If you listen to certain outlets of the local Boston media, you hear them say, over and over again, the role of the lay Catholic is to pay, pray and obey. That is a vicious form of anti-Catholicism to make such a statement. It is a lie. From the time you are baptized, you have a mandate to be active in your Catholic faith with the mission to bring people closer to Christ. The closer one is to Christ, the more one is fully human and fully alive in Christ. So our mission is to glorify God by leading ourselves and others to be fully human and fully alive. This is a mandate that Christ gives us at Baptism.
Let us look at today’s gospel reading and see it in action. The apostles complain of a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name. What is key here is that he is doing it in Jesus’ name. He understands that he is calling on the power of God and cannot act on his own power. So he is humbly acting in Jesus’ name. Humility is a powerful stance in which great things happen.
What does it mean to cast out demons. Well, let us get away from the loaded term exorcism and look more at the greater term of which exorcism is a part of healing. The ministry of exorcism is just one of the many ministries of the Church that is one of healing. Indeed, the greatest form of exorcism as well as healing is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That is a complete and sincere confession making such a confession is infinitely more powerful than any prayer of exorcism by the way.
You are a sign and source of healing and holiness if you live your life as people of holiness and healing. This means that through our lives and our words we live so that others may see the way to be fully human and alive.
As Catholics we are called to be conduits of Jesus’ healing and lights to the path of holiness. That is as far from Pay, Pray and Obey as you can get. It is also as far from the idea of what do I need to do to get to Heaven. It is rather, “how do I become a conduit of Jesus grace” that is our daily question. How do I become a conduit of Jesus grace in work, at home and in life. You may be surprised by what the answer is by the way. Was not the unnamed man in the Gospel a conduit of God’s grace.
So you and I have an active role in not only our salvation but the salvation of others.
A lot of time when we think of exorcism, we think of that stupid movie which I do not recommend. However, what is it that we do, we lead people away from the destructive effects of sin and into the transformation that Jesus does among his followers. That is not my role that is everyone’s role. In fact, if you really read Catholic teaching, you will notice, it is my role to preach to you and your role to preach to the world. The more we do this, the more we bring people to become fully human and fully alive.
There is this misuse of a term that Ghandi said all the time, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Knowing what I do of the readings of Ghandi, I think the saying’s current use in social justice circles would probably make him sick. We are not called to be the change we want to see in the world, we are called to be Holy that hearts may change and people may become fully human and fully alive that is what changes the world. You cannot build a just society, you can only foster a sense of justice in people who create a just society by default.
How do we do this?
One of the most important is to pray and study the bible. Know your faith well and live it. Know what St. Paul means when he says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12. Know what St. Peter means when he says: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
Know what Jesus means when he says: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down upon you.”
A great source of instruction of how to put your faith into action is one that Dorothy Day taught The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. These are the actions that serve as a guideline of how we bring the healing power of Christ into our own lives and those of others.
However, as the man who acted in Jesus name, so must we be people of prayer so that we may act in His name as well. Our prayer must be real and life giving that we may be transformed and be real and life giving in Jesus’ name as well.
This is why reading the bible is so important, especially the new testament. This is why prayer is so important, especially devotional prayer and this is why the parish prayer is so important.
Do not engage in the practice of pray, pay and obey, instead listen to the mandate in the Baptismal Rite. “May the Lord open your ears to hear his words and touch your lips to proclaim His faith to the praise and Glory of God the Father.”
God Bless you,
Fr. Robert J Carr
Fr. Carr is the pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Quincy, Massachusetts (Check out and Like our facebook page) and is the editor of this blog. He is also an alliance member of the Canção Nova Community (You may also find his videos inVideos.Catholicismanew.org courtesy of iCatholic.com. He also has a regular radio program on WebRadio Canção Nova. Heard Mondays at 7pm (1900 hours) EDT/2300 UTC
You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr. Thoughts, comments on the homily? Let us know at either the parish facebook page or the Catholicismanew Facebook page.