WITNESS TO JESUS | NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Here is the prepared text of the homily delivered Aug. 11 at Sacred Hearts Mission Church, Kapalua, observing one year since the Lahaina wildfire.
When I meet people who visit Hawaii for the first time, I am often asked if I ever take the incredible natural beauty of the islands for granted. While I still marvel at the beauty, I must admit that seeing it for the 600th time is not the same as seeing it for the first time. There is a certain freshness of vision that, while not disappearing entirely, can be greatly diminished.
Perhaps this was the case with the beautiful town of Lahaina. And it was not only its natural beauty that was attractive; but the beauty of neighbors, of work, and of the simple comforts of home were also treasures that we appreciated. But perhaps they were not as much appreciated as when they were suddenly taken away in last year’s devastating fire.
Now they are only memories — often very painful memories — of what was. But I dare say, even those memories are treasures that bring us hope and joy. And in the days since the fire, other beautiful things have been revealed: the outpouring of prayers and support from people all over the country and the world; the donations of supplies, services and money that flowed in from caring, though unknown, neighbors; the stubborn hope expressed in restarting a school that had been destroyed; the consistent hope of continuing to gather as a community for worship; the resilient vision that looks forward to rebuilding and renewing the life of a suffering community and not giving up on its future.
In these summer days, the church has presented us with the opportunity to reflect on another gift that is so beautiful, but that we can often take for granted: the Eucharist. We have been reading from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, which teaches us about Jesus as the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven.
It is incredibly awesome to think that God loves us so intimately that he gives himself to us as food and drink. It is shockingly astounding to think that we, who live 2,000 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, can encounter the physical presence of that same Jesus right here in this sacred assembly.
It is something that we can easily take for granted, making it so routine that it may not only lose its divine luster, but even become boring to some. And so, we are encouraged to renew the vision, to see with ever-new eyes what we have seen and experienced for decades, the real presence of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen one, among us today.
As the prophet Elijah was overwhelmed with weariness as he prophesied in the name of the true and living God and was hunted down because he did, we also see that God provided him food to continue his journey, to take up once again the overwhelmingly difficult task of rebuilding the kingdom of God among a people who had strayed far away from it. He was able to go on because of the strength he received from the food that God himself provided him, even though he just wanted to curl up and die.
And so it is that God gives us today this holy food, this bread of eternal life and this chalice of salvation. He gives us once again his only begotten son, so that we may be strengthened for the arduous journey that lies before us of rebuilding this town, our lives, and this beautiful community. And even if we do not live here in West Maui, there are always parts of our lives and our community that are in need of renewal.
It is this food of the Eucharist, the true presence of the risen Christ himself, that strengthens us for the journey that lies ahead. This is why it is so important to gather here every Sunday, and to do so in every place in the world, that the beauty of all that God created can be restored, so that we can have the vision and the strength to restore it, and so that, no matter how hard the journey may be, we will be able to reach our final goal.
As we do this holy action in memory of Jesus and his saving death and resurrection, he renews our awe and wonder at the beauty God has created in places, in people, in communities and in the livelihoods in which we engage for the benefit of all. We come here to be refreshed, so that with fresh eyes, we can continue to work not just for the restoration of a small town on Maui, but for the restoration of the very kingdom of God.
