Fri of 21st Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: 1 Cor 1:17-25

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:1-2,4-5,10-11

Gospel: Mt 25:1-13

There is only one thing that we are entitled to in life, and that is death. We may achieve many great things within our lives, but we are not entitled to them. We do not know if we will be married or become become a priest or have a great job or posses a lot of money. We do know that in time we will die. It might come at an old age or it may come unexpectedly when we jump inside of our cars and pull into the road. In our Gospel reading we are reminded that we know "neither the day nor the hour." With this knowledge we should feel moved towards preparing ourselves for this ultimate reality.

Today I have decided to celebrate this votive Mass of the mystery of the Holy Cross because the Holy Cross is a reminder of the triumph over death. Christ died upon the cross to save of us all from our sins and from the cross He continues to call out to us to come and follow after Him. We join this day with the cross of Christ as we prepare our hearts and souls to move closer to it. We know "neither the day not the hour" and so we spend the time given to us to put our disordered passions to rest and to move towards Christ. It is only when we have drawn ourselves closer to Christ that we will be prepared for our death.

In today's Gospel we heard about the virgins who were preparing for the coming of the bridegroom. Some were prepared for his arrival while the others found themselves in need of more time. These unprepared virgins were given the same opportunity as those who were prepared, but they did not take it upon themselves to be ready. May we not allow ourselves to follow after these unprepared women, but instead may we follow after the example given by those were prepared. We know "neither the day nor the hour" so may allow ourselves to be prepared for our ultimate destiny.

Passion of St. John the Baptist Homily

1st Reading: 2 Thes 3:6-10,16-18

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1-2,4-5

Gospel: Mk 6:17-29

Today we celebrate the Passion of Saint John the Baptist which threw the years has also been known as the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist and the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist was not put to death because he followed Christ. He was put to death because Herod fell into pride and lust. He was controlled by these passions to the point of losing the sight of reason. He knew that Saint John the Baptist was an innocent man, but his lust for Herodias' daughter was stronger than reason. Herod was put in his place by John the Baptist and this only gave fuel to his pride.

Our own sinfulness often blinds our eyes. Sins of pride and lust remove our ability to reason and to follow the path that we desire to follow. We cannot fall into the same trap that Herod fell into when he lost sight of what was good and followed after the path that led to death. Instead of allowing ourselves to be led astray by vices we need to allow our lives to be conquered by virtue. If we find ourselves blinded by a certain vice we should begin to counteract it with a virtue before things get so out of hand that we begin to feel as if there is no way for us to get out.

We are now at the half way point of our week of prayer. For these past three days we have spent time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. It is here that we can bring all these struggles and find the strength that we need to overcome them. All that we have to do is open ourselves up to Christ and His healing mercy. In our desire to draw closer Christ we known put our passions to rest by coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through the confession of sins we are able name our vices and to receive healing, so that we again be strengthened by Christ's Body and Blood.

Memorial of Saint Augustine Homily

1st Reading: 2 Thes 2:1-3,14-17

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96:10-13

Gospel: Mt 23:23-26

We are currently heading into the election season and we have a desire to find a strong leader. I am not talking about the election that is coming up for our country in November, but am referring to the election that will take place in our school on Friday. On Friday the student body will cast their vote to decide who can best represent them and thus make a strong leader for our community. Even if we are not running for office we are all called to leadership inside of our Church. We are all called to be strengthened by Christ and to allow Him to lead us into the world living out our faith by our words and deeds.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Augustine who was a great leader within the Church. There was a point within his life when he did not go to Church and lived a life of disordered passions, but eventually he heard the call of Christ within his life. After answering this call he has become one of the greatest theologians in the history of our Church. It is thanks to Saint Augustine that we have developed many of the beliefs that we hold to this day. All of his deeds and words were fashioned after Christ who gave strength to his soul. From this strength he drew his ability to be a great leader for the Church.

Each of us are called to be strengthened by Christ this day. This day we will receive Christ present inside of the Holy Eucharist and will be sent out as leaders living lives were our words and deeds are in union with Him. When we are strengthened in this manner we can go out of here living lives which are not contrary to the Gospel. May each of us be led forth from this place strengthened by Christ, so that we can become great leaders. No matter where we find ourselves may we continue to allow ourselves to be strengthened by Christ, so that our lives can lead other people to this place.

Memorial of St. Monica Homily

1st Reading: 2 Thes 1:1-5,11-12

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96:1-5

Gospel: Mt 23:13-22

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Monica. Saint Monica was a woman of persistent prayer. She was married to a man who held to pagan belief, but she remained persistent in her hope that he would convert to Christianity. She is also known as being the mother of Saint Augustine whose memorial we will celebrate tomorrow. Augustine was raised without being baptized because his father would not have it. As Augustine grew into adulthood his mother continued to persistently pray that he would come into the faith. Through her persistent prayer her husband and son eventually came into the Church.

