Thursday, July 31, 2008

Homily – 07-31-2008 – St. Ignatius of Loyola

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius, one of the most revered priests of the Church. He was born at Loyola, in Cantabria, Spain in 1491. He spent his early years at court and as a soldier. Later he was converted to God and undertook theological studies at Paris where he attracted his first followers, and afterward at Rome he joined them together as the first members of the Society of Jesus. He exercised a most fruitful apostolate both by his written works: especially "The Spiritual Exercises," and in the training of his disciples who won great praise for their renewal of the Church. He died at Rome on this date in 1556.

The vocation of Ignatius was born of two elements: a worldly life of ease (whose glamour seemed to fade), and then a life of seclusion, illness and contemplation. In his periods of recuperation from various injuries and illnesses, Ignatius read the lives and works especially of St. Francis and St. Dominic – and thought to himself: "Is it possible for me to do what they did?" Indeed it was possible. And he developed his own "school of theology," asceticism and activity based on THE WILL OF GOD! Ignatius always found great peace in his life when he was doing what he knew to be THE WILL OF GOD!

The 30 day spiritual exercises are fashioned to that end: to lead the retreatant through a process of study, conversion, penance and a determination to reside as totally as possible in THE WILL OF GOD!

He and his followers were convinced in the great value of an educated clergy and an educated laity. Universities and centers of great learning were therefore always part of Ignatius' planning for the present and future.

In 1559 his group was named by the Holy See, the "Society of Jesus" or Jesuits. Ignatius was elected first general of the order!

In the first reading today we hear St. Paul telling the Corinthians, telling St. Ignatius and his followers and us, to DO EVERYTHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! Ignatius did in fact adopt this as the motto of his order: AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM – everything TO THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD! For them, and hopefully for us, this will not just be a banner, a motto: but the true reason behind everything that we do!

The gospel passage tells of the complete abandonment to divine providence – the will of God – that is essential to a truly Christian life. It entails "hating" or disowning all things, all relationships (even with oneself) so that Christ may be all in all! Then God promises – it is his will – that we will be given in abundance what we need to live a peaceful life both here and hereafter!

Discipleship requires such abandonment! If one is not willing to give it all up and away – then one is miscalculating true success as did the builder and the general of the gospel passage! And one day people will laugh and say: he started what he could not finish BECAUSE HE DIDN'T TRUST GOD ABSOLUTELY – and then act sensibly and responsibly!

I will bless the Lord at all times!


 

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Homily – 07-30-2008 – St Peter Chrysologus

St. Peter Chrysologus, whose feast we celebrate today, must have had a good and pure heart because of the "golden words" that emanated from his mouth.

Peter was born in Northern Italy in the middle of the 4th century. He became a priest and was soon appointed Bishop of Ravenna in the western part of the Roman Empire. He was known for his writings and his preaching, especially during this time when the early Church was defining itself and conceptualizing the "mysteries" that it had been given by God to safeguard and to communicate to all the ages. He was declared a doctor of the Church in the 18th century!

It is really amazing to think that God has given to men knowledge of his very reality and his design and purpose for the universe including man and his destiny. Even the principalities and the authorities in the heavens do not know these things.

They are summed up for us in what Scripture and the Church calls "statutes" – or guidelines for living that proceed directly from the mind of the one who made the component parts of life – God - so he ought to know how it all works and fits together!

When we "remain on the vine which is Christ" then we remain connected to the source of the mysteries – and things need not be so "mysterious" for us! And our words and our deeds can prove that we have "gotten the message" – that the love of God dwells in our hearts, with his goodness and his justice: for these things will emanate from us – they will come forth from the "golden-ness" of our actions and our words – and like Peter of Ravenna – we shall be valued as a special messenger of God manifold gifts and graces!

I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord:

whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Homily – 07-29-2008 – St. Martha

St. Martha was a disciple of the Lord and sister to Mary and Lazarus. We are familiar with the story of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha is busy being a good hostess. And we know that when she asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her get the meal on the table, Jesus says to leave Mary alone (for the time being) because "she has chosen the better portion." This does not mean that it is always time to do nothing but sit at the feet of Jesus, but, there are moments when he invites us to a special communion with him – and then it is appropriate to take a "little vacation" from ordinary duties to spend time directly conscious and aware of him – listening to what he has to say to us. This in no way demeans the activity of Martha. Loving service is always welcome – and a sign of God's love and presence in the world.

But, the gospel passage today tells us that Martha in fact does, at another time, something quite remarkable and rememberable in the annals of salvation history – when her brother Lazarus dies, and Jesus comes to be with the family – she immediately runs out to him on the road and asks Jesus to raise her brother from the dead BECAUSE SHE FULLY BELIEVES THAT HE CAN DO IT. She knows of Jesus that "God will give you whatever you ask of him."

When Jesus makes the statement: "Your brother will rise," Martha immediately replies: "Oh, I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day." Then Jesus uses this moment to teach Martha, Mary and all of the Church ever since, this fact: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; WHOEVER BLIEVE IN ME, EVEN IF HE DIES, WILL LIVE, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die!

What an enormously important and powerful statement this is! This is the plan of salvation: to have our sins forgiven so that we can live forever with God – in the newness of resurrected life!

DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? Jesus asks Martha! Jesus asks us!

"YES, LORD, I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, the one who is coming into the world," Martha replies. And then Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead – proving again his power over death, which will include power over his own death, one day!

My question to all of us today is: is this our response as well: can we say fully and with great confidence I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE RESURRECTION! I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE CHRIST! I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN EVERLASTING LIFE!?

For those who can do so, for those who BELIEVE, for those who put that belief into practice by LOVING SERVICE, God promises to be near, present and available for all of our needs – and, he will even transform death in the many ways that we experience it, from day to day, into LIFE – both now and forever!

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Homily – 07-28-2008 – Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Monday

In our first reading today from the Prophet Jeremiah we have presented before us a very clear and understandable [and in this particular day in age, humorous] image of the closeness that God had established with his chosen people – the image of being as close to them as a man's set of boxer shorts are to the man! One cannot make a clearer point than that! God is as intimate with his people as his under garments are to the man!

And yet, in what he tells Jeremiah to do with a new pair of boxers he makes another very sad point: after burying the shorts in the cleft of a rock [at God's command] and retrieving them all rotted out, God says that the relationship that the people have created with him is likewise rotted out and good for nothing: they refused to obey his words, and they continued to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts – and follow strange [pagan] gods, and serve and adore them.

Our God is a jealous God – and so he is not pleased with this new, rotted condition at all. And so he sends Jeremiah to warn the people to change their ways or pay the consequences.

The gospel passage tells of what a healthy and fruitful relationship with God can be like – especially in its manifestation as a community of believers in God's love, God's will and God's ways. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. And it is foreshadowed by the community of believers which is the Church. This Kingdom, this Church can be likened to the mustard seed – a very tiny seed - which grows into a very large bush (almost a tree) where everyone is welcome to come home and nest in its branches and find shelter, rest and food for spiritual nourishment. This Kingdom and Church is also like yeast which a woman mixes in with wheat flour until the whole batch becomes leavend (permeated with the yeast and grows in size). The Kingdom and the Church – the community of believers and the proclaimers of God's will and way – are to permeate families, friendships, workplaces, play places – the whole society, the whole world – with the Gospel message of salvation which comes from magnificent death and resurrection of Jesus!

