4th Sunday of Easter 1st Communion Homily

The Shepherd has certain requirements that must be taken care of if at the end of the day he is to be known as being a Good Shepherd. A Shepherd could never be considered good if they didn't take care of the basic needs of their flock such as providing them with a source for water and food. A Shepherd must also remain on watch because they must always be prepared to defend their flock from any danger that might befall them. The Shepherd spends so much time with his flock that his flock is able know him and in return desires to follow after him.

Today we celebrate what is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. We of course should know that it is Christ our Lord who is the Good Shepherd. Christ is the one who has led us to the waters of baptism where we in return were washed clean. Christ is the one who has led us to find nourishment for both our body and soul in the Holy Eucharist. Christ is the one who knew of the danger of sin and death that befell humanity at the Fall when Adam and Eve transgressed against God and in return was willing to die upon the cross to bring about our salvation. Christ is the one who has never left us alone, but instead has left us in the shelter of the Church and thus with the Sacraments. Therefore each and every single time when we study scripture and worthily partake within the Sacraments we get to know the voice of the Shepherd more and more and throughout the course of time are more willing to follow after Him. Christ is truly the Good Shepherd!

Today we celebrate with great joy this First Communion Mass. We have every reason to celebrate because finally after much preparation these children before me have the great opportunity to receive Christ our Lord for the very first time in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. These children have already been led to the safety of the waters of baptism by the Good Shepherd and now they are led towards the great nourishment that is found within the Holy Eucharist. I implore each of these children to continue to know and listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. This voice will be heard and will become known as long as you stay close to Christ. Through the Eucharist you will stay close to Christ, through the study of scripture and faith you will stay close to Christ, through obedience to your parents you will stay close to Christ, through prayer such as the Holy Rosary you will stay close to Christ, and at those moments of sin return to Confession and you will stay close to Christ.

Within this Church there are many people who are called by Christ to follow after His example and thus become Good Shepherds. Firstly, you realize that your priests such as myself and your pastor are called to be Good Shepherds. Please pray for us and all priests, bishops, and our pope that we may be the Good Shepherds who will always lead souls to encounter the mercy of Christ. Secondly, and this is often left forgotten, there are also Good Shepherds of what is known as the Domestic Church. The Domestic Church is the Church at home. If parents don't want to take on the role of the Good Shepherd within their own home how can ever expect our children, such as these, to be raised in the faith and to know of the love of God. Without the Domestic Church and the parents willing to be Good Shepherds for their children this is impossible. 

We rejoice with your children today on this occasion of their First Communion, but please be the Good Shepherds who will continue to teach your children how to pray, who will teach them how to study the faith, who will teach them of the importance of God's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession, who will lead them to Mass and not deprive them of the nourishment of the Eucharist, and of course all of this requires your example and your participation in being Good Shepherds. You must follow after the example of Christ the Good Shepherd whenever you go out to the lead the flock that is your family to safety.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday we are given every reason to rejoice. Please pray for these children who will receive Christ's Body and Blood for the first time. Pray for them that they will always come to know the voice of Christ and that they in return will always be willing to follow that voice wherever it may be that it leads them. Please pray for all parents that they may be willing to take the example of Christ the Good Shepherd upon themselves and thus be willing to restore the Domestic Church within their own home which will allow their children to hear and respond to the voice of Christ all the more. Please pray for vocations to the priesthood because we truly need more Good Shepherds who are willing to be good and holy priests who desire to lead souls to encounter the mercy of Christ. Please pray for our Holy Father, for all bishops, and all priests that we will always be willing to faithfully follow after the example that Christ the Good Shepherd has extended to us. Christ is truly the Good Shepherd may we always follow after the safety of His voice!

4th Sunday of Easter Homily

God's love for us is without end. For the whole length of the liturgical year we are able to see how God's love is made manifest for each of us. This love did not simply remain at a distance, but instead it came to dwell among us in the Incarnation which means that God took on our human flesh. This love did not end here, but instead it brought itself to the cross where God was willing to lay down His life for us. In death this love did not reach its ultimate culmination, but instead He rose again on the third day in fulfillment of the scriptures and thus the apostles were able reach out with faith and in return touch His wounds. From these wounds that they were now able to touch they realized how great God's love was for them.

