Twentieth Sunday in OT C 2022
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and
how I wish it were already blazing.” ...
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
This Gospel imperative runs in the face of a more compassionate
pastoral approach to ministry. To become
a member of St Joseph’s Church, you simply need to be breathing and fill out a
census card. It is very, very easy. I try to short circuit the hoops that people
sometimes need to go through in the Catholic Church. My mother taught me always to be kind and
trust that God’s love will be revealed.
If your body is in the Church today, you get a gold star from me as
being a very active member of St. Joseph’s.
After all, there are many parishioners who are not here today. It’s still summer. So, congratulations.
However, however, I am not the final word on discipleship of the Lord
Jesus. Jesus is! Jesus, of course, is the Savior and Lord of
our lives. For Jesus, being here on
Sunday is just the beginning of our discipleship. There is much more expected of me and much
more to be expected of you. Jesus
expected the same prophetic fire that burned in him to burn also in the hearts
of his followers.
In answering the call to follow Jesus, we are in for rude awakening as
to the cost of discipleship. We need to
look no further than the crucifix to witness the extent of the giving love of
Jesus. He gave us His life. The cost of discipleship for us is the kind
of giving love that Jesus has given us.
It can be hard to tell the truth about what it means to be Catholic, to
be a follower of Jesus, to be a disciple.
After all, we want people to feel good about being spiritual. Yet, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to
give of our time, talent, and treasure.
This Sunday we are asked to be generous in the second collection in
support of a Catholic high school for girls that is tucked away in Mazinde Ju
in Tanzania. Yes, that is not in our
back yard and can fall easily into the category of out of sight, out of
mind. But clearly and unmistakably,
these faith-filled high school students, over 1000 in number who are taught by
the religious sisters of Usumbara under the leadership of a most remarkable
Benedictine Father Damien Milliken, a native of Elmira, NY are part of our
missionary cost of discipleship.
On three occasions dating back more than ten years ago, parishioners
from St Joseph’s have gone on pilgrimage to St Mary’s School in Tanzania. I have the privilege of going with a group of
parishioners in 2018. This has been a
life changing experience for me as well as all from St Joe’s who have had the
opportunity to be a part of this Christ-like school that provides a spiritual
and academic opportunity for high school girls who otherwise would be without
educational opportunities.
Over these last several years, St Joseph’s has been a major benefactor
to this school – contributing as much as $50,000 in a given year. There are several of us, myself included, who
contribute $1,000 per year to provide scholarship for deserving students.
My mantra is you never regret being generous for people in need.
As a priest of 54 blessed years, I have the opportunity to celebrate
Mass in many sacred places including at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome when St
John Paul II ordained my nephew Jason a priest. That was a wow experience for me. Tomorrow,
for example, I am going to Camp Stella Maris on Conesus Lake to celebrate Mass
for many, many enthusiastic campers.
But I tell you, my most mystical celebration of the Eucharist was in
the school chapel of St Mary’s at 6:00 am on an ordinary school day. Looking out from the altar, I was in the
presence of 1,000 high school girls in full Catholic school uniform singing the
opening hymn with angelic and enthusiastic voices accompanied only by one high
school girl in the choir loft striking a well-worm drum. The joy in their hearts was unmistakable.
What I would emphasize is that this wasn’t special feast for Our Lady,
this liturgy happens each and every school day at 6:00 am in the morning with
the same kind energy and prayerfulness.
The holiness of this liturgy remains with me four years later.
I wish for you that somehow you too have the opportunity of
experiencing firsthand our missionary commitment to St Mary’s School in Mazindu
Ju, Tanzania.
What is so amazing is to be aware of how the graduates of St Mary’s have gone to leadership positions in the legal area, in the medical area and in business and government. These graduates hold leadership positions improving the quality of life in Tanzania.
What is so amazing to me in my visit to Tanzania, is that St. Mary’s
School is so much more than a quality classroom experience. This is a residential school that is for me
is an experience of Church in which everyone has their fixed on the Lord. The spiritual leader of this community is a
priest from the Diocese of Rochester, Fr Damien Milliken, a Benedictine priest
who has served his priestly ministry for over 50 years in Africa. This wonderful community of faith has an
abundance of consecrated women, the religious sisters of Usumbara, who are teachers
for these high school students. All in
this school community live out the Gospel values of love and service and
friendship with one another.
I regard it as a privilege for us as a parish community to be
benefactors of this Christlike school community of faith. I invite your generosity in the second
collection.
Going back to today’s Gospel where Jesus confronts us with the cost of
discipleship, my prayer is that we will shower these deserving high school
girls with the same love, generosity, and prayer as you would your own daughters. As we are mindful that these young women are
God’s beloved daughters, we are called to share from our giftedness in our
generosity for these high schoolers.
We have it right in our ministry here at St Joseph’s Church when both
St Joseph’s School and St Mary’s School in Mazindu Ju, in Tanzania are
recipients of our prayer and our generosity.
May God bless you with the gift of generosity.
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