And so this day we have a choice: we can be and promote those who have a rotted out relationship with God and others; or we can be and promote a wonderful relationship filled with the fruits and graces that can come only from the Holy Spirit – as he builds the community of faith, the kingdom of heaven, the Holy Catholic Church into what he wants it to be: THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD FOREVER WITH HIS PEOPLE! a loaf that is filled with the very life of God himself; and the plant that is large enough for all of the birds of the sky to come and dwell in its branches forever!

The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Homily – 07-27-2008 – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"He sells all that he has and buys the field with the treasure in it; he sells all that he has and buys the pearl of great price." It seems that Jesus is underscoring a point for us today: THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – the Kingdom that he has come personally to introduce to mankind – the Kingdom of heaven that is unlike anything that anyone can possibly imagine – is 100% guaranteed treasure enough and pearl enough to sell absolutely everything you have, to buy!

Is Jesus talking about treasures in fields and a pearl in a box? No! He is talking about SPIRITUAL TREASURE that resides in the heart; SPIRITUAL PEARLS that reside in the soul! And what we sell to buy them, so that we can possess them forever is EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES THAT IS NOT OF GOD!

Only the truly pure of heart can even understand what the treasure and the pearl are all about; "pure of heart," simply means SINGLE-SIGHTED, SINGLE-FOCUSED, SINGLE-ORIENTED. The pure of heart are invited to participate in the Kingdom – and they understand what the invitation means!

If GOD, THE KINGDOM and HEAVEN are the treasure and the pearl – and we keep the eyes of our faith on them, trying to find out more about them, trying to guard them from SPIRITUAL THIEVES AND ROBBERS who want to steal our RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD – and OTHERS in him – then we are pure of heart and we will obtain the treasure and the pearl when the time is right! In fact, we will even begin to experience it right here and right now! The Kingdom of heaven, as we heard in the second reading today, is the community of those predestined, called and justified by God – through the death and resurrection of Jesus – who are waiting for final glorification as a reward for our "single-sighted" God-centered lives! Those who seek purity of heart for the sake of the Kingdom are already bound in the Holy Spirit of unity!

In the first reading today when God told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom: he asked God to allow him always to make right choices and decisions as he dealt with people. Let us today be wise like Solomon and ask God for something that he cannot refuse us: a pure, wise and understanding heart! May we fully appreciate the treasure and the pearl of enormous graces that are ours for the asking and the taking; and let us remove from us all that is not of God – so that our hearts remain pure, holy, and oriented toward the Kingdom in heaven!

Blessed are you Father, Lord of heaven and earth; for you have revealed to little ones [the pure of heart] the mysteries of the kingdom!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Homily – 07-26-2008 – Sts Joachim and Anne

We celebrate today the feast of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Joachim and Anne. They are not mentioned in the New Testament and all we know about them comes from an apocryphal writing of St. James. And even then, devotion to them did not begin until about the eighth century as a result of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It is said that this couple was childless until very late in their lives, when an angel appeared to Anne and told her she would bear a child who would be of great import and fame to the whole world. Joachim went out into the desert to pray for God's intervention in their lives at the time and he came home to Jerusalem and was greeted by Anne with great news that she was with child.

Joachim and Anne were "godly people," of the first reading today, whose "virtuous lives" were the fertile ground for the life of the Mother of God, Mary, their daughter, to grow. They were a good and faithful Jewish couple – who raised Mary to fear God and seek always his will in everything – as they themselves lived. They were truly a holy family unto themselves!

These two, Joachim and Anne, were also, therefore, the grandparents of Jesus; and how they must have marveled at what was unfolding in the holy family life of their daughter and a carpenter named Joseph. They never ceased to glorify God and give him thanks for all his many favors, graces and blessings!

Joachim and especially Anne have been known throughout the centuries as ones to whom we – members of her grandson's Body - could confidently turn for intercessory prayer. Grandmother's always have had and always will have a special intercessory power with their grandchildren! And it is wonderful when that grandson is the one sitting on the Throne of David forever! – the King of the Universe – Jesus Christ. – who already loves each and every one of us beyond all telling!

The gospel passage infers, in a way, that Joachim and Anne were among the last great and righteous people of the Old Testament who did not see and hear what the disciples of Jesus were able to see and hear – if they used their eyes and ears of faith. But somehow it would seem that these two saw very clearly the amazing importance and role both of their daughter and her Son, who was also Son of God! They were very intuitive and faithfilled people!!

They yearned for the comforting of Israel,

and the Holy Spirit rested upon them!



 

Friday, July 25, 2008

Homily – 07-25-2008 – St. James, Apostle

Today we celebrate a very important feast in the early history of the Church: the martyrdom of St. James the Greater (as distinguished from the other apostle who bore the same name).

James was the older brother of John - who were both sons of Zebedee. Their mother may have been the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which would have made them Jesus' first cousins.

James and John along with Peter became Jesus' closest disciples. But their preferential treatment was not just sentimental on the part of Jesus – he was preparing them for what they would later encounter as Apostles and builders of the early Church. They were present at the raising of Jarius' daughter – giving them a deeper insight into Jesus power over death; they were present when some Samaritan townspeople refused to accept Jesus' message and James and John wanted to call down lightning from heaven to destroy them (they were fierce and loyal followers of Jesus); they were all three present on the Mount of the Transfiguration when Jesus displayed his true glory – the glory that would come in full force at the other end of his brutal death, by means of a glorious resurrection!

This privilege was given them so they could strengthen their brothers when those events started to unfold. And it would be something for them to remember years later when the road began to get very rough and the Church was mercilessly persecuted by the Romans.

These three also slept in the garden when Jesus asked them to please watch with him and pray for themselves while he prayed to his Father in heaven – committing himself fully to the events of the next day!

But after Jesus did in fact die, rise and ascend into heaven; and after the coming of the Holy Spirit with power and energy – these three and the rest of the eleven went forth to preach the good news of salvation beginning first in Jerusalem. It was, in fact, not until James, whose feast we celebrate today was killed in the persecution of King Herod Agrippa that the Apostles then went forth far and wide to do their work. Some one of them had to be first! Some one of them had to lay it all on the line! Some one of them had to give supreme credence and affirmation to the whole new Way of Life that Jesus their best friend, Lord and Savior established. James indeed was the first to "drink the very cup of the Lord" as Jesus promised he would!

The blood of the martyrs is the true cement which binds together the spiritual stones of the building of Christ which is the Church!

The first reading today reminds us - that all of us – whether we are called to red martyrdom, white martyrdom or just a life filled with ordinary ups and downs – are called to unite all of our discomforts, sorrows, pains, sufferings, trials and tribulations with the Passion of Jesus – bearing in our bodies the dying of Jesus! And he will transform them by his grace into the newness of life that is a share in his Resurrection!

I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. Let us say to him in return on this day, with the prayers of St. James on our behalf: "we will go, we will bear fruit because we know that in you our tears shall reap rejoicing!"

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Homily – 07-24-2008 – Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Thursday

Today we have a wonderful message of hope and comfort that comes to those who tap into the gift of faith given by God the Father and hear and see reality as it really is: hear and see the Wisdom of God and the Word of God in the flesh – who made the reality - as he really speaks: hear and see Jesus the Christ, the anointed one of God!

