HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 03 02 – Year II
Living Without Blinders:
Optional Memorial of St Peter Chanel
(Acts 7:51-8:1a; Ps 31; Jn 6:30-35)
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Carol, a friend whom I have known for years, shared something with me recently that I did not know and had not noticed about her – she has been living without sight in her left eye since being hit by an elastic at the age of eleven. I was shocked to hear how that has affected her vision and life – often bumping into people she does not notice on that side of the sidewalk as she walks along.
This incident reminded me of the blinders put on horses to minimize the distractions while they are cantering along a road. These blinders also helped avoid them being spooked. This, however, led to a very narrow vision for them, as being blind in one eye did for Carol.
Today the readings show us two roads on which to travel: one with blinders on, and one without. We are invited to live without blinders as we travel.
The road with blinders is obvious in both readings: in Stephen’s encounter with the unbelieving Jews, and Jesus’ encounter with the people after the miracle of the loaves.
On the road with blinders, characterized by a lack of or weak faith, there is a focus on the physical, on material bread, stubbornness, opposition to the Spirit, persecution and killing of the prophets who foretold the coming of Jesus, the righteous one.
Stephen accuses the Jewish council and their associates of being uncircumcised in heart and ears. That means they are not open to, and will resist, anything new. On top of that, he claims they had the law, but did not keep it. They had lost the spirit of the law and had reduced it to rules and regulations about external observances that did not touch the heart or challenge anyone to change. Their reaction to Stephen was blind rage and a refusal to listen to him or to change. To preserve their closed system, they had to get rid of Stephen so they stoned him, as they had crucified Jesus.
Before judging these people too harshly, however, we need to remind ourselves that the same situation exists today, evident especially in religious leaders who know the scriptures and the tenants of their faith yet can also be pedophiles and caught in a consumer lifestyle.
There are so many examples around us of even wealthy, successful and famous people whose lives are still empty, somehow still missing something. St. Augustine is right when he stated our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Ron Rolheiser wrote his most well-known book about this, entitled The Holy Longing.
On the road without blinders, it is just the opposite: faith in Jesus; faith in the Trinity as Father, Jesus and the Spirit, trust in Jesus as the Bread of Life that alone truly satisfies the deepest yearnings of the human heart, and the courage to witness to that truth, even at the cost of one’s life. Think of all the Christians persecuted around the world today, to the point where some claim there are more martyrs today than ever before in history.
We are invited to honor one such martyr today, St. Peter Chanel. Born in 1803, the young shepherd Peter made such an impression on the parish priest that the cleric gained parental permission for Peter to attend school, which eventually led to the seminary and ordination. In 1831, Peter joined the Marists hoping to fulfil his desire for missionary work, but he was asked to teach in the seminary. Finally, in 1836, Peter and several others set sail for the Pacific Islands. They landed on an island a few miles north of Fiji and were well received. But as their influence grew, the local chief became suspicious and in 1841, upon hearing that his son desired baptism, the chief sent warriors to assassinate the priest. Peter was canonized as a martyr in 1954.
For those who have faith and eyes to see, the Eucharist is a sharing in Jesus as the Bread of Life, the food of martyrs. May it help to satisfy our holy longing and empower us to go out and be bread for the world ourselves.
This is another great homily with many valuable lessons in living with out blinders. We should have a wise mind or think wisely what are we going to say before judging people for their actions. Do not act out and criticize people for their faults because they did not do it on purpose. You search for the information and know what the problems is before taking action. Just like Stephen who tends to accuse the Jewish council for uncircumcised in hearts and ears. They are not being Holy and following the God’s word ; but they did not listen to him and wanted to stone him to death. We need to act accordingly , do not judge people for their mistakes and use a proper tone instead of yelling and using harsh words. People throwing stones at each other . God or Jesus Christ does not use harsh words or non violence to deal with problems . He acts with a humble heart, have mercy , forgiveness , unconditional love and compassion . May we strengthen our faith have eyes to see ; receiving Jesus Christ as the bread of life and martyrs. We can go out proclaiming the word of God with love for the entire world. Amen. Thanks be to God.
Well thanks Bishop Sylvain Lavoie for all teachings and lessons we need to hear and understand . These are values we need to use in our chaotic life styles especially right now during this Pandemic outbreak. There are many of us out of control tend to judge or criticize people for mistakes and sins. It is beautiful homily and message. Gracias! Merci! 🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊😍😍😇😇🕊🕊