We are now within our second day of our parish's Week of Prayer. During this upcoming week we strive to continually come to our Lord desiring to draw closer into union with Him. When we pray we do not always get the results that we want and when we do get them they do not come as quickly as we would like. No matter what our situation is we must continue to consistently come to Christ through prayer. No matter what the results may be we must continue to persevere in prayer placing our trust in Christ. It is only with our trust placed fully in Christ that we can begin to conquer sin in our lives and draw ourselves closer to the beatific vision.

In today's first reading we hear that Christ's disciples prayed persistently for those who shared the faith. They placed the well being of this community of faith within the Hands of God in hope that all people will continue to strive after Him. May we allow Saint Monica to intercede for us today that we may continually come to God with persistent prayer. It in our practice of prayer may we continue to turn away from despair and thus continue to trust in the life giving reality of prayer. It is only through prayer that we can begin to understand the marvelous deeds that come from God.

21st Sun of OT Year B Homily

1st Reading: Jos 24:1-2,15-18

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-3,16-21

2nd Reading: Eph 5:21-32

Gospel: Jn 6:60-69

Our week of prayer has perfect timing in the scheme of the liturgical year. On this day our time spent with the sixth chapter of Saint John's Gospel comes to a close. For the past five weeks we have been hearing about the importance of the Eucharist. We have heard about how the bread and wine that is present within the Mass truly becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. Following our noon Mass we will kick off our week of prayer. During this week we will spend time as a parish family coming together as one body to grow in our faith. Throughout this week the Eucharist will be calling out to each of us to take some time out of our busy days for silent prayer. We are all being invited during this week to evaluate our relationship with Christ through prayer and to see in what ways that we need to continue grow closer to Him out of love. During this upcoming week of prayer we will be held together by the Holy Eucharist which is continually calling out to us to give more of ourselves to Christ.

In our Gospel passage from today we hear that Christ's message was hard to understand for those that were present. It was so foreign to the ears of these people that some of them decided they could no longer follow Christ. They had forgotten the miracle that they had just experienced and decided that they would turn away from Christ and go back into the world as if nothing had happened to them. The apostles decided that they would stay with Christ because they had realized that He had the words of everlasting life. What makes us Catholic is our understanding of the Holy Eucharist and allowing it to be the very thing that holds us together as a Church. We do not remain Catholic because of our music, preaching, or family events. These are all praiseworthy things which help to build up the Kingdom of God, but they are not the thing that we can base our faith upon. Our faith is not based upon the priest and his fame or the lack there of, but is founded upon the Eucharist.

In our week of prayer it will be the Eucharist which will be central to our prayer. The Eucharist must be central to our prayer because it is the thing that holds our faith together. If we can grow in respect and devotion to the Eucharist we can understand what it means to be Catholic. We can understand what it means to be unified together as the one body of Christ because we are being held into community by Christ's Body and Blood. In our first reading from Joshua we heard that the people gathered before God and decided whom they would serve. Some decided that they would remain with God while others decided that the pleasures of the world were more important. This happened again in John's Gospel when the people decided that it would be best for them to go back into the world rather then follow after Christ. We today are having this same invitation extended to us and we have the freedom to choose to follow or to head back into the world as if nothing has happened.

In our letter from Saint Paul to the Ephesians we are reminded of the effect that our baptism has upon the Church and our souls. Baptism has cleansed us all from our sinfulness and has invited us to enter fully into the Church. Through baptism our relationship with the Church resembles the relationship that should be found inside of the sacrament of marriage. In marriage we find a giving of self towards another out of love. It should be our goal to take advantage of prayer within our lives, so that we make the decision to no longer make excuses. Instead of allowing excuses to seep into our lives to why we cannot make time for prayer we must turn towards Christ totally. When we totally allow ourselves to be handed over to Him we are allowing ourselves to hear the voice of Christ more and more within our lives. The more that we buffer the noise of the world and allow ourselves to enter into prayer the louder the voice of Christ will become within our lives.

May we allow ourselves to take advantage of this upcoming week of prayer. I realize that not everyone from this Church community will be able make it to the events scheduled, but we should still feel challenged to take it upon ourselves to evaluate our life of prayer and ask ourselves what we can do to improve our relationship with Christ. If we find ourselves in the area with some time to spare maybe we can remember that Christ is present inside of the chapel and desires us to spend time with Him even if it is only for a minute. For those who have made the commitment to spend an hour before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament this week may they have an increase of faith that takes place within their families and lives. No matter what our situation is during this upcoming week may we not allow ourselves to turn away from Christ because we are to busy. Let us not allow this excuse to enter into our lives as we head into this upcoming week of prayer. May we spend this time to taste and see the goodness of the Lord at work within our lives.

Sat of 20th Week in OT Homily

1st Reading: Ez 43:1-7

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9-14

Gospel: Mt 23:1-12

If you were to do a google search for "priest" or "catholic" and look at the news that corresponds to it you would see a lot of negative things. Despite all the negative things that we see being reported we know that a countless amount of good things go unnoticed by the public eye. The countless hours that a priest spends with a family during the death of a loved one are not reported. The countless hours that all of you spend in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament are not reported. The great gift that the sisters show to each of us of the virtue of humility goes unreported.

