Holy Family ABC Homily

Merry Christmas!

We have just celebrated Christmas Day and thus we continue to celebrate with joy throughout this Christmas season, the joy that Christ our Lord who has been born into this world. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph which allows us to further mediate upon how God through the event of the Incarnation came to dwell with us in the very fabric of society which is the family.

So often we think of the Sacrament of Marriage as simply being the joining together of a man and woman in a lifelong bond of love. This facet of marriage is true and is something that is important for us to defend, but we must also realize how marriage brings together a man and woman and thus they become one flesh through the conjugal act and new life is brought forth. Therefore marriage creates through the joining together of two and the begetting of children, the family which is the fabric of our society. This is precisely why the sanctity of marriage must always be defended. If this sacrament is not defended we in return see the death of our culture's understanding of the family's role within society.

The family is important because through family life one enters into a community which at its core should desire to support one another and to ultimately lead one another towards God. The focal point of Christmas is Christ and thus the focal point of the family must be a love for Christ. Parents have been bestowed the sacred duty to lead their children to encounter Jesus Christ and His love. This means that they have been extended the sacred duty to do all which is possible to pass on the Catholic faith which has been established by Christ to them.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the family to which we should raise our gaze. In both Mary and Joseph we see a love for Christ which is found to be perfect. Concerning the years of Christ's childhood we don't know much, but we can say that He was raised within the context of a family by the loving care of Mary and Joseph. Here He was taught the importance of prayer through the loving example of His parents and here He was taught an understanding for Sacred Scripture.

Our first reading from the Book of Sirach instructs children to not only have love and concern for their family, but to also learn to pray. This love for prayer must be fostered within the home. This means coming to Mass as a family and frequenting the sacraments together (this includes confession). This means that despite the busyness that exists within the modern world that families learn to sacrifice time in order that they may join together to pray (maybe before a shared meal, a family rosary, time before the Blessed Sacrament, or some other practice). There are many things which families make a priority within this world, but is God one of them? Colossians further explains the love that must exist within the family. This is a love which respects all persons and thus helps to direct them towards Heaven no matter the difficulty which might lay in wait. Mary and Joseph search out their Son in our Gospel as we must continue to do each day of our life no matter the difficulty. They had great concern to find Him once they had realized that they had been separated. This love shown by Mary and Joseph should encourage us to always trudge onward in searching for Christ with the desires to be placed at the center of our life and our family.

May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph guide all families towards a perfect love for God. May we as a community of faith emulate the love that is exists within the Holy Family because this love is found to be perfect for God and His commands. From this love may we come to know Christ and thus desire to share this same love with all whom we encounter.

Christmas Homily

Merry Christmas!

This night we begin our most joyous celebration of the Christmas season. On this most holy night we acknowledge the reality that God's love for us is so great that He has sent His Only Begotten Son to come and dwell among us. He who comes is the Word made Flesh and thus God has come to dwell among us in the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Due to the coming of Christ the world has been redeemed when He presented Himself upon the wood of the cross in atonement for our sin. Christ has come to lead us towards a true knowledge and acceptance of peace.

Our world is, very much so, in need of this peace which Christ has ushered into the world some 2,000 years ago. 2,015 years removed from this event we continue to see the results of a fallen world (war and senseless violence, people who are impoverished, and sin which disassociates  the human person as being created in the imagine and likeness of God the Father) and thus we come to acknowledge how it is Christ alone comes to calm every heart. Fear is a normal human emotion; we see that with the shepherds when the angel commanded them: "Be not afraid." Why are they to "be not afraid", but because "for today a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord."

This is the same reason why we should "be not afraid." This night was not only special in the past, but it continues to transcend both time and place and thus remains special for us here and now. It is for this reason that we gather here to not only keep Christ in Christmas, but to also keep the Mass in Christmas. Christ comes here within these Sacred Mysteries and He makes Himself known to us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. It is here that He embraces each of us and tells us those words familiar not only extended to the shepherds who heard them from the voice of an angel, but to all of us who continue to hear these words proclaimed by Christ.

The shepherds may have been the first to hear the announcement of the Christmas message, but we despite our fear encounter this same angelic greeting. "For today a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord." From this we realize just like each of the shepherds that He who we come to approach is Christ our Lord. He extends from the crib His little hand and desires that we take ahold of it and except His loving embrace offered to us as He proclaims "be not afraid." We are too afraid that we are found to be weak and defenseless against our fears and struggles, but may we always remember what we come to encounter in the Christmas Crèche. For here we encounter Christ who is found small and lowly; here He is found to be defenseless and in need of the love and protection His mother, and yet He will, in time, triumph upon the cross and usher true peace into this world. This is the peace in which we are in search of and may we not be afraid in coming to accept this peace into our life.

May we come to trust in the Christmas message that has been proclaimed to us tonight. May the message which is contained here penetrate into our life. Through our experience with Christ in this most sacred season, may we be not afraid, but instead may we come to trust with the confidence of faith that "today a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord."

4th Sunday of Advent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

This is our final time together before we embark upon the season of Christmas. Therefore this liturgy serves as our final reminder that we must "prepare the way for the Lord." Saint John the Baptist serves as the forerunner to Christ in all things including death. Therefore we see him coming out of the desert and heading into the countryside to call all people to repentance. Christ, like John the Baptist, headed out of the desert after a period of prayer and went forth to call all people to come and to follow after Him.

John the Baptist is calling all people to be prepared for the coming of this Messiah. Therefore he invites people to enter into baptism. This is not a baptism equal to the baptism that Christ extends, but nevertheless this baptism prepares hearts and souls to accept the Messiah who will soon reveal Himself to them. We know this Messiah to be Jesus Christ because He has revealed Himself to us and to this world. It was for this reason that we were brought into new life through baptism and thus our eyes were opened wide through the washing away of original sin.

In this Mass' Collect we petition: "stir up Thy power." To stir something up brings what was idle into motion. To stir up is to mix something in with another substance. This is exactly what God desires to do with us as we enter into this Christmas season. If we have grown idle in our practice of faith may we allow God to set us back into motion. May we accept the grace that God desires to bestow upon us and mix it into our life instead of so easily rejecting it by that way that we choose to live our life.

Saint John the Baptist desires that we prepare the way for the Lord because he understands that the one who we await is the Messiah. May we come to this same understanding and do all that we are able to in order to welcome this great gift into the world. There is no greater gift that can be known or encountered then the gift that is God made Flesh. On Christmas, God becomes Flesh and He comes here to dwell among us in the little town of Bethlehem. Through this reality the world has forever been changed because we have come to see the love which God has in store for each of us.

Here in our midst will come this same gift for which we now await. For here at this Mass, Christ will come to dwell with each of us in form of bread and wine. If we cannot approach the Altar of God to worthily receive the Eucharist how can we propose that we can invite Christ into this world on Christmas morning? To receive the Eucharist is to receive Christ and to allow Him to be the one who sets straight the path of our life in order that we may be sent forth from here stirred up in our practice of faith.

May we come to invite this great joy into our life and may we joyfully enter into the season of Christmas to dwell with the Word Made Flesh who continues to come here to dwell among us.

3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

On this Gaudete Sunday we rejoice for the Lord is near.

Throughout this season of Advent we have been continuously reminded of our need to prepare ourself for the one who is to come. Last week Saint John the Baptist commanded us in the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." This week he further exhorts us to turn away from our sin because the one who is coming "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Time is speedily moving along and therefore we must do something with the time that has been extended unto us. At this time of the year many are running about stressed by the fact that Christmas will soon be here. There is stress because there is still shopping to be done, cards to be filled out, and decorations to be put up around the home. Despite these many anxieties and the  others which exist from within this world we are instructed to "rejoice."

We "rejoice" because what we are moving towards is a tranquility and peace which this world is very much so in need of. The world has a longing to encounter Jesus Christ for it is here alone in which the reality of peace can be found. We "rejoice" today because the path which has been set before us to encounter Christ is forever growing shorter. The end is in sight! We are not building up a level of stress, but instead we as Christians await Christ with joyful expectation.

If we are filled with joyful expectation at the reality in which we await we in return will prevail ourself to the mercy of God. Towards God's mercy we come with a contrite heart and are made clean. The chaff that is separated from the wheat by the winnowing fan will be burned for it is found without use. We do not want to become this chaff which falls away. Rather we should prevail ourself to God's mercy and be made clean.

