Several weeks ago I had a funeral for an older gentleman, a lifelong parishioner, who was extremely active in the parish and in the local community. There were probably about two hundred people there. The family, five children and sixteen grandchildren, read the scripture, brought forward the bread and the wine, and had a very nice video presentation at the luncheon. It was a very prayerful and moving funeral liturgy.
One gentleman caught my attention immediately. An African-American gentleman, dressed in mostly black, wearing a large silver cross. I never got a chance to meet him, and was not introduced, but I suspect he was a local minister. What was interesting about him was his responses to all of the prayers. He was very reverent throughout the Mass, he sang along from the missal, and responded to the prayers as best as possible. He was really praying along with the Mass. The reason I noticed was because most everyone else just stood, sat, and knelt.
It reminds me of the many times I have baptized. There always seems to be a middle aged couple that sits away from the other families, or family, whatever the case may be. It is like a Canonical requirement. They sit throughout the entire ritual never responding to a single prayer. To be sure they may not be catholic, but "Do you reject Satan?" "Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?" These seem like some fairly basic Christian concepts.
In today's Gospel, from the Gospel of John, we have the religious folk going out to interview John the Baptist. The evangelist uses words like 'witness' and testimony' to describe what the Baptist is doing. And I think that is what should describe us as well. I don't know if we give testimony as we should. We are almost afraid to give witness, an account of, our belief in the name of Jesus Christ. If I pick my nose at the Eight O'clock Mass, everyone knows about it by 10:30. But we are timid in speaking about out faith convictions, and worshiping God with full voice.
John made a lot of noise about Jesus, conversion, and discipleship, and came to know something was going on. His proclamation, and challenge to live according to the Word of God, gathered a lot of attention. Too often we view our faith as a 'me and Jesus' religion. Folks will tell me that they are very private, and I can understand timidity, but our baptism does call us to stand out against Sin and Evil. And that even means by the way we sing and pray at Mass.
We like the disciples of John are to have to courage to tell others what we have heard and seen. And to worship in spirit and truth.
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