4th Sunday of Easter 2018 - Do Atheists go to heaven?

We know well the story of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit filling the upper room with a mighty wind, descending as tongues of fire upon the apostles, and sending them out into the streets to preach. We heard last week, Peter’s sermon on that first Pentecost: calling the people of Jerusalem to repent and believe in the risen Christ. About three thousand people converted on that day.

3000 new Christian converts, and reports of miraculous healings in the name of Jesus Christ, began to create quite a stir, especially amongst the Sanhedrin. So we hear today, how Peter is brought before the Sanhedrin, and questioned.

And I’d like to focus on two points from Peter’s speech today. First, Peter says, Jesus who you crucified, God has raised from the dead. He is the stone rejected by the builders who has become the cornerstone. Why does Peter call Jesus the cornerstone?

Peter perhaps remembered the time Jesus referred to himself as the cornerstone after he had cleansed the Temple. Isaiah foretold of how the Messiah was the foundation stone, the cornerstone in God’s plan of salvation. But in Psalm 118, which we sang today, that foundation stone, that cornerstone is rejected by the supposed builders of Israel.

The building of edifices included the placing of a cornerstone as the foundation and standard for its construction. Once in place, the rest of the building would conform to the angles and size of the cornerstone. In addition, if removed, the entire structure could collapse.

The chief priests and the Sanhedrin were involved in a building project, they oversaw the renovation of the Jerusalem Temple, but in a spiritual sense they were supposed to be “building up” God’s kingdom. They didn’t take it too well, when Jesus accused them of hindering God’s work. So, they rejected Him.

So, Peter in explaining his preaching, his ability to perform healing miracles, he points to Jesus. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead is the cornerstone for this work, for this mission. It was only through Jesus that Peter was able to perform the miracle for this crippled man, and it is only through Jesus that our lives are held together.

He’s what holds together the mission of the Church, the structure of the Church. Without Jesus we are just a bunch of people, each with our own ideas of how the world should work, our own goals, but Jesus unites us.

The Easter season helps us, each year, to ask ourselves Is Jesus really the cornerstone of my life? Is he holding my life together, or am I trying to do it on my own? Is He your constant strength throughout the challenges of your life? Is he the cornerstone of your family? Is he the cornerstone of your marriage? Is he the cornerstone of your professional life, your social relationships, your political associations?

How am I called to serve God today in the name of Jesus should be the first thought when we wake up in the morning, every day. What can I do to build up the kingdom of God today? And at the end of the day we should examine, did I build up or did I reject and tear down today?

So that’s the first point. The second is this. Peter then preaches the most absolute and universal statement in Scripture that Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Peter says, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are saved."

Here, Peter sets an example for Christians throughout the ages not to be afraid to present the Christian claim to those who do not yet believe. It was controversial then, and controversial now.
For our culture says, and even some Christian denominations will say that, “well, there are really many ways to salvation, Christianity is just one way among many. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, paganism, secular humanism, these are just different ways up the mountain. You can have your way, I can have my way, but in the end, we all end up in the same place.”

This is not, nor ever has been the teaching of the Catholic Church. This is not the teaching of Scripture. This is not the teaching of Jesus, Himself, who says “I am THE way, THE truth, THE life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.”

Now, we can HOPE that those who do not believe will be placed among the saved. We shouldn’t wish damnation on even our worst enemy. But If a Jew, a Muslim, or a Hindu makes it to heaven, it is because of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for all. The Good Shepherd laid down his life for all. All were in need of salvation. No one comes to the Father except through Him. And we preach that, proudly and patiently, even in this politically correct age.

Pope Francis echoed this teaching earlier this week. There was a young boy with tears in his eyes, who approached the Pope and whispered a question into the Holy Father’s ears. The boy explained that his father, who had recently died, was an atheist. The boy said that his father was a good man, he had all his children baptized, but the child despaired for his father’s soul. And so the boy asked, “Is my Dad in heaven?”

The Pope explained the perennial Church teaching, “The one who determines who goes to heaven is God….We are all children of God, the Pope said. The non-baptized, the members of other religions, those who worship idols, even the Mafiosi who terrorize  neighborhoods are children of God, though they prefer to behave like children of the devil. And so your Father, who had much good in Him, who had his children baptized even when he did not himself believe. There is hope for him, for he was a child of God.”

Now, Pope Francis isn’t saying, all atheists, all non-baptized, all Mafiosi automatically go to heaven. He’s not saying anyone automatically goes to heaven, even Christians. Baptism isn’t an automatic guarantee. But he is saying, God the Father of All, sent his Son to die for all. And because of this, there is hope for all. There is hope for the fallen-away Catholic, the atheist who seeks truth and goodness the best he can.

