4th Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

Today we are given every reason to "rejoice" because we are quickly drawing towards Easter where we will rejoice as we celebrate with joy the celebration of Christ's Resurrection. With this celebration of Laetare Sunday we find that we are half way through the Lenten season and thus are only given about twenty more days to prepare ourselves to be able to cast away the sin that blinds us in order that we may truly rejoice with new sight as we celebrate Easter. Anytime when darkness is overcome and thus we allow light to shine brightly in our lives we are given this great reason to rejoice. We are able to rejoice because what was once blurry can now be fully seen as we grow closer and closer into our relationship with God. When we turn towards God and His grace we will be able to see more and more clearly each day. On the other hand, when we allow ourselves to become entrapped by sin we allow ourselves to see less and less until we are left completely blind.

Of course we may not be able to recognize that blindness that we endure. We might believe that despite our sin that we are truly able to behold the infinite glory of God in all of its splendor. This of course is not true because our sin keeps us from truly being able to behold God and to come into communion with Him. Whenever I get a new pair of glasses I am most defiantly able to see the truth to this. With my old pair I believe that I can see perfectly and that there is nothing that impedes upon my ability to see. Once I finally, especially after a good amount of time, receive a new pair of glasses I am able to realize how much I was truly unable to see. It is like looking upon the world in high definition instead of through the blurriness of standard definition. You can never truly realize the difference until you begin to see again in the clearness that should have existed all along. This reality is true for each of us because we have been washed in the waters of baptism and thus we know what seeing clearly truly means.

In our Gospel we encounter the blind man whose sight was restored through the miracle that was enacted by Christ. Christ took the ordinary element of clay which was made with the dirt of the earth and His own spit in order to work this miracle which would restore sight to this man. In each of the Sacraments of the Church our sight is restored through ordinary elements which through the words that are said over them take on profound significance. Through each of these ordinary elements something profound takes place within us as something profound took place in the life of the blind man through the ordinary element of clay. In baptism water was poured over your head which did something very profound inside of you. From this action your eyes that had been closed through original sin were finally opened. Unfortunately it is hard to keep our eyes open to God and the reality of sin is always tugging upon us. This is why we need the other sacraments of the Church because they continuously prepare us to battle against sin, to be united with God, and to be able to see clearly as we did on the day of our baptism.

May we rejoice this day as we are able to partake in the sacraments of the Church. If we have entered into Holy Matrimony may we realize that this response of love truly connects a man and woman together until the end of life. Through this sacrament two join together and their love is so outpouring that new life comes from this sacrament. In any vocation times can indeed become difficult, but instead of trusting in the darkness that comes through pleasure for the sake of pleasure may we instead trust in the light of God that will strengthen us in all of life's difficulties. We must also trust in the sacrament of confession because our eyes are always closed through sin, but the hope of returning to the site that was found on the day of our baptism is always present through the confession of our sins. We must also trust in the Body and Blood of Christ which will give us the strength to see as we continue our journey of faith.

Through the remainder of this Lenten season may we rejoice as we draw close to Easter Sunday. May we rejoice in the gift of the sacraments which continuously reconnect ourselves to Christ. May we not allow the darkness of sin to overcome our sight, but instead may we trust in the light of sight that Christ ushers into our life. As we continue this Lenten journey may we gather our sins together and leave them behind as we come to rejoice at the reality of Christ's Resurrection.

3rd Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

Instead of hiding in the comfortableness of our sin we must move ourselves towards the living water that will only be found through Christ our Lord. We can look far and wide to find something to fill this longing for this living water, but we will never find it unless we turn ourselves towards Christ our Lord. This Samaritan woman whom we encountered in our Gospel was in search for this living water, but was constantly filling this need with things which would always leave her empty. Only in Christ did this woman come to understand that He who was standing before her could fill her life and give it meaning and also come to heal her of the brokenness of her life. In the Sacraments of the Church we encounter an invitation to receive this living water into our life, and thus to be healed of our own brokenness and to receive the answer of truth that will really transform our souls. We have the sacrament of confession were our sins are forgiven and we have the Holy Eucharist where we receive this living water into our life.

