• Home
• >
• News & Events
• >
• News Articles
• >
• 2024
• >
• September
• >
• 9/8 Homily for 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time
• >

News Articles

Bishop's Homily for the Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

September 8, 2024

[St. Jude Church, Kapolei (with Installation of Pastor), St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua (with Installation of Pastor)]

I recently had a conversation with a gentleman who has been a Protestant all his life but is now seriously considering entering the Catholic Church.  He has struggled with some of the doctrines, but after studying them, he now understands and accepts them.  But he did offer some observations of his experience of visiting many Catholic parishes as a “seeker.”  He mentioned, for example, that in very few parishes was he welcomed by anyone.  Neither an usher nor a parishioner noticed that he was a newcomer and offered him a word of welcome.  He also mentioned that, since he is not familiar with the ritual of a Catholic Mass, he has only found a couple of people who noticed his discomfort and tried to give him a brief orientation by guiding him discreetly through the ritual.  In most places, he was simply left guessing.

He obviously saw things that the rest of us can be blind to, since we are so accustomed to what we do and how we do it.  I appreciated his honesty, and it was very eye-opening.

Jesus today heals a man who was deaf and mute, and as Isaiah pointed out, the signs of the Messiah would be one who opens the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf, who loosens the tongue of the mute and makes the lame leap like a stag.  But we must never read the Gospel as simply a record of what Jesus did in the past.  Jesus is risen and alive today, and he still performs these miracles of love for us.  In the case I just cited, he opened the mouth of this seeker and the eyes of someone who may not see things from the perspective of a newcomer.  But there are many other ways Jesus opens our eyes and ears today, and many ways he tries to loosen our tongues.

It is very easy for us to turn a blind eye to the homeless, for example, perhaps even having the attitude toward them that St. James condemns in his letter.  If we truly see them, we must then respond in some way.  This does not necessarily mean giving them a handout, but it does move us to reflect on what we can do to prevent this situation and to alleviate the sufferings of those who are in it.  Giving to Catholic Charities or volunteering for the parish outreach ministry may be ways of opening our eyes and hearts to them.  Or working with our elected officials to provide resources that address root causes of poverty is another way of getting over our lameness and engaging in the task.

We can choose not to hear a friend who is suffering because of discord in the family.  We may even know this friend has a drinking problem or a problem with violence, but we say nothing, turning a blind eye to the suffering.  If we accept the healing of Jesus, we might just take the risk of having a heart-to-heart talk with our friend, pointing out our observations of his destructive behavior, and offering a compassionate ear and a needed support to help him change his ways.

The widespread destruction of unborn human beings is a huge evil that we can easily turn a blind eye to.  We can be mute in the face of such inhumanity to a fellow human being.  Or we can accept the healing of Jesus and be a voice for the unborn, and for the dignity of all life.

Although no one likes criticism, and it was hard for me to hear what my Protestant “seeker” friend was pointing out, his refusal to be mute about these situations are in fact a gift to me and all of us, so that we can reform our ways and be the welcoming and loving people we really want to be.  His criticism was freeing because he offered it not in condemnation but in love.  And so it is that Jesus, too, can even heal our attitudes so that, like him, we do not come to condemn but to bring greater life.

Sometimes this is the role of a pastor and one of the reasons we change pastors from time to time, so that fresh eyes and ears can work with the parish to affirm its goodness and to help correct its faults.  We pray that your new pastor will always work with the compassion of Jesus, but with the power of Jesus.  Then perhaps our tongues will be loosened to share the good news of Jesus with our relatives, friends, and neighbors who do not yet know him.  Then perhaps our eyes will be opened to see the suffering around us, and our feeble limbs strengthened to go out to those in need and embrace them with compassion.  Then we, and all we encounter, will know that the Lord Jesus is present here and now, continuing his healing work through us.