This Sunday I get a rare opportunity in the proclamation of the Gospel at Mass—I get a “do over!” This past Tuesday I was joined by 14 youth ministry members as well as some of their parents and our youth ministry leader, Manuela Hanshaw and her assistant Ashley Kara at the taping this weekend’s television Mass for broadcast on Sunday. I say a “do over” as I get to offer a more refined homily (hopefully) after reviewing the notes from Tuesday.

This Sunday we continue the gospel message of the “Discourse on the Plain”–or the Lukan version of the Beatitudes (Matthew’s version is on the sanctuary walls in the church). This Sunday we hear the key theme of the gospel as the bestowal of grace – in which God is now calling us to be His agents of that free gift of grace which He Himself has given.

In this role as agents of God’s grace to others, we must come to understand that we need to wrap our minds around the idea that God does not just give His grace to the good and the deserving—for that would be logical and easy—but that our loving God gives His grace to the undeserving, at least in our minds, that “He gives His goodness and mercy to the rude, the arrogant, the untrustworthy and the wicked. That His Son would die for people while they are
sinners, that God shines the sun on those who love Him and those who despise Him that is more than we can fathom.” In fact, let us recall that we begin each and every Mass with the Penitential Rite: “…You came to call sinners, Christ have mercy…” and indeed we hope for His mercy on us—can we not hope then that He too will grant it to others?

Our world considers God’s ways as almost unjust, after all, humanity judges by other criteria then the Lord does, thank God! Let us recall the parables of the Prodigal Son or the infamous sinner who is forgiven and then washes the feet of Jesus with her tears and hair, or the people hired to work late in the day yet get paid the same as those who started in the early morning hours, or the first who will be last. Doesn’t seem fair and equitable, does it?

Today’s readings ask us to consider the idea and the implementation of both grace and charity—and the latter asks us to examine our own lives of lived-faith and see how it dovetails into our God’s understanding of offering charity to the needed. I would venture to say that our parish does a great job of it collectively : just look at the help given to the Little Sisters of the Poor in caring for the elderly poor among us or the assistance given to the Knights of Malta
to heal the sick, the Lenten Mercy Project—year after year—to care for veterans, the thirsty, the imprisoned or the sick, or to the support of our youth as they venture out to Boston to care for our homeless brothers and sisters; not to mention our parish’s support of Pantry Partners, Feed the Hungry, St. Elizabeth House, Mercy Corporation or the underwear and hoodies gathered for the homeless men and women. Indeed we do more than our share. But God asks us to also consider the forgiveness we are asked to extend to our family and friends and strangers. The welcome we offer to the stranger and the acceptance we provide to those who are just a wee-bit
different, then as we can begin anew the way we understand God’s grace—and then we can indeed become His agent of that Grace. Being welcoming does not mean you must deny yourself or the Truths of God by which we are called to live. It just means to welcome others into His Truth and Life, calling them to understand Him and His Truth.