In Matthew 9:11 the Pharisees ask Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” The Pharisees would make good disciples of the modern identity politics movement, which sees people only in terms of their group identity, for example by culture or race. Jesus is not a group identity kind of guy. In the Gospels we see that Jesus only engages with individuals.

The statement, “I’m spiritual but not religious” has a good curbside appeal but what is this house like inside? Is it the house of God? and what actually goes on, in there? There is a viral strain of the religious that can find a home in a whole range of human activities, including the Church. In 2021 we can now worship at secular, political and even “woke” religious altars. Religious structures are organized around the altar, the site of sacrifice, the place where the adherents of the religion are nourished. What is the main dish on the viral sacrificial menu? This sacrificial specializes in offering up the “innocent victim of the day”. Look at the child sacrifice of the Canaanite religion or the current woke “cancel culture” where you or I could unwittingly find ourselves being listed as the featured entrée on tomorrow’s menu. This dyslexic religion reads Hosea 6:6 backwards, for they hunger for sacrifice and not mercy.

What Pope Francis says as being central to our faith, we often hear at the closing of every Mass… “Go and make disciples.” This is the mission of evangelization that, as baptized Christians, we are all called to participate in. However, I wonder how many people are saying, "Those are awesome inspiring words but they don’t really mean much to me practically speaking in my daily life". Or, ask themselves, "Okay what do we do… what's my role?" Is it ever explained to the congregation?

“But in those times, it is known that many things occurred that are not written, as, for example, the linens and the sudarium in which the body of the Lord was wrapped. We read that it was found, but we do not read that it was preserved. Nevertheless, I do not believe that the relics would have been disregarded, but preserved for future times.”