My friends, I would like to share two stories today as we begin, 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 this past week.  MPR’s morning show was looking at how animals, cats, and dogs, specifically, effect and affect the lives of humans. 

   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 the life of Jasmine.  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.  Bishop Robert Barron, of the Winona/Rochester, Minnesota Catholic diocese, wrote with a great deal of emotion in the most recent issue of The Courier, the  diocesan paper, his feelings about the June 15, 2023, Eucharistic Congress held in Mankato. 

   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 “story-teller,” 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! 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.”

   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.”  

   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.”  Amen? Amen!

   My friends, today I would like to speak about “peace” –personal peace, national peace, and world peace.  This topic of peace is one that I think a great deal about because on many levels, in our world, there seems to be so little of it.  And additionally, I am inclined to do so because today’s Scriptures speak either directly, or indirectly to the issue of peace. 

   The prophet Zechariah says very directly, “The warrior’s bow will be banished, and peace will be proclaimed to the nations.”  Paul, in his letter to the Romans speaks more indirectly about the goodness of peace and searching for this alternative to personal and worldly problems experienced in our lives: “You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” 

   We as humans are capable of great good, but equally, of great evil.  The daily news lets us know this to be true.  I personally crave stories that tell of the goodness of us humans as opposed to the failures within humankind to meet that bar of goodness.  CBS news correspondent, Steve Hartman, in his “On the Road” segments, each Friday night, never fails in finding and producing good, human stories. 

   Several years ago, we had the opportunity of seeing a one-person play, entitled, An Iliad, through the Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF).  The play was a take-off on Homer’s, The Iliad and viewers were confronted with humankind’s propensity to make war, instead of peace.  Clearly, when one thinks about it, making “war” is the easier solution to any conflict. Making peace will always be the harder action because it calls for restraint, listening –being willing to hear another side –basically, calling forth the best in us. 

   Now I, like you, struggle with the hard work that making peace calls for and at times, tend to think that it can’t be done.  At times like this, Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel today are good to reflect on: “Come to me, all you who labor and find life hard, and I will refresh you.”  In other words, take the burden of following me—being true to the way of life that I have given you, upon your shoulders, learn from me, my gentleness, my humility—for that is how it must be done—not through angry words, or the violence of war. 

   When it comes to “making peace,” big enough to cover our war-torn world, most of us realize that the job is bigger than any one person can handle.  But, one person, added to another person, to another, can do great things.  That is why I love the work of Steve Hartman, who routinely shows us examples of some-one-person, doing something wonderfully good, and just like those who do evil in this world, will find followers, those who do, not only good, but good beyond measure seemingly, will find followers too.  World peace does indeed start small, in individual cases, and grows from there. 

   It is also good for us to remember that we are truly capable of great goodness, if we live more so, in the Spirit, as opposed to the body.  I love the person who originally said, “We are spiritual beings here, having a human experience.”  In other words, we came into existence with “original” goodness, not “sin,” as Matthew Fox has said so well.  That kind of shoots the whole theology of redemption, doesn’t it?! We aren’t here, in our humanity to become more spiritual—we are of God already, attempting through our humanity to be true, ultimately to God’s Spirit already within us!

   So, as An Iliad stated, since B.C.E. times to the present, there have been more than 100 wars. If that solution was what was needed, our world should be without war and conflict today! Right?

   It seems to me, when we truly think about it, even if we can come up with a justifiable reason, this decision to go to war is to have failed in our humanity to be our very best.  War should only come about as truly the last thing we try.  Sending our young men and women to fight these endless wars seems to me to be an insane action; unworthy of a God who has first loved us so much and trusted us to care for others in like manner.

   These are tough times my friends, when every week it seems, sometimes even every day, in our country, we must continually hear of mass shootings because we don’t, as a country, have the “intestinal fortitude,” as my friend, Paul Nelson used to say, or even the wisdom of children, as Matthew speaks of today, to do the right thing—to make it impossible to easily pick up a weapon to express one’s anger, hurt, whatever it might be, on our unsuspecting sisters and brothers in our world. We might well consider directing the millions used today to prop up the National Rifle Association, towards cleaning up the arsenals that litter our towns and cities and truly assist those needing psychological and emotional help so as to live more constructive lives. 

   Our God truly calls us to so much more goodness than our country and world is displaying today. And even though it may seem an impossible task, I would challenge each of us, this week, to make our world better by writing or calling someone in power to demand a world that is safer, freer from evil and violence than it is today.  Let’s demand a world that is more equal and fair for all; being unable to truly be happy with all we have, when so many have not even the basics.  Let’s advocate for goodness, for becoming our best selves—for everyone.  Jesus merely got this started, and when he left us physically, in time, he said that we would do greater things than he did.  Amen? Amen!

