Always Pursuing Us

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 10, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Dt 30:10-14 / Ps 69 / Col:15-20 / Lk 10:25-37
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

Today I would like to share my take on Bishop Robert Barron’s take of one interpretation of The Good Samaritan parable.

A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.  What is Jerusalem, and what does it represent?  Jerusalem is the holy city.  It’s where the temple is, and where God resides.  It represents our eternal home:  the New Jerusalem.  It also represents communion with God.  Paradise.  Heaven. 

A man was going down from Paradise to Jericho.  What is Jericho?  Jericho historically is an immoral, pagan city.  It’s decadent and selfish, separation from God. 

What happens on this trip from Jerusalem to Jericho?  There is a fall.  The man falls, because Satan, in the form of robbers, robs this man of his innocence, strips man naked.  Instigated by Satan, sin is introduced, and man is near death, wounded, beaten, lifeless. 

Does any of this sound vaguely familiar?  Paradise, bad choice, fall from communion with God, instigated by Satan. It sounds a lot like the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, doesn’t it?  Adam and Eve’s choice of sin cast all mankind on this path. 

What comes after the Fall?  What happens next?  The man is lying there, paralyzed by sin.  A priest comes along.  He represents the law.  The priests give sacrifices and holocausts.  But abiding by laws is impossible for us.  We can never be perfect for those laws.  We will always come up short. 

Next a Levite comes by.  He represents the prophets, who call out man’s moral decay, greed, worshipping of false gods, falling further from the law in both the spirit of the law and the word of the law.  But man doesn’t listen to prophets.  His heart is hardened.  Prophets, you remember are often ignored and sometimes killed. 

So we have man fallen.  The law and the prophets pass by and then, along comes the Good Samaritan.  I propose that the Good Samaritan represents Jesus, the true hero of this story.  Like Samaritans of that time, Jesus was hated and despised and rejected.  Jews hated Samaritans.  And yet, He is moved by compassion for fallen man.  He approached the victim.  That’s precisely what God does in the incarnation.  He enters His creation.  He approached man by becoming man, becoming one of us in order to heal what was broken.

The Samaritan poured oil and wine over the wounds and bandaged them.  He gave man the Sacraments:  Oil of Catechumens to cleanse and heal from sin in preparation for Baptism, Chrism Oil that strengthens us in the Holy Spirit, and the Oil of Anointing to heal our bodies and souls.  Also wine, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant at every Mass.

What happens next?  The Good Samaritan lifts up the fallen man and brings him into an inn and cares for him there.  What is the inn?  It’s the Church.  That’s where we all come to be made whole, to heal our wounds.  That’s why we’re here, to heal. 

Man is lifted up, brought to the inn, cared for, and then Jesus pays the bill.  Jesus pays the bill for man, stripped bare, fallen and injured from sin.  Jesus takes our place, and He is stripped bare, falls three times, is injured and beaten and left for dead.  There’s nothing man can do.  There’s nothing man can pay to save himself.  It’s Jesus who pays what we owe—on the cross.  That’s why we have a crucifix prominently displayed on the altar, one turned toward the priest to remind him and us that He became the victim.  The victim offered on this altar is the same that was offered on the cross, to free us from the captivity and injury of sin.  He took man’s place and until He returns, He leaves his bride, the Church, over which the gates of hell will never prevail.  Here generations continue to be healed and continue to give Him praise, worship, thanksgiving, and love for removing our debt, a debt impossible for us to pay. 

We love you, Lord Jesus.  We thank you, Lord Jesus.  Heal us, Lord Jesus.

Sometimes when you’re trying something new, barriers arise, especially if you want to do something good and follow Jesus.  Stumbling blocks occur and sometimes we make mistakes on our way.  We get discouraged in this new path that we’ve taken.  Frequently we revert back to whatever we were doing before.  Whatever we used to do is easier and more comfortable. 

That’s exactly what the disciples in today’s gospel were doing.  Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”  That’s what Peter had done his whole life before he started this three-year ministry with Jesus.  All of the things that happened in Jerusalem—Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion—were just too much for Peter and the other disciples to take.  They decided to go all the way back home and go fishing.  Did they catch any fish?  No.  They fished all night long in the dark and did not even catch one fish, until someone came along to help them.  Who was that?  Jesus. 

