Homily: Sept 28 2015 - St. Wenceslas, Christian King of Bohemia and Martyr

Today we celebrate the feast of Good King Wenceslaus.  He was the son of a Christian Duke of Bohemia, and a pagan mother who was a harsh cruel woman.  His holy grandmother saw the danger to the life of this future king, so she asked permission to raise the child.  So Wenceslaus was educated in the true faith and through the example of his grandmother developed a very strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

When his father died, Wenceslaus was still a minor, so his mother assumed the government, and she passed a series of anti-Christian laws, persecuting Christianity.  In the interest of the faith, and at the encouragement of his grandmother, Wenceslaus claimed and obtained the support of a large portion of his countrymen. Even though he was still a minor, he ruled as King of Bohemia.  His mother allied herself with another son, Boteslaus, a Pagan, and plotted to one day kill Wenceslaus, and out of spite and hatred for the faith, the grandmother was assassinated, martyred while she was praying in thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion.

Once, when his kingdom was attacked, there was a prince from the invading army, who was charging toward Wenceslaus with a lance to kill him.  And the prince saw the king make the sign of the cross, and two celestial spirits appeared at the king’s side. The prince heard a voice saying, “do not strike him”.  So astonished was the prince, that he got off of his horse and knelt at the feet of King Wenceslaus and asked his pardon establishing peace between the two kingdoms. 

King Wenceslaus attended Mass every day. He crushed the wheat and crushed the grapes for the bread and wine used at Mass.  He also provided food for the poor, bringing them provisions by night so they would be spared any public shame because of their poverty. 

On the feasts of the dedication of the churches in various cities, the king would visit those cities.  One Sunday, he entered the city on the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, which was controlled by his brother Boteslaus.  And after hearing Mass, Boteslaus struck Wenceslaus with a sword, while two of his counselors stabbed Wenceslaus to death, murdering him at the entrance to the church.

Wenceslaus lived his faith in a time of political upheaval.  He sought to unify his countrymen under the banner of the Christian faith. And even though he knew that some conspired against him, that did not keep him from deep faith: devout recourse to the Eucharist and fervent compassion toward the poor.

The powers and principalities plot and conspire against each of us.  And our greatest defense ought to be the same as the Saintly King we honor today: submission to the providence of God, friendship with God’s holy angels, deep Eucharistic faith, fervent charity towards those in need, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 26th Sunday in OT 2015 - "If your right hand causes you to sin..."

You may remember from a few years back the story of a man named Aron Ralston.  Aron Ralston was a vigorous and adventurous outdoorsman who was given to rock climbing, hiking and exploring.  In 2003, he was exploring the canyons of Eastern Utah, and while lowering himself into a rocky crevasse, he stirred some rocks loose and fell to the ground and an 800 pound boulder crushed his hand and pinned him to the canyon wall.  He lay there in agony for two days, trying desperately to free himself from the boulder to no avail.  Finally, in his desperation, convinced he would die otherwise, he took his small pocket-knife, and began to cut off his own arm.  Despite unspeakable pain, he completed his task.

Aron Ralston then tied a crude tourniquet around the stump of his arm, so he would not bleed to death, and wandered through the desert until he came to a road and flagged down a car.

Some months after this incredible ordeal, Aron Ralston appeared on the David Letterman show.  And he told his story.  The audience was of course spellbound.  And when he finished, the normally lighthearted and sarcastic David Letterman became unusually serious.  Looking at his guest intently, Letterman said with great admiration, “You know something about life that I don’t.”

Why am I retelling this strange story? It should be clear.  In the Gospel, Jesus speaks with incredible bluntness about cutting off one’s hand, cutting off one’s foot, plucking out one’s eyes, if these things have become an obstacle to your salvation. “Better enter eternal life maimed, then to go to Gahenna, with all your limbs and members.” Hard words, no? Very stark, blunt, hard words. 

You’ve probably heard numerous homilies on this reading, probably saying that we should just interpret Jesus’ words as exaggeration, hyperbole, to prove a point.  Perhaps. But we shouldn’t be so quick to pass over this teaching because it is difficult. 

Perhaps, we can understand this teaching in light of Aron Ralston’s amazing story.  Aron Ralston found himself in mortal danger.  So desperate was his situation that he needed to do something very painful, very extreme, to save his life.  He knew something drastic had to be done, and he was willing, despite the pain, to do it.

Sure we might do something extreme to save our physical life, but Jesus teaches, we must be willing to go to extremes for the sake of our spiritual life.  We must protect our souls from spiritual death by abhorring sin, and keeping ourselves out of danger of sin.  For a soul, in a state of mortal sin, is bound not toward heaven, but toward hell. 

Now, of course, I’m not urging anyone to cut off their hands and feet or pluck out their eyes.  But each of us does have, a serious responsibility, to make changes in our life, if we are not living the Gospel as we should.

Jesus mentions our hands, our feet, and our eyes. And we should reflect on what each of these means in the spiritual life.  Our hands are used to grasp at things our egos want, but which God forbids: inordinate amounts of money, sex, power, material things.  All the way back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve’s sin was grasping at the forbidden fruit, grasping at a life God had not intended for them. 

Our Holy Father Pope Francis, yes, speaking with great gentleness this week throughout his Papal Visit to the United States, still offers the same warning as our Lord, that we will never build a just society, if we are worried more about grasping than serving and offering mercy.

Jesus, secondly mentions our feet.  The foot is the organ by which we walk.  We are meant, as disciples of Jesus, to walk towards God, along paths of righteousness.  God is the goal of our life.  Thomas Aquinas said, you want to find Joy? Then walk the path that leads to God alone.  What do most of us do, though? We walk down so many errant paths which instead of bringing us joy, takes it from us.  So many of our paths keep us isolated from real life-giving communion with God and with each other.

Last night at Madison Square Garden, in New York, Pope Francis talked about the isolation of living in a big city. Where we use our feet to walk past those most in need.  “There are forces pushing us to isolation and lack of concern”, the Pope said, “for the lives of others.” We are so often deprived of the joy of Christian service, because we are so busy walking passed each other, walking away from each other.  It’s hard to change directions when we are set on our familiar, comfortable paths, but we must be willing to follow the Lord out of the comfortable and into service. So if we are not walking in the path of righteousness, we must make the effort to change.