As a Church we embarked upon the Year of Mercy on December 8th which was our celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On this day the "Holy Doors" were opened by Pope Francis at Saint Peter's in Rome. Doors are a passageway which leads us from sin towards forgiveness, death towards life, and chaff towards wheat. It is not enough to be content with our life if we have closed ourself off from conversion and receiving God's mercy. This door remains open for you, but one must desire it to enter through it.

So let us "rejoice" for our Lord is merciful. As a child is drawn towards a present found under the Christmas tree with great anticipation on Christmas morning, so should we be concerning God's mercy. There is a lot for us to prepare for in these days which lay ahead, but may we always be found "rejoicing" at the Lord's coming. We should rush towards this gift of God's mercy that has been extended towards us with joy and gladness as we "rejoice" at the Lord's coming.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Throughout the Advent season we desire to form ourself into a worthy dwelling place who is fit for Christ to come and dwell among us. The Immaculate Conception is the point in history where Mary was prepared to be a worthy dwelling place for the coming of God made Flesh. Defined by Pope Pius IX the Immaculate Conception is the reality that Mary was conceived free from the stain of Original Sin. It is from this reality that she is further depicted as standing upon the head of the cursed serpent who lead Adam and Eve astray.

In our world many have been tricked by the cunning of the devil, but we must continue to hold firm in our practice of faith. We do not have to give into the lies that he presents unto our ears because Mary reflects the path which leads towards an encounter with Jesus Christ. Some fear that God's mercy cannot be extended into their life, but this is untrue. Through the event of the Immaculate Conception we can confidently proclaim that Satan has been trampled under foot and thus there is always hope to cast the cloak of sin behind and to be sent forth as a new creation in Christ.

The angel Gabriel's greeting is very important for us to understand. "Hail, full of grace."  Some translations of scripture use the word "favor" over the word "grace." "Grace" on the other hand holds true to the Greek word used and thus reveals to us at whose expense this celebration of the Immaculate Conception is given. "Grace" is a gift which is given by God. "Grace" is not a gift which we can give to ourself. Through the Immaculate Conception Mary perfectly received God's grace into her life to the point where she became the perfect vessel for God to come and dwell.

Today also marks for us the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. What a perfect gift extended unto the Church on a day such as this where our Blessed Mother was extended the gift of God's grace in such abundance. May we set our eyes upon God's mercy and thus desire to welcome it into our life. From the reception of such an abundance of mercy may we be sent into the world to lead others to come and encounter Christ and His mercy. The Year of Mercy is not for you and me who are gathered here alone, but instead it has been showered upon the world as a whole. We can see this from Christ's total offering of self upon the cross.

From Pope Francis' letter to welcome the Church into the Year of Mercy: "When faced with the gravity of sin, God responds with the fullness of mercy." The sin of Adam and Eve led to the mercy of God being showered upon us through the Word taking on human flesh. This event was only possible through the Immaculate Conception for it was here that she was made into a dwelling place which was fit for God to come and dwell. We see the effects of sin upon our life and upon this world, but may we in return never lose sight of God's mercy which springs up as a response from God's love.

May we allow the Blessed Mother to always intercede on our behalf and thus may we allow her to open wide the doors of the Father's mercy for us. She desires to lead us towards Christ and thus assists us in making ourself a worthy dwelling place for her Son to come and dwell.

2nd Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

Saint John the Baptist is the great forerunner who has been sent out to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He serves as a voice which draws souls to come and encounter Christ and thus too when they come to behold Him that they may be found able to accept Him. The season of Advent concerns itself with assisting us in not only coming to behold the Messiah who is drawing close, but to also begin to set straight the paths of our life in order that we may come to behold Him more clearly.

We live in the midst of a world that has cast itself into the baroness of the desert, but we in return do not have to remain lost here. Jesus Christ invites us to pass out of this desert and thus "put on the splendor of glory from God." Prior to our baptism we were found lost within this desert, but thanks to the gift of our baptism we have journeyed away from here towards God. Why would we ever want to confuse ourself into turning back towards our former way of life instead of continuing to journey onward towards Christ?

Not only does John the Baptist reecho these words taken from the Prophet Isaiah that we heard proclaimed in today's Gospel, but later He will come to behold Christ with his own eyes and proclaim to all with great faith: "Behold the Lamb of God." We hear these same words proclaimed to us before we receive the Eucharist and thus invite Christ the sacrificial lamb into our life. The Eucharist is the food that comes down from Heaven and thus encourages us onward towards Heaven. It is food for the journey that we may not lose faith and hope and turn back towards the enslavement of our former way of life, but instead that we may always look forward by putting "on the splendor of glory from God."

How we come to accept the Eucharist into our life is exactly how we come to accept Christ into our life. This is true because Christ is the Eucharist where the Lamb of God is to be encountered. We set straight the path of our life, not for some unknown moment, but instead for today when we invite Christ in the Eucharist into our life. From the Second Letter of Saint Peter: "be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him."

Therefore I invite you to come before the Lord and present yourself to Him. What are the fears and worries of your life? Present them unto the Lord! How has your life entered into the baroness of the desert? Present it unto the Lord! Perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a great gift because at any hour of the day, in the midst of any struggle or need, you can come before the Lord and present all before Him. Our world is filled with stories of tragedy; tragedy which we cannot fix on our own, but fear not to present your needs unto the Lord! For here alone can all things be made well.

Let us come to humbly pray before Christ who is present with us in the Eucharist. May we come to behold the Lamb of God who continues to present Himself unto us under the presence of bread and wine. In the Eucharist Christ continues to come before us to dwell; let us make straight the path for all shall see the salvation of God.

1st Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

"Adventus" is the Latin word meaning "to come." Therefore, throughout the Advent season we prepare ourself for the coming of Christ as He is ushered into this world through the event of His first coming. We must also remember as we come to proclaim in the mystery of faith, "until you come again." This is to say that there will be a second coming of our Blessed Lord when He will come again in the fullness of divine power. This second Advent will be most important because through it we will be obliged to accept this King of Justice fully into our life. During this season that has now been set before us may we stay on watch for the coming of our Lord and thus allow the truth contained within the Gospels to penetrate into our heart.

Saint Paul admonished the Thessalonians to stay awake in order that we may "be blameless in holiness before our God and Father." The season of Advent serves as the reminder of the coming of the Son of God not only at Christmas, but also through the second coming. If we are convinced that this is a coming reality we must stay awake and remain prepared because this is the message that is contained within the Gospels. Quoting from Luke's Gospel: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy."

We must ask ourself, therefore, how we are to remain awake and prepared for our Lord's coming. There are many ways that this can be fostered within one's home, but I propose two things: Confession and the Eucharist. These two sacraments go hand in hand!

Saint Paul proclaims that we must "throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Entrusting ourself to the Sacrament of Reconciliation brings us to the Lord's mercy. Making a confession casts off the darkness of sin and restores us to the light of sanctifying grace. On Thursday our parish will hold its penance service at 7pm. We will have a total of nine priests here who will be hearing confessions. Also, don't forget to make use of our new confession times which begin thirty minutes prior to every Sunday obligation Mass. If we are to climb the mountain of the Lord we must make straight the path that has been set before us. If it has been ten, twenty, thirty, or sixty years since your last confession do not fear the Lord's mercy. If you don't know how to make a confession don't let that excuse get in the way of the Lord's mercy. If you don't understand the purpose of confession swallow your pride and entrust yourself to God's mercy.

Only through the mercy of God can we come to truly see Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ pours Himself out of love to each of us through the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Savior. We as a parish are blessed to have  a perpetual adoration chapel. We are blessed because people are constantly praying within this chapel. Do we want to reform our life, do we want to restore life to this parish, do we want to promote vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and marriage? Then come before Christ and pray. Learn to sacrifice your time and as a family let yourself be formed by Jesus Christ the divine teacher. We are busy, but there is nothing greater then a relationship with Jesus Christ and we as a Church are blessed with His presence under the form of bread and wine.

Therefore may we desire to journey unto the mountain of the Lord and may we remain awake for Christ is indeed coming soon. 

