizabeth Johnson in her book, She Who Is, with regard to men and their power. When asked if she didn’t think it would have been better for women had Jesus come as a woman, she said, and I paraphrase – no, he needed to be a man to model for men what women already knew how to do – serve! In other words, and here I quote her, “The problem is not that Jesus was a man, but that more men are not like Jesus!”
• And again, this exegesis proves that Mary, the Tower of Faith proclaimed the same truth as Peter whom Jesus supposedly called, “The Rock.”   We might think what our Church could be like if instead of being led by “Peter, the Rock,” a title which seems more about him, it was led by “Mary, the Tower of Faith,” which seems more about service … or perhaps a Church led by both…

Amen? Amen! 

My friends, as I said in the bulletin this week, today’s readings – en masse, speak of a God who loves us in an “over-the-top” way as Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong always said.  I always think lovingly of the Episcopalians ever since my CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training to become a chaplain when one of my professors, an Episcopalian priest gave me my one joke, regarding Catholics versus Episcopalians: What’s the difference between the two? Episcopalians are Catholic-lite, 1/3 less guilt.

   Each of us with any amount of years under our belts are aware of having grown up with our share of guilt for not having been our best.  And really, when it comes down to it, “laying guilt” was never something that our brother Jesus modeled for us.  We only need to look to the beautiful story of the Prodigal to understand this – when his beloved child returns, the father runs to meet him, throws his arms around him, and then throws a party!  There is no, “I told you so – you made your bed, now lie in it!”  One can only conclude that the tactic of “guilting” is about control.

   And when you think about the readings today, we see a God who continually gives us “another chance” – who knows what we are capable of, and encourages us to keep trying to do our best – that’s the meaning behind the parable of the weeds and the wheat – the weeds and the wheat show the two sides of us as humans – we are capable of much good, “the wheat,” and much that is not good, “the weeds.”

   Those of us humans who aren’t as loving and understanding as our God is, would be willing to “ rip out” the weeds which we see as “less good,” which I did this past week, so as not to harm that which we see as good, “the wheat.”  But enter our loving God who says, “No, let them “grow” together – perhaps some good can come from that.”

   In the beginning here, I made the statement that the readings today speak of a God who loves in an over-the-top way.  Let’s look at some of the proof of that:

• The Wisdom writer speaks of God being “mild in judgment,” and instructs that, “Those who are just, must be kind.” The writer continues, “You [give] your children good ground for hope.”

• The psalmist in #86 says, “Adonai, you are good and forgiving, full of constant love.
• Paul, in his letter to the Romans today lets us know, “The Spirit…comes to help us in our weakness,” expressing for us, “groanings too deep for words.”  He continues, when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit “speaks” for us.
• Matthew, in today’s gospel shares another of Jesus’ parables – that of the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds that grows into the largest shrub.  This story confirms for us, or it should, that every bit of good that we do in our life helps – it truly does, because we never know who we truly affect, and how far that good might go.

   Over my lifetime, I have had people come up to me and say, “thanks” for something that I said or did, that encouraged them to do their piece to make our world better, so don’t ever underestimate the “seemingly small” things that you do!

   My friends, we live in a time, as you know, that shows us so much that appears as “weeds.”  We wonder what we can do… Someone once said, “Name the pain that you see in the world, and ask what part you have to play in it.”  Sometimes, we perhaps don’t do our best because of our focus. Most of us are familiar with the statement, “I am my brother’s [sister’s] keeper.”  A friend, in a letter to-the-editor this past week, advocating for the city of Winona to accept the offer of Saint Paul’s Episcopal church as a day and night shelter for the homeless, quoted Desmond Tutu, Anglican bishop who worked tirelessly fighting apartheid in South Africa who said, “I am not my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother.” 

   Where the first statement seems to designate, a bit of power over, the 2^nd really says – we are equals – I may be blessed with what you don’t have, but I could easily be in your shoes too.

   When we think of “naming the pain, and asking, “what part we play in it,” I would lift up the issue of “language.”  I think most of you know that I am being interviewed for a documentary on women priests and my personal story.  In preparation for that, I have been going over much of my previous work in order to more fully explain who I am as a woman in the Catholic church.

   Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a master’s degree in Pastoral Ministries. My dissertation was entitled, Excluded by Birth, Diminished by Language: A Case for Inclusivity in the Catholic Church.

   As I said above, I would like to address briefly, the issue of language, and basically on the horizontal level – how we “name” each other.  The vertical level would be about how we “name” God, but that is for another time. 

