29th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Humility, Gentleness, Patience

From prison, Paul pleaded with his Christian brothers and sisters to "live a life worthy" of their calling.  

Paul then describes the type of conduct he is urging: humility, gentleness, patience. Let’s look at these three virtues.

For Paul, humility means regarding others as more important than ourselves.  To imitate the Lord’s humility, early Christians would wash each other’s feet, as Jesus did at the last supper. We are to stoop low in order to serve others. 

Next, Paul urges gentleness.  Here is another virtue evidenced and extolled by our Lord: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” What is gentleness? Gentleness involves calm, reasonable restraint. It avoids physical or emotional outbursts and harshness. It is careful not to bruise others. 

Thirdly, Paul says, be patient. The scriptural word for patience literally means, to be “long-tempered” as opposed to short-tempered. The Psalms describe God as “slow to anger”. Christians are to be “slow to anger”—putting-up with the faults and idiosyncrasies of others—even when we are bruised in the process.

Paul then explains the reason for these virtues: humility, gentleness, and patience help us to maintain unity which should be a hallmark of our relationships and of our Church.  Think of how many relationships are broken because humility, gentleness, and patience are not practiced—because self-restraint and patience are not practiced in speech and in deed. 

A marriage, a family, a parish, or a diocese, even, can become more and more divided when the call to practice these virtues is ignored. And it’s not easy. Our culture promotes not humility, gentleness, and patience, but arrogance, harshness, and pettiness. 

But when we practice these things, we exhibit a peace that the world does not know. We become a calm and peaceful harbor in which souls can discover Christ. 

But to do so, we must exert real effort to cultivate these virtues and to pray for these virtues. We must practice self-restraint and look for opportunities to stoop down in service. But when we do, we become ever-more effective instruments for the building up of the Church for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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On this day of prayer and fasting for priests, we pray for the sanctification of our priests, that they may have the endurance to remain faithful to their calling amidst so many challenges. Let us pray to the Lord.

For healing of all sinful division in our families, parishes, and diocese. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

That, during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, many Christians will discover new and deep devotion to Our Lady’s powerful intercession and maternal care for the Church

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and peace to all the suffering. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for the repose of the souls of all those who made our reception of the faith possible. 

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

7th Sunday in OT 2019 - Love of Enemies & Breaking Cycles of Violence

Last week we heard the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain from Luke’s Gospel—Our Lord’s instruction on how to live a blessed life—not living for wealth, for sensual pleasure, but weeping for one’s sins and being willing to endure suffering for the spread of the Christian Gospel. This week’s Gospel continues his great sermon and contains one of the most sacred, inspiring, and perhaps annoying and puzzling texts in the whole new testament: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” The Lord teaches not just tolerance for one’s enemy, not just vague acceptance, but love.

Who springs to mind when he gives that teaching: “your enemy” For some of us that might mean one of the great global enemies of history: perhaps the September 11 hijackers or Hitler, Stalin, or Mao Tse-Tung, or perhaps your most reviled politician. Perhaps it’s a bit more personal, someone in your life who you just don’t like, who annoys you to no end, or someone who betrayed your trust or caused you harm.

Our first reading contains a pair of enemies, Saul and David. Saul had become deeply jealous of David and sought to kill him. Saul led his vast army to hunt down David and kill him. But in today’s reading, the tide is turned: David has snuck into Saul’s camp, and finds Saul asleep, unprotected, and at his most vulnerable. With a single thrust of his spear, David could kill Saul easily—this mad tyrant who was trying to kill him, unjustly, aggressively, out of insane jealousy. David has every right, you’d say, to kill Saul.

What would you if your greatest enemy was delivered into your hands? Someone you hated, someone that hurt you, someone who has mocked you and made you feel inferior. What would you do if the tables were turned? David finds himself in this position. Now he was the one with the power, he was the one with the blade at his enemies throat. But he chooses not to strike, he breaks the cycle, he foreshadows the love of one’s enemy which Jesus teaches.

And Jesus’ admonition to love our enemies is central to his teaching. It is the great test. And when he says love, he’s not talking about an emotion or a feeling. Love is not a sentiment. Love is an act of the will, a choice to will the good of another, to work for the good of another. A parent loves their child when they work and sacrifice so that the child may grow and learn and become the person they are meant to be. Spouses love each other when they make sacrifices for the good of each other. A priest or religious loves the church when we sacrifice ourselves for the good.

To love one’s enemy is to will their good, and that is not easy.  Why? Why is that hard? Sacrifice is hard, forgiveness is hard. Lending to those who cannot or will not pay you back is hard. Love makes one vulnerable and that is dangerous, that is scary.

Sometimes we find our enemies so threatening because they reveal truths about ourselves that are uncomfortable to face: that we’ve been hurt and want vengeance for our suffering. Or we see in them some hardness that exists also in ourselves. Why did the Pharisees hate Jesus? He revealed their hardness of heart. They sought to put to death the innocent one because his innocence exposed their corruption. He revealed their need to control, their addiction to fame.  Our hatred of an enemy sometimes comes from our fear of having our own hypocrisy exposed. Our enemy is not fooled by our acting.

But if that’s the case, but if they reveal something unholy in us, learning to love one’s enemy is essential for becoming the people God made us to be. God wants to heal our brokenness and liberate us from our hardness of heart by teaching us to love our enemies. If someone, anyone exposes a lie that we tell ourselves, thanks be to God for them.

