Homily: 4th Sunday of OT 2016 - This scripture is fulfilled in your hearing

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” When Jesus spoke those words in the synagogue of his home town, there was amazement at his claim.  His listeners immediately knew that Jesus was quoting from the prophet Isaiah about what the Messiah would accomplish when he appeared. There, in his home town, Jesus was essentially claiming to be the long-awaited-for Messiah.  All the Nazarene’s hopes for a Messiah, their centuries worth of waiting, were coming to fulfillment, and they were amazed. Finally, hope had come.

So, how did they go, so quickly, from amazement to fury? How did they go from seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of their hope of salvation to attempting to murder him, right then and there, leading him to the top of a hill to throw him headfirst to his death?

Well, after their initial excitement and amazement, they began to “put two and two together”, they began to consider how his message applied to them.

Last week, we heard part one of his message. Jesus stood in the synagogue and said, “the spirt of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to bring glad tiding to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recover of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free.” And so the people of Nazareth began to think, if he has come to preach to the poor, does that mean we are poor? If he came to give sight to the blind, did he just call US blind? Is he saying that we are poor, captive, blind, and enslaved?

And the tension began to build as they started to question his credentials. How can he be the Messiah, he’s Joseph’s son, he’s the son of carpenter!

If you are really the Messiah “do here what you did in Capernaum, turn our water into wine, perform miracles for us!” Their initial amazement had changed into a scrutiny of Jesus. They begin to sound a lot like Satan out in the desert, “If you are really the Messiah, turn these stones into bread”. 

If the Messiah really had come, what would have been the proper response? They should have been jumping up and down in excitement over his arrival.  Saying to Him, “Messiah, Lord, show us the way to salvation!” They would sing as we did in the Psalm today: “In your justice rescue me, and deliver me; incline your ear to me, and save me” And yet what did they do. They begin to discredit him, demand of him that he conforms to their will. Did they want a Messiah or did they want a magic show? Did they want salvation or entertainment? And when he claims that the widow of Zaraphath and Naaman the Syrian, a non-Jew, had more faith than they were showing right now, the tension, the fury really starts to build.

He had come to save them, and free them, and cure them.  But the first step in following him, was recognizing their need for him, and they wanted none of that.  They didn’t not want to change. And so their hard-heartedness bubbled into a steaming rage, and they sought to murder him. 

This drama played out again over and over in the Gospels: Jesus offers a word of challenge and people become furious over his teaching and seek to kill him.  After the Pharisees refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, they plotted to kill Him.  The people of Jerusalem who had cried out their “Hosannas” as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, cried out in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate’s palace “crucify Him, and give us Barabbas” we prefer a murderer and a traitor to this man.

Again, is this just a story of what happened in a remote middle-eastern country two thousand years ago? Doesn’t this very drama play out in our own lives all the time?

So often we want the Jesus on our terms instead of his own. We want a Jesus that heals us without the Jesus who challenges us. We want Jesus to perform miracles instead of liberating us from our sins.  We want paradise without the cross, heaven without conversion.

The people of Nazareth were willing to accept Jesus up to a point, but when it meant repenting and changing, they simply said, “NO”.  We’ll accept what you say Jesus to a point, but beyond that “No”. And from that “no” to the will of God, the “no” of “putting aside childish things” as St. Paul said in the first reading, comes anger and violence.

I can’t count how many times I’ve witnessed anger over the Church’s moral teachings—even from members of my own family.  Who is the Church to tell us how to live? Who is the Church to tell us we can’t use contraception, we can’t live together before marriage, we have to go to Mass on Holy Days of Obligation, who is the Church to tell me I have to confess my mortal sins to a priest if I want to receive Holy Communion? Never is the role reversed: never is asked, who am I to question God, who am I to ignore the teaching of the Church who Christ has authorized to teach in his name? So often it is that hard-heartedness, that inflexibility, that resistance to give up our sins, that is the source of anger towards God and the Church.

And given fallen human nature that’s partially understandable: it is not easy to admit, “boy, I have been blind and enslaved to my own passions. I’ve wanted my way instead of God’s way.”  Admitting we are wrong takes a deal of humility, and our proud egos resist humility. I think this is why Jesus explains that the very first step in following him, is one of humility. The very first beatitude, the very first condition for entrance into the kingdom of heaven is to become poor in spirit, recognizing our need for God and our need to repent of our sins, to accept not just some of Jesus’ teachings but all of them.

There is a tendency to say, I couldn’t possibly give Christ everything, that’s for people like Saint Francis, Mother Theresa, and Saint Paul, that’s for Christians of the middle ages, or the early Church.  I came across a beautiful quote this week, from a Russian Saint, St. Nilus, who speaks of the tendency to exempt ourselves from fully living of the Christian faith, and the importance of following the example of the saints. He said, “It is my conviction that if it is by God’s will that we are gathered together, then we should be faithful to the traditions of the saints and the holy fathers and to our Lord’s commandments, instead of seeking to exempt ourselves by saying that nowadays it is impossible to live according to the Scriptures and the precepts of the fathers.  We are weak indeed, but we must nevertheless follow, according to the measure of our strength, the example of the blessed and venerable fathers.”

In just a week and a half we will begin once again the great season of Lent.  Lent is meant to be a season of change and growth and repentance.  If at all possible, come to daily Mass throughout Lent, or at least reflect on the daily scripture readings which are printed in our bulletin. Hear and read what the Lord has to teach us in that Holy Season. Allow the Scriptures of Lent to be fulfilled in you. What amazing things the Lord could do in our parish, if we all sat down for 10 minutes daily with the scripture readings and asked the Lord, “what are you saying to me through these scriptures, how are you challenging me, what spiritual growth do you want for me?” There was a very venerable Italian exorcist, who would say, “you can do nothing more useful for yourself than to dedicate yourself to the sacred scriptures”.  Before picking up the television remote this Lent, pick up the Scriptures, and allow the Lord to speak to you.

As the Lord comes to us in Word and Sacrament at this Holy Mass, may we open our hearts entirely to him, more than we ever have before, to allow him to shape us, reform us, change us, and strengthen us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday of the 3rd Week of OT 2016 - Kingdom growth in a wicked age

From the time he is introduced in the Old Testament, King David is an epitome of virtue.  His humble, yet powerful faith is able to defeat the mighty Goliath.  David is anointed King of Israel when the first King, Saul falls to grave wickedness.  David often displays wisdom for administration, courage against Israel’s enemies, a spirit of cooperation with the Holy Will of God, an undeniable propensity to worship as he joyfully dances before the ark of the covenant. He is a model for his people.

Yet, today we hear how David succumbs to sinful lust. David's lustful look at Bathsheba resulted in adultery, the murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah, and the death of the baby conceived in this adulterous union. King David performs one evil act after another as he schemes to cover up an initial transgression with other transgressions even more hideous than the first.