Christ the King Year B Homily

Today we celebrate the final Sunday of the Liturgical Year through this celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King. Next Sunday we embark upon the season of Advent and thus we will begin to long for He who is known as "Rex Pacificus" "The King of Peace" who is Christ our Lord who was born in that little town of Bethlehem. 

This Solemnity further serves as a reminder of this world's need for this great King of Peace. Time and time again throughout the history of the world we have seen a rejection of this reality and thus too we have see the consequences. For this reason Pope Pius XI instituted this feast on the liturgical calendar in 1925 thus proclaiming Christ's royalty over us as individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.

Quoting Pope Pius XI from his encyclical letter, "Quas Primas" "In the First": "These manifold evils in the world are due to the fact that the majority of men have thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these have no place either in private affairs or in politics: and that as long as individuals and states refuse to submit to the rule of our Savior, there will be no hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Only Christ, the Prince of Peace, is able to restore in the heart of human society the reign of justice, love and peace which has been shattered by sin and by the rejection—public and private—of God's law. That is why we must work every day to establish the "peace of Christ through the reign of Christ," that is to say the fruitful union of faith and of the fatherland, the Church and the State."

We see these effects mentioned by Pope Pius XI played out upon the world in what seems to be a constant basis. We have seen this most recently played out in France only a week ago when terror struck their nation. We see this played out constantly as we are thrust into a world of fear and doubt which desires to remove Christ from the public sphere. Where Christ is not found we will never come to know peace!

In the heart that has been hardened by sin; peace cannot be found. Why, but because in the midst of sin we have pushed Christ the King of Peace from our midst. We have come to prefer chaos over peace. This utter rejection of Christ leads to the world's miseries because what we see here is a rejection of this great King and thus the peace that He brings.

May each of us come to reciprocate the peace that Christ has ushered into this world. Where our life is shattered under the weight of sin may we turn towards the spirit of conversion which alone can usher peace into our life and world. May families allow themselves to be modeled after the peace of Christ which always shines forth from the tranquility of the Holy Family. If we desire to discover peace within this world we must entrust ourself to Christ who is the King of Peace.

May we allow our mind and heart to be elevated towards this great King for here alone can we come to discover peace

All Souls' Day Homily

Tonight is about illumination. We notice the darkness of the outside and yet from that darkness always shines forth new light. Today families processed into the Church with a lit candle and left them near the side altar of Saint Joseph who is the patron of a happy death. This candle professes Christ's saving action upon cross which through the Resurrection which brought light into a world cast into darkness. Through sin we have been cast into darkness, but Christ continues to illumine us to our proper light. In death we mourn, but in Christ our hearts are illumined as we trust in the reality of the Resurrection. We now gather and pray that all the souls of the faithful departed may be illumined towards the proper splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom.

What we attend today is a type of Funeral Mass where we come together to join our prayers and to offer them unto the Father on the behalf of all the faithful departed. It is important that we continue to offer our prayers, sacrifices, and the Holy Mass for the dead. Some claim that this practice is foolish, but Sacred Scripture instructs us differently in the Book of Maccabees: "for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death." The Gospels use the analogy of gold passing through a furnace in order that it's impurities may pass out of it.

We cannot allow ourself to lose the sight of this most important work of praying for the dead. The faithful departed who we commemorate this day were found worthy of Heaven at the point of their death, but they must first pass through Purgatory in order that they may be brought towards the great light of Heaven. Sin stains our soul and leaves behind the effects of temporal punishment. Our prayers and sacrifices help to take these temporal punishments away and to slowly bring the souls of the dead to the light of Heaven. 

If you were to throw a rock into a body of water you would see the water ripple. This is the effect of the rock which was thrown. If a child were to be throwing a football in the house and was to break a window we would see the effect of his action. The parent would then punish the child with being grounded for six months. Then through the good works of the child the parent decides to lower their punishment to three months. This is an analogy of temporal punishment and the effect that our prayers have upon the faithful departed.

In this vestment we see black which reminds us of the reality of sin and of death. This color gives us the permission to mourn, but at the same time we notice the silver and gold. This is what is taking place in the souls of the faithful departed as we pray for them. They are slowly being brought to the light of Heaven.

There is a story of a priest who asked another priest to offer the Mass for him once he died. Upon hearing the news of the priest's passing he quickly went to offer the Mass on his behalf. Once the Mass was finished the priest appeared to him and asked why it had taken him 30 years to have this Mass offered. May we not delay in the seriousness of what we are able to do to assist these holy souls. As we pray them, they in time will brought into Heaven, that will make them a saint, and then they will be able to pray for us that we may one day join with them in the Heavenly Kingdom.

As we reflect upon death may we also come to reflect upon our own life. If we have an unconfessed mortal sin upon our soul may we fear not in taking it to confession. May we practice penance and sacrifice in order that we may become detached from venial sin. May we do the same concerning the effects of temporal punishment that is upon our own soul. We must strive for sanctity and always be open to turning towards the infinite mercy of God.

May all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All Saints' Day Homily

In every Mass there is what is known as the fracturing rite. This is when the priest takes the host ,which has been consecrated, and breaks it in half. He then breaks off a small particle of the host and places it into the chalice. These three pieces of the host are symbolic of the Church which is divided among three realities. There is the Church Triumphant (which is those who now reign with God in Heaven and thus are forever known as saints), the Church Penitent (which is those who are now in Purgatory and very much so are in need of our prayers and sacrifices), and the Church Militant (which is all of us on this earth who must continue to persevere onward towards the Heavenly Kingdom).

Throughout the next couple of days the Church places its focus upon this reality in a most special way. Today we place our attention upon the Church Triumphant as we call upon all the saints to intercede on our behalf. On Monday our attention will be shift towards the Church Penitent as we recall the need to pray for all of the dead. And finally we as the Church Militant see our goal in life which is to embrace death in confidence as we place our sight upon Heaven with our desire to be numbered as one of the saints. No matter which of these three realities that one finds themselves within we can claim with the confidence of faith that Christ's offering of self upon the cross effects all of these realities.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church's calendar is filled with with the names of many saints, but we must also remember that anyone who is in Heaven known or unknown by name is a saint. The saints have lived lives which were worthy of Heaven. Each saint tells a different story, but at the story's conclusion they were found worthy of Heaven. It is now their duty to give proper adoration to God in a most perfect way as they are able to join with Moses in seeing God face to face. They now forever look upon us and pray for our behalf that we too may enter into this most beautiful relationship with God.

We, on the other hand, must continue to strive to be like them. It would be an error for us to think that sainthood is out of our reach; if we were to hold onto this notion we at the same time would be proclaiming that Heaven is an impossibility for us. We are the Church Militant because we find ourselves on this earth and thus we must continue to do battle with Satan and all of the evil spirits who prowl about this earth seeking the ruin and loss of souls. As the Church Militant we must remain obedient to our state in life and at the same time fight against the enemy who desires our soul. Sainthood is not out of reach for us, but we must strive to achieve this goal.

The Solemnity of All Saints proclaims this goal to us. It encourages us onward towards sainthood. It forces us to realize the importance of dying in the state of grace; because once we pass through the effects of Purgatory we will be assured of our Heavenly reward. May we turn close to all of the saints this day and entrust ourself to their care, especially to our Blessed Mother. Our Blessed Mother always leads us towards her Son and thus she points the way towards the Heavenly Kingdom for all of us. Each and every one of us are called to be saints, but do we truly believe this path to be possible? Each and every one of us are called to be saints, but do we desire to be numbered as one of them?

May all the angels and saints of Heaven , pray for us, and may they lead us onward towards the Kingdom of Heaven.

30th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Bartimaeus' eyes were thrust open and thus he was finally able to behold the Face of God. This story is reminiscent of the path towards illumination that the unbaptized of our RCIA class find them-self in the midst of. Very soon at the Easter Vigil they will be thrust into the waters of baptism and will rise forth from them with their eyes being cast open to behold the glory of God. For us our eyes were cast open through our baptism, but the reality of sin continues to plague us with the sole purpose of leaving our eyes closed to Christ and His saving works.

