Stanley the Sooner

Letting our faith in Jesus change us completely

Matthew 9:27-31 

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”  When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”  “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

          In the gospel we hear about two men who were blind, but they were healed of their blindness because they had faith in Jesus. Now, boys and girls, what exactly is “faith”? Well, faith is believing in Jesus so much that it changes your life. Just look at these two blind men. Before Jesus healed them, he asked them: “Do you believe I can do this?” He was testing them to see how much faith they had. It was enough faith for a miracle! Sometimes, our faith leads to a miracle, but that’s only one way our faith changes us. Let me tell you about another way that faith can change your life.

          Today Pope Francis declared that Fr. Stanley Rother died as a “martyr,” which means he died because of his love for Jesus. He had THAT much faith – which is a lot more than those two men in the gospel. Fr. Stanley is from Oklahoma – so he was a Boomer Sooner – and in 1968 he went to Guatemala (a country in Central America) to help the poor people there. At that time, Guatemala was undergoing a bloody civil war, and lots of people were being killed. The archbishop of Oklahoma City told Fr. Stanley to come back to Oklahoma, where it was much safer. But do you know what Fr. Stanley answered the archbishop? His answer was very beautiful and it was filled with faith. He replied: “Should the shepherd run away when the sheep are in danger?” So, he stayed in Guatemala, working with the people. Then, on July 28, 1981, soldiers came into the rectory and killed Fr. Stanley and 13 other people in the small town of Santiago Atitlan. Now, I don’t tell you this story to make you sad, but rather to show you how faith in Jesus changes your life. Fr. Stanley had so much faith that he loved Jesus more than his own life, and now he’s a saint in heaven.

          Boys and girls, that’s all good and fine for the two men in the gospel and for Fr. Stanley, but what about you, and what about me? Do we have any faith, and does that faith change our lives? Do you do anything differently because you believe in Jesus that you would NOT do if you did not believe in Jesus? Maybe you eat your vegetables because you believe in Jesus, maybe you play with a child who doesn’t have friends because you believe in Jesus, maybe you do your homework because you believe in Jesus, maybe you go to Mass on Sunday because you believe in Jesus. We might NOT do these things if we did not believe in Jesus. Can you see how your faith is changing your life?

          It’s because I believe in Jesus that I became a priest – faith has completely changed my life. It’s because Mrs. B and your teachers believe in Jesus that they teach in a Catholic school – they sure don’t do it for the money! Faith changes their life. It’s because your parents believe in Jesus that they send you to a Catholic school. Faith changes their life. Boys and girls, today I want to teach you the definition of faith: believing in Jesus so much that it changes your life. And the more you believe in him, the more it will change you.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!