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SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
Years ago there was a doctor in Scotland, a
devout Christian, who was very lenient with his poor
patients; if they found it difficult or impossible
to pay what they owed him, he turned to their page
in his ledger and wrote in red ink the word
“Forgiven,” thereby completely absolving them from
their debt. After he died, the executors of the
doctor’s estate found that most of the pages in the
ledger were marked in such a manner, and they
decided the estate would be much more valuable if
all, or at least some, of these debts were
collected. This attempt, of course, was a complete
failure; the poor patients claimed they had no
money, or refused to pay a debt their late doctor
had already cancelled. So the executors took their
case to a local judge, but when he examined the
ledger, he immediately dismissed the case, saying,
“There is no court in the land that could enforce
payment of these accounts marked ‘Forgiven’”
(Anthony Castle, Quotes & Anecdotes, p.
183). So it is with the judgment of God. When
we’ve honestly and sincerely confessed our sins and
He has marked our account “Forgiven,” that’s the
final word on the matter—and this simple but undying
truth is part of the Good News of our faith, and a
reason for us to be filled with hope and joy and
peace.
II. Development
No other religion emphasizes God’s mercy as much
as Christianity, and no other religion makes this
mercy as practical and available as Catholicism.
The Israelites believed in God’s power and
willingness to forgive; today’s 1st Reading quotes
the Lord as saying “It is I . . . who wipe out your
offenses; your sins I remember no more.” However,
even though they were God’s Chosen People, the Jews
could not have expected God to be so merciful that
He would send His Son to die for the salvation of
all people. That’s why the Lord says, “Remember not
the events of the past, the things of long ago
consider not; see, I am doing something new!” St.
Paul assures us in the 2nd Reading that God’s
promise is utterly reliable; His word to His
children is not sometimes “yes” and other times
“no,” but always “yes.”
Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of divine
love and mercy, and we see in the Gospel that He was
eager to express this through His forgiveness of the
paralyzed man’s sins. He was fully aware that the
man’s four friends went to the trouble of carrying
him up on the roof, opening a hole, and lowering
down on his mat primarily because they believed and
hoped Our Lord would heal him. Jesus intended to do
so, but He wanted to put first things first. He
forgave the man’s sins, and only then, to
demonstrate His authority to do this, physically
restored the man’s ability to walk. Sometimes sin,
because of its corrosive and destructive nature,
harms not only our souls but also our bodies, and
ultimately leads to death. Jesus is the Conqueror
of sin and death. Through Him all things are made
new, and through the Sacraments of His Church we can
become a new creation.
III. Conclusion
A Protestant physician in Switzerland was once
called upon to treat a young woman who was seriously
ill and possibly near death; at the same time,
because she was a Catholic, a priest was called to
hear her confession and anoint her. The doctor
examined her before and after the priest’s visit,
and was amazed at what he saw. The patient had
previously been terrified of dying, but was
afterwards calm and peaceful, and the following day
her fever suddenly broke, and she fully recovered.
From then on, whenever the doctor described this
event, he always said with sincere admiration,
“Behold the power of Confession among Catholics!” (Tonne,
Five-Minute Homilies, p. 74). Our deepest
human need is to be loved, but because we are
sinners, this need for love goes hand-in-hand with
the need to know that our sins are forgiven. We as
Catholics are uniquely privileged in this regard.
While we know that God will instantly forgive us as
soon as we sincerely ask in our hearts for His
pardon, and while our venial sins are forgiven
whenever we worthily receive Holy Communion, we also
have the confessional as a tribunal of mercy. In
the Sacrament of Reconciliation miracles of grace
can occur; God restores our relationship with Him,
fills us with peace, and marks the word “Forgiven”
on the ledger page listing our offenses.
In a few days we’ll begin the holy season of
Lent: a time for us to acknowledge, even more than
usual, our sinfulness and our trust in divine
mercy. On Ash Wednesday we’ll receive ashes on our
foreheads as a sign of our utter reliance on God for
life and for forgiveness. On the Sundays of Lent
we’ll hear in the Scripture readings how Jesus can
help us overcome temptation and sin, and receive the
nourishment our souls need in the Holy Eucharist.
On the Fridays of Lent we’ll abstain from meat as a
practical expression of remorse, and have the
opportunity to remember and reflect on how Jesus
suffered for us by praying the Stations of the
Cross. Throughout these upcoming six weeks we’ll
have to chance to show the Lord our sorrow for our
sins, and our desire to grow closer to Him, by our
prayers and our individual acts of penance. Most
importantly, throughout Lent we’ll have numerous
opportunities to receive the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, in which our sins are forgiven, our
relationship with our Father is restored and
renewed, and our hearts are filled with a peace
unlike anything this world can offer.
In his hatred for us, Satan wants to accuse and
shame us, and would love nothing more than to stamp
our souls with the words “Sinner!,” “Cursed!,” and
“Condemned!” Jesus assures us, however, that God
desires to mark our souls with the word “Forgiven,”
and if He does, that’s the final word on the
matter. In order to receive the healing, freedom,
and peace for which we yearn, let us base our lives
on this promise.
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HOMILY - 6-10-12
CORPUS CHRISTI (Year B)
I. Introduction
Shortly after World War II, an American soldier—let’s
call him Bill—was discharged from the army and returned home
to his family. The joyful reunion that followed, however,
was cut short when his mother became seriously ill. Bill
rushed her to the hospital, and after running some tests,
the doctor informed Bill that his mom’s kidneys were
failing, and unless she received a blood transfusion almost
immediately, she wouldn’t make it through the night. The
problem was that her blood type was AB negative, which was
very rare—and in those days, there were no blood banks or
air flights to ship blood. None of the family members had
that type, and there was no time to find someone who did, so
Bill gave up hope. He left for home to pick up the rest of
the family so they could all be with his mother as she
died. On the road he passed a soldier in uniform,
hitchhiking to return to his own family. In his grief, Bill
didn’t feel like doing someone a favor, but something
compelled him to stop. The soldier climbed in, and after a
moment, noticing Bill’s tears, asked what was wrong. Bill
told this total stranger his mother was going to die because
she needed a transfusion with a rare and unavailable blood
type. The soldier didn’t say anything at first, but then
took his dog tag from around his neck and showed it to Bill,
pointed to where it listed “Blood Type: AB negative, and
said, “Turn your car around and head to the hospital.” As a
result of the transfusion, Bill’s mom lived another 47 very
happy years, and was able to live to see her grandchildren
and great-grandchildren (Chicken Soup for the Mother’s
Soul, p. 222). There is great saving power when blood
is freely and lovingly given—and the Blood of Jesus is the
greatest and most wonderful and amazing example of this
truth.
II. Development
Scripture has always understood blood as an essential
element not only of physical life, but also of spiritual
life. That’s why, in the 1st Reading, Moses sprinkled the
people not with water, but with the blood of sacrificial
bulls; this was not merely a symbol, but an actual physical
manifestation, of the covenant, or sacred agreement, God
established with His people. The 2nd Reading from the
Letter to the Hebrews acknowledges the spiritual benefit of
such a ritual, but then states that the Blood of Christ is
infinitely greater, able to “cleanse our consciences from
dead works to worship the living God.” The animal
sacrifices offered in the Temple in Jerusalem each year for
the Jewish feast of Passover foreshadowed the one perfect
sacrifice of Jesus, Who gave His Body and Blood to the
apostles on Holy Thursday, and then shed His Blood on the
Cross on Good Friday. As Our Lord explained to the
apostles, “This is My Blood of the covenant, which
will be shed for many.” We are included in this sacrifice
by our sharing in the Eucharist, for every time the Church
celebrates Mass and obeys Christ’s command to “Do this in
memory of Me,” His one, perfect, eternal sacrifice is made
present once again. Therefore, our worthy reception of Holy
Communion is truly a participation or sharing in the new
covenant that leads to salvation and eternal life.
III. Conclusion
Our second graders made their First Communions six weeks
ago, and I asked some of them to describe what that
experience was like. One girl wrote, “On the day of Holy
Communion, I was so happy. I was a little scared, but after
it was done I was so happy. I can’t explain it! At church,
I had butterflies in my stomach. When it was done, I had no
butterflies. Before Mass I sat and thought about what it
was going to be like, but it was more than I thought!” A
boy stated, “My [First] Communion was a very exciting day,”
and a girl said, “When I received my First Communion, I was
receiving Jesus for the first time and it was amazing! . . .
I thank Jesus the most for having the Last Supper and giving
me His Body and Blood.” Another girl added, “It feels good
to have love in me,” and a boy said, “I can’t believe I’ve
made my First Communion. Now, Jesus is in my heart, and I
will never forget it.” According to one girl, “It is fun
having First Communion and you can pray to Jesus and Mary in
your heart,” and another girl stated, “What matters most to
me is not the dress or the show or the gifts, [but] the love
of all the people who showed up for me that day.” Finally,
a boy wrote, “When I received Jesus, I was so happy! First
Holy Communion was the second best time of my life. . . The
first best time of my life was my Baptism.”
These comments touch upon some very important themes:
the Eucharist as truly being the Body and Blood of Christ, a
participation in the Last Supper, the need to remember
always that Jesus is in our hearts, the importance of
praying to Jesus and Mary after receiving Communion, a sense
of loving unity with others, and a link between the
Eucharist and the Sacrament of Baptism. This last point is
especially relevant, because in Baptism God establishes a
covenant with us: we become part of His family, destined
for eternal glory. However, a covenant requires each party
to live up to the terms of agreement. God always loves us,
blesses and protects us, and graciously forgives us each
time we repent of our sins. On our part, we must put our
faith into practice, obeying the Lord’s commandments,
worshipping Him in word and deed, and striving to grow ever
closer to Him. Attending Mass each weekend is meant to be
an essential part of our relationship with the Lord. Not
only does this express our obedience of the Third
Commandment, but it also allows us to receive the grace and
spiritual nourishment made available to us only in the
Eucharist.
If Bill had responded to the hitchhiking soldier’s offer
to donate his blood by saying, “No thanks, I’m not
interested,” his mother would have died. In the same way,
if we’re indifferent to the Body and Blood of Christ, we
risk becoming spiritually weak or even dead. Christ’s
saving Blood can help us only if we accept and appreciate
this great gift, and the Church rightly emphasizes Its value
and importance on this Feast of Corpus Christi. As
Catholics, we are greatly privileged, and we must never take
the Eucharist for granted, receive It unworthily, or absent
ourselves from the Lord’s Table without a good reason.
Jesus frees us from our sins, nourishes us with His own Body
and Blood, and offers us the chance for eternal life—and
each new day is another opportunity for us to live out our
grateful response.
HOMILY - 6-3-12
TRINITY
SUNDAY (Year B)
I.
Introduction
A businessman
returned from a trip to France, and one of the souvenirs he
brought back for his wife was a matchbox that was supposed
to glow in the dark. Upon giving it to her, he turned out
the light—but nothing happened. “I’ve been cheated!” he
said, but when the wife later on looked more closely at the
box, she found some writing which said, in French and in
English, “If you want me to shine at night, keep me in the
sunlight all day.” That’s what she did the following day,
and that evening, when she turned out the light, the
matchbox glowed brilliantly. “What did you do?” the husband
asked, and she explained, “I discovered that before the box
can shine in the dark, it must be exposed to the light”
(Michael Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching,
p. 397).
In a similar
way, we must live in the light, warmth, and power of the
Holy Trinity in order to fulfill our mission in life.
Someone once said that, using poetic imagery or metaphors,
the sun can be considered a great friend in the sky, smiling
at us in three different ways, with each smile resulting in
a blessing for the human race. The first smile sends out
rays of light, thus illumining our planet. The second smile
sends out rays of heat, giving us warmth. The third smile
sends out rays of power, energizing our planet. All three of
these gifts are necessary for human life to exist, and all
three come from the same sun. Likewise, God can be said to
smile upon us in three different ways. When God the Father
smiled upon the earth, human life came into existence. When
God the Son smiled upon us, it took the form of His coming
down to earth to live and die among us for our salvation.
When God the Holy Spirit smiled upon us, it meant that He
has taken up residence within us, filling us with grace and
making us spiritual temples (Mark Link, Illustrated
Sunday Homilies, Year B, Series II, pp. 65-66). Both the
sun, and the Holy Trinity, can be said to bless us in three
different ways—and God asks us to share the spiritual light,
warmth, and power we receive from Him.
II.
Development
Today’s
readings tell us that it’s God’s nature to give of
Himself—and that this must be our nature, as well. Moses
reminds the people in the 1st Reading that God had blessed
Israel in a unique way; no other nation had been the
beneficiary of so many signs and wonders. The Israelites,
for their part, were called to keep God’s commandments; this
would ensure their continued prosperity and security. In the
2nd Reading St. Paul expands this idea of blessing, saying
that all who are led by the Spirit are children of
God, not only the Jews. God’s love cannot be limited or
contained—and thus, our loving response must also
continually grow and expand. In the Gospel Jesus tells His
followers to go and make disciples of all the nations,
teaching them everything they had learned from Him. Jesus
came to bring salvation not for an elite minority or a
privileged few, but for all who would accept it—and an
essential part of His plan involves the effort, commitment,
and example of all His followers, including each one of us.
III.
Conclusion
How can we be
evangelizers—how can we follow the Holy Trinity’s example by
giving of ourselves? Very simply, by using the spiritual
gifts God gives us: gifts of light, warmth, and power. The
gift of light, for instance, means that we have been
enlightened by God; our faith helps us see the proper path
through life, in spite of the darkness of sin that surrounds
us. Light means that we’re capable of having proper
priorities, and of seeing what’s truly important—and if we
act accordingly, our light can benefit others. Our good
example can attract other people to Christ, including
coworkers, neighbors, friends, relatives, and even
strangers; our efforts to live out our faith can encourage
other Christians to do the same.
Secondly, we
have the gift of warmth, which means that Christ’s love is
present within us. Our acts of caring, our expressions of
concern, and our demonstrations of support for others,
especially those who suffer, can make a difference; people
who are emotionally and spiritually touched by one of
Christ’s followers are very often willing and even eager to
come to know Jesus Himself. Concern and compassion for other
people can not only warm their lives, but also deepen and
renew our own experience of love; our everyday influence on
the people around us can help make this world a better
place.
The third
spiritual gift God gives us to share with others is power,
which means that the Holy Spirit is present and active
within us. Through the gifts of the Spirit, we can receive
the courage to do what’s right, even when it means going
against the crowd; we can receive guidance on how to handle
difficult life situations; we can receive strength to bear
our burdens and to make sacrifices for God’s glory. Because
the Spirit is within us, we know we are not alone; we can
receive and use spiritual energy, making our faith real and
attractive to others.
Light,
warmth, and power form a threefold gift which we receive
from the Holy Trinity, a gift meant to be used, shared, and
multiplied. As Christians, we are required to believe in the
Trinity, even though we can’t begin to understand this
central truth, or explain how there can be Three Persons in
One God. What we can do, however, is strive to
imitate God’s self-giving nature. God the Father created us;
God the Son redeems us; God the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.
Through Them, we have spiritual life; with Them, we must
share this life with others.
HOMILY - 5-27-12
PENTECOST SUNDAY (Year B)
I. Introduction
Scripture tell us that when Jesus was baptized, the Holy
Spirit descended upon Him like a dove—and so this image is
often used for the Holy Spirit. In medieval times, dozens
or even hundreds of doves would be released inside
cathedrals to remind worshippers of the coming of the Holy
Spirit, but this practice was discontinued after the birds
rained down something other than light and grace. Doves are
known as beautiful and gentle birds, and these certainly are
appropriate images of the Spirit—but they tell only half the
story. In an old Celtic or Irish, tradition, the Holy
Spirit was portrayed not as an innocent dove, but as a wild
goose. Geese are not tame or controllable, they make a lot
of noise, they fly as part of a flock, and they make
excellent “guard dogs.” One author writes, “The Spirit is
like a goose. It comes not in quiet conformity but
demanding to be heard. And its song is not sweet to many.
This Spirit drives people together, demanding they support
and travel with one another. And it often forces those on
whom it rests to become noisy, passionate, and courageous
guardians of the Gospel” (Bausch, A World of Stories,
p. 474). Many followers of Christ who’ve made a difference
in the world—the saints of old, modern-day heroes, and
countless other persons, great and small—have confronted
injustice, asked challenging questions, and shaken things up
because of the power, energy, and persistence of the Holy
Spirit. Jesus tells us that as His followers, we must take
His yoke upon our shoulders, and promises that, in this
burdensome duty, we will actually find joy and peace. In
the same way, the Holy Spirit is peaceful and consoling, but
not predictable or controllable—and only if we open
ourselves up to the challenges, gifts, expectations,
blessings, and demands of the Spirit will we truly be alive.
II. Development
Pentecost was a Jewish feast day in which the first
fruits were offered to God in thanksgiving for a successful
harvest—but with the coming of the Holy Spirit, it took on a
much deeper and richer meaning. The many Jews who were
gathered in Jerusalem from throughout the Roman Empire, and
who were baptized after hearing in their own languages the
preaching of St. Peter and the other apostles, were in a
sense the first fruits of countless millions of persons
throughout the past 2000 years who accepted the Good News of
salvation. Jesus came to save us from our sins, and we see
in the Gospel that He bestowed the Holy Spirit upon the
leaders of the Church so that they might continue to forgive
sins in His Name. The power of the Holy Spirit it too great
to be limited or restrained, as demonstrated by the noise of
a strong driving wind described in the 1st Reading, a noise
which prompted the people present in Jerusalem to gather
together. St. Paul writes in the 2nd Reading, “To each
individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some
benefit”—a benefit meant to include others, for as the
apostle explains, “for in one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body. . . .” It is only through the Holy Spirit
that we can proclaim “Jesus is Lord,” and it’s only by being
open to the unrestrain-able and unpredictable grace of the
Spirit that we can truly live as Christ’s disciples.
III. Conclusion
Two friends from Texas happened to be in upper New York
State on vacation, and they made a point of visiting Niagara
Falls. Being used to dry, hot summers and the need to make
every drop of water count, they were amazed by the sheer
volume of water pouring over the falls, and one of them,
overwhelmed by what he was witnessing, remarked, “There is
the greatest unused power in the world.” However, his
friend responded, “No, the greatest unused power in the
world is the Holy Spirit of the living God” (Green, 1500
Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, p. 190). Many
times we as Christians fail to become the persons God wants
us to be, or fail to make a difference in the world around
us, because we aren’t using the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
If we purchased the most expensive and
technologically-advanced television or refrigerator or sound
system, it wouldn’t do anything for us unless it were
plugged in. In the same way, we cannot hope to achieve
anything for Jesus, no matter how intelligent and talented
we might be, and no matter how well-educated in Scripture
and the teachings of the Church, unless we are “plugged
into” the Holy Spirit and open to receiving and using His
guidance and strength.
Doing this requires us to be humble enough to admit our
weakness and inability to achieve anything worthwhile on our
own, honest enough to admit our self-centeredness and
complacency, and trusting enough to let go of our own lives
and surrender them into God’s hands. The Holy Spirit may be
noisy and uncontrollable as a goose, but He’s also as
peaceful and gentle as a dove—and as such, He will not force
Himself upon us. We must freely submit to divine grace and
open our hearts to the Spirit’s gifts. This is often as
simple as flicking on a switch to receive the benefits of
electricity; we need only pray, in humility and sincerity,
“Holy Spirit, please guide me and strengthen me; please
enlighten me as to what You want me to say or do right now,
and give me the courage and desire to act upon this
knowledge.” This sort of self-surrender allows the Spirit
to flow through us and touch others; this sort of trusting
openness allows us to witness “holy coincidences” in which
we and other people are touched by unexpected blessings;
this sort of willing discipleship allows the Gospel to
continue spreading throughout the world in an ongoing
Pentecost that will result in an even greater spiritual
harvest for the Kingdom of God.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to us through a guilty
conscience, a word of correction from someone who knows us
well, or an uncomfortable or challenging invitation that
we’d like to forget, but just can’t seem to get out of our
minds; other times the Spirit speaks to us through an
encounter that fills us with joy and delight, an unexpected
compliment that makes our day, or a profound and
unexplainable sense of peace and well-being. Every follower
of Jesus is offered a variety of reminders of the Holy
Spirit’s presence—sometimes gently, sometimes firmly, and
always lovingly. No matter what the message and no matter
what the circumstances, we must be humbly open, attentive,
and responsive—for only in this way will we be truly alive,
truly free, and truly blessed.
HOMILY - 5-20-12
FEAST OF THE ASCENSION (Year B)
I. Introduction
One of the greatest Italian opera composers was Giacomo
Puccini, whose works included La Bohème, La
Tosca, and Madame Butterfly. In 1924, while
working on what many experts consider his greatest opera,
Turandot, Puccini was suddenly stricken with a
particularly virulent form of cancer. Knowing his time was
short, he told his students, “If I don’t finish Turandot,
I want you to finish it for me.” Soon after this he died.
Fulfilling their promise, Puccini’s students carefully
studied what the master had composed, and then finished the
opera. At the world premiere of Turnadot in Milan in
1926, Puccini’s favorite student, Arturo Toscanini,
directed. The music was beautiful and moving, but when the
opera reached the point where Puccini was forced to stop
because of his illness, Toscanini halted the performance,
put down his baton, turned to the audience, and with tears
running down his face, announced, “Thus far the Master
wrote, but he died.” The opera house was filled with a vast
and somber silence. After a moment, Toscanini picked up his
baton, smiled through his tears, and proclaimed, “But the
disciples finished his work!” He then conducted the
remainder of the opera, and when it was finished, the
audience honored the late Puccini, and his living disciples,
by giving it a standing ovation (Brian Cavanagh, More
Sower’s Seeds, #88). This theme of continuing the work
of someone who’s gone before us is a central one in today’s
Feast of the Ascension. Jesus has returned to Heaven—not to
abandon us, but to give us the opportunity to grow in faith
by witnessing to His truth and by serving others in His
Name.
II. Development
Three years before His death and resurrection, Jesus
prepared for His public ministry by spending forty days
praying and fasting in the desert. Beginning on Easter
Sunday, Jesus then prepared His disciples for their
public ministry by spending forty days in their midst as the
Risen Lord, teaching and encouraging them, and commissioning
them as His witnesses. The Letter to the Ephesians
[1:17-23] states that God the Father raised Jesus from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand, and “gave Him as head
over all things to the Church, which is His Body.” The
Gospel tells us that Jesus, using this authority, commanded
His disciples to go into the whole world and proclaim the
Gospel, promising that they would be able to do wondrous
things in His Name—a promise which would begin to be
fulfilled ten days later on the Feast of Pentecost when they
were baptized with the Holy Spirit. This message, of
course, was quite a bit for the apostles to take in at
first, and it’s no surprise that after Our Lord ascended and
disappeared into the heavens, His disciples stood there
staring up at the sky, unsure of what to do next. Two
angels had to appear and prompt them to return to Jerusalem
and await the promised Holy Spirit, as Jesus had commanded.
Sometimes even committed followers of Christ need a “nudge
from Heaven,” or a reminder, of what the Lord expects from
them, and sometimes we have to wait until we’re empowered by
the Holy Spirit—but as long as we’re open to doing God’s
will, we’ll be given the grace and strength needed to
fulfill our mission.
III. Conclusion
In both the world of nature and in human society, growing
in age is also supposed to mean growing in responsibility.
A robin cares for her young and provides them with food, but
eventually they’ll have to leave the nest, learn to fly, and
begin fending for themselves. A lioness cares for her cubs
and teaches them to hunt—but when the time is right, she
disappears and lets them lead their own lives. As children
and young people grow older, we expect more and more from
them, knowing the day will come—perhaps sooner than we
want—when they’ll leave home to make their own way in the
world. This same idea applies to discipleship; we have the
duty of using God’s grace, sharing His truth, and becoming
the persons He wants us to be.
The day of the Ascension not only marks Jesus’ “rising
up” to Heaven; it should also symbolize our “stepping up” to
our Christian responsibilities. Jesus tells us, “Go into
the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
For some disciples, the “whole world” means Africa or Asia
or some other mission field; for most of us, it means our
workplace or office, our school or neighborhood or even our
own home. Not only should the world be a better
place because of our presence; one day it should also be
true that Heaven is a fuller place because of our
influence. Jesus is relying on us to finish His work—by
means of our prayers, our example, our financial support of
the Church, our involvement in the parish and the community,
and our willingness to speak in His Name when the Holy
Spirit prompts us to do so. In all these ways, we must show
that Christianity is just as vibrant and important today as
it was 2000 years ago, for no one can truly follow Jesus
without wanting others to know Him, too.
We are not involved in writing an opera, but we are
supposed to be God’s instruments as He conducts a “symphony
of grace.” By our attitudes and actions, we are either
saying to Him, “Lord, guide me and help me share Your love,”
or “Lord, please choose someone else—I’m not interested or
available.” One of these responses identifies us as true
disciples of Jesus, destined for eternal glory; the other
marks us as name-only Christians, in danger of ending up
outside the Kingdom of Heaven. If we honestly desire to
share our faith, Jesus will give us the opportunities, the
means, and the words to say. He entrusts His message to us,
and expects us to share it with others. Following the
Ascension, Jesus is no longer seen on the earth; because of
the Ascension, it’s more important than ever that He be seen
in our lives and in our hearts.
HOMILY - 5-13-12
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year B) - Mother’s Day
I. Introduction
In the early 1950s a baby was born in a hospital in Milwaukee,
a baby who seemed to have everything against him: he was
blind, mentally retarded, and suffered from cerebral palsy.
He didn’t respond to sound or touch, and his parents
abandoned him. Not knowing what else to do, the hospital
called a nurse named May Lemke, a remarkable woman who, with
her husband, had already raised five children. The couple
agreed to take the baby, even though they were told “He’ll
probably die young.” May and her husband adopted the infant
and named him Leslie. May cared for him, massaging his body
every day, praying for him and crying over him; never giving
up, she did everything possible to coax some response from
Leslie, but nothing seemed to help. Some people said all
her efforts were worthless, and that he’d be better off in
an institution, but May and her husband persevered. It
wasn’t until Leslie was 16 that they were able to teach him
how to stand up on his own. Even though they continued to
love him and care for him, Leslie made no response; May told
him stories about Jesus, but he didn’t seem to hear her.
One day she noticed his finger plucking a string tied around
a package; May wondered if Leslie might be sensitive to
music, so she played every type of music imaginable on the
radio and phonograph, hoping he’d respond. She and her
husband bought an old piano and placed it in Leslie’s room,
showing him how to push the keys—but he didn’t seem
interested.
Then, one night in 1971, May was awakened by the sound
of someone playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. She
awakened her husband and asked him if he’d left the radio
on; when he said no, they both got up to investigate. What
they discovered was beyond their wildest dreams: Leslie was
sitting at the piano, smiling as he played it by ear. All
the music May had played for him was stored in his brain,
and he played it beautifully and perfectly, even though he
had never done the slightest thing on his own before. Over
the coming months Leslie spent hours at the piano, playing
every type of music imaginable; he also began to talk, very
slowly and simply. Before long he was playing for church
groups and civic organizations, and for retarded children
and cerebral palsy victims. Leslie also appeared on
national television and was written about in newspaper and
magazine articles, and his life was even the subject of a
made-for-TV movie. Though retarded from birth, Leslie
proved to be an immensely talented person. Doctors
described his condition as autistic savantism; May Lemke
described her son as a living miracle (Link, Illustrated
Sunday Homilies, Year B, Series I, p. 41). May’s
untiring efforts and dedication on Leslie’s behalf,
supported by her husband, illustrates an important point:
love can work miracles for those who believe in and practice
it.
II. Development
Sometimes people wonder why there’s so much suffering in
the world, and so many problems and disappointments in life;
why doesn’t God work more miracles on our behalf? There’s
no one answer to this question which would satisfy everyone
or apply to every situation, but today’s readings suggest a
partial response: our failures to love place limits on what
God can do in our lives. St. John tells us in the 2nd
Reading that “whoever is without love does not know God.”
Closing ourselves off to God’s grace makes it impossible to
experience His peace. Selfishly thinking only of ourselves
almost guarantees our existence will be miserable and empty;
life becomes unhappy to the same extent that we choose our
will, instead of God’s.
So many times we’re tempted to place artificial limits
on what God can do. Even the early Christians sometimes
thought in these terms, as the 1st Reading shows. Jewish
Christians assumed that, because they were part of the
original Chosen People of God, only they were worthy to
receive the Holy Spirit; they were surprised when Gentile
believers were also granted this gift. Fortunately, St.
Peter recognized the need to welcome and accept all who
believed in Jesus. In this he fulfilled Christ’s
commandment in the Gospel: “Love one another as I love
you.” Jesus considers us not slaves, but friends. Slaves
do what they’re commanded, but nothing more; friends go far
beyond this, because they’re motivated not by fear or duty,
but by love. If we truly love God and our neighbor, we can
ask for whatever we need, and know that our prayer will
somehow be answered—even if it takes a miracle.
III. Conclusion
May Lemke believed this—and the story of her and her
family is very fitting on Mother’s Day, for someone has said
that mothers more consistently follow Jesus’ teaching on
love than any other group of people. We must never give
up. If, for instance, those of you who are mothers and
grandmothers (and even fathers and grandfathers) are worried
or upset because your children and grandchildren no longer
practice their faith, or because they seem unresponsive to
your love—the way Leslie was at first with his adoptive
parents—don’t despair. Keep on praying and loving, for
whenever there’s love, there’s hope.
Even as we today honor our mothers, we remember in a
special way our Mother in Heaven, who never forgets or
abandons any of her children. Writing of Mary, St.
Maximilian Kolbe once said, “Let us allow her to do in us
and through us whatever she desires, and she will surely
accomplish miracles of grace, and we ourselves will become
holy, great saints . . . because we shall succeed in
becoming like her, and by means of us she will win over the
entire world and every individual soul.” As St. Maximilian
knew, many miracles have been worked through Our Lady’s
intercession precisely because there are no limits to her
love for Jesus and her love for us. The love of Jesus and
Mary isn’t limited to those persons who are famous, healthy,
wealthy, or wise; there are no restrictions based on sex,
nationality, race, or social status. This great love is
available to all of us, and is meant to be experienced and
shared; it’s truly the secret of life. Sometimes miracles
can occur—if we let love make the difference.
CLUSTERING
Official Clustering Plan
for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
Sacred Heart, and St.
Edward on-the-Lake Parishes
(Spring 2012)
Introduction
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in
Emmett seats 650 persons; it will require two Masses each
weekend. Sacred Heart Church in Yale seats 250; one Mass
(plus the 2pm Sunday Tridentine Mass) will suffice. St.
Edward Parish in Lakeport holds 450; two weekend Masses will
be required. Sacred Heart, the central site, is 11 miles
north of Emmett and 16 miles west of Lakeport. The
scheduling of Masses and other parish events is designed to
take these distances into account.
Weekend Mass Schedules
At this time it is not known
if a weekend assistant will be available, and whether the
pastor will reside at OLMC or at St. Edward. Both these
factors will affect the weekend (and weekday) Mass
schedules, so several tentative schedules have been
developed, so as to account for each contingency.
If a Weekend Assistant is
Available:
OLMC - Confessions at 3:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 4pm Sat. and 11am Sun.
Sacred Heart -
Mass at 9am Sun. (no scheduled Confessions)
2pm Tridentine Mass (if a priest is available)
St. Edward -
Confessions at 4:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 5pm Sat. and 9am Sun.
If a Weekend Assistant is
Unavailable, and the Pastor Resides at OLMC:
OLMC - Confessions at 3:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 4pm Sat. and 12 noon Sun.
Sacred Heart - Mass
at 10am Sun. (no scheduled Confessions)
2pm Tridentine Mass (if a priest is available)
St. Edward -
Confessions at 6:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 7pm Sat. and 8am Sun.
If a Weekend Assistant is
Unavailable, and the Pastor Resides at St. E:
OLMC - Confessions at 6:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 7pm Sat. and 8am Sun.
Sacred Heart - Mass
at 10am Sun. (no scheduled Confessions)
2pm Tridentine Mass (if a priest is available)
St. Edward -
Confessions at 3:15pm Sat.;
Masses at 4pm Sat. and 12 noon Sun.
Baptisms
Baptisms will be scheduled once a
month. If a weekend assistant is available, these
will be after the Sat. 5pm Mass at St.
Edward’s and after the 11am Sun. Mass at OLMC.
If no weekend assistant is available,
these will occur after the 7pm Sat. Mass (whether at St.
Edward or OLMC) and after the 12 noon Mass (whether at St.
Edward or OLMC).
Weekday Masses
Every Tuesday, Mass will be
held at 8:15am at Sacred Heart in Yale.
Every Wednesday, Mass will be held
at 8am at OLMC in Emmett.
Every Friday, Mass will be held at
8am at St. Edward in Lakeport (with the school children
attending during the school year).
There will not be Mass on Monday
and Thursday, nor on Saturday morning.
However, this schedule may be
expanded if assistance becomes available.
If a Weekday Assistant
is Available, and the Pastor Resides at OLMC:
Monday
- 8am Mass at OLMC
Tuesday
- 8:15am Mass at Sacred Heart
Wednesday -
no Mass
Thursday - 7pm Mass at St.
Edward, followed by Eucharistic Adoration
Friday
- 8am Mass at St. Edward (with school children
attending), followed by Eucharistic Adoration until 12 noon
If a Weekday Assistant
is Available, and the Pastor resides at St. Edward:
Monday
- 8am Mass at St. Edward
Tuesday
- 8:15am Mass at Sacred Heart
Wednesday -
8am Mass at OLMC
Thursday
- no Mass
Friday
- 8am Mass at St. Edward (with school children
attending), followed by Eucharistic Adoration until 12 noon
Christmas Mass Schedule
If the Pastor
resides at OLMC (and assuming no assistance is available):
OLMC - 4pm Christmas Eve
(Children’s Mass), 12 noon Christmas Day
Sacred Heart - 10am Christmas Day
St. Edward - 7pm Christmas Eve
(Children’s Mass), 8am Christmas Day
If the Pastor resides at
St. Edward (and assuming no assistance is available):
OLMC - 7pm Christmas Eve
(Children’s Mass), 8am Christmas Day
Sacred Heart - 10am Christmas Day
St. Edward
- 4pm Christmas Eve (Children’s Mass), 12 noon Christmas
Day
Ash Wednesday
St. Edward -
8am Mass (with school children attending)
Sacred Heart - 12 noon
Mass
OLMC -
7pm Mass
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the
Cross will be held on the Fridays of Lent at 7pm,
alternating between OLMC and St. Edward.
If volunteers are available to lead the Stations when the
pastor is not present, this schedule can be expanded.
Holy Week Liturgies and Confessions
To be determined
year by year, according to the AoD Worship Commission memo
“Celebrating the Triduum in Clustered Parishes” (March
2012). The location of the Easter Vigil will be at either
OLMC or at St. Edward’s; this may be determined by the size
of each site’s RCIA group.
The pastor will schedule
Confessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week,
with one evening at each of the three sites.
Easter
If a Weekend Assistant
is Available for Easter:
Easter
Vigil at either OLMC or St. Edward, time TBD
OLMC - 11am
Sacred Heart
- 9am
St. Edward -
9am, 11am
If a Weekend Assistant
is Unavailable for Easter:
Easter
Vigil at either OLMC or St. Edward, time TBD
OLMC - 12
noon
Sacred Heart
- 10am
St. Edward -
8am
Holy Days
St. Edward - 8am
(with school children attending, when applicable)
Sacred Heart - 10am
OLMC - 7pm
Nursing Home Masses
Dates, times,
and frequency to be determined by the pastor. Currently,
there is a monthly Mass at Medilodge of Yale at 2pm on the
2nd Wednesday; a monthly Mass at Medilodge of Port Huron at
1:30pm on the 1st Thursday; a monthly Mass at Blue Water
Lodge at 3pm on the 2nd Thursday; a monthly Mass at Regency
on the Lake at 3pm on the 3rd Thursday; and a monthly Mass
at Barss Home at 3:30pm on the 4th Thursday. It may be
necessary to reduce these Masses to an every-other-month
schedule.
First Friday Communion Calls
Currently the
pastor at OLMC/Sacred Heart does not go on regular First
Friday Communion calls; instead, volunteer Eucharistic
Ministers perform this ministry, and notify the pastor if a
particular homebound parishioner needs a special visit (for
Confession or Anointing). A similar system will need to be
implemented at St. Edward.
Funerals
Vigil services (the
Rosary, or a Scripture Service) will normally be handled by
trained staff members or parishioners. On the day of the
funeral, visitation in church is possible at all three
sites.
For an active parishioner, every possible effort will be
made to schedule the funeral Mass at the preferred site, and
on the day and time, chosen by the family. Funerals will
also be possible for inactive parishioners, but at the
convenience of the pastor (meaning the preferred day and
time may not be available).
Weddings
The pastor will determine the nature of the marriage
preparation process. Only one wedding per weekend
(regardless of the site where it’s held) will be scheduled.
However, if a visiting priest is responsible for the
rehearsal and ceremony, a second wedding may be scheduled on
a weekend.
Eucharistic
Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration will be held at St. Edward’s on
Fridays from the end of the 8am Mass until reposition at 12
noon, whenever the pastor’s schedule allows.
(However, if a deacon or a trained staff person or
parishioner is available for reposition, Eucharistic
Adoration will be available every Friday morning.)
Council
and Commission Meetings
Sacred Heart Parish and OLMC already have a Cluster Council
(i.e., a joint Parish Council), though each maintains a
separate Finance Council. St. Edward’s will maintain its
own Councils and Commissions. The regular meeting schedule
will be:
1st
Tuesday of the month: St. Edward School Board
2nd
Tuesday of the month: St. Edward Parish Council
3rd
Tuesday of the month: OLMC/Sacred Heart Cluster Council
4th Tuesday of the month: one of the three Finance
Councils (which will
meet
quarterly).
Other groups requiring the pastor’s presence (e.g.
Worship Commission) will meet as needed and as the schedule
allows.
RCIA
The three parishes will
conduct a combined RCIA; the sessions will be held on Monday
evenings at Sacred Heart in Yale. The pastor will conduct
the sessions, possibly with occasional help from
properly-trained parish volunteers.
