Sunday, February 28, 2010

Homily – February 28, 2010 – Second Sunday of Lent

+ Just as last Sunday we could conclude that the temptations of Jesus in the desert were not a necessity for him, but rather they were endured for us – so that we would know how to handle temptation to power, prestige and pleasure when they come our way – so today the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was not done for Jesus simply "to show off his glory" – it was done to prepare the apostles for the scandal of the Cross, to give them something to remember when all the things he told them finally did come to pass, to be the Light in the Darkness of Good Friday! It also occurred for our instruction, as a sign of our own hope in one day sharing in the glory of the resurrection that would be offered to us free of charge – he will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body – the only requirement being faith in the one who is now Transfigured in Radiant Glory – and a life evidencing the fact that love – the kind of love that he demonstrated - matters!

In the first reading today, we hear one of the most breathtaking narratives in Scripture: "The Lord God took Abram outside and said, Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so shall your descendants be. Abram put his faith in the Lord who credited it to him as an act of righteousness." Magnificent narration! Astounding reality! FAITH IS BORN! And the "family of faith" that began with Abram now Abraham continues to today – to us – and to all who bear the name of Christian. Yes, his descendants were very many indeed!

Our responsorial psalm today reflects a related theme: The Lord is my light and my salvation! It is difficult for us to understand just how dark the world was spiritually, emotionally and psychologically before "the dawn of a new day" shed it first rays on Christmas Morning some 2000 years ago. We may sometimes think it is dark now, but this was really nothing compared to what was then. It was a hopeless darkness because there was no way that man of his own accord, could penetrate or remove it! It is the Lord who is the true Light of Lights, and our Salvation! He came to us to save us because he loves us and wants to light our path, to show us the way to get to spend an eternity with him in his Father's kingdom! We are so blessed and so loved and so protected!

As we begin a new week of Lent, let us enter into it wholeheartedly – focusing our lives by the bright light of the Father's presence in a cloud, and Jesus himself in radiant glory illuminating our every move – let us listen to Jesus as he speaks to our hearts: have faith, have hope, have charity to all: for I have overcome the world!

God bless you!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Homily – February 26, 2010 – First Week of Lent - Friday

+ Our gospel passage today is concerned with not just keeping the law, but keeping the law entirely. Sometimes we think that it is the "big stuff" that God is concerned about, and not the "small stuff" that is part of our everyday lives. Actually, he is concerned about both! Of course he wants us to steer clear of the major offenses that are listed in his own commandments to us; but he is also concerned with the derivative offenses that stem from these commandments. We often hear that "the devil is in the details," not because he really is, but because people think that God is not watching everything – so they tend to play God themselves – thus becoming devilish themselves.

Today Jesus addresses the topics of killing, yes, but also anger! Both according to him are equally reprehensible! And he talks about settling small claims court type of injuries with our opponent while on the way to court: take care of the small stuff of daily interaction with people before it all adds up to a much larger charge and a stiff sentence against us!

The first reading is related in that it encourages the wicked person to turn away from the devilish antics that he so delights in and to turn to God who would much rather have a relationship with a wholesome, happy child of his, whom he can pamper, watch over and provide for, than a stubborn, selfish, spoiled one. But it also tells how sad God is when the virtuous person turns from his good deeds to wicked ones: he shall be lost forever because he chose to turn away from God and his offer of love and a happy home forever.

It seems like such an obvious choice! Who would deliberately sabotage his own life here and hereafter? But, believe it or not, many would, and many do! May that many not include us today!

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Homily – February 25, 2010 – First Week of Lent - Thursday

+ Today we see the plight of Queen Esther – a devout Jew, who risked her own life to save the lives of her fellow Jews who were being put to death by King Xerxes. She told the king who was very fond of her, that if she was to kill Jews then she would have to kill her too because she also was a Jew. The king had a change of heart, and rather than killing any Jews, hanged the ones in his court who were plotting against the Jews.

It was because Queen Esther trusted completely in the Lord that the saving of her people and herself was accomplished – and their mourning was turned into gladness and their sorrows into wholeness.

On the day that we call for help, the Lord will answer us as well!

In the gospel passage Jesus indeed tells us to ask, seek and knock, that is to say: to ask humbly at his feet, to seek humbly from his heart, to knock at the door of knowledge from his lips! When we do these things, expecting to hear God speaking loudly and clearly and lovingly his will for us, then we know that we have asked, sought and knocked properly – and it shall be done for us – because it will be God's holy will. And chances are our request to him and his of us will be to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated
– for this is the summary of the law and of the prophets!

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Homily – February 24, 2010 – First Week of Lent - Wednesday

+ We are reminded in our readings this morning of the exact nature of what the Lenten Season is all about: returning to the Lord with our whole heart because he is gracious and merciful.

In the gospel passage Jesus tells his disciples that the "sign of Jonah" – his preaching and the repentance of the people of Nineveh, as recorded in the first reading today from Jonah's own writings – is quite sufficient as the "sign" that the people of Jesus' day are looking for as a reason to turn from their present evil ways to the Lord, who is even moreso gracious and merciful – even moreso because with Jesus himself present and active in our redemption we have the greatest of all signs – greater than Jonah or even Solomon of old.

