Holy Family Year B Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today the Church continues to profess that we celebrate the birth of the Savior and thus we continue our celebration of Christmas. This is entirely different from what our culture is professing unto us. As far as society is concerned Christmas is over and it is long gone. Thus Christmas trees are now thrown to the roadside and lights which ones lit up the night sky have been taken down from homes. Thus that Christmas music which once played from the radio has now been transformed into another genere. People have partied themselves out before Christmas even got here and now life moves on as if nothing ever happened.

Nevertheless, we must profess that we are still in Christmas. In our profession of this reality we get to the heart of what is important within this season. At the heart of what is important is Christ and that joyous occasion of His birth. The word “Christmas” means the Mass of Christ. Our culture places the emphasis upon many things, but forgets the two things which are most important. The Mass and Christ. Concerning these two realities our culture is more then happy to shove them to the side by the pursuit of worldliness.

Thus today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We come to discover Mary and Joseph gathered around the crib of our Blessed Lord. Their attention is placed entirely upon Him. They do not cast Him to the side in order to pursue the ways of the world, but rather they continue to pour out prayerful adoration to their child. As they raise Him into an adult they do not do so by giving scandal, but rather by giving example of how one comes to pursue virtue.

Only if our homes were modeled after that of the Holy Family. If our homes were modeled after the Holy Family there would indeed be a transformation within society. Instead we so easily cast off Christ from our midst. Instead of of assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass it is easy to give excuse to why we are unable thus placing Christ to the side. Instead of being heroic by pursuing virtue we so easily get caught off guard pursuing a life which is segregated from religion thus casting Christ to the side. Instead of a family which gathers together in adoration of Christ everyone goes their own way to do their own thing thus casting Christ away from their midst.

May families thus make the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph their example. May parents be heroic as Mary and Joseph were heroic. May they guide their children as they came to guide Christ. If the family does not pray together you cannot say that Christ has been placed at the center. If the family does not attend Mass you cannot say that Christ has been placed at the center. We cannot be like the world which has cast decorations to the side and now moves on because we must continue to dwell with the Messiah and to allow our heart and soul to be modeled after Him.

Truly may we allow the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to be our guide.

Christmas Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate God’s love as is made manifest within this small crib. Here we come to discover the Messiah whom all of scripture has pointed towards. Here we come to discover not just a child, but rather God who takes on our human flesh and comes to dwell with us in the second person of the Holy Trinity. Here we come to discover Jesus Christ who comes to dwell with us out of love and that love does not end here, but rather we see it displayed to us from the wood of the cross when He died upon it for the sake of our sinfulness.

What a special night that we celebrate today. From this moment angels come and they sing “Glory to God in the highest.” From this moment shepherds come to this child who happens to be the Savior of the world. From this moment a star shines which brings forth kings who come to do Him homage. Truly this is a special night for on we it gather together to celebrate these Sacred Mysteries as we to come to sing “Glory to God the highest.” As we too travel to acknowledge Him as our Savior. As we too come to do Him homage in this small crib in which He had been laid by His parents.

The little town of Bethlehem was truly blessed by this most wondrous birth. To fathom our own disposition if we were present at this time and made fully aware of who this child truly was. We would allow nothing to get in our way of coming to see this child who would bring about our salvation. We would not approach as if this were any child whom we have encountered in the past, but rather this is God who dwells with us out of love. During this Christmas season come to pray before the manager and truly fathom this great love that God shows to us through this little child.

Yes, how wondrous it would be for us to be present with Him on that first Christmas. The interesting thing is that we are made present with Him. How so, but through the Eucharist. It is here that we come to encounter Jesus Christ who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity through the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. What would we do and how would we act if we were present with the Messiah at the manager should be the same concerning what we would do and how we would act when we come to encounter the Eucharist.

Christ was placed in the manger and thus was made present for the world to see. Christ is thus placed within all the tabernacles of the world for us to see. Let us rejoice on this Christmas Day for our savior has been born. Let us allow Him to transform us into living disciples who are sent out to live their faith and to draw others to it. Let us rejoice in the gift which is the Eucharist and grow in our devotion of it for here we do not encounter a representation of Christ, but rather we encounter this same Christ whose birth we celebrate on this day.

