In Shawano, building the word together
SHAWANO — Fr. Luke Ferris, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, wants to be sure the messages in his weekly homilies strike a chord with the majority of the parishioners who hear them.
Fr. Luke Ferris and members of Sacred Heart Parish’s homiletics group meet Oct. 15 for lunch and to discuss Scripture. The “homily helpers” provide discussion and suggestions for Fr. Ferris’s upcoming weekend homily as well as reviewing the previous week’s homily. (Sue Simoens | For The Compass)
That’s why he meets each Wednesday at noon at the parish center with his homily helpers for their homiletics group. Besides a tasty lunch that the participants bring to share, they also come steeped in the messages from the past week’s homily and with suggestions for the upcoming Sunday homily.
At a recent group meeting, 10 people, including Fr. Luke, attended the session to help shape a homily around the familiar discussion found in Mt 22:21 in which Jesus Christ is challenged by representatives of the Pharisees and the Herodians over the issue of to whom they should pay homage.
The homiletics group meetings follow a set format: a prayer to open; consideration of the previous week’s homily; a round of what each person is thankful for on that day; and finally, evaluation and discussion of the next week’s homily to aid Fr. Luke in his writing and presentation.
“I write down all the ideas and try to focus on one or two examples that the group gives me,” the pastor said. He uses as reference the “Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers and Proclaimers of the Word.”
He launched the group when he joined Sacred Heart Parish 15 months ago and appreciates the attendance of a group that flexes in size from week to week but usually includes men and women ages 30 to 80. That varied group contributing to his homilies “makes it richer,” Fr. Luke said. “It helps me know what the people in the pews are thinking so I can meet them there.”
The group’s participation “keeps me grounded,” he said. “This is where the people are at. It’s so simple, yet profound.”
Last time, the group took a close look at the message and its meanings as reported by Matthew. Fr. Luke acknowledged that the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus, hoping to entrap him into denying Caesar tax money, thus committing the crime of treason.
But Jesus surprised them by proclaiming, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jolane Rankin called the matter “an issue of separation of church and state.” Mary Ellen Waldvogel asked, “In reality, doesn’t everything belong to God?” And she added, “Do we give back to God in relation to what God gives to us? I don’t think so.”
Dan Tomashek turned the discussion to U.S. politics, questioning the Affordable Care Act’s original stated premise to not fund abortions. “When it came into being, it is being used for abortions.” He noted, however, that President Barack Obama has already approved some 19 revisions. “Hopefully and prayerfully, they will also rescind that.”
Maryann Gehr sees an obligation “for us who are informed to get the word out if we don’t like what the government is doing.” She observed that Jesus called out those who tried to entrap him, but he did so without violence. “We’re called to emulate Christ. We don’t have to throw a thing or even raise our voices that much.”
Fr. Luke noted that Matthew’s passage showed Jesus “having righteous anger, as he did when he was clearing the temple. … Being angry at the right time and moment is actually virtuous.” Tomashek called it “righteous indignation.” And Fr. Luke added, “Is it right to call somebody out because our Lord does? Yes!”
Susi Kurek noted that those who march outside abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics are doing just that, but in a peaceful way.
Waldvogel used a football analogy to make her point. “Why is football so attractive to people? Because you can use all your emotions and aggressions.” She has an Aaron Rodgers football jersey she likes to wear and she is apt to rub it and chant “Come on, honey” at tense moments during a game.
Bailey Hansen understands that. “Going to a Packers game is kind of like going to church. It’s a bunch of people supporting the same thing, they stand up and sit down and they sing songs.”
But, Waldvogel noted, “We don’t get to church three hours ahead and wait for the Packers. You don’t leave at halftime like some do at church. That’s more what we should be doing at Mass.”
Fr. Luke talked about identity. “If you had to say are you a Catholic or an American, what would be your answer? Catholic is the answer. God says we belong to him first and the fact that we’re Americans is circumstantial.”
Gehr said the homiletics group feels that “it’s a privilege” to assist Fr. Luke in preparing relevant homilies. “Sometimes we hold our breath: Is this really happening?” At Mass, because the priests are so busy, there is no time to take up the issues they do on their Wednesdays together. It affords us that possibility to really chew on the Gospels and the readings from the previous Sunday. It’s a multi-faceted discussion with an interesting group.
“And then Fr. Luke picks these threads out from what we give him and he weaves a magnificent, remarkable garment.”
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