All it takes from us is a heart contrite and humbled. God will not spurn such a heart. May we pray for such a heart today – contrite, humbled and open to whatever blessings God would want to bestow on it this day of Lent.

A true conversion of heart disarms our defenses completely, it causes us to rely solely upon God to strengthen us and direct us according to his will and even directs us to say and do things that will match our insides with our outsides so that our lives can truly be a "sign" not only of who God is, merciful, gracious and generous, but who we really are as well, faithful servants and sons and daughters!

Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Homily – February 23, 2010 – First Week of Lent - Tuesday

+ We have two wonderful readings on this day of Lent. The first reading tells us that God is very thoughtful, deliberate and loving in every word that he speaks. His words are effective - that is, they accomplish what they say. His words are not void of meaning, for they will eventually do what they are intended to do – even though human persons may attempt to twist their meaning and cause other results to take place out of a misguided sense of "knowing better than God" how this and that situation ought to play out.

God knows us and he will take care of us – the more trustingly on our part – the more easily on his part!

In the gospel passage Jesus teaches his disciples and all of us how to pray: our prayer is not to be filled with all kinds of useless words, rationalizations and attempts at convincing God that our way of seeing things is better than his. We are to pray in a completely trusting and detached sort of way with seven sentiments: calling God our Father, blessing his name, asking that his Kingdom come entirely as he desires it to come, giving us all we need to live a balanced and peaceful life just this one day, forgiving our sins just as we forgive those who sin against us, leading us not to the test, but delivering us from all evil.

When we pray this way – we are letting God be God; we are telling him that we want to cooperate, with his help, in making his kingdom come, that we trust him to watch over us and protect us always.

This is an excellent Lenten meditation: letting God be God, letting God's will for our eternal happiness unfold just as he has already planned it, cooperating with actual graces that come our way each day in order to be grateful, humble and loving children of a tender yet o so powerful on our behalf Father!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Homily – February 22, 2010 – The Chair of St. Peter

+ Today's feast celebrates the triumph of Christ's grace in the heart and soul of Peter, and his status as the primary pastor and teacher of the Church, as its first pope (although he himself was never given the title "pope"). It also celebrates the symbolic value of the chair of Peter, located in the Vatican, which signifies his teaching authority, as well as the teaching authority of every bishop that is symbolized in the chair or cathedra located in their own individual cathedrals.

We know that Peter enjoyed a unique status within the college of apostles. He was the first disciple whom Jesus called; he served as the spokesman for the others; he was the first to whom the Risen Lord appeared. He was prominent in the original Jerusalem community, described by Paul as one of its "pillars." He settled early disputes that arose regarding practice and application of Christian principles.

In the Catholic tradition, the biblical basis for associating the primacy with Peter is embodied in three texts: Matthew: you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; Luke: …you must strengthen your brothers; and John: Feed my lambs…Tend my sheep…Feed my sheep. This is not to say that Peter's authority was exclusive and absolute. In the Acts of the Apostles Peter is shown consulting with the other apostles and even being sent by them. He and John are portrayed as acting as a team. And Paul confronts Peter for his inconsistency and hypocrisy in drawing back from table fellowship with gentile Christian in Antioch under pressure from some Jewish Christians who arrived later from Jerusalem. Paul "opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong."

However, the ministry of pastoral leadership exercised by Peter in the first part of Acts is the model and the norm of the Petrine ministry exercised by every one of his successors. It involves witnessing to the faith, overseeing the way in which local churches preserve and transmit this faith, providing assistance and encouragement to fellow bishops in their own local and universal ministry of proclaiming and defending the faith, speaking in the name of the bishops and their local churches when the need arises, and articulating the faith of the Church in the name of the whole communion of local churches that together constitute the universal Church. In sum, the Petrine ministry is that of a "servant of the servants of God;" a servant of his brother bishops and a servant of the whole People of God!

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Homily – February 21, 2010 – First Sunday of Lent

+ The temptations of Jesus were not a necessity for him, but they were for us! Jesus himself was well equipped to dismiss any temptation to do evil always – but he submitted to the temptation process in the desert on our behalf and for our instruction. Jesus always knew what he was about! He left heaven as Word of God for a single purpose: to redeem the pitiable human creations who turned down life and happiness for a moment of power, prestige and pleasure. And nothing could deter him from his purpose!

Just as our first parents were tempted to sin by Satan along the lines of power, prestige and pleasure – so too was Jesus – so too are we. But the way Jesus handled it ought to be a lesson for us that could save our spiritual necks some day! When tempted to pleasure – to satisfy our earthly desires and appetites Jesus says: there are other more important things that will satisfy eternally – go for them (go for the gold), leave everything things alone! When tempted to prestige – to be "someone" in a world of equals – realize that there is only one God and you are not him. When tempted to power – to "lord it over" others just for the rush of it – don't even give any indication that you are interested, for there is only one who holds all power and it is not you or anyone you know: cooperation here, leads to true success.

The first reading today is about the people of Israel at last, and at least temporarily, giving God what is his due because they seemingly understand all that he has done for them in saving them from their enemies. They make an offering of the firstfruits of their soil to him! This as a foreshadowing on how they will be even moreso saved by a descendant of theirs who would destroy the one true enemy, Satan, and break his power forever! This descendant, this Jesus, is the one who is confessed in the second reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans. Those who confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved!

