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.