Homily: May 31 - Feast of the Visitation - Joy is the surest sign of God's presence in the soul

It would seem that this feast of the Visitation would be more appropriate in the season of Advent.  In fact, during advent we do hear the reading of visitation.  The joy of expectancy, the joy of experiencing what God is doing in our midst, the joy of bringing Christ to others as Mary, with Christ, literally inside of her, brings the good news of the Saviors coming to Elizabeth, whose child leaps for joy in her womb, these are typically themes for the season of Advent, where we celebrate tidings of comfort and joy.

But on this this final day of May, the month dedicated to our Blessed Mother, we honor Mary by this joyful feast of her visitation to her kinswoman Elizabeth, conscious that joyfulness, cheerfulness, should permeate the life of a Christian throughout the whole year.“Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!”. 

The truth that “true joy is the surest sign of the presence of God in the soul” has been testified by the Saints up and down the centuries, particularly by the blessed Mother.    

If you want to attract family members back to the Church, show them that joy can be found here.  If you want to win converts for Christ, show them that joy comes from knowing and following him, by having his life within you.  If you want to bring joy to the heartbroken, don’t just give them words of kindness, give them Christ.

Saint Luke tells us that John “lept for joy in his mother’s womb”.  Luke’s Gospel uses that phrase “leap for joy” one other time, in Luke’s version of the beatitudes.  Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!  Behold, your reward will be great in heaven”.

We know that the same child who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb, John the Baptism, would be killed for spreading the word about Jesus, and that his reward was heaven.

Even in the face of persecution and martyrdom the Christian is able to rejoice because inextinguishable life is already inside him.

We honor the blessed Mother today, knowing that she will help us come to know the joy of being Christian, when we, like her live lives of self-forgetful charity.  Countless saints have discovered the secret to authentic joy, in becoming like Mary, bringing Christ to others while serving them in their needs, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 8th Week of Ordinary Time - Thursday - "Master, I want to see"

Immediately following in Mark’s gospel the passage about James and John seeking to sit at Jesus’ right and his left, which we heard yesterday, comes the story of Blind Bartimaeus.  Perhaps, Saint Mark was trying to show how the disciples still had a little spiritual blindness in them, but as Jesus could heal Bartimaeus, he can heal all of us.

Also, note, that the beginning of Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem was preceded by the gradual healing of the blind man at Bethsaida.  Remember how Jesus, gradually healed him by putting a little spittle in his eyes, then again putting his hands over his eyes.  Now, at right before they reach Jerusalem, there is another healing of a blind man—this time instantaneous and complete.

Jesus has been teaching the disciples along “the way”, gradually healing their blindnesses, but in Jerusalem they will fully see Jesus’ glory in his passion, death, and resurrection.

So, here they are, arriving at Jericho, about fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem, the blind Bartimaeus is strategically located along the roadside where he can beg for alms from passing pilgrims.  Jesus has Bartimaeus called over to him, and evidently having heard about Jesus’ miracles, he throws his cloak aside, sprang up and came to Jesus. 

This is already a tremendous act of faith for a blind man. His cloak is his only means of staying warm. If Jesus does not heal him of blindness, he may never be able to find that cloak again in such a big crowd. In addition, by throwing aside his cloak, Bartimaeus can't prevent someone from stealing it.

Already possessing faith, he casts aside his cloak, he casts off his former way of life, he casts aside his doubt, and seeks the wholeness that Jesus can give him.  Unlike James and John, who also had just made a request of Jesus, Bartimaeus asks nothing for himself accept light. 

He received the healing salve of the Christian faith and followed Jesus on the way of discipleship. 

It's hard to admit weakness, sin, or even sickness. The blindness of pride often prevents us from being healed of other kinds of blindness. After Bartimaeus began calling out, "many people were scolding him to make him keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder" (Mk 10:48).

"Master, I want to see"! Lord, Show me my spiritual blindnesses and help me to see what I am not seeing.  Help me to see the many ways that you come into my life.  Help me to see my selfishness, that I may be led from former ways to holiness and radical discipleship for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 8th Week of Ordinary Time - Wednesday - Glory and Cross, a paradox

The Gospel passage today really taps into the heart of Mark’s Gospel—the paschal mystery—the paradox of the Messiah who enters into his glorious reign only through the self-abasement of the cross.

It seems like a contradiction—that Jesus must suffer, that he must die, in order to bring the victory.  And Jesus was constantly teaching his disciples about this truth.  The Messiah—the victorious one—also had to suffer, he had to die.  Today’s Gospel is the third time he predicted his death.

The first time he did so, Peter was incredulous and rebuked Jesus for that sort of talk.  In response, Jesus reprimanded Peter and said: “Get behind me Satan.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

After his Transfiguration, once again, he began to teach that the son of man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.  But they didn’t get it.

For the third time, in the Gospel today, Jesus said that WE will be handed over, condemned, mocked, spit at, flogged, and killed.  And once again it seems they miss the point.

It must have been hard for them.  After all, they had seen the miracles, the exorcisms, the healings in which Jesus showed his power, showed that God is stronger than the powers of darkness.  And the shadow of the cross seemed to contradict that.  The cross seemed like a defeat rather than a victory.

Just as the cross casts its shadow over the entire Gospel of Mark, so to, the cross casts its shadow over the life of every Christian, and throughout the entire liturgical year, not just Lent.  That there would never be sickness, never be illness, never be death, never be hardship, because we followed him are promises Jesus never made.  Yet how often do we ask, "God, how could you let this happen?"  In fact, quite the opposite, he promised the cross,  he promised that we must learn to suffer with Him.  He also promised, that the cross  leads to everlasting life.

When he says, you too will be called to drink the chalice that he drinks, the chalice of God's will, the chalice that he fills with his blood poured out for us, the chalice of eternal life, he means that we too are to be poured out with him.

Let us drink deeply of the cup that Jesus offers, putting to death all those parts of us that seek to be served instead of seeking to serve, those parts of us that run away from the cross instead of embracing it for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

8th Week of Ordinary Time - Tuesday - The Holy Spirit helps us remember

Yesterday, our nation celebrated Memorial Day.  We remembered our fallen, we remembered those who gave their life for our freedom, and we rightly gave thanks to God for the immeasurable sacrifices of those who have fought for us.

On Pentecost, Pope Francis said one of the important works of the Holy Spirit is to help us remember.  Remembering is a very important dimension of Christian life.