   My friends, I would like to begin by telling you about my week and some of the issues that I was presented with.  My purpose in doing this, as always, is to bring these events and issues to my preparation of opening up the weekly Scriptures for us to reflect on.  In my mind, if we don’t unite the two, the issues and events of our days, with the words of Scripture, we have kind of missed the point of trying to live out our Christian lives. 

   Okay, the events and issues of my week:

• The culmination of a couple of weeks of working in our yard, was to get all the first weeding of my flower patches done—a task I usually, in most years, have done well before now.  But as you know, with knee repair, I haven’t had the flexibility to “meet the weeds” at their level until now.  Now, I might have been able to let it go this year, with good reason, except for an upcoming visit from the  two bishops of my Midwest Region of Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) —one retired, and one, new.  Such a visit doesn’t happen that often, so I wanted the yard and house to show its “best face,” so that the visit would be as good as possible, which it seems to have been. 
• The next significant event of this week happened the next day in Rochester with my Franciscan Life Group, (FLG) made up of Sisters and Lay Cojourners at Assisi Heights. It was a wonderful time of sharing—in person, and outdoors, for the 1^st time in a while.  We shared the ups and downs of our lives, prayer for the needs and concerns of each other, differing religious and theological concerns within our Church Universal, and of course, a sharing of physical food, lovingly prepared by each, for each other.

• Then, there were the concerns for the wider Church and world that came into my life and yours this past week, beginning with: A unanimous vote by the United Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) to deny gender-affirming medical treatment to transgender youth.
• The US Supreme Court made three negative decisions this past week—1^st, against affirmative action in college admissions, of which Michelle Obama had this to say: “So often, we just accept that money, power and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level.”   The 2^nd decision was against LGBTQ+ individuals when agreeing that a business owner does not have to serve individuals whose life-styles she doesn’t agree with—a decision that a national commentator for the Washington Post, Jonathan Capehart labeled as “poisonous” to our nation. Finally, there was President Biden’s plan to assist Americans with college debt, which they voted down.  Interesting that the six majority judges claim to be, “Catholic.”
• In addition, this past week, amid the 100+ degree heat wave in southern states, Texas governor, Greg Abbott ruled that no water breaks would be allowed for construction workers. 

   Now, you might be wondering what all these issues have to do with today’s Scriptures—in a few words, each is about, first, being the “Body and Blood of Christ” and “serving” that Body of Christ.  And each of today’s readings is about these two most important actions.  Let me explain.

   The 1^st reading from 2 Kings shows the prophet, Elisa, giving the Shunammite woman the “best” of gifts in her culture—a child.  We might think too about how we might give our best to others.  Paul, in his reading to the Romans, tells them that their baptisms are about making them “new.”  In other words, we Christians can’t simply respond as the “status quo”—more is expected of the “Body of Christ.” And the gospel from Matthew brings this notion home in Jesus’ words about family.  Even as he would have realized that “family” is everything to the Israelites, he says that “doing what is right” is ultimately, more important!

   To make this clear, we only need think about all the physical, sexual, and emotional/spiritual abuse done in our Church by clergy and covered up for so long because those doing the cover-up thought that “protecting the Church” –however one describes that—was more important than protecting vulnerable children. 

   Even though this heinous crime has been brought more into the light of day, it still continues because our Church, in its hierarchy has never fully taken responsibility for its failure to truly love as Jesus did and does. If it had, organizations like (SNAP) Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests would have been able to conclude their work long ago; but such is not the case. 

   Living “a new life” as baptized believers in Christ, spoken about today by Paul to the Romans, is truly about “choosing” to live that life.  Each day, every day, my friends, we have to make the personal choice of doing the most loving thing. 

   Granted, living our Catholic/Christian life through “high theater” as was depicted in the Eucharistic Congress held recently in Mankato, MN might be “comforting” on a spiritual level, and not wrong in itself, but to be designing a form of “evangelization” about the human body and blood of Jesus on the altar, uplifting this drama, as seems to be the case as one looks at the work of the USCCB, with no connection to the “real presence” of Jesus in our world, is simply to again, have missed the point of it all. 

   Jesus’ simply never intended that we would worship his body and blood in human form and stay there at the altar, but more so, that in consuming the elements of bread and wine, his “real presence,” into our bodies, we would become that “body” that “blood” and share it in all the places of our world, in all the suffering and pain we find, realizing that here and now, we have found his body, his blood—his presence and make a difference. 

   I am personally saddened to see our own diocesan bishop in conjunction with so many other so-called “leaders” in our country, choosing the low road, which is about them and their own personal comfort instead of the welfare of all the People of God!