Sometimes our leaders fail us, and their wickedness is disastrous, not just for themselves, but for their whole nation. Sometimes the wickedness of our leaders is so great, we wonder if God has abandoned us.

This story of the sinful king is contrasted with two parables of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God begins small, almost undetectable. So small in fact that evil will seem to flourish while God appears dormant. 

As the immorality of our own culture of death flourishes: the abortion industry, the undermining of marriage, cohabitation, divorce, violence, drug addiction, government corruption, there are many who have abandoned belief in God. Especially when evil touches our own life, we are tempted to doubt God’s providence, or even God’s existence. 

Yet, the Christian faith has always been realistic that we do live in a fallen world and it is up to us to plead God’s mercy as we did in the Psalm today: “have mercy on us O God, for we have sinned”, and to allow the kingdom of God to grow, often in hidden ways, among us. 

For there have been abortionists who recognized the terrible error of their ways, there have been addicts who have found freedom through faith, there have been corrupt government leaders who have repented and given their lives over to spreading the kingdom of God.  Their conversions often came about very slowly, like the growth of the mustard seed, but they were in answer to our prayers and from our witness to the truth.

So let us not grow discouraged in the face of evil: God’s kingdom is often built very slowly, brick by brick, and in very small and hidden ways, through the prayers and witness of ordinary, but faithful Christians like us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 28 2016 - St. Thomas Aquinas - The humble shall be exalted

It is said that the Saints are the “living commentaries on Sacred Scripture”. Today in St. Thomas Aquinas we have an illustration of some of the central truths of our scripture readings, particularly the humility the Lord exalts in his teaching.

Thomas Aquinas is perhaps the greatest doctor of the Church and one of the greatest minds in human history, and certainly one of the brilliant lights of Church history.  He wrote nine commentaries on the Sacred Scripture, numerous expositions on the works of philosophers such as Aristotle and Boethius, a collection of commentaries on the early Church Fathers, fifteen letters on theological, philosophical, and political subjects, he composed the liturgical hymns and the prayers for the Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi; and of course his famous Summa Theologiae is a theological synthesis of the whole of Catholic Theology. 

His intellect was so great he could would work on four different projects at a time: dictating to four scribes four different books on different subjects.

Yet, even with this great intellect he remained a humble man. Earlier in his life, his contemporaries called him a dumb ox, because he wouldn’t speak much. Yet, St. Albert the Great, his teacher, said, Thomas might be a dumb ox now, but one day his bellowing will one day resound throughout the world.

Thomas humbly recognized that all of his gifts came from God and were meant for the service of God. At the end of a life totally dedicated to serving the Church, while praying before a crucifix, the voice of Jesus himself asked Thomas what reward he wanted for his labors.  He replied: “None but yourself, O Lord.” 

Throughout his public ministry, Our Lord offered many parables and teachings to instill in his disciples the importance of humility.  The proud would often not understand our Lord, while the humble recognized him as Savior. The attitude of humility is fundamental for the Christian, which is why our Lord mentions humility first among the beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the humble heart” who recognize they need God, they need a savior, everything they have comes from God and is meant to serve God.

We live in a very arrogant age, where many people think they know better than the Church in areas of faith and morality; they know better than centuries of saints, holy doctors of the Church, and even Our Lord himself.

Even lifelong Catholics often think a little too highly of themselves. Sinful pride can become a pitfall even for priests and bishops, and, so we all do well to return over and over again to the scriptures, to the great doctors of the Church to teach us; we do well to come humbly to the sacraments and daily prayer recognizing our need for Christ’s saving grace. I think this is why Saint John Paul II would go to confession every week, for in confession we deflate the prideful ego in order to be filled up with the Holy Spirit.

May we continue to celebrate the feast of this exultant, yet humble servant of God, seeking to imitate his learning, his holiness, and his virtues, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 26 2016 - Sts. Timothy and Titus - Stirring the flame of faith

In the Gospel we heard how Jesus trained the 72 (LK 10:1-9) to be preachers of his word, to cure diseases and cast out demons, to be like Him, to be living, breathing, walking, speaking icons of the Gospel. He trained them, like Him, to have a real trust in God—hence, no moneybag, no sandals, no second tunic, teaching them to be bearers of God’s peace and truth.

The Lord himself trained people to carry out the mission of the Church, likewise, St. Paul trained coworkers.  As Paul was going about preaching, he knew he needed help—if the Church he was working to build up was going to have any chance, she needed leaders.

So we celebrate today, two of St. Paul’s spiritual sons Saints Timothy and Titus, whom he called to be his coworkers in the vineyard of the Lord. He trained them to continue to pass on the faith. Listen to the words he wrote to Timothy: “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God” you have received. St. Paul was the one who first placed the fire of faith in Timothy’s heart, but Paul realized that faith needed to be stirred up, nurtured, revitalized.  So too with us, receiving the flame of faith and gifts of God in baptism, we need to stir up that fire every once and a while, to make extra effort to ensure that we are using God’s gifts to our fullest extent.  Sometimes fear, what St. Paul called “cowardice”, can cause that fire to die down; what do you need to do to stir it up, so that our little flames might become bonfires of love for God?

It is one of the most important things for the future of the Church, that we are each doing our part to spread the fire of faith, but again, we can’t give what we don’t have, if you aren’t on fire, how can you set others on fire? Do we treasure the faith as much as it ought to be treasured?

We do well to identify those people in our life whom God has given us to set on fire, who are my Timothy and Titus, who has God given to be to build up, encourage, strengthen, challenge in the faith? Who am I called to help treasure the faith and live the faith, to fan into flame the gifts they have received from God? Just because the kids are moved out of the house doesn’t mean you aren’t still called to stir their faith into a fire. Pray for these people, reach out to these people, challenge them, remind them of who they are meant to be and the faith they are called to live, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: January 25 2016 - Conversion of St. Paul

During the Year of St. Paul, several years ago, Pope Benedict elaborated on the notion that St. Paul’s conversion is often misunderstood. Often we think of conversion as going from a wicked life to a good life, a sinful life to a righteous life.  Many saints did experience that type of conversion: St. Augustine converted from a life of debauchery, theft, violence, and vandalism, to a life of holiness.  Before their conversion to Christ St. Matthew the Apostle was an extortionist, St. Camillus de Lellis was a Con Man, St. Columba started a war, St. Christopher was said to have worshipped the devil, and even St. Francis speaks of a youth wasted in sinful behavior.

St. Paul’s conversion initially looks this way.  He did after all go from a life of persecuting and killing Christians to a life of promoting Christianity and making new Christians.  But Pope Benedict claimed that St. Paul’s conversion was not one from a wicked life to a holy life.  St. Paul sought after holiness. He believed holiness came through rigorous adhesion to the Mosaic law.

He devoted himself to persecuting and killing Christians because this is what he believed the law demanded.  After all, the early Christians were a Jewish sect who claimed the Mosaic law was outdated: you don’t need circumcision, you no longer have to go to the Temple, the principle day of the week is no longer Saturday, but Sunday because that’s the day Jesus rose from the dead. To Paul’s ears the Christians were blasphemous heretics deserving death under the law. Because of his erroneous notion of what God wanted, he devoted himself to stamping out this new sect.

