Going Public (2011-02-12)

This is my homily for Sunday 12 February 2012. I am a Catholic chaplain in Teaneck at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. We celebrate Catholic Mass - during Fall and Spring semester - every Sunday Evening (7:30 p.m.) at the Interfaith Chapel, 842 River Road, Teaneck, NJ.

[_00_] In the Gospel, we read about a leper who goes on to make public the healing which he experiences. (cf. Mark 1:40-45)

And, St. Paul writes about “going public”, his experience as a missionary, as a preacher, as a teacher, the experience of “going public.”

In 1st Corinthians, we read: “I did not seek my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1) Paul is a public witness.

So, by seeking the benefit of the many, we are, in a sense, going public.

[_01_] In what ways do people go public or are we called to “go public”?
Certain financial benefits – and profits – accrue to corporations and executives who go public. For example, in Silicon Valley and California, Mark Zuckerberg would be happy to make you his friend on Facebook and sell you some shares in his company.

These are corporate actions of going public, which are determined by the readiness of the buyers and sellers, supply and demand. When is the ideal time to sell?
Maybe, we should keep things quiet, private for a while …

[_02_] St. Paul is reminding us that we are called to be public believers, perhaps, and, sometimes at -- inconvenient times or -- in uncomfortable situations.

St. Paul also reminds us that it is by the virtue of love - by loving the many – that we are truly made known.

Paul writes that when the virtue of love grows, then we are truly known. In other words, we do not see each other through a glass darkly – or in a mirror – but we see each other face to face, publicly. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:10-13)

[_03_] Recently, in the news, the Catholic bishops have been in the news and there has been a conflict with the White House Administration.

This is an example in which we are trying to make our faith public. We also believe we are doing this for the benefit of the many, even those who are not necessarily Catholic.

We are believe we are on the side of religious liberty and the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Of course, there are people who do not have health insurance in our country.

There are people in poor health who lack basic medical care. We are called to pray for the many.

To pray for the many who have benefited from the new health care legislation, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed by President Obama. But, at the same time, our faith invites us to speak about our own virtues and practices.

We pray that there will be reconciliation and peace, not only for Catholics but for all.

[_04_] Paul reminds us that we are truly known when we love each other.

To love another person is not simply a private matter.

In our profession of faith in one Body, one Body of Christ, one Body the Church and one body made possible in marriage, we believe that all of these are essentially public.

Love always involves the total gift of oneself, not just on Valentine’s Day but every day.

CCC 1643 (paraphrased)  Love involves a totality, in which all of the elements of a person enter in, including the appeal or appearance of one’s own person, the instinct, power of emotion, and the aspirations and hopes that we have.

To love the other means we say – “I want what you want.” And, there is surrender that goes on, especially in marriage.

Love is a testimony to the Gospel.

We are witnesses in the way that we love.

We believe also in the special relation and intimacy in marriage when the parties are committed to each other.

And, love is a testimony to the Gospel, a testimony to the desire to know and be known, and it is the ultimate act of going public.