WWME CONVENTION HOMILY - Worldwide Marriage Encounter

WWME CONVENTION HOMILYOne World, One Family, 40 YearsBy: Father Emile Frische, MHMSATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2009St. Irenaeus“The Glory of God is Emile Fully Alive”This statement was made to me a few years ago as I was sitting in the office of acounselor, helping me through the after-effects of 9/11. My doctor Ed sat before meone day and said to me: “ Emile, listen to me, and listen to me good – I have somewisdom to share with you, and it does not come from me. This comes from a guywho lived hundreds of years ago, and this is what he is saying to you right now:„The Glory of God is Emile Fully Alive.‟ Don‟t deny God his glory.”I was an angry person in the weeks after 9/11. It was a struggle for me to be thecompassionate face of our God to the people I was called to serve. Nine months of“hell” down at that site didn‟t give me much encouragement to see the glory of God!Those were lonely months.Now this good Dr. Ed was telling me that the „Glory of God is Emile Fully Alive‟.Over the course of the next 5 sessions or so, Dr. Ed encouraged me to look deepwithin myself to find the good moments in each day. He was like a dentist slowlypulling teeth – telling me it was all for my good.For me to become, again, fully alive, I had to make a daily decision to see God in theeyes of each person I met along the way. I was forced to open up to others –allowing them to minister to me, to love me. I was learning to love the „me‟ I hadleft on the agonizing mess of the rubble in lower Manhattan. Oh man, it is so goodto be alive! It‟s even much better to be “fully alive”!“The Glory of God is ……&……. Fully Alive.What does Irenaeus mean by “fully alive”? He means that God is glorified whenman and woman are fully alive in Christ. He talks about the „great exchange‟ howthe Son of God became the Son of Man so that man and woman could become sonsand daughters of God. To have that life of Christ in us means to be fully alive. AsChrist himself tells us in John 10.10: “I came so that they may have life, and have itmore abundantly.” To have the abundant life is to be fully alive in Christ. To liveabundantly in Christ, is to allow the power and grace of God to so fill our wholebeing, that the glory of God shines through us.© 2008 – Worldwide Marriage Encounter, San Bernardino, CA Page 1

As I look around this conference room, as I see you, the Church, the Peopleof God gathered here at this celebration, I see the glory of God shining through you– because you are fully alive, today. We need to remain FULLY ALIVE every dayof our lives, because God deserves the glory. Right? How do we do that?Today in the presentations we have been hearing that God continually callsus to a conversion of heart. Many of us began that journey of conversion on ourWorldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. Maybe that Weekend was in June of2008. Maybe that Weekend was in 1968. No matter what the year, we arecalled to make this journey EVERY day of our lives. The Weekend experience isn‟tjust a weekend experience! It is a life changing experience where we hear Godsaying to each and every one of : The Glory of God is …&… fully alive. Thismeans that we need to live the values of our Weekend conversion experience so thatit makes a difference in our lives, in the lives of our children, in the lives of ourparishioners, in the life of our Church communities. This is what we believe, isn‟tit? This is our mission – of renewal in the church and change in the world. Itbegins with you and me. We are called to make a difference in this world of ours.We can do this. We MUST do this. St. Paul tells us: “I can do all things throughHim who strengthens me.”Remember the words of our Gospel today: “Holy Father, I pray not only forthese, but also for those who WILL BELIEVE IN ME THROUGH THEIR WORD,SO THAT ALL MAY BE ONE …… that the world may know that you lovedTHEM even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me.” WE are theFather‟s gift to Jesus. Y O U are the Father‟s gift to Jesus.Jesus continues his prayer to the Father by saying: “ I have made known to themyour name and I will make it known, THAT THE LOVE WITH WHICH YOULOVED ME MAY BE IN THEM, AND I IN THEM.” Is this what you began toexperience on your Weekend? Is this what I experience today? As we listened tothe 3 rd presentation today, we were told that God gives us the graces we need tomake a difference in the world everyday. We do that by believing in His Word andby living out that Word every day of our lives. We are on a mission of transformingthe world – this IS indeed, a Holy Adventure. We are called to look BEYOND theWeekend, and to invest ourselves in the lives of others and walk this journey withthem. This is what we profess in our vision statement: Love one another as I haveloved you.This is a real request from God to us all today. It‟s not just a phrase for ouradvertising leaflets; it is meant to be in our hearts. I have experienced this „Godlove‟ through the love of Tony & Cathy in our ecclesial relationship. Their love,your love, is empowering me in my priesthood to be more fully alive. I am called tolove you as God loves so that you also may be fully alive and be on fire for themission.God continues to make the Impossible Dream POSSIBLE, because God believes ineach and every one of us. This is our mission, folks. We are missionaries with apurpose – living our sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders, believing in the© 2008 – Worldwide Marriage Encounter, San Bernardino, CA Page 2

We have a long way to go, my friends. There are so many more couples andpriests out there who need to see the Christ you carry within you, the Christ youcelebrate in your marriage, in our priesthood, in our ecclesial relationships. Themissionary journey continues : One World, One Family, … 50 Years. And wehear Jesus saying to us: Remember,I am with you, ALWAYS.The Glory of God is ……….. Fully Alive.Mass Readings:2 Timothy 2. 22b-26John 17. 20-26© 2008 – Worldwide Marriage Encounter, San Bernardino, CA Page 4