A great multitude gathers
Bishop Silva delivered this homily at the Mass, July 21 in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, celebrating the 10th anniversary of his episcopal ordination and installation as Bishop of Honolulu.
At 66 parishes and many missions and chapels on six islands, a great multitude gathers. With songs — sometimes timid and sometimes glorious — they raise their voices Sunday after Sunday and day after day singing “Praise to our God, all you his servants, and you who revere him, great and small.” If all their voices were joined together we might very well hear “something like the sound of a great multitude or the sound of rushing water or mighty peals of thunder.” The same angel who spoke to the apostle John as recorded in the book of Revelation cries out to them today, “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
Just as at that first Last Supper with his disciples Jesus bent down to intimately wash their feet, so the risen Jesus, the Lamb of God, does today. On that occasion he washed the feet of those who would use them to flee from him when trouble came just moments later, and even of one who would betray him mortally. With the exception of this last, who refused even the gift of mercy and hope, all took to their feet to take the Gospel to all the world, strengthened by the intimate love they had experienced around that table.
The wonderful priests of this diocese gather these multitudes around the Lord’s table, so that what took place so long ago can take place today. And as they pray for Francis our pope and for Larry our bishop, I am richly blessed to have been chosen to preside over this great multitude of disciples of Jesus, to lead the songs of praise that are joined together as one from the rising of the sun to its setting, from windward to leeward, all across these beautiful islands of Hawaii.
Here married couples who sometimes want to run away from each other come to have their feet bathed in the Word of God, so that they can be soothed to walk together in forgiveness and even deeper love. Here youth, whose feet are nimble and swift, but always lured to the temptations of sex, wealth and power, come to let the Lord wash their feet so that they may learn to walk in his paths of life and of joyful holiness.
Here lazy feet that simply want to rest are stimulated by the risen Christ so that they cannot be still until they reach their brother and sister in need, whether in a tent at the local beach or on the other side of the world. Here feet weary from standing anxious watch in a hospital room come to be fortified to stand by their loved ones until their very presence is the healing they seek. Here feet that want to be safe and soft are touched by such intimate love that they no longer fear to walk into a prison to announce the Lord’s liberty even to those confined by prison walls.
Here guilty feet that have gone to places of sin and self-destruction come to be washed clean so that they can go to places of salvation and joy. Here feet shod in comfortable shoes are massaged by the great Prophet of all prophets, so that they go out, even if stepped on and abused, to call a wayward culture to the ways of wisdom that come from God’s law alone.
Ten years ago I was anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and sight to the blind in this little corner of the world. Many times in those 10 years I have wondered why I was chosen and asked myself, “What in the world am I doing here?” Yet these timid feet have been washed again and again so that they can do no other than go out among these islands and to all the world to proclaim the good news and to witness to Jesus.
I cannot thank God enough for the privilege and the blessing of being the Chief Shepherd of such a wonderful people who not only come to have their feet washed in the intimacy of communion with Jesus but who take to their feet in a thousand different ways to give witness to Jesus. I cannot thank you enough for going to places the Lord takes you.
In the years ahead we may have many challenges, rejections and persecutions. Like those early disciples we may even run away for a while. But the risen Jesus is still here to continue to bend down and wash our feet so that we can be faithful to the path he marks out for us. And we continue to gather this great multitude to sing, even to dance on the feet he has washed, “Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory.” And let us continue to run to give glorious witness to Jesus!