In the moment of temptation, we tend to forget the purity and faithfulness to which we are called.  We get in serious trouble when we intentionally “forget” about God in those moments, forcing the memory of his commandments out of our mind.  Rather in that moment of temptation, we need to remember, his teaching, his presence, his commandments, our destiny.

When we come across someone who is struggling in their faith or who is without faith, we need to remember our duty to help plant the seed of the Gospel in their hearts.

Pope Francis said specifically, that the Holy Spirit helps to keep us humble, by helping us remember our faults, and lowliness. 

The Mass is part memorial, where we remember what Jesus has done for us: “we celebrate the memorial” of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  And the proper response to remembering what God has done for us, is thanksgiving.  It is important too at the end of the day, to remember all of the blessings of the day, the holy encounters with God, encountering Him through others, and in the carrying of our crosses, and give Him thanks.

And oftentimes like Peter in today’s Gospel, we need to recall, to remember, that “we have given up everything to follow” Jesus.  This remembering is a reorientation we need many times a day, lest we become sidetracked by unholy distractions, and forget who we are called to be this day.

It is important to cooperate with this work of the Holy Spirit to help us remember. 

May we respond generously to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit today, to remember all that the Lord has taught us, to be faithful and fruitful for the glory of god and salvation of souls.

Homily: Trinity Sunday 2013 - Trinity and Unity

We have come again to the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  I don’t know who dreads this Sunday more, the priests who have to attempt to explain this most mysterious of all Catholic Dogmas in a short homily, or the people, who have to listen to it. 

I think many priests on Trinity Sunday try, like Saint Patrick, to explain the nature of the Trinity with some analogy, like the three-leaf clover: the trinity is like three burning candles twisted together to have one flame, or like a three-stranded piece of rope.  Or the Trinity is like an egg, and the three persons are like the egg shell, an egg white and an egg yolk.  Some have said the Trinity is like Water which can come in three modes: ice, liquid, or steam, or a tree that has branches, leaves, and roots.

The problem with each of these analogies is that they are ultimately wrong, yes, even Saint Patrick’s use of the three-leaf clover.  To say that the Trinity is like some created thing will never fully explain the Trinity.  The three divine persons of the One Supreme Godhead –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are not three modes of God, three parts, three divisions, or three different masks that God wears, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are not three separate entities, like three separate Gods or made of three different substances.  In fact, it’s easier to say what the Trinity is not, than what the Trinity is.

So, if we can’t use analogies to understand the Trinity, what is the point of Trinity Sunday and how can we even talk about the Trinity?

Pope Benedict said that one of the purposes of Trinitarian language—especially that which we have received from the Church Fathers--that God is One and Three, that the persons are consubstantial—is meant to confound us, it is meant to confuse us.  At very sacred moments in our Liturgical Worship, we use incense—we incense the book of the Gospels, we incense the altar, we incense the gifts.  Part of the use of incense is to symbolize that our prayers rise up to God.  But also, the smoke of the incense is to get in our eyes, to obfuscate, to cloud—to highlight that there is something going on in the liturgy that we can’t see, that there is something going on that is beyond human control, to emphasize that we are not in charge. 

Likewise, much of our language to explain the Trinity, are like incense, our praises rise up to God like incense, but they also highlight that we don’t define God, we can’t even come close.

Saint Augustine, who is one of the most profound reflectors on the Trinity said, “Si comprehendis, non est Desus” which means, “If you understand, it’s not God.”  The minute you say, yes, I got it now, that’s not God, says Augustine.  The Trinity is greater than human understanding, it is grasped by faith, and we confess it in our Creed that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, We were created in order to love God.  And an old proverb says, "You cannot love what you do not know."  God’s nature might be ultimately unknowable, but we must seek to know Him.  Just as you get to know someone by spending time with them, and doing work with them, so to, we seek to know God by spending more time with him in prayer, by reading what the great Church Fathers have written about him, and by spending time in his service.

God has revealed that He is Trinity to us because he wants us to know Him and he wants us to share His love.

The Opening Prayer of today’s Mass contains an important insight for what we are celebrating today, “grant us, we pray, that in professing the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty.”  Trinity on one hand, Unity on the other.

But, notice how the prayer connects the notion of God’s threeness, his manyness, his plurality, with glory, on the one hand and his unity, his oneness, with his power, on the other  Glorious in Trinity, Powerful in Unity.

And here’s the connection with our life as Christians.  The Church is the most diverse institution on the planet, people of every race, language, and nation, covering the whole world.  As artists, and politicians, and parents, and priests, and virgins and religious, and architects, and thinkers, and workers, in so many different and varied ways, we give glory to God through our works and through our cooperation with Him in the unique situations of our lives.  The plurality of persons of the Trinity is glorious, and the Church, in her plurality can magnify his glory.

On the other hand, the power of the Church, comes from her unity.  And when is the Church the most powerful?  When she is united under the banner of the one faith.  When is she weakest?  When Christians stray from the faith, when they let divisions, and schisms, and heresies seek to remake and redefine the Church.  The divisions, schisms, heresies which have afflicted the Church since the early centuries are wounds to her unity and limit her power and her effectiveness as an instrument of the Gospel.

But when we face the evils of the world, together, united through the bond of charity and the grace of God, the Church is a powerful instrument of God which can move mountains and topple the most aggressive of foes. 

What this means for you and for me is that each of us has the vocation to nurture and develop our individual gifts and put them at the service of the Gospel, on the one hand, and on the other, profess the One faith in the One God, in order to stand strong against the wickedness and snares and temptations of the enemy, the flesh, and the world.  Families especially need to be places of unity and also places where our unique gifts are nurtured and developed, particularly the gifts for service.

Today, as we profess our faith in God, One and Three, who pours out his grace upon us, that we might become who He created us to be, let's ask God to stir up our desire to know him and love him, to manifest his greatness in the world for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: May 25 - Saint Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi - The Ecstatic Saint

During her 41 years Saint Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi was in such close relationship with God that she is known as the “Ecstatic Saint”.  But she also knew times of spiritual dryness, enduring long periods of spiritual desolation. 

She had entered the local Carmelite convent at the age of 16 in Florence.  After one year, she became critically ill and death seemed near.  So her superiors allowed her to make her profession of vows from a cot in the chapel. 

Immediately after making her vows, she fell into an ecstasy that lasted some hours.  And again she would enter into ecstasy for the next 40 days after receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.

