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Homily of the Day

Title:	What Do You See When You Look at a Stranger?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle
Romans 10: 9-18; Matthew 4:18-22

There is something in us human beings that inclines us time after time to define one another as either insiders or outsiders. Sometimes the distinction is racial or ethnic, sometimes it’s religious, sometimes the dividing line is economic or educational or political, or slave versus free. But whatever the cause, the lines are always there and firmly drawn. This kind of thinking has even invaded the Church at times. It was not until 1839 that a pope definitively condemned slavery. It was not until the end of Vatican Council II that the Church finally rejected the idea that there could be no salvation outside its boundaries.

St. Paul rejected that kind of thinking 2000 years ago, as we hear in today’s epistle. “There is no difference between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, rich in mercy to all who call upon Him.” It certainly does take a long time for that truth to trickle down to the rest of us! Yet the words of Jesus in the Gospels are full of that very insight. It makes us wonder how much of the rest of Jesus’s message we may have been missing!

Jesus asks us to look at one another — without exception — through God’s eyes, and to see in each human being either a brother or a sister, a beloved child of God like ourselves, a stumbling wayfarer very much like ourselves. He asks us to extend to each of God’s children the same compassion which God our Father extends to us every day without fail.

How can we say no? Very simply, we cannot!

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

November 30, 2005

St. Andrew

Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a).

Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.

Comment:

As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

Quote:

“...[T]he Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2-4).

We're inclined to divide because that division was there from before we were. We know that before man was, there were angels who fell from Grace. Even Jesus states that we are either for or against Him.

Our most important duty is to figure out how to know, love, and serve God. Knowing is the first order of this Spiritual relationship. St. Paul talks about the inclusiveness of ALL mankind under God, I suppose, to emphasize Christ's command of "love thy neighbor as thyself".

It's nothing short of miraculous that early Christian communities survived through persecutions as well as faulty economic practices (what we call Socialism today). What made Christian 'socialism' successful was that EVERYTHING was focused around Christ. Today's Socialism heresy doesn't have that focus because Humanism replaces God with the 'state'. It's a deadly form of paganism and nothing short of diabolic in nature. Thus, the miraculous survival of the Christian Culture shows that Christ was truly among them in similar fashion that Jews are truly Loved by God and they are still His Chosen!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Gospels' final draft were written well after those Apostles for whom the Gospels were named were long since dead? Another miracle that they should even exist! If a slight detail is out of place from one Gospel to the next, the Message never schisms from the Word.

In case the world (especially those of us calling ourselves "Christian") haven't caught on, Christ's 'delaying' His imminent return should show us just a glimpse of His infinite Love and Mercy for the pagan heart...which includes Christians' hearts not in full Communion with Christ. What has been held bound by the Apostolic Church was held bound in Heaven. This is the authority of the those responsible for Christ's Teaching. Thus, if Saints are allowed to Baptize souls in Limbo and promote them into Purgatory or better, then so be it.

If we're living in the end times (as it's healthy for a soul to anticipate the end and prepare for it) then I suppose the final temptations of Satan and the wicked (including those disguised as prophets, politicians, clergy, etc.) will be to maintain an "all inclusive" 'social justice/Socialism' attitude for ALL evils and bad habits without giving the necessary loving discipline of admonishment. This "all inclusive" attitude scatters the flock from the purity of Grace needed to be in Christ's presence. It keeps souls enslaved to sinful desires not of God instead of freeing the soul from fleshly desires and unimportant worldly worries. *****Furthermore, we can know and separate this attitude via the whining similar to Judas the betrayer when he complained of how a sorrowful woman misspent her money to perfume the feet of Our Lord and Savior.*****

Personally, I need the Graceful admonishment as I'm sure all souls stained with original sin would. I'd much rather someone tell me that my fly is down before meeting Jesus with my underwear and shirt tail hanging out (maybe that's why robes are better in Heaven).