Finally, Jesus mentions the eye, the organ of vision.  Aquinas teaches that man is destined for the beatific vision, the sight of God face-to-face in heaven, but so often we find ourselves turning our gazes away from God.  The entire spiritual life is a constant process looking to the things of God, of purifying our hearts, that we may see God. But again, what do most of us do? We spend most of our lives looking for happiness in all the wrong places: the Glamour, illusion, sparkly, shiny things of worldliness, which keep us from prayer and service and knowledge of God.  How much time do you spend looking at a screen instead of looking to the cross, or seeking the face of God in quiet prayer?

At evening prayer, Friday night at St. Patrick’s cathedral, Pope Francis said, spoke of the danger of “surrounding ourselves with worldly comforts.” These things are dangerous he said because they “can blunt the power of God’s daily call to conversion, to encounter with him.”

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off, if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  Jesus teaches to consider our spiritual life with great urgency.  St. Paul says, the athlete is willing to sacrifice all sorts of things to train and win an earthly prize; we must be willing to eliminate things which keep us from Godliness, in order to win that heavenly prize.

Pope Francis, Friday night, echoed the words of St. Peter, “you may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials.” But he said, these words are essential, if we are to live our vocation in joy.  Not an easy Gospel today, not an easy message, but it’s a necessary one if we want to experience the fullness of life Jesus wants for us. It is always clear when we meet a saint who has striven to excise sin from his life, you get that sense, like David Letterman had towards Aron Ralston, “You know something about life that I don’t.” May our renunciations, sacrifices, and service lead us to experience that joy of God’s kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday of the 25th Week of OT - Rebuilding

Yesterday and today we read the entirety of the book of the prophet Haggai for our First Reading, a rather short book of the Old Testament consisting of only 38 verses.  Haggai speaks to those Jews returning to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon.  Sixteen years had gone by and the Jews had not yet rebuilt the Temple.  So, Haggai shares with them the Lord’s desire that they focus on their religious duty to God.

In a sense, the people had put their own business ahead of God’s, they were more concerned about their own lifestyle than about the house of God.  To be fair, the Jews were somewhat discouraged.  Returning from exile, their land was desolate, their crops had failed, their work was hard, the Samaritans, their neighbors to the north, hindered their work.  You could say that the post-exilic Jews were suffering harsh economic distress.  Yet, the Lord sent two prophets, Zechariah and Haggai, to urge the people to finish rebuilding the Temple.

Sometimes in the midst of chaos, our religious duties take second place, don’t they.  But putting our religious duties first, we find the strength and peace we need, to deal with the chaos rightly and justly.

Today’s verses from Haggai may sound familiar, the composer Handel included them in his masterpiece: “Messiah”.  I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.”

These words foretell the day of the Lord, the day which we are preparing for, preparing our souls for, when Christ will return in glory, when all peoples and all nations will turn to him on bended knee.

But again, we prepare for that day how? Ensuring that our souls are a rebuilt temple to the Lord. That our souls are enshrined with virtue.

Last night at Vespers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, addressed the faithful, clergy, religious, and lay faithful alike about the challenges of ministering and witnessing in this very chaotic age.

He said, “I know that many of you are in the front lines in meeting the challenges of adapting to an evolving pastoral landscape. Whatever difficulties and trials you face, I ask you, like St. Peter, to be at peace and to respond to them as Christ did: he thanked the Father, took up his cross and looked forward!"

Looking forward, for the Jews in this morning reading, meant taking their religious duties seriously.  There can be no future without God,

The Lord has chosen us to be steadfast in faith in this age—to hold fast to his commandments, to Love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, to make our souls beautiful temples for his indwelling, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 21 2015 - Feast of St. Matthew - Sharing the Gospel of Mercy

We honor Saint Matthew as an apostle, an evangelist, and a martyr.  Matthew was a rather unlikely character to be called by Jesus as an apostle, but then again, one could say that about the group of unknown fishermen.  Matthew was a Jew who collected taxes from his fellow Jews on behalf of the occupying Roman forces. 

The Jews considered the occupation of a tax-collector an outrageous disgrace, they were named in one breath along with murderers, assassins, thieves, robbers, criminals, and prostitutes. No good Jew could even marry someone who had a tax-collector in the extended family.  They weren’t allowed in the Synagogue. They were total outcasts. So, imagine people’s shock when Jesus called such a man into his band of intimate followers.  The great artist Caravaggio paints the scene of the Calling of St. Matthew, and even Matthew is surprised by the call.  In the painting Jesus points to Matthew, as if to say, “I call him.” And Matthew points to himself in disbelief, as if to say, “You are calling ME?”

And we heard in today’s Gospel how our Lord approached the tax-collectors table and said, “Follow Me”. The Lord enters into Matthew’s life, the world of sinners, and invites him to a life he cannot possibly imagine. In Jesus, Matthew experienced a far greater treasure than he had ever collected.

And once you come to treasure Jesus, you want to share that treasure with others.  Matthew invited his fellow tax-collectors to dinner that they too may experience the mercy and salvation of the Lord. He writes a Gospel, to share with humanity that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, the one whom the Jews longed for to lead them out of spiritual exile, and to establish the kingdom of God, Jesus is the one for whom leaving behind all of your sins, all of your earthly treasure, is worth it.

How many thousands, millions of people, have come to more deeply treasure the Lord because of Matthew’s witness? How many sinners were willing to turn away from their sinful lifestyle, because Matthew had the courage to follow the Lord?

So now it comes to us. Each of us has been called by the Lord, not because we were sinless like the Immaculate Virgin, but because we were like Matthew.  He called us out of the world of sinners that we might bring others with us to him.  How will you share Jesus with others today? How will you speak to others about Jesus’ merciful love?

May each of us take seriously this call to invite sinners to the Lord’s mercy, to spread the Gospel of Mercy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 25th Sunday in OT 2015 - "Be obnoxious to the wicked!"

