Doors of Faith

(Homily) 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2012

Our faith may be the size of the mustard seed but during this year its going to blossom.

Brothers and sisters, we have entered through the doors of the Church, which are the doors of faith, a symbol of baptism – and we have gathered here to nourish the tender branch of our faith - allowing Him to plant in us seeds of faith and to root out, as a good gardener, all that hinders us on the path to holiness.  If our faith remains only an outward duty devoid of contact with the person of Jesus Christ, it bears no fruit.  If we encounter Jesus through our celebration of the sacraments, through Mass and our daily prayer –we come close to His heart – and become his disciples.  This, of course, is not our own doing, but is God’s doing.  We are reminded of this fact by the Gospel acclamation: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to Him will live forever.”  Since we all ‘must appear before the judgment seat of Christ’ – the word of God applies to all of us without exception – to the strong as well as the weak in faith.  So let us listen as He speaks.  Let us not block His words but instead make use of them to gauge honestly our progress in the faith. 

The materials used to build a Church are like those used in any other building: the nails, the beams, the foundation.  But Church doors remain shut until the Bishop comes and sanctifies it for worship at a special Mass.  This event happened here in Marysville 50 years ago – an event that will be celebrated in October this year.  Once this act of consecration is accomplished the Church doors give access the sacraments of eternal life. The doors of the Church give access to the heavenly kingdom – which is why an atmosphere of prayer is maintained, usually with very hushed voices.  The first of these sacraments – these seeds of faith – is baptism.  It is through baptism, watered by the faith of their parents, that children receive the gift of adoption by God the Father.  Through baptism God – the steadfast gardener – grafts us onto Christ.  It has been a pleasure to see 10 souls welcomed in this way through baptism this year.  Coming through the doors of the Church before baptism they were creatures of God – leaving the Church after baptism they are children of God.  These ten are added to the hundreds who have been baptized here over the past 50 years.  In fact, some of you here have received your baptism here, or your children.  Pray that the faith in God encountered in this small church not fail to elicit a response in all hearts to “give thanks to the Lord” and to keep holy the Sunday Sabbath day.  A life devoid of Sunday Mass is a life devoid of the God’s fullness.  Without the root of faith nurtured in our liturgy, religious practice withers and we soon confuse the doors of the Church for those of the hockey rink, movie theatre and shopping mall.  I, your priest, share in your concern for those who are not here, who do not practice their faith.  I feel compassion for the pain you feel when you encourage a spouse or family member and repeatedly fail.  I am aware of how much of a struggle it can be for those with teens especially to come to Church, but this I encourage you to continue to do as your duty before God for as long as they are in your care. 

There is a profound crisis of faith experienced among many today, yet through his love,

Jesus Christ attracts to himself the people of every generation, [to whom] he entrusts the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new.

- Benedict XVI

As the Church we are to ‘follow His footsteps wherever He goes in search of souls’ – Mother Teresa.  To this end Our Lady of Fatima is going in search of souls by opening up her doors to celebrate the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  We were donated an icon of Our Lady by a parishioner and we will use it in our communal prayer.  Also, this year we will open our doors to hungry souls in a few months at the fall supper.  We will celebrate a special anniversary Mass.  We will invite seekers who want to know more about the Catholic faith into our living rooms and share the faith.  We will invite youth to participate in confirmation preparation and we will need teachers to continue offering religious education.  Finally, we will also take up a Year of Faith – beginning in October and going until the following November, as requested by the Holy Father Pope Benedict.  Through many varied ways we will attempt to recover the basic faith as presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church to strengthen ourselves in faith, feeding our minds with the wisdom of our intellectual and historical traditions.  These seeds will be planted - as to assessing their effectiveness and growth - we leave this to God.  In the words of Mother Teresa, “God asks not for success, only faithfulness.”  Think about this during the summer break.

The kingdom of God, symbolized by the mustard tree with the birds in it, depicts for us a place of inclusion where all the nations are gathered in.  This is a symbol of the Church, which gathers men and women from all cultures and nations.  Yet they are united by the faith expressed by the Church, especially as outlined by the Creed.  Without a defined doctrine of beliefs our unity in Christ would devolve into a country club of convenience.  Instead, it is our faith as enunciated by our Church tradition that keeps us together and helps us yield ‘good fruit’.  It is this sound and sure teaching that guides us as Catholics to reject euthanasia as a violation of the dignity of the human person – despite increasing support in the wider society as witnessed in British Columbia this past week. 

As we move towards this Year of Faith I realize the Door of Faith must be opened wide and the truth proclaimed welcome or unwelcome.  I know that some of you face opposition in the workplace or family situations because you are a Catholic who takes your faith seriously.  I know some of you are intimidated by the bullying atheism of our day, who are troubled by the rejection of the Christian values you assumed were universal.  There are many such places of confusion and uncertainty owing to our time and place in history.  But I am assured by faith in Christ that we are not left orphaned or alone.  I believe if we seek Christ with hearts open and purified, there is no doubt that we will encounter His presence – alive and ever new.  His word is the seed, He sows it in our hearts.  It may seem like nothing is happening, it may seem insignificant, but this is the pattern of His way of doing things – and the end is not yet.  Believers, says St. Augustine, “strengthen themselves by believing”.  May God help us to be believers – and to accompany us as we seek to find the right path towards the ‘door of faith.’