18th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

“This night your life will be demanded of you.” These should be tough words for us to meditate upon because they call to mind our mortality. Elsewhere in scripture we are instructed, “you know not the time nor the hour.” Death is the only thing in this life which has been entitled to us, but we often forget about its possibility and thus we live as if we are immortal.

With this there is a great temptation to forget about Heaven and how our life should always be directed here. There is no greater joy then the joy which is the Kingdom of Heaven. Rather we fall into the trap of placing our attention upon frivolous amusements which can never bring us to the joy of Heaven. Everything falls short of Heaven and thus if it detracts us from our relationship with God it can never bring us true happiness.

If we desire happiness we will not find it in the pleasures of this world nor will we find it through an abundance of possessions. We will not find it in actions which are contrary to the Church and her teachings. We will only discover this happiness through God and through our pursuit of Him. This Gospel is not condemning those who have possessions, but it is a reminder to us that our possessions are not a means to an end. 

Society has been schooled by popular culture and thus we know nothing about scripture or the teachings of the Church. How sad is it to see a child who doesn't even know how to use a bible because their parent has never instructed them on how to do so. How sad it is to see a child who has no clue how to make a confession because a parent has never assisted them in this area of life. The communion line has been lowered to a take and receive mentality, forgetting about what we truly receive which is Jesus Christ in the Flesh Who comes to dwell among under the appearances of bread and wine. There is no greater gift then this, but we often overlook these important elements in favor of popular culture.

Are we rich in what matters to God? Have we assisted others in becoming rich in what matters to God? Or have we stored up treasures for ourselves? These are important questions for us to ask because so often we avoid them in order to pursue the ways of the world and thus regulate God to a portion of our of life rather then allowing God to be our life’s priority.

From an address given by Pope Francis to the pilgrims at World Youth Day in Poland: “It is also hard, and troubling, to see young people who waste their lives looking for thrills or a feeling of being alive by taking dark paths, and in the end having to pay for it – and pay dearly. It is disturbing to see young people squandering some of the best years of their lives, wasting their energies running after peddlers of fond illusions … who rob you of what is best in you. So I ask you: Are you looking for empty thrills in life, or do you want to feel a power that can give you a lasting sense of life and fulfillment? Empty thrills or the power of grace?”

Therefore may we pursue the power of grace by storing up for ourselves that which matters to God. In this manner alone will we discover the fulfillment of our desires because without God we will always be left empty and looking for something more. May the home be the place where this pursuit begins because parents are the primary teachers of their children. There is no greater gift that they can give, but the gift of faith. May we truly store up treasures for ourself which matter to God.

17th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

The disciples petition: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

The whole life of Jesus is teaching us to do precisely this, to pray. Paragraph 2607 of the Catechism states: “Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively to the Father.”

We must remember that prayer is not leading us inwardly towards ourself, but it is leading us progressively towards the Father. When Christ enters into prayer He turns His attention towards the Father and when He instructs His apostles on how they are to pray He turns their attention towards the Father by stating, “Our Father who art in Heaven.”

This day may we be willing to allow Christ to take a hold of us where we are at. We may be alone, afraid, tired, in pain, or filled with joy, but Christ wants to take us wherever we may be and in return direct our gaze towards the Father.

Towards the Father is the way to conversion because it is this direction that we turn in order to be turned away from ourself and towards God. We do not come here to the Mass to look inwardly upon ourself, but instead we turn together, as one body, towards the Father and lift our hearts up to Him. At the Mass we glance into the cross and realize that it is through this instrument that these Sacred Mysteries are opened wide for each of us.

Prayer is the avenue which leads us towards towards knowledge of God and conversion of heart. Nobody has moved too far away from the ability to be transformed by the mercy of God. If we authentically direct our attention towards God we will be left we no other desire then to be transformed by His mercy.

May we desire to learn how to pray by allowing ourself to be directed towards Heaven. May we be willing to persevere in our prayer and thus be progressively lead towards the Father. May prayer assist us in coming to embrace both trial and joy as we cry out in love towards our Father who is in Heaven.

