Can I be trusted to do my job?

Homily

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time B2

29 September 2024

St. Ann Catholic Church - Prairie Village, KS

AMDG

Can I be trusted to do my job?

Guess what?  Everyone here today has a job!  Everyone has a role, a vocation.  By virtue of your baptism, you are each and all a priest, prophet and king!  It is out tremendous dignity to offer the sacrifice of our lives in and through the passion of Jesus Christ our High Priest, to participate in and make visible his Kingdom so that many can belong to it, and to give witness to his truth and love that defeats great evils and serves our neighbor. 

There is more. Each of us is a temple of God's love, for the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and if you have been confirmed, that Holy Spirit has been deepened, strengthened and sealed in all its fullness within you.  You have a missionary and prophetic character stamped on your soul!

There is even more.  Each of us is an integral member of the body of Christ, and no member can say to another I do not need you.  Each of you is critically important.  Each of us matters infinitely.  Each of us has a job is the most amazing mission ever attempted, the final defeat of sin and death through the passion of Jesus Christ. As the Father sent me, so I send you?  Yes, that's right, He sends you!

So, can I be trusted to do my job?

I choose to trust each and every member of of St. Ann's to do their job, and I don't ever want to know any differently.  That's my choice, now and forever as your pastor, to not give up on anyone the Lord has given me.  I not only need you to do your job.  I trust you to do your job.  Jesus first believes in you, so how can I not?  As the Father has sent Him, so He sends you!  Who am I to tell Jesus he's trusting the wrong person?  I tell Him all the time that He has the worst plan, but He doesn't budget.  He asks me to trust Him as He trusts me.  So I will.

Ned Yost taught me in 2014-15 how to trust others.  I'm a Royals nut.  Thank God we can talk about their return to the playoffs instead of the Jayhawks this weekend.  When the Royals made the playoffs for the first time in 30 year sin 2014, I wore a blue vestment with a crown above a monogrammed 'M' on the Feast of our Lady of Victory, our Lady of the Rosary.  It was the all-school Mass and the Royals were playing that day.  I asked the students who the 'M' stood for - and a third grader yelled out - Moustakas!  He was wrong - it stood for Mary - but I'll never forget it.

Anyway, Ned Yost trusted every member of those Royals championship teams to keep the line moving.  I thought Ned Yost was a terrible manager.  I was sure he was always trusting the wrong guys, and putting them in the wrong roles.  I disagreed with almost every critical decision he made.  Yet I was wrong.  Ned trusted against all odds that everyone could know their role, and do their job.  The result was a series of miraculous come back from the dead victories, because everyone kept the line moving!

It's a great metaphor for St. Ann.  I choose to trust each of you to know your role and do your job.  It's really not that hard, but I can make it so sometimes when I only trust myself, or a select few favorites.  Yet Jesus against all odds trusts me, and you, so how can I not?  He couldn't be clearer. When we show up and encourage one another in faith, we build heaven.  When we cancel or fail to show up for each other, or give bad example, we build hell.

The precepts of the Church are so easy, it's embarrassing when we don't follow them. Show up for practice every time.  Put your life on the altar. Give your best.  Pray and fast together, and restore trust through confession when trust is broken.  If we do these very simple things, we cannot fail to defeat the worst evils of our times.  St. Ann will fulfill its destiny to be light for the world and to give the fullness of life we have through Christ Jesus our Lord to each other.

Jesus says do whatever it takes to know your role and do your job.  He believe we are all prophets!  Can I be trusted to do my job?  Jesus trust you, and so do I!

+mj