They left this life with Jesus to go back to fishing, but Jesus didn’t leave them alone to figure things out for themselves.  He pursued them.  He followed them to where they were.  Remember, after Jesus was crucified, everyone ran away, because they were frightened.  Peter, the leader of them all, denied Jesus three times.  Afterwards, when they are afraid and locked in a room, Jesus appeared in spite of the locked door.  He didn’t leave them alone.  “Peace be with you,” He said.

But Thomas wasn’t present at that time, so the next week, Jesus came back again and said to him, “Thomas, look at my wounds.  Feel my side and believe.”

Now they’ve left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee, walking a distance of one hundred miles.  Jesus followed them there and found them fishing.  Jesus found them, not in the dark, but in the morning light.  Jesus was constantly pursuing them.  Jesus is constantly pursuing us.  He wants us to turn and follow Him.  He had asked the disciples to follow Him when He first met them.  They dropped all their nets, got out of their boats and followed Him.  Then in today’s gospel, He’s asked them again.  His final words are, “Follow me.”

There is a children’s book called “Runaway Bunny,” that was very well-loved in my own household.  There is a little young bunny in the story, who decides he’s going to run away.  His mother tells him if he runs away, she will run after him, “for you are my little bunny.”  The little bunny comes up with all of these ways in which he plans to avoid his mother.  For example, he says, “If you run after me, I will become a fish in a trout stream.”  But the mother says, “Then I’ll become a fisherman and catch you.”  Then he says, “If you become a fisherman, then I will become a rock, high on a mountain.”  The mother says, “Then I’ll become a mountain climber and climb up to you.”  Another example is when the little one says, “I’m going to become a crocus in a hidden garden.”  Mother replies that she will become a gardener and live there as well.  Finally, the little bunny says, “Shucks!  I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny.”  And the mother says, “Have a carrot.” 

Why am I telling this story?  I’m just going to say this line: “And Jesus said, ‘Have some fish. And bread.’”  Perhaps the disciples said, “We might as well stay with You and be Your disciples.”  Jesus is constantly pursuing, just like mother bunny. 

Jesus found the disciples fishing in the morning.  Once they recognized Him, they left their lives that they had gone back to and gathered around Jesus for a meal.  We also have come out of our normal lives and have gathered around Jesus for a very special meal.  We are going to have bread also, which will be transformed into His body.  Do we recognize Him?  Remember, the disciples did not recognize Him at first either.

In the gospel today, the words, “charcoal fire,” are used.  There are only two times in all of the scriptures where these words appear.  One of them is when Peter was denying Christ three times.  The slaves in the courtyard were warming themselves by a charcoal fire.  The second time is in today’s gospel, when Peter is affirming his love for Christ three times.  We are grateful that Peter returned to being a disciple, since he became our first pope.  Through him, our Church has come through hundreds and hundreds of years to today. 

Even now, Jesus’ mercy and love are going to be passed on to everyone here.  In Communion, He feeds us.  When we eat this transformed bread, that transformed bread transforms us.  We become a temple of Jesus Christ. 

When you come forward for Communion, think of Peter at that beachside barbecue, being asked, “Do you love me?”  In your “Amen,” think of Peter’s response and answer, “Yes, I love You.” 

He Pursues Us

Third Sunday of Easter
May 1, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 / Ps 30 / Rev 5:11-14 / Jn 21:1-19
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

Sometimes when you’re trying something new, barriers arise, especially if you want to do something good and follow Jesus.  Stumbling blocks occur and sometimes we make mistakes on our way.  We get discouraged in this new path that we’ve taken.  Frequently we revert back to whatever we were doing before.  Whatever we used to do is easier and more comfortable.

That’s exactly what the disciples in today’s gospel were doing.  Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”  That’s what Peter had done his whole life before he started this three-year ministry with Jesus.  All of the things that happened in Jerusalem—Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion—were just too much for Peter and the other disciples to take.  They decided to go all the way back home and go fishing.  Did they catch any fish?  No.  They fished all night long in the dark and did not even catch one fish until someone came along to help them.  Who was that?  Jesus.