We do not do the things that we do so that we can obtain great fame. We instead are acting out of love by challenging ourselves to live out the Gospel message inside of our daily lives. With all of the negative things which exist inside of the world we are going out to bring a message of hope to the world. In doing this we will not be chasing after fame and fortune, but will be giving totally of ourselves because it is the only way that we can be fulfilled. We will never be fulfilled if our only motive is being exalted because we are not giving of ourselves and only desire to be served.

On this Saturday we call to mind the Blessed Virgin Mary who was an example of giving totally of herself. When the angel Gabriel came to her at the Annunciation and told her that she would bare a Son she excepted this gift with great humility. In her "yes" she did not desire to exalt herself above all people, but her "yes" was given through humility. On this day may we allow our Blessed Mother to intercede for us. Through her intercession may each of us grow in humility as we continue to go out into the world and give service to God's Holy Gospel.

2012-2013 Diocese of Knoxville Vocations

Please pray for the 19 men who are studying for the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Also, pray for more vocations to the priesthood.

Queenship of Mary Homily

1st Reading: Ez 34:1-11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-6

Gospel: Mt 20:1-16

I tried to think of different examples to better explain our Gospel passage, but I found this to be impossible. It is impossible because in each idea that came to my mind it would make the people who came later to be lazy. Being lazy has nothing to do with these people because when they heard the call of the landowner they were willing to go out and work. We must take their example upon ourselves because in spiritual matters we cannot be lazy. We have to take the invitation that comes to us from Christ and do something with it. Turning away from sin, receiving the sacraments, learning more about the faith, and prayer are all ways that we can keep from becoming lazy in spiritual matters.

This story also makes me think about the people who did not respond to the landowner's call. This people do not exist in the story, but they had to of been present. They would of been given a great invitation and allowed it to pass them bye. We allow Christ to pass us bye on many occasions when we find ourselves to busy to allow Him to enter into our lives. Making time now to work hard at growing in this relationship is important so that we can begin to stop allowing ourselves to pass Christ bye. He is always present and desires to bring his infinite mercy into our lives.

Today we are seven days removed from the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. On this day we celebrate the memorial of the Queenship of Mary. This day in the liturgical year gives us faith that we can turn towards our Heavenly Mother. It is her desire to intercede for us during our busy lives, so that we may be brought closer to Her Son. No matter what stage in life we currently find ourselves we can turn towards Her for our need of assistance. Through Her intercession we can better prepare ourselves to receive the Body and Blood of Christ which gives nourishment to our souls.

Mon of 20th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Ez 24:15-23

Responsorial Psalm: Dt 32:18-21

Gospel: Mt 19:16-22

Confession is a very important sacrament of the Church. For this reason we offer the sacrament following our 8am Mass on Wednesday and Saturday. We also offer confession following Mass on Friday for the students who are in our school. Most recently we added 4-5pm on Saturday to our confession schedule. The sacrament of reconciliation is a most profound sacrament that allows us to know and trust in the mercy of God. Through this great sacrament we are able to come before Christ sinful and separated from Christ and walk out forgiven and thus in relationship with Christ.

I am often asked how one can make a good confession. In order to make a good confession we need to take the time necessary to reflect upon our life through an examination of conscience. Spending time reflecting upon the ten commandments and asking ourselves how we have lived up to these commandments or have failed to live up to these commandments is the perfect place to start. Spending time in preparation prior to receiving this sacrament will definitely aid each of us in our reception of the sacrament. It will make us prepared to come before Christ and to ask for mercy to enter into our lives.

The second half from our Gospel reading today deals with drawing closer to God out of love. This person was instructed to go and give up everything that they had out of love for Christ. We are not being told to leave this Church and get rid of everything that we own, but we are being told that everything that we do should be done out of love for God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the perfect place to come and to totally give of ourselves out of love. Through this sacrament we will be prepared for the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ which is ever strengthening us in our love for Christ.

Fri of 19th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Ez 16:59-63

Responsorial Psalm: Is 12:2-6

Gospel: Mt 19:3-12

As Christians we should all be moving towards a greater relationship with Christ. We have each been given a profound vocation which calls us to enter into union with God. The married life is a vocation where a man and woman join together and through their relationship are able to direct each other towards the love of Christ. A priest or religious are able to live the celibate life and through it give themselves entirely out of love to God. Even those who currently find themselves single are called to not use other people to meet their own needs, but to give of themselves out of love.

In all of our relationships we must guard against taking advantage of another person. Love can only exist when a person is able to give entirely of themselves to another. In any relationship where the partner is being taken advantage of to meet one's own needs this true sense of love is not being met. This is why being celibate does not mean that one is merely being a bachelor. To live the celibate life is not to only live so that everything can meet your owns needs, but is to give of yourself to all people that you encounter. The example of the married couple, priest, and religious are all examples of how we can devote our love to God.

