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All of us aspire or have aspired to be something. All of us also
aspire or have aspired to be somebody. This desire seems to have
been “hotwired” into us.
What all too many of us fail to recognize, however, is that when we
achieve being something or becoming somebody, the human condition is
such that we never really feel satisfied. We are only temporarily
satiated.
That innate desire is what St. Augustine famously called a
“restless”
desire of the heart.
This lack of self-understanding begets a vicious cycle—a cycle of
sin—by which many of us turn our lives into a futile and unending
restless search. We will look everywhere “out there” to
experience satisfaction “in here” even though we seem never to be
able to grasp hold of it as a permanent possession.
Were we a bit more self-reflective and honest with ourselves, we’d
be forced to admit that we really don’t feel very much at home in
this world. It’s as if we are exiles or even aliens residing in a
foreign land. Oftentimes we feel homesick, waiting for news
from some distant land that will make it possible for us to grasp
hold at long last of feeling satisfied as a permanent possession.
How often have we contemplated this Utopia, and perhaps so much so,
that we can specify in rich and vivid color, detail, and emotion
exactly how this place will completely satisfy our every desire?
But, in fact, these are only fanciful and imaginative glimpses of a
Utopia that does not exist anywhere in this created universe. All
those glimpses do is compensate for the homesick emptiness we feel.
Rather than contemplate that stark and harsh reality, we instead
will work ourselves to the bone in a vain effort to surround
ourselves with all of those toys and trinkets we mistakenly believe
will bring that longed-for, permanent satisfaction of being
something and somebody. Yet, even when possess more and more of all
of those things, the boredom always returns with renewed vigor.
Rather than contemplate this fact, however, we renew our restless
search for something that will give us a more permanent feeling of
being in the Utopia of our minds.
At
the bottom of it all is emptiness. That is the fact we don’t want
to admit. It would be humbling, wouldn’t it, to have to admit “This
way, this truth, and this life isn’t fulfilling my desire.”
It
is these very people—people just like you and me—to whom St. Peter
wrote in his epistle that Jesus Christ, “the stone that the builders
have rejected, has become the cornerstone” (2:5).
This metaphor needs to be described a bit because the methods of
building in St. Peter’s day differ somewhat from those used today.
Have you ever travelled to New England and noticed that property
boundaries are oftentimes demarcated by stone fences? I see them
every time I travel forth and back to my sister’s in Connecticut.
Some of these fences were constructed rather haphazardly, as if the
builder just piled rocks upon rocks. Over time, and as the stones
of these fences weathered, most have fallen apart. They now are
indistinguishable piles of rocks, riddled with weeds and grass,
having the appearance of having been scattered in haphazard,
indistinguishable lines. They serve neither the builder’s purpose
nor do they add any aesthetic value to the property.
In
contrast, some fences were constructed with extreme care, as the
builder made sure that the cut of each stone was such that every one
of the stones would interlock so that the combined force of weight
would hold the stones together as a fence despite nature’s
destructive forces. Over time, and as those stones have withstood
nature’s destructive forces, they continue to serve the purpose
envisioned by the builder: they clearly demarcate property lines.
At the same time, these stone fences have a grace and beauty of age
that adds value to the property.
Just as in St. Peter’s day, the masons who constructed those fences
in New England didn’t use mortar to hold the stones together.
Instead, and in contrast to those masons who threw their stone
fences together without much attention to the details, those who
constructed the more durable, permanent, and beautiful fences used a
cornerstone that would bear the force of gravity and the weight of
the other stones and hold the entire edifice together. Legend has
it that the stones used to construct the Temple in Jerusalem were so
well-fitted that a piece of parchment could not be slid though the
spaces between the stones. The same was stated about the pyramids
in Egypt on a special I watched that was aired on The History
Channel.
To
appreciate St. Peter’s metaphor, then, we need to get “mortar” out
of our minds and to consider instead what possesses the power to
hold us together in this world in a more permanent and durable way
than all of those fruitless ways we desire to be something and
somebody.
For St. Peter that desire must be Jesus Christ—the living stone—and
that he be the cornerstone of our lives and provide us with a sense
of stability and permanence—an abiding sense of more permanent
satisfaction—in our lives.
