Homily: Friday - 1st Week of Advent 2016 - Words of Comfort & Challenge

I got a call from a local newspaper once. A brother priest, who is also a dear friend, had been named pastor of one of our parishes. The local neighborhood newspaper was doing a story on the new pastor, and they so they called up some of the priests who knew him well to give comment for the story. I was asked some basic questions, establishing my credibility, I guess, and then was asked why I thought Father would be a good pastor. And I said Father is a lot like the prophet Isaiah, and even Jesus himself, he believes in comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable.

The book of the Prophet Isaiah is divided into two parts, the first 39 chapters are called the Book of Woes, in which Isaiah warns Israel, challenges Israel, about their falling away from God’s covenant. In the book of Woes he describes the devestation that will befall Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, if they do not repent.

The last half of the book of Isaiah is called the Book of Consolation, in which, Isaiah speaks to those Israelites who had been taken off into Babylonian Captivity. There was a failure to repent, and destruction had come, but Isaiah offers a word of consolation and promise to them, a word of hope.

In today’s passage, Isaiah has just delivered a word of warning to those who were spiritually blind, deaf to the word of God. The unfaithful of Jerusalem he says have become spiritually drunk, 

stupefied, blind and deaf to God, and had closed their minds and hearts to the truth of the prophets.

Then Isaiah turns the image around, speaking of the day of the coming of the Messiah, he says On that day the deaf shall hear; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

It’s a wonderful reversal reminding us quite a bit of Mary’s Magnificat, in which she prophesies how the once mighty will be cast down, and the lowly will be lifted up.

Nearly every page of scripture contains some challenge for the comfortable and comfort for the afflicted. In our own affliction, it is good to  know that God draws close to us, that our sufferings mean something, and there will be a reward for remaining faithful to God throughout our earthly pilgrimage.

Yet, we must also allow the word of God to challenge us, to stir us out of our complacency, to stretch us, to impel us to new vistas of charitable service.

In our Advent pilgrimage, may we be comforted in our afflictions and challenged in our complacency, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday - 1st Week of Advent 2016 - Firm purpose brings peace

Isaiah speaks today of a well-defended city. It has strong walls and ramparts to protect the people from both severe weather and enemy attack. It is to be a city where the just, the righteous, the people of God can take refuge.

In a sense Isaiah spoke of what the earthly Jerusalem was supposed to be for the Jews; a place where the people of God, made holy by following all God’s commands, were to dwell and be a light for all nations.

Isaiah, too, foreshadows here, the Church. We Christians, made righteous—redeemed by the blood of Christ—make our earthly refuge within the secure walls of the Church, on the rock of faith, protected by the moral and doctrinal guidance of the Apostles, nourished by the Sacraments.

The city is even a foreshadowing of the heavenly Jerusalem that will last forever. You could find lovely descriptions, echoing the language of Isaiah, to describe the heavenly city where the redeemed shall dwell forever, in the book of Revelation.

Closely related to this idea of a city, are the houses of the wise man and the fool in the Gospel. The wise man builds his house, his life, on firm foundations—on the firm foundations of God: truth, goodness, beauty, faith, hope, love. We are foolish when we build our lives on the passing fancies of the culture, on the deficient moral principles of the world.

The city of Isaiah, the house of the Gospels, can also stand for our personal spiritual lives. Isaiah says that the inhabitants of the city have such a firm purpose that they are able to experience great peace. Great peace comes when we firmly devote ourselves to doing the will of God.

When we put off doing God’s will, when we put off spending time in meditative prayer, when we put off sitting down the scriptures, when we put off engaging in the works of charity, there is a restlessness, an anxiety. But have you ever regretted making that holy hour, have you ever regretted practicing the self-discipline and fasting?

Advent allows us an opportunity to strengthen our purpose; Advent is to be a quieter, more solemn season, in which we can discern the will of God in our lives, where we can examine the parts of our lives which our not built on the solid foundation of Christ.  We prepare well for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the coming of Christ at the end of time, by renewing our purpose. Think. Ask God. Reflect. Why am I here. What is the work I’m to be about? What are the practices that will best nourish my spiritual life? How can I best open wide the gates of my heart to those in need? For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday - 1st Week of Advent 2016 - A shoot shall sprout from the stump

Even though we read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah during Advent, since it is such a long book, 66 chapters, the longest of the prophetic books, we really only get to read bits and pieces at Mass.

