My brothers and sisters, it gives me great joy to be here at St. Mark Parish for this convocation of Hispanic catechists on this day of the missionary catechist in the Diocese of Birmingham.  Thank you for your presence today as we listen to the insights of our excellent speakers, reflect on our mission through the process of this day, join together in praise of God our Savior, and prepare to go out on mission. We are truly blessed because we know Jesus, especially through the power of His Cross. From the point of view of the world, the Cross appears to be a moment of great failure for the mission of Jesus. From the point of view of the believer, the wood of the cross is a sign of our deliverance, a visible sign that Christ is the victor over sin and death. It is the great moment of redemption and salvation when we are restored to our relationship with God. In conquering sin, we are given a grace to live the dream that God had in mind for each of us. In conquering death, we are given a great hope that we will live forever. My sisters and brothers, the Cross is a sign of victory over sin and death! We are recipients of such a beautiful gift from God - a new friendship in freedom.

With that in mind, I ask you to consider with me a couple points.

1.  The joy of our work as catechists is this: We believe in the power of the Risen Jesus in our lives. Through baptism, we have become sons and daughters of God. Through the waters of baptism, we died to our old self and rose to become new creatures. We have put on Christ! Now, we are to live that life in such a way that Jesus becomes our Lord, our God, our all. As Christians, it is not that we accept the teachings and then belong to a club. No, we entered the grave with Jesus and rose with Him. For this reason, Christianity is, first and foremost, an event that has captivated me. Now, I want to know everything there is about this Jesus, Who gives me life today and the promise of a future.

2. The joy of our work as catechists is this: We live what we believe. The very early Church didn’t have the New Testament for several hundred years. It was very hard to make copies. There were no printing presses. There was no paper – neither papyrus nor parchment. Not many people could read. So, they handed on from one generation to another the beautiful stories of Jesus. They discovered how to live in such a way that we become more and more our authentic selves. That is, who we are meant to be. As Christians, we see like everyone else, but we see more. As Christians, we hear like everyone else, but we hear more. As Christians, we experience life like everyone else, but we experience more. Because we are free, we can experience life in a way that others only dream of. We are acutely aware of our reality around us. It is our life. Now, we live what we believe.

3. The joy of our work as catechists is this: We can witness what we believe as missionaries of hope. That is to say, what we believe and what we live can be a great moment not merely to live the minimum – to wade in the shallow end and not ever go into the deep end. We don’t live in such a way that we try only “to get by,” doing only the least possible to get eternal life. We live because God has entrusted this world to us to live in a way that is attractive to others. The early Christians believed in Christ so strongly that others in the community noticed how they lived. Is it possible to live this new way? Is it possible to live as Christ taught us? The disciples of Jesus believed it was possible, and they did! And because they lived a new way – a way of living “more” - they inspired a way for many others who were stuck, who needed help, who needed someone to accompany them. When others saw what Christians were doing, they said they were “astonished,” “amazed.” We have never seen anything like this! 

May our work today inspire us to embrace the freedom that the Cross of Jesus extends to us. In that way, we will not see the Cross as an instrument of failure. We will see the Cross as a glorious and powerful victory in Christ Jesus.  

Is it possible to live this way? Is it really possible to live this way? The saints say, “Yes it is!”  And so can many, if not all, who are here today! It is not only for those acknowledged saints on our Church calendar. It is for all believers. It is possible! It is true! It is real! May the Cross inspire us to remain faithful to what we have encountered in Christ Jesus so that we can share this Good News far and wide! May God bless you!

To read the homily is Spanish, please click here.