The first reading was taken from the Book of Wisdom.  The longer title of the book is the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon.  Scripture Scholars tell us that it was written in Alexandria Egypt, making it different from the other books of the old testament, not only for where it was written, but because of the fact it was written in Greek, rather than in Hebrew. And it was the very last book of the Old Testament to be written, composed just about 50 years before the birth of Jesus. The theme of the book of wisdom is that wisdom leads to life, and wickedness lead to death.

The passage this morning is taken from a section of the book of Wisdom called “the speech of the wicked”.  This wicked person is lamenting that the wise ones, the righteous ones, are obnoxious to their wicked way of life.

There were a number of apostate Jews in Alexandria, those who had given up their Jewish faith in favor of the pagan practices of the Greeks. So this passage from Wisdom presents these apostate Jews plotting against those who had kept the faith: “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” So here we have this wicked apostate complaining, because the just ones, remind them of what they left when they abandoned their faith. The just ones were making the bad guys nervous because by their good deeds they exposed the wickedness of the apostates to be foolish. The apostates Jews in Alexandria had probably adopted the Greek philosophy of Hedonism. The hedonist claims that comfort and pleasure are the most important things in life: anything that brings you pleasure is good, anything that takes away your pleasure, is evil. 

We live in a very Hedonistic culture don’t we? Instant gratification, instant pleasure.  And the Church is often attacked because she reminds our hedonistic culture that there is more to life than just seeking pleasure all the time. Christians are seen as obnoxious to the wicked, for we engage in many practices that Hedonists consider foolish: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, chastity, poverty, obedience, self-sacrifice, study, going out into the streets and serving the poor, patiently enduring suffering for the good of souls.

In a way, I think, the Word of God is giving us our marching orders this morning.  Be obnoxious, be obnoxious to the wicked.  Be so holy, take your faith so seriously, engage to the works of mercy so devoutly, that you make the wicked man a little nervous.  It might just cause him to rethink his life.

That’ll be my dismissal from Mass today (not really): “Go forth, and be obnoxious to the wicked…Thanks be to God”.  Become so holy that you are noticed. If the wicked are ignoring us, because they don’t us as a threat to their hedonistic ways, are we really living the faith? I we are blending in with the wicked, valuing the same things they do, they are we really on the path of life?

So, the wicked find the just ones obnoxious in the first reading, and what do they do? They begin to plot: “With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”

The parallels here to the life of the Just One, the Lord Jesus, are obvious.  Why did the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day plot against him to torture and kill him? He had become obnoxious to them.  He told them that to inherit the kingdom of God, you had to repent, you had to not only be externally observant of God’s laws, you had need to transform your heart. And Jesus asked, you want heaven, you want a Messiah? You have to extend mercy even to those who persecute you, you have to treat as family even those who are of different ethnicities, you have to go and touch the leper and wash him clean. Obnoxious behavior for the pious Jewish Pharisee of the 1^st century.

It became clear, pretty early on, that his ministry would end in his suffering and dead.  In the Gospel today we heard how Jesus had been walking with his disciples, and just like last week he speaks of his coming Passion: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” However, Jesus’ disciples do not understand what he is talking about…again.  Remember last week, Peter took Jesus aside after he explained that he would have to die, and rebuked Jesus for speaking of having to be killed.  Jesus then rebuke Peter saying: “Get behind me Satan, you are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings speak.”  Clearly, his disciples didn’t understand that the Messiah would have to die.  Yet Jesus makes it very clear that there will be no glory without the cross. 

The Christian disciple, like the Master, embraces the cross out of love of God; this is as obnoxious as it gets.  So many of us want to be called Christian, but are we willing to suffer for it. We stop praying, we stop going to church, we stop giving, when it gets hard.  And the rest of the world says to us, “what took you so long?”

But the Lord is very clear, If we want to be Jesus’ disciples, if we want to be a part of the community of Saints in heaven, then we too must take up our cross and follow after Him: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”.

Over the centuries the martyrs have taken the word of Christ seriously.  I think of Saint Paul Miki and his 25 companions who suffered martyrdom on February 5, 1597 on a hill overlooking Nagasaki, Japan.  The group was comprised of 6 Franciscans from Spain, Mexico, and India and 3 native Japanese Jesuits.  Among the 17 lay Catholics martyred there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children.  They were forced to march 600 miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki, all the while mocked and spit upon by the soldiers for their Christian faith.  They, like the Lord, were all hung wooden crosses, and lances thrust into their sides. 

The Japanese government had been forcing the Japanese Catholics to renounce their faith, and Paul Miki and his companions refused to apostatize. 

While hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The only reason for my being killed”, he said, “is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ… I thank God it is for this reason I die… After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”

He was obnoxious to his captors and torturers, and he was persecuted for it.  But because he believed in Jesus’ promise, he passed the test, he won the race.

Be obnoxious to the wicked, embrace the cross; in a world grown dim, let your good deeds and love of Christ shine for all to see, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday of the 24th Week in OT 2015 - "the love of money..."

Since last Thursday, the first readings have been from St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy.  Timothy was Paul’s number one assistant. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that on Paul’s second missionary journey je recruited young Timothy from his native town of Lystra, Years later, Paul is thrown into prison, and Timothy is made bishop of the very important city of Ephesus.  Paul wrote this letter from prison to Timothy to encourage and advise him in this great responsibility. 

We find many of the themes from earlier letters condensed into Paul’s pastoral letters to Timothy such as 1) the importance of forming the faithful in sound doctrine 2) the primary importance of liturgy 3) the qualifications of those who aspire to various ministries. Themes stressed particularly by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Pope Francis seems to stress more of the teaching we find in today’s passage. 

Today’s passage began with a warning against teachers of false doctrine.  These false teachers he says are conceited, they understand nothing, they become full of envy, and seem to use religion for their personal financial gain. In a sense they become overcome by the love of money.

Through the centuries, Christians and non-Christians alike have recognized the dangers of loving money.  Money, in itself, is not evil; many wealthy people have given generously of their resources out of love for God and neighbor.  But Paul writes to Timothy today that famous line, “the root of all evil is the love of money.”