Padre Pio reminds us of the importance of the living water that is found through the Church and the sacraments by saying: "Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament." It is because of Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist that we must have faith in the Church. When we come to commune with God in this sacrament we must do everything that is possible to properly prepare ourselves for such an encounter. If we truly believe that this is God whom we receive in the Eucharist we must begin to encounter our sin and to turn ourselves away from it. If we stay close to the Church and the sacraments we will no longer be enslaved by the weight of sin and will be able to encounter the living water that will lead us to everlasting life. Therefore, if we truly believe that this is Christ present in the Eucharist we must trust in the sacrament of confession to heal us for this great encounter with God.

Sometimes we desire to fool ourselves into believing that we do not need to make a confession and do not need to turn away from our sin. We reason to ourselves that Christ already knows our sin, but we must realize that in our Gospel Christ did know the sin of this woman and called her to order her life after something greater. In this manner she revealed the true error of her sin to Christ and He offered His mercy and forgiveness unto her. There is nobody in this Church who is without sin and thus in need of God's mercy. Pope Francis has said it is not God who tires of forgiving, but it us who tire of asking for forgiveness. No matter how entrenched our life has become with sin we must realize that with Christ's abundant mercy we are indeed forgiven and are given the life giving water which can help us conquer our temptation towards sin. When we prevail ourselves to the sacrament of confession we are professing our belief in Christ who dwells in the Holy Eucharist because we are taking this intimate exchange seriously.

 

On Wednesday at 7pm our parish community will have the opportunity to partake of the Sacrament of Confession at our Lenten penance service. Confessions are also heard at this parish Wednesday following our morning Mass, Saturday following our morning Mass, Saturday evening from 4-5pm, and anytime by appointment. Canon law states in this matter: "After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year" and "it is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins." May we make use of this sacrament of God's mercy, if it has been a few weeks or even years, may we return to this sacrament which will open wide our ability to receive the living water that is Christ our Lord into our life.

Today we have the opportunity to receive Christ present in the Holy Eucharist may we encounter this sacrament as the woman at the well encountered Christ. From her encounter with Christ she saw the true gravity of her sin and turned herself away from it. May we exclaim with her: "He told me everything I have done" as we move away from our sin through the grace that is given to us within the sacraments. May we return to the sacrament of confession, especially if we are burdened with the weight of mortal sin. May we allow this sacrament to heal us of the poison that we have invited into our life through our relationship to sin. If fear fills your heart due to not remembering how to make a good confession, do not allow that temptation to run you off, but instead come like the woman to the well who encountered the living water that is Christ. At this well our hearts will become filled with Christ's abundant mercy and we will be given the strength to continue our journey of faith.

St. Joseph

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. I have included some light reading for your meditation on this important saint.

http://osjusa.org/st-joseph/magisterium/quemadmodum-deus/

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15081889_quamquam-pluries_en.html

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris-custos_en.html

To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father,
ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector,
be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness;
and, as once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holily, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

2nd Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

The event of the Transfiguration gives us a glimpse into Heaven. The Transfiguration allows us to see that from the suffering that we must bear in this world will come the hope of everlasting life. Christ knew that His passion upon the cross was quickly coming and thus He desired to give His apostles this glimpse into Heaven. He desired to show them that from the suffering that He would have to endure upon the wood of the cross would come the hope and the joy of the Resurrection of the body. This event was to give them comfort in what would lie ahead because without a glimpse into Heaven and the ability to see the hope and the joy of the Resurrection of the body they would of been lead into despair and would eventually loose their hope in the Gospel message. With this glimpse into Heaven they were indeed given hope in all the trials that would lie ahead in the events of the passion that would soon unfold.