Through the Gospel of Saint Mark we are being invited to enter into a period of conversion where we leave behind that which blinds us and thus begin to see the face of Christ more and more. Following having his eyes cast open it was the Messiah who was the first that Bartimaeus was able to set his eyes upon. Are our eyes truly set entirely upon the Messiah or have we become blind to this reality? Maybe in the casualness of life we don't even realize that we have lost the sight of Christ. Bartimaeus knew that his sight was gone and yet it was through his faith that his eyes were finally cast open.

Christ never encounters a sinner and leaves them unchallenged to persevere in their sin. To Bartimaeus He commanded: "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Christ has come to claim each of us to be His sons and daughters through the waters of baptism. We were claimed not to grow blind and lose sight, but we were claimed in order that we could be sent forth to proclaim and see the glory of God. It is so easy to get distracted upon this path and to lose sight, but instead of giving into this temptation we must trust in the Sacraments of the Church to keep our eyes cast open instead of allowing them to fall asleep under the burden of years.

Through the vision of the Messiah that Bartimaeus received he was sent forth on the Way towards Everlasting Life. We too are invited to see this vision and to set out upon it. The Way that Christ sends us out upon is not a path which only concerns us and our needs alone, but this Way connects us to God, to our neighbor, and to the life of the Church. So often we get closed in upon our own needs and thus lose sight of the Community of Faith as we turn inwards upon ourself and our own needs.

We have chosen this Sunday to be Stewardship Sunday for our parish. Stewardship is a question of supporting the financial well being of our parish and it is a question of how we can better give of our time and talents to make the Kingdom of Heaven manifest to those around us. We cannot encounter Christ, like Bartimaeus, and become closed in upon ourself (like the apostles who rebuked him and commanded him to remain silent). Instead our encounter with Christ sends us forth from here with the mission to see Christ more clearly each day by putting sin to death. This encounter with Christ gives us a glimpse of the Church as being a Community of Faith to which we must serve through our time, talents, and treasure.

May our eyes truly be opened as the eyes of Bartimaeus were in order that we may see and proclaim the greater glory of God.

21st Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Sin is serious business even if our culture rejects its existence. We notice in our Gospel a man who owed a serious amount of money. This is representative of a sum which is so great that it is impossible for it to be paid back. Through the invitation of mortal sin into our life we amass this great debt. This is a debt that we cannot pay back through our own merit no matter how much the Angels and saints of Heaven intercede on our behalf. Instead we must contritely beg for the forgiveness of God and move forth with proper amendment of life. God alone is the merciful judge who awaits our return to Him.

Upon being forgiven of his great debt this man runs into someone who owes him slightly. Despite the abundance of forgiveness that he had received from God, he is unable to share what he received with others. We desire the forgiveness of God through the Sacrament of Confession and yet at the same time we find it hard to share the mercy in which we receive with others. The purpose of this parable is to inform us of the vast mercy of God and thus too our own need to be merciful with those whom we encounter.

It is sad to see a family who has been torn apart following the death of a loved one. Especially when the root cause of this breakdown is greed brought about through inheritance rites. It sad to see them attach on to something such as this and not be able to share the mercy of God with those of their own family. We must ask ourself what grudge and offense made against us do we still passionately hold onto. We must pray for the grace to be merciful as the King in our Gospel was merciful. In the words of James chapter 2 verse 13: "For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."

My dear brethren, God has great patience for each of us. May we likewise have patience for those whom we encounter in life. Those like us are found to be imperfect, but it is easier to be concerned with the imperfection of others while ignoring our own faults. From Saint Matthew's Gospel: " Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye."

We must therefore take the words of our Epistle to heart. If we want to avoid sin always and thus follow after the commands of God we must follow Saint Paul by putting "on the armor of God." If we want to become patient and merciful with our brothers and sisters in Christ we must do so by putting "on the armor of God." We must therefore take the truth contained within the Gospels and study them always that we may proclaim the same truth. We must put "on the armor of God" as we strengthen ourself in the spirit of prayer and partake of the life of the sacraments.

             

This day may we always be willing to receive the mercy of God and not fall into the state of serious sin. May we share the forgiveness God with those who transgress against us. May we grow in the virtue of patience that we not lash out in anger, but realize God who dwells within the human person. In all things may God be glorified.

28th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." Here Jesus is making a profound statement to this man. He is instructing him that he has not simply come to after follow another teacher (one among many), but instead the one who he now beholds is God (the only one). Teachers lead the way towards truth, but God is truth itself. This man could have decided to follow many different paths, but instead he had come to encounter the ultimate way towards truth. For this man to attain the rewards of eternal life he is not to see just another good teacher who now stands before him, but is to see the Savior who is the only teacher.

In our modern world we like to take the practice of religion down to it's lowest common denominator. Most often this seems to be stated: "be nice to everyone." Quoting Saint Luke's version of the Golden Rule: "Do to others what you would want them to do to you." Yes, Christianity must follow this principle, but we also must remember that we have also been instructed: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength and with all your mind.' And, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself." This is exactly where Jesus was taking this man in our Gospel. He was attempting to make him realize that He was not simply a teacher who is one found among many, but instead is the full expression of truth itself which must always be embraced.

From Saint John's Gospel: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Do we really believe that Jesus is the way towards happiness? Do we really believe that Jesus is the truth that must always be defended? Do we really believe that Jesus is the way towards life? So often we avoid this way because we are not willing to let go of all that holds us back. So often we are not willing to accept that truth is real especially in matters of faith and morals. So often we are not willing to see the value of the cross from which springs forth true life. Are we in search of a good teacher or do we come here in search of God? Is it our desire to follow a teacher or is it our desire to follow God who is expressed to us through the fullness of our faith?

I find the posture that this man in our Gospel takes in encountering Christ to be most interesting. We notice that he does not come to Him standing and towering before Him, but instead he takes on a posture of lowliness as he humbly kneels before Him. His posture is reflective of the very fact that he was coming to embrace Christ. Our life is in need of Christ and is in need of His direction. We will not be sent forth from His presence to be lost in error or in hardship, but we will be embraced as He leads us out into the abundant harvest of the Lord. We should take time to allow Christ to guide us towards encountering truth and happiness. The youth of our parish should humble them self before Him that they may be guided in their vocation. We need priests, consecrated religious, and good and holy marriages that are founded upon Christ. The married and ordained should humble them self before Christ to allow them self to be kept on track towards everlasting life. Each of us are in need of Christ and the truth in which He extends into our life now matter how hard or difficult it may be to understand.

When we come to encounter Christ we can allow no earthly good to take priority over us. Christ is not just another good teacher, but He is the Messiah who has come to save us from our enslavement towards sin. Christ desires that we follow after Him and thus the truth that He always presents to us. Are we prepared to kneel and humbly follow wherever it may be in which Christ is currently calling us to follow?

27th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

May we remember to pray for the Synod on the Family which to take place in Rome.

Our Gospel is pretty straight forward concerning the indissolubility of marriage.

This is not something which is open for debate.

"What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder."

It is fm this passage of Sacred Scripture in which the Church proclaims with Christ that the bond of marriage cannot be broken.

It was from the very beginning that marriage was to join two together to become one flesh. This bond cannot be broken.

In our culture today we see a throwaway attitude.

If something is no longer pleasant and interesting it is to be cast off in an instant.

We no longer see the value of coming to embrace sacrifice, but instead desire to avoid it at all costs.

It is therefore hard to fathom from a cultural perspective that two can join together and remain that way for all of their life.

We as Christians need to find ways to proclaim the true meaning of marriage to the world.

The answer is not to throw away the indissolubility of marriage; because it was Christ who elevated marriage to the status of a sacrament and therefore returned it to its original purpose which was meant to be from the creation of the world.

Instead we as Christians must trust in the Sacrament that has been given to us and we must find ways to support each other in the faithful living out of our vocation.

Our alleluia verse proclaims: "God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us."

We must begin to trust in the fact that each sacrament bestows grace upon us.

The grace which is given in marriage is all that is necessary to live out a good and holy marriage.

No, marriage does not mean that life is to be easy. The vows them self state that: "in good times and in bad." This is a proclamation of the unknown and all that comes with it.

Nevertheless, no matter how difficult the "sickness" or the "bad" we do not have to give into this throw away culture, but we as Christians must begin to find ways to witness to the world the true beauty of marriage and the family.

Pope Saint John Paul II wrote concerning the family in the modern world. In it he stated: "to bear witness to the inestimable value of the indissolubility and fidelity of marriage is one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time."