But, what does that really mean?
To
answer that question, let’s consider what is a disappointing if not
a grim statistic in this regard: the latest Gallup Poll on church
attendance among young Americans (2009) reports that approximately
70% of Catholics between the ages of 21 and 40 do not participate in
the life of the Church. That means only 30% of those young
Catholics “practice” their faith, meaning
“attend church at least monthly.”
Perhaps a child, a favorite aunt, uncle, cousin, or even a sibling
of yours fits into this category.
Don’t think for a minute that this means those young Catholics don’t
possess religious sentiments. No, it only means they don’t find
their desire to discover meaning and fulfillment—that restless
desire for God which is “hotwired” into us—met in the institutional
Church, as perhaps some (and I hope, many!) of us gathered here
today do.
I
think much of this has to do with what I call the
“Burger King”
mentality.
“What’s that?”
you may be wondering.
Think about it: in just about every area of life in our culture,
everything has got to be
“the way I want
it.” It’s “all about me.” Even the commercial for Burger
King states: “Have it your way.”
So, quite
logically, these
young Catholics think of religion in the same way. It’s
a
“gigantic mansion” having “countless doors” that anyone can enter to
become part of the household where they will be the something and
someone they want to be. And, if they don’t
get what they want, these young Catholics will try something else.
Nothing’s
different with the concept of truth. Truth is not permanent
and durable (by the way, that’s
the definition of truth). No, it’s relative, based upon how
someone may “feel” about the truth.
Given all of this, it should not be surprising that the
overwhelming majority of young Catholics today believe that
institutional religion is relative and entirely dependent upon how
one “feels” about it. So, experiencing a void in the religious
traditions their parents have passed on to them, most of today’s
young Catholics are “on the hunt” for something new that will fill
that void.
Remember: they still are hotwired to find meaning in their lives.
“Fed up
with” the “hypocrisy” of the institutional Church, today’s
young Catholic
attempt to meet that needs in a number of different ways.
Some drink carefully-formulated herbal tea mixtures or vegetable
concoctions. Others listen on their IPods to soothing music with
Eastern tones or blog pithy thoughts hopeful that others will
respond in the affirmative. In their free time, some attend
seminars about “whole brain thinking” and dabble in “multiple
intelligences” exercises to find something meaningful. Yet others
engage in yoga exercises by which they turn their bodies into
pretzels or join meditation groups to discover the “center” of their
lives. I can’t tell you the number of young Catholics I know who
sincerely believe that a singles’ bar is a religious community which
meets to engage fervently in the same pathetic and meaningless
hours-long ritual at least one night each week.
I
will make this observation, however. At least those young
Catholics are consistent: they also tend to distrust traditional
medicine, preferring acupuncture, holistic health practices, and
herbal formulations to heal whatever ails them. Likewise with the
corporate world. Young Catholics distrust older
“corporate
types,”
thinking they will discover success in their chosen career if they
engage in the correct visualization processes, practice
psychological exercises by which they can adjust their mental
outlook, or get weekly massage therapies they’ve
hear
release powerful endorphins that will change how these young
Catholic will feel about their lives and careers.
Consider what “sells” young Catholics on all of this: idealistic
chatter about the desire all of us have to move away from
“divisiveness” and toward “wholeness,” from “individualism” and
toward “connectedness,” and from “disharmony” and toward “harmony.”
Utopic kumbaya!
Don’t get me wrong. There are aspects of holistic healthcare that
are entirely helpful in promoting “healthy body, healthy mind.” So
too with the discipline required to practice yoga, engage in deep
breathing exercises, and concentrate on crystals. Yes, all of this
does have the power to raise consciousness in order to have a more
harmonious relationship with one’s “higher self.”
However, no matter what the sales pitch may be, all of these “New
Age” practices are popular because every young Catholic—and
all of us as well—experiences
a void in life.
But, motivating the search for meaning and purpose in life for that
70% of young Catholics are changes in life or difficult or deep
problems that they are desperately trying to put behind themselves,
but just can’t
seem to shake no matter how much yoga the practice, how many times
they breathe deeply, or how many crystal patterns they fix their
gaze upon.