To love money is to desire it beyond reason, beyond need.  Many Christians have lost the joy of being close to God as they pursued the riches of the world. 

Nearly three centuries after Paul wrote these words to Timothy, the great Archbishop of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom warned his congregation: What evil is not caused by wealth, or rather not by wealth, but by the wicked will of those who do not know how to use it… Take away the love of money, and you put an end of war, to battle, to enmity, to strife and contention…The covetous man never knows a friend…He knows not God himself, driven mad, as he is, by the passion of avarice.

So many of “the human roots of global and ecological crisis” as Pope Francis would call them, come from this disordered love of money.

So what are we to do? Paul writes today: “But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love endurance, gentleness.” We are to shun the way of the world and seek the way of God.  We are to “fight the good fight of faith” Paul says, that we may “take hold of the eternal life, to which we were called”.

May the Lord free us from any and all disordered affections, may we be generous with our earthly resources as God is with His heavenly resources, may we be possessed by nothing other than the total love of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 15 2015 - Our Lady of Sorrows - Mary weeps with us and for us

This beautiful feast invites us to enter into the sorrow of Mary at the Cross. Mary was not just a passive bystander, but an integral participant at the cross.  Her heart was pierced seven times as only a mother’s heart could be as she watched her son pierced and dying before her.  Love is authentic when we are sorrowful when a loved one suffers.  This feast in fact was originally known as “Our Lady of Compassion”.    For the word compassion comes from the latin, cum + passio – to suffer with.

Mary fulfills the second Beatitude: Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Mary mourns and suffers with Jesus.  Yet, that beatitude also refers to the mourning over sin.  We are blessed when we mourn that in sin we are separated from God. Mary mourns not just for a dying son, but a son who died for sin, for our sins.  Mary therefore weeps for us, we who so often insufficiently mourn over our sins. 

Saint John Paul II referred many times to our cultures “loss of the sense of sin”.  We slough off sin, pretend that it doesn’t matter.  Everyone does it, so it must be okay.  But no, sin is abhorrent to the goodness of God. And rarely do we sufficiently grieve over the great loss of grace which our sins bring. Mary mourns for those who refuse to look upon the crucifix with contrite hearts.  Mary mourns for the baptized who so often continue to choose the empty promises of the Evil One rather than the life-filled promises of Christ. 

Mourning over sin is the only road to joy.  For it is only then can appreciate what Jesus did for us. Psalm 30 speaks of God’s promise to turn our mourning into joyful dancing.

When we learn from Mary at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, we also learn how to stand at the foot of the cross of all our brothers and sisters who suffer, and how to bear courageously our own crosses.  For even though she wept, she also trusted, that Jesus suffering would bring about a tremendously greater good.  So to, when we learn from Mary, we learn to trust that our sufferings, born in union with Jesus, offered up to the Father, can be a powerful force for good. So much grace can be won, when we bear our sufferings with patience and trust, without complaint, without cursing God, but to accept even our sufferings as an opportunity to unite our hearts to Christ and to grow in His grace.

May the tears of Mary change our hearts, that we may bear all things in union with Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: September 14 - Exaltation of the Cross - The Cross, Our Only Hope

Today marks the celebration of what Saint John Paul II called THE symbol of Christianity. Most of us marked ourselves with it upon entering the Church today, we began mass with it, we’ll end Mass with it.  Essentially, every time we Catholics pray, we begin and end our prayer with it.  Many of our bedrooms and dining rooms have one.  All types of people where it around their necks, from bishops to baseball players to teenage rockstars.   The priest holds his arms in this shape during the Eucharistic prayer.  It is the central focal point of every Catholic church.  Of course, I’m speaking of the cross.

The early Christians called the cross Spes Unica our only hope.  For the cross is the throne upon which Jesus showed his kingship, it is the key that opened the gates of heaven, it is the new tree of life from which flows the fruit of eternal life. Ave, O crux, they used to sing. O Crux ave, spes unica.  Hail O Cross, Our Only Hope. Piis adauge gratiam, reisque dele crimina, grant increase of grace to believers and remove the sins of the guilty.

Without that which Christ done on the cross, we would have no hope of heaven.  And unless we embrace that cross, unless we internalize what that cross symbolizes, unless we take up our cross, as we heard in the Gospel yesterday, we will not have God’s life in us.

This is a day that the Church wants us to place ever more our hope in what Christ did on the cross for us and wants us to do with Him in the cross.  We heard in the second reading, that beautiful hymn from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, how Jesus, totally empty of any pride, any self-willfulness, was obedient unto death to the will of the Father. 

Worn around our necks, adorning our homes and churches, the cross is not a good luck charm, it is a reminder to Christians to embrace doing the Fathers will even when it will cause us to suffer.

Today’s feast is called the Exaltation of the cross.  Literally, from the greek, exaltation means, ‘to bring to light’.  The Christian is charged with bringing the light of the cross to the world and bringing the world to the light of the cross.

Sometimes we do that with our words, and sometimes we do that through the silent, sometimes tearful embrace of our own cross, and offering our sufferings up for the conversion of sinners and the mortification of our own rebellious spirits. 

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 24th Sunday in OT - 2015 - Taking up your cross

The author of today’s Gospel passage, St. Mark, was probably a very good friend of Saint Peter.  Peter called him “my son Mark” in his first epistle.  St. Mark probably got his information about Jesus from Peter, and some ancient writers called Mark’s Gospel “Peter’s Gospel” for that reason.  So even though St. Mark was not an apostle or an eyewitness to all of the events described in his Gospel, it is based on an eyewitness account: St. Peter’s.

And like St. Peter, St. Mark traveled to Rome, and probably wrote his Gospel there around the year 60 A.D.  St. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels, it is clear, precise, orderly, direct, just like Fr. Klasinski’s homilies, he doesn’t waste a lot of words. 

