13th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Jesus has come to conquer over the reality of death. When we think about it there are two types of death. One of these should not be of concern for us while the other should come as great concern. The first is the death which we encounter in this life when one's life on this earth comes to its end. The second type of death is that which takes place in our soul through the reality of sin. This first type of death should be of no concern because through it our existence continues into the hope of everlasting life. This type of death is a necessary step for us to take from this world to the Father. The second type of death should concern us because through our free choice of it we choose to deprive ourself of a perfect relationship with God and can even come to deprive ourself of sanctifying grace and thus deprive ourself of the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must remember that neither of these types of death have anything to with God and His original order for us because they after all are a result of the Fall. The Book of Wisdom reminds us of this reality and thus too what the original plan was which we will once again come to encounter in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Kingdom of Heaven there will be no more sickness, no more pain, and no more death. Instead we will only encounter the joy of being held in perfect union with God and thus all of creation for all of eternity. We must remember that the physical death of our bodies cannot put a stop to this, but the death of our soul through the reality of serious sin is able to and thus this is something which is most serious.

No matter how we find ourself to be this day we must encounter our Gospel with great hope. The message contained within this Gospel is that Christ takes that which has been left for dead and in return raises it to new life. To the human eye it looked as if this young woman was dead, but Christ knew that she was only sleeping. If this were simply physical death He knew that one day the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven would be opened wide and thus she would come to know the true joys of eternal life. He thus too looked upon this young woman with the knowledge that the death of sin cannot conquer because His healing mercy is so much greater. Christ's healing mercy can restore us to life, but do we actually desire to take the pains upon ourself to make this so?

Throughout this Gospel we are shown that our faith in the healing power of Christ cannot be something that is passive. We must go out in search for it and embrace what it is that we find. This father encountered death, but through faith He knew that Christ was the only one who could restore life. The woman suffering from a hemorrhage was left unclean and thus was condemned by the law, but through her faith and thus her encounter with Christ she was healed. We must be sent forth from here with this same assurance of faith. So often we want to be passive when it comes to our struggle with sin, but those healed in our Gospel were not found to be passive. They instead searched out Christ no matter the hardship that arose and came to embrace Him with perfect faith.

 

Thankfully Christ has left us with the gift of the seven sacraments. In other words we don't have to go on a search to find something to sustain us and to assure us of the mercy of God. We do, however, need to prevail ourself to Christ and thus allow Him to heal us from our death through that which He has provided to His Church on this earth. If we desire the Kingdom of Heaven with the knowledge that through it we don't pass away, but instead that we will live forever with God we should realize that sin cannot be found here. In our realization that life is eternal and mortal sin causes true death to soul we should see the necessity to be raised to new life now instead of hoping that it comes later. The Sacrament of Confession assures us of the mercy of God and it aids the believer in overcoming serious sin as well as every day imperfections that keep us from perfect union with God. This Sacrament goes hand in hand with the Most Holy Eucharist which also strengthens us on this journey of faith, but of course serious sin kills our relationship with the Eucharist because the Eucharist is Jesus Christ who is present with us. May we trust in the Sacraments because through each of them we come to encounter Jesus Christ who restores life to those who are found to be dead and thus too prepares us to enter into the joys of eternal life where we will never pass away.

4th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

We don't want to be told what to do. We have been taught that it is only right and just to do as we wish. There has been an attempt to lower religion to simply making people feel good about themselves. We believe that Heaven is real and we say that we desire to get there, but are we really brave enough to trust in order that we may find ourself there. In our Gospel people were going about the busyness of their everyday life. They knew that the ultimate goal was to catch an abundance of fish, but they were unable to accomplish this goal through their own merit. We must remember that it took not only the presence of Christ for them to catch abundantly, but it also took them bravery to trust in His words and thus to carry out what He requested.

We must allow Christ to be the one who instructs us to where we are to cast out our net. The possibilities for us are of course abundant, but despite this abundance we must remember that it is Christ alone who is the one who is to lead us. We know in our heart that our true goal on this earth is to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven, but if we cast out our nets into the abundance of waters without Christ we will never obtain our true heart's desire. The voice of Christ alone and thus that which He has extended to us through the gift of the Church is the only way where we will be guided along the way in order that we may not be left without hope, but instead may catch abundantly.

