Speaker 2: So I studied in the seminary for a total of eight years. Now some people after my hobby say, you didn't spend more time. You should have spent more time in the seminary. And that's a long time. And so in the seminary, you learn scriptures.
You learn theology and dogma, things that are really important foundation. You get the book knowledge down, the head knowledge. But really when a man is ordained a priest, the real teaching begins and the people who teach are you, the people of God. I've learned so much about theology and how my theology has been formed, my understanding of God through families. My family and your families, what you've modeled to me, what you've shared with me, what you've witnessed to me.
And so over the years, my theology of inclusion, of acceptance of everyone, making room for everyone has been formed by you. The times that you go, but father, there's still my son and daughter even though I don't agree or this is painful, or they're still my mother and father, or they're difficult to deal with, but I'll try. We probably need to stay away for a while, and those things happen. And so everything about god's desire for the human family has been formed and shaped by what you have taught me. And I've learned a lot, both the joys of family, the struggles, the sorrows, and also the reconciliation that can happen.
The message of Christmas we just heard a few days ago is meant to be universal, that the nativity, the birth of Jesus is announced by angels and say, for all men and women of goodwill, this salvation is offered for all. So God becoming human is not just for Roman Catholics, not just for those who are saved in Jesus Christ, not just for those who go to church or those who are religious. This message and offering of salvation is for the entire world. So the shepherds are given the one of the ability to go out and start spreading the news of what has happened. So it isn't just about our family, our personal blood family, or those we choose to love that we will be saved and that we will receive blessings.
It's not just for us or what happens in this room right here. It's for everyone, and it must be shared. So today with the feast of the holy family, yes, we have a foundation of families with all your experience, positive and those that are very struggling. But how do we take the family message to the world? How do we take the Christmas message into the world?
And it's through what is called human family, to take it more out into the world. So what I've learned from family is, yes, love for others. I've learned about sacrificial love and self giving. And I've also learned that even in spite and differences of family, you can strive for unity or understanding. But what about the human family?
In the year 2020, pope Francis wrote what was called a papal encyclical. Encyclical is a word that means a teaching from the pope on faith, on matters that are important to us. It's addressed to all Roman Catholics of the church, but also to all people of goodwill. And the document that he chose to talk to the world in 2020 with all that we were going through is the term Fratelli tutti, not tutti frutti. Fratelli tutti.
That is Latin, I guess, because they always take the first few words of the Latin that's written on any encyclical or document. And so that's how we ended up with the word for tele tutti. That means brothers and sisters all. Brothers and sisters all. This comes from Saint Francis of Assisi, the guy we all like about loving animals and all.
His understanding is that we belong to one another, and we are part of the human family. And so pope Francis, dealing with a world that is struggling right now with human family, human fraternity, he wrote some things that I'd like to share with you, just four major points. It's a lot longer, but four major points that you might see your family as and maybe be invited to continue to take that out into the world. And so the first thing that he talks about is human dignity. Human dignity for everyone.
For everyone. So no one's excluded. So no one no no matter one's background, no matter where they come from, no matter who they are, they are to be treated with dignity. That comes right from god. That comes from the expectation of today's scriptures.
Yes. It begins with a blood family, but it's meant to be larger than that. And so we are all brothers and sisters. Now some of you kind of are kinda tempted by words where you go, this sounds too flowery, and you're rolling your eyes already. Ah, brothers and sisters.
Sounds like a kumbaya moment. Well, but that's what we are. That's really what scriptures talks about, that we care for one another, but everyone, every person is our neighbor. Really? Remember when Jesus says love your neighbor, the understanding when they received it was, fellow countrymen, a fellow Notre Dame fan, A fellow Catholic.
In other words, someone that belongs to our group, our area and all. And no. Jesus says everyone is your neighbor, even including enemies. As hard as that is. So everyone is neighbor.
And so the foundation of all social life, we all belong to the human family. The struggle is is that sometimes you and I are silent when people's dignity is robbed, when people's rights are taken away. And sometimes we're just quiet. We're still we're afraid or we're indifferent. And so whenever we see anyone, and I mean anyone who is not giving proper dignity, even if you disagree with them on major moral issues, they all have dignity.
The second thing he talks about is social friendship, the idea of building bridges. At that time, a lot of people were talking about building walls. And what it is is building relationships, building dialogue. Because what he says is we need to choose community over division. People in power love division because people who can stand for one another and protect one another, they're weaker because the group will not be to united.
Nothing's more dangerous than people of love. Nothing has been more dangerous than the Catholic faith of two thousand years when those moments we've been unified because we care for one another. Not because we wanna build prettier buildings or better football teams even though that does help. But we have been unified when we care and place people first. That's why the church has lasted for two thousand years, even if people walk away.
And so it seeks the good of others. Love seeks the good of others. Remember, agape is the word that means what? Wanting what is good for others. Love doesn't mean I'll only love people who are like me, who are who I agree with, who who who deserves god's love because they're living a good moral life, or they think the right way, or I agree with them.
Love always seeks what is good out of others. Dialogue over conflict. Dialogue. If we are not listening to one another, it's just like your own personal families. A lot of family struggles is people don't wanna listen.
Sometimes they become stubborn. Sometimes they become full of pride. Sometimes they're not willing just to be still and be quiet and learn to listen. Dialogue. Even pope Leo has been really talking about that.
We are responsible for one another. Hey. That's not my problem. People's rights are taken away. People are being blamed.
People are living in fear. That's not my problem. That's not my problem. And history has shown that people do that often, and I think that's what we're struggling with. It's not my problem.
I come to hear a good message, make me feel better, make me feel like I'm on the right path to heaven. But to worry about other people and their suffering, it's not my problem. How can you have that friendship? Always working for the common good. The third thing that the pope talks about about many things is global solidarity.
