SJA Parishioners Give the Homily in TNII

SJA Parishioners Give Homily in TN2
Sunday, July 25th, 2002

Note: As part of the 2002 Adult delegation to our Sister Parish in Tierra Nueva Dos, Guatemala, Carol Krush and Mindy Ahler-Olmstead were asked to deliver the homily on Sunday, July 25th. Ruth Garrido of the Sister Parish Inc. staff translated into Spanish. The homily was written by Carol Krush with input from all of the delegates.

On behalf of the delegation from St. Joan of Arc, we would like to connect our experiences in Guatemala with the Bible readings for today.

First we want to talk about the reading from Solomon. Solomon knew that if he were going to govern the people well, he needed help. He humbly asked God for the wisdom to decide between good and bad. God recognized that Solomon’s request was unselfish and for the good of the community. Solomon did not ask for a long life, or riches or the killing of his enemies. Therefore, God granted Solomon more that he asked for, wisdom like no one had seen before and no one would see again.

This relates to Sister Parish. We come humbly with an open heart seeking God’s guidance. We are seeking the wisdom to help each other. We want both communities to benefit from our relationship.

For the gospel readings, we are going to go backwards, in reverse order of Jesus parables of the Kingdom of God.

First the parable of the storeroom from which the homeowner takes our old and new things. When we meet people from different countries, we are exposed to new ideas, customs, and values. In looking at these new ways, we examine our old ways more closely. In the process of getting to know others better, we learn more about ourselves. Although there are traditions of cooperation in our own country, one “old” teaching that many of us learn is the importance of individual advancement and independence over community advancement and cooperation. Coming to Guatemala helps us to see the strength in group effort and consensus for building stronger community and the Kingdom of God on earth.

In the parable of the fishnet, we see the fishermen keeping the good fish and throwing away the bad. We believe that each of us contains both good and bad characteristics but that each of us has the desire to do good and to be good. The more we choose the good, the more the good can grow in us and spread to others. Taking communion is a symbol of our desire for good. It was Solomon’s desire for good that pleased God even though Solomon didn’t feel worthy. God is pleased with our desire for good which is expressed by our coming forward humbly to ask Jesus to enter our bodies through the bread and wine, to ask for Jesus’ good to enter our lives to share with others.

And finally we come to the parables of the pearl and the treasure - things so valuable that those who found them sold everything in order to possess them. Our group had found that pearl and treasure here in Guatemala. What are these valuable things you have showed us?

The hospitality with which you welcome guests into your homes and your community
Living together respectfully in small spaces
Loved and cared for children who take an active role in family responsibilities
Intentional prayer incorporated naturally into your everyday lives
Hard work to build a good life for you and your community
The importance of bringing people together in your church and your community, for example in your pastoral council and sister parish committee

As women, we also had the opportunity to meet with the women’s group here in Tierra Nueva and women’s cooperatives in other Guatemalan communities. We discovered that we have many things in common.

We noticed that women are often involved in the creative work of giving birth, child care, cooking, cleaning, and home decoration
We found that women often need to be very organized to accomplish this “home” work
We agreed on the importance of self-nurturing and time apart with each other when our lives are often focused on caring for others
This time together enhances our self esteem and confidence

In addition, because women here in Guatemala have faced such hardship, we have been deeply moved and inspired by the unified development of various groups. In fact we see that both women and men have started small, set priorities, asked for help and worked together to achieve your dreams. Women who had started with so little went beyond the realization of their dreams to help others who were in difficult situations to realize their dreams by seeking scholarships for the young and meaningful activities for the old. There was a sense of responsibility to “give back” to their communities.

In summary, the lives of the women and men we have met on this journey have inspired and strengthened us. We see that we can be co-creators with God in the world. From us can come peace, love, nurturing and resolution of conflict without resorting to violence. We can celebrate these qualities, which are typically considered feminine, but are qualities of Jesus and present in all of us. These are the priceless treasures you have shared with us and we are very grateful.

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