1st Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

With this Sunday we begin our new liturgical year and also the season of Advent. It was last Sunday where we came to profess Christ to be our King and thus now as we look ahead towards that little town of Bethlehem we profess that it is Christ the King of Peace who will come to dwell here in a manger. We thankfully have the opportunity to know where we are headed and therefore we should not waste the days that lay ahead to not allow ourself to be drawn towards the peace that will be ushered into the world through the birth of Christ. With the days that have been set before us in this Advent season we must feel compelled to be transformed to match the peace that Christ brings into the world on Christmas day.

But where is this peace to be found? We can think of countless examples within the world where a lack of peace is found. We know of ISIS and people being beheaded due to their religion or nationality. Even here in our own country we can think of Ferguson, MO where cop cars have been set on fire and a war seems to ensue on a nightly basis between protesters and police. Even on the local basis many people struggle with finding a home or even having food to eat. You only have to head to Saint Joseph's food pantry on a Wednesday morning to see that this is so. There is war against the unborn because children are not given the rite to life. There is war against women because there are those whose human dignity has been diminished to the point where they are not loved, but instead are trapped in the selling of their body as a object. Indeed through these injustices that exist and the many that go unnamed we can ask where is the peace of Christ to be found?

Now for the hard part which is to point the finger inward to ourself and ask in what ways we have led towards this lack of peace that is found within the world. Thus to ask ourself where it is that we are torn apart on the inside through a lack of peace. Maybe we turn the other way at the sight of the poor and judge them with our thoughts. Maybe we have become so delusioned with pride that we always find ourself judging everything and thus treating others as if they are always lesser then us. Maybe we have a poor practice of faith where besides this hour spent at Mass we never find ourself entering into the silence of prayer. Maybe we have become trapped in a fantasy reality through the use of the internet, where through the media that we consume, we fail to serve God who is found within each human person. These are all manifestations that show a lack of peace that is present within our life and thus we are left to ask ourself once more; if these manifestations are present how can we ever claim to know the peace of Christ?

From Saint Paul's Letter to the Corinthians we are extended the peace of Jesus Christ. During this season of Advent this is the peace that we are preparing to receive on Christmas morning. Christ ushers peace into the world because He is God who took on human flesh and was willing to die upon the cross in order to set us free from our enslavement towards sin. For this very reason we must always remain on watch. We do not want to be caught off guard through our lack of preparation because if we are our found lacking peace in our heart we have already come to banish Christ from our midst instead of actually inviting Him in to come and to dwell with us. In the days following Thanksgiving we have a lot we prepared for: Black Friday and Christmas decorations, but instead of placing so much effort into this we must prepare for Christmas and remember that we are in Advent and therefore are not there yet.

The gatekeeper was left on watch because He had to only let the master in and nothing that could be found harmful. We to must remain on watch because we should only allow the peace of Christ to enter in and to never allow in anything that impedes upon this peace. Advent is a time that has been side aside to truly give us the assistance that we need in order to discover the peace that we desire. May we during this season not forget to stay on watch, but instead may we remember Christ the King of Peace who desires to enter into our life. To prepare for His coming one could attend one of the daily Masses through the week, one should go to Confession, one could pray with their family each day before an Advent wreath, one could volunteer to give assistance to Saint Joseph's Food Pantry or the White Elephant, parents could give their children Advent calendars, and of course we need to pray and fast in order that we may be found faithfully on watch for Christ's coming. May we truly allow Christ the King of Peace to come and to bring us comfort!

Christ the King Year A Homily

On this Solemnity of Christ the King we must take a moment to ask which Kingdom it is that we serve. In our parable of the separation of the sheep from the goats we are shown the urgency that is presented with this question. This question is urgent because it makes us realize that the only thing that we are entitled to receive in this life is death; not a nice house, car, and lots of money. The Church displays this urgency for us through the use of the liturgical calendar because today is the final Sunday of the liturgical year. This reality proclaims to us that death is near and thus we must be concerned with the four last things: death, judgement, Heaven, and Hell. No matter how young or old that we are, no matter how healthy or not we are; we must be reminded of the words of sacred scripture that inform us that "you do not know the time nor the hour."