It is now up to us, who have claimed a share in this salvation on the day of our baptisms, to renew our faith and our trust and our hope in Jesus – who endured temptation and ignominy and a brutal death for us so that we could free ourselves more easily from temptations and ultimately death itself – so that we could be accountable to God for the deeds of our own volition – giving him glory, praise, thanks, honor and adoration at all the hours of the day and night – either directly or indirectly – by what we think and say and do!

Let us use these days and weeks of Lent to do just that: learn how to handle temptations to pleasure, prestige and power when they come our way: to put our focus on where it rightly belongs: the things of heaven; and to thank God at every turn for all that he does for us, his unworthy but trusting children!

God bless you!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Homily – February 19, 2010 – Friday after Ash Wednesday

+ The days of the bridegroom being taken away are fast approaching and the disciples will know full well the meaning of what Jesus is saying here – and so will the Pharisees who are posing the question. But this is an unusual Bridegroom and this will be an unusual fasting and the result will be an unusual experience of loss followed by a profound experience of joy!

The Bridegroom is the Son of God / Son of Man who has chosen to make mankind his Bride. The fasting involved means the denial of anything that would interfere in that process – anything that would make the bride less than perfect, anything that would make the bride less desirable to the groom, anything that would jeopardize the eternal salvation of the bride which hangs in the balance.

A great but temporary loss would occur on a Friday afternoon in April when the Bridegroom would apparently be dead; the groom the man would indeed be dead, but the groom the God would still be alive, visiting the dead, the just, the sinners and freeing those eligible to be freed.

Then on the third day the dead God / Man would be raised by his heavenly Father and our life would be restored, our sins would be forgiven, our lives would now have enormous meaning – if we so choose to live them as such.

The fasting that we can do as we watch Jesus go through what he went through for us this Lent is to do his work: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked, and not turning our backs on our own. This is the kind of fasting that will please the Lord and will make what he went through for us have value and meaning!

Let us this day of Lent seek good and not evil so that we may live and the Lord will be with us.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Homily – February 18, 2010 – Thursday after Ash Wednesday

+ Today we have two short and powerful seemingly contradictory messages from our readings: the choice is yours: between life and death: choose life; lose your life to find it! In the first reading the people of Israel are encouraged to choose life – the ways of God, rather than choosing death, the ways of stubborn selfishness and resistance to God's saving plan of salvation. In the gospel passage Jesus actually encourages his disciples to choose "loss of life" in order to "gain life" – deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me – but this is a different kind of losing, a different kind of death. It is a voluntary giving of ourselves totally into the hands of God's care. It is losing grip of our own need to control and letting things work out as they are best suited to work out – as they have been planned by God.

As Lent begins let us then both choose life, and choose spiritual detachment or death of sorts – so that the bountiful results of joy and life can be also experienced!

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Homily – February 17, 2010 – Ash Wednesday

+ The Holy Season of Lent is upon us! The object of these next six weeks is to focus in on the most important gift that has ever been offered to human beings ever: the forgiveness of sin and the promise of everlasting life for those who meet certain conditions.

Both of these things have everything to do with the death and resurrection of the only God-Man born on the face of the earth: JESUS CHRIST! And so we will spend these weeks looking at Jesus – looking into his heart – looking into his mind – looking into his motivation – looking into his amazing plan for our redemption!

In order to get the most out of our search, however, we need to acknowledge the existence of and validity of certain spiritual laws. A spiritual search requires spiritual tools. In the gospel passage today, Jesus and the Church suggests three: giving alms, praying and fasting. If we can rely on the fact that these activities have a God-given and insured dynamic built into them then by the end of Lent we shall have had a deep spiritual change of some sort within us – within our hearts, and minds and souls. We will have "opened the door of our lives a little bit more this year than ever before – and invited Jesus in more deeply than in the past!" And maybe he will "walk right in…"

And so we have: giving almsgiving from our want, not our surplus – for the good of others who are quite literally poor and needy, this even if we ourselves are poor and needy. This causes a spiritual sensation that can only be described as deeply satisfying and liberating – and rightly so – this is the way God designed it!

Next there is prayer giving God some time and quiet so that both we and he can communicate as family members would. He is our Father – we are his children – Jesus is our brother – there is much chat and conversation that could be going on like never before. The Blessed Trinity is Three Persons – like you are a person, and I am a person. Connect with them as you would another other person. If these three are not in your "circle of friends" then you, my friend, may be in big trouble!

And lastly there is fasting giving something up – not just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday – but on some regular sort of schedule during the Lenten Season. Self-denial is one of those spiritual tools that is meant to sharpen our focus on what is really important. If we stop clawing and grasping and hanging on to things of all sorts: then we can open our hands and receive what God has to freely give us. So this practice of conscious self-denial – fasting – is very important. Jesus himself fasted for forty days – the exact length of Lent – and this is no coincidence. He did this just before he launched into his public ministry and mission of saving our souls! By the end of his Lent he knew exactly what was important and what wasn't. Your salvation and mine were it! And we ought to be very grateful! Very grateful indeed! Grateful enough to imitate Jesus and spend forty days of some kind of "giving up" to "get ready" for the astounding events of Holy Week!