They left this life with Jesus to go back to fishing, but Jesus didn’t leave them alone to figure things out for themselves.  He pursued them.  He followed them to where they were.  Remember, after Jesus was crucified, everyone ran away because they were frightened.  Peter, the leader of them all, denied Jesus three times.  Afterwards, when they are afraid and locked in a room, Jesus appeared in spite of the locked door.  He didn’t leave them alone.  “Peace be with you,” He said.

But Thomas wasn’t present at that time, so the next week, Jesus came back again and said to him, “Thomas, look at my wounds.  Feel my side and believe.”

Now they’ve left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee, walking a distance of one hundred miles.  Jesus followed them there and found them fishing.  Jesus found them, not in the dark, but in the morning light.  Jesus was constantly pursuing them.  Jesus is constantly pursuing us.  He wants us to turn and follow Him.  He had asked the disciples to follow Him when He first met them.  They dropped all their nets, got out of their boats and followed Him.  Then in today’s gospel, He’s asked them again.  His final words are, “Follow me.”

There is a children’s book called “Runaway Bunny,” that was very well-loved in my own household.  There is a little young bunny in the story, who decides he’s going to run away.  His mother tells him if he runs away, she will run after him, “for you are my little bunny.”  The little bunny comes up with all of these ways in which he plans to avoid his mother.  For example, he says, “If you run after me, I will become a fish in a trout stream.”  But the mother says, “Then I’ll become a fisherman and catch you.”  Then he says, “If you become a fisherman, then I will become a rock, high on a mountain.”  The mother says, “Then I’ll become a mountain climber and climb up to you.”  Another example is when the little one says, “I’m going to become a crocus in a hidden garden.”  Mother replies that she will become a gardener and live there as well.  Finally, the little bunny says, “Shucks!  I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny.”  And the mother says, “Have a carrot.”

Why am I telling this story?  I’m just going to say this line: “And Jesus said, ‘Have some fish. And bread.’”  Perhaps the disciples said, “We might as well stay with You and be Your disciples.”  Jesus is constantly pursuing, just like mother bunny.

Jesus found the disciples fishing in the morning.  Once they recognized Him, they left their lives that they had gone back to, and gathered around Jesus for a meal.  We also have come out of our normal lives and have gathered around Jesus for a very special meal.  We are going to have bread also, which will be transformed into His body.  Do we recognize Him?  Remember, the disciples did not recognize Him at first either.

In the gospel today, the words, “charcoal fire,” are used.  There are only two times in all of the scriptures where these words appear.  One of them is when Peter was denying Christ three times.  The slaves in the courtyard were warming themselves by a charcoal fire.  The second time is in today’s gospel, when Peter is affirming his love for Christ three times.  We are grateful that Peter returned to being a disciple, since he became our first pope.  Through him, our Church has come through hundreds and hundreds of years to today.

Even now, Jesus’ mercy and love are going to be passed on to everyone here.  In Communion, He feeds us.  When we eat this transformed bread, that transformed bread transforms us.  We become a temple of Jesus Christ.

When you come forward for Communion, think of Peter at that beachside barbecue, being asked, “Do you love me?”  In your “Amen,” think of Peter’s response and answer, “Yes, I love You.”

Untethered and Obedient

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
April 10, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Lk 19:28-40 / Is 50:4-7 / Ps 22 / Phil 2:6-11 / Lk 22:14 – 23:56
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

Today is Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.  On this Palm Sunday, we gather together to join Jesus in His final journey toward His divine purpose.  After five weeks in the desert of Lent, we are all joyful and relieved that Easter is coming, and Jesus is near.

Just a few moments ago, we gathered in the commons with our palms being blessed, anticipating Him of whom we’ve heard so much.  There was a little excitement and a sense of community as we looked at others across the circle.  You could feel a sense of purpose.  Then we joined in that triumphant procession toward this holy place, our “temple,” just like the people in the gospel arriving in Jerusalem.  We, like them, were marrying our hopes and aspirations to those of this simple teacher from Galilee.