   Think, if you will, how wonderful it might be if the highlight of their National Eucharistic Congress next year was that they would, each bishop, from each diocese show that they truly understand the blessedness of the presence of our brother Jesus in our midst, in his body and blood, by asking forgiveness of all who have suffered so terribly due to their arrogance and abuse of their power—over children, women, LGBTQ+ folks and so on.  Think how it would be if they could truly involve all the voices—I assure you, that would be the best way ever of bringing more people back into Church involvement.  Amen? Amen!

My friends, as a way to perhaps give us focus today, I would like to share a few thoughts from a new book by Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny and Father Christian Barone reviewed by Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).  The book is entitled, Siblings All, Signs of the Times. 

   This review caught my attention because the book lays out well, I believe, the dichotomy of religious teaching being raised up, first, by Pope Francis and alternatively by the National Council of Catholic Bishops in our country, and our own bishop, Robert Barron, here in the Winona/Rochester diocese, being a prime example. 

   The title, Siblings All, really says it all, when speaking of Francis’ approach to our blessed world of so many ways to express human belief in God.  The authors of this book on Francis’ approach, quote his work, Fratelli Tutti, meaning, “Siblings All” in the most inclusive sense, saying [that our call as Christians, followers of Jesus], refers to “being good” [no exceptions] as opposed to simply, “doing good.” 

   A clear example of what Francis asks of us, but that wasn’t demonstrated at the recent Eucharistic Congress, held in Mankato, billed by Bishop Barron and others as a way to re-energize “fallen-away” Catholics, and bring them once again, “back to Church.” 

    From the agenda for the day’s event, it was clear that much attention was given to rituals left behind when Pope John XXIII, “opened windows and doors” at the Second Vatican Council, and basically asked Catholic followers of Jesus, “to go deeper,” update old practices and move more into our world, becoming, in fact, “eucharistic people.” 

   Up until this Spirit-led council, Catholics, for the most part, kept their faith to themselves, and even when missionaries went out to “evangelize,” it was on their terms.  It went something like this, “We have the truth and we have come to share that truth with you, so that you can be saved.” 

   The centerpiece of our diocese’s Eucharistic Congress was to instill again the “importance” of the Eucharist, the Body, and Blood of Christ on the altar.  That’s it!  No connection made to the world, and all the manifestations of that Eucharist, in our world, in so many suffering people. Pope Francis teaches that our faith doesn’t just call us “to do good things,” but in fact, “to be good” [!]

   Apparently, part of the Eucharistic Congress’ day, uplifting the true body and blood, as real flesh, and real blood on the altar, along with the opportunity to pray the rosary, and go to confession, was the assembling of “lunch bags” by the young people in attendance to give to the needy.

   I believe Francis would say, “some doing good” happened here, but taking a stance “for being good” probably didn’t happen.  “Being good,” (the next level) would have asked this group of assembled Catholics to speak truth to power in the world, about the disparity between the rich and the poor—this is what our brother Jesus was always about, and we must be too! Granted, we may get “crucified” in some way, but that is our calling as it was his. 

   Pope Paul VI is quoted in this book too, saying, “We should be seeking the abundant more, that signals that God is at work.”  If we are truly attempting “to be good,” and not just, “doing good things,” –which in and of itself, isn’t bad, then we must make the connections in our personal lives to those in our greater world.  Catholic Christians in this day and age must connect what we do here, each week, at the table, with the inequality, injustice, and many times, lack of love we see in our world; in the poor, in women, in our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, and in our transgender youth and their families.  Followers of our brother Jesus don’t deny medical care to transgender youth and compassion to their families as they did this past week, at the meeting of our national bishops.  I would say, they not only failed in “being good,” but in “doing good” as well. 

   Looking at today’s Scriptures, the prophet Jeremiah speaks the truth that we in the present day need to hear on a regular basis from our bishops, unlike our own who is caught up in “feel-good” rituals that do little to alleviate any suffering in our world.  Jeremiah “sings” praise to our God, who has “rescued the life of the poor.”  The prophets, which also include Jesus, always “noticed,” and “listened” to the poor, and disadvantaged—we, along with our “so-called” leaders must do the same.  Remember, as Paul VI said, “this is how we know that God is at work” [!]

   The psalmist today knew that God acted with “great kindness,” as we prayed. And we see this confirmed in Matthew’s gospel where we read that we can basically be assured of our God’s love and care for us because our God so loves, “even the sparrows.” 

   Unfortunately, Paul, in his letter to the Romans is “stuck” in the language of “sin and being rescued,” rather than the over-the-top love, mercy and kindness of our God. God always gives us another chance because God understands that we are “human,” meaning that we are not “perfect,” or in other words, we don’t always get it right.  As long as we are willing “to try again,” we get that chance. And if you don’t believe that, re-read the story of the Prodigal. 

