1st Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

We each find ourself journeying through the desert during this Lenten season. The desert represents for us our spiritual life because in our spiritual life we are always on a journey where we are in search of the promised land. The Israelites left the land of their slavery, they crossed through the Red Sea, and then they journeyed into the desert until they were able to find the promised land. We too pass away from our slavery to sin when we passed through the waters of baptism and then we spend the rest of our life preparing ourself for the promised land that is the Heavenly Kingdom. We must enter into the desert with Christ during this Lenten season if we will ever hope to discover the promised land that the Israelites were in search of. The Book of Hosea tells us: "It is but love's stratagem, thus to lead her out into the desert; once there, it shall be all words of comfort."

To embrace the Lenten season to its full potential will of course be difficult, but once we do embrace this season in its totality we will find our comfort when we are able to rejoice with Christ who has conquered over death through the Resurrection. Our Gospel tells us that Christ was tempted while in the desert. We too will be tempted while we are in the season of Lent. We will be tempted to return to the ways of our life that make us comfortable, we will be tempted to indulge when we have set out to fast, we will be tempted into laziness which keeps us from doing anything out of the ordinary during this Lenten season, we will be tempted to be constantly trying out new things instead of staying steadfast with our original Lenten resolves, and will be tempted to just lose hope and give up. We cannot allow ourself to give into these temptations because these temptations want to do nothing more then keep us from the comfort that is found in the Promised Land of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Through Lent we realize that we have been baptized and yet we don't always live up to what was begun in us at our baptism. Practices such as fasting, the giving of alms, and praying are most important because these practices force us to detach ourself from sin and thus to truly be drawn into a relationship with God. Each sin that we might struggle with does have an opposite: Humility against pride, Kindness against envy, Abstinence against gluttony, Chastity against lust, Patience against anger, Liberality against greed, and Diligence against sloth. We should therefore ask ourself how we can begin to practice these virtues during Lent in order that we in good time may find the Promised Land of the Heavenly Kingdom. To give up candy just because does not get to the heart of preparing ourself for this reality. Instead to give up candy for the sake of putting to death my disordered passion of gluttony does.

As we are tempted not only during this season of Lent, but also during our whole life which is spent in search of the Promised Land we must also remember the second statement that was made in our Gospel. We were told that the Angels ministered to Him. This is important for us to remember because the Angels are also ministering to us. They desire us to be successful and to find our way to the Promised Land. We cannot endure this journey through the desert on our own because this path is a most difficult one to follow, but we are thankfully assisted along this path by all the Angels and Saints of Heaven. May we truly remain open to their intercession and aid especially at those moments where it seems that we will never win the good fight against sin. We cannot give into these temptations because the Angels are present to minister to us and they desire us to endure on that path that which leads to the Promised Land.

Therefore may we truly take this Lenten season most seriously. Lent causes us to remember our baptism and thus also the many ways where we have failed to continue to live out what was begun in us there. It is for this reason that we enter into the desert for this forty day period. Here we will do penance and bring back to life that which has been infected by sin. Please remember the Sacrament of Confession during this season and return yourself to Christ's mercy that is found here. This is the greatest way that an individual can begin to reorient themselves in their search for the Promised Land. Also, find a good book of spiritual value and read it. We fill our mind with so much wordily things that it is easy to fail to fill our mind of anything of spiritual value. Lastly, take to heart the need to fast, pray, and give alms because it will only be in this manner where we will be able to gain mastery over ourself and thus to let go of all that which leads us away from entering into the Promised Land that is the Heavenly Kingdom.

Ash Wednesday Homily

Today marks the beginning of the holy season of Lent. Throughout the course of this 40 day period we will join with Christ who enters into the desert and thus we will fast and pray as we prepare ourself for the great joy that enters into the world through Christ's Resurrection. On this day we are marked with an ancient symbol that represents the need for us to do penance and to turn away from our sin. Upon our foreheads will be placed ashes which remind us that we are dust and unto dust we shall return.

I am sure that I am not the only one here who has been stopped on this day by a Good Samaritan who desires to make you aware that you have a black mark upon your forehead. The answer is, of course, that you do have something on your forehead and I hope that you realize the great weight that is being represented to the world by that mark which you will soon dare to bare. We do not come forward to receive ashes just because or because it is just some cultural expression that is of great importance to us. Instead when we bare this mark upon our forehead we are publicly professing that we are sinners who are in need of conversion.

So the answer is that something is upon my forehead and it is of great weight. This mark represents all times that I have denied God and His Church. This mark represents all the times that I have failed to love my neighbor as I should. This mark represents each and every single time that I have entered into sin. This mark represents the great weight that casts each of us down each and every single time that we allow our temptations to get the best of us. What we are publicly professing through the mark that we will dare to wear upon our forehead is a proclamation to the whole world that we are a sinner who is in need of God's mercy and thus that we must also be moved towards the necessity of conversion.

Throughout the course of this forty day period that is known as Lent may we truly come to "repent and believe in the Gospel." May we take what is expressed by these ashes as being serious and thus allow ourself to be moved towards conversion instead of the continued persistence in our sin. It is for this reason that we fast, pray, and give alms; because these actions allow us to reform those areas of our life that have been brought down by the weight of our sin. The mark that we dare to bare this day places an immense amount of responsibility upon us as we are set out to conform our life to the Gospel message.