We now find ourselves twelve days into the Lenten season. I am sure at this season's start that we were fired up for the sacrifices that we would make in order to draw ourselves closer to Christ. Now that we find ourselves twelve days into this season we might find the temptation to turn away from things such as fasting, praying, and almsgiving. When we have nothing that we are setting our sight upon it is very easy to be lead back into our old way of life. We must realize at times that conversion is truly painful because it requires us to change our ways and to not look back even for one glance. Therefore today we are each given this glimpse into Heaven through the Transfiguration. We are shown that in the midst of sacrifice that we are embracing the hope and joy of the life to come. This glimpse into Heaven is to make us realize that we truly have a goal that has been set before our eyes during this Lenten season. That goal is to be found worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven through our abandonment of sin because here we will encounter the joy of the resurrection of our bodies.

We can all make a list of the pains that we have been forced to endure while here on this earth. We have felt the pain of sickness, we have experienced the loss of a loved one, we have been filled with great fear when a job has been lost, and this list goes on and on with all the pains and trials that we have been forced to endure while here on this earth. Thankfully in the Transfiguration we are given a glimpse into Heaven. Here we are given a glimpse into the life that will come for all of us who find ourselves ready to be called to our Heavenly reward. In this glimpse we see the joy and the hope that will be found here where sickness, death, and fear will no longer be part of our existence. In this glimpse into Heaven we discover the joy of everlasting life and the hope of the Resurrection of the body where one day we will once again be joined to all the faithful departed who are our friends and family, we will be joined with all the angels and saints who have given us assistance along the way, we will joined by our Blessed Mother whose heart pours out with love, we will be joined by Christ who was willing to offer Himself as a sacrifice on behalf of our sins, and will finally be able to behold the splendor of God.

In the words of Saint John Vianney: "If we could go and pass a week in Heaven, we should understand the value of this moment of suffering. We should find no cross heavy enough, no trial bitter enough. . . . The Cross is the gift that God makes to His friends." With the glimpse into Heaven that the Transfiguration gives us we should see how true that these words really are. They are true because all the suffering that we endure here is forever transformed through the reality of Heaven. These words are true because in the midst of sacrifice we discover the cross of Christ and truly begin to know Him as a friend. As we continue this great season of Lent may we not allow ourselves to look back upon our sin, but instead may we look forward to the joy and hope that will await us with everlasting life. This is the glimpse that the apostles were given into Heaven which we are able to share within today through the Transfiguration.

It was at the Transfiguration that darkness encompassed the land, but from that darkness came a shining light which revealed Christ in His glory. From that moment forward these apostles would know Christ for who He truly was and they were given a glimpse into Heaven. The pains and trials that they would have to endure on behalf of the faith would be worth joining within this glimpse that they received for all time. Darkness continues to come over each of us through the many pains that we must endure and the temptation towards sin that continues to tug at us, but may we remember the shining light, that is Christ, who through this event has giving us a glimpse into Heaven. In this glimpse we can see the joy that will come with everlasting life and how each of these dark moments will be put to rest. May this glimpse into Heaven inspire us to continue this journey of Lent; because through this glimpse we will find value in the path that lies ahead because it will lead us towards everlasting life.

1st Sun of Lent Year A Homily

From 1st Peter we are told: "Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your faith." This verse from sacred scripture shows that we are in the midst of a great spiritual warfare which is relevant to all of us. This is the spiritual warfare that Adam and Eve entered into when they submitted to their temptation and thus turned themselves away from God. This is the spiritual warfare that Christ overcome in the desert when He overcome temptation and would eventually submit Himself to the wood of the cross to accomplish our salvation. This great warfare is alluded to in the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel where we ask him to "defend us in battle" and to be "our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil." Our readings today should be very relevant to all of our lives because each of us are in the midst of this spiritual warfare if we realize it or not.  

There is not a single person in this Church who can claim that this spiritual warfare is not true. We have all felt the weight of sin and continue to feel the tug of temptation upon our lives. We time and time again are forced to chose between our sinful passions or to embrace the Gospel that Christ has brought into our life. This Gospel is for us because we are those who have been tempted by so many things: pornography, adultery, lust, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, anger, pride, despair, gossip, foul language, any of the deadly sins, and the many other ways in which temptation tugs at our heart. All of us here have been and continue to be tempted each day. Temptation comes in different forms to each of our minds, but we must realize that with our trust placed upon God that we can and will come to discover true hope and true liberation. This is why we must realize that we are in the midst of this great spiritual warfare; because without such a realization we always leave ourselves open to the attacks of the devil.