HOMILY - 5/6/12
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year B)
I. Introduction
There was once a movie called Shadow of the Hawk,
in which a young couple and their Indian guide were hurrying
up a mountainside, fleeing from evil people seeking to kill
them. Because the Indian guide knew the mountain so well,
he would be able to lead them to a place of safety—if they
kept moving. However, at one point the young woman dropped
to the ground and protested, “I can’t take another step.”
Her boyfriend lifted her to her feet and explained, “But,
darling, we must go on—we have no other choice.” However,
the woman shook her head and insisted, “I can’t go on! I
can’t go on!” At this point the Indian guide said to the
young man, “Hold her close to your heart. Let your strength
and courage flow out of your body into hers.” The young man
took this advice, and the two of them rested together in a
tight embrace. Then, after a few minutes, the young woman
announced, “Now I can go on! Now I can do it!,” and the
three of them continued on and eventually reached a place of
safety (Link, Illustrated Sunday Homilies, Year B,
Series II, p. 40). This is what Jesus seeks to do for us.
Our journey through life often seems long and
hard—especially in a world increasingly hostile to our
Christian faith—and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In fact,
on our own, we cannot possibly succeed; we will lose our way
or go in the wrong direction, and exhaust ourselves in the
process. However, Jesus offers us the guidance and strength
we need, along with the solemn promise that only with His
help we will reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
II. Development
Many Christians—including, sadly, some Catholics—have
the mistaken idea that they can relate to God solely as
individuals, without needing to belong to a faith
community. This was never God’s intent, for Israel was
always known not as a group of chosen individuals, but as
the Lord’s Chosen People—and the Church, of course,
is the new Israel, a community of believers forming the
People of God. When Saul of Tarsus was converted, instead
of withdrawing from society, he rightly sought to join the
Christian community, and even though the early Christians
were understandably frightened of him at first because of
his earlier reputation, they gradually accepted him—setting
the stage for him to become St. Paul, a great missionary and
a constant promoter of Church unity. Because Paul remained
rooted in the truth of Christ, he bore great spiritual
fruit, and Jesus promises in the Gospel that this can be
true for all of us. St. John tells us in the 2nd Reading
that keeping Christ’s commandments will help us maintain a
living faith and reassure us that we are pleasing to God.
In our human weakness, however, we often find it helpful
and comforting to see living examples of this truth all
around us; the efforts of other Christians to put their
faith into practice serve as a needed reminder that, through
God’s grace, true holiness is indeed possible for us. When
Jesus called Himself the true vine, He also said to His
disciples, “You [plural] are the branches.” If we’re
linked to Christ as the vine, we’re also linked to every
other branch, some more immediately or directly than
others—and through this spiritual unity, all of us can grow
in grace.
III. Conclusion
Once there were two very close friends who grew up
together; we’ll call them Brad and Jim. Brad was a natural
leader, with a fine character and very strong moral
convictions. Jim was a very nice and likeable guy, but he
was quite easily influenced by the people around him. As
long as he hung out with his friend Brad, there was no
problem—but after high school, they went to different
colleges, and before long Jim fell in with the wrong crowd.
Drugs, promiscuity, and law-breaking threatened to ruin his
life; his family feared he’d end up dead or in prison, so in
desperation they called Brad and told him everything. Brad
helped them stage an intervention and take Jim home, and
when Jim came to his senses, he realized he needed Brad; in
fact, his chance for a happy and successful life directly
depended upon maintaining contact with his much stronger
friend and drawing strength and inspiration from him (Link,
op. cit.).
As true as this was for Jim and Brad, it’s infinitely
more true for us and Jesus. Without Christ, we will
spiritually wither up and die; without Him, we literally
have no future. Our Lord can hardly be more clear when He
says, “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless
it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain
in Me.” This means several important things for us. First
of all, we must remain in the Catholic Church, for even
though many Christians in other denominations are pleasing
to God and presumably will find a place in His Kingdom, none
of their churches have all seven sacraments—especially the
Eucharist—or the spiritual and religious authority Jesus
gave solely to St. Peter and his successors. The Lord is
allowing divisions among His followers for the time being,
but His long-term plan will once again bring about complete
religious unity under the leadership of the Pope—and if we
go against His will in this regard, we shortchange ourselves
spiritually and possibly even risk our eternal salvation.
Secondly, we must come to Mass every weekend, so that we
can be spiritually fed and nourished by receiving the Body
and Blood of Christ in a state of grace, thus allowing
ourselves to be truly alive and capable of fulfilling our
God-given mission. Additionally, of course, we should also
receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we fall
from grace, or otherwise on a regular basis, so as to make
steady progress in rooting out our faults and growing in
holiness. Not only does this please Jesus, but it also
helps make us ready to enter into His heavenly presence as
soon as we die. Lastly, we must pray every day, even if
only for a few minutes—for a day without prayer is a day
without spiritual growth, a day in which we can more easily
be tempted and led astray, and a day which—from the vantage
point of eternity—we’ll regret wasting. Quiet time in the
morning or evening, and short prayers interspersed with the
activities of our day, can be a source of guidance,
strength, and inner peace; they will help us remain rooted
in Christ, and allow us to answer His call to us, whatever
it may be. Many of the saints have testified that those who
pray will be saved, whereas those who choose not to pray are
in grave danger.
Our intended destiny is to be eternally happy in Heaven,
but this joy is not automatic or guaranteed. Only those who
are united to Jesus in this life will be united with Him in
the life to come. As Our Lord says, we must be rooted in
Him throughout our lives—for only in this way will His words
remain in us and will we bear fruit that endures.
PERSECUTION Talk
COUNTDOWN TO THE COMING PERSECUTION
Rev. Joseph M. Esper - April 2012
One of the greatest and most famous
Catholic religious leaders in American history, the late
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, once warned, “The acceptance of
the fullness of Truth will have the unfortunate quality of
making you hated by the world. . . . If the grace of God did
not give me the fullness of Truth, and I were looking for
it, I would begin my search by looking through the world for
a Church that did not get along with the evil in the world!
If that Church [were] accused of countless lies, hated
because it refused to compromise, ridiculed because it
refused to fit the times and not all time, I would suspect
that since it was hated by what is evil in the world, it was
therefore good and holy; and if it is good and holy, it must
be Divine.”
When the Archbishop wrote these
words several decades ago, his intent was to offer one more
reason why Catholicism is the true and complete version of
Christianity, and the point he makes is a valid one: one of
the signs of the True Church is its knack for attracting
persecution. Satan recognizes his most dangerous enemy, and
thus unleashes the full force of his attacks upon her. Here
in the United States this truth has always been more
abstract or theoretical than actual, but that situation is
changing—making Archbishop Sheen’s words not only an apology
or defense of the Catholic Faith, but also a prediction of a
new and frightening stage of her existence in our homeland.
More than anytime in memory, we as
Catholics and Christians are hated and opposed in our own
country—and a number of Church leaders are finally sounding
the alarm. According to Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria,
Illinois, “The intensity of hatred against Catholic
Christianity in elements of our culture is just astounding.
. . . We are under assault.” Cardinal Raymond Burke has
stated, “[There] is a war [between] a culture of
secularization which is quite strong in our nation,” and
“the Christian culture which has marked the life of the
United States during the first 200 years of its history.”
Unfortunately, most people don’t fully realize this; in the
words of Archbishop Jose Gomez, “We are slowly losing our
sense of religious liberty in America.”
Our culture has been conditioned to
accept, often in the name of “tolerance,” unholy behavior
and attitudes previous generations of Americans would have
rejected outright. However, religious tolerance for
Catholics and other traditional, Bible-believing Christians
is not included in this new mindset or paradigm; instead,
for several decades the culture has been turning
increasingly against us. That’s why Pope Benedict XVI, in
an address to American bishops last November, said, “The
seriousness of the challenges which the Church in America,
under your leadership, is called to confront in the near
future cannot be underestimated. . . . The obstacles to
Christian faith and practice raised by a secularized culture
also affect the lives of believers.” The Holy Father’s
words are especially timely in light of the “contraceptive
mandate” the Department of Health and Human Services now
seeks to impose on Catholic hospitals, universities, and
other religious employers, along with individual business
owners morally opposed to abortion,
2 - Countdown to the
Coming Persecution
contraception, and sterilization. If
this mandate stands, it will run roughshod over the First
Amendment religious freedom rights of millions of Americans,
Catholic and non-Catholic alike. As Cardinal Timothy Dolan
of New York said, “Never before have we faced this kind of
challenge to our ability to engage in the public square as
people of faith and as service providers. If we do not act
now, the consequences will be grave.” This warning was
echoed by Cardinal Burke, who stated, “If Christians do not
stand strong, give a strong witness and insist on what is
right and good for us, both as individuals and society, this
secularization will in fact predominate us and it will
destroy us.”
Until recently, these words might
have seemed unnecessarily alarming or pessimistic—but,
tragically, the world in which we grew up is becoming more
hostile to Christianity with every passing day; society and
government have entered into an informal but quite serious
alliance against the Church. America is no longer one
nation under God; rather, she is becoming a nation
opposed to God, one rebelling against religious
authority, and, tragically but not surprisingly, one ever
more capable of persecuting the children of God. One
Catholic leader who has recognized this
previously-unthinkable reality is Cardinal Francis George,
the Archbishop of Chicago, who somberly predicted, “I will
die in bed. My successor will die in prison, and his
successor will die a martyr in the public square.”
These blunt words, I believe, do
reflect an accurate reading of the signs of the times, for
the United States is no longer a land of freedom and a
beacon of morality and religious liberty. Many
carefully-researched books written over the last
ten-to-twenty years have documented the growing assault on
the free practice of Christianity in our country, and have
warned of a possible religious persecution in America,
including Janet Folger’s The Criminalization of
Christianity, David Limbaugh’s Persecution, Rev.
Donald Wildmon’s Speechless: Silencing the Christians,
Donald McAlvany’s Storm Warning, and Bill Donohue’s
Secular Sabotage. My own book Spiritual Dangers
of the 21st Century devotes several chapters to the
subject of a possible persecution of the Church here in the
United States. I’ll review a few of the points made in my
book, and then present some new information from various
resources—including recent private revelations.
Persecutions, whether of religious
or political or ethnic groups, generally unfold in five
stages. First of all, the targeted group is stereotyped
or stigmatized, making it an easier victim of bigotry,
slander, and abuse. Then the group is marginalized,
or pushed to the fringes of society, so as to reduce its
moral authority and influence, while emphasizing its
members’ differences from everyone else. Thirdly, the group
is vilified, or viciously attacked and blamed for
society’s problems and accused of having a secret and
sinister agenda. In the fourth stage, the group is
criminalized by means of legal restrictions upon its
membership and activities. The final stage is one of
outright persecution, in which members of the group
are subject to varying degrees of discrimination,
repression, or imprisonment—and sometimes even harsher and
more permanent measures. Many commentators claim America is
currently in stage three of this process, and rapidly moving
into stage four—and there is mounting evidence to support
this
assertion.
3 - Countdown to the Coming Persecution
In his book Speechless:
Silencing the Christians, Rev. Donald Wildmon (a
Methodist minister who founded the American Family
Association), writes:
For decades, a growing number of the American
elite—the people who manage the media and mold
the culture, run our great colleges and corporations, and
train our lawyers and judges—has been gripped by a growing
anger, now becoming a raging envy, against any person,
group, church, or institution committed to Christian moral
teachings. Like the (ancient] Romans, these people hear
Christ’s truth as an accusation. They even see Christ’s
love on the cross as their condemnation. And
strangely enough, they see Christian families not as
witnesses for Christ but as witnesses against them. . . .
The coalition of liberal secularists and homosexual
activists—let’s call them “homosecularists” for
short—have some very real goals that they know they can
achieve only by driving Christians out of public
life.
This quote from Rev. Wildmon’s book
succinctly describes the motivation of many of the
contemporary enemies of the Church in America, and examples
of the individual battles in their ongoing war on
Christianity—sometimes successful, sometimes not—are many.
The constitutionally-guaranteed religious rights of
Christians are no longer automatically recognized in court;
for instance, judges have imposed huge fines and even
imprisonment on persons witnessing to Christ in public
places, distributing Bibles or religious literature, or
simply praying silently but visibly in a courtroom. Local
judges or municipal authorities sometimes arbitrarily refuse
to allow religious symbols to be displayed in public—on
occasion even on privately-owned land. In several states,
Catholic Charities has been forced out of the adoption
referral ministry because it refuses to allow same-sex
couples to adopt; even though this religious principle is in
fact backed up by sociological data showing such
arrangements are often detrimental to children, society’s
insistence on “tolerance” for homosexuals frequently trumps
common sense and morality.
Even a partial listing of recent
legal and societal assaults on practicing Christians is
lengthy and upsetting. For instance, many medical and
nursing schools now discriminate against candidates who
refuse to participate in abortions or dispense
contraceptives. A Catholic employee of the transit
authority board in Maryland who, as a private citizen on a
cable television talk show, honestly answered a question on
his view of homosexuality was afterwards fired by the
governor of Maryland. A Christian married couple in New
Mexico who owned and operated a photography studio were
fined over $6600 because they politely declined to take
photos at the “commitment ceremony” of two lesbians. An
employee of Kodak Corporation was fired after 23 years
simply because he refused, on moral grounds, to participate
in the company’s “Coming Out Day” to celebrate the sexual
orientation of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender
employees. A male university student who referred favorably
to a book calling homosexual behavior sinful was accused of
sexual harassment, and several professed filed formal
charges against him.
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Coming Persecution
In addition to individual victims of
anti-Christian discrimination, parishes and religious
organizations are sometimes targeted, and this trend seems
to be growing. A few months ago the federal government for
the first time denied a grant to the U.S. bishops’ Migration
and Refugee Services agency, despite its admirable record in
helping victims of human trafficking, because of the
Church’s refusal to allow or promote abortion. A Baptist
church in Montana “guilty” of biblical preaching on marriage
was cited by local authorities for failing to register as a
“political committee.” A church in San Diego renting space
at a city recreation center was forced to pay a much higher
rate than other community groups. There are many other
instances of Christian churches or ministries denied use of
public facilities or lands, unfairly burdened with
selectively-applied local ordinances or restrictions, or
investigated by state agencies because of their religious
beliefs or moral principles. Organizations such as the
Alliance Defense Fund and the Thomas More Society are
vigorously opposing this trend and defending the legal
rights of Christians in court, and have won some important
victories—but the fact that freedom of religion now has to
be defended in court in the first place is deeply worrying.
According to the Catholic League for
Religious and Civil Rights, “For the first time in American
history, the federal government [emphasis added] has
waged war on the First Amendment rights of Roman Catholics.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, there were
harsh attacks on the rights of Catholics, but they always
emanated from the states and municipalities. In other
words, never before has the executive branch in Washington
attacked Catholics the way the Obama administration is doing
right now” (Catalyst, March 2012). The
unconstitutional contraceptive mandate is merely the most
blatant example of this anti-Catholic animus, but certainly
not the only one, and the administration has used a “divide
and conquer” approach by appointing pro-abortion Catholics
to important positions and expressing support for policies
apparently reconcilable with the social justice agenda of
many liberal Catholic bishops and lay persons. Growing
numbers of Catholics and other Christians are starting to
recognize the dangers to their continued religious freedom,
and are shaking off their previous passivity—and this is a
hopeful sign. However, history suggests that in response to
a firestorm of religious and political opposition to its
immoral and unconstitutional policies, the Obama
administration will only appear to back off or compromise,
while in fact looking for a stealthier and more successful
means of implementing its agenda.
If an ever-growing and more powerful
federal government wanted, in the name of “national
security,” to monitor and restrict the activities of its
citizens—especially committed Christians, political
conservatives, and other allegedly dangerous or subversive
groups—it would have plenty of resources and tools at its
disposal. Ours has become a “surveillance society,” with
many ominous threats to individual liberty. The pervasive
use of RFID chips, high-speed cameras, DNA databases, and
the constant monitoring of telephone and computer
communications, are robbing us of our privacy. Cass Sustein,
the Obama administration’s so-called “regulatory czar,” had
previously
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to the Coming Persecution
called for the government to infiltrate
social network websites, chat rooms, and message boards for
the purpose of censoring so-called “conspiracy theorizing”
or other politically incorrect views. The Department of
Homeland Security is now monitoring dozens of popular
websites such as Facebook and Twitter to collect “personally
identifiable information”—data on law-abiding Americans
which is then distributed to federal agencies, employees,
and contractors with a supposed “need to know.” Since
Twitter was first launched in 2006, the Library of Congress
has archived every single tweet ever sent. There is also a
little-known software program called Carrier IQ which is
capable of tracking our every electronic move: dialing a
phone number, sending or receiving a text message, using a
supposedly secure password to order something online or do
online banking, and so on. Carrier IQ also monitors your
physical location by tracking your cell phone, and even if
you’re aware of its existence, it’s said to be impossible to
deactivate.
Such electronic capabilities in the
hands of a trustworthy government would be
frightening enough; the use of these surveillance tools by
an arrogant and politically-driven administration willing to
trample constitutional safeguards in the pursuit of its
goals is extremely dismaying. Will we as Christians long be
able to continue proclaiming and practicing our Christian
beliefs? What of the federal “hate crimes bill” signed by
Mr. Obama soon after his inauguration? One conservative
journalist writes, “That law enhances penalties based on the
thoughts of the person suspected of committing a crime.
While there has not yet been a large-scale crackdown on
pastors who preach against homosexuality, there are
indicators that such developments could be in the offing.”
I believe it’s almost certain that in the next two or three
years—especially if Obama wins reelection—widespread “sting”
operations will take place, in which gay or lesbian couples
come to a church office and demand the parish make
arrangements for them to be married. When Catholic and
other Christian pastors refuse, they’ll be taken to court,
found guilty of violating the homosexuals’ civil rights, and
subjected to heavy fines—or worse.
Along with this, members of the
pro-life movement—many of whom have already experienced
vicious opposition and restrictions on their civil
rights—will undergo even greater attacks; almost certainly,
they’ll be labeled “domestic terrorists” and treated
accordingly. In fact, in 2009 the Department of Homeland
Security warned of potential civil unrest by persons
dedicated to a single issue, such as abortion, along with
anyone regularly listening to talk radio or using internet
news websites. Executive orders now on the books would
allow the president to suspend civil liberties and declare
almost anyone an enemy of the state, allowing the
confiscation of all his or her property and assets.
Moreover, the National Defense Authorization Act signed by
Mr. Obama this past Dec. 31 is something of a Trojan horse
in terms of undermining our constitutional rights.
According to one commentator, “For weeks prior to its
passage by both House and Senate and Obama’s signing it into
law, critics warned that buried within the 1,844-page bill
was the legal authority for the president to send American
citizens to jail without charges, without trial, without
end. . . . voices from across the political spectrum
6 - Countdown to the
Coming Persecution
expressed concern that the law opens
the door for the military—led by the president as
commander-in-chief—to indefinitely detain American citizens,
even within the U.S.” Also, according to one report, “There
[are] over 800 prison camps in the United States, all fully
operational and ready to receive prisoners. . . . These
camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency
Management Agency) should Martial Law need to be
implemented. . . .”
The pieces of the puzzle are
fitting together, and the emerging picture is quite
ominous. These fears are also borne out by numerous
contemporary private revelations which speak of a coming
persecution. At this time I want to share some of these
alleged visions and messages with you, using revelations
supposedly given to four different messengers, some of them
personally known to me. The first involves a priest in
Michigan, who was reportedly given a warning three years ago
by St. Therèse of Lisieux, who told him, “In a short time,
what took place in my native country [a reference to the
religious persecution accompanying the French Revolution],
will take place in yours. The persecution of the Church is
imminent. Prepare yourself.” Another contemporary prophet
is an anonymous messenger in Chicago who goes by the title
of a Chosen Child; over the last few months Jesus has
allegedly been giving this person dire warnings about the
need to elect the right person as president later this
year. A message from the first half of March states, “My
little ones, I have been telling you in the past that this
is your last election. If the wrong man gets elected there
will be no need for another election. He will be your
dictator for years to come and you will be living under
tyranny. Your churches and schools and hospitals and
anything Catholic will be closed. There will be no freedom
for anything. You will be told what you are to believe and
if you don’t go along with their system, you will be sent to
concentration camps to be brainwashed.” Other messages
allegedly received by this messenger in Chicago make it
clear that the current occupant of the White House has a
sinister agenda, whereas one of those who is seeking to
become the nominee opposing him this fall has Heaven’s
blessing—and, if enough of us offer our prayers and
sacrifices on his behalf, this candidate can be victorious,
in spite of seemingly impossible odds.
A third messenger, whom many of you
will have heard of, is John Leary, whom I’ve known for over
fifteen years, and whose alleged messages I’ve studied for
even longer than that. Some of the major themes of the
messages Jesus has allegedly given to Mr. Leary are that a
behind-the-scenes movement toward a one-world-government is
working to eliminate major obstacles to their plans—namely,
Christian influences in American society, and U.S. freedom
and prosperity; that as a result of these efforts and our
society’s rebellion against God and its growing level of
immorality, major upheavals will occur, including natural
disasters, war, economic collapse, societal breakdown, the
imposition of martial law, and an outright religious
persecution; and that at the height of these dangers, angels
will lead God’s faithful remnant to places of refuge, where
they’ll be safe and undetected until Divine Justice has
finished cleansing the earth of evil and brought about a
glorious new Era of Peace.
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Rather than going into detail about
this entire process, I want to focus on several recent
messages Mr. Leary has allegedly received in February from
Jesus pertaining to a possible religious persecution. For
example, this warning was given early this year: “My people
. . . , the latest [mandate] forcing [the] handing out [of]
birth control devices [by] all of your religious
organizations is just the beginning of your problems. As
your government looks to make cuts in your health plans, you
will see rationed care, especially less care to be given to
the elderly. Eventually, these same authorities will try to
force mandatory chips in the body on you for your
identification. You will soon need this chip for your
health care, and any government entitlement [such] as Social
Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare. Even food stamps
will require such a chip in the body.” Needless to say,
this chip represents the “mark of the beast” mentioned in
the Book of Revelation, and in many alleged messages Jesus
warns us not to take this chip under any circumstances; He
will instead provide for all our needs in a miraculous way.
Jesus also allegedly said, “Your
current administration has taken away many of your freedoms
guaranteed by your Constitution. It is about time that your
people realize what is going on, and now they are speaking
out against your president’s edicts. If you do not take a
stand for your religious freedom, then all of your freedoms
will be taken away when these evil ones bring in the North
American Union. Be prepared for a heavy-handed battle
against your rights.” The North American Union, of course,
is a proposed regional government for Canada, the United
States, and Mexico, which would have unified laws and a
newly-introduced common currency. This would supposedly be
introduced to enhance our security and economic prosperity,
but would actually be a major step in eliminating American
sovereignty and imposing a one-world-government.
A further message allegedly given
to Mr. Leary by Jesus states, “My people, today you are
fighting for your religious freedom [in that] you do not
want to be forced to do something against your faith [such]
as handing out birth control devices. Tomorrow you will
soon be struggling for your life as you will be persecuted
for just believing in Me…. As the evil people gain in power,
your persecution will worsen because the one-world-people
will be trying to eradicate Christianity.” It’s reasonable
to assume this persecution won’t happen all at once; there
will be a series of gradual restrictions, each rooted in
political correctness or justified in the name of national
security—until, through a step-by-step process, the First
Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion will
be a dead letter, and America will officially no longer be
one nation under God.
Many details of this looming
nightmare are given in the visions and messages from Our
Lord and Our Lady received by an alleged visionary in
Michigan whom I’ll call Vincent—again, someone I’ve known
for over fifteen years. Vincent is also known to Maureen
Flynn, the publisher of Signs & Wonders for Our Time
magazine, and she’s told me his messages are in line with
revelations allegedly given to other contemporary
visionaries and locutionists. These messages and visions
I’ll mention here have all allegedly been given to Vincent
over the last eighteen months.
8 - Countdown to the
Coming Persecution
First of all, if you’ve wondered why,
a few years ago, the government was willing to spend money
to help every household acquire a high-digital TV even as it
faced huge operating deficits, it seems there was a sinister
agenda at work, probably involving efforts to monitor and
control citizens. Moreover, Our Lady told Vincent, “HDTV is
destroying your immune system,” and then he saw the words
“Hell’s Demonic Transmitted Virus”—HDTV. Vincent was also
told that all currency will soon be replaced by an ID card
with a chip, which will limit and track purchases, and
grocery shopping will be allowed only once a week. Also,
driver’s licenses will need to be renewed every three
months, and persons 65 and older will not be allowed to
drive. Our Lady said, “Police will be randomly searching
homes, even if you’re not there.” Still more ominously, the
Department of Homeland Security will require children, ages
8 - 16, to attend classes at undisclosed campsites for 30
days, where they’ll be trained as informers to report any
illegal activity they see—presumably eventually including
the practice of religion.
As part of a long-predicted schism
or division within the Catholic Church in the United States,
many Catholic churches will separate from the Vatican.
Vincent was told several times, “Eighty percent of Catholics
will drift away from the True Faith.” Part of the reason
for this, of course, will be the increasing pressures placed
on those trying to continue practicing their religion.
First of all, there will be a law requiring people to
register their religion, church, and frequency of
attendance; soon afterwards, another law will forbid crosses
to be displayed outside of the church buildings, even on
church property, and then church services will be limited to
once a month. The use of Bibles in public will be forbidden
(but no restrictions will be placed on the public use of the
Koran). There are other government regulations being
prepared for churches, including a requirement that they
perform gay marriages. Also, Our Lady said, “Priests will
have to submit [to] and pass a lie detector test in order to
legally continue their ministry”—and this test will ask them
about any criminal offenses mentioned to them in the
confessional. Private confessions themselves will
eventually become illegal; instead, sins will have to be
confessed in front of a lay panel of three or more persons.
It will be illegal to mention or discuss the Ten
Commandments in public, or to mention God’s Name in public
places. It will also be illegal to display or use rosaries
in public places, and this will include churches, which will
be monitored by cameras and recorders.
Eventually, many religious
believers will be taken to detention centers for refusing to
deny their faith. Those persons marked for arrest once
martial law is declared—namely, devout Christians and
patriotic Americans opposed to a one-world-government—are
already listed in computers. The FEMA camps are staffed
with foreign troops, and most of the detention centers
already secretly hold innocent detainees. If large numbers
of arrests make it necessary, public parks and recreation
centers will also become detention centers. Jesus said,
“Persecutions will spread like wild-fire. Christians will
be targeted throughout the world. Concentration camps are
[already] staffed and operating.”
Also, Vincent had a vision of churches
burning in the United States, and Our Lady told him, “Many
priests will be martyred,” and he then saw a vision of
several priests hung or
9 -
Countdown to the Coming Persecution
crucified. Mary also said, “Soon
Christian religions will be illegal.” Another revelation
Vincent received explains this point; he was told that once
a one-world-religion is introduced, approximately one-half
of the churches in our country will refuse to participate in
it, and will therefore be forced to close.
If all this seems too
incredible or horrible to believe, another message of Our
Lady helps put these revelations into context, for as she
told Vincent, “Satan is now in charge of every government in
the world.” If this is indeed true, then an all-out assault
on Christianity is a certainty. Looking at the
war-mongering, corruption, and seemingly-irrational policies
of many world governments today, I find it quite easy to
accept the authenticity of this additional vision granted to
Vincent. He saw Satan sitting on a throne, holding a lit
torch in his left hand and a branding iron with the numeral
666 in his left. Eighteen world leaders—a symbolic number
representing six plus six plus six—were standing in
submission in a semi-circle facing Satan on his throne.
It almost sounds as if the devil
and his many servants are gaining the upper hand. However,
Jesus and Mary have continually assured us that the minority
of devout Christians who are called to endure arrest,
imprisonment, and even martyrdom will be given the grace and
strength needed to remain true to their faith, and all the
other faithful servants of God will be led to places of
safety—despite the efforts of their enemies. Our Lady told
Vincent, “Rosaries will interrupt tracking systems. Angels
will guide God’s flock to designated refuges. Only He knows
the lists, the sites, and the time.” Vincent was also given
a vision of a priest offering an outdoor Mass by
candlelight—an act that will be strictly illegal in the
future. A helicopter was flying overhead, searching for
such illegal activity, and a searchlight was shining down on
everyone kneeling at the Mass—but all that could be seen
from the helicopter was empty grass.
A similar vision speaks of the
importance of the rosary. Vincent saw people walking down
both sides of a city street, when suddenly military trucks
pulled up; soldiers began forcing civilians onto the trucks
and then took them away. However, among the people walking
the streets were some who wore rosaries around their necks
or carried them in their hands; they were allowed to proceed
unhindered, almost as if they were invisible. This leads
into a final, highly-important and symbolic vision Vincent
received. He saw an endless number of people walking down a
road; when they came to a fork, they had to choose whether
to go to the right or to the left. Alongside the road to
the right were baskets of rosaries; the road to the left was
lined by baskets of gold coins. Devout followers of Christ
went to the right, but most people went to the left,
stuffing their pockets with gold. Eventually both roads
became bridges crossing a great abyss. For those traveling
the right-hand road, the Era of Peace—or a New Eden—was
awaiting them on the other side of the abyss, and they
crossed over safely. A pot of gold apparently awaited those
traveling the road to the left—but in trying to reach it,
they all fell into the abyss because their bridge crumbled
beneath their feet.
10 - Countdown to the
Coming Persecution
If we give into the values of this
world, or rely upon our own efforts to make it through the
coming chastisements, we will certainly fail—possibly at the
cost of our immortal souls. More than ever before in our
lifetimes, it’s essential that we be firmly rooted in
faith. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with making prudent
material and financial preparations, especially if we’re led
to do so as a result of prayer and discernment; however, our
trust must ultimately be in God, for He alone can help us
remain firm in a coming time of turmoil, confusion, and
persecution. Spiritual preparations must always come first,
and then material ones; moreover, Our Lord has promised to
provide for His people, even to the point of multiplying
food and confusing the electronic tracking devices of the
one-world-authorities, as long as we live in a spirit of
obedience, generosity, and trust.
Assuming we do have a solid
spiritual foundation, and are seriously living our religion,
there are some practical things we should be doing or
considering as we prepare for a coming possible religious
persecution.
First of all, we must use our
religious freedom while we still can, and avoid taking it
for granted or assuming everything will remain more or less
the way it is now. Even apart from alleged private
revelations on the subject, there are numerous signs in
government and society that a persecution may be on the
way. Now is the time to resist this trend as fervent
Catholics and concerned citizens. Join organizations such
as the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Focus
on the Family, and the American Family Association; write
letters to the editor when our Catholic faith or our
Christian values are attacked, and let elected officials
know where you stand on issues involving religious freedom
and moral values. Above all, vote—in every election—only
for candidates who not only say the right things, but who
have a track record of defending human life and religious
liberty. We do not have to apologize for letting our
Catholic Faith guide and inform our political and social
values, and we must vigorously oppose any efforts to turn us
into second-class citizens. It’s time we started pushing
back, in a peaceful and loving but unyielding way; there’s
nothing wrong with Catholics adopting an “in your face”
attitude toward society—as long as we show the face of Jesus
while we’re doing it.
Secondly, we must find others who
believe as we do—perhaps by looking around at some of those
here right now—and begin meeting together and talking and
sharing and brainstorming. Become well-informed on these
issues. Has one of you read a good book or magazine article
on this subject? Mention it or share it with others in your
circle of friends and acquaintances. Can someone in your
group personally vouch for a political candidate as being a
person of true patriotism and integrity? Consider that
input as you decide how you’ll vote. Do you know someone
who’s very good at using the various communication
technologies? Seek his or her help in organizing e-mail
alerts and on-line petitions. The more you know about
coming threats, the better prepared you’ll be to resist
them; the more you know other people who feel strongly on
these issues like you, the easier it will be to overcome
temptations to hopelessness and discouragement.
11 - Countdown to the Coming Persecution
Thirdly, we must strengthen our
relationship with Christ, learning to trust in Him ever more
deeply, for a solid spiritual foundation is necessary in
order to withstand the troubles of life in general, and the
unique challenges of our era of history in particular. Our
Lord’s parable of the house built on a rock foundation (Mt.
7:24-27) is timely and important in this regard. Too many
Christians today—Catholics most definitely included—have
built their lives on sand by giving a higher priority to
this world than to the Kingdom of God, and so if the
threatening storms do arrive, their so-called faith will
come crashing down. We must be sure we’re putting Jesus
first; we must be closely united to the One Who promises
that He has conquered the world (Jn. 16:33), seeking His
guidance in all things and learning to trust in His care for
us. This also involves keeping a proper perspective; as one
Christian leader pointed out, “The reason Christians are
being persecuted is because we are winning, not because we
are losing.” Satan knows his time is short, and that the
victory promised through the Immaculate Heart of Mary draws
near; therefore, we should see the frightened roars of his
servants for what they are: the death rattles of a doomed
and defeated kingdom of evil.
Fourthly, if we’ve not already done
so, we should very soon make whatever material or physical
preparations we feel the Lord is calling us to do. Perhaps
that may mean slowly weaning ourselves away from an
over-reliance on technology; certainly it means being
cautious in our use of electronic devices, including being
careful what we watch on TV and assuming our telephone
conversations and computer communications are being
monitored. We should also pray about possibly storing food
and water, acquiring useful barter items in case of an
emergency or economic collapse, and purchasing any religious
articles or books we may need or want while they’re still
available. These preparations, however, must be undertaken
in a spirit not of fear and selfishness, but one of
generosity and trust. Through Mr. Leary and various other
alleged messengers, Jesus has promised that when it comes to
food and water and other needed supplies, He will, if
necessary, multiply what we have—but only if we
generously share with others in need.
Lastly, we must pray and sacrifice
as if our future and the future of our country depend on
it—for they do. Our active participation in Mass, our
attendance at Eucharistic Adoration, our Rosaries and Divine
Mercy chaplets, our freely-chosen prayers offered in
reparation for the sins of the world, and our fasting and
other acts of penance, can unleash great spiritual power—not
only benefiting ourselves and our loved ones, but also
resulting in the conversion of many sinners and the
delaying, lessening, or even prevention of many predicted
chastisements. Prayer is extremely powerful—especially the
two greatest prayers of all: the Mass and the Rosary.
As Our Lady told us at Fatima, we
need to pray for the souls in purgatory, the conversion of
sinners, and for peace in the world—and today it’s more
evident than before that we must also pray for the Holy
Father and all leaders of the Church, for the moral and
spiritual renewal of our country, and for the restraining of
all who seek to implement an evil agenda and harm the people
of God. Prayer may delay, mitigate, or
12 - Countdown to the Coming Persecution
even prevent a coming religious
persecution—and at the very least, it will help us and many
others be spiritually ready if and when it arrives.
According to recent prophecies, some followers of Jesus will
experience hardship, imprisonment, or even martyrdom; many
others will be led to places of refuge, and all who place
their trust in the Lord will have their names written in the
Book of Life.
As Archbishop Sheen warned, holding
onto the truth may well earn us the world’s hatred—but it’s
precisely this sort of persecution that reassures us that
we’re on the winning side. The Lord has promised us a share
in His victory. In the meantime, He asks us to be watchful
and ready, to reject the temptation to be anxious or
fearful, and to turn to Him in all our needs. Most of us
are still proud to be citizens of the United States, but our
true allegiance is, and always should be, to the Kingdom of
God. The blessings and freedoms we’ve experienced as
Americans must not lessen our willingness to surrender
everything to Christ, even to the point of dying in His
Name—for in this way alone will we produce a rich harvest (Jn.
12:24-25).
HOMILY - 4/22/12
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year B)
I. Introduction
There’s a cemetery in Geneva, Switzerland, famous for
its many beautiful and expressive monuments and tombstones.
A particularly striking one has a granite carving of a
father lying in his grave, with his daughter kneeling beside
him, weeping and praying. Behind her is a statue of Christ,
holding His arms outstretched over the two of them, with an
inscription reading: “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (Tonne,
Five-Minute Homilies, Year B, p. 84). This image is
very appropriate, and, I think, very consoling. Jesus does
indeed share in our sufferings and death, and He offers us a
share in His glory and His new life.
II. Development
Many of us—even if we won’t admit it to ourselves—have
an inferiority complex. We become very concerned over our
image and what people think of us, and what others might say
about us if we do, or don’t do, certain things. At the same
time, we think to ourselves, “If people knew the real
me, they’d be disappointed or critical or even disgusted,”
or “I can’t afford to be my real self around others, because
then no one would like me,” or “Why can’t I get things
together and be competent and talented, the way everyone
else seems to be?” Self-acceptance is a real problem for
many people today—but part of the Good News of the Gospel is
that we have a God Who loves us just as we are, even as He
offers the grace needed to become the persons we’re meant to
be.
Today’s readings present Jesus as One Who understands
our weakness, Who sympa-thizes with us in our time of need,
and Who calls us—in spite of our unworthiness—to play an
important role in the coming of His Kingdom. The disciples
were grieving over their Master’s death, and confused by the
reports of His resurrection. Jesus came to be with them on
the evening of Easter Sunday; He wanted them to know they
were not alone. His first words to them weren’t “Why did
you run away when I was arrested?” or “Why did you abandon
Me?” or “Why did you forget My promise to rise on the third
day?” Instead, Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus is the One Who brings peace to those who grieve, who
suffer, or who doubt their own worth as persons. He knew
what it was to suffer and die; by showing the apostles His
glorified humanity, He wanted them to know that His
followers can rise to new life. In the 1st Reading St. Peter
addressed some of the people who were responsible for the
Lord’s death. He didn’t threaten or condemn them; rather,
he explained that everything that had happened fulfilled
God’s plan. Peter also called his hearers to a change of
heart, saying, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that
your sins may be wiped away.” In the 2nd Reading St. John
says, “If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for
our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the
whole world.” Jesus is perfect and strong, and in this He
makes up for our sinfulness and weakness; He experienced
death, but He gives life. As the reading goes on to say, we
accept this gift by trying to keep His commandments.