   Paul needs to move past the fact that, “sin has entered the world,” and concentrate more on the 2^nd part of his message— “grace abounds for all.”  This is what is happening in the story of the Prodigal.  This kid has been awful, but trusts that he can have another chance, when he returns home.  And what happens? The loving parent runs to meet him, enfolding him in arms of love.  In my mind, rhetoric in the past or present about, “being a sinful people” is more about controlling us than anything else. 

   A piece of Matthew’s gospel that I proclaimed today for us seems to have some harshness about us “acknowledging Jesus before others,” and if we don’t, “Jesus will not acknowledge us before God.”  I would like to suggest that Jesus is once again calling forth, as Pope Francis has, that we not only “do good things,” but that we “become good.” 

   Acknowledging Jesus in our world isn’t about proclaiming, “Jesus is Lord,” but more so about seeing, hearing, listening to, and loving, the Jesus disguised in our sisters and brothers that we share life with, on this planet.  And Jesus lovingly says to us, “Be not afraid.”  Amen? Amen!     

First off, a special shut-out today to all our Dads, the physical, emotional, and in all other ways that you men out there share your lives with the People of God. I think too of all the Dads who have passed on, my own Dad, Barney and my father-in-law, Gerold. Blessings to all–with gratitude, Pastor Kathy

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   My friends, once again, I find myself “conflicted” as I come to this homily.  Many things have come across “my plate” so to speak this week, both good and not so good, which I guess is the reason for my state of mind.  I will leave that for a bit and turn to the messages from Scripture that should give us pause and hope. 

   The 1^st reading from Exodus is simply a recitation of how the God of the Israelites “carried [them] on eagles’ wings,” bringing them out of Egypt, that they might become “a priestly people, a consecrated nation.”

   Being a “priestly people” in the Old Testament times simply meant, “to be chosen,” with some being “anointed” as representatives for the people.  In the New Testament, we can say the same, with our brother Jesus, being named by Paul as the “high priest.” Through our baptisms each of us becomes part of this, “priestly people,” with the expectation of living, or at trying to live as Jesus did—this is what each of us has been “chosen” to do. 

   In our present day then, our brother Jesus calls women and men to be priestly representatives for the entire priesthood of the people.  In other words, we are all included and called to live priestly lives. I am spending some time here to call attention to the fact that still too many clerics choose to have themselves spoken of as the “Right,” even, “Very Right Reverend, and such other titles. Makes one wonder whether there are some, “Very Wrong Reverends” out there.  As far as I know, Jesus called women and men “to serve,” not to be “served and exalted.” 

   As I said earlier, I took a bit of literary license this week and chose the beginning of chapter 5 of Romans, verses 1-5 instead of the lectionary selection that follows those verses, 6-11.  I did that because I wanted to pull us away from Paul’s incessant need and seemingly that of Church fathers, to lift up the notion that we “are sinners” and that Jesus died for our sins.” 

   The 1^st 5 verses of Romans lead us instead, to “hope” through “grace,” as we strive to become, “all that God has intended.”  This is why Jesus came to be one of us— “to show us the way,” not to “brow-beat” us with the thought that we are sinners, and “hopeless” but for Jesus.   

   But, we do have reason “to hope” that we can become “what God intended” for each of us, because as Paul continues in this alternate reading, we don’t do it alone, but through the holy Spirit, God’s love, “has been poured into our hearts.” 

   The gospel from Matthew basically says the same—God is for us, not against us.  Matthew tells us that when Jesus looked upon the people, [his] “heart was moved.”  Jesus recognized them as, “sheep without a shepherd.”  We must do the same, my friends.

   We may not be able to relate to terminology about “sheep,” but we can make our own connections in the present time to people we see who are missing something vital in their lives, and then allow “our hearts to move” for the needy in our midst.  Jesus tells us that “the harvest is bountiful, but the laborers are few.” 

   In the beginning of this homily I said I came to its writing in conflict.  As I have reflected on the readings for today, I have to question why our beloved Church in its hierarchy would spend any time “reverencing the Bread of the Altar,” the Eucharist, and not reverence that same Eucharist in the people who are pleading with them to be listened to, and accepted for who they are, created in God’s holy image. 

   I understand, from what I have read, that the push from the hierarchy, especially in this country, to instill within believers, an ever-greater reverence for the “Body and Blood” of Christ and bring them back to the Church, to believe again in “transubstantiation,” which says that even though the elements appear as “bread and wine,” they are, in fact, real flesh and blood. 

   As I said last week, we must get beyond surface meanings that allow for reverence in a “small way” but not in the greater way that Jesus sent those first disciples out to do. 

   There can be no action that “reverences” 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 recently at a family wedding, “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.”  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!

   As Jesus said, “the harvest is bountiful, the laborers are few…” Never has our world needed these laborers truly committed to the path of Jesus more!  Amen? Amen!