MISSION SUNDAY 2018
TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY
OCTOBER 21, 2018
THE LAST SENTENCE IN TODAY'S GOSPEL
IS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE SENTENCES
IN ALL SCRIPTURE.
LET'S LISTEN TO IT AGAIN:
"THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED;
HE CAME TO SERVE AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE
TO REDEEM MANY PEOPLE."
FEW SENTENCES IN SCRIPTURE
SUM UP THE LIFE OF JESUS SO PERFECTLY.
WHEN THE GREAT JAPANESE CHRISTIAN KAGAWA
FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESUS,
HE CRIED OUT,
"0 GOD, MAKE ME LIKE YOUR CHRIST!"
TO BE MORE LIKE CHRIST,
KAGAWA LEFT A COMFORTABLE HOME
AND WENT TO LIVE IN THE SLUMS OF TOKYO.
THERE HE SHARED HIMSELF AND HIS POSSESSIONS
WITH WHOEVER NEEDED HELP.
WE HAVE AN INSIGHT INTO THE HEART AND MIND OF THIS JAPANESE CHRISTIAN WHEN WE HEAR HIM SAY"GOD DWELLS AMONG THE LOWLIEST OF MEN. HE IS THERE WITH BEGGARS. HE IS AMONG THE SICK,
HE STANDS WITH THE UNEMPLOYED. THEREFORE LET HIM WHO WOULD MEET GOD VISIT THE PRISON CELL BEFORE GOING TO THE TEMPLE. BEFORE HE GOES TO CHURCH LET HIM VISIT THE HOSPITAL. BEFORE HE READS HIS BIBLE
LET HIM HELP THE BEGGAR."
THIS STORY DRAMATIZES IN A MOVING WAY THE TWO THEMES OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READINGS. THOSE THEMES ARE SUFFERING AND SERVICE. SUFFERING AND SERVICE ARE LIKE THE TWO RAILS OF A TRAIN TRACK. WHERE YOU FIND ONE YOU FIND THE OTHER.
SERVICE ALWAYS ENTAILS SUFFERING. YOU CAN’T HELP ANOTHER WITHOUT MAKING SOME SACRIFICE ON YOUR PART. GOD ALWAYS INVITES THOSE WHO SUFFER TO PUT THEIR SUFFERING AT THE SERVICE OF OTHERS. GOD ALWAYS INVITES THEM TO UNITE THEIR SUFFERING TO THE SUFFERING OF JESUS.
DURING THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS ON YOUTH IN ROME, THE POPE CANONIZED NUNZIO SULPRIZIO, A YOUNG MAN FROM ITALY. POPE FRANCIS SAID THAT BECAUSE OF HIS PATIENCE IN SUFFERING AND HIS DEDICATION TO SERVING OTHERS, HE WOULD BE A MODEL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
AT THE AGE OF 6 NUNZIO LOST BOTH PARENTS. AT AN EARLY AGE HE DEVELOPED GANGRENE AND EVENTUALLY LOST HIS LEG. WITH ALL OF THIS HE DEDICATED HIMSELF TO HELPING OTHER PATIENTS BEFORE HE WAS TAKEN DOWN WITH BONE CANCER.
HE DIED AT THE AGE OF 19. DESPITE HIS TREMENDOUS SUFFERING THIS IS WHAT HE SAID: “JESUS SUFFERED A LOT FOR ME. WHY SHOULD I NOT SUFFER FOR HIM? I WOULD DIE IN ORDER TO CONVERT EVEN ONE SINNER.”
