Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time-February 5, 2023

I was 16 years old when pope Saint John Paul II went to my native country, Colombia, on an Apostolic visit. I was one of thousands of Colombian youths who attended the Holy Father’s encounter with the youth in the stadium of Bogota. The detail of that special moment that often comes to my memory was the part of the Holy Scriptures that the Holy Father used for his reflections that evening. Every time I read or listen to today’s gospel I am transported in memory to that day.

It was the summer of 1986. I spent the four weeks’ vacation from School attending an intense Summer School for Catholic young boys discerning our place in the Church. The group of about 150 boys loved the Church so much that we were able to give up watching the World Cup that was being held in Mexico at the same time. I was glad for my group attending the Holy Father’s meeting.

In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world”. By that time, the disciples had spent just a few months with the Lord and, I would argue, the Lord’s words should have taken them by surprise. How could a group of obscure fishermen from Galilee be the leaders that would transform the world? And yet, that was the truth. They were so, thanks to divine design. By being close to the Person who is light itself, they became light as well.

The youth from Colombia heard the Holy Father addressing the same words to them. Like the disciples, many of those young people should have been surprised. Just as the Lord believed in the disciples, the Holy Father also believed in us, and knew of our potential as contemporary disciples of the Lord. It is believed that the largest number of freshmen in many years in the Seminary I attended was that of the year after John Paul II’s visit. I was one of 55 freshmen.

The Lord’s words, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world” resound everywhere this Sunday. All Christian people are so. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts makes us “salt” and “light”. This is a great privilege the Lord grants us at baptism. The privilege comes with a warning: we need to be careful not to lose the salt’s taste, not to occupy a place where the light does not shine before others.

The excerpt from the prophet Isaiah that is paired to today’s gospel tells us the concrete ways God wants us to be light of the world: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked. In other words, performing works of mercy.

Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us the grace to allow our light shine before others.

 

I would like to ask you to give me four extra minutes of your valuable time to talk about the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, BAA for short, which is currently underway in all parishes of the diocese of Raleigh.  

I heard about the BAA for the first time in 1995 when I came to the diocese as a seminarian. By then I had completed 85% of the seminary training in Colombia. When I arrived in the diocese, I was sent to a parish for one year to learn about parish ministry. A small monthly stipend was given to me. I learned it came from the BAA. After that year I was sent to the seminary in Chicago to finish the training before ordination. I could have finished the courses required in just one year. However, Seminary policies required that I should stay at least two years for the priest directors to know me and thus they may be able to recommend me for ordination. The costs of those last two years of my formation for the priesthood were covered by the BAA. Many of you who supported the BAA in 1996 and 1997 contributed to my Seminary training. Today, 25 years later, I would like to personally thank you.

The BAA is important because it is the way the Diocese of Raleigh, of which our parish is part of, funds many diocesan offices and programs that the ordinary diocese budget cannot provide for.

One important thing about the Catholic Church is that a local community is not an island. The local communities that are called parishes are part of a larger family called diocese, which in turn also forms the universal church under the guidance of the Holy Father. The success of our diocese depends on the support each parish gives to it.

A couple of weeks ago I received in the mail a letter from Bishop Zarama inviting me to participate in this year’s BAA. I believe this was also the case for many of you. This past week I mailed the envelope with the full payment of my donation. The BAA is a worthy cause. I believe in it. I trust in the leadership of our bishop.

Today I would like to invite each family of our parish to participate in this year’s BAA. Our goal is $65,240. It is about $17,000 lower than last’s year, which is a very good thing for us. I would like to encourage each family to make a sacrificial gift to the BAA this year. The diocese recommends one-time gifts to be mailed while pledges to be fulfilled in the following months to be made online.

Finally, I would like to finish reminding you that the BAA is not simply a collection of funds but especially a spiritual practice. What is behind all this effort is the fulfilment of the Lord’s invitation to spread the gospel, help the needy, and offer the worship due to almighty God.  In a word, the BAA allows the faithful Catholics of the diocese to be salt of the earth and light of the world in Eastern North Carolina.

Thank you so much for your attention and for your continued generosity toward our parish and our diocese.