Sirach
tells us today: If
you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you
trust in God, you too shall live.
This is a good summary of the call to conversion that we hear every
Sunday in one way or another. In our hearts we hear God wake us up
and show us what we were made to be.
Do not
murder, nor adulterate, nor divorce, nor lie. These commandments in
today's Gospel are good starting points, and if you keep them (which
means to let them thrive in your heart and in your actions), then you
will live. Jesus takes that foundation and ups the ante today, when
he demands a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the
Pharisees (those most upright people of His time). He shows us what
we are truly called to.... and
points out a funny thing
about our fallen human nature: if we don't try for the best, we don't
get very far. We have to go for it all as Christ calls
us to, or we won't even make the minimum that the commandments demand
of us.
It's
National Marriage week, and the Holy Father met on Friday with 10,000
of engaged couples for a special audience in honor of the love
celebrated on Valentine's Day. He was asked many questions, and one
that was most important to me was about the fear of “forever.”
This to me is a foundational crisis we all go through: how can
someone be certain and make a perpetual commitment that steers their
entire life? Fear of “forever” is the start of our vocation
crisis, whether it be marriage, priesthood, or a life of faith in
general – if we live in fear, we will never go “all in.” Pope
Francis' answer was “forever” is built day-by-day, and is built
up like a house, stone upon stone, board upon board.
My
grandma is slowly passing from this earth, resigning herself to the
cancer that has ravaged her energy and her appetite (but Thanks be to
God, no pain). I went home and on Thursday I celebrated Mass at her
bedside with grandpa, just the three of us on a makeshift altar.
Right behind grandma hangs the photograph of them leaving Church on
their wedding day. Afterwards, we talked for five minutes and she
was thinking back to times when she was a child, showing me the
miraculous medal she has worn since she was about 15. I squeezed her
hand a little and she squeezed back, saying, “how did you know
that? Who told you that?” I said, “Told me what?” “Me and
your grandpa have been doing that for years.” And squeezing my hand
three times she said, “I...Love...You.” and then four times for
“I Love You, Too.” Then her exhaustion forced her to rest again.
Little things, that's what builds up to “forever.” So don't be
afraid of forever, just build it up day-by-day.
Say
“yes” for today. Let our yes be yes and our no
be no. Jesus is all yes.
The cross shows us that God is not afraid of loving us forever. The
Eucharist is the source of our strength to make that same commitment
to our world and to each other. In our marriages we make a forever
“yes” to another. In my priesthood I made a forever “yes” to
Jesus and to you, His Bride, the Church. And this month, the Lord is
calling our parish to make a kind of “yes” also to this campaign
for our future, a “yes” built up day-by-day and founded on the
“yes” that Jesus is for us. I now invite parishioner Jack Ruhe
to come to the cantor stand and share his experience of responding
generously to Christ's “yes” through his life. Thank you, Jack.