ON OCTOBER 14 POPE FRANCIS CANONIZED 6 SAINTS BESIDES NUNZIO SULPRIZIO. THESE WERE MEN AND WOMEN WHO PUT THEIR LIVES AT THE SERVICE OF OTHERS. THERE WERE 3 FROM ITALY, 1 FROM EL SALVADOR, 1 FROM GERMANY AND ONE FROM SPAIN. ONE OF THEM WAS A POPE. THREE OF THEM FOUNDED RELIGIOUS ORDERS AND ONE OF THEM WAS A MARTYR FOR HIS FAITH.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MEN AND WOMEN CALLED TO IMITATE THE ONE AND ONLY PERFECT SAINT, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE SAINTS WHO WERE CANONIZED LAST WEEK, FOLLOW A LONG LINE OF MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE MINDS ARE BIG ENOUGH TO INCLUDE HEAVEN AND WHOSE HEARTS ARE LARGE ENOUGH TO HOLD THE WORLD + GOD—
THE CHURCH STUDIES THE LIVES OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO SUFFERING AND SERVICE WITH THE HOPE THAT THEY WILL INSPIRE US TO FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS. . THEIR LIVES ARE MEANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO PURSUE HOLINESS. THE CHURCH IS SAYING: IF THEY CAN DO IT SO CAN YOU.
I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE LIVES OF SOME OF THOSE WHO WERE RECENTLY CANONIZED.
BLESSED FRANCESCO SPINELLI FROM ITALY WAS A PRIEST WHO BEGAN HIS APOSTOLATE EDUCATING THE POOR. HE EVENTUALLY FOUNDED A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY FOR WOMEN CALLED THE ADORERS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. THE SISTERS DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO EUCHARISTIC ADORATION DAY AND NIGHT. THE POWER OF THE EUCHARIST ENERGIZED THEIR MINISTRIES WITH HIV AIDS PATIENTS, ORPHANS, DRUG ADDICTS AND PRISONERS.
BLESSED FRANCESCO FOUNDED THE INSTITUTE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BUT THE WORK OF THE SISTERS CONTINUES TODAY. THE INSTITUTE HAS AROUND 250 COMMUNITIES IN ITALY, CONGO, SENEGAL, CAMEROON, COLOMBIA AND ARGENTINA.
BLESSED CATHERINE KASPER WAS BORN IN GERMANY. AT AN EARLY AGE SHE FELT A CALLING TO THE RELIGIOUS LIFE. WITH THE APPROVAL OF HER BISHOP SHE FOUNDED THE POOR HANDMAIDS OF JESUS CHRIST. THE SISTERS TOOK THE VOWS OF POVERTY, CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE. TODAY THERE ARE 690 SISTERS IN 104 HOUSES IN GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS, THE UNITED STATES, MEXICO AND INDIA.
BLESSED NAZARIA IGNACIA WAS BORN IN MADRID IN SPAIN. SHE WAS THE FOURTH OF 18 CHILDREN. WHEN THE FAMILY MOVED TO MEXICO SHE MET THE SISTERS OF THE ABANDONED ELDERS. AFTER TAKING VOWS IN THIS INSTITUTE SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO BOLIVIA WHERE SHE FOUNDED A NEW ORDER DEDICATED TO MISSIONARY WORK. SHE CALLED THE NEW ORDER THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSIONARY CRUSADERS OF THE CHURCH.
BESIDES THEIR WORK CATECHIZING AND GIVING MISSIONS HER SISTERS CARED FOR SOLDIERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE WAR BETWEEN PARAGUAY AND BOLIVIA. HER CONGREGATION QUICKLY SPREAD THROUHOUT SOUTH AMERICA, WHERE IT IS A VIBRANT COMMUNITY TODAY.
ONE OF THE SAINTS WHO WAS CANONIZED ENDED UP BEING A MARTYR. OSCAR ROMERO WAS BORN IN 1917 IN EL SALVADOR. HE BECAME THE ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR IN 1977.
ARCHBISHOP ROMERO WAS AN OUTSPOKEN DEFENDER OF THE RIGHTS OF THE POOR. IN EL SALVADOR. MANY PEOPLE WERE BEING TERRORIZED BY MILITARY DEATH SQUADS BECAUSE OF PROTESTS OVER THE EXTREME ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN THE COUNTRY AT THAT TIME.