Our materialism, sensuality, excessive love for comfort, and ignorance are all places towards which we often cast out our nets. In the end none of these produce an abundant catch for us, but instead they always leave us trapped in continuing to cast out our net over and over again without ever catching a thing. We must come to learn from our past mistakes and thus in return come to understand that it is Christ alone who is the one who can truly fulfill us. With Christ at work within our life we come to cast out our nets and what we receive in return comes in abundance. What we receive from this catch is not shame nor despair, but instead we come to encounter the meaning of the true love for which our heart was always longing. Do not take the easy route and cast your net wherever you may please, but instead be brave and cast out your net in accordance with Christ's will.

Today we celebrate what is Father's Day. The role of the father within the family is a very important role. Surely a father desires to emulate Saint Joseph who is the most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He did not simply walk around lost and trying to catch abundantly, but he always should his concern that the net was thrown into the proper spot. He was given a special role over marriage and even over God. He protected his spouse and always respected her as a woman. He protected the Son of God who was placed under his fatherly care and helped to raise Him into adulthood. A father should desire to assist his family in casting the net in accordance with God's will. This is the path that Saint Joseph points out to all fathers on this Father's Day.

Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ: May we desire not to come up empty handed, but instead may we catch abundantly. Many options exist within this world to where we may cast our net, but these many options can be against the will of Christ. Christ does not want us to know despair, but instead He wants us to know that through his mercy we can be healed. Through the mercy of Christ we can catch abundantly. May all of us draw close Christ this day and may we never allow ourself to be placed before His will.

12th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Everyone in thought and word desires to make it into Heaven, but I hope that people are actually brave enough to make it there. We must each follow the words contained in our Gospel and thus pass onto the other side. The other side for us is referring towards our journey into the Kingdom of Heaven. This journey is possible, but it does not come as easily as we often believe it to be. We must be willing to take up the fullness of the message of the Gospel and thus grow in our love for Christ and His Church. The more we are able to do this the more we will banish the many temptations which cry out to us with the sole purpose of leading us away from the Lord. "The love of Christ impels us" forward towards the Heavenly Kingdom if we are brave enough to love Christ over all of our wordily longings.

The shouts of fear that were uttered from the lips of the apostles still ring true for us to this day. "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Storms give rise in our life abundantly each day and yet we cannot allow ourself to lose hope. These storms beat the boat of our life around and often cause us to lose hope that making it to the other side is a possibility. Without hope we either freak out and get lost in the abundance of the waters or we turn back towards our old way of life forgetting the true happiness and joy that actually awaits us on the other side. These winds and furious seas represent our own materialism, our excessive love for comfort, our sensuality, and our ignorance and thus they all give way to clouding our mind from the true path that now lays before us and thus getting lost in the midst of our passions or simply turning back to what we falsely believe to be safety and comfort.

We must be brave and thus allow ourself to stand firm in the midst of our faith when these temptations give rise. If we stand firm these temptations will pass bye and we in return will grow in virtue instead of remaining lost in vice. We must be willing to allow Christ to enter into our life; not as an excuse to continue to sin, but as the means for our delivery from these many temptations that plague our soul. Just as strong and firm as these words were in the life of the apostles they are also to our ears and thus to the storms that are currently present in our life. "Quiet! Be still!" If we truly desire the Kingdom of Heaven we must allow Christ to utter these words on our behalf and thus allow Him to calm the storms of our life. We cannot ignore Christ and these words because in doing so these storms will continue to beat us about, in time they will even get worse, and thus in return the Kingdom of Heaven becomes only a blur that we may never be able to see with our eyes.