And so again this is not an issue for the Church, but is an invitation for us to become true witnesses of marriage and family in the modern world who can begin to change our throw away culture of self gratification.

Marriage is a great proclamation of unity. Therefore couples should always draw close to the Most Holy Eucharist.

Couples must also realize their need of forgiveness and thus return to the Sacrament of Confession which restores that which has been broken by sin.

May we always remember to pray for all married couples that they may be strengthened in their bonds of unity. 

May we pray, also, for the divorced that they will receive healing from Christ and the embracing of His Holy Cross.

May we be sent forth from here as true Christian witnesses to the Sacrament of Marriage who are willing to build up a culture which professes the indissolubility of marriage and thus the fruits that this sacrament brings into the world.   

26th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Truth is a straight path which leads us towards God. So often we turn inwardly upon ourself thus closing ourself off from the mercy and forgiveness of God the Father. We thus no longer look out upon this straight path, but closed ourself off from the truth in which it present to our life. Our Psalm petitions that we may be kept: "blameless and innocent of serious sin." Through the action of sin we become closed in upon ourself and thus fail to give service to God and our neighbor.

We cannot allow ourself to lead others into scandal because through scandal we lead others away from the ability to faithfully live out the commandments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church even instructs us that laws and social structures are able to give rise to scandal. We as people of faith must always stand against anything that stands in the way of being able to serve the "common good." The "common good" is a universal truth that must always be upheld because at its core it respects the human person who was created in the image and likeness of God the Father.

If we paid attention to Pope Francis' address of Congress we would of time and time again heard him refer to the "common good" and thus how it must always be protected. Religion simply does not serve a political party and its political agenda. The pope is neither Democrat nor Republican, but instead is the loving Shepherd of the Universal Church. Therefore he spoke concerning many issues which must always be of concern to us because they are not political issues, but instead serve the common good. Therefore we must be concerned with the sanctity of human life from conception to a natural death, the need to protect the environment, the need to defend the family from harm, and thus the need to defend anything that respects the human person who was created in the image and the likeness of God the Father.

Our second reading from Saint James speaks concerning the rich and how they have grown complacent as they no longer see the needs of those who they are to serve. "The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." I hope that our pope's visit to our nation will impact our life and thus that we will not simply remain complacent in our practice of faith, but instead may be sent forth from here to do whatever is necessary for us to serve the "common good." The "common good" which respects the pursuit of God and thus the flourishing of the human person as one who was created in the image and the likeness of God.

May we be sent forth from this place as true disciples who have been sent out into the Harvest of the Lord not to pursue one's own pursuit of worldliness. Instead may we be sent forth from here with the Christian desire to share our faith with all those whom we encounter and thus do all things for the greater glory of God.

25th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

The Kingdom of Heaven does not come as easily as we would like to believe. In our modern world we enjoy so many luxuries which at their root attempt to make our life easier. It has become a goal to simplify life as much as possible in order that work may be eliminated. To think for a moment of the concept of a genie. All that one has to do is rub a lamp and out pops a genie to grant you your heart's desire. You don't have to sacrifice for it, but you get it on the spot without the application of any work. We so often chase after the many luxuries of this world, but we fail to elevate our mind to our ultimate goal which should be the Kingdom of Heaven. If the Kingdom of Heaven is indeed our ultimate goal we in return should work for it by taking up the cross and coming to follow after Christ.

In our Gospel the apostles were still trying to figure things out for themselves. They were again reminded about the coming reality of the cross, but yet again they did not understand what was being revealed unto them. The apostles showed that they were still worldly minded because they were not concerned with the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, but instead they were found concerned with who among them was to be the greatest. They desired to be elevated within their pride thus at the same time rejecting the cross that had been revealed to them. To accept the cross is to be made lowly instead of being exalted. To accept the cross is to work within the abundant Harvest of the Lord instead of remaining lazy as if everything has already been owed to us.

This child placed in their midst is a total rejection of this worldly attitude that has been made manifest. This child serves as a reminder of the poor and lowly who so often go unnoticed by the human eye. This child does not posses wealth nor authority. This child is in need of the loving care of a parent in order that they may be taken care of. This child symbolizes the same humility and lowering of self that is necessary for each of us. We are all in need of God's divine providence. We are all in need of the freedom that is found not in possessions, money, nor authority, but instead that which is found through God alone.

We spend so much of our time preparing not for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, but instead for the here and the now. We avoid the cross and thus at the same time we attempt to make this world into our paradise. Exempt from God and thus too the cross, our life will never be made perfect. We must learn to come to embrace the cross because the cross points the way towards Everlasting Life. In the world to come it will not matter how successful we were nor how highly exalted that we have been, but instead our relationship to Christ and His teachings will reign supreme. This world in which we live has set out with an atheistic attitude which attempts suppress God, but this suppression is an impossibility. We cannot give into the tides of our culture which attempt to banish God from the public square because at the same time we show that we do not serve God, but our pursuit for wordiness.

The Ancient Church grew like a massive fire set to a dry forest. Why? But because the apostles eventually understood what it was that Christ was demanding of them. When the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost they realized that they were called to go out as apostles and gather more souls to Christ. They realized that they would be persecuted on account of Him and yet they still went out to serve. From this action they, with the fervor of faith, came to embrace their own martyrdom. In return, we in this day and age, are called to be sent forth from here with this same fervor of faith. We are called not to exalt ourselves nor to give into the pursuit of worldliness. This will never lead souls to encounter Christ and His Church. Instead may we abandon all that ails us and in return finally take up our cross and allow it to lead us into a greater relationship with Christ and His Church. In this manner we prepare not for an earthly kingdom, but instead for the Kingdom of Heaven which will never pass away. 

24th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Every Sunday and Solemnity we get the opportunity to make a Profession of Faith also known as the Creed.

This is our statement of "I believe" and thus shows our perfect profession of the Christian faith that has been handed down to us from Christ to His apostles.

These words should penetrate into your very heart and soul because they are representative of our Christian belief.

In our Gospel we encountered Saint Peter who was the first of the apostles to profess Christ as the Messiah with His lips and yet He was also the first of the apostles to reject the news of our Lord's Passion.

And so Christ asked His apostles: "But who do you say that I am?"

This is the fundamental question of our Christian faith which we come to profess with our lips whenever we recite the Creed.

Christ is not desiring an opinion from us, but is calling us towards a true radical proclamation that is made out of faith. A faith that will never falter no matter the cross that we must endure.

Saint James instructed us to where this faith is leading by stating: "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works is dead." 

Our faith is the very fiber of who we are. If we are to come to profess Christ with our lips as we do in the Creed; we in return must be sent forth from here to live the Christian faith in its entirety.

To live it by our life. To live it through our relationship to our neighbor. To live it by the way in which we act charitably towards others. In other words we are sent forth from here to live the fullness of faith which is proclaimed by the Church and in return we should desire to share this same truth with all those whom we encounter.

For the apostles this was the first occasion of three where they were instructed concerning the event of our Lord's Passion.

This statement challenges them and their faith and thus Saint Peter in his spontaneity begins to protest.

Despite our own Profession of Faith which we make with our lips we too get caught up in our own passions and in return begin to reject the Christian faith.

Catholicism is not a popularity contest of popular vote. Catholicism is not a buffet line where we get to pick and choose what we want to believe or reject.

Our faith is not one of comfortability where we can grow lazy and loose sight under the burden of years. Our faith is not a rejection of works where we fail to have concern for the imprisoned, sick, or poor.

Faith demands of us a perfect love for God and our neighbor.

Faith demands of us a true Profession of Faith where we are not only speaking words, but are allowing these words spoken to penetrate into our heart and soul and thus in return become a part of who we are.

The Christian faith is not always easy and thus Christ commands His apostles to take up His cross and to follow after Him.

Christ does not desire a short-lived enthusiasm or an occasional dedication from us, but instead desires an unmoving faith.

A faith that does not waver with the test of time. A faith that does not waver with the hardship that gives rise inside of our life.

Instead of faltering may we come to embrace the cross in all of its weight and thus prevail ourself to the New Life which springs forth from it through the Resurrection.

May we truly come to profess Christ with our lips this day as Saint Peter was able to do and in return may we be sent forth from here with a true faith which will never falter when we come face to face with the reality of the cross. 

