Homily
for the
6th
Sunday of Easter
May
9, 2021
Acts
10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Blessed
Sacrament, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Holy
Name, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“I see
that God shows no partiality” (Acts 10: 34).
This
morning’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles speaks to present crises in our
country.
The story of Cornelius and St. Peter is a story of conversion, but of more than that. Cornelius was a Roman centurion stationed at Caesarea in Palestine when he had a vision that commanded him to send for Simon Peter (Acts 10:1-6). A short time later, Peter also had a vision in which various foods unclean to Jews were presented to him, and from heaven a voice commanded him to eat. He said no 3 times because the food was unclean. But the voice ordered, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” And he was informed that a delegation from Cornelius was at hand, and he must go with them (10:9-20).
As you
know, the Jews scorned the people of all other nations—the Gentiles—as unclean. Peter should avoid the company of Cornelius and
certainly not go to his house and meet his entire household.
But under
God’s command, he went. We heard
excerpts from what followed. The 2 men
reported their visions to each other, Cornelius asked what message from God
Peter had for him, and Peter told him about Jesus (10:34-43). “While Peter was still speaking,” we heard, “the
Holy Spirit fell upon those who were listening” (10:44), an experience quite
like what the apostles, the Virgin Mary, and the other disciples had on
Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
Peter and
his companions were astounded (10:45), but, in combination with the 2
visions—of Cornelius and of Peter—they got the message. In the matter of salvation thru Jesus Christ,
“God shows now partiality.” Jesus is not
only for his own Jewish people but also for the Gentiles—Greeks, the despised
Romans, and anyone else who will believe in the Gospel. God created everyone “clean,” so to speak, or
capable of being cleansed by grace; God created everyone in his own image, as
his own children—a relationship meant to be deepened thru a relationship with
Jesus Christ. “In every nation whoever
fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to him” (10:35).
There are
people in the U.S. who are not accepted.
While “God shows no partiality” in his gift of salvation—and it is a
gift, not something we are due—too many Americans discriminate against other
people because of their race, language, national origin, or religion.
Who isn’t
aware of the violence inflicted unjustly upon blacks and Asians? Who isn’t aware of anti-Semitic
incidents? I suppose that most
church-going people strive to be fair and just to everyone. Still, we ought to examine our hearts from
time to time. We ought to examine the
language we use, the stories and jokes we tell.
Are they harmless and innocent, or offensive and demeaning? How do we act in the presence of people who
aren’t like us? What lessons are we
teaching the young people around us?
Sen. Tim
Scott spoke after Pres. Biden 2 weeks ago and made the point that, altho he has
personal experience of racial discrimination, America is not a racist
country. He’s black and from South
Carolina, so he has credentials to say that.
But others, both black and white, disagree. One black woman said recently: “People of color, particularly African Americans in this country, have had the collective knee on the necks of our people since we were sold here, brought here. Understanding that truth in terms of what happened with George Floyd became a vision that many of us will never forget and felt like even more of a betrayal because we’re supposed to be better. This is America, and we are not.”[1]
Evidently there are plenty of people with racist attitudes, attitudes at variance with the God-given dignity of every human being. And sometimes those attitudes lead to terrible actions.
Every day we hear news that some
Chinese or other Asian person has been assaulted on the streets—even in New
York or San Francisco, places that supposedly are the most tolerant on
earth. How is it so? Like St. Peter, some people need to be
converted to the message of Jesus Christ.
We can say the same about how
many in our society regard Jews. There
are outrageous incidents in France and Germany—and here too: Jews murdered at their synagog in Pittsburgh,
Jewish synagogs defaced in Riverdale. The
Church teaches us that the Jews are God’s beloved people; they are our elder
brothers and sisters in their belief in God our Creator and Lord.
How many Catholics are completely compassionless for people from Central America and the Middle East who are fleeing from persecution, war and gang violence, natural disasters, or “simply” economic impossibilities?
Immigration and control of our borders are tremendously complex issues; they concern not only our hearts but also our social health and balance. We who are descended from Irish, Italian, and Central European immigrants of just a century ago, however, have to see current migrants and refugees as God’s children, too, and try to find ways to address these complex issues, not just build walls and pack detention centers. “The bishops along the border of the United States and northern Mexico released a joint statement last month saying, ‘Undoubtedly, nations have a right to maintain their borders. This is vital to their sovereignty and self-determination. At the same time, there is a shared responsibility of all nations to preserve human life and provide for safe, orderly, and humane immigration, including the right to asylum.’”[2]
Pope Francis has taken up this
matter again and again—it’s not unique to our country, but to Europe and
Australia too, because there is so much injustice in the world and so many
natural disasters.
Are these questions—the treatment
of racial minorities, religious minorities, immigrants and refugees—just
political questions? Not if we listen to
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan or his parable of the Last Judgment (which
speaks of welcoming the stranger). Not
if we ponder the dignity that God bestows on every human being, from the moment
of conception to the moment of natural death.
He “shows no partiality,” and “whoever fears him and acts uprightly is
acceptable to him.” Even more, he
reaches out to and loves even wrongdoers.
Jesus Christ died for sinners, for everyone.
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