Jesus came to bring Salvation to all Nations!
Homily preached August 20, 2023
by Monsignor Michael Deering

One year ago, in August of 2022, many of you completed a Survey

that we passed out and collected at all the Masses regarding the Repair and Use of

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in downtown Tuscaloosa.

You see, for 3-1/2 years after my arrival in July of 2016, I prayed the 7 AM Sunday Morning Mass there for some 50 Parishioners and many visitors to Tuscaloosa.

Sadly, due to the Covid-19 Lockdown, St. Johns and all Churches

were closed to the public from March to May of 2020.

Another level of sadness came our way when we experienced interior damage to St. John’s just as we were getting ready to reopen it. Yes, due to the long-term street vibrations from the construction trucks repaving and redirecting Lurleen Blvd. (that runs in front of St. Johns) that whole summer ... the Plaster Ceiling inside St. Johns gave way in many spots and presented a significant safety hazard.

Well, the Survey showed that some people would like to attend once again and a good many people indicated that they would contribute to the restoration of

St. Johns whether they attended Mass there or not. 

So we put together some Engineering and Artistic plans ... to not only repair

St. Johns ... but also enhance it with important additions ... such as Handicap access, a Bathroom, a Fire Sprinkler System, a Sound System and a New Roof.

And on July 15^th we quietly announced the St. John the Baptist Restoration Project

as we began soliciting financial support for the Project.

The goal of the Restoration Project is to raise $1 Million dollars. 

And the good news is ... that several people are already considering

exactly how much they would like to contribute!

And you may ask,   “How in the world did that happen?”

Well you see, in putting together the St. Johns Restoration Project,

          we decided early on ... to conduct it in 2 phases …

an initial private phase ... followed by a later public phase.

And so. during the past month ...

we have begun approaching those who indicated their interest on the Survey

 in a private and personal way.

Chair Person Robert Lake and others on the Restoration Project Team have been visiting with those Parishioners who indicated their interest on our Survey ...

presenting them with the Project Plans ... and soliciting their support.

Some are taking time to think about it …

and thankfully several have made Contributions and / or Pledges.

And soon ... after conducting the Private Phase of the Project through October ...

we will then began conducting the Public Phase …

     whereby we will announce the Project ...  to everyone ... not just select People ...

but to all past Parishioners of St. Johns … as well as their families and friends    

   and to anyone else who believes in the work we want to resume doing

by having an active presence of the Catholic Church in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The point of all this is that we knew all along ...

that we were going to reach out to everyone …

but ... we purposely chose to do it ... in 2 Phases ...

… first the Private Phase (to a small group) … and then the Public Phase (to all).

And this “2-Phase” Plan that we used ... closely resembles

the plan that Almighty God used ... to draw all people to Himself!

You see, from the beginning, God had in mind ... His own Restoration Project!

But His challenge was way bigger than just raising $1 Million Dollars.

God had to make His appeal for a happy future to a whole world enslaved by sin.

How do you do that?     Where do you begin ... when everyone’s in sin?

Well, back in Jesus’ day, people were pretty much divided in two groups.

No, they weren’t divided Auburn & Alabama … or even Democrat & Republican.

At that time people were divided ... Jew & non-Jew.

You either believed in the One true God … the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob … or you did not.

Those who believed in the One True God were Jews.

Those who believed in other gods were referred to as Pagans or Gentiles.

So there was great separation among the people ...

especially in the way that they worshipped …

with the Jews worshipping the One True God in the Temple in Jerusalem,

and the Gentiles worshipping their false gods at Shrines or not at all.

And I’m sure they never dreamt ... there would ever come a day …

where all people would come and worship together in the same place!

Yet ... that was God’s desire ... from the very beginning!

The Prophet Isaiah referred to this in our First Reading today stating,

“Thus says the Lord … The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, …

them will I bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer …

for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

Isaiah’s prophecy, coming 600 years before Jesus, had to leave them quite confounded: Everyone coming together to pray to the same God in the same place?

How impossible!    The Jews hated the Gentiles … and the Gentiles hated the Jews.

So you can see how difficult ... God’s Restoration Project was!

But God had a plan ... a plan that we hear unfold in today’s Gospel.

