Deacon Phúc's Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent (Year A - 3/5/2023)

Good afternoon. On this Second Sunday of Lent, we continue our homily series on the corporal works of mercy with “shelter the homeless." For those of us who are not familiar with the corporal works of mercy, they “are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise.” You might be wondering why the corporal works of mercy are so important to the mission of the Catholic Church. Who here has seen “The Chosen”? There is an exchange between Andrew and Simon (Peter) that struck me, and I think it helps us to understand the importance of the corporal works of mercy to the mission of the Church. In one of the scenes, Andrew is trying to tell his brother, Simon, about Jesus who he calls the lamb. However, Simon is under a lot of stress to catch fish to pay his debt or he would lose his fishing boat and livelihood. So Simon yells at Andrew, saying: "We don't need a lamb, we need a fish." Now, imagine someone saying, “I don’t need Jesus, I need a job. “ Or, “I don’t need Jesus, I am hungry and thirsty and I need food and drink.” Or, “I don’t need Jesus, I need a roof over my head and clothes on my back.” Or, “I don’t need Jesus, I am sick or. . , I am in prison or. . . I just lost a loved one. What can Jesus do for me?” The corporal works of mercy are important to the mission of the Church because we must show people Jesus who loves them if we hope to talk to them about Jesus who loves them.

The corporal works of mercy can be challenging; I know they are for me. The Scripture passage on the “judgment of nations”, which is the origin of the corporal works of mercy, convicts me every time I read it. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes and separates the sheep from the goats, I want to be counted among the sheep on the right and not among the goats on the left. Good thing for us, in today’s Gospel, God shows us the virtue that we need to help us overcome the challenges that might prevent us from carrying out the corporal works of mercy: it is LOVE. Present at the Transfiguration of the Lord is Elijah, who represents the prophets, messengers of God who help the people of God grow in the virtue of FAITH. Also present is Moses, who represents the law that gives us HOPE, a virtue that helps us trust in Christ’s promise of eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven if we follow God’s law and stay on the straight and narrow path and enter through the narrow gates. However, in heaven, we no longer need FAITH because we would have finished the race and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Nor do we need HOPE because our hope is in the Lord and, in heaven, we are in the presence of the Lord our God. What remains is LOVE just as the transfigured Jesus, who is the embodiment of love, remains while Elijah and Moses are gone. Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, and gives us the commandment to LOVE. Love is how we find the courage and strength to carry out the corporal works of mercy.

Now, when we hear “shelter the homeless,” we often think of providing shelter for those individuals who are living on the streets, under bridges, or camped in the woods. While that is true, I believe that homelessness is that but also so much more than that. An American writer once said, “Home is where your family is. Wherever you are, it's about the people you're surrounded by, not necessarily where you lay your head.” Moreover, back in December of 2014, Alan Graham, the founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, spoke with a group of us men in Diaconal Formation before our Street Retreat. He said something that I remember to this day. He told us that “homelessness is caused by a catastrophic loss of family.” Let us reflect on these two quotes for a moment. “Home is where your family is. . .” “Homelessness is caused by a catastrophic loss of family.” When we begin to see that “homelessness is caused by a catastrophic loss of family,” we begin to see mothers and children who are in shelters because of domestic violence, children in the foster care system, and refugees and immigrants fleeing their countries, as the homeless in need of our help. We even begin to look at our fellow Christians in the pews, who come to Mass alone, who keep to themselves, and who do not participate in parish events and activities, as someone who needs a parish family, and we look for ways to help them find a home here at Saint Albert the Great.

I want to share a story with you all. When I was 6 years old, my family and I shared an apartment with another family in New Haven, CT. While we were still new to America, we were happy because our family was together. Our family of 4 was about to grow by 1 because my mom was pregnant with my youngest brother. Unfortunately, she had complications near the end of the pregnancy. I was too young to understand but I remember that she had to be admitted into the hospital. My dad worked all day and, after he ate dinner with us, he went to the hospital to be with my mom, leaving my brother and I in the care of the family that we shared the apartment with. They were relatives so we felt safe. However, even though my brother was there with me, I missed my parents. I never felt so lonely, so abandoned in my life. I share this story because, in my own way, as a young child who often wondered if people existed when I did not see them, I experienced a sense of homelessness with mom and dad at the hospital. I think we can all agree that the desire to be part of a family, the sense of belonging, and the feeling of being home are so important to us because they make us feel secure and safe.

We heard in the first reading, from the Book of Genesis, that the “LORD said to Abram: ‘Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. . .’ Abram went as the LORD directed him.” Besides trusting that the Lord was with him every step of the way, have we ever stopped and wondered how Abram was able to make the arduous journey to a foreign land at the age of 75? I believe it was because Abram had his family with him - his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, along with their servants. Moreover, in the Gospel, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Not only do we have this longing in our hearts to be part of a family, to have a home but, like Peter, we also desire the same for others, that they may have shelter and feel at home, like they are part of a family. This desire to “shelter the homeless” compels us to donate of our treasures to charitable organizations - like Saint Vincent de Paul Society and Mobile Loaves and Fishes - that help the homeless, to volunteer of our time at food pantries and soup kitchens, and to pray for and minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not know when their next meal will be or where they will rest their heads for the night. This is how we can shine the light of Christ in our society. 

One of the ways that we can help our homeless brothers and sisters is to support Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Specifically, we can support the good works that Alan Graham is doing at Community First! Village over in East Travis County. “Community First! Village is a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.” During Diaconal Formation, a few of my classmates and I helped our Formation Directors bless the grounds and buildings. I later had the opportunity to lead prayer services and even organized a workday there. If you have not met this humble servant of God’s poor and marginalized, then I invite everyone to attend our Parish Lenten Mission this week. Alan Graham is leading our parish’s Lenten Mission on March 7th, 8th, and 9th, from 7:30-9:00 P.M., at the Seton Center.

I want to end with this Prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: “Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give, and not to count the cost, to fight, and not to heed the wounds, to toil, and not to seek rest, to labor, and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we are doing your will.” Amen.

Inviting all parishioners to join us in this Corporal Work of Mercy! 

As we continue our Lenten reflection on the Corporal Works of Mercy this week we're focusing on Shelter the Homeless. 

Our Social Ministry has a beautiful opportunity for us to help with  this work of mercy!

Donate to the Social Ministry “S.O.S.” project - Soap,

Socks and Snacks and then take those goodies out to those living on the streets. Social Ministry will bag the items for you, you pick them up to hand out.

Suggested items to donate: TRAVEL SIZE ONLY: soap, hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, chapstick and “kleenex” tissue

Socks-men and women sizes

Food items:  small pop-top cans of prepackaged food such as “vienna” sausage, tuna fish, cheese & crackers, soft breakfast/protein bars, "to go” size peanut butter, applesauce and fruit cups. 

Please bring these items to St. Albert and place them in the bins.

When: March 7, 8, 9 during the parish Lenten Mission with Alan Graham AND March 11-12 after all masses

Pick up the blessing bags March 18-19 to hand out to a neighbor on the streets