Everyone needs water in order to live. We all know that. Our bodies would not survive without ample supplies of water. Those who hear and see the mysteries of God know that in order for their spiritual lives to grow, they need spiritual water: in ample supply. JESUS IS HIMSELF THAT SPIRITUAL WATER SUPPLY!

This was prophesied by Jeremiah in the first reading today: "two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters [spiritual waters]; they have dug themselves cisterns that have broken, that hold no water." This was done by choice and therefore the people are accountable. When we, by choice, forsake Jesus, the source of living spiritual waters, and place other profane water substitutes into our leaking cisterns and souls, then God will not be pleased with us either.

In the gospel passage Jesus tells his disciples that he speaks in parables (little stories of familiar comparisons) to preach his message of salvation because even if he told them the truth point blank some would not accept it – because their hearts are hardened and their necks are stiff! But he tells his disciples; he tells us, his disciples "blessed are your eyes, because they see the reality of the kingdom that I am talking about; because they hear the message of reconciliation and redemption that is for everyone; because they see and hear me!"

So many people longed to see and hear these things, hear me; but they did not and would not - because they did not accept with open minds and hearts the gift of faith to be able to do so!

Today let us pray for an increase of faith for all of us and for all we know: so that the message of salvation, the message of redemption, the message of eternal HOPE will not be received in vain – in broken spiritual cisterns! It can make all the difference in our lives, spiritually and materially – both for here, and for hereafter!

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Homily – 07-23-2008 – St. Bridget of Sweden

Saint Bridget was born in Sweden in 1303. She married and gave birth to eight children to whom she was a devoted mother. After her husband's death she continued to live in the world but took upon herself the asceticism of the Third Order of St. Francis. But then she was called to found her own order of nuns: The Order of the Most Holy Savior: who worked with the poor and the sick.

As part of her rule of life in her convents she encouraged the nuns to have as many books for studying spiritual things as they wanted. Her convents soon became centers of learning.

Bridget also wrote many works of her own describing the mystical experiences that she herself had. She died in Rom in 1373. Pope John Paul II declared her co-patron of all of Europe in 1999, along with St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross.

The first reading today tells of the life to which Bridget and all of us are called to: a life so intimately involved with Jesus that there is only one life being lived: his, through us! When God the Father looks down and sees us in complete UNITY with his Son – then all is well – and we are one with him too as well as with one another! And he is very pleased.

The gospel passage encourages us to be fruitful branches on the vine that is Christ! REMAIN CONNECTED TO THE VINE! REMAIN ONE WITH THE VINE! YOU CANNOT BEAR FRUIT AWAY FROM THE VINE! Glorify the Father by performing works of charity and loving service to one another and to all in the world – because of your FIRM and CONSTANT ATTACHMENT TO CHRIST JESUS!

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord; and let it nourish us, strengthen us and make us secure in this life – as we look to the everlasting life of communion in heaven!

Amen!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Homily – 07-22-2008 – St. Mary Magdalene

Today we celebrate the feast of apostola apostolorum – the "apostle of the apostles!" Mary of Magdala was a devoted disciple of Jesus who played a very important role in events of his death and resurrection. She was present at Calvary when he died; she was the one to whom the risen Jesus first revealed himself on Easter Morning.

In order to prepare her for these events – she herself had to become spiritually ready! When she first met Jesus, she was anything but a disciple. The spirit of the world possessed her in at least seven different major ways – and her spiritual life was anything but alive and active.

Jesus cast out from her these "demons" because he saw her potential, he saw her as she could be, he saw her as one who had the ability to love greatly and courageously. It was at that point that she began to cling to Jesus, cling to his every word, cling to his every action! She was now a sincere and repentant sinner; and she never forgot the fact that she was a sinner, and could, at any moment become one again, without the help of Jesus. And so she became a true and faithful disciple to ensure that this would not happen again.

This is the same Mary who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair – when she notices that Jesus was invited to a dinner and no one washed his feet when he arrived as was the custom. The tears of a penitent person are always welcome and appreciated in the sight of God.

The first reading today tells us the value of the resurrection: just as it produces newness of life in Jesus, so too it produces newness of life in those who are baptized into his name! Not just the same old life, renewed; but a WHOLE NEWNESS OF BEING – a whole new creation! One day the entire old order shall pass away and everything will be caught up in the new order – and it will be wonderful!

The gospel passage is a narration of the first hours of this new creation: the morning of the Resurrection. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, who comes to the tomb to honor his body with anointing. In the course of the events, he calls her name: "Mary" – and then she recognizes him, who to that point seemed unrecognizable – and she encountered THE RISEN LORD! It was an amazing moment for them both! She got down on the ground and again began to cling to him!

Jesus then "sent her" to Peter and the other Apostles to tell them what she is now seeing and experiencing! She is the first witness of the Resurrection! She has been chosen to be the Apostle of the Apostles! She runs with the good news! and is so very excited!

We too have been chosen by Jesus, who calls us by name (at our baptism) to go forth with the message of the Gospel: the message that IT IS TRUE! HE IS ALIVE! THERE IS A NEW CREATION! AND ALL ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN IT! We are, as it were, apostoli apostolorum – "apostles of the apostles!" Like Mary, we must cling to Jesus' every thought, word and deed to know how to live out this newness of life and how to deliver the message as he intends! And one day it will mean for all of us LIFE FOR EVER IN THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR US FROM THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD! AMEN!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Homily – 07-21-2008 – St. Lawrence of Brindisi

Today we celebrate the feast of a great Franciscan priest and doctor of the Church: Lawrence of Brindisi in southern Italy. He lived in the time of the Protestant Revolution and did much to bolster the faith of the Church and to counter the protests that were being made.

He was a member of the Capuchin Friars; he taught theology to his fellow religious and was chosen to fulfill positions of leadership in his order. He became famous throughout Europe as an effective and forceful preacher. He wrote many works explaining the faith and died at Lisbon in 1619. He had a particularly strong devotion and dedication to the celebration of the Eucharist Presence of the Lord at Holy Mass!

Our gospel passage today about the sower and the seed has everything to do with Lawrence the preacher; and all of us, who are both preacher and hearers. The word of God MUST be fruitful or else it is wasted and ill-used. When the seed of preaching falls, it matters on the type of ground on which it falls: and this is not ordinary ground in any case.

If it falls on rocky ground which produces no roots, then it is because this ground has chosen to be rocky; if it falls among thorns, which choke it with worldly cares, desires and anxieties, it is because this ground has chosen to be thorn-laden; but if it falls on good ground, if it falls where the choice has been made to not only listen to the word, but also to "hear" what is being said, and to put it into practice: then the yield will be a hundred or sixty or thirty fold, depending on the differing abilities and spiritual progress involved for each individual person!

It was Lawrence of Brindisi's apostolic duty to be the instrument so that Jesus could continue to deliver his word – which has power, which is effective, which causes spiritual growth and change! It is my duty as a priest to do as he did! It is the duty of all of us to listen to and hear that word and to put it into practice – the very best we can, this, and every day.

In the first reading today we read that it is not ourselves that we preach: but Jesus Christ as Lord and that as such our words are as light in the darkness, which bring knowledge of the glory of God for those who behold the face of Christ. We hold this treasure in earth vessels – in our weak, fragile human beings - that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us!

God can use any and all of us today to be his messengers of light and glory – to bear fruit abundantly – if we cooperate with him fully – and are strengthened by the Eucharist Meal we are about to share!