   I always used to say, those who have the language, have the power.  If half the population has no words that express their essence – we all remember the days when “he” was used for everyone, whether you were a “he” or not.  We got that fixed, and then someone came up with the term, “You guys” which apparently includes us all? That’s what I and other women are told who complain.   But try switching that term for “you gals,” and see if everyone still feels included. 

   Just this week it came to me (thanks Spirit) that I need to change my thought from “those with the language have the  power,”  (because the men with the power are always accusing the women of wanting some), to something deeper.  Having language that names me and my story, gives me a voice – not power, but a voice!  During my studies 25 years ago, I remember reading Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ book, Women Who Run with the Wolves – and thinking she was the 1^st person who spoke to my heart, about what it means to be included.

   Another interesting phrase within our beloved Church that supposedly says why women can’t be ordained, is “in persona Christi.” In the Greek, this means, “in the presence of” – more simply, “standing in for.”  The men with the power claim that this means, one has to be a man.  Critics of the this thought, both male and female say, “in persona Christi” has a broader meaning than that!

   If we are to believe that as stated in the Old Testament book of Genesis 1:26-27, that all humans were created, in, imago Dei, in Latin, the image of God, then we can be sure that women can, as men do, stand, “in persona Christi!”  Language is power, but more importantly, it gives us voice, and helps us to not only be our best, but to become who God intended us to be.   Amen? Amen!

My friends, this week, because I was preparing for our good friends, Mary Ann and Ed Sinclair to visit, I opted for using much of an old homily from 3 years ago which many of our newer folks haven’t yet heard,  the rest have probably forgotten, and as the Spirit and I looked it over, it still seemed to be quite relevant. And of course, I will update a bit too.  And for Mary Ann and Ed’s benefit, I often tell this group that each week’s homily is what the Spirit and I do together – I felt She was giving me permission to take a short cut this week.  So, to begin with, I would like to share two stories to set a focus for the readings and message from the Scriptures for this weekend. 

   The first story came to me from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) as I was driving to Lacrosse 3 years ago at this time.  MPR’s morning show was looking at how animals, cats, and dogs, specifically, affect the lives of humans.  We know that for most pet owners, the relationship with their animals is a positive one.

   This 1^st story is about a cat named Jasmine and her human friend; I will call Julie.  It seems that Julie was in a bad “human” relationship wherein her life was often being threatened. As is usually the case in such situations, Julie routinely did nothing to protect herself, until one day, her attacker threatened Jasmine’s life.  This last threat caused her to act—she got a restraining order, and as she said, “That was the end of that.” 

   Later, she got into a good relationship and was planning her wedding.  One week before the big event, Jasmine died.  Julie said, “It felt like Jasmine knew that now I was in good hands and that she could go.”

   The second “story” isn’t really a story per se, but more of an explanation for a strongly held belief.  The regulars here know that I often call our Winona/Rochester diocesan bishop to task as he seems lost at times in the ethereal to the detriment of the People of God in the present. Bishop Robert Barron, wrote, 3 years ago with a great deal of emotion in an issue of The Courier, our diocesan paper, his feelings about the June 15, 2023, Eucharistic Congress held in Mankato, Minnesota that year.  And the thing is, 3 years later, he still feels this way. 

   In common parlance, we could say, “He was over-the-moon” with how the event played out—stating, [It was] “one of the greatest days of my priesthood.”  His joy was truly about the great number of people who attended and of their reverence for the “real presence,” body and blood of Jesus on the altar.  

   Within his comments for The Courier, the Bishop shared some of his message to the people who attended the Eucharistic Congress.  I was taken aback by the following quote from him:

          “I do believe that in the years following the Second Vatican Council, we tended to de-emphasize doctrine and hyper-emphasize social justice.  One bitter fruit of this is that many of our young people cannot articulate why it makes sense to believe in God; another is that 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  As Jesus himself demonstrates clearly, the first great expression of compassion is teaching. So, it remains true today.”

   My friends, I placed the 1^st story of a loving cat and her human friend alongside an episcopal explanation of doctrine, in the words of each “storyteller,” as examples, of “real presence.”  I will let that sit for the time being as we look at the Scripture message and challenge for today. 

   In the 1^st reading from the prophet, Isaiah, we hear: “My word will go forth from my mouth and will not return to me empty, but will carry out my will…”  Bishop Barron seems to be caught up in the fact that 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the “real presence” on the altar—in his mind, that the elements of bread and wine are actual human flesh and human blood. 

