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Who do you say I am?
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our Rosary walk for the respect of all human life from conception to natural death and for our Lady to intercede for our country during these challenging times. It was a beautiful witness to our faith in Christ and our love for our Blessed Mother. Major thanks to the New Castle Police, the Blue Army, our teens and young families, Seminarian Merv, Sister Annie, Fr. Anthony, Vicki, Marc, Susan Kearns and Susan Dexter for video and photos, the New
Castle News and their photographer, Maria Basileo.
Thank you to the Knights of Columbus for their donation of $2,000 to the matching school fund for Holy Spirit Academy. The Knights are a wonderful, positive force in our parish and wider community. We are very grateful for their service and especially for their witness to our Catholic faith. I mentioned the movie, A Man For All Seasons, in my last week’s bulletin message. It is not only an award-winning film from yesterday, it is also based on the true story of St. Thomas More who had to choose between serving God and serving a corrupt king. There is a scene in the movie where Cardinal Wolsey who, unlike St. Thomas More, chose the King and political correctness over remaining loyal to God and to the truth. Once the King had used the Cardinal for his purposes, he then completely disregarded him. And as the Cardinal is suffering in a wretched place, banished by the King, he says these words to Thomas More who is visiting him, “If I had served God, one half so well as I served my King…God would not have left me here to die in this place.”
It concerns me as a priest and pastor, how many people, whether
knowingly or unwittingly, are more loyal to some unknown someone or something other than Christ. So many people become lulled into being wedded to a political party or a political person or perhaps even a labor union or a special interest of some sort or even sports or some sports figure that their whole life revolves around that and God is just on the periphery. The practice of their faith in Christ becomes an incidental and insignificant part of their life and decision-making. How many of us run the risk of ending our lives much like Cardinal Wolsey? It will be too late when on our deathbed we come to realize we were far too loyal to the wrong person or thing. Jesus alone saves.
There is an important question for our daily living. Not just the question every four years when there is a major election. In fact, this question goes far beyond politics. It is a fundamental question of our lives on a daily basis. It is the question of idolatry. What God do we serve? It is the question that Christ asked the disciples and asks every one of us, “Who do you say that I am?” —Matthew 16:15. Whether we realize it or not, our life story will answer that question, who do we say Christ is. It will proclaim whether Christ is our Lord and Savior or whether someone or something else is where we placed our trust and our hope and our future.
My good people, please take seriously the choice you make and your own personal answer to the Lord’s question. Take a serious moment to look at how you are living your life, how you are raising your children, how you are pursuing your career. Be honest about what “god” you are worshipping and following. If you analyze your life honestly before God, you may discover a correction needs to be made. As a shepherd, I would not be doing my job or my vocation if I did not point this out to you. But I cannot make the decision for you. It is your choice to make; it is your life to live and your salvation to secure. But just remember the question is not my question, it is Christ who asks the question of all of us. And we will all have to give an answer. Even a non-answer is an answer. I pray that we will all, by the witness of our lives, answer as Peter did, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” –Matthew 16:16
A Man for All Seasons is available at:
Rental at Amazon—
https://www.amazon.com/Man-All-Seasons-Paul-Scofield/dp/B001OD65MO OR
At Turner Classic Movies—
https://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/12708/A-Man-For-All-Seasons/
God love you,