It is only through faithfully living out our vocations that we can draw closer to God. Whenever we fail to live out our vocations faithfully we are taking steps backwards instead of drawing closer to God. May we no longer use each other for our own self gratification, but may we give of ourselves out of love to others. When our society is able to give out of love instead of us going around asking what we can get out of things we will able to model ourselves closer to the love of the cross. It was on the cross that Christ died for all of our sins because He desired to give of Himself. May we give of ourselves in order to strengthen our families and world.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Vigil Homily

1st Reading: 1 Chr 15:3-4,15-16;16:1-2

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 132:6-7,9-10,13-14

2nd Reading: 1 Cor 15:54-57

Gospel: Lk 11:27-28

There is a lot inside of this world that is holding us back from becoming what God desires us to be. We look around and see the despair of a world that has been touched by sin. We experience in our lives an outpouring of evil and question how we can ever come to conquer it. The vices of Greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth have all entered into the human experience and it seems that they cannot be put to death. Fear exists in our lives because we have lost our hope that anything can take hold within our lives and turn us away from our sins and struggles thus bringing us closer into union with Christ. Facing our own mortality we fear death because we have lost the sight of the resurrection of the body that has been promised to us. With all of these experiences we must question how we can ever expect to receive any hope in this dark world. As we walk about we listen intently to hear the cry that comes to us from the Lord as we walk the path of our faith.

From the crowd came the voice of a woman who cried out with great faith. She understood that the Mother of Christ was set apart from all women. She understood that she was the womb that brought the savior into the world. She believed that a possibility did exist where the sin found inside of the world could be conquered. Christ's response to this woman may seem a little harsh and even leave the impression that nothing is important about His Mother. Instead of leaving insult He was pointing towards the importance of the word of God. It is the word of God that Mary understood. She understood that "yes" to the angel Gabriel was a fulfillment of the word of God. She was obedient to the Holy Scripture to the point of obedience to God and to His Word. Mary is indeed the obedient conquer of sin and death. She was the womb that was obedient to Holy Scripture and was willing to live a life free of sin. She is the Mother of God who came to bring all people into relationship with Her Son.

On this day we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. On this day we join with the angels and saints of Heaven to celebrate with great joy that this woman has come to bring us into a greater relationship with her son. We join with joy as this woman, who was the New Eve, entered into Heavenly glory. It was Eve who brought destruction upon the human race and it was the New Eve who was able to overcome this sentence of death. This vessel who brought Christ into the world and raised Him into adulthood is our model to grow mature in our faith. Out of love for our Mother we celebrate this day of the Assumption. For Mary the Assumption was an event that all of Her obedience had led. On this day She was able to join Her Son in Heaven. From Heaven She ever dwells calling out to each one of us to draw closer to Her Son. May we hear Her voice from the bustle of the world and come to be comforted in all of our needs.

The Assumption brings hope for two realities into the world. She brings the reality of "love" and "life" to this world that has been touched by sin. Her life was that of obedience to the Father and therefore she gave up all that she had out of love. To have a relationship with God is the very thing that draws us closer to Him. The relationship between Mary and God was so great that this love for Him brought Her before His Heavenly throne. Her love was not directed to Herself alone, but was given entirely to God. The Assumption is also the event that has conquered death. Mary was a woman who never fell into the disconnect of sin. She instead lived a life that was free from its stain and thus she was able to overcome death. Due to Her faithful life here on this earth she was called to join Her Son in Heaven. From here She dwells to call us into communion with Her Son. We have much pessimism and despair inside of the world, but with the event of that Assumption all of that can be overcome.

In our lives may we draw ourselves closer to love and life. May the Assumption be the inspiration that we need for the importance of allowing love to conquer all of our anger and hate. May the Assumption give us the inspiration in order to trust in love instead of falling into the death of sin. Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother may we be able to conquer each of these struggles in our lives, so that we may draw ourselves closer to Christ. It is the direction of all devotion to Mary to lead us to Christ instead of away from Him. Mary reigns in Heaven to unite Herself to the compassion that is found inside of the mercy of Christ and hopes that we can all feel that same mercy come to life in our own lives. It is Her hope that She can draw each of us to that same level of obedience that she had for Her Son. With our obedience based upon Her Son we can truly free ourselves to be able to to possess "love" and "life."

Mon of 19th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Ez 1:2-5,24-28

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 148:1-2,11-14

Gospel: Mt 17:22-27

The apostles separated the death of Christ from His Resurrection and thus they were filled with despair. In their despair they only placed their focus upon His death. I would agree that death is a sad thing especially when it is the mark for which you place your hope. Christ also informed them that He would rise from the dead in three days time. This should of been a reason for them to be filled with joy instead of being filled with despair. With the announcement that Christ would rise again in three days we realize that death has been conquered and there is reason to rejoice.