After several chapters prophesying the defeat and judgment of Israel’s enemies, we hear one of the most beautiful passages of the book—beautiful because of its prose, but also its subject matter, and its promises. We hear today, so early in Advent, of the promise of the Redeemer, a Messiah, where he’ll come from, and some of his characteristics.

At the time of Isaiah’s writing, the house of david was in shambles, though God had promised David that his heir would be the king of kings, the Davidic line appeared more like a rotting stump than a flourishing royal tree. But Isaiah prophesied that from this stump shall arise a shoot; the line will continue, the Messiah will come.

And this Messiah-King will be graced with the Holy Spirit of God—the Spirit that breathed on the waters of creation, the spirit that breathed life into Adam, the Spirit that was given to Moses then portioned out to the elders, the Spirit that fell upon David when anointed by Samuel.

From the earliest years of the Church, the Church Fathers have taught that Jesus is the promised Davidic Messiah Isaiah wrote about in this passage. God the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism (Mt 3:16). The "gifts of the spirit" that are His are transferred to baptized and confirmed Christians as His heirs. St. Paul wrote: For all who are let by the Spirit of God are sons of God...if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Rom 8:14, 17).

And the Catechism teaches: "The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understand, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations" (CCC 1831).

The Catechism goes on to teach that "The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity'" (CCC 1832; quoting Gal 5:22-23).

This Advent ought to be a fruitful time for each of us in which we nurture the spiritual gifts. You might consider using the list of spiritual gifts as a sort of examination of conscience; which is your weakest, which is your strongest, which do you think God is calling you to practice more devoutly? Some of these gifts might appear to be more like old stumps than flourishing trees, but new growth is possible.

We recognize that we prepare best this Advent for the coming of the Messiah by seeking to become more like Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Monday - 1st Week in Advent 2016 - Renewing your hope

Yesterday at Sunday Mass I spoke of the importance during Advent of paying close attention to the readings from the prophets, particularly the Prophet Isaiah. We hear from Isaiah on all of the Advent Sundays and for the first half of the weekdays. The prophets each speak to Israel longing and waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Each of us have a deep longing to know that God is with us, to know that the wickedness and darkness in the world do not get the last word.

The Isaiah reading today recalls several promises of restoration and salvation. In one sense, Isaiah was speaking to the captive exiles, deported by the enemy Babylonian army. There in captivity, they were in darkness. Isaiah spoke a word of hope to them; that their captivity would come to an end, that their destroyed nation would even surpass its former glory, and their enemy would be purged from their land forever.

In another sense, Isaiah speaks a word of hope to all of God’s people of every age: surrounded by sin on every side, hatred for the Church and for Christ all around us. He speaks to us who are often so burdened by life’s demands, this word of hope.

Or perhaps, we like the centurion in the Gospel have a friend or family member who are paralyzed—trapped in a cycle of poor choices, estranged from the church.

Advent is a time to renew our hope in a savior. The first candle of the Advent wreath is lit as a symbol of hope. Hope that God does hear our prayers; that God does hear the cries of the suffering, our pleas for the sick. Advent is a time to renew our belief in miracles: that God can bring joy to the severely depressed, that he can bring freedom and recovery to the severely addicted, that he can bring the light of faith to those who walk in the darkness of faithlessness.

Isaiah proclaims a Messiah so powerful that He can cause those who only know war and violence to cash in their weapons to buy seed and plows.

; 

Let us begin this Advent identifying those parts of our lives and our society that need a miracle, and to renew our hope in God’s powerful intercession, that he may transform us all to be his instruments of peace, mercy, and joy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st Sunday in Advent 2016 - Isaiah, the prophet of Advent

Throughout the season of Advent we will read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Not only each Sunday do we read from Isaiah, but throughout the week as well. If you aren’t in the habit of attending weekday Mass; what a wonderful way of making Advent a bit more special this year: attending weekday Mass will help you enter more deeply into the Spirit of the season.

The book of the Prophet Isaiah have been called “the fifth Gospel” by some scholars, for it contains so many of the themes of the Gospels: the call of God’s people to practice justice, the need for repentance, the reality of judgment, God’s promise of salvation, reflection on God’s mercy; the need for God’s people during times of darkness to practice faith and hope. Certainly, one of the most important themes of Isaiah is his proclamation of the coming of the Messiah; Isaiah calls Israel to remember God’s promise of a Savior in some of the most beautiful passages in the entire Old Testament of the Bible. 

