Archbishop José H. Gomez traveledrnby helicopter to Santa Barbara Mission Sunday to celebrate Mass and bringrnconsolation to hundreds of faithful, following a week of mudslides thatrndevastated the region, leaving roads washed out and an estimated 20 peoplerndead, 40 more still missing and hundreds of homes destroyed or badly damaged.
rn
rn
“One of the hardest things in the world isrnto keep believing in God’s love when we see tragedy,” Archbishop Gomez said.
“We want to know why. Why does God allow mudslides and fires and earthquakes andrnhurricanes and wars and famines? I do not know. Nobody knows! But we all knowrnone thing: God did not make us to see us get hurt. He made us out of love. Wernare his sons and daughters and he wants only the best for every one of hisrnchildren. Every person! No exceptions!”
Among those attending the Mass were membersrnof Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montecito, which was hardest hit by thernmudslides.
rn
rn
Archbishop Gomez pointed to stories ofrnfaith and courage in the midst of the tragedies and called the faithful tornreach out to those who are suffering and mourning.
“There are homes and there are lives thatrnneed to be rebuilt. There are people who need to be hugged, people who need tornbe consoled. To be told that things are going to be alright! And they will be!rnBecause God is with us!” the Archbishop said.
His full homily is below.
rn
rn
Homilyrn— 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)[i]
MostrnReverend JosérnH. Gomez
Archbishoprnof Los Angeles
SantarnBarbara Mission
Januaryrn14, 2018
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is a special blessing for me to be here.
I am grateful for this chance to be closernto you and hopefully, to bring you the consolation of God’s love and hisrntenderness — in this time when so many of our brothers and sisters are in pain.
I especially want to recognize those of yournwho are joining us from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Montecito.
To all of you: I bring the love of God andrnthe prayers and support of the whole family of God here in the Archdiocese ofrnLos Angeles.
This morning, we are especially praying forrnthe ones who died this past week and for all the victims and their families.
We gather this morning in this Eucharist tornworship God and to talk to him, to pray and to tell him our frustrations, ourrnsorrows. We come especially today — to look for answers to our questions.
In the Gospel that we just heard, Jesusrnasks the two disciples of St. John the Baptist: “What are you looking for?”
It is a good question for us this morning.rnI think we are all looking for the same thing. I think we all want to know —rnwhy are these things happening.
There is a story in the Angelus this week, our weekly magazine,rnand it is about a couple in their 70s. They were evacuated during the ThomasrnFire and it was only days later that they were able to return. And the placernwhere their house was — there is nothing left. Just ashes and dirt.
These are good Catholic people, good neighbors.rnYou know these stories. There are hundreds more like them. You are living thesernstories.
And you know these stories tell us thatrnlife is precious, but it is also uncertain and fragile. These stories tell usrnthat we should live for God every day and cherish our time — and we should notrnanything in our lives for granted.
So, we come to Jesus today and we arernlooking for answers. But our Lord today, he does not give us the answers. He tells us instead — that he is the answer.
In the Gospel we heard, he tells thoserndisciples, “Come and see!” What hernmeans is: “Follow me and you will find the answers — and everything you arernlooking for.”
rn
rn
And my brothers and sisters, the truth isrnthis — in good times and in hard times — Jesus is always calling us to followrnhim. Always calling us to come and see.
In that first reading, Samuel learns to sayrnto the Lord: “Speak, for your servant isrnlistening.”
We need to make this the basic attitude ofrnour lives. We need to be talking to the Lord all the time, asking him: What dornyou want me to know? I am listening. What are you saying, what are you tellingrnme — in the people you send my way? In the things that are happening in myrnlife?
Those words we heard in our psalm today, wernneed to make those words a prayer that we are saying all the time: “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”
That means — even when we are suffering,rneven when times are hard. We need to say, “SpeakrnLord, your servant is listening.” We need to say: “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”
It is not easy. One of the hardest thingsrnin the world is to keep believing in God’s love when we see tragedy. We want tornknow why. Why does God allow mudslides and fires and earthquakes and hurricanesrnand wars and famines?
I do not know. Nobody knows! But we allrnknow one thing: God did not make us to see us get hurt. He made us out of love.rnWe are his sons and daughters and he wants only the best for every one of hisrnchildren. Every person! No exceptions!
The only thing for certain in our lives isrnthat God loves us. And how do we know that? One word: Jesus.
God loves us so much that he gave his onlyrnSon Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us.rnFor you and for me.
This is the whole foundation of ourrnChristian faith. Jesus Christ suffered and he died — and he was innocent, herndid not deserve any of it. He died so that we could live. What is lost inrnJesus, what dies in Jesus — rises inrnJesus!
St. Paul today, in the second reading wernheard, he says: God raised the Lord andrnwill also raise us by his power.
My brothers and sisters — we can count onrnthis. We can build our lives on this foundation.
So, where does that leave us right now?rnWhere does that leave us when we see our neighbors, when we see our friends andrnour loved ones suffering?
We need to ask the Lord what he is sayingrnto us in these tragedies. But we also need to open our hearts to what isrncalling us to do.
St. Mother Teresa — she lived in the midstrnof the most extreme poverty in India, she saw so much suffering every day. Andrnyou know, people would ask her: Why does God let these things happen?
And she would say, “I do not know why. Irnonly know what God is calling me to do in this moment. And I know that in thisrnmoment God wants me to reach out to those who are suffering, and to those who are in mourning.”
God is saying exactly the same thing to usrnthis morning.
There are homes and there are lives thatrnneed to be rebuilt. There are people who need to be hugged, people who need tornbe consoled. To be told that things are going to be alright! And they will be!rnBecause God is with us!
I was telling you the story about thatrnelderly couple who lost their home in the Thomas Fire.
The woman said she went to bed that nightrnduring the fire and she was praying her rosary. She was talking to God from herrnheart and she said, “Dear Lord, if it is your will, we will be ok.”
This is powerful! This is true faith, thernkind of faith that will make our lives and our families and our communities bernstronger!
So, let us thank God today in this holyrnMass. And let us say to him, with confidence and with love: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”
I pray that our Blessed Mother Mary willrnintercede for you and watch over your families in her tender mercy. And may shernhelp us to always come and see Jesus and to follow him in love.
rn
rn
[i] Readings: 1 Sam. 3:3b—10, 19; Ps. 40:2, 4, 7—10; 1 Cor. 6:13c—15a,rn17—20; John 1:35-42.
Interested in more? Subscribe to Angelus News to get daily articles sent to your inbox.