Why would we want to deprive ourself, our friends, or even our family from the beauty and calmness of life that is found in the Kingdom of Heaven? What is found on the other side is the true beauty that was created to be prior to the Fall. On the other side we cannot discover sadness, sickness, nor death because we have now for the rest of time have been joined into perfect union with God the Father who is the creator of all things. In Heaven these storms of temptation no longer beat us about, but first we must be brave enough to tame them through our faith firmly placed upon Christ. In order to have faith firmly placed upon Him we must be brave because if we are not we will never come to know Him because we preferred the comfort of the world to this relationship. In this manner we must ask ourself the same questions that were presented to the apostles. "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"

Today we also have the opportunity to celebrate Father's Day. I therefore encourage us to always keep Saint Joseph before our eyes. Saint Joseph was not terrified nor did he ever cease to have faith. Saint Joseph did not allow himself nor his family to get caught up in the fears of life, but he always led them forward towards the other side. He was given a special ministry over God and marriage. He took Mary as his wife and in return he guarded and protected her and always made her happy. He was to raise and teach the Son of God who as a child needed the protective care of his earthly father. It is my hope that all fathers will look to this wonderful saint on this most special day and in return see the proper way to treat their wife and the proper way to treat their children in order that they may grow in their love for virtue and God as a family. May fathers not be terrified of leading their family towards the Kingdom of Heaven. The storms of this life may be fierce, but Saint Joseph always leads us forward with a true example that these storms can and will be tamed. May each of us truly desire to make it to Heaven and may we in return be brave enough to make it there while taking as many souls as possible with us along the way.  

11th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

A seed is tiny and yet through the use of time we know that it grows into something that is large. Once it sprouts into its full maturity it is also able to bear more seed which in return has the potential of bringing forth new life. We should always be sent forth with this same missionary spirit because despite how small that we may be when placed beside the massiveness that is this world we do have the ability to contribute a lot to its wellbeing. From the crest of a cedar came this massive tree that sprouted out on the mountaintop, from the seed that was scattered in the field came forth an abundance of new life, and from the small mustard seed came forth a plant which towered high into the sky.

When we consider this need to evangelize and thus to share our faith with others despite how minuscule we might be to the complexity of society my mind is always taken to Saint Therese of Lisieux. We know her under the title of the "Little Flower" and we speak of her concerning her "Little Way." If we removed the "Little Way" from our understanding of her we might not have a saint to venerate, so in all actuality the "Little Way" must be huge and tremendous. So what is this "Little Way" of Saint Therese of Lisieux? In the "Little Way" one is aware of the many small and mundane tasks of everyday life and in return they see the need to sanctify these tasks. A sacrifice, a smile, or a word of comfort as small as these gestures may be all contribute to the meaning of the little way because they are all responses made out of love for God. To open a door for another may not get us attention and adoration for out deed, but if this gesture is done with the spirit of love for God we are participating in the "Little Way."

We too must remember that Christ even came and called the twelve apostles to follow after Him in service. There was nothing special about these twelve men that would set them leaps and bounds above others, and yet they were the ones who were chosen. Despite their imperfections and thus too their smallness in the midst of a massive world they were the ones who were called to become His first priests. None of them were perfect and yet they were called and thus in return also called many souls to come and to encounter Christ. They were nothing more then a small seed and yet the fruit that they were able to produce was abundant. Following Christ's Ascension into Heaven they did not just give up hope, but instead they went forth with a missionary spirit to draw many souls to encounter the faith that we profess.

If we are to take seriously the magnitude of our scriptures this day we must be sent forth from here with this same missionary spirit. We must desire to set souls on fire for the name of Christ and His Church. The truth that is proclaimed by the Gospel is hard at times, but nevertheless we must embrace it in its entirety. If we live out our life as if it is separated from the Church and her teachings we will have no nourishment that will lead to the seed of faith springing forth new life in our midst. If we profess a Gospel message that is false or desire not to grow in the pains of conversion we will have nothing to offer souls on their journey of faith. Thus we will be held responsible for producing no fruit because we wanted nothing on this earth to do with Christ.

