<\/div>\n
[Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time]<\/p>\n
What did Peter and Andrew see in Jesus when he called them?<\/p>\n
What did James and John experience that made them leave everything behind to follow Jesus?<\/p>\n
It almost sounds like love at first sight; they just knew. \u00a0They just knew they had to abandon everything including family and personal security to follow Jesus.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note that Jesus didn\u2019t say \u201ccome, I will teach you something\u201d or \u201ccome after me but you will have to stop doing this and that first.\u201d \u00a0Jesus called these men to follow HIM, to walk in his footsteps. \u00a0He called them to enter into a relationship with Him.<\/p>\n
Our faith is first about a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. \u00a0Once you fall in love with that person, you will do what he asks; you will listen and act out of love. \u00a0It is not the other way around. \u00a0Following a set of rules and regulations, following a moral code without love for Jesus leaves the heart empty. \u00a0It leaves the person following a code of ethics without a purpose. \u00a0It becomes boring, overbearing and unappealing; there is a loss of interest. \u00a0Without love as its foundation, Christianity falls apart.<\/p>\n
When a person asks, \u201cwhat is Christianity?\u201d we shouldn\u2019t start with the Ten Commandments and precepts, but rather start with the greatest love story ever told: that the God who has created us has sent His Son so we may come to know Him and receive the forgiveness of our sins.<\/p>\n
Love must come first. \u00a0By falling in love with Him, he fishes us out from darkness and allows us to see the light. \u00a0In the light we are transformed and we begin to live differently.<\/p>\n
Last week we recognized the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade<\/i> which legalized abortion in our country. \u00a0From its handing down the Church has voiced its opposition to this decision. \u00a0For years now thousands gather in Washington DC on January 22nd, standing up for the dignity of every human life from the womb to natural death. \u00a0The Church has been and continues to be a defender of human life and will always speak up against abortion.<\/p>\n
Many who oppose Roe v Wade <\/i>however have grown frustrated since change has not come despite many promises from politicians. \u00a0Roe v Wade <\/i>is\u00a0still the law of the land.<\/p>\n
Many were confused when Pope Francis said a few months ago that we shouldn\u2019t become obsessed with abortion, along with gay marriage and birth control. \u00a0Some within the Church rightfully refuted saying \u201chow can we not be obsessed with it, it\u2019s human life we\u2019re talking about here!\u201d<\/p>\n
I believe the Pope is giving us a new approach by directing us to the heart of the Gospel. \u00a0Without love, hearts will not change. \u00a0A heart that has not experienced the love of Christ will not be disposed to hear the truth or to act on it.<\/p>\n
The pro-life message often falls on deaf ears because the heart that belongs to those ears oftentimes is hard as a rock. \u00a0No matter how loud we yell into the megaphone, they will not listen.<\/p>\n
The Pope is showing us another starting point: the conversion of hearts.<\/p>\n
We must first aid others to have an encounter with Christ.<\/p>\n
The Pope is softening hearts left and right through his words and actions. \u00a0Because of him millions throughout the world (many of them are our coworkers, friends and family members) are curious about who Jesus is. \u00a0Millions are encountering the love of Jesus through Pope Francis\u2019 words and actions. \u00a0By embracing a man covered with boils, a man rejected by society, the Pope has expressed Christianity in a way that thousands of theological dissertations will never express.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis so strongly reflects the light of Christ that millions are finding in him a little bit of what the early apostles found in Jesus. \u00a0It leads to a conviction of the heart and to an immediate reaction.<\/p>\n
Experiencing the love of Christ leads to a conversion, and conversion will lead to a renewed heart that desires to do God\u2019s will. \u00a0Abortion will be banned in our nation the day the majority of hearts in our nation have an encounter with God\u2019s love. \u00a0Not before.<\/p>\n
It will be banned not by a change in the political system, but through the change of people\u2019s hearts.<\/p>\n
The Pope says we must not obsess over abortion. \u00a0We should rather obsess over winning over hearts for Christ. \u00a0Obsess over spreading the good news so others may fall in love with the Lord. \u00a0Obsess over being a missionary Church that always announces the Good News: that God has sent us His Son so that we may come to know Him and receive the forgiveness of our sins. \u00a0Obsess over with making real the love Jesus has for others.<\/p>\n
This will open hearts and these hearts full of love will do what Jesus asks, they will listen and act accordingly out of love. \u00a0We have much work to do as a Church and as individuals. \u00a0May Christ who nourishes us with His body and blood at every Eucharist deepen our love for Him, that we may become bearers of His light in the world and bring about the conversion of many hearts, one at a time.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time] What did Peter and Andrew see in Jesus when he called them? What did James and John experience that made them leave everything behind to follow Jesus? It almost sounds like love at first sight; they just knew. \u00a0They just knew they had to abandon everything including […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homily"],"yoast_head":"\n
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