Homily

It seems almost so obvious that it is crazy even to mention it, but at the same time when things seem so obvious it is all too easy to take them for granted. So, it is good for us to remember that we are blessed, truly and genuinely blessed, and not just in one way but in many ways. For example, only a very, very small percentage of people in Lane County this morning will receive the Body and Blood of Christ. We wish it could be everybody but it’s not. We are blessed. One other way in which we are blessed is in something else we have that is extraordinarily rare in Lane County. We have, I believe, the only nun in Lane County who is praying in a parish church today, and we have been blessed to have had her with us for these many years. She is as rare as hens’ teeth in these parts, but that’s not the biggest part of the blessing, that she is with us. The biggest part is her witness to us, and for us, as a woman who has chosen to live her life in Christ in a way that is consecrated to Him in a special manner by following the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.

This consecrated life is a sign of the mystery of redemption, because it is a more narrow path taken in imitation of the life of Christ, and it encourages us also by the example of those who live this life. Monks and nuns, religious women and men, remind us that there is no lasting city for us here, and by their dedicated lives they witness to us that we are called to eternal life in Christ Jesus, Who has brought about our redemption and offers us our future resurrection.

All Christians are called to be detached from the riches of this world, but for those who take a vow of poverty there is a choice made to live this detachment in a more literal and practical way by not owning much in the way of personal goods. Did you know that Sister only has a 16-inch black and white TV? Kidding—of course she has no television, or laptop or smart phone nor many of the other things we often consider as crucial to a good life. She witnesses to us the Gospel truth that only those who trust in the Lord, and not in their money or goods, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the Lord says, and we know those who embrace poverty for His sake are blessed indeed.

Chastity: All Christians, of both genders, of all ages, whether single or married, are called to be chaste. Chastity, the catechism says, is the successful integration of sexuality within a person, the unity of body and spirit with a person. In other words, to use our sexuality in the way in which God intends for us, so that we may be people fully mature, not driven by desires but by charity and grace. Celibacy, chosen for the sake of the Kingdom is a witness to all Christians that it’s not just all about marriage and family life, as good and noble as that vocation is. Celibacy also allows one to be more devoted to prayer and service to others, whether that service is active and in public, or whether it is a service of prayer and sacrifice that is hidden from the public eye, but seen by Christ alone. This more hidden style of a life in prayer, as practiced by Sister, along with the Carmelite nuns on Greenhill Road, is a reminder that Christian life is not just about doing good for others, as some people mistakenly think today. Christian life is also very much about prayer—prayer for ourselves, prayer for others, prayer for the world. And this prayer is just as vital and necessary as every soup kitchen, homeless shelter, and school, for the life and salvation of the souls in this world. Without the prayers of those who remember us, hidden from our sight, we cannot say but only think of how much we would be suffering from that lack.

Just as Jesus obeyed the will of His Heavenly Father, so too religious take a vow of obedience. This obedience is first given to Christ and to His Church, and then to those who have the legitimate authority over each monk or nun. When Sister was with the Dominicans she promised and lived in obedience to her superiors, which I know, and which you can imagine, was not always an easy way to live. But in that obedience humility can flourish and grow, because it’s “not all about me” but it is all about Christ. The vow of obedience never requires giving up your free will. Instead it means applying your free will to a submission to your superior, in charity. Now, Sister has no earthly superior in that sense, but her obedience is still offered and given to Christ, and to His Church and to her vows.

Poverty, chastity and obedience. Three words that are unloved, and many times even despised in our society today, because they remind people that this world and this material life is not all that exists; that personal pleasure and gratification are not the chief goals of human life, and, worst of all in the eyes of many, “it’s not all about you.” Poverty, chastity and obedience—think about what those words mean to so many of our fellow citizens. Three values that not only bring us closer to Christ, but are the pathway to our maturity as human persons. Reject those values, and where do we as a society find ourselves?

Dear Sister Mary Diana, thank you for your witness to the values of poverty, chastity and obedience, because they point us to Christ our Lord. Thank you for your countless prayers on our behalf and for the sake of the world. They are a treasure and blessing for us. Here today you, with all of us, are most privileged to stand before this Holy Altar and let us all give thanks to God for all He has given to us in Christ.