In very short order, however, our joy and hopes were crushed, as we listened in horror to the gospel dialog of the Lord’s Passion.  Thankfully, we know the outcome.  We know the victory.  We have the blessing to be on this side of history, looking back for our assurances.  The people there, the disciples there that day, had an uncertain future.  Their lives were so difficult in a brutal and occupied territory.

I’ve heard this Palm Sunday set of readings for years, and I read it quite a few times as I was preparing for preaching this weekend.  There is one character in the story that I could not get out of my mind this past week.  He’s a minor detail, really, easily brushed off and forgotten.  I’m talking about the donkey.

Why did Jesus need a ride and why did He choose a donkey?  Jesus had been walking all over Galilee, Judea, and Samaria, for three years.  He walked everywhere and I would imagine that He was very fit and used to walking.  He had set His mind on the journey to Jerusalem just a few weeks ago.  He was making a beeline to Jerusalem, and yet He stopped just a mile or so from the destination, and decided to send two of His disciples to go get a donkey for this last little piece.  Curious, isn’t it?

Every Jew in Jesus’ day and especially in His audience would have been very familiar with the prophesy of Zechariah about the king’s entry into Jerusalem.  Zechariah 9: 9-10 says:

Exult greatly, O daughter Zion!  Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he,
Humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem;
The warrior’s bow will be banished, and he will proclaim peace to all the nations.
His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Jesus, choosing this donkey, verifies this prophecy.

What does it say to us, that He is riding in on a donkey?  It says to us that Jesus is a king, and that the King is coming to you.  To you and to me by name.  It says Jesus is a just Savior.  He wants to save you, to remove you from sin and death, to justify you, moving you from darkness to light.  It says Jesus is humble.  He is not riding a great stallion or being carried in an ornate wagon.  He is gentle, caring, and arriving on a common donkey.  It says Jesus is peaceful.  He is not conquering with horse and chariot, and bow.  No violence.  Peacefully, He comes to you.  He doesn’t force your heart.  He asks.  It says Jesus’ reign, His dominion, is universal from sea to sea.  That tells us He’s coming for everyone, every single one of us.  Are we open?  Are we ready?

Another curious thing about the story is that in order to complete this divine mission, in getting the help of this common creature, we learn that the donkey was born for one purpose and one purpose only.  The donkey had never been sat upon by anyone.  The donkey’s purpose was to serve the Lord.  But the donkey couldn’t come on his own.  He was tethered and needed guidance.  Luke makes so much of the fact that the donkey was tethered and needed to be untied.

I started thinking that maybe you and I are the donkey.  Weren’t we all born for one purpose:  to serve the Lord?  Aren’t we also tied up, bound to so many other things?  Take a moment and think about what ties you, what binds you, what holds you back and separates you from truly loving and truly serving Him?  Jesus, in His wisdom and compassion, sent disciples to help us, to untie us and lead us to Him.  The Church, her Sacraments, her clergy, and all her holy and prayerful people have all been around and are still here to help set our hearts free and guide us to the Master, whom we were born to serve.

What binds you?  What is your tether?  Is it pride, or fear, indifference, busy-ness, or shame?  There is something in the world out there causing separation.  Our tether has been expertly bound by sin.  Satan works around the clock to keep those knots tight and secure.  But this week, as we go through Holy Week, we learn how and by whom we are liberated.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

To My Immortal Home

Second Sunday of Lent
March 13, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18 / Ps 27 / Phil 3:17 – 4:1 / Lk 9:28b-36
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

I happened upon a YouTube video of an old bluegrass gospel song called Angel Band.  It reminded me of my dad, Buddy.  Buddy died a couple of years ago.  It’s a great song, but I think it’s the memory and really the presence of my dad that sparked my emotions while I was listening to it.

Oh come, angel band,
Come and around me stand.
Oh, bear me away on your snow-white wings
To my immortal home.
Oh, bear me away on your snow-white wings
To my immortal home.

I just wanted to make sure you know the song and what it meant.  We’re from Southwest Virginia.

Later that morning, on my drive to the church at Resurrection where I work, I called my mom, which I do pretty regularly on my drive, just to catch up and see how she’s doing and how she’s feeling.  I told her about the song, and she knew it really well and remembered that my dad liked it.

