Twelve months ago, the beginning of July last year, I had the privilege of becoming a pastor again. I’m so grateful for that. 

And so ten months ago in august, I got a dog. And it was probably not the wisest timing to get a dog, just as I was becoming pastor. But a friend was getting rid of his dog, so I took him. His name is Bounty, as in God’s abundant grace, God’s abundant mercy, abundant. His name is Bounty. And Bounty’s a great dog. He’s a little mutt, a mixture of American bulldog and some other things. 

But he doesn’t really bark. The only time he barks is when he is hungry, has to go out, or is fearful. That’s the only time he barks, only those three times. And I know it’s one of those three. 

In fear, I can calm him down. In hungry, I can feed him. When he’s got to go out, I take him out. So when he barks, I’ve got an answer for him. 

Wouldn’t it be great if when we were fearful, we had an automatic response? I think given today’s gospel, Jesus is saying, you do. You do have an automatic response. When you encounter fear, call on my name. 

When you encounter a challenge, call on my name, and know that I’m with you always till the end of time.” 

You know, there’s a lot of things that we as Americans, we as Catholics, we as Chicagoans, there’s a lot of fears that are out there, a lot of ways that we can worry ourselves about the fears that exist out there. 

But Jesus is telling us in very clear way, he’s saying, “Call upon my name, know that I’m with you always.” 

One of the ways that we hear this spelled out is in the second reading that Joyce read for us. The opening line of that reading near the beginning was the powerful phrase that stuck with me, my whole priesthood, “the love of Christ impels us.” 

You know, I really find great comfort in that. The love of Christ strengthens us. The love of Christ motivates us. 

The love of Christ has our back. The love of Christ gives us the strength that we need to move forward.  

The love of Christ gives us courage. The love of Christ means we don’t have to be full of fear. 

Would that we walk around every day remembering we don’t have to be full of fear about anything that’s happening in the world around us, do our due diligence and have faith and trust in Jesus’s love for us and also in God’s mercy. 

You know, I also like the love of Christ impels us because we as Catholics – we’re motivated for a long time out of obligation or out of fear of what somebody’s going to say to us, what father’s going to say, what sister’s going to say. 

I think the love of Christ impels us is another way of being a Christian disciple of Jesus, another way of being a missionary disciple. If we know that we are in love with Christ Jesus, he’s our friend and we walk with him 

And he supports us, that’s going to impel us forward. We’re not going to go to mass every Sunday because it’s our obligation, but because we want to pray with our friend, because we want to visit our friend. Because the love of Christ moves us to be with our other brothers and sisters – 

[Coughs] 

Excuse me. 

…To be with our other brothers and sisters around the eucharistic table. Friends, may the love of Christ impel us on our journey so we might pray well with others, share our faith with others and serve our brothers and sisters out of a great love that comes from our relationship with Christ Jesus. 

No need to be fearful, Jesus has our back. Amen?