There you have it: almsgiving
(using the Alms Pot – beginning its second year of existence – having been contributed to in a truly commendable way this past year – we have helped a lot of people with the money collected) or other types of almsgiving; prayer and fasting! Use these spiritual tools faithfully for the next six weeks and you will have the best Holy Week and Easter ever!

God bless you!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Homily – February 16, 2010 – Sixth Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday

+ We stand just hours away from the beginning of Lent 2010. In our gospel passage Jesus asks a rather confusing question of his disciples about bread. Jesus uses bread to talk about the "leavening process:" how yeast gets into all parts of the bread! Now this "getting into all parts" process could be for the good or for the bad. Jesus cites such uses right in the passage. The Pharisees and Herod let the bad parts of their faulty reasoning and selfish desires affect everything about them – thus contaminating all parts of their religious practices and preaching. This is an example of bad use! Jesus on the other hand reminds the disciples of how he uses whole baked bread itself as a leaven – multiplying it to feed 5000 - and really an infinite number beyond that (including us) – with the Good Bread that actually will become he, himself, at the Last Supper, in the Eucharist. The point of the passage is that the real Bread of the Life of the risen Lord Jesus is still in our midst – in fact – will be available right in this Mass for us! This is amazing leaven! It would do us well to recognize it as such and to let it enter into our hearts and affect every part of our lives, the most important part of which being the spiritual part.

We all have spiritual battles to fight and we need divine help to fight them. Our first reading today tells us that while God tempts no one, temptation can result in spiritual death for those who do not turn away from sin. Lent is a good time to turn away from sin, polish up our spiritual warfare tools and set our hope firmly in Jesus who promises to join our efforts at fighting sin with his and thus making us, with him, a first fruit of a pleasing variety to God our Creator and Sustainer.

Blessed are they who you instruct, O Lord and give rest from evil days!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Homily – February 14, 2010 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ Taking a look at the readings for today's Mass, we can certainly say" "What in the world do these have to do with the secular celebration of Valentine's Day, and the Church's celebration of World Marriage Day on top of that? Well, actually, quite a bit, if we dig deep, and open our eyes and ears of faith!

The first reading puts some cards right out on the table: "cursed is the one who trusts in human beings: he is like a barren bush in the desert;" but then it goes on to say: "blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord: he will prosper like a tree planted near water." The response for the psalm puts it the same way: "Blessed are they who hope in the Lord." If our trust and hope are in the only source that can reward and fulfill them, then we will have all we need, come what may, in our lives. If God is the object of our trust and hope, then we can get through anything – anything at all, either as a single person, or as a married couple – especially a couple whose marriage has been blessed by the Catholic Church. Very special graces and helps are given to those receiving the Sacrament of Marriage. (But God does not abandon those at all who for whatever reason are not partaking of such a sacramental blessing at the present time.)

Graces and helps for what, you may ask? Ask any married couple! The Gospel passage can help illuminate this aspect for us. It is actually St. Luke's version of St. Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. But Luke only uses three categories to list the beatitudes, where Matthew uses eight. Luke simply summarizes the necessity of anyone who wants to be included in the Kingdom of Heaven to be actually committed to everything about it, willing to take the risks involved in finding out more and more about it, and actually trying it out, even in the face of ridicule from others. Luke therefore is not talking about classes of people: "the poor" (those who have very little money or social standing); and "the rich" (those who have the money and the social standing)! Everyone, every "class of people," is eligible to get to heaven if they work for it using the same rules – and the rules are these: KEEP YOUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS, HE WANTS ALL OF YOUR ATTENTION, SO HE CAN REDEEM ALL OF YOU, AND THEREFORE TAKE ALL OF YOU TO HEAVEN to live forever with him – BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU! This is an amazing love story, good for Valentine's Day, World Marriage Day and any other day of the year! We will all be exceedingly rich in the graces that God will give us through Jesus who died for us to prove his astounding love, if we detach ourselves from our need to feel rich, full and rewarded now – if we let go of everything that hinders our progress to get to heaven!

All of this has everything to do with marriage! "Blessed is the married couple who hope in the Lord alone who embrace the idea of living out their marriage as a preparation for entering fully into the Kingdom of Heaven -living by the same rules as all other Christians: being actually committed to everything about being not only a Catholic but a Catholic in a Sacramental Marriage, and willing to take the risks involved in finding out more and more about these things, and actually trying them out, day in and day out, especially when the going gets tough, even in the face of ridicule from others who may even sneer and say: "so where is your God now" – not all of you are living "happily ever after" – hasn't your God let you down? Well on that day, both St. Matthew, St. Luke and Jesus tell us to jump for joy, and be glad for it is in suffering humiliation and ridicule that the real happily ever after has a chance to begin for you one day at the end of your lives – when death parts you – and as brothers and sisters in God's family you live forever in the bliss that you rightly dreamed about at the very beginning of your marriage!

Yes it is true, blessed are those who trust in the Lord absolutely and are willing to do it his way completely; and the converse is true: cursed are those who trust in human beings, who seek strength in flesh and fleshly desires, and whose heart therefore turns away from the Lord. The Lord will turn away, by rights, from them in the end, forever! This will not be a case of "happily-ever -after!"