Each of us here desires to both love and to be loved. We can realize a person's love for us simply through the words that they express. Of course words are not enough because they in return they must be seen. If a person has all the right words and answers, but they lack the ability to put these words and answers into motion we must in return question their ability to love. So too it is not enough to hear nor to see, but in time we must be moved towards touch. From the manifestation of touch we grow into close contact with another and thus our love for each other takes on a much deeper reality. God's love is so great because the Word became flesh, God's love is so great because we see His love for us as it is displayed to the world from the cross, and finally this love is so great because it can be touched because through the Resurrection God continues to reach out towards each of us.

Today we celebrate what is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel concerning the Good Shepherd teaches us of the love and concern that Christ has for each of us. This Gospel also teaches us of the need of all those who are entrusted with the salvation of souls to be Good Shepherds who are willing to not only speak the right words, to be seen living out the right actions, but also going about and being concerned with the salvation and wellbeing of others. If the Good Shepherd were to live in the safety of a bubble they would never be able to reach out and touch and draw souls towards the love of God. As followers of Christ none of us can think that we are off the hook, but instead we to must be concerned with not only professing the right words, accomplishing the right actions, but also reaching out to others and giving them through the love of our touch the gift of faith.

Pope Francis has most wisely instructed bishops and priests who have been entrusted with the salvation of souls: "Shepherds must smell like their sheep." Therefore I believe that it is safe to imply that if the Shepherd keeps his sheep at a distance it would in return be impossible for him to smell like them because he does not love them. Therefore I implore you, for my sake, to please wear nice cologne and perfume. But in all seriousness the life of a Good Shepherd is most difficult because the days are long and the needs great, the issues that arise are not always easy to give answer to, it is tough to walk with another at life's lowest moment and to know what to say, and sometimes out of charity the answer the comes the easiest cannot be given out of love for the wellbeing of their soul. Despite the tough parts of being a Shepherd there are so many blessings that are found in the Harvest of the Lord: the blessing of someone who truly desires to learn and live the faith, the return of a fallen away Catholic to the Church, the joys of a child who has entered into the waters of baptism where the stain of original sin has been washed away, the ability to absolve one's sin in confession thus restoring them to God, to witness the vows of a man and woman who through Holy Matrimony give themselves as a total outpouring of self to the other, and this list goes on and on.

I therefore implore you my brothers and sisters in Christ to please pray for me and for Father Bede, your pastor. Also, pray for all priests, bishops, and our pope who have been entrusted with the salvation of souls. Pray that we may hold steadfast and be willing to not only speak the right words, to live out the right actions, but to also be willing to reach out and touch thus beginning to smell like our sheep. Through this action alone can we truly become the bearers of God's love to the world. On this Good Shepherd Sunday also remember to pray for vocations to the priesthood. The Church is truly in need of good and holy priests who are willing to go out and smell like their sheep. May we all remember that God's love did not remain at a distance, but instead it came to dwell here with us and was crucified upon the cross. This love was so great that it triumphed from the cross and we now in return are able to reach out and touch this great font of love. In moments of weakness and need may we allow Christ and thus the gifts of His sacraments to bring comfort and healing to our heart. In return may we all truly be able to love as God has loved us. May our faith not only be knowing the right words, not only accomplishing the right actions (I am not saying that these are not important because they are!), but may we also be willing to go further and thus to reach out and to touch and in return to begin to lead others out of love towards God and thus the great gift that is His Church.

2nd Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

Christ is revealed to us in our Gospel as being the Good Shepherd. This is so because Christ does not send us off on our own without any direction. We are not left to wonder about in the midst of the harm of sin and uncertainty, but instead we have been invited into the Sheepfold that is the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church where we will find protection. Within the confines of the Church we will discover all that we will need to be sustained through the entirety of her teachings as well as the grace that is extended to us within each of the seven sacraments.

