We’ve been shut down for a week here at St. Patrick’s in Muldoon. The threat is real. So do all the things that are being recommended. It does mean that we have become a bit more creative in how we are bringing the Word, if not the Sacraments to the masses. To wit:
Livestreaming “CyberMass” on our parish Facebook page www.facebook.com/stpatsak/ Daily Mass is at 12:00 noon ADT, Weekends on Saturday at 4:00 PM.
The office is shut down too, so we are all working from home as best we can.
Let’s all keep each other in prayer, as well as those most directly affected by the virus, and especially those who care for them.
The text of this weekend’s homily is below. You can see and hear it at the links above.
During this COVID-19 Inter-MISSION, it is
normal to ask the question, “Why? Why is
this happening?” Some of my well-meaning friends of other Christian traditions,
and also some Catholics have shared with me that they think it is divine
retribution for all the sinfulness found in society at the present time. The
story of the Man Born Blind in the gospel this week obliterates such a notion.
Seeing the man, his disciples ask, “Who sinned?
This man or his parents?” It was
a common notion in those days, based on Deuteronomy 5:9, that if anyone bowed
down to a foreign god, the Lord would bring punishment for their “parents’
wickedness on the children…down to the third and fourth generation.” Jesus response is firm. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t his parents.
The harsh reality is that because the
world is not God, it is not perfect. Sometimes those imperfections are merely
irritating, such as a broken shoelace or a vending machine that takes your
money without delivering the goods. But at other times, it can be tragic—a
child born blind or a viral pandemic that paralyzes the world. The world is
neither benevolent or malevolent; it is simply indifferent and imperfect.
The Good News is that we have a God who
is neither indifferent nor imperfect. Rather, the benevolent God enters into
the very imperfection of the world and transforms it by his presence. This
happened in particular way for the Man Born Blind who received his sight. It happens in a universal way for all of us
who receive the forgiveness of our sins.
But strangely enough, such sacred
mysteries are not self-evident. It takes a bit of humility to realize that we,
like the world, are imperfect. This was the mistake of the Pharisees. In their
zeal, they lacked the humility necessary to see the significance of the
miracle. Thus our Lord can say to them. “If you were blind, you would have no
sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”
We live in an extraordinary time that has
deprived us, for a time, of the sacraments which are ordinary means of grace.
Can we have eyes of faith that see God entering this new, imperfect reality of
the present day and transforming it with extraordinary grace? I pray that we can.
Well, it’s been a good week here at St. Patrick Parish. I’m still living with my mom, but we have found another really nice house not too far from here and we the deal may be done by the first of December. Kind of reminds me of a story.
One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church.
He replied, “I’m not going.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. “(1), they don’t like me, and (2), I don’t like them.”
His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church: (1) You’re 59 years old, and (2) you’re the pastor!”
This week, Our Lord gives us a very good
example of that in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. In the
Jewish mind of first century Palestine, you could not get a more diverse
comparison. The Pharisees were seen as those who studied the Law of Moses and
tried to live it out to fullest. They were held in highest regard. On the other hand, tax collectors were seen
as collaborators with the Roman occupational government and enriching
themselves by their position. They were
despised by all. So at the outset of the parable, the sympathies of the crowd
would very much have been with the Pharisee and very much against the tax
collector.
But Jesus turns that notion on upside
down. In the parable, it is the arrogant
Pharisee whose prayer is fruitless and the tax collector who goes away
justified. The reason is clear. The Pharisee is honest, but arrogant; the tax
collector stands honest and humble.
Can humility be so easily perverted?
Absolutely. There is one kind which is particularly insidious. Sometimes it is
a wisp of subtle, underlying cynicism. At other times, it is a pervasive sense
of accommodation to a make-shift solution. Most often it is an expression of undeniable
frustration. Or the ubiquitous, “That’s just the way it’s done around here.
In Psychology, this phenomenon is called
“learned helplessness.” Fr. Dan spoke to this a couple of homilies ago when he
gave the example of the elephant that remains tied to the stake because he does
not believe he has the strength to pull it out.
Oddly enough, even when things are out of whack, and even when we know they are out of whack, we are oddly resistant to change.
[Here I told the THE THOU ARE EAGLE STORY. Really, it’s best just to listen to it on the audio file.]
And so my
dear friends in at St. Patrick Parish, I have but one question for you…
Are you chicken?
or are you eagle?
As Christians, we are never helpless. In
the power of the Holy Spirit, we are a light on a lampstand, the salt of the
earth, the city set on a hill. We were created to be great saints, right now,
right here in 99504.
Well,
it’s been a good week here so far in St. Patrick Parish. I’m finally over my cold, it seems, and the
voice has returned. So hopefully, you can hear me this week.
Summers
in Alaska are always fun. Summer is when we go outside to play, and stay up way
too late talking because it’s still light out.
Right
now, my mom’s house if full of out of family and out-of-town guests. It’s a part of the joyful chaos that is
summer in Alaska.
We Alaskans are particularly good at
hospitality, I think, don’t you? We are
always welcoming guests and showing guests around and taking them fishing and
playing tour guide. For many of us, it’s
the only way we get to see certain things in our own state. I don’t know about you, but the only time I
ever go to Denali National Park is when I have guests in town.