Adam and Eve did not keep on guard against temptation. Instead they submitted themselves to the attack of the devil and became confused by temptation to the point where they gave into this spiritual warfare and thus turned themselves away from God. They were led to believe by the serpent that the fruit of the tree was truly glamorous, they were led to believe that they would receive great knowledge that would change their life, and they were led to believe that not trusting in God's word was not actually sinful. As we remain on guard against temptation we must reflect upon the many excuses that we apply to our sin. As Adam and Eve made up excuses in their mind we allow ourselves to do the same to the point where we too become confused enough to give into our temptations. And so we like to say: God understands the way that I am, I have plenty of time to turn away from this later, it is only one time, this will be the last time, everyone else is doing it, it doesn't hurt anyone, it is not really a sin. In our excuses we stand with Adam and Eve and submit to the weight of the spiritual warfare which is taking place around us.

Instead of so easily giving into the temptations of pornography, adultery, lust, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, anger, pride, despair, gossip, foul language, any of the deadly sins, and the many other ways in which temptation tugs at our heart we must remember that we have been set apart through baptism and thus find ourselves in the midst of spiritual warfare. Prior to Jesus entering into the desert we must remember that he was baptized and then entered into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights to fast and pray. We to have been baptized and thus we must continuously set before our eyes our baptismal promises and stay on guard to live them out faithfully. With this in mind we to join together in this forty day period which is known as Lent. In this season we fast and pray in order to remain on guard and strengthen ourself against temptation. 

May we truly use this season to our benefit in order that we may obtain the grace to "stay sober and alert" in the midst of the spiritual warfare that is our temptations. In the midst of temptation may we trust in prayer especially the intercession of the Blessed Mother and that of all the angels and saints especially Saint Michael the Archangel. May we pray that great prayer of spiritual warfare at those moments of great temptation and thus allow Saint Michael to intercede for us as we head into battle. "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

Ash Wednesday Homily

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return" are the words that the minister will say as ashes are placed upon your forehead making the mark of the cross. These words should draw our minds back to Genesis when the world was created and we came forth from the dust of the earth. We now walk about this earth with only the promise of death on our side. These ashes are a symbol of the death that will eventually come for each of us, and thus they remind us of our own sinfulness and the need to turn away from it. If we can realize that our life on this earth is truly short; we should be able to see the urgency of conversion that lays before our eyes. The season of Lent of which we now begin helps to place these realities before us as we continue to prepare ourselves to behold the glory of Christ Resurrected. This time is not for idleness, but is for the urgency of growing each day closer into union with God. If we do not treat each day with urgency; we must be prepared to acknowledge that a time will come for us to account for our life.

In order to draw a most manifold attention to this urgency we mark ourselves with these ashes to proclaim our sinfulness and thus our need for conversion. To be marked with ashes is not a mere cultural Catholic exercise, but instead proclaims the reality of our mortality and thus our need to turn towards conversion. Throughout scripture the use of ashes was a symbol of the horror of sin and the repentance that one must turn towards due to its effect.  In the words of Job: "therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Also, in the words of Daniel: "Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes." Again, from 1st Maccabees: "They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes." In all three of these examples given from the Old Testament we are being shown the seriousness of receiving ashes because in doing so we are proclaiming ourselves as being sinful and as being in need of authentic conversion.

Therefore, it is the mark of the cross that is made upon our foreheads. Through this mark we stand in our sinfulness and we reach out for authentic conversion. The cross is a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that was offered for all of our sins. The cross is a reminder of the perfect love that was given to the world through God made man and the sacrifice that was offered due to our sins. The cross should be a reminder for all of us of what our sins have caused. The cross should be a reminder that we must repent and believe in the Gospel. The cross is a reminder of the conversion that each of us must prevail ourselves towards. May this marking with ashes in the form of the cross truly transform the attitude of our lives. May this action truly set the reality of our own mortality before our eyes. May this action remind us of the commitment that we will give God during this Lenten season. From these ashes we proclaim the horror of our sins and prevail ourselves to God's mercy with the true desire to encounter conversion.