Our Epistle from 1st Peter reminded us that we "were as sheep going astray, but now you have been converted to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." This is to say that there is indeed a finite truth which exists and thus it is extended to us through what is revealed by natural law as well as the teaching authority of the Church. If we follow this path we will not go astray nor will we find our souls consumed by the dangers that are present within this world.

We must ask ourself whose voice it is that we allow to guide us into the Sheepfold. If we follow the hireling we will get caught up in the many issues of this world at the cost of our faith. The hireling is weak and can easily be stirred up to the ever changing issues that are made manifest within this world. On the other hand, the Shepherd is strong and thus does not get caught up changing His doctrine for the sake of making people happy. Instead the Good Shepherd realizes that for the salvation of His flock He must speak and lead souls to encounter truth.

One issue of modern society is the growing reality of secularism which attempts to banish God from public place. Through secularism three goals are attempted to be accomplished: (1) Life can be improved through material means, (2) Science is the available Providence of man, and (3) That it is good to do good. This series of thought has lead us to a new religion which in the words of Benedict XVI leads us into "the Dictatorship of Relativism."

We don't have to look much farther then San Francisco to see this reality being made manifest. In the minds of some the teaching authority of a Shepherd of Souls has been limited simply to saying nice things and making everyone happy. Again this is not the path of the Good Shepherd, but instead it is the path of the hireling. Archbishop Cordileone is under attack because he represents the teaching of the Catholic Church and thus in return has gone against this culture of secularism. It is offensive to the secularist to say that there is a finite truth and thus religion is more then simply going through life doing as we please. May we remember to pray for Archbishop Cordileone and for all Shepherds of Souls that they will remain steadfast in the midst of all the trials that will come their way when they teach and defend the Catholic faith.

It was only a few days ago that Francis Cardinal George past from this life to the next. May we also remember to pray always for the repose of his soul. He remarked concerning the growing secularism in our country: "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history."

Therefore my brothers as sisters in Christ may we allow the Church to form our hearts and souls in all matters of faith and morals. The Good Shepherd is not found in the voice that only wants us to hear whatever we want to hear. The Good Shepherd truly cares for the salvation of our souls and therefore what He asks of us may be most difficult. It may require us to rid ourself of a passing feeling, temptation, or deeply entrenched sin for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. May we pray for our Holy Father, for all priests, and for all bishops that they may always hold steadfast in being Shepherds of Souls who desire to lead people into the Sheepfold of the Heavenly Kingdom. Christ desires to lead each of us into the Sheepfold, so may we in return grow close to Him through the Sacraments of the Church and the grace and mercy that they make manifest in our life. May we also never rid the voice of God from our life

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Today we come to the conclusion of the Octave of Easter and we now celebrate what has become known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Starting this year with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated on December 8th, we will begin to hear a lot about God's mercy. This is because our Holy Father, Francis, has decided to make this the start of what will be known as the "Year of Mercy." Francis stated concerning this upcoming year: "Wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy."

Of course an oasis is an isolated area of vegetation that can be found in a desert which typically springs up around a body of water. Wherever Christ cannot be found we should easily be able to proclaim that life is not a possibility and thus we have been thrust into a desert. Through sin, we of course, cannot proclaim that we know Christ for who He is. Sin after all in the words of Saint Augustine is the lack of good that ought to be there. Despite this fact, Christ always remains and His love for us is abundant. Wherever Christ is present this oasis of mercy springs up and is able to sustain life abundantly. If we find that we are walking around lost in the vastness of the desert maybe brought about through our repeated sin, maybe through a lack faith brought about from a tragedy or other hardship, maybe just because we have fallen away from our faith through laziness, or whatever else it may be we must realize and proclaim that God's mercy is great.

We do not have to be content with wondering about lost inside of the desert because Christ is merciful and just and thus no matter what we have done He desires that we return to Him and in return trust in Him fully. I am sure that all of us here might know someone who has lost their hope and trust in Christ and also too in the Holy Catholic Church. Again, each of us must as Francis has said lead all people to the oasis of God's mercy. Without being with Christ our hearts will never be content because each of us has a longing to be with the truth. A separation from that which is true, when we know it to be so, is most difficult to bear, but does not have to be this way because Christ's mercy is great.