Through the answer that we give to this question we will profess if we follow after the Kingdom of Light or after the Kingdom of Darkness. It is through this Kingdom of Light that we allow ourself to give proper adoration, glory, and praise to this King who is Christ our Lord.  Within the Kingdom of Darkness many have done the opposite and in return have closed themselves off from receiving the mercy and forgiveness that Christ bestows upon the world. Keeping the sheep with the goats throughout the night would of been a terrible idea; the crowd hearing this parable would of knew that. This is so because goats by their nature are aggressive and territorial and thus they would of gotten angry at the sheep and thus would do then harm. They had to be separated due to the consequences that were brought about from their actions. By their actions they were judged.

Thus to it will be by our actions that we will be judged. The actions of our life hold consequences for us. For example if we were to trip and fall bracing ourself when we do by reaching out our hand; it will probably break. Thankfully this bone can be healed, but in order to get there it takes a lot of work and time. Without this necessary work and time invested in our arm we will always be left with nothing more then a broken arm. Therefore our sin, our failure to love our neighbor, and thus too our failure to love God holds consequences for us that are real. By our actions we will be judged, but thankfully Christ the King is also merciful. He desires to heal us from the brokenness of our life. He desires to shed the grace of His mercy upon us in order that we too may be healed and thus be found worthy of His wondrous Kingdom. May we not stand in the way through our own territorialness and aggressiveness that cuts us off from allowing Christ to purify our heart and mind and thus to allow our life to change to follow after Him.

We profess on this day that it is Christ who is our King. We profess that anyone or anything in the world is not greater then Christ our King. What He establishes for each of us is a Kingdom that will never pass away unlike the many unjust kingdoms who follow not after Him. In time those kingdoms will come to pass away and Christ our King, as we were reminded in Corinthians, will use His enemies as His footstool. This solemnity was placed onto our liturgical calendar to serve as a reminder that we may come to realize our world is truly in need of this King and thus we should invite Him to enter into our life each day in order that we may submit not to the way of sin, but instead to the way of our Savior. From Pope Pius XI who established this feast: "the people of that time - had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives."

As this liturgical year comes to an end, and as we prepare ourself for the coming of Christ the King during the Advent season, may we truly ask ourself which Kingdom it is that we serve. Our actions, indeed, hold consequences, but nevertheless, our Lord is merciful. He desires to shower us with the grace of His mercy especially within the Sacrament of Confession. It is here that sinners come to do the work that is required of them to be healed. With the reality that death is always set before our eyes may we not run towards the Kingdom of Darkness, but instead the Kingdom of Light. It is towards the Kingdom of Light that we should draw close because here alone will we encounter a true Kingdom which will never pass away. In this manner may we come to shout over all of our sin, loss, and disappointments, as well as every injustice that we see within this world: "Viva Cristo Rey!" "Long live Christ the King!"

23rd Sunday After Pentecost Homily (Extraordinary Form)

In our Gospel we encounter two who come with great faith to behold the Messiah, firstly the ruler and secondly the woman. The ruler was used to having people kneel before him, but now through faith he knelt before our Lord in adoration. This woman was condemned by the weight of the Law due to her discharge of blood, but through faith she grabbed ahold of our Lord expressing the fact that it was He who had come to bring true healing into the world. Both of these individuals expressed their great faith in Jesus Christ and thus the fact that it was He would truly bring healing into a world that had been touched by sin.

These people of great faith were not the only individuals who we encountered inside of this Gospel. We also encounter a multitude of people who were eventually cast our from the midst of Christ. Firstly, we encounter them through the tumult that these individuals were making. Through this noise and banter they were expressing their lack of faith. Secondly, we encounter them through the fact that they find it best to laugh in the face of our Lord. Eventually due to their lack of faith this multitude had to be sent away from Christ's midst.

Each of us must question our own practice of faith. We must question if we have come to Christ with great faith, as the ruler or the woman, or if we have come to Christ as a member of this multitude who was unable to trust with great faith. If we find it best to be formed by our culture and thus our world we will discover that the answer to this question is equal to being a member of this multitude. If we are able to express that it is the Church, the Sacraments, prayer, holy scripture, and thus Jesus Christ who is the one who forms us we will stand with the ruler and the woman in our development or faith. The problem is that we cannot stand on both sides; if we think this we will ultimately find ourself standing with the multitude who was cast off from Christ's midst.