III. Conclusion
One of the tragedies of this past century is that many
children grew up in abusive homes; some of them remained
miserable and were scarred for life, but others showed
resilience by growing up to become reasonably happy,
well-adjusted adults who made a success of themselves. A
number of psychological studies discovered the secret of
those who overcame the odds: each of these children found
an adult mentor outside their dysfunctional family—a
grandparent, clergyman, teacher, coach, or some other caring
person. Having a loving adult who accepted the child and
encouraged the development of his or her potential made all
the difference (Steve May, The Story File, p. 3).
If an imperfect, sinful human being can provide such a
great gift to someone in need, imagine what Jesus can do for
us. He knows what it is to suffer, to be misunderstood, and
to be rejected; He wants us to know what it is to rejoice,
to be made spiritually perfect, and to use our gifts in a
way that has eternal significance. If we were to take an
inventory of all our worries, problems, and burdens, I think
we’d discover that—in one form or another—Jesus has already
experienced them Himself. Are we afraid of the future, or
experiencing great tension? Jesus was afraid, and under
great stress, in the Garden of Gethsemani. Have we been
betrayed by someone close to us, or abandoned by friends
when we really needed them? Jesus experienced these
things. Have other people rejected us through no fault of
our own, or falsely accused us of wrongdoing? This was
Jesus’ fate. Have people ever made fun of us, or wished us
ill? Jesus was mocked and cursed and unjustly condemned.
Do we bear the cross of physical problems, or grieve over
the death of a loved one? Jesus suffered terribly while
carrying His cross, and on Calvary His heart was nearly
breaking when He saw His Mother’s grief over His suffering.
In virtually every way we might mention, Jesus knows from
His own experience the burdens we bear—and He is with us to
help us. There’s an even greater truth than this, however:
Jesus is not only the Crucified Lord, but also the Risen
Lord. He not only helps us endure our sufferings; He gives
them meaning. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and
He wants us who share His cross also to share these joyous
gifts. This means we can experience a deep inner peace even
when, on the surface, we’re very busy or worried or
confused. This means we can live according to God’s
standards instead of society’s, and find satisfaction in
doing so. This means we can give God control of our lives,
and discover that, while it’s risky and challenging, it’s
also exhilarating. This means we can see good in other
people which we might otherwise have overlooked, and we can
see opportunities and blessings where other people see only
problems. This means we don’t have to be imprisoned in
guilt over our sins and failures and mistakes, but can rise
above them through God’s grace. This means discovering we
have something valuable and important to offer to the world,
despite our weaknesses and failings and feelings of
inferiority. Above all, answering Jesus’ call to glory
means looking forward to a life of perfect happiness in His
Kingdom. We don’t have to deny our worries and difficulties
and problems, but only keep them in perspective. Jesus
passed through suffering and death to everlasting life. We
are on this same journey—and because He loves us and accepts
us, Jesus invites us to travel it with Him.
HOMILY - 4/15/12
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (Years A, B, C)
I. Introduction
On a cold April night, a giant ocean-liner—considered
the safest ship ever built because of its state-of-the-art
watertight compartments—struck an iceberg on its maiden
journey across the Atlantic and sank with terrible loss of
life. . . . If you think I’m talking about the sinking of
the Titanic, which occurred exactly 100 years ago
today, you’re mistaken. The details I’ve just mentioned
were all part of a short novel written by an American author
named Morgan Robertson, and published in 1898—fourteen years
before his eerily accurate fictional story came true.
Robertson came very close to predicting the size and length
of the ship, the number of persons on board, the inadequate
number of lifeboats, and the ship’s speed when it struck the
iceberg. Most amazingly, he named his fictional ship the
Titan—just two letters different from the real ship’s
actual name (David Wallechinsky, Amy & Irving Wallace,
The Book of Predictions, p. 390). Naturally, no one
took the story seriously, and fourteen years later an
imaginary tragedy became real.
Many 20th century disasters were imagined, warned of, or
predicted in advance—only to be met by indecision, doubts,
or disbelief. For instance, in 1972, when the World Trade
Center was nearing completion, one expert warned that if
ever there was a fire above the 65th floor, the towers would
collapse—a tragic event that unfolded on live television on
Sept. 11, 2001. During the Roaring Twenties, a few
foresighted experts warned of a possible stock market
collapse, but almost no one paid attention. In the early
1930s an admiral in the U.S. Navy proved that Pearl Harbor
was highly vulnerable to a surprise air raid launched by
enemy aircraft carriers—but nothing was done. A scholar
used the prophecies of the 16th century seer Nostradamus to
predict quite accurately the course of World War II,
publishing his book in 1939—just months before the war broke
out. Both President Lincoln and President Kennedy were
warned of the danger of assassination, and these fears were
realized. Also, there have been, and still are, many
alleged prophecies in the realm of private revelation
speaking of potential chastisements unless our nation turns
back to God—but most people ignore them. Of course, there
have also been numerous mistaken predictions and misguided
warnings, so everything has to be taken with a grain of salt
and subjected to prayerful discernment. Humanity’s track
record, however, shows that regardless of the reliability of
the prophet and the import-ance of the message, our natural
inclination—or, we might say, our default setting—is one of
doubt. Most people find it psychologically difficult, if
not impossible, to believe something that would require them
to make major changes in their outlook or behavior. For
instance, if you had announced to the passengers embarking
on the Titanic, “Don’t go! Your ship is in danger of
sinking after hitting an iceberg—and in fact, there was even
a story written about this fourteen years ago,” no one would
have listened or taken you seriously. A refusal to believe
often seems to be part of our human nature. That can cause
much unnecessary suffering when it comes to worldly events,
but doubt becomes truly tragic only if it keeps us from
accepting our eternal destiny as children of God. The Risen
Lord calls us to believe in Him and to accept Him as our God
and Savior—and only if we do this can we be certain the
story of our lives will have a happy ending.
II. Development
St. Thomas doubted the other apostles when they insisted
they had seen the Risen Lord, and in fact, there was
actually nothing wrong with him being skeptical; according
to St. Gregory the Great, “In a marvelous way God’s mercy
arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the
wounds of his Master’s body, should heal our wounds of
disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our
faith than the faith of the other disciples” (Breviary,
Vol. III, p. 1517). Thomas doubted the words of other
fallible human beings like himself, but he immediately
abandoned his disbelief when he came face to face with his
Lord and God. This, in fact, is a very wise approach for
all of us to follow: a certain skepticism or reserve when
it comes to worldly values and assertions, and a willingness
to believe and change our lives accordingly in the face of
divine revelation and unchanging truth.
III. Conclusion
One hundred years ago, most people believed in the
inevitability of human progress and the unswerving forward
march of civilization; they could not have imagined the
horrors of World War I, which would break out just two years
later, followed by the rise of totalitarianism, a still more
disastrous war, the Nazi holocaust, the invention of nuclear
weapons, ever-growing terrorism, widespread religious
persecution, and many other tragedies which would make the
20th century the bloodiest era in human history. We may
shake our heads over the naïveté and lack of sophistication
of the people back then—but are we really much better? So
many people today, if not actual atheists, live as if God
doesn’t exist, and instead seem to believe that science and
technology will be able to solve all our problems, that big
government deserves our allegiance and servitude in exchange
for meeting all our most important material and social
needs, and that the measure of a happy and successful life
is wealth, leisure, and entertainment. Moral and spiritual
truths, on the other hand, are met with disbelief or
indifference—especially when presented by organized
religion, and particularly by the Catholic Church. History
shows this worldview to be exactly backwards: God’s word
has proven to be utterly reliable, again and again, but
worldly values and human societies and governments always
end up failing and disappointing those who place their trust
and hopes in them.
St. Thomas the Apostle should perhaps be the patron
saint of the early 21st century, for in his questioning
nature he demonstrates an approach that would serve us
well: skepticism toward the claims of fellow human beings,
and heartfelt faith in the presence of Divine Truth. As the
Titanic was sinking, the orchestra continued playing
on deck in order to calm the panicked passengers, and one of
the pieces they performed was “Nearer My God to Thee.”
Undoubtedly many of the almost 1500 people who died that
night came closer to God, crying out for His forgiveness and
help—and the Lord in His mercy surely allowed their tragic
deaths to become instead an entry into a glorious eternal
life. We shouldn’t need an imminent disaster or the
prospect of immediate death to make us profess our faith;
instead, we should live all our days, no matter how safe,
uneventful, or routine, in a way that proclaims to Jesus,
“My Lord and my God!”
HOMILY - 4/8/12
EASTER SUNDAY (Years A, B, C)
I. Introduction
Over the centuries, a number of ancient customs and
beliefs have shaped society’s understanding and celebration
of Easter. The word itself comes from the name of a pagan
goddess of spring, and for the Saxon people, April was
“ostermonud”—that is, the month in which the harsh, cold
wind ceased coming from the east—marking the end of winter.
A popular Christian legend held that the sun danced in the
sky on Easter Sunday; because the date of Easter is
determined by the first full moon occurring after March 21,
it can fall as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.
The custom of Easter eggs dates back to the ancient
Persians, who used them to represent the ongoing struggle
between good and evil; Christians later adopted the egg as a
symbol of life coming forth from death and of the empty
tomb. Another such symbol involves the resurrection of the
mythical bird known as the phoenix. Ancient peoples
believed that when this bird reached the very old age of
500, it self-ignited and died in the fire, and then a new
phoenix arose from the ashes; not surprisingly, early
Christian art often used the phoenix as a symbol of Christ
rising from the grave (Quotes & Anecdotes, p. 399).
Today, of course, for many people Easter is nothing more
than an occasion for Easter-egg hunts, candy-filled Easter
baskets, new clothes, and family get-togethers. None of
these things are wrong in themselves, but as Christians, we
are called to have a much deeper and personally-compelling
experience of this feast. Jesus is risen from the dead and
reigns as the Lord of eternal life—and He promises to share
this gift with all who have a living faith in Him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
II. Development -- Easter Vigil only:
When the women approached the tomb of Our Lord, they found
that His Body wasn’t there; instead, angels informed them
that He had risen, as He had promised, and they were told to
share this news with others. Easter is an event too big to
be kept to ourselves; the Church is compelled to share the
amazing news of Christ’s Resurrection. The Old Testament
readings we’ve heard this evening provide a summary of God’s
plan of salvation. God created the world and everything in
it, and after humanity sinned, He set the process of
redemption into motion—a plan involving Abraham, Moses, the
prophets, and many other holy men and women, and culminating
in the death and resurrection of His own Son, Jesus. St.
Paul instructs us that through baptism, we share in Christ’s
death on the cross—and this allows us also to share in His
Easter triumph. Accepting this gift, however, requires us
to reject the false values of this world and instead live by
the standards of God’s Kingdom; as St. Paul says, we “must
think of [ourselves] as being dead to sin and living for God
in Christ Jesus.” Only if we allow the seed of new
spiritual life to take root and grow in our hearts can we
hope one day to share in the fullness of eternal life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
II Development -- Easter Sunday only:
When Mary Magdalene approached the tomb of the Lord, she
found that His Body wasn’t there, and she did the right
thing by immediately informing Simon Peter and another
disciple. None of them at first understood the meaning of
the empty tomb, but after they encountered the Risen Lord,
they believed in His Resurrection and they shared this
amazing news with others. This should be our reaction, as
well; Easter is too big and too important an event to be
kept to ourselves. The preaching of St. Peter described in
the 1st Reading brought spiritual life to those who heard
and accepted it, and we must try to offer this same witness
to others through our words and example. If our faith is
genuine, it should make a difference in how we live; as St.
Paul says in the 2nd Reading,
Colossians: we must think of what is
above, not of what is on earth.
1 Corinthians: we must remove from our
lives the old “yeast” of malice
and wickedness, and replace it with
the bread of sincerity and truth.
Through Christ, we are to become a new creation, living in
such a way that it becomes easier for those around us to
believe in and desire the gift of eternal life through
Jesus.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * III. Conclusion
There’s a legend about a monk who found a crown of
thorns—perhaps the very one, he thought, which had been
thrust upon the head of Jesus Himself. On Good Friday the
monk placed the crown of thorns on a side altar of the
cathedral; it looked cruel, ghastly, and painful, and all
the people who glanced at it quickly turned away, for it
reminded them of the ugliness and cruelty of their sins. At
sunrise on Easter Sunday, the monk decided he should remove
the crown of thorns, as this bloody reminder of Good Friday
would be out of place—but when he entered the cathedral, he
noticed a strange fragrance, and at first had trouble seeing
because of a bright light coming from the side altar. It
turned out the thorns of the crown had been transformed into
roses of the rarest beauty and most pleasing aroma (Tonne,
Stories for Sermons, Vol. 2, #347). Jesus seeks to
work a similar miraculous transformation in our own lives,
changing despair into hope, boredom or spiritual
listlessness into excitement, dread into joyful
anticipation, outer turmoil into inner peace, nagging doubts
into fervent faith, sinfulness into holiness, and spiritual
death into everlasting life. Our sufferings can become the
starting point of eternal joy; through Christ, we can rise
phoenix-like from the ashes of our difficulties and failures
into a new life of unending beauty and delight. All it
takes is our willingness to say “yes” to Jesus, allowing Him
to be the Lord not only of eternity, but also of our daily
lives. He has conquered sin and death, and He invites us to
share in His everlasting triumph.
HOMILY - 3/25/19
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
During the Communist rule of Rumania in Eastern
Europe, a Protestant pastor named Joseph Ton was
arrested by the secret police after publishing a
controversial sermon, in which he urged all the churches
not to allow the Communist government to take control of
their ministries. Ton was dragged before an important
official and told that he must publicly retract his
sermon, but he responded vigorously, “No, sir! I won’t
do that!” The official was shocked that anyone would
dare to respond so forcefully to the secret police, and
he demanded, “Aren’t you aware that I can use force
against you?” Ton answered him, “Sir, let me explain to
you. You see, your supreme weapon is killing. My
supreme weapon is dying. . . . You know that my sermons
are spread all over the country on tapes. When you kill
me, I only sprinkle them with my blood. They will speak
ten times louder after that, because everybody will say,
‘That preacher meant it because he sealed it with his
blood.’ So go on, sir, kill me. When you kill me, I
win the supreme victory.” The official was stunned and
disturbed by the pastor’s conviction and willingness to
die, and he reluctantly ordered Ton released, realizing
that while his sermon was a problem for the Communist
regime, his martyrdom would create a far greater problem
(Larson, Choice Contemporary Stories & Illustrations,
#148).
Many times it is difficult or costly to follow
Jesus—but, if we rely on His strength, it’s always
possible. The Christian life isn’t always easy, but our
efforts to persevere in and of themselves bear witness
to the truth of the Gospel. God’s grace is most
powerful and active within us when we’re willing to make
sacrifices for what we believe.
II. Development
In the Gospel Jesus speaks some very powerful and
challenging words: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to
the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.
But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus, of
course, was speaking of Himself, foretelling the
terrible death He was about to endure. He admitted that
His soul was deeply troubled, and indeed, the Letter to
the Hebrews speaks of Christ calling out to God with
cries and tears; nevertheless, Jesus was faithful to His
mission, and this allowed the Holy Spirit to work in Him
in a perfect and unlimited way. In speaking of the
grain of wheat that must die in order to produce a rich
harvest, Jesus is also referring to each of His
followers, for He says, “Whoever loves his life loses
it, and whoever hates his life in this world preserves
it for eternal life.” Our Lord did not literally mean
we should hate the gift of life; rather, we must be
willing to surrender all things to God, including our
will, our desires and plans, and—if necessary—our
earthly lives. God’s will must come before everything
else; as the prophet Jeremiah tells us, His law must be
written upon our hearts. This means it’s not something
shallow or something easily discarded when we find it
inconven-ient; no, His law is meant to be so deeply
rooted within us that we will do our best to follow it
even when doing so involves a real sacrifice. Jesus was
glorified because He was willing to pay any cost to do
His Father’s will, and He asks us to order our
priorities in this same radical way.
III. Conclusion
One day a missionary in Korea was traveling through the
countryside with a friend, and they saw a young man pulling
a plow in the field, with an older man holding the handles.
“They must be very poor,” said the friend, and the
missionary explained, “They had an ox, but when the church
was being built, they wanted to give something—so they sold
their ox and gave us the money; that’s why they have to plow
that way.” “What a sacrifice!” the friend exclaimed, but
the missionary said, “They didn’t call it a sacrifice;
instead, they thanked God for giving them an ox they could
sell” (Knight’s Master Book of 4,000 Illustrations,
p. 586). In one sense, we might say that what these two
Koreans did went above and beyond the call of duty—but in
another sense, we might say they were merely doing what
followers of Christ are expected to do. As St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton wrote in a letter to one of her acquaintances,
“You think you make sacrifices. Look at the sacrifice of
Calvary and compare yours with it.” Jesus gave everything
for us, and so it’s not too much for Him to ask we live our
lives for Him—and “dying to self” in this way leads to an
eternal reward out of all proportion to the sacrifices
involved in discipleship.
Many Christians today are persecuted and even martyred
for their faith; there are many unsung heroes of our society
and Church who strive to do the right thing in spite of
great obstacles or difficulties, and I know that many of you
are doing your best to follow Jesus even though you have
heavy crosses to bear. God calls each of us in different
ways; He sees our efforts and promises to reward them
wonderfully and lavishly. In the meantime, our fidelity
allows Him to do great and powerful things. For instance,
when you make the sacrifice of getting up every Sunday for
Mass, even though you’d rather sleep in or relax, you’re
giving your children a good example that may stay with them
the rest of their lives—and God’s grace is at work in and
through you. The same thing is true when you bite your
tongue instead of swearing or criticizing someone, or when
you do a favor for someone even though it’s inconvenient, or
when you keep a promise that’s become harder than you
expected. Your children and loved ones see these things,
and as they absorb this lesson, they’re touched by God’s
grace. When you take the time to welcome someone who’s new
in church or in the neighborhood, or when you donate to
charity even though you’d rather spend the money on
yourself, or when you’re polite to someone who’s often rude
to you, or when you’re honest even though you may have to
pay a price for it, or when you volunteer your valuable free
time to a cause you believe in, you are allowing God to work
through you; you may be setting into motion a chain event of
grace, or setting the stage for a small but important part
of God’s plan, or touching someone’s life in a way that will
become fully known to you only in heaven.
Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it
remains just a grain of wheat—but if it dies, it produces a
rich harvest. If we cling to what we have and what we want,
we limit what God is able to do through us; if instead we
surrender ourselves to His will, especially when it’s not
easy, His Holy Spirit will work signs and wonders, and we
will play our role in helping bring about His kingdom.
Jesus has shown us the way; may we have the desire,
strength, and courage to follow.
HOMILY - 3/18/12
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
At many televised sporting or public events we’ll see a
sign held up by a devout Christian with this Scriptural
reference: John, chapter 3, verse 16. This verse is part
of today’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not
perish but might have eternal life.” Verse 17, which
immediately follows, is also highly significant: “For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.”
These two verses became famous to many people as the
result of America’s astronaut program. During one of the
lunar explorations, special space suits were designed for
the pilots of the command module and the lunar module; each
had a long flexible tube to supply oxygen to the astronauts
while they were walking in space. The receptacle in the
command pilot’s suit for the oxygen tube was called the
J3:16, and in the lunar pilot’s suit the J3:17. The
designer stated that he was specifically thinking of these
two passages from St. John’s Gospel; he explained that just
as J3:16 and J3:17 supplied the astronauts with needed
oxygen during their journey from one space module to
another, so these Scripture verses supply us with the
encouragement and guidance we need during our journey
through life (Link, Illustrated Sunday Homilies, Year
B, Series I, p. 26). Jesus’ words in the Gospel are like a
breath of fresh air, giving us the wonderful and amazing
news that there are no limits to God’s offer of mercy and
salvation.
II. Development
Throughout the centuries, and sadly, even today, many
people have understood God only as a Judge to be feared, and
not as a Father to be loved. Today’s readings bring out the
latter themes of love and forgiveness, which are vitally
necessary in understanding of who God truly is. The 2nd
Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians tells us that God
“is rich in mercy, [and] because of the great love He had
for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions [and
sins, He] brought us to life with Christ.” We did not earn
or deserve this; it’s His generous gift—and no greater proof
of God’s love could ever be asked or given. The 1st Reading
states, however, that rejecting this love can have dire
consequences. The leaders and people of Judah turned away
from God and rejected the messengers He sent, so the Lord
allowed His chosen people to fall into the hands of their
enemies, and a long period of suffering and exile resulted.
Even then, however, the Lord did not forget them; He
inspired King Cyrus of Persia to free the Jews and allow
them to return and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. In the
Gospel Jesus promises that those who believe in Him, and
live accordingly, will be saved. As Jesus said, during
Israel’s long journey in the desert, many people were bitten
by poisonous snakes, but those who looked upon a bronze
serpent made and attached to a pole by Moses were healed.
In the same way, Jesus was lifted up on the cross—and all
who look on Him with faith are saved from the poison of
sin. Thus, through Jesus we are given the chance of
salvation.
III. Conclusion
One hot summer day a girl entered an ice cream shop,
carefully clutching her money, but the owner sternly ordered
her outside and told her to read the sign on the front
door. Disappointed and embarrassed, she stepped out of the
shop, followed by a big man who had just purchased an ice
cream cone. The girl read the sign, which said “No Bare
Feet,” and because she was barefooted, she started to turn
away in tears. The man sat down on the bench in front of
the store, took off his size 12 shoes, and called to the
girl, saying, “Here. You won’t be able to walk in these,
but if you sort of slide along, you can get your ice cream
cone.” Then he lifted the girl up and put her feet into his
shoes, saying, “Take your time; I get tired of moving them
around, and it’ll feel good just to sit here and eat my
cone.” With a huge smile of thanks, the girl shuffled
inside and made her purchase (Cavanagh, Sower’s Seeds
Aplenty, p. 5). By demonstrating a generous and
compassionate heart, a big man helped a little girl follow
the rules in a loving way—and this is what God does for us:
He exercises mercy in helping us meet the demands of divine
justice. On our own, our sinfulness makes it impossible for
us ever to be saved—but through the gift of God’s Son, all
things become possible.
Lent is usually experienced as a time of penance and
sorrow for sin, and this is how it’s supposed to be—but it
should also be an experience of joy and relief. God does
not hold our sins against us; if we are truly sorry, He is
certain to forgive us and make us part of His Kingdom.
Moreover, if we’re not even sure we are truly repentant, but
want to be sorry, He counts that as genuine
contrition on our part. This wonderful news means three
things in particular for us. First of all, God desires that
we love Him, not fear Him—and everything we do should be
motivated by this love. The Lord desires our faith to be a
wholehearted response to Him, and not merely the following
of rules and command-ments. Secondly, we must be
honest—both with God and with ourselves—in admitting our
sinfulness, and we must use the grace He offers to overcome
our faults. The Lord always forgives us, but He asks that
we never give up the struggle to improve ourselves.
Thirdly, we must in turn forgive others. Our Heavenly
Father gives mercy to those who show themselves to be
merciful. Only when we let go of anger and bitterness are
our hands free to receive God’s forgiveness and blessing.
If there’s anyone here who’s wondering, “Does God
really forgive all my sins?,” the answer is “yes,” for
doing so gives Him great joy. If anyone wonders, “Will God
forgive even the sin I’m most ashamed of, or the one I’m
having the most trouble overcoming?,” once more the answer
is “yes,” for our Heavenly Father is not only rich in mercy,
but lavish in sharing it. If anyone wonders, “Will God save
me in spite of my unworthiness?,” again the answer is “yes,”
if only we choose to accept His generous gift. Today’s
Gospel promises that God so loved the world He gave His only
Son for our salvation, and that Jesus came into the world
not to condemn it, but to save it. These truths are a
central part of our faith, and Lent in particular is a time
for us to reflect upon and rejoice in them. There are no
limits to God’s offer of love and mercy—and it’s up to us
not to limit our response.
HOMILY - 3/11/12
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
As a priest for almost thirty years, I’ve been assigned
to a number of parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and
have seen and served in a variety of church buildings. As a
deacon, I was first assigned to St. Thomas a’Becket Parish
in Canton, which was then in the process of raising money to
build a church. That meant the parish had to rent a local
public elementary school to hold Mass each weekend. Every
Saturday at 5pm we’d go there and set up a portable altar
and pulpit on the stage of the gymnasium for 6pm Mass, and
every Sunday after the noon Mass we’d disassemble everything
and put it away over in a corner. I was no longer at the
parish when the church was built, but I came back for the
dedication Mass, which was most impressive. I was next
assigned, as a deacon, to St. Raymond Parish in northeast
Detroit, which had a beautiful, large older church; the long
center aisle was especially loved by brides, most of whom
enjoy taking their time coming down the aisle on their
wedding day. After I was ordained a priest, I went to Our
Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe: a very
affluent parish with a rather simple church dating from the
1950s; it was always intended it would eventually be
replaced by a newer and nicer building. My next assignment
as an associate pastor was to St. Clement in Center Line,
which had a huge, modern church dating from the 1960s. It
was so large that just before Pope John Paul II came to
Detroit in 1987, the 1200 member special choir for the papal
Mass at the Pontiac Silverdome rehearsed at St. Clement
because of its central location and large size. St.
Clement’s tall, distinctive soft green roof even today
serves as a convenient landmark for airplane pilots flying
overhead.
I also served as an associate at St. Robert Bellarmine
Parish in Redford—another church with a simple design dating
from the 1950s, and which reminded me a lot of Our Lady Star
of the Sea. In 1992 I became pastor of Our Lady of Loretto
Parish in Redford, which had a fairly small, simple church.
To be honest, my first impression of the interior of the
church was that it was rather ugly: light green cinder
block walls, gray carpeting, and dark brown pews salvaged
from a closed church in Detroit. I got used to it, but
when—in 1999—I saw that Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse
Pointe was finally going to build its new church, I
immediately called and asked for the pews from their old
church, which they graciously offered us. I was personally
happy at this material link between my first parish as an
associate and my first parish as a pastor—both of which were
named in honor of Our Lady. A donor at Our Lady of Loretto
gave us money for new carpeting, so after the last Mass one
Sunday, we let parishioners remove and take home the old
pews; we set up the altar and temporary chairs down in the
basement for daily Mass, and on Monday we painted the walls
a more attractive cream color. On Tuesday and Wednesday the
carpeters installed the new, green carpeting, and on
Wednesday and Thursday evenings our volunteers brought in
and bolted down all the high-quality pews we had obtained
from Star of the Sea Parish. We had to move things along
because there was a wedding scheduled for that Saturday, but
the renovation came off without a hitch: it was like a
completely new church interior in less than a week, for
under $25,000. (I’m sure I’ll never see anything like that
again.) Then I was assigned here to St. Edward’s, which
surely has the most beautiful grounds, and one of the most
churches, in the Archdiocese. However, whether a church
building is beautiful or ugly, new or old, modern or
traditional, large or small, elaborately decorated or fairly
plain, every Catholic Church is holy and unique because of
the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus—and so we should feel
privileged, prayerful, and peaceful every time we come
here.
II. Development
Of the Ten Commandments given in today’s First Reading,
the First and Third speak of the worship we owe God—worship
which can occur anywhere, but usually inside a building.
Because these Commandments were so important to the Jewish
people, they built a magnificent Temple in Jerusalem for
this purpose—and because Jesus obeyed these and every other
Commandment perfectly, He was infuriated when He saw profane
activities occurring in the Temple. Ultimately, however,
His own Body is the true Temple of God. His enemies didn’t
understand this, but we know what He meant: it’s the
Presence of the Eucharistic Jesus in the tabernacle, and in
a little while on the altar, that makes this building a
sacred place—and if we truly understand and believe this,
we’ll show it by our behavior and by our attitude here in
church.
III. Conclusion
The people at all the parishes I’ve served in have been,
by and large, reverent in church, including here at St.
Edward’s—but there’s always room for improvement. As we
enter church, we should bless ourselves with holy water, as
a way of reminding ourselves of and renewing our baptismal
commitments. We genuflect or bow while looking at the
tabernacle as a sign of reverence to Our Lord’s Eucharistic
Presence. While it’s all right to acknowledge one another,
we should try to maintain a quiet and prayerful spirit
before and after Mass, particularly if we see someone else
praying. Obviously, we should never—unless we have a
medical condition requiring it—chew gum or eat or drink
while in church, and, of course, we should never litter,
make a mess, or leave the pew in an untidy manner. During
Mass we should participate as fully as we can, for the very
reason we’re here isn’t to kill time or merely fulfill an
obligation, but to observe the First and Third Commandments
by worshipping God—and this requires our active
involvement.
We have every reason to be proud of the beauty of our
church, and we should be profoundly grateful that Jesus is
here in His Eucharistic Presence. However, Our Lord also
wants to be here in our hearts, and each one of us is called
to a Temple of the Holy Spirit. This amazing and, indeed,
miraculous transformation occurs when we’re living in a
state of grace and honestly trying to do God’s will, and is
deepened every time we worthily receive Holy Communion. The
idea that the very God Who created us and the entire
universe also desires to live within us is
incredible, but true—and it demands our grateful, humble,
and wholehearted response. If this is our choice, then the
great beauty of this church building will be but a pale
reflection of the beauty of our souls, and of the
everlasting and perfect beauty awaiting us in our true home
of Heaven.
HOMILY - 3/4/12
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
I’d bet that, for many of us when we were growing up,
one of our favorite movies was The Wizard of Oz. One
of the scenes from the movie that’s always stuck with me is
when Dorothy and her friends return to the wizard’s castle
and bring him the broomstick of the recently-deceased Wicked
Witch of the West, as he had ordered. However, the
wizard—who appears to them as a huge, disembodied vaporous
face, flanked by streams of shooting fire—curtly dismisses
them without granting their requests. While Dorothy is busy
arguing that, as a great wizard, he should keep his word,
her little dog Toto pulls open the curtain covering a small
booth where an old man is operating some sound and
light-producing equipment. The wizard orders “Pay no
attention to that man behind the curtain,” but it’s too
late: Dorothy quickly realizes this simple, unimpressive
old man is in reality the supposedly great and powerful
Wizard of Oz.
Many people throughout history have tried to make
themselves appear more important and impressive than they
actually are, seeking after what we might call a “fake
glory” or a “false majesty.” Sometimes this is harmless and
even legitimate, as when a magician or illusionist uses
secret tricks and special effects to make it appear he has
amazing powers. Other times, however, this effort can be
quite sinister and deadly, as when the propaganda leaders of
Nazi Germany before World War II used carefully-organized
rallies, marches, and pageantry to make it appear Adolf
Hitler was a divinely-appointed messiah destined to lead his
people to victory and greatness. All attempts to achieve
worldly glory, whether in something as simple as people
inflating their resumès and greatly embellishing their
accomplishments, or as ambitious as presidential candidates
hiring high-priced public relations firms to make themselves
appear as a modern-day Abraham Lincoln, are ultimately
doomed to fail. The only true and lasting glory belongs to
Jesus Christ—and only by humbly following Him can we hope to
share in it.
II. Development
God’s ways are not our ways, as today’s readings vividly
remind us. The Lord asked Abraham to do the
unthinkable—sacrifice his son Isaac—as a way of testing his
faith. Abraham passed the test, though without actually
having to go through with the sacrifice, and God promised to
reward him immeasurably—far beyond anything Abraham could
have expected. Moreover, many centuries later God Himself
actually did what He only pretended to ask of Abraham; as
St. Paul explains in the 2nd Reading, God’s willingness to
sacrifice His Son Jesus for us proves that the Lord is truly
on our side, if only we trust in Him. Again, this is much
more than anything we could have imagined or asked for. In
the Gospel Jesus showed three of His apostles something
beyond their expectations: for a few minutes His divine
glory shone through His humanity; this gave Peter, James,
and John a foretaste of how their Master would appear
following His resurrection, and hinted to them that God’s
plan is infinitely greater than anything the human mind can
conceive.
III. Conclusion
During the installation or coronation of a new pope—a
ceremony filled with pomp and religious glory and
majesty—it’s customary to have a simple ritual in which a
rope bundle is burned, and as the flame dies, the new
pontiff is reminded in Latin, “Sic transit gloria mundi,”
which means, “Thus passes away the glory of the world.”
Everyone, no matter how great or humble, needs to remember
that this world cannot offer us anything of lasting value;
true and eternal glory can only be found in Christ. In
terms of achieving such joyful and everlasting glory, I
think today’s readings have five lessons to offer us.
First of all, genuine glory comes from a willingness to
obey God, even when we don’t understand. It could not have
made sense to Abraham for God to command him to sacrifice
his son Isaac, a child almost miraculously given to him and
his wife Sarah in their old age, and through whom the Lord’s
promise to make of him a great nation would be fulfilled,
but Abraham didn’t doubt, argue, or hesitate—and as a
result, he is revered today by Jews, Muslims, and Christians
alike, and is greatly glorified in Heaven. God’s plan is
always best for us, even when we can’t comprehend it;
obedience is an indispensable first step on our journey to
everlasting happiness. Secondly, we don’t need to be
glorified or exalted in a worldly sense in order to be happy
or to achieve our mission in life. It doesn’t matter if
we’re foolish or disgraced in the eyes of the world, for as
St. Paul says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Human fashions and opinions quickly fade away; God’s
judgment endures forever. Thirdly, when we’re honestly
trying to glorify God by our way of life, we must first seek
to discover His will for us, instead of behaving impetuously
or running off half-cocked. Peter in his unthinking
exuberance wanted to erect three tents or shrines; he had to
be stopped short by the voice of God, which commanded, “This
is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” In the same way,
we must always glorify God by first of all seeking His
guidance in anything important we’re about to do. Fourthly,
just as Jesus led the apostles down the mountain back to the
challenges of daily life, we too have to leave behind any
intense spiritual moments or treasured experiences of love
and grace and continue fulfilling our everyday duties. God
usually doesn’t ask us to do great things, but He always
asks us to do routine things with great love and devotion.
Lastly, we must follow Our Lord’s example in being patient,
for real glory is worth waiting for. Jesus knew that before
He could be exalted as the risen Lord, He first had to
undergo His passion and death. In the same way, before we
can share His glory in Heaven, we must take up our cross
each day of our lives, persevering in spite of our
sufferings, weaknesses, and setbacks. The journey may be
long and at times difficult, but the outcome is certain and
glorious for those who remain true to Christ.
When Dorothy realized the man behind the curtain was the
supposedly great and mysterious Wizard of Oz, she reproached
him by saying “You’re a very bad man!” He responded, “No,
my dear, I’m a very good man—just a bad wizard.” The Lord
isn’t calling us to be wizards or magicians, or to do
anything glorious and amazing in a worldly sense, but He is
calling us to be good persons: living our faith,
proclaiming His truth, and sharing His love. This is how we
glorify His Name, and this is how we’ll discover and share
in the only glory that truly matters.
HOMILY - 2/26/12
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
A priest was once introduced to an Army officer who was
a much-decorated war hero. The priest happened to know that
the officer was a fallen-away Catholic, so he said to him,
“Captain, as a fellow American, I’m proud of you. The
medals you’re wearing show you’ve kept your vow to serve and
defend the United States faithfully and bravely, and I thank
you for that. Now, if you don’t mind, I want to ask you
about whether you’ve kept your other vow—your baptismal
vow—with a similar degree of faithfulness.” The officer
suddenly looked embarrassed, and didn’t know what to say, so
the priest continued, “Captain, you’ve often faced death and
have remained firm in fulfilling your duty amid the chaos
and danger of battle. How can you now be afraid of
fulfilling your duty as a Catholic?” The officer was
convinced by these words, and accepted the challenge; he
went to confession, amended his life, and began attending
Mass on a regular basis (Tonne, Stories for Sermons,
Vol. 4, #247). Each of us, by being baptized, have also
promised to put our faith into practice. If we’ve fallen
short, Lent is an opportunity to set things right, and if
we’ve been doing a good job, Lent is a chance to come still
closer to the Lord. Jesus invites everyone to believe in
the Gospel and to live as part of the Kingdom of God;
nothing is more important than this invitation and
commitment, and if we keep our baptismal promises, nothing
will give us greater joy.
II. Development
Promises are a very important part of God’s relationship
with His people, as we see in the readings for this First
Sunday of Lent. In the days of Noah, God cleansed the world
of sin by means of the Great Flood, but afterwards He made a
covenant, or sacred agreement, with Noah and his family that
never again would all bodily creatures be destroyed in such
a calamity; the Lord put a rainbow in the sky as a reminder
of this vow. St. Peter explains in the 2nd Reading that
“God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the
building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water. This,” St. Peter continues,
“prefigured baptism, which saves you now.” In the sacrament
of Baptism God cleanses us from original sin, welcomes us
into His family, and offers us the gift of salvation through
His Son Jesus Christ. We for our part express our belief in
God, and promise to reject sin and Satan and live as
faithful members of Christ’s Church. We human beings,
however, because of our weakness and limitations, are often
incapable of making such important promises and then
following through on them perfectly and completely; we have
to repent of our sinful failures and shortcomings, renew our
commitments, and—using God’s grace—try again and again to
live as we should. That’s why Jesus came preaching a
message of repentance and fulfillment, and by His example of
forty days of prayer and fasting, He shows one very
practical way of working to overcome the effects of sin in
our lives. Our weakness requires that we discipline our
wills and strengthen our commitment, for only in this way
will we be able to follow through on our baptismal promises.
III. Conclusion
Someone once counted all the promises in the Bible, and
said there are a total of 8,810. Of these, 7,487—about 85%
of the total—are God’s promises to us, and these are utterly
reliable (Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories,
Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 645). There was a very
devout, lifelong Christian whose deteriorating health
confined him to home, but who nevertheless placed all his
trust in God’s Word. When his pastor came to visit him, he
noticed that in the margins of the man’s Bible the word
“proven” was written over and over again; the man explained
that he kept track of God’s promises in the Bible, and he
wrote in that word every time one of them came true in his
life (Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book, p. 320). We
can afford to trust in God’s promises to us throughout our
lives; one day we will be judged on whether we’ve kept our
baptismal promises to Him.
Lent is a good opportunity for us to examine our
consciences in this regard, to repent of our failures, and
to use God’s grace in working to overcome our faults and
weaknesses. For instance, do we struggle to resist the
temptation to gossip? During these next six weeks Jesus can
help us make great strides in conquering this fault—if it’s
truly our desire to do so. Are we judgmental in our words
and our thoughts, or guilty of usually assuming the worst
about others? If so, the Lord wants this to be an important
focus of our Lenten observances. Are we somewhat lax or
lazy in fulfilling our spiritual and religious duties? This
Lent can serve as something of a “spiritual boot camp” or
refresher course on what it means to be a true Christian.
