5 June 2019 - Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 20:28-38

     I lived in Winnipeg for two years as a missionary.  Interestingly enough, this city of about 700,000 inhabitants has two different Roman Catholic Cathedrals.  The Cathedral of St Mary is the Cathedral of the English speaking Archdiocese of Winnipeg.  The Cathedral of St Boniface serves a French speaking population.  When I would travel to the soup kitchen and food bank where I worked, when I mostly traveled by bicycle, I would pass by the Cathedral of St Boniface, a very interesting architectural marvel.  It was built in 1906, but in 1968, there was a terrible fire that destroyed the Cathedral, all except the front facade.  A new smaller cathedral was built behind the facade, making a very interesting new building that has won many architectural awards. 

       I thought of the St Boniface Cathedral today because today is the feast day of St Boniface.  Born in the 7th century in England, Boniface spent many years as a monk in his native land.  At the age of 40, he received a command from the Pope to be a missionary to the Saxon people of present day Germany, who still had not converted to the faith.  He had great success in bringing them to the faith and later became the Bishop of Mainz in Germany.  At the age of 80, while in Frisia in Germany bringing the Gospel to the people there, he was attacked and killed, becoming a martyr for the faith.  

       It is interesting that in our first reading today, the end of a farewell speech Paul directs to the elders of Ephesus, he warms them about those would try to divide his community.  We, too, need to be cognizant that our words and our actions can either build things up, or conversely they can tear things down.  

From the example of St Paul and St Boniface, in their words and in their actions, it took great courage, strength and persistence to build up God’s kingdom. Pope Francis has said that our vocation in life, whether it be to the priesthood, consecrated life, lay ministry, or marriage, is a call to center one's life on Christ and build up his kingdom. Pope Francis goes on to say: "The more we unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, (and) the sacraments celebrated and lived in the church and in fraternity, the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with God in the service of the kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and peace.” 

     Paul and Boniface left lasting legacies with the people whom they served.  May the spirit lead us in those same footsteps.