The next time that we will gather here in Johnson City for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass we will find ourself in the midst of the Advent season. Thus the liturgical year of the Church is quickly coming to its conclusion. This serves as a reminder for all of us that we only have so much time that has been given to us to get our life in order and to thus join the faith of the ruler or the woman who were found in our Gospel. We must remember that Advent is not the start of the Christmas season, but instead it is the beginning of our preparation for the great joy that will enter into the world on Christmas morning when God comes to dwell among us in human flesh. Advent is not about getting caught up in the noise and banter of the multitude because this tumult will only lead us away from the manger of our Lord.

If we can take a moment to reflect upon the noise of our own life we will see what it is which is getting in our way of reaching out with great faith and thus also kneeling before our Lord. Possibly pride through believing that we are at the center of the world, possibly anger that rises up in ourself that leads us towards lashing out at another, possibly laziness that leads us towards failing to grow in our life of faith, possibly lust where we realize that we can never have enough to meet our needs, possibly gluttony to the point of over indulging, possibly greed which manifests itself when we are unable to give of our time talent or treasures, and possibly envy to the point where we are unhappy because our life is never as perfect as it should be. These are all manifestation of the noise and banter that was found with the multitude. They were unable to reach out and trust our Lord with their life and thus they were also unable to come and to kneel before Him.

If we desire to have the faith of the ruler or the woman we will realize the need of being able to kneel and to reach out with great faith now. As we begin this new liturgical year may we not forget this reality, but embrace it. As we head into the season of Advent may we not get caught up in the banter of the multitude, but instead embrace the season. My brothers and sisters in Christ may we truly silence the banter of sin in our life, and trust in the solace of reaching out with great faith to behold our Lord for who He truly is.

Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Homily

If you were to stop and reflect for a moment concerning Rome and then go onto envision in your mind a Church that is found there your mind would most likely be picturing Saint Peters. After all Saint Peter's Basilica is the largest Church that has ever been built and when we hear of the pope doing something in Rome it normally takes place here. To the surprise of many Saint Peter's is not the cathedral of Rome nor is it the pope's Church. That honor actually goes to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran whose dedication we have the opportunity to celebrate in today's liturgy.

It was in the year 313 that the Edict of Milan secured freedom on the behalf of all Christians. No longer would they have to fear being put to death for their practice of faith and finally they were given the freedom to worship publicly. It was at this time that land was given by Constantine to the Church to build what would become the Cathedral for the Diocese of Rome and thus a symbol of the unity that is expressed in our Catholic faith under the authority of the pope. If one were to look straight up at this Church what they would discover at the top is Christ being flanked by the saints and doctors of the Church as He triumphantly displays the Cross of Redemption to the world. It was Jesus the Saviour that this Church was originally dedicated to because this confirms to the world Christ's superiority over all the pagan gods which were ever worshiped in the city of Rome. The inscription found upon the facade of this Church reads: "Most Holy Lateran Church of All the Churches in the city and the world, the Mother and the Head."

Throughout the course of history this great cathedral has been destroyed on many occasions, but in the end it was always rebuilt to its original splendor. It was ransacked on two occasions, an earthquake nearly destroyed it, two fires nearly brought it down, and when the papacy returned to this location from time spent in France it was found in disrepair. Nevertheless earthquake, fire, vandal, nor time could bring this great Cathedral down. Yes, these many elements brought about setbacks, but these setbacks were always overcome with great faith. In the end no matter the setback that arose in the life of this great Church it was ultimately overcome with the knowledge that Jesus the Saviour triumphs over everything. Our own life is very similar to the life of this Church because no matter the setback, twist, or turn that our life takes we must always remember that it is Jesus the Saviour who triumphs and thus our life in return can always be rebuilt because hope is never lost.