Are we often too afraid to defend our faith or stick up for
another person out of fear of how others might react? Jesus
wants to help us find inner resources of courage and
strength, but we must actively look for them between now and
Easter. Do we struggle with lust, pride, greed, anger, or
any of the other seven deadly sins? The Lord offers us
these coming six weeks as a time of promise—a promise that
He will help us conquer these temptations, if we’re willing
to do our part.
All of us know the date of our birth—but do we also know
the date of our Baptism? That, after all, is supposed to be
one of the most important days of our existence, a day that
changed the course of our lives. Our parents and godparents
promised to raise us in the faith, and every year at Easter
we personally renew these baptismal promises. How are we
doing? Are we living in a way that shows our Baptism wasn’t
just a formality, but a genuine commitment? Lent is a
chance to review our efforts, make any necessary
adjustments, and deepen and renew our promises to Christ—and
if we make good use of this opportunity, our Easter
celebration six weeks from now will truly be a foretaste of
the new life awaiting us in Heaven, where every one of God’s
promises is perfectly and completely fulfilled.
HOMILY - 2/19/12
SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
Years ago there was a doctor in Scotland, a devout
Christian, who was very lenient with his poor patients; if
they found it difficult or impossible to pay what they owed
him, he turned to their page in his ledger and wrote in red
ink the word “Forgiven,” thereby completely absolving them
from their debt. After he died, the executors of the
doctor’s estate found that most of the pages in the ledger
were marked in such a manner, and they decided the estate
would be much more valuable if all, or at least some, of
these debts were collected. This attempt, of course, was a
complete failure; the poor patients claimed they had no
money, or refused to pay a debt their late doctor had
already cancelled. So the executors took their case to a
local judge, but when he examined the ledger, he immediately
dismissed the case, saying, “There is no court in the land
that could enforce payment of these accounts marked
‘Forgiven’” (Anthony Castle, Quotes & Anecdotes, p.
183). So it is with the judgment of God. When we’ve
honestly and sincerely confessed our sins and He has marked
our account “Forgiven,” that’s the final word on the
matter—and this simple but undying truth is part of the Good
News of our faith, and a reason for us to be filled with
hope and joy and peace.
II. Development
No other religion emphasizes God’s mercy as much as
Christianity, and no other religion makes this mercy as
practical and available as Catholicism. The Israelites
believed in God’s power and willingness to forgive; today’s
1st Reading quotes the Lord as saying “It is I . . . who
wipe out your offenses; your sins I remember no more.”
However, even though they were God’s Chosen People, the Jews
could not have expected God to be so merciful that He would
send His Son to die for the salvation of all people. That’s
why the Lord says, “Remember not the events of the past, the
things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something
new!” St. Paul assures us in the 2nd Reading that God’s
promise is utterly reliable; His word to His children is not
sometimes “yes” and other times “no,” but always “yes.”
Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of divine love
and mercy, and we see in the Gospel that He was eager to
express this through His forgiveness of the paralyzed man’s
sins. He was fully aware that the man’s four friends went
to the trouble of carrying him up on the roof, opening a
hole, and lowering down on his mat primarily because they
believed and hoped Our Lord would heal him. Jesus intended
to do so, but He wanted to put first things first. He
forgave the man’s sins, and only then, to demonstrate His
authority to do this, physically restored the man’s ability
to walk. Sometimes sin, because of its corrosive and
destructive nature, harms not only our souls but also our
bodies, and ultimately leads to death. Jesus is the
Conqueror of sin and death. Through Him all things are made
new, and through the Sacraments of His Church we can become
a new creation.
III. Conclusion
A Protestant physician in Switzerland was once called
upon to treat a young woman who was seriously ill and
possibly near death; at the same time, because she was a
Catholic, a priest was called to hear her confession and
anoint her. The doctor examined her before and after the
priest’s visit, and was amazed at what he saw. The patient
had previously been terrified of dying, but was afterwards
calm and peaceful, and the following day her fever suddenly
broke, and she fully recovered. From then on, whenever the
doctor described this event, he always said with sincere
admiration, “Behold the power of Confession among
Catholics!” (Tonne, Five-Minute Homilies, p. 74).
Our deepest human need is to be loved, but because we are
sinners, this need for love goes hand-in-hand with the need
to know that our sins are forgiven. We as Catholics are
uniquely privileged in this regard. While we know that God
will instantly forgive us as soon as we sincerely ask in our
hearts for His pardon, and while our venial sins are
forgiven whenever we worthily receive Holy Communion, we
also have the confessional as a tribunal of mercy. In the
Sacrament of Reconciliation miracles of grace can occur; God
restores our relationship with Him, fills us with peace, and
marks the word “Forgiven” on the ledger page listing our
offenses.
In a few days we’ll begin the holy season of Lent: a
time for us to acknowledge, even more than usual, our
sinfulness and our trust in divine mercy. On Ash Wednesday
we’ll receive ashes on our foreheads as a sign of our utter
reliance on God for life and for forgiveness. On the
Sundays of Lent we’ll hear in the Scripture readings how
Jesus can help us overcome temptation and sin, and receive
the nourishment our souls need in the Holy Eucharist. On
the Fridays of Lent we’ll abstain from meat as a practical
expression of remorse, and have the opportunity to remember
and reflect on how Jesus suffered for us by praying the
Stations of the Cross. Throughout these upcoming six weeks
we’ll have to chance to show the Lord our sorrow for our
sins, and our desire to grow closer to Him, by our prayers
and our individual acts of penance. Most importantly,
throughout Lent we’ll have numerous opportunities to receive
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in which our sins are
forgiven, our relationship with our Father is restored and
renewed, and our hearts are filled with a peace unlike
anything this world can offer.
In his hatred for us, Satan wants to accuse and shame
us, and would love nothing more than to stamp our souls with
the words “Sinner!,” “Cursed!,” and “Condemned!” Jesus
assures us, however, that God desires to mark our souls with
the word “Forgiven,” and if He does, that’s the final word
on the matter. In order to receive the healing, freedom,
and peace for which we yearn, let us base our lives on this
promise.
HOMILY - 2/12/2012
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
About 120 years ago a poor immigrant from Europe,
seeking to make a new life for himself in America, was
discovered walking down the track of a railroad in New
Jersey, carrying all his worldly possessions in a large
canvas bag across his back. When he trudged past a railway
station, a railroad agent came out and ordered him off the
track, warning him he could be arrested for trespassing. At
this, the man said he had a right to walk on the track, and
as proof pulled out from his pocket a railway ticket good
for passage from Jersey City to Scranton, Pennsylvania. The
stunned agent asked the man why he wasn’t riding to his
destination. It turned out the poor foreigner thought his
ticket merely gave him the right to walk along the track
leading to Scranton; he was surprised and delighted to learn
that he could actually ride a train all the way there
instead (Knight’s Master Book of 4000 Illustrations,
p. 701).
Some people go through life wrongly believing they have
to do things the hard way, carrying all their burdens
without help or guidance, while relying only on their own
resources and strength. That was never God’s plan; as a
loving Father, He is eager to help us, if only we let Him.
This, of course, requires us to trust in Him, in
spite of any doubts and fears we may have—and those who are
willing to make this effort will discover spiritual peace
and joy, and reach their heavenly home.
II. Development
In ancient times lepers had an extremely hard life. The
leprosy referred to in the 1st Reading wasn’t just the
dreaded Hansen’s Disease we associate with the Hawaiian
leper colony of Molokai and similar places, but any
persistent skin disease. This made a person ritually
“unclean” and thus unworthy to participate in the
community’s worship of God—and because this was the most
important aspect of life for devout Jews, and because
leprosy was considered highly contagious, those afflicted
with it were forced to live apart from everyone else, with
no one to assist them. Lepers were forbidden to interact
with other people, even their own family members. Thus, it
was truly remarkable a leper dared approach Jesus and speak
with Him. Somehow he trusted that Jesus would not reject or
condemn him, and his trust was rewarded. Jesus was moved
with pity, so much so that instead of merely speaking the
words “Be made clean,” He actually touched the man—by which
He Himself technically became unclean. Our Lord was far
more concerned with responding to human suffering than with
strictly following the Law, for as He once said, He came to
fulfill the Law—namely, the Law that commands us to love God
and our neighbor. As St. Paul urges us in the 2nd Reading,
we must do everything for the glory of God, and one of the
ways we do this is by living in a spirit of trust: trust
that God’s grace is always available to us, no matter how
unworthy of it we may feel; trust that Jesus will always
accept us, despite our sinfulness; and trust that Our Lord’s
merciful love can make us clean, in spite of our sins.
III. Conclusion
St. Rose of Lima, who lived about 400 years ago and was
the first canonized saint of the New World, was mystically
married to Jesus—a privilege Our Lord has granted to certain
female virgins and religious over the centuries. Rose had
to fight her parents for the privilege of remaining a
virgin, for her mother was determined to see her married to
some eligible young man. To prevent this, Rose practiced a
form of self-imposed leprosy: she scarred her face with
pepper so no man would find her attractive. Her mother was
furious, but eventually her parents allowed her to live a
solitary life. In spite of her holiness and deep union with
Christ, however, Rose always had a fear of the dark—a trait
she inherited from her mother. One night, Rose’s mother
came looking for her, accompanied by her father. Rose
thought to herself, “How is this? My mother, who is as
timid as I, feels safe in the company of her husband. And
am I afraid, accompanied by my [divine] Spouse, Who without
ever leaving me, is continually at my side and in my
heart?” From that time on, Rose no longer feared
anything—and by living in this spirit of complete trust and
abandonment to God’s will, she made even greater spiritual
progress.
The more we trust in God, the more we allow Him to help
us, whereas the more we insist on doing things our way, the
harder we make our lives. Not only does our Father love us
more than we can imagine; He also knows what is truly best
for us—and the sooner we accept this truth and live
accordingly, the better off we’ll be. When the leper said
to Jesus “If You wish, You can make me clean,” Our Lord did
not respond as the religious leaders of the day would have
preferred—something like “Well, I do not wish it;
you’re violating the Law—get out of here at once!” Instead,
Jesus—moved with great compassion—said, “I do will
it; be made clean.” We’re called to have a similar spirit
of trust, whether we’re suffering from the spiritual leprosy
of loneliness or unpopularity, the social leprosy of
unemployment or poverty, or any physical ailment—be it
actual leprosy or anything else. Instead of trudging
through life like the immigrant who misunderstood the
purpose of a railroad track, Our Lord wants us to imitate
the trust shown by the leper who approached Him—a trust that
allowed Jesus to give him back his life.
For most of us, trust isn’t always easy—but for all of
us, trust is extremely beneficial and important. We don’t
have to take things to an extreme, as St. Rose did when she
disfigured her face in order to get her way, but we do have
to be firm in our commitment to Christ. God never forces
His blessings on anyone; He waits until our hearts are
open—and the more we live in this spirit, the easier it will
be for His grace to change our lives.
HOMILY - 2/5/12
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
At an athletic competition in Seattle, six young men
were lined up next to each other for the 100-yard dash.
When the starting gun sounded, all six took off, running as
hard as they could. About half-way down the track, however,
the lead runner stumbled and fell, skinning his hands and
his knees. The other five runners all stopped and helped
him up. After making sure he wasn’t hurt, they decided to
finish the race together, holding hands aloft. When they
all simultaneously crossed the finish line, it was
impossible for the judges to tell who had won the blue
ribbon, due in part to the tears they had in their eyes.
Everyone watching the event was deeply moved; the people in
the stands stood and cheered for ten minutes, knowing they
had witnessed something wonderful. The six young men were
competing in the Special Olympics, which as you probably
know, involves persons with mental disabilities—but on this
day they demonstrated their wisdom and understanding, and
gave an important lesson that caring for a fallen friend is
more important than winning a race (Steve May, The Story
File, p. 66). Life isn’t meant to be a race we win, but
a journey we successfully complete—a journey we travel with
others, and which leads to Christ’s Kingdom. Jesus calls
each one of us to follow Him on this journey, and the best
sign we’re truly doing this is our compassion for others.
II. Development
All of us experience varying degrees of suffering in our
lives, whether of a physical, spiritual, or emotional
nature; no one escapes completely unscathed. The 1st
Reading gives a vivid account of Job’s heart-rending
response to the unprecedented series of calamities he
experienced, leaving him miserable and without hope. Job’s
situation symbolizes the larger experience of human despair,
caused by the world’s hopeless slavery to sin and death. It
was precisely to free us from this slavery that God sent His
Son into the world. St. Paul tells us in the 2nd Reading
that he has freely embraced a different kind of slavery, one
involving not despair, but joy—namely, complete surrender to
the Gospel, an act of self-giving motivating him to make any
sacrifice necessary so that others might also come to know
Jesus. This was an incredible act of compassion on Paul’s
part, and in this, he was imitating, in his limited human
way, the infinite compassion of Christ Himself. We see in
the Gospel that after having finished preaching in the
synagogue, Jesus entered the house of Simon Peter—presumably
so He could rest and get something to eat. However, upon
hearing that Simon’s mother-in-law was ill, Our Lord’s first
reaction was to help her and heal her. Jesus is never
unmoved by human suffering; later that same day, He
generously helped all who came to Him, including everyone
who was ill or possessed by evil spirits. Our Lord was
suddenly very popular in Capernaum, and it would have been
quite easy for Him to remain there and bask in His success.
However, He chose to move on and minister in all the other
villages, where there were also many people in need—yet
another demonstration of His compassionate concern. If we
are truly to be His followers, we must try to live in this
same spirit.
III. Conclusion
A priest once went to visit a poor family. Upon seeing
him, the wife and mother burst into tears and exclaimed,
“Oh, Father, I just knew you would come today; I know you
can help me.” After they sat down, the woman began
describing everything that had gone wrong, all her problems
and worries, and all the reasons she was so miserable. The
priest interjected an occasional word of hope and
encouragement, but he didn’t know what else to say; her
needs seemed so overwhelming. Then, to his amazement, the
woman paused for a moment, then said, “Oh, Father, you have
been such a blessing to me right now—you’ve helped me solve
all my problems” (Tonne, Five-Minute Homilies, p.
72). The priest was bewildered, for he hadn’t offered any
solutions; then he realized it was compassionate sympathy
and understanding she was seeking.
Few of us can work miracles, come up with perfect
solutions on demand, or always make someone’s problems go
away—but all of us can be signs of divine compassion and
love. Jesus shows us how in the Gospel. First of all, we
must be willing to think first of others, instead of
automatically putting our own needs first. Our Lord was
undoubtedly tired after preaching in the synagogue and
freeing a possessed man from an evil spirit (as described in
last week’s Gospel), but upon hearing of the illness of
Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, He immediately went and healed
her. We too, when we encounter anyone in need, must respond
with a caring and generous heart, even if, like the priest
in the story, we don’t know exactly what to do. Secondly,
we mustn’t feel guilty over taking care of our own needs as
well. Jesus was able to rest and take refreshment in
Peter’s home, and He allowed the woman He had just cured to
wait on Him; this reenergized Him and enabled Him to
minister to the many people who came seeking His assistance
that evening. In the same way, we must be sure we get
enough rest, nourishment, and recreation, thereby ensuring
we’ll have the energy and strength to fulfill the mission
God has given us. In particular, this means using Sunday as
God intends: a day of rest, a day of worship and spiritual
growth, and a day of sharing with family and friends.
Thirdly, we see in the Gospel that Jesus went off to
pray—something He did quite regularly; time spent with His
heavenly Father gave Him the strength, courage, and wisdom
He needed. The same thing is true for us. We cannot hope
to accomplish anything worthwhile in God’s Name unless we
make quiet time with Him a regular part of our lives.
Building this into our schedule—even if just a few minutes
at a time—is absolutely essential if we want to grow in
Christ’s image, and only those who make a point of praying
when life is easy and routine will truly be ready when great
problems and times of crisis arise.
Life is not a competition, but a journey—and as a
journey, it’s not a sprint, but a marathon. We’re all in it
for the long haul, and we’re supposed to help one another
along the way. Jesus has given each one of us a mission to
fulfill, and a major part of that mission is bearing witness
to His love by the loving concern we show to those around
us. It’s by our compassionate love that the world will
recognize us as Christians, and it’s by this love that
Christ will recognize us and claim us as His own.
HOMILY - 1/29/12
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
Almost forty years ago a movie called “The Exorcist”
was breaking box-office records and grabbing the
nation’s attention. It involved a priest successfully
helping a young woman possessed by an evil spirit, and
it was based on the real story of a successful exorcism
which occurred in Maryland in 1949 (Link, Illustrated
Sunday Homilies, Year B, p. 55). More recently, the
movie The Rite, and the book on which it’s based,
tells the story of a young American priest trained as an
exorcist in a special course given in the Vatican; the
priest was somewhat skeptical of demonic possession at
first, until he apprenticed with an experienced Italian
exorcist, and saw first-hand the reality of evil spirits
and the harm they can do to persons under their
control.
Another book was published about twenty years ago
with the title An Exorcist Tells His Story. It’s
by the priest who serves as the chief exorcist for the
city of Rome, and contains many stories and lessons from
the experiences he and other Italian priests had. Many
times people seeking their help were in fact not the
victims of demonic possession, but instead suffered from
psychological and emotional difficulties; however, there
were also a number of cases of actual demonic
possession. Most of the time, when an exorcism was
called for, it was successfully performed. However,
there was at least one instance when this did not
happen. A priest was having great difficulty with a
big, strong young man possessed by an evil spirit, and
at one point was even forced to wrestle with him
physically. A few days later the priest received a
warning from Padre Pio, the famous Italian priest
recently canonized a saint. Padre Pio told him, “Don’t
waste time and strength on that young man. It is all
useless.” As Padre Pio knew from a divine inspiration,
nothing would work in that young man’s case--and in
fact, that’s how it turned out (Amorth, p. 84).
The Church teaches us very clearly that, firstly,
evil does exist and can do us immense harm, and
secondly, Christ has conquered evil and is far more
powerful than anyone or anything seeking to harm us.
That being the case, why might an exorcism fail?
Probably for the same reason we see so much wickedness
and suffering in the world: insufficient love. Unlike
the man in today’s Gospel, the young man in the story I
just mentioned did not want to be freed from the power
of the devil; he remained a slave to sin because he
would not surrender to love. In the same way, the world
around us will never be free from its slavery to Satan
until it accepts God’s grace. The coming of Jesus
inaugurated God’s Kingdom, but we must play our part in
its completion--and love is the key.
II. Development
Lucifer was the greatest of all the angels, but in his
pride he rebelled against God, and in the struggle which
followed, he and the one-third of the angels who followed
him were forever cast out of heaven. In his fury,
Lucifer--now also known as Satan--decided to spite God by
leading the rest of creation into sin and evil. That’s why
the devil and his evil spirits tempt us; they want us to
share in their own damnation, an eternity of loveless
misery. Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve, thereby
enslaving all of us, but God sent His Son to free us and to
allow us to choose for ourselves whom we will serve: the
Lord, or the devil. As we see in the 1st Reading, Moses
foretold the coming of a great prophet. Jesus fulfilled
this promise, but He was far more than just a prophet; He
came not only to teach of God’s Kingdom and make it present,
but also to shatter the power of Satan’s kingdom. The devil
himself recognized this, for in the Gospel the possessed man
cried out, “Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You
are--the Holy One of God!” With a simple word of command,
Jesus silenced the evil spirit and forced it to leave the
man. The devil has no power in the presence of perfect
Love, and must flee in shame.
III. Conclusion
If every person on earth opened his or her heart to the
power of God’s love, Satan and his evil spirits would
immediately be evicted from earth and cast forever into
hell. The fact that this has not yet happened means that
the world is severely lacking in love--and you and I bear
part of the blame for this, and you and I must be part of
the solution. We are called to be agents of God’s love,
recognizing that we are on the frontlines of the Church’s
fight against evil in the world. At times we may need to
fight Satan directly; demonic possession is relatively rare,
but demonic harassment and temptation happens quite a bit.
If a situation seems ominous or spiritually threatening, or
if someone is acting very negatively and out of character,
there may be an evil spirit working behind the scenes.
Scripture tells us Christians have the power to bind demonic
spirits in Christ’s Name; it’s simply a matter of praying
very quietly, “Evil spirit, I bind you in the Name of Jesus
Christ.” We can also pray the famous prayer to St. Michael
the Archangel, or a deliverance prayer (these are listed on
a special insert in today’s bulletin). Other powerful
weapons against evil include prayer--particularly the
rosary--fasting, and the use of holy water and blessed
religious medals and scapulars. I know of cases where such
things have been needed, and have been used successfully.
Most of us will probably not knowingly and directly
encounter spiritual evil, but all of us are called to fight
Satan indirectly--by making God’s love even more visible and
present in the world. We can do this by such things as
sincerely worshipping the Lord here at Mass, by receiving
the sacraments regularly and reverently, through eucharistic
adoration and through cultivating a devotion to Our Lady and
the other saints. Also, every good deed we do, every act of
love we perform, every inspiration of the Holy Spirit we
respond to, makes a difference in the world; one genuine
expression of love can create ripples of grace, touching
many lives and weakening the power of evil all around us.
In the movie “The Exorcist” the priest willingly
sacrificed his life for the sake of the possessed girl and
her family, and it was this which allowed the exorcism to
succeed--for Satan cannot withstand such perfect love. It’s
important to keep a proper perspective: Satan does exist,
but we can’t blame him for every sin we commit or for every
temptation we experience. He is dangerous, but only for
those who ignore or reject God’s grace. The devil is a
loser, and even now his kingdom is crumbling--thanks in part
to our prayers and our acts of faith and love. Jesus is
graciously allowing us to share in His victory--and this is
the most wonderful gift, the most exciting adventure, and
the most important calling we can ever experience.
HOMILY - 1/22/12
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
Once upon a time there was a very sensitive,
idealistic young man--we’ll call him Paul--who was
greatly troubled by the state of the world; the crime,
injustice, and lack of Christian charity which he
witnessed or heard about every day was very depressing
to him. Paul’s family and friends were used to him
talking all the time about his desire for a city that
would be like heaven on earth, a place where true peace
and justice were to be found. Night after night he
dreamed of such a place, and he was convinced that, with
a lot of work and through God’s grace, such a city could
exist on earth. One day Paul announced that he could
wait no longer. He packed his few belongings and a
simple meal, kissed his family goodbye, and set out in
search of the magical city of his dreams. After walking
all day, he found a comfortable spot among the trees
just off the road. Paul ate his meal, said his prayers,
and arranged a smooth spot on the ground to lie down..
Then, just before going to sleep, he took off his shoes
and pointed them in the direction he would continue
following the next day. As Paul slept, another traveler
came along. Finding Paul’s shoes, he decided to play a
practical joke; he turned them around so that they
pointed in the other direction. In the morning Paul
awakened, said his prayers, ate the remainder of his
food, and started walking in the direction his shoes
were pointing. Just before sunset he saw his heavenly
city in the distance--though it wasn’t as large or
lustrous as he expected, and in fact, it looked
strangely familiar. Paul walked down a street that
brought back memories of his own, stopped at a door that
reminded him of his own home far away, entered, and
began to greet the family who lived there--when the
truth of the situation became apparent. Taking this as
a sign from God, Paul then lived happily ever after in
what turned out to be the city of his dreams (White,
Stories for Telling, p. 92).
One of the lines everyone remembers from the classic
movie “The Wizard of Oz” is Dorothy’s repetition of
“There’s no place like home; there’s no place like
home.” If we’re fortunate, the reason there’s no place
like home is because it’s there we most fully begin to
experience God’s Kingdom. In spite of the problems and
worries and disappointments of life, we’re called to do
our part in recognizing and sharing God’s presence among
the people with whom we live and work each day--and our
willingness to do this can help make heaven seem to be
present on earth.
II. Development
It’s so often true that what we discover depends on what
we’re looking for--and today’s readings challenge us to look
at everything from the perspective of God’s Kingdom. The
people of Nineveh were willing to do this by doing penance
for their sins, as we see in the 1st Reading. Even though
Nineveh was large, powerful, and prosperous, its citizens
and leaders genuinely repented of their sins at the
preaching of the prophet Jonah--and as a result, they were
spared from disaster. When we repent of our sins and put
God first, everything else falls into place. St. Paul’s
words to the Corinthians are an urgent reminder to us; the
time is short, and sooner or later each one of us will leave
this life behind. Therefore, it’s necessary to give a
higher priority to God’s Kingdom than to the values and
concerns of this world. This is exactly what Jesus meant
when He said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand! Reform your
lives and believe in the Gospel!” Simon and Andrew, James
and John, and the other apostles took this message seriously
enough to follow Jesus; as a result, they became great
saints and now share in His glorious and eternal reign.
III. Conclusion
If we have the courage to answer God’s call, we will
transform our lives, and quite possibly the world around us;
if we try to see things from His point of view, we’ll gain
an entirely new perspective, and discover beauty and value
in the most surprising places and situations. For instance,
think of someone in your life whom you usually take for
granted. That person has hidden qualities, is very precious
to God, and--if he or she accepts the gift of
salvation--will one day be glorified in God’s Kingdom.
Imagine a little bit of that glory shining forth from him or
her right now, and try to treat that person with the dignity
that a child of God deserves. Think of someone in your life
who irritates you, perhaps with good reason. Jesus died for
that person, and would have done so even if he or she were
the only person in the world needing salvation. If Christ
could make the ultimate sacrifice on his or her behalf,
perhaps you too can be a little bit more understanding and
accepting--and your kindness might even draw forth a similar
response. The next time you’re stuck in traffic, you can
get angry and mutter under your breath--or you can say a
silent prayer for all the other drivers, for all the people
you’ve encountered that day, and for all your loved ones.
The next time you have a complaint or need to criticize
someone, you can choose to sugar-coat it with a compliment;
not only will it be easier for the other person to swallow,
but you’ll be helping create a peaceful atmosphere instead
of an angry one. The next time someone upsets or
disappoints you, remember the many times he or she has
pleased you or come through for you under difficult
conditions; keeping things in perspective this way is very
healthy--for both your body and your soul. The next time
you’re having a bad day, remember all the good days you’ve
had; the best way to forget our problems is to count our
blessings. And the next time you’re discouraged because the
peace and joy waiting for us in heaven seems so far away,
remember that the Kingdom of God is all around us, and can
be within us--if our hearts are open.
Abraham Lincoln once said that “Most people are about
as happy as they make up their minds to be.” If we decide
that our own agenda comes first, we’re setting ourselves up
for problems, disappointments, and unhappiness. If instead
we decide to believe in and live out the Good News of God’s
Kingdom, the Lord’s peace will fill us, flow through us, and
change our lives and the lives of others--and this wonderful
foretaste of heaven will make all our efforts
worthwhile.
HOMILY - 1/15/12
SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
I. Introduction
A woman named Sally was about to cross a busy city
street near a bus station, when an old man stopped her.
“Excuse me, Ma’am,” he said, “but I just want to take a
moment to thank you.” “Thank me for what?” she asked, and
the man explained, “You probably don’t remember me, but I
remember you. I used to be a ticket collector at this bus
station, and I got to recognize people who rode the bus
every day, like you. You always said ‘Good morning’ to me
with a cheerful smile, and I knew your smile was genuine and
had to come from somewhere inside you. Then one morning I
saw you with a Bible in your hand, and I figured that was
your secret. So I bought one, too, and it worked: I found
Jesus. So, thank you” (Illustrations Unlimited,
“Witnessing,” p. 491, #4).
This is a simple example of a Christian sharing her
faith, and having it make a difference in someone else’s
life. There are many ways we can do this: directly or
indirectly, verbally or silently, individually or as part of
a group. God wants us to be concerned not only with
ourselves and our loved ones, but with everyone we
encounter. We’re supposed to make this a better world for
one another; we’re also supposed to help others reach the
life to come in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord calls each
of us to grow in His love—and one of the ways we do this is
by sharing our faith in Jesus.
II. Development
As today’s readings show, an important part of God’s
plan for us is sharing our faith, so that through us, others
may also come to know the Lord. In the 1st Reading, the Old
Testament priest Eli was in charge of the Ark of the
Covenant—the solemn religious item symbolizing God’s
presence with His people; Samuel was his young apprentice.
It was a time when many people had forgotten God; even Eli’s
own sons were unworthy to carry on their father’s task.
That’s why God had announced that He would raise up a
prophet —a holy man who would remind people of His laws.
Samuel was to be that prophet, and today we see him being
called by God. It took a while for the priest Eli to
realize what was happening, but when he finally did, he
urged Samuel to be open and responsive to the Lord. We may
have the same opportunity in our lives, especially with
young people entrusted to our care; we must help others
listen to God and respond to His call.
In the 2nd Reading St. Paul speaks on the importance of
sexual morality; he was writing in a society almost as
immoral as our own—if such a thing can be imagined. By
their proper use of sexuality, Christians would stand out,
and that’s what Paul wanted—for only a faith recognized as
requiring dedication and sacrifice can convince outsiders of
its truth. Today we have the opportunity—and the urgent
duty—of helping shape society’s values, not only in the area
of sexuality, but in every area touching upon human life and
dignity. Only if we’re committed to our faith will other
people take it seriously.
In the Gospel John the Baptist immediately pointed out
Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Savior, to two of his own
disciples, even though it meant they’d leave him. When
Jesus invited these two to go with Him, they went without
hesitation, and as a result, they recognized and believed in
Jesus as the Messiah. Then Andrew, one of the two, summoned
his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus. Throughout this
passage there’s a theme of generosity. John was generous in
sharing his knowledge of Jesus’ identity with two of his
disciples. The two disciples were generous with their
trust, even though they knew almost nothing about Jesus at
that point. When Andrew discovered who Jesus was, he was
generous in sharing this good news with Peter. In the same
way, we must be generous in sharing our faith, for we can’t
really say we love God unless we want other people to know
and love Him, too.
III. Conclusion
In 1930, a disarmament conference was held in London in
an effort to reduce the chances of war between the world’s
leading naval powers. King George V gave the opening
address at the conference, which was relayed by radio to the
United States. However, as his speech was about to begin, a
cable broke in the New York radio station, leaving millions
of listeners without a sound. A junior mechanic at the
station, recognizing the importance of the moment, solved
the problem by picking up both ends of the cable, allowing
250 volts of electricity to pass through him. This did him
no lasting harm, but did allow the king’s message to flow
through him and reach millions of listeners (Nelson’s
Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p.
784). Few of us will be called to do anything quite that
dramatic or hair-raising, but all of us are expected to let
God’s truth and grace flow through us—for it’s entirely
possible that our encounter with someone may be the only
opportunity he or she has to see the Gospel in action, and
the only time that person experiences a personal invitation
to turn to Jesus.
We must urge others to listen to God, as Eli instructed
Samuel to do. We must live by high moral standards, as Paul
reminded the Corinthians. We must imitate John the Baptist
by pointing out Jesus to others; we must also have the
courage to follow the Lord, as the two disciples did, and
then we must share our personal knowledge of Jesus, as
Andrew did with his brother Peter. These are all ways of
evangelizing, or sharing our faith. Our good example, our
simple acts of kindness, our prayers for those who do not
believe, can all make a difference in someone else’s life;
our genuine concern for our neighbor, our efforts to help
those in need, and our willingness to respect the dignity of
everyone we meet, can bear witness to Jesus’ presence in the
world.
It must have made Sally’s day when the retired ticket
collector thanked her for her Christian example. It will be
a far more wonderful experience for us if someone comes up
to us in Heaven and says “Thank you for your Christian
witness; it’s one of the reasons I’m here now”—that will
certainly be a joy that lasts for all eternity. God’s Good
News is meant to be shared. If we refuse to do this, we’re
being selfish, but if we want others to know Jesus as we do,
we’re showing that He truly is our Master and Lord.
HOMILY - 1/8/12
EPIPHANY (Years A, B, C)
I. Introduction
This is an exciting time of year for football fans.
Most of the college bowl games have been played, and the NFL
playoffs are beginning. Even many non-football fans have
heard of one of the greatest football coaches ever, Vince
Lombardi—the legendary leader of the Green Bay Packers. He
once wrote a book about football called Run to Daylight.
In the chapter on running backs, he made a point that’s
actually a lesson for life. Lombardi described how a
football team learns the different plays it’ll use in the
upcoming game in order to advance the ball and score a
touchdown, and then practices them over and over again, to
the point where they become almost automatic. Running plays
in particular require each player on offense to know,
remember, and execute his blocking assignment. Lombardi
wrote, however, that when the running back is handed the
ball, everything happens so fast there’s time for him to
remember just one thing: run to daylight. If the hole in
the other team’s defense doesn’t open up where expected, but
the running back sees daylight—that is, an opening in the
defensive line somewhere else—that’s where he has to run (Sunday
Sermon Treasury of Illustrations, p. 301).
This is a lesson for all of us. Life doesn’t always go
according to plan; the goals we set, and the opportunities
we hope for, quite often don’t make themselves available—but
success can frequently be found somewhere else, if only we
look for it. This is especially true in terms of faith,
particularly as we live in a world darkened by sin, and find
ourselves surrounded by doubt and temptation. Jesus is the
true light of the world, and as long as we continue
searching for and following Him, our ultimate success is
assured.
II. Development
Today’s feast of the Epiphany is meant to be a happy
celebration, as illustrated in the words of rejoicing given
in today’s 1st Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the
glory of the Lord shines upon you. . . . Nations shall walk
by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” God
promised to send a Savior into a world darkened by sin, and
St. Paul states in the 2nd Reading that this promise of
salvation is intended for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.
However, everything depends on whether or not we’ll accept
this gift. The magi, or wise men, saw the wondrous light of
a star and felt a joyful compulsion to follow it,
recognizing it as the herald of a newborn king. King Herod,
however, did not receive this news in a spirit of openness
and trust; the Gospel tells us that he and the religious and
political elite were greatly troubled. Instead of joyfully
seeking the light, as the magi did, he chose the way of
darkness. Evil persons find themselves threatened by the
light of divine love and truth, and they usually flee from
it, or even try to extinguish it. Those who travel the way
of righteousness, however, welcome the light—for it allows
them to discover and fulfill their purpose in life, and to
find freedom and peace by giving of themselves, just as the
magi generously presented their gifts to Jesus and His
parents.
III. Conclusion
The inventor of the telegraph, Samuel Morse, was a
devout Christian, and in fact the first message he sent in
1844 on his new invention was “What has God wrought!”
Morse’s invention brought him world-wide fame and success,
and years later, in an interview, he was asked if he had
ever experienced obstacles and problems in his efforts to
create the telegraph. “Oh, yes, more than once,” he said,
and when asked what he did on those occasions, he answered,
“I prayed for more light.” When the interviewer inquired,
“Did the light come?,” Morse said, “Yes. And may I tell you
that when flattering honors come to me from America and
Europe on account of the invention that bears my name, I
never felt I deserved them? I had made a valuable
application of electricity, not because I was superior to
other men, but solely because God, Who meant it for mankind,
must reveal it to someone, and was pleased to reveal it to
me” (Knight’s Master Book of 4000 Illustrations, p.
370). This simple story illustrates the important truth
that while God is pleased to share His light with us, we for
our part must be willing to accept it with gratitude and
humility, and then share it with others.
A few weeks ago, on December 21, we experienced the
shortest day of the year—the winter solstice, on which
there’s a minimal amount of sunlight. On every day since
then, the sun is progressively rising a few minutes earlier,
and setting a few minutes later. We live in a world
darkened by sin, a world in which even many of those who
would never knowingly give themselves over to evil are
groping and wandering in a seemingly permanent state of
shadows and twilight. The world unknowingly but desperately
needs the light which Jesus alone can give. Our Lord calls
all of us, as His followers, to reflect this light. Through
our love, our example, and our prayers, we can help slowly
lift the gloom and make the world around us a brighter
place—bit by bit, just as each day the sun is shining a
little longer. Humility, gratitude, and a faith that’s made
real through our love and our prayers, demonstrates our
willingness to run to daylight, and our allegiance to Jesus
as the true light of the world.
Darkness often seems to have the upper hand, but it has
no creative power of its own, and must retreat whenever the
light advances. The magi knew and accepted this truth, and
were rewarded with the opportunity to worship the newborn
King. Herod rejected the opportunity to step into the
light, and is therefore now cast into the outer darkness of
eternal agony and regret. Everyone on earth, including
ourselves, our loved ones, and all the people we personally
influence or encounter, must make this same choice. Jesus
is the true light of the world, and we can only find our way
successfully through life by allowing His light to shine in
our hearts.
HOMILY - 1/1/12
JANUARY 1 - MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (Years A, B, C)
I. Introduction
Over a hundred years ago there was a rural cemetery down
South with a number of different types of inscriptions
carved on the tombstones. Some were very elaborate, giving
the person’s name and including remarks such as “Beloved
Husband, Loving Mother, Noble Parents,” and so forth.
Others were tragic, such as “He died too young,” or “May she
finally find peace.” Still other contained epitaphs which
attempted to summarize the person’s life. One said, “He
will be missed by everyone who knew him”; another
inscription read, “She was noble and heroic in life and
death.” There was one tombstone for an ordinary man who had
lived a good, long life, and on it his wife had arranged for
a few simple words to be carved which summarized how he had
lived. The inscription read, “He always appreciated”
(Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 264).
This idea is what a simple woman of good common sense
wanted to remember about her husband: the fact that he
always appreciated everything she did for him. This, in her
eyes, made his life a success, and made his memory
cherished. Understanding life in this way has a lot of
value, particularly in terms of faith. Almost everyone who
has religious faith desires, among his or her other goals
and resolutions, to come closer to God. One of the best and
easiest ways of doing this is simply by appreciating all His
gifts.
II. Development
Who, among all the saints and religious figures of
history, is closest to God? As everyone knows, the answer
is Mary, whom we honor today as the Mother of God. The
reason she achieved greater spiritual growth than anyone
else is hinted at in today’s Gospel. We’re told that Mary
kept all the things that happened in her heart—one
translation of Scripture says that she “treasured” them. In
other words, the Blessed Virgin recognized and appreciated
all that God was doing in the world around her and in her
life. She reflected on the way God’s plan was unfolding;
she humbly consented to be part of it, and she praised the
Lord for His goodness to her.