But on the road to Damascus, in the middle of his fury, all that changed.  The Risen Christ appeared to Paul, Jesus spoke a word to his heart and let a ray of his divine light into the darkness of Paul’s mind.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”.

Jesus helped Paul to realize that whatever he was doing to the least of his brethren, he was doing to Him. From that moment, Paul realized that Jesus wasn’t simply a dead criminal put to death under Pontius Pilate who started some heretical sect.  He was the Lord of Life.  What the Church actually said about Jesus was true.

So his conversion, was not so much from wickedness to holiness, but from a false notion of a holy life to a holy life. Holiness does not come from strict adherence to the Mosaic law, but absolute fidelity to Jesus Christ.  He had a false notion of holiness, but he was a 100% dedicated to that false notion.  Just like many muslims and protestants, who are often more dedicated to their half-truth, than Catholics are of our whole truth.  But they like, Paul, devoted to striving after holiness, are ripe for conversion.

It is up to us to help the world encounter Christ, So that like Paul, they may come to that conversion of mind and find in Christ the satisfaction of their hearts deepest longings. There are people out there who believe that Christianity is just a set of inconvenient rules or false promises.  We have to help them meet Christ.

But we must strive after holiness, believe wholeheartedly, root out sin from our life, celebrate the sacraments joyfully, practice rich, vibrant prayer, and never be afraid of sharing the Good News, as Jesus commands in the Gospel today: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature,” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 22 2016 - Mass for Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Today, January 22, 2016, marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Since then 1.2 million abortions have taken place in our country every year.  Nearly one hundred times more babies have been killed by abortion than all the deaths of U.S. soldiers in all the wars our nation has fought including the Civil War, the World Wars, the Vietnam War, and the War on Terror.

So throughout the United States today, U.S. Catholics are engaged in prayer for the restored legal protection of the unborn.  Many brave people have traveled to our nation’s capital, in the middle of a blizzard expecting 18 to 24 inches of snow, to witness to and pray for life.  We certainly support them in our prayers and celebrate today a Mass for justice.

Justice demands the right to life.  From the moment of conception, a human being has a God given right to life no matter the attitude of his mother or father or the state.  We pray that soon “a people who walk in darkness will see a great light,” as we read in our first reading.  Darkness covers this land, the darkness of error, of selfishness, and the devaluation of human life.

Pope Francis recently said, “All too often, as we know from experience, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others.”

This liturgy for life and justice calls for the wearing of purple vestments: purple, the color of grief and prayerful penance.  We grieve the abundance of sin and murder occurring on a daily basis for 43 years.  And we do penance even for those who do not repent.  And we commit ourselves to praying and working for authentic justice for the unborn. For we trust in the Lord's words from our Gospel today, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied."

Pope Francis, speaking of the defense of life said, “Defend the Unborn against abortion even if they persecute you calumniate you set traps for you take you to court or kill you.”  For, “The right to life” he wrote, “is the first human right. Abortion is killing someone that cannot defend him or herself.”
We also know, that the Holy Father has taken special measures during this year of Mercy, to announce God’s forgiveness to all those who have procured abortion.  For though our sins be abhorrent, often vile, God’s mercy is greater.

We hope and pray today, in the words of our Psalm, that “Justice shall flourish in our time, and fullness of peace forever”.  For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

---Petitions---

That the leaders and members of the Church may fulfill with joy their calling to proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of Life, we pray to the Lord…

That the Church, the People of Life, may bear joyful witness that each human life comes from God, belongs to God, and is meant to return to God, we pray to the Lord.

That Court decisions which permit the destruction of innocent life may be resisted and ultimately reversed, we pray to the Lord…

In thanksgiving for the many children who have been saved from abortion through the efforts of the pro-life movement, we pray to the Lord…

That God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord...

That all medical professionals involved in the practices of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia, may experience conversion of mind and heart and cease these activities, we pray to the Lord…

For all women who have had abortions, that they may seek out and experience God’s tender mercy, we pray to the Lord.

Homily: Jan 21 2016 - St. Agnes, Virgin Martyr - Uncompromising Faith

Of all the virgin martyrs of Rome, none was held in such high honor by the early church as Saint Agnes.  She has been honored since the 4th century.  Her name appears in the first Eucharistic prayer.  Yet, Almost nothing is known of St. Agnes of Rome expect that she was very young, just 12 or 13, when she was martyred in the last half of the 3rd century, when Christianity could still not be practiced in public.

When she was about thirteen years old, the son the Roman governor fell in love with her.  He asked her parents’ permission to marry her, but they respected Agnes’ wishes and asked for a delay.  The man persisted, but Agnes answered that she had already given her heart to Christ.  “Such is Christ’s beauty,” she said, “that his brightness excels all the brightness of the sun and the stars; the heavens are ravished with his glory.  He is so powerful that all the forces of heaven and earth cannot conquer him.  I love him more than my soul and life and am willing to die for him.”

The governor’s son became bitter and angry; he tried to persuade Agnes to compromise her purity, promising her wealth and priceless jewels.  She resisted the temptation.  He then threatened her, and told her that he would accuse her of being a Christian.  This meant that she would face death, if she did not give in, since it was against the law to be a Christian.

When he told her what he intended to do, Agnes boldly answered, "Never will I consent to offend my God by sin, and joyfully will I suffer the loss of all things rather than lose my soul.”  She was eventually beheaded.

Our soul is that pearl which is beyond all price. Like Agnes we should be willing to suffer, rather than stain our souls by sin.  For no sin is worth the loss of our soul and the loss of eternal salvation.
Because the name Agnes is similar to Agnus, the latin word for lamb, she is often depicted in art holding an innocent lamb.  Also, on this day in Rome, lambs are solemnly blessed, and their wool is taken to make special vestments for the pope and certain archbishops called the pallium.  The special vestment is to remind the pope and the archbishops that the care of the lambs and sheep of Christ—that’s us—has been entrusted to their care, and they need to be good shepherds—that they need to walk in the footsteps of the One Good Shepherd—Jesus—protecting us from evil and guiding us to safe pastures.

Agnes is a reminder that holiness does not depend on length of years.  Children understand, often better than adults, that following Jesus means to follow him with our whole hearts and minds and soul.  With the help of the prayers and example of St. Agnes, may we come to see Christ’s glory in the eternal kingdom of heaven by witnessing to his love without hesitation in this life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Monday of the 2nd Week of OT 2016 - New wine of the Spirit

In yesterday’s Sunday Gospel, we heard of the great miracle of Jesus transforming water into wine at the wedding at Cana. 

