While in Washington DC the excitement and genuine awe of the Papal visit continues but now with less intensity, the life of the Catholic Church has not yet passed from beneath the media examination. For Christians, especially on the East Coast, the successor of Peter possesses the power to stir the hearts of "multitudes," to use a New Testament phrase.
The liturgy's readings used in all Masses today speaks of the challenges confronting the early Church in its first months. Today in New York City, Pope Benedict continues his journey of renewal for and to the American Catholic community.
On more than one occasion the Holy Father has trumpeted a theme that is so closely related to one of the first crises that our earliest Christians encountered. DISCRIMINATION developed month within the first "parishes." Those who were referred to as Hellenists, the Greek speaking part of the diverse community allying itself with the Apostles, felt that they were being overlooked. Apparently the ones of the community who were reaching out to those in need, the hungry and the poor, were not caring for the Greeks, especially the widows, who were becoming an increasing segment of the early community.
Throughout his journey thus far the Holy Father has made clear his concern for immigrants who have to our different states and cities. Because I was caught in Saturday's heavy traffic at a major intersection in Takoma Park (New Hampshire Avenue and East-West Highway), I had time to notice the names marqueed over many of the businesses in the area. Twenty years ago there was no need to use a Spanish or Vietnamese dictionary to know what these stores were selling. Today ... wow!
In our time now how many are the parishes fully embracing the diversity of the cultural backgrounds the parishioners embrace. Rare today in the "national" parish -- the Irish, the Italian, the German parishes addressing the needs of early American immigrants. Today in our rather small grammar school, our students' families represent some twenty cultural backgrounds. Our principal whose married name is Martinez, was born in Ireland of Irish parents. Her accent, however, is right from London! Indeed we are becoming a world-wide community.
Pastors today, Bishops and priests, along with most Pastors of every faith, encounter the inculturation, the diversity issue. In some places the crisis is no different than it was in those first few months of the early Church. Pastors and their teams struggle with the issue. Changing or adapting to cultures is not easy.
Both Jesus and Pope Benedict remind us in today's gospel or contemporary speeches and homilies that there is genuine hope: Christ Jesus is our hope. Evan as he was on his journey to the final days of his life, Jesus, our hope today, gave lasting advice.
"Let not your hearts be troubled! You trust in God, trust also in me.... I am the Way, I am the Truth and Life.... If you know me, you will know the Father."
Obviously these readings bring us fact-to-face with a contemporary crisis: how do we in every parish reach out to incorporate into our lives our new sisters and brothers whose accents are far different from our accustomed Boston-New York City-Charleston twangs? How do we affirm and live out the Jesus-call to remember and care for the "least among us?" I recall how peculiar it was to hear Americans, American Catholics, speak about "those" Irish, "those" Germans, "those" Italians. Today they have ascended -- so we think -- and now its "those" Latinos, "those" African or "those" gays, "those" who don't worship as we think they should, "those" criminals. Crises, crises: the Church, it seems, will always live with crises: from the beginning one followed upon another. Why? Simply because we are not free from sin! No one of us is free from sin! But Christ Jesus is our hope!
