22nd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday (School Mass) - Do not put new wines into old wineskins

 

What a perfect Gospel for our first school Mass at the beginning of the school year:  “Do not put new wine into old wineskins”. 

In Jesus’ day, wine was a very common drink. Instead of carrying around water bottles, people would carry around wineskins—a sort of pouch—like a giant caprisun if you’ve ever had one of those. The pouch—the wineskin—was made, not out of plastic but leather. And the wineskin could be resused—it was recyclable. But over time, the leather wineskin would become dry and brittle with age. 

Now, where does wine come from? Wine is made out of grape juice a yeast. And you mix them together in the right concentration, and the yeast, which is actually alive, a living organism, eats the sugar in the grape juice, and makes two byproducts. Wine, which in those days, was much cleaner than drinking water, and also carbon dioxide gas.

So, you’ve made some wine, where do you store it? In your leather wineskin. But if the wine is still too new, it’s still fermenting a bit, it’s still producing that carbon dioxide gas. And if you put that new wine, into that old wineskin, it will burst, like a balloon that continues to expand, eventually the balloon pops. So, for new wine, you need to use a fresh, new, pliable, flexible wineskin, that will expand, as the new wine finishes its fermentation process.

I really like how Jesus gives us a little science lesson in the middle of the Gospel, and a very good lesson for the beginning of the school year.

During the course of the school year, you, students are going to be taught a lot of new material, new ideas, like new wine. But you have a choice: will you be like that old, rigid, wineskin, unwilling and unable to expand, intellectually, or will you be like that new wineskin, fresh, flexible, willing to expand. It’s a choice. Do you want to learn or not. Do you want your intellect to grow or not.

Let be honest, If you hate school, if you don’t want to learn, you will be miserable. But, if choose, and your pray for help, and ask for help when learning is difficult, then this will be a good year. 

In addition to learning about all these new ideas over in school, is my hope, and prayer, that you will also grow, not just intellectually, but spiritually. That is the purpose of a Catholic school. A Catholic school exists not just instill new ideas, but to help souls be filled with the life and love of God. 

Teachers, help these children learn, not just their academic lessons, help these students to know God. It’s not as easy as it once was, the culture does not support the knowledge of God. It has become an old, brittle wineskin, and unless there is some rehabilitation at this level, it will burst; it’s only a matter of time.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Wonder and Awe, may each of us to be new wineskins--open to the growth, the conversion that God desires for each of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Week of OT 2020 - Wednesday - Christ the Teacher and his teacher Saints

During this Catholic Schools Week already we’ve celebrated two saintly teachers. First, St. Angela Merici who taught the young children of her neighborhood and went on to found the first religious order of women primarily dedicated to teaching, the Ursulines. That religious Order of teachers spread throughout Europe then to our North American shores, and can now be found in nearly every corner of the globe, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second teacher we honored yesterday was the great Angelic Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, whose clear, systematic teaching of theology has shaped the minds of generations of Catholics, not to mention, the texts of our Sacred Worship. Thomas’ writings and teachings are clearly motivated by his love for God and his love for others, wanting to help them to understand our wonderful faith.

These teacher Saints reflect the mind and heart of Christ the Teacher. Throughout the Gospels and in particular our Gospel today, we discover Our Lord who loves to teach. He teaches in synagogues, in teaches in the streets of Jerusalem and on the temple steps, he teaches at dinner tables full of sinners, he teaches in the plains and on mountain peaks.

His most notable method of teaching was his use of parables: using common symbols often taken from common life to convey deep lessons touching upon the most profound realities of God, eternal life, the human soul, love and forgiveness, sin and salvation.

Today’s parable is one of my favorites because it is a parable about parables, a parable which explains what he teaches, why he teaches, and different human responses to his teaching. When our minds and hearts are clogged with sin, or unwillingness to change, his teaching will be lost on us. When our minds and hearts are open, and committed to change to adapt to his teachings, something new grows in us.

St. Angela, St. Thomas and all of the great saints become great teachers and great paragons of holiness because their minds and hearts and souls were rich soil for the word of God to take root and bear fruit. They became the greatest of teachers because they allowed themselves to be taught. In a sense, they become the parables of Jesus, which Christ the teacher uses to teach his disciples and save their souls. May our hearts and minds be as receptive as theirs, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 
That all Church leaders will faithfully proclaim Christ’s love and truth to the world.
That our parish families and the families of all of our school children will be places where the Christian faith is believed, followed, taught, and cherished.
For the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.
For the sick and suffering among us, for those who care for them, and for all of our beloved dead, especially X, for whom this mass is offered.

