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!