4th Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

As we come to celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent we now stand upon the cusp of entering into the Christmas season. Very soon we will be able to rejoice and send up our joyful hymn singing “Glory to God in the highest.” May we allow this longing to build in our heart because we are so close and yet we are not yet there.

Our Gospel documents for us the events of the Annunciation where God took on our human flesh and came to dwell among us within the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the pure and spotless vessel which brought Christ into this world. With her we now stand in our great expectation as we await the birth of our Savior.

We must thus stay close to the Blessed Mother. May we entrust ourself to her watchful care. As our hearts are filled with longing to behold our Savior may we come do so through her intercession. To dwell with her in our expectant longing to behold Christ is to allow ourselves to grow in living out the virtues. The angel Gabriel proclaimed that she is full of grace and thus to dwell with her is to draw close to God.

In Advent we have this longing to draw close to God. We have this longing to prepare ourself to behold the Christmas message of the birth of the Messiah. We also prepare ourself for that unknown hour when Christ will return and we will be called to the final judgement. Therefore it is important that we long for Christmas, but it is important for us to realize that we are not yet there. Even when it finally arrives we must continue to prepare our heart and our soul to encounter Christ for there will come an unknown hour when He will come again and we will be called to judgement.

Therefore our whole life should be found in preparation to encounter Him. We will encounter Him on Christmas laying in a manger and surely we don’t want our sinfulness to keep us away from His side. We will encounter Him at the end of time and surely we don’t want to be judged as being unworthy of entering into Heaven and thus being found worthy of being thrust into Hell. We will encounter Him also in the Eucharist and surely we don’t want to receive Him unworthily.

No matter if we are drawing close to Christmas, the end of time, or the Eucharist we should have a long expectant longing found within our heart. May this longing never pass away, but rather may we continue to nurture it each day as we truly prepare ourself to behold the Lord. Let us remain watchful for very soon we will encounter the Messiah on Christmas morning, for very soon we will encounter Him as He comes again, and very soon we will see Him in the Breaking of Bread. May our heart and soul be found prepared for such an encounter.

3rd Sunday of Advent Year B

Today we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Advent which is also known as Gaudete Sunday. This word for “rejoice” is taken from today’s introit from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians which states: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

As we embark upon this 3rd Sunday of Advent we must realize that we are drawing close to our celebration of Christmas. Next week we will celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent and then will quickly turn around to celebrate Christmas. This means that next weekend will be a very busy weekend because we will have the obligation to attend Mass twice over the period of three days.

Gaudete Sunday serves as this reminder that our celebration is quickly coming. It serves as an encouragement to not lose sight of the days which lie ahead, but rather to continue to trudge forward where we will have the opportunity to rejoice for all eternity with Jesus Christ and all the angels and saints of Heaven.

In our Gospel we again encounter Saint John the Baptist. In it priests and Levites were sent to interrogate him concerning who he is. He answers that he is not the Christ, Elijah, nor a prophet. Rather he is “the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord.” His response reflects the fact that the Messiah is the one who is coming and thus we must prepare our life in order to receive Him.

We must allow ourselves to be lifted up to this cry made by Saint John the Baptist. We must heed the fact that “the Lord is near.” Elevating ourself to such a reality will give us every reason to “rejoice.” If we fail to harken to this message made by Saint John the Baptist or listen to this invitation extended to us by Saint Paul we will fail to “rejoice” because we have placed our attention on that which is passing away.

The world in which we live is surrounded by so much horrendous news. It is easy to let these voices prevail and thus we begin to lose sight of our reason to rejoice. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the world and thus make excuses to why one cannot fulfill their obligation to attend Mass and thus begin to lose sight of our reason to rejoice. It is easy to get caught up in the blindness of sin and thus over time lose our reason to rejoice.