It is important for us not fall in this same trap. We must look to the death of Christ and not separate it from His Resurrection. The death of Christ is an important thing for us to meditate upon, but we cannot only spend time with His death. The Resurrection of Christ is also a praiseworthy thing to meditate upon, but we cannot separate it from the reality that came with the death of Christ. These two pivotal events in the life Christ must be bound together because they are important aspects of our Christian faith. These important events in the life of Christ reveal that He is the Son of God who has fulfilled prophecy and thus brought our redemption.

In the second half of today's Gospel we are given a very weird story concerning the temple tax. Here Christ reveals to Peter that He does not need to offer the tax to the temple because He is the Son of God. Despite the fact that He is the Son of God He continues to pay the tax of the temple. It is due to this reality that the death and resurrection of Christ is so important and thus should bring joy into our souls. God become man through His Son, suffered upon the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead. May we join with Greta joy as we draw ourselves closer to this reality through our life of prayer.

19th Sun of OT Year B Homily

1st Reading: 1 Kgs 19:4-8

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-9

2nd Reading: Eph 4:30-5:2

Gospel: Jn 6:41-51

I have been given a few opportunities to travel abroad. I have been to Germany, Guatemala, England, and Italy. Each of these trips had some association to religion behind them. I went to Germany for World Youth Day, Guatemala was to learn Spanish to better serve our Hispanic Catholics, England and Italy were grouped together for a trip I took while I was still in the seminary. Each of these trips have helped me to see the vastness that is found inside of our faith. No matter what country that one belongs to we are able to join together and become the One Body of Christ. From the multitude of these people who call themselves Catholic we can find many fears and struggles that they bring to the Church to unite to the Lord. Out of good faith these people come to the Mass to receive nourishment within their lives that can strengthen their faith and set them out into the world to give service to the Holy Gospel.

The prophet Elijah had been through a lot. He had successfully fought against a false god known as Baal, but still had to worry about the wife of King Ahab. It was the desire of Jezebel that Elijah would be put to death over his transgressions against this false god. Our first reading from the First Book of Kings picks up here. When we join Elijah we find him distraught over the fact that his life is on the line, he has a huge journey ahead, and it feels as if he had been forgotten about and thus has nowhere to turn. In Elijah's own alienation he was unable to realize his true connection to God the Father. Despite all of his suffering God was present and was willing to give assistance if Elijah was open to receiving it. In this passage of scripture we see that God continually came to bring nourishment into his life. This nourishment was given so that Elijah could be strengthened by God and thus be prepared to enter into the mountain of Horeb through his forty day journey.

There are times in all of our lives when we feel a lot like Elijah did in our first reading. We all go through stages in our life when we feel as if we have been left alone and thus forgotten. We all go through days when we glance at the limitless path that lies ahead and cannot fathom the possibility of continuing to move forward. Despite our needs, whatever they may be, we must remember that God is present within our lives. It might feel as if we have been abandoned by God, but the reality is that He is present behind everything that is going on inside of our lives. God is present within all of our moments of loneliness and desires for us to allow Him to enter into our lives. The Sacraments of the Church are all ways that God makes this desire manifest inside of our lives. God especially desires to enter into our lives through the nourishment that is given through the Blessed Sacrament. Christ present in His Body and Blood is the spiritual food that we need to assist us on our journey of faith.

As we journey into this third week out of five spending time with the sixth chapter of Saint John's Gospel we continue to hear about Christ being the Bread of Life. Our Gospel picks up with Jewish leaders questioning Christ about who He is. They are bringing claims before Him because their hearts were unable to fathom the importance of coming to understand that Christ was the Bread of Life. No matter what was said concerning Christ He continued to persist that He is the Bread of Life that has come down to us from Heaven. Despite their claims He continued to give nourishment to all people, so that they could be strengthened in following after Him. Through the Blessed Sacrament we are continually being strengthened by God for the spiritual journeys that we have all been called to undertake. We come to this Mass in order to be spiritually fed, so that we can have the strength to depart from this Church and to enter into the world bringing Christ to all corners of its corners.

The Mass is the place that we are invited to come to receive not bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of Christ. After being nourished through this great Sacrament we are told: "Go forth the Mass is ended." This command that we are given does not mean that we can finally turn Church off and enter back into the world as if nothing has happened. At the Mass we have come to be nourished by the Gospel and by the Holy Eucharist. These elements that we have received into our lives must now be taken out into the world following this command. This command should propel us into the world to become evangelists to all people whom we encounter. As evangelists sent forth from this Mass we bring Christ into the lives of each person that we meet. Saying "Thanks be to God" in response to this command is dedicating ourselves to go out and live our journey of faith as an extension not of own authority, but that of Christ who has sent us forth from this Church.

