HOMILY - 1/29/12

   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

   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

   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

    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

  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

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

   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

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

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.

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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