Today we hear again of those two images of weddings and wine. Jesus first compares his presence with his disciples to a wedding celebration.  Just as a wedding is filled with joyful celebration, so too, Jesus’ public ministry is a time of great joy for his disciples.  And so too, as Jesus is our companion throughout our own lives, there is a joy that cannot be taken away by any earthly misfortune.  Things can never become so dark that we cannot call upon Jesus as Lord.  No matter how severe our suffering, it can always be united to Him.

Second, Jesus says, “no one pours new wine into old wineskins.”  Since leather wineskins would become dry and brittle with age, the new wine, still in the process of fermenting would burst the old wineskins. 

Before baptism, before discipleship, we had an old nature, an old wineskin.  But when we were baptized and truly made the commitment to follow Christ, we set aside the old nature, and acquired a fresh new nature. For many of us, baptism was very long ago, and those fresh, new wineskins, if they are not constantly renewed can start to grow brittle again, resistant to change, resistant to the new wine of the spirit.

Many of us know Christians, even members of our families, who dabbled in Christianity, practiced it for a while, even 12 years of Catholic school, but now they’ve seemed to have lost their taste for the things of God.  Evening mentioning the faith leads to a heated argument.  The wineskin has burst.  For Christianity requires not just learning about the faith, but openness to being changed by it. And when we start to resist the change, we become resistant to the faith. 

St. Paul says in Romans, “I urge your brothers and sisters, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  For when we conform to the ways of the world, our natures begin to resemble that old wineskin again.

Rather, we come to Mass, we practice the faith in order to acquire that new way of thinking, a new way of acting and loving our neighbor. Every time we come to Mass, we should really be saying, okay Lord, transform me, change me, fill me, renew me.   

May each of us know the joy of knowing Jesus’ companionship with us always, and the openness of being renewed by Him and filled with the new wine of Spirit for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 2nd Sunday of OT 2016 - One Spirit, Many Gifts

This is homily is a revision of a homily I gave in 2013.

This Sunday we enter once again into Ordinary Time.  We completed the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas; and we are still a few weeks away from Lent and Easter; and so, during ordinary time we focus on the ordinary life of the Church, our everyday life as followers of Christ.

As a Christian, what should ordinary life as Christians look like?  Mary, in today’s Gospel puts it very clearly: “Do whatever he tells you.”  There’s the ordinary task of the Christian, there’s a summary of the work of the Church: “Do whatever he tells you.” Obey Christ.  Fulfill the mission he’s given.  Do his work.  Follow his will. 

And when we do that, Jesus is able to transform water into wine—he is able to transform the ordinary works and words of our life, into the rich, extraordinary works of God. 

The trouble is, of course, that we all too often obey our own desires, do our own work, follow our own will, and the water remains water, the ordinary remains ordinary.  Sometimes we don’t recognize the gifts that God has given us.

Saint Paul enumerates in our second reading these many spiritual gifts God has given which make our ordinary Christian life quite extraordinary.

“To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to some benefit.”  God gives every baptized member of the Church special gifts to make them fit and ready to undertake the renewal and building up of the Church.  These gifts are not just for the clergy, not just for people formally involved in missionary activity, not just rare graces you might receive at charismatic prayer meetings.  But to you and me and every baptized member of the Church, gifts for bringing others more deeply into His divine life and the life of the Church. 

Saint Paul enumerates these gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties of tongues, interpretation of tongues: all meant for building-up the Church.. 

First, Paul listed Wisdom. Saint Thomas Aquinas called wisdom, “the view from the hilltop”.  The wise person sees life from the high vantage point.  He’s put his life in order, his priorities are straight, and helps us do the same.  When there’s a conflict, or confusion, we do well to seek the counsel of the wise person to help us make the changes we need in our life that they might better reflect the Gospel.  We should pray every day that our bishops and those in authority will be prudent, practical, rational, sensitive, judicious, and wise.

Second, Paul lists the gift of “knowledge”.  Are you knowledgeable in science, math, history, philosophy, theology, sports?  If you are, share that knowledge!  Your knowledge has been given to you as a gift.  Not simply to make a lot of money or to show off?  Not to lord it over others? No.  Knowledge is meant for service.   

The Catholic faith has produced the greatest thinkers of all time: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, John Henry Newman, not to mention great scientists like Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming inventor of Penicillin, Galileo, Copernicus, Marie Curie, not to mention that Catholicism produced the first Universities.  It was a Roman Catholic priest, George Lamaitre who first proposed the Big Bang Theory! These men and women remind us that our knowledge is meant to be at the service of the Church and the human race.

I met a gentleman the other day, with a background in mechanical engineering and pipe fitting.  He is now helping poor Hispanic communities bring their buildings up to code. So each of us must reflect upon whether we are using our knowledge for ourselves or for others. 

The next spiritual gift Paul mentions is “faith”. All of us here have faith; we’ll all stand and profess the Creed after the homily.  So, when Paul lists faith as a unique charismatic gift, I think of that person who is gifted with that sort of contagious faith; you talk with them and they draw you deeper into the life of the Church, they speak about prayer and you want to go home and pray, they speak about their guardian angel, and you think, yeah, I need to become better friends with my guardian angel, or they speak about confession, and you think, yeah, it’s been a while.  If you have this gift of faith, the Church needs you to share it, to draw others to the Church, to Christ. 

There non-believers languishing outside of the Church because of our failure to exercise the gift of faith. So we must become more open and more practiced in exercising faith, that the power of this gift may be unleashed for building up of the Church. 

Paul mentions next, “gifts of healing”.  All of the baptized are empowered to pray for healing.  Every Sunday we always have a petition for the sick and the suffering, and each of us instinctively turns to God when we are sick or have a sick family member.  Yet, throughout the centuries God has given some the gift of miraculous healing—like Christ in the Gospels. 

The Spirit might wish to work miraculous spiritual healing through someone here in this parish.  I think there are a lot of people in the Church who have been given the gift of psychological healing: people who almost naturally bring calm and peace, who can sooth inner turmoil, who can calm troubled psyches and souls.  The Lord might be calling you to help someone who is grieving, or suffering from an emotional trauma, or to help someone who suffers from an addiction.  If you have this gift, you are meant to share it.

The gift of healing particularly can become unlocked when we ourselves have received healing.  The person who has overcome an addiction often finds that he can help others still struggling.  The gift is meant to be shared.

Finally, the gift of discernment is very important.  You might not have the gift of healing, wisdom, knowledge, but discernment is meant to help others discover their gifts.  To discern the work of the Spirit in others is no small thing.  You are the one God wants to use to help others identify their gifts and put them into practice. 

The one with discernment is also able to act like a bridge.  You detect someone who is suffering emotional turmoil and you lead them to the one with the gift of healing.  You detect someone who is doubting the faith, and you bring them to the one with the gift of faith or knowledge.  You detect a family situation that requires outside help, perhaps a troubled marriage, and you get that troubled marriage the help it needs.  You detect that a particular young person is being called to religious life or to the priesthood, or that a fellow parishioner should consider joining the choir or becoming a lector or Eucharistic minister or deacon or catechist, you help point them in the right direction, and that is invaluable.  The person with discernment helps me to see something about myself that I cannot see.

