HOMILY FOR MASS FOR THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC CHURCH LIVERPOOL
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B, 22 SEPTEMBER 2024
The British rock band Oasis recently sent the music world into a spin by announcing their reunion after a 15-year hiatus and proposing a 2025 world tour. One the most successful British bands of all time, Oasis dominated the 1990s pop scene, selling 70 million albums worldwide, until bandmates and blood brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher became embroiled in an acrimonious fight just moments before they were scheduled to perform at a concert in Paris. Considering the regularity and intensity of their quarrels, the breakup of Oasis in 2009 was no shock to anyone.
In this morning’s Gospel Jesus’ disciples are having their own moment of rivalry (Mk 9:30-37).[1] It’s not the first or last time Jesus must referee between them and teach them about humility and unity.[2] But this morning they are making their way privately through Galilee to their home-base.[3] He overheard them arguing and when He asked what it was about they all played dumb. Jockeying for limelight and wanting to be the ‘frontman’ (so to speak) is more the stuff of rockstars than faithful followers of Christ. So what’s going on here? Are they just being human, letting their egos get in the way? Or have they failed to learn the lessons Jesus has been teaching them and would continue to teach them until He washed their feet at the Last Supper?
In front of their very eyes, they had watched Jesus heal people of every sort of physical and spiritual affliction, forgive sins, and teach with authority—in each case demonstrating a kind of divine power. But it never went to His head. He remained humble. He was no man’s rival. He was for everyone. That very morning He had taught them that His greatness, His hour of glory, would be His arrest, trials, torture and death—all before His rising again. But they had no idea what it meant, even if it was foreshadowed in today’s first reading (Wis 2:12,17-20) and elsewhere in the Jewish bible. Afraid of asking what He means in case it had immediate implications for them, they focussed on themselves and their ambitions, on which of them was the ‘star’.
Fair enough, we might say, no one is looking for crucifixion, we human beings are naturally disposed to self-preservation. No one is looking to be a nobody, we human beings want to be somebody. Wanting to be first in Jesus’ affections and His coming kingdom isn’t such a bad thing. We are all a bit like that. We want to be comfortable, secure, well-liked. We tend to measure ourselves against others. Sometimes we think our talents, views and achievements are superior to others, and we might dominate a bit. Like pop stars we crave a little limelight.
Well aware of our human nature, Jesus pulls up a seat. Mark tells us “he sat down”, like a professor in the chair of teaching or a magistrate in the throne of judgment. It speaks of authority, even if it’s a rather humble stool. Not because He’s concerned to be the star turn. He doesn’t need their regard. He’s the Word-made-flesh, God-incarnate, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and He’s ready to illuminate them and us with some divine wisdom.
Another detail that Mark gives us is that this divine lesson takes place in Capernaum, that is at Simon Peter’s place. Like indications of Peter’s boat, references to Peter’s house are, of course, to the Church. Seated in his cathedra in the middle of the nascent Church, Jesus is about to give us some magisterial teaching of the highest rank. His words will be important.
So, what does He say? Firstness by lastness, precedence by humility, greatness by service. Forget fame and fortune. Get ready for trials and crosses. As James identifies in our epistle, jealousy and ambition are the sources of disharmony, partiality, hypocrisy, violence and wickedness (Jas 3:16-4:3). Christ’s wisdom is very different to that of the world. It’s pure, kindly, considerate, prayerful, “full of compassion and shows itself by doing good”. So serving others isn’t some optional extra for those who like to do a bit of volunteering: it’s the main game, our core-business, the foundation of all that we do as individual Christians, but also as churches and parishes, even old ones.[4]
I know that this is what you do here with liturgical ministries such as: Acolytes, Altar Servers, Lectors, Ministry to the Sick, Music Ministry, Liturgy Committee, Wardens and Welcomers. With prayer groups and activities such as: Eucharistic Adoration, El Saddai, Handmaids of the Lord, Legion of Mary, Medjugorje, Men of Loreto, Praise and Worship, Rosary Group, Sons of St Joseph and Women at the Well. With cultural groups and ethnic chaplaincies to: Africans, Indians, Italians, Poles, Spanish-speakers, Timorese, Tongans and others. With focus on the young through: the excellent education for K-12 at All Saints Catholic College, Encounter and Elevate groups for school-aged students, Antioch and Sainthood groups for young adults. With faith formation ministries and activities such as: Alpha, CCD catechists, RCIA, Sacramental Programmes and Scripture Studies. With social groups and activities such as Hospitality Team, Housie, Morning Teas and Social Committee. With caring and outreach activities such as: your Disability Support Group, Friday Evening Outreach, Grief Care, JRS Food Drive, Laudato Si’ Group, Vinnies, Zacchaeus’ Treehouse family ministry. And backing all these up, your clergy and religious, Finance Committee, Parish Staff, Piety Stall, Safeguarding, and more… It’s quite a list!