   I don’t recall our brother Jesus ever saying that this is what he wanted from us.  Furthermore, with all due respect, I believe the Bishop’s comments about the focus of Vatican II and the movement away from doctrine to social justice is indeed what Jesus always asked of us—not that we get caught up in doctrine, for doctrine’s sake. 

   Again, with all due respect, does it really matter if 70% of Catholics don’t believe in transubstantiation, but do instead believe in the real presence of Jesus within us and each and every person we meet?  It should be remembered that Jesus in his earthly life railed against the apparent need of his fellow Jews in fastidiously keeping over 600 rules and regulations for daily living, yet not showing compassion for the poor and suffering on the fringes of their society. 

   I believe the bishop has it all turned around.  He is also lamenting that young people can’t articulate, “why it makes sense to have God in their lives.”  I would want to know what his definition of God is in order to fully comment. I personally know many young and younger people, including my own two adult children and their spouses who are not in agreement with what they hear this bishop proclaiming about “real presence,” yet I believe they hold their own definitions of God, that in many ways guide their lives. 

   Let’s return for a moment to my 1^st story about Julie and her cat, Jasmine.  I suggested that this is one of “real presence.”  My definition of God as depicted by our brother Jesus, who said, “If you have seen me, you have seen Abba God,” is one who loves us in an over-the-top way as shown in the parables of the Prodigal and that of the Good Shepherd, to name just two.  In other words, our God wants good for us in this life, not bad, and through the faithful love of Jasmine, Jesus’ (God’s) real presence was there for Julie. 

   None of us gets to see God in this life, but we do get to see each other, our pets, and the beauty of and strength in nature—what wonderful opportunities for our God to be present to us! As an aside, I have a friend who lives alone, except for her cat, Silky, and my friend, Linda, always ends all her letters to me signing both her name and that of her cat.  Let’s not make it so hard to see our God who is continually present to us in all of the above ways!  And of course, this can only happen if we, as Matthew says in the gospel today, have “eyes that truly see, ears that truly hear, and hearts that can truly love.”

   I am presently reading a book from a friend entitled, The Four Vision Quests of Jesus.  This of course comes out of Native American culture, and the author, Steven Charleston has stated a difference that he sees between white folks and Native Americans:  “White folks tend to live with the notion, “I will believe it when I see it,” whereas Native peoples live more by the idea –“You will never see it, if you don’t believe it.” 

   My friends, our faith calls us to go so much deeper than belief in physical elements—we must find Jesus’ real presence in each other, in those who are abused, even, if possible, in the abuser; and in those who suffer injustice in so many ways because of how and where they happened to have been born…

   Paul, in his letter to the Romans today, prays the prayer, I believe, of our brother Jesus who wept over Jerusalem shortly before he died, because even his closest followers just didn’t get it.  Paul says, “the entire creation has been groaning in one great act of giving birth…”

   Paul continues in his encouragement, that we be “a revelation to the world.”  If we check the definition of the word, “revelation,” we find that it means, “a surprising and previously unknown fact.”   The switch of how belief happens in white folks versus Native Americans is an example of a “surprising fact!” 

   In the words that I quoted from Bishop Barron above, he stated that, “the first great expression of compassion is teaching.”  If this bishop is intent in keeping us “stuck” in “doctrine” rather than “social justice,” as proclaimed by Vatican II, then his attempts to bring more young and older people into the Church will be akin to, “the seed that fell on rocky ground where it had little soil and because it had no depth, when the sun rose…it withered away.” 

   My friends, coming now to the present, the readings today do give us hope – Isaiah tells us in the 1^st reading that “God’s word will be fulfilled” [!]  Paul tells the Romans, “The world will be freed from the slavery to corruption.” Additionally, Paul’s words, “we groan inwardly, while we wait…” fit the times in which we live.  Jesus’ words give us hope too because he lays out what can happen to “the Word” that falls on good ground.  Let us pray today for each other that the “good seed” falling on our “good ground” will yield a “fruitful harvest in us, for us, but for others too!.  Amen? Amen!

My friends, this weekend, as you know, our country is celebrating 250 years, attempting a “democratic state,” wherein “all,” according to the Preamble to our Declaration of Independence from Britain, [humans] are created equal, and there is the understanding that we all, each of us, want to pursue “life, liberty, and happiness. 

   Many people looking back at our Declaration of Independence from Britain and our Constitutional amendments, 10 at the beginning, known as the “Bill of Rights,” marvel at what these documents actually say, of which, many weren’t being lived out at the time.