We must rejoice in the here and now and if we are to do this we must make straight the way of the Lord. If we are to rejoice we must be willing to spend time with Him in prayer. If we are to rejoice we must make use of the Sacrament of Confession. If we are to rejoice we must assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we are to rejoice we must grow in the virtue of charity by how we treat those whom we encounter.  If we are to rejoice we must draw close to Jesus Christ because this is the only way to banish sin and despair from our life.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

2nd Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

We have all been extended a vocation by God. A vocation is a call from God to a distinctive state of life, in which a person can reach holiness. The catechism states that this can be the priesthood, religious life, married life, or even the single life. Thus through the embracing of this vocation they come to pursue holiness by how they come to order their life. Some have come to embrace this vocation, others have ran away from it, and still others are in search of it.

On this second Sunday of Advent we come to encounter Saint John the Baptist in our Gospel. Saint John the Baptist is the perfect example of embracing a vocation and allowing it to be the means to which he accomplishes holiness. Saint John the Baptist was not married and thus God had called him to embrace the single life. Through this God given vocation he was also called by God to be the precursor to the Messiah.

It was for this reason that we are told concerning him that he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole life of Saint John the Baptist was oriented towards this encounter with the Messiah. As he proclaimed in the Gospel of Saint Mark: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.”

As we continue this Advent season and thus our encounter with the coming of the Messiah not only Christmas, but also the eventual second coming; may we begin to model ourself after the message and example which is extended to us by Saint John the Baptist. May we come to embrace our God given vocation and through it come to pursue holiness in our every day life. May we hear this message of repentance and come to purify ourself from our sinfulness in order may truly invite the Messiah into our life.

We live in the midst of a world which fears commitments, but Saint John the Baptist committed his whole life even to the point of death to the Messiah. We to then can commit ourselves to our God given vocation no matter the fear nor the struggle which may arise. God truly calls men to be priests, he truly calls people to the religious life, and he truly calls a man and a woman to enter into the bonds of Holy Matrimony. Commitment to such vocations may be difficult, but they are indeed possible.

It is not enough to simply accept a vocation, but we must also come to embrace it by how we live out our life. We are told of the way in which Saint John the Baptist came to embrace his vocation. It was not just an 8am-4pm job, but it was his WHOLE life. In the same way a priest, religious, married, or single person must embrace their vocation each and every single day. They must work at it and nurture their vocation through prayer, living out the sacramental life of the Church, studying their faith and scripture, undergo penance and sacrifice, and they must persevere with God’s grace.

May we thus heed the cry of Saint John the Baptist and come to follow after his example which challenges us to let go of ourself and to follow after Christ and to trust in Him. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Immaculate Conception Homily

We now move towards our celebration of Christmas when we will come to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He who is not just some man, but rather He who comes without sin in order to take away the sin which are present within the world. This loving Savior is God made Flesh who comes to dwell among us.

Our celebration of Christmas is dependent upon today’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is closely linked to our salvation history. Thus God chose Mary to be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth our Savior into this world. God acted upon her behalf and thus she was spared from the effects of original sin. Thus when she was conceived within the womb of her mother, Anne, sin was not present upon her soul.

When Mary was greeted by the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation she was told: “hail, full of grace.” This salutation made by Gabriel is pointing not to who Mary will be, but to who Mary is. This is a statement that from her conception moving forward she was found without the blemish of sin. Luke’s Gospel in instructing us that Mary was full of grace for her whole life not just during this interaction with Gabriel.

One title given to Mary is that of “Ark of the New Covenant.” The Ark of the Old Covenant contained the presence of God and the Ark of the New Covenant, being Mary, contained within her womb God in the second person of the Holy Trinity. Mary thus had to be spared from the stain of sin in order that the one who she carried within her womb would never be touched by its reality.

Thus as we continue to prepare ourself for Christmas during this season of Advent may we come do so through the intercession of Mary. As we celebrate the Immaculate Conception may we come to more closely orient ourself to her in order that we may allow her to bring us into closer relation with her Son. The closer we draw to her Son the more that we move towards detaching ourself from sin and placing our trust in Him.

Devotion to Mary is thus important in the life of the faithful. This devotion should be fostered within the family. Fostering such devotion will lead us towards living out the virtues because within her we find all the virtues perfectly displayed. Our Blessed Mother is truly found to be “full of grace.” Let us take up for ourself her rosary and allow the Angelic Salutation to always be found on our lips: “Hail Mary, full of grace.”