As we take this day to consider the Dedication of Saint John Lateran we are given the opportunity to see how the church building is a symbol representing both the Church and our bodies. Our reading from Ezekiel as well as today's Responsorial Psalm do a good job summing up the role that the temple played for the Jewish people which is equal to the role that the Church plays within our life. In John's Gospel Christ went onto signal the end of having to offer animal sacrifice in atonement for our sins because instead He as God made man had come to triumph upon the cross as the perfect sacrifice. As Saint Paul stated in 1st Corinthians: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit dwells in you?" Through this statement we are each being invited to no longer allow our life to be destroyed through the weight of sin, but instead are being invited to allow our life to be reconstructed through the worship that we give to God within this place of worship which directs our hearts and souls to Him.

 

What takes place in Saint John Lateran is equal to what takes place in the walls of this church here in Oak Ridge. Christians who were once persecuted flocked to Saint John Lateran to join together in prayer; Christians now persecuted by the weight of sin flock here to join in prayer. Christians flocked to Saint John Lateran to offer sacrifice, and we here and now flock to this church to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that joins us to Calvary. Christians flocked to Saint John Lateran to participate within the life of the seven sacraments, and we to see this here within the walls of this Church. Here: Man and woman join together in love in Holy Matrimony, new life is celebrated through the Sacrament of Baptism, we who are hungry are fed by the Most Holy Eucharist, the weight and death of sin is absolved through Confession, those in danger of death are anointed with oil to bring spiritual healing to their life, vocations are nourished which lead many souls to desire to answer God's call to become a priest, and people are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament known as Confirmation. It is here to this church that we flock broken and torn apart, but it is from this church and what we discover within these holy walls that form our life to follow after God and to therefore allow ourself to go on to be a reflection of the Spirit that dwells within us. May we allow Christ the Saviour to come to truly triumph in our life and to therefore allow ourself to become a reflection of what takes place within the walls of this Church and thus to allow ourself to further resemble the temple of God which we have been called to resemble.

All Soul's Day Homily

At most funerals that we attend we are assured by the preacher that our loved one is now in Heaven and thus they are now numbered as one of the saints. This leaves the impression upon us that if all people go to Heaven when they die that we no longer have a need to pray for the dead. After all funerals in our modern age are commonly seen as being a celebration of a person's life instead of us realizing our need to act with charity by actually praying for their soul. Even among Catholics this mindset has seemed to seep into our thought because many are okay with not having a funeral Mass offered for them. It is said that my family is not Catholic and therefore there is no merit in having a Mass offered because after all the funeral is all about them and it is not about me. If you were to analyze the text of the Funeral Mass you would realize that the words being used are not celebrating a person's life on this earth, but instead are actually offering petition on their behalf. Yes the Funeral Mass should bring comfort and healing to people who struggle with loss because with death we encounter the hope and the joy of Christ's Resurrection, but we also come to the Funeral Mass to offer our prayers for the dead.

All Souls Day is not about veneration to the dead. That is what All Saint's Day is for because on that day we acknowledge each and every single saint that has now been joined with God in Heaven. All Souls Day is similar because those who we pray for today have already been judged as being worthy for Heaven which means that they will one day be venerated on All Saints Day, but they must first pass through the state of Purgatory. For the past fifty years there are a few options that have been given for the liturgical color of this day (white, violet, and black), but the only option prior to these fifty years was black. Black vestments symbolize for our minds the reality that we do indeed mourn with death, but they also symbolize the fact that we are sinful and thus at times miss the mark of faithfully living out our life of faith. Black vestments are not without hope because upon them we will notice grey or gold which symbolizes the great fact that in Purgatory our soul is made clean and thus one is slowly being ushered into the joys of the Heavenly Kingdom.

From the Book of Wisdom we heard: "As gold in the furnace, he proved them." This line from the Book of Wisdom is expressing the Church's teaching of Purgatory to us. Gold is placed into a furnace because this is the only way that one is able to get the impurities out of the gold. Whenever gold is placed into fire these impurities rise to the top and are next wiped away from the gold which only leaves the gold behind. This is exactly what is taking place within Purgatory concerning the souls who find themselves in this state. They have died with impurities maybe from the effects of past sin, continued attraction towards sin, or scandal that they have caused. Souls who have been tainted in this manner cannot enter directly into Heaven without first being purged of these many impurities as gold is tested in fire. As is stated to us in the Book of Revelation: "Nothing unclean will enter into Heaven." Indeed it would be painful if the opposite were true because we will still have a longing for something other then union with God when we get to Heaven. Purgatory is not to be feared because eventually all of the souls who find themselves here will be welcomed into the Heavenly Kingdom. May we assist these souls on their journey by offering our prayers and our sacrifice on their behalf. This is what scripture is telling us to do in 2nd Maccabees by saying: "He made atonement for the dead that they may be freed from sin." 

