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Bishop Burbidge's Homily at Mass for Diocesan Lay Ministers
L.E.M.A. Mass and Conference
Saint Raphael Church
November 15, 2008
(3 John 5-8; Luke 18:1-8)
A powerful question is asked by Jesus at the end of today’s Gospel: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” The Lord asked the question because He sensed the frustration and longing of His people. They were not seeing the immediate, visible results they desired. Thus He asked, would they have the faith to endure until that day when God’s will, God’s plan, would be revealed in their fullness?
Looking into our hearts, the Lord may be asking us the same question, possibly because He sees our frustration and longing. He recognizes that at times, as lay ministers and as leaders in the Diocese, our superiors and those we serve do not always respond as we would like. He recognizes that at times the results of our efforts and labors are not clearly seen. He recognizes that, in the midst of trying to do good, we often meet apathy or even resistance. And so He wonders, will He find faith?
In our Readings for today’s Mass, the Lord gives us the path to embrace a faith that is strong and consistent. First He tells us that we are “co-workers” in the truth. I just returned from the annual Bishops’ meeting. The greatest benefit for me (And I am sure all of you who attend conferences, conventions and workshops with your peers can relate to this.) is the opportunity to spend time with brother-Bishops, to share our blessings and struggles and to find support and encouragement in one another. Hopefully, today provides you with the same experience. We are in this together! We are co-workers! We are co-workers in the truth! In the midst of seeing all that is to be done in our Church, our Diocese, our parishes, in the midst of seeing so much evil -- including a lack of reverence for human life and respect for the dignity of every person -- we rejoice in knowing that in teaching, proclaiming and witnessing the Gospel without compromise, we have the truth: the truth that will prevail, the truth that will be victorious and the truth that will set us free. If we remember that reality, then our faith will be strong and consistent.
The final day of the Bishops’ Meeting concluded with a Day of Prayer. After spending a week discussing priorities, plans, activities, proposals, initiatives, etc., what a brilliant idea -- go to the Lord in prayer! It sounds so simple, but how often do we allow our work to consume us even to the point of not being still in the Lord’s presence. Today’s parable offers the very same lesson: Our highest priority must be the commitment to persevere in prayer, to entrust our cares to the Lord and to repeat frequently, “Thy will be done.” Thus, how appropriate that we begin this day with the celebration of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our lives and of all that we do. If we find our strength in this most precious gift and are persistent in prayer, then the Lord will find us a people of faith.
And so we pray today and always: “Lord our God, give us the grace to remember that we are co-workers in the truth, and to have a faith that allows us to say always, ‘Thy will be done.’”