HIS WEEKLY HOMILIES, WERE BROADCAST ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON RADIO. THOSE RADIO MESSAGES SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT’S INJUSTICE. THEY WERE A GALVANIZING FORCE FOR THE POOR OF EL SALVADOR.
IN MARCH 1980 ARCHBISHOP ROMERO WAS ASSASSINATED, WHILE CELEBRATING MASS. HE IS HONORED TODAY AS A MARTYR.
POPE PAUL VI WAS ALSO CANONIZED ON OCTOBER 14. YOU CAN READ AN ARTICLE ON HIM IN THIS WEEK’S BULLETIN.
IN AN AGE OF CONFUSION, DOUBT, INDIFFERENCE AND INCREDIBLE EVIL WE SHOULD EXPECT AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SAINTS.
WE NEED THE SAINTS TO INSPIRE US TO LIVE LIKE JESUS, TO SERVE LIKE JESUS, TO SHOW THE WORLD HOW A HUMAN BEING MAY MODEL CHRISTIAN SUFFERING AND SERVICE.
I BELIEVE THAT GOD ALWAYS SENDS TO THE WORLD THE SAINTS THAT WE NEED--MAGNIFICENT SAINTS WHO ARE YET TO APPEAR IN OUR WORLD.
EVEN THOUGH CHRISTIANITY IS 2000 YEARS OLD, GOD HAS ONLY BEGUN THE BUILDING OF HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH. A THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW, TEN THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW THE CHURCH OF THE SAINTS WILL BE EVEN MORE GLORIOUS IN CIVILIZATIONS STILL UNDREAMED OF.
THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST AND CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THAT BODY. THE HEAD OF THE BODY HAS A PLAN FOR THE WORLD AND THAT PLAN IS IN THE HANDS OF THE CHURCH FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. THIS LEGEND SUMS UP THAT TRUTH.
THE LEGEND TELLS US HOW JESUS WENT BACK TO HEAVEN AFTER HIS TIME ON EARTH. EVEN IN HEAVEN HE BORE UPON HIM THE MARKS OF THE CROSS. THE ANGELS WERE LOOKING AT HIS WOUNDS. GABRIEL SAID: "MASTER, YOU MUST HAVE SUFFERED TERRIBLY AT THE HANDS OF MEN." "I DID," SAID JESUS. GABRIEL SAID, "DO THEY ALL KNOW ABOUT HOW YOU LOVED THEM AND WHAT YOU DID FOR THEM?" "O NO," SAID JESUS, "NOT ALL, NOT YET. ONLY A FEW PEOPLE IN PALESTINE KNOW." "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE," SAID GABRIEL, "TO LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT IT?" JESUS SAID: "I HAVE ASKED PETER AND JAMES AND JOHN AND A FEW OTHERS TO MAKE IT THE BUSINESS OF THEIR LIVES TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT ME, UNTIL EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD KNOWS WHAT I HAVE DONE."
GABRIEL LOOKED VERY DOUBTFUL, FOR HE KNEW WELL HOW UNRELIABLE MEN CAN BE. HE SAID TO JESUS:"BUT WHAT IF PETER AND JAMES AND JOHN GROW TIRED? WHAT IF THE PEOPLE WHO COME AFTER THEM FORGET? WHAT IF IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY PEOPLE JUST DON'T TELL OTHERS ABOUT YOU? HAVEN'T YOU MADE ANY OTHER PLANS?" AND JESUS ANSWERED: "I HAVEN'T MADE ANY OTHER PLANS. I'M COUNTING ON THEM."
TODAY IS MISSION SUNDAY. JESUS IS COUNTING ON THE CHURCH TO BE HIS HANDS AND FEET AND VOICE TO TELL EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD WHAT HE HAS DONE. TODAY, THE CHURCH WILL NOT LET HIM DOWN.