The 1st Reading from the Book of Numbers speaks of
receiving God’s blessing. Mary was greatly blessed because
she had developed a tremendous capacity for gratitude. The
2nd Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians speaks
of receiving membership in God’s family. Mary is the
foremost member of this family because she was truly open to
His gifts and eager to use them in His service. Mary
achieved spiritual perfection not merely by being free of
all sin; she actively searched for God in everything she
did, and she never failed to thank Him for the many
blessings He bestowed upon her.
III. Conclusion
The great author Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “The
person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in
life.” Our Lady was never spiritually asleep; she was
always aware of and grateful for the Lord’s blessings. This
attitude of thankfulness was an essential factor in her
ongoing spiritual growth, and the same thing can and should
be true for us. New Year’s Day is traditionally a time for
making resolutions; one of the best resolutions we can make
for the coming year is to be more aware of and grateful for
all of God’s many gifts to us. Like the man who lived down
South over a hundred years ago, we should appreciate
everything other people do for us—especially the members of
our own families. It’s not sufficient to keep this sort of
gratitude to ourselves; we have to express our thankfulness,
letting others know that their efforts are recognized, and
that their presence makes a difference. Doing this not only
encourages others to continue their acts of service; being
grateful also makes us better persons and allows us to
become more spiritually alive.
Like Mary, we have many things to keep and to treasure
in our hearts. We should thank God for the privilege of
being Americans, Catholics, and members of our families and
of this parish family; we should praise Him for His mercy
and kindness, for our membership in His family, and for the
presence of His Son as we gather here for the Eucharist. It
can be a very good and helpful thing to look back at the
year just ended and to reflect on the blessings and gifts
we’ve received, and to look forward to this coming year,
asking for God’s grace to make good use of the opportunities
it holds.
Whatever else may or may not occur in this coming year,
we can say with certainty that 2012 will bring us one year
closer to our personal encounter with God at the moment of
death, when we’ll be asked to give an account of how we’ve
lived our lives. 2012 should also be a year of continued
spiritual growth and of preparation for the day of judgment
which all of us will experience. Being grateful and
appreciative is an easy and practical way of moving in this
direction. This was true for Mary in the most wonderful and
perfect way imaginable, and it can also be true for us.
HOMILY - 12/18/11
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
In today’s world, identification codes and passwords and
secret numbers often have an important role. Many of us can
remember our experiences when we were young: children like
to have clubhouses and fortresses, and to allow entry only
to those who know the password—and in particular, boys will
use this method to keep out girls. In our adult world,
there are many examples of such restricted knowledge. If we
use an automatic teller-machine in doing our banking, we may
have to punch in our personal identification number. If we
work with a computer, we may have to type in the proper
password—otherwise we’ll be denied access to the information
we seek. There are automotive anti-theft devices to prevent
a car from starting unless the correct number is entered. I
had one of those once, but I had to have it disconnected
because it caused my battery to go dead—in effect, my theft
guard was itself stealing energy from my car. Entry codes
have other uses. Some friends and I once stayed at a hotel
in the French city of Caen. Instead of giving us an outside
key in case we returned after the lobby was locked for the
night, the concierge showed us an electronic lock that would
open the door for us if we entered the correct number:
7346. My friends were worried about forgetting the number,
but I said it would be easy to remember: 73 is the total
number of books in the Bible, and 46 is the number of books
in the Old Testament.
There are many examples of people needing the correct
code or password or special type of knowledge. This is true
not only for life in general, but especially in a spiritual
sense. It’s part of our human nature to seek happiness, but
many people fail because they use the wrong “passwords”:
money, drugs, sex, ambition, power, strange religious cults,
and so on. There is only one password or entry code to
everlasting happiness and salvation: Jesus Christ.
II. Development
God’s plan of salvation cannot be understood in mere
human terms; we can share in it only if we try to see it
from God’s point of view. In the 1st Reading King David,
though well-intentioned, had a limited, earthly perspective;
he wanted to build a beautiful temple for God. The Lord,
however, had a far greater type of house in mind: not a
building, but a royal dynasty, from which would come the
Savior, whose reign would last forever. This was an amazing
promise on God’s part, and it was natural to assume He meant
it only for the Jews, His Chosen People. However, as St.
Paul explains in the 2nd Reading, God’s ways are not limited
by mere human expectations; He desired to offer the key to
salvation to all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. The theme
of trusting in God, even when His ways are beyond our
comprehension, is shown in a very beautiful manner in the
Gospel. Mary was frightened and confused by the angel
Gabriel’s message—but as soon as he mentioned God’s will,
she immediately expressed her cooperation and trust. Mary
knew that happiness is to be found by relating to God on His
terms, not our own.
III. Conclusion
During the Great Depression, when hunger and poverty
were widespread throughout our country, many hoboes passed
through a town in Texas, and it seemed quite a few of them
stopped at one house in particular, asking for a meal—and no
one was ever turned away. The family wondered why their
house was singled out, and one of the hoboes finally told
them. The street curb in front of their house was marked in
a secret code known only to hoboes; it meant that the people
in that house would always feed down-on-their-luck
strangers. When one of the sons asked his mother if he
should erase the mark, she thought a moment, and said, “No,
leave it there” (Link, Illustrated Sunday Homilies,
Year B, Series II, p. 10). That’s the sort of code we will
want on our souls when we appear before the judgment seat of
God: compassion for others.
Life in general, and the upcoming season of Christmas in
particular, makes sense only if we try to understand and
experience them from God’s point of view. Unfortunately, as
all of us know, many people never make this effort. It’s
quite possible to go through this entire yearly celebration
without ever once understanding or responding to its true
meaning—and that’s a great waste. Consider these
questions: What difference will this Christmas make in your
life? What will be left after all the Christmas presents
are unwrapped and put away and forgotten, when the Christmas
trees are taken down and the ornaments stored away, the
Christmas cards thrown out in the trash, the cookies and
fruitcakes all eaten, and the nativity sets packed away for
another year? What remains after all that—what was the
purpose, and what were the results? I’d like to suggest a
very simple answer and a very attainable goal: this
Christmas should help you come closer to God. As a result
of Christmas 20--, you should become a better person.
Take this opportunity to remind yourself how much God
loves you and cares for you; if He’d send His Son to earth
for your salvation, He’ll certainly help you with your
everyday worries and problems. Take the opportunity to
remind your family how much you love them and appreciate
them. It’s easy to take them for granted; Christmas is a
good time to remember what they mean to you. Make use of
any opportunities to help someone in need; being good to
others is a wonderful way of responding to God’s blessings
to us. If you’ve been promising yourself to spend a little
bit more time praying or reading the Bible, keep that
promise; it will be one of the best gifts you ever give
yourself. And above all, never forget the true meaning of
Christmas and the true meaning of life: salvation comes
through Jesus Christ. By trying to do all these things,
you’ll become a better person and become more capable of
receiving God’s gifts. Many other people are running
around, trying all sorts of things to fill their emptiness
and to find some glimmer of happiness, desperately searching
for the correct entry code or password. We know the
secret—and by our example we must share it with others.
Both during the Christmas season and throughout the rest of
the year, Jesus must be the “code word” we program into our
lives—anything less just won’t be enough.
HOMILY - 12/11/11
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
It must have seemed to the Pharisees and the priests and
Levites sent from Jerusalem that John the Baptist was being
deliberately vague and uncommunicative—for instead of coming
right out and telling them who he was and what he was doing,
he gave short, cryptic, or confusing answers to their
questions. In fact, this approach helped build up suspense,
giving his message about One more powerful than him coming
after him that much more impact. A few years ago a pastor
taking a flight home from vacation ended up using the same
technique. He was seated next to a well-dressed businessman
reading the Wall Street Journal. Because he felt
embarrassed at being casually dressed, the pastor decided to
avoid conversation, but the businessman introduced himself
and began telling how he was a rising executive in a
nationwide company, remarking, “We are the fastest growing
organization of our kind in the country. It’s really good
to be part of an organization like that, don’t you think?”
The pastor thought to himself, “This man is proud of his
work and accomplishments. Why can’t we Christians be like
that? Why are we so often apologetic about our faith and
our church?”
When the businessman asked the inevitable question, “And
what do you do?,” the pastor decided to take the
plunge. “I’m in the personality-changing business,” he
said; “my organization applies basic theocratic principles
to accomplish indigenous personality modifications.” The
businessman looked impressed, and said, “You know, I think
I’ve heard of that. Do you an office here in the city?”
“Oh,” responded the pastor, “we have offices in every city,
and in almost every country—do you have that?” “Well, no,
not yet,” answered the businessman. “But how is your
company managed?” The pastor explained, “It’s a family
concern. There’s a Father and a Son, and they run
everything. And the employees? That’s really something to
see. They have a ‘Spirit’ that pervades the organization.
It works like this: the Father and the Son love each other
so much that their love filters down through the entire
organization, and we find ourselves loving one another too.
In fact, I know people in the organization willing to die
for me. Do you have that in your company?” The businessman
shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and trying to change the
subject, said, “Um, no, but do you have good benefits?”
“Oh, yes,” said the pastor, “and they’re substantial—life
insurance, fire insurance, and even holdings in a mansion
that’s being built for me right now for my retirement. Do
you have that?” “No,” the businessman admitted, and then
remarked, “One thing bothers me about what you’re
saying—I’ve read all the journals, and if your business is
everything you say it is, why haven’t I heard about it
before now?” “That’s a good question,” the pastor said,
“for we have a 2000 year tradition.” “Wait a minute!” the
businessman exclaimed, and the pastor interrupted, saying
with a smile, “You’re right—I’m talking about the Church.”
The businessman answered, “I knew it! You know, I’m
Jewish,” to which the pastor responded, “So, are you ready
to sign up?” (Swindoll’s Ultimate Book Of Illustrations
& Quotes, p. 617). This is one of many possible
approaches to evangelization. We don’t have to go up to
people and ask directly “Have you been saved?,” but we are
supposed to share our faith—and if we’re willing to do this,
God will give us the opportunities.
II. Development
Good news really isn’t good news if we keep it to
ourselves—and this is especially true when it comes to the
Good News of salvation. The 1st Reading from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah foretells the mission of Jesus, for the
passage says “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because
the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad
tidings to the poor . . . to announce a year of favor from
the Lord. . . .” In some way, every follower of Jesus
shares in this mission, and in the 2nd Reading St. Paul
tells us how to witness to the Gospel. We must refrain from
every type of evil; we must rejoice always, constantly give
thanks, pray without ceasing, and be ever open to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this way our example will
have a powerful influence on others, and in this way,
we—like St. John the Baptist—will be able to point others
toward Jesus.
III. Conclusion
A woman driving through a little town at midday stopped
at a small restaurant, only to find it locked, with a sign
in the window saying, “Out for lunch; back in an hour”
(homily notebook, “Witness”). Naturally, the woman decided
she was probably better off not dining there. If the owner
of a restaurant doesn’t believe enough in his own cooking to
eat lunch there, he isn’t going to attract many customers;
in the same way, if Christians don’t believe in their faith
enough to share it, the Church isn’t going to make many
converts, and the Gospel isn’t going to have much of an
impact on the world. We are all called to evangelize, and
this is one of the things on which we’ll be judged. Some of
us are outgoing, and will talk about anything—except
religion; if so, we need to ask ourselves why that is, and
whether, in the light of eternity, that attitude really
makes sense. Some of us are quiet or shy, and can’t imagine
ourselves talking about our faith, especially with people we
don’t know well; if so, we have to remind ourselves that
Jesus promises us that if we’re faithful to Him, the Holy
Spirit will give us the right words to say.
If we truly love Jesus, we’ll want to please Him by
giving Him what He desires most: our loving service on
behalf of the Gospel. For most of us, this does not mean a
public ministry of evangelization, but simply a willingness
to use whatever opportunities the Lord offers us. Standing
up for what we believe, defending the Church’s teachings
when they’re attacked, refusing to compromise our values or
go along with the crowd on issues of morality, trying to be
friendly and approachable, offering encouragement when we
see someone struggling with a problem, inviting someone to
come to or return to the Church, and being willing to talk
about our faith in a low-key, non-threatening way when
someone asks, are all important means of sharing the
Gospel. We don’t necessarily have to use a clever marketing
approach, like the pastor talking to the businessman, but we
do have to bear simple and sincere witness to Jesus in our
everyday encounters, while always asking the Lord to guide
us in what to say and do. John the Baptist had a flair for
the dramatic. Jesus isn’t asking that of us, but He does
expect us to be clearly identifiable as His followers by the
way we live, in this way testifying that He alone is the
true light of the world.
HOMILY - 12/3/11
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
Once there was an Indian tribe whose camp was at the
base of a great mountain. The land was rugged and life
was hard, but the Indians persevered. Their chief had
led them with wisdom and fairness for many years, but
now death was approaching. He called his three sons to
him and said, “I am dying, and one of you will succeed
me as leader of our tribe. I want each of you to climb
our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful.
Return here in three days; whoever brings the most
outstanding gift will become the new chief.” The young
men went off, and each returned three days later. The
first son brought his father a flower which he had
picked near the summit of the mountain; it was very rare
and beautiful, and the father was pleased. The second
son handed his father a beautiful stone which he found
in a crevice in the side of the mountain; it was
colorful and smooth, having been polished by the rain
and the wind, and again the father was pleased. The
third son approached, but his hands were empty. He
said, “Father, I have brought back nothing to show you.
When I stood on the top of the mountain, I saw that on
the other side there is a beautiful land filled with
green pastures and a crystal lake. Because I had this
vision of where our tribe could go for a better life, I
was so overwhelmed that I could not bring anything
back. I’m sorry.” To the young man’s great surprise,
his father answered, “You shall be our tribe’s new
leader, for you have brought back the most precious
thing of all--the gift of a vision for a better future”
(Wharton, Stories and Parables for Preachers and
Teachers, p. 29).
Christianity is a religion of hope, for it offers a
vision of a glorious new future, and shows us how to
obtain or receive what God has promised. Our Advent
preparations and longing for Christmas are meant to be a
symbol of how we should live our earthly lives: with
our eyes and our hearts firmly fixed on our future home
of heaven.
II. Development
Today’s readings call us to be a people of hope and
invite us to place our trust in Jesus as the One sent by
God. John the Baptist appeared in the desert as Christ’s
forerunner, calling the people to repentance so that they
might be ready for the coming of the Messiah, or Savior. In
this way John fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy from the 1st
Reading: “A voice cries out, ‘In the desert prepare the
way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway
for our God!’” It takes a certain amount of imagination to
proclaim good news in the desert, for that type of terrain
is often forbidding, dangerous, and of no practical value to
anyone. People of faith, however, know that God can do
anything; as Isaiah foretold, “Every valley shall be filled
in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rough
country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed.” God works wonders for those who trust in
Him. Sometimes, however, it’s hard to remember this; our
vision of heaven can be crowded out or distorted by the
problems and worries of this life. St. Peter was addressing
one such concern in today’s 2nd Reading. Why, some of the
early Christians wondered, did it seem God’s Kingdom was
taking so long to arrive? When would His promises be
fulfilled? Was the Church’s belief in Christ’s return
possibly mistaken? Peter reassures his readers that God’s
timetable is different from our own, and that any so-called
“delay” is actually a period of grace so that sinners may
repent--for the Lord wants everyone to be saved. It’s
important for those of us who believe to hold onto our faith
and to strengthen our hope; a new life in heaven awaits us,
but we must do our part by remaining holy and peaceful in
God’s sight.
III. Conclusion
We are called to be like the Indian chief’s third
son--the one who had a vision of a better life for his
people, and who would not let anything distract him from
it. The world offers us many glittering and attractive
diversions, and some of them truly are helpful, useful, and
important--in their proper place. However, the good things
God has created become temptations if they cause us to
forget their Creator. God must come first, for what He
offers will last for eternity, but everything the world
stands for will pass away. We must remember this, and live
as people with a vision. This means three things in
particular. First, we must make time for God every day;
otherwise, we’ll get bogged down in the concerns and values
of this life. It’s not enough only to come here to Mass
each weekend; we also need to spend at least a few minutes
praying or reading Scripture every day--and not just
whenever we can squeeze it in, but at a regular time set
aside for just this purpose. Secondly, we must make all our
decisions based on what we think God wants us to do. After
all, there’s no point to professing Christianity with our
words if we then contradict it by our deeds. It should
become automatic that when we face a difficult choice or an
unpleasant situation or an interesting possibility, we first
ask for God’s guidance--for He will bless and protect those
who seek to live by the values of His Kingdom instead of
those of the world. Thirdly, we must show concern for
others, the way the Indian chief’s son thought of what was
best for the entire tribe. Heaven will not be a private,
individual experience; it will be one of loving unity--and
this must also be true of our earthly preparation for it.
Treating everyone we meet with love, respect, and practical
concern is the most concrete and important sign that we
understand, and want to be part of, God’s plan for His
people.
As John the Baptist promised, Jesus has baptized us in
the Holy Spirit--and this should make all the difference in
our approach to life. The kingdom of heaven should not only
be our goal for the future, but also our motivation and
inspiration for how we live here and now.
HOMILY - 11/27/11
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B)
I. Introduction
Once there was a group of monks known as the
Sleepless Ones. In the year 430 a Christian named
Alexander established a monastery, recruited three
hundred men, and divided them into six groups. Each
group, or choir, took turns praising God in song for
four hours at a time. Around the clock, twenty-four
hours a day, members of the community were singing while
watching for the Second Coming of Christ and the end of
the world. They soon became known as the Sleepless Ones
as they carried out Our Lord’s command to watch and pray
(Tonne, Five-Minute Homilies, p. 59). Needless
to say, Jesus did not return during their lifetimes, but
that doesn’t mean their efforts were wasted--for Jesus
was with them in their community of faith, in
Scripture, and the Eucharist. Advent is not only a time
of waiting for Christ, but also of recognizing that He
is already present among us--for the God Who is “far
away” is also very near.
II. Development
There are two technical, theological terms which
speak of how God is present to us. We say that He is
immanent and transcendent. The word transcendent means
that God is far beyond what we can see or imagine; He is
up in heaven, and we can never hope to discover Him or
reach Him on our own. However, God is also
immanent--and this means that He is all around us, as
present to us as the air we breathe, and eager to help
us and to let us find Him if we but open our hearts to
His grace. Christianity recognizes and celebrates this
wonderful creative tension or balance: God is far
above us, and also deep within us; He is infinite in
majesty and power, and at the same time tender and
loving in His care for us. Today’s readings on this
First Sunday of Advent speak of this mystery.
The 1st Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
refers to God’s remoteness, saying, “Oh, that You would
rend the heavens and come down,” and “You have hidden
Your face from us and have delivered us up to our
guilt.” The Old Testament prophets were well aware of
not only the Lord’s immeasurable power and glory, but
also of the way He was offended by human sinfulness;
when the people turned away from God, He quite naturally
began to seem very remote and distant. However, the
prophets also reminded the people that the Lord is very
merciful, ever willing to welcome back those who repent
of their sins. This reading from Isaiah says, “You,
Lord, are our Father . . . ; we are the clay and You the
potter: we are all the work of Your hands.” Those who
surrender to God are able to experience a deep and
intimate relationship with Him. St. Paul develops this
theme in the 2nd Reading. The Corinthians whom he
converted had originally been far from God because of
their sins, but through their acceptance of Jesus
Christ, they were richly endowed with every spiritual
gift and allowed to share in God’s own life. Jesus came
that we might become members of the family of God--but
as He emphasizes in the Gospel, this requires us to be
alert. Our Lord wants us to be awake--not only to His
future coming, but also to our present opportunities to
experience and respond to His grace. Our preparations
for the future should not cause us to overlook Christ’s
presence among us here and now.
III. Conclusion
During the French and Indian War, in the year 1759, the
British captured the important city of Quebec from the
French, ultimately giving them control of all Canada. The
French had a very strong defensive position; the only way
the British could get into position to launch an attack was
to disembark from their ships at night and climb up a
treacherous cliff in secrecy. A small French force could
easily have prevented this, but the assigned guards became
overconfident and careless, and on a night they were away
from their posts and partying, the British came. The course
of North American history changed because the city’s
defenders failed to keep watch (Knight’s Master Book of
4000 Illustrations, p. 605).
Many people make this same mistake in a spiritual
sense. That’s why Jesus warns us in the Gospel, “Stay
awake!” This is a symbolic way of saying we must be alert
to our opportunities and our responsibilities, like servants
awaiting their master’s return. Last week, on the Feast of
Christ the King, we heard Jesus describe the Last Judgment,
when the sheep will be separated from the goats on the basis
of how they responded, or failed to respond, to the needs of
people around them. Two weeks ago we heard the parable of
the talents, in which a master rewarded those servants who
used what they had been given, and punished the servant who
wasted his gifts. Jesus is reemphasizing these lessons
today; the only way we can truly be on guard and ready for
death and judgment is by using God’s gifts and by loving Him
and the people around us. This means remembering that
religion is not something reserved for special occasions;
it’s meant to be a natural part of life, and something we
live out all through the week, not just on Sunday. We
should talk to God throughout the day, try to do everything
and offer everything for His glory, and constantly remind
ourselves of His presence--especially in the people around
us. If we look upon every other person as a brother or
sister in Christ, treating him or her with love and respect,
our encounter with the Lord at the moment of death will be a
joyful homecoming, not an ominous day of reckoning.
The reason Jesus has to tell us “Stay awake!” is that so
many people today are spiritually asleep, giving little
thought to faith and little time to God. Those who think
God is far away, who believe that He doesn’t see or care
about what they’re doing, and who place all their hopes in
this world, will be tragically disappointed. Our
all-powerful, all-knowing, transcendent God is also with us
here and now--in this Eucharist, in the person sitting next
to you, and in the simple, wholesome activities and events
you’ll experience this day. The motto of our state of
Michigan is “If you seek a beautiful peninsula, look around
you.” We might say that the motto of God’s kingdom is very
similar: “If you seek the kingdom of heaven, be alert and
be ready, for it is all around you.” As long as we open our
eyes and our hearts, we will not only be ready for Christ’s
coming in the future, but we will in some way share in His
kingdom even now.
HOMILY - 11/20/11
CHRIST THE KING (Year A)
I. Introduction
One fall morning a young boy was walking home from
Sunday school class, thinking about that day’s lesson—which
happened to be on the Last Judgment, as described in the
Gospel passage we just heard. He was very impressed with
his teacher’s statement that when we give something to
another person, we’re actually giving it to Jesus. As the
boy walked through a city park as a shortcut, he noticed an
old woman sitting on a park bench; she looked lonely and
hungry, so the boy sat down next to her. He’d been saving a
chocolate bar for later, but he took it out of his pocket,
broke off a piece, and without saying a word, handed it to
her. She accepted it with a smile, and the boy liked her
smile so much that he gave her another piece when she
finished the first one, while taking the last piece for
himself. They sat in silence for a while, smiling at each
other; then the boy got up to leave. After a few steps,
however, he suddenly turned around, ran back to the woman
and hugged her, and she gave him her very best smile. When
the boy arrived home with a huge smile of his own on his
face, his mother asked, “What made you so happy today?” He
answered, “I shared my chocolate bar with Jesus today—and
she has a great smile.” Meanwhile, the old woman returned
to the small apartment where she lived with her sister, who
remarked, “You’re all smiles—what made you so happy today?”
The woman answered, “I was sitting in the park, eating a
chocolate bar with Jesus—and you know, He looks a lot
younger than I expected” (Bausch, A World of Stories,
p. 297). Our Christian faith calls us to see Jesus,
and to be Jesus—and if we make an honest effort to do
this, we can look forward to seeing Him on the day of divine
judgment.
II. Development
At the end of the world, everyone who’s ever lived—good
and bad alike—will have no choice but to acknowledge the
existence of God and the universal authority of Jesus; St.
Paul tells us in the 2nd Reading that Christ will have
destroyed every spiritual sovereignty and every worldly
authority and power, so that all things may be subject to
the Kingdom of His Father. This great triumph will not
belong to Jesus alone, however, for it is God’s plan that
His children come to share both in His royal dignity and in
His eternal victory. Both in this life and in the life to
come, the Lord intimately and personally identifies Himself
with His people. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promises
that He Himself will shepherd His sheep, seeking out the
lost, binding up the injured, and healing the sick. In the
Gospel Jesus takes this image a step further, stating that
we are not to be mere passive recipients in this process,
sitting back and letting God care for us; we must also be
active participants, seeking out and serving the needy and
lowly in God’s Name. This, Our Lord tells us, will be the
basis of judgment: whether or not we responded with
compassion to those who suffer. If we look into the eyes of
someone in need and can see Jesus in that person, and act
accordingly, then when we die and encounter Our Lord and
Judge, He’ll be able to look into our eyes and see His own
image there—and this will assure us a place in His Kingdom.
III. Conclusion
One winter at an orphanage in Germany during the
difficult years of the Great Depression, the directress—a
devout Christian—said the grace before the evening meal in
her usual way, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus, and be our Guest
tonight, and bless the gifts You have provided.” One of the
orphans asked, “Ma’am, you always invite the Lord Jesus, but
He never comes. Will He ever arrive?” “Oh, yes,” she
answered; “if you keep on believing and hoping, He will
surely come.” “Then,” said the boy, “I will set a chair for
Him beside me here tonight to be ready for His coming.” A
few minutes later there was a knock at the door. It turned
out to be a poor, half-frozen man. The directress and her
staff welcomed him with compassion and took him over by the
fireplace to warm himself; then they invited him to join in
their simple meal. He happened to sit down in the empty
chair next to the boy, who thought to himself, “Now I
understand! Jesus could not come Himself, so He sent this
poor man in His place” (Tonne, Stories for Sermons,
Vol. 2, #215).
Two different stories about two different boys, both of
whom were sensitive and compassionate, help us understand
the simple but vitally important truth expressed by Jesus’
teaching in the Gospel. Today, the final Sunday of the
liturgical year, is observed as the Solemnity of Christ the
King, and we could talk about the theological, sociological,
and historical implications of Christ’s Kingship: what it
consists of, how our current political and economic systems
fall far short of it, what a society based in conformity to
it would look like, and so on. However, there’s little need
or purpose to such an abstract or theoretical discussion.
What really matters is whether we want to have Jesus as our
King, and whether we’re willing to show this by the way we
treat others. If we take our faith seriously by noticing
and responding to the suffering of others, sharing our
blessings in a spirit of generosity, and doing what we can
to make life a little easier for someone worse off than
ourselves whenever we’re given the opportunity, then we’re
showing that we understand what it means to live as loyal
subjects of such a wonderful King, we’re serving as His
ambassadors of kindness and grace, and we’re expressing our
genuine desire to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Every day of our lives we’re given the chance to see
Jesus, and to let others see Jesus in us—and if we do, on
the final day of history we’ll see Him smile at us and hear
Him say to us, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father;
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world.”
HOMILY - 11/13/11
THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
If ever you’re on the TV game show Jeopardy and one
of the categories is “The Violin,” you can be sure that
one of the questions will probably be about Antonio
Stradivari, who lived 300 years ago. He wasn’t a
violinist himself, but a violin maker. He produced over
1000 instruments during his lifetime, and through his
great workmanship brought the violin to a state of
perfection. Today there is an organization in Chicago
named after him. The Stradivari Society has a very
specific purpose: obtaining expensive violins and
entrusting them into the hands of first-rate violin
players who could never afford such instruments on their
own. Some of these instruments, made by Antonio
Stradivari and other 17th and 18th century masters, sell
for over $1 million apiece, and their value continues to
climb. However, unlike other great works of art--such
as paintings and sculptures--stringed musical
instruments cannot be put on display and left untouched;
they’ll lose their tone if not played regularly. In
fact, priceless violins will actually increase in value
the more they’re used. Thus, the Stradivari Society
performs an important service by bringing instrument and
musician together. There is one requirement expected of
the musicians: they must give at least two command
performances a year for their patrons--something they’re
quite happy to do.
Even though few if any of us are or ever will be
world-class musicians, this illustration still has a
spiritual application to our own lives. God has
entrusted many priceless abilities, talents, and
treasures to each one of us. If we neglect them, ignore
them, or misuse them, we are not only wasting His gifts,
but also going against His will and cheapening our own
existence. God wants us to produce beautiful spiritual
music by using the gifts He provides, and we are
expected to give a command performance by the way we
live each day.
II. Development
As we approach the end of the Church year, the readings
constantly remind us of the need to be ready for the
judgment which will occur at the end of our lives. God
freely and lovingly gives us many gifts and many
opportunities--but He will hold us accountable for how we
use them. The 1st Reading from the Book of Proverbs uses
the image of a worthy wife to describe in symbolic terms how
all of God’s children should live: in a good and admirable
manner which combines hard work, intelligence, and
generosity. Those who live in such a way will be praised
and rewarded. Jesus makes this idea even clearer in His
parable about the three servants entrusted with large
amounts of money. The master praised and rewarded the two
servants who did what they were supposed to; he was very
pleased with them for making good use of what they had been
given--and even if they had failed, he still would have
given them credit for at least trying. They entered into
their master’s joy--a symbolic way of referring to heaven.
The third servant, however, was denounced as being worthless
and lazy because he wasted his opportunity and didn’t even
try to show some return on his master’s investment. His
indifference to his master’s wishes caused him to be thrown
into the outer darkness--a symbol for hell. Our Lord’s
point is that God takes very seriously our willingness, or
unwillingness, to work in His Name--and St. Paul warns us in
the 2nd Reading not to assume that we have plenty of time to
do something worthwhile with our lives. If we’re living
only for ourselves, and not for God, the day of the Lord
will catch us off guard, and there will be no escape from a
terrible judgment. Instead of living dangerously in moral
darkness or blindness, we must live as children of the
light--using the talents God has given us and sharing the
Gospel by our good example.
III. Conclusion
One of the greatest American politicians or statesmen of
the 19th century was Daniel Webster, who served as a
Congressman, Senator, Secretary of State, and presidential
candidate. He was an excellent orator and debater, and was
known for his intelligence and profound insights. Someone
once asked him, “What is the greatest thought that has ever
passed through your head?,” and Webster humbly answered, “My
accountability to God” (Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote
Book, p. 9). Accountability is not a very popular
concept in our society; we’re quick to blame others when
something goes wrong, but we’re very uncomfortable with the
idea that we ourselves will be held responsible for all our
decisions and actions. That, however, is the undeniable
truth we’ll all experience. Everything we do, or fail to
do, is observed by God; our willingness, or unwillingness,
to use the talents and opportunities He gives us will one
day testify on our behalf, or testify against us. Every
morning we should ask God to help us be aware of the chances
we’ll be given that day to glorify and serve Him; throughout
the day we should ask Jesus to give us the knowledge and
strength to do the right thing in the midst of all our
encounters and activities; each night we should ask the Holy
Spirit to enlighten us as we examine our consciences, so we
can recognize our missed opportunities and resolve to do
better the next day.
It’s simple common sense that, since we’ll one day be judged
by God, we seek His help here and now in knowing how to
please Him, and in how to prepare ourselves for the day when
we see Him face to face.
Jesus is calling each one of us not merely to follow
Him, but to be a good and faithful servant; He wants us to
profess our allegiance not merely in words, but also in
deeds. God created every single one of us with the
capability of becoming a saint, producing beautiful
spiritual music and making a difference in the world by the
way we live. It’s simply a matter of believing this, taking
a few chances, and seeking God’s guidance and help. Even if
we fail, we’ll still be like the first two servants who
pleased their master--but if we don’t even bother trying,
the fate of the third servant will also be ours. To put it
another way, if we’re ever on the TV show Jeopardy and the
answer is “Talents, Gifts, and Opportunities,” the question
is obviously “What does God give us and expect us to
use?”--and if the Final Jeopardy answer is “Well done, good
and faithful servant,” the all-important question is “What
do we hope to hear God say to us when our life on earth is
finished?” Like priceless violins, our abilities are meant
to be used, not wasted or ignored. The Lord has given us
this opportunity, and He is eager to see our response.
HOMILY -
11/6/11
THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
This is an important time of the football season,
especially for those high school teams making the playoffs.
Different coaches and teams have their own strategies for
preparing for the games and psyching themselves up. One
undefeated high school football team had its own unique
approach. It was to play another undefeated team for the
league championship on a Friday evening. Late Friday
afternoon, after the players dressed in their pads and
uniforms, they went to the gym, which was completely empty
and dark, and lay down on their backs, staring at the unlit
ceiling; in the darkness, each player imagined or visualized
the upcoming game, and how he was going to help the team win
it. Then, after a few minutes, one of the coaches quietly
announced it was time for the bus ride to the stadium, so
the players silently grabbed their helmets and shoes and ran
outside. All the visualizing must have helped, because the
team was psychologically ready to play; the players were at
their very best, and won quite easily by a score of 41-6.
When the new champions returned to their school’s locker
room, the scene was one of total bedlam and celebration.
One of the team’s seniors, a player named Steve, wanted to
savor the victory in silence, so he decided to return to the
darkened gym and replay the game over in his mind. He
thought he was alone in the gym, but discovered he wasn’t;
there was another player named Tim, like Steve a senior—but
unlike him, a little-used second-string player—lying on the
floor in his uniform. When Steve gently nudged him, Tim
jumped up and shouted, “OK, let’s get on that bus and go win
the game!” Tim had fallen asleep several hours earlier, and
thus missed the most important game of his life (Emphasis,
Nov.-Dec. 1993, p. 17). There are many things we might miss
out on if we’re not ready, and the most important of these
is eternal life in God’s Kingdom. The Lord offers us an
incredible opportunity, but it’s our responsibility to be
ready to accept it.
II. Development
Today’s readings remind us that while God is very
generous in giving us His blessings, these gifts don’t come
automatically; some effort on our part is required to
receive them. The 1st Reading states that those who seek
wisdom, or a sense of God’s presence, will find it. God’s
love is all around us, but many people are too busy or
uncaring to notice. Like Tim, they’ve fallen asleep, though
in a spiritual sense, and thus risk being unprepared for the
most important moment of their lives: their encounter with
God. This might occur during Christ’s return at the end of
the world, which St. Paul refers to in the 2nd Reading, or
otherwise at the time of their own deaths. Jesus stresses
the need to be ready for this moment. His parable in the
Gospel describes a rather common situation of that era; the
bridegroom often delayed his coming to the wedding and the
accompanying celebration. Sometimes this was a last-minute
negotiating ploy, in which the groom hoped to receive an
even larger dowry from the bride’s family; on other
occasions it might be more in the nature of a practical
joke, in which the groom tried to make the bridesmaids
neglect their duties by nodding off and falling asleep
before he appeared. Our Lord’s hearers would have
understood His message very clearly: just as the
bridesmaids must be ready for the groom’s arrival, even
though they didn’t know exactly when it might occur, so we
must be prepared for our encounter with God. We do not know
when this moment will come, but only that it will eventually
arrive—and that we’ll be greatly rewarded if we’re ready.
III. Conclusion
Life is both a gift and a responsibility, and we’ll be
held accountable for the use we make of it. Are we ready
for this judgment? How good a job are we doing in using
God’s blessings? One author wrote that there are mothers
who plan to enjoy their daughters more, but keep putting it
off; there are fathers who intend to get to know their sons
better, but something always comes up; there are married
couples who want to spend more time with each other and
strengthen their marriage bond, but never quite find the
time (Richard Evans, quoted in Link, Illustrated Sunday
Homilies, Year A, Series II, p. 120). As Jesus says in
the Gospel, we can’t keep putting off important things, as
did the foolish bridesmaids who neglected to buy sufficient
oil in a timely way. In regard to the values and priorities
that really count, we must make time now. This
applies not only to getting to know our family members and
expressing our love for them, but also appreciating all the
important people in our lives. It also involves doing good
deeds or favors as soon as the opportunity arises, instead
of merely telling ourselves we’ll try to do something extra
next time. Most importantly, being ready means deepening
our relationship with God every day, rather than waiting for
a more convenient time in the future, or postponing
religious practices until we’re not so busy. If that’s our
approach, we’ll probably discover that the perfect time
never comes; either we’ll be busy with something else, or
we’ll forget our original good intentions, or we’ll decide
we don’t feel like it because we’ve become lazy or
indifferent—and the opportunity to become truly spiritually
alive will be wasted. When it comes to important things,
we’re not supposed to wait for the right time; we’re
supposed to choose to make the right time.
Somewhere there’s a man named Tim who, whenever he
attends a high school reunion or get-together with his
former teammates, is probably teased and kidded about the
time he slept through the big game. That’s embarrassing and
unfortunate, but in terms of what really matters, not all
that significant. A true tragedy and waste occurs whenever
people sleep through life and die without having made their
peace with God. As Jesus says, “Stay awake, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.” God’s Kingdom is all around
us, but if we don’t look, we’ll never see it, and if we
don’t prepare, we’ll never enter into it. Let us pray that
we, and all other people, will take Christ’s warning
seriously, and thus be ready for our Master’s coming.
HOMILY - 10/30/11
THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
In many Protestant churches, today is observed as
“Reformation Sunday”: that is, the Sunday each year closest
to October 31—for it was almost 500 years ago, on October
31, 1517, that a former Catholic monk named Martin Luther
began the so-called Protestant Reformation by nailing his 95
Theses, or points for debate, on a cathedral door. This was
a common way of raising important issues for discussion, and
at first Luther wasn’t seeking to establish a new religion,
but to promote the reform of some very real abuses—but
things quickly got out of hand. Pride and human sinfulness
on the part of both sides soon took over, giving Satan a
chance to worm his way into the process and manipulate
events, and thus, the one true Church of Christ was torn by
ill-feelings and division. God allowed this tragedy, but
it’s His plan to reunite one day all the followers of Jesus
once again under the leadership of the Pope, and this great
event may well occur before most people expect—perhaps even
before the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Many Protestants, of course, would find this idea
inconceivable, especially as some of them—particularly
fundamentalists—delight in accusing Catholics of supposedly
violating biblical teaching. One of their favorite examples
is contained in today’s Gospel, which gives Protestants the
chance to say, “Why do you Catholics call your priests
‘Father,’ when Matthew 23:9 says ‘call no one on earth your
father’?” What these challengers overlook is that in Luke
16:24 Jesus Himself speaks of “Father Abraham,” and that in
1 Corinthians 4:15 St. Paul calls himself a father of his
many converts in a spiritual sense; also, they themselves
almost certainly use the term “father” to refer to their own
dads. Common sense, therefore, suggests that we focus on the
larger point Jesus was making: our relationship with God
must be rooted in humility, even as we obey legitimate
religious authority. Luther and the other self-appointed
reformers themselves failed to do this. If Jesus could
order His followers to obey the sinful leader-ship of the
scribes and Pharisees, how much more would He expect His
later disciples to obey the leaders of His Church? Yes,
there were many real abuses—though never in the Church’s
official teaching; there were also ongoing efforts to
correct them, even before the so-called Reformation. The
Church is always in need of reform, and, through the Holy
Spirit, is always reforming herself. Jesus wanted Luther
and his comrades to be part of this process, remaining in
the Church and working with humility and love to improve
her; unfortunately, their initially-noble desire for reform
was soon corrupted by personal pride and the greed of
cynical politicians, and a great religious tragedy occurred.
