Deacon Phil’s Homily - June 20, 2021 - 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
It was a bad time. It may have been the WORST of times. There was 33% unemployment, 40% of the banks in the country were closed, homes were lost because of foreclosures, children didn't go to school because tuition couldn't be paid, soup kitchens and bread lines were formed. The popular song of the day was something called 'Brother, can you spare a dime'. This was the Great Depression in America. It began in 1929 with the stock market crash and lasted until the late '30's.. Franklin Roosevelt, beginning the first of his four terms as President, said in his inaugural address in 1932, words that would become famous: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". He began a series of what would become known as 'fireside chats' on the radio. There was no TV in those days. He did this to buoy the spirits of a hurting nation, and repeated frequently the 'fear' saying. The New York Daily News, a major newspaper then, had on the front page of one of its daily editions, only one word in bold print: FEAR! Fear. One of the most debilitating of all human emotions...even in the time of Jesus!
We hear the Gospels every Sunday at Mass, and some of them are very difficult to understand and need interpretation. Jesus spoke in puzzling parables at times, and at other times, He didn't answer questions directly. Some, however, are quite easy to get...like the one today. There is nothing foggy about this, and it's all about fear. Jesus, in the middle of His three-year ministry, had been preaching and teaching on one side of the Sea of Galilee and apparently had tired. He asked His fishermen Apostles to take Him to the other side of the lake, probably to rest. We heard what happened next.
There are several takeaways from this story.
These men were seasoned, professional fishermen and knew that lake very well. It must have been a really bad storm to frighten them.
We hear often of the human side of Jesus. Well, here is a great example. I wish I could sleep like that! The storm didn't bother Him at all.
The Apostles, in spite of all that they saw and witnessed about Jesus, never got it! When Jesus was arrested, they fled like cowards. Fear. They didn't want to suffer the same fate.
And last, but not least, Jesus Himself knew fear. In the Agony in the Garden, he asked the father to take away what lay ahead because he was afraid.
For us, there are several lessons. One, of course, is that Jesus is always 'in our boat' and helps to calm our many storms in life. But, I think that there is one aspect about this story we can really relate to today. And that is fear! What are we afraid of?. What are you afraid of? What am I afraid of? When we think about it, there is no shortage of frightening things, this past year being one of them. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives and for many of us, more than that; some of us caught the virus. Many became homebound and some still are because of fear of getting sick. Jobs were lost. Children in some areas became home-schooled.
There is more. Some families are struggling with addiction, illness, death of a loved one, or a child or grand-child that has left the faith. Now, the hurricane season is once again upon us; and, as if that's not enough, we now may have to contend with UAP's or Unidentified Airborne Phenomena...also known as UFO'S. The government is expected to release a report this month that will declare that they don't know what these UAP's are. Wonderful! But, I think that there is something more sinister and maybe even more dangerous facing us and it's what's happening in America today. It's evil in many, many forms. Crime in our cities is out of control. Some cities are defunding their police forces and paying a heavy price. Random acts of hate and racism are getting out of control. People walking down a street are attacked with a baseball bat or worse because of the color of their skin or because of the way they look. Try to find a factual news story. Media bias has distorted everything that's reported. Politics is toxic, ugly, and getting worse. Vulgarity and distortion of human sexuality are commonplace. Marriage between a man and a woman is ridiculed in many circles. At the center of all of this is the terrible disrespect for human life as represented by the evil of abortion...legal in the US!! Abortion has also resulted in the disparagement and total disrespect for the Holy Eucharist, the center of our Catholic faith, by some in positions of leadership and authority who profess to be devout Catholics! That 1973 Supreme Court decision was indeed a day that will live in infamy.
Consider where we were and where we are now. In 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, Democrat President Franklin Roosevelt announced a national day of prayer. He asked the people of America to join him in the prayer he would lead on the radio. Imagine that happening today!
In 1954, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower was successful in getting inserted in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag the words "In God We Trust'. There is a concerted, well-organized and determined effort to remove these words and any and all reference to our God! This is truly frightening!
What can we do? Certainly, live the teachings of the Gospels. Live an honest life, caring for one another and for those less-fortunate. Obey the Commandments. And certainly PRAY, PRAY PRAY! Recently I was talking with a man who is a parishioner of a neighboring parish who had a conversation with his pastor. He told the pastor, in a feeling of frustration, fear, and helplessness that it seems that the only thing he can do is pray. The pastor told him "No, what you MUST do is pray." We have to pray for the conversion of our country every day of our lives.
Let's go back to today's Gospel. Jesus, now fully awake, asked his Apostles, "Why are you terrified? Where is your faith?" Our faith has to be with Him because He is the answer to our fears. He is the solution. We must pray. The clock is ticking.
Deacon Phil Doolen
Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time
Deacon Phil's Retirement Reception - July 28, 2019