Let us celebrate today those who choose God, who choose life with God, who choose to be committed to him and to one another in a partnership of Christian experience, even if it is an unpopular thing to do: single persons and certainly, married couples, who have the Spirit of God at their beck and call to shower them with all the help, support and guidance they need – if only they ask it of him!

The Lord watches over the way of the just, whatever they do prospers, because they delight in the law of the Lord!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Homily – February 12, 2010 – Fifth Week in Ordinary Time - Friday

+ Today in our first reading we see the children of Israel and David's house feuding once again. There has always been a long history of rebellion among God's chosen people. It is very ironic: the ones who had the most going for them, were the ones who seemed to care the least. Their special relationship with God obviously did not mean much to them a lot of the time. This indeed made God very sad and frustrated. In the responsorial psalm carefully chosen by the Church for today it laments (God speaking): If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand. What to do with unruly children is a perennial problem!

The Alleluia Verse today however holds the key to a rebellious spirit: Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son. Those who listen to Jesus - whose roots are in the people of Israel and the House of David: they shall regain their proper relationship with God the Father, thus making him and everyone involved in the process happy once again.

In the gospel passage this Jesus cures a deaf man who had a speech impediment. This man could represent not only the people of Israel who were deaf to God's voice and unwilling to give him true worship and praise from the heart; he could also represent us – who sometimes are as deaf and as unwilling to give God and others what is their due!

But once the cure has been given by Jesus, once the ears have been opened, once the gospel message can be heard loud and clear, then the voice can proclaim its truth and give glory to God who spoke it; then we can sing and share stories of God's goodness to us with others who need such encouragement!

Let us decide to do that this day! Receive the word of God, now! fortify it by the reception of holy communion, then go to love and serve God because you have heard him, partook of him and truly have something to share with others!

Open our hearts, O Lord, so that we may hear you and love you and love others from the heart!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Homily – February 11, 2010 – Our Lady of Lourdes

+ Today we celebrate the fact of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubrious at Lourdes, France, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, Mary appeared to fourteen year old Bernadette at the grotto of Massabielle, eighteen times. The young girl was instructed by the apparition to bathe and drink from a spring that began to flow the following day. Since then the bath at Lourdes has been associated with miraculous healings. The site of the apparitions attracts over three million pilgrims a year. Of some five thousand reported cures at least fifty-eight have been declared miraculous by church officials. In 1907 Pope Pius X made the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes a feast of the universal Church.

The message we can glean from this feast today is the comfort and peace that God wishes his ailing and troubled people to have access to – like that of a mother nursing and tending her infant child, like a father who wants to provide all that is necessary for the health and welfare of his children. And so Mary agrees to be a messenger of hope and healing – pointing all the while not to her as object of adoration, but to her Son and their Spirit as agents of transformation and healing and well-being.

In the gospel passage we see pictured the wedding feast at Cana where Mary tells the stewards to do whatever he tells them so that a good result could be forthcoming. Those were Mary's last recorded words in Scripture. And this is her message to this day: DO WHATEVE JESUS TELLS YOU! But we must remember that at these particular apparitions at Lourdes, Mary announced to Bernadette that she was the Immaculate Conception: she was God's favored daughter, destined to become the Mother of her own Redeemer: Jesus, the Lord. While not holding the same authority as Scripture, this apparitional announcement is still held in high regard by the Church as far as piecing together a more complete picture of salvation history. Everyone knew that Bernadette – a poor peasant girl – could not have made up such a term as Immaculate Conception on her own, Mary would have had to have said this to her for her to be able to repeat it to her bishop, and to the Church for all time!

Sometimes at prayer with and to Mary, she might say things to us, make suggestions and give motherly advice that only she can give – and though not necessarily apparitional in nature or founded in scripture, they are to be held in high regard by us because they were specially chosen words given at a particular time for a particular reason: the increase of our health, well-being and groundedness in the faith of Christ her Son at this particular moment!

Hail, Mary! Hail, full of grace! Hail, wondrous Immaculate Conception – splendor of God's Creation!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Homily – February 10, 2010 – St. Scholastica

+ Our readings today have to do with the encounter with love that is more powerful than anything on earth or beyond – and is in fact supremely heavenly in origin and experience: it is the love that has its source, its existence, its goal and its aim Jesus Christ: who is love incarnate, love-in-the-flesh. The first reading today from the Song of Songs describes a lover's presence set like a seal on the heart, something which is deep and lasting, identifying the lover deeply and irrevocably with the beloved; the reading also describes love as stern as death – as serious and relentless as an all encompassing experience that will last forever. But this need not be a frightful thing at all – if the love and the lover we speak about here is Jesus the Lord. In the gospel passage, Mary chose the better portion when she set her sights on Jesus who came to visit her in her home, and her devotion and love for him were as stern as death: very intense and absorbing and single-minded. While Martha held Jesus in the periphery of her vision at the time: Mary got it right! When the Lord visits – anyone would be foolish not to pay complete attention to him!