In his arrogance, Luther ultimately felt each man could
serve as his own pope, and each Christian could serve as his
own interpreter of Scripture. The misinterpretation of the
command to “call no one ‘father’” is only one of many
examples of how easy it is, when cut off from the teaching
authority of Christ’s One True Church, to go astray. Pride
will always end up interfering with God’s will for us. The
only way to be sure our love and our faith are authentic is
through obedience to legitimate religious authority, and the
only assurance our religious trust is well-founded is
through profound humility in God’s sight.
II. Development
God always places great emphasis on authority, while
also stressing that those who hold authority will be held
accountable by Him for the way they exercise it. Through
the prophet Malachi He warned the priests of the Temple in
Jerusalem that He would send a curse upon them if they
continued failing to live up to the covenant with Him, and
in the Gospel Our Lord issued a similar judgment on the
scribes and Pharisees. Their authority, He said, was
legitimate, but they were seeking their own glory, not
God’s—and so they would be held accountable for this sin.
This is contrasted with the authority exercised by St. Paul
and the other apostles; as Paul says, their humility made it
easier for the early Christians to accept their teaching not
as not mere human words, but as the word of God.
III. Conclusion
Unfortunately, many Christians fail to understand this
point. Proof of this lies in the fact that the largest
single religious group in the United States consists of
Roman Catholics; the second-largest religious group consists
of ex-Catholics. If these former members of the Church
actually understood what’s at stake, and humbly sought the
truth, they would never have left. Because this is such an
important issue, and because it’s so easy to lose sight of
the truth, I want to emphasize a few basic points. First,
Luther’s misguided teaching contains two central ideas that
serve as the foundation of Protestantism: sola Scriptura
and sola fide, Latin for “Scripture alone” and “faith
alone.” Sola fide means we are supposedly saved only
by faith, and that our good works aren’t necessary. The
problem is that the only place in Scripture where the phrase
“by faith alone” appears is James 2:24, which says we are
not saved by faith alone—causing Luther to reject the
Letter of St. James. Also, when he translated the Bible
into German, to make it seem the Letter to the Romans
supported his position, he dishonestly inserted the word
“alone” into a passage there. In regard to the idea of
sola Scriptura—the idea we shouldn’t believe anything
unless it’s found in the Bible—nowhere does the Bible itself
make such a claim, but there are many biblical passages
supporting Church authority and tradition. Also, if each
believer can decide for him or herself what the Bible
means—as Luther claimed—Church unity becomes impossible.
Proof of this lies in the fact that almost 500 years after
Luther’s attempt to create a new church, there are now over
30,000 different Protestant denominations, each insisting
its own interpretation of Scripture is correct. We as
Catholics are spared this logical absurdity. We have the
magisterium, or authentic teaching authority of the Church;
we have a hierarchy, or structure of leadership, dating back
to St. Peter and the apostles, who were commissioned by
Jesus Himself; we have all seven sacraments, plus many
sacramentals and devotions. (Further information is given
in an insert in today’s bulletin.) None of this is reason
for pride or complacency—especially as some Protestants are
personally holier than many Catholics, and as Heaven
contains room for people of every religion who truly wish to
serve and honor God. Nevertheless, we must be grateful for
our Catholic heritage, while remembering that much will be
demanded of those to whom much is given. If we remain
humble, and if we remain committed Catholics, our salvation
is assured—and this is something to celebrate not just one
Sunday a year, but every day of our lives.
HOMILY - 10/23/11
THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A) - MISSION
SUNDAY
I. Introduction
The greatest missionary in the history of the Church is,
of course, St. Paul, who undertook several missionary
journeys, made many converts, established churches, wrote
much of the New Testament, and played a major role in
defining and explaining Catholic doctrine. However, the
Church has been blessed with many other great missionaries
as well, including St. Patrick, who evangelized Ireland,
where he had been enslaved for six years, and established
the Irish Church; St. Boniface, who was known as the Apostle
of Germany; St. Francis Xavier, who personally baptized many
thousands of people in the Far East; St. Isaac Jogues and
the other North American martyrs; and St. Peter Chanel, a
missionary priest in the 19th century who died as a martyr
on a South Pacific island. To be a missionary, however,
doesn’t necessarily require one to go to a far distant land
and personally preach the Gospel. Even though she never
left the convent, and even though she died in severe agony
from tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-four, St.
Thèrése of Lisieux was named “patroness of foreign missions”
thirty years after her death, simply because of her constant
prayers and sacrifices offered for the spread of the Gospel.
A similar example of missionary fervor is seen in the
life of another 19th century French woman: Venerable
Pauline-Marie Jaricot, who underwent a deep spiritual
conversion as a teenager. She began asking all the girls
she knew to pray one decade of the Rosary each day for the
spread of the Gospel, and to contribute a few cents a week
to the missions; moreover, each girl was to ask ten more
girls for this same donation. Pauline called this approach
“prayers and pennies,” and this was the origin of the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith—which Pauline
established when she was only twenty years old. This
apostolate helped establish the Church in various places
throughout the world, including in our own country down in
Louisiana. Pauline was a great organizer, and later
established the Association of the Living Rosary, which
promoted that prayer, and the Association of the Holy
Childhood, which helped establish Catholic schools and
orphanages for abandoned children. Her life wasn’t an easy
one; she suffered heartbreak, betrayal, and a severe illness
which threatened her life. However, she was miraculously
cured through the intercession of St. Philomena, and in
gratitude presented one of the saint’s relics to her close
friend St. John Vianney, the Curè d’ Ars. Pauline Jaricot
died in 1862, and the cause of her beatification and
canonization has been introduced in Rome.
The lives of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Venerable
Pauline-Marie Jaricot, demonstrate two very important
points. First, every Catholic, no matter what his or her
calling from God may be, has a responsibility to help spread
the Gospel; and second, we’re all given some important
opportunity to help do this, regardless of our particular
vocation, our circumstances in life, and the unique
challenges we face. Even if we’re in very poor health, we
can pray; even if our finances are limited, we can make a
small sacrificial donation to the missions; even if we’re
simple or uneducated, we can give a Christian example and
always strive to act in a spirit of charity. In this way we
will be obeying Christ’s law of love, and bearing witness
that He is truly our Lord and Savior.
II. Development
In its system of teachings, sacraments, rules,
authority, and hierarchy, Catholicism is marvelously
organized and complex—and yet at the same time it is
wonderfully simple and easily-understood. This is seen most
clearly in terms of the commandments. God gave Moses Ten
Commandments, and Judaism later developed 613 religious
regulations. Catholicism has six precepts of the Church,
and there are 1752 individual regulations in the Code of
Canon Law—but all of these rules and procedures, important
as they may be, can be summed up very simply. As Jesus
tells us in the Gospel, the greatest or most important of
all commandments is to love God with all our hearts, and the
second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we’re doing
this, we’ll automatically try to observe the other laws, and
if we’re doing this, we’re showing that our faith is real.
Loving our neighbor, of course, means praying for and
helping not only those who are personally known to us, but
also those persons in need whom we’ll never see—especially
those who’ve not yet heard the Gospel. God loves and cares
for everyone, not merely those who are publicly identified
as His people. The 1st Reading commands the Chosen People
not to oppress or harm aliens or foreigners, and in the 2nd
Reading St. Paul thanks the Christians of the Greek city of
Thessalonica for assisting him in preaching the Gospel
through their example, prayers, and financial support. God
desires to share the gift of eternal life with every single
person in the world, without exception—and He asks and
expects us, through His Church, to be involved in this
effort.
III. Conclusion
There are over 1,150 mission dioceses and territories
throughout the world, covering two-thirds of the globe—and
U.S. Catholics are the largest single source of financial
support for this vital ministry of sharing the Gospel. Our
contributions help the religious sister in Kenya working
with street children trying to rebuild their lives. Our
donations assist the priest celebrating Mass for rural
Catholic communities in Bangladesh suffering from
devastating floods (World Mission Sunday booklet). We’re
helping support orphanages in Sri Lanka and Thailand,
schools in the new nation of South Sudan, a seminary in
Nairobi, catechism classes in rural Vietnam, a hospital in
Peru, and many other such efforts throughout the world—all
of which are living examples of the Gospel in action, and
opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our
donations are a way of investing in eternity, and of helping
recruit ever more citizens for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Envelopes for this purpose are inserted in today’s bulletin.
Most of us are not called to renounce our way of life,
perform amazing deeds, or make heroic sacrifices. Instead,
the Lord wants us to influence the people around us by
living out our faith, while also offering our prayers and
contributions for the spread of the Gospel. We are
privileged to have this opportunity to be evangelizers, and
we are blessed to have this chance to be of service in this
way. As Jesus says, everything depends on whether or not we
truly love God and our neighbor—and for this reason, helping
spread the Good News of salvation is one of the most
important things we can ever do.
HOMILY - 10/16/11 -
Father Joe on Retreat
HOMILY - 10/9/11
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
About 100 years ago, when steamships were the only
practical way of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, all
communication was done by telegraph, or wireless—and the
position of wireless operator aboard a steamship was highly
coveted. Once when a steamship line announced an opening
for such an operator aboard one of its ships, the company’s
office was filled with many applicants—and all of the men
were chattering among themselves so much they didn’t hear a
series of dots and dashes being played over a loudspeaker.
A latecomer came in and sat down, but a moment later looked
up in surprise and listened closely; then, with a smile, he
walked right into the manager’s office. A few minutes later
the manager walked out with him and announced to the other
applicants, “You can all go home; I’m giving the job to this
gentleman here.” Some of the others complained, “But we
were here before him!,” to which the manager replied, “Then
you should have heard the message and entered my office,
just like he did.” “What message?” they inquired, and the
manager explained, “The message that was being broadcast in
Morse Code over the loudspeaker, which said, over and over,
‘The first man who hears this message and steps into the
office will get the job’” (Cavanagh, The Sower’s Seeds,
p. 36).
It was quite reasonable for a steamship company to expect
that someone wanting a job as a wireless operator would be
able alert enough to hear a wireless message being broadcast
in Morse Code. In the same way, it’s also very natural and
fair that God should expect anyone wanting to enter into
Heaven to be alert and ready to receive such an invitation.
We are all invited into the eternal joy of God’s Kingdom,
and there’s room for everyone there—but only we can decide
whether we’ll hear and respond.
II. Development
As today’s readings tell us, the Lord God is happy to
provide for His people’s needs—but He always respects our
free will, and will not force His blessings upon us. In the
words of St. Paul, “God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Our
heavenly Father delights in blessing His children. In the
1st Reading the prophet Isaiah describes the joys of eternal
life in terms of a banquet, with abundant food and drink of
the highest quality, and Jesus repeats this image in His
parable. However, He adds a very important point: due to
the perversities of human nature, not everyone responds
properly. Some people ignore the offer of eternal life;
others violently reject it, and even some of those who show
up do so without taking the opportunity seriously—as
indicated by the guest who didn’t bother wearing a wedding
garment. It is both an act of eternal folly, and a grave
insult to God, to act as if His offer of eternal life is
unnecessary, inconvenient, or of less importance than the
other routine things that concern us—just as it was very
foolish of trained wireless operators to be so caught up in
their own mundane conversations and small talk that they
didn’t take the time to hear a very important message that
had the capacity to help change their lives.
III. Conclusion
As a pastor, I don’t encounter too many people
symbolized by the evil person invited to the wedding
feast—those who mistreated and killed the king’s messengers
and servants. Wicked people like that—unless they’re
sincerely repenting—usually don’t come to church, seek out
priests, or speak to them in public. However, I do
regularly encounter persons symbolized by the guest without
a proper garment. This once happened quite literally at
another parish. At the wedding rehearsal, I met the bride’s
Uncle Fred, who was going to be videotaping the wedding, and
I showed him where he could set up his tripod in a visible
and convenient corner of the sanctuary. He was neatly
dressed, with a nice shirt and slacks, and that was
respectful attire for church. At the wedding itself the
next day, however, he showed up wearing dress slacks and a
white undershirt—and nothing more. He was actually more
neatly dressed for the rehearsal than for the wedding
itself, and throughout the ceremony he was right up there in
front of everyone. I didn’t say anything to him, but I
certainly thought that was strange.
It’s certainly not the end of the world if someone shows
up at a wedding ceremony in church inappropriately dressed,
and maybe everyone in the family merely considered him a
little eccentric: “Oh, that’s just Uncle Fred; he’s always
marched to the beat of a different drummer.” The symbolic
or underlying message of Our Lord’s parable, however, is a
much more serious matter. Taking our faith and our
religious duties casually, and complacently assuming we’ll
still get into Heaven with no problems, is a very foolish
gamble. Once a mother was trying to decide whether to
enroll her eight-year-old son into the children’s
catechumenate, so that he could be baptized and receive
First Communion, she but decided not to because the family’s
schedule was so busy with sports and other activities. I
thought to myself, “Lady, you just don’t get it—Jesus Christ
is offering your son the gift of eternal life and
everlasting joy, and your response is, ‘No, I don’t think
so.’ Don’t you realize you’ll be held accountable by God
for your failure to provide a religious education to your
boy? What possible excuse will you be able to make?” I was
polite and didn’t actually say all this to her; maybe I
should have.
We have lots of registered parishioners who at most come
to Mass once or twice a year; we also have quite a few who
could contribute to the financial support of the parish, but
give little or nothing. There are also many whose schedules
would allow them to volunteer occasionally here or elsewhere
in the community, but never bother doing so. As a pastor, I
have to warn and intercede and pray for such parishioners,
even as I also thank and encourage all of you who are
coming to Mass, who are contributing to the parish,
and who are taking your faith seriously. Jesus is
pleased with you—but He also warns us not to become
complacent. More than ever before in history, the world is
capable of distracting and confusing and enticing us; if we
wanted to fill our days with worldly concerns and
pleasurable but unimportant diversions, it would be very
easy to do so. The devil usually doesn’t tempt good people
like us to do obviously bad things, but instead to become
caught up in morally neutral things that turn our attention
away from God and thereby gradually weaken our faith. We
must persevere in humility and faith, always remembering
that the Kingdom of Heaven is our ultimate goal. Jesus has
issued His invitation, and our eternal happiness depends on
making a wholehearted response.
HOMILY - 10/2/11
TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A) - RESPECT
LIFE
I. Introduction
This Tuesday we celebrate the feast of one of the most
popular and attractive persons in all history: St. Francis
of Assisi. He lived some 800 years ago, and is remembered
as a gentle, loving person for whom life was a great
spiritual gift and adventure. Francis is especially
well-known for his great love and appreciation of God’s
creation. According to one legend, he tamed a fierce and
dangerous wolf and taught it to live in peace with the
townspeople of Gubbio; another legend states that when he
was preaching outdoors near the town of Alviano, his words
were interrupted by a flock of swallows. Francis said to
the birds, “My sisters the swallows, it is now my
turn to speak”—and they immediately became silent until he
finished his sermon and dismissed them. When he spent a
long time at Lake Trasimene, a rabbit trustingly came up to
him and remained at his side, living with him until he
finally moved on from that place. St. Francis also had a
deep love for humanity. When he met a disfigured leper
begging for alms, he wasn’t content just to give the man
something; he also kissed the man’s infected hands as an
expression of unity and as a sign that he accepted the
leper’s dignity and value as a person. Francis wrote much
beautiful poetry, including the Canticle of the Sun, which
praises God for His many gifts to us, including the sun, the
earth, the sky, water, wind, fire, air, night, day, and
every other aspect of creation placed at the service of
humanity.
Even though he lived a life of complete poverty, St.
Francis of Assisi firmly believed that he had been richly
blessed, and that he was accountable to God for the use he
made of these blessings. Though our world, our lives, and
our callings from God are quite different from his, this
same idea applies to each of us; the Lord wants us to
appreciate and make good use of all we have received. God
has given us many gifts for which we are accountable—and the
greatest of all these gifts is life.
II. Development
Today’s readings tell us that we have a choice: we can
use the opportunities and blessings God gives us, or we can
waste them; in either case, we will live with the
consequences. Jesus uses a story about a vineyard to make
this point. The owner’s expectations were entirely
reasonable, and if the tenants had fulfilled their
responsibility of sharing some of the grapes with him,
everyone would have benefited. Instead, the tenants
rebelled and abused what they had been given—and this led to
their destruction. The prophet Isaiah uses this same image
in the 1st Reading; because the people of Israel would not
acknowledge their accountability to God, they eventually
lost the privileges of their special relationship with Him.
Everything we have comes from God, and must somehow be
returned to Him. Rejecting this fact and wasting His gifts
leads to unhappiness, both here on earth and in the life to
come. If, however, we follow St. Paul’s advice to the
Philippians, praying with gratitude and directing our
thoughts to all that is holy and true, we will experience
God’s peace and be ready for the day of judgment.
III. Conclusion
If we wanted to choose one word to describe our society
here in the United States of America at the beginning of the
21st century, there would be many possible choices. I think
a word that applies to us very well is “wasteful.” We as a
society waste many things, including food, oil and other
forms of energy, and various natural resources. Many people
waste money on unneeded consumer goods and worthless forms
of entertainment; most of us waste time to one extent or
another, and our country as a whole is wasting its heritage
by failing to live up to its founding ideals and values.
Many of God’s gifts to America are wasted—and this is most
especially and tragically true of the gift of life. Over
1.2 million children are aborted every year. There’s no
telling how many elderly or even middle-aged persons are
killed through voluntary or involuntary euthanasia. (I just
heard of a very talented and devout spiritual author in
Texas named Patricia who recently moved to the Caribbean
island of St. Croix for her own safety—for earlier this
year, during one of her many hospitalizations, she overheard
her doctors discussing the advisability of ending her
sufferings and putting her out of her misery.) Suicide is
an epidemic in our nation, especially among young people.
Numerous lives are ended by violence, with the age of some
of the victims and murderers growing ever younger. Even
when human life itself isn’t directly taken, lives are
wasted when something happens to keep them from reaching
their full potential. Some people are unable to overcome
racism, discrimination, or poverty; other people throw away
their own lives through substance abuse, crime, or
self-imposed emptiness or bitterness.
God doesn’t want any of this to happen; His gift of life
is meant to be a blessing, not a curse, and He will hold us
accountable for the use we make of it. This truth, which
was so well understood by St. Francis of Assisi and, in
fact, all the saints of history, places some practical
responsibilities upon us. First of all, we must be grateful
for our own lives, not only when things are going well, but
also when life is difficult. Jesus offers us eternal
happiness in Heaven, and we should never forget this or
cease rejoicing over it. Secondly, we should pray for the
needs of all who find life difficult because of their
sufferings and burdens, along with the conversion of all who
are wasting the gift of life through violence, substance
abuse, and other self-destructive behaviors. Every human
life is precious to God, and by our prayers, we should show
that this is our standard, too. Thirdly, we should support
and vote for those only candidates who truly respect human
life and dignity, and fulfill our duties as citizens to help
determine our nation’s destiny. In so doing, we’re not
imposing our values on others, but trying to help America
return to the values on which it was founded. Fourthly, we
must proclaim the importance of human life by our daily
example; when our words and deeds show a true respect for
others, we allow God’s grace to be more active in our
society. Lastly, we must give our own lives completely to
God, giving Him His share of the grapes of His vineyard by
placing His will ahead of our own. In this way we will be
ready to render an account of how we have used His gifts.
As St. Francis of Assisi understood, life is a blessing,
an opportunity, and a gift. Here and now at the beginning
of the 21st century, we must treasure it and defend it—for
if we truly live as children of God, we will find all His
gifts marvelous to behold.
HOMILY - 9/25/11
TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
“Changing Lives Together” Commitment Sunday - Sept. 24-25,
2011
I. Introduction
A young man who was deeply in love for the first time
walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of
his girlfriend, and asked to have it duplicated. In order
to do this, the studio owner removed the picture from the
frame, and in the process noticed the inscription on the
back, written by the beautiful young woman in the picture.
It read: “My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart;
everyday I fall more and more deeply in love with you. I
can’t imagine life without you. I will love you forever and
ever, and I am yours for all eternity. (Signed,) Diane. P.
S. If we ever break up, I want this picture back” (Illustrations
Unlimited, p. 97, #3). Needless to say, a postscript
like that casts doubt on the sincerity of the message. If
we really mean something, it shouldn’t be necessary to hedge
our words, expect to fail, or look for loopholes in our
relationships. All of us have heard the expression that
“actions speak louder than words,” and the reason it’s a
well-known saying is that it speaks of a very important
truth—a truth Jesus emphasizes in today’s Gospel. One of
the two sons gave the wrong answer to his father when he
told him to go work in the field, but he soon repented, and
then did what he was told. The other son said the right
thing, but never followed through; his nice-sounding
response was worthless. Our Lord warned His hearers that
God will judge us not on what we say, but on what we do—and
it’s our duty to accept this truth, and act upon it.
II. Development
As you know, St. Edward’s is involved in the Changing
Lives Together campaign, which will be a great benefit
to the entire Archdiocese of Detroit, and to our own
parish. For the last few weeks we’ve been talking,
learning, and hopefully praying, about what this campaign
will mean. This stewardship effort will help restore
archdiocesan finances to a solid foundation (as was the case
before the recession that followed the 9-11 terror attacks),
and also allow us here at St. Edward’s to replace our
leaking school roof, and install energy-efficient windows,
while also finally paying off our remaining parish debt.
This exercise in good stewardship will be an opportunity for
us to back up our words with actions, to show that
discipleship and membership in Christ’s Church affects every
aspect of our lives, including our personal finances. As
I’ve shared with you earlier, I myself am giving 1% of our
total parish goal of $461,815—a real financial sacrifice for
me; I’ve already written out a check for the full amount of
my donation: $4681.50. I hope each registered parish
household represented here today will also respond, not
necessarily with an equal gift, but with an equal degree of
sacrifice. In that regard, I have some good news to share
with you: Including my gift, we’ve already had commitments
and donations from 22 parish families totaling almost
$119,000—over 25% of our total parish goal. With this
wonderful example and strong start, and with your own
prayerful and trusting support, we can certainly reach our
target.
You will find commitment cards, privacy envelopes, and
pens located in the pews; I ask that one adult from each
household take one of these items right now, so that we can
fill them out together. (Naturally, those twenty-two
households who’ve already turned in their cards aren’t
expected to do this again.) On the right-hand side of the
card, please print your name, address, and phone number.
(This information, by the way, will also help us make sure
our parish records are up-to-date.) [pause]
On the left-hand side of the card, there’s space for
filling in the amount of your three-year commitment. Please
take a moment to prayerfully consider what the Lord is
calling you to give; if you haven’t had a chance to think
and pray about this, the reverse side of the card has a
“giving guide” showing how much a particularly monthly
donation can amount to over the course of three years—and
spreading it out in this manner often allows for a more
generous response to God than would otherwise be the case.
You can indicate on the card whether you’d prefer to receive
the reminder statements monthly, quarterly, or annually. As
the back of the card explains, you’ll have the opportunity
to use a credit card, or electronic funds transfer, if you
prefer; there’s also a box to check on the front of the card
if you desire to donate stock or some other non-cash gift.
Should you wish to make a down payment today, checks can be
made out either to Changing Lives Together, or to St.
Edward Parish, with a notation that it’s for Changing
Lives Together. If you’re not able to complete your
commitment card today, you can certainly do so at your
convenience any time over the next few weeks, and either
drop it in the collection basket the next time you come to
Mass, or send it to the parish office.
We’ll be collecting the commitment cards in a few
moments; as you continue working on them, there are a few
other points I wish to make. First, this commitment is not
a legal contract with God or with the parish, but an outward
and visible sign of the promise we make to God to be the
best possible stewards we can be—and if circumstances
change, making it impossible for you to fulfill the
commitment you’re making, neither God nor the parish will
hold that against you. Secondly, while I feel somewhat
uncomfortable talking about money and asking you for a major
financial commitment during the homily, this is in fact a
very appropriate subject every now and then—for not only
does the Bible actually mention money and its proper use
more than it speaks of faith, prayer, the Church, or Heaven,
but the financial support of His Church is one of the duties
Jesus expects of those who claim to be His followers (the
only exceptions being those who are truly in great financial
need). Lastly, St. Edward’s has a rich tradition of
generosity on the part of its parishioners—including those
founding parishioners who built the church, school, and
other buildings which benefit us right now—and many of those
who’ve gone before us to eternity may very well be watching
to see if we in turn will ourselves step forward in this
regard. Based on all I’ve seen in my eleven years at St.
Edward’s, I firmly believe all of us are up to this
challenge.
I’d ask you to place your commitment card inside the
privacy envelop and seal it; the ushers will now come
forward to collect these cards—not the regular
collection envelopes—and then we’ll have a special prayer of
reception for the cards, symbolizing our commitment as a
parish to continue putting our faith into practice as true
followers of Jesus our Savior.
HOMILY - 9/19/11
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
Changing Lives Together
(Stewardship Homily)
I. Introduction
The pastor of a parish in a farming community, Father
Kelley, asked one of his parishioners, a man named Mr.
Bucholz, to serve as chairman of the parish’s finance
commission and coordinate their capital campaign. Mr.
Bucholz, who managed the local grain elevator, agreed on two
conditions: first, no report on his fund-raising efforts
would be due for one year; second, during that year, no one
would ask any questions of him. The conditions were
accepted, and a year later, during the announcements at all
the weekend Masses, Mr. Bucholz reported that he had raised
enough money to pay off the parish debt of $200,000, plus
$50,000 to redecorate the church, and $1000 to send to the
missions, with an additional $5000 left over. Father Kelley
and the congregation were stunned by this good news, and
asked, “How did you do all this?” Mr. Bucholz answered,
“You people bring your grain to my elevator. As you did
business with me this past year, I simply withheld 10% of
all your transactions and gave it to the church. You
never missed it” (homily notebook, “Stewardship,” The
Pastor’s Story File, Nov. 1984, p. 4). This true story
reminds us that most people are able to give back to God
much more than they realize. The reason many of us have
difficulty tithing, or practicing stewardship and
sacrificial giving, is that we look at things from our point
of view: “How can I afford this?”, or “How much will
this cost me?”, or “What will I have to give
up?” When we look at everything from God’s point of view,
however, we see things quite differently—and this allows
miracles of generosity to occur.
II. Development
Ancient societies didn’t have Social Security and
welfare programs, food stamps, or government-sponsored soup
kitchens, and very few people had money in the bank; for
many people, survival was literally a day-to-day challenge
and struggle, and if a man didn’t earn a daily wage one day,
his family wouldn’t eat the next day. That’s why, seen from
God’s point of view, the vineyard owner was quite properly
being generous: he was paying even those who had worked
only an hour a full day’s wage, ensuring that the families
of those men wouldn’t go hungry. That was a just, noble,
and lavish act on his part—but instead of praising him for
his compassion, the other workers complained and somehow
thought they were being treated unfairly. Their lack of
compassion—and in effect, their willingness to see innocent
women and children go without food the next day—was rooted
in their own selfish perspective. When we see things only
in terms of whether or not they benefit us personally, we
lose sight of the larger picture and close ourselves off to
God’s truth and blessings. The 1st Reading tells us that
God’s ways are far above our ways, and His thoughts far
beyond our thoughts—but divine grace can change and
enlighten us. St. Paul states that instead of choosing what
he personally wants, he prefers his life unfold in whatever
way gives greater glory to God—and if we too choose to live
in this generous and trusting spirit, the Lord will bless us
with a happiness and peace we could never have achieved on
our own.
III. Conclusion - Changing Lives Together
As you know, the Archdiocese of Detroit is conducting a
major spiritual renewal initiative and capital campaign
called Changing Lives Together, and St. Edward’s is
actively participating. In addition to the elements of
prayer and an outreach to all registered parishioners
(especially those who don’t regularly come to church), we’re
conducting a capital campaign, with virtually all the
expenses paid by the Archdiocese. In return, 30% of
whatever we raise will be sent to the Archdiocese; this
money, and the 30% given by all the other 273 parishes, will
help restore archdiocesan finances to a solid condition (for
the recession that followed 9-11 severely hurt the
Archdiocese). We will keep the remaining 70%, and our share
is actually larger and more generous than I expected when I
first heard about Changing Lives Together. Our goal
is first to repay the remaining $48,000 we owe to the
Archdiocese (consisting of unpaid bills dating back to the
time our former secretary was embezzling from us), and then
to install a badly-needed new, pitched roof on the school,
along with energy-efficient windows; any additional money
will be set aside for when we eventually need to purchase a
replacement school bus. All of this was explained in
greater detail in the information packets you recently
received, and is reviewed in today’s bulletin.
Next weekend will be “Commitment Sunday,” when everyone
in the parish will be invited to make a three-year pledge
for this purpose. Even though I won’t be here another three
years, I’ve already decided my personal response: I am
donating 1% of our total goal of almost $462,000. Because I
already use about 30% of my salary in tithing and supporting
my mother, $4681 represents a real financial sacrifice for
me, but I believe in the importance of this campaign for the
Archdiocese, and for St. Edward’s, and I hope all of you
will respond with a similar spirit of openness, generosity,
and trust—whether your pledge turns out to be less than
mine, similar, somewhat more, or far larger. One of themes
of Changing Lives Together is “Not equal gifts, but
equal sacrifices.” The workers in the vineyard didn’t
understand this concept, but Jesus is asking more of us—and
deciding upon our response requires a serious and
honest process of prayerfully seeking His guidance in
determining how much we can give, while remembering that we
can only expect to be blessed and rewarded by God to the
same degree we practice generosity.
Earlier this year a man in Oakland County named Henry
shared this story with me. He was in a large hardware store
(a Lowe’s or Home Depot) when a street person, who seemed to
suddenly appear from out of nowhere, asked him for some
money to get a meal at the McDonald’s next door. Henry gave
him $2, then watched as he left the store; he wanted to see
if the man actually went to McDonald’s, and also because he
sensed there was something “different” (in a holy sense)
about him. As Henry watched, the man approached the door to
McDonald’s, but then—before he entered the fast-food
restaurant—suddenly disappeared into thin air. Henry
couldn’t believe his eyes at first, but reminded himself he
knew there was something different about the man—and then
realized he had been tested in a mystical encounter.
Remembering Our Lord’s words “Whatever you do for the least
of My brothers, you do for Me,” Henry said to himself, “I
just saw Jesus Christ—and I gave Him only two bucks!”
We wouldn’t want to give someone only $2, and afterwards
regret it when we found out it was Jesus Himself; we’d feel
guilty knowing we could have acted generously and made a
real sacrifice, but had chosen not to do so. Just as it was
rather selfish and petty for the vineyard workers to
complain when the owner generously helped other men to feed
their families, so it will be disappointing to the Lord if
we, in response to His invitation to express our gratitude
to Him by practicing genuine stewardship and sacrificial
giving, ignore this opportunity or make only a token
commitment. We won’t be having a local grain elevator
operator or businessman secretly withhold some of our income
and give it to the Church; we must knowingly make that
decision ourselves. The Lord wants us to relate to others
in a generous spirit, just as He does to us—and Changing
Lives Together is one opportunity to put this lesson
into practice. As we pray and reflect in preparation for
Commitment Sunday next weekend, let’s remember that true and
lasting happiness can only come by seeing everything from
God’s point of view, and acting accordingly.
HOMILY - 9/11/11
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that
God has the freedom to grant private revelations to persons
of His choosing (n. 67), and that while these messages or
visions are never equal in authority to Scripture and
Tradition, they can—if authentic—offer us useful information
and guidance. Some such alleged visionaries and prophets
have supposedly been informed that certain well-known or
notorious persons are in purgatory, and this was revealed in
order that people might pray for them. It’s said, for
instance, that the late Senator Edward Kennedy—who violated
his Catholic faith by adamantly supporting
abortion—sincerely repented on his deathbed, thereby
escaping hell; it’s also claimed that Oklahoma City bomber
Timothy McVeigh, as the result of many prayers offered for
him before his execution, also repented and thereby saved
his soul. Both of them are allegedly in purgatory,
desperately in need of prayers for their spiritual cleansing
and eventual entry into Heaven. It’s also said that there
were so many prayers offered for the conversion of Saddam
Hussein between the time of his capture and his execution
that he was granted a great grace: he was shown the place
awaiting him in hell, terrifying him so much that he begged
God’s mercy. This saved his soul, but because of his
innumerable horrible sins, he was allegedly consigned to the
lowest, darkest corner of purgatory.
When I happen to think of Edward Kennedy or Timothy
McVeigh, I say a Hail Mary for them—for our prayers do help
those who suffer in purgatory, and it’s said that when we
pray for specific persons there, they are personally aware
of and grateful for it. However, I find it a little harder
to pray for Saddam Hussein, who in some ways was as evil as
anyone whoever lived. In fact, while I sometimes almost
have to force myself to include him in my prayers, I do so
simply because I know it’s pleasing to God. I remember that
a day or two after the terrible events of 9-11, the
Detroit Free Press had an editorial cartoon showing the
19 terrorist hijackers, to their great dismay, arriving in
hell, where Satan told them, “You have reached your final
destination.” It’s a reasonable assumption that the
murderers of almost 3000 innocent people, by their actions,
chose eternal damnation for themselves, but we can’t say for
sure—and if it were revealed they had somehow made it to
purgatory, they too would be entitled to our prayers—even
though many of us, myself included, would find it a real
challenge to pray for them.
The events of 9-11 changed our nation—and it’s our
Christian duty to help ensure these changes bring us as a
people closer to God. Certainly many stories of heroism,
courage, and compassion emerged from the World Trade Center,
the Pentagon, and the doomed Flight 93 over Pennsylvania—and
our nation as a whole, along with many foreign countries,
responded in a magnificent manner. The people of Gander in
Newfoundland welcomed and cared for 10,000 stranded
passengers when U.S. airspace was closed. Financial
contributions to the Red Cross and other charities caring
for the 9-11 victims soared. Hundreds of volunteers
searched through the rubble at Ground Zero, while others
ministered without rest to the survivors. Enlistments in
the armed forces surged; political differences were
temporarily set aside. All these things speak to the
greatness of our country. One point not often mentioned,
but deserving of attention, is the remarkably small amount
of backlash against Muslims in our country. Some instances
of violence and hate speech occurred, but there were no
lynch mobs, riots, round-ups, internment camps, mass
deportations, or widespread efforts to blame them for what a
handful of their co-religionists did. If anything, America
bent over backwards to avoid such a response; our political
and religious leaders urged us to remain calm and not to
condemn everyone for the actions of a few. Most societies
in history would not have shown such restraint. This was
very much to our nation’s credit, and I believe this noble
reaction pleased the Lord and may have helped protect our
country from further terror attacks in the ten years since
then. Certainly such an attitude ties in very well with
today’s Gospel. God wants us to show mercy to those who sin
against us, not just for their sake, but—even more—for our
own well-being. When we can pray for, and forgive, those
who harm us, we truly are on the road to Heaven.
II. Development
When Peter asked Jesus how often it’s necessary to
forgive, Our Lord didn’t just give a numerical answer; He
also told a very important parable about a man who foolishly
refused to forgive a fellow servant, even though he himself
had a far greater need for mercy. Freely choosing to hold
onto our anger and grudges—no matter how legitimate they may
be—always leads to spiritual harm. The Book of Sirach
states, “wrath and anger are hateful things,” and “if one
who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his
sins?” This sets the stage for the warning Jesus gives us
in the Gospel: God will judge us severely for our sins,
unless we forgive one another from our hearts.
III. Conclusion
One Christian outreach group, Voice of the Martyrs, has
for years tried to convert terrorists and their supporters
in different parts of the world by sharing the Gospel with
them—and they’ve had some success; a number of people
formerly committed to violence have accepted Christ. It may
be necessary for our country to conduct a war on terror so
as to defend our homeland, but the true war on terror Jesus
wants from each of us is an honest effort to pray and
sacrifice for the conversion and salvation of those who hate
us. God will do the judging; He wants us to do the
forgiving and the evangelizing. No matter how strong our
military forces, foreign alliances, and intelligence
agencies may be, they will ultimately fail unless our nation
repents of its own sins and turns back to God—and a
willingness to forgive our enemies is an important part of
this process. We don’t have to deny the horrors of 9-11, or
grow lax in our efforts to defend the innocent here and
abroad, and certainly we must never forget the almost 3000
victims of that terrible day. However, the best way to
honor their memory, and to win God’s blessing and protection
for our country, is to choose that true peace and security
which only divinely-inspired love and forgiveness can
bring. Following the merciful example of Jesus by praying
for our enemies is the best and wisest thing we can ever do
for ourselves—and if this effort helps America once again
live as one nation under God, the sacrifice of all who died
on and since 9-11 will not have been in vain.
HOMILY - 9/4/2011
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
Once there was an elderly woman named Mrs. Gunderson
who lived in a big old house near the edge of town. The
house was run down, because she was too weak to take
care of it properly; she tried her best to maintain it,
but it was more than she could handle. Mrs. Gunderson
was a widow; her husband had died a few years earlier,
and her three children were also dead: her two sons had
been killed in the Korean War, and her daughter had died
of cancer while young. Mrs. Gunderson was all
alone--except for her little dog, Bertie. In dog years,
Bertie was almost as old as she was; she called him “her
little boy,” and she fed him leftovers from her plate
and other treats, too. One Saturday morning Bertie was
out in the front yard, while Mrs. Gunderson was trying
to wash some windows on the front porch. Some boys came
along and, before she knew what was happening, they
grabbed Bertie, tied a rope around his neck, and dragged
him along behind their bicycles. They didn’t mean any
harm; it was all in fun, and they brought him back after
only one trip around the block. However, the experience
was too much for Bertie; he died of exhaustion a few
hours later.