Through this interaction that is offered to us with the divine we are being given all that we could ever desire. In each of our feelings of being left alone Christ is continually coming to bring nourishment into our lives. The more that we open ourselves up to conform our will with this great gift the more our actions will imitate that of Christ. The more that this takes place within our hearts and souls the better we will be able to journey into the world as representatives of Christ's Holy Gospel. As entering into the world as these representatives we are taking the command made at the closing of the Mass to heart as we depart from this place. We have all been invited to taste and see the goodness of the Lord through Christ present in His Body and Blood. Through this life giving gift we will be given the strength to extol the name of the Lord to all the corners of the world as we allow Him to deliver us from all of our fears. May we continue to trust in the Blessed Sacrament that gives strength to our souls.

Memorial of St. Clare Homily

1st Reading: Hab 1:12-2:4

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 9:8-13

Gospel: Mt 17:14-20

People say that miracles no longer exist. I believe that the problem that we face is not that of a lack of miracles, but that of a lack of faith. To think of all the miracles that could take place only if there was a little bit of faith. We have been given the gifts of the seven sacraments that come into our lives to bring an increase of faith. We have the opportunity to confess our sins and be forgiven. A little bit of faith inside of this sacrament could reform our lives greatly. At this Mass we come to be nourished by Christ and His Blood. A little bit of faith in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar could assist us greatly along our journey of faith.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Clare who was a woman of great faith. She especially placed her faith in the Eucharist and allowed it to work miracles within her own life. She is often depicted holding a monstrance because of her faith that was placed in the Blessed Sacrament. It is said that the army of Fredrick II set out to overtake the city of Assisi. Saint Clare instructed her sisters to bring her the Eucharist. They then brought her the monstrance and she held it before her with great faith and was able to overcome the army that was coming to take the city.

Nothing will be impossible for us if we place all of our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot only hand over a little bit to Him, but we must hand over everything. When we withhold anything from the Father we are not being open to letting Him enter totally into our lives. May we allow the Lord to enter into our hearts and souls today and come to bring us an increase of faith. As we spend our days working for this increase we are keeping are eyes open to the Lord for whom we seek. With great faith we are asking Him to enter our lives and to give us assistance along our journey of faith.

Feast of St. Lawrence Homily

1st Reading: 2 Cor 9:6-10

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 112:1-2,5-9

Gospel: Jn 12:24-26

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. On days when we celebrate the lives of martyrs red vestments are to be worn. When I think of the color red I think of three attributes that go along with it. First red is the color that informs us that we need to stop. We see red stop signs and red lights all the time and we know that our response is to stop. The martyrs took time to stop within their own lives when they drew themselves closer to the reality of the cross. Secondly, red makes me think about death. The flag of our nation has red stripes to call to our minds all who have lost their lives to fight for our freedom. The martyrs were put to death because of the faith that they professed. We all know the story of Saint Lawrence who was grilled alive with his famous quote: "I am done on this side, turn me over." Lastly, red makes me think about love. Red is a color that is used a lot during Saint Valentine's Day and love is an important reminder for us because the martyrs loved Christ so much they were willing to die for Him.

In our Gospel we are told that we must die to ourselves if we are to truly have life and we are told if we are unwilling to die to ourselves we will never have life. In this passage we are not being told that life is a bad thing, but are being told of our need to stop during our busy lives and to draw ourselves closer to God. In stopping we need to die to ourselves, so that our disordered passions may be redirected towards the cross of Christ. When we begin to put sin to rest we can finally go in love because we are held in true relation with the Father.

In our Catholic tradition fasting has always been held in high importance. Fasting is our ability to stop in our lives, die to our self, and be redirected out of love to Christ. In the Code of Canon Law we are told: "The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent." Today is Friday and we should reclaim this day as a day of penance. We should allow this day to lead us towards the love of Christ. At one time Catholics were known as the weird people who did not eat meat on Fridays. According to Canon Law: "Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on every Friday of the year unless a Friday occurs on a day listed as a solemnity." We need to reclaim our tradition of stopping on Fridays and doing something to join ourselves with the cross of Christ. Giving up meat, a favorite food, spending more time in prayer praying before the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Holy Rosary, or some other act of piety or charity needs to be done, so that we can die to our passions and out of love draw ourselves closer to God.

Wed of 18th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Jer 31:1-7

Responsorial Psalm: Jer 31:10-13

Gospel: Mt 15:21-28

It will not be much longer and our school will be up and running again. I know that when school starts up and I get to stick around things will start to sink in for me. I will finally be able to realize that I am going to stay put and do ministry for this parish. I promise that is a good thing. With the start of the school year we will also get the return of the Dominican sisters. These women are definitely a blessing for our school and parish community because they are an example of the faith that we profess. These women through their example and teaching are able to lead people towards the light of Christ.

Today we celebrate the memorial of the patron of this order in Saint Dominic. He was a great preacher and teacher of the faith. He led a life which inspired others to follow after God the Father. This is the same behavior that we get through the ministry that the sisters give to our parish and school. In our readings we are told about Christ our Shepherd who leads us all towards God. It is the role of the Shepherd to give protection to the sheep that they have been entrusted with. We each must join with Christ as being a type of shepherd to the world because we must live a life that draws other people towards the Light of Christ.