 

Our readings today are filled with this message of Christ's mercy. We know that Thomas doubted the news of the Resurrection, which we all should be able to state that we have done too.  All of us after all are sinful, all of us after all have doubted, all of us after all have been burdened with great weight as Thomas was. Despite all of the doubt, all of the fears, and all of the temptations that plague our souls we also join with Thomas who now looks upon the wounds of Christ who is Resurrected and is in returned healed. None of us would be healed nor would there be an oasis of mercy if everything ended at the cross, but instead we can be healed and there is an oasis of mercy because Christ has triumphed over the tomb. Thomas is able to discover this with His interaction with Christ and thus He was able to realize and be made one with the truth that sprang forth when water and blood flowed from Christ's side.

The image of Divine Mercy expresses all of this to us. In this image Christ has triumphed over the tomb because He still bears the marks of the Resurrection. From His side springs forth both water and blood. Water symbolic of the Sacrament of Baptism and thus the new life that was begun in us when original sin was washed away our soul and we were incorporated into Christ's Church. Blood which is symbolic of the Most Holy Eucharist which sustains our souls throughout life's journey. Whenever we worthily receive communion we allow ourself to be sustained from this oasis of God's mercy. Finally Christ has His hand raised as the priest does in giving absolution to the sinful in the Sacrament of Confession. If we are wondering about lost in the state sin and doubt we do not have to be content with remaining there, but instead we can intrust ourself to this most wondrous Sacrament of God's mercy. In the pope's word: "Jesus Christ is the face of mercy" therefore through the face of Christ may we come to faithfully proclaim the words at the bottom of the Divine Mercy image: "Jesus, I trust in You."

Divine Mercy Sunday Vigil Mass Homily

Today the Octave of Easter comes to its conclusion and we celebrate what has become known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Maybe our life is broken and needs to be restored back to its proper health; that is what God's mercy is for. Maybe we have been led astray from our relationship with God through the effects of serious sin; yet again, this is what God's mercy is for. God's mercy is not an excuse to live life as we want, but instead it is an invitation to leave all our fears and sin behind and to come and follow after Him.

In today's Gospel from John we know that Thomas was filled with fear and doubt, but who isn't? The news of the Resurrection was starting to spread and this news finally reached his ears, and yet, he was unable to believe without first seeing. Finally Christ came and through His wounds, sustained from the cross for our salvation, was able to calm the fear and doubt found in Thomas. From this encounter with Christ, Thomas was assured of the Divine Mercy of Christ. From this Gospel passage people often want to refer to Thomas as doubting Thomas, but more important then his doubting was his coming to accept and trust in the mercy that Jesus desired to bring into his life. His doubting was in His past, he had repented from it, and now he moved on to trust fully in Christ. All of us doubt, all of us are sinful, all of us at times lack perfect trust in Christ's mercy. Why do we act as if we are not in need of Christ's mercy? The issue is not our past, but our future.

Oscar Wilde states: "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." How true is this quote? To name a few: Peter denied Christ three times, Paul put Christians to death, Thomas doubted, Augustine indulged in sexual encounters outside of marriage, and this list goes on and on. Despite all of this each of them came to encounter the mercy of Christ and they in return moved away from their sinfulness. They realized that to encounter the mercy of Christ meant abandonment and moving forward instead remaining stuck. How have we remained stuck and have failed to move forward to accept Christ's mercy, which sometimes might not come easily? Holy Communion has been made available to all, but all do not accept to order their life to worthily receive such a gift. It would not be charity nor would it be merciful to allow all to come forward and receive our Lord, after all scripture does tell us: "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord."

