Homily for Mass @ CHS – St. Januarius September 19, 2019
Fr. Albert Catholic High, New Iberia
Earlier today in Naples, Italy, the Archbishop went into the Cathedral, reached into a sacred shrine and took out a container with something very special inside. It is the blood of someone who died a long time ago and it is blood that performs miracles. The blood of St. Januarius, who died as a martyr 1700 years ago, is kept in a glass container in the Naples Cathedral. This blood, long since dried out after it was first shed, had turned back to its liquid form. Seeing this, the Archbishop held up the glass container, rotating it so everyone could see it slosh around. The congregation erupted in praise and prayer, once again rejoicing in God’s love and the powerful prayers of the saints.
And you what’s so weird about that whole ritual? That, to the people who know about it, it’s not weird at all. In fact, it’s happened pretty consistently for 400 years on September 19, December 16, and the first Saturday in May. Sometimes it doesn’t liquefy – like one year before a disastrous volcanic eruption, and sometimes it liquefies on other days – like one time when the Pope visited. Sometimes it happens immediately, sometimes it takes hours. Sometimes it all liquefies, sometimes it only partially liquefies. Scientists have tested its weight, it’s response to light, and the effects of heat and cold. Even though some claim they found a way to fake the same kind of thing, no one can make it happen in the same way or explain why it varies so much. It seems like a miracle, although it’s kind of a weird miracle.
But why not? I mean, God does all sorts of weird stuff, right? Just look at what happened in the Gospel. A woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. I asked last year if anyone would kiss my feet like she did for Jesus, but y’all were pretty quick to refuse. Because it is weird. Yet it doesn’t even bother Jesus.
This is the same Jesus who sticks his finger in a stranger’s ear to make him hear. The same Jesus who uses his spit to make mud and cure someone who was blind. The same Jesus who tells Peter to pay taxes with money he found in a fish’s mouth. So why is Jesus so weird?
He isn’t. He just seems that way to us because we don’t see what he sees. It looks weird to us, but not to the God of the universe. I’m grateful. Because you know what else seems weird to human beings? Paying off someone else’s debt. Dying for someone who doesn’t like you. Would you give away all of your money to pay off the credit card debt of some irresponsible stranger? Would you die to save the life of someone who said they hated you? Maybe since you grew up a Christian, that doesn’t sound too weird, but think about it; Throwing away all of your money and your very life for someone you don’t even know? Weird.
But that’s what Jesus did when he died on the Cross. Sin put us in debt. That debt had to be paid back with love. But we are terrible at love. We don’t have enough. But Jesus has plenty. The Cross of Jesus doesn’t save us because Jesus paid back our suffering. The Cross was simply proof that Jesus’ love doesn’t stop even when we torture and kill him. While he was on the cross, he did something very weird. He asked God to forgive the people who were still killing him. Compared to that, forgiving the sins of some strange woman crying all over your feet ain’t that weird.
So, what’s the point? The point is that we are saved by the weirdness of God. We are saved from our sins by the fact that God is willing to do things for us when we don’t understand, when we don’t want it, when we try to reject it because it seems weird to us. And that is an important lesson for us in a few ways.
First, it means we shouldn’t be so quick to make fun of someone who seems weird. Maybe they really are weird and that’s something they gotta work on. But! Maybe it’s just that they see something you don’t… that they seem weird to you because you’re the one missing the point.
Secondly, it means that, even if you are weird, God still wants to save you. Think of the weirdest person in your life. Jesus Christ died for that person. He would have died if that was the only person in the world. Now think of the weirdest thing you’ve ever said or done. God heard you. He saw you. Yet, he still loves you. He told me so last night and again this morning.
Third and finally, we need to have faith in God’s weirdness if we’re going to make it to heaven. Our entire Christian life is a journey from ignorance to understanding, from sin to holiness, from selfishness to love. That journey leads us over a lot of hills and around a lot of corners we’ll never get past if we insist on never doing anything “weird.” Jesus only says two things to the weird crying woman: “Your sins are forgiven” and “your faith has saved you.” Those two things are related. Jesus has already died for your sins, but he can’t save you unless you have faith. He can’t save you unless your faith is strong enough to make you do “weird” things. Weird things like avoiding certain kinds of parties and videos and other “normal” things because they’re sinful. Weird things like telling your sins to a priest. Weird things like venerating the relics of saints – their bodies and clothing after they die. And weirdest of all, eating bread that you know is actually God’s body and blood.
Earlier today in Naples, Italy, the Archbishop went into the Cathedral, reached into a sacred shrine and took out a container with something very special inside. It is the blood of someone who died a long time ago and it is blood that performs miracles. No, not St. Januarius. It is the blood of Christ hidden in the Eucharist. Even if the miracle of the blood of St. Januarius is some brilliant 400-year fake, the miracle of the blood of Christ definitely isn’t. And the miracle is that, if you’re weird enough to believe it, it will save your soul.