1st Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

Today we embark upon the season of Advent.

We use this time that has been set before us to rush around buying presents, filling out cards, decorating our homes with trees and lights. The music which plays from the radio is that of Christmas classics. This season has become time for parties and celebrations and yet Christmas has not yet arrived.

Advent is a period of preparation in order that we may be awoken from our slumber. As we rush about toiling with as if Christmas is already here it is no wonder why our Christmas celebration does not transcend the 25th of December because everyone has already tired themselves out. We cannot allow the ways of our culture to cause us to lose sight of this period of preparation.

Thus throughout Advent we are preparing to receive the greatest gift which we can receive into our life. That is the gift of the coming of the Messiah on Christmas morning. Through Advent we also prepare for the eventual second coming of the Messiah when the Lord will come again and will call us to the final judgement.

In the account of the Nativity we are told that Mary and Joseph could not find room within the inn. This means that Christ could not find room within the inn. This inn is the same as our heart which is so often closed to allowing such a relationship to begin to take place. You see it is us who have made no room within the inn of our heart for the Messiah to enter in and to dwell with us.

This is the purpose of the Advent season. We want to make room for the Lord to enter in and to dwell with us. Our Gospel instructs us: “be watchful, be alert.” This is so not because we travel towards the known date of Christmas, but because we travel towards the unknown date of the final judgement. We do not want to be caught off guard during this interaction, but we want to be found prepared.

Therefore, as you go about these three weeks which lie ahead do not allow your Christmas preparations to overshadow the fact that we are in a period of preparation. Find ways to orient yourself and your family towards this reality. Maybe through an Advent wreath lit at each meal ate together as a family, through the reading of a spiritual book which breaks open the reality of Christ’s birth unto us, through participation in the Sacrament of Confession, through time spent in the silence of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, or through some other way in which we prepare for the Lord’s coming.

May we truly be found “watchful” and “alert” during this Advent season in order that we may be found prepared for the Lord’s coming.

Christ the King Homily

Last us take a moment to go back to our baptism or one that we have assisted with by our presence. Following the baptism there is an anointing upon the forehead during which the priest prays: “Just as Jesus was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body sharing everlasting life."

Our role as priest and prophet is most important in our Christian life, but today we should focus upon what it means for us to be declared a king. This is important for today we come to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King which brings about the conclusion of the liturgical year. This celebration assists us in seeing Christ’s role within our modern world.

We can imagine what a king is. We know that they are one who is in command. They thus lead others and are responsible for the wellbeing of their kingdom. Thus we must share with Christ as King because in doing so we have the opportunity to lead others towards God. Depending upon one’s state in life we are given many areas of kingship. For example a parent thus assists their children with their education in the faith and inspires them to live out the virtues. To be anointed as “king” is not a private matter, but it is very much so a public one.

We live in the midst of a secular world which desires to silence the voice of religion. We cannot allow this voice to be silenced. Rather, we must take it so seriously that it becomes embedded into who we are as a human person. Our faith is not a private affair because it is so serious that it must be integrated into everything that we do. Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI for this very reason. From the aftermath of World War I he observed a world which was in need of peace and thus in need of Christ. At the same time he observed a world which had grown secular in nature and thus desired to silence the voice of Christ from the public sphere.

Pope Pius XI desired that this Feast of Christ the King would impact the life of the laity. He made the following statements in his encyclical letter given on the matter:

-He must reign in our mind.

-He must reign in our will.

-He must reign in our heart.

-He must reign in our body.

Truly I hope that each of you see the importance of this celebration in your daily life. Truly I hope that each of you sees the importance of sharing in the Kingship of Christ and how this cannot be a private matter. Today we come to recognize Christ the King especially through the gift of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Jesus present with us Body, Soul, and Divinity. We do not come here to receive Christ into our life in order to be sent into the world unchanged. Rather, we receive Christ into our life in order that we may be sent into the world to the share and live what we have received with all those whom we encounter.

Let us thus be transformed through our encounter with the Christ the King. Through our baptism we thus share in this kingship may we thus be willing to live it in the midst of this world.

