SHARE YOUR BREAD WITH THE HUNGRY
DEACON KEVIN REID
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
I am sure that by now that almost all of us here, have either heard of, or have likely used Facebook.
You know it's kind of funny, it is at times one of the best, and at the same time one of the worst examples of the power of SOCIAL MEDIA. Which is truly an unforeseen force of modern society.
Sometimes people will say and show great sense of apathy, patriotism, love, concern, or fun.
Sadly at other times, hate, prejudices of all sorts, bullying, alienation and fear mongering can often seem to fill the site.
We are now in uncharted waters, we are sailing with out a compass, with out charts. We have entered a new era in communications or lack there of.
Think about it, e-mails have replaced mail. E-Cards have replaced greeting cards. we find our perfect mate on line. We read books by sliding our finger across our screens. And hardly any kids first job is being a paper boy or girl now.
Think back and try to remember TV, before Reality TV we had lived sometimes vicariously through the stars and the shows.
The mystery of who it was that shot JR was on everyone's mind. Now days we live in an age of instant gratification, anyone and everyone that wants to, can Tweet out photos in REAL time, reporters have been replaced by bloggers, and we cant pull ourselves away from it all, like a car wreck on the highway we just cant seem to help ourselves.
We just keep staring at these little boxes, {pause} and pull out your phone.
This scenario that I just described and reenacted happens every where you look these days, my wife who is a high school teacher tells me it is an everyday experience with her students, AS SOON AS THEY LEAVE CLASS.
A priest friend of mine once joked with on Facebook of all places; WITH A PHOTO OF A CROWD OF PEOPLE ALL STARING T THEIR PHONES LIKE THEY WERE IN A TRANCE that it might just be the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse. This constant staring at these boxes, and he is right in a sense.
Are we ourselves possibly, living in Darkness by spending so much time with our faces turned to the small screen, that we perhaps are missing the big picture.
In the first reading today the Lord God speaking through his prophet Isaiah tells us that we cant turn our backs on our own.
Well we sure can if we don't ever look up from our phones. Good friends none of us consciously turn our backs on the hungry, but many never SEE THE HUNGRY, they become invisible, we become used to their ever present images.
We tune them out, because we do not see in them the pain that they are living in, so we don't SEE or feel what is all around us. We live in a world where we have been somehow de-conditioned to touch what Christ teaches us to reach for.
Just about 6.2 miles away from this church there are people who wander the streets of Baltimore their belongings often being carried or pushed along with them.
You might ask your self; what are they looking for ? Or perhaps, you wonder why do they wander ?
But most likely we don't usually even notice them. Isaiah says we need to remove from our midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech.
Friends this past week on Facebook, there was a post in the Catholic Review showing a photo of Bishop Madden, testifying in Annapolis he said and I quote "We speak on behalf of those who have come to us for food,
clothing and shelter"
The comments that followed this post and photo of our Vicar Bishop included,
"That is why people lean away from religion. they keep backing the wrong horse".
And another said that all priests and bishops etc. should be required to read 'Basic Economics' by Thomas Sowell before deciding to comment on economic issues.
Last week we learned that Jesus came to bring light to those who were living in Darkness, I guess he never read 'Basic Economics' either, maybe if he had read it as the commenter had suggested he would not of come.
Friends in today's reading this week we are being challenged to bring our LIGHT to THOSE WHO ARE LIVING IN DARKNESS.
We are challenged on all fronts, to be there for our families, our jobs, for our church, for each other. To be the SALT of life to a world that seems like it has at times lost it's taste of what it means to be human.
Being fully Human, fully present to God and to our community is the essence of our living out our Catholic Identity.
So now we are back to our Gospel Reading,
Matthew tells us that Jesus said do not to hide hide our lights from shining forth, so as we approach the Lenten Season and we think about what we will possibly do, or not do.
Think of this challenge, OUR TO DO ITEM :To let our light shine, to others especially to those who that we SEE are in Need.
ON OUR NOT TO DO LIST: TO RESIST THE URGE TO STARE AT THESE LITTLE SCREENS {PAUSE AND LOOK AT PHONE} SO THAT WE CAN SEE OUR TO DO LIST.
Jesus said a city set upon a mountain can not be hidden, this Chuch is set upon a mountain of sorts here in Towson.
So therefore today after we have received the Word of God in our Hearts, and our bodies have been strengthened by his SACRED body and blood LET US GO FORTH PROCLAIMING AND LIVING THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD.
