This past week a large gathering of people,
united by a set of common beliefs,
in a vast arena, amid pomp and spectacle,
reaffirmed their most deeply held commitments
and honored and acclaimed their head,
and pledged themselves to his cause.
united by a set of common beliefs,
in a vast arena, amid pomp and spectacle,
reaffirmed their most deeply held commitments
and honored and acclaimed their head,
and pledged themselves to his cause.
I refer, of course, to the National Eucharistic Congress,
at which some 50,000 Catholics gathered in Indianapolis
to recommit themselves to their faith in Christ.
If, however, you thought I was speaking
of the Republican National Convention,
at which 50,000 members of the GOP
gathered in Milwaukee…
well, maybe that tells us something
about the nature of politics.
In both major political parties,
albeit in different ways,
politics has taken on
a kind of religious fervor.
This fervor shows itself not only
in the ritualized spectacle of party conventions,
and the rather amazing powers to save
that are ascribed to the anointed leaders,
but above all in a conviction that what is at stake
is of ultimate significance;
if the wrong candidate wins—
by which I mean the candidate of the other party—
then it’s pretty much over for us as a society,
and perhaps for the human race as a whole.
at which some 50,000 Catholics gathered in Indianapolis
to recommit themselves to their faith in Christ.
If, however, you thought I was speaking
of the Republican National Convention,
at which 50,000 members of the GOP
gathered in Milwaukee…
well, maybe that tells us something
about the nature of politics.
In both major political parties,
albeit in different ways,
politics has taken on
a kind of religious fervor.
This fervor shows itself not only
in the ritualized spectacle of party conventions,
and the rather amazing powers to save
that are ascribed to the anointed leaders,
but above all in a conviction that what is at stake
is of ultimate significance;
if the wrong candidate wins—
by which I mean the candidate of the other party—
then it’s pretty much over for us as a society,
and perhaps for the human race as a whole.
It has probably always been this way,
but politics these days seems less and less
about proposing positive plans for the nation
and more and more about stoking fear
of what will come if the other side wins.
Even the attempted assassination
of one of the presidential candidates
has generated little in the way
of shared concern about political violence,
but has engendered instead,
from partisans on all sides,
competing and conflicting conspiracy theories
that trade on the fact that we no longer trust
the evidence of our own eyes
and are so fearful of those with whom we differ
that we believe them capable of anything.
but politics these days seems less and less
about proposing positive plans for the nation
and more and more about stoking fear
of what will come if the other side wins.
Even the attempted assassination
of one of the presidential candidates
has generated little in the way
of shared concern about political violence,
but has engendered instead,
from partisans on all sides,
competing and conflicting conspiracy theories
that trade on the fact that we no longer trust
the evidence of our own eyes
and are so fearful of those with whom we differ
that we believe them capable of anything.
The blending of politics and religion shows itself
not just in our tendency
to let our politics take on a religious tinge,
but also in our tendency to let our religion
be cast in political terms.
The fear and distrust that plagues our nation
has infected the Church as well:
we treat a preference
for one or another legitimate option
in liturgy or music or architecture
as a threat to the very being of the Church.
Not just with our fellow citizens,
but even with our fellow Catholics,
we are so fearful of those with whom we differ
that we believe them capable of anything.
not just in our tendency
to let our politics take on a religious tinge,
but also in our tendency to let our religion
be cast in political terms.
The fear and distrust that plagues our nation
has infected the Church as well:
we treat a preference
for one or another legitimate option
in liturgy or music or architecture
as a threat to the very being of the Church.
Not just with our fellow citizens,
but even with our fellow Catholics,
we are so fearful of those with whom we differ
that we believe them capable of anything.
Let us listen to the voice of the prophet:
“Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture.”
Woe to those who use their authority—
whether the duly appointed authority of State or Church,
or that strange authority conferred by media celebrity—
to mislead and scatter God’s flock.
Woe to those who sow suspicion and division;
woe to them because such division
is contrary to Christ,
who comes to breaks down walls
and preach peace to the far and to the near.
But woe to us as well if we let ourselves
“Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture.”
Woe to those who use their authority—
whether the duly appointed authority of State or Church,
or that strange authority conferred by media celebrity—
to mislead and scatter God’s flock.
Woe to those who sow suspicion and division;
woe to them because such division
is contrary to Christ,
who comes to breaks down walls
and preach peace to the far and to the near.