Long live Christ the King!

33rd Sunday of OT Year A Homily

In our Epistle we were instructed that the Lord will come “like a thief in the night.” Truly the liturgical year is coming to its conclusion. Next week we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and thus bringing about its conclusion. We will then enter into the season of Advent thus beginning a new year as we set our sight upon the birth of Christ. As this year reaches its conclusion we are reminded that in time death will come for us and therefore we must be prepared to encounter it.

If we are to be found ready for our encounter with death we must set our sight upon Heaven and do everything which we can in order to get there. Thus in our Gospel we encounter this man who was to set out upon a journey who entrusted others with talents which is a form of currency. Each of them was given a different allotment of money, but each were called to do something with the gift that had been given to them.

We are the servants found within this parable. The talents given by the master are our many qualities which God has bestowed upon us. The return of the master reminds us of the words of Saint Paul that the Lord will come “like a thief in the night” thus bringing about our death. There will come a time when we must settle with the master what we have done with our talents at the time of the judgement. Finally, we must realize that we should live a life which is oriented towards the banquet for this is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore we must ask ourself what we do with the many gifts that God has allotted unto us. Do we use them to glorify His Most Holy Name or to tear it down? Do we use them to lead to souls to Heaven or to distract them from this destination?

Our gifts have a lot more to do then simply referring to money. This also includes our time and talents and asking how we can give these back. This also refers to our body and senses and thus how we use these to properly glorify God. Let us not live under the illusion that we are under possession of these talents, but rather may we come to realize that these are gifts that God has given unto us. Gifts that He has given unto us in order that we may live freely instead of being enslaved to our passions.

As we come to the conclusion of the liturgical year may we heed the teaching which lies behind this Gospel. May we thus enter into the Sacramental life of the Church and come to know Christ for ourself. Such a relationship will prepare us for the Lord who come “like a thief in the night” and at the moment we will be called to judgement. Let us thus strive for the banquet which is the Kingdom of Heaven.

32nd Sunday of OT Year A

Today we celebrate the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus what is known as the liturgical year is quickly coming to its conclusion. The liturgical year ends in two weeks with our celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King. Thus these readings bring about the urgency that exists with the end of time. In other words, there will come a time of our death and at that time we will be judged. Also, there will come a time when Christ comes again and then the dead will rise with Him in Heavenly glory.

With the conclusion of the liturgical year springs forth the arrival of a new cycle. Thus we begin the season of Advent. Advent derived from the Latin word Adventus which means “the coming.” In other words we are preparing for the coming of the Messiah. He is the one who is to come. There is urgency in our life to prepare for this arrival and to be found prepared like the virgins in our Gospel. To encounter Christ at Christmas is a big deal, but we so often forget about the importance of Advent leading the way towards this coming in order that our heart and soul may be prepared to greet Him.

In our Gospel we encountered ten virgins who lie in wait of the bridegroom. The bridegroom who can arrive at any moment. It was a custom for an elaborate ceremony to take place to transfer the betrothed from the home of her parents to the home of her spouse. Her close friends would greet her on her way and they would join with her in this procession. It was upon arriving at the home of the spouse that the wedding ceremony would finally take place and the festivities would begin. Upon this beginning the gate would be locked and nobody would be able to enter.

Therefore these ten virgins had to be prepared. If they were not prepared they would miss the arrival of the bridegroom and then the gate would be locked and there would be no hope for them to enter into the Wedding Feast. Now let us realize that Christ is the bridegroom and we are the ten virgins who lie in wait. We must set our sight upon the arrival of Christ and thus be prepared to meet Him.

We do not want to arrive at the Wedding Feast and find that the door has been locked. Rather, we want to greet Christ and process with Him into Heavenly glory. If this be true of us and our desires then we must work at remaining attentive to His arrival. We do this through prayer and entering into the Sacramental life of the Church. Go to confession and allow your heart to be made clean. Receive the Eucharist in the state of grace and thus be given food for the journey of life which leads towards Heaven. Fast in order that the longings of our heart may be joined to our Lord’s coming. Truly we do not want to find the doors of Heaven locked to us because of the pride of believing this to be an impossibility.