And the ancient Romans, to whom Mark wrote, were in many ways like modern Americans.  They were a practical, pragmatic people who emphasized deeds more than words, action more than theory.  They got things done.  They conquered the known world.  Since, his original audience admired people who got things done, St. Mark emphasized these aspects of Jesus, the most effective man who ever lived—accomplishing our salvation through his suffering and death on the cross.

One can imagine St. Peter telling today’s Gospel story to Mark, maybe when they were still in Jerusalem together, or maybe somewhere in ancient Rome. You could imagine saint mark, asking Peter, “he called you what?” “That’s right, he called me Satan.”  In seeking to dissuade the Lord from the cross, Peter was making himself an obstacle to Jesus’ mission. 

Perhaps, more than any of the apostles, Peter shows a great aversion to the cross, he’s always running away from the cross.  We know from the Passion story, Peter denied Jesus three times, so he wouldn’t be arrested and crucified with the Lord. 

I’ve told this story before, but there is an ancient legend about St. Peter’s martyrdom. Peter had finally come from Jerusalem to Rome, the seat of the empire around the year 64, about 30 years after Jesus’ death, and for a while Peter showed great courage, preaching the Gospel, ministering to the small community of Christians there,  knowing that he was likely to be arrested and killed.  But when he began to agitate the local Roman authorities, the threat of the cross loomed too close for comfort, Peter began to flee Rome, but when he got to the city gate, he saw the Lord Jesus coming towards him carrying the cross.  Peter, falling to his knees asked him, “Domine, quo vadis?  Lord, where are you going?”  Jesus replied, “I have come to Rome to be crucified, since you will not.”  It was like Peter was fleeing the cross, yet again.  The Lord’s truth struck Peter, and now, understanding the need to remain steadfast in faith, returned to his ministry, preaching the Truth of the Gospel.  He was arrested, and like our Lord, Peter was crucified; only he asked that he be crucified upside-down because he felt he was unworthy to die in the same way as his Lord.

In the Gospel today, Jesus affirms, explicitly and uncompromisingly, very clearly, so even Romans could understand, that he and all of his followers must "take up the cross." For following Jesus is about more than calling oneself a Christian, to quote same James, “faith without works is dead.” Jesus goes so far as to say that those who refuse to accept the sacrifices and sufferings that God sends will "lose their lives", they will lose the promise of eternal inheritance.

It is not easy to be faithful to the teachings of the Church, to the Ten Commandments, to the will of God; Jesus sweated blood over it.  Faithfulness involves real self-restraint, mastery over our passions, self-governance and, sometimes, humiliation and persecution. Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat what it means to be a disciple; to be his faithful friend will involve sharing in his cross, there is no way around it.

One of the biggest obstacles to the spread of the Catholic faith, is the counter-witness given by Catholics who at first sign of the cross, of suffering, of difficulty, act like they do not know Jesus, like Peter during the Passion. 

So often, we are willing to bend over backwards to get what we want, but prayer, going to Mass, standing up for the truth are the first things to get crossed off the to-do list, when being a Christian becomes difficult.

India's great leader for independence, Mahatma Gandhi, famously commented on this phenomenon. He had been educated in western universities, where he was exposed to the beautiful teachings of Jesus. But he was also exposed to the hypocrisy of people who called themselves Christ's followers, but made little effort to follow Christ's teachings.  Reflecting on this experience, he later said: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  Gandhi could have been converted, if one more Catholic took their faith more seriously, perhaps standing with him, or fasting with him, to convert hearts.

To be fair, I also think Gandhi was a bit hypocritical, because he is most often quoted as saying, “be the Change you wish to see in the world.”  If you don’t think Christians are trying hard enough, then you try it, be the Christian we are called to be. 

It reminds me of another quote I saw on the internet recently: saying I don’t go to Church because of the hypocrites is like saying I don’t go to the gym because of the out of shape people.”  We come here precisely because we are not the Christians we should be, we are sinners who need a savior. Our souls are out of shape, we are overly attached to earthly passions, we like Peter are deathly afraid of the cross, so we come here, week after week, in order to learn from Our Lord’s example. 

So what will it mean to take up your cross this week? Will it be to pray when you don’t feel like it, to take a few extra minutes to reflect on the timeless truths of Sacred Scripture? Will it be to do penance for past sins? Will it be to go and make peace with a family member with whom you haven’t spoken to in months? Will it be to visit the lonely widow next door? Will it bear to wrongs patiently, without complaint, without seeking to get the last word in when arguing with a spouse, or refrain from talking back to your parents? Even sharing your toys when you’d rather be selfish, can be a share in Jesus’ cross.

The cross sounds terrifying. But our cross, when borne together with Christ, is the royal road to resurrection.  If we follow him on the path of self-denial, "losing" our self-centered, making God’s Will the center of our lives, instead of our own selfish desires, we will "find" true life in communion with Him.

The cross will come in many forms this week, will you take up your cross, will you lose your life for his sake and that of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls?

Homily: Friday of the 23rd Week in OT 2015 - Removing the plank

It is part of our fallenness to notice the failings of other people but not our own. Some of us have even become experts in criticizing others whereas we seldom reflect on what needs to change in ourselves. Many of us think we have 20/20 vision when it comes to seeing the mistakes of others, but never turn our gaze inward, to reflect on how God is calling us to change our hearts.

The Lord commands us to remove the wooden planks from our eyes, so we can be effective in removing the splinters from others.  But, how do we come remove the planks blinding us?  The saints recommend the frequent practice of the examination of conscience.  On a daily basis, perhaps before getting into bed at night, to examine the events, choices, attitudes, interactions of the day, in light of the teachings of Jesus.

To think of every person you saw that day, and to ask yourself, did I treat that person with the patience I should have? Did I attend to their needs or focus on my own? Someone once said, “you want to know the measure of a man? watch how he treats a waitress.”  What was the reason I was so quick to gossip about the faults of my family members?  Did I pray today as much as God is challenging me to pray?  Where was I selfish with my time today? What blessings was I ungrateful for today?

Faithfully examining the conscience takes real humility, the humility to admit that I’m not perfect, I don’t treat people as I should, I don’t love God as much as I should. Maybe we are hesitant to practice this daily examination of conscience because we are afraid to see just how big those planks really are.  But without humility there can be no growth in the spiritual life.  And if we are not growing spiritually, it is likely that we are stagnating or backsliding.