So I
would imagine that most of us can identify quite well with Abraham and Sarah
and Martha and Mary as they demonstrate for us in today’s reading the value of
hospitality as a religious virtue
I’d like to spend a few minutes
reflecting on Christian Hospitality as a hallmark of the good disciple and of
the good Catholic parish.
It was
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, in 1825, who said:
To
welcome a guest is to be answerable for his or her happiness so long as he is
beneath your roof.
To
help us do exactly that I think we all need to be aware of at least these seven
attributes of remarkable hospitality. This is true in our homes and in our
parish:
In
short, Good hospitality:
Is
welcoming, friendly, and courteous
Is
knowledgeable
Is
efficient
Is
flexible
Is
consistent
Communicates
effectively
Exceeds
expectations
Is welcoming, friendly, and
courteous
First impressions matter.
Are people greeted as they
come through the door?
Are there designated and
trained greeters and/or ushers?
Are they well dressed and
groomed?
Are people with special needs
accommodated in architecture and design?
Do ushers/greeters and
parishioners smile?
Is
knowledgeable
Where is the first aid kit?
Where is the
defibrillator?
Are ushers trained in its use?
Are there gluten free hosts
available? If so, where are they?
Do greeters/ushers know who
the medical personnel in the parish are?
Is efficient
Are people greeted immediately
at the door? In the narthex?
Are there enough ushers to
seat people expeditiously?
Is the collection taken with a
smile and without wasted effort?
(Second Collection after the
first.)
Are major announcements done
BEFORE Mass?
Is
flexible
Are
all parishioners trained in the basics?
Can
they change their routine to accommodate the guest?
[‘YOU’RE SITTING IN MY SEAT!!]
Are parents with children accommodated with
courtesy?
Is
consistent
People may come to our church
for many reasons, but they will return for only one
…They
like it!
Consistency can make the
difference.
Communicates
Effectively
Does signage and posted placards help people
find their way to the restroom, parish hall or office?
Are the fire extinguishers well marked?
Is the information desk/rack easily accessible?
Do ushers/greeters give clear, concise
information and instructions?
Exceeds
expectations
Are people asked their name and place of
origin? Are these announced by the
Presider?
Are birthdays, anniversaries or other
significant events noted in the bulletin, monitors and pulpit?
Are returning guests remembered?
Are new families welcomed and given information
about the parish?
Welcoming breakfasts/luncheons?
In
short, Good hospitality:
Is
welcoming, friendly, and courteous
Is
knowledgeable
Is
efficient
Is
flexible
Is
consistent
Communicates
effectively
Exceeds
expectations
Hospitality
comes easily to us Alaskans because it literally comes with the territory. By and large, as a parish, I think we do a
pretty fair job, at least this newcomer’s first impression is pretty good. Nevertheless, there are many things I think
we can do that would set us in a class by ourselves.
Good
hospitality is not only an act of kindness, it is one of the primary Christian
virtues. To welcome the stranger it is a
corporal work of mercy. As a parish
family, may we be the heart and the arms and the hands of Christ, reaching out
in welcome to those come to our doors, so that they may indeed encounter Risen
Christ within these walls and return to the world refreshed, renewed, and better for the experience.
My
dear friends in Christ in St. Patrick’s Parish.
It is nice to be here after 24 years of
being away.
For me, this is a bit of a
homecoming. As many of you know, I was
the Associate Pastor here from 1995-1996, while we were building the building
in which we now worship.
It is
always an exciting and nervous time for a parish to get a new pastor. The first question that most people ask is a
positive one:
What is
he like?
The
second is more tenuous…
What’s going to change?!
Let me
answer the second question first and the first question second.
What’s
going to change?
The
quick answer is: Nothing for now.
The
reason for this is simple. The first
order for me is to become a part of the parish community.
Yes, your new pastor comes with a lot of
local, national and international experience.
…and WAAAAY too much education.
As I
mentioned last week, I just finished 27th Grade!
In due time, all that experience and
expertise will be put to good use.
But not right now.
Now is
the time to listen, to learn, to get to know each other.
This is a very different place than when
I was here 25 years ago.
Let’s take our time…and get to know each
other.
Which
brings us to the second question: What’s he like?
Actually,
in the weeks, months and years to come, you are going to get to know me pretty
darn well.
So
instead, let me tell you what I have heard about you!
Let’s
start general and then get a bit more specific.
As you
know, St. Patrick Parish was founded in 1971. The name was chosen, quite
frankly, because the Archbishop’s name was Ryan and the parish was to be
located on Muldoon Road. Its boundaries were drawn to coincide with the 99504
zip code, and remain unchanged to this day.
The parish covers approximately 6.3
square miles.
It is primarily a residential area. There are 15,642 households, of which 14,986
are occupied, meaning there are 656 unoccupied dwellings in the parish.
Of those 14,986 occupied households, 1128
of them are registered parishioners of St. Patrick Parish.
The parish is home to 40,917 people,
about 4174 of whom are members of the parish.