Christ is the bridegroom who is coming; are we prepared to meet Him?

31st Sunday of OT Year A Homily

God is merciful with us, but do we allow ourself to accept this mercy into our life?

From our Gospel: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

In order for us to be open to receiving the loving mercy of God we need to be humbled. Thus we must lower ourself and let go of our pride and realize our dependence upon God. Our Blessed Mother gave us this example at the Annunciation when she humbled herself in the presence of God and cried out: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”

We often live our life as if we are dependent upon nothing. We enjoy being self sufficient, but at the heart of our Gospel message we are being instructed that we are in need of God. That without God we can accomplish nothing. Despite the self sufficiency that we enjoy today we do not know if this will be the case for us at some point down the road.

The scribes and Pharisees whom we encounter in our Gospel forgot this fact. The Law to which they so strictly adhered to should of brought them into an encounter with God and His mercy. Rather, through their pride this was not so. The scribes and Pharisees needed to humble themselves in God’s presence and thus realize their true dependence upon Him and His mercy.

The response to our Responsorial Psalm gets to the heart of this issue: “In you, Lord, I have found my peace.” We thus will not find our peace until we discover that it is found within God alone. Every longing to which we have will and is fulfilled through our encounter with God.

Let us thus reflect within our heart of the many ways in which we fail to humble ourself in God’s presence and thus fail to find our peace within Him. Some say that they no longer attend Church because what they discover here a bunch of hypocrites who despite what they say and profess don’t properly reflect those words and actions which are found within the Gospel.

Truly we must realize that the Church is a refuge for the sinful. That none of us are perfect and without sin. If we are to make this profession with our lips then we need to be truthful with ourself and thus humble ourself in the presence of God. Despite the Church being a refuge for sinners we must also understand that we are being called to humble ourself thus prevailing ourself to God’s mercy and thus turning away from sin and back towards God. This is a process to which we must commit ourself throughout the course of whole life on this earth.

Thus be not prideful, but humble yourself in the Sacrament of Confession. Thus be not prideful, but realize your need to be humbled in the presence of God as we attend Mass. Thus be not prideful, but truly turn yourself towards the mercy of the Father.

All Soul’s Day Homily

The Church is made up of three realities. There is the Church militant which is each of us here on this earth who now take up our daily struggle towards Heaven. There is the Church Triumphant which is those who have now been called home to Heaven. It was only yesterday that we celebrated All Saint’s Day and thus each and everyone who is now in Heaven. Finally, there is the Church Suffering. This is the Church which unfortunately is often forgotten. The Church Suffering is the souls who now find themselves in Purgatory and thus are very much so in need of our prayers and sacrifices.

We live in the midst of a culture which rejects death and yet death is the one thing that we can be sure of which will eventually catch up with each of us. Not only do we reject death, but when we are faced with its reality we get uncomfortable and don’t know what to say or think. Nevertheless, as Christians we must understand and trust that death has no power of us. Death is not the end of life, but rather for those faithful souls in the incorporation into Heaven and thus the ability to see God face to face.

The souls who find themselves now in Purgatory will one day see God face to face. These faithful souls will eventually find their way into Heaven and thus when that time comes they will pray for us for they will be numbered among the saints and thus venerated on All Saint’s Day. Nevertheless, they are not there yet and thus we cannot forget about the Church Suffering. We cannot forget about the souls in Purgatory.

Often at death we forget about this Church and thus pass it by with our proclamation that these souls are now in Heaven and thus now numbered among the Church Triumphant. With such a proclamation we do a great injustice to our beloved dead. We thus forget to have Mass offered for them, we thus forget to offer our prayers on their behalf, and we thus forget that we need to offer sacrifice for them.

To live in denial of Purgatory is to do a grave injustice to the souls of the deceased. Scripture itself instructs us that nothing which is unclean will enter into Heaven. Be this true then all of us would be in trouble. Who here among us is without sin, please raise your hand. Who here judges not their neighbor? Who here lusts not in their heart for another? Who here doesn’t stretch the truth? Who here is perfectly content with God and doesn’t have longings that they sometimes place before Him? Yes, nothing which is unclean will enter Heaven and thus none of us would be numbered among the Church in Heaven if Purgatory were not true. We are not the second coming of the Immaculate Conception, but rather very much so in need of the mercy of God.

