CFA Mass for the Dundas area.
Two houses
We gather today to express our great gratitude for your commitment as firefighters and first responders personnel in keeping us safe, protecting and saving lives and property and helping to create a community wherein we can live as a human family. There are so many times when we can take your dedication and professionalism for granted. On a day such as this in which we gather to give thanks to God in the Eucharist, we begin by saying thank you to yourselves. Our words of gratitude are only equalled by our fervent prayer that you and all first responders be kept safe.
As you come from your homes to this church I invite you to reflect for a few moments on another two other houses. The first house is not built of bricks and cement, but rather it is the house of our faith. The second house is our own house.
So I begin by reflecting upon the house of faith. In St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, the brainy people tell us that this was his attempt at letting us know that it’s not about anything we have done to justify ourselves, but it's all about the action of God becoming human and offering himself on the cross for our salvation. You see poor old Paul was agitated over the news that some people believed that they did not need God. It comes down to people believing that they are the sole determinants of their fate. And this is something that started with Adam and Eve who thought that, in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would be equal to God, and is a temptation that continues down to us as descendants of the first man and woman.
And so how do we enter this house of faith? If you like … where is the front door? How do we get in? Answer…We simply choose to enter. And we choose to enter by looking to God as the one who gives life and upon whom all life depends. As first responders, you certainly give yourselves totally to doing what needs to be done in helping and saving others. And on many, many occasions your efforts may save lives. Our prayer for you today is that you know that you are never alone. Our prayer for you is that you look to God for strength when you are tired. That you look to God for courage when you are afraid. That you look to God for direction when you are confused. In St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (3:20), we read: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory.” May we all choose to enter the house of faith in the one “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”
And secondly, what about our own houses? Since being blessed by the call to serve the people in Western Victoria I have come to realise how delightful and faithful the people of this grace-filled area are to me. I realise that there are so many gifts and talents that people have, most of which I do not have, that are needed to build up the kingdom of God. In a word, I have come to understand how important it is to have these people in the house of my life. It is important that you as first responders have certain people in the house of your lives
I also urge you, however, to know that the need to allow others into the house of your life does not pertain only to your professional life, but pertains to your personal life also. Your work as firefighters is very stressful. In addition to the hours that you work, you face demanding situations that take a toll on you physically, emotionally and spiritually. And it is for this reason, that it is so important that you know that you are not alone. It is so important that you invite people into your life who are trained to help face the challenges of your chosen calling. Please look after yourself, your health and well-being. Many times the first step is knowing that we need not do things alone. And then open the door and invite someone in. May you never hesitate to open the door of your life to people who will help you to be the person God wants you to be.
In Joshua 24:15, Joshua, the successor of Moses, tells the Israelites: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” May you, as first responders, be ever strengthened in serving the needs of others. May you know that in serving these needs, you are following the example of Joshua and serving the LORD. May God Bless you and watch over you this day and always.