Each of us do well, to go home today and reflect upon the gifts God has given me that are going unutilized, and to ask the Holy Spirit to help us put those gifts into practice. May the Spirit who bestows us with so many gifts help us to discover them, grow in them, and utilize them for the building up of the Church, the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday of the 1st Week of OT 2016 - Humility's victory

The readings this morning both continue from the first book of Samuel and the Gospel of Mark which we’ve been hearing all week.

From the book of Samuel, we peer back into the history of Israel, hearing how Israel had come under the oppression of the Philistines. We read how Israel had sought to throw off their oppressors, and entered into battle with Philistines, but Israel was defeated. Only afterwards do they realize that they should have sought the Lord’s help in this matter. And instead of sincere repentance and prayer, Israel took-up the ark of the covenant into battle—treating the holy relic like some sort of magic weapon.  Though the Philistines were initially intimidated by Israel’s mighty religious artifact, a second battle resulted in an even more disastrous defeat for Israel—not only were seven times more Israelites killed than last time, the Philistines stole the ark.

In contrast, in the Gospel, we heard of a man afflicted with leprosy.  Life, in a sense had defeated him.  Few afflictions in biblical times were more hideous and terrifying than leprosy.  To be diagnosed with leprosy was a virtual death sentence. Yet, the leper, shows more faith than all of the Israelites in the first story, he kneels before the Lord, begs for healing, begs for victory, begs for God’s will to be done. In his request there is an echo of the Lord’s prayer: “if it is thy will, make me clean.”

See the difference? Israel said, “my will be done”. The leper said, “thy will be done.”  Israel sought to control God.  The leper made himself humble before God. In a sense, the leper’s humility was more valuable than the physical healing he sought.  The homage and submission he showed to Christ was a sign that the leprosy had not disfigured his heart.

Often like Israel in today’s reading, we want power and victory without love and humility. But, when we are faced with defeat, or the torrential storms of life—loss of a loved one, loss of employment, loss of peace in our country and virtuous leaders, we must come before God like the leper, in homage and humble submission, confessing, “thy will be done.”

For God often allows the humiliation, he allows the defeat, the affliction, in order to bring about something greater, the purification of faith, hope, and love. It’s a lesson most of us don’t think we need; but when we kneel low before him, we will be touched by Christ’s healing hand, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Monday of the 1st Week of OT 2016 - Something New

Once again we enter into Ordinary Time, the ordered time of the Church year in which we are called follow Christ, allowing him to change us, transform us, and perfect us. The same Lord who spoke to Peter, Andrew, James, and John on the sea of Galilee speaks to us, today, saying “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”

This call to leave the comfortable habits we have formed, in order to follow him more closely, is in contrast to the spiritual inertia which can so easily set in.  Doesn’t each of us have the tendency to become complacent in the spiritual life?

Thomas Aquinas spoke of a sadness that comes from our unwillingness to tackle the difficulties involved in attaining our greatest good; he called it acedia—a sort of depression that sets in when we aren’t attending to our spiritual lives as we should.

Imagine the excitement Peter, James, Andrew, and John experienced when the Lord said, “Come after me. I will make you fishers of men.” God was doing something new in their lives, he was giving them a new vocation, and would bring about new spiritual joys of following him in this new way.  Similarly, the Lord calls us to something new, during this new liturgical season.

It may be a new spiritual devotion, a new way of service, a new way of offering up our sufferings.  But even in these short weeks before the season of Lent begins, the Lord wants to stretch us, change us, transform us, and fill us with the new wine of the spirit.

If there is a certain joylessness in your life right now, or a sadness you can’t explain; or perhaps you know that you should be engaging in a new spiritual practice, “this is the time of fulfillment.  The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” The greek word St. Mark uses for the word repent, is of course, metanoia.  Metanoia, change your mind, change your heart, change your thinking, change your attitude, by following the Lord more deeply in some new area of your life.  

Don’t make the excuses, “I’m too old, too sick; I already give the Lord so much, what else could he possibly want from me”. Often, it’s from our excuses where our spiritual sadnesses come from.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discover how to follow Christ more deeply today, that he may make you fishers of men for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Baptism of the Lord 2016 - Seasons end that others may begin

Throughout the Christmas season we’ve celebrated liturgically several events from the early life of Christ: we’ve celebrated his saving birth, of course, on Christmas Day; the adoration of the Christ child by magi from the east, we celebrated on the feast of the epiphany; on January 1^st, 8 days after the birth of Christ, the Christ was brought to the temple for his circumcision; after his circumcision, we know that St. Joseph took the Holy Family to Egypt, where he kept them safe from the murderous plot of King Herod. On Holy Family Sunday we heard how during the early years of Jesus’ life, his family would make the pious pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and how the boy Jesus was found teaching in the Jerusalem temple, his Father’s house.  Today’s feast celebrates an event roughly 20 years later. 

For 20 years, Jesus lived a life of simple faith, obedience to Mary and Joseph in the house of Nazareth.  He learned the carpenter’s trade, he worked with his hands, he worshipped at synagogue, he continued to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and celebrate the Jewish Feasts, he lived a life of virtue.  As we do not read about St. Joseph in the later parts of any of the Gospels, likely, Jesus witnessed Joseph’s passing.  During these Hidden Years, Jesus prepared for his great mission of preaching the Gospel and dying for the atonement of our sins.

Around the age of 30, Jesus had heard that his cousin, John, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah was preaching a baptism of repentance down at the Jordan River, at the very spot where Israel had come into the promised land after 40 years in the desert, the very spot where Elijah was taken up into heaven on a flaming chariot.  In fact, John was dressed quite a bit like Elijah of old, and proclaiming the prophet’s warning: “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Jesus knew, “it was time”—the season of hiddenness was coming to an end, and the season of his public ministry was about to begin—a time of miracles, and healings, where the power of God’s kingdom would be manifest. “It was time” to do battle with the forces of evil and the prince of darkness.  “It was time” to fulfill his Father’s will, no matter how much suffering he would have to endure.

Every season ends that it might give way to something new. And this was true, even in the life of Jesus Christ. His baptism in the Jordan marked an end of hiddenness, and a beginning of public ministry.

Baptism marks the beginning of a new way of life for Christians.  And, today at St. Clare, we have two people, Sarah and Joseph, publically declaring their desire for Baptism.  That have completed the period of the precatechumenate, a period of investigation into the truths and way of life of the Christian faith.  They are publically declaring their desire to put to an end an old way of life, and to begin the new life of Christianity.

For this reason, Sarah and Joseph are embraced by the Church as our own; they are now part of the household of Christ, as they seek full initiation in the Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.  I will ask them to remain after Mass today, so that you may embrace them, welcome them; for they are soon to be called your brothers and sisters in Christ.  They are coming to the end of one season of their life, and beginning a new one that will last for eternity; so, encourage them, pray for them, set good example for them.