Let us not continue to deny or forget about the Church Suffering, the Church which is now in Purgatory. Let us heed the instruction found within the 2 Maccabees and thus offer prayer and sacrifice for their behalf. Truly souls are in need of our assistance. Let us forget or deny this task.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

All Saint’s Day Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.

This day is very important for us for on it we call to mind each and every saint who has now gone before us into their Heavenly glory and thus now pray for us and for the whole world.

The saints inspire our mind to greater things then this worldly life can offer because they elevate our mind towards Heaven and thus towards an encounter with God.

It would be a grave error for us to live out our life as if there exists a disconnect between them and us. There is not a disconnect with the saints, but rather they point us towards Heaven and thus towards holiness of life. We must realize that sanctity is something which is possible for each of us and thus strive to achieve the reality towards which they now profess, Heaven.

From the 2nd Vatican document, Lumen Gentium, we hear: “All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.”

Keeping this in mind we must realize that we are called to be like the saints and thus to pursue holiness in our everyday life. Holiness is not something which is vague, but something which is finite. The thought of holiness and thus sanctity may be terrifying for the mind to grasp, but we must realize that it is achievable. 

We cannot get caught up in the fear that my past sins are too great to be forgiven. We cannot get caught up in the excuse that I am not holy now, so there is no hope for me. We cannot get caught up in the lie that God likes me for who I am and thus sin is a relative matter. We cannot forget that the path towards holiness is a process through which we undergo and thus it cannot be achieved over night.

Truly the saints of Heaven have now gone before us and they show us that Heaven is a possibility. May we allow all the saints of Heaven to intercede on our behalf that we may strive for holiness in our everyday life for truly we desire in time to be numbered among the many saints of Heaven.

30th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Saint Paul instructs in his Epistle to the Thessalonians that they have: “became a model for all the believers.”

For us we must ask ourself who has been the many models present within our life. Hopefully among them we can call to mind many people who have influenced our life of faith. For the married couples in our midst to reflect upon which married couples in their life have influenced their desire to enter into marriage and to live it faithfully. Who are the holy people in our life who have modeled to us the spirit of prayer and have thus directed our hearts and minds to being open to the teachings of the Gospel? Concerning this reality parents are the primary teachers of the home hold great influence and thus they must be willing to be models of the faith to their children.

One tradition for a priest on the day of his ordination is to take a special cloth to wipe the oils off from his hands. This special cloth is then presented to his mother and once she passes from her earthly life this cloth is to be placed in her hands. Thus when she gets to Heaven it will be asked of her what she has accomplished and she is to present that cloth to state that she is a mother of a priest. Parents thus have a great influence over the life of faith of their children. They must thus become models of the faith to them. If we are to have good and holy priests, good and holy members of religious orders, and good and holy marriages this loving reality must be modeled by their parents.

On Wednesday we will come to celebrate special models of our faith. It is on this day that we will come to celebrate All Saint’s Day which calls to mind the model of the saints. Thus which saints have we developed devotion towards within our life? The saints have influenced the life of so many people and thus through an encounter with them so many hearts and minds have been opened to the teachings of the Gospel. We must allow the saints to become models of our life inspiring us towards Heaven.

For us we too must realize the effect that we have upon other people. We must realize that each of us have been called to become a model for all believers. 

To accomplish this task one must embrace their vocation in life. Thus if they have entered into the Sacrament of Matrimony they must take it upon their self to live it faithfully and to mentor young couples in order that they too may strive to live out a good and holy marriage. We must realize that we are called to be models to all believers and so we have the ability to influence so many souls that their hearts and minds to be open wide to the teachings of the Gospel. Parents must desire to become models of the faith to their children and thus bring them to Mass, show them appreciation for the Sacraments and scripture, and thus mold them into good disciples of the Lord. May we thus take this task upon ourself and become a true model for all believers.