Quinquagesima Homily (Extraordinary Form)

We now have our sight set upon going up to Jerusalem. It will be here, in Jerusalem, where we will come to encounter the cross of our Lord on Good Friday. This forty day journey that will soon unfold leading us towards the crucifixion will be difficult at times, but we must endure through this difficulty to better be able to enjoy the joys of Christ's Resurrection. We all know that when life becomes difficult that the easiest path that we can take is not the one leading forward, but instead is the one that leads backwards into those areas of our life where we encounter comfortability. This path of comfortability will never lead us to encounter Christ for who He truly is, but instead we must trudge forward upon that path that we find most difficult because it will only be here where we will come to encounter true joy.

The Lenten season is about helping us to encounter the true joy of Christ's Resurrection unimpeded by all that has left us blind to these most sacred realities. In our Gospel the apostles were given this glimpse into His final days upon this earth and thus too the events that would unfold in Jerusalem. Despite this most wondrous exhortation they still did not fully grasp with faith what it was that would come to unfold for the Savior of the World at Jerusalem. Even in this Gospel we can see that this is so because they desired to keep this blind man at a distance instead of allowing Him to be brought into Christ's midst. If they would of understood the healing nature that was to be brought forth from the cross they would of not excluded this man from it, but instead they would of emulated him when their own desire to be healed by Christ.

The fact that this man is found blind is of great importance because it represents the very fact that sin leaves us blind. Through the reality of sin we are unable to behold Christ for who He truly is. Especially when we have been stained by the reality of mortal sin our own eyes have become closed to the point were we have completely cut off our relationship with God. Despite the reality that he had been left blind by his sin he cried out, thus also doing great penance: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." No matter how much he was rebuked by the world he only cried out the louder: "Son of David, have mercy on me." It was from this unending faith that he was healed. He did not allow himself to be led down the path of comfortability, but instead he endured the path that was found most difficult and led him to embrace the events that took place in Jerusalem. It was from this path that he endured in doing penance and was eventually healed to the point were he was finally able to behold Christ and to thus be healed from his sin.

As we enter into the Lenten season may we allow ourself to emulate this blind man who was found in our Gospel. Let us not journey into Jerusalem unprepared, but instead may we set our sight entirely upon the cross and allow it be the instrument that heals us. During the season of Lent we are asked to fast, to abstain from meat on Fridays, to pray, to give alms, and to do penance. These gestures are not done without purpose, but are done in order that we may grow closer to Christ and thus to be healed by all that has left us burdened under the weight of sin. Throughout the course of Lent we will be tempted to return to the comfortability of our old life, but we must silence this voice as the blind man did when he only cried out the louder from the crowd who wished to silence him.

And so my brothers and sisters in Christ may we now set our sight upon Jerusalem. It will be here where the Savior of the world will offer Himself up in atonement for our sin. Throughout the course of this forty day period that now lies ahead may we resolve to stand with Him as He bares the weight of the wood of the cross instead of so easily running back to the comfortability that is found when we reject this cross. Let us fast in order that we may begin to properly orient our life back towards Christ, let us give alms to the poor in order that we may let go of our wordily attachment, let us pray in order that we may always keep Christ at life's center, and let us do penance in order that we may truly return to His abundant mercy. Throughout the course of this Lenten season and all the temptations that lay ahead may we be like the blind man who did not run away, but instead only cried out the louder: "Son of David, have mercy on me." 

5th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

We are all participants in what is known as the New Evangelization!

We are given a pretty impressive image in our Gospel which stated, "the whole town was gathered at the door." I personally like how the Knox Translation translates this text. It instead states, "the whole city stood crowding at the door." The addition of this word, crowding, makes a great statement to what took place on that day. It leaves us with the image that these people were so in love with Christ that they were doing all that they could to get as close to him as possible. This gathering was so great that it would of been impossible for them to easily fit into the doorway because everybody came with great faith and wanted that opportunity for themselves. We can look around today and see that people are not crowding to enter into this Church. Why? Part of the reason is because we have become to busy to place Christ at the very center of our life. Sports, work, friends, needed rest, among many other realities exist which point out the fact that we have begun to lose touch of that which is really important.

What did it take for the whole town to crowd around the door of Christ? Firstly, it took faith and ,secondly, it was attributed to putting that faith into action by going out as a missionary and drawing other souls to encounter Christ. If it were not for the faith of Simon and Andrew the need of this sick woman would of never been brought before Jesus. Without their faith at that moment she would of been left sick because her need would of never become known. From this great miracle others heard of Christ and they desired to go out and bring the ill and those possessed by demons to Him. Christ did not go out to them, but instead missionaries came and evangelized them to the healing power of Christ and brought them to encounter the joy that only Christ can bring into the world. Without these missionaries going out to bring them to Christ they would of been left alone, ill, and possessed.

As the community of faith who are here this day to be nourished by Christ's Body and Blood; we must desire to lead others into our community, not only the community between each other here, but by drawing them into the communion that is found within Christ through the gift that is the Eucharist. We are not doing enough if we are not leading souls to crowd around Christ who is our triumphant King. And so we must ask ourself: Who are the unchurched, who are the fallen away, who are those missing from here this day due to a lack of faith, how is it that we must grow in our faith in order to draw others to Christ, how is it that we need to altar our life to become a better disciple for Christ? Let us be not afraid to grow in our faith and to draw other souls to crowd around Christ. The worse that can happen is somebody might take your seat, but I promise you can always find another one! 

And so what must we do: We must pray, pray the rosary, pray before the Blessed Sacrament, pray as a family, pray when we are tempted, and from our relationship with Christ become a true witness for Him. Draw souls to encounter Christ by the witness that you give, welcome new people that you might see at Mass to our community, get involved in Church groups and invite others to be involved too, parents must build up the domestic Church in their own home, evangelize those who know not the name of Christ or His Church or have fallen away from the Church. In all things may God be glorified and may we truly lead all people to crowd around that door which leads to Christ.