Blessed Sacrament Parish, La Crosse at 130 S. Losey Blvd., La Crosse, WI 54601 US - Emmaus and the Church in Crisis

Third Sunday of Easter Cycle A April 14, 2002 Blessed Sacrament Parish Father Robert P. Hundt, pastor The readings are very long today. I was going to tell a joke but there isn’t time. So I’ll have a short homily today. Now please don’t anyone say – now that is a joke. The Gospel today … strange little town called Emmaus a man with a strange name Clophas a couple of worried men talking of strange events they don’t understand. Let’s think of this event happening April 14, 2002. People walking along the road of life puzzled confused fearful saddened scandalized maybe angry. The church is often called the “New Jerusalem” in the Sacred Scriptures. Something has happened in the New Jerusalem – and we don’t understand. If two people were approached today walking the road of life, talking about the things that have happened these past days, weeks, months, years – in “Jerusalem” you know how they would answer the question “What are you talking about as you go on your way?” “We thought the Church was different.” “We thought the priests were holy and honorable.” “We thought the Bishops and Cardinals were next to God.” But now we find it isn’t so. Now we find the sad and miserable facts about some. Now we are discouraged confused saddened embarrassed hurt lost. How did we get to this sorry spot in the road. Will this help our thinking: two many in high places and low adopted the thinking of the 1960s and ‘70s. The Catholic Church in America allowed itself to be sucked into the moral revolution of those years. Many in the Church saw Vatican Council II as an opportunity to re-make the Church and the moral trusts that had taken a 1000 years and more to put into place. in 40 years we’ve totally destroyed the work of saints believers teachers who saw sex in terms of the Christian ideal of co-creation not recreation. I had a conversation with an older professional man a Catholic in this town. He argued the Church must get into the 21st Century it must accept abortion birth control pre-marital sex homosexual activity. Well, we have it – the 21st century has gotten into the Church. Do we like what we see? We thought he was the Savior. We thought the Church was different. It was, until about 30 years ago when too many trendy people distanced themselves from “mortal” sin. And with the death of mortal sin came the near death of confession. I’m O.K., you’re O.K. became the slogan – who needs confession? Who needs a savior? and then came the great virtue called toleration and the new great sin called judgmentalism. Well, are all the toleration fans prepared to tolerate what has happened to the Church and I hope they are not being judgmental. And I add that if they are, those who are prepared to tolerate what is defacing and defaming the Church and are not willing to judge those things for the crimes and horrible sins that they are …… somebody needs a brain transplant. In the 60’s and 70’s too many people tended toward the idea that Christ was all about love and nothing about casting into hell those who do not obey God’s law. It is O.K. to sin as long as you love everyone and you mean well. The road to hell was no longer paved with good intentions because no one was certain hell existed. God help anyone who made judgments based on God’s truth on moral issues or called certain behavior sinful or evil. And now we see where all this has gotten us. I have never gotten over the conversation I had with a priest from another part of the country who said I’ve never mentioned abortion birth control pre-marital sex moral sin from the pulpit and never will. He’s highly popular but is he a true shepherd to his flock if he doesn’t warn about the dangers threatening the immortal souls of God’s people. God didn’t charge any priest to be popular. God charged His priests to act in the person of His Son Jesus and we remember He got spiked to a cross for urging people high and low priests and peasants governors and tax paying citizens to be faithful to God’s law. The desire for popularity is a fleeting fog which should be burned away by the glare of Eternal Truth or the warm sun of God’s love or the burning furnace of God’s justice. “We thought he was the Messiah.” We thought the Church was different. In the 60’s and 70’s the Church got trendy liturgies got trendy the Church building became almost a social meeting hall the Church got modern. Nothing is so fleeting as the trendy and the modern. Where are last year’s trendy fashions? Where are last year’s top 10 in Country Western? Where is last year’s hottest electric gadget? A trendy Church is not a muscular Church because it doesn’t respond to Christ Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. And yet, the Church dear Mother Church so besmirched by sinners, the Church is Christ’s real and living Presence. The Church is the greatest civilizing presence the world has ever known or will ever know. The Church is the Treasure hidden in the field of this world. The Church is a city set on a hill for all to see. The Church is the pearl of great price. I will never give up on the Church for it is the only sanity in a crazy world. And only in the Church do we have this moment when like Christ at the Last Supper like Christ at the table in the Gospel today with sad and confused people He took bread, gave thanks, blessed and broke it. And the confused, sad apostles said, “It is the Lord!” And they joyously ran to tell the others they had seen the Lord. Dear friends, in our lives we must be like those two. Sharing this bread become Christ’s Body we must tell by our words and actions “We have seen the Lord and He comes to us from the Heart of God. He is God’s Heart and He comes to us through this wondrous jewel called the Catholic Church.”

(Back)