My homily for this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time and yes, I address the horrible news of the week

Dear friends - I hate publishing my homilies when I am actively delivering that same homily during the weekend.  I still have one more Mass to go.  However, I will do so today after so many generous responses so far and so many requests to put it on the blog sooner rather than later.  Let me be clear: this homily, like most, is more Holy Spirit influenced than Deacon Mike influenced.  And to be even clearer: this is a homily I would never want to deliver or have to deliver again but let me explain why I did:

#1.  We don't run and hide from these disturbing revelations.
#2.  We don't abandon the faith that is so much more than the evil sinful criminal actions of too many in the Church.  I say too many because 1 is too many.
#3.  We pray, support and accompany every single victim of abuse.
#4.  And we remember all the many wonderful faithful clergy who live out their oaths and promises every single day.
#5.  We hang on to our faith, it is the one true faith.

So with this explanation out of the way I publish my homily below:

I once joked before a homily that my prayer should come from a 1960's anthem: I'm just a soul who's intentions are good, oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood!  It's no joke today: this is my prayer.

I heard a Catholic radio announcer this week say that as horrible as the scandals may be, and they are horrible, he was hanging on to the Church with white knuckles.  To me that brought to mind the Frankie Valli classic: Let's Hang on to What We Got; don't let go 'cause we got a lot.

In these days of challenging and disgusting news, we must be people of faith who hang on to what we got.

Let's start with today's Gospel, no coincidences here, only God-incidences.  Another important Gospel message from John chapter 6; words of faith, powerful words, life-giving words.  A bold, unambiguous proclamation from Jesus:
Amen, amen(meaning this is true) you must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, if you do not, then you have no life within you.  Bold, direct, truth!!

Then comes the promise: whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.  Bold, direct, truth!  A reminder here: we are called to do so worthily as St. Paul tells us; we receive His Body & Blood in a state of grace, free from mortal sin, availing ourselves often of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

TRUE FOOD, TRUE DRINK; the whole TRUTH.  With apologies to Jack Nicholson, can we handle the TRUTH?  Do we hold on to what we got, even as we absorb the news of the day?  We must always hang on to the FULLNESS OF TRUTH!

Be confident of this today: no human failure, no human weakness, unspeakable crimes, unthinkable cover-ups committed even by those called our leaders, our shepherds, none of this can change the TRUTH of this Gospel and all the Good News, can change the TRUTH of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, can change the TRUTH of Jesus' love for each of us; TRUTH is TRUTH and we hang on to TRUTH even as this criminal evil sinfulness, this rot, is exposed to the TRUTH.

No pedestal here, because we acknowledge these horrific sins begging for forgiveness, we pray for and support all those abused, we pray for and support all the faithful Clergy(the vast majority) who love the Church and love Jesus and in TRUTH loyal to  the oaths and promises made at ordination and lived out everyday.  For our part, we pray, we offer rosaries, devotions, fasts, participate in acts of reparation and we hang on to what we got; the Church, the true spotless bride of Christ.

In a few minutes we will recite the Creed.  At every Baptism the Creed is expressed in the Baptismal Promises made by parents and God-parents and at the end of those promises this is what we declare:

THIS IS OUR FAITH, THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH, WE ARE PROUD TO PROFESS IT IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

True yesterday, true today, true forever; Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ victorious, Christ the living Word of God, Christ really present - Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity, Christ: our wisest and best friend!!  That's a lot to hold on to.

A final word: St. Paul tells us all, clergy and laity alike: Watch carefully how you live...the days are evil.  Great advice, prophetic, may we heed his advice, all of us and priests, deacons. bishops and Cardinals too!

Saddened, upset, angry though many of us may be, there is way too much to hold on to; never lose faith, hope and love; never abandon the Church, pray diligently that all this evil be exposed to the light and remember the words of Jesus:

I AM THE LIVING BREAD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND MY FLESH IS FLESH FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.  

TRUTH!

THIS IS OUR FAITH, THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH, WE ARE PROUD TO PROFESS IT IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

Let's hang on to what we got!