You
know what all stories have… an end, a beginning and a middle? Is that right? [Get them to give usual order for a story] Well, today, that’s how our readings go. They go together to tell a story, but first
we heard [lector] tell us the end, then I just read the beginning, and now it’s
up to us to do the middle. If that
sounds complicated, I’ll explain it all again slowly, but then I’ll need your
help to do the middle, OK?
The
reading that [lector] read: that’s the end of our story. It tells of the very last thing that will
ever happen. It tells us that God will
build us a new heaven and new earth and a new city, and that God invites us to live
in God’s house, live with God. We heard
that God will wipe away every tear. The
God who built this whole new earth, heaven, city and house, will crouch down,
will gather us in his arms and tenderly wipe the tears from our eyes. That’s the end of the story! That’s what will happen. Future.
Now, I’m
going to remind you of the beginning.
The beginning is what I read from the ambo [point], and it’s about what
happened when Jesus walked the earth.
That story tells us about a man named Zacchaeus, who wasn’t popular, in
fact he had no friends, and the story doesn’t tell us if he was good or bad (he
was probably a little of each), but it does tell us he wanted to see Jesus so
much he climbed a tree to see him over the crowd! To want to see Jesus… that is the best wish
you can ever make. And Jesus sought him
out. He was lost, he was all alone in
the world, and Jesus sought him out and said, “Zacchaeus, I want to stay in
your house.” And then he makes it
clearer: salvation has come to stay in this house. Jesus is our Savior, Jesus is God. The beginning of the story is Jesus coming to
us, coming to stay in the houses of the people who desired him. That happened. The end of the story is God taking all his
friends to live in his house forever.
That will happen.
And
here we are: We’re in the middle. We’re
in the age of the Church. And this is
where I need your help. Whose house is
this? [God’s] Today, we celebrate the dedication of a very
special Church called St. John Lateran and all Catholics should celebrate this
Church, because it’s the Pope’s own church, and he’s the Pope of all us, so it’s
all of our church. But, it’s kind of far
away (it’s in Rome), so it’s also a day to celebrate this church and all
churches. Now, there are lots of things
in this church that are very important, but I’m thinking of one in
particular. I wonder if anyone can guess
it. […Doors] That’s right, today, I’m celebrating our
doors. Because it’s through the doors
that you come in. As you walk through
that door, especially if you touch it and help hold it for someone, you’re
saying “yes,” you’re saying that you want to see Jesus, you’re saying you want
to live forever in God’s house. A church
with no doors, or with doors that were always locked wouldn’t be much of a
church! But what I think is even more
important than that: you go out through the doors. You’re sent out, having received Jesus,
having been changed just as the bread and wine and changed into the Body and
Blood of Christ. You’re sent out so that
wherever you go, you are bringing Jesus with you. Go out to all the world and tell the Good
News! Through you, Jesus can
enter every house, salvation can come to every house, so that everyone can live
with God forever. Come in, become what
you receive, and go out bringing Christ to the world. That’s the church we celebrate, the church
with open doors!
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