There are several Mass going on this weekend, so I have modified the homily to accommodate those occasions. This homily is for the weekend Mass at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility using the Sunday readings.
There are 37 men and women who have been designated as Doctors of the Church, a very select group of men and women from the history of the Church. The most recent Doctor of the Church, Gregory of Narek from the 10th century and Irenaeus of Lyon from the 2nd century, were named during the pontificate of Pope Francis. A person is designated by the Pope as a Doctor of the Church for having lived an exemplary holy life of faith and for having preaching, writings, & teachings that have deepened the Church’s understanding of Catholic faith and spirituality. One such Doctor of the Church is St John Chrysostom. Though he once spent six years living in a cave in the desert as a hermit in the 4th century, he eventually became the Archbishop of Constantinople, the main centers of Christianity in the East in the era of the Early Church. John lived a very austere life. Social justice was a main theme in his preaching and in the way he lived out his life of faith. When he preached against the depravities and extravagance of the Emperor Arcadius and the Empress Eudoxia, he was summoned before the Emperor, threatened with banishment and exile. John responded to the Emperor: “You cannot banish me, for the world is my Father’s house.” The Emperor angrily replied: “Then I will kill you!” “No, you cannot,” John replied back, “because my life is with Christ in God.” “Then I will confiscate your treasures,” threatened the Emperor. “Sir, you do not have the power to do that, because my treasures are in heaven, as my heart is in heaven as well,” said John. “Then I will drive you from your people and you shall have no friends left,” shouted back the Emperor. John replied: “That you cannot do either, Sir, for Christ, my friend in heaven has said to me: ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ I will never be without his friendship.” John’s dialogue with the Emperor illustrates what is communicated in the Gospel today: Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The life we have in Christ cannot be taken away from us by any man, for Christ has prepared a dwelling place for us.
As we reflect upon the significance of the risen Christ in our readings during the Easter season, we see how the Early Church responded to the reality that faced the growing Christian community. The Christian community tried to emulate Christ’s example of love and service when they realized that some community members were being discriminated against and not having their basic needs met, so the Early Church established the office of deacon as a ministry of service in order to help meet the needs of the people. Throughout our Church’s history, we have responded to the needs and the reality around us by developing different offices of service and social institutions that would provide outreach. In service, in word, and in sacrament, the Church is the Body of Christ here on earth, Christ’s presence here on earth.
Today, as we commemorate the 5th Sunday of the Easter season, as we celebrate the presence of the risen Christ in our lives, we also celebrate the first Sunday in the month of May, the month of Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and the beloved Mother of our Church. The May crowning of Mary is a long-standing tradition in our Church, in which we honor Mary as the Mother of Christ, as the first disciple, as the one who always points us to the Son and brings us closer to the Son. Mary is always there to lead us and guide us. As I think about the children and youth of our parish, Mary is the best example of humble love and service that we can give them as we all grow together in our faith.
I thought of St John Chrysostom, whom I mentioned at the beginning of this homily. John Chrysostom was not baptized as Christian until he was an adult. Eventually, he found himself chosen as the Archbishop of Constantinople, a huge city in the ancient world. Seeing Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, the hope and promise of his faith that propelled John’s life of true discipleship and service to Christ his Church. Pope Benedict, in his encyclical Saved by hope, quotes St Paul, by proclaiming, “in hope we were saved.” The message we receive in the Easter season is a message of redemption, salvation, and hope. Pope Benedict goes on to say: “The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life."
Mike Piazza was a major league baseball player who played for the Dodgers and the Mets. He retired from baseball in 2007 and was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 2016. He was drafted into baseball only as a favor to family friend, the legendary baseball coach Tommy Lasorda, who was a childhood friend of Piazza’s father. Piazza quoted these words of hope from Pope Benedict when he was inducted into the baseball hall of fame. He said that the Catholic faith that his mother and father instilled in him taught him patience, compassion, and hope, getting him through the difficult times in his life, in the struggles and discouragement he felt as a young baseball player when few baseball professionals believed in him and his abilities. The hope of our Catholic faith is there to help us endure the difficult and challenging moments that confront us on our journey of faith. As we celebrate the risen Christ in our midst today during this joyful Easter season, let us not lose sight of our hope.
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