The following homily offered at Sunday Mass at St. Aloysius Parish, Jersey City, NJ. I visited there to share information about our NJCU/Catholic campus ministry about 1 miles from St. Aloysius.
READINGS, 2013-04-14: [Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 | Psalm 30 | Revelation 5:11-14 | John 21:1-19]
HOMILY: [__01] Stretch out your hands. Follow me.
In this Gospel, Peter
the Apostle was told by Jesus to stretch.
Peter is told about the importance of stretching.
This is for spiritual
– rather than physical – conditioning.
Jesus says to Peter: “when
you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out
your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where
you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of
death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow
me.”” (John 21:18-19)
Stretch out your
hands. Follow me.
[__02] I am Father Jim Ferry, a visitor to St.
Aloysius for Sunday Mass today.
I am a Catholic
chaplain at New Jersey City University.
On this college campus – at N.J.C.U. -
I am a “parish priest” to the students, the faculty, the staff as my
“parishioners.”
This “parish” exists,
as you know, between the borders of Kennedy Boulevard and West Side Avenue,
between Audubon and Culver.
I serve NJCU as part
of a team sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark, Campus Ministry Division.
This team includes my
associate and colleague, Cody Carter, as Catholic campus minister and me as
chaplain. Cody is with me today; and we will be at the doors of the church
after Mass with information and some free books about our Catholic faith and
about evangelization.
By the way, we come
here today not for any fundraising or donation. We only ask that you stretch out your hands
to pray for us and our effort to reach students with spiritual and social
events.
[__03] For example, on campus, the day before Ash
Wednesday, we held a Mardi Gras (Carnival) with music, dancing, cuisine, and
decorations/photos of Carnival and Mardi Gras from around the world.
So, both our “feast”
of Mardi Gras/Carnival – with its religious origins…and our “fast” of Ash Wednesday Mass. These were held
in the center of campus, in the Gilligan Student Union Building.
The university
provides excellent facilities and space for the purpose of the Mass at Tuesday
12:00 Noon and other gatherings.
Last week, a lunchtime
presentation and discussion on the history of the Papal Conclave, and the
election of Pope Francis was held, also in the Student Union in which we have a
chaplain’s office on the 3rd floor.
We offer the Catholic
sacraments on campus.
[__04] Perhaps you are an NJCU student or you know
someone there, a friend, family member, neighbor.
Regarding NJCU, we can
give you our names, email addresses, telephone numbers after Mass.
Regarding other
campuses, we can also provide information, served by the Archdiocese of Newark,
here in northeast New Jersey. This would
include Rutgers University in Newark and other campuses.
Please help us stretch
out our hands.
I am grateful to
Father Joe D’Amico, pastor, for his welcome to St. Al’s.
Our goal at NJCU is to
build up a community of students for social and spiritual events, for all
students – resident or commuter – full time or part time – day or evening.
As you know, at a
Catholic university, the institution itself takes responsibility for Catholic
identity and the celebration of Mass and the sacraments. For
example, St. Peter’s University and Seton Hall would take responsibility in
this way.
But, at
institutions such as Rutgers or NJCU,
the university simply welcome the archdiocese to serve and carry on the faith …
for us to take on this responsibility.
[__05] “Stretch
out your hands. Follow me.”
Isn’t it true that a
college student is being stretched – academically / mentally – every day?
For example, the college
curriculum does not simply ask us to read and memorize but also to respond and
make comments. As college students, we
were – or we would be– asked to
contribute.
On a desk at the
library or a desk in the classroom, this could mean stretching out ..our books,
our notes… This calls us to
·
DILIGENCE
-- Careful review and study of difficult material
·
HUMILITY
– to ask a question out loud. Perhaps, asking a question, raising/stretching
our hand in class.
·
GENEROSITY
– to help a classmate or someone in need.
[__06] Stretch out your hands.
In our faith and
Catholic practice, we are called to stretch in terms of
repentance,
reconciliation, forgiveness.
We do not have to read
Shakespeare or or Sociology to be “tested”. You and I are tested every day off
campus and on campus.
Are we not “tested” to
give generously to our families, to share our time, to be patient with those
who do not love us perfectly?
Are we not “tested” to
be generous to our children whose behavior might provoke us …or cause
frustration?
Are we not tested to
obey our parents whose rules we not always understand?
We are tested when we
repent of our sins. But, we can
“complete” this test simply by admitting our faults when we go to confession.
In this, the examination – the examination of conscience - is
complete.
[__07] Our Savior also asks us to forgive others.
This is also a difficult exercise.
We pray the Our Father
– “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
We are also called to
forgive the person from whom we do not receive a sincere apology. Such
reconciliation, though difficult, is a blessing. It is way for us to be free from bitterness,
darkness and to find the bright light, the bright sun of Easter morning outside
the tomb.
Such stretching leads
to peace, with God’s help.
[__08] Our
faith journey calls us to open our hands and hearts.
As we know, Peter the
Apostle is told to stretch out his hands. And, he is asked “Do you love me?” three
times.
And, this is a parallel
to Peter’s three denials. On the night before the crucifixion, Peter does not
stretch out his hands.
He avoids, keeping his
hands in his pockets, three times.
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