In order to test the truthfulness about her ecstasies, Saint Mary Magadalene de’Pazzi’s confessor asked her to dictate her experiences to sister secretaries. Over the next six years, five large volumes were filled describing her experiences. 

Mystical ecstasy is a special gift from God where the human soul enters an intimate experience of Communion with God. Quite a large number of saints experienced ecstasy where the bodily senses are suspended while the mind and heart are lifted to the divine.

The ecstatic union of the mystics is a reminder to all of us of the eternal happiness of union God wishes to give us. True joy comes from being in union with Him. It cannot be bought, it cannot be obtained through human means.  True joy is a gift that we must open our hearts to receive as a gift by conforming ourselves  to God through prayer and penance. 

For Saint Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi, her spiritual ecstasies were mere preparation.  Five years of great spiritual dryness followed her ecstasies in which she was plunged into a state of darkness in which she saw nothing but what was horrible in herself and all around her. She had violent temptations and endured great physical suffering. 

But she also saw that period of darkness as more valuable than the ecstasies, where she discovered grace in suffering.  She was purified of her desire for earthly consolations that she could live solely for the reward that is given to the faithful in heaven.  She learned how one’s ability to suffer with Christ was the road to be conforming to Him. 

On her death bed, she said to her sisters: "The last thing I ask of you—and I ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—is that you love him alone, that you trust implicitly in him and that you encourage one another continually to suffer for the love of him."

Prayer disposes us to experience the sweetness of being in union with God and gives us strength to endure hardship and suffering for the sake of his name.  May all we do today be done in union with Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Friday - Hardness of Heart

Israel is often chastised by God’s prophets in the Old Testament for being hard-hearted.  Hardness of heart is the stubborn refusal to yield to God, to accept his truth, and follow his commandments. 

The Greek word for hardness of heart in Mark’s Gospel here is sklerokardia, literally sclerosis of the heart.  Jesus says that Moses allowed a man to issue a bill of divorce because of their hardness of hearts.

Often times in Scripture, hardness of heart comes from believing erroneous things.  Earlier in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus enters a synagogue on the Sabbath where there was a man with a withered hand.  Marks says that Jesus was deeply grieved at the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees.  They wrongly believed that it was not right for Jesus to heal the man.  For the Pharisees their human interpretation of the law was more important than the truth of who Jesus was and what he came to do.

Here in today’s Gospel passage, the Pharisees believed that marriage was a human convention that could be altered or redefined or dissolved.  But Jesus exposes their error and teaches that, marriage is not a mere human institution, but a bond made by God himself. 

Here Jesus condemns not only divorce but this hard-heartedness—the willful blindness to truth.  Hardness of heart is one of the great spiritual diseases.  When a person continues to choose error over and over again, it becomes hard for them to recognize the truth, even when it is right in front of them.  For example, if we skip going to Sunday Mass week after week after week, eventually, our hearts become hardened until we fail to understand it's importance.

Knowing what God commands and choosing the opposite leads to a hardening of the heart. 

Though we are often at fault for our hardness of heart, the solution, the healing comes from God.

Error is defeated by truth, hard hearts are healed by God’s goodness.

One of the great promises of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which has always struck me is that Jesus promises that those who love his Sacred Heart will have the ability to touch the most hardened of hearts.  God can break through the most hardened of hearts, that the truth of Jesus Christ may be planted there, and he wishes to use us as his instruments.

This day, and always, may we seek to be fully free from the poison of error, that we may be full of God’s love and God’s truth, that we may be ever more effective instruments of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Thursday - Everyday choices have eternal consequences

We’ve had quite beautiful readings from the Book of Sirach the past few days, and we’ll continue to read from Sirach until the end of next week.

The book of Sirach is among what are called the “Deuterocanonical” books of the Old Testament—“Deuterocanonical” meaning “Second Canon” because they were added a little later to the canon of Scripture by both the Jews and the early Church.  Most of these books which include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Baruch, first and second Maccabees, and parts of Esther were originally written in Greek and not Hebrew, which is one reason why most Protestants do not include them in their Bible.  But the same Catholic Church which defined the first canon also declared these later books to be part of the inspired Canon of Scripture.

The fifty-one chapter Book of Sirach also called Ecclesiasticus is the longest among the Deuterocanonical Books and its author was a teacher, scholar, and poet in Jerusalem about one hundred eighty years before the birth of Jesus.  This book is very likely a series of lectures the author gave in the school he ran in Jerusalem. 

Most of the book resembles Proverbs, and is filled with very practical wisdom sayings, like we heard today, “rely not on wealth”, “rely not on your own strength”, “ Delay not your conversion with the LORD, put it not off from day to day.”  All in all, Sirach urges us to live in accordance with divine law, which should be the highest rule and aspiration of man’s behavior.

In the Gospel, we hear of another man who taught in Jerusalem, Jesus, the Messiah, saying the same thing.  In the passage of Mark, Jesus gives these very practical sayings about being holy.

“If anything causes you to sin, cut it off”, “give drink to the thirsty”, “make sure your salt doesn’t lose its flavor”. 

Sirach would say that one of the great enemies of God’s people is complacency and lack of moral vigilance and neglect of the duties of the Divine Law.  He is constantly urging the reader to pursue righteousness, to aim at faithful consistent living. 

Likewise, the great teacher instructs that there are eternal consequences for our actions, reward for the righteous, punishment for the wicked.  Everyday choices have eternal ramifications.  With the help of God’s grace this day, may we aim at pleasing him in all things for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Wednesday - The Holy Spirit's Gift of Wisdom

As you may recall, there are seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude and Fear of the Lord.

Today’s reading from Sirach speaks of the love of Wisdom, that the “one who loves wisdom loves life”. 

Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, in fact, it is called the first and highest Gift of the Holy Spirit—infusing life and love into our souls and helping us to love as we ought.

Wisdom helps us put our lives in the proper order.  We would call someone foolish who doesn’t go to church, who ignores the commandments, who lives for pleasure, riches, fame, or power.  His priorities are not in order.  The wise man has his priorities straight, and judges rightly the things of earth in relation to his eternal end—he is able to put earthly things, wealth and power, properly at the service of God.

The gift of Wisdom is like an instinct that leads one to divine things and alerts one to the dangers of earthly things.  By this gift the world is defeated and its folly clearly perceived.  And, as one grows in wisdom, divine truths begin to resonate with him; he savors the knowledge of God and delights in doing his Will even when it requires sacrifice. 

