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This could be helpful for the times in which we live. If you look at the world and you listen to its leaders, if you look at what's happening here in our own country, in Minnesota in particular, we hear people using words like rights and freedom. And then we hear law, law, law. And though this law, law, law. And we've got unilateral and multilateral approaches to relating to the other nations. And we've got military campaigns and proposals for peace through force. We've got economic proposals and the invention of new technologies which are supposed to secure for us peace going forward. What a great world we live in with great laws, at least in the Western world, and great technologies and extraordinary economic capabilities and relationships with each other through new means of communication. So what's the problem? What's the problem? Okay, what I'm going to propose to you is actually seen in the way that Jesus calls these apostles. This is what I did not see at the five o' clock mass last night. It's the way he calls Peter and Andrew and James and John, because they're brothers, they share already a natural relationship. Now he's inviting them into friendship with him so that these men who are naturally related can actually become deep friends. If Christ can create friendship in a family between brothers, he's showing the world that he can create friendship between nations and neighbors. You see? But it's friendship with Christ that makes it possible. This is the unique and essential, necessary contribution that you and I can make to this world in which we live. We have to find ways to propose that being with Christ Jesus is the way to peace in the world. There are many ways to be with him, but only being with him will enable us to fulfill the law. Okay, I use the word law a lot now. Let's back up a little bit. And I said this at the 5 last night. I was at a family's house last week and there was one of the sons is a West Point cadet, and he had some friends of his at the table with him. And they were interested that this priest was there. They actually came to mass the day of because it was last Sunday. So in any case, around the table, one of them asks me this question. Father, are the Jews still the chosen people? Okay, so first I invited him to make a distinction between the state of Israel and the politics of Israel, which are very often unfortunate. And the Jewish people make a distinction between the Jewish people as a religion and then the state of Israel, first of all. And then we can answer the question. Yes, the Jewish people are a chosen People because they received the law from God, the divine law. It was revealed to them. So remember up until then, you saw all these pyramids and teepees reaching up for God in a sense, ways to try to make sense of the mystery of life. All the natural religions of the world. But then God revealed himself to us and he chose a particular people through whom he would reveal himself to the world. And it's the Jews. So in that sense, yes, they're chosen. They were chosen for that, to receive the law. Now you and I are chosen also. That's why that story about Christ that has become so popular with Jonathan Roumie is the chosen. It is those who are also, as Christ said to us, you know, chosen by him. It is not you who chose me, but I who chose you. Jesus says to us, so we're called to bring Christ into the world. What does that mean? More laws, more rules? No, it means a relationship with the one whose spirit will enable us to fulfill the law. I have not come to abolish the law, he says, but to fulfill it. But the law was given to us through the Jews. So yes, they are the chosen people. But I say that because if you look around the world again, we hear people saying rights and freedom and law, law, law and law, law, law. So what's the problem? The problem is we so seldom live from a relationship with the risen Christ. But if we are with Christ, we won't want to commit adultery. When I am with Christ, I don't want to steal. Everything is being provided for me. When I am with Christ, I don't need to lie. I find freedom in the truth. When I am with Christ, I'm free from that poisonous experience of coveting what my neighbor has. You know, when I'm with Christ, when I'm not with him, adultery is always right there. When I'm not with him, stealing is easily justifiable. When I'm not with him, lying is a matter of survival. And when I'm not with him, of course, I covet everything because I'm unfulfilled. But when I'm with Him, I'm in love. The presence of Christ changes everything. Co workers, family, neighbors. Christ says, be friends with me and watch what happens to you. You see, this is what we bring to the world. The invitation to a relationship with Christ, which we can only make attractive if we ourselves live it. When Jesus says to these men, I will make you fishers of men, he's saying to them, people will be attracted to what I'm offering you. But you must live it again, take a deep breath and make a real distinction between Israeli politics and the Jewish people. The future of the world depends upon this, I think. I mean, I know we're just a little community here. We feel powerless before all this. Like, what can we do? But let's not forget that these first apostles and disciples who were