I hope that this All Soul's Day will help us to see the need to pray for the dead and to also begin to orient our own life towards God now because eventually we will face the reality of our own mortality. It is death which is the only thing that we claim that we are entitled to receive in this life therefore may we prepare ourself for it. May we also take it upon ourself to pray for the souls of our family, friends, and all souls in general. At most Catholic funerals that we attend we receive a holy card with the individual's name written on the back. When we come across these cards in books or laying on a table they serve as a reminder for our need to offer a pray on their behalf. If it is possible, today would be the perfect day to visit the cemetery where a loved one is buried and to stop and offer a prayer on their behalf. We at this parish are blessed to have the columbarium right outside of the Church making it easy for us to do so following the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Speaking of the Mass this is the perfect gift that we can give to the souls of the faithful departed. All that one has to do is go to the parish office and request a Mass to be offered for the repose of the soul of a loved one. May we always make the effort to orient our life towards Heaven while we still have the opportunity, and may we also take the time to pray for all the souls of the faithful departed which through the mercy of God may they rest in peace.

All Saints Day Homily

To those of you who go to Mass day in and day out you realize very quickly that we have many saints who we come to venerate throughout the course of the liturgical year. Of course the number of saints is not limited to those who we venerate throughout the course of the year within this parish. Different orders such as the Dominicans or Franciscans for example follow a their own liturgical calendar which may add or subtract saints venerated liturgically. One thing that a student in Confirmation class is asked to do is to pick a patron saint. Therefore they might skim through a huge book chronicling the life of the saints in order to pick the perfect saint that represents their interests or struggles. Yet again no matter how big this book is it cannot possibly contain the names of all the saints who are found in Heaven. The Solemnity of All saints is concerned with each saint that the Church has come to acknowledge by name, but this day is also about coming to venerate each and every unknown saint who has been called into communion with God in the Heavenly Kingdom. As we celebrate this day we ask for their intercession that we to at the end of our life on this earth may be numbered as one of the saints.

We should find the life of the saints to be most fascinating because each saint tells us a unique story concerning their love for God. Through their lives we are told that some loved God dearly in their youth while others came to this same understanding at a much later time in their life. We are also told how some were brought up in a life that was filled with riches and possessions while others were brought up being poor, but nevertheless both died rich because they possessed a true relationship founded upon God. The saints speak to each and every single state of our life because some were popes, some were bishops, some were priests, some were deacons, some were monks, some were sisters, some were married, and some were single. I hope in our study of the life of the saints that we to can come to see that hope is never lost for us, no matter how young or old that we be, no matter how deeply intrenched into sin we may seem to be, no matter what our state in life may be; the fact remains that we can still become saints.

This is the testimony that the life of the saints give to us. That each and every single one of us can become saints. May we truly allow all the saints of Heaven to intercede on our behalf in order that our hope may one day become a reality. The saints were never willing to simply remain in their sin, but instead they embraced the tough path of daily conversion that lead them towards further being able to participate in God's love. The saints also handed themselves over to the sacraments that Christ has given to His Church, they trusted in the strength that is found in the Holy Eucharist and they prevailed themselves to the infinite mercy of God that is found in the sacrament of Confession. May we truly allow ourself to follow after their example because in this manner they will lead us to encounter the same love that they discovered and that they shared with God. They were not made saints in the course of a day, but instead each day they had to recommit themselves to their love for Christ. Through the veneration of these many holy men and women may our heart and our soul be drawn towards this same love for God that we experience through their life. Indeed all of us are called to become a saint in Heaven; therefore may we fear not in beginning to model our life after such a purpose.