St Joseph Homily March 12th, 2023
Introduction
As we go through the readings allow the gaze of Love Crucified touch your heart. People are indeed dying for lack of this kind of love. And Jesus shows us how he encountered the lost sheep and placed it on his shoulders. Be that lost sheep as we reflect together.
From our own deep thirst for love, for salvation, for meaning, we give ourselves to the One who in his thirst asks us for a drink, just as he will thirst - thirst for our souls – from the cross. When you look at the cross these days during Lent, do you find yourself ‘lost in wonder’ at the love he has for you and the love he has for your family, your friends, your enemies? Does Jesus’ way of loving challenge you and me to love better?
‘Lord Jesus, I don’t want to get in the way; take away my distractions and preoccupations that weigh me down. I want to be exclusively yours during this Mass. I can’t continue down this Lenten path with my own forces, I am tired and weary like the Israelites in the desert. Send your Holy Spirit into my heart now. “Come Lord Jesus.”
Before we begin our reflection together, I quote from the Psalm:
Come, let us bow down in worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord who made us,
For he is our God,
And we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
From the Book of Exodus: Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.
Things were not looking good for the people of God. Chosen yes, but now they felt abandoned, and their fearless leader Moses was experiencing all sorts of doubts. It seemed like there was no way out. Yet time and again the Lord showed them that he was the Lord. Not Pharaoh, not their idols, not their flesh pots and their wine jars. The Lord was God. Does this ancient struggle that we are following in the readings of Lent speak into your journey? Are you struggling? Are you tempted to give in, take a break or just let the whole thing pass without getting involved? I know how you feel. I am struggling too. I have put up with myself all the time! You only put up with me for an hour a week!
My dear St Joseph parishioners what you are experiencing is what we are all going through. Lent is a time for deep purification of our minds, hearts, and souls. It’s individual and it’s communitarian. We come to Mass today on this Third Sunday of Lent because we should desperately want to connect with each other, despite our differences. God wants to change our stoney hearts into his very own heart of flesh.
Before you experience Moses striking the rock and the rushing water that will quench your thirst, what temptation are you warding off, what sacrificial offering has been working work out well? What do you need to focus on this coming week? Let’s pause for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for help to see myself the way God sees me.
From the Letter of St Paul to the Romans: ‘And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’
As we peer into this liturgical season how do we see faith, hope, and love helping us to grow in closeness to Our Blessed Lord’s passion and death and resurrection. St Paul speaks right into this today in his famous letter to the Romans. For Paul, Christ is everything. His whole life revolved around the person he met on the way to Damascus. There was never ever turning back and only a deepening into the love he had discovered. A love that was intertwined with hope and faith. And remember St Paul struggled with himself and no doubt with those that worked with him.
Soon enough we will enter the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil) – it will be a time of intense prayer. As a community and individually. I remember last year processing to the St Monica Hall with our Lord. And all of you behind Jesus, walking slowly, silently, and prayerfully. The image of everyone kneeling before Our Lord in the altar of repose was quite moving.
In addition, this year we will be a missionary parish. Some of us will walk the streets spreading the love of Jesus. And all of us in different ways can be involved.
My dear St Joseph parishioners hope does not disappoint. Our Church is a beacon of hope in our world. As we continue this journey through Lent let’s pray for one another. Don’t let the devil get inside of you or inside of us. Just like you see there are ‘drug free zones’ St Joseph is a ‘devil and evil spirit free zone.’
On Friday mornings a small group of us meet to discuss the Gospel. This time there was a lot of back forth because of the many twists and turns in the story. What is self-evident is the outcome. This woman, who is unnamed because she represents so many people today who want to meet Jesus, but they keep missing him because they are afraid. But that fate-filled day everything changed. It is reminiscent of St Paul’s encounter with Jesus. Her life was changed forever. She went at the middle of day to avoid the villagers and all their gossiping about her! Little did she know Jesus was waiting for her.
He listened to her. He walked with her. He encouraged her. He sent her out. Jesus spoke the truth to her in such a way that she could hear him. Unlike St Paul, there was an ‘immediateness’ in her response. Paul needed time but this woman’s eyes were opened and right away she got to work.
Where did she go? Right back into the messy world she came from. She went from being an outcast and despised by most, to the one who introduced them to the Messiah.
Do you see her joy? Are you touched by her conversion? Is there something inside of you that needs to be transformed by Jesus this Lent?
I have mentioned to you that I went to Los Angeles for the funeral of Bishop David O’Connell. During a dark time in his life in which he was struggling and unsure if he would return, he had to ask himself what kind of priest he would be if he returned. The way he lived his life once he returned was nothing less than extraordinary. His priest friend Fr Jay who gave the homily said, ‘David, would wake up early, take Hito his dog, and walk around the car lot of his parish in South Central LA. In one hand was his rosary beads and the other and the leash. Hito learnt how to respond to the bishop’s uttering the words of the rosary. If David were here today, he would say to all of you. ‘Jesus loves you. Mary loves you, don’t be afraid.’ David didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone, but thousands of people said goodbye to him at this passing.
‘Thank you, Bishop David, for being a good shepherd to the people entrusted to you.’