Homily for African American Catholic Center for Evangelization, 10^th Anniversary: November 1, 2008

Given by the Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton.

“I HAD A VISION OF A GREAT MULTITUDE, WHICH NO ONE COULD COUNT, FROM EVERY NATION, RACE, PEOPLE, AND TONGUE. THEY STOOD BEFORE THE THRONE AND BEFORE THE LAMB, WEARING WHITE ROBES AND HOLDING PALM BRANCHES IN THEIR HANDS. THEY CRIED OUT IN A LOUD VOICE: ‘SALVATION COMES FROM OUR GOD, WHO IS SEATED ON THE THRONE, AND FROM THE LAMB.’” This magnificent vision of John from the Book of Revelation is the crowning glory of all evangelization, the vision which inspires and guides the Church in her mission of evangelization. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed so that all might come into the eternal glory of God.

Shortly after I was appointed by Cardnial Mahony as Regional Bishop for Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region, the position in which Bishop Ed Clark now serves, I gathered with representatives of the Black Catholic Community. We wanted to build on the great pastoral work that had been done in the Archdiocese by Bishop Carl Fisher who was called home to the Lord in the bloom of his youthful episcopacy. And we cannot forget Father Fisher Robinson, the long time Vicar for Black Catholics, who guided me with such great wisdom in working with the Black Catholic Community. It was from the active, dedicated and hard work of this group that the African American Catholic Center for Evangelization was born. Father John Harfmann of the Josephite Fathers proposed this step forward as a necessary advancement in the work of Evangelization in the Black Catholic Community. I presented the idea to Cardinal Mahony and he received it with enthusiasm and immediate support. Ten years later we gather to celebrate all that God has done through this center, now under the able leadership of Andy Shaw. We had a vision and we cry out: SALVATION COMES FROM OUR GOD.

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, honoring all those who have gone before us in faith and now reign in the glory of God’s presence. Each of us is called to sanctity, to holiness of life and eternal happiness. The Church’s mission of evangelization is a call to conversion in Christ and to the transformation of the world so that all things will be caught up into Christ, Who is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. The way of holiness and the work of evangelization are given to us by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the Beatitudes.

“The poor in spirit” are blessed because they have given themselves over to God. They have surrendered themselves into His care and live out daily the prayer that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans describes the daily life of the saints as considering themselves dead to sin, alive for God in union with Christ Jesus, all by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I was fascinated to learn that Mahatma Ghandi is reported to have read the Sermon on the Mount each day of his life. Do we pray and reflect enough on these teachings of Jesus? If we do not, we may not understand very well the full meaning of evangelization.

Blessed, holy, are they who mourn, especially for all that is opposed to the way of God; blessed, holy, are the meek, the slow to anger; blessed, holy, are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, standing in a right relationship with God, with our neighbor, with ourselves and with the earth. The righteous are deeply committed to the dignity of every human person, the sacredness of life and the end of all the evils of racism. Blessed,holy, are the merciful. I think of Paul’s exhortation to be imitators of God. How better can we imitate God than by being merciful. Blessed, holy, are the peacemakers. The children of God are dedicated to the total well-being of the human family, what we call in the Church’s social teaching, the common good. Blessed, holy, are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; blessed, holy are you when they insult you and persecute you. I think of Jesus’ words to Paul when he was under arrest: “Keep up your courage.”

The work of evangelization is a call to holiness. For ten years the African American Catholic Center for Evangelization has put forth this call in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. We had a vision. We continue to have a vision. Standing before the throne of God, wearing white robes of grace, holding palm branches in our hands, we cry out: AMEN. BLESSING AND GLORY, WISDOM AND THANKSGIVING, HONOR, POWER AND MIGHT, BE TO OUR GOD, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.

Last Update November 3, 2008