23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 
Our readings today call us to be unafraid!  We are called to have faith, and place our trust in the Lord, even when our friends, family, and institutions fail us!   We are called to be open and trust despite how we might feel! We need to be brave enough to let Christ open our ears, eyes and hearts!  We have a wonderful sign of the spirit of openness as we see our children return to school this week.  We pray for them and we pray that they be a sign for all of us to be open, to be unafraid to enter into new encounters, to let our faith lead us.
 
Our first reading from Isaiah provides us encouragement! Isaiah speaks on behalf of God and encourages these people to be strong to put aside their fears because God is with them and is in their midst; just as He is with us today! When we put our faith in Jesus, and not in people, things, or in our institutions then we can be reassured that we will be stronger than our fears. Christ is our Rock and our salvation!
 
We are told “Be not afraid”! Somehow, though, this phrase can be hard and perhaps sound hollow can’t it?  And perhaps some would say naïve in our current world! But that is exactly what we are called to do. We are at time in history that is difficult, difficult for our church, for our nation, and for our world.  It would be natural wouldn’t it, based on all we hear about political abuses of power, about the priest crisis, and the many other unsettling news in our world, to just quit caring? Why not just drop out or perhaps just lament to God about how He could let all this happen!?  But we can’t take that attitude!  We are called by God to be his people, we can’t confuse human failings with the unfailing love and devotion our God has for us!  God hasn’t failed us! We are called to be unafraid even though we do have fears! We are needed to stand up now more than ever! We are called to be the “light on the hill” an example of what it means to be God’s people.
 
Today in our gathering God is indeed with us!  We come to this place, this community to share our faith and be renewed! We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ.  People look to us, how do we live out our lives faith?  Some of our leaders have indeed failed us. So now more than ever we need to step up and lead.  We are all called to leadership! We need to provide a moral compass, to call out abuse, to be an example, and to help others in their journey as we demonstrate our faith in word and action.  We demonstrate this by being open to one another, holding each other accountable, to dialog, and to pray.  Let us help others find their voices and be heard.
 
In the second reading from James we hear the message we need to listen, to listen even when it is hard and even when we don’t like or agree with what is being said. God makes no distinctions between people, all of our voices need to be heard!  There are no distinctions between God’s people based on our wealth, color, race, sexual orientation, there are no boundaries. God embraces all people!  And there should be no boundaries for us! We are called to reach out to others, to share our faith and our gifts as God calls us to do!  What keeps us from embracing those who are different from us?
 
God never said our path would be easy, and there are always difficulties as we seek to live out our faith!  We live in unsettled times, for Christians, the faithful, this is not new! There has always been turmoil in our world.  We know from the life of Jesus that he lived in very uncertain times as well and was tested and died on the cross for us.  His own community rejected him they even attempted to push him off a cliff.  We are in good company!  Look around, look at all those gathered here today, we are a community of disciples, we are flawed, but we have each other.  And that is so powerful.
 
I can’t help but to reflect at this time on our Penfield Hope ministry. I have had the privilege of working with our volunteers and being with individuals who come to us for support.  We have supported  many families with back to school supplies, baby clothing, emergency food, and many other needs, and most importantly a place to come, share their challenges and burdens with people willing to listen and support them, and pray with them. It is a gift for me to be able to share in a very small way in their journey.  This ministry is not about me or our staff our even our volunteers.  Rather, it is a direct result of your care! As a faith community you continuously show your support for those in need and your support of so many other parish ministries! These families thank you for all you do and give!  
 
In the Gospel Jesus heals a deaf man.  Jesus draws close to this man. He touches him and prays and His healing power shines forth. This is a wonderful healing, but in some way aren’t we all a bit like this deaf man?  I know I am!  I have trouble hearing God’s will at times.  But, don’t we all have difficulty hearing what God is putting in our hearts?  Do we hear the cry of the poor?  The cry of those who need our help and support, the plight migrants, the immigrants, those on the margins of society.  Can we hear them? Are we listening to what God wants to say us?  Do we seek Christ for healing?  Don’t we all need to be open, to plead to God for mercy and love? Let us ask God to truly open our eyes and ears?
 
As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, we acknowledge that we are created in God’s image and are deeply loved.  God places us in this world, not for the acquisition of things. Rather, we are placed in this world, to extend our love and gifts to others! We are called to do this without partiality! We are called to reach out to all, the poor, the marginalized, the stranger in our midst. And when we respond we grow deeper in our faith and love for Jesus.  This intimate relationship in combination with the Eucharist empowers us, to help, to seek healing for the world, for ourselves. This week let us resolve, to be bold, to be unafraid and share our faith with those we encounter.  Let us lead those who may have strayed from a relationship with God, and those who may be hurting or in need of our support.
 
How will you show you are a person of faith this week?