Isaiah is like a tour guide through Advent pointing out the important sights. You may be thinking: I’ve been through Advent before, I know what Advent is about. But sometimes a tour guide can offer new insights to a familiar place. You often hear it said, that converts make the best Catholics. Why is that? Because they are so often able to see the beauty and value of our faith with fresh eyes. So what do you need to do to put on fresh eyes this Advent, to rediscover the beauty that God presents us with?

If you can’t make it to daily Mass, I encourage you, this Advent, to at least read through the Isaiah reading every day. The Scriptures verses are printed in the bulletin; if you visit the US Bishop’s website, you can sign up to have the daily scripture readings emailed to you.  Take a few minutes throughout the day to read through and reflect upon the Isaiah reading: ask, why has the Church picked this reading for the season of Advent? What are the symbols here; how does this passage help me to prepare for Christmas; what does this say about God, about the attitude and dispositions God’s people are meant to have?

Isaiah wrote at a time when Israel had been devastated by the Babylonian army; the Jews had been bound and chained and marched off into exile; they had seen their temple, their beautiful city, their homes and families destroyed.  Isaiah wrote, during this time of great loss, a message of hope, he wrote of a time when all of God’s promises would be fulfilled, a time when the tears from all faces would be wiped away by God himself. 

Perhaps it feels like your world has been devastated; perhaps your family is experiencing division, perhaps you feel alienated from old friends, perhaps you’re struggling with a particular temptation; perhaps you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, or deepening financial woes. Just as God spoke to the sorrowful captive exiles in Isaiah’s time, he speaks to us, words of promise, words of hope, words of comfort.

But again, in order to hear those words of hope, you need to quiet down—go to a quiet room, the church or chapel; put aside anxious thoughts and listen to and meditate upon the word of God. If we do not pray as we ought, how can we be surprised when we do not know the peace that God wants to give us.

In the Isaiah reading for this 1^st Sunday of Advent; we heard of a mountain, a mountain upon which will stand the great Temple of God; not only will God send a Messiah; Isaiah said, “the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.”

On this Holy Mountain, in the Lord’s House—his temple—is where he wants to give us his gifts of peace and joy. Yet, so often we fail to climb the mountain, to enter the temple. We allow other mountains to be higher, other temples to be our destination.

Is the Lord’s mountain really the highest mountain in your life? Is the praise and worship of God more important to you than anything else? Is it more important than your job? Is it more important than your social relationships? Is it more important even than your family, the people you love the most? If not, something is off-kilter in your life.

What’s the highest mountain for you? We all have one. We all have mountains and hills, things that preoccupy our time and effort. But what is your highest mountain? If it’s not the mountain of the Lord’s house, something is wrong. If you don’t have the love of God first in your life, you will not know what to do with the other goods in your life.

Isaiah says, It is on this holy mountain that the Lord instructs us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths. In a sense, this mountain is certainly a foreshadowing of the earthly Church.  As Christians, members of the Church, we are instructed in the ways of the Lord. We learn our catechism, we learn how to apply the teachings of Jesus to the concrete circumstances of our life.  We just concluded a Year-long meditation on Mercy, constantly reflecting upon how the Lord is calling us to engage in the works of mercy, and how God in His mercy is inviting each of us to experience his love and forgiveness.

The mountain is not just a foreshadowing of heaven, it’s not just a foreshadowing of the Church, it is also a symbol of our own personal spiritual journey. Are you undertaking in the inner journey? Is the pursuit of spiritual things more important than your pursuit of earthly things? Are you quieting down in prayer so that the Lord may teach you his ways? Are you allowing him to teach you how to be more gentle, more patient, more generous, more trusting?  

In the Lord’s house on his Holy Mountain we hear how “swords are turned into plowshares and their spear into pruning hooks.” Coming from an Italian family, I come from a long tradition of very sharp tongues. And from time to time that sharp tongue has gotten me into trouble. But as we undertake that spiritual journey, as we climb the Lord’s mountain and enter his temple, the sharp-cutting words are transformed into words of encourage, comfort, instruction, clear teaching, and words of praise and worship.

