All Souls Day Homily

Today we observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed also known to us as All Souls Day.

All Souls Day reminds us of the importance of praying for those who have now gone before us. Our prayers are unable to redeem them if they have been judged as unworthy of Heaven. Therefore, Purgatory is not a second chance at salvation for we only get one chance at that. By passing through Purgatory one is cleansed of the consequences of their sin so that they can be pure and ready to enter into God’s presence. As the Book of Revelation states, “nothing unclean will enter it.”

The concept of praying for the dead is not something that was created by Catholics. It is found in scripture, it is present in the Church of the East, and is even something which is practiced in Judaism. The praying for the dead is only something which has been challenged by some Christians since the 16th century.

As is stated in 2 Maccabees, “If he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead…thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” In Judaism this is shown through the Mourner’s Kaddish which is prayed for 11 months from the day of death as well as on the anniversary of one’s death.

So often people get caught up on the concept of the dead and forget in the words of the Preface of the Dead “that life has changed, but not ended.” As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

This stresses the importance of the resurrection of the body which we proclaim as a truth of faith that lies in wait. The souls of those who have gone before us are assisted in their purification through our prayers. This hope is found in black vestments, such as the one that I wear today, for one is able to see the black of sin which is purified through the gold or silver in the vestment and thus the soul is being made ready for Heaven.

Let us continue to pray for these holy souls and to strive with the assistance of God’s grace to also one day be numbered among the saints of Heaven. May all the angels and saints pray them that they may be brought into Everlasting Life and may they pray for us that we may faithfully come to run this race towards Everlasting Life.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

All Saints Day Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. On this day we especially ask the intercession of all the saints of Heaven in order that they may pray for us in order that we may run the race to Everlasting Life. This is the race that they have already ran and been found victorious. They now share in the beatific vision and are able to pray for us in such a special way.

In the Church we have a multitude of saints who have been revealed to us by God as being in Heaven. There are also those saints whose names go unknown and yet they are now in Heaven with God. These may be members of our families or friends who have now gone before us into Everlasting Life.

The saints show us that Heaven must be our ultimate goal and they show us that Heaven is indeed achievable. So often we trudge through this life acting as if we are not called to something greater. We are called to holiness in our everyday life and we are called to be intentional concerning our salvation.

Once our life on this earth comes to its conclusion we should desire to be numbered among the saints for this means that we are now in Heaven with God. Do we live our life in such a manner? Do we see ourself as a saint or something else? There still time for us to live as saints and so let us commit ourself to God and His grace and the fulness of the sacramental life of the Church. In such manner we indeed will be victorious and numbered among the saints of Heaven.

All the saint in Heaven, pray for us.

30th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

We must always be willing to praise God with our lips. In today’s parable we are given great contrast between these two figures. The Pharisee proceeds to exalt his own deeds while the tax collector humbly prays with a contrite heart. We too must come to model ourself after the humility of this tax collector.

From the Book of Sirach we were told, “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites.” The Pharisee acts opposite to this because he is quick to point out that he “[fasts] twice a week” and “[pays] tithes on [his] whole income.” On the other hand, the tax collector cries out to God’s infinite mercy, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

We must remain on guard against falling into the pride of this Pharisee. We cannot think that due to all the religious things that we do that we are better than others. We must clothe ourself with the virtue of humility which allows us to always remain on guard against such thoughts that might form inside of our mind.

From the Book of Sirach we are told how important that the prayer of the humble is. “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.” Through such humility we are modeled after this tax collector whose simple prayer of humility pierced into the Heavens. Prayer can only take on such a manifestation if we are willing to place our trust not in ourself, but in God.

As we journey through the Sacred Mysteries of this Holy Mass such a reality should be made so within us. We do not just jump into the Mass, but we first turn towards the infinite mercy of God. There we are called upon to “acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to enter into these sacred mysteries.” We then call out to God with a contrite heart, “I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

These words are not just vain words which make a list of all the great works that we have performed. We understand that salvation is a gift which comes to us from God. No matter how many good works we have performed this does not make up for mortal sin which brings death to our soul and thus our salvation. It is for this reason that we humbly move to the sacrament of confession in order that we may be forgiven of the sins that we have committed in order that we may be healed in God’s mercy and forgiveness.