called by Jesus would have been asking the same question. What can we possibly do to for this world in the Roman Empire, really? But that's not true. Christ says to them, because he says, you have me with you, okay? When he calls them, they leave their nets, their boats, meaning their plans, their livelihoods, their designs of what makes for effectiveness in the world. And they follow him. And then they also leave their earthly father. Like, for example, we even know that James and John, their father's name is Zebedee. And you can say, well, was he upset? You can ask. But I imagine he would have been very happy for them because Zebedee also would have been sensing in Christ, this is the one, guys, he would say to his sons, this is the one. Listen to his voice. Listen to the ring of its authority. I believe it's the Father speaking to us through him. Which father, Daddy? The Father. Go to him. I know that from experience, because my own father is happy that I was called to the priesthood. And when Christ calls me to the priesthood and I ask why, he says, the father told me to call you, okay? But my earthly father is so happy that I was called to the priesthood, and I love him for that. You know, not all parents are happy when their son tells them they feel called to be a priest. They sometimes say, don't waste your life, things like that. My father was so happy for me, and I admire that most about him. He can hardly go into Costco without telling somebody at some point that his son's a priest. And I say to him, like, why did you tell them? Why are you bringing it up? I didn't bring it up. It came up. It didn't come up. You must have told them. He can hardly help but tell people that his son's a priest. This is how I picture Zebedee, the father of James and John. Yeah, he was happy for his sons. And that's the freedom of Christianity. We're no longer following the law to get God to love us in the end, but rather responding to the fact that God has sent his son to us and that our morality now is a consequence of our having met him. That's a big difference. So we don't follow the Law to get God to love us. We fulfill the law because we're allowing him to love us. Does that make sense? This is what makes the Christian different. Now. This is also Word of God Sunday in 2019. Pope Francis said, because of the readings at Mass this weekend, I want this to be called Word of God Sunday. It's like, why? Well, because Christ proclaims the kingdom of heaven is at hand, a kingdom that can unite all the nations. A kingdom that Jesus himself said does not belong to this world. Okay, so a kingdom of peace and justice and mercy. And this is what he wants. So Word of God that preaches that kingdom, but also, he says, to strengthen the bonds of affection for the Jewish people because they're the ones who give us first the law and enable us to even recognize Christ when he comes and to build up and promote Christian unity. So here's something that we recite with the children of the faith formation, our little parish school here to help them to remember some of the key players of the Jewish people. The Old Testament. Basically, the story that is history. His story, God's story leading up to the birth of his son, Jesus. So we say to them this. It started with Adam and Eve, created by God, but deceived they gave into sin, new creation begins but redemption they'd still wait to see. First Noah, a man who was just built an ark made of wood and his trust and God who is good, knew our love as he should and humanity raised from the dust. Not long after that came a man from a people with home and a land and Abraham knew his wife Sarah did too. God's promises always will stand From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from him 12 sons of this Jacob his people begin To Egypt they go where they meet only woe and they cry out to God once again. Now this is where Moses comes in. And since God speaks to him as to a friend to the Pharaoh he goes for the Pharaoh he knows, saying, please free my people again. So into the desert they go to a land which the Lord God will show. After 40 long years filled with joy and with tears, they arrive in the land we now know. It is Joshua who leads them in and then David who leads them as king, Then by prophets and judges and temple prepared their hearts for Christ Jesus to reign. And his birth brings new joy to us all. For he comes to save us from the fall, from Adam and Eve and to all in between, God's own voice to be heard in a call. And then we say the end. And they go, no, it's the beginning of the church and that whole history of the Jewish people is how we recognize the voice of Christ when he calls us God's own voice to be heard in a call, the Word of God. Like the word of God Sunday, Jesus is the Word of God. And his voice, his call, is God calling us, calling us to friendship with him. Because while being with him, we receive the Spirit of God who enables us to be reconciled to one another and to live in peace. Even as we hear about the land of Zebulun and Naphtali in the first reading at Mass today, it's to say that Isaiah 600 years earlier was talking about the Galilee region as a place that was overshadowed and living in darkness, but upon whom a great light had shone. As Christians showing up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to call