Our love of neighbor is also perfected by it since the Gift of Wisdom helps us to see and thus love others more and more as God sees and loves them.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are in fact gifts, meaning we cannot learn them or acquire them through human means, we simply receive them from the Holy Spirit.    Since wisdom is one of the most precious gifts, we must long for it ardently, beg for it insistently, and pursue it with untiring efforts.

The study Scripture and Tradition can help dispose one for the growth of the Gift.  Prayer, of course, as well, helps to dispose the soul to render it more docile to the action and gift-giving of the Holy Spirit.

To become wise, you must love (Sir 4:12), seek (Sir 4:12), hold fast to (Sir 4:13), serve (Sir 4:14), obey (Sir 4:15), hearken to (Sir 4:15), trust (Sir 4:16), and walk with (Sir 4:17) wisdom.

The “one who loves wisdom loves life and those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.”  May we seek and live by God’s wisdom today, that we may serve God as we are meant to and be pleasing to him in all things this day for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: May 21 - Saint Christopher Magallanes, priest, and Companions, martyrs - For Greater Glory

For 150 years, anti-Catholic laws in Mexico made it dangerous to publically practice the faith.  Churches, schools, and seminaries were closed, foreign clergy and missionaries were expelled.  The government intentionally wanted to weaken the Catholic faith of the people…sound familiar?  Today, we honor 25 martyrs who died between 1915 and 1937.  22 of them were diocesan priests, 3 were laymen. 

Among them was Fr. Christopher Magallanes, born in 1869 near Guadaljara.  He worked in the fields before entering the seminary, and following his ordination he worked in his home town organizing catechetical centers and schools in the rural area, helping the poor develop , encouraging devotion to the rosary.

When the government closed the seminary in Guadalajara, Father Christopher established a clandestine one in his parish.  This was between 1924 and 1928 which was a particularly brutal period of religious oppression which sparked the formation of the Cristero movement, its members pledging their allegiance to Christ and the Church whatever the dangers.  During that period the government made it illegal to be Baptized and for priests to celebrate Mass. 

For Father Christopher, the end came in 1927 when he arrested and faced the firing squad. His last words to his executioners were "I die innocent, and ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren."

At the canonization of the martyrs in 2000, Blessed John Paul II praised them for witnessing their faith and explicitly forgiving their persecutors. 

Many of us have never heard of Saint Christopher Magallanes and his martyred companions, his feast was added to the Roman Missal upon its revision.  Yet they are an example to the whole Church of great courage—that Christians must persevere in faith during trial, whether that trial comes from one’s government, one’s family, or daily temptations. 

In the words of Blessed John Paul II at the canonization Mass, “May the shining example of Christopher Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to make a renewed commitment of fidelity to God, which can continue to transform society so that justice, fraternity and harmony will prevail among all.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Monday - Hope and New Growth

After five weeks of Lent, Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and seven weeks of Easter, it always seems strange putting on green vestments for ordinary time again (especially with the Red Pentecost decorations still up).  Ordinary time is one liturgical season, divided into two periods: the first period between the Christmas Season and Lent, and then the second period, after the Feast of Pentecost.  This second period of Ordinary Time is much longer than the first, and will last all the way to the beginning of Advent in late November.

The color green of ordinary time is associated with the theological virtue hope.  We hope that this time of the liturgical year will help us prepare our souls for eternity.  Hope is the virtue that makes the Christian hunger and thirst for heaven.

The Christian who hungers and thirsts for heaven has put his life in order; he does not let secondary things get in the way his pursuit of the one thing that really matters—communion with God.

The green of ordinary time is also associated with growth.  We are to seek to grow in holiness and grace during these weeks and months of the liturgical year—growing in our prayer life, growing in our engagement in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Today would be a good day to, with the help of prayer and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, to try to identify one thing, perhaps one of the works of mercy, or something specific about my prayer life, where I need growth.  But if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

It is a long time until next Advent, and one of the dangers of any lengthy amount of time to become grow complacent and comfortable—not wanting to be challenged, not wanting to grow, just being satisfied with the familiar.  The vibrant green of ordinary time can easily fade into a drab and dying brown, like the color of our lawns after a number of days without rain. 

So today is a good soul searching day, to identify where I need to grow, what supports I need for that growth.

The Gospel reading today concerning Jesus casting out the spirit of muteness sets a good tone for ordinary time.  The power of Christ is greater than the powers of darkness.  When we surrender to Him, he can grant us new life, he can cure our muteness, our paralysis, our blindnesses, we do well to place our hope in Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Pentecost 2013 - Lessons from Star Trek, New Coke, and Priestly Ordination

This week, on Thursday, I celebrated, along with my four classmates, my 4^th anniversary to the Ordained Priesthood.  In thanksgiving for my priesthood, I celebrated Mass, and the five of us got together for dinner to share stories of the blessings and challenges of the last four years.  I shared a sentiment from my first Sunday Mass here at Saint Columbkille.  I remember after the final blessing and procession thinking, “why don’t more young men want to be priests?  Because this is great!”  Each of my classmates agreed, that the last four years have had their challenges, but to see God at work in our parishes, and to the best of our ability, to cooperate with his grace, is more fulfilling than we could have possibly imagined.  Priesthood really is a good life that all of our young men should be encouraged strongly to consider.

In the course of our anniversary celebrations, we also had the opportunity to do something the five of us enjoy: we went to the movies to see the new Star Trek movie.  We’ve seen all of the previous Star Trek movies and most of the television shows, and quote them and refer to them often.  As much as we like Star Trek, I had a real problem with the new movie.  Don’t worry, I’m not about to spoil the plot or anything, but I felt that they really have strayed from the original formula for these movies.  Star Trek is known for putting its well-developed characters into complex problems and watching them figure out the problem.  Yet this movie just seemed like every other pre-summer action movie, with its fist-fights between main characters and big things blowing up.  They had strayed from the original formula, what made Star Trek great, and the product suffered.

In the same vein, some of you might remember, a few years ago, Coca-Cola launched a new brand of Coke, called “New Coke”. 

Coca-cola was the most popular brand of cola in the world.  In the 20s, 30s and even into 60s, Coke was America’s brand of choice.  In the mid-60s, however, their main competitor, Pepsi, began to focus its advertising forces on one sector, young people, and labeled itself the “drink of the new generation, the Pepsi generation.”  This was a hugely successful advertising campaign, both for the young, and those attracted by the idea of youthfulness.  Consequently, Coca-cola’s hold on the market began to dwindle, as Pepsi drinkers married other Pepsi drinkers, and had little Pepsi drinking babies. 

