Bishop Larry Silva signed the book of the elect for Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa on March 9 during the rite of election for Oahu vicariates as Deacon Ray Lamb of the co-cathedral looked on. (Courtesy Dann Ebina)
Witness to Jesus | First Sunday of Lent
Here is the prepared text of the homily delivered on March 8 at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku for the Maui Vicariate rite of election; and on March 9 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu for the rite of election for Oahu vicariates.
Signing on the proverbial “dotted line” can be very scary.
You want this house, but you know that signing for it will put you into tremendous debt for its mortgage. You love your fiance, but you know that marriage is like signing your life away to this person, giving up much of your treasured independence. Having a child will surely change your life — or should we say “chain” your life? — having to care for that child when it is fun and when it is not.
Committing to be a disciple of Jesus for the rest of your life means taking his word seriously, that in order to gain our lives we must lose them and take up our crosses. And because of the burdens that these good things place upon us, so many people never “sign on the dotted line” — never buy a house, commit themselves in marriage, have children, or take being a Christian very seriously.
And so it is that many people lead lives of quiet desperation, not allowing themselves the adventure of commitment.
When Jesus was baptized, that was a high point in his life. He was touted by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His heavenly Father shouted out to the world how proud he was of his beloved son. The Holy Spirit came down on him as a dove to give him great peace.
But, in fact, that was Jesus’ moment for “signing on the dotted line,” immersing himself so deeply into sinful humanity that he would be drowned by the sin and hatred he experienced.
And even though he owed no debt to anyone for any sin he had committed, he signed on to pay our debt, knowing how painful that would be.
You catechumens have learned much about Jesus by studying the Scriptures and praying over them; by immersing yourselves in the community of the church, with all its glories and all its gaping wounds; by experiencing the spiritual comforts of prayer and meditation and perhaps experiencing the inevitable boredom that often comes in prayer.
You have heard Jesus say such outrageous things as “Love your enemies”; “Forgive those who have hurt you”; “Sell all you have and give to the poor, then come, follow me”; “Take up your cross.” If we take these things seriously, we would be sorely tempted to run.
Yet here you are today to “sign on the dotted line,” in the Book of the Elect, to commit yourselves to go on this lifelong adventure of discipleship to Jesus.
It is an adventure you are embarking on, sometimes more dramatic than any adventure movie you have ever seen.
You will be tempted to pick and choose only the parts of following Jesus that appeal to you and to put the rest aside. You will be tempted to be so thrilled about what God has done for you on your spiritual journey that you harshly judge others who have not embarked on the journey or who have become lost along the way.
You will be tempted to play it safe when you see a brother or sister beaten up by life and lying on the side of the road, rather than stop and minister to that sister or brother in need.
In all these temptations, you are in good company, because Jesus himself was tempted to use his power to fill his own needs rather than to be obedient to God; to misinterpret why he was given such power to do miracles; to bow down before a creature rather than only before the true and living God.
When you “sign on the dotted line” today, you will be tempted to think that just because you declare that you renounce Satan before you are immersed in the saving waters at the Easter Vigil, that Satan will renounce his project to lead you astray — and to use you to lead others astray.
But just as Jesus was strengthened to resist the temptations in his life, your strength to do so will come from the same source — the Holy Spirit who will seal you and mark you as God’s own child whom God himself will fight to defend.
In the Lenten weeks to come, you will celebrate the Scrutinies. Do not think of these as just a ceremony you need to check off before you can be fully initiated into the Catholic Church.
As you reflect on Jesus’s saving words to the woman at the well, may you realize, as she did, that the hunger and thirst in your heart can only truly be satisfied by the living water that Jesus is.
As you reflect on the healing of the man born blind, may you rejoice that Jesus opens your eyes to see your own sins, the trickery of Satan and the wonders of the world that God has created in such goodness.
As you reflect on the raising of Lazarus from the dead, may you be convinced that death is not the end of life at all, but that we are all destined to live eternal life in the presence of the God who is love itself.
And as you allow yourselves to be immersed in the passion and death of Jesus in your own sufferings, may you never lose sight that life with the risen Jesus will overcome any difficulty or trial you may experience here on earth.
As you “sign on the dotted line” may you know that embarking on this great adventure of life in Jesus may take you through long, dry and dangerous deserts, but will ultimately take you to the promised land of freedom, and joy, and love.
