HOMILY
Mass of the Holy Spirit – University of Scranton
Isaiah 61: 1-3, 6, 8-9; Ephesians 4:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
September 5, 2024
Dotting the coastline of Ghana in Western Africa, on what is historically known as the continent’s “Gold Coast,” you will find castles that were initially built as trading centers for the country’s large deposits of gold, petroleum, oil and timber. Centuries ago, however, they tragically evolved into “slave castles,” that served as the final stopping point for slaves from lands across the continent. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, slaves were loaded onto ships at these castles to cross the Atlantic Ocean, never to return to their homeland again.
Two years ago, while visiting Ghana to meet with the families of about a dozen priests and religious sisters from the Diocese of Sunyani who are working in many of our parishes while they do graduate studies here at the University of Scranton and other Catholic universities in our area, I visited the infamous Cape Coast Castle, not far from Accra, the capital city of Ghana.
For all that we experienced at the “slave castle,” one area will be forever seared into my mind and heart. We were taken into a room – a dungeon for lack of a better term – about the size of the Moskovitz auditorium in the Student Center. It was hewn out of rock, with no windows, no place to sit, nothing. Its floor was worn smooth by the feet of countless numbers of people who passed through its walls. We were told that it would hold close to a thousand people at one time, jammed together with no light, no fresh air, and no access to any facilities to take care of their needs. Food would be thrown into the space from an opening in the ceiling falling into the filth on the floor – but food, nonetheless. Many slaves would die once they were placed in the space. Most would get sick. They were intentionally weakened so that they wouldn’t have the strength to escape.
As bad as that experience proved to be, what we were shown next during our tour of the castle was far more unsettling – at least for me as a Christian. Built on the very top of that dungeon, presumably by chance, was the chapel that served the leadership of the castle. Every Sunday morning on their way to pray, worshippers would walk right by that opening in the ceiling of the dungeon that I mentioned a moment ago through which food was tossed to the slaves. They’d hear the cries of those below who were suffering to the point of death. And then these self-righteous souls would enter the church, sing praise to God, and leave, feeling quite pleased with themselves and justified by their noble expressions of faith.
I suspect that what bothers you most about what I just shared is the same as what bothers me: the obvious disconnect between what those worshippers professed as Christians and how they chose to live – the disconnect between where and how they – and we – believe we best encounter God: in a hymnal in Church or in the lives of one another, all of whom are made in the image and likeness of God.
Today’s gospel captures well Jesus’ perspective on this disconnect. Let’s look at it again. It has a lot to say to us about human nature – about our world during these turbulent times – our attitudes about ourselves and about God.
We encounter two very different individuals in the parable that Jesus shared. The first was a Pharisee – a religious leader of the day and age – who should have known better – but didn’t. God was his to manage. From his perspective, all he needed to do was to say his prayers louder than the next and fulfill a host of incidental laws and rules and regulations – and he was suddenly far more righteous than everyone else.
The other – a tax collector – a simple, humble soul – knew who he was. For all of his imperfections, he recognized his need for God’s sustaining help in his life. He understood that the greatest commandment that he could follow was to love his neighbor – to treat his neighbor with mercy, with compassion, with justice and with care. … While he was humble enough to admit that he often failed, he understood that it was in the respect that he showed for his neighbor – whomever that neighbor happened to be – that he would encounter God.
I’m sure for many of you, this gospel might seem like an unusual passage to share at the beginning of an academic year and during a Mass in which we invoke the presence of Holy Spirit in our lives. But to what end do we call down the power of God’s Holy Spirit? To give us the wisdom that we need to pass one class or another? Fair enough! To what end to we ask the Spirit’s presence in our lives? To justify our own self-designed lifestyle – or to seek God’s sustaining grace to help us navigate life with a true sense of hope and peace?
Saint Paul puts that question into a bit of perspective in our second reading from his letter to the Church at Ephesus. “Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
In short, the scriptures today call us to live our lives of faith with integrity! … Jesus calls us to give the beliefs that we profess a life through the power of the Holy Spirit whom we call down upon this gathering today. … And he reminds us time and again – as he did in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector – that it’s not enough for us to simply profess our beliefs with empty words. At some point, we have to walk the talk and live what we profess.
You have the opportunity to respond to Jesus’ invitation more than you might imagine. … You are surrounded by fellow students who, with you, understand at your core the significance of the values for which Jesus gave his life. For sure, we are all distracted from those values by countless numbers of things. But you know them nonetheless – and to one degree or another they factored into your decision to pursue a Catholic Jesuit education. So continue to embrace the mission of this university and the many opportunities that are given to you to serve in the spirit of the gospel and to work for justice and peace.
These are great days for all of you. Cherish every moment that you have during this time of your life. Trust the power of the Spirit in your lives and let God lead you in ways that you may not have even imagined possible a few years ago. … Just look at me! I’m living proof of what I’ve just shared. I went off to the University of Pittsburgh to become a dentist – got involved in campus ministry – and came back a priest!
And in these days – these crazy and challenging and polarized times – this challenging election year – recognize that you have been given a treasure in your relationship with Jesus. Nurture it. Care for it. And allow it to bring you meaning, purpose and fulfillment, wherever life takes you on your journey.
Pope Francis captured all that’s going on in your lives best as he reflected with young men and women like yourselves about finding a way forward in life and living the gospel with integrity. “If you want to be first, you need to stand in line, be last and serve,” the pope said. “Jesus’ teaching ran counter to what the disciples and most other people then and today think,” he said. “The value of a person no longer depends on the role they have, the work they do, or the amount of money they have in the bank. No, it does not depend on this. Greatness and success in God’s eyes are measured differently: They are measured by service. Not on what someone has, but on what someone gives.”
So, open your hearts to the Spirit of God – seek to live your faith with integrity – give of yourselves in service of one another – and know God’s peace, come what may in your lives!