A Gentile woman (a non-Jew) dares to approach Jesus, a Jew, to help her sick child.

Jesus is initially silent to her request for help.

And when the woman persists in asking Him for help, Jesus responds,

 “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

In other words, Jesus was saying that He’s only in “Phase One” of His Project …

going only to those who have experience with the One True God …

those of the House of Israel ... the Jews.

You see, with the whole world ... both Jews and Gentiles ... in sin ...

God chose to break up His Project into two Phases …

first re-gathering the Jews (the lost sheep)... and then later gathering the Gentiles.

The woman in need didn’t know about Phases … all she knew was that her daughter was tormented and she needed the help of this holy man, Jesus, right now! 

So, she pressed Jesus saying, “Lord, help me.”

Jesus replies saying,

“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Now, she knew that the word “children” meant the Jews, God’s Chosen People.

While the word “dog” was a Jewish term of contempt for her and all Gentiles.

So she hears Jesus saying that His saving power was intended first for the Jews

… and it wasn’t right to use His power to assist the Gentiles.

But, still she persisted ...saying,

“Please Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Well!           What was Our Lord to do?

How could He hesitate any longer ... to honor her trusting request?

He couldn’t …

so impressed was Jesus by her persistent determination,  that He remarked,

“O woman, great is your faith!”

   and He went ahead and healed her daughter ... at that very hour!

With that, Phase 1 of His Campaign was now over … and Phase 2 had begun!

With her plea … the Private Phase was ended … and the Public Phase began!

No longer would He seek out only the Jews ... now ... the Gentiles as well! 

In doing this, Jesus showed that He had the power to heal Gentiles as well as Jews.

He had the power all along … and it was in His plan to use it all along ...

He just purposely rolled it out in two phases, first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles.

Soon after this, Jesus established His Church on Peter ...

     as the worldwide household of God ... and He would instruct His Disciples to:

“Go out to the whole world and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

And then soon after Jesus ascended to Heaven,

He converted Paul from being a zealous Jew to being a zealous Christian

with the special mission of taking the Good News of salvation ... to the Gentiles.

Paul affirms this in our Second Reading from his Letter to the Romans, writing,

“I am speaking to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the Apostle to the Gentiles.”

This is a clear announcement that Phase Two of God’s Restoration Project …

was in full swing ...

with the Good News of salvation being preached to... all people.

And notice how Paul, a Jew, addresses the converted Gentiles in all of his letters … 

“Brothers and Sisters:”

Yes!    Far different cultures ... and yet ... Brothers and Sisters … in the Lord!

Thank God for Paul … he brought the faith to the Gentiles … that’s all of us!

And since then ... God’s Project to gather all souls remains in full swing …

continuing each and every day!

It’s a Project that never ends … it will continue ... until the end of time!

You see, while the St. John Restoration Project will end when the Church is restored ...

God’s Restoration Project will not end until all people are gathered in his House …

and there are new people being born every day ... that need to be invited!

For the last 40 years, we’ve been calling God’s Restoration Project:

“The New Evangelization and the Re-Evangelization.”

which refers to re-calling those who had once accepted

the first call to be in God’s family ... but for some reason have turned away.

You may choose not to participate in the St. John Restoration Project.

   But you definitely need to ... participate in … God’s Restoration Project!

Yes, by Baptism, all of us are called to build up the Kingdom of God on earth.

For example, in my Pastor’s Desk in the Bulletin in 2 weeks …

you’ll read my plea to reach out to family and friends ...

with an invitation to attend our next series of RCIA classes ... where we present

the truth & treasure of the Catholic faith that will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 12^th.

God wants all souls to be gathered into His House …

Which ... in Phase 1 is the Church ...

and ... in Phase 2 is Heaven!

You can be a powerful player in this great Project of ...

gaining souls for the Kingdom of Heaven.

We’re in Phase 1 ... or maybe better called Phase 1-1/2 ...

for now it’s not just about the evangelization of people ...

it’s also about the re-evangelization of Christians who have fallen away ...

yes, re-evangelizing the de-Christianized ...  and dare I say ...  the de-Catholicized!

Please pray for the success of God’s Project ...

 & participate in building up the Kingdom of God ... on Earth …

       so all people can worship together in the Kingdom of God ... in Heaven.