It’s been over two years, and yet that morning she was cleaning out the drawer to the nightstand. She experienced a flood of memories sparked by the items that he had stored there – lapel pins, watches, belt buckles, and his pocketknives – things that he had thought enough of to keep.  I told her that I would love to have a pocketknife, but I don’t want one of the ones that’s still in the cellophane like a showcase pocketknife: I want one that he carried in his pocket and used and loved.

Later on, I arrived at the church, grabbed a glass of water and a protein bar, plugged in my laptop, and headed for the comfy chair in the corner of my office.  I noticed that behind that chair was Buddy’s guitar.  It’s a guitar that I gave him at my wedding in 1994, and now it has been returned to me.  A guitar, a simple song, a pocketknife – there’s nothing particularly special about any of them, in and of themselves.  And yet, they contain so much power, so much meaning for me.  I ask myself, why is that?  Why do these objects have so much meaning?

I believe that each one of us possesses a spiritual power, an essence, a soul, and when someone occupies space in this realm, in this world, on this Earth in our lives, they leave little bits of that on things that they touch, things that they love.  That’s one reason that we find it so hard to go through their stuff when they’re gone.  The room, the car, the bed, and the clothes – it’s almost like they’re still there.  We can smell them, we can feel them; we can feel their essence, and we desire so strongly that they return and occupy this space again.  But if that happened, wouldn’t it be great if they weren’t in heart failure, if they didn’t have cancer, or diabetes, or pain in their knees and hips, and their memory was intact?

Well, brothers and sisters, that is the promise.  That is our hope.  That is the result of the new and eternal covenant – not ratified by offerings of bulls and goats, and rams and birds, but by the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  That is the pathway generated by His suffering, death, and resurrection.

But the apostles didn’t know that yet.  They had rallied around this amazing man; they had followed Him and witnessed His power to heal and drive out demons, even to raise one from the dead.  And the Jews had been in this covenantal relationship with God for centuries, thousands of years, but they never could quite hold up their end of the agreement.  So, they ended up at various times in slavery, and in exile, and occupied by foreign powers.

The apostles were pretty sure that Jesus is the Messiah and that He was going to end all that, but what they were not so sure about was His methods.  He had just told them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and on the third day raised.  He also told them, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Yeah, that’s great, Jesus, but how are you going to defeat the Romans?  They were still arguing about who was to sit at His right hand when the Kingdom came.  Jesus very patiently was teaching and demonstrating, trying to prepare them for the strife and the difficulty that lay ahead, but they just didn’t comprehend His meaning.  So, before turning south for that final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus decided to give them some encouragement, give them some hope, something that they could draw on when the times turned darkest.  He wanted to give them a real glimpse of the glory that awaits on the other side.

He took His closest friends, and He went up a mountain.   Remember that in scriptures, whenever we go up a mountain, we are getting closer to God.  He went up a mountain and when He got up there, the first thing He did was pray.  He prayed.  Jesus always prayed before something big was about to happen.  That is a good example for us.  While He was praying, His body was transfigured, became glowing and brilliant white, and in order to accentuate the supernatural impact of this event, He was in conversation with the two great heroes of the Jews, Moses and Elijah, also in their glory – Moses representing the law, Elijah representing the prophets, and Jesus the realization and fulfillment of them both.

Peter, James, and John did not have our hindsight on the Resurrection.  They didn’t understand, and they wanted to put up tents.  They wanted to remain on the mountaintop; they wanted to remain in that glorious moment.  Don’t we all?  But Jesus knew there was still a lot of hard work to be done to accomplish His exodus in Jerusalem.  He will lead an exodus that takes us away from our slavery and to sin and death and to the new promised land – an eternal Heaven with Him.

A couple of days before Buddy died, he and I had a phone conversation about his ailments.  He liked to talk about his ailments.  And then somehow, we got to talking about Heaven.  He was not Catholic and didn’t really understand our faith too deeply, but I told him about our Catholic faith regarding our bodies, and that our Apostles Creed ends with the belief in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.   And he said (this was the last time I got to talk to him), “I believe that too, Barry.”  Well, I’ll hold onto your pocketknife, Buddy.