Therefore we cannot allow our serious sin to keep us away from Communion. Yes, we should not receive our Lord who is present in the Eucharist if we have committed a serious sin. To refrain from receiving communion is okay, but of course we should not become content with always coming up to receive a blessing. By the fact that we continue to come and attend the Mass and are unable to receive communion should create a longing in our heart to either (A) Return to the Sacrament of Confession or (B) Make haste to fix the situation that is keeping us from the Eucharist. We must remember that God is merciful and that the door to His mercy is always left open, but we must first do something with this invitation.

From the Acts of the Apostles we were told: "The community of believers was of one heart and. mind." It is through the Eucharist that we are able to show and proclaim that we are of "one heart and mind." May we not be content with being of many hearts and minds with the doubt the raises inside of us, but instead may we remember that God is merciful and in return allow ourself to be moved towards that mercy.

Glancing at the image of Divine Mercy we see the words: "Jesus I trust in You." These words are simple to say, but are most difficult to take to heart. In this midst of fear, doubt, and temptation towards sin we must take these words to heart. In taking these words to heart we glance at Christ and realize as Thomas did that He has triumphed over the tomb. Through our trust firmly placed in Christ we will and can discover the same joy that came over Thomas in our Gospel. From the water and blood that spring forth from His side we are reminded of our own baptism and precious gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. From His hand raised in a manner of blessing we are reminded of the Sacrament of Confession where we come to be absolved from all of our sin. May we truly come to proclaim with great faith this day and always "Jesus I trust in you." May we proclaim this trust through a complete outpouring of self and truly allow ourself to be sustained by the life that is given to us by the seven sacraments. 

Easter Sunday Homily

Now that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb we must ask ourself what it is that we expect to discover on the inside. Easter is about the Resurrection of the Lord and thus it is also about coming to discover new life. As Christians we cannot be content with the old ways of our life, but instead we must be willing to surrender all that we may truly go forth to love and serve the Lord. The Lenten season was about aiding us in our journey towards the tomb of our Lord and aiding us with what it would be that we would come to discover when the stone was rolled away. It was for this very reason that we set out to pray, to fast, and to give alms because through each of these actions we came to embrace conversion and thus too we can finally see Christ for who He truly is. After all of this work that we have accomplished in these forty days what we discover inside of the tomb should be no surprise for any of us because we have taken the time necessary to be prepared for what we will come to discover when the stone is rolled away.

What we come to discover inside of the tomb is a great hope that only Christ, who is God made man, can usher into the world. This shining light which glows brightly from the darkness of night brings hope to us that sin and death cannot win, but instead this light shines forth from the darkness of these many encounters to where only the mercy and new life which Christ alone can bring into the world may shine forth.

In each of the four Gospels what was expected to be found within the tomb was nothing more then death. In Mark's Gospel they come to anoint a dead body instead of coming to rejoice with Christ who was resurrected. In John's Gospel Mary of Magdala goes with haste to inform Peter and the beloved disciple that they have removed a dead body from the tomb. In Matthew's Gospel they are said to come in order to contemplate the tomb. Finally, in Luke's Gospel they are told the most striking words of all by the lips of two men: "Why are you seeking one who is alive, here among the dead?"

This question from these two men is worth our further reflection. So often we are content with our life and in return would never desire to let go of anything because we would rather have Christ conform to our needs. Of course if we desire Christ to conform to us we are left searching for Him among the dead instead of among the living. If we truly desire to discover Christ resurrected as we come to proclaim today we cannot continue to search for Him among the dead, but instead we can only do so by searching for Him among the living. We all needed the Lenten season because it helped us to put to death all that which needed to be so and in return has oriented our life towards finally being able to live. When we roll away the stone of the tomb what it that we desire to discover? Are we seeking one who is alive among the dead?

Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ may we come to realize that Christ is the God of the living. He has come and has conquered over the weight of the cross because of the Resurrection. Every time our own life is forced to embrace the pains of the cross we cannot allow ourself to be found among the dead, but instead among the living. Coming to realize and embrace the very fact that Christ risen from the dead signals to each of us a great hope. This hope is that no matter how awful our life may seem to be, no matter the loss and pain that we must come to embrace, no matter the travesty taking place in the world such as what happened in Kenya, and no matter how deeply entrenched in our sin that we may be; that we come to discover Christ among the living not the dead. If we rolled away the stone and discovered Him among the dead we would never be able to encounter hope because this pain, loss, hardship, and sin is all that we would discover. But, instead we roll away the stone and we come to find Christ among the living which is to say that new hope always shines forth from each of the darkest moments in this world and within our own life.