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;

all who come to him will live for ever.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Homily – 07-20-2008 – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In a brief word today we actually have an answer to the age-old question of why God allows evil in the world. If God is so good and loving then why are there all kinds of less than godly things going on in the world, going on in our country, going on in my family, going on in me?

Again, in brief: it all comes down to "respect." God respects the freedom – the ability to use reason and free-will - that is his precious gift to us – that makes us a lot like him! He would never misuse his freedom and free-will, but we (as descendants and relatives of Adam and Eve) – since the Day of the Fall in Paradise, have misused ours and are always on the brink of doing it again!

He gave us free-will so we could freely choose to love him for all his gifts to us and to prove that love by loving others around us as we love ourselves – as Jesus taught us to do!

And so, we have the wheat and the weeds; we have those who choose to be wheat and those who misuse their free-will and choose to be weeds. And rather than risking upsetting the good unnecessarily, God thought it best to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest time – until the end of the world. He would protect with his powerful fatherly care (as we heard in the first reading today) those who are trying to be good grains of wheat; he would send Spirit to help us in our weakness, help us especially to pray as we ought to pray: that the Father's will be done in all things; and the weeds as he assures us in the gospel passage will get what is coming to them at that time and they will be gathered for burning!

What is so wonderful is that until our last breath: a weed can always change his / her mind and become a grain of wheat; as the first reading tells us: God's children always have good ground for HOPE because repentance and forgiveness of sins is possible!

We pray that any of us, all of us, who have any sort of weeds whatever growing in or around us – might take advantage of the graces and movement of the Holy Spirit and pray for their removal NOW, before it is too late! – and they will be removed, and we will become purified!

You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity. Turn toward us, [show your tender powerfulness] and have pity on us; give your strength to us, your servants.

Lord, you are good and forgiving!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Homily – 07-19-2008 – Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Saturday

Jesus was always about simply doing his duty, his God given task, humbly and without the need for recognition and fame. This is unlike so many people in our own day in age – who never do anything unless they get the fame, glory and the credit.

The important thing is that good deeds get done, in cooperation with God who is the real doer of the deeds. Taking credit away from him is tantamount to stealing his rightful glory and thunder!

God does not look favorably on those who act in such a way, as we can see prophesied in the first reading today from the Prophet Micah. Those who sit around the house plotting to trip people up, to cheat people, to steal land, to dishonor people: will get justice meted out to them by God himself – who, as prophesied here, will destroy the security of such people. They will cry out a plaintive chant about the completion of the ruin that has come upon them: through their own fault.

God the Father sent Jesus to be our reconciliation: to put things back in the proper perspective: which means that GOD GETS THE GLORY AND THE CREDIT FOR ALL GOOD WORKS! and we get our praise from him, if we as completely as we possibly can "get out of our own way" and let him work the deeds through us! He will exalt us only if we humble ourselves!

This is not an easy thing for human beings to do; but if we set our sights on living according to supernatural spiritual principles and laws – then we will be aided by Holy Spirit and will be able to see things "perfectly" and "clearly" – and we will be able to act simply and humbly!

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Homily – 07-18-2008 – St. Camillus de Lellis

Our saint for today, Camillus de Lellis, was an outstanding example of love and compassion that led to service to the sick. He certainly put the spirit of the readings selected for his feast to use: professing to love others as Christians means being willing to help them in all their needs, especially when they are weak and infirm; and following the Lord's command of loving service – to the point of exhaustion and even death.

It is all rooted in love! Love is the fabric that we are all cut from; love is the one thing we all have in common; loving service and compassionate caring is a sure way to energize and activate all that love is meant to be: true encouragement and helpfulness in the temporal order as we make our transition into a purely spiritual order!

St. Camillus was born in Abruzzi, Italy in 1550. He first entered a military profession, but upon his conversion to the Catholic faith he devoted himself to the care of the sick. He then completed studies for the ordination to the priesthood and founded a society which established hospitals and cared for the sick. He died in Rome in 1614.

A companion wrote of him: "Holy charity…was Camillus' most characteristic trait. I can attest that he was on fire with this holy virtue – not only toward God, but also toward his fellowmen, and especially toward the sick. When he was taking care of his patients, he seemed to spend and exhaust himself completely, so great was his devotion and compassion. He would have loved to take upon himself all their illness, their every affliction, could he but ease their pain and relieve their weakness.

In the sick he saw the person of Christ. His imagination was so vivid that, while feeding them, he perceived his patients as other Christs. He would even beg of them the gift of forgiveness of his sins. His reverence in their presence was as great as if he were really and truly in the presence of his Lord. In his conversations he talked of nothing more often or with greater feeling than of holy charity. He would have liked to plant this virtue in every human heart."

As we celebrate the life and work of St. Camillus de Lellis today, let us support the weak; let us always strive to do good for all – for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Let us welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us, for the glory of God!

Amen!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Homily – 07-17-2008 – Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Thursday

It is the desire of God our Father for us to find rest and peace; refreshment and strength; life and hope! The necessary and natural burdens of human life can be bearable and even en-joy-able if we TRUST him completely and go to Jesus, his gift, his Son, who in his humility and meekness will provide for these needs. After all – this is precisely why he came to us in the first place – to be our friend, to be our reconciliation, to be our peace!

With his own heart - which is a most sacred heart, a most loving heart – he loves us and waits for our act of belief, our act of hope, our act of trust in giving him our burdens so that he can make them easy for us!

However, he will not simply take away our burdens, our crosses, our difficulties in life – to ask him to do so is contrary to his will – for Jesus tells us that we MUST take up our crosses and follow him to reach eternal life – there is no other way to get there! But we can ask him to make sure that our cross is exactly the one and the right size for us at any given moment, on any given day! This prayer he would be happy and glad to answer immediately – for this IS his will – for us to carry OUR cross!

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give your rest,
says the Lord.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Homily – 07-16-2008 – Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our celebration today is that of the founding of the Carmelite Order on Mount Carmel, located near Haifa, Israel in the year 1200. This is the very mountain on which Elijah celebrated the faith of the people of Israel against the assertions of the pagan gods. 450 pagan prophets could not get their gods to spontaneously ignite a holocaust sacrifice, while Elijah, a single prophet of the Lord, built an altar of stone, surrounded it with wood, built a trench around it and drenched the whole thing with water three times until the water filled the trenches. He then prayed to the One and True God to answer his prayer and light the fire so that his glory may be shown among these faithless people. Fire from heaven immediately came down from heaven and consumed the entire sacrifice: stones, wood, dust and even the water! The pagans then had a change of heart and they proclaimed the Lord as the one and true God.

And so it was on this mountain that an Order was founded and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Theirs was to be a life of solitude and community with a structure of individual cells surrounding an oratory. Their "formula of life" commended daily Eucharist, continual prayer (especially the psalms) with silence otherwise, manual labor and other traditional forms of monastic asceticism. Some of the greatest mystics and saints of the Church have been Carmelites including St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.

The gospel passage today reminds us that the true members of the family of God – including those in religious life – are those who call God their Father – and who seek to do nothing but his will. They are real children of God and authentic brothers and sisters of Jesus. May we be numbered among them this day – and may we invite others to join our family of faith!

The first reading instructs us as to how the religious and how all of us are meant to become connected to the will of God: SILENCE: it begins with silence of the mind and heart, an opening of the inner ear, so that the will of God might stir forth from where it likes to dwell in fullness and richness – in the silent recesses of our beings – in the silent recesses of our minds – in the silent recesses of our hearts! BE STILL AND KNOW GOD – and his will for you!