Two people in church history had their sights set on Jesus in an extraordinary way – and nothing could deter them from getting all they could from that experience – both for themselves and for others who wanted to learn from them: those two being St. Benedict of Nursia, and his sister St. Scholastica – who lived in the 6th century. We celebrate the feast of St. Scholastica today, February 10. While Benedict founded his famed monastery at Monte Casino – the first of its kind, his sister Scholastica founded a monastery for Benedictine nuns in a location about five miles from Monte Casino. There must have been a notion that what was being learned, celebrated and promulgated from these two monasteries was as stern as death, in a very positive way, and as worthy of investigation and imitation that many came to become disciples of these very holy family members: Benedict and Scholastica.

The story goes that one night Benedict and some of his companions went to visit Scholastica at her monastery, as the Rule (their Rule) stated that no women were allowed at Monte Casino (not even the sister of the founder). At these meetings Benedict and Scholastica – with others from their communities present – and in the presence of the Lord himself who would come to visit (being gathered as they were in his name) – would discuss holy things and experiences well into the night: just as Mary and Jesus did that night long ago. But when things were getting very interesting that night and Scholastica did not want Benedict to leave, after his insistence that he go, she prayed to God and a violent thunderstorm came up and stayed: so that the holy monks could not leave. Benedict then accused Scholastica (most likely in a brotherly kind of way) of provoking the storm, to which she replied: "I asked a favor of you (to stay a little longer) and you refused it. I asked it of God, and he has granted it." They spent the night then discussing the joys of heaven. Three days later Scholastica died. While praying in his cell, Benedict is said to have seen her soul rising to heaven in the form of a dove. She was buried in a tomb that Benedict had prepared for himself.

The Benedictine monastic tradition and way of life has survived these 15 centuries and have very strong numbers. In fact the Rule of St. Benedict is one of the most highly regarded outlines for Christian living that ever existed as is held in great esteem by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. "To prefer nothing to Christ," is its primary tenet! You can't go wrong with that motto set like a seal on your heart. Everything you do during the day will be colored with joy even in the midst of sorrow, if you set it as such!

Young men and women – all men and women – praise the name of the Lord!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Homily – February 9, 2010 – Fifth Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday

+ Our first reading today is a continuation of the "dedication service" of the new temple in Jerusalem begun by King David and completed by King Solomon. The Ark of the Covenant finally had a home; the spirit of God in the form of a cloud would dwell in the Holy of Holies; and now today we see that it will be a House of Prayer – a place where the King, the priests and the people would pray to God and expect to be heard and granted favor and pardon. All of this, of course, being a grandiose foretelling of the coming of Jesus – the true and only real temple of God, where the new ark of the new covenant would reside (the living law of love), where the Holy Spirit of God would fill all of his parts, who would offer prayers to his Father on our behalf and indeed the one sacrifice that would take away our sins – thus granting favor, mercy and pardon!

But is this not the same Lord Jesus that we receive in Holy Communion – today and every day that we attend Mass? Do we not then become his temple, the place where the new ark of the covenant resides, where the Holy Spirit dwells, where we can offer prayers to God for our true daily needs and be confident that they will be heard, favored, answered and counted as mercy and pardon? Can we not help Jesus in his role as proclaimer and doer of God's marvelous deeds?

In the gospel passage Jesus warns the scribes and Pharisees to stop twisting the Jewish religion to suit their own gainful needs. He warns them that proper worship emanating from the purified interior temple of the heart is what is really important. He tells them to stop nullifying the word of God in favor of their own agenda and traditions.

May we today accept the word of God and his laws of love as he intends them; and may the temples of our hearts be swept clean of ill-will and prejudice, decorated with virtuous living and dedicated to giving God all glory, praise, honor, thanks and worship at all the hours of the day and night! We can do this while going about our busy daily schedules if we make it our intention at the beginning of the day – by simply willing it!

Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favor me with your law!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Homily – February 8, 2010 – Fifth Week in Ordinary Time - Monday

+ In our first reading today we have pictured the Ark of the Covenant that God made with his chosen people of the Old Testament. The ark was a wooden construct that housed the two tablets of stone – the commandments – that God had given Moses on Mt. Sinai. Adorning it were images of two cherubim angels with their wings spread over the ark to protect it. And a cloud filled the meeting tent which contained the ark and was the very presence of God himself. Then Solomon said: "The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud; after I have built him a princely house, a dwelling where he may abide forever!"

This imagery foretells the time when Jesus would come. He himself would be the new Ark of the Covenant. The new law of God would dwell within his flesh and blood. The commandments of God the Father: to love God with all one's being, and to love others as one loves oneself: would dwell in his heart. The Holy Spirit of God would come to rest within Jesus as would a cloud. And angels assigned to the task would watch over him and protect him always as he went about doing what God would have him do in regard to our salvation!

Isn't it wonderful to know that this same Lord Jesus, Son of David and Solomon, also comes to rest within us: to fill us with the presence also of his Spirit, to assign protecting angels to watch over us, and to make us agents of his love, care and compassion toward his people remaining on earth. This happens when we pray. This happens when we receive him in Holy Communion. This happens when we perform acts of charity and friendship!