23rd Sunday of OT Year B Homily

From the Rite of Baptism: "The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father."

If we are take this baptismal reality upon ourself we must question how we can further hear the Word of God and profess this same Word with our lips.

Saint Thomas Aquinas instructs us that we must hand on "what we have contemplated in prayer."

Therefore, if we are to both hear and profess the Word of the Lord we in return must learn to sit in the silent presence of Christ entering into contemplative prayer.

It is no secret that world in which we live is filled with a lot of noise. We fear silence because we do not know what to do with it.

If you think that silence is easy I challenge you to take a day to enter into silence. Silence by not talking, not watching television, not listening to music, turning off your phone, and see what it does to you.

We must learn to reclaim our relationship with God because this relationship is often pushed to the side when something gives rise which is seemingly more important.

The world is a noisy place; we cannot deny that. Therefore, we must realize that the Church as the building is the place to which we can flock to bring silence to our life.

When we flock towards the Church we find ourself in the presence of Christ our sovereign Lord.

The presence of Christ is felt here in this place because it is Christ who is the one present with us in the tabernacle.

If you are being attentive you would realize that the tabernacle has now been veiled. The veil serves as a reminder of our Lord's presence.

In the temple a veil hung to symbolize the presence of God and thus through this veil now placed upon the tabernacle may we too be assured of God's presence with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga states that he received Communion once a week and that he was accustomed to spend three days in preparation before it and three days in thanksgiving after it.

The Eucharist, therefore, is a great gift because we come into contact with Christ the healer. We come into contact with Him while inside of this Church and we commune with Him through the Eucharist.

From a recent homily given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: "The truth, love, and goodness which come from God render man pure; and truth, love, and goodness are encountered in the Word, which frees us from 'forgetfulness' in a world which no longer thinks of God."

Therefore may we learn to enter into this silence amidst the busyness of this world. From this silence we will come to encounter Christ who desires to touch us with His healing touch.

Through Christ alone will we be given the ability to hear the Word of God and to respond to this same Word with our lips.

May we use the time that has been set before us to prepare ourself for this life giving encounter with Christ and in return always give proper thanksgiving for such a gift.

We have been trained over time to exist within this noisiness and thus often fail to enter into the silence of prayer.

May we reclaim the Church as a place of prayer, may we learn to always allow Christ to be a part of our life, may we reclaim our need to prepare ourself to receive the Eucharist, and may we always remember to give proper thanksgiving for such an abundant gift.

The further away we allow ourself to move from Christ the less we are able to hear the Word of God and thus proclaim it with our lips, but Christ continues to call out to each of us today: "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"  

22nd Sunday in OT Year B Homily

"This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." 

These words should come across strongly not only for the scribes and Pharisees who heard them, but also for all of us. 

We must always remember the greatest of commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. If we carry out these two laws faithfully; not only will we come to honor Christ with our lips, but we will also allow our hearts to remain with Him.

Christ came not to deny people of His mercy, but He came in order to extend His mercy unto them. We see this portrayed to us upon the cross. The Law existed not to cut people off from God, but it existed in order to draw them into proper relationship with God.

The scribes and the Pharisees had forgotten about this reality. They had implemented the Law in a manner that cut people off from being assured of God's love. They forgot about the need to purify not only hands and feet, but ultimately to purify their hearts to love and serve the Lord.

As we know the Church is filled with many rules, but at the same time we cannot dismiss them as man made laws. Verse 8 of our Gospel states: "You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men."

The Church has always pointed towards the balance that must exist between scripture and tradition. Scripture does not contradict tradition nor can tradition contradict scripture. The two work in conjunction in order to balance each other out.

If we follow the tradition that has been handed down to us by the Church we in return are following Christ. Saint Paul firmly taught that Christians must hold fast to the Tradition given not only by Christ, but also by the apostles through their teaching authority.

Nevertheless, following the Tradition of the Church does not cut people off from the mercy of God. Holding fast to the Tradition of the Church does not mean that we are to cease to love God or our neighbor. Sometimes true charity requires us to do something that is difficult, but in return that does not mean that an individual has been cut off from Christ's mercy. True charity requires us to cut away that which is found to be harmful in order to be sent forth to love and serve the Lord.

Our reading from Saint James clearly stated that God is the Father of Lights. This is a reflection of creation and is thus a reflection of our own need to follow God and thus allow Him to be the constant light whom we are always in search of. Shadows change their position with the changing of the sun, but God always holds firm and true no matter the situation that we might find ourself in the midst of.

We cannot live a life where duplicity is found. Duplicity where our outward actions are tailored to meet the situation that we find ourself in. If we are at Church we act holy or if we are found among friends we act in an opposite manner. This duplicity of life is a great impossibility if we are to follow the Father of Lights who has called us to follow after Him.

Therefore let us not get caught up like the scribes and Pharisees who were solely concerned with what was being presented on the outside. Let us look inwardly upon ourself and strive to achieve a proper purity of heart.

 The sixth beatitude calls us to achieve this reality: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."

To be found pure of heart means that we have cut away all that we have put in the way of serving Christ. Our intellect and our will must be attuned to God who desires holiness from us.

Therefore, let us each reflect upon the many ways that we need to purify our heart to better serve the Lord. Let us also reflect on how much we are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve this reality. Christ desired and has extended His infinite mercy unto us, but in return are we willing to accept this infinite mercy by the way that we order our life to give service to Him?

May we desire to be found pure of heart. Therefore we will not only praise God with our lips, but we will also do so through the very disposition of our heart which has been entirely elevated towards service of Him and His Most Holy Name.

21st Sunday in OT Year B Homily

St. Ambrose stated: "As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross." Therefore from the cross we can conclude that Christ entered into His own death and thus from the piercing of His side with the lance both water and blood poured forth signifying the very creation of His spouse, the Church. This water which pours forth from the side of Christ signifies to us the waters of baptism and the blood which poured forth from His pierced side signifies the Holy Eucharist. Removed from baptism we cannot be members of the Church. Baptism is necessary to achieve this reality in order that we may be found "without spot or wrinkle." When we come forth to receive the Most Holy Eucharist we come forth to receive Christ who makes Himself present for us under the appearances of bread and wine. In the Eucharist we can say that two come together and in return they become one.

  

St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians sums up two great realities for us. This letter sums up Christ's abundant love for His Church and thus too it proclaims the love that must be present when two enter into the Sacrament of Matrimony in order to become one flesh. Christ surrendered Himself totally upon the cross for our sake in order that we though found imperfect may be sanctified. This is what the husband and wife do for each other when they enter into the life giving sacrament of matrimony. Two join together in this sacrament in order to participate in the life giving reality that is made apparent through the cross. Marriage is thus for the good of the spouse because it must become a goal of the couple to get each other to Heaven.

St. Paul further instructs us in this same letter that marriage is a "great mystery." This word "mystery" reflects the very origin of the word "sacrament." It is Christ upon the cross who offers Himself without reservation to the bride who is the Church. In this same manner He takes marriage and elevates it to the status that it held from the very beginning when God called the world into creation and found it to be good. We must remember the words of Christ as given to the Pharisees in Matthew's Gospel: "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." And so what are we told concerning this beginning? We are instructed from Genesis: "Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." And also verse 24 of Genesis: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh."

In this becoming of one flesh the couple enters into what is known as the marital embrace and in return springs forth the generation of new life. From this creation brought about by this total surrendering of self unto the other we receive a child who in return will raised and nourished within the faith by their parents. We too are called to enter into communion with Christ who pours Himself out for us through the Eucharist. Whenever we receive the Eucharist we receive Christ who is the bridegroom into our life. Through our reception of the Eucharist we allow ourself to join with Christ in both mind and heart. Through our reception of Communion we surrender who we are, unto Christ, in order that we may be sent forth from here to serve Him by our life. In John 6 when they received the bread of life which came down from Heaven they were called to grow in their love and faith for the one whom they served.

May each of us continue to keep all married couples in our prayers that through their total giving of self they may grow closer to the love of Christ. May we pray also for our youth that they too may be inspired by Christ's total outpouring of self upon the cross, which in return, elevated marriage to the status of a sacrament and thus returned it to its proper understanding which was understood from the beginning. In a matter of minutes we will move onto the intimate encounter of receiving Jesus present in the Eucharist, thus becoming one with Him. John Paul II stated: "The Eucharist is the sacrament of our redemption. It is the sacrament of the Bridegroom and of the Bride."