What did Coca-Cola do in response, especially as it saw its market shares fall among the young?  Did they increase their advertising and fight back with their original message and original product?  No.  Did they get out there and push what was already the most popular drink in the world?  No.  Coca-cola launched what is known as the most catastrophic marketing blunder in history, so much so that it’s studied in colleges as what not to do.  They took the most popular drink in the world, the most recognizable logo, and the most distinctive bottle on the planet, and they threw them all away.  They came up with a something called “New Coke”—a new formula, a different product.

How did that work out?  Well, the Coke drinkers hated it, and they couldn’t get the Pepsi drinkers to drink it because they liked Pepsi.  It infuriated the public, cost a ton of money and lasted only 77 days before we reintroduced Coca-Cola Classic.  Just like the new Star Trek film, they strayed from the original formula and the product suffered.

What does this have to do with Pentecost?  Pentecost is often associated with renewal.  The coming of the Holy Spirit brings Renewal.   The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the other disciples gathered in prayer with the Virgin Mary in the Upper Room brought newness of life—the Church is brought into existence. 

Yet, the newness brought by the Holy Spirit does not mean that we are to stray from the original message, the original formula of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Rather, the Holy Spirit helps us to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as preached by the Apostles and their successors throughout history. 

In the modern age, there is a lot of pressure from the worldly powers for the Church to change.  They claim the Church is outdated; her teachings not with the times; that something in the Church needs to alter her message and constitution in order to be more appealing to the younger generation and less conflicting with secular godless morality.

The Church does need change, and the Holy Spirit is behind that change.  The change the Holy Spirit brings, the change that is needed in every soul, is the change that helps us to be more faithful to the Gospel, more zealous and courageous in its proclamation, more compassionate to the needy, more pious in our religious worship, more loving and caring for souls.  The Holy Spirit brings change, but not change to the Christian message, rather change to the Christian heart. 

The Holy Spirit does bring growth and new life, but not by  changing the Church’s message, her teachings, or her Creed, or reinventing her liturgy. When the Church calls us to be faithful to the 10 commandments, it’s not up to us to tell God that his commandments are outdated.  We can’t claim that we don’t have to follow the third commandment because that was before Sunday football was invented.  The commandments don’t change just because the calendar changes, nor even because a culture changes.  Rather, when a culture becomes antagonistic to the Christian faith, the Christian faith boldly lived and boldly proclaimed by Christians is needed all the more.

The renewal of the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome the limitations of our self-centeredness.  He makes our hearts new by helping us listen more deeply to the Gospel, and to be attentive to God who is waiting to give himself to us in our daily prayer.  Like water, the Holy Spirit refreshes our souls and quenches our thirst for God.  And like fire, the Holy Spirit engulfs us in God’s love, fills our hearts with the joy of heaven, and helps us to radiate God’s truth. 

This week Pope Francis encouraged us not to become “backseat Christians” who “are well mannered, do everything well, but are unable to bring people to the Church through proclamation and apostolic zeal.”

We need the holy spirit to unsettle us, to challenge us, and to push us “to go out to the outskirts of life” where many people are yearning to hear the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit is at work wherever souls are growing in holiness, wherever Christians are deepening their faith life, wherever members of the Church are becoming more committed to courageously proclaim the Gospel.

Yesterday, I witnessed a great sign of the work of the Holy Spirit.  Gathered with two thousand other members of the Church at the Cathedral, we celebrated the ordination of five new priests for the Diocese of Cleveland.  Bishop Lennon said so well in his homily, that their vocation, their desire to lay down their lives in priestly service is a result in falling in love with Jesus Christ.

The holy Spirit will set hearts on fire with the love of Jesus Christ if we call him into our lives and our families.  And put aside those worldly distractions and worldly errors which douse the flames.

Holy Spirit, purify us.  Holy Spirit, teach us.  Holy Spirit, embolden us.  Holy Spirit, set us on fire.  Holy Spirit, lead us to heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Easter - Friday - Do you love me?

On these last two weekdays of Easter, our Gospel passage comes from the epilogue and the very last chapter of John’s Gospel.  Saint John’s Gospel has often been called, “the Gospel of Love” for in it Saint John speaks of God’s love so many times.  It should be no surprise that the final story of the final chapter of his Gospel is a conversation about love.

The Easter Season began following the Paschal Triduum in which Jesus showed us the depths of his love, pouring himself out in the Eucharist and in humble service on Holy Thursday, pouring out his very blood in his Passion on Good Friday.  God’s love was shown to be more powerful than death itself, when Jesus Rose triumphant on Easter Sunday.  Hopefully, in the seven weeks of easter, each of you through prayer and witness have encounter God’s love in a more profound way. 

In the weeks following the Easter Season we celebrate liturgically the Solemnities of The Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Jesus and the Feast of the Sacred Heart—all celebrations of Love being part of God’s very nature, and how that love is poured out upon us.

The wonderful Gospel story this morning continues to show us the depth of God’s love.  Remember that Peter had denied Jesus three times, and three times Jesus offers Peter an opportunity to profess his love.  Jesus could have chosen another “more faithful” disciple to be the head of the apostles, but Jesus once again entrusts his lambs to Peter.  Whatever has happened in the past, whatever sins or failures, Jesus offers an opportunity to begin again, and his love for us is the starting point.

This Gospel  also reminds us that love of God requires more than lips service.  Jesus asks us, do you love me?  If you do, feed my sheep.  If we love Jesus, we will seek to feed others with His Word, by spreading his Gospel.

May we seek that life changing encounter with God’s love in prayer today, and may our love for God increase, that we may be ever faithful in his service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Easter - Thursday - High Priestly Prayer

Today’s Gospel continues what scholars call Jesus’ high priestly prayer.  In John’s Gospel, the high priestly prayer comes right before the Passion narrative.  In this prayer, Jesus offers this supplication to his Father on behalf of his disciples.  He prays for them as he prepares to go to his death.  Just like in the Mass there are prayers that precede the offering and the sacrifice, in John’s Gospel here, Jesus the high priest, prays to his Father before offering Himself in Sacrifice.

What is Jesus praying for today?  What does he pray will be the fruit of his sacrifice?  What is he going to the cross for?  Unity.  That the mankind may be reconciled and made one with God, and that his followers, the Church may be an instrument of that unity. 

