5th Sunday OT, C February 6, 2022
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
“From now on you will be catching men.” This sums up the mission of the Church: to draw men and women to Jesus Christ. Evangelization is at the heart of the Church’s very identity. But what is evangelization? Is it about the number of people at Church on Sunday? Of course not.
Peter is already in the boat with Jesus. He has heard him before and listens to his preaching. But Peter is not yet truly evangelized, not yet truly caught by Jesus. It is only after Peter makes an act of faith and obedience and after he makes a genuine act of repentance – “I am a sinful man!” – that he truly belongs to Christ.
The same is true still today. For us, it means just showing up is not enough. There must be real conversion, lively faith, and obedience. For those we are trying to evangelize, it means not settling for their mere presence. It means not confusing their approval of us with success.
This is bound up with what we focused on last week. Jesus proclaims the truth even when it angers people. He would rather risk rejection for the sake of genuine conversion than settle for higher numbers or for superficial approval and cooperation.
That’s why the Church insists on publicly proclaiming things the world rejects. Do you remember that list of things from last week, those doctrines I listed that might make people angry? The reality is that, if someone comes to Mass but rejects those teachings, they aren’t fully evangelized. Yes, of course there is a time and a place and way to broach certain subjects. Of course it can be helpful to start with things easier to understand and accept, but all too often the “take it slow” approach turns into “never talk about the hard stuff.”
But there was one thing in that list that’s a little different, a little less serious. It’s one that I want to use as an example of my broader point about authentic conversion. That thing was the last one: singing at Mass. I know some people don’t like my decision to sing certain things. I know that some people have even switched parishes over it. I could imagine someone saying “if Father Albert wants to be a fisher of men, he should stop pushing people away with his insistence on singing.” If this were all just my own personal agenda, they would have a point.
So, I want to address that. Perhaps I went too quickly, but I did try to explain why I’ve done things this way. Perhaps it was missed or misunderstood, so I bring this up not necessarily to fuss about it, but to give one last explanation and encouragement. This homily and this week’s bulletin article will try to do that. After this, I don’t intend to keep harping on it. Nor do I plan to go back on what I’ve begun.
Put simply, there are two reasons I sing at Sunday Mass: obedience and sanctification. The Church tells me I should and I genuinely believe it is spiritually beneficial to you to push you to sing certain things. As a priest, I publicly swore to uphold the Church’s teaching and to obey the disciplines of the Church. That includes the Bishop’s orders, canon law, and liturgical rules. Those rules pretty strongly indicate the necessity of singing, especially on Sundays and major feasts. It also tells us what to prioritize for singing. I’ve outlined some of that in the bulletin if you want to see what I’m talking about. The gist of it is that some things are meant to be sung.
For example, think about happy birthday. “Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear whoever.” Now try just saying it. “Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear whoever.” Something’s not right, is it? It just should be sung. The same goes for some things at Mass. Things like the Gloria and Holy, Holy, which are taken directly from what angels sing in Scripture.
Consider the readings for today. Isaiah the prophet sees the angels in heaven and guess what they’re doing? Singing the holy, holy, holy – that same thing we sing at Mass. Our psalm proclaims “In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises Lord.” Heaven is filled with music, with singing. I’m not saying that refusing to sing will send you to Hell – that’s a bit strong – but I am saying that if you won’t sing now that will have to change before you get to heaven where everyone does sing.
More importantly, I believe it is spiritually good for you to be pushed to sing, even if that annoys you… even if that means some people will simply leave. While there are animals who make sounds that we call music, it’s not the same thing as human singing. Birds communicate via their whistles and calls. Human beings can communicate simply by speaking. When we choose to sing, we are choosing to add something to what we’re saying.
Love is an act of the will, a choice. When we speak, we are choosing to express something – hopefully love. When we sing, we are making one choice to express something but also an additional choice to embellish that expression. Singing takes extra effort so it expresses things more strongly. This is the reason St. Augustine says “singing is for one who loves” and why there is the old proverb that “he who sings, prays twice.” There’s also the reality that, when singing, it is much harder to think about something else. When you really sing, it’s a lot harder to get distracted from what you’re saying.
You being at Mass is great. A joy! Truly, I want to see this Church full again and I am working on making it happen. Yet, simply being in the boat is not enough for Peter. All the time Christ challenges me: “being a priest in a parish is not enough, you need to trust me, to obey me, to put out into the deep.” Pray that I can heed this. Yet, I believe I speak with Him when I say to you that just being here is not enough. Peter worked all night, relying on his own thinking and talent, but he caught nothing. It was an act of faith, an act of obedience that brought genuine conversion, that moved him to greater love. Put out into the deep. Pay closer attention to the liturgy. Respond with conscious thought. Sing, even if it’s uncomfortable. And if you absolutely refuse to sing, at least say the response and say it like you mean it. Something is better than nothing, though I am inviting you to more than the minimum.
Is this the most important thing? No. But it is the way to practice the most important thing: love. In the end, that’s what it means to be evangelized, it is to grow in love because that what God wants from you most: your love. Not an abstract vague feeling, but consciously, actively lived out in thought, word, deed, and yes, in song.