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Homily – 07-15-2008 – St. Bonaventure

Today we celebrate the feast of one of the greatest theologians and doctors of the Catholic Church, a contemporary of one of its greatest saints, and also a contemporary of another renowned theologian. St. Bonaventure was a Franciscan monk who knew St. Francis himself and studied theology at the University of Paris at the same time as St. Thomas Aquinas.

God gave Bonaventure a slightly different point of theological view than the other two – which proves that no one person has it all – and that we are meant to complement, support and rely upon one another to obtain and deeper and fuller picture of anything: even a picture of God!

Bonaventure emphasized study along with working with the poor; while Francis said his monks did not have to study. Thomas Aquinas proposed that the best way to get information about God is through knowledge; Bonaventure thought that while knowledge is the first step, it must also involve love: we find God in the act of loving others.

Our readings today give us the spirit of Bonaventure's theology: St. Paul and Bonaventure encourage us to open ourselves to receive the power and the strength that the Holy Spirit can give so that Christ can dwell in our hearts through faith – rooted and grounded in love – then we can surely know with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love which surpasses knowledge – so that we may be filled with the fullness of God himself.

Those who humbly receive this teaching and pass it on to others because it is a part of their own lives can truly be called teacher and master: for they will not be clanging cymbals in proclaiming their own greatness by the titles of teacher and master! Jesus would approve of such humble teaching and mastering and mentoring on behalf of others!

Let us remember today that we have but one Father: the one in heaven; and one Master – the Christ; all credit for information passed, concepts learned goes to them, being the source.

Lord, teach us your statutes!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Homily – 07-14-2008 – Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Monday

Jesus makes two important points in the gospel passage today: GOD MUST COME FIRST! and YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU GIVE!

First: GOD MUST COME FIRST. Jesus is saying quite clearly that ALL OF OUR ATTENTION MUST BE FOCUSED on him / and his Father through him, by the working of the Holy Spirit for us to have a fully productive and happy life here and fullness of life in heaven hereafter! This is what it means when he says he has not come to simply establish a false, temporary, band-aid kind of "peace on earth." Real peace will come as a result to placing a relationship with God above a relationship with absolutely everyone else, including ourselves.

Secondly: Whoever receives me (when you are sent to bring the gospel to the whole world) will get me and also my Father, because we are inseparable – and also the Holy Spirit because we THREE are inseparable. Whoever receives you as a prophet will get a prophet's reward; whoever receives you as a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward; and whoever receives and gives a cup of cold water to one of the little ones of mine to drink because he is a disciple – surely will not go unrewarded when it really counts.

Belief then in what Jesus is asking us to do leads to action; it always leads to action! Just as in the first reading God was tired of his people offering all kinds of useless sacrifices to him but without changing their attitudes and behaviors – they were still sinning. I DON'T WANT YOUR FANCY SACRIFICES he says: I DO WANT YOU TO WASH YOURSELVES CLEAN putting away your misdeeds from before my eyes by ceasing your evil doing and learning to do good – because it is good!: make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow!

To the upright I will show the saving power of God!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Homily – 07-13-2008 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Since in the longer version of today's gospel passage Jesus provides his own "homily" on his message, I cannot presume to improve on what he has to say about it: this is what he says:

"Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

The first reading today tells us that God's word, God's will, cannot not be done – and so this, combined with Jesus' own homily leads us to the conclusion today that the sooner we become "rich soil" – open enough to receive the sunshine and the rain of his graces and gifts; trusting
enough to let him be the farmer of our souls; willing
enough to be used by him to make this world a better place in preparation for the magnificent world that is to come – the more quickly the arrival of the Kingdom in its fullness will be!

As we wait for this arrival and the full redemption of ourselves and our bodies – as we find ourselves even groaning and moaning as we still are in the waiting stages – let us take comfort in the sure knowledge that if we persevere and keep our eyes focused on the finish line: Jesus standing at the gates of heaven: all will be well and end well!

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Homily – 07-12-2008 – Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Saturday

From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah today we see that the purification of a prophet is necessary before he is sent to do his work – the purification of any minister of the Lord is necessary before his / her work can be really and truly effective.

The human condition has so much that needs to be modified, cleansed and changed in order for the human instrument of God to be credible and useful.

In the reading, the one who is to speak for God has his mouth purified by an ember from the altar of God. He then is able to volunteer to do God's work by saying to God "send me" when God asks for a volunteer to deliver his message – because he knows he is now ready!

Jesus readies his Apostles to deliver the same message of hope and love and salvation to the same people of God. Times will be very difficult when they are sent out. Those associated with Jesus will be very harshly treated – because his message makes them look directly at themselves and they are not happy at all with what they see. So they strike back out of ignorance and downright meanness.

But Jesus tells the Apostles not to be afraid of those who can kill the body – but not the soul. Death is not the worse that can happen to them. Submitting to one who can kill the soul is worse! Giving in and siding with the evil one – in the many devious ways in which he operates - can kill the soul! DON'T DO THAT! Jesus tells them! They must remember above all else that whoever acknowledges him before others he will acknowledge before his Father in heaven, but whoever denies him before others he will deny before his heavenly Father!

It is necessary for us to become LIKE our teacher and master: Jesus, to share in a LIKE persecution and even death itself (so that we can share in a like resurrection): but ALL OF IT UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE and TENDER CARE OF GOD THE FATHER – who will see us through what we need to go through until the end of our journey and the end of the history of the world. Then the grand and glorious reward will be given us for all our trials and tribulations and labors!

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Homily – 07-11-2008 – St. Benedict of Nursia

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Father of Western Monasticism: Benedict of Nursia. He was born in 480 and lived to be 80 years old. He never became a priest but from his youth he desired to retreat from the world and its overwhelming sense of immorality to seek the solitude and spiritual refreshment of the countryside and the monastic life. He easily attracted followers to his own style of monastic living and thus initially set up 12 monasteries which he ran under a written rule based on those of previous monastic writers such as Basil, Augustine and various desert fathers.

His rule emphasized authority and obedience; stability and community. The monks' primary occupation was to give glory to God by praying the Divine Office in common, complemented by the reading of sacred texts and manual labor of various kinds. Benedict insisted that an abbot should be elected by all of the monks and that he should be wise, discreet, flexible, learned in the law of God and a spiritual father to his community – just as he was. The flexibility of his Rule allowed it to be adapted readily to the needs of society, so that monasteries shaped by it became centers of scholarship, agriculture, medicine and hospitality.

Benedict's most famous monastery is that of Monte Cassino, near Naples, Italy.

Our readings today speak of the spirit of Benedict's Monasticism: treasure the words of God's commands which come to you; turn your ear to wisdom; incline your heart to understanding; call on intelligence so to understand "the fear of the Lord" – for this is the beginning of true spiritual wisdom; then you will understand rectitude, justice and honesty. This was the work of the monk: the use of intelligence to ask for fear of the Lord which would lead to wisdom and understanding of the things of God.

The gospel passage reassures each and every monk – and all of us who are called to be at least partially monastic in our own ways – those who have given up everything to seek God, to find him and to keep him by giving him away in good works – will be rewarded a hundredfold in eternal life! This is a guarantee!

Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears! Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Homily – 07-10-2008 – Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Thursday

God the Father's tender love, compassion and mercy are quite evident in the first reading today from the Prophet Hosea. Though his beloved chosen people used their free-will in an inappropriate way and turned against him, not just once, but over and over again – HE STILL DESIRES TO HAVE MERCY ON THEM and to withhold his justifiable anger and punishment.

His heart is overwhelmed, his pity is stirred; and he remembers when they were like children to him, and how he took them in his arms, and drew them with human cords, with bands of love!

And so, he tells them that he will not act as men act – who want merciless revenge when they are sinned against– he rather will act as only God can act: with infinite compassion and merciful forgiveness!

In the gospel passage Jesus is offering the exact same kind of justice, compassion, mercy and forgiveness – to the descendants of the same people of Israel who are still sinning and turning against him – but he also offers it to all men and women everywhere: this is what it means that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!; it is here, for everyone; the justice and mercy and forgiveness are right here and right now for those who ask for them.

This message is so inclusive and powerful and conclusive that Jesus tells his Apostles whose job it is to deliver the message: "Make the proclamation: The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Work wonders and signs to give credibility to the message! Then, let the message reside where it will! For those who are not yet ready to receive the message or who will not receive it: leave them, alone; leave their towns, shaking the dust of its streets from your feet and pray very hard for their future conversion!

Those who directly and methodically and deliberately reject the message of salvation after obtaining full and deep understanding of it will be held accountable for their decision on the Last Day – and their judgment before Jesus, Just Judge will be very difficult!

Let us see your face, O Lord, and we shall be saved. Let us recognize you when we see you and hear you, and simply believe that it is really you!


 

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Homily – 07-09-2008 – Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Wednesday

Our readings have a brief and comforting message: seek the Lord; he is near!

In the first reading, Hosea, the Prophet is encouraging the people to seek God: to sow justice, to reap the fruit of piety, to break up for themselves a new field. And, if they do seek him – he will come!

The gospel passage announces that very arrival: many centuries later: Jesus comes among God his Father's people to announce the arrival of the great kingdom which will begin here on earth and last forever in heaven.

It is time to gather fully the lost sheep of the house of Israel; it is time to transform them into a new and permanent family; it is the time of justice, peace and mercy!

To help him get the message out, Jesus selects and names Twelve, close friends, Twelve Apostles: who would perform great signs with power from on high to give credibility to the message that they were to proclaim to the ends of the earth: THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!

Jesus, of course, is the Kingdom and the King – and we are all invited to be members of that Kingdom and his loving, adoring subjects! It is our pleasure and our joy to be so this day – and to announce to those we will meet today: IT IS REALLY HERE! IT IS REALLY ALREADY BEGUN! THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! and THE GREAT KING, JESUS, IS OUR PERSONAL AND BEST FRIEND – and he can be yours too!

The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the Gospel!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Homily – 07-08-2008 – Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday

Both of our readings today have a similar theme: God the Father's idea of restoring and renewing his people. In the first reading we hear the continuation of the idea that was introduced yesterday: how God wants to enter into a more intimate and deeper relationship with his people than he has ever had to that point before. After forming them as his people and leading them out of slavery in Egypt, this people soon forgot what God had done. And so he chooses to remind them how valuable and precious they are to him. The concept of "espoused" and "husband" are what he wants to get across to them at this point. They are to be his "beloved espoused;" and he is to be considered their "devoted husband."

The passage today recaps what happened during those periods when they turned away from God – and became in many aspects "as a harlot" – sinning against him – and making him very sad: they did pretty much what they wanted to do – not looking to me, nor seeking my approval for anything; they made idols of molten silver and gold and worshiped them instead of me; they built altars to glorify their own sinning; in many ways they were heading straight back to the slavery I had delivered them from in Egypt.

But God wanted to draw them away from this way of thinking and acting – so he leads them to the desert, again, this time to give them time to think and reflect and to seek him wholeheartedly once again! He leads us to the desert (a few minutes here and there each day – if we take the time and recognize the gift) as well: to think, to reflect and to seek him wholeheartedly once again – so that we may not shrink back into the slavery of sin!

In the gospel passage, many centuries later, Jesus is dealing with the same kind of condition in God, his Father's people: they are still confused; they are still troubled, they are suffering from illness and diseases of every kind (a lot of it related to their poor spiritual health); he sees them as sheep without a shepherd. He does what he can to heal their wounds and to restore them BECAUSE NOW HE HIMSELF IS THE BRIDEGROOM and THEY ARE POTENTIALLY HIS NEW BRIDE. The community of the new people of God born of his death and resurrection would be his true Bride – and it would look to its completion on the Last Day when the great, grand and glorious wedding feast of the Lamb – Himself – and his Bride: the Church in its perfection: would begin!

And so Jesus knows there is work to be done in preparing for that Nuptial Banquet in heaven – therefore he asks those around him to pray to God to send laborers for the harvest – helpmates of himself – who would complete his ministry of gathering the flock into one to present to God the Father on that wonderful day in the future.

We pray then today for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life; to all of the lay ministries that are so vitally important to the Church in this day in age – and for all Christians – that we may give ourselves completely to Jesus and his Father - so that by the working of the Holy Spirit through us, we may make more and more present here and now the reality of the Kingdom of God until that day when it bursts forth in all of it splendor and glory and fullness and will remain forever! Amen!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Homily – 07-07-2008 – Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Monday

In our first reading today we begin a series of readings from the Prophet Hosea. They are beautiful readings concerning God the Father's tender and passionate love for his chosen people! These people, the children of Israel, have in so many ways been unfaithful and ungrateful to him for the many wonderful things he has done for them – and he was forced to punish them out of justice, and that made him sad – but now he wants to enter into a deeper and fuller relationship with them – and so the imagery that is used now is that of the beautiful, intimate relationship between husband and wife: God wants to "espouse" these people, so that they will call him "husband."

They will be "espoused in right and in justice; in love and in mercy." They will be "espoused in fidelity" and THEY WILL KNOW GOD! – as a husband knows a wife!

How powerful and passionate and wonderful an image! God wants to be very close and at one with his people! And so, he "leads them to the desert" – where there is peace and quiet - in order to speak to their hearts. There he hopes that they will respond to him as in "the days of their youth, when they came up out of the land of Egypt." And they shall turn away from the Baals – the pagan idols, to which many have turned!

God is so great; he is so merciful; he is so eager to reside in the intimate recesses of our hearts and our lives; all we need to do is to make room – and then invite him there.

In the gospel passage we see the "healing power of love" that emanates from Jesus. To reward our fidelity, to reward our faithfulness, to reward our focus on him and his Father (rather than on lesser Baals of our own day) – Jesus literally touches people and there is restored life, restored health, restored priorities in life. In the first instance, with the daughter who was presumed dead, Jesus comes and simply takes her by the hand and she arises; in the second instance a woman with physical symptoms simply wanted to touch his cloak! In both cases it was FAITH – real, genuine belief that HEALING POWER AND LOVE DO IN FACT COME FROM AND THROUGH THIS AMAZING MAN! JESUS - who must be more that just "a man" – that made the healing possible. Yes, he is more than just a man – he is also God!

We each have the power to "touch God" – to release his healing and love and mercy in our own lives and the lives of others – beginning with the "simple belief that it is so!" We too are his "beloved," his "espoused:" he would do anything to give us fullness and happiness of life! Thank you dear God for loving us so! May we show our gratitude this day by touching the lives of others with kindness, helpfulness and joy!

