Mass of the Lord's Supper Homily

 Very few talks/homilies do I remember from the Seminary.  Not just because it was a few years ago, but to be honest, we heard a lot, and most were not noteworthy.  Two do stick out for me.  One, from Fr. Gene Konkel talking about why saints are patrons of such and such…e.g. Lawrence patron of Chefs, because he was cooked alive.  Sebastian, of archers because well he was martyred by being shot with arrows.  It ended up being a humorous homily on the quirks of our catholic faith.

Another homily/talk was by my Spiritual director Fr. Jim.  Memorable for me because for me it was an honest talk to the body of seminarians.  Now seminarians and priests have a habit of talking about “my” priesthood or “my future” priesthood.  He said, although I paraphrase, “Gentleman, it is never “my” priesthood.  There is only one priest, that is Jesus.  He shares his priesthood with us, and will with you; it is not yours.  Our work as priests is to share and serve as Christ, as part of Christ’s mission and priesthood.”

It really broadened my understanding of what I felt called to.

This not only applies to the ordained priesthood, but to the priesthood of the people, that is rooted in baptism.  At baptism, we are all anointed as priests.  We all have a call to worship, to direct people to God, to serve God.

It is not an individual call, it is Jesus’, who through baptism shares it with us, to be used for the good of all, and the building of the kingdom.

God created us to God’s mission, the mission to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.  God’s will is simply that.  

We do not build the kingdom of heaven here on earth through war or warfare, even by being spiritual warriors nor cultural warriors.

We build as Jesus did, through service.  We serve as Jesus did, through healing, forgiving, welcoming and teaching.  Jesus himself only did what he saw the Father, God doing.

Jesus calls us to the same.  We heard this tonight, but there is also something subtle here.

Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, all of them, even Peter whom he knew would deny him and Judas.

He washed the disciples as a team so that united, they would act together, unified in Christ.  So that unified they would go and serve.

Peter’s hesitation is interesting.  It comes from his ego.  Peter by initially pulling away says “I don’t want to be part of the team.”  

Yet, If not part of the team, how can he serve?  Hence Jesus’ words to him.  Nobody serves alone, we serve as a team.  We can only build the kingdom through service.

Marriage is that Holy Sacrament of the team.  Two persons join themselves to each other, a team to serve each other and a team to serve others.  Serving in the name of Christ, building up the kingdom in their own home, in their own lives, the way a wife and husband do.

Marriages thrive when that spirit of teamwork, of mission remains present.   I see this in so many couples here; really it is a joy to witness.  Balancing out those kids, the jobs, all the events, all the chaos…  When done for the good of the family, it shows.  A little heaven shows.

Many people in their own quiet way serve the greater community; beyond their own immediate families.  Gathering with community and going to Catholic Charities, helping out in good ventures like Project 150 or the Eddy House or Keeping the Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and of course here too in our parish the food distribution tuesdays, the catechists and youth ministers, those helping in our liturgies, singing, serving, reading…  Most never ever seeking attention.

I tend to see more smiles, more calm from these people.  

As an aside, later this month we celebrate the Diocesan Volunteer Recognition Awards, to give thanks to the many many volunteers in our parishes and diocese.  Notice we don’t have recognition awards for the most pious, the best genuflectors, or for the priests with the best vestments? 

The angry people are the ones who aren’t serving. Rather they demand the world serve them, or if they are helping, their ego is in play and they are mad they do not get the attention they think they deserve.  Their hearts have begun to harden.

Blessed Father Stan Rother was not the most intelligent person in seminary. His grades were maybe just adequate, but people saw something and kept him.  Eventually ordained for Oklahoma City, he found his way to Guatemala serving the very poor and the indigenous. This eventually got him negative attention with the Right Winged Government who threatened him.  For his safety, he was recalled back to the US.  Yet, he had to return, his heart was with the people he served.  Government forces came one night and murdered him in his rectory.  His body was flown back to his diocese.  Yet, because he so loved the people, his heart was placed in a separate casket and it remained with the people he loved, buried under the altar in the church in Guatemala.

Eventually his story spread, and his cause as a martyr began.  And in the process the investigation went to his heart.  And when they examined it, despite being in the ground in the casket for years, it was intact.  It looks alive.

Service, love…with Christ, in Christ, for Christ and for the people that Christ loved…that is life.  

For us too, we need to be reminded of this.  I as pastor and priest need to be reminded of this.  It is God’s work, in Jesus,  that I, we, all of us do.

And of course the Sacrament we also celebrate tonight calls us to that service. It reminds us of service, and the greatest service of all, Jesus accepting the cross.  

The high point of each Eucharist is not the reception of Communion, rather it is that doxology, “Through him, with him, and in him, to You almighty Father, in the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours forever and ever.”

That dramatic prayer ending the Eucharistic prayer in which the people give their GREAT AMEN; our yes that this is about God and not us.  Yes this is about serving in Christ, through Christ, with Christ, not by our own ways.

We give thanks for the mission and for the service.

And we go forth to serve and live.