As noted in the gospel passage today, the powerful presence of Jesus within us can affect healing in others just as Jesus himself was the source of such healing power. He wants healthy, whole, happy people – members of his family, members of the kingdom, and members of his Body the Church. And he needs our help in making people such!

May our faith today be the reason for our hope and loving charity as we help Jesus upbuild his vision for the world!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Homily – February 7, 2010 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ Today we consider the "simple radicalness" involved in true discipleship to Jesus. Jesus invites us to be an "all-or-nothing" kind of person where it matters most – our eternal salvation! And if you really stop to think about it what else deserves more intense consideration than where we will spend forever? And we will spend forever somewhere! Peter realized – when confronted with the majestic, powerful and gentle person of Jesus – that he, Simon of Bethsaida, just did not measure up! I can hear him say: "How can I possibly even consider spending forever with Jesus, who is so awe-inspiring and powerful, yet caring and compassionate! I am a sinful man!"

But Jesus told him to stand up, dust himself off and to get ready, for soon he would be catching not fish, but men. Jesus would take care of the "sinful" part – with Peter's cooperation. And then he would be inviting Peter to spend a lifetime here and hereafter with himself as Lord, Messiah, Redeemer and Friend. Simon Peter could not have imagined that morning when he woke up that he would be an all or nothing follower of an itinerant rabbi that afternoon. But he was – and he was glad about it!

The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading today foretold, at least partly, Simon Peter's willingness to become an uncompromising disciple of Jesus. The reading tells of a vision that Isaiah saw where he was in the lofty throne of God – where he heard everyone crying out: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts". He himself saw his own unworthiness in comparison and said: "Woe is me, I am doomed! I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!" How can I possibly do him justice with my words. Then an angel took a burning coal with tongs and touched his mouth with it and said: "See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying," Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"" Here I am," I said; send me!"

I wonder what Isaiah thought when he heard those words coming from his own mouth? I wonder what went through Simon's mind when he left boat and business and went to follow Jesus forever?

Actually, perhaps it was the same that went through the mind of St. Paul when he was chosen by the same Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles – born out of normal course: becoming an apostle not by being handpicked by Jesus to follow him around for three years for a special type of "seminary" training but by means of a special attention getting event – including a persuasive blinding display of light. Paul already had a different kind of education – and Jesus chose him for his tenacity and his enthusiasm and his stick-to-itiveness – and his love for his Jewish roots. Isaiah handed on what he got from God; Peter handed on what he learned from Jesus; Paul handed on what he received from the other apostles and the early members of the Church: that Jesus is the Messiah, and that he died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and on the third day he was raised, in accordance with the scriptures. Then he appeared to the apostles and to many who hand on the story one person to another. So the preaching occurs and so believing can be a response!

When we hear of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus preached to us – what is our "for real" belief quotient? Is it slight, moderate, heavy, extreme? For good or bad, where we will spend forever depends on our response! May we like Isaiah, Peter, Paul and so many others – receive the word of God that is preached, let it take root deep in our hearts, let it say exactly what it has in mind to say (rather than what we might want to hear), and let it have an effect in our lives that will give God glory and will upbuild the lives of others around us, upbuild the Kingdomthen we can be assured of being in the right place at the right time – when forever begins!

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Homily – February 5, 2010 – St. Agatha

+ The only facts we know about St. Agatha are that she was born and died in Sicily in the third century. Other than that there is purposeful legend which is harmless if it encourages virtuous living and increased faith in Jesus Christ. The legend of St. Agatha, like St. Agnes, another very early virgin martyr of the Church, is that while supposedly born into a rich and important family, she dedicated her life to God at an early age, claiming Jesus as the sole focus of her life, thus foregoing anything having to do with marriage and the gift of sex that resides in marriage! Others, however, had other ideas for Agatha – including men who were influential in public standing and had some political weight to throw around. When they tried to persuade Agatha to break her vows to the Lord, she flatly refused. Even when tortured she would not give in. Finally she was put to death for her faith in Jesus and the promise she made to him to be his bride alone. It is interesting to note, during this Breast Cancer Awareness Month that, as part of her torture, St. Agatha had her breasts cut off – and is depicted as carrying them on a tray to present to the Lord. She is most certainly a patron saint of women's health – especially breast cancer. May she be invoked and prayed to often as such.

In the first reading today we see how God chooses the weak to confound and humble the haughty and the mighty. This young Sicilian girl named Agatha certainly did that! The gospel passage was no doubt comforting to Agatha in her trials: whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; take up your cross and follow in my footsteps; what profit would be a moment of illicit pleasure in the face of losing everything forever as a result of it?

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of God rests upon you. St. Agatha, pray for us!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Homily – February 4, 2010 – Fourth Week in Ordinary Time - Thursday

+ It is one of the duties of an apostle to be sent to proclaim the good news of salvation with accompanying signs: such as the dismissal of unclean spirits, and the anointing and healing of people from their various afflictions. In our own day and age, there is much evidence that the apostles, bishops, we have in our own country and vicinity take seriously the first part of the mandate but not the second. Bishop are priests of the first class and contain the fullness of the powers of Jesus as Head of the Church, Shepherd, Preacher, Teacher and Healer – as well as the chief offerer of spiritual sacrifice within their own dioceses. But they have long since seem to have disregarded the power especially over unclean spirits that the Lord has given them directly; the power to free minds, and spirits, and psyches from what ails them; and to cure directly many other physical illnesses and diseases. This is not the same as the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick – which bishops and priests routinely administer to those variously afflicted, especially the seriously and critically ill. What we mean here is direct offensive action taken against the Evil One who manifests himself in unmistakable ways in certain unsuspecting people. Many times such people are written off as simply mentally ill or chronic complainers. Jesus understood their very real problem and sent the apostles and bishops to help them. Let us pray today that bishops remember this particular aspect of their ministries – even if we have to remind them.