Therefore may we always fervently petition with the apostles as our guide, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

9th Sunday After Pentecost Homily (Extraordinary Form)

We must purify ourself by casting out from our midst all which is found to be evil and all which is filled with wickedness. Jesus reminds us of this fact in our Gospel when He casts out from the temple all those who refused to except God into their life and thus too placed obstacles in the way of others. 

Saint Paul pointed to this fact in his letter to the Corinthians where he stated: “let no temptation take hold on you.” The merchants who were found within our Gospel had allowed temptation to take hold over them and thus it began to possess them. Through their greed and wickedness they took advantage of people’s love for God through the inflation of that which they sold. They were corrupted in doing so and thus they began to loose sight of God.

It is easy to grow lax in our practice of faith and thus to allow sin to take ahold of us. Vice is not made over night, but it takes time. The more we commit a sin and give ourself the excuse to do it again the easier it becomes to commit that sin. Before we know it one is lost in their practice of sin. In this individual we often see the failure to rationalize as they end up doing this action as if it is normal.

We must realize that we have to do battle over sin daily and thus we must be prepared for the spiritual warfare that we must face. Temptation is very real, but it is not something that we have to give into. Our temptations can be resisted, but if this is to happen we must not practice vice. Instead we must practice virtue and thus we must set our sight upon God. The merchants within the temple failed to set their sight upon God. Instead they turned inwardly upon themselves and their desire to amass more wealth.

Satan is never quiet, but we can be assured that he never tells us the truth. He is the father of lies after all. He has no power over God and the graces which are poured out upon us through the gift which is the Church. We cannot grow lax in our practice of faith nor in our practice of devotions because doing so would leave us weakened in the midst of this spiritual warfare. From 1st Peter: “Stay sober and alert your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour resist him solid in your faith.”

Therefore be strengthened through confession and make sure to receive Holy Communion in the state of grace. Receiving Holy Communion is not a laughing matter because it is the sin of sacrilege if one does so in the state of mortal sin. Prevail yourself to devotions such as the breviary, the Holy Rosary, or even the brown scapular. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which calls to mind the brown scapular. So often I hear Catholics mock this devotion as being superstition, but Saint Alphonsus Ligori states: “Modern heretics make a mockery of wearing the Scapular, they decry it as so much trifling nonsense.”

Saint John Paul II stated of the scapular that by wearing we are making a habit for ourself which is modeled after the habits of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Who can argue with this because Mary leads the way towards her Son. We build up so many habits which detract from our relationship with God, but rather we should allow the Blessed Virgin Mary to assist us in building up habits which glorify God. 

May we truly purify ourself by casting out from our midst all which is found to be evil and all which is filled with wickedness.

16th Sunday in OT Year C Homily

Martha shows us the active life while Mary shows us the way of the contemplative. We are all on a journey towards the Heavenly Kingdom and there we will come to enjoy the contemplative life of Mary for all eternity. We cannot claim that Martha’s way was found to be in error for she strived to serve Christ. We should strive to find a balance between these two individuals in order that we may better be at service to the Gospels.

Mary shows that in the midst of our busy schedules that we must find the time to foster a relationship with God. Martha shows that despite the many ongoings of our life that we should be found in service of God. As Christians we must be both active and contemplative in our undertaking of faith. We must work, go to school, have social interactions (all of this is normal), but we don’t have to undertake these things as if they are exempt from God. We must always remember that God is in our midst and that we serve Him alone.

Martha is found toiling about in the affairs of everyday life. We cannot blame her for her actions or we in return would have to give up ministering to those who are in need. Rather, Martha invites us to undertake works of mercy. She invites us to make our life a reflection of this service to God. We are not being challenged to surrender the ongoings of our life, but we are being challenged to make sure that all that we do is done in service to God and thus from this reality we are sent forth to draw other souls to know and love this same God.

