I can’t think of a better Gospel to help us kick off another academic year and year of ministry here in our parish. As we observe our own Welcome Sunday this weekend, we look forward to the blessings which God has in store for us this year, we listen to a miracle story given to us in the Gospel of Mark.
In the Gospel, Jesus is continuing his tour of the region known as the Decapolis. The Decapolis was comprised of ten cities that were created by the Romans. We hear that as soon as Jesus entered into that area, the people brought him a man who was deaf and mute. No doubt, the reputation of Jesus had preceded him to this area and the people already knew of his ability to heal sickness and disease.
When Jesus meets this deaf/mute man, we are told that he took him off by himself and performed an unusual ritual of spitting, groaning, touching the man’s tongue and placing his fingers in the man’s ears. Then, Jesus utters a word in Hebrew, “Ephetha” which means “be opened.” Immediately, the man’s ears are opened and he begins to speak. But there is one important thing in this passage which needs attention. We are told that the man began to speak “plainly.” What does he speak plainly about? Does it simply mean that the man’s speech impediment was gone? Partly, perhaps. But the real meaning is that the man began speaking plainly about Jesus. Like many others who are healed by Jesus, this person began to speak openly or plainly about God’s goodness and how he experienced God’s love and mercy through Jesus who healed him.
Well, on this Welcome Sunday, I want to speak plainly to you. I want to speak openly about God’s goodness and how I have experienced God’s goodness through this parish. And I want to begin by saying, “This is the best parish in the diocese!” It is true. I’m not saying that other parishes aren’t good, they are. But we’re better!
Seriously, though, the measure of a healthy parish is the impact it makes on its own people and people in the larger community— how well it celebrates God’s love in the lives of people.
For instance, God’s love is evident in the diverse people we embrace here. We have married people, single people, divorced people and a couple of celibates. We are a family that is made up of young, middle-aged, and elders. We come from all strata of economic life: poor, working class and wealthy. We are white collar workers, blue collar workers, unemployed, under-employed; business persons, manual laborers, professionals, and retired. Many are families with young children. Some of you have teenagers; others have children in college locally or out of the area. Some of you may have children at home who you wish were out of the area. Many of you are grandparents who are providing for their grandchildren. Lots of you are caring for our parents at this stage in their lives.
The Newman Center embraces people from across the philosophical spectrum. Some people look at us and say, “Oh...you’re that liberal parish.” I’m not sure what that means. Perhaps they are referring to our look. We don’t look like a traditional church: no kneelers, no candles, no statues, really. But we celebrate our Catholic traditions each and every day. There are people here who pray the Rosary every day and there are others who express their spirituality in dance. We have people who receive Communion in the hand and those who prefer to receive it on the tongue. Some like organ music, others guitar and drums. We have parishioners who are quite content with an all-male and celibate priesthood. There are others who want to see the doors of priesthood opened to women and married persons. And we even sit next to each other with these differing philosophies!
Or maybe when they call us liberal they are thinking that we are all Democrats and that we have an icon of Ted Kennedy in our Chapel! But that’s certainly not true. One of the things I find most fascinating and rewarding about the Newman Center is that we have people from all political philosophies: conservative, liberal, and independent. We have people who think differently about many social issues: immigration, education, welfare reform, stem-cell research, foreign policy. Yet, we can pray together each Sunday for the well-being of all God’s people. We can pray together for peace. We are willing to reach out to all kinds of people who are in need.
One thing I find to be a rich blessing in our parish is that so many have a profound sense of stewardship. Many, many of you are involved in community affairs. You sit on various boards of schools, non-profits and charitable agencies. Many of us work in advocacy— on behalf of others in our community. Some are interested in the arts, others in education or in social welfare. You are also a wonderful example of a people who are financially supportive of the parish and other charitable agencies. Of all the 86 parishes in our diocese, Newman Center was one of three parishes that pledged over $2 million in the recent diocesan capital campaign. That made news in our diocese and turned the bishop’s head. In terms of supporting your parish, you have excelled. We support a relatively large staff of people who make this parish operable. Some are full-time, others part-time and some get cash under the table (just kidding). We are also building a beautiful ministry center which, after today, will have a name. What wonderful opportunities are going to be opened to us as we prepare to occupy that building. This has happened because our parish continues to grow its ministries as more and more people come forward wishing to be involved in some way. We have people who share their gifts in teaching children the faith, playing music or singing, landscaping, answering phones, cooking meals for students, studying the bible, laundering church linens, visiting the sick and making certain that there’s enough lemonade and donut holes after Mass.
The Newman Center is an example of God’s inclusive love. We are a parish that has a relatively large number of non-Catholics who call this place a spiritual home. Some of you have spouses who are non-Catholic Christians and some of you have spouses or members of your families who are Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim. We are the only parish I can think of in this area that actively participates in interfaith events and ecumenical dialogue. I can’t think of anything more inclusive than that for a Catholic parish. Some of you have spouses who are Catholic but don’t necessarily come to Church. We are accepting of that and respectful of where people may be in this regard and we ask God to bless them in their own journey of faith.
As a parish we are a true microcosm of God’s larger human family. We accept the fact that we are not all cut from the same mold. We are so different from each other. Whether it is our political philosophy, our social ethic, our personal cultural backgrounds or even our sexual orientation, we have an amazing openness, not just tolerance, but openness to welcoming people who are different from us. The Letter of James speaks to that today: “Allow no favoritism but welcome all.”
How can we do all of this and remain united as a parish? Sometimes I’m not certain how it all happens. But I can make a pretty good guess as to who is responsible. It has to do with love and grace and mercy and compassion and these gifts originate with God. We do our best to strive after these virtues in relation to one another and to others. We do this because we believe that Jesus is present where two or more are gathered in his name. Those two don’t have to be alike either. Wherever two or more are gathered in his name— doing what is good and loving each others— God is there. We believe that Christ is present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. And we can all come together, different as we are from another, and share in this Eucharistic meal.
God is here in our parish. God has taken up residence at 1572 E. Barstow Avenue just as God has taken up residence in many other faith communities where people strive to love as Jesus loves. That is what makes our parish a blessing. God’s love can be experienced here and we are doing our best to remain open as vehicles of that love.
Do we do it perfectly? No. Is there room for growth on the part of our individual members and priests and the community as a whole? Yes. Do we need constant forgiveness for our transgressions and failings? Certainly. Does God still love us? Most certainly.
Let’s move forward into this new academic year and year of ministries. Let’s speak plainly to each other and to others about the good things that God is doing for us. Let us live that love as we minister to each other and to those beyond our parish community. Let us show others that we are Christians by the way we love.