Only when we ourselves have come to the Father, seeking mercy for our own specks, can we ever hope to be effective speck-removers for others, as Jesus calls us.

May we, recovery of our own sight through self-examination, repentance, and focus on the merciful face of Christ, that we may lead others to that same fount of mercy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday of the 23rd Week in OT - The Face of Mercy

Jesus commands us: “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).”  Forgiveness is the distinctive mark of the Christian.  To those who do not follow Jesus, His command seems unjust, preposterous, and impossible.

What if your family was a victim of a terrorist attack?  What if your daughter was raped and murdered?  What if someone robbed and beat you?  Jesus tells us to treat even terrorists, rapists, murderers, and robbers with mercy.  He commands us to love them, to do good to them, to bless them, to pray for them, to give to them, to do to them as we would have them do to us, to lend to them “without expecting repayment”, to be clothed in mercy and forgiveness toward them.

These are Jesus’ standards, and they sound impossible.  Alexander Pope said, “To err is human; to forgive is divine.”  And there is truth there.  When we forgive, we become like God who forgives all. As Pope Benedict said, “Mercy has a name, mercy has a face, mercy has a heart.  Jesus Christ is Mercy itself.” To forgive our enemies is to grow in likeness to Jesus who is Mercy, who laid down his life, for those who persecuted Him, who from the cross cried out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

As you know, Pope Francis has declared an upcoming Year for Mercy.  In his Papal Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, which is latin for, the Face of Mercy, he says,

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.”

“In this Jubilee Year,” the Pope said, “may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: (the words of the 25th Psalm) “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old”, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: September 8 2015 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (School Mass)

There are many special feast days celebrated in honor of Mary: her Assumption, her Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, and of course, today, the celebration of her birth.  The Feasts of

Our Lady are dear to us because she is our mother.  While Jesus was dying on the cross he gave Mary a special job, he told her that she was to be the mother of all Christians.  Jesus loved his mother with incredible love, and we are to do the same.

But, If you listen closely to all of the prayers of this Mass for Mary’s birthday, you’ll notice that Jesus is mentioned in every one of the prayers.    Even the Gospel, wasn’t the story about her birth, but the birth of her Son.  On Mary’s birthday, shouldn’t we just be focusing on her, shouldn’t we bake her a cake and sing her songs? Can’t Mary just have a day to herself?

Well, what would she say, if you asked her that? Mary would never want to be separated from her Son Jesus.  Her entire life points to Him.  Mary never is so selfish to just take a day to herself.  Her whole life is focused on giving Jesus to the world.

She remained always open, always listening, always ready, always faithful to God, so she could be a worthy mother for Jesus.  And just like she was always open, always listening, always ready, and always faithful, she teaches us, and she prays for us to do the same.

That’s what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and that’s why Mary is the perfect disciple of Jesus.  Her whole life was focused on Him.

When we are getting ready for our birthdays, we are often focused on what kind of birthday presents we want, what kind of decorations, what kind of cake, what kind of entertainment, what kind of food, we want.  Sometimes we are even upset, we get angry, when our birthday does go the way we want.  Mary, however, wasn’t selfish for a single moment in her whole life.  Every desire was to serve God.  On her birthday, no doubt, she thanked God for the gift of life, she thanked God for the gift of her parents, she thanked God for the gift of her faith, and asked God to help her always remain a humble servant.

So next time our own birthday comes along, let our first desire, be to ask God to be his servant, to have the Word of God in our minds and in our hearts, let us ask God for the gift of knowing how to serve Him best, for that is what will make us truly happy.  Not the iphone, not the video game, not the new pair of designer jeans, not the cake, not the decorations, serving God with our whole hearts, is what will make us truly joyful, like Mary.

Keep the example of Mary in your minds and hearts today, that you can follow her example of humble obedience and service to God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Labor Day 2015 - "Becoming more human"

For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

Likely, not many of our contemporaries will be focusing on the spiritual meaning of work today, they simply see today’s civic holiday as a celebration of not having to work. 

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  Laborem Exercens is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times, of which Pope Francis’, “Laudato Sii” is the most recent Social encyclical.

John Paul wrote that Human work is a fundamental dimension of man’s existence on earth.  In the very first words of the book of Genesis, our Creator tells man to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”  Through work, we earn our daily bread, and are able to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. 

Work is not merely a necessary evil. St. John Paul said, “Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes "more a human being".”

The saintly Pope recognizes here that without God man loses his way, falling into sin, misusing the things of earth, abusing his fellow man, evil causes us to be less human, sin dehumanizes us.  But when our priorities are straight, when we are in right relationship with God, when we work to glorify God, then we regain and develop our authentic selves—we become more human.

Becoming more human requires work.  Being human, being good to each other, being virtuous, building a just society, fulfilling our religious obligations to God requires work. 

Three years ago on Labor Day weekend I had the great honor of celebrating the Wedding of my little sister.  The day before the wedding, a parishioner came into the office and said,  “Father, you look happy,” she said.  “Well, I should be,” I said, “tomorrow I get to celebrate the wedding of my beautiful and dear sister Ashley.”

“That’s wonderful, Father,“ she said.  “My husband and I got married 46 years ago on Labor Day weekend, too!  And that’s what it’s been, Father.  46 years of Hard Labor!  But Father, I love him more today, than on the day I married him”

I told that little story at my sister’s wedding on Saturday, and tried to emphasize that important lesson: that holy, healthy, happy marriage takes work—it’s a real effort—a labor of love.

Perhaps, we do well today to recognize some areas in our life where we have grown slothful, where have I failed to labor for the good of my soul, the good of my fellow man, my family.

May this Labor Day be a time of rest for workers, but also a time of reflection, that workers can ensure that their priorities are in check, that they are serving God rather than themselves, that they are setting good Christian example to their fellow workers in their speech and in their deeds.  May all of our workers be strengthened in Spirit this day, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls. +++

Homily: 23rd Sunday in OT - Healing Spiritual Deafness

Our Gospel for today, from the seventh chapter of Mark’s Gospel, details Jesus’ healing a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. 