Saint Therese of Lisieux in her "Little Way" gave service to Christ and to His Holy Gospel. The apostles, despite the many difficulties along the way, gave service to Christ and to His Holy Gospel. From this firm foundation that was placed upon Christ and His Church sprang forth their missionary zeal to draw more souls into the harvest of the Lord. May we too come to encounter Christ in the sacraments of the Church this day and from this font of grace may we grow in our faith and our relationship with Christ. The more that we grow to love Christ and His Church the more we will have to offer unto all the souls whom we encounter along the way; be they family, friends, or even enemies. Christ is the nourishment that we need if a field of freshly sewn seed is to ever produce a massive harvest. Christ is the nourishment that we will need if our faith is to grow into a strong object that will withstand the many storms of this life that attempt to knock us over. May therefore always trust in Christ and His Church.

Corpus Christi Year B Homily

Today I look upon a young woman who will receive the Eucharist for the first time in her life. She is excited and rightly so! Today all of her sins will be washed away in baptism and she will be found pure in the yes of God. Today she will be sealed with gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and thus will be given the grace to always practice and defend the faith that she professes in our midst today. She is excited because her past will be no more and she is excited because she knows that the Eucharist IS Christ's Body and Blood. I hope that the example of faith that she gives to us today will renew our own faith in the Eucharist.

Every time that we approach the Eucharist we should be filled with this same childlike faith. No matter how many times that we have received the Eucharist we cannot allow it to become just a mundane action of our everyday life. If the Eucharist becomes mundane we will begin to fail to examine our conscience daily, we will begin to come forward to receive the Eucharist sloppily, we will begin to lie away the need to hold to the Eucharistic fast, and thus when we are sent out into the world we will be left unchanged because this was our desire. The thought of the Eucharist should fill our heart with excitement, why? But, because Christ loves us so much that He continues to dwell here with us here in the Eucharist.

The golden box that is located behind the altar is known as the tabernacle. The word tabernacle means "dwelling place." This is to say that Christ has come to dwell here with us for all time out of love. Yes, Christ is always present with us, but through the Eucharist He is physically here with us. When we look upon the Eucharist we are looking upon the physical presence of Christ. When we receive the Eucharist we receive the physical presence of Christ. When we humbly kneel in adoration in the presence of the Eucharist we are thus too doing this in the physical presence of Christ. Christ did not give us a mere metaphor when He said in our Gospel: "this is my body" and "this my blood." This is no metaphor, but instead through these words we know with good faith that Christ continues to come here to dwell with us for all time. If we understand the Eucharist and what takes place here we would never be given a reason to leave the Church because the Eucharist cannot be found outside of the Church.

We were instructed by the Second Vatican Council that the Eucharist is the source and the summit of our faith. This is exactly why devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist is so important. Devotion to the Eucharist centers our life upon Christ. If we took the sun away from our solar system we know that we would be in a lot of trouble. We know this and we believe this to be so! If we remove the Eucharist from our life the exact same will happen. We cannot allow ourself to deny this truth. Our life and thus too the world would be broken and helpless without the Eucharist. If the Church lacked the Eucharist, Christ's sacrifice would of never taken place, and thus too reached its culmination through His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. Our readings point towards this reality because sin has hurt our relationship with God, many sacrifices were offered in atonement for this sin, and yet none of these sacrifices were the perfect sacrifice to be offered until Christ poured Himself out entirely for us upon the cross.

How can we not be excited by this reality? How can we not be excited each and every single time that we have the opportunity to draw close to the Eucharist? How can we not be excited to know that the Mass takes us to Calvary where Christ poured Himself out entirely for us as a perfect offering, who was found without blemish, in atonement for our sin. The Eucharist is a most exciting mystery of our faith because what we behold comes under the appearance of bread and wine, but it has also been transformed to become Christ's Body and Blood. May this young woman's faith inspire each of us to always receive the Eucharist with this same childlike faith. May none of us, yourself included Becca, ever allow the Eucharist to become a mundane unimportant action of our life. Instead may the Eucharist flow into all areas of our life and thus may we receive Him worthily, may we receive Him with proper reverence, may we flock to offer prayer before the Blessed Sacrament where Christ is truly present, and if possible let us make time to walk with our Lord who is present in the Eucharist today in our Eucharistic Precession that we will be held at 3:30. May we always come to encounter the Eucharist with childlike faith.