Solemnity of the Assumption

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. This celebration marks for us the reality of Mary's glorious triumph over the death of sin and thus too her welcoming into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Assumption is the reality that Mary was taken into Heaven both body and soul and thus we now look to her with the desire that we too may join her in Heaven and thus at the end of time we will be given a glorified body as we give proper honor, adoration, and homage to God for all time. The Assumption proclaims to us that sin cannot win and thus that the glory of God will always triumph in its midst.

Genesis instructs us concerning Mary: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed." Mary is thus joined for all time to her Son who redeemed us. She steps upon the head of the serpent because she triumphs over Satan who desires that we remain enslaved to our sin. From Revelation we are instructed concerning our Blessed Mother: "Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth." As we know the dragon had no power over her because her Son was brought into this world and triumphed upon the cross. The dragon could not come to devour her because she had been prepared for all time to be the handmaid of the Lord.

As she has been gloriously taken into Heaven so too are each of our prayers and petitions. She takes them upon herself and she offers them unto to her Son on our behalf. Mary, in her glorious splendor, shows us that triumph can be ours and thus she always encourages us forward towards a better way of life. May we allow her to guide us towards Heaven that we too may come to encounter her Son in all of His truth. When it seems that the path that has been set before us may be too long and tedious may we turn towards our Blessed Mother who always encourages us forward. When the grasp of temptation and weakness grabs ahold of us may we continue to shower her with our "Aves" as she continues to step upon the head of that wicked serpent. As the preface of this Mass reminds us concerning the reality of the Assumption: "(it is) a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people."

As the pilgrim people of this earth, we each are in search of our Heavenly promised land. Therefore may we come to trust in her who was found to be blessed among all women and she who came to exclaim in a spirit of great humility to be our guide. As the Collect of this Mass petitions: "that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory." Mary elevates our minds and hearts be taken to her Son. Mary leads us forward toward the freedom found within the Heavenly Kingdom. This a freedom that world cannot bestow upon us. May she intercede for us that we may come to set our sight upon this Heavenly promised land and thus in return survive this great "Vale of tears." Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us, that we may be taken to the mysteries of Christ.

19th Sunday in OT Year B Homily

Christ is revealing His origin as well as His ultimate destination to us in our Gospel. As Christians we reflect upon these realties each year through our celebration of Christmas and Easter. Christ instructs us that He is the bread that came down from Heaven which reveals that His origin is divine in nature and thus too He is the Son of God. This is the mystery that we celebrate during the season of Christmas. At the conclusion of this Gospel Christ states: "the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Here we notice the use of the future tense thus pointing towards His eventual offering of self upon the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. In our celebration of Holy Week and throughout the season of Easter we celebrate this great Christian mystery where Christ who is God made man comes to liberate us from our enslavement to sin and thus leads us toward our ultimate destination of the Heavenly Kingdom.

In our first reading we encountered Elijah who was on his journey towards his ultimate destination which is very similar to the journey that we must be willing to undertake towards Heaven. He remained in the desert for forty days and forty nights as he journeyed towards the mountain of Horeb. He was only a day into this journey when he laid below the tree famished with the knowledge of the vast journey which now laid before him. It was here that an angel came and gave him food to eat which would sustain him throughout the journey of his life towards this promised land. Without the food which he received he never would of made it throughout life's journey, but instead would of remained famished and thus too would of fell short of his ultimate destination.

Elijah sums up for us our own journey that we must be willing to make within this life. We are directed towards the mountain of Horeb which for us is the promised land of the Kingdom of Heaven. We must undergo each day a period of preparation such as Elijah who prepared himself for forty days. Along the way of this vast journey we fall, doubt, or despair, but despite all of this we come to trust in the bread which comes down from Heaven to feed us. This bread is the Son of God who eventually offers Himself to us that we may be able to carry out this vast journey that has now been set before us. In the Eucharist we come to partake of Christ who is food for the journey which leads us towards our ultimate destination of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As Saint Paul revealed to the Ephesians we too must come to trust that we have been sealed for the day of redemption. Through baptism and the sealing of the Holy Spirit we have been prepared for this journey of faith which has now been set before us. In baptism we were washed clean of the stain of sin, we were incorporated into the life of the Church, and thus conformed to Christ the prophet, king, and priest. Through Confirmation we were given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which lead us into the world to proclaim the Gospel and thus remain faithful to it. We are also fed with the Eucharist which sustains us on this journey towards Heaven.

May we come to trust that Christ is indeed the bread that has come down from Heaven who gives us His flesh for the life of the world. Let us not be found caught up in the world, but instead be caught up in a life which reflects Christ who is present within the Eucharist. God did not take on our human flesh nor offer Himself upon the cross in order for us to remain enslaved to sin; rather we were given the sacraments in order that we may overcome all that plagues us in this life and thus totally surrender ourself to God by living a life that is worthy of what should be our ultimate destination, the Kingdom of Heaven.

10th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our Gospel is about the contrast that exists between "pride" and "humility."The Pharisee displays the vice of pride to us, while the Publican displays the virtue of humility. The Pharisee was so caught up in his sinfulness that he failed to see the need to lower himself to the mercy of God. The Pharisee was caught up in his good works and thus failed to see his own sinfulness. The Publican kept things simple and thus he exclaimed his sinfulness and beat his breast in acknowledgment of this sin. The Publican was able to lower himself in a true spirit of humility that we should emulate.

Pride is acknowledged as being the root of all sin. Saint Gregory the Great exclaimed: "Pride, is the sovereign of vices, when it has captured and vanquished the heart, which delivers it into the hands of its lieutenants, the seven capital vices, that they may despoil it and produce vices of all kinds." Pride is a form of rebellion which keeps an individual from submitting themselves to God and thus coming to accept the truth that He extends unto us.

It is pride when we look upon the events of the day and fail to give thanks to God. It is pride when we begin to twist the teachings of faith to mean anything which we might desire. It is pride that has plunged our world into the acceptance of many harmful actions which collide against natural law (removing children from the marital embrace, the acceptance of abortion, or the desire of redefining marriage). It is pride which causes us to slander our neighbor. It is pride which causes us to fail to make time to give God adoration and glory. It is pride which causes us to fail to see the need to return to the Sacrament of Confession and prevail ourself to the mercy of God.

Humility is our answer. Saint Augustine exclaims: "Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist, there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance." Humility is the realization that we need dependence upon God, that we must submit ourself unto Him, and thus God alone is the remedy for all which ails us. Without an understanding of the virtue of humility our life and that of our culture will continue to fall away, but with humility as our guide our life and culture can be strengthened in our dependence upon God from whom all our blessings flow.

To cultivate this virtue we must: (1) Pray for the virtue of humility. (2) We must realize that many humiliations will come our way and do that which is most difficult which is to accept them whenever they befall us, (3) We must learn to obey our superiors. It is tough to submit and follow the authority of another, (4) We must realize our lowliness when we mediate upon God who has created all things, (5) We must consider others to be better then ourself rather then exclaiming like the Pharisee: "I give thanks, O God, that I am not as the rest of men." 

May we therefore stand with the Publican in lowering ourself to the mercy of God. Through humility we will conquer our sin and inspire the world to do the same. Humility is the answer that we are in search, but may we be brave enough to lower ourself to such an extreme. 

18th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

We chase after so much, which at the end of the day, will only pass away and thus will not be able to sustain us. We often grumble when we don't get what we want especially if we have to undergo a little bit of hardship along the way. No matter how we swing things hardship happens and thus we must learn to embrace it. No matter how important the passing desires of this world may seem to be we must remember that all should point towards one ultimate culmination. The Israelites passed from the slavery experienced in Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea and thus they entered into freedom. Despite all that God has given them they began to grumble that they were hungry and thus they were given food to sustain their physical hunger.