For they declare today along with all of us, their faith in Him, their willingness to live with Christ as the Lord of their lives, their willingness to suffer for Him and even to die for Him, for they believe that is through Him, through Christ the Lord and Him alone, that man is free from sin and restored to eternal life. They declare today their promise to follow Christ’s commandments, including the injunction to keep the Lord’s Day every week for the rest of their lives. 

Every season ends that it may give way to something new.

Today, the Christmas season ends, and the season of Ordinary Time begins, a season where each of us are to focus on putting the teachings of Christ into practice in our ordinary day-to-day lives. Each of us do well to consider, what vices are we being called to put an end to, that we may more faithfully live out our baptismal discipleship. Laziness and sloth are to be put to an end, that new spiritual practices may begin: daily scripture reading, visits to the adoration chapel, a daily rosary perhaps, in order to obtain graces of conversion for ourselves and others. Put lust to an end, in order to begin a new life of purity. Put resentment and bitterness to an end, that it might give way to a new season of peace and gentleness.

In a few moments we will each personally recite the Profession of Faith.  It is the creed of the baptized.  As we profess our faith, let us recommit ourselves as children of God that we may be Christ’s disciples in name and in fact.  Let us reject Satan and cling ever more to Christ, that we may reflect the glory of his kingdom and come to share in his eternal inheritance, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Funeral Homily: Florence Harnist - Joy in Adversity

My dear friends in Christ, Jean & Mary Ann and all of Florence’s close family and friends, please know of the prayers and sympathy of the priests, staff, and parishioners of St. Clare Parish.  We pray and mourn with you. May the presence of Christ and his Church bring you comfort and peace.

At the death of a loved one, the funeral rites of the Church gather us as a family of faith for a number of reasons: to be comforted in our time of grief, to pray in thanksgiving for the life and lessons of our dear departed loved one, and also to pray in supplication for their eternal soul.

We seek to be comforted because there is real sorrow at the loss of one loved so much. Whether death is expected or unexpected, sadness fills us because we will miss our loved one, the world and our lives will be different without them.  We grieve, as the old proverb says because it is human to do so.  Yet, the full proverb states: grieve because it is human, hope because it is Christian.

For Christians, grieving the death of a loved one is always met by Christian hope. And our readings at this funeral Mass speak of our hope. Our hope that one, like Florence, who exhibited so much justice, so much faith, is making her way into the hands of God where no torment shall touch her. Our second reading, spoke too of hope.  Saint John in his mysterious book of revelation describes the new heaven and a new earth in which the faithful will dwell forever after our bodily resurrection.  This glimpse into eternal life gives us hope, for Florence and for ourselves.

This is why St. Paul says, Christians do not grieve like the rest of the world who have no hope.  At the death of a Christian, we do so much more than simply eulogize and speak about what has passed.  We gather in prayer to express our hope of what is yet to come.

Yet, at the death of a loved one, we also have a very holy impulse to give thanks to God and to speak well of our loved ones.  As I met with Mary Ann & Jean yesterday, they described their mother Florence as a gentle women, friendly, “easy to love,” young at heart, yet also a woman of great faith.

In Florence’s case, I do not believe this to be a simple platitude.  When I visited her back in October, to bring her the refreshment of the sacrament of anointing, I remember her telling me about the power of prayer.  “Never underestimate the power of prayer” she said.  This was coming from a woman who in her 102 years, had suffered from a serious bleeding ulcer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, a heart attack.  No doubt her faith brought her so much strength in great adversities of her life. 

Florence had a book of spiritual reflections which contained signs of constant meditation, called “My Daily Bread”, and inside its front cover was a saying by St. Francis de Sales, one of the great spiritual masters: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for the same everlasting Lord who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to sustain it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”

Here is a woman who did not allow anxiety to diminish her strength.  A bookmark, a holy card from Eucharistic Adoration chapel hear at St. Clare, marked a chapter within Florence’s daily devotional, titled “Joy in Adversity.”  Florence had highlighted several paragraphs. Listen to these words which must have touched Florence deeply: “You too would find joy in adversity if you exercised more faith, more humility, more patience, more love for Me, instead of favoring yourself so much. If you had even a passing glimpse of the indescribable glory of Heaven, you would no longer seek what is pleasant and satisfying on earth. You would easily admit that all earthly trials and sufferings are small in comparison with the heavenly reward. Never again would you complain in time of adversity.”

Nourished by constant meditation, daily Mass when she was able, frequent reception of communion in her illness, Florence strived to live a virtuous life.  In this she is an example to us all.  If any of you have perhaps fallen away from the practice of the faith, I could think of no greater honor or tribute to Florence, than to make a good confession, and return to the practice of the faith by coming to the altar every Sunday for the rest of your lives.

We pray today that Florence, we lift her up at this altar, to which she came so often with her family, that she may receive all the grace and strength and purification she may need in order to enter that place prepared for her in heaven.  And also to remember that for faithful Christians there are no final goodbyes.  We look forward to that day, when Christ returns in glory, when those who died in communion with Him shall be raised to everlasting life in the resurrection.  We look forward of being reunited with Florence and her late husband Edward, and all of our loved ones on that day of glory, when the love of Christ destroys death forever and gathers the faithful home to God’s eternal kingdom of peace.

Homily: Friday after Epiphany 2016 - Cleansed of sins leprosy

We are situated this week between the last two great feasts of the Christmas season: the feast of the Epiphany, last Sunday, and the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in just a few days.  The early Church saw the Baptism of the Lord as a second Epiphany in the life of Our Lord.  Where in the first Epiphany, Jesus was revealed as the Savior, not just for Israel, but for the entire world.  This Sunday, we will hear how, as Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father speaking from heaven manifest, and reveal Jesus to not only be savior, but the second person of the Holy Trinity.

Our Gospel reading today reveals something about the Lord, while at the same time preparing us for the feast of the baptism this Sunday.  The healing of the leper reveals that Jesus does not recoil from our sins, but draws near, “he does wish to make us clean”.  There is no sin so heinous that the Lord will not gladly forgive us, make us clean, when we come to him with a repentant heart.

Today’s reading prepares us to celebrate the Lord’s Baptism, in which he calls all of mankind to come to the waters to be cleansed of the Leprosy of Sin, where we also come to share in the divine nature of Christ who was in no need of baptism, but was baptized to show us the way to salvation.

Listen to the words St. Leo the great delivers to a group of Christians who were newly baptized: “Christian, remember your dignity! Now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom. Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.”

What beautiful and edifying words, which encourage us to remember who we are.  We are the leper who has been made clean through baptism.  We’ve been given a new chance at life.  Whenever we are tempted to despair because of life’s misfortunes, we can simply call to mind our baptism—that I have been cleansed in order to walk as a child of the light. 

