Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Welcome to the Blessed Sacrament Homilies podcast, where our mission is to help everyone recognize and experience the presence of God. We hope you are nourished and encouraged by the Word. Thank you for joining us.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: The Lord be with you and with your spirit. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the Kingdom of God and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close, the 12 approached him and said, dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions for we are in a deserted place here.
He said to them, give them some food yourselves.
They replied, five loaves and two fish are all we have unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.
Now, the men there numbered about 5,000.
Then he said to his disciples, have them sit down in groups of about 50.
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled 12 wicker baskets. The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
I have a few questions to ask. I'm not looking for a sign of hands or anything, just in your own head. Contemplate these things.
In your family, especially when you had big gatherings, did you have anyone that would come and tell the same stories every year as if you were hearing them for the first time? It might have been grandpa or perhaps your dad or an uncle that was just a little off.
In your family growing up, did you have anybody that no matter what time you were supposed to gather for family dinner, just couldn't quite make it on time?
Did you have anybody in your family that always seemed to require the most attention from everyone?
Did you have anybody in your family who you never could quite get a read on what they were thinking?
My guess is you have all of those people in your family and you are probably one of them, right?
Because families are made up of all kinds of people with gifts and talents and strengths, but also with quirks.
And the thing about a family is we can bring our quirks and we're still wanted and we're still loved.
Well, when I first got here six years ago, a few staff members and I were having a conversation about our understanding and vision of church.
And I forget who even asked me. He said, well, what do you think the biggest struggle that parishes have right now.
And I said at the time, it's people who view a parish as a store.
And what I mean by that is our culture is very much a consumer culture, and it's easy to translate that consumer culture into parish life.
So I need my parish when I need a baptism.
I need my parish when I want to get married.
I need my parish when I need to bury my parent.
I need my parish when I'm sick and need to be anointed.
I need my parish when I'm really struggling.
And that consumer mentality creates a disconnect where we can not feel like a family.
But when we are at our best, we are a family.
And those best parishes are groups of people that come together and want everyone else to be a part of it, but not only want everyone else to be a part of it, they also look to one another and recognize when someone needs something and they reach out and they care.
Best parishes do that.
The other thing good families do is, at least in my experience, there is always room for one more at the table.
When you're a kid and your friend's over and mom says, come on, join us, we're having dinner, well, that's what a good parish is like, too. There's always room for another person to come in. And in fact, we look outside to say, who's out there? Come on in. We want you to join us.
Good parishes do that.
Well, I've got to share something with you.
I've got a problem. No, I don't have any problem with you.
In fact, you all do that very, very well.
This parish, as well as anyone I've ever seen, creates a family with all of our quirks, but also with all of our strengths.
And you care for one another in deeply and profound ways.
And the reason we're able to do that is because of what we do around this table.
Because we take bread, we take the cup, and through God's love, we become what we eat.
We share in the presence of the risen Christ, and that's what gives us all of those things we need to truly be a family of faith.
You do it very well.
Don't screw up.
