On this great feast of the Ascension, as the disciples were looking up and seeing Jesus ascend into heaven, I can’t help but think of the wonderful natural occurrences that we’ve had over the last month. The eclipse, which was so amazing, and Friday night as I was at my parents’ house, I got a text from my sister that the Northern Lights were visible. Did anybody see them? No, kind of, yes. The thing is they were visible, but sometimes you could only see them if you held your camera up and took a picture because of the way that the cameras can do. When I think about the Eucharist, I think the Eucharist is like that. He’s here, he’s visible, but sometimes we can only see him with the eyes of Faith.
It’s really beautiful because the second reading talks about the role of a pastor. He says, “I gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers.” Why? To equip the holy ones for the work of ministry and for the building up of the Body of Christ. As I pray and reflect on what it will be like to be your pastor, that is my hope. That I can equip each and every one of you to fulfill that special and unique ministry that God has given to you. When the Northern Lights happened, it happened because of this solar wind that was created by some flares on the sun. As the solar wind began to go across the atmosphere, think of that being like the Holy Spirit. Right now, this solar wind is going to blow across each and every one of us. The cool thing is when the solar wind hits the atmosphere it charges different particles, and depending on where these particles are in the atmosphere, and the kind of particles they are, each and every one of them gives off a different light. It’s pretty cool because I could see some of it.
I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights. I thought I would have to go to Alaska, which I would never want to do; I’d rather be in Hawaii. But as I saw the beautiful streaks of green, purple, blue and red, all in the sky kind of moving like this, it reminds me that each and every day we light up the world. This letter from St. Paul to the Ephesians says, “Grace is given to each of us according to the measure of Christ.” What that means is that every single one of us receives grace according to how Christ wants to give it to us. I think my role as a pastor is to help us realize that.
After my sister texted me, my mother and I went outside to look at the aurora borealis, I was so excited that I started sharing texts, calling people, and I texted my brother. He went out to see it. Then I went to three or four other people’s houses because I knew they weren’t going to go out to see it, and I also knew it might be hard to see and I could show it to them. I was so excited to just show people this wonderful experience that we were having.
As we come together to celebrate this Eucharist, it’s that same experience. I’m so excited to help us all see the miracle that happens here on the altar. The bread and wine become the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. As we receive him, we’re given this grace. We hear that “the pastors are to help the holy ones and their work of ministry”. First, I think part of my role is to help us see the beauty and the mystery of the Eucharist, to help us see what is really taking place, but also to help each and every one of you realize that you are called to be saints, the holy ones.
Another translation is the Saints of Christ. As a pastor, I would love nothing more than to have a whole parish filled with saints. Just as excited as I was to share the Northern Lights with other people, I hope that you will be the same with the Eucharist. That you’re so on fire with Eucharist that you just want to go and share that with other people. Not only sharing it, but I believe in a very particular way that God has given each and every one of you a mission in life. He’s given each and every one of you a ministry. He’s given each and every one of you a unique call. My hope is that I can help you discover that call. My hope is that I can equip you to be the holy ones, to go forth into the world and to bring that light to everyone. When this happens, we build up the body of Christ. In a world that is so filled with darkness, people will look at you and they will look at us and they will see something beautiful, something mysterious happening here. St. John Chrysostom says that when we come to receive the Eucharist it emits these light rays of grace, and he says that it actually creates this wave of beauty within us, and the trails of this light go out to all the world. When you go out to the world after receiving the Eucharist, people are going to see something beautiful in you. They’re going to see something unique in you.
I invite you for a few moments after the homily to reflect on that. What are the gifts that God has given to you? What is the call that he has given to you? I hope each and every one of you discovers that call and discerns your unique ministry that you are called to do for the church because every one of you will do that. If we all do that, if we build up the body of Christ, people will see something beautiful. St. Catherine of Sienna said, “Be who you are. Be who you are called to be, and you will set the earth on fire.” Dear brothers and sisters, my dear parishioners, that is our call. To be who God created us to be and to set this world on fire.