29th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Preaching on areas of morality is often difficult. With the topic which is chosen the priest is accused of being too political. Therefore if he decides to preach on abortion he is accused of being a Republican. If he preaches on the need take care of our environment he must be a democrat. If he preaches on the permanence of marriage as a bond which is entered into between a man and a woman which must be protected at all costs he is again a Republican. If he preaches on our need to have concern for the illegal alien among us he must again be a Democrat. And this list goes on and on.

In our Gospel we were instructed: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

Archbishop Chaput writes: “The Church claims no right to dominate the secular realm. But she has every right- in fact an obligation- to engage secular authority and to challenge those wielding it to live the demands of justice. In this sense, the Catholic Church cannot stay, has never stayed, and never will stay out of politics.”

Again there are people who see a separation of their faith from politics. There are people who subscribe to a political party and accept all of its tenets even if they are incompatible with not only our faith, but also natural law. We must remember that a coin has two sides which are distinct from one another and yet they are still one coin.

We are bound to follow the laws of the state which are found to be just. We are bound to do our civil duty in order to support the wellbeing of our nation. At the same time we are bound to practice our faith. At times the direction of the political life is contrary to our faith and thus the moral life. It is at these moments that we must have concern and cry out in rejection of such injustices be they against life, the family, the environment, the poor, and this list goes on and on.

No matter the political party that one subscribes too we must realize that our faith does not perfectly fall into any political party. For this reason we must place the values of our faith before a political principle. The faith in which we live is not a division between what want to accept and what we want to reject, but rather it is an acceptance of the whole.

When one comes forward to receive our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion it is an acceptance of the the whole of our faith not just a percentage of it.

Let us thus have concern for the wellbeing of our nation and our world. May we remember the importance to pray for our political leaders be they local, the state, or even the president himself. If we like them or not they are still in need of our prayers. Let us find ways to get involved in areas of social justice as a whole in order that we may support the tenets of our faith and thus make sure that the intrinsic needs of all people are being met. Truly let us be disciples of the Lord who have been sent into the Harvest of the Lord to spread the Good News of the Gospel

28th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Today the Book of Isaiah gives us a very important prophecy which has been fulfilled through Christ.

From it we heard: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.” “On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples.”

So where is this mountain which is being spoken of within the Book of Isaiah and how has all of this been fulfilled through Christ?

The Book of Daniel helps to shed some light on this question with a dream which presents us with a giant statue. This statue was representative of four kingdoms, but a stone broke off from a mountain and smashed this statue. Thus this stone becomes a great mountain and is seen as a foreshadowing of Christ who comes to provide for His Church.

Our Gospel presents us with a parable which is being used to teach us about the wedding feast of the Lord. Some would refer to this as the Supper of the Lamb. Christ provides for His people here, for from this banquet He nourishes us with His Body and His Blood.

Christ, therefore, becomes this great mountain which was spoken of in the Book of Isaiah. From this mountain the Lord of hosts provides for all peoples. On this mountain he destroys the veil that veils all peoples.

In our Responsorial Psalm we are told about a loving Shepherd who provides for the needs of his sheep. Therefore he leads his sheep to verdant pastures, restful waters, and keep them safe in the midst of danger. This is precisely how Christ provides for each of us upon this mountain. From the verdant pasture which is His Body we are nourished, from the restful waters of His Blood our thirst is quenched, and fidelity to Him gives us courage in the midst of any danger which we might have to face.

Hopefully we realize the importance of this wedding feast. We have been invited to attend it, but we sometimes come up with excuses to why this is an impossibility. What we do here is a foreshadowing of what we will do for all eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

With this in mind we must place this relationship with Christ first in our life and let everything that we do on this earth flow from this relationship. We must realize that the Mass transcends time and place and thus it gives us fuel to live our life of faith. May we realize that we too are called to go out and to invite others to this feast.

To invite them if they are lax Catholics who are hit and miss in their practice of faith, Catholics who have fallen away from their practice of faith, the unchurched who don’t practice any sort of religion, and even those of other faiths.

Truly from this mountain the Lord provides for all peoples. May we thus allow ourself to be open wide to receive such a gift as we invite other to receive such a gift for themselves.