Homily: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Gallup

 January 5 - 6, 2008:

Upon you the Lord shines

"See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the people; but upon you the Lord shines." Is 60:2

Thick clouds and darkness cover our hearts when we or someone we love is seriously ill. Bishop Pelotte and this local Church of Gallup have faced months of painful unknowns since his serious injuries last summer. Questions have risen in our minds: what are we to make of this? Where is God in the midst of it?

Out of fraternal love for Bishop Pelotte and for all of you at Sacred Heart Cathedral and throughout this beloved Diocese, I wanted to be present for this Mass and at the Mass tomorrow at 11 a.m. as I begin my pastoral service among you as Apostolic Administrator. I am grateful for the opportunity to pray together, to manifest my loving solidarity with you, and to ponder with you the inspired Word of God.

I want to take this opportunity, too, to express my heartfelt thanks to the priests and people of the Diocese of Gallup for welcoming so warmly as a brother in Christ and a spiritual father in faith. I am especially grateful to the staff of the Pastoral Center and the Cathedral, especially, Father Larry O’Keefe, Father James Walker, Deacon Jim Hoy and Deacon Timo Lujan.

Let us pray at this Mass with compassion and hope, remembering the words of St. Paul (Rom 8:28), "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God." "All things", including painful things and disappointments, confusing things and the unexpected, illness and even things that are wrong—God makes all these work for the good of those who love Him.

This is not a time to lose hope. It is a time to trust the Lord and His words through the Prophet Isaiah (60:2), "See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples: but upon you the Lord shines."

This is also a time to follow the wisdom of the magi.

The magi were men without guile, men strongly dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom and truth. They knew a great deal about traveling under thick clouds and through darkness, clouds that float above the desert and clouds that darken the soul, clouds that weigh down the heart and confound the mind.

The magi were men of faith that believed that God brings light into even the darkest of circumstances. What a contrast the magi were to King Herod.

When faced with uncertainty and insecurity, King Herod’s heart was rocked with suspicions. Despite all his exterior pomp and bravado, Herod lived with the constant fear that someone was about to betray him, that disaster was just around the bend or sneaking up behind his back. Herod was a man without a center, because he was a man without faith in God. He relied only upon his own cunning and intrigues. His fears kept him awake at night and made him restless by day. In the end, because he refused to turn to God, Herod became a fear-driven man who trusted only in violence and brute force.

In total contrast to Herod, the magi were men of faith. Of course, they also had to deal with insecurities and unknowns, just as all of us do. But, unlike Herod, the magi faced their fears, not by relying on their own strength and cunning, but by reaching out to God.

Fear led Herod to murder but it led the magi to worship. It led Herod to cling ruthlessly to an earthly throne, but it led the magi to kneel down and adore. In contrast to Herod, the magi had the humility and wisdom to trust the only One who can rescue us from our fears and calm our restless hearts. Fear is a highly potent emotion. It can drive us to frenetic destruction; but it can also remind us to place all our trust and hope in God.

In his recent encyclical letter on hope, Pope Benedict XVI writes: "Man needs God, otherwise he remains without hope." Herod is tragic proof of how destructive hopelessness can be in a person who is too proud to believe in God.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, thank you for following the example of the magi when thick clouds of pain and uncertainty hover over your minds and hearts. Thank you for relying on God, for trusting in His wisdom and love. He may not quickly answer the tough questions that rise in our hearts, he may ask us to carry an especially heavy cross. But this does not mean that His love has grown cold or that He has forgotten us.

Recall how the magi used their knowledge of the stars to travel across the desert and arrive at Jerusalem. But the newborn King was not in Jerusalem. To get from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, from the mighty city to the humble manger where the Christ child lay, they had to wait in the big city until God would provide further light and guidance for the rest of their journey of faith. Ironically, God provided this through Kind Herod and the biblical scholars of Jerusalem.

The Diocese of Gallup may be poor in financial resources but it is rich in faith and hope. Look at this beautiful Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Look at the equally beautiful Sacred Heart Retreat and Conference Center. Look at the way that the Gospel of the living Jesus Christ is embraced and lived among the Navajo people, the Zunis, the Apache, the Hopis, the Acoma, the Laguna and many more.

What will happen in the Diocese of Gallup in 2008? Is this not the time for us to believe more than ever that Christ is with us and that His light shines forth and pierces the clouds? As St. John reminds us (Jn 1:4), "His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

There is no darkness strong enough to overcome the light which is Christ. Wherever Christ is present, there is radiant goodness. Wherever Christ is present, there is mercy and truth.

Today and in the days ahead, let us allow the Lord to transform our pain into compassion, our doubts into trust, our fears into love. Continue to love Bishop Pelotte. Pray for him each day and pray also for me and all our brother priests. Do not become discouraged. Recall St. Paul’s words (8:31), "If God is for us, who can be against us?"