Episode Details

Pope Francis just completed a historic trip to Iraq.  While there, he said, “fraternity is more durable than fratricide, hope is more powerful than hatred, peace more powerful than war.”

His words were meant to encourage hope, healing, coexistence, forgiveness, and peace.  Ultimately, it acts as a reminder that we're in this together no matter our religious traditions.  

Today, Father Novak calls us to live out these qualities to the best of our abilities and provides ways in which we can bring the gift of hope and healing into each other's lives, just as Pope Francis asks of us.

Text of Homily:

"It's a very special time of year especially for those who have entered the RCIA process, those who are interested in being initiated into the church. And the other night, Keara invited me and a whole host of staff members onto a panel discussion with all of those who are choosing to become members of the church. And they were, it was kind of a, um, a question and answer session. And of course, one of the questions comes up all the time, and it comes up yearly. As people are entering into this process and learning more about the church and how the church what the, what  the catechism of the church is all about. And one of the statements is often said is, "you Catholics have a lot of rules about the way you live your lives. You have a lot of rules."

And my high school kids say the same thing to me is they're learning their theology in school. They say the same thing to me, they say, God, this church has a lot of rules and it's always no, no, no, no, no. And I said, what do you mean? No, no, no, no, no. And they always say to me, well, you can't kill anyone, and you can't commit adultery, and you're supposed to honor your mother and father. That's a lot of rules. And I suppose for a 16, 17 year old, it is a lot of rules. But the reality is this.

The Israelite community was lost. They'd lost the center in the purpose of themselves. They're following Moses and they don't understand why they're following Moses and they understand that they're going to be liberated, but they don't understand why they haven't been liberated already, and so the story unfolds.

God enters in and God provides Moses with a template for all of us to live our lives. And the template, while it sounds like, "you can't do this". I think what really God intended was for us to really understand the meaning of liberation.

Have life and have it to the full. Have life and understand that God gave it to you. And because God gave it to you, be in good relationship with each other, with those who have given you life, in this world, be in good relationship with them. Didn't say perfect relationship. He said work at being in good relationship with them.

He says to us, live your life with integrity. Honesty.

Don't harm anyone else along the journey of your lives.

That should liberate you so that you can be your very best self in the way in which you go about your business in this world.

And then He reminds us live with integrity. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal.

Live your life with integrity so that others may see in you, the hand of God working through you.

And so if you boil it down to those three kind of concepts, those rules don't seem to be so negative but they seem to be life-giving.

As you're just sang a few moments ago, "Lord, you have the words of ever lasting life."

Those are the words that bring us to everlasting life. Those are the ideas and concepts of which our life and then faith evolve.

Pope Francis goes to Iraq and while he's in Iraq, he's visiting the Holy and sacred places. Those that have been lost. And he by his witness and by his example, he goes in