Saint Dominic through his preaching was able to minister to many people and to lead them away from things contrary to the faith. The Dominican Sisters are great beacons of God's love and through their ministry many people are led towards the faith and away from evil. In the ministry that we give to the world we must draw close to Christ and allow Him to give us the increase of faith that we are in search of. It is up to us to draw close to Christ and to go into the world to live out lives which draw all people towards Christ. May we allow the Lord to be our Shepherd and to guard us as we go into the world to be examples of His love.

Feast of the Transfiguration Homily

1st Reading: Dn 7:9-10,13-14

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 97:1-2,5-6,9

2nd Reading: 2 Pt 1:16-19

Homily: Mk 9:2-10

In order to come to a fuller understanding of things we sometimes need to see what we are talking about. I personally have never been to Jerusalem, but have heard that going here is a very powerful experience because it brings the mind to better picture and understand the stories of sacred scripture. I have been to Rome which was a wonderful experience in picturing the life of the early Church. I also had the opportunity on this same trip to travel to Assisi where I was able to experience the city where Saint Francis dwelt and it definitely gave me new understanding and appreciation for this great Catholic saint.

When Christ went up the mountain with Peter, James, and John He was wanting these men to come, see, and understand a deeper reality of the faith. There are two other occasions in the Gospel of Mark where Christ takes these three aside. The first came in Mark 5 where He takes these three along to witness a dead girl being restored to life. The final time that He takes these three with Him was in Mark 14 where He brought them to the garden before His Passion. Each of these events were brought about so that they could give sight to their understanding of Christ's upcoming death and resurrection.

In order to bring understanding to the Transfiguration we must hear what came before this passage in sacred scripture. Prior to this passage Jesus told His apostles that He would die and would then rise again on the third day. It was here that we get the story of Saint Peter being so filled with fear that He protests against Him only to be put in his place by being told "get behind me Satan." When Christ went up the mountain He desired to give new life to the faith of the apostles. He wanted to open their eyes so that they could see the reality of what was quickly approaching. Before their eyes appeared Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. They came to understand that Christ was the fulfillment of the Law and that Christ was the person that all of the prophets where pointing towards. They realized at that moment that Christ was the object that connected the Old and the New together. They came to realize through the Transfiguration that Christ was truly going to die upon the cross and then rise in glory. That is why Peter wanted to stay on this mountain to pray because he knew when they walked back down that Christ's death would quickly approach.

We have all been invited to share in this event of the Transfiguration. Each time that we attend Mass, pray the Rosary, enter into silence before the Blessed Sacrament, or at home we enter into this invitation to open our hearts and souls more and more to the reality that is taking place before our eyes. We are being invited to join Christ upon this mountain top, so that our faith may forever grow to all ends of the earth.

18th Sun of OT Year B Homily

1st Reading: Ex 16:2-4,12-15

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78:3-4,23-25,54

2nd Reading: Eph 4:17,20-24

Gospel: Jn 6:24-35

This past week a lot of our attention has been placed upon the Olympics. We have spent time drawn to the television to watch sports such as swimming, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, and a countless amount of others as we have cheered our nation on in it's quest to achieve as many gold medals as possible. For these athletes there is a longing to be the best at their sport and thus they put a lot of time and effort into becoming the best at what they do. After a close matchup and coming up short in their quest it is good to hear an athlete admit that someone was actually better that day then they were and thus they were most deserving of the victory. On the other hand it is upsetting to see an athlete who cannot accept defeat and thus places the blame upon their teammates or other elements which might of gotten in the way of getting the victory that they believed that they deserved. We have each been given many blessings within our lives and thus have a lot to be thankful for instead of spending our time complaining about what has gone wrong for us. We instead should unite ourselves to the nourishment that Christ gives.

In our first reading we are shown that the People of Israel had a longing to grow in their relationship with God. These people were sick and tired of being slaves and they had a lot to complain about because they were the chosen people and could not understand why they were being punished in such a manner. Eventually Moses came along and led them away from Egypt and into the desert. One would think that their complaints would end, but after walking around with no end in sight there was definitely a lot for them to complain about. Once those complaints lifted they still were concerned about receiving nourishment and thus still had something to complain about. Eventually these complaints were answered because the Lord showered down bread from Heaven to give these people the nourishment that they were searching for. Through this gift of bread they were having the coming of Christ in the Eucharist foreshadowed.

Each of us join with the chosen people of Israel and even some Olympic athletes as we complain about what is going on in our lives. With all that is going on inside of the world we definitely have a lot that we can complain about. Relationships at home, the workplace, and disagreements with friends might be so stressful that they make us feel that an unending litany of complaints is the only way for us to lift any stress. Despite our complaints we need to take time out of our day to spend time entering into a relationship with God. The people of Israel got so caught up in their own needs that they forgot about the importance of spending time in relationship with God. In our own needs we often follow this same path because we get so caught up in what we desire that we leave God out of the equation. It is through the use of bread that God reminded the people of Israel about the importance of the nourishment that He gives. Christ again reminds us about this importance through the Blessed Sacrament.

