Dismissals (2011-07-31)

This is my homily for Sunday, 31 July 2011. I am a Catholic chaplain at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. We celebrate Catholic Mass - during Fall and Spring semester - every Sunday Mass (7:30 p.m.) at the Interfaith Chapel, 842 River Road, Teaneck, NJ. We resume our Sunday schedule on Sunday August 28, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

[ Isaiah 55:1-3 | Psalm __ | Romans 8:35, 37-39 | Matthew 14:13-21 ]

[__01 ___] In the Gospel this Sunday, we read about a large crowd which has been following Jesus. And, this group is so large and numerous, that their physical hunger exceeds what the disciples have in store.

And, Jesus is asked to make an announcement… please dismiss the crowd, send home this group of over 5k people.

We read in the Gospel of Matthew, this Sunday, that the disciples ask Jesus to send away – to DISMISS – this lage crowd of over 5K (thousand) people.

[__02 ___] On the other hand, St. Paul – in our second reading from the Letter to the Romans, chapter 8 – writes that even famine – severe hunger – will not send us home…. – or as he writes – this famine will not separate us from the love of Christ. (Romans 8:__)

There is a hungry multitude of people in the Gospel, a crowd which is the earliest Christian community, the Church.

There is still a hungry multitude – and we are part of this group, this gathering. We are hungry.

[__03 ___] When we are hungry, where do we go? What is our preferred destination? Location?
And, would we prefer to be there – among others…in community ..or alone?

[__04 ___] In this encounter between the Jesus and this community, the gathering might be called off due to hunger. Hunger is the reason for them to be sent home, dismissed as individuals or as small units/groups.

In this miracle, the Lord invites his disciples and the crowd to stay with him.
At first the disciples are anxious about this; we are burning precious calories, becoming more hungry, empty.

The fear of the disciples: there will not be enough to go around.

[__05 ___] From time to time, we may come to the Lord in prayer, hoping for a dismissal. At the least, at 3 or 4 or 5 in the afternoon, do we not sometimes, pray for our work day – or school day – to be over? Or, in the second half of a game that is going on and on, don’t we pray for the whistle or final buzzer?
We too are hungry. Hunger makes us want to separate… to be dismissed.

[__06___] On the other hand, we may also pray that others will be dismissed.
that is, please, Lord, dismiss from my life the person whose …
• Needs exceed what I can give
• Whom I do not understand
• Who insults me and persecutes me and utters every kind of slander against me.
Dismissal, at times, EQUALS satisfaction.

Jesus invites, however, to stay for a different type of satisfaction.

He does not want us to isolate ourselves due to fear or hunger…or even the
sinfulness of ourselves or others.

Do we want to be sent home?

The Good News is that the Lord invites us to sit on the grass – that as in Psalm 23 – he leads us to green pastures where he gives us repose.
Jesus invites us to stay with him.

[__08___] And, he multiplies the food we have, the talents we have, the intelligence we have…the love and charity we have – for our good and that of the whole community, the whole Church, for all 5 thousand, for you and me.

[__fin ___]