Jan 28 2019 - St. Thomas Aquinas - Catholic Schools Week (School Mass)

[School Mass]

We begin Catholic Schools Week this year celebrating the feast day of one of the great Patron Saints of Catholic Schools, St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest teachers in human history. Yet, he did not teach mathematics or geography. He did teach reading, in a sense. He taught Christians how to read the Bible, the most important book in human history, for the Bible is the book that deals with the most important subject, the salvation of our souls. Thomas taught that the purpose, end, and goal of the Bible is that “the truth necessary for salvation may be made known to us.”

And this is why Catholic Schools are so important: not just that they teach us math and geography and natural science. Catholic Schools are able and tasked with teaching the most important subject: how to get to heaven, how to live forever, how to become the people God made us to be.

The Bishops clarify the mission of the Catholic school, “The Catholic school is committed to the development of the whole person since in Christ, the Perfect Person, all human values find their fulfillment and unity.”

The mission of the Catholic school is to teach young people how to be perfect by helping them to know, follow, imitate, and open their minds and hearts to Jesus Christ, the Perfect Son of the Father. Math, science, language, art, music, physical education, all these things are brought into harmony by Our Christian Faith and put at the service of Our Christian Faith.

In other words, we learn in Catholic School that if you are going to be an athlete, make sure the Christian faith guides your career. If you are going to be a musician or a politician, or a lawyer or a construction worker or a mom or a dad, a priest or a religious sister, make sure the teachings of Jesus Christ guide you always.

On this festival of one of the greatest teachers in human history, Thomas Aquinas, our gospel passage says “call no person teacher, for there is but one teacher.” Students, this is a challenge for you, that as you sit in class, you listen in the words of your classroom teachers, for the words and lessons of One Heavenly Teacher, listen for the voice of Jesus teaching you how to become the person God made you to be.

Teachers, this is a greater challenge for you, as it’s a challenge for me: to never get in the way of what Jesus wants to teach these young people, but to conform our lives to Him through our own prayer and study, that He may teach them clearly, to know Him, to love Him, to follow Him.

Thomas Aquinas was the best of teachers because he was the best student. He listened to the Word of God, he knew intimately, through prayer and study, Christ the Teacher. May we do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

[Morning Mass Homily Below]

Today begins Catholic Schools Week, and later this morning, I’ll be celebrating mass with our students and teachers. This year Catholic Schools Week begins with the feast day of one of the great Patron Saints of Catholic Schools, St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest teachers in human history. Yet, he did not teach mathematics or geography. He did teach reading, in a sense. He taught Christians how to read the Bible, the most important book in human history, for the Bible is the book that deals with the most important subject, the salvation of our souls. Thomas taught that the purpose, end, and goal of the Bible is that “the truth necessary for salvation may be made known to us.”

And this is why Catholic Schools are so important: not just that they teach us math and geography and natural science. Catholic Schools are able and tasked with teaching the most important subject: how to get to heaven, how to live forever, how to become the people God made us to be. This is something that public schools cannot do, which is why Catholics need to support their Catholic schools spiritually and financially.

On this festival of one of the greatest teachers in human history, Thomas Aquinas, our gospel passage says “call no person teacher, for there is but one teacher.”

I’ll be telling the children later this morning that these words are very important for them: that as they sit in class and listen to their classroom lessons taught by their classroom teachers, they need to listen for the words and voice of the One Heavenly Teacher, listen for the voice of Jesus teaching you how to become the person God made you to be.

And I’ll tell the teachers that there is a greater lesson for them, a challenge for them, as it’s a challenge for me: to never get in the way of what Jesus wants to teach these young people, but to conform our lives to Him through our own prayer and study, that He may teach them clearly, to know Him, to love Him, to follow Him.

Thomas Aquinas was the best of teachers because he was the best student. He listened to the Word of God, he knew intimately, through prayer and study, Christ the Teacher. May we do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - 

That all Church leaders will faithfully proclaim Christ’s love and truth to the world.

That our parish families and the families of all of our school children will be places where the Christian faith is believed, followed, taught, and cherished.

For the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.

For the sick and suffering among us, for those who care for them, and for all of our beloved dead, especially X, for whom this mass is offered.