By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily during a Mass the evening of Feb. 15 at St. Timothy with members of the Nueva Jerusal�n community, which was marking its 30th anniversary in the archdiocese.Recently, Pope Francis published his first Apostolic Exhortation entitled, Evangelii Gaudium, the Joy of the Gospel. In it, he lamented that too many Christians are "sourpusses". As Saint Francis de Sales observed, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Is the Gospel we preach sweet like honey? Or is it bitter like vinegar?
This something we must consider in light of the Scripture readings today. Jesus tells us that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In the New Testament, not only will murder remain a sin but also angry thoughts; not only will adultery be condemned but also lustful desires that we entertain in our hearts. Today, some look to Pope Francis to change some of the teachings of the Church, teachings that are increasingly unpopular because they go against the spirit of the times. And so we see much publicity given to polls saying that some Catholics want the Church to change its teachings about marriage as being not merely about the feelings of two consenting adults but rather about the future and the conditions necessary for human flourishing � in other words, about children who are best raised by a mother and father who are married to each other in a permanent and exclusive relationship. Some want the Church to change its teachings about contraception, about abortion and about any number of other things.
To all those who expect the pope to make such changes, I remind them that the Pope is still Catholic. As Catholics, whether we are the pope or just somebody sitting in the pews, our role is not to change the Gospel, but to allow the Gospel to change us.
Of course, the Holy Father has changed the tone � and rightly so. The Church, and the Gospel, is not primarily about a bunch of "nos". He has justly criticized those who seem obsessed about some of these "nos", obsessed to the point that they seem like sourpusses, full of vinegar and not honey.
As the bishops of Latin America said in Aparecida in May 2007, "to be a Christian is not a burden but a gift and to know Jesus Christ is our joy.�
The commandments are not burdens. Yes, they require us to say "no" to many things � to anger, to lust, to envy, to selfishness. And because we are people whose will has been weakened and whose intellect has been darkened because of human fragility and sin, saying "no" can be difficult. Vice enslaves, but virtue makes us free. The commandments are a school of virtue; before they are a "no" they are a great "yes", a yes to life, to solidarity, to truth.
Obeying the commandments does not limit or restrict our freedom. Obeying the commandments makes true freedom possible. For freedom isn't license � we do not show that we are free by doing as we please but by doing what we ought.
Pope Francis wants us to remember that the joy of the Gospel is found in that "yes" we have given to Jesus Christ. To be friends with Jesus is a great gift, knowing him is our greatest joy � a joy that we should not keep to ourselves but share with others. To be sure, to say "yes" to Jesus will also require us to say "no" to many other things. But these "nos" make sense, they can be accepted and even embraced, if we understand the "yes".
Too often, we find "sourpusses" in the Church. They tell us about the "nos" but they forget about the "yes". Pope Francis wants the world to rediscover the joy of the Gospel. He calls on each one of us as baptized Catholics to be missionary disciples sharing our joy with others.
Today, at this Mass, we recognize the group, Nueva Jerusal�n. For 30 years, while active in their respective parishes, they have striven to grow in friendship with Jesus. In doing so, they witness that to be a Christian is a great gift and not a burden. For them, and for each one of us, knowing Jesus Christ is our greatest joy.