To underline His point, Jesus takes a child in His arms. It can sound to us rather cutesy, even sentimental. It’s not. Pop stars and actors know you don’t want a kid on stage with you as they will get all the attention. As even Pope Francis found, when a boy wandered onto the Vatican stage and sat in the pontiff’s chair while the Pope was standing to deliver a speech, kids steal the show.[5] But Jesus doesn’t mind. His is a “wisdom from above” that children know: being open, dependent, arms wide open, even playful. That’s the path to a greatness more than any rockstar, superior to fame in the eyes of this world: it’s what makes us great in the eyes of God!
Congratulations All Saints, sixty years old, two hundred years old. Now be saints for our times!
[1] cf. Mt 18:1-5; Lk 9:43-50.
[2] cf. Mt 6:2; 11:29-30; 20:20; 23:10-12; Mk 10:35-45; Lk 9:46-50; 14:7-11; 22:24-30; Jn 3:22-36; 5:41; 8:50; 13:1-17…
[3] That Peter’s house in Capernaum was their home base see Mt 4:13; 8:14-15 et par.; 17:24; Mk 1:21; 2:1; 9:33; Lk 4:23; Jn 2:12; 4:46; 6:17,24,59.
[4] See Mt 10:42; 20:28; 23:11; 25:35-40; Mk 10:44-45; Lk 3:10-11; 6:27-45; 12:33-34; 22:25-27; Jn 12:26; 13:12-15; 15:13; Acts 20:25; Rom 12:1-21; Phil 2:1-4; 23; 1 Cor 9:19; Col 3:23-24
[5] “Little boy sits in pope’s chair, steals the show” 26 October 2013: https://www.mangaloretoday.com/today/Little-boy-sits-in-pope-s-chair-steals-the-show.html
INTRODUCTION TO MASS FOR THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF
ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC CHURCH LIVERPOOL
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B, 22 SEPTEMBER 2024
Welcome to All Saints Catholic Church Liverpool for this morning’s Mass celebrating the 60th anniversary of this church, and including the dedication of new doors, the blessing the HSC students from All Saints Catholic College, and a Multicultural Fiesta afterwards.
Whilst the diamond jubilee of a church is impressive enough, the history of this Catholic community is much older. It goes back to the beginnings of the colony. When the pioneer priest, Fr John Joseph Thierry arrived in 1820, the Catholics of this region were amongst the first he visited. The district was given the status of a parish in 1838 and its first pastor, Father Richard Marum, appointed in 1839. That young Irishman was said to have thrown himself so wholeheartedly into his pastoral duties that he died of exhaustion only three years later. But he had built the first church, which was then repeatedly enlarged until its demolition in 1960 to allow for the church and facilities on the present site. In 1964 Auxiliary Bishop, later Archbishop Sir James Cardinal Freeman, officially blessed and opened the present church. For more than two hundred years the Catholics of this district have been baptised, communicated, confirmed, married and buried from All Saints. They have built a genuine Christian community of care, and served and been served in so many ways. You can all be very proud!
Concelebrating with me today are Most Rev. Bishop Terry Brady; the Parish Priest, Very Rev. Fr Paul Monkerud; Assistant Priests Rev. Fathers Michael Smith, Ronny D’Cruz and Likisone Tominiko; and priests with a long association with the parish including Fathers Phil Linder, John Doherty, Michael de Stoop and Roberto Keryakos, along with Polish Chaplain Fr Edmund Budzilowicz and Vietnamese Chaplain Fr Remy Son Bui.
I acknowledge in attendance: Anne Stanley MP, Federal Member for Werriwa and Government Whip; Charishma Kaliyanda MP, State Member for Liverpool and Parliamentary Secretary for Customer Service, for Emergency Services and for Youth Justice; Tina Ayyad MP, State Member for Holsworthy; Mr Peter Turner, Interim Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools; current and former principals of All Saints Catholic College; as well as representatives of the Patrician Brothers and Sisters of Charity. A very warm welcome also to the Year 12 students from All Saints Catholic College who are embarking on the final leg of their high school journey! To everyone present on this joyous occasion, a very warm welcome to you all!