19th Sunday - Fear must not keep us from Christ' mission!

“Fear is the mind killer”  Anyone who has read the Dune books will recognize that quote, and is a somewhat self-professed nerd.
“Fear is the mind killer” was a mantra that permeated the books.
Fear can kill a lot in us as individuals, and us as a community, and certainly as church.
Recently, the United States Bishops convoked a gathering of Catholic Leaders, both Lay and Clergy, from all over the United States.
Convoked, within the context Pope Francis’ encyclical “Joy of the Gospel”.
An encyclical that calls all Catholics, the whole Church, to be renewed in Mission.
Mission, it is the life of the Church
Mission, it is the reason we are church
Mission, to go and proclaim the Gospel to all people.
Jesus walks on water, amidst a storm.  In Old Testament Scripture, storms over water represented chaos and death.
The disciples are struggling in the storm:  they are unable to go anywhere.
They see the Lord walk and they are scared.
Jesus assures them it is okay and Peter emboldened by Jesus, dares to ask to walk on the water too.
Jesus says “Come.”  Come to where I am.
Those same words are ours today:  “Come”
Mission is not about taking Jesus to others, but coming to where Jesus is now.
Mission requires courage to leave where we are in life and Go to where Jesus is.
Mission trusts in Jesus Love for each one of us.
Peter walks on the water:  That is  Amazing!
Except he then sinks.
He sinks when he focuses, not on Jesus, but on the storm around him.
He sinks when he allows his fears to get the better of him.
Mission is scary.  Going out of our comfort zones intimidates us.
Trusting that God loves us completely, can scare us.
Yet, regardless of language, nationality, gender, or any labels or limits we place on others, Jesus is out there in the world, will all people and wants all people to know of God’s saving love.
Christ calls us to come with him to these same people and share the good news.
Yet, People, our own brothers and sisters in our Church, can get upset over this.  
Our own brothers and sisters in our Church can get quite angry when we as church seek to include transgenders and gays; when we seek to include those who do not speak our own language, when we go to the divorced and remarried; when we go other Christians;

Catholics get scared at change. Unwilling to take the risk of making changes, “Because we have always done it this way” or whatever flimsy excuses they use to validate their fears, their own egos.
This is not just a liberal thing, I know people who get equally angry at the idea of Latin in the church, who get angry at people who prefer the older ways.
This fear will sink us.
It will sink us as individuals, our parishes and it will sink our church.
It is scary to take risks, to get out of the boat and walk.  
There is nothing wrong with the fear; it’s part of being human.
Fear, though, cannot be in control.  It cannot be the reason we make choices, or the reason we remain in our boat, even refusing to get out.
We must look up and out to the Lord, who walks amid this world.
Who says “Come.”

Are we responding?

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