As we come to the end of the Christmas season and the feast of the Baptism, we do well to reflect on the great awesomeness of our own baptism, that we may celebrate that feast with joy and thanksgiving, and live out our baptism with renewed fervor and conviction for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday after Epiphany 2016 - Light, Life, and Love

We have been reading, on these weekdays after the epiphany from the first letter of St. John.  Here is another one of those wonderful books of scripture we would all do well to read in its entirety in one sitting, like the original audience would have heard it. 

Although there were many early Christian leaders who bore the name John, major ancient authorities like Irenaeus, Clement, Origen, and Tertullian, were substantially unanimous in ascribing the authorship of this letter to the Beloved Disciple, the one who laid his head on the breast of Christ at the Last Supper, the one who stood at the cross with the Blessed Mother, John the Apostle. The high number of parallels and echoes between the language of this epistle and John’s Gospel adds further weight to this claim. 

The original audience of this letter was probably the Christian community in or around Ephesus, the city where John took the Blessed Mother into his care.  Nevertheless, this letter speaks to every Christian in every time and place.

The fundamental theme of John’s letter is what it means to have a relationship with God, to be in union with God, sharing God’s life through Jesus Christ.  John uses three terms to describe God and the life of God that Christians share through Christ: light, life, and love.  “If you love the Father, you are a child of the father” we heard today.  “God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him” we heard Tuesday.  Early in the letter he writes, “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all… But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another.” 

Light, life, and love: these are the three things everyone in the world needs and wants more of.  There opposites, falsehood, death and hate, are the worst things in the world. Most everyone in the world wants to avoid these things, but not everyone knows how.  John tells us that Jesus is the answer to that question.  If you want the fulfillment of your deepest desires—deepen your relationship with Christ.  Love Him, Walk in his light, and you will share his life.

His commandments are not burdensome, John tells us today, for when we fellow His commandments, and walk by the light of his faith, his victory over falsehood, death, and hate will dwell within us; his victory will be our strength.

We continue our Christmas celebration of the birth of the savior, seeking to be liberated, delivered, and freed from all that keeps us from loving him as we should, walking in his light, and sharing his life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 06 2016 - St. John Nuemann - The witness of brotherly love

Although he was born in Bohemia in 1811, in what is now the Czech Republic, John Nepomucene Neumann is celebrated as an American saint.  After studying in Prague, John Neumann came to New York at the age of 25 and was ordained a priest just three weeks later.  After several years of working among German speaking immigrants, often alone, he joined the Redemptorist community, the missionary community founded by St. Alphonsis Ligouri.  As a gifted linguist who spoke 8 languages, he was a popular preacher among the many immigrant communities, in Maryland, Virginia, even here in Ohio.

By age 41 he had become the fourth bishop of Philadelphia where he organized the parochial schools there into a diocesan system. 

Today’s opening prayer refers to three tasks accomplished by Saint John Neumann which we hope to accomplish by the help of his prayers.  1) To foster the Christian education of youth, 2) to strengthen the witness of brotherly love, and 3) to constantly increase the family of the Church.

Like Saint John Neumann, all of us are to foster the Christian education of youth.  Almost 50,000 children in this diocese attend Catholic schools, and at least that same number are educated in parish PSR programs.  But the number of children attending weekly Mass is abysmal.  We face a very difficult battle in winning the hearts of these children away from the culture, and that is the task of every Catholic. If there is a young person in our family not going to Church, each of us should ask ourselves, what can I do to get them to the altar.

Secondly, we must give “the witness of brotherly love”.  Non-Catholics and weak-faithed Catholics should look at us and say in the words of Tertullian, “look how they love each other”.  The brotherly love we have for each other, the charity, the kindness, the patience we have for each other is to attract others to our way of life—the way of Christ. 

And the third task exemplified by John Neumann to increase the family of the Church.  Again not just the work of priests, not just the work of bishops, but the work of the entire church, to continue to draw souls to Christ.  And that is only possible, when we have truly been drawn to Him, when we have left behind all worldliness, when we have sought him with the entirety of our being.

May Bishop Neumann, “renowned for his charity and pastoral service” spurn us on to holiness through the service of the Gospel of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 4 2016 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - A life changed by kindness

Two hundred years ago, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first new community for religious women to be established in the United States.  Her new community would also staff the first free Catholic School for girls in this country.  1000s of women over the last two hundred years have dedicated their lives through consecrated service in Mother Seton’s religious communities, and 10s of thousands have been educated, cared for, served in her hundreds of schools, social service centers, and hospitals throughout this country and throughout the world.

Who was this remarkable woman who impacted the history of our nation so profoundly? Elizabeth Seton was born, not a Catholic, but was the daughter of a very wealthy Episcopalian family from Manhattan New York.  She married a wealthy businessman at the age of 19, and raised 5 children in wealthy New York social circles.  A dispute between the United States and the French Republic led to a series of attacks on American shipping. The loss of several of her husband's ships led William Seton into bankruptcy, and the Setons lost their home in lower Manhattan.  Through most of their married life, William Seton suffered from tuberculosis. The stress worsened his illness and he died in 1803.

When all seemed lost—widowed, destitute, Elizabeth was taken in by an Italian family who had worked with her husband.  This good Italian family introduced Elizabeth to Roman Catholicism. Despite stern opposition from her Episcopalian friends, Elizabeth was received into the Catholic Church on March 4, 1805. 

Here’s a woman who became Catholic and ultimately a saint because she was treated with great kindness by Catholics at a moment of great tragedy—by ordinary Catholics who were simply living their faith with deep devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin.

Friends, we must never underestimate the power of living our faith and reaching out in kindness to those in need.  Because of that family of Italian Catholics, probably immigrants, thousands and thousands of people would be served, educated, and cared for through the charity of Mother Seton and her religious communities. 

Elizabeth Seton was the first person native to American soil to be canonized, and she wasn’t raised a Catholic, but she was cared for by Catholics, evangelized by ordinary Catholics and their love for the Eucharist and Mary.

God can do extraordinary things through our small acts of kindness and through our simple faith.  May St. Elizabeth Ann Seton help all of us to serve God in our daily service with sincere faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Epiphany 2016 - Bringing gifts for worship

In keeping with the ancient practice, following the proclamation of the Epiphany Gospel, I just chanted the announcement of Easter and the Movable Feasts for this liturgical year. 

As the Magi made procession to honor the Christ child, the Church announces on the Feast of the Epiphany the procession of liturgical feasts throughout the year.  Sunday after Sunday and on the other Holy Days of Obligation the Church does exactly what the magi did that first Christmas, guided by the revelation of God, we journey to worship Christ. And, as the wise men offered gold, frankincense and myrrh, we off ourselves to Him. 

The Church Fathers saw the gifts of the Magi as symbols pointing to Christ’s true identity. St. Ireneus says the gift of gold signifies the Kingship, the royalty of Christ.  Frankincense is used in worshipping God and points to Jesus’ divinity.  And Myrrh is a burial ointment, pointing to the humanity of Christ, who would suffer and die for our salvation.