Throughout the Gospels Jesus performs many healing  miracles, in public, and he garnered quite a reputation for them.  Large crowds began coming to him to be healed. 

As the narrative commences, Jesus makes his way into the district of 10 cities called the Decapolis on the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee which were this mix of Jewish and Greek culture. A man possessed with a demon whom Jesus had exercised had gone off to the Decapolis to tell what the Lord had done for him, back in chapter 5, now Jesus comes to this place, and cures this deaf and dumb man.

Like many of the miracle stories, today’s Gospel is the story of a physical healing, yet it has a deeper spiritual meaning.  We know that Jesus physically cured this man of deafness and muteness, but what is the spiritual meaning here, is there such a malady as spiritual deafness, spiritual muteness, which Jesus wishes to cure us of?

All throughout the Bible we read about God speaking and Israel growing deaf to God’s word.  He speaks his commandments, they ignore them.  He calls them to repentence, they continue down their path to destruction.  He warns them not to return to the sins of their ancestors, and they disregard Him, thinking they know better.  Do we live in a similarly spiritually deaf culture these days? I think so.

Spiritual deafness is a great problem of the spiritual life; it’s when God is speaking to us, and we fail, intentionally, or out of laziness, to be attentive to the word of God.  

So this deaf man in today’s Gospel stands for all of us, up and down the centuries who are in need of better hearing, those who are deaf or oblivious to the word of God, those who perhaps have lost the ability to discern the speech of God amidst so many conflicting voices.  I think of our brothers and sisters who aren’t coming to Church on a regular basis who aren’t coming to hear and celebrate the Word of God and receive the word made flesh in the Eucharist. They’ve listened to the voices telling them that Church isn’t necessary, isn’t as important as what they have planned.  But, really every single one of us, myself included, are always in need of hearing God’s voice better.  Saint Paul says to the Romans that “faith comes from hearing”, and that’s a call to all of us, to hear better in order to grow in faith.

There is a latin word which means turning towards someone in order to hear them better.  Oboedire, from which we get the word obedience.  The attitude of the believer is always one of obedience—seeking every day to turn our ears away from false voices, towards the voice of God.

What is the reason we are not always well attuned?  For one, there are so many voices, so many sounds competing for our attention, aren’t there?  Think of all of the commercials, and media, and movies, and beeps and blips of video games, and music, literally, all the sounds that compete for our attention.  It’s nearly impossible to hear the word of God amidst all of that? When we spend more time with a cell phone in our hands than a bible or rosary, there is a problem.

Remember in the prophet Elijah when he says God’s voice was not in the thunder or the earthquake—the loud flashy things-- but a tiny whispering voice. 

But it’s not just the noises, but the messages.  Our culture seems to glorify every lifestyle, every opinion except the Christian message.  How many sitcoms do we watch where couples who are not married are living together, how many violent television shows glorify violent revenge over ones enemy.  Our culture seeks to normalize the sinful, and demonize the holy.  So sometimes spiritual deafness comes from listening to error over and over again without a critical ear.

And then, sometimes our deafness even comes from our own self-deception.  “Father is up there preaching again, he has nothing to say to me that I don’t already know.”  “I don’t need to pray, I’m fine; I don’t need to read the Bible, there is nothing in there for me.”  Folks, trust me, even priests sometimes fall into that sort of self-deception, mea culpa, mea culpa, but that doesn’t make it right.  We deprive ourselves of the spiritual growth God has planned for us when we stick our fingers in our ears, like little children, and say, “I’m not listening” 

Deafness to the word of God, ignorance of the Bible, self-deception, swimming in the sea of the noise of our culture, and failure to pray are reasons why we are like this deaf man in the Gospel today.

Additionally, we read that this deaf man in the Gospel is afflicted with a speech impediment.  The deaf who are unable to hear how language is articulated have a great difficulty in reproducing it.    This too has a spiritual meaning.  If you do not hear the word of God clearly, if you do not attend to it, if you do not obey it, then you will not articulate it faithfully, and clearly.   Maybe we can make some sounds which resemble God’s word, but that’s different from clear, articulate speech.

How many Catholics can really speak the word of God with clarity and confidence?  Or, how many of us become tongue-tied when people ask us about our faith?  Have you ever been questioned by an energetic, evangelical protestant about the faith and found yourself tongue-tied? Often we are ineffective in speaking because we simply haven’t been listening as well as we should.

How does Jesus cure this deaf man?  First, he takes him away from the crowd.  Jesus does that often in Mark’s Gospel. 

Likewise, it is so important that we allow Jesus to lead us away from the things that distract us and hinder our spiritual growth; and when he does heal us, we have to be sure that we don’t go right back to those distractions.  Every day, we need have quiet moments away from the distractions where we say “Speak O Lord, your servant is listening.”  Every day to seek that place of silence, the Bible in your hands, to listen to the word of God clearly.

Jesus speaks a word to the deaf man, “Ephphatha” which means, be open. At the baptism after the noon Mass, the ritual instructs the priest to touch the ears and lips of the child and say: the Lord Jesus made deaf hear and the dumb speak, may he touch your ears to receive his Word and your mouth to declare his praise.  Jesus speaks the same word to each of us here today. Ephphatha be opened to the word God wishes to speak to you this week, that he may lead you and guide you to graces which eye has not seen and ear has not heard for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily - Friday of the 22nd Week in OT - "Image of the invisible God"

image credit:Ann Chapin (used with permission). Check out her gallery at: http://www.faceofchrist.gallery/Jesus-Christ/i-PXtVC5r

From Wednesday two days ago through next week Thursday, the weekday readings are taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  Because I used the proper readings for St. Gregory yesterday, and will use them for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on Tuesday, you won’t be able to hear Colossians in its entirety, so I encourage you to sit down and read all of this magnificent letter in one sitting.  It’d be the best 20 minutes you spend outside of Mass this week. 

