80 Percent Friend

Having fearless faith to love both friend and foe  

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12  

Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.  By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.

          Several people have asked me about my trip to India, so let me share a few facts and a little fiction. First of all, there’s an almost 12 hour difference between India and the United States. So, while it’s 10 a.m. over here, it’s almost 10 p.m. over there. So, I’m still feeling the jet-lag and may well fall asleep in my own homily. You won’t sleep alone today! Secondly, the whole two weeks we only visited family, both living and deceased. Our vacations don’t include visiting the Taj Mahal or watching Ballywood movies; rather we go to several different cemeteries where my grandparents and other relatives are buried. We place flowers on their graves and light candles and pray for their souls. Of course the food was phenomenal and we even saw a snake charmer who made two cobras dance while playing his flute. One family we visited had a water buffalo, but I couldn’t convince him to let me bring it back to be our school mascot: the Buffaloes! The second week we were in Kerala, which is my parents’ hometown and where they grew up. I finally knew what it feels like to be a Wewers and Gilker, a Maestri and a Meyers here in Fort Smith – I was related to all those people; everyone was my second cousin, once-removed.   

          Now, we had originally planned to go to India back in January, not in July. But we postponed the trip out of fear. You might recall that in December, a few weeks before we were going to leave, there was a bombing in Paris, France, and shortly after that, the shootings in San Bernardino, CA. We felt it was too dangerous to travel, especially as Americans. Well, as you know, the terrorist killings had not subsided by July, but this time we decided to go anyway. Why? Well, my mom summed it up perfectly. She said: “I feel peace. I have faith that God will protect us on this journey.” I felt like saying, “Good for you, Mom! You go, and I’ll wait here and pray for your safety!” But she was right (as usual), and we stepped out in faith, forgot our fear, and we had the best vacation ever. You see, faith helps you to overcome your fear.   

           In the second reading today, we see Abraham overcome his fear by the force of his faith. The Letter to the Hebrews states: “By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.” Abraham had faith like my mother (and not like me!) which overcame his fear of a foreign country, and instilled in him peace and purpose to do God’s will. After all, Abraham is called “the Father of Faith” precisely because he demonstrated how faith forces out fear from the heart. And that’s why Jesus says in the gospel today: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” In other words, have faith in the Father, and like my mom said, “he will protect you on your journey.”   

          Last week I received a very disturbing email, but I’d like to share it with you. You may want to cover your children’s ears. This person was infuriated with Pope Francis and said he was too soft on terrorists, and he is down on America. My email friend wrote: “Your pope has proven to be a jihadi sympathizer. Following the public shooting of a priest in Normandy by filthy Muslim jijadis, your pope basically apologized for these savages and their actions.” He goes on, and I apologize for the rather long sentence. My friend wrote: “Your pope has been co-opted by world government establishment figures and this explains his attempt to change the rules of Catholicism, his affinity with communism, his attempts to affect the presidential election of my country, his efforts to help illegal aliens subvert the laws of my country and now his idiotic idea that anyone who tells the truth about Islamic terror is evil.” Now you see what fun it is to be a Catholic priest: you get to reply to emails like that. I responded to my email friend as pastorally as possible, and also said a prayer for him and others who feel so strongly. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of what he wrote flowed from fear, which even a fraction of faith could easily diffuse. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” In other words, put your faith in the Father and you will feel no fear; or at least you won’t feel the need to write emails like that.   

          Folks, let me invite you to do a five second inventory of your fears. What are you afraid of? Are you like my email friend and afraid of Islamic terrorists, or maybe even afraid of what the pope might say next? Or maybe you are like I was and frightened to travel to a foreign country. Maybe you are afraid of the outcome of the presidential election and who will be our next president. You might be afraid for your children and the world they will grow up in. Maybe you’re afraid that Mass will last more than one hour – I am, too, because it always hurts our collections. Less Mass, more money! Do you know what a lot of Catholics are afraid of? They are afraid to sing in church. Well, to inspire a little faith to force out that fear, this weekend we’ve put new hymnals in the pews to help you to sing!  You might be thinking: Fr. John more people fear that I WILL sing. What are you afraid of, little flock?   

          Let me conclude with a question: who said “my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy”? Well, a lot of people have said it, but it was originally President Ronald Reagan. He was encouraging people to overcome their fears of others who don’t think exactly the same way; try to see more people as your friends. Folks, whether someone is an 80 percent friend or an 80 percent foe, we should still love them. And it is your faith that makes you that fearless. Like my mom said: “I feel peace. I have faith that God will protect us on this journey.”   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!