Through the Mass, all of us are gathered with Jesus as he makes this prayer.  He is lifting us up to the Father as an offering, saying, make your church “a sign of unity and an instrument of your peace”.  He is lifting us up to the Father, that the world might come to believe in God and be saved through your witness and mine.

And then, after this prayer, he offers Himself up as the Sacrifice, at which we are also present with Him, through the Mass.

It’s not called the high priestly prayer for nothing. 

In Jesus Christ, all of the baptized become part of this priestly people.  Paul VI wrote: “In Jesus Christ all the faithful are made a holy and royal priesthood; they offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ, and they proclaim the perfections of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. Therefore, there is no member who does not have a part in the mission of the whole Body; but each one ought to hallow Jesus in his heart, and in the spirit of prophecy bear witness to Jesus.”

You and I are part of a priestly people whose mission is the same as Jesus’, to reconcile the world to God and to one another.  For each of us has been chosen and appointed to go into the world and bear fruit that will bring others to God.

On this, the fourth anniversary of my priesthood, I also give God thanks for my vocation to the ministerial priesthood and I ask you to join me in asking God’s blessing upon my priesthood and all priests.

May all of us, together, be free from sin and division, and filled with the Holy Spirit in our mission to gather the whole human race into one, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 7th Week of Easter - Wednesday - Church Unity during the Year of Faith

The final section of John’s Gospel right before the beginning of the Passion of the Lord is a prayer that Jesus offers to the Father.  Scholars call it “The High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus.

In it, Jesus prays that his Father might be glorified in what he is about to do, namely his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and that his disciples might receive eternal life through it.

In that prayer, as we heard today, Jesus prays for unity—that the unity he has with the Father, might be shared by his followers.  “that they may be one just as we are one…”

It’s a truth that has been attacked up and down the centuries:  Jesus shares the Father’s divinity.  We proclaim this every time we pray the Nicene Creed when we use that wonderful word ‘consubstantial’.  Jesus and the Father have the same substance.  They are both God.

We also proclaim the unity of the Church every week in the Nicene Creed, when we say, “I believe in ONE, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.”  There is One faith, one church, one baptism, because there is One God.  We have been given this communion with God and communion with each other by Christ himself.

Saint Columbkille is a wonderful parish to see the Church’s diversity: we have Filipino, and Slovak, and polish, and Italian, and Ukrainian, and young and old and…older, doctors and lawyers, and painters, and construction workers.

From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity, which comes from both the variety of God’s gifts and the diversity of those who receive them.  We can see, even in a little place like Parma, Ohio, a multiplicity of peoples and cultures gathered together.

A diverse multiplicity of people professing one faith, having the common celebration of divine worship, namely the sacraments, seeking the same thing, in the end, to love and glorify God.  Christ calls his disciples to unity.

Yet, the Church is not a closed reality.  To echo Pope John Paul, “She is sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her, and to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all an 'inseparable sacrament of unity'
During this Year of Faith, we focus on the tenants on our faith, not just for self-understanding, so that we can be more effective in spreading the truth of Christ.

Christ called us to unity so that his joy might be in us, and our joy might be complete, may we be faithful to all His call requires of us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: May 14 - Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle - Apostolicity

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthias, and the first reading explains the election of this thirteenth apostle, who would take the place of Judas.  The Apostles were gathered in the upper room with Our Lady.  Peter stands up, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, explains the qualifications for this role.  The new apostle above all was to be a witness; he was to have accompanied them the whole time that the Lord Jesus was among them from the baptism of John until his death.  He was to also have been a witness to the resurrection. 

There were two men of equal merit, and so after praying, they cast lots and the choice fell on Matthias.

So Matthias was chosen to take up that ministry of going out and teaching all nations.  Of the rest of his life we know very little except that he persevered in his vocation—that he was an untiring preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And this really is enough for us, who each have a vocation in the Church—to persevere faithfully. 

Nor do we really know the details of his martyrdom; one account states that he was arrested because of the faith and brought to trial in Jerusalem.  He was told to that he would be stoned, like Stephen, if he did not renounce his faith.  Matthias said, that he would rather die than renounce the faith.  So, he was put to death, and legend says that he was either crucified or beheaded, and that afterwards his relics were preserved in Jerusalem until St. Helen had them brought to Rome. 

This is a great feast of the apostolicity of the Church.  In the Creed we profess our faith that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  The Catechism teaches that "In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after their death, the apostles consigned, by will and testament, as it were, to their immediate collaborators the duty of completing and consolidating the work they had begun, urging them to tend to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit had appointed them to shepherd the Church of God…” as we heard in the election of Matthias.

That apostolic ministry continues unbroken from the apostles to every Catholic bishop throughout history.  Hence we believe that "the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such a way that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ."

So we commend to God all of the bishops who are the successors of the apostles, that through their preaching and teaching, the Christian faith may be spread and deepened, and that all of us may persevere in keeping the commandments and witnessing to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: May 13 - Our Lady of Fatima - Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon.  Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia. 

During the apparitions Our Lady of Fatima revealed three prophetic “secrets,” the first two of which were revealed beginning in 1927 and refer to the vision Mary gave to the children of hell and the souls languishing there.  Mary also urged an ardent devotion to her Immaculate Heart, she predicted the unleashing of violence upon the world in the Second World War, and predicted also the immense damage that Russia would do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communist totalitarianism. 

In 2000, Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See's Secretary of State to reveal the third secret; it referred to the persecutions that humanity would undergo in the last century: “The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated'”. 

This has been interpreted to refer to the suffering of the popes of the 20th century, particularly the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, which took place on May 13, the 64th anniversary of the apparitions. The Holy Father attributed his escape from certain death to the intervention of Our Lady: He said“... it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path and in his throes the Pope halted at the threshold of death.”

Yet the central meaning of the message of Fatima is no different from what the Church has always taught: it is, as Pope Benedict the XVI put it, the message of Fatima is “the exhortation to prayer as the path of “salvation for souls” and, likewise, the summons to penance and conversion.”

Perhaps the most well known utterance of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima was her declaration that  “My Immaculate Heart will triumph”. Pope Benedict interpreted this utterance as follows: “The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.

With the help of Our Lady may we be faithful, as we prayed in the opening prayer, to persevere in penance and prayer for the salvation of the world, that we may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Ascension of the Lord

Traditionally, the Feast of the Ascension, a holy day of obligation, is celebrated 40 days after Easter, on Ascension Thursday.  In most of the dioceses of the United States, the Ascension is celebrated liturgically on the following Sunday, which is today.  It is still a holy day of obligation because every Sunday is a holy day of obligation.