Mrs. Gunderson was heartbroken. She knew the names
of the boys--they had been in the catechism class she
taught at church until a few years earlier--and she
decided to call their parents that afternoon. At first
she was going to chew them out and give them a lecture
on how to raise children properly, but something made
her stop and reconsider. Instead, she simply explained
what had happened, and asked the parents to send the
boys right over to her house. They came--and were they
ever frightened; they were certain Mrs. Gunderson was
going to yell at them, threaten them, and tell them how
terrible they were. To their great surprise, she met
them at the door, brought them to the dining room table,
and served them hot chocolate and cookies. After the
cookies were gone, the elderly woman got out her scrap
book and showed them pictures of her family and of her
dear little dog Bertie. The boys were feeling terribly
ashamed over what they did; they apologized profusely
and asked what they could do to make it up. Mrs.
Gunderson said, “I know you’re sorry and you won’t do it
again. You can’t bring Bertie back, but there is
something you can do: I’d be pleased if you’d stop by
and eat cookies with me every now and then.” The boys
agreed, and Mrs. Gunderson thought, “Maybe something
good will come of this.” Later that week she went to
the Humane Society and found a little dog about Bertie’s
size, whom she took home and named Charlie, and he soon
helped her overcome her grief over Bertie’s loss. The
boys, for their part, kept their promise; they came once
a week for cookies and hot chocolate and spent time
playing with Charlie. Some of them even came more
often, and soon they were doing some of the things Mrs.
Gunderson could no longer do for herself: mowing the
lawn, raking the leaves, trimming the bushes, fixing the
fence, painting the garage, and so on. She and the boys
became close friends; they called her Grandma, and she
loved them as if they were her very own (Sumwalt,
Lectionary Stories, Year B, pp. 101-103). The moral
of this story is simple: angry words and accusations
often make things worse. When we correct others with
love and respect, Jesus is with us.
II. Development
In a perfect world it would never be necessary to
correct anyone. That’s not the reality we know, of course;
people make bad or sinful decisions, and need guidance,
discipline, and correction. The readings speak of the need
to show genuine concern for others; St. Paul tells us, “Owe
no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one
another.” It’s not a loving thing to witness people harming
or destroying themselves through bad moral decisions, and
then do or say nothing about it. The Lord told the prophet
Ezekiel that a watchman’s role is to warn the wicked of the
need to repent--and a failure to give this warning makes the
watchman himself accountable for whatever happens. In the
Gospel, Jesus in effect appoints all of us as watchmen; when
we see a loved one or a member of our community sinning,
we’re supposed to invite him or her to repent--not in a
harsh or judgmental way, but with a loving and accepting
manner, so as to make it as easy as possible for the person
to accept correction and change his or her behavior. Even
if it becomes necessary to shun someone, the purpose is not
to punish that person, but to help him or her realize the
seriousness of the situation. Jesus also adds that, no
matter what happens, we must continue praying for those who
reject the Gospel and who ignore our efforts to help
them--for when we unite in prayer, Christ is present and
great things become possible.
III. Conclusion
Most of us do not like either giving or receiving
correction--but both these experiences may be part of our
Christian calling from time to time. When it comes to
giving correction, it can be helpful to phrase it in a
non-threatening manner, saying, for instance, “May I ask a
favor of you? Could you please not do this?,” or “May I
make a suggestion? It might be better if you did it this
way instead.” God, after all, prefers not to shout at His
people, but to speak softly and lovingly, even when they
sin--so it’s good if we can use that approach, too. When it
comes to receiving correction, it can be helpful to set
aside our pride for the moment and, instead of becoming
defensive, honestly consider what the other person has
said--for we all have our blind spots, and they may continue
harming us unless someone lovingly points them out to us.
Jesus was perfectly sinless, and He remained completely
humble. We are far from being sinless, so we have even more
reason to be humble, especially in giving and receiving
correction. God will do the judging, not us--but sometimes
it’s our duty to assist people in preparing for judgment by
helping them overcome their faults. As Mrs. Gunderson
demonstrated, this is best accomplished not by being fierce
and self-righteous, but by being gentle and forgiving. Even
with this approach we won’t always be successful, but we
will be pleasing to God--and His judgment is ultimately the
only one which matters.
HOMILY - 8/28/11
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
Once there was a wife and mother who was having a
very hectic day. She had a husband, who was off at
work, and ten children, all of whom were at
school--except for Lennie, who at age four was the
youngest. The mother was trying to do all the
housework, but Lennie kept getting in the way. It
seemed every time she turned around, he was literally on
her heels, and she kept bumping into him or accidentally
stepping on his feet. She turned around from loading
the dishwasher and there he was; she stepped away from
filling the washing machine and bumped into him; she
moved back and forth with the rhythm of the vacuum
cleaner and kept getting the cord tangled up with him.
She tried several times to get rid of him in a nice way,
saying for instance, “Wouldn’t you like to play on the
swing outside?” or “Why don’t you go and see if your
friend Timmy is home next door?” However, each time
Lennie smiled sweetly and answered, “That’s all right,
Mommy; I’d rather be in here with you.” Finally,
however, after stepping on Lennie’s toes for the fifth
time, his mother demanded, “Lennie, why are you acting
this way?” With a perfectly innocent face, Lennie
looked in her eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, my Sunday
school teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But
I can’t see Him, so I’m walking in yours” (Chicken
Soup for the Christian Soul, p. 108).
As you might imagine, the mother was deeply moved
with humility and love, and she swept her son up off his
feet in a tight embrace. A four-year-old boy had given
her an important lesson or reminder on one of Our Lord’s
most important teachings. We must take up our cross
each day, no matter how simple or challenging, how
extraordinary or routine, it may be, and follow in His
footsteps. However, an essential part of this Christian
duty--one which we often overlook--is that of providing
a good role model for others and of helping them hear
and answer Christ’s call. Our moral and religious
decisions affect not only ourselves, but many people
around us--and one of the deepest signs of our
commitment to Christ is our desire that others come to
know Him, too.
II. Development
A few years ago a pro basketball star complained about being
criticized for bad behavior, which was influencing young
people; he said, “I didn’t ask to be a role model.” In
effect, he didn’t want to take responsibility for his
influence on others. This attitude is what St. Paul is
warning us against in today’s 2nd Reading, in which he says,
“Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is
God’s will.” What does this age say? Its message is, “Look
out for #1; take care of yourself; if others can’t handle
life, that’s their problem.” This is the attitude we’re
supposed to outgrow and reject, for it’s God’s will that we
show genuine concern for the salvation of other people--even
to the point of self-sacrifice practiced by the prophet
Jeremiah. As we see in the 1st Reading, he had been chosen
by God to warn the people that unless they repented,
national disaster would befall them. In response, Jeremiah
encountered mockery, laughter, and hostility--so he decided
to give up preaching. After all, he was a righteous person;
if a national calamity occurred, it wouldn’t be his fault.
However, God’s word was overpowering, and Jeremiah was
compelled to share it, almost against his will. He found
that he had to speak the truth, no matter what it cost him;
in this, he foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah had been relatively sinless; Jesus was perfectly
sinless, and He certainly didn’t deserve to die. He more
than anyone could have said, “It’s not My fault people can’t
enter heaven; they’re the ones who are sinning, not Me.”
Instead, however, He freely accepted His cross so that all
might be saved. When Jesus explained this to His apostles,
they couldn’t understand or accept it; Peter in particular
tried to dissuade Him. After rebuking Peter, Jesus made it
very clear that following Him means accepting our share of
His sufferings, for this will bring peace, healing, and
spiritual growth to ourselves and also to others.
III. Conclusion
Years ago the chief of an African tribe said to a
missionary, “I can’t read the book you call the Bible, but I
believe the words of it because I have watched you and the
other missionaries for two years now. You have told me no
lies about anything else, so when you tell me this book is
God’s Word I believe it; I believe that Jesus died for me,
and I am going to follow this Jesus” (Knight’s Master
Book of Illustrations, p. 68). This is a wonderful
reminder of how we can have great influence on others--even
to the point of bringing them to salvation. Walking in
Christ’s footsteps, as the missionaries did, can help other
people find the way to heaven. Our children and family
members, our employees or co-workers, our friends and
neighbors, and even complete strangers, see what we do, hear
what we say, and and evaluate the truth of the Gospel based
on our example. We--like the busy wife and mother--might
not have a little boy practically walking on our heels, but
oftentimes there are people who are following in our
footsteps; we--like the selfish pro basketball player--might
not like being role models, but this responsibility was
given to us when we decided to follow Christ. Jesus was
willing to pay any price involved in doing His Father’s
Will--even that of dying on a cross; today He reminds us
that we can find true happiness only through a similar
willingness to surrender our lives to God. Peter and the
other apostles needed time to understand and accept this;
eventually they did, and they helped many other people
discover the path to eternal life. If we honestly desire to
travel this path ourselves, we must pray for, invite, and
welcome those who wish to join us.
HOMILY - 8/21/11
TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
The great inventor, and our local hero, Thomas Edison,
was not a religious man, but he had a genuine respect for
those who sincerely practiced their faith. For instance,
for over sixty years he generously contributed to several
orders of religious sisters, especially the Little Sisters
of the Poor. Edison also had a great admiration for Pope
Pius XI. When he heard that the Holy Father was overwhelmed
with correspondence requiring his personal attention every
day, Edison constructed a special dictating machine,
finished in gold, silver, and ivory, and had it sent to
him. In gratitude, the Pope sent the inventor a medal with
his personal blessing—a medal Edison treasured the rest of
his life. Over the years there have been numerous
expressions of admiration for the Church’s Popes, including
many by non-Catholics. Will Rogers said of the Holy Father,
“He is the only leader in the world today that we know what
he means when he speaks.” When a group of senators and
congressmen had an audience with Pope Pius XII, one of them
was Senator Alben Barkley, who later served as
vice-president. When the Holy Father raised his hand to
give them a blessing, Senator Barkley, whose enthusiasm was
greater than his knowledge of protocol, jumped up, grabbed
his hand, and gushed, “God bless you, Pope; you are doing a
wonderful job.” President Roosevelt’s personal
representative to the Vatican, an Episcopalian named Myron
Taylor, loudly praised the Pope and the Catholic Church’s
system of governance. At the election of Pope Paul VI in
1963, a Lutheran church in Denver posted a message on its
outdoor sign saying, “God bless Pope Paul VI. May God give
divine guidance and strength to Paul VI as he would lead
Christendom to greater love and concern for all nations.”
The world was charmed by Pope John XXIII and by Pope John
Paul I, and looked on with amazement at the popularity and
greatness of Pope John Paul II (Tonne, Five-Minutes
Homilies, p. 44), and today many non-Catholics freely
acknowledge the intelligence and integrity of our current
Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. Jesus, with His perfect
knowledge of human nature, knew His Church would need
leadership and authority to be vested in one particular
person at a time, someone who would be His personal
representative and a sign of unity and strength. When He
chose St. Peter as the first Pope, Our Lord gave His Church
a great blessing, and—in spite of some weak, foolish, and
occasionally even evil men among the 265 Popes in
history—this remains true today. The papacy is an immense
gift from God—but we can share in this blessing only by
continuing to respect and obey the Pope the Lord has chosen
for us.
II. Development
The Letter of St. James states that “The prayer of a
holy man is powerful indeed” (5:16), and because no one is
holier than Jesus, His words are utterly reliable—as in
today’s Gospel, when He says that Peter is the rock upon
which His Church is built, that Peter and his successors
have the power of binding and loosing, and that the gates of
the netherworld—meaning hell—shall not prevail against the
Church. No other institution or society—not even the United
States of America—has a similar divine guarantee of
continued existence up to the end of the world. As St. Paul
exclaims in the 2nd Reading, “How inscrutable are [God’s]
judgments and how unsearchable His ways!” The world cannot
understand what we know with absolute certainty because of
our faith—but only by remaining firmly rooted in our
Catholic heritage can we be sure of always possessing God’s
truth.
III. Conclusion
About twenty-five years ago, during the reign of John
Paul II, there was a book published called If I Were Pope
(edited by Candida Lund, The Thomas More Press, 1987), in
which over forty contributors described what they would do
if they suddenly became Vicar of Christ’s Church. Some of
the suggestions were naïve, silly, or theologically
impossible; others had some merit. Almost all of the
contributors eagerly accepted the challenge of telling the
Pope what he should do, some of them writing at great
length. That’s why my favorite entry was a very brief one
by Vernon Walters, a former Army general and devout Catholic
who also served as Ambassador to the United Nations under
President Reagan. He wrote in all honesty and humility, “I
am very comfortable with what Pope John Paul II teaches and
quite honestly feel that it would be presumptuous of me to
tell him what I would do if I were pope” (p. 134). In our
human pride, it’s very easy for us to say “The Church should
make these changes,” or “The Pope should do this or that,”
or “Here’s what I would do if it were up to me.” What this
attitude forgets is that we don’t know everything the Holy
Father does, we don’t have the special divine graces
associated with his office, and we’ll be judged by God on
how well we respond to our own particular calling, not
someone else’s.
Humility requires us to be obedient to the leadership of
the Holy Father in Rome, to take his teachings seriously,
and to support him through our prayers, our active
membership in the Church, and by publicly defending him when
he’s wrongly criticized or attacked. Popes are only human,
and thus are far from perfect—but the Holy Spirit preserves
them from making any errors in their teachings on faith and
morals. Never in history—not even in the case of
worldly, incompetent, and downright wicked successors of St.
Peter—has a Pope taught or accepted heresy. Jesus will not
allow that to occur, and therefore—if we wish to remain His
true disciples—we must give our allegiance to the teachings
of the Holy Father, and the teachings of those bishops in
union with him.
Sometimes we as Catholics take the leadership of the
Pope for granted, or presume to think we know better than
him—so it’s good to be reminded that even when other
Christians don’t acknowledge his authority, they often look
upon him with great admiration. If non-Catholics can
recognize the usefulness and importance of the papacy, we,
as members of the One True Church, will be held to an even
higher standard. In the words of St. Cyprian, “If a man
does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, does he imagine
that he still holds the faith? If he deserts the chair of
Peter upon whom the Church was built, does he still have
confidence that he is in the Church?” The leadership of
Peter and his successors is a great gift from Jesus to His
Church. If we want to please Our Lord, we must acknowledge
this gift, respect it, and defend it.
HOMILY - 8/14/11
TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
A woman named Jan wrote about a time when she and her
family, and some friends of theirs, celebrated Father’s Day
by going fishing along the Missouri River. The oldest boy
in the other family, named Jonathan, was eager to try out
his brand new fishing pole, which he had securely placed in
a pole holder pushed down into the sand after making a
cast. However, he afterwards discovered to his alarm the
pole was missing, and no one could find it. In the midst of
everyone’s agitation, Jan’s oldest daughter, nine-year-old
Lisa, said to her, “Mom, you always tell us to pray when we
lose something. Let’s all ask Jesus to help us find the
pole now.” In describing what happened next, Jan wrote,
“She was confident that God would help. At that point, I
was torn. Yes, it was true I always had the kids pray when
we lost something at home, but this was the Missouri River!
I did not want her to be disappointed and look foolish. I
also thought I was defending God and did not want to put Him
to the test. Regardless, there was no stopping Lisa’s sure
faith. She led the group prayer asking God to please help
Jonathan find his fishing pole. Immediately after we all
prayed, Jonathan’s father, Mark, cast his line into the
river. It caught on something. Mark quickly reeled it in
as everyone watched. His hook had caught on another fishing
line. To everyone’s surprise, he pulled in Jonathan’s new
pole which also had a very large carp on the end of the
line. ‘I’m sorry, Lord,’ I laughed and then humbly
resolved: ‘I won’t second-guess You again or try to protect
You. I realize now You can take care of Yourself’” (Amazing
Grace for the Catholic Heart, p. 16).
Sometimes we may think that God doesn’t want to be
bothered by our needs and concerns, or we might fear that
He’ll consider them trivial and unimportant. However, one
of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to teach us that this
attitude is mistaken. As a loving Father, God is happy to
answer our sincere prayers, and we pay Him a great
compliment when we trust Him enough to ask for whatever we
need.
II. Development
Many times we might be so busy guarding against the
temptation of pride that we fall prey to a very different
temptation: thinking ourselves unworthy of God’s attention,
unworthy to play an important role in His plan of salvation,
and unworthy to serve Him in any significant way. Today’s
readings tell us, however, that everyone who truly seeks to
know and serve the Lord is acceptable to Him. This message
is stated very clearly in the 1st Reading from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah, and developed in the 2nd Reading from
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans; while the Jews are God’s
chosen people, everyone else is also invited to accept His
gift of salvation and eternal life. It’s in the Gospel that
one of the practical implications of this truth is
demonstrated. A foreign woman begged Jesus for a miracle.
He pretended to ignore her so as to test her, and she passed
the test in a glorious way, demonstrating both faith in His
divine power and perseverance in her request. Her faith was
rewarded, and her example is one the Lord wants us to
imitate.
III. Conclusion
A Christian evangelist named John Rice wrote, “I once
imagined I was in Heaven. Walking along with the Angel
Gabriel, I asked, ‘Gabe, what is that big building there?’
‘You’ll be disappointed,’ he answered. ‘I don’t think you
want to see it.’ But I insisted, and he [took me inside
and] showed me floor after floor of beautiful gifts, all
wrapped and ready to be sent [down to people on earth].
‘Gabriel, what are all these?’ I inquired. He said, I
thought rather sadly, ‘We wrapped all these things, but
people never called for them’” (Nelson’s Complete Book of
Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 630). God is not
honored when we practice false humility, or act as if we’re
unworthy of His help, or seem to be afraid to present our
needs to Him in prayer—yet that often happens. When the
Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in
1830, the saint noticed Our Lady was wearing a beautiful
ring encrusted with many gems. From some of these diamonds
and rubies and precious stones, beautiful rays of many
different colors were streaming forth, but other gems
appeared gray and lifeless. When St. Catherine asked the
meaning of this, Our Lady explained that the colored rays of
light represented various graces being sent to people in
response to their prayers; the gray stones, however, stood
for blessings Jesus wanted to bestow on His people through
her, but which were unasked for by anyone, and thus wasted.
We should never be afraid to ask for help from Heaven,
whether in big things or little ones, in spiritual matters
or everyday concerns, for ourselves and for others. God is
a loving Father, so it’s only right that we should ask Him
to help us become holier and more loving persons. Because
Jesus Himself experienced many of the same things we do,
it’s quite natural and proper that we ask Him to help us
bear our crosses each day. Since Our Lord promised that the
Holy Spirit would help us in this regard, we should ask the
Spirit to give us the right words to say whenever we’re in a
tense, challenging, or confusing situation. Moreover, the
Virgin Mary loves each of us with a mother’s love, and we
please and honor Jesus when we ask for her intercession and
help. Our guardian angels are assigned to protect us, and
so we should ask them—and other members of the angelic
court—to guide us and guard us in dangerous situations, or
whenever we feel something isn’t quite right. The saints
are our heavenly friends, and will gladly pray for us and
help us when we ask; in particular, we should pray to our
patron saints, our favorite saints, and the saint whose
feast day the Church is celebrating on any given day.
Obviously, seeking assistance and favors mustn’t be the
only reason we pray; you wouldn’t like it if a so-called
friend only spoke to you when he or she needed something,
and otherwise ignored you. We should also pray in order to
praise and adore God, to thank Him for His blessings, and to
express our sorrow and ask forgiveness for our sins. As
long as we’re doing all this, however, we needn’t hesitate
to ask for whatever we need in a spirit of loving trust, and
in that same spirit of perseverance demonstrated by the
Canaanite woman. Our prayers will be answered—not
necessarily in the way we want or expect, but always in the
way that’s truly best for us. God is love, and He delights
in expressing His love by giving good things to His children
in answer to their prayers. This truth is part of the Good
News of salvation. It’s up to us to let this truth also be
part of our lives.
HOMILY - 8/7/11
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
What would you say if a woman won the lottery
drawing—worth many millions of dollars—but refused to turn
in the winning ticket and collect her prize? I think we’d
all agree that would be very foolish; even if she didn’t
want the money herself, she could collect it and then give
it away to charity. Or what if a witness in a murder trial
received a death threat against his life—and absolutely
refused police protection, instead desiring to take his
chances on surviving on his own? We all know that would be
taking an unnecessary risk. How about a hospital patient
suffering great pain who, for no good reason at all, refused
a painkiller to relieve his or her misery—would that be
reasonable? Of course not. In all these cases, people
might freely decide something which makes no sense at
all—and their choices would have to be respected, no matter
how mistaken or irrational they might be. God operates
under the same rules; He respects our free will, even when
we make bad decisions. The Lord offers us blessings,
protection, and strength—everything we need to fulfill our
mission on earth and achieve eternal life—but He cannot and
will not impose these gifts on us. His great spiritual
blessings, and His wonderful plan of salvation, depend upon
our free choice. Our Heavenly Father will offer us
everything we need to be happy—but it’s up to us to accept.
II. Development
Today’s readings show that God doesn’t force His will or
His gifts upon us; we must freely decide our response. The
prophet Elijah fled to a cave for safety, for the evil Queen
Jezebel had vowed to kill him. Elijah had almost
single-handedly fought against paganism, trying to call
Israel back to true worship of God—and as far as he could
tell, he had failed. He was an old man; he was tired, and
he wanted to give up and die. This wasn’t God’s plan,
however; Elijah’s mission wasn’t yet complete. Ancient
peoples believed that, if they looked directly upon the face
of God, they would be so overwhelmed they would die
instantly. That’s why Elijah covered his face when God
passed by—and in this gesture he showed his willingness to
accept God’s will and continue living and carrying out his
mission. The Lord promised His support and protection, and
Elijah agreed. In the 2nd Reading St. Paul laments the fact
that the Jewish people, who have been so greatly blessed by
God, have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah. God cannot
force His will upon them; He must abide by their decision.
Nevertheless, the Lord loves the Jews, and they remain His
chosen people, even to this day. St. Paul loved them, and
even expressed his willingness to die for them. We too must
love them and pray for them, that they may accept all the
blessings God desires to bestow upon them. This theme of
accepting God’s gifts is also found in the Gospel. Peter
was actually walking on water—a miracle made possible by his
faith in Christ’s power. However, when Peter took his eyes
off Jesus and allowed his faith to be replaced by worries
and doubts, he faltered; he stopped using the gift he was
given, and began to sink. Fortunately, he still called upon
Jesus—and the Lord was there for him.
III. Conclusion
When Thomas Jefferson was president, he and some
companions were traveling one day on horseback. They came
to a flooded river which had washed the bridge away, forcing
them to ride through the swollen river, fighting against its
currents—a very dangerous situation. A traveler on foot
arrived at the site, sized up the situation, and asked
Jefferson to let him ride across the river with him, seated
behind him on his horse. Without hesitation, the president
agreed. Once they were safely on the other side, one of
Jefferson’s companions asked the man, “Tell me, why did you
select the president to ask this favor of?” The man was
shocked, having no idea it was the famous Thomas Jefferson
he had asked for a ride. He explained that he had tried to
guess who would be most likely to help him, and said, “All I
know is that on some of your faces was written the answer
‘No’ and on some of them was the answer ‘Yes.’ His was a
‘Yes’ face” (Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations &
Quotes, p. 3).
God wants each one of us to have a ‘Yes’ face—not only
for the times He asks us to do something for His glory or to
fulfill some mission in His Name, but also for the times
when He wants to bless us, and help us grow in virtue and
faith, and enrich us spiritually. He cannot help us cross
the river of life’s obstacles, and safely reach our
destination, unless we allow it. Like Peter when he was
walking on the water, we too may experience times when we
suddenly feel overwhelmed, times when we might ask
ourselves, “What was I thinking? What am I doing here—how
am I going to get through this?” Jesus, after
reaching out to us, might in turn ask us the same question
He asked Peter: “Why did you falter?”
I think that, when we reach Heaven, we’ll be able to
look back at our lives and see every moment when God offered
us His grace, His blessings, and His protection. We’ll be
able to see the times when we ignored His gifts, the times
we were blind or too busy. Fortunately, we’ll also see the
times we accepted God’s help and His gift of salvation—just
as Peter did call upon Jesus for help even after he
made the mistake of not fully using the grace he was given.
Perhaps that’s one of the greatest curses of hell: those
who’ve rejected God for all eternity will be able to see,
with perfect clarity, all the times they’d ignored God’s
grace, all the times they’d spurned His mercy, all the times
they could have accepted His love—but chose not to.
God is here for us; He will be present in our lives to
whatever extent we allow. If you are suffering great
physical pain, if you’re worried over a son or daughter who
seems to have lost the faith, if you’re grieving over the
death of a loved one, if you’ve experienced a great
disappointment, or if you’re simply discouraged or worn out
from the demands and responsibilities of life, don’t try to
go it alone. Let Jesus be with you. He won’t always take
the burden away, but He will help you bear it. God offers
us His grace, His blessings, and His protection—but He can
do nothing more than that unless we choose to say ‘Yes.’
HOMILY - 7/31/11
Father Joe on
Vacation - Guest Priest
HOMILY - 7/24/11
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
The great 19th century medical missionary Dr. David
Livingstone spent much of his life ministering in the heart
of Africa. It was to him that a British journalist named
Stanley, after a long search for him in the African jungle,
addressed the famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
When Livingstone died in 1873, his body was brought back to
England to be buried in Westminster Abbey in London. Crowds
lined the street for the funeral procession. One man was
obviously terribly distressed, so someone asked, “You knew
him well?” “Yes,” the man replied. “David and I were
boyhood friends, and we went to Africa together. David went
for Africa’s souls, and I went for Africa’s gold. And today
I realize I concentrated on the wrong world!” That has to
be just about the worst feeling any of us could ever
experience: discovering, late in life, that we had spent
our lives on the wrong thing, that the legacy we had wanted
to leave behind had crumbled into ashes, and that we were
disastrously unprepared for God’s judgment. Jesus doesn’t
want anyone to undergo such a tragic experience, but the
world, the flesh, and the devil are constantly trying to
entice us, deceive us, and pull us in the wrong direction.
It’s up to us to use God’s grace to avoid wasting our lives,
and Jesus tells us quite clearly how to do this. We must
set our hearts on the one thing that truly matters—and if we
remain true to this choice, our life will have achieved its
purpose.
II. Development
Ancient societies didn’t have banks, safe deposit boxes,
or other convenient places to store money. If someone
accumulated a certain amount of wealth, he had to hide it in
order for it to remain reasonably secure; burying it in the
ground in a secret location was often the only realistic
choice—though if the owner died suddenly without telling his
family about the money, it would remain lost or unknown,
unless someone happened to dig it up by accident. Thus, Our
Lord’s parable about buried treasure was a very realistic
example, and anyone who uncovered it would indeed buy the
field, regardless of cost, in order to obtain legal
ownership. The buried treasure Jesus is referring to, of
course, is membership in the Kingdom of God, something
infinitely more important than anything this world has to
offer. Solomon valued wisdom more than earthly wealth or
power, and God validated his choice by blessing him in many
other ways. The height of wisdom is to cooperate as fully
as we can with God’s plan for our lives, for as St. Paul
tells us, “All things work for the good of those who love
God, who are called according to His purpose.” An obedient
and loving relationship with our Heavenly Father is the
pearl of great price, worth whatever it takes to acquire.
Seeking to do God’s will not only allows Him to bless us
during our lives on earth; more importantly, it prepares us
for final judgment. As Jesus says, just as fishermen sort
out everything hauled in by their nets, so at the end of
time the just will be separated from the wicked. Those who
had lived only for themselves will discover to their horror
that they had made the wrong choice, while those who lived
as true children of God will be welcomed into their Father’s
Kingdom.
III. Conclusion
Once upon a time a beautiful young woman noticed that a
young man was following her, so she stopped to ask him why.
“Because I have fallen in love with you!” he exclaimed. She
told him, “My sister, who is coming after me, is much
prettier than I. Go back and introduce yourself to her.”
The man eagerly retraced his steps, but it turned out the
woman who followed was quite unattractive. He hurried after
the beautiful young woman, and demanded of her, “Why did you
tell me a lie?” She declared, “You didn’t tell me the truth
either, for if you were in love with me, why did you
go back looking for another woman?” (Tonne, Stories for
Sermons, Vol. 6, #96). This oriental fable speaks to
our need to be wholehearted in our commitments.
Specifically, are we truly in love with Jesus, and if we
claim we are, do we let anything interfere in that
relationship?
We know how easy it is to give lip service to our
faith. After all, we have lots of registered parishioners
who in some way want to be associated with Jesus Christ and
His Church, as represented here by St. Edward Parish—but if
they really meant what they say, all our weekend Masses
would be standing-room only, and there would be huge traffic
jams out in the parking lot. We’re here each weekend, so
we’re not guilty of that type of sin or hypocrisy—but there
may be other ways in which we fall short. Do we go along
with society’s values, instead of the teachings of the
Church—whether in our relationships, sexual morality,
stewardship and the use of money, and other areas of daily
life? Do we spend more time and effort taking care of our
bodies than our souls? Do we pray only when we need
something, or is prayer a regular part of our lives, and
also an expression of our gratitude and our adoration of
God? When the Lord calls us, instead of saying “Yes,” do we
say “Yes, but” or “Well, maybe later”? Do we try to serve
two masters, or practice our religion only as long as it
doesn’t become too challenging or inconvenient? Are we more
concerned with remaining popular than faithful? Is Jesus
just a nice guy we claim to know and admire, or is He truly
the Lord of our lives?
Even if we live to a very old age, our lives on earth
are still relatively short—and we don’t want to waste them,
nor do we want to look back on them with regret, wishing we
had followed a different path and chosen different
priorities. We may not be able to live each day as if it
were our last on earth, but we should live each day in
preparation for the day on which we die—and this can only be
done by putting Jesus first. He will never betray or
disappoint or forget those who trust in Him, and if we put
our lives into His hands, He’ll one day take us by the hand
and lead us into our true home.
HOMILY - 7/17/11
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
A young teacher named Maggie was assigned to an
inner-city junior high school during the middle of the
year, and the principal told her only that the former
teacher had left suddenly, and that her class was one of
“special” students. Maggie walked into a scene of pure
bedlam: spitballs were flying through the air, students
had their feet up on the desks, and the room was filled
with noise and confusion. The new teacher opened the
attendance book, and saw that next to each name on the
list was a number ranging from 140 to 160. “Oh,” Maggie
thought, “no wonder the students are so high-spirited:
they all have exceptionally high I.Q.s.” She smiled to
herself, and brought the class to order. Over the next
few weeks she found that this group of budding geniuses
wasn’t easy to work with; many of them didn’t hand in
their assignments, and the papers that were
turned in were done in a hasty and sloppy manner.
Rather than getting angry, or giving up, Maggie
patiently explained to her students that because they
were so gifted and capable of excellence, she expected
nothing but the best from them. They had a duty to use
their talents and abilities, she said, and she was going
to keep on insisting that they do so.
It took awhile, but finally Maggie’s message began to
sink in. The students sat up tall in their desks, paid
attention in class, and worked diligently. All of them
now completed their assignments, and their work was
creative and of a high quality—and Maggie happily told
them that, as a class, their grades were probably the
best in the entire school. All this came to the
attention of the principal, who called Maggie into his
office and asked, “What have you done to these kids?
They’re outperforming all the other students!” “Well,
what do you expect?” said Maggie. “They’re gifted,
aren’t they?” The principal responded in surprise,
“Gifted? No, they’re the special-need students: the
retarded and those with behavioral problems.” Maggie
was stunned, and asked, “Then why are their I.Q.s so
high on the attendance chart?,” and the principal
explained, “Those aren’t their I.Q.s; those are their
locker numbers!” (Linda Kavelin-Popov, Chicken Soup
for the Teacher’s Soul, p. 247). A teacher,
laboring under the happy misconception that her students
were exceptionally gifted, managed to turn them into a
superior class just by her caring and patient
encouragement. Sometimes love—true love which won’t
settle for anything but the best—can turn weeds into
wheat.
II. Development
When we hear Our Lord’s parable in today’s Gospel of
the weeds mixed in with the wheat we might say to
ourselves, “OK, good—all those evildoers in the world,
including the ones I know personally, are finally going
to get what they’ve got coming to them, while I and all
the other good people are rewarded.” That may be a
natural response on our part, but it’s not the best
one. Instead, Jesus wants us to be concerned for the
well-being not only of the just, but also of hardened
sinners. Yes, there will finally be a day of judgment
in which everyone is held accountable for his or her
actions and choices—and for some people this experience
may be horrible and disastrous. Before this happens,
however, God passionately desires that everyone on the
path to damnation repent and accept the gift of
salvation. The 1st Reading from the Book of Wisdom
speaks of how God balances justice with mercy, and
asserts that He has given His children good reason to
hope that He would welcome their genuine repentance and
turning away from their sins. Moreover, as St. Paul
tells us, the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and helps
us pray in our weakness. God has ordered all things for
our good, and so we are truly blessed when we cooperate
with His plan—and one of the greatest ways of doing this
is by using whatever opportunities we’re given to help
other sinners repent.
III. Conclusion
When St. Thérèse of Lisieux was a girl, she became
greatly distressed at the idea that some people might
reject God and consequently choose eternal damnation for
themselves; this prospect was so upsetting that she
began praying fervently for the conversion of sinners.
When she was fifteen, she saw a newspaper story about a
convicted murderer named Pranzini; though guilty and
facing the death penalty, the man stubbornly refused to
repent of his crimes. Thérèse was filled with
excitement, for here was the chance to pray and
sacrifice for a particular sinner! “Dear God,”
she prayed, “send that poor sinner the grace of
repentance, because of the merits of the passion of
Jesus!” The saint offered many prayers and sacrifices
for Pranzini, and also asked Jesus to give her a sign
that the man had repented. This prayer was answered,
for when Thérèse read the newspaper account of the
criminal’s execution, she was delighted to learn that
Pranzini, who had previously ignored all attempts of the
prison chaplain to help him convert, suddenly asked the
priest to hold up a crucifix, which he kissed three
times before being put to death.
It is a wonderful thing to change weeds into wheat
by helping sinners repent; all heaven rejoices when such
a miracle of grace occurs—and Jesus wants us to be aware
of and responsive to our opportunities to help such
things happen. The example of St. Thérèse gives us a
good starting point; we should pray not only for the
innocent victims of crime, terrorism, and other forms of
violence, but also for the criminals and murderers
involved; even as they’re imprisoned and held
accountable for their crimes, we can offer prayers and
sacrifices for their conversion. It’s just as important
to pray for the people we know who are leading less than
a Christian life: the family member who no longer goes
to church, the neighbor who never has a kind word to say
about anyone, the young person constantly getting into
trouble with the law, the relative who snubs or
criticizes us for reasons unknown to us, the former
friend who refuses to let go of a grudge, and anyone
else who makes our life harder and less joyful than it
needs to be. We need to turn the other cheek, if
necessary, and always respond to the other person in a
charitable way, making it clear by our example that we
sincerely desire his or her well-being. It may seem
useless, but Christian charity—nourished by regular
prayers, sacrifices, and even fasting on
occasion—sometimes results in a breakthrough of grace.
Instead of waiting until people become lovable and then
loving them, we’re called to make them lovable by loving
them first—the way God does with each one of us.
Maggie’s high expectations of her students helped them
achieve what everyone thought impossible. When we allow
God’s love to flow through us, even greater things than
this can happen—and when we reach heaven, each
conversion in which we’ve played a part will be the
source of a glorious and eternal friendship, and an
everlasting reason for joy and delight.
HOMILY - 7/10/11
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
Jesus today speaks of conversion, and mentions four
possible responses to this opportunity. There are several
true stories which describe what He was talking about.
First of all, there was once a British television celebrity
who one day unexpectedly had a deep religious experience in
a church he happened to visiting, even though he wasn’t a
religious person. It was so intense he seriously considered
changing his life—but this feeling soon passed, and he
decided to do nothing. This man is represented by the seed
which fell on the footpath; it was never given a chance to
take root. The second story involves two brothers:
Clarence and Robert. As young men they both committed
themselves to Christ. Clarence eventually became a civil
rights worker, and Robert a lawyer. One day Clarence asked
his brother for legal assistance in a civil rights matter,
but Robert refused, saying it could hurt his political
future. When Clarence confronted him about his commitment
to Jesus, Robert said, “I follow Him, but not to the
cross—I’m not going to get crucified.” Clarence said sadly,
“Robert, you’re not a follower of Jesus—you’re only one of
his fans.” Robert is represented by the seed which fell on
rocky ground—an initial commitment, but without depth or
staying power.
The third example involves a Catholic high school girl
who, as an assignment in religion class, had to write a
reflection paper on this Gospel passage. It was a strange
and somewhat upsetting experience for her, because it
reminded her of a great conversation she had the previous
year with her high school counselor. The talk really helped
her put things into perspective, and as a result of it she
made several resolutions—but the Gospel reading made her
realize she had become so busy with school and
extra-curricular activities that she hadn’t carried out a
single one of them. The girl had to admit to herself that
she was represented by the seed which fell among thorns
(Link, Illustrated Sunday Homilies, Year A, Series
II, p. 81). The final example is one which, I hope, we can
all supply for ourselves—one illustrating that God’s word
has taken root in our own lives. We know of many famous
conversions in history: Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalen, St. Paul,
St. Augustine, and St. Ignatius Loyola; we may also
personally know people who’ve changed their lives by
deciding to give them to God, and who followed through. The
important thing, however, is that we ourselves allow this to
happen, and to continue happening. We are the people who
are called to produce thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold.
This will only occur, however, if our hearts are truly open.
II. Development
Today’s readings speak of the power of God’s word—and of
our need to cooperate with it. In the 1st Reading from the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God says that just as rain comes
down from Heaven to water the earth and make it fertile, so
His word will go forth and achieve its purpose: the
establishment of His Kingdom. St. Paul tells us in the 2nd
Reading that all creation eagerly awaits the completion of
this process; only when God’s Kingdom is complete will there
be perfect harmony and freedom. Jesus warns us in the
Gospel, however, not to assume we’ll automatically be part
of this process. God’s word cannot save us unless we allow
it to take root in our lives.
