Learn to Fly

This is a homily given by Father Bob Vallee today:

"There is an old story that Fr Paul Edwards, a deceased priest of the Archdiocese, used to like to tell. Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a country far, far away, probably Slovakia, there lived a great eagle with a whole nest full of eagle eggs. One day, one of the eggs fell out of the nest and into the chicken yard. The little eagle hatched, looked around and, presuming the hen was his own mother, began to live and act like a chicken. He scratched the dirt and clucked and dug for worms. The little eagle was happy enough as a chicken until one day, high over ahead, soaring on the first breath of the dawn, he saw an extraordinary sight. He saw a great bird flying on the edges of heaven, not the little leap and jump flying of a chicken but soaring on great beautiful wings without hardly a motion. He asked one of the other chickens what the bird was. The other chicken said: 'That is an eagle, the great king of all birds.' The eagle said, 'Yes, but why can’t we fly like that?' The other chicken said, 'Don’t be stupid! We are only chickens.' The eagle folded up his great wings, bowed his head, and began to scratch the dust for worms, never imagining that he himself was an eagle, that he himself could fly. He bowed his head and his spirit and never again thought of flying or eagles again.

"I like this story very much, especially on the feast of Christ the King. You see the whole point of religion is to affirm the goodness, truth and beauty in us. The whole point of being a Christian is to learn to recognize and see Christ the King, in all his glory and majesty, in ourselves and in one another. As Jesus himself said, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' Look up! If you are really seeing Christ, then you are also seeing a tremendous possibility within yourself.

"There is a good and a bad form of religion. The bad form of religion tells us we are bad and need to be afraid. The bad form of religion is always on the lookout for sin and disgrace. The bad form of religion is critical, mean and judgmental. The bad form of religion tells us that we are just chickens. The good form of religion tells us that we are good, beautiful and holy, and do not need to be afraid. The good form of religion is always on the lookout for grace and goodness. The good form of religion reminds that we are eagles and share in the kingship of Christ.

"We see this explained in a different way in the Gospel. Jesus is having a talk with Pilate. They are discussing whether or not Jesus is a king. Jesus says that he is, indeed, a king but not the sort of king that Pilate imagines. When Pilate thinks king, he imagines power, authority and obedience. Jesus has to explain that his kingdom is not like a earthly kingdom. It is not about power, money and prestige. The kingdom of God is about love, justice and truth.

"The story of the little eagle is very sad. But I fear it is the story of a great many people, even a great many Christians. Every one of us, myself included, needs to hear these words because they come from the Lord: 'You are more than you think you are. There is greatness and godhead within you. You are good, wise and beautiful. You do not have to be afraid, not of anything, not ever again. You were not made to scratch the dirt for worms; you were made to fly on the breath of the dawn.' It is the work of Satan and his demons to tear down, criticize and tell you why you are so bad; It is the work of Jesus Christ and his angels to build up, affirm and help you find your goodness. Often times we waste our lives living as chickens. But we are not chickens, not really. We are eagles who have not yet learned to fly. Wake up! Pay attention! You are more and better than you can possibly imagine."