Allow this Advent to transform you, to turn your swords and spears into instruments of goodness, peace, and joy. Let Isaiah remind you of the beautiful, awe-inspiring, consoling promises of God. And may the Holy Spirit help us all to prepare our minds and hearts for the coming of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Nov 25 2016 - St. Catherine of Alexandria - Virgin & Martyr

St. Catherine was one of the most revered saints of the early Church.  She lived at the end of the third century in the city of Alexandria in Egypt.  She was so beautiful and wise that she attracted the attention of the Emperor Maximian.  She however, would not marry the emperor because she had consecrated herself to Jesus.

The Emperor sent his 50 wisest philosophers to convince Saint Catherine to change her mind, but they proved no match for Catherine’s superior intellect; they were so impressed with her, and her explanation of the Gospel, that all 50 became Christian.

The Emperor had Catherine imprisoned; yet while imprisoned she converted the empress, the leader of the armed forces, over 200 soldiers, and other members of the emperor’s family,

The Emperor, infuriated that Catherine would not give up her faith and marry Him, ordered her to be tied to wheel affixed with sharp knives and spikes and tortured. From her lacerated body prayers ascended to heaven, and the wheel however was struck by ‘fire from heaven’ and was shattered.  This angered the emperor even more, so he had her beheaded. 

Neither political pressure, imprisonment, torture, or death could cause this great saint to compromise her faith.  Through her reception of the Eucharist, through prayer and study, Catherine was filled with tremendous faith and love of God which transformed the lives of others even as she suffered.

Yesterday, families gathered for the great thanksgiving meal.  It is a good and holy thing for families to put aside the worldly occupations in order to share a good meal with each other.  Yet, God calls us to gather as a family of faith every week, for the Eucharist.  Many would never dream of skipping thanksgiving dinner, but have no problem skipping Sunday Mass. 

Saint Catherine and so many thousands of martyrs, by their witness show us that the practicing our faith is more important than anything else; they reveal the urgency to form our minds and hearts through word and sacrament, study and charity; that we may be equipped for the building up of the kingdom.

Over the centuries Saint Catherine has been invoked as patron saint of Apologists; craftsmen who work with a wheel (potters; knife sharpeners, millers); archivists; attorneys; barristers; dying people; educators; girls; jurists; lawyers; librarians; libraries; maidens; mechanics; nurses; old maids; philosophers; potters; preachers; scholars; schoolchildren; scribes; secretaries; spinners; spinsters; stenographers; students; tanners; teachers; theologians; tire-repairmen; unmarried girls; wheel-makers.

Through her intercession and holy example may Saint Catherine help us to be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thanksgiving 2016: Abraham Lincoln's Promulgation of Thanksgiving Day

In the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November. 

The great president of emancipation wrote:

“The gracious gifts of the Most High God…should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.  And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.”

Thanksgiving Day is a civil holiday, yes.  But President Lincoln was not hesitant in urging Americans to turn to the God of Creation in thanksgiving and praise for his blessings.

In a few weeks, the busyness of the Christmas season will be upon us, and we will be reminded to keep the Christ in Christmas, to remember that his glorious and saving birth is the reason for our celebration.  Today, I think, we do well, to keep the Thanks in Thanksgiving.  To recall the blessings of our life, food, shelter, family, the beauty of nature, and of course our faith. 

In the Gospel, 10 lepers received healing, but it was the one leper, who returned to the Lord to give thanks who was saved.  True thanksgiving opens our hearts to the eternal.  True thanks is not just focused on the things of this earth, but sees in them goods that come from God, which we have a responsibility to use wisely.

President Lincoln also encouraged humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience. A scourge of atheism and indifference to God have certainly swept over our land: a selfishness, entitlement, and gluttony fill the hearts of many. But Selfishness and thanksgiving are like oil and water.

In our first reading, St. Paul prayed in thanksgiving to God for the grace bestowed upon the Corinthian community, yet we know that grace was not always used; the Corinthians were a divided community, a community which often allowed the perversity of the pagan culture to dictate their behavior instead of the charity and wisdom of God.

So we certainly pray in thanksgiving for the blessings of our lives today, but also for the wisdom to put those blessings, firstly, in service to God, for the needs of the poor, for the building up of the church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.