Bishop Mark Spalding - April 19

St. Philip Catholic Church: I have kind of a question to ask and this is kind of a quick survey of the crowd. Franklin slash St. Philip's Parish, 10 years or less, 10 years or less, raise your hands, 10 years or less, very good, excellent, put your hands down. Now I want the group 15 years or less, put your hands up, okay, very good, excellent. Now 20, put your hands up if you've been here 20 years or less, okay, wonderful. Now 25 or more, 25 or more. Okay, very good. Excellent. I won't go any further than that. Now you see the variety of people and especially we saw those hands that went up 25 and above. What does that tell you? The work that has gone on for those people before you have resulted in look at this wonderful crowd. And especially I know the so-called old timers and I'm saying that with much love and affection. You've been in various churches on this property in just these few years. And look at all that it's brought. And my dear people, I want to say there's more harvesting to be done. Our faith is a wonderful faith. The church in Middle Tennessee, the Diocese of Nashville is growing significantly. It's growing significantly. The problems that I have as bishop is so much of it is the challenge of what do we do with all these people? What do we do with all these seminarians? How do we take care of this together? And we are. And I just want to affirm that. But I also want to thank those who have gone before me, bishops that have preceded me, the priests and pastors in the parishes that work so hard. The fruit is showing. And I want to say a thank you and a gratitude for those who have been here for over the years and involved in the parish. The fruit is showing. Invite others. to the table of the Lord. We have a wonderful faith, but it's not to be chest kept to me and my few around me. I need to tell people how wonderful it is. This is the power of this road to Emmaus story. What is behind the whole road to Emmaus story but the mass, the Eucharist. the coming together of the two in the presence of Christ, pondering the scriptures, being on fire by the understanding they get through the voice of Jesus. Now that voice of Jesus is heard when the gospel is proclaimed. That's why we all stand and that's why incense is used and such reverence is made to the book of the gospels because Christ is speaking to you and me in that moment. And so we stand in honor. We stand up and we honor the Lord. And that's why it's done. And that's why incense is used in that moment. You notice incense used at the gospel. And I think we're gonna do it today. Will they be incensing? You'll see the incense during the elevation in the Eucharistic prayer. All those connections we see week in and week out when the presence of Christ is found. In one moment we're standing, the other moment we're kneeling all to show our reverence and respect. but power as well, and Christ speaks to us. And then the church teaches that the priest or deacon or bishop, when he's preaching, he's breaking open those words of Christ and applying it to our day and time. And here's what I say about our day and time. People are anxious, fearful, alone, troubled, wounded, hurt, suffering. And they need Christ and Christ's church to get them out of those moments to moments of joy and consolation and strength. That doesn't mean their suffering immediately goes away, but they know when they're part of the church, they're not alone. I preach, I go to all these ⁓ youth moments, whether it's a school mass, whether it's a youth, a young adult mass, and I tell them the whisper of the devil is this, you're all alone. That's the whisper of the devil. Nobody notices you. That's the whisper of the devil. God proclaims in all of creation, but most significantly and powerfully through his own son, Jesus Christ, you're not alone. I'm always with you. You are loved. I can't stop loving you. And I will always try to bring you to me. And the most significant way we know in our church, to bring people to God the Father is through Christ his son. And how do we know it most significantly? And your proof positive of it this morning, your very presence here, people driving by St. Phillips and seeing all these cars right now and they're like, what is that? How did they possibly get that car into that corner there? And to take that kind of effort to be here says something, not only inside the church, but outside of it as well. And my dear friends, the reason you come and the reason I come week in and week out to receive the Eucharist is so we're strengthened to go back out into the world and take our faith wherever we go. At home, at school, at work, with our wider community, to make sure others know you are bringing Christ to them. That's our mission. We don't just keep it here in the church. Some people want us to just keep it in this building. Our faith is not to be trapped just here. We are to celebrate it, rejoice in it, and then live it wherever we find ourselves. Sometimes, and it's been in the news lately, you know, about people should keep their faith in, out of other people's business. And sometimes the church gets hit by, you shouldn't be talking politics. All we're doing is talking gospel here. The respect that's due to you and others. The beauty of life from conception and natural death. The wonder and goodness of God's creation. and that we're all called to be one in Christ, united in God's love. It's as simple as that, but it's quite challenging to hear that message in the world today. But we as a people will keep on preaching that. Because when you come in disciples and you bring people together and they understand the word and appreciate the Eucharist, then you're strengthened in your life to go and live your faith in the world. And God sends you out at every mass. The deacons, you go to find deacons here. They change the way the deacons sending is at the end of mass. And it's very simple. It always starts with the same word. You know what that word is? Go. Go! Whenever a bish... Not these two. Some still go, the mass is ended, go in peace. Wrong. It always starts with go. Go, get out of here. Get into life. Take Christ to others, go. It's your mission now to live the Eucharist in the world. Go, be Christ to others, go. Get out here and change the world into the kingdom you pray for. Each and every time you say the Lord's Prayer, remember, Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That means we're working for it, empowered by the Spirit, bringing our faith to others. It's so good for us to be here, hearing the scriptures, celebrating the Eucharist, and having our eyes open once again. And what do we see? The same thing those two saw 2000 years ago. In the breaking of the bread, they saw the Lord Himself. and their hearts were set on fire. Their hearts were set on fire and they went out. And now we benefit from that message.