The Lord is gracious and merciful!


 

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Homily – 07-06-2008 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For those who are Baptized and Confirmed in the faith of the Catholic Church the labor and burden of life should be restful – the yoke of it should be easy, and the burden of it should be light! If it isn't for any of us: then, perhaps we have not "followed the instructions on the box" – as many are wont to do. Sometimes the last resort is reading the "owner's manual!" (Have any of you ever tried to program a VCR/DVD Player?)

"Baptized/Confirmed life in Christ" makes us entirely NEW CREATIONS! Spiritual laws and spiritual rules now apply – and they have spiritual directions and spiritual applications – and they must be used as directed to make things run right! And so we need to know how to interpret these spiritual realities – and that is why we come to Church on Sunday (and weekdays when we can); that is why we take catechetical classes; that is why we attend spiritual retreats – to GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ALREADY POSSESS, and have been gifted with, especially by the Sacraments of Initiation into the Church: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist!

In this day in age – we, as individuals; we, as members of a family; we as members of a community of faith; we, as members of society and country need to know how to apply the rules of our spiritual dimension – or else they are being wasted on us and in us. What a transformation could take place within us, our families, our Church and our nation (as we take a look at it and its needs on this Fourth of July Weekend) - if we fully implement the wonderful gifts we have been given by God: the labor
and burden of living our lives would truly be much lighter, the yoke easier – BECAUSE JESUS WOULD BE CARRYING A GREATER PROPORTION OF IT! THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS! WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT ON OUR OWN! – this is a difficult idea for "let-me-do-it-by-myself" Americans! – to grasp!

In fact, if we completely
surrender our lives and the projects in our lives to him - and live according to the Spirit, rather than by the obvious and apparent pulls, tugs, and "urgings of the flesh" – then we will find that it is virtually and even literally a breeze: like the gentle blowing wind of the Holy Spirit that will fill our lives, the lives of our families, our Church and our country! – and the results will be even better than we – working independently on our own – could possibly have imagined!

As prophesized in the first reading today: the one who would make this possible: the Savior; would be Jesus; who would come among his people meekly, humbly and riding on a donkey! The prerequisite for obtaining the fullness of spirituality in our lives is for us also to approach Jesus: meekly, humbly, yet so lovingly and trustingly and riding on nothing but our feet! He will turn to us and say: What is it that you want? And we can say to him: "We want to give you our labors and our burdens!" and he will say: "Of course I will take them – give them to me! and together let us walk through the hours and days; the months and the years of the rest of your lives with your greatest good in mind, and that of your family, your parish and your country!"

Blessed are you, Father, (Abba), Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones (to the meek and humble) the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven!

Homily – 07-06-2008 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For those who are Baptized and Confirmed in the faith of the Catholic Church the labor and burden of life should be restful – the yoke of it should be easy, and the burden of it should be light! If it isn't for any of us: then, perhaps we have not "followed the instructions on the box" – as many are wont to do. Sometimes the last resort is reading the "owner's manual!" (Have any of you ever tried to program a VCR/DVD Player?)

"Baptized/Confirmed life in Christ" makes us entirely NEW CREATIONS! Spiritual laws and spiritual rules now apply – and they have spiritual directions and spiritual applications – and they must be used as directed, to make things run right! And so we need to know how to interpret these spiritual realities – and that is why we come to Church on Sunday (and weekdays when we can); that is why we take catechetical classes; that is why we attend spiritual retreats – to GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ALREADY POSSESS, and have been gifted with, especially by the Sacraments of Initiation into the Church: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist!

In this day in age – we as individuals, we as members of a family, we as members of a society and country need to know how to apply the rules of our spiritual dimension – or else they are being wasted on us and in us. What a transformation could take place within us, our, Church, our families and our nation (as we take a look at it and its needs on this Fourth of July Weekend) - if we fully implemented the wonderful gifts we have been given by God: the labor
and burden of living our lives would truly be much lighter, the yoke easier – BECAUSE JESUS WOULD BE CARRYING A GREATER PROPORTION OF IT! THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS! WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT ON OUR OWN! – this is a difficult idea for "let-me-do-it-by-myself" Americans! – to grasp!

In fact, if we completely surrender our lives and the projects in our lives to him - and live according to the Spirit, rather than by the apparent pulls, tugs, and "urgings of the flesh" – then we will find that it is virtually a breeze: like the gentle blowing of the Holy Spirit that will fill our lives, the lives of our families, our Church and our country! – and the results will be even better than we – working independently on our own – could possibly have imagined!

As prophesized in the first reading today: the one who would make this possible: the Savior; would be Jesus; who would come among his people meekly, humbly and riding on a donkey! The prerequisite for obtaining the fullness of spirituality in our lives is for us also to approach Jesus: meekly, humbly, yet so lovingly and trustingly and riding on nothing but our feet! He will turn to us and say: What is it that you want? And we can say to him: "We want to give you our labors and our burdens!" and he will say: "Of course I will take them – give them to me! and together let us walk through the hours and days; the months and the years of the rest of your lives with your greatest good in mind, and that of your family and of your country!"

Blessed are you, Father, (Abba), Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones (to the meek and humble) the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Homily – 07-05-2008 – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Saturday

The first reading today is the wonderful prophecy from Amos – that indicates that the Lord will raise up the "fallen hut of David" – after the Babylonian Captivity. The people shall be restored and the cities rebuilt, and the mountainside gardens shall once again be planted which will provide rich foods and a good harvest.

This is comforting to know for a people who had wandered so far away from God – and incurred his justifiable anger and retribution! But now, he once again shows his constant, never-ending and faithful mercy and compassion. Whenever any turn to him, he is ready to receive and to forgive and to strengthen. Apparently, the people were – at this point – ready to receive the gifts of restoration that God had in store for them.

In the gospel passage Jesus has a conversation with the disciples of John the Baptist. They want to know why they have to fast, while his disciples don't have to. Jesus point, in responding, is that "new understandings are on the way" – a "fuller understanding" "a richer understanding" a "more complete understanding" of a lot of things: and that they needed to prepare their minds and hearts to receive them: thus, the reference to the cloth-patching and the wineskins.

The one who had the information for the new understandings was Jesus: and so those closest to him: his own disciples: simply were invited to avail themselves of the nearness of the information; but John's disciples, who were still in a sense at a distance readying themselves: needed to purify their minds and hearts in readiness by fasting and works of charity – so that when the message finally reached them, they would be able to fully grasp it.

May we, this day, be among those who count ourselves very near indeed to Jesus (especially as we are near to him in the words of this Mass and his Eucharistic Presence) – and receive all that he has to share with us – all kinds of newer, and richer, and deeper understanding about him, his Father, their Spirit and how everything all fits together – and how we can easily live it out. When Jesus speaks: let us listen – for he is our Shepherd, he is our Teacher, he is our Lord, he is our Brother!

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Homily – 07-04-2008 – Independence Day

"God gave us, human beings, FREEDOM, in order to be able to choose to LOVE!"

Jesus tells us something amazing in this gospel passage: just as God his Father loves him, so he loves us! all of us! Isn't that something! And then he says: remain in this love: don't force us to leave you! And you won't force us to leave you IF you keep loving one another the same way that we love you: and that means self-sacrificially!

