Our Mission This Year

As the calendar would have it, we are celebrating the beginning of the new year on a Sunday. So, we can take the chance to look at where we will go this year as Catholics. I think it is time to do what our role is and that is to look at our faith with a whole new perspective.

We are living in what is known as Post  Vatican II. This has been a controversial period which usually follows a major council. There is great division in the Church and many say it is because of Vatican II. I would disagree.

If we look at the history of our faith, we see one of many things and one of these is that all will be filled with the holy spirit and will become prophets to the world. This is what Vatican II was designed to bring forth and I believe it will do exactly that.

The Council of Trent was a reactionary council. It was a response to the protestant reformation and so it was a kind of circling of the wagons and defining what we believe as Catholics.

This might be why there is great division because if you look carefully the liturgy and the readings were designed to encourage a good knowledge of Catholic doctrine. This is important. However, Vatican II is designed to take that doctrine and use it to be the light of the world and salt of the Earth guided by the Holy Spirit.

This is something that many who reject Vatican II do not understand.

Let us look at today’s second reading:

St. Paul explains that through Jesus’ death and resurrection we were ransomed from the law and made adopted sons and daughters. What does that mean?

The law is the old Jewish Law that you find in the Torah which is the first five books of the Bible. The law was written in stone and made certain demands. When Jesus died and rose that same law was written on our hearts so we no longer follow some written laws externally, we changed to become adopted children of God. We internalize the law and make it our guide to love God and neighbor.

This means that if we were to represent this in solid terms, it would be similar to what you can see in the books the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis where the children of Adam have a special dignity.

Imagine you met the prophet, Jeremiah. You might be fascinated that you are speaking to the actual prophet who spoke to the people of Judah, one of the major prophets and you go to bow down before him and he stops you and bows down before you because unlike him, you are an adopted child of God by your Baptism and Confirmation.

This is the meaning of St. Paul’s words.

In fact, one of the great problems we see from before Vatican II is this strict focus on the morality of God and so one thing that was said is that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit so you must make sure you act as such. This led people to many forms of what people call Catholic guilt.

However, what does the message actually say? Through Baptism and Confirmation and the Sacraments you are led by the Holy Spirit not just to go to Heaven but to be those led by the spirit to show others the truth of God.

This is really what we are about.

I told you that since Vatican II we hear the word of God over a period of three years. Prior to Vatican II the word was spoken over a period of one year and all but the Gospel was spoken in Latin. So the focus was on the mysticism and awesomeness of God which is important but Vatican II makes the focus on the wisdom and knowledge of God that we must share with others.

So as we look at this coming year. Let us see where it is taking us and let us embrace fully the call of Vatican II. Let me give you one example. Currently, you are aware of the Synod of Synodality. If not this is where all Catholics have been asked to make some input into the mission of the Church. That is right out of today’s second reading. It recognizes that all of us have an indwelling of the Holy Spirit and so the more we appreciate that and live that, the more we have to say to the Church and the world.

Remember, St. John Chrysostom explained that the same Holy Spirit that came upon the Apostles at Pentecost came upon you at Baptism and Confirmation.

This give us the opportunity to be docile to the Holy Spirit and be open to his lead in our lives. It does not mean that we stand before the Church and call it wrong because she is not. However, it does mean we embrace Catholic teaching which leads us to be prophets in the world as previously predicted by the Torah, the prophets and the saints.

So when we pray, we pray not as people on a bus on their way to Heaven which was a model put forth prior to Vatican II but we pray as the people of God called be his presence in the world and to live so powerfully our faith that even the Prophet Jeremiah will be fascinated.

So this week which is the last of the Christmas season as we prepare for Epiphany next week let us reflect on what it means to be those who are led by the Holy Spirit, to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within and to live as people Baptized and Confirmed and called by God to speak powerfully to others in a way that fascinates the prophets and angers the demons.

This homily come from St. Anthony Parish in Allston, MA

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