Another reason why love of enemies is central to the Christian way of life is that through love and patience and understanding and empathy we might win them back. By lending to someone who has no ability to pay us back we teach them something about God—we reflect the love of Jesus who died for sinners. Through our own act of mercy, we show that that mercy and love are possible—we show them the mercy of the Father.

For, as Christians, our task is to draw people in to the mystical body of Christ, to lead them to God. And if we write someone off, we judge them as irredeemable, if we say, they are too far gone, they are my enemy, and unworthy of my effort, then we are unfaithful to the mission of drawing all men to Christ.

It’s difficult to resist that tendency to become irrational with the irrational, to fight fire with fire, to meet short tempers with even shorter tempers, to write people off. But Christians are to break the cycle of hostility through patience, gentleness, and understanding. Our patience and generosity will often be the road on which God wishes to meet souls, to help them to know His goodness and love.
In just a week and a half we will begin the great season of Lent, the season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Consider offering up your Lenten penances for someone who you consider an enemy: perhaps someone who has hurt you, or someone who you think is bringing ruin to the Church or to the world, and pray for them daily, fast for their conversion, beseech God for the ability to forgive them. Pray for the ability to love them with the gentle and patient heart of Jesus, that when you speak to them, you may do so with the utmost understanding, and that you may learn from them what God wants to teach you through them. Every day bring them to God. I guarantee, to do so will change you for the better.

Jesus deliver us from the unwillingness to love. Help us to pray, to fast, to do penance, to will the good in everyone, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who mistreat us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

29th Week in OT 2018 - Friday - Pointing out signs of God

When St. John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council the modern world was in cultural chaos. Western Europe since the eighteenth century Enlightenment had been growing more secular. The world was changing in dramatic ways: technologically, politically, economically, and ideologically. Good Pope John discerned the need for the Church to be able to address these changes, and to do so, he said that the Church had to take in account the “signs of the times” in order to show where God was at work and where human society was leaving God behind.

Jesus in the Gospel today spoke of “signs”…the signs of his time. He pointed out that his contemporaries were very good at discerning some signs, but they seemed oblivious to others. His contemporaries could easily forecast the weather by reading the signs, but they were missing something more important than weather which was happening in their midst. The signs of the time were all around them: loaves being multiplied, the lame walking, hardened sinners repenting, and the good news spreading. Signs were pointing to God-in-their-midst, and yet they hardened their hearts to Him, they looked away from Him.

Similarly today, even amidst all the tragedy, natural disaster, political turmoil, and sickness in the world, we see miracles, healings, restored relationships, Christian joy, fellowship, all which come through Christ. Catholics pouring out their lives in teaching the young, feeding the hungry in soup kitchens, clothing the naked, so much evidence if we take time to look and listen for the work of God. 

Some of our contemporaries do turn a blind eye to the signs of God. Yet, some are waiting for us to point God out for them—to take them by the hand and very patiently, as if to a young child—point out how God is working all around them.

Each of us has someone in our lives who God wants us to take by the hand, with all gentleness and humility, and with patience as St. Paul says in our first reading. If Christians cannot be gentle and humble with unbelievers there is something wrong with us.

As. St. John XXIII called us to be attentive to God’s presence in the changing, chaotic modern world, may we help to lead unbelievers to the true, good, and beautiful signs of God’s unchanging Word for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That our Church leaders may be instilled with genuine Faith, Hope, and Charity and help all people of the world to grow in those virtues.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

Homily: Friday - 29th Week in OT 2016 - Humility, Gentleness, and Self-restraint

From prison, Paul pleaded with his Christian brothers and sisters to "live a life worthy" of their calling. 

Paul then describes the type of conduct he is urging: humility, gentleness, patience.

Jesus himself exalts humility in the Gospel.  Paul now urges the same humility that Jesus taught and showed us on the cross.  Humility was an attitude that the pagan world despised, yet it is first among virtues for Christians. The Greek word used by both Paul and Jesus uses for humility, 

tapeinophrosyne , literally means, thinking myself insignificant and lowly, to regard others as more important than ourselves.  To imitate Jesus’ humility, early Christians would wash each other’s feet, as Jesus did at the last supper…have you washed anyone’s feet recently? Have you stooped low to serve?

Paul next urges gentleness or meekness.  Meekness doesn’t mean shy or merely introverted.  Meekness doesn’t mean being a pushover, nor does it mean being overly pushy and overbearing. Scripture describes the truly wise as also truly meek. The meek consider things from God’s perspective before acting and speaking. How can we grow in meekness? By growing in wisdom, studying faithfully the Word of God.

Thirdly, Paul says, be patient. We aren’t to have short-fuses. The scriptural word here literally means, to be “long-tempered” as opposed to short-tempered. The Psalms even describe God as “slow to anger”. We should patiently put up with the faults and idiosyncrasies of others, and practice self-restraint—keeping our impulses and reactions at bay. Likely, the person that you have the hardest time remaining patient with, is the person God is calling you to pray for and to love all the more.

Paul explains the reason for these virtues: humility, gentleness, and patience help us to strive after the unity which should be a hallmark of our relationships and of our Church. 

Think of how many relationship are broken because humility, gentleness, and patience are not practiced among Christians. Since a profound unity exists between Christians through our baptism, we need to live a life worthy of our calling.  We have been invited to witness to the world through our love for one another.  May we live humbly, gently, and with self-restraint today in imitation of our Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.