The Catholic Church teaches that “faith without works is dead,” but at the same time acknowledges the need for a contrite heart that calls out to the infinite mercy of God. These works serve as a response to our commitment to the gospel and Christ which must be given of us. Let us choose to be like this tax collector who in humility “beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

19th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our Introit addressed us, “In whatever tribulation they shall cry to Me, I will hear them and I will be their Lord for ever.”

Over the course of this last week there have been many who have cried out to the Lord and rightfully so.

Some of you have cried out in fear, others in sorrow, others in anger, and others who are just at a loss of words concerning that which might now lay before them.

Some of you have moved to Johnson City for this Mass, others have grown up in it, and others have came here later because they were drawn to its reverence.

Some of you may move over the announcement which was made last week and that is okay because we must be willing to go wherever the Lord calls.

Wherever it is that we go let us remain united to the Church and the unity that is expressed therein even if it might feel like such unity can never be a reality.

For those of you who remain in this parish community we will continue to express the fullness of Catholic teaching and this Mass will continue to be offered reverently in the Ordinary Form.

Our Gospel directed our sight towards a wedding feast. This is the same wedding feast to which we are invited for this is the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must strive with the help of God’s grace to run this race towards the Heavenly Kingdom.

This means that we must persevere to the very end without allowing our wedding garment to be stained by sin.

Thankfully we have the sacrament of confession to which we can flock to be cleansed from such a stain in order that we may once again be found to be whiter then snow.

In order that we can have the grace of final perseverance we must cry out to God and believe that He is our Lord forever.

When it pertains to the wounds caused by this transition let us continue to cry out to Him. So too when it pertains to every other struggle in this life we are the cry out to Him and place our trust in Him for He is our Lord for ever.

We are to set our hands to plow and not look back for in doing so we are taking our sight off of the Lord and this Heavenly Kingdom and placing it upon something else.

In faith let us cry out to the Lord for He is calling each of us to fidelity to Him and His Church.

18th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

From our Intriot we were instructed, “Give peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful: hear the prayers of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel.”

From this verse we were given the words peace, faithful, and servant. Let us remain united to the peace that Christ alone can bring to our heart, let us allow the virtue of faith to be strengthened in order that we may never fall away from Christ and His Church, and let us always remain a servant to Christ in all that we say and do.

With this I must inform you that the pastors of parishes with the Extraordinary Form in collaboration with our bishop will now begin to transition this Mass into the Ordinary Form. This transition is made due to Pope Francis’ document, Traditionis Custodes, requesting that this form of the Mass no longer be offered in parish churches.

I understand that this news may be difficult to to hear. I sympathize with your fear and feelings of loss. Nevertheless, please be assured that this Mass at 2pm will continue for the most part as it has been.

This Mass will continue to be celebrated ad orientem, Gregorian chant including the chanting of the propers will continue, communion will continue to be offered at our make shift communion rail, and this Mass will continue to be offered in Latin. Despite transiting to the Missale Romanum 3rd edition the tradition of the Church will continue to be upheld and protected at this Mass.

As you exit the Church there will be a letter from me outlining this process of transition. Next weekend I have scheduled a meeting following Mass for anyone who would like to join me in discussing this transition that will be made over the course of the next three months.

No matter the feeling that we currently hold in our heart it is important that we remain united to the unity of the Church. We must remember and believe that the same Christ that is made present to us under the appearances of bread and wine will continue to be made manifest to us in the Eucharist. It is He who must be the rock upon which we place our faith. This transition is not reason to abandon the Church to pursue our own personal preferences. We must hold firm to the unity of faith for “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Let us invite the peace that Christ alone can bring to enter into our midst. Let us always remain faithful to the truth of faith and not be led astray. Let us always remain servants who are willing to follow wherever the Lord may lead, no matter how difficult it may be for us to follow.

Together let us move forward upon this transition in faith and trust in the Lord.