Homily: October 28 - Feast of Simon and Jude, Apostles - "Household of God" - Dignity of Life School mass

When Catholics come together for Holy Mass, it is wonderful.  Young people come together with old people, people of diverse ethnic heritages come together, people from all different walks of life come together, rich people come together with people who’ve fallen on tough times, Cleveland Browns fans even come together with Pittsburgh stealers fan.  With all of our differences, we come together at Holy Mass, to show that our unity of faith is more important than any of our differences. 

In our first reading, St. Paul wanted to make this clear to the early Christians.  He said, as Christians, you are no longer strangers, but members together of the household of God.”   All Christians are part of God’s family united in Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on to say that God’s family, the Catholic Church, is founded upon the Apostles. Today we celebrate two of those Apostles, the Apostles St. Simon and Jude. The Apostles were appointed by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel and exercise leadership in the Church.  The bishops and especially the Pope continue to exercise that Apostlic Ministry through the ages—and their leadership is so important.  When we start believing things opposite of what is taught by the bishops, it is like walking out on your family.

Yet, even as important as the apostles and their successors the bishops are to the Church, St. Paul says that Jesus Christ is the capstone.  Without him, everything comes crumbling down.  Through Jesus, St. Paul says, the whole structure is held together.

Today, on as we celebrate this dignity of Life Mass, we of course remember the important role that families have in the Church.  Parents help raise their children to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ, teaching them, primarily by their own example.  When we are faithful to God, we are built together, as St. Paul says, into a dwelling place of God. 

Is your family a dwelling place of God?  Do you pray together? Do you go to Mass every week together?  Do you go to confession? 

There is always a serious danger, that instead of making our families dwelling places for God, we put sports, or money, or entertainment at the center.  A family will quickly begin to fall apart, when God is not at the center of your family life.  Yesterday, in Rome, Pope Francis warned Christians about having a lukewarm faith.  Lukewarm Christians are more focused on the things of the world than the things of God.  They pretend to be Christian while engaging in what Pope Francis called, hypocritical, empty, frivolous and even obscene behavior.  Rather, Pope Francis said, Christians must seek to be filled, not with the darkness of the world, but with the light of God, who seek to serve the Lord and spread the light of Christ everywhere we go.

Today, we have the great joy of celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism. Lucia and Sierra will be baptized today.  They will become living stones of the Temple of God, the Church.  They will be cleansed of original sin, made sharers in the mission of the Church to spread the truth of the Gospel.  We pray for them especially today, that they may be filled with love and life and light of God.

May all of us here be good examples of faith-filled Christians for them; may we all walk as children of light for the glory of God and salvation of souls.