Holy Spirit Catholic Church
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Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2009
Our volunteer CCD religious education teachers are gold in this parish. Every Sunday they struggle to pass on the faith they love to our young children and teenagers, many of whom resent being in class on Sunday mornings. Worse, parents...not noted today for supporting teachers, can be worse than an unruly student or two.
"War stories" from CCD teachers and Religious Education Directors are numerous. While protecting the name of the guilty, a CCD teacher told me of an irate mother confronting her about her teaching the Trinity to the students. The mother accused her of not teaching what the Church taught about the Trinity. She asked the mother what had upset her so. The mother said angrily, "You taught my child that the Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Puzzled, she asked the mother what was wrong with that. Even angrier, the mother responded, "Everyone knows that the Trinity is Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!"
We Catholics are notoriously ignorant of the Scriptures and the teachings of our Church. Some surveys say that, of all Christian denominations, Catholics tend to be the least educated. While this can be debated, what can not be debated is that, when it comes to knowledge of the Scriptures, Catholics are definitely last. Catholics have been very blessed by having the most exceptional schools in the world. The down side of having such good schools, however, is that in the United States the Catholic Church never developed a strong sense of on-going education and formation. Once graduating from a Catholic school or CCD Program and receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, far too many Catholics think they know all they need to know about Catholic teaching and their faith.
We could say that Jesus believed in ongoing formation. The Gospels relate how much teaching and explaining Jesus continued to do even after His death and resurrection. After all Jesus had said and taught, we read today that still He had to open their minds to understand the Scriptures.
One of the most notable areas that demonstrates a lack of our understanding of and faith in the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church is the thought, "I don't have to go the church to be a good Catholic." (This statement is made in all Christian denominations, not just Catholic.) This thought is very revealing of our ignorance.
The mark of what Jesus did was the formation of a community of disciples. Last week from Acts of the Apostles we read how the whole community was of one mind and heart. Today Acts gives us Peter working within the Jewish community that had not yet accepted Jesus. It must be noted that this teaching was occurring within a gathered community and the Peter was trying to move the people from one way of living as a community to another way of believing and living.
Most important for us today is to realize that Luke gives this passage a sense of the Eucharistic gathering. Just prior to this passage we read of two disciples who had fled the community but encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The consequence of that encounter was to feel compelled to return to the gathered community of believers in Jerusalem. Our passage today reminds us of how they met Jesus in the "breaking of the bread," a title for the Eucharist. It is within this gathering of disciples that Jesus appears. Luke is telling us that our experience of Jesus Christ begins and ends within the gathered community of faith.
One of the complaints of Islam about the West…which is identified with Christianity…is the way people live. Just as every Christian is not devout, neither is every Muslim. However, Islam influences everyday behavior of Muslims more profoundly than today's Christianity influences Christians. It is true that radical Islam is violent and oppressive in enforcing its teachings, but, radical Islam aside, the positive influence of religion of the daily lives of Muslims is greater than that of Western Christianity on our lives.
We cannot practice what we do not know. We cannot believe what we have not learned. Faith is an act of the heart; depth of faith is an act of the heart and the intellect. St. John tells us bluntly, "Those who say, 'I know him,' but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them." How do we know God’s commandments? How do we allow our faith in Jesus Christ to change us? We study. We gather in community to experience God’s Word and come to understand it.
Come to Mass every Sunday to thank God for all the grace and blessings we receive each week. Come to Mass every day if you can! Parents set an example for your children by making sure they attend CCD classes and Mass every Sunday. Teens get involved with our Youth Ministry program. Adults come to our Thursday morning Bible Study or join one of our small faith-sharing groups that will soon be forming. Attend one of our upcoming adult education programs.
At this time of year many of you are beginning to grow and nurture your gardens whether it is flowers or vegetables. Consider doing the same for your mind and soul. They, too, need to grow and be nurtured. We do this by deepening our Catholic faith!
However, the most profound experience of all is to physically experience the Risen Christ in the Eucharist, but even here we must have our minds opened to what Jesus gave us, the Real Presence of His Body and Blood. If Catholics truly understood and believed that one fact, with all their heart, mind, and soul, they would never consider missing Mass or ever leaving the Church and their Catholic faith.
The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will love Jesus. The more we love Jesus, the more we will live our faith daily. The more we daily walk with Jesus, the more likely we will receive our heavenly reward and spend eternity with the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!