Last week we heard how Jesus saw the hunger of the multitude and gave them food to sustain them. This is a foreshadowing of the spiritual nourishment that we must receive in the Most Holy Eucharist. This week we are told that the bread that comes down from Heaven is a bread which is so great that it will never pass away. This bread is referring not to a physical hunger that we might have, but is going much deeper. This is a food which will feed us spiritually and will nourish our soul for all time to be held in relationship with God. In times of hardship and in times of need may we realize and trust that Christ continues to pour Himself out entirely for us in the Eucharist.

 

The hardships of this life are very real, but may we not act like the Israelites who were ungrateful to God for all that He had bestowed upon them. They were not led out into the desert to be lost and forgotten, and so we have not been brought into this world to remain lost and forgotten. Heaven can be lived out on this earth because the Eucharist points to the fact that Christ continues to dwell with us here. Let us not live out our life as if there is a great disconnect, but instead may we trust in the reality that God's love is so great that it continues to sustain us no matter what need that may be present within our heart. May we not grumble against God, but prevail ourself to the grace which is poured out to us in the Eucharist.

We must take the Sacrament of the Eucharist more seriously each day. All the actions of our life should be pointing their way towards Christ who is present in the Eucharist. So often our actions are not made from the reflection of how this will take me to God or how will this take others towards God, but instead our actions are often done on the spur of the moment; even if they carry life long ramifications with them. We must desire to be a better witness to the Christian life because it will only be in this manner that we can follow after the words of Saint Paul who instructed us: "you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth."

Christ shows us that to be His follower does not mean that we must now be like everyone else. We must cut ourself off from this wordily reality that detracts us from Christ. Christ continues to prevail Himself to us in the Eucharist that we may sent forth from here with the knowledge that we are now held together in communion with God through our reception of such a wondrous Sacrament. Hopefully we will not allow our reception of such a gift to leave us unchanged, but instead to transform us into reflecting Christ more and more to this world. It is not the grumbling of the Israelites that drew souls towards God, but it was the food that sustained them within the desert. May we not grumble, but instead partake of this Heavenly Food and thus reform our life to follow after such a great gift for: "whoever comes to Christ will never hunger, and whoever believes in Christ will never thirst."

16th Sun of Ordinary Time Year B Homily

There are many shepherds who have been entrusted to care for our wellbeing. It is their job to keep us on track, to care for the wellbeing of our soul, and thus to provide us with the Sacraments that have been extended to us from Christ. Each Eucharistic Prayer points out the shepherds who have been entrusted to us and thus how through them the unity of faith is being expressed and preserved. From the Roman Canon we hear: "We offer you firstly for your holy catholic Church. Be pleased to grant her peace, to guard, unite and govern her, throughout the whole world, together with your servant Francis our Pope and Richard our Bishop, and all those who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith."

As Catholics we cannot allow ourself to take on a Congregationalist attitude. Congregationalism is defined as: "A system of organization among Christian churches whereby local churches are largely self governing." We are not just Saint Mary's Church located in Oak Ridge, TN. We do not just exist in our own little bubble to live out our existence taking on whatever direction that we may desire. Again, we have many shepherds who have been entrusted to us and they are to provide for our wellbeing, they are to teach and instruct in order to keep us unified in our faith, and they are to care for our soul by providing us with the sacraments. Our shepherds see us tired and afraid and desire to point us towards the comfort and the rest that I is contained with Christ.

Unity of faith is contained in the Eucharist and wherever the Eucharist cannot be found there in return cannot be perfect unity. We are unified in our faith through the Eucharist. Thus Pope Francis preserves this unity, thus Bishop Stika preserves this unity, and thus Father Shelton as your pastor preserves this unity. We as Saint Mary's Church in Oak Ridge preserve this unity because we are a parish of the Diocese of Knoxville which exists in union with the pope of Rome. Therefore we cannot develop our own agenda that separates us from this reality. This parish community may have many unique ministries, but nevertheless these ministries must be concerned with preserving the unity of faith that is expressed within the Eucharist.

We must therefore take the words of the Prophet Jeremiah to heart. It was his concern that people not be scattered about in their faith, but instead that they be united in their faith through the use of a shepherd who would lead them. Christ takes up this same pastoral concern in our Gospel when He noticed those who were found to be tired and left without hope because He desired to instruct and lead them as a loving shepherd. We grow tired, alone, and afraid so often, but it is Christ who desires that we not remain lost. For this reason He has left shepherds to watch over us and to provide us with the proper direction that will lead us to encounter Him. In our participation within the unity of faith that is encountered through the Eucharist we are lead forth by our shepherds to encounter a better way of life then what could ever be discovered without Christ.

At the same time we must see the need to become shepherds ourself who are willing to be sent out from here to assist others in coming to discover the unity of faith that we share. We must be like Saint Paul who not only realized the need to reach out to those who were near the faith, but to also be willing to bring that same peace to those who are far off from the faith. One interesting fact concerning a pastor is that he been entrusted to be the shepherd of each soul who is found in his parish's territory. That means that he is not only the pastor of each Catholic who lives in this area, but he is also the pastor of each and every single person in his territory who does not practice the Catholic faith. May we assist our pastor by taking the unity of faith that we discover here and thus faithfully live it out each day helping to evangelize others to participate in this same unity of faith that is found through the use of our shepherds. We are not cast off to be found tired and afraid, but instead Christ who is our loving shepherd who guides us towards true happiness that cannot be found wherever division is present.  

15th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

If we want to transform the world we must be willing to take our faith to heart. Our faith in Christ cannot just remain words which are found to be without meaning, but instead this faith must seep into our very heart thus transforming us into becoming true disciples of the Lord. At Mass we are given the invitation to go in peace from this Church thus taking with us the Eucharist that we have received into the world. We therefore cannot live a double life where Church and God dwells here, but outside of these walls we give into immoral actions that always cause scandal to our faith. How can we draw souls be they family, friends, or just random people into the life of faith if we in return have divorced our daily life from Christ who is present with us in the Eucharist?

Christ sent out His apostles to speak a message of repentance to those whom they encountered. It was their mission to be sent forth from the presence of Christ and in return to draw other souls to encounter this same life giving love. It would have been an impossibility to preach this message of repentance if they did not first come to accept this same message of repentance into their own life. We also realize that they were not sent forth to force people into the life of faith, but instead to invite them into the life of faith. If they were rejected they were not to lose hope and throw a fit, but instead they were to leave and shake the dust off their feet in testimony against them. Some will not want to prevail themselves to the message of faith at this moment, but the least that we can do is pray for them and maybe through our interaction with them we have planted a small seed that in time will grow into a large tree.

I think each of us should ask what ways we have failed to draw souls to encounter Christ. We should question what ways we have failed to heed to the same message of repentance that we have received from Christ to bring out into the world. We should imagine what ways the scandal that we have caused have led other souls into the occasion of sin and thus have pushed these souls away from ever coming to know Christ and to give themselves entirely to Him and to His Church. Without complete faith and trust in Christ the apostles could of worked no great works among the people, but instead they allowed Christ to be the one who would work through them to assist others in coming to know the presence of Christ and the wonders contained in His infinite mercy.

One cartoon that I see from time to time points towards the truth of the public scandal that we can cause. In it the priest is hearing a confession of one of the faithful who is kneeling in the Confessional. The penitent gives the usual introduction: "Father forgive me for I have sinned." The priest sitting on the other side of the divider is found looking at the person's Facebook account and responds: "I already know." To think of all the people who may have encountered such posts. I would say that what they saw did not take them to Christ nor to the message of repentance that the apostles were asked to take into the world. How often do we partake in gossip, the use of offensive langue; especially the taking of the Lord's name in vain, dressing immodestly, drinking to excess, and partaking in jokes that are crude in humor. These actions not only effect us, but they effect all those who surround us, and detract us from leading all souls to encounter the greatest joy that can be found; the joy of loving and serving Christ.

May we be sent out from this Church to become true witnesses to what we have discovered here. May we realize that Christ dwells with us, He desires that we receive Him into our life, and He desires that we be sent out into the world to win as many souls as possible for His Most Holy Name. May our heart be set on fire with love for Christ. May this fire be so great that nothing will get in the way of our relationship with Christ thus drawing with us other souls to this great font of love. Christ does not only belong here is this place, but we, like the apostles, must be willing to bring Him into the world by the way we live out our life. May we become the light that shines to the world which is the great love of Christ and thus in return make nothing but Him and His Most Holy Name manifest to the world.