   Take for instance, “all men are created equal” – even though “men” as a term for all (including women) was acceptable in the 18^th Century, women still weren’t seen as equal to men at this time, nor were African slaves.

   But that is why those who study these documents marvel, at the beauty of them– they were written as a piece to basically grow into.  We might say the same for our Scriptures – who of us ever perfectly lives out the messages that we find there?!  And we, as the People of God, have been at it for over 2,000 years!

   So, my friends, on this weekend celebrating 250 years of “attempted” democratic living, I would like to lift up the idea of peace-filled living as today’s Scriptures speak most-assuredly to that idea. 

   The prophet Zechariah begins by telling us that we have, “a just savior,” and that “peace will be proclaimed to the nations.” Psalm 145 lets us know that our God, Adonai, is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness – compassionate – just in all ways.”  And while “peace” is not mentioned here; having a God displaying all these traits would certainly bring “peace” to all receiving these good actions.

   Paul’s letter to the Romans is quite “cut and dried,” but basically speaks of choosing that which is “spiritual” over the things of the flesh.”  Now, for myself, having lived more than seven decades, I would encourage, “a balance” – after all,  we are human beings, and I believe our God wants us to have, as spiritual people, “a human experience while here.  Balance though, I’ve found, always works best. 

   The gospel from Matthew today uses different words too, other than “peace,” and like Paul’s,  Jesus’ chosen words here, do speak to peace.  “Come to me, all who labor and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle, and humble of heart – you will find rest for your souls.”

   These words of Jesus are one of the choices to share with those receiving the Sacrament of the Sick, in times of trouble – illness, end of life.  They are my reading of choice when I share this sacrament as a priest, because they are so comforting, bringing peace. 

   So, my friends, circling back to where I started this homily, thinking about and celebrating 250 years of democracy in leaps and bounds, with some setbacks, but always with, in the end, the desire to do better, as in our faith too, let’s dive a little deeper into just what “peace” means. 

   I think you would all agree that whether as a society, or a church community, striving for peace, as opposed to “following the crowd,” or simply doing nothing, is always harder than any of the above alternatives.  And when it comes to “country,” we, too often over these 250 years, in settling disputes with other people and countries, have opted for war as opposed to peaceful solutions.  War, to my mind, should always be the very last thing that we try!  Peace is harder because it demands so much from us – restraint, listening, and being willing to hear another side – this calls forth the very best in us! 

   Most of us, over our lifetimes have experienced trying to “make peace” with a family member or friend, and have had trouble doing this. Realizing this, we can understand why it is so difficult to “make peace” on a large scale, as with one country to another.  Just like, with an individual, the hard work of peace-making, at any level, begins small, and grows from there.  And just like evil actions attract followers, good actions do as well.  And it takes a great deal of faith to believe, at times, that “good” will rise in the end. 

   When we become discouraged, and disheartened about present-day trends toward selfishness, unbridled individualism, meanness, and the like, we truly must keep our eyes on our brother Jesus, and remember, and never forget, for all the good he was about in his lifetime, he, in his humanity, cried over Jerusalem toward the end, because, “they just didn’t get it!”  I always take strength from knowing that in the hard times, I can turn to Jesus, knowing that he understands.  And then, we try again.  Doing small things like saying, “thank you” and truly meaning it, “passing a good forward,” are just a couple of things that can mean a lot. 

   Before I conclude today when we are rightly celebrating the gift and challenge of democracy, 250 years ago, realizing that on some level, it was always an idea in progress, just as being a Christian follower of Jesus of Nazareth, I would like to lift up a piece of unfinished business that plagues our country every single day, and that is the proliferation of guns in this beautiful country that daily take the lives of loved ones, because we don’t have the collective will to put some safety regulations upon what is acceptable. 

   Those who advocate for their 2^nd Amendment rights should remember that when this “bill” was written, what people had at their disposal to protect themselves were single-shot muzzle loaders, not, not, weapons of mass destruction!  Balance, please! 

   As you know, I love the statement, “We are spiritual beings here, having a human experience.”  In other words, each of us came into existence as Matthew Fox has so rightly said, “an original blessing, not a sin, so we, each of us have all that is needed in both society and church, to be our best selves, for ourselves, and for others, and with that knowledge we can move into the next however many years working toward freeing our world, our church of the other evils not even mentioned here, sexism, racism, and so on…  Amen? Amen!