Homily: Fr. Rodney Thibault, August 27, 2006
Third Anniversary of Dedication of new Corpus Christi Church

Three years ago, under bright blue skies and a gentle breeze, 1600 people gathered on the grounds of the Quaker Meetinghouse Road campus to dedicate, to the greater glory of God, the new Corpus Christi Church. Personally having had a part in that celebration, I remember that particular day as a highlight in my own priesthood. Today, we celebrate or commemorate that historic day in the life of our parish. Why do I call it historic? My sisters and brothers, the answer can be found in the second reading that was selected for this anniversary. Paul addresses the community at Corinth in words that were meant to catch their attention. Much division, much confusion plagued that early community. They saw themselves as very much divided and had very little in common. Paul realizes this division and wants to bring them back to reality, he writes to them, “You are God’s Building,” and later on in the same letter he clarifies what this means when he writes, “For the Temple of God, which you are, is Holy.” On August 31, 2003, a community of faith that can sometimes seem to be divided, was brought together and we were able to recognize in one another, holiness. What a blessed occasion for our parish community. Not just Corpus Christi Church, but for our entire community, a community made up of 2, 953 families who worship at two unique and special places: Corpus Christi Church and St. Theresa Chapel. What I would like to accomplish this weekend, by preaching at all six weekend Masses, is to help us all keep first and foremost, the wider mission of our parish, something that can sometimes get forgotten or overlooked.

In today’s Gospel, we encounter a man named Zacchaeus. Now, this Gospel wasn’t chosen because Zacchaeus, like yours truly, was a man, “short in stature.” It was chosen because Zacchaeus does something unique, something special, that brought him closer to the Lord. “Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.” No where in this section of Luke’s Gospel is it recounted why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. We could posit that he might have wanted to see him work a miracle or some other act for which he was famous. The Gospel simply conveys that he wants to see Jesus. As I was reflecting on the reading bit more this past week, I thought about something else: because of his status as a “sinful man,” was this man also attempting to hide from Jesus? The townsfolk in that village knew who Zacchaeus was and most probably despised him, but he climbs a tree in order to see our Lord. Being chief tax collector, he could have easily parted the crowd. I think that there was also a certain level of fear in Zacchaeus. I don’t think that Zacchaeus realized that he, too, had the potential to be holy; Zacchaeus was incapable of grasping the words of St. Paul in the Corinthians reading that we heard reminding us that we are God’s building. My friends, if we are God’s building, how do we recognize our own holiness? More importantly how do we recognize the holiness inherent in one another? On August 31, 2003, 1600 people gathered to recognize holiness. To recognize what the mission of the church is all about. We were able to do it on that special day, are we able to do it today? Are we taking care of one another? Are we running up a tree to see Jesus or are we hiding from him? Are we scared to see his face? We have the capability of seeing Jesus and we don’t even need to climb a tree! We can see him in this community of faith. We can see him in the eyes of our children who come to learn our faith and heritage as Catholic Christians. We can see him when we defend the rights of the most innocent in society, the unborn and marginalized, and we can see him when we make certain that we don’t judge someone because of their race or economic background. We can even see his face when we challenge our lawmakers who enact unjust laws and penalties and close our borders to those who seek refuge here among us because the are able to see the face of Christ here in this community. They are able to see the face of Christ in you and me.

Brothers and sisters, Corpus Christi Parish is a Living Temple where God can be found. We do not need to run up a high tree to see him; he is very visible by our actions. God’s Temple: that is what we are! How do we take care of God’s Building where he dwells? First and foremost we allow the Lord to nourish us with His Body and Blood. There is also a second level to this Temple, that’s the part that is brick, mortar and stone. That’s the part that needs financial assistance. On Monday morning, the annual collection letter will be mailed to all registered families. I urge you to carefully read the letter and encourage other parishioners who don’t come to worship regularly to do the same. Please do not throw it in the trash can at the post office. The letter is a cry, a plea for help. Some of the financial statistics might be somewhat surprising and alarming at the same time. Everyone in the parish is receiving the same letter this year. There will not be a second letter mailed to remind you of the annual collection. I, as well as the office staff and the Finance Council are seeking ways to scale back on all expenses. Spiritually, we are strong, we are stable; financially, we are hurting. Please take 3 minutes and read the letter and look at the numbers. My friends, this is a crucial time: we can’t afford to run up a tree and hide from reality. I don’t mean to put a damper on such a special occasion in the life of our parish but I am strong in my belief that I need to be forthright and candid with you. In the past fiscal year alone, the yearly income with regards to collections when tallied is an increase of $1,054. That is an increase of just about $20 per week and at this rate we will not be able to continue paying our bills. I am well aware of the rising cost of everything! Each household has seen increases and no one is getting raises at work. Let us work together to find a solution to help our situation.

OK! That was the first time I have ever mentioned money in a homily and frankly, I did not really enjoy it. We now return our attention to our own holiness and ask the Lord on this special occasion to strengthen each of us so that we can recognize, not the goodness or holiness that each of us possesses but we pray that we will be able to see the same in those around us. Today, we are not running up a tree like Zacchaeus to see Jesus. No, he has called us each by name to this Eucharistic celebration as his personally invited guests. My friends, let us continue building up the Body of Christ.
Happy Anniversary!

Fr. Rodney Thibault