III. Conclusion
The famous evangelist Dr. Billy Graham was once seated
in an airplane behind an intoxicated man, whose language was
loud and profane. Trying to quiet him down, the stewardess
told him that Billy Graham was seated behind him. The drunk
turned around, and with a delighted expression, said in a
slurred voice, “Dr. Graham, I’m happy to meet you—I want you
to know that your preaching has changed my life.” Billy
Graham thought to himself, “If that’s true, either I didn’t
do a good job preaching, or he didn’t do a good job
listening.”
We have to make sure God’s word has better results than
this in our lives. If His word has truly taken root in our
hearts, there’ll be some visible signs or evidence. For
instance, we’ll help others whenever we have the chance to
do so. We’ll make our decisions not only according to our
desires, but also according to what we perceive to be God’s
will for us. We’ll take our religious responsibilities, and
our family responsibilities, seriously. We’ll be honest and
fair in our dealings with others. We’ll try to welcome new
parishioners, new co-workers, or new classmates. We’ll seek
forgiveness for our sins, and in turn forgive others. We’ll
admit our faults, and use God’s grace in trying to improve
as persons. We’ll make a conscious effort to consider the
needs and feelings of others, instead of thinking only of
ourselves. We’ll share our faith by our example and by our
willingness to practice what we believe. And we’ll pray—to
help others, to strengthen ourselves, and to glorify God.
Your life, and mine, is like a plot of land. God
provides the seed of His word, the nourishing waters of His
grace, and the season for growing. It’s our responsibility
to keep this precious seed away from the footpaths, separate
from the rocks, and out from among the weeds and thorns. If
we make an honest effort to do this, Jesus assures us we’ll
produce a rich harvest.
HOMILY - 7/3/11
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
I. Introduction
About 120 years ago in France, two men were sharing a
train compartment: a young man who was smartly dressed, and
an older man in simple clothing. The older gentleman was
silently praying the Rosary, and the youth said
contemptuously, “I see you still believe in that medieval
clap-trap about praying, and I suppose you believe in the
Virgin Mary and all the other religious hogwash the priests
tell you.” The man answered, “Yes, I do—don’t you?” The
young man laughed and said, “Me believe in superstition? I
learned the truth in college—and if you’re smart you’ll
throw those silly beads out the window and learn about the
new science.” The old man asked, “The new science? I’m
afraid I don’t understand—perhaps you could help me.” The
youth smugly answered, “Well, assuming you can read, I’d be
happy to mail you some literature . . . where should I send
it?” The old man fumbled in his coat pocket for a moment,
then pulled out his card, which read: Louis Pasteur, Paris
Institute for Scientific Research (Tonne, Stories for
Sermons, Vol. 11, #272).
Louis Pasteur, of course, was the famous chemist who,
among his many important, discoveries, developed the process
for ensuring the purity of milk we call pasteurization.
Though he was one of the greatest scientists in history, he
was also a man of faith, someone humble enough to admit his
need for God. This must also be true of us. We live in the
greatest and most technologically advanced country in
history, surrounded by a world of new inventions and
discoveries, with possibilities and opportunities beyond our
imagining. Many of the devices and conveniences we take for
granted were not only unknown a mere fifty years ago, but
practically inconceivable. Our wonders of science and
engineering and technology can be extremely useful and even
life-changing, but in and of themselves they cannot bring us
happiness. Jesus alone can give us inner peace—but we must
be humble enough to accept it.
II. Development
Humility is absolutely essential for those who wish to
enter God’s Kingdom, as today’s readings make very clear.
The prophet Zechariah foretold in the 1st Reading that the
Savior sent by God would come not with awesome power and in
unapproachable majesty, but in meekness and humility, riding
the foal of an ass. This, of course, is what Jesus did on
Palm Sunday. Through His death and resurrection He offers
us salvation; it’s our responsibility to accept. In the 2nd
Reading St. Paul describes some of the implications of such
a choice on our part. We must live according to the spirit,
Paul says, not the flesh—meaning the ways of the world.
Among others things, this calls us to reject the worldly
values of pride, aloofness, and excessive self-reliance;
instead, we must choose the spiritual values of humility,
acceptance, and mutual respect and concern. In the Gospel
Jesus presents Himself as an example: “Learn from Me,” He
says, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” Our Lord also
tells us that God reveals His truth to those who, like
children, are humble and trusting and dependent; however, He
does not reveal Himself to the wise and learned and proud,
who vainly search for truth on their own terms.
III. Conclusion
A 19th century army general in Europe known for his
strong Christian character was one day leading some troops
on a field exercise out in the countryside. That evening,
he was observed talking to a poor beggar woman in the
village where his troops were resting. Afterwards one of
his staff officers suggested he shouldn’t be talking with
someone so far below his social level, saying, “General, you
ought to consider your rank.” The general replied, “What if
my Lord Jesus had considered His rank?” (Tonne, Vol. 8,
#95). Fortunately for us, the eternal, all-powerful Son of
God humbled Himself so that we might be saved, and in His
meekness, He invites us to take His yoke upon our
shoulders. However, even though His yoke is easy, taking it
upon ourselves goes against our natural desires. We want to
be in charge of our lives—but following Jesus means placing
His will first. In practical terms, this suggests that we
must pray every day, asking for God’s guidance; it means
trying to recognize Christ’s presence in everyone around
us—especially in the people we don’t like. Carrying the
yoke of Christ requires us to forgive those who’ve sinned
against us, and be humble enough to seek forgiveness from
those we’ve offended. Taking up our cross each day means
not letting the problems and anxieties of life eat away at
our hope, and not allowing our frustrations and
disappointments to diminish our gratitude for God’s gifts.
Following Jesus means being humble in our dealings with one
another—in particular, taking the time to listen, especially
within our own families. Instead of judging or analyzing
those around us, we should—like the “merest children”—humbly
accept the truth they’re trying to share.
If we try to control our relationship with Christ—by
restricting religion to Sundays, by praying only when we
need something, or by placing our desires ahead of God’s
will—we’ll find it doesn’t work; we’re not being true either
to Jesus or to ourselves. If, however, we follow Jesus on
His terms, everything will fall into place. If we
surrender our lives to Him, we don’t have to worry; we can
be free to truly come alive. Arrogance blinds us; humility
lets us see and use the truth. This was true for a great
man like Louis Pasteur; Jesus wants it also to be true for
each one of us.
HOMILY - 6/26/11
CORPUS CHRISTI (Year A)
I. Introduction
Almost two months ago our second graders from school and
the religious education program made their First Communion,
and a few days later I asked some of them to write down what
the experience was like for them. One girl wrote, “I was so
excited about my First Communion because it was the first
time I received Jesus. I felt so happy inside, like I was
going to faint. I felt nervous at first but then I felt
better. Receiving Jesus is very important to me.” A boy
stated simply, “It felt terrific when I received First
Communion,” and another boy added, “I felt good about it.
Jesus came to me. I had a big smile on my face.” One girl
wrote, “I felt very good when I took First Communion. I’m
now closer to Jesus,” and another girl said, “It is great to
spend a day with Jesus at the church. I have been waiting a
long time for that day. It finally came.” A boy shared his
enthusiasm by writing, “I felt like I was an Apostle eating
the Body and the Blood. I felt great. It was awesome!,”
and another boy showed a good understanding of how we should
respond to the Eucharist by writing, “I felt like I wanted
to serve people.” Finally, one girl said, “I was scared at
first. When I received Jesus, I felt spectacular. I’ve
been waiting my whole life to receive Jesus. . . . I
was so blessed that day.”
One of the Psalms praises God by saying, “Above the heavens is
Your majesty chanted by the mouths of children” (8:2,
Jerusalem Bible), and we definitely see this type of
child-like wisdom here. As Catholics, we too easily take
the Eucharist for granted, so it’s good when our young
people can remind us of what a wonderful and amazing
privilege it is to receive the Body and Blood of our
Savior. Our Lord loves us so much that He wants to give
Himself to us again and again in this truly miraculous
way—and recognizing and receiving His Presence here and now
helps prepare us to be present to Him for all eternity.
II. Development
Most Protestants don’t believe Holy Communion is truly
the Body and Blood of Christ, and, sadly, even many
Catholics have misunderstandings or doubts about this sacred
truth. Such a situation isn’t surprising, for we see in the
Gospel that some of those who heard this teaching directly
from Jesus Himself couldn’t accept it. Our Lord presented
Himself as the true bread from Heaven, which—unlike the
manna the Israelites ate in the desert—is capable of
bestowing eternal life. As Jesus insisted, “Unless you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not
have life within you,” and He promised, “Whoever eats My
flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him.” This
is the unity St. Paul refers to in the 2nd Reading, when he
says that the Eucharistic bread and the cup of blessing are
a participation or sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ.
Paul also says that we, though many, are called to be united
as one body through the Eucharist—but this only happens if
we accept Christ’s words in a spirit of humility and faith,
submitting to the authority of the Church He established and
obeying the leadership of the shepherds He has appointed.
III. Conclusion
At a wedding Mass a priest announced, quite properly,
that only those who were practicing Catholics should come
forward for Communion. One of those who therefore didn’t
receive was an Episcopalian, a young man who happened to be
studying in the seminary in order to be ordained a minister
in his religion. At the wedding reception that evening, the
seminarian asked the priest why he wasn’t allowed to receive
Communion; after all, he said, the Episcopalian belief about
the Eucharist was almost identical to the Catholic teaching,
so much so that he didn’t see any really difference between
them. The priest responded, “When you are ordained, and you
celebrate the Lord’s Supper for the first time, will you
adore the host with the same adoration that you give to God
alone?” The young man paused for a moment, then answered,
“No,” to which the priest said, “That’s the difference” (Homiletic
& Pastoral Review, May 2011, p. 39).
As Catholics, we believe not only that the Hosts
consecrated by a validly ordained Catholic priest are truly
the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, but that they
remain so even after Mass is finished. That’s why the Hosts
left over from Communion are placed in the tabernacle,
instead of being thrown out or taken back into the sacristy
and mixed in with all the unconsecrated hosts. That’s why
we genuflect toward the tabernacle upon entering and leaving
church, and that’s why we’re supposed to maintain a spirit
of reverence and prayerfulness here in church—because of
what we as Catholics call the Real Presence. Jesus is truly
here, and in every Catholic church, in a way that simply
isn’t the case in any Protestant house of worship—and if the
many millions of ex-Catholics had truly understood and
appreciated this, the way our second graders do, they never
would have abandoned the One True Church, and Catholicism
would be much larger and stronger, and more influential in
our country, than it currently is.
Too many of us Catholics are like people who live with a
spectacular view of breath-taking scenery outside our front
door, but who instead spend most of our time looking at the
garbage dump and ugly abandoned factory visible out our back
door: instead of looking at the Eucharistic Jesus with
wonder and awe, we let ourselves get distracted by
infinitely-less important concerns. We must learn to
appreciate the Eucharist ever more deeply, and, by our
example, help others to do so, too. This means silently
praying before Mass begins, asking the Holy Spirit to help
us pay attention and participate in the liturgy; it means
making sure we’re free of mortal sin before coming forward
for Communion, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ with
true gratitude and humility, and afterwards expressing our
adoration and gratitude to God. It might also mean spending
time here with Jesus in His Real Presence before or after
Mass, at different times during the week when the church is
unlocked, or during Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday nights
or Friday mornings. Every worthy reception of Holy
Communion, and every moment of silent prayer here in church,
increases our capacity for eternal happiness in Heaven, and
prepares us for an even richer experience of eternal life.
There are no limits to Our Lord’s desire to share Himself
with us—except the limits we impose on Him through our
indifference, unrepented sins, or lack of faith. If
instead, like our second graders, we show a genuine desire
and appreciation for this Most Holy Gift, Jesus will draw us
ever closer to Himself and bless us beyond anything we could
ever imagine.
HOMILY - 6/19/11
TRINITY SUNDAY (Year A)
I. Introduction
Comedian Jay Leno is known for his sharp wit, but in
his autobiography, called Leading With My Chin,
he shows a warmer side--especially when he writes about
his now-deceased parents. Jay fondly recalled an
incident from high school. He had finally saved enough
money to buy his first car--actually an old, beat-up
pickup truck. It wasn’t much, but it was his, and he
spent many hours working on his new prized possession.
His parents saw how important the truck was to him, and
as an expression of their support, they bought brand new
upholstery for the seat. They also realized how
disappointed Jay was when he accidentally broke the
driver’s side window and couldn’t afford to get it
fixed. One school day Jay was sitting in class when
dark clouds appeared overhead; soon it began raining
very hard. From his seat Jay could see his truck in the
parking lot, and he could imagine the rain coming
through the broken window, ruining the new upholstery.
Then, to his complete surprise, Jay saw his parents’ car
race into the parking lot; his parents got out with a
big sheet of plastic and rushed over to cover the broken
window. As he watched them, Jay realized they had left
work, purchased the plastic, and come immediately to
school to protect his truck from the rain--just because
they knew it was important to him. Jay Leno writes that
as this realization came to him, he sat there in his
high school classroom and cried (Bausch, A World of
Stories for Preachers and Teachers, p. 421).
This is a beautiful story of family love--and this
is the way God wants us to understand His love for us.
God loved the world so much that He sent His Son for our
salvation, and later the Father and Son together sent
the Holy Spirit that we might be made holy, and thus
become capable of experiencing everlasting joy. The
Three Persons of the Holy Trinity comprise a perfect
family of love--and we are invited to enter into this
mystery.
II. Development
Today, on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate one of the
central teachings and mysteries of our Christian faith:
there are Three equal Persons in One God. Understanding
and explaining this truth is beyond our ability; what
matters is that we believe and accept it--and the best
way to do so is to see the reality of the Holy Trinity
in terms of God’s love for us. God the Father is our
Creator; Jesus the Son is our Redeemer; God the Holy
Spirit is our Sanctifier. Each divine Person relates to
us in a perfectly loving and self-giving way. In the
1st Reading the Lord revealed Himself to Moses as “a
merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in
kindness and fidelity.” Moses had already seen the
powerful deeds the Lord had performed in freeing the
Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and he was well aware
of the people’s sinfulness; instead of being terrified
of the Lord, however, he trusted in God’s mercy. Jesus
speaks of this mercy in the Gospel, telling Nicodemus
that He, as the Son of God, was sent into the world not
to condemn it, but to save it; because of God’s great
love, all who believe shall have eternal life. In the
2nd Reading, St. Paul greets the Corinthians by saying,
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all
of you!” As Christians, we believe that God seeks to
share His life with us by offering us grace, love, and
fellowship--and our response determines our eternal
destiny.
III. Conclusion
The idea of love and the number three go together--not
only in terms of the Holy Trinity, but also in regard to how
God wants us to live. We should have a threefold experience
of love in our lives: love of God, love of our neighbor,
and love of ourselves. Loving God simply means placing Him
first in our lives, doing our best to obey His commandments,
and trying to come closer to Him each day. Contrary to what
many people believe, love is not primarily a feeling, but an
act of the will. This means that we can choose to love God,
even if we don’t automatically have warm and personal
feelings toward Him; once we make this decision, the proper
emotions and sentiments will eventually come. We’re also
called to love our neighbor, which means anyone and everyone
we encounter. We live this out by helping those in need,
treating others as we wish to be treated, and recognizing
and accepting each person we meet as a fellow member or
potential member of the family of God. This sort of love is
also a choice, not merely a sentimental feeling; when we try
to love others in God’s Name, even if we feel little more
than indifference toward them, God is nonetheless very
pleased. Lastly, we’re called to love ourselves--not in a
conceited, narcissistic way, but in a manner which
recognizes the dignity we possess from being made in God’s
image and likeness. This sort of holy self-love means
holding ourselves to high moral and religious standards,
forgiving ourselves when we fall short, and using God’s
grace to grow in virtue and to develop our talents and
abilities.
Jay Leno witnessed a beautiful example of his parents’
love for him; their act of simple kindness was something he
always remembered. God has shown us a sign of incredible
love, and it’s something that should change us for all
eternity. We need not try to explain the Holy Trinity or
delve deeply into this theological mystery; what matters is
knowing that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are a
perfect family of love, and seeking to share in their life.
With one Voice, the Three Persons call to us; with united
and loving hearts, may we respond.
HOMILY - 6/12/11
PENTECOST (Years A, B, C)
I. Introduction
If you know anything about the history of college
football, and especially if you’re a Michigan Wolverines
fan, you’ve probably heard of Tom Harmon. Over seventy
years ago, he was a star running back at the University of
Michigan, winning honors as an All-American in 1939 and
1940. A few years after this, however, he showed himself to
be a hero or star performer in a much more important
spiritual sense. During World War II he enlisted in the
Army Air Corps and was trained as a pilot. Sometimes
unarmed bombers were flown down to South America, and from
there over to the war zone in North Africa. While piloting
one of these planes, Harmon and his crew were forced to bail
out over the Brazilian jungle. He was the only one who
survived the jump, but his long-term chances didn’t look
good. He had no water or supplies, and the jungle was a
hot, steamy, dangerous place. Using his compass, Harmon set
off in what he hoped was the right direction, carefully
picking his way through a maze of vines, trees, and brush;
he waded through swamps up to his hips, drank rain water
that had pooled in plant leaves, and kept alert for possible
threats from wild animals. Throughout this long and
difficult ordeal, Harmon prayed almost constantly. Finally
he spotted a path through the thick underbrush, and followed
it to a native hut, where a tribesman showed him the way
back to civilization. After his rescue, Harmon was asked
how he had survived, when most people in a similar situation
would have died. He responded, “The Holy Spirit dwells in
my soul. He was given to me when the bishop confirmed me.
I kept praying to the Holy Spirit to lead me. I also prayed
my rosary continually. I must have said a million Hail
Marys. I was sure the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother
would lead me back to safety” (Tonne, Five-Minute
Homilies, p. 29). This is a wonderful story of heroic
trust and determination, and also an important reminder to
us. Life is sometimes described as a jungle, fraught with
challenges, confusion, and danger—but if we actively seek
the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit, in the end we have
nothing to fear.
II. Development
What the apostles did after Pentecost was nothing short
of amazing; this tiny band of men with no worldly power or
influence set into motion a religious revolution that
converted millions, transformed ancient societies—and
continues to do so today—and changed the course of history.
The miracle of simultaneous translation described in the 1st
Reading from the Acts of the Apostles was merely the
beginning of many wonderful and unprecedented events
associated with the earliest followers of Jesus—and none of
this would have been possible without the Holy Spirit. As
St. Paul tells us in the 2nd Reading, “No one can say ‘Jesus
is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit,” and it’s through the
Holy Spirit we receive many different gifts and abilities.
Each of these is intended to build up the Body of Christ,
and to help bring about a spiritual unity and freedom beyond
anything this world can understand or offer. In the Gospel,
Jesus not only appeared to His apostles on Easter Sunday to
prove to them He was alive; He commissioned them to go forth
in His Name, and He gave them the power to forgive
sins—something no mere earthly authority can ever do. All
humanity is trapped in sin, surrounded by temptation, and
unable to find the way to eternal life—but through His Holy
Spirit, present and active in the Church, Jesus offers us a
way out, a sure path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven.
III. Conclusion
St. John Vianney, the famous 19th century parish priest
in France, once preached a sermon titled “Children of the
Holy Spirit and Children of the World.” He said that while
children of this world live sinful, shallow lives—leaving
them disastrously unready for death and judgment—children of
the Holy Spirit live in a quite different manner. They show
three characteristics in particular. First, they avoid
committing serious sins, because these make it impossible
for the Holy Spirit to live within us—and if such sins are
committed, they are immediately confessed in the Sacrament
of Penance, which today we call Reconciliation. Secondly,
children of the Holy Spirit practice virtue. As St. John
Vianney noted, “Just as the oil keeps the light [of an oil
lamp] burning, and the flame is extinguished when the oil is
all used, just so is the Holy Spirit—the light and fire of
the soul—preserved within us by virtue and good works.”
Thirdly, children of the Holy Spirit are persons of prayer,
and in their prayer they often ask for the Spirit’s gifts.
St. John quoted a beautiful prayer of St. Augustine from the
5th century, which goes: “Breathe perpetually, O Holy
Spirit, Your holy work within me, that I may think upon it;
move me, that I may do it; persuade me, that I may love You;
strengthen me, that I may hold you fast; keep me, that I may
not lose You!”
When we follow St. John Vianney’s advice by avoiding
serious sin, by practicing virtue, and by praying for the
Spirit’s gifts, we are living reverently and identifying
ourselves as God’s children—and in this way, we can be
absolutely sure the Holy Spirit will lead us safely through
the doubts and difficulties and dangers of life. We’ll
probably never find ourselves stranded in a jungle, but all
of us are surrounded by turmoil, temptations, and trouble,
and we’ll never be able to withstand these trials and find
our way through on our own. The good news of Pentecost is
that God the Father has not forgotten us, nor has Jesus
abandoned us. They have sent the Holy Spirit to help us and
protect us and guide us—and as long as we live as faithful
members of Christ’s Church, develop a deep devotion to His
Mother, and follow the lead of His Spirit in love and
humility and trust, our future destiny of holiness and
happiness is secure.
HOMILY - 6/5/11
FEAST OF THE ASCENSION (Year A)
I. Introduction
One day a father decided to take his nine-year-old son
Charlie with him to the office where he worked in downtown
New York City. They took the train in from the suburbs, and
the father traced the route they were taking on a map. He
told Charlie how they’d transfer to a different train at
Delaney Street, then go through a long, dark tunnel, and he
explained that the train would skip certain stops during the
midday rush hour. They arrived at the office, and Charlie
spent the morning meeting his father’s co-workers, watching
everyone work, and touring the building. It was an
enjoyable morning, but just before noon his dad surprised
him by saying, “Okay, Charlie, it’s time for you to go
home.” The boy was terrified by the idea of riding the
train home alone, but his father walked him to the train
station and said, “You’ll be fine, Charlie; just follow the
directions I gave you earlier.”
Charlie was nervous but also excited. At first he
worried when the train skipped certain stops, but then
remembered his father had said this would happen. The long,
dark tunnel was a little frightening, but Charlie survived;
he almost missed his transfer at Delaney Street, but got off
just in time. After that the streets became familiar, and
Charlie’s confidence grew—and a short while later he was
very pleased and proud at having made it all the way home by
himself. What he didn’t know was that his father was riding
in the next car of the train, watching over him just in case
he needed help (Link, Illustrated Sunday Homilies,
Year A, Series II, pp. 43-44). Jesus’ final words in
today’s Gospel are “I am with you always, until the end of
the age.” After giving the apostles this reassurance, He
ascended to Heaven, and was no longer visible to them. The
angels who then appeared to the apostles promised Jesus
would return from Heaven, just as He ascended to there.
We’re still waiting for this to occur, but in the meantime
Christ is with us, even though we can’t see Him; He’s
watching over us from above, just as Charlie was being
secretly protected by his dad. Jesus’ Spirit lives in the
Church and in our hearts; He guides us, strengthens us, and
protects us. Our Lord returned to Heaven not to rest from
His labors or go off by Himself, but to prepare a home for
us and to give us the chance to grow in our faith by putting
it into practice. He is watching over us, and He asks us to
trust in Him, to do what is right, and to follow in His
ways.
II. Development
At the end of the forty day period following Our Lord’s
Resurrection, the apostles were curious whether He was about
to restore the kingdom of Israel—which was their way of
referring to the end of the world and the complete
establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told them it
wasn’t for them to know God’s plan in advance; they were to
wait patiently in faith while fulfilling their mission of
preaching the Gospel. In the 2nd reading St. Paul prays
that God may give us “a Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
resulting in knowledge of Him.” This gift of wisdom isn’t
intended for us to figure out or predict when the world will
end, but instead to recognize and remember three very
important things: first, every human being—even the
unborn—is of infinite value, and his or her rights and
dignity must be protected; second, each of us has a very
important role to play in the unfolding of God’s plan of
salvation, and our own spiritual well-being requires us to
try to answer His call; and third, as long as our hearts are
open, we are never alone, for Jesus is always with
us—through the Eucharist, through His presence in the
Church, and through the gentle yet powerful saving activity
of His Holy Spirit.
III. Conclusion
Someone once wrote a poem about Jesus which says:
Lonely? No, not lonely, with Jesus standing
by;
His presence always cheers me, I know that He
is nigh.
Friendless? No, not friendless, since Jesus is
my Friend;
I change, but He remains true, faithful [to]
the end.
Saddened? No, not saddened, by scenes of
deepest woe;
I should be if I knew not that Jesus loves me
so.
Tired? No, not tired, while leaning on His
breast;
My soul has full enjoyment of His eternal
rest.
- Charlotte S. C. Panton (Knight’s Master Book of 4000
Illustrations, p. 328).
Our faith teaches us that we have no reason to feel
spiritually lonely, friendless, saddened, or tired if our
hearts are truly open to Jesus Christ, for as our loving
Savior, He never abandons or disappoints those who trust in
Him. Moreover, He gives us the guidance and strength to
accomplish our mission in life, whatever it may be. Just as
the angels gently rebuked the apostles for staring up at the
sky after the Ascension, so the Lord wants us to keep busy
living out our faith each day—secure in the knowledge that
even when we can’t see Him, He is with us, watching over,
protecting, and helping us at every moment on our journey
home.
BASIC IDEAS IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
The Origin and Nature of
the Devil
Lucifer (later known as
the devil, or Satan) was one of God’s greatest creations
(Isaiah 14:12), but he and one-third of the angels,
motivated by pride, revolted against God (Revelation
12:4). They were driven out of Heaven by St. Michael
the Archangel and those angels who remained faithful to
the Lord (Revelation 12:7-9); in revenge, the evil
spirits seek to tempt humanity into joining their doomed
revolt (Genesis 3:5). There is lasting enmity between
Satan and the children of God, particularly as
represented by the Virgin Mary (Genesis 3:15; Revelation
12:5-6); through the devil’s envy, death entered the
world (Wisdom 2:24). The devil tempted even Jesus
Himself (Matthew 4:1-11), and Our Lord called him the
“father of lies” (John 8:44). Jesus has authority over
evil (Mark 1:21-28), and at the end of time Satan will
be cast into hell (Revelation 20:8-10).
Warnings from Scripture
“Be sober and
vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow
believers throughout the world undergo the same
sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
“Draw your strength
from the Lord and from His mighty power. Put on the
armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm
against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is
not with flesh and blood but with the principalities,
with the powers, with the world rulers of this present
darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.
Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able
to resist on the evil day and, having done everything,
to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins
girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a
breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the
gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a
shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil
one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians
6:10-17).
Teachings of the Church
According to the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Scripture
witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus
calls ‘a murderer from the beginning’ [John 8:44], who
would even try to divert Jesus from the mission He
received from His Father. ‘The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the works of the devil’ [1 John
3:8]. In its consequences the gravest of these works
was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey
God” (paragraph 394).
The Catechism
continues, “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not
infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact
that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot
prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan
may act in the world out of hatred for God and His
Kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may
cause grave injuries—of a spiritual nature and,
indirectly, even of a physical nature—to each man and to
society, the action is permitted by divine providence
which with strength and gentleness guides human and
cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence
should permit diabolical activity, but ‘we know that in
everything God works for good with those who love Him’
[Romans 8:28]” (paragraph 395).
Ten
Tricks of the Devil
1. Satan tempts us to
resent other people, especially persons we dislike, and
to be jealous of others’ successes.
2. When we’ve decided
to do something morally good, the devil will suggest we
delay acting on our good impulses; he hopes we’ll later
change our minds or forget what we were going to do.
3. Whenever we’ve
done a good deed, Satan wants us to feel superior and
self-satisfied; this sort of pride greatly lessens the
value of our good deeds and spiritual achievements.
4. The devil will do
everything possible to keep us from being humble, for he
knows that humility destroys his influence over us and
allows God’s grace to work within us.
5. If we resist
Satan’s attacks by remaining humble, he’ll continue
attacking us—by making us proud of how humble we are!
6. When we’re
deciding what to do in a moral situation, the devil will
try to make us afraid of what might happen if we do the
right thing.
7. Satan wants us to
deny our sins and refuse to admit our need for mercy; in
this way we won’t seek God’s forgiveness, and our
adversary will have an easier time drawing us more
deeply into sin.
8. When we’re
bothered by temptations, the devil wants us to believe
they’re too powerful to resist and that they won’t go
away until we give in; in this way he keeps us from
holding out and using the grace God offers.
9. If we hesitate to
give in to a temptation, Satan will try to convince us
that it’s no big deal, suggesting that “everyone’s doing
it,” or “it’s just a little sin,” or “God doesn’t really
care.”
10. When we’ve
sinned, the devil wants us to feel terribly guilty and
afraid to ask God for forgiveness; in this way he can
keep us imprisoned in our sins, and gradually gain
control over us. God, however, wants us to turn to
Him and seek His forgiveness, no matter how terrible our
sins might be. He is eager to be reconciled with us,
and as Jesus says, “There will be more joy in Heaven
over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine
righteous people who have no need to repent” (Luke
15:7).
The
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
As a result of a
vision he experienced on October 13, 1884 (in which
Satan boasted to Jesus that, given enough time, he could
destroy the Church), Pope Leo XIII composed the
following prayer. It’s a very useful and powerful
defense against evil (and worth reciting daily).
St. Michael the
Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard against
the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke
him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O prince of the
heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits, who wander through the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Binding of Evil Spirits
Only duly authorized
priests may perform exorcisms (casting out evil spirits
from demon-ically possessed persons), but all Christians
have the spiritual authority to bind evil spirits in
Christ’s Name (Mark 16:17). if there’s a chance that
you or someone else physically near you is being tempted
or negatively influenced by a demonic spirit, simply
pray (silently or in a very soft voice): “Evil
spirit, I bind you in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ.” (If you know the name of the particular
temptation or form of evil involved, you may address it
directly: “spirit of fear,” or “spirit of lust,” or
“spirit of deception,” etc., “I bind you in the Name of
the Lord Jesus Christ.”) This is not an exorcism,
but a temporary block or obstacle to the power of any
evil force that may be present.
NOTE: Not all
problems or temptations are caused by evil spirits; many
other factors may be present instead (psychological
problems, human weakness, irrational thinking, etc.).
While we want to be on guard against the devil’s
influence, it’s far more important (and psycho-logically
much healthier) to be aware of God’s presence, and to
cooperate with His grace.
Spiritual
Precautions
Besides avoiding
anything to do with the occult, observing the following
precautions will virtually eliminate Satan’s influence
in our lives, and protect us from his snares and
attacks:
1. Remain in a state
of grace—in particular, attend Mass and receive Holy
Communion each weekend, and regularly receive the
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).
2. Cultivate a
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St.
Michael the Archangel, and your own guardian angel and your favorite saints, and ask for
their guidance and assistance.
3. Keep blessed
crucifixes and religious items in your home, and
regularly bless it and your possessions (property, cars,
and other important items) with holy water.
4. Wear or carry a
blessed crucifix, medal, scapular, or other
religious article at all times.
5. Try to come closer
to Jesus each day, and trust in His power and mercy—for
He has completely triumphed over Satan and all the
forces of evil, and ardently desires to share His
victory with us.
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN THE UNITED
STATES?
It Happened in Pittsburgh
“The police . . . brought in a double-decker bus, complete
with tinted windows (thus it was impossible to see what was
going on inside the bus. . .) Brutality started on the
bus. Angela was dragged onto the bus by her hair. People
were billy-clubbed, kicked, and punched. Police dragged
women in the bus by pulling up skirts and bras over their
heads, exposing them in so doing. . . . The men were denied
food for thirty hours. . . . Upon arrival at the . . . jail
there were over thirty police . . . lined up along five or
six flights of stairs. . . . Women were then dragged up the
steps, some by the hair and others by the neck. You could
hear the sounds of heads smacking against the steps. The
warden was at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, and
he kicked [the people] as they were dragged by. . . .
During this entire procedure there was foul language,
obscenities, and threats of putting women . . . in rooms
with male prisoners to be sodomized and raped. . . . They
were asked to strip in front of male guards and male
prisoners. All refused. They were then forcibly stripped
by both male and female guards, kicked, and punched. Women
. . . were fondled, verbally abused, and threatened”—the
experience of Christians protesting outside an abortion
clinic on March 11, 1989 (from How to Prepare for the
Coming Persecution, by Larry Poland: Here’s Life
Publishers, San Bernardino, 1990).
Parallels Between Germany in the 1930s and
Contemporary America:
--
an obsession with death (especially abortion
and euthanasia)
--
an emphasis on environmentalism and
animal rights
--
thousands of laws and regulations (giving the
government the potential to arrest innocent,
unknowing civilians)
--
an occultic or New Age dimension
--
judges and government officials ignoring the
Constitution whenever they wish
--
gun control laws (with U.S. laws almost
identical to German laws of 1928 & 1938)
--
rejection of traditional heroes and the
nation’s Christian heritage
Reasons for a Persecution of
the Church
The first widespread
persecution of Christian-ity in the Roman Empire occurred
under the Emperor Decius in 250. St. Cyprian, Bishop of
Carthage, later identified three reasons God allowed it to
occur: (1) Christians had been unable to maintain their
spiritual fervor in the face of extended peace and
prosperity; (2) Christians in every level of the Church fell
into materialism and worldly concerns; and (3) because of
materialism, they lost their zeal for the Faith. Does
this describe
America today?
Recognizing a Coming
Persecution
Experts agree that five
stages of a coming persecution can be identified. (1) The
targeted group is stigmatized; its reputation is attacked,
possibly by mocking it and rejecting its values. (2) Then
the group is marginalized, or pushed out of the mainstream
of society, with deliberate efforts to limit and undo its
influence. (3) The third stage is to vilify the group,
viciously attacking it and blaming it for many of society’s
problems. (4) Next, the group is criminalized, with
increasing restrictions placed on its activi-ties and
eventually even its existence. (5) The final stage is one
of outright persecution.
Many commentators believe the United States is now in
stage three, and moving into stage four.
Scripture Passages on
Persecution
Ps. 142:6-7; Mt. 5:11; Mt.
5:44-45; Mt. 13:20-21; Mk. 10:29-30; Mk. 13:9-13; Jn.
15:18-21; Jn. 16:1-2; Acts 5:41; Rm. 8:35; Rm. 12:14; 2 Cor.
4:8-10, 2 Cor. 12:10; 1 Th. 1:6-7; 2 Tm. 3:12; Heb.
10:32-39; 1 Pt. 4:12-19; Rev. 6:9-11.
Pope John Paul II on
Persecution
“We must be prepared to
undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials
that will require us to give up even our lives, and a total
gift of self to Christ and for Christ. . . . it is only in
this way that the Church can be effectively renewed. How
many times, indeed, has the renewal of the Church been
effected in blood? This time, again, it will not be
otherwise.”
(from an informal statement
given in 1980)
A Model for Prayer in Times
of Danger or Persecution
(from Acts 4:23-31, NAB)
After their release [Peter
and John] went back to their own people and reported what
the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they
heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the
sea and all that is in them, You said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, Your servant: Why
did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The
kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered
together against the Lord and His anointed. Indeed they
gathered in this city against Your holy servant Jesus Whom
You anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do what Your hand and
will had long ago planned to take place. And now, Lord,
take note of their threats, and enable Your servants to
speak Your word with all boldness, as You stretch forth Your
hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the
Name of Your holy servant Jesus.” As they prayed, the place
where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God
with boldness.
Recommended Reading
Storm Warning: The Coming
Persecution of Christians and Traditionalists in America,
by Donald McAlvany
(Hearthstone Publishing, 1999). 350 pp.
Persecution: How Liberals
Are Waging War Against Christianity,
by David Limbaugh (Regnery
Publishing, 2003). 352 pp; $27.95.
The Criminalization of
Christianity, by
Janet L. Folger (Multnomah Publishers, 2005). 252 pp.;
$19.99.
The Marketing of Evil: How
Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption
Disguised as Freedom,
by David Kupelian (WND
Books—an imprint of Cumberland House Publishing, 2005).
240 pp.; $24.95.
The Great Chastisement:
Books I – IV, by
Stephen C. Mahowald (MMR Publishing; P.O. Box 37348, Omaha,
NE 68137).
Book I: An Introduction;
Book II: Practical Matters;
Book III: Teaching the
Children; Book IV: Strategy and Tactics.
Groups to Consider Joining
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil
Rights: 450
Seventh Avenue, New York,
NY 10123.
(212) 371-3191; website:
www.catholicleague.org.
The American Family Association:
P. O.
Drawer 2440,
Tupelo, MS 38803.
Website:
www.afa.net.
Preparing for a Persecution: Steps to Take
(ideas in part from the book Storm Warning):
1. Realize that persecution is normal; many believers
throughout most of Christian history have experienced it
(including millions around the world today). If they can
persevere with God’s help, so can we. Our attitude should
be one of trust and acceptance, not guilt or fear.
2. Keep a proper perspective. Christians are persecuted
not because we’re losing, but because we’re winning. The
gates of hell will not prevail against the Church (Mt.
16:18); Satan’s fury reflects the truth that his time is
limited and his kingdom is crumbling.
3. Remember that persecution may come not only from the
Church’s enemies, but also from fellow Christians who betray
others out of fear or weakness (cf. Mk. 13:12, 1 Jn. 2:19).
We must as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Mt.
10:16), trusting others only after careful prayer and
discernment. We must also resolve any quarrels with fellow
believers.
4. Refuse to give into fear. If we suffer for our faith,
the Holy Spirit will take away our anxiety and give us the
words to say at the proper moment (Mk. 13:11).
5. Maintain links with other believers. “If the believer,
because of fear, cuts himself off from all contact with
other Christians, Satan will have won. A Christian cannot
survive victoriously for long if he is spiritually cut off
from fellow-ship, worship and teaching” – Brother Andrew of
Open Doors Ministry.
6. Pray—for all who are persecuted, for our fellow
believers, for those who persecute us and those who betray
us. We must also pray for strength, courage, and
discernment.
7. Remember that God loves us, is with us always, knows our
limits better than we do, and will give us all the resources
we need to remain firm in our faith and to emerge victorious
from our trials.
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