the first apostles and disciples of his to be fishers of men with him, to draw us into a friendship with Him. He calls them, though from the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, as Isaiah said he would. So without the Jewish people, we don't know what this guy's doing or what he even means. But with the Jewish people and what they offer to us, with their having been chosen first, we then recognize our being chosen now through Christ. Does that make sense? Now, another thing we said about this Sunday, not only is it Word of God Sunday, but the 25th, January 25th is also always the conversion of St. Paul. And although we celebrated the third Sunday in ordinary time, this is a great feast day to be aware of and to mention here too, because before he became St. Paul, he was Saul. And Saul was a Pharisee, trained by Gamaliel and even radicalized by him. One of the most intelligent Jews of his day. Saul knew the law inside and out and even boasted about how well he would try to adhere to it. But even he, when he heard that some of these Jews were calling Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah, he was part of a team of men seeking them out to arrest them or to put them to death. You know, we see it not only in our own country through different methods of law enforcement, but also all around the world in anyone who says law, law, law, forcefully with violence. That's what Saul was like. He would lie if he had to, find out where the Christians were, steal if he had to, and when he would get to them, he was often murderous. Actually, when St. Stephen, the church's first martyr, was put to death, we're told that Saul was there looking on with delight, breathing murderous threats. But on the road, as you know, Jesus Appears to him. Bright light knocks Saul to the ground. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, sir, that I'm persecuting? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Saul loses his sight for three days until a man named Ananias comes from the Christian community and says, saul, the spirit of the Lord has sent me to you to give your sight back. He touches Saul's eyes and things like scales fall from his eyes. And Saul comes forth from that darkness into the light. As we heard in the readings, those who were in darkness, a great light has shone upon you. This is what happened to Saul. And then he receives his sight back. He asks for baptism. He's Christian. And he goes into the world to proclaim, Jesus is raised from the dead. And it is by his spirit that we are able to fulfill the law. But only through the grace and mercy of God and the friendship offered to us through the presence of Christ in our life. That's a big change in this man. Notice though, he didn't compromise or abolish any of the law. Now granted, there were a lot of religious laws associated with the religion of Judaism. Like one example is in our Catholic church. Now you see a lot of times hand sanitizer that the eucharistic ministers will use before they distribute communion. That's a new thing when which comes from COVID in 2020. And then it's remained a lot. Now I take the hand sanitizer out of our church because I think that that is a little law that became part of our religion. That is something that crept in one of man's traditions that is not from God. So no offense and I'm a big fan of like sanitation. I use rubbing alcohol all the time. You know, some of you know that. I mean, so I love trying to stay clean, but I don't want us always going to the pump before we distribute communion so as to say to people, see how clean I am. See, it's that kind of ritualistic cleaning that was all over and all throughout Judaism. And it was distracting people from God. From God, just as it distracts us from the Eucharist. But Judaism had hundreds of little things like that. There were hundreds of purel rituals in know taking different forms in Judaism. St. Paul knew them all inside and out. And Christ freed him from all those little insignificant man made laws that became lowercase our religious laws, but gave him the grace to adhere with all the more devotion to the divine law that God truly revealed to us about his heart. You know, the commandments and what makes for true worship, you know, the natural relationship that we share with people, having been given life in this world as a human being, with rights and freedom and dignity, as everyone says on the streets. And to live in one of these great Western countries with the best laws that any country has ever known. I mean, the greatest constitution that any country has ever known. How could that not be enough? Well, we are often forgetful of the one thing necessary. That's how Jesus described himself once when Mary was Mary. Remember Mary and Martha and Lazarus, that house. And Mary fell at his feet to adore him. And Martha was like, jesus, tell Mary to help me. She's telling Jesus to tell Mary what to do. Like that's how Martha prayed. I'm going to tell Jesus what to do to these people. And people pray like that in the world sometimes. But Jesus rebuked her as he rebukes them. And he says, no, no, no, no, no. Only one thing is necessary. Martha. And Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her. What is that one thing that's necessary? It is he. It is Christ. And friendship with him. His grace, his presence.