Another Christ

Editor’s note: The following is Bishop Douglas J. Lucia’s homily from Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday, Sept. 27, celebrating the beatification of Fulton Sheen and the commissioning of lay ministers for Formation for Ministry.

“Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” 

(Phil 2:5)

Well again this Lord’s Day, brothers and sisters, I begin our reflection on the Word of God by turning to my favorite book, The Dictionary, and focusing on the word “attitude.” There are three definitions of this same word that I would invite us to keep in mind: (1) the particular way a person thinks or feels about something or someone; (2) a physical position assumed for a specific purpose; (3) a bodily state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus (such as an object, concept, or situation).”

All these definitions direct us to our second reading this Lord’s Day from St. Paul’s letter to the Church of Philippi. It beautifully outlines the way a life of discipleship demands love, compassion, mercy, unity, and humility. In turn, it also directs you and me to the fact that this is not simply a random list of qualities or characteristics — they are the very things Christ modeled by his life!

Underlying the list is the word, “humility.” Not just a moment for a follower of Christ, but a way of life … a way of action. It is not lost on me that the name of the street I lived on in Rome when doing my graduate studies in Canon Law was Via dell’Umiltà. The way of humility for my study of law would be defined by the final canon of the Code of Canon Law, Canon 1752: “… the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.”

This is the same humility required of the first son who changed his mind and went out to the vineyard. This is the same humility required of you and me, sisters and brothers, to admit when we are wrong and in need of a change of heart. As our first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel reminds you and me, we may be quick to tell the Lord that his ways are not fair, but want to live Frank Sinatra’s creed, “I did it my way.” This leads me to the question that is the heart of our Sunday readings: “Is my way the Lord’s way?” What is my attitude towards others, not only to family and friends, but also to the stranger as we celebrate this Sunday, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees? What is my posture when I encounter all those mentioned above — open or crossed arms? And even more, am I ready to respond as Jesus did?

Not easy questions to ask oneself, but they do have a purpose. Thomas Merton was orphaned at the age of 16. He became a Communist at 20. He found Christ at 23. At 24, he became a New York Times reporter. At 26, he put all his possessions in a duffel bag, went to Kentucky, and became a Trappist monk.

In his best-selling spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton describes the first step in his journey of conversion. He had just graduated from high school, was traveling alone in Europe, and was living a worldly lifestyle, encountering the temptations and vices to be found in it.

One night, in his room, he was struck with an awareness of his sinfulness. He writes: “The whole thing passed in a flash … I was overwhelmed with a sudden and profound insight into the misery and corruption of my own soul … I was filled with horror at what I saw … and my soul desired escape … from all this with an intensity and an urgency unlike anything I had ever known before.”

Merton goes on to say that for the first time in his life he prayed — really prayed. He prayed to the God he had never known to reach down from heaven and free him from the evil power that held his body and soul in slavery.

Brothers and sisters, Merton’s prayer is the psalm prayer you and I prayed this morning. Listen again to some of the words we used: “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior … the sins of my youth and my frailties remember not … [He] teaches the humble his way.”

Again, you and I might be a bit hesitant about being taught a new way of doing things. After all, a popular saying in our culture is, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!” Or can we, if you and I go through an attitude adjustment like the son who first said “no” in our gospel reading?

This Sunday, we celebrate two events as a diocesan family: the Beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen and the commissioning of new lay ministers for service in the Diocese of Syracuse. If one examines the writings and talks of Archbishop Sheen, we find that servant leadership is about “the mind of Christ” — a mind that puts others first, that serves without seeking glory, and that finds its crown in the Cross. Fulton J. Sheen often taught that true leadership is not about holding a title or commanding respect through power, but about serving with humility, integrity, and a heart that reflects Christ’s love. As he said, “Leadership is not about how high you can climb, but about how far you can go for others.”

And the fuel for such continuing conversion of heart — on the way to having the same attitude as Christ — was Bishop Sheen’s own witness found in the Eucharist, both at Mass and in his daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, and in the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation. 

Sisters and brothers, in our own call to servant leadership — whether in the Church, in the workplace, or in family life — we are called to “count others more important than ourselves” (v.3). This means listening more than speaking, serving more than commanding, and leading with a heart that is open to being “empty” of self‑interest so that Christ may be “full” in us.

So let me end with a prayer, not only for ourselves, but for those to be commissioned to service in our diocese this Lord’s Day:  Lord, give us the mind of Christ — a heart that serves without pride, that leads without domination, and that finds its glory in the Cross. May we be servant leaders who, like Jesus, “empty themselves” and “serve others” so that the world may see Christ in us. Amen.