Now the word global can be scary because people in power, here's what they like to do, and they've always done this. They take good terms and they make them bad. The word justice. I've heard many people say, if any parish talks about social justice, run away. It's communism.
And that's our word. Why do we allow yo yos to be able to tell people that's a bad word? The word has said in the scriptures is our word. And what has said means, right relationship with god and neighbor. Is it right that your neighbor suffers?
Is it your right that your neighbor goes hungry? Is it right that your neighbor is demonized? No. That's our word. And so global means rejecting indifference.
Rejecting indifference. Again, not my problem. If you're suffering, I'm not. I have to worry about my own family. Good luck.
You're on your own. And to confront what the pope talks about, a throwaway culture. People on the margins who are told, you don't belong. You don't matter. And you know who really matters to people on the margin?
Evil people. Because good people are taken away. The so called good people kick them out. Oh. You can't be part of this community.
You can't come to communion. You can't belong. You live a life that's just has to be bad. And you know who does? People who do evil things and bad things look for those people and they give them a home.
And the very people, us, who should be doing that are indifferent. The margins, those who are demonized by leaders, those are the people we should be caring about. Not because father Eric says so, but because you've modeled that to me in your own families. But they're my son. They're my daughter.
They're my mother and father. They're my family. Yes. They are. But but I I can't do that towards them.
Well, you gotta think it through. So even the pain that we feel, we need to be aware of that. Suffering draws us near to people. The word compassion really comes from the root word that means to suffer with. It doesn't mean feeling sorry for.
No. It means to suffer with, that I I don't understand all that you're going through, but I suffer with you. That's what Jesus does so well, and that's what his followers should be. And to cross boundaries of culture, religion, and politics. Jesus does that.
Do you remember the Samaritans? Those bad people. At least the Jews thought they were bad. In fact, they called them dogs. They were called dogs.
They hated one another. So remember when Jesus is walking with his disciples, his so called buddies who should have had eight years of education, but they didn't. And so when the Samaritans kicked him out and said, you're not welcome here. Get out of here. He wants to go quicker through Samaria, but they kick him out.
And so they said, Jesus, destroy that. Send lightning down and destroy their city. And Jesus says, wait a minute. If they're not against us, they're with us. Jesus crosses the border into enemy territory, Samaria.
Speaker 1: Jesus had a lot of enemies, but he crosses those boundaries of walls, of
Speaker 2: borders, of barriers, and our hearts don't have to be trapped by that. Global solidarity means that we live, again, with the sharing culture, religion. And the last is justice and peace. Again, that's our word. Justice means a set.
Systems that are fair. Love must shape our politics and economy. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that what we should be doing? If love is central to Christians, shouldn't that be centered of our politics and the economy?
But there's not enough for everyone. And leaders point to people to be afraid of and to blame. And we eat it up because we're afraid there isn't enough because there's we have so much before us that we will allow people to be forgotten and tossed aside, the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized, and yet we're called to live that out. You know, remember what state of the union is Matthew from? What?
Missouri. Isn't that how you say it? And what is it? The show me state. That's the gospel of Matthew.
We're hearing from you all here. He says, don't talk a big faith game. Show me. Show me through your behaviors. And we have so many people now wearing crosses, quoting scriptures, using language that sound pretty jeezyest, but they're not.
Because their behavior is far from what God wants. And yet we go, well, they they want a cross. They wanna say merry Christmas. We're under attack. There are parts of the world where Christians literally die to go to mass.
It hasn't happened here yet because the only thing that's our enemy in our country is indifference. Yeah. We can go to mass. Yeah. No big deal if we you know, the Buffalo Bills are playing the Eagles today.
I think I'm gonna stay home and watch that. Hey. I'm gonna the cardinals are on. I really need to go to mass and pray for them. But we think we're under attack.
And even if we are, isn't that what true followers do? Even Jesus was. And he's told us to be prepared. But no one has been shot not going to mass. And yet there are people around the world who literally are killed for gathering together.
And so to be there for the poor, the vulnerable, and the dignity of of work is upheld. In other words, the economy should serve people, not power or profit. Again, this is from the pope. And so I guess I wanna tell you in this document that I'm gonna send out an email this week. Here's the thing when popes or good people write good things.
The people who need to hear it, ignore it. Some of you are already going, I'm glad this is over with. Because you know why? The people who need to hear it are too busy protecting winning, protecting their ideology, protecting that they're right, and they never wanna prove that they're wrong. And fifty years later, the church looks at it in people of goodwill and go, wow.
This is pretty good stuff. I wonder why they didn't listen. For Tele Tutti speaks of your family. And so I wanna thank you for modeling good family life with me. Not only your joys, but even your sorrows and sadness and brokenness.
That is family as well. You've taught me that. My theology of inclusion, of moving over, making were room for others is based on what I've seen in you. So what do I always say? Again, I shouldn't ask this because you guys don't seem to know.
Alright? But what do I always say when we're ready to clap after baptisms for children? What do I always say? Move Move over. Oh, you do know.
Yeah. When we do baptism, there's four or five. I usually say what? Over, church. Make room for five more.
That's family. You've taught me that. That came from you. When I talked to someone and said, we had a big family. And when we had Christmas, we had to move over and make room for everyone else.
Oh my god. That's church. That's you. That's fratelli tutti, not tutti frutti. Brothers and sisters, all.
All it is is taking to the world what you are striving to live now. Don't make it the monster. Don't make it communism or socialism. Make it your family because you're to blame. You taught me to be inclusive, care for the vulnerable, and give sacrificial love.
Not only did I find it in scriptures in my eight years of study, I found it in you.