Therefore today may we never regress to our past which leaves us trying to find Christ among the dead. May we also continue to search for Him among the living with every single burden that befalls us. Today we gather here to profess this reality and to proclaim with great faith that Christ has conquered over the grave and has risen again. This news is life changing and always brings forth hope from life's darkest moments. With this great discovery that we make this day may we not turn back to find Him among that which has been left for dead, but instead may we continue to allow our cries of "alleluia" to rise to the Heavens for He has truly risen.

Good Friday Homily

We do not participate within our Lord's Passion as passive people who are now disconnected from this moment in earth's history as if we were mere observers who now glance at this event as if we are disconnected from it by time and place. Instead, we each are very intimately connected to the Passion of the Lord. The Lord's Passion was not simply accomplished at one point in time some two thousand years ago, but instead it continues to penetrate into the very fabric of our life here on this earth. The Lord's Passion does not only effect those who were present that day at Golgotha, but instead the very effects of the cross are now felt throughout the whole earth.

We are very active participants in our Lord's offering of Himself upon the cross. Our participation in these events extend far beyond our simple participation in the Lord's Passion this night by the words that we spoke in participation of our Gospel. We of course can envision the pain that our Lord endured especially as those nails were driven into his hands and feet and the spear was thrust through His side creating for us what are known as the Five Wounds of Christ. Our participation extends into our Lord's Passion here because through our sin and lack of faith we have led to these wounds being thrust upon our Lord. It is through our indifference to the Divine Truth that Christ brought into the world that these nails were driven into His Hands and Feet and the spear was thrust into His Side.

Despite our sin and all of the indifference in our life that have led to God having to take on our human flesh and die upon the cross in the Second Person of the Holy Trinity we can now claim with good faith that we have been redeemed. Yet again we are not bystanders who look towards the cross separated from the distance of time and place, but instead we are truly ushered into the very life of the cross through the mercy that is extended to us from Christ's sacrifice. Prior to the cross the veil which hung in the temple separated humanity from having an intimate relationship with God, but now with Christ's death the veil in the temple has been torn in two and we now are able to enter into this intimate reality of God's profound love for each of us.

Tonight is most different for us because we do not come here for the celebration of Mass, but instead a service which calls to mind the reality of the cross. Nevertheless, the Mass and thus too the Holy Eucharist shows that we are not passive onlookers, but instead they serve as a reminder that Calvary has happened once and for all time and therefore time continues to stand still here and thus when the Mass is offered we are present with our Lord at the sacrifice that was offered upon the cross and has in return reached its culmination through Christ's Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. People exclaim that Mass is long and boring! Why? But, because they see themselves as a passive onlooker who is separated from Calvary by time and place. Saint Josemaria Escriva instead exclaims: "The Mass is long, you say, and I add: Because your love is short." Indeed how could we ever exclaim that Mass is boring or long if we understand that we are participating fully in Christ's love as it was proclaimed from the cross. 

Fulton Sheen exclaims: "The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host." Again whenever we behold and receive Christ who is present within the Eucharist, as we will do this night, we are not passively receiving and looking upon a symbol, but instead we behold the true love of God because the Eucharist is Christ's Body and Blood which shows the same intimate love that He expresses for us from the cross.

This night we will receive our Lord in Holy Communion and we will make a pilgrimage forward to reverence the Holy Cross from which our salvation was won. We are not passive onlookers who have been separated from this mystery by time and place. We have contributed to our Lord's wounds through our sin, we have received from these wounds and His death redemption from our sinful past, and we continue to journey to this great moment of love and are present at Calvary itself whenever the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. May we not be content with being passive onlookers who allow the cross to remain at a distance, but instead may we journey forward to reverence the cross and realize that it is very much so a part of who we are in this day and age.