Yes, these young Catholics very much like Jesus’ idea of a “house
with many dwelling places.” Unfortunately, however, these
young Catholics don’t very much like the idea of a single door
through which one gains entry to that house of many dwelling places,
that door being “the way, the truth, and the life.”
The majority of young Catholics reject the truth of the God of
Scripture who comes to them in the person of Jesus Christ. Yes,
they believe that perhaps Jesus was a great guru, an inspiring
example—like Buddha Mahatma Gandhi—of a human being who has achieved
full consciousness of his higher self. But, they absolutely reject
the truth of the Catholic faith that Jesus is God’s only-begotten
Son, the one who forgives sins and has risen from the dead to bring
the promise of a new and eternal life. Young Catholics also reject
the Catholic belief in the person of Jesus Christ who comes to them
personally in His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
What all of this New Age nonsense is about is ignorance. Its’
solution is not found in acquiring greater consciousness, but in
choosing to look for God in the only place where God is to be found:
in the life of the Church—through Scripture and Church teaching. It
is only by entering through the one door that the spiritual hunger
of the majority of young Catholics will be satiated.
However, this requires young Catholics to make the courageous
decision to enter that doorway with their “troubled hearts” and to
allow Jesus—who is “the way, the truth, and the life”—to lead them
to the room God has specially prepared for them where, by making
Jesus Christ the cornerstone of their lives, young Catholics will
surely experience the abiding sense of satisfaction of being the
something and the somebody that is discovered only in living as a
beloved child of God.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus told his disciples in
today’s gospel. “You have faith in God; have faith also in me…I am
the way and the truth and the life….”
This
is how young Catholics today—and you and me as well—become those
“living stones who are built into a spiritual house, to be a holy
priesthood, and to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.” This is how all of us experience fulfillment
as we “announce the praises of him who has called us out of the
darkness of sin and death into God’s wonderful light.”
How your family
might celebrate the Easter Season:
Easter is so important that it cannot be celebrated in just one,
single day. To celebrate Easter appropriately, the Church
takes fifty days (forty days leading to the Ascension and ten days
leading to Pentecost Sunday, fifty days that culminate on what used
to be called "Quinquagesimea Sunday"). These are the days that
constitute the entire "Easter Season."
Here are four
simple ways you might celebrate the entire Easter Season with your
family:
1. Place a white pillar candle in the
center of your kitchen table. Each night before dinner, assign
a member of your family to light the candle and to recall
what a person said or did that day to reveal the Risen Lord.
As part of the blessing prayer, give thanks to the Lord for the gift
of that person.
2.
Take a daily walk around the neighborhood. Identify one sign
of new life each day. After completing the walk, sit down
together as a family in the living room or family room and relate
each sign to the new life that God has given all of us in the
resurrection of His only begotten Son.
3. Invite an estranged family member,
relative, or friend (or a family member, relative, or friend who
hasn't been to visit for a while) to dinner each of the Sundays of
the Easter season. Before the prayer of blessing over the
food, read a resurrection appearance where Jesus says to his
disciples, "Peace be with you." Following the blessing of the
food, offer one another the sign of peace before partaking of the
meal.
4. In preparation for the Solemnity
of Pentecost, have each member of the family on Easter Sunday write
down on a piece of paper a gift of the Holy Spirit that he or she
needs in order to become a more faithful disciple. Fold and
place these pieces of paper in a bowl in the center of the kitchen
table. At dinner each evening, pray the "Prayer of the Holy
Spirit" to send for these gifts upon the members of the family so
that your family will become a light to the world. Then,
before the prayer of blessing over the dinner on Pentecost Sunday,
burn the pieces of paper to call to mind that the gifts have already
been given in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The challenge is
now to live out those gifts in the ordinary time of our daily lives.
Easter is an event that
happens each and every day. During the fifty days of the
Easter season, in particular, you and your family can prepare to
make Easter happen each and every day of your lives by "practicing"
these simple exercises which connect Jesus' risen life to yours as
well.
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HOMILY