Let us remember then with our hearts truly placed upon repentance and conversion that the greatest gift that we will receive today is not ashes, but instead is the Body and Blood of Christ found within the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. May these ashes remind us of the importance of receiving the Eucharist in the state of grace, help us to be challenged to use the Lenten season to grow closer to the Eucharist and thus our own sanctity, and also may these ashes help up to discover true repentance and conversion that better prepares our life to truly be modeled after the Eucharist.

8th Sun of OT Year A Homily

In the words of Saint Josemaria Escriva: "We must decide. It’s wrong to have two candles lighted – one to St Michael and another to the devil. We must snuff out the devil’s candle: we must spend our life completely in the service of the Lord. If our desire for holiness is sincere, if we are docile enough to place ourselves in God’s hands, everything will go well. For he is always ready to give us his grace, especially at a time like this – grace for a new conversion, a step forward in our lives as Christians."

On Wednesday we will enter into the Lenten season and thus begin to prepare ourselves in a most special way to encounter the light of hope that is ushered into our lives through the event of the Resurrection. We often allow our life to be divided between our love for God, our love for this world, and our refusal to turn away from the lies of the devil that make us believe that we are receiving what we truly need. If we continue to allow ourselves to be divided in such a manner we cannot claim that we have truly become stewards of Christ and the message of His Gospel. Lent is a vessel which allows us to feel and see the push of conversion and to truly respond in a manner which allows us to put our service to our multiple masters to rest; in order that we can place our trust in our true master who is found in Heaven. May we in this season find ways to empower ourselves to snuff out the candle that we have lit for the devil. This can come easily or can be very tough, but nevertheless if we use this season to our benefit with the help of God's grace this conversion is possible to achieve.

I hope that all of us have already begun to pray concerning this Lenten season and what rewards you will reap when you encounter the wounds of our Resurrected Lord on Easter Sunday. We cannot allow our laziness to get ahold of us which causes us to remain the same or worse yet become more entrenched in our sinfulness and thus our trust in Satan's lies. Therefore we must enter into this season abandoning ourselves to practices such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer in order to train our bodies and minds to turn away from the lies of our worldliness and that of the devil and thus begin to find true liberation and freedom that can only be brought about when we are not split between multiple masters, but instead are found in faithful service to God.

We must therefore take our Lenten resolves and ask ourselves the following: How can we pray more sincerely? How can we fast from our disordered passions to discover true conversion? How can we give alms to those in need to respond to the charity that comes from our love for God? How are we going to turn away from our enslavement to this world? How are we going to snuff out the candle that we have lit for Satan? How do we plan to truly come to love God? I hope that when we look upon our Lenten goals we can see a positive answer to these five questions.

For an example, to give up a candy bar, just because, does not answer any of these questions positively. Instead we are only going through the motions of the law without truly desiring a change to take place in our life. Instead we could adopt the mindset that in our desire to eat that candy bar we can turn towards prayer and acknowledge our need to turn away from the sin present in our life, that with the money that was not spent on this product we could donate the money saved to a charity, in our sacrifice from our desire we are silencing the voice of the devil, and from this total abandonment we are setting into motion our never ending love for God.

We are on the cusp of the Lenten season, may we not, arrive at Easter without knowing how we got there. May we not reach out to feel the wounds of the risen Christ while we are infected with sin and our trust in other masters. May we embrace the practices of prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving to help us realize the way that we took to arrive at Easter. May these practices truly assist us in our encounter with the risen Christ to the point where we will be prepared to behold His great glory. May this great season of Lent truly assist us in snuffing out the candle that we have lit for the devil through our own sinfulness and assist us with finally being able to embrace the conversion that will lead us to God and eventually to the Kingdom of Heaven.