First reading: Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10
Psalm: Ps 131:1-3
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

For weeks now, as I reflect on the scriptures, I kept bumping up against the notion of gift. The idea of gift has been the primary focus, the primary call, out of the gospels we have proclaimed.

I suppose it is fitting. After all, as I have mentioned, these are Jesus’ discourses in the temple precincts, made shortly before the Last Supper, His agony in the garden, and His trial and death. These messages are Jesus’ gift to us. They are core to the way we are to behave as Christians.

Brothers and sisters,

Faith has been given to us as a gift. That gift came at baptism. It marked our inclusion in the people of God. That faith was nurtured by our parents, godparents, SOCL teachers, and the fine priests that pointed the way to God. It was simple faith to be sure — an indelible mark and a simple faith. Jesus’ challenge to us is to move beyond simple faith to a life lived in conformity to the gospel. We are to grow in faith, grow in love, grow in witness.

This is illustrative of the fact that faith alone, no matter how strong, remains simple unless it has an environment that fosters its growth. Faith alone cannot assist us in maturing. Think of the parable of the sower. He casts seed here and there, and unless that seed falls on good soil, it will not grow to maturity. In order to mature our faith needs that good soil – and it must be a rich soil.

The rich soil, the firm foundation upon which our faith is built is the Church. The Church is God’s living gift. It is a living gift intended to be a gift.

Certainly our Holy Polish National Catholic Church is the constant that assists us in becoming spiritually mature, that connects us to the lived history of faith, and that acts each day as the place where the decisions of men are directed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But beyond those of us sitting here today, is our Holy Church what God intended, a gift to all mankind?

Friends,

Faith is a gift. Our Holy Church is a gift. Both convey Jesus’ on-going action in the world.

Our personal faith, when we choose to give ourselves over to Christ, will grow into something that surpasses us as individuals. The Church as the community of believers, and guided by the Holy Spirit, is the authentic teacher working to guide us on the way to full union with God. Our faith, and the teaching of the Church, work to form us into mature followers of Christ, true witnesses to God among us. Together we work diligently to represent what God wants — that we become the gift God intends us to be.

Jesus shows us that the Jewish leaders fell in their hypocrisy. We see that in certain Churches even to this day. Jesus noted:

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat”

Likewise, some Church leaders sit on thrones making heavy pronouncements, forgetting who established their seat. They talk of politics, property ownership, rights and wrongs to the exclusion of love, and in doing so they forget their role, their part as God’s on-going gift.

Those leaders write tomes of laws and they make very detailed analyses of sin. They can diagnose a sin to its minutest detail and prescribe the proper antidote, and that from six thousand miles away. They forget the presence of the Holy Spirit, or demand gifts from the Spirit, or see the Spirit as a vehicle for self aggrandizement.

It must not be so with us. Let it never be said of us that:

you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction

Rather we must be like Paul speaking to the Thessalonians:

But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Our Holy Polish National Catholic Church is a gift to those hurt by the religion of worldly princes and kings. It is a gem of a Church, a gem that is not out of reach, or only for the rich, only for the suburbs, only for the perfect, only for the sinless and obedient. Our Holy Church is a gem that is available to all. It is a gift. As with Paul’s teaching among the Thessalonians people will receive and hear what we teach, accepting it in proportion to the way they see God working through us.

Brothers and sisters,

The gift we proclaim is this: God loves each and every person, without regard to yesterday’s problem. Jesus calls all, and came to show us the Father’s love. He established a community to be His gift of love in the world. He loves us so much that He gives all we need to reach our fullest potential as part of a home, a community of love and support, and most importantly as a place where we can learn to be faithful Christ followers.

Jesus sat in the temple precincts and told us how we are to live. We aren’t transformed into those perfect Christ followers overnight, but there is a way to get there. We hold a beautiful gem in our hands and everyone can have it. We offer this gem to those who are hurting, to those who feel alone, who see the Church as an impediment to God. Bishop Hodur broke down those barriers. The path is here.

In closing let us remember the words spoken in the 2nd century’s Epistle to Diognetus in which a disciple – a Christ follower – describes the Christian life in this way:

They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men… They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all

Amen.