When we are talking about love here – we are not talking soap opera and Hollywood type love. That kind of love isn't really love at all. Real love is the decision to put the other person first – and to sacrifice what is necessary to keep them first! Anyone who is married knows that is true! Anyone who is ordained knows that is true! Anyone who has even been in the military knows that is true! These are three ways in which other people are meant to be placed first – and ourselves last – so that happiness, and peace, and freedom and joy may be experienced by all! There are other ways too!

And that is exactly what happens: THE MORE WE REALLY AND TRULY LOVE ONE ANOTHER – self-sacrificially – like Jesus did – even to the point of giving our lives for one another, as he did - (as we consider on this 4th of July those who gave their lives, and continue to give their lives in order for our country to be free and happy and at peace) – the more we EXPERIENCE GOD! That is amazing!

And when we experience God, then we want to act like we experience God – as James tells us in the first reading – we want to lead a good life in humility that comes from wisdom: we are not jealous, or selfish, or ambitious; nor do we boast or distort the truth – these things are not gotten from wisdom from above. The wisdom from above is first of all pure (that means uncomplicated and focused on God), then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, with constancy and sincerity – and right-living!

Would that we as individuals, we as family members, we as a society, we as a nation could more earnestly seek and find and give away this wisdom from on high! What a better a better world this would be!

It all begins with us – and our desire to do so: to love as God loves, to experience the joy he wants us to have and to share it; and to be beacons of light for one another in the darkness of the world that seems to be increasing somewhat on a regular basis!

The true Light of the World is Jesus – and he will help us all if we turn to him in prayer! We pray today to him for our nation that it may return to the God-centered values on which it was founded! We are and must remain "one nation, under God" or else we will be no nation at all!

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

That God will show his great mercy on our nation that in so many serious ways uses its freedom to turn against him and embrace so many other lesser loves - let us pray one time each the three prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet: (please kneel)


 

Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ……


 

For the sake of his sorrowful Passion….


 

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One…


 

[Jesus, I trust in you!]

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Homily – 07-03-2008 – St. Thomas, Apostle

It is fortunate that St. Thomas the Apostle is also known as "Thomas the Believer," although "Thomas the Doubter" comes to mind at first.

Jesus' words to Thomas in the gospel passage today are in no way negative: You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me! This is an affirmation of Thomas's true act of belief which was expressed in his acclamation: MY LORD! and MY GOD! These are no mere words – they had to be inspired by a movement of the Holy Spirit – and so they were!

But Jesus goes on and says blessed and happy will those people be throughout the ages who have not seen me with their eyes but who have nonetheless very really and truly seen me with the eyes of faith and the movement of the Holy Spirit within them. They too will be able to say with you, Thomas, MY LORD! and MY GOD!

The FAITH of the Catholic Church is built upon the FAITH of the Apostles that was tested, manifested and affirmed in many ways!

The particular mode of Thomas' profession of faith applies to "many from Missouri" who need to be "shown – in order to believe!" That is perfectly alright – so long as the belief does come – and what follows: a community of people who become and are the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. This is exactly what the Church is: THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD ON EARTH – by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Being sent by Jesus on Pentecost, Thomas brought the faith and the Gospel of the Church to India – which at that time included everything south and east of the Roman Empire: lands, which now include, not only India as we know it, but also, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria: lands that today, so much need to know of the reality and healing power of life in the Church.

Thomas was the right person to send there – because his main characteristic was fierce loyalty: the gospels tell us that he was ready to die with Jesus when his final hours were approaching – he was always defending and protecting Jesus. But he wasn't always clear about who Jesus really was and where he came from and where he was going back to; and so in reply to his question to Jesus about these things Jesus gives his very important and classic response: Thomas, I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!

This is a summary of all of theology! – and it was initiated by a simple question posed by an inquisitive, yet open-minded and goodhearted disciple!

May we be such disciples today! - and may we believe the answers that Jesus gives us to questions we ask him!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Homily – 07-02-2008 – Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Wednesday

Our gospel passage today is actually meant to indicate humor as well as to bring home an important message. The source of the humor is the pigs that are standing nearby as the interchange between Jesus and the demoniacs takes place. That they "happened to be in the vicinity" introduces the element of humor as a way of making a point!

To the Israelites pigs were not only unclean, they were also funny! To the Gentiles – that the Jewish people had such an aversion to and horror of pigs – seemed very funny and a matter of mocking and laughter and ridicule!

But the point of the story is that Jesus had power to expel demons: the spirit of evil as it roams the world, surfacing from time to time in various individuals. And so there can be a connection made between the unclean spirits, unclean animals, unclean objects and unclean people: people who have evil and sin in their lives.

Jesus has the power to dismiss such spirits, to make objects clean and to forgive sin. This all is demonstrated by his simple act of granting the spirits' request to be sent into the herd of swine, who then sent themselves hurling off a cliff and into the sea! It was then both a comical and very serious sight at the same time!

Before they went, these spirits: in front of those present: acknowledged Jesus as Son of God who was waiting for the "right time" to deal with them all, forcefully and fearfully! This is a very comforting thing for us to know!

There will be a time when all of evil will be destroyed and there will be only goodness for those who love God, trust in him and try to live a clean and sinless life now!

And so, the episode with the pigs reveals three things: THE GOSPEL MESSAGE CAN EVEN BE HUMOROUS AT TIMES; JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD! and THE SWINE truly were as unclean AS THE DEMONS WERE THEMELVES!

But at one point soon, Jesus would change the rules about cleanness – for he had power over that too. He would say "it is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean (certain types of food), but what comes out of the mouth: evil words, words of unkindness, uncharity, unfriendliness, gossip, lies, deceptions, cheating, tearing other's down!

There is nothing funny about that at all.

May we cling to Jesus words for life!

The Father will to give us birth by the word of truth

that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creation.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Homily – 07-01-2008 – Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday

It seems like it would have been a legitimate reaction to the storm on a lake. And it must have been a pretty violent storm if even these fishermen were afraid. But they did something that on second glance seems contradictory: they cried out to Jesus: "LORD, SAVE US! We are perishing!"

This cry reveals two things: that in a pinch, they acknowledged him and called him by his true title: LORD! GOD! even though they may not have known exactly what they were saying! But it was precisely because they did not fully grasp the connection between him and God, him and his Father – who has all power, who is the roaring lion of the first reading today – that their faith was therefore weak – and so they were afraid – and so they called out!

Jesus immediately took them to task and said: YOUR FAITH IS SO WEAK! WHY DID YOU CRY OUT LIKE THAT? WHY WERE YOU SO TERRIFIED?

AFTER BEING WITH ME FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW – ARE YOU STILL SLOW TO BELIEVE THAT I AM DIRECTLY RELATED TO GOD – AND THAT WE CAN DO AMAZING THINGS FOR YOU?

Then Jesus calmed the whole scene down – and the disciples were dumbfounded: "What sort of man is this that the wind and the sea obey him?"

He is their maker!

The point today for us can be this: JESUS IS ALWAYS IN OUR BOAT – even when he seems to be asleep! A simple nod of faith and prayer from the heart can access his power to help in any difficult situation! WE NEED NOT CRY OUT, TERRIFIED, LORD, SAVE ME! All it takes is a simple act of faith, and a simple prayer! All things obey Jesus and his Father – and so we have nothing to fear! – so long as we trust, trust unswervingly, trust constantly, trust simply in the gracious goodness of our God!

I trust in the Lord;

my soul trusts in his word.

Happy New Year 202

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