As we continue our five week reflection upon the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Saint John we see the importance of the Eucharist in our daily lives. Christ told the faithful that were present in the passage that a difference exists between bread and that which they had received from Heaven. In time bread will go bad, but the Bread that comes from Heaven will never go bad. It is through this Bread that our faith must be nourished, so that it can forever be drawn closer to God. It is through the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive our nourishment here at this Mass. With all of our complaints and struggles present we take time out of the day not to make excuses, but to quiet ourselves so that our souls may be drawn closer to God. It is only when we get caught up in our own needs and desires that we forget that we can turn towards God with all of our needs. Christ is the Bread of Life who we can turn to in order to never hunger or thirst again.

As we desire to draw ourselves closer to this great life giving gift we begin to cast off each of our deceitful desires. In doing thus we are desiring to be renewed in the spirit and to put on our new self which is found through this life giving interaction. We will each continue to struggle and complain in our daily lives, but through the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar we have been invited to join with Christ. It is here that we have been invited to come in order to bring quiet to the busyness of our lives so that we may receive the nourishment that was promised to us by Christ. This nourishment never comes to an end because this nourishment comes to us from Heaven. May each of us take advantage of this nourishment by allowing ourselves to conform our will with that of Christ. In order to conform our wills we must join each of our struggles and joys with Him as we enter deeper into this community of faith through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.

This parish community offers many opportunities for us to draw closer to the Holy Eucharist and thus be nourished by Christ. We are given the opportunity to have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament where we are able to take time away from our busy days in order to enter into the silence of prayer. Through this silence in a busy world we are able to take our struggles and complaints and join them with the cross of Christ. Through this Mass we are able to come before the Altar of God and be able to receive the Bread that comes to us from Heaven. May we not take this great gift that has been showered upon us lightly. May we instead invest our lives into growing deeper into this wonderful gift each day, so that we may ever grow closer to imitating Christ in all that we do. This invitation to be nourished by Christ has been given to each of us, so that we may draw our hearts and souls closer to receiving the Bread from Heaven and allowing it to bring transformation to our lives.

Fri of 17th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Jer 26:1-9

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 69:5,8-10,14

Gospel: Mt 13:54-58

This past week we have heard many parables which spoke about the importance of allowing our faith to have an increase. In today's Gospel we encounter Christ being present to His own hometown and yet they did not allow Him to work within their lives. It is always said that a prophet is not accepted in his own home. Countless numbers of prophets have brought the truth of God into the world and yet they were not accepted for it. Christ was no different because even here among his family and friends He was not accepted for the message that He was bringing into the world.

We join here today to celebrate this Votive Mass to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to ask for an increase of faith to take place within our lives. We come here for this first Friday of the month with the desire to draw closer to the Heart of Christ which is continually showering down mercy upon each of us. Through this devotion we join together with the intention that we will draw closer to Christ and thus our faith can grow. May this devotion aid us in putting to rest any disordered desires which speak contrary to the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. With these desires put to rest we can truly allow our faith to grow.

It is here at this Mass that we cry out to the Lord to come and answer us. In calling to God in this manner we are coming before Him humbly. We realize that we have no chance to increase in our faith without Him brought into the picture. May we continue to take the time in our hearts and homes to welcome Him in with the desire to give us an increase of faith. May our faith increase through our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to whom we cry out to in order to come and answer us.

Wed of 17th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Jer 15:10,16-21

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 59:2-4,10,11,17,18

Gospel: Mt 13:44-46

What do we define as being successful? For the many stages of life people will give different examples to this question. For some it is simply getting an A on a test from school. For others it is finally get independence from your parents thanks to getting your driver license. Others define success as getting accepted to college and getting the chance to better your life through education. Some feel that their success is found in the fact that they have entered into the Sacrament of Marriage and thus have found a partner to walk with as the attempt to achieve holiness in their everyday life. Others realize their success when they look to their family and see that they have someone who loves them and is willing to take care of them in their time of need. No matter where we place the value of success we must be united in all that we do with the Father.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori who was a very successful man. Before becoming a priest he was a successful lawyer who went undefeated for eight years in the court room. That is the guy that I would want defending me inside of the court room. Towards the end of his time as a lawyer he felt that he was pulled to leave everything behind to follow after Christ. Eventually he lost that first case and then decided it was his time to let go and to begin to follow after the path that Christ was calling him to. This radical decision did not correspond to his father's definition of success, but he still followed where he was called.

In today Gospel we were told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has to buy that field." We each have many successes inside of our lives, but no matter what we call a success we must unite it to the will of the Father. When we are united to the will of the Father we have taken all that we have and have achieved great success in our journey of faith.