Communism brought great evil to the world, but it did not create it out of scratch; it pulled it from our own hearts. How should we respond to the evil in the world? To the evil in our own hearts? Note: It was the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor, not the 75th (Fr. Anthony is math challenged).
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Homily Notes
11/5/2017
Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)
This is our Church family. One of the things that families do, especially at meal time, is share their stories. Our stories remind us who we are and what we have been through and increase our resiliency as we respond to new challenges.
And Lord knows, there will always be new challenges. If we try to face challenges and the chaos they surround us without knowing who we are, then that chaos can work its way into us and claim us as its own. Then, instead of being part of the powerful force that tames the fury of the storm, we become part of the storm, ungrounded, undisciplined, and ultimately lost.
85 years (Note that I said 75 in the homily): Worst of the Holodomor.
- It was terrible.
- It was evil.
- It was us. On both sides. We HAVE to recognize our own capacity for evil; and if not for evil, then for acquiescence. “The line between good and evil runs through the human heart.”
- If you see someone suffering: help them.
- If you are surrounded by lies, tell the truth.
100 years. Communism.
- It was terrible.
- It was evil.
- It was us. On both sides. As with the example of the Holodomor, if we forget who we are, then we can easily get pulled into the storm and become part of the storm debris that destroys homes, communities, and even nations.
- If you see someone suffering: help them.
- If you are surrounded by lies, tell the truth.
This is what we have been through. Now let me remind you of who we are.
- We are the ones who stand against evil; not just the evil on the outside, but more importantly – the evil on the inside. We have invited the author of Good, Jesus Christ to cleanse our hearts and minds, to pattern our minds and our lives according to His perfect pattern, and to pattern the world around us. Thus we calm the storms in our own lives and becoming part of the power that quiets the storms around around us.
- We are the ones who do not walk past the suffering of our neighbor.
- We are the ones who tell the truth.
We are the ones who serve as living reminders that we were created for something better than ideologies and grand social plans.
And that the only true source of peace and justice and goodness in this world is the author of peace, justice, and goodness: Jesus Christ.
This is who we are and this is the solid rock on which we stand and no storm will overcome us.
