Homily: Feast of St. Athanasius

Feast of St. Athanasius (Acts 15:7-21) “Listening and Leading”

The Catholic church has an organizational structure. That structure can be a large weakness and it can be a great asset. When changes need to be made it can be a great weakness. To change the whole church needs to be on the same page. It is a struggle in a worldwide church to get everyone moving towards the same goal. Local churches who are not part of a denomination and can change doctrine if the congregation agrees which can make them nimbler.

If there is disagreement, however, that is another matter. In a situation where there are arguments often such a church will split. There is no one who is a higher authority who can settle an argument.

We read about a disagreement in the early church community in the Acts of the Apostles. The fight revolves around whether to let non-Jews join the church. Paul and Barnabus have had great success on their missionary journey and many gentiles have joined the Christian Church. Some church members were edified by this, others were unhappy.

What did the church do? It called the first church council which is known today as the Council of Jerusalem. Peter gives his opinion about the gentile converts. Because he is the leader of the apostle people respect what he says. James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, also shares his thoughts. Both men are in favor of forgoing Jewish custom so that non-Jews can join the church. They have authority and they use it to unify the church.

When there is a central authority, this can be a strength that holds the church together. We notice that Peter and James are not autocratic. But they listen to all sides before they act. When leaders listen before they act, they are usually better off. There always needs to be a respect for the “sense of the faithful.”

Reflection Questions:

1.    Have I known an affective church leader? Who was it?

2.   Did this leader listen? Would they change their mind to make a better decision?

Dear Parishioners,

       Our archives committee has organized a display that can be seen in the Damien Center. This is a simpler version of the material that was present during the 100th anniversary celebration. You are welcome to examine historical documents that have to do with the centennial of our church building. Just stop by before or after Masses in the next couple of weeks.

            Many parishioners were impressed by what they saw at the centennial celebration. There are many fascinating parts to the history of our building.

            May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

            Fr. Mark