Homily Third Wednesday of Lent (Mt. 5:17-19) “Jesus was Pastoral”
Homily Third Wednesday of Lent (Mt. 5:17-19) “Jesus was Pastoral”
We talk about being liberal or conservative in the church. Liberal has the connotation that a religious person might believe that there are no concrete moral norms. If we love one another than that is the measure of all things. A conservative religious approach denotes a person who rigidly adheres to the rules and regulations. No one should break any precept of the church.
Priests are sometimes labeled liberal or conservative and at times a priest will declare themselves one way or another. I had a good friend named Fr. John Dietzen who was my pastor in my second assignment. We had a discussion one day about labels. He said something I have always remembered. He said, “Mark, never put a label on yourself. If you do people will expect you to act a certain way in every situation. They may never approach you with a question because they will think they already know what you are going to say.”
Another pastor once said, “I am neither liberal nor conservative. I am pastoral.” What does that mean? What it means is that you keep religious laws and you also apply them pastorally. The church in its wisdom allows for that in almost every situation.
What we hear in the Gospel for today is Jesus interacting with some conservative religious people. Because he applies the religious laws pastorally, he is accused of being lax. His orthodoxy is attacked. Jesus is not being rigid when he answers that he has not come to change the law. What he is saying is, that the law is important, but it must be applied with compassion.
Jesus always put the welfare of the person he was ministering to first. He would teach hard truths and challenge people. He would also be merciful if necessary, towards the sinner. When it came to a choice between justice and mercy Jesus would always act with mercy.
Reflection Questions:
- Am I liberal or conservative? Why do I think it may be important to label myself one way or another?
- Do others think they know my opinion before they ask me? What is the problem with this?
Dear Parishioners,
Tonight, we will once again be having the Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. If you have not had a chance to join us, please consider doing so. The stations reflect a lot on contemporary issues. Jesus is still suffering in our world today. Many people are carrying crosses right now.
Remember that we are also having extra times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. We will have the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5 to 5:30 p.m. tonight and we will be having Confessions from 2:45 to 3:45 on Saturday. During Holy Week we will announce other times for Reconciliation.
We are presently working on the next step of our building process. We hope to be taking asbestos out of the rectory in the days ahead. The resolution for this is going to the diocese this week.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark