Homily for Sunday April 24/05

The way, the Truth, the Life

A couple of weeks ago my grandson asked me "Is God afraid of us?" a tough question for a grandfather and I tried to answer him the best way I could, and I will continue to seek new ways to explain our role in this picture called life. Questions remain a part of our lives and hopefully will continue to challenge and enlighten the who we are. Questions such as:

How many times have we taken the time to lay our hands on those we say we love and consecrate them to God? How many times have we prayed over our children so that they would do God's will? How many times have we turned to God and asked Him, and I mean truly asked God "What is it you want me to do in your name? Why am I here? How shall I fulfill my purpose as your Creation?" Tough questions especially if you don't want to hear the answers to such questions.

Or do we find ourselves more at ease with?

How many times have I laid my hands in anger on someone I say I love? How many times have I prayed that my children will do my will? How many times have we thrown our hands in the air and said "there's nothing I can do, don't ask me am not God and God truly screwed up when he created me after all every time I do something it turns sour?"

I think more than ever in history we have to many options and to many scapegoats, so much so that we don't know if were coming or going and we end up spinning our wheels, almost like a top which turns furiously (the more we work it the faster it spins),but yet goes nowhere. Do you ever feel that way sometimes?I do! And you know it's okay as long as we don't loose hope or faith. That is why the first reading of today is so important not because it speaks of deacons, but because it's speaks to all of us, it reminds us of the humanity of our Church as Christ was human. It reminds us of the struggle of even those closes to Christ, that they too at times were spinning their tires and searched to find ways and people to nourish those who now turned to Christianity not only spiritually but also physically. We have been given a road map of the dos and don'ts and we still find it difficult to traverse the journey we call faith.

In the Acts of the Apostles we see the founding father, the explorers, the coureur de bois of early Christianity. As the community grew their needs grew and the apostles reached out to other men and women chosen by God and laid hands on them and consecrated them to God to do God's work. Our first Pope Peter the rock couldn't do it alone as Pope Benedict the XVI can't do it alone. We are all called by Baptism to be priest, to play a major role in the lives of the people we meet and love, and even more so those we don't love.

In the second reading Peter reaffirms our role as Christians when he says "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" (THAT'S US) these are not just words that sound good in print, these are words that challenge all of us, it's almost like Peter is praying over us LAYING HIS HANDS ON YOU AND ME so that we would do God's will "in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light."

We have to remember that it's not just Father Sam's responsibility to proclaim the Good news or Bill or Richard or Myself, by the grace of the our Baptism we as part of a royal priesthood must proclaim Christ as you Savior for all to hear, you must stand ready to do exactly that in His Name, that is why I am here, and that is why we are all here. In the Gospel of today we find the recipe or method by which we can fulfill our purpose, our Baptism.

Christ says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life". A familiar line but yet the answer to all those prayers that never seemed to be answered. It's to easy and to simple, my minds looks for the hidden meanings, my heart wants to believe it and my soul grabs on to these words with white knuckle tenacity.

The world around us tells us that we must follow this diet, that there is a new way of dealing with our relationships, that we must change the way we look, that all our wishes are wrapped up in a lottery ticket, that a new car will bring fame and fortune, that having several partners and sleeping with anyone and everyone that will give me pleasure is alright, that Crown Royal or Molson or a little cocaine to kill the pain is alright, after all if I cant feel any pain then no one can hurt me. These are not the way, or the light or the life, the simple truth is that Christ is the way, the truth and the life, there is no other, and until we start believing those words, our lives will not change, we will not be able to proclaim to the world that Christ is the son Of God and our Savior when we don't believe it ourselves, if you do believe it then Christ says "the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these"

Let us no longer lay our hands on others in anger but rather in blessing.

Let us pray over our children to see God's will for us and for them.

Let us no longer throw up our hands in despair, but in praise for the Gift of Son Jesus Christ our Savior, and wonder no more of how or why me but more in when and why not me. Always embrace your royal priesthood and follow the priest above all priests Jesus Christ.

Rev. Mr. Patrice Raymond P.D.