Thus, we are a little over 10% of the population in the area.
The average
household income in the parish is $92,815 which puts us about in the middle for
the Anchorage Bowl. We are not poor, we
are middle to upper middle class. Statistically, 6.8% of our households make
over $200,000 a year.
You
are fairly generous. Last year, ordinary revenues from Sunday and Holy Day
Collections and donations was $708,920.67, although this was about a 11% from
the previous year of $723,780.64
Also, I was happy to note that just this
week, you have just passed your parish goal for the One Bread One Body
Archdiocesan Appeal. Now everything that comes in goes directly to the
parish.
Just to give a nudge to those of you who
are still contemplating what you are going to do for OBOB. I have yet to make
my own pledge, but I plan to do so in the amount of $500. I never ask my parishioners to do something I
am not willing to do myself. You may take this as a guide, or a challenge as
you so choose.
As a
community of faith, we have a history that is long, and colorful, sometimes
magic, sometimes tragic.
St. Patrick’s has always known how to
throw a good party. We love to sing and
dance and celebrate the best parts of life and liturgy.
But we have also known the worst trauma
that a parish can experience in the betrayal of sacred trust by the founding
pastor.
Here at St. Patrick Parish, the scandal
of clergy sexual abuse is not an abstract distant concept,
for
many in the parish, your new pastor included, it has a name and it has a face.
It is personal.
Many
of us are still hurting from this betrayal. Let us walk together on the path to
healing.
In recent times we have also experienced
a lesser tragedy with some notable earthquake damage to many parish buildings,
including the probable loss of the JPII Center.
The primary result of this is not only the loss of needed meeting and
classroom space, but also it also means that there is no place for your pastor
to live.
We’re going to take our time on this.
There are many people in the parish I need to consult with. I’m still finding out who they are. But in due time we will take care of this and
related issues in a way that makes the most practical and financial sense for
the parish.
Finally,
I am convinced that our best and most exciting years lie just ahead.
In the past few years, I have noticed
that both physically and spiritually, you have been embarking on a deliberate
program of making something beautiful for God.
Whether in the Sacred Liturgy, or programs
of catechesis, the deliberate formation of intentional disciples, or
evangelization to those in the parish who are not yet part of the parish family;
Whether in the multitude of ministries of
service already in place to those within the parish family or to those in our
parish boundaries who have never set foot on the grounds;
Whether in our personal lives of prayer,
in our homes, our small groups, and finally our liturgical and other ministries
of service to the parish or the community
It is important that we build something
beautiful for God.
Beautiful lives of faith, a beautiful
community of grace
Housed in beautiful spaces to celebrate
them as only the people of St. Patrick Parish know how.
The
basics of discipleship are not hard.
As Moses said to the people:
[It]
is not too mysterious and remote for you.
It is not up in the sky, that you should say,
‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
Nor is it across the sea, that you should say,
‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
Believe
me, I have been across the sea. It is no
different here than it is there. In fact, here we have a lot more fun here than
in Italy, but perhaps not as much as in Africa…yet. Back to discipleship…
No, Moses says, it is not something far
away…
…it
is something very near to you,
already in your mouths and in your hearts;
you have only to carry it out
St.
Paul rightly points out that the fullness of the Mystery of God’s love was
revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
He is “the image of the invisible God.”
Nothing mysterious here.
Finally,
in his interaction with the scholar of the law
[Yes,
my canon lawyer radar went up at the reference…]
Jesus reveals to us just how
simple it is.
The
exchange follows the typical style for rabbinical teaching of the day. It is ritual dialogue.
It begins with a standard question by the
student.
“Teacher,
what must I do to inherit eternal life.”
This
is followed by an insightful answer by the teacher.
His
interlocutor is a scholar of the law, so Jesus refers him to the law. With
great insight, he articulates for Jesus, the Great Commandment for love of God
and love of neighbor.
Once they have established common ground,
the student is expected to justify himself by asking a more probing
question. “And who is my neighbor.”
Here
we dive with Jesus into the depths of understanding. Thus, the Parable of the
Good Samaritan.
The point of the story is clear.
As disciples of Jesus Christ
As stewards of the many gifts that God
has given us here in 99504
As a community of faith
As the parish family of St. Patrick’s
Our
task is two-fold
We must love God, with all our heart, being,
strength and mind
And we must love our neighbors as
ourselves.
In short, our job as disciples, as
families, and as a parish is to become so much a part of the life of the community
in which we find ourselves that they cannot imagine life without us.
This will be true in your home, on your
street, in your neighborhood, in all of this part of the Kingdom in Anchorage
which Our Lord has given us to look after for him,
known
to the world simply as 99504,
but
known to God and to us in the realm of grace, as St. Patrick Parish of the
Archdiocese of Anchorage.
We
have a mission.
We
have been given this little part of the Kingdom to do with as we please.
Hopefully,
we will care for it in a way that is pleasing to the Giver.
So that in due time, we may
give it all back to him better than we found it.
To become so much a part of
the landscape, that they cannot imagine life without us.
I am
so very happy to be here.
Together, let us make something beautiful
for God.