The town of Colossae was part of a cluster of three towns—Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae—in the Phrygian region of the Roman province of Asia, in the southwestern corner of modern day Turkey.  Christianity had been brought their, not by Paul, but a person named Epaphras, who Paul mentions in the opening of the letter.  Paul had not yet visited, Colossae, either, but he had heard some disturbing news that their faith was being threatened by an “empty, seductive philosophy” going around town.  We don’t know the nature of this error, but it was threatening enough for Paul to write this letter.

We heard today, from what scholars call the jewel of the letter, 5 verses comprising a hymn, in which is sung the glory of Christ as image of the Father, firstborn of all creation, through him and for him all things were made, he is head of the body, the Church, through him all things are reconciled.

Perhaps the errant philosophy denied the theological truths contained in this hymn, and Paul offered this hymn as a mini-Creed about Christ.  

Like all the books of the Bible, Colossians is not only a letter written to people long ago in a far away land, but also a letter from God to Christians today.  The Catechism states: “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”  God is at work to move our hearts away from the empty, seductive philosophies of our age, through an intimacy and knowledge of Jesus Christ, not how the media treats him, but the true Christ, head of the Church.  For the spiritually hungry, for the spiritual seeker, there is no need to look anywhere else.  The fullness of wisdom and life comes from entering more deeply into the riches and glory of His majesty.

Becoming seduced by empty worldly philosophies is such an old story, yet one that leads to spiritual enslavement.  Paul stresses the newness of Christ, the preeminence of Christ.  Our culture sees the Christian message as outdated and empty. So in order to prove to unbelievers that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, we need to be filled with Him, brimming with Him, radiating Him, and that means allowing Him to recreate us ever a new, through prayer, through works of Charity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: September 3 - St. Gregory the Great - "Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness"

“Blessed Gregory, raised upon the throne of Peter, sought always the beauty of the Lord and lived in celebration of that love”.  The Church is certainly more beautiful for the life and holiness of St. Gregory the Great.

First, because holiness itself is beautiful.  Psalm 29 tells us “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  Holiness is beautiful because God is holy and God is beautiful, majestic.  Where sin uglifies, distorts, perverts, corrupts, seeking to be holy as God is holy beautifies our minds and souls.  And the saints are those who live the most beautiful of lives, because they seek to conform their minds and hearts and free will to life of God. 

St. Gregory sought the beauty of the Lord in his heart, and conformed his life to the teachings of Christ in a heroic way.  He poured himself out as a libation in service of the Church as Pope from 590-604.  He was tireless in fulfilling his administrative duties and promoting the missionary activity of the Church, sending missionaries to Britain.

He also sought to make the Church more beautiful through his contribution to Sacred Music.  He was a composer of chant for Divine Worship; Gregorian chant, of course, takes its name from Pope St. Gregory the Great. 

Vatican II taught that “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” Unfortunately, this teaching has been neglected in the last 50 years, much to the detriment of Catholic Worship and the beautification of our souls.  In many places very banal music has become the norm.  And likely the falling away of many Catholics from the faith is due in some respect to the Mass simply not being as beautiful as in previous centuries.

For the purpose of the Mass is not simply to evoke nice religious feelings, or to enhance our feeling of community, but to offer beautiful worship to the Lord.

We are called to beauty, “to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” and to strive for holiness in our hearts.  St. Gregory the Great is a saint because he knew that true human greatness, our greatest human good is in total surrender to Jesus Christ, to put our creativity, our administrative abilities, our compassion for those in need, all of our human talents in charitable service of Christ.  That is a life that good, true, and beautiful.

Through the teaching, prayers, and example of St. Gregory the Great may our earthly labors for Christ lead to eternal joy with Him forever, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday of 22nd Week in OT 2015 - "with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits"

In light of yesterday’s Gospel reading, today’s passage, which immediately follows in Luke’s Gospel, contains a sense of irony.  Yesterday, Jesus stood in the midst of his own townsmen of Nazareth, he spoke with great authority in the synagogue, but the Nazarenes did not recognize his true identity.

After leaving Nazareth, the Lord traveled to Capernaum.  And though his townsfolk did not recognize Jesus as God’s Anointed, the unclean spirit possessing a man in the Capernaum synagogue recognized Jesus’ identity immediately.

“Have you come to destroy us?” the demon asked.  Had Jesus come to destroy Satan and Satan’s kingdom?  Absolutely!  So Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man it had been possessing, and it did. And those assembled recognized the power and authority with which Jesus cast out the demon. 

Jesus spoke with authority, he taught with authority, he performed miracles with authority that astonished people.  Jesus had the authority to do these things,  for he is the incarnate author of creation. He commanded the demons by his divine power, which the demons couldn’t resist.

However, when Jesus teaches us, commanding us to follow his word, we are not compelled in the same way as the demons.  Jesus leaves us free to follow or not, to obey or not.  Jesus wants followers who follow Him freely, out of faith, hope, and love.  What is required of us is the obedience of faith with which our Blessed Mother so perfectly exhibited. 

St. John Paul II wrote, “faith found perfect realization in Mary…Indeed, at the Annunciation, Mary entrusted herself to God completely, with the "full submission of intellect and will," manifesting "the obedience of faith" to him who spoke to her through his messenger…her response of faith included both perfect cooperation with "the grace of God…" and perfect openness to the action of the Holy Spirit…Hers is an “obedience of faith” displayed through the whole of her pilgrimage.  It is through obedience that she cooperates with the will of God.

We are called to recognize Jesus teaching as the path to holiness, the path to heaven, for each of us, but again as St. James said this weekend, to not just be hearers of the word, but doers of the word.  We do well to ask ourselves today, what parts of my life have a failed to submit to God? What part of my intellect, my will, my free time? Which of my friendships, my social relationships, which of my hobbies, habits. In what areas of my life do I fail to trust God?  If we are honest, we might detect with the Holy Spirit’s help areas of our life which are still under the sway of Satan’s power.  Spend a few minutes today reflecting on the areas of your life and how God is calling you to deeper obedience of faith and cooperation with God’s will. And today hand your whole heart, mind, and will, over to the authority of Jesus for the glory of God and salvation of souls.