Bishop Kemme: ‘Cast your cares on Jesus’
Bishop Kemme delivered his homily Sunday, March 22, via the internet.
Bishop Carl A. Kemme asked the faithful in this time of instability to cast all their cares on Jesus because he cares deeply for all.
“Let that be our hope and consolation today, the Day of the Lord,” he said before blessing the faithful watching via the internet. “God bless your Sunday of worship in the best way we can for now and rest – hopefully, a rest from the burden of our present and, God willing, temporary distress.”
Bishop Kemme told those viewing that he was grateful they connected to the Mass through the internet, and that out to charity it was prudent to do so to minimize the infection rate of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Bishop looks forward to being back together
“Hopefully, we will all be able to gather once again in our beloved churches and cathedrals for the full participation in the Mass.
Imagine how wonderful that will be! Let’s anticipate that together.”
Bishop Kemme talked about the parallels between the Gospel story of Jesus giving sight of the man born blind and our crisis today.
“He, too, felt helpless, alone, afraid – forced to beg each day for his daily sustenance. His world was dark, not only physically, but emotionally, and spiritually. He had been afflicted with a lifelong pestilence called blindness that left him isolated, disconnected, and in need each and every day.”
Blind man’s encounter with Jesus
The blind man’s encounter with Jesus changed his life, Bishop Kemme said. In an act that anticipates the power of baptism, the blind man washes away the impurity on his eyes and can see.
“Now for the first time… he could see the earth, the sky, the flowers, the people, all of creation,” Bishop Kemme said. “What joy must have filled his heart as his eyes were flooded with these images for the first time – and especially when he saw the face of the one who made it all possible, his lord, his master, his savior, Jesus Christ.”
The bishop related the Gospel story to a verse from Isaiah, that states: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in a land of gloom, light has shone.”
Look for Jesus in our ‘darkness’
The times we are in feel like days of darkness and gloom, he said, “but let us recall that we have had the eyes of our souls anointed by Christ in order to see his unmistakable presence and power in the darkness of our lives.”
Baptism directs our lives to God, Bishop said, to light and life through faith and worship. “It is our faith and worship, the offering of our lives to God that will see us through all of this. How blessed we are to know and to believe in a God who walks with us into the darkness, illuminating our minds and hearts with the consoling power of his word and presence.”
Sadly, he continued, the faithful may not commune at this time with the Risen Savior.
“He is still here in our tabernacles, accompanying us on the pathways of life, healing our blindness that is caused by sorrow, distress, doubts, and pain,” Bishop Kemme said.
“Go to him now and in the days ahead spiritually, but nevertheless, no less powerfully, and ask him to heal this darkness for you, for your family, for our church, and for the world.
Want to watch the Mass online?
Many parishes in the Diocese of Wichita are now streaming their daily and Sunday Masses. Visit their websites for links.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is streaming daily and Sunday Masses. They will stream in English at 9 a.m. during the workweek and at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The 12:30 Sunday Mass is also streamed from the Cathedral. Visit the diocesan Facebook page for a link, or click here.