Mary is found at the feet of Jesus. She is taking upon herself the Divine Knowledge of our Lord and Savior. From this interaction with Him she is being formed into what we will come to know in the life to come. We who toil about and are found to be busy must find our consolation with Mary. She shows that we still have the time to foster this relationship with God which is most important. There is always something more to be done and to obsess over (maybe it is finding that next Pokemon), but Mary shows that it is possible to stop and thus allow our hearts to be lifted up to God.

Therefore may we find ways to find balance between the actions of Martha and Mary. May these two saints assist us in further reflecting upon our life and thus finding ways through which we may emulate them more in our service of God.

To be like Mary we must question how we can pray more despite the busyness of life. To be like her we must question what ways we can remember God despite our many anxieties and trials. To be like Martha we must question how we can better carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. To be like her we must question what actions of our life distract or even cut off our relationship with God and thus in return be willing to surrender them in order that we may better serve the Gospels.

Let us come to strike a balance between the ways of Martha and Mary. May we find ways to be both active and contemplative in our service to Christ and to our neighbor. May Saints Martha and Mary intercede for each of us and may they lead us towards living out this balance of life.

15th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

The Good Samaritan embodies the mercy of God. This is the same mercy which is being professed by the Church during this Year of Mercy. To be merciful requires one to be attentive to God and to the needs of those who surround us.

The Church Fathers have held that the Good Samaritan is representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus who looks upon the victim and thus too looks upon all of us who have been infected by the sin of Adam. He does not stand idly by and watch us from a distance, but rather He accepts the cross in order that we may be saved. Through the cross Jesus does not compromise with sin, but instead He conquers over it through His outpouring of mercy. God is merciful with us!

Mercy cannot be confused with compromise. The Church in her mercy cannot compromise on her teachings. If she were to compromise she would cease to be merciful because she would cease to call souls to encounter Christ who heals that which has been left for broken. It was not enough for the Good Samaritan to pass by and to say words of kindness. Rather, the Good Samaritan stopped and assisted the man in his need and even left him within the inn in order that he would be restored to his proper health.

The Church Fathers see this inn to be representative of the Church. Christ did not return to His Father in order that we would be left alone. Rather, He left us with the gift of the Church which He has established upon this earth. The Church is a vessel of the Father’s mercy because it restores those who are in need of mercy back to their proper health.

Pope Francis has exclaimed that the Church is a field hospital after battle. This is precisely true because the Church is not for those who are without sin. Rather, the Church is a place for the sinful to flock in order that they may encounter the mercy of God. The Sacrament of Confession is not for the perfect, but for those who strive to be more like Christ. The Eucharist is not for the perfect, but for those who strive to be more like Christ. To be a Christian requires us to strive to be more like Christ.

During this Year of Mercy we should consider the many ways that we can come to accept this mercy of God into our life. During this year of mercy we should also consider the many ways in which we can practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. This allow us to join with the Good Samaritan in seeing the needs of the victim and assisting them back to their proper health.

It is easy for us to pass by those who are found to be in need, but we must challenge ourself to be merciful with them. We show the mercy of the Father whenever we stop and show our concern be it for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the imprisoned, the deceased who we assist through our prayers. It easy for us to proclaim the truth of the Church, but we must also be willing to walk with that individual in their journey of coming to encounter the mercy of the Father.

During this Year of Mercy may we truly desire to receive the mercy of God into our life and thus have our life changed through this encounter and from this encounter may we be willing to assist others in coming to know and trust in this same mercy for themselves.

External Feast of Saints Peter & Paul (Extraordinary Form)

Through Saints Peter and Paul we come to see the origins of our faith. Saint Peter, who was the first pope. Saint Paul, who was sent out to bring the Gentiles to come and know of the love of Christ.

Both of these men suffered a martyr’s death and thus gave their life to Christ in a most intimate way. They are now both entombed in Rome and stand guard there as protectors of our faith.