Pope Francis is echoing Catechism number 1260, which states:  “Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved.”

Now we may think, oh good, there is hope for everyone, so why go to all the trouble of preaching and dying for the Gospel?

That an atheist or a hindu might be judged worthy of heaven doesn’t change our mission, nor does it alleviate our individual responsibility of following all of the teachings of the Church, all of the commands of the Lord. For as the Lord teaches, “from those who have, more will be expected.”

Catholics possess the fullness of Truth, and therefore, our responsibility to be faithful to that Truth is greatest. And just as the Atheist, Muslim, or Buddhist will be judged on the criteria of his life, we will be judged on the criteria of our own, of whether we have made Christ the cornerstone of our life, or not.

May we be generous in making Christ the cornerstone of our life, and preaching always that salvation is found alone in Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

June 29, 2017 - Saints Peter and Paul - Catholicity and Unity

Towards the end of my first parish assignment at St. Columbkille in Parma, I was able to lead a wonderful pilgrimage to Rome. Our very first stop, after the 8 hour flight, was the Basillica of Saint Paul’s.  There, one is able to kneel and pray before the relics of Saint Paul himself, the Great Apostle to the Gentiles, who was martyred in Rome.

Kneeling before the relics of the man who gave so much, who suffered so much, who traveled through rapid rivers, steep mountains, malaria-plagued lowlands, and bandit-ridden passages, endured robbers, attempted assassinations, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom all for the sake of the Gospel, all out of love for Jesus Christ, I thought, here is one of the great men of history, the heroes, an exemplar of the Christian life.  St. Paul pray for us.

No pilgrimage to Rome is complete without visiting the Basilica of Saint Peter. The basilica’s altar sits directly over Saint Peter’s. Pilgrims kneel there, in prayer, and in awe, before the holy relics of the man Jesus Christ himself called “the rock, upon whom I build my Church.”

One is struck by the shear of pilgrims in Rome: thousands and thousands of people, from all over the world, in pilgrimage and devotion. Among the relics of Peter and Paul, one truly encounters the Church’s Catholicity: comprised of living stones of people of every race, nation, and tongue.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote how it was fitting how both Peter and Paul came to Rome, the city that was the place of convergence for all people, which would become the primary place of the “universality of the Gospel.”

Interestingly, though the body of Paul is buried in the Basilica of Saint Paul and the body of Peter is buried in the Basillica of Saint Peter’s, the relics of their heads are enshrined in the Cathedral of Rome, the basilica of St. John Lateran. We celebrate the feast of the dedication of Saint John Lateran every year on November 9. For it is there among the heads of Peter and Paul, where the Pope, exercises his headship over the whole Church throughout the whole world.  To be faithful to Christ is to look to the leadership of Peter’s Successor.

Today’s feast reminds us that the Christian Faith is not something that the individual creates for himself, or a religion that we live out in isolation in our tiny corner of the world.  Christianity is something we have received from the Apostles on behalf of Jesus Christ, and that we live out in union with Christians throughout the whole world.  In great gratitude for our faith, and through the intercession of Peter, the rock, and Paul, the fearless preacher, may we give ourselves fully in generous and selfless service of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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The Lord Jesus built his Church on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. In faith let us pray.

The Lord prayed that the faith of Peter would not fail, may the Lord strengthen the faith of His Church and protect her from all dangers.

The Lord appeared to Peter after his resurrection and appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, may he make us steadfast proclaimers of His resurrection.

The Lord called Peter, a fisherman, to be a fisher of men, may he raise up new vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

The Lord mercifully forgave Peter’s denials, may he have mercy upon all sinners, and all those who suffer illness or any other need.

The Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom, may the gates of that kingdom be open to all who trusted in Christ’s mercy while still on earth.

Heavenly Father, graciously hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church on this great Solemnity and grant our prayers of petition through Christ, Our Lord.

Homily: Thursday - 5th Week of Lent 2017 - "Whoever keeps my word will never see death"

Jesus assures us that those who keep his word will never see death. What a promise! Those who follow Christ will be preserved from the spiritual death which comes through disobeying God. Remember, in the Garden, God desired to preserve Adam and Eve from death, he warned them to avoid the forbidden fruit or else they would die. The devil, contradicting God, claimed, “You will not die.” But they did. Spiritual death came through sin. As St. Paul says, the wages of sin is death.