Whether it is celebrated on Thursday or Sunday, the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ is very important for our salvation.  It is so important that, we profess our faith in the Lord’s Ascension every Sunday in the Creed.  “He ascended into heaven and is seated and the right hand of the Father.”

In a homily a few years ago, Pope Benedict, always teaching the faith with such clarity, taught though Jesus is with the Father he has not gone away, but remains close to us, now he is no longer in one particular place in the world as he had been before the ascension.  Now in through his power over space, Jesus is present and accessible to all throughout history and in every place.

From his sanctuary in heaven, as the letter to the Hebrews puts it, Jesus is able to be in every tabernacle in the world, he is able to dwell with the Father and the Holy Spirit in every baptized soul.  By going to his Father, he is able to walk with each of us in the dark valleys.  

I celebrated the funeral of a very good parishioner of Saint Columbkille yesterday.  At the Funeral I recalled how I had been able to visit her in her final hours in the hospital.  And when I visited her she was in really good spirits, she was joking how in the months of her illness, her husband had to learn many of the wifely duties, cooking, cleaning the house, doing laundry.  I was struck how, not only was she in good humor, despite the tubes in her arms and the physical suffering from her late stage cancer, she was facing the inevitable with a sort of fearlessness.

Though there was pain, both physical and emotional, especially the pain of being separated from her loved ones, I was really struck by her fearlessness.

And though I went to the hospital last Sunday night to bring Jesus to her in Eucharist and the sacrament of anointing—to bring her the comfort that comes from God,  I found that, God was already there.

Because of the Ascension, Jesus is present and accessible to all throughout history and in every place.  The Catechism puts it, “having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, Jesus Christ, intercedes constantly intercedes for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” God was there, in that hospital room in an outpouring of comfort; God was there granting her fearlessness; God was there preparing her soul to meet Him, and it was very beautiful to behold. 

There are a lot of reasons that human beings fear death:  we fear the unknown, we fear facing God, who will judge our souls, to whom we will have to give an account of our lives;  we fear the pain involved in dying, we fear for the well-being of loved-ones left behind.

Yet, the Christian faces death with a sort of fearlessness.  The Christian faces God, not with dread or despair, but with trust, for we know that he loved us so much that he sent his Son to make the ultimate Sacrifice.  We know that he wants us to be prepared for that moment, and he’s given us the help of the other Sacraments throughout our life in overcoming Sin and preparing to meet Him. 

The pain of death, the physical and emotional suffering for the Christian, is not to be feared, but embraced, because in our suffering we are able to draw close to Jesus who suffered beyond imagining to redeem us. 

We don’t even fear for the well-being of loved-ones because just as God has given us strength to face the trials of our life, so to, we know that he will be there with them.

And the unknown realm beyond death?  Once we get past Judgment it is clear sailing.  For in the Ascension Jesus has taken our human nature into the inner life of God.  This Feast proclaims that we have a place in heaven, we are meant for heaven.  When Jesus ascends to the Father he takes our humanity with him and our humanity finds its place in the very heart of God.

Pope Francis recently taught that The Ascension of Jesus into heaven acquaints us with this deeply consoling reality on our journey: In Christ, true God and true man, our humanity was taken to God.

Christ opened the path to us. He is like a roped guide climbing a mountain who, on reaching the summit, pulls us up to him and leads us to God.

If we entrust our life to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him, we are certain to be in safe hands, in the hands of our Saviour, of our Advocate.

We do well to reflect on those parts of our lives where we are most resistant to letting Him guide us, and those people in our lives who we are most resistant to loving and serving, and to once again, entrust our whole lives to his care.

On this Mother’s Day, we are particularly grateful in those many ways that our Mother’s have been other Christ’s to us.  Only God knows the hundreds of thousands of loving sacrifices they have made for us over the years.  We cannot thank our mother’s enough for the gift of life, and the many other sacrifices that go unnoticed and unappreciated.  When a Mother pours out her love for her children, she is cooperating with the grace of God.

For again, God is not far from us.  He works through human agency; he works through mothers, he works through parents, he works through teachers, he works through priests, he works particularly through Holy Mother Church, the Catholic Church.  The Catholic Church is not simply a social club whose members share similar ideas and values.  The Catholic Church is the presence of Christ on earth.  You and I are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, bringing Christ to other through the faith we profess and practice in our every-day lives.  So much so, that the individual Christian is called to be alter Christus—which is latin for, “another Christ.”

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he entrusted his mission to his disciples.  You and I have a mission, we have a purpose, to bring Christ to souls and souls to Christ.  May we be faithful to all that our divine mission entails for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 6th Week of Easter - Monday - This is what we believe, this is why we believe it, now go do it.

The acts of the Apostles offers a beautiful image of a woman growing in Faith. “A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.”

What does it mean to grow in faith?  Part of it is opening up our hearts and paying greater attention to preaching and teaching.  We may think we know everything that the Catholic Church teaches, but you’d be surprised what you will discover upon picking up the Catechism.  For Catholics who have been around for a while, it may not be about learning new things, but coming to a greater and richer depth of faith.

I saw a wonderful picture on the internet, recently.  It was of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.  And underneath the pictures was a caption.  Pope John Paul II taught us what we believe, Pope Benedict XVI taught us why we believe it, and Pope Francis shows us what it means to live it.

Pope John Paul II gave us the Catechism.  He taught us what we believe.  As one of the most prolific Pope’s in all the history of the Church, John Paul II really presented the truths of the faith to the modern world.  And he repeated over and over, do not be afraid to have faith, do not be afraid to open up your heart to Jesus Christ.  At the 2002 World Youth Day he said, ““To believe in Jesus is to accept what he says, even when it runs contrary to what others are saying. It means rejecting the lure of sin, however attractive it may be, in order to set out on the difficult path of the Gospel virtues.”

Pope Benedict taught us why we believe.  He stressed the importance of having a “clear faith based on the Creed of the Church” in order to anchor us to Christ, so that we are not tossed about by the winds and waves of relativism.  He gave us the Year of Faith so that we can deepen our understanding and conviction.