Both men have stories of their past life, but in the end they came to know Christ and to give their life to Him. Saint Peter, denied Christ on three occasions and yet he was converted from his unbelief and came to believe. Saint Paul, as Saul was a persecutor of Christians and thus brought many to their death. Despite all of this Christ came and called him to surrender himself to conversion.

On this Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul may we come to emulate these holy men who gave themselves to Christ. May they show us the importance of our faith and assist us in living it out on a daily basis. May they assist us in following the path which leads towards conversion in order that we may truly come to know and love Christ as these holy men did.

Each of us have our own struggles and concerns, but Saints Peter and Paul show that Christ is willing to take these burdens upon Himself. These great saints display the reality that we can move past our sinfulness and be brought into complete trust and love for Christ. To come and discover Christ is to be led towards liberation.

Saints Peter and Paul point the way towards liberation for us. Saint Peter was captured and put into prison and yet he was liberated from his enslavement. Paul while writing to Timothy speaks of the liberation that he underwent in being sent out to preach Christ to the nations. All of us are in need of liberation and thus we must allow it to be constantly at work within our life. May we keep the door for this liberation open in order that we may receive the graces which God desires to pour out upon us.

Through the sacraments we receive the gift of grace which God pours out upon us. May we truly partake of the sacraments and thus allow God to be at work within our life. Through the Sacrament of Confession may we join with Saint Peter in a spirit of conversion brought about from our denial of Christ. Through the Sacrament of the Eucharist may we join with the apostles at the Last Supper who had the opportunity to commune with God and His great love for them.

May Saints Peter and Paul interceded on our behalf and assist us in coming to trust in Christ thus allowing Him to be the one that sets us free from our captivity.

14th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

The seventy-two were sent out into the abundant harvest of the Lord. They were instructed: "Into whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this household." The peace which the seventy-two would bring into the homes of the faithful was nothing other then the peace of Christ, it is all that they brought with them. They were to bring Christ with them and thus they were to lead others into coming to surround them self with this same Christ and His love.

Upon returning to Christ the seventy-two were amazed for "even the demons are subject to us because of your name." I hope that we realize that spiritual warfare is something which is very real, but despite its seriousness we have Christ on our side who comes to triumph over any form of evil. Those who have allowed the peace of Christ to penetrate into their home have received a transformation because they were left changed through their interaction with Christ. We cannot come to know Christ and be left unchanged by our experience with Him. May we come to invite Christ into our homes in order that we and our families may grow in our love for Him.

"Peace be with this house and with all who live here" is the greeting which is given at a blessing of a home. I encourage all to get a member of the clergy to bless their home if this has not already taken place. A blessing of a home welcomes the love of Christ into the dwelling place. It sets the home apart as a sacramental which has been set aside to elevate our heart and mind towards God. If we believe spiritual warfare to be real we must mark our home as a dwelling place for God thus giving Satan no power over us.

Welcoming the peace of Christ into our home should cause us to reflect upon what we surround ourself with. When the seventy-two were sent out into the abundant Harvest of the Lord they were instructed to take nothing with them because all they needed was Christ. What pictures, statues, and crosses do we surround ourself with on a daily basis? If the answer is none of these are present within the home I encourage you to find ways to incorporate these into the home. The use of religious art is to elevate our mind to the divine.

Our reading from Isaiah shows a purified and joyful Jerusalem and shows a loving God who comforts and nurses His children. We too should allow our life to be purified in order that we may come to set our sight upon God. The world in all its struggles can be hard to deal with, but may we be assured of God’s love for us. If this is not to be made manifest within the home we have banished God from our midst and serve Him in word only.

Therefore, may we ask in what ways we can allow the peace of Christ to penetrate into our home. Is the message of the Gospel lived out in the home or is the home a place where offenses against the Gospel are allowed to be made manifest? Dedicate an area of the home to be a place of prayer. Make an altar where devotions can be offered to the One Triune God. We take so much time to chase after frivolous activities, but may we be truthful with ourself and ask how much time to we dedicate to God.

May the peace of Christ penetrate into the home and may the home become a dwelling place of Christ’s love as is displayed through the life of the family.