another echo

2002Jun21

Novus Ordo is the derogatory name given by some to the Mass in native
languages created by the liturgical reforms in the 1960's.

As an adult (not a child) of Vatican II, I agree there is a crisis of
leadership, not faith. There are, however, crises of hope and love.

I find Masses today quite beautiful. I do not look for my priest to be
holy. I look for him to be a wounded healer. We are called to the font of
the Lord. We are called to reconciliation. We are one in the spirit, not
in the language we speak, the color of our skin, the style of our clothes.

Those who would reject the social Gospel remind me of Protestants who focus
on faith and ignore works. If we believe that Jesus is Christ, Messiah,
the Anointed One of God, if we believe that God the Father is the creator
of this wonderful and bounteous world, of we believe in the Spirit of God
who gives his gifts to us, then we must believe that love is the greatest
commandment, that we are to love God with our whole being reserving nothing
to ourselves. We are called then to love our neighbor as ourselves. From
that flows all the social Gospel. The gifts of the Father, the Son and the
Spirit are not ours to keep. We are called to spread them to the ends of
the earth.

A good homily starts by linking our lived experience with the Word of God.
From that bond we find our call to be in the world but not of the world.

We are called to faith in the face of scorn.

We are called to hope in the face of darkness and gloom.

We are called to love in the face of death, even death on the cross.

We are called to repentance in the face of our sins and by the face of
Jesus.

We are called to reconciliation with ourselves and one another.

Peace of the Risen Lord be with you.