But woe to us as well if we let ourselves
be drawn in to this way of looking at the world
and become ourselves agents of division
in the Church or in society.
For the mission of the Church
is to be the sign and cause
of the peace and unity of the human race
that Christ has come to bring.
and become ourselves agents of division
in the Church or in society.
For the mission of the Church
is to be the sign and cause
of the peace and unity of the human race
that Christ has come to bring.
Perhaps Jesus is speaking to us now, at this moment,
when he says, “Come away by yourselves
to a deserted place and rest a while.”
Perhaps we need to find a way of stepping back
from the constant stream
of information and misinformation
in which we are drowning
so we can catch our breath and clear our heads.
Perhaps we need to find a place in which to stand
with our feet firmly planted
on the rock of truth that is Christ
so that we can see what is truly of ultimate importance
and what is merely the distracting spectacle
of a passing world.
when he says, “Come away by yourselves
to a deserted place and rest a while.”
Perhaps we need to find a way of stepping back
from the constant stream
of information and misinformation
in which we are drowning
so we can catch our breath and clear our heads.
Perhaps we need to find a place in which to stand
with our feet firmly planted
on the rock of truth that is Christ
so that we can see what is truly of ultimate importance
and what is merely the distracting spectacle
of a passing world.
Notice, however, that he says, “rest a while,”
not “abandon the world.”
Jesus is not telling us to turn our backs on other people
and become the spiritual equivalent of a survivalist,
concerned only for the well-being of ourselves
and of those who are close to us.
Jesus calls us to a moment of respite
in which we can catch our breath
in the midst of breathless events,
before we return to the world
to announce the Gospel
by glorifying the Lord with our lives.
not “abandon the world.”
Jesus is not telling us to turn our backs on other people
and become the spiritual equivalent of a survivalist,
concerned only for the well-being of ourselves
and of those who are close to us.
Jesus calls us to a moment of respite
in which we can catch our breath
in the midst of breathless events,
before we return to the world
to announce the Gospel
by glorifying the Lord with our lives.
This is where the contrast
between last week’s political convention
and the Eucharistic Congress becomes important.
Partisan politics as ordinarily practiced
immerse us in a world of conflict
and all too often have as their goal
merely the victory of one side
rather than the common good of all.
Without denying that the Church can be subject
to all sorts of political manipulations and power plays,
when she withdraws from the crowd
and gathers herself together
to adore Christ in the Eucharist
she is truly resting in Jesus,
she is immersed in the world as he sees it,
inhabiting his heart that burns with love.
between last week’s political convention
and the Eucharistic Congress becomes important.
Partisan politics as ordinarily practiced
immerse us in a world of conflict
and all too often have as their goal
merely the victory of one side
rather than the common good of all.
Without denying that the Church can be subject
to all sorts of political manipulations and power plays,
when she withdraws from the crowd
and gathers herself together
to adore Christ in the Eucharist
she is truly resting in Jesus,
she is immersed in the world as he sees it,
inhabiting his heart that burns with love.
And just as Jesus and his friends,
arriving at that deserted place,
discovered that the crowd had gotten there before them,
so too we, entering into the Eucharistic heart of Jesus,
find there the world that we are called to love.
We find there the sorrowing and the angry,
the meek and the prideful,
the pure of heart and the sinful,
the peacemakers and the warmongers,
and we see them as God sees them,
not as rivals or enemies whom we fear,
but as God’s beloved children,
called by him to eternal life.
And once we see the world and its people
through the Eucharistic heart of Christ
we can return from that deserted place
into our world of conflict and division,
our hearts more like his heart,
moved to pity and not to anger,
to witness to the world the reconciling love
that we have come to know.
arriving at that deserted place,
discovered that the crowd had gotten there before them,
so too we, entering into the Eucharistic heart of Jesus,
find there the world that we are called to love.
We find there the sorrowing and the angry,
the meek and the prideful,
the pure of heart and the sinful,
the peacemakers and the warmongers,
and we see them as God sees them,
not as rivals or enemies whom we fear,
but as God’s beloved children,
called by him to eternal life.
And once we see the world and its people
through the Eucharistic heart of Christ
we can return from that deserted place
into our world of conflict and division,
our hearts more like his heart,
moved to pity and not to anger,
to witness to the world the reconciling love
that we have come to know.
So let us pray that Jesus
would make us agents of his peace,
and that God, in his mercy,
would have mercy on us all.
would make us agents of his peace,
and that God, in his mercy,
would have mercy on us all.
