HOMILY WEEK 29 06 – Year II
Balancing Faith and Repentance:
Optional Memorial of St. Pope John Paul II
(Eph 4:7-16; Ps 122; k 13:1-9)
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“Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15) are the first words Jesus preached as he began his public ministry.
The readings today continue that double message of faith and repentance, inviting us to live it more fully in our lives through personal transformation and selfless ministry, building up the body of Christ.
The gospel, touching on the mystery of suffering as it does, leads Jesus to teach the crowds about the importance of repentance. In so doing, he resonates with the wisdom of the 12 Step program – we are not so much punished for our sins and character defects, as much as we are punished by them. What Jesus is teaching is that if we do not repent and change our sinful ways, we will have to suffer the consequences of our own behavior.
In other words, if we do not believe in him as the Messiah who came to redeem and sanctify, to forgive and heal; repent and come to him to receive his forgiveness and healing, then our false pride, stubborn self-will, selfishness, tendency to judge, sense of entitlement, etc. will remain intact, and we will just stay proud, stubborn, selfish, judgmental persons with an unfortunate sense of entitlement.
The word repentance in Greek is metanoia, which comes from meta, meaning highest, and nous, meaning mind. So, the coming of Jesus as the Messiah and our Lord and Savior means a radical shift in our life, our whole way of thinking, feeling and acting, entering into a whole new world view. Jesus has come to make a difference in our lives, and we can allow him to do that through our faith in him and willingness to repent. As Franciscan Richard Rohr likes to say, “Transformed people transform people!”
In the first reading, St. Paul paints an inspiring picture of faith for the Ephesians, and us. We have all been given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The one who ascended to the heavens, also descended into the depths of the earth, into the darkest corners of our human sin and sinfulness, so that he could transform that darkness into pure heavenly light.
Forgiven and healed through our repentance and faith in Christ, we will be transformed into Christlikeness, “maturing into the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). We are then all given gifts, each in our own unique way, making us solidly grounded in faith and the love of God, and equipped to build up the body of Christ, the church.
We may not see ourselves as prophets or evangelists, but think again – every person in the body of Christ is a teacher as well as a learner. We are all disciples, or mathetes, which means a learner, so we are always learning what it means to follow Jesus. But each of us also has our own expertise in both practical and spiritual matters. Our aptitudes and experiences are necessary to build up the Church. We are called to recognize our gifts, however humble they might be.
Maybe we have learned from experience how to run a household, or we are handy around the house. Or perhaps we have studied Scripture and can share our insights. We may be able to show someone how to navigate some new skill by walking along him or her until they are able to perform a task. That is what a good teacher does. Even if our skills don’t seem all that impressive to us, we can still be a wonderful teacher of how to love and how to pray.
Each of us is meant to use our gifts to equip and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. It takes all of us working together to come to the “full stature of Christ”. We must believe we are an integral part of the body of Christ. We have been blessed by God, and God wants us to share those blessings with our brothers and sisters.
St. Pope JP II taken at Fort Simpson
Today the Church remembers and honors Saint John Paul II, who in his own inimitable way lived these readings. Karol Józef Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Poland in 1920. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946 and appointed Archbishop of Krakov in 1964 by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal in three years later. Besides taking part in Vatican Council II (1962-1965) where he made an important contribution to drafting the Constitution Gaudium et Spes, Cardinal Wojtyla participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops. After the death of Pope John Paul I in 1978, the Cardinals elected him Pope at the Conclave of October 16, 1978 and he took the name of John Paul II.
On September 9 1984, John Paul II became the first pope to step foot on Canadian soil when he launched a 12-day, 15,000 km marathon pastoral visit taking him from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Millions of Canadians turned out to greet him, to pray and to celebrate with him. Speaking to crowds in English and in French, the Holy Father made more than 30 major addresses as well as many other statements.
In June 1987, John Paul II returned to Canada to fulfill a promise to meet with the Indigenous Peoples of the north in Fort Simpson, NWT, a visit thwarted by foggy conditions in 1984.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The nineteen WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. The attendance of Pope John Paul II for WTD 2002 in Toronto was the third official visit of the Holy Father to Canada. More than 800,000 people crowded Downsview Park for the closing papal mass on July 28, 2002.
John Paul II’s pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years. He died on April 2nd, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, and was canonized on April 27th, 2014 by Pope Francis. John Paul II is the patron saint of World Youth Day. In Canada April 2nd is known nationally as St. John Paul II Day.
The Eucharist is both a profound act of faith in God’s word and the real presence of Jesus in communion, as well as an experience of repentance. May our celebration deepen our faith in Jesus, open us up to his forgiveness and healing, and empower us to go out and use our gifts and talents to build up the body of Christ, as did St. Pope John Paul II.
