Love experienced in Ghana: Daily Mass Homily--Thursday, January 9th, 2014

             I could say a lot about our trip to Ghana which went better than I ever imagined.  Our first reading from St. John will help me focus on some of the powerful experiences the twenty-five of us had.

            First, we are reminded that “God is love” and that, “Beloved, we love God because he first loved us.”  If I had to pick one word to summarize our time in Ghana it would indeed be love.  We perceived love first by you in your generous financial support and prayers.  This trip would not have been possible without you!

            We brought our love to the people we met.  We each made sacrifices to prepare for an international trip of service.  While in Ghana we worked on two different projects—a Marian shrine and a chapel in the middle of nowhere.  To show our love we brought seventeen suitcases of school, church and medical supplies. 

            The greatest part of this trip was the love shown to us.  I wish I could bottle of up the smiles, laughter, joy, hospitality and generosity the men, women and children showed us.  They presented me with a chasuble on stole as a gift to our parish to say thanks to all of us.  Throughout our trip we were given a goat, rooster, chicken and guinea fowl to eat.  This may not be much for us but was a huge sacrifice for these people.

            All of this love was possible because we are first loved by God.

            Second, John writes, “…whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.

And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.”  The coolest God-moment of this trip was when we helped build a small chapel in a rural.  This marked the thirty-fifth outstation for three priests to visit.  (Imagine St. John’s with thirty-five churches like St. Joseph’s in Gnesen!)  The pastor asked if I would preside Mass at this location before our work began.  I was honored and celebrated the first Mass ever in this place.  I felt like an apostle in unchartered territory!  Praying Mass here was like putting a flag in the ground for Jesus, claiming this territory for him.  We were carving out more land for God.

            I am extremely grateful for the love God showed us on our immersion.  This love was most tangible in the Mass, and it is through Mass (whether in an exuberant three hour Mass in Ghana, airport or here at St. John’s) we can conquer the world.  We pray for the grace to bring God’s love we receive at Mass into the world to claim it for Him.