EXCERPT: …..“Francis, rebuild my house!” This appeal to the young povorello of Assisi is now being addressed to each of us. “Rebuild my house!”
St. Francis led the way for the entire Church to come back to Christ, by following him in minute detail, he who was chaste, who obeyed God unto death on a Cross, who was so poor he didn’t even have a pillow to lay his head. St. Francis’ enthusiastic following of the Lord, his own example of holiness, led to a tremendous rebirth in the Church as a whole, as people desired holiness once again and saw that it was possible.
This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We’re called to be saints and how urgently our society here needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church again. You’re part of the solution, a crucial part of the solution. This scandal can be something that can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide, or it can be something that can inspire you to say, finally, “I want to become a saint, I want to follow you all the way, Jesus, I want to become fully who you created me to be.”
Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He’s still in the boat, telling us to be not afraid, to trust in him, to put out into the deep water with him and lower our nets for a catch. Just as out of Judas’ betrayal, he achieved the greatest victory in world history, our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection, so out of this he may bring, and wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the 21st century, with each of us — and that includes YOU — playing a starring role. Now’s the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now’s the time for saints. How do you respond?
“Rebuild My Church!” – Do We Have a Modern Day St. Francis?
“Looking at the Crisis with Catholic Faith”, Fr. Roger J. Landry, Sacramento, California, December 10, 2003
EXCERPT: …..“Francis, rebuild my house!” This appeal to the young povorello of Assisi is now being addressed to each of us. “Rebuild my house!”
St. Francis led the way for the entire Church to come back to Christ, by following him in minute detail, he who was chaste, who obeyed God unto death on a Cross, who was so poor he didn’t even have a pillow to lay his head. St. Francis’ enthusiastic following of the Lord, his own example of holiness, led to a tremendous rebirth in the Church as a whole, as people desired holiness once again and saw that it was possible.
This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We’re called to be saints and how urgently our society here needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church again. You’re part of the solution, a crucial part of the solution. This scandal can be something that can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide, or it can be something that can inspire you to say, finally, “I want to become a saint, I want to follow you all the way, Jesus, I want to become fully who you created me to be.”
Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He’s still in the boat, telling us to be not afraid, to trust in him, to put out into the deep water with him and lower our nets for a catch. Just as out of Judas’ betrayal, he achieved the greatest victory in world history, our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection, so out of this he may bring, and wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the 21st century, with each of us — and that includes YOU — playing a starring role. Now’s the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now’s the time for saints. How do you respond?
Entire Homily found at:
http://www.catholicpreaching.com/content/docs/Rebuildmychurch1.pdf