Speaker 1: Welcome to Saint Patrick Catholic Community podcast. We're glad you're with us.
Speaker 2: I can remember the first time I really experienced grief at the death of someone that was part of my life, and it happened while I was in college in the seminary. And in that was a cousin named Ordinary who we called Tutti. They lived in Safford along with us as they were related, and we would play with their children with each other. In those days, people would show up at each other's house unannounced. The kids would love that.
The parents didn't like that very much. But we got together quite often for picnics and fun and just coming over to visit. Judy was just a little bit older than the rest of us kids, but he was so good. He gave us great memories of playing, and he would play with us. He went to the seminary for a while, wanted to be a priest, and we even played mass together back in those days.
So I had great memories of him. I got the word that he died in an automobile accident, and I was just overwhelmed with grief, and I think it came about that someone who I felt so important isn't gonna be there. It touched a memory, and I started crying and bawling, and some of the seminarians over the few days just came and talked to me. And this happened almost fifty years ago when this happened, And in that, I don't remember any of the words that the guys told me. It'll be fine.
He's in heaven. I'll be there for you. I don't recall any word as good as it might have been and and real sincere. But what I do remember is they were with me. They were present.
Right now, I can think of my mind of the different times that I cried, that I shared the same stories over and over, asking if I was gonna be better. When does the pain go away? And they were there, and I can see each face that was important. It wasn't what they said. It wasn't that they were experts in grief.
They were just there. I recall this because it's important to understand the importance of presence. God's presence all the time, but our presence for one another. Now in the first reading from Isaiah chapter 55, God is speaking to the people and saying, come, drink. Those of you who are thirsty, come and eat.
Those of you who are hungry. And he ends it by saying, I will renew a covenant with you. So who is he speaking to? People that are sinful. People that are unfaithful.
People who are rebellious. They were not always good in the light of God. They weren't always faithful. And yet, how does God respond to the sins of the people? Come.
Eat and drink, and we will renew the relationship together to make it better for everyone. This is important for every Christian to hear today, that we have to understand that god is always present with us, not just when we're good, not just when we feel holy. And unfortunately, the phrase we use, you're in a state of grace. One of the most painful things that religion has caused in our Catholic faith is people who are concerned that they're not in the state of grace. And here's the effect of suffering that I see.
People who do a sin, who someone, I don't know who it was because it's not in the catechism, say these are mortal sin. Some of the things I've heard that mortal sins are not. They're not. And I know mortal sin. Okay?
In fact, the catechism teaches it's pretty hard to do. But somehow, somebody decided to say, these are the sins. And you know what? You're out of state of grace. So the first thing to do is don't come to the sacrament of healing.
Don't come to communion because you gotta figure that out. This reading destroys that kind of thinking. Unfaithful people, rebellious, sinful. God says, come. Who are thirsty, come and drink, and I will renew my covenant.
That is much healthier. So the premise is God never leaves us. Saint Paul cements that in today's Romans chapter eight when he says, what will ever separate us from the love of Christ? And he looks around with the people. There's persecution.
There's hunger. There's violence. There's war. There's sadness and suffering. And in fact, he goes deeper.
He says, not even angels and principalities and superpowers can ever ever separate you from the love of God. That's cement and that's why I love when that reading is done at funerals. Because when we're sad, when we're grieving, when we feel lost, when we feel like I have no faith, Saint Paul says nothing will separate you from the love of Christ. Even if you feel like I don't see God, I don't believe God, my faith in trouble, God's not interested in that. God is interested in being with us.
So those two readings say, god is always present. So those of you who are going to brunch today, and they ask you what was the homily about, don't say you fell asleep. Say, God is always present. Because not a lot of Christians understand that, and they don't really know the implications of it. And so, if we know God is with us, Matthew in the gospel chapter 14 tells us about being present to one another.
A large crowd comes and the disciples hear the bell whistle for evening dinner. Time for dinner. And they go and they see a problem. Jesus, there are thousands of people here. Let's send them out.
Go into town to 07:11 and grab a sandwich and a big gulp. Let them go. And Jesus goes, wait a minute. What are you doing? Don't can't you feed them yourself?
No. All we have here is just some loaves of bread and some fish. That's it. How can it feed everyone? And so thinking of what is lacking, God takes that.
He tells the disciple, you are not to solve the entire problem alone, but you contribute. And so rather than sending the people away, he tells the disciples to distribute the food. Be present to the people. Be with him rather than telling him to go away. There are times that you and I are afraid to be present because we don't know what to say.
It's uncomfortable. I might say the wrong thing. Someone who's a better expert can tell them better words. I don't wanna give the time because I might get trapped and have to be more present than I can really give, or I don't have the resources to really be present. My friends, I don't remember any word that my college classmates said to me in my darkest hour.
And I really don't care, but what I do know is they were with me. Don't discount the holiness of presence. I need presence when I go to the doctor. When I was younger, I'd wake up, my body felt good. Now that I wake up everything, something's hurting, and I have to ask, is it permanent or temporary?
And I go to doctors more often than I like to. That was a real humbling thing. So I had to go to the eye doctor the other day, got a good review, but I like to take friends with me. There's a doctor friend, and I took my brother the other day to see the eye doctor. And I need him there because I don't listen very well.
The doctor tells me, all I wanna hear is you're gonna live. That's all I care about. Okay? He doesn't say, well, but you need to take this medicine. I don't listen to that.
I'm fine. That's all I hear. So afterwards, my brother and I go out, and what did he say? He says, you'll do good, but watch this. You gotta follow through with that and all.
And all my brother did, he said nothing during the appointment, but he was with me. Other times, I've gone for serious things to the doctor or every doctor visit, I take a friend of me with me, and it means the world. And so, I ask you this week, in the coming weeks, who do you need to be present to? Now, first of all, some of us live under a roof that we really haven't been very present to family. Unfortunately, it could be a spouse because we're so busy trying to get things done and important responsibilities or, unfortunately, things we think are important and are not.
Sometimes, people have family tables that haven't been used in a long time because everyone's going in 50 directions. Sometimes, there's no time to really have a good conversation or just be present to children, to parents, to other people. Maybe someone is in need that has at work or in your neighborhood, in school, or wherever. They just need you to be aware and care. Now, some of you may be doing that already, and I affirm that because that's holy, but this week, can you go beyond of someone you might be missing?
Someone that is just hurting and you can be present with, and it doesn't take a college degree. And don't worry about saying the right thing. They're not gonna remember anyway. And that's not your role unless that's your field that you're in. But to most of us here, just being present is holy.
And why is it holy? Because god is holy. I'm gonna say something bold and I hope I get a lot of pushback. You are never out of state of grace. Are you sinful like me?
Yeah. Do we do dumb things? Yeah. Do we not please God? Yeah.
But you are never away from God's grace. Isaiah 55. Come, you unfaithful people. I will feed you and let you eat and drink. Nothing will ever separate you from the love of God.
Nothing. Thank you, Saint Paul. And the greatest miracle of today isn't not only feeding people, but the disciples rather than saying go away, feed yourself, they were simply present to all the hungry people.
Speaker 1: This has been a Saint Patrick Catholic Community podcast. For more of our shows, go to our website and click Saint Patrick's Studio.