Just as King David prepared Solomon, his son, for his death and the transition of the throne – so we pray that all of the wishes of Jesus be transitioned and received by those commissioned to do his work today, especially the local bishop.

The Kingdom of God is at hand; when we repent and believe in the Gospel great signs and wonders can occur in our very midst – even if we have to ask for them!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Homily – February 3, 2010 – St. Blaise

+ Today we celebrate the feast of a legendary figure in church history: St. Blaise. Though he was certainly a bishop and martyr in the early Church, his notoriety came about when it was said that he healed a boy who had fish bones stuck in his throat and was thereby near death. When Blaise was imprisoned during a persecution, the boy's mother brought him food and candles while he was in prison. Later, the idea of using candles to bless throats was joined and celebrated on Blaise's feast day: today, February 3rd.

What we need remember as we have our throats blessed today is that such a blessing and such a healing must have only two aims: to give glory to God, and to bring hope and encouragement to others. We must use our throats, our voices in praise of God, giving him glory at all hours of the day and night; and we must use our throats, our voices to upbuild our neighbors near and far, giving them heaven-based hope for a better day today and tomorrow!

St. Paul tells the Romans to use the voice to boast in the hope of the glory of God which is promised to us and also to boast of our afflictions which produces endurance, proven character, and finally hope because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given us.

The gospel passage is the pre-Ascension commissioning of the Eleven to go out and the use their blessed voices to proclaim the Gospel to every creature; and this means every creature – not only human persons, but all creatures, including animals, birds and fish. All creatures of our God respond to the Gospel or else he would not have stated this mandate such. And then once blessed by the Gospel message – each is to pass on what they have received to the best of their ability – speaking mostly from their own graced experience.

May we this day – after receiving the blessing of God for our throats use them as he intends them to be used to upbuild, teach and give hope to all living creatures!

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Homily – February 2, 2010 – The Presentation of the Lord

+ Today we celebrate a most beautiful feast of the Lord Jesus. Since the day of his birth, the prescribed time has now passed and so Mary, for her own purification rite – following the dictates of the law of her people – goes to Jerusalem – and at the same time presents the Child Jesus to Simeon who receives him on behalf of all mankind! He had been promised this supreme privilege – not to see death until he took the baby Jesus into his arms to bless him! This he did with great tenderness and love! No doubt the baby grasped Simeon's arms and hugged him, happy to be embraced by one of his own! Simeon then prophesied that this child would be a light to all the nations, and the glory of his own people, Israel.

Anna was also there, a very holy and devout woman, who spoke that Jesus would be the redemption of Jerusalem. He was the long-awaited Messiah and Son of God!

And so, Jesus was poised already at a very young age, to take up his mission as Messiah and Redeemer – and at least at that point, there were some who recognized him when they saw him! May we recognize him today when we see him, especially in the way he provided for us to do just that: in the love we have for one another and in the Eucharistic Bread (the Holy Communion) that we take at this Mass. The "light and glory" of Jesus is rekindled deep within our hearts each time we "take and eat," "take and drink." It is the very light and life of God himself rekindled within us – for yet another day!

Who is the king of glory? It is the Lord! He is a light of revelation to the Gentiles and glory for God's people Israel!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Homily – February 1, 2010 – Fourth Week in Ordinary Time - Monday

+ Today we have two interesting readings: the first is about David lamenting over the fact that his own son, Absalom, turned against him and persuaded the people of God to follow him, rather than David, the King. And a lot of the people did just that. David, for his part, went, quite prophetically, to the Mount of Olives where he wept over the disloyalty and the obstinacy of Absalom and the people who followed him. This is quite reminiscent of how Jesus wept over Jerusalem at their disloyalty and the obstinacy of their hearts in rejecting him as true spiritual king over them. May we today not be counted among those who are disloyal to Jesus, disloyal to our baptismal dignity, disloyal to the Church, our Mother.

In the gospel passage, Jesus cures a man possessed by a large number of unclean spirits. He does this easily – for he is Son of God. The story though reminds us that those in league with the devil give themselves away by the obstinacy of their heart in matters referring to God, and to rejecting anyone who wants to be any kind of king or regent over them – especially a spiritual one. They also can't help but to, in some way, inadvertently announce who Jesus really is – Son of God! If we listen carefully today – we can hear those in league with the devil speaking words of opposition and disloyalty to God and his ways. And in between the lines you will actually hear them saying: "I say this in opposition to you, Son of God, who are superior to me!" Listen, then, in between the lines!

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people!

Happy New Year 202

  A Happy New Year to you all! I hope and pray I am able to keep this blog up to date now that we are entering into the New Year! I would li...