There is another tradition saying that the gifts of the magi are gifts that each Christian is called to make to God. St. Gregory the Great said the gold represents the wisdom of God and the teaching of Christ by which we are to walk.  The Frankincense is the prayer and adoration we are to give to Him.  Myrrh is our daily sacrifice to the Lord. Daily sacrifice needs to be made to God too, as Paul says, in Romans 12, offer your minds and bodies as living sacrifices to God. 

After coming to worship the Lord, and offering him their gifts, St. Matthew tells us how the Magi returned to their homes by another route.  I always think of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen who said, of course they left by another route, no one encounters Christ and leaves the same. Encountering Christ changes us.  Every time we go to Mass, or make the Holy Hour, or encounter Christ through Scripture, or in serving Him in the poor, that should change us, so we go home different person.

No doubt the Magi would spread the good news of the savior’s birth. So in this feast we see a sort of model of the Christian life: we are drawn by God to Christ, we bring him our best, we offer him our lives, and after encountering him, we are propelled out into the world to spread the good news about him until it is time to return back to the altar to offer our worship again.

Now most of us are not involved in any formal evangelization: most of us aren’t called by God to go to a foreign land to spread the Gospel. But that doesn’t mean we are exempt from the mission to evangelize. Rather, most of our evangelizing is really done from the home.  People come to know Christ through our hospitality, the ways our families come together for prayer, for study.  The way that spouses and children love each other, and forgive each other, and our generous with each other, and pray with one another really is one of the primary ways the Church spreads the Gospel.  The world shall know we are Christian by our love.

Since much of our evangelizing takes place at home, on this feast of the epiphany there is the venerable practice of blessing the home with blessed chalk.  So after Mass, we will have available at all the church exits, blessed chalk and the short ritual for blessing your homes for the new year.  By this act, we ask Christ’s blessing upon the home and those who live there and those who will visit.  By visibly marking our homes with the church we identify our homes as Christian homes, and invite others to come to know Christ in our homes. 

In a sense our homes are meant to be like the Christmas star, as the wise men followed the star to find Christ, those seeking Christ should be able to find Him in our homes. There are people out there who do not know Christ or do not know him as they should, who are meant to discover Christ in your homes.  The home is also meant to be like the stable of Bethlehem isn’t it? A place where Christ is honored and adored constantly. 

So again, use the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of your families: the wisdom of God, frequent prayer, and personal sacrifice to show the world that Christ has come, that he is God and King, and that he is the savior of the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 1 2016 - Mary Mother of God - Mary's faith, openness to grace, motherhood

We are just a few hours into the new year 2016. What will 2016 bring? Great successes? Humiliating failures? Unexpected happiness? Sudden loss? Dramatic change? More of the same? Illness, suffering, and death? We wish everyone a “Happy New Year” but in all honesty, none of us knows what this new year will bring. And as we venture into that unknown, the Church gives us on this first day of the civil calendar, a feast in honor of Our Lady, Mary the Mother of God.  And the big question is  ”why—why connect Mary with new year’s day?” And the simple answer is because Mary shows us how to live in this new year in a way that, no matter what happens to us, it will be a truly blessed year.

So I propose three lessons Mary can teach us for 2016.

First, we see in Mary, a woman who lived in a unique way, by faith. Faith was her guide. So she is a model of faith for each one of us. While still in her teens, Mary was asked by God to do something no one else in history had ever been asked to do.  As she ventured into an unknown future, faith was her guide. Though her future would be filled with suffering, confusion, anxiety; though so much of her future would be out of her control, faith was her guide.

By faith, I do not mean optimism that everyone will simply live happily ever after.  Not everyone will win the lottery this year. Rather, as people of faith, we commit to following God’s holy will, his commandments, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Even when we don’t understand WHY we are undergoing such challenging times, we cling to God, we follow his commandments.

So Mary, who hears the word of God, ponders it in her hearts, and obeys God in all things, is our model of faith this year.

Secondly: Mary shows us how to remain open to God’s grace.  Her faith was lived in a such a way that her life remained open to all strength, grace, and wisdom, God wished to give her for the journey.  The great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas said, “whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.” In other words, you cannot receive a gift, if you are not open to receiving it.  Mary was full of grace because she remained fully open to God at all times.

There are so many favors, so many gifts, so much grace God wishes to give us during this new year, but we he will not force us to receive these gifts.  So we need to welcome God into all the areas of our life. Think of these areas like rooms of a house.

We need to welcome God into family rooms: the places where we gather with family and friends, welcoming God into our friendships and family relationships, talking about our faith with these people.  Mary and her cousin Elizabeth talked with each other about what God was doing in their lives. We too, must welcome God into these relationships.

We need to welcome God into our studies: opening our minds to him by studying the Scriptures, studying the catechism, studying the faith.  Mary pondered God’s word and his works, so this year commit to opening and reading those Bibles every day. God wishes to engrave His Word on your hearts through study.

We need to welcome God into our recreation rooms: ensuring that our entertainment is of a godly sort. 

We need to welcome God into our kitchens: ensuring that we do not give ourselves over to overeating drunkenness, and gluttony.

Finally, we need to welcome God into our basements and attics and storage closets, the hidden places of our hearts.  Maybe there are some good things, good habits, which need to be brought out of storage, and given away in selflessness.  Maybe there is some clutter that we need to get rid, some bad habits, that we finally need to let go of this year.

Mary teaches us that when we open our lives to God, welcoming God into every area of our life, our lives become charged and changed by God’s presence.

A third and final lesson from Mary for this new Year, is what she shows us by her motherhood. Because of her faith, because of her openness to God, she was able to be a great mother to Jesus.  The Church celebrates Mary today as Mother of Jesus. God made himself dependent on Mary’s love when he chose to be born as her Son.  He subjected himself to be born of her, to be nursed by her, fed by her, and cleaned by her, he learned to walk from her and talk from her and pray from her.  Jesus made himself dependent upon Mary’s motherhood, and that’s the great lesson for us this year.

In 2016, subject yourself, like Jesus, to her motherhood. Call your mother every day. Turn to her in prayer constantly.  Go to her with your sorrows and joys. If you do not know how to pray the rosary, learn as soon as you can this year, and pray the rosary often. 

From Rome this morning, Pope Francis said, “At the beginning of a new year, the Church invites us to contemplate Mary’s divine maternity as an icon of peace.  In her, the ancient promise finds fulfilment. She appears to us as a vessel filled to the brim with the memory of Jesus, as the Seat of Wisdom to whom we can have recourse to understand his teaching aright.  Today Mary makes it possible for us to grasp the meaning of events which affect us personally, events which also affect our families, our countries and the entire world.  Where philosophical reason and political negotiation cannot reach, there the power of faith, which brings the grace of Christ’s Gospel, can reach, opening ever new pathways.”

If we want 2016 to be brighter than last year, we need to turn to our Mother. For the Lord not only chose Mary as His mother, but gave her as Mother to all of us.  Call upon our mother frequently and with great devotion this year, and 2016 truly will be a happy, blessed year, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.