Daily Homily 3-20-2020
Daily Homily for March 20, 2020 (Third Friday of Lent)
When I was a campus minister it was a very interesting time in my life. One of the favorite activities on campus was to go to free lectures that professors would give about various topics. Usually, there would be a time at the end for questions. A brilliant grad student or another professor might be in the crowd who would challenge the presenter. Many times, a debate would start between the presenter and the person asking the question. Usually, I was left on earth as the two intellectuals would take off into the stratosphere arguing and debating. I was reminded of my own limitations. It was good to learn humility.
We are told of a similar encounter in the Gospel of Mark today. One of the great debates in Jesus’ day was about religious law. Either religious teachers would argue about what could sum up the Law of Moses in a few sentences or they would see how many laws they could remember. There were 613 laws that the Scribes and Pharisees had listed.
In today’s Mass reading (Mark 12:28-34) a scribe comes to Jesus to ask him to sum up the law. Jesus quotes the Shema, the most basic of all Jewish prayers. “Hear O Israel the Lord your God is Lord alone! You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.” Jesus adds to that the injunction to love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18).
Jewish people would put the Shema in little boxes that they would wear as they prayed. These were call phylacteries. The phylacteries would be tied to the arm with a leather string or around the head so that the box would be right in the middle of the forehead. The implication of this exercise was that the Law of God should always be on our minds no matter where our life takes us.
We are being called upon in our present predicament to show our concern for others. What is our motivation? Is it because we feel the ethical thing to do is to be concerned about others as we remember the principle of the common good? Do we refrain from leaving our home for frivolous errands because we don’t want to spread the Corona virus to others? Do we try not to gather in large groups because we want to be socially responsible? How do we feel about all these precautions? Do we feel that if my health is all right everything is right with the world? Jesus’ new commandment says we should be motivated to act for the good everyone because it is the loving thing to do. It is a matter of whether we have faith in God or not. Divine love calls on us to love as the Lord loved. We begin to see Jesus in everyone if they are a person we meet on the street in a personal encounter or a person who lives on the other side of the world in China. Everyone reflects the face of God.
The challenge for us, as we live in midst of crisis, is not to forget our Christian vocation the first-time choices become difficult. Our challenge is to live out our discipleship in the present moment. The present moment is a time when we find out if the law of love is at the center of our consciousness or not.
Dear Parishioners,
I have some special announcements today:
1. The ban on any public gathering will continue for an indefinite period. This includes Mass. We encourage the elderly to stay at home and those who have serious health issues to do the same.
2. On Saturday (March 21st) the church will be open from 10 a.m. until Noon for those who are not at risk and who would like to come and offer a prayer. Fr. Matthew and I will be available for the Sacrament Reconciliation. If you want to come to pray, you are more than welcome. Keep in mind that the stained-glass work is still going on. There will be tarps over part of the pews and the altar. There should be enough space to keep a distance from other worshippers and you should not sit next to others as you are waiting for confession. We will try to expand the time the church is open when the workmen leave next week. This will depend on the ever changing policies of government and church officials.
3. If you want to make an appointment with Fr. Mark or Fr. Matthew feel free to contact the priests at the parish number. We want to be available to you if you are in distress.
4. We will be livestreaming Mass starting on Saturday at 4 p.m. You will be able to click on an icon on our WEB page and view the Mass anytime this weekend.
The priests continue to pray for Sacred Heart Parishioners at our daily Mass. There is a Novena that will start today (March 20th) being promoted by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. The information can be found at https.//www.praymorenvenas.com/pandemic-novena. Please continue to ask our Lady to intercede for the sick and vulnerable.
May the angels protect you today,
Fr. Mark