Through Jesus Christ, fallen man is reconciled to God, lost life is restored, and Christians are to remain connected to God through Christ as a branch to a vine. But, Many people today attempt to have a relationship with God without Jesus Christ. They attempt to be “spiritual”, engaging in esoteric practices like reiki, yoga, westerners flirt with buddhist or transcendental meditation, or once in a while they turn to God in great emergencies, but when the emergency ends, so does their prayer.

Jesus does not promise happiness, peace, salvation or life through these so-called “spiritual, but not religious practices”. They might bring some temporary results, but so did forbidden fruit.

In his exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” Pope Francis gives expression to this dimension of our faith. He writes “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. Whist Christ, joy is constantly born anew.” Only through Christ do we receive the life God wants for us.

Or some claim to have some sort of special deal worked out with God, where they claim to believe in Jesus but have nothing to do with His Church. But Pope Francis also said rightly, a few years ago: “It is not possible to find Jesus outside the Church…it is 'an absurd dichotomy' to want to live with Jesus without the Church, to follow Jesus outside the Church, to love Jesus without the Church.”

Jesus founded a Catholic church…meaning everything we need for salvation and for sanctification, joy and peace, can be found within the Church…the Holy Scriptures entrusted to her, the Sacraments, Sacred Tradition which rightly guides our lives and moral decisions, the saints who teach us how to pray and how to love.

Lent should deepen our conviction for spreading the saving truths of Christ, and continues to challenge us personally and spiritually. Which of the Lord’s teachings do we do well to take to heart? Which word have we been ignoring or glossing over? The call to forgive? The call to purity? The call to selflessness? The call to trust God in our trials?

May we continue to incline our ears to our Savior, and if today we hear his word, may we not harden our hearts, but receive his life giving word with trust and obedience for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Church will experience the graces of profound renewal during this season of Lent.  That we may grow in our eagerness in spreading the Gospel of Christ.

For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have fallen into serious sin, those who have lost their faith, or whose faith has been poisoned by error or heresy, for their reconciliation with God and the conversion of all minds and hearts.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, for victims of terrorism, those affected by severe weather, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  We pray to the Lord.

Homily: Nov 18 2016 - The Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul

On June 29 every year we celebrate the feast of the martyrdoms of Saints Peter and Paul. Today’s feast commemorates the dedication of the Roman Basilicas built in their honor.

Peter, the unrefined fisherman whom Jesus named the rock on whom the Church is built, and the educated Paul, reformed persecutor of Christians, Roman citizen and missionary to the Gentiles.  Peter, that Pillar of Unity for the Church—the rock of the Church; and Paul, who underwent untold sufferings for the love of Jesus Christ and the spread of His Gospel. Different in many ways, and yet, united by their faith and love for Jesus Christ.

A major similarity in their faith journey was their journey’s end: both, according to tradition, died a martyr’s death in Rome—Peter on a cross and Paul beneath the sword. Their witness and their courage shaped the early Church, and believers have prayed at their tombs from the earliest days.  Today, the tomb of St. Peter lies about 100 meters directly below the main altar in St. Peter’s basilica, and the remains of Saint Paul are also underneath the main altar of the basilica of St. Paul.

Making a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Rome began at an early time in the Church.  Pilgrims came to Rome when it was still illegal to practice Christianity to adorn the tombs of the martyrs. The two great pilgrimage sites were exactly as today—the tombs of St. Peter upon the Vatican Hill and the tomb of St. Paul off the Ostian Way, at the southern extremity of the city.

The Basilica of Saint Peter stands on the hill of Rome called Mons Vaticanus in Latin, across the Tiber river from the traditional seven hills of Rome. It was at the order the Emperor Constantine that the first basilica was built around the year 350 which stood for a 1000 years before the Popes began making plans for a new basilica in the 15th century. Bernini’s colonnade stretches out like a mother’s arms to gather the 7 million people who make pilgrimage to St. Peter’s every year.  The basilica’s main altar stands directly over the tomb of St. Peter. It is the largest church in the world and probably the most easily recognized due to its magnificent dome, also directly over the Apostle’s tomb.

The Basilica of Saint Paul, also built at the order of Constantine, outside the city walls, is located where St. Paul’s body was buried after he had been beheaded by Nero.

The entire Catholic world celebrates these two buildings in Rome, to show our honor to the Apostles, but also to remember that we do belong to a Church that spans the entire globe, several millennia, which is built on the apostolic foundation.

In an age where so many are tempted to sever themselves from the past, and from authentic Church teaching, this feast is an important dimension of our Catholic faith. We unite ourselves to the great efforts of the apostles, to the millions of Catholics around the world, to the countless souls who have gone before us and to those who will come after, that we may be faithful to all the Lord commands, that we may serve him generously and courageously, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.