And now, Pope Francis.  He has already enamored the world by his humble yet vibrant charity.  Yet, even he has talked about the dangers of lukewarm faith that desires to build the church in its own image instead of the truth of Jesus Christ as taught by the Magisterium.    He warns against the temptation to “whisper against Jesus because he is too demanding”.  The Pope realizes that true faith and true love does demand something from us.

May God’s Spirit help our hearts to be attentive to all of the demands of faith this day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 6th Sunday of Easter - Lukewarm or Fiery Faith?

Pope Francis tells a story from his childhood about a moment where Christian faith took deep root in his heart.  He said that as a child every Good Friday his grandmother took him to the Good Friday Procession, and at the end of the procession was an image of Jesus’ body, taken off the Cross and lying in his mother’s arms.  “And my grandmother made us kneel down and told us children, ‘Look, he is dead, but tomorrow he will be Risen!’”  Then the Pope added, “this is how the faith in Christ Crucified and Risen really entered into my life.” 

Perhaps you can remember when a family member taught you to pray or shared their faith with you.  Personally, I’ll never forget my grandparents insisting that we pray before meals, even though we didn’t always do it at home.  To this day, I always insist, whomever I am with, at a restaurant or wherever, that we pray before meals.  Nor will I ever forget how my babysitter would always make the sign of the cross with her rosary as we drove past our church, and her telling me she did so because Jesus was there. For Pope Francis, it was kneeling down with his grandmother in front of an image of Jesus’ body as she explained the very simply, the resurrection. So important was that moment that 65-70 years later he looks back and says, “that was a moment when I received something very important.”

The Pope gives us an illustration, I think, of a moment, where he fell in love with God.  And I hope each of you has a memory of where the love of God really took root in your life, because Jesus teaches what happens when we really love God and keep his commandments, today in the Gospel.  Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” 

The love of God turns ordinary people into saints and temples of God.  The love of God turns you and me into the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. This is the love that softens the most hardened of hearts and gives us courage that compels us to be faithful no matter the cost. 

Saint Augustine said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest of romances, to seek Him the greatest adventure, to find Him the greatest human achievement.”  

But Christian love and faith aren’t automatic.  Faith and love of God are transmitted to us and are nurtured in us by the lives, examples, and prayers of other Christians in our life.  This is why parents and godparents and families must raise their children to know Jesus and follow his teachings.  Parents especially must cooperate with the grace their children receive in baptism, by teaching the faith and nourishing the faith.  Parents must provide the atmosphere where children learn to know, love, and serve Jesus as Lord.  Baptism is not a guarantee of heaven, it’s not a get-in-to-heaven free card. 

Our children need to be taught to love the Mass more than sports, they need to be taught to love Jesus more than Lebron James or whoever is famous this year, they need to be taught to love the teachings of the Pope more than the opinions of dissenting politicians, and they need to be taught to guard their souls against the lies of the devil by loving and knowing and understanding the truth of the Catholic Church.  And if parents fail to do this, the culture will quickly fill up the void with its own version of the truth, putting their minds and souls in danger of hell.

That’s why children need those little moments, like those described by Pope Francis, kneeling in front of a religious statue with his grandmother, praying, receiving faith from her.  
The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Mother.  I encourage you to set up a little altar in the home with a statue of the Blessed Mother.  Teach the children and grandchildren to bring her flowers and to pray the rosary for your family.  If you don’t know how to pray the rosary this is the perfect month to learn.

Already, we are seeing how Pope Francis has this vibrant, fiery faith.  Interestingly, this week Pope Francis described the danger of letting your faith become lukewarm. 

What is lukewarmness? The lukewarm Christian focuses merely on doing the bare minimum. They want to know how far they can go with something before it becomes a sin rather seeking to remain a pure temple of the Holy Spirit.  The lukewarm Christian rarely shares their faith with others because they fear rejection.  The lukewarm Christian will typically choose what is popular over what is right when faced with conflict. They want to fit in and so they are more concerned about what people think of their actions than what God has commanded. They love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.

Perhaps the lukewarm Christian has never had that moment of falling deeply in love with God.  And again that’s why we must help each other fall in love with God.  But, lukewarmness can also result from sin or lack of prayer. 

If it’s been more than a few months since your last confession, make a thorough examination of your conscience, and just go. And then make sure time is set aside every day for a prayerful encounter with God through scripture or spiritual reading or prayer in front of the Eucharist or something. 

Now, most of us wouldn’t describe ourselves as lukewarm Christians.  But would you describe yourself as being on fire with faith?  If not, it’s time to make some changes.  Because God created each of us for more than lukewarmness.  He created us to be dwelling places of his majesty, radiant temples bursting with love.

Today, as Christ renews his commitment to dwell within us, let's renew our commitment to be his worthy Temples, for the glory of god, and salvation of souls. 

Homily: 5th Week of Easter - Saturday - Mary Month and the Rosary

  

In both Greek and Roman culture, May was recognized as the season of the beginning of new life. In the Greek world, May was dedicated to the goddess Artemis and associated with fecundity. Roman culture linked the month of May to Flora, the goddess of bloom and blossoms.

In the month of May, the winter comes to an end and the spring season begins.  Mother’s Day is celebrated during May not only in the United States but in many countries and cultures of both the East and the West.

The connection between motherhood and May led Christians eventually to adopt May as a Month fittingly dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, Mary.

The practice of dedicating the month of May to our Lady was popularized especially during the pontificate of Leo XIII – beginning in 1883 and concluding in 1889, who wrote twelve encyclicals and five apostolic letters on the Rosary. 

In an encyclical on the Rosary, Pope Leo XIII wrote, “In as much as the enemies of Christianity are so stubborn in their aims, its defenders must be equally staunch, especially as the heavenly help and the benefits which are bestowed on us by God are the more usually the fruits of our perseverance…  For it is indeed, an arduous and exceeding weighty matter that is now in hand: it is to humiliate an old and most subtle enemy in the spread-out array of his power; to win back the freedom of the Church and of her Head; to preserve and secure the fortifications within which should rest in peace the safety and weal of human society. Care must be taken, therefore, that, in these times of mourning for the Church, the most holy devotion of the Rosary of Mary be assiduously and piously observed.”

And so how fitting to have an entire month to persevere in prayerful petition.  If you haven’t already, I encourage you to set up a Marian altar in the home, and during the Month of May to seek the help of the Blessed Mother with special prayers, especially the rosary.  The Popes encourage us to pray the rosary especially when the Church is under attack, and a month of devout recitation of the rosary surely can bring about so much good in so dark a time, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.