12th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

When a priest wears his Roman collar in public it serves as testimony of our Catholic faith and thus of Christ Jesus. At times it can be difficult for he never knows what he will undergo for doing so. Sometimes it may be the blessing of a soul who is in need of the Sacrament of Confession, other times it is a fallen away Catholic who desires to return to the faith, other times it is a Christian of another faith community who wants to instruct him on how he will burn in hell unless he is saved, and sometimes it is those who persecute him due to effects of the sexual scandal. Truly the priest must be courageous for he never knows what he will undergo.

As those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus we are each called to undergo a similar path. We are called to be courageous for we do not know the temptation, chance for evangelization, or the ability to assist another with prayer that might lie ahead.

Thankfully during the Sacrament of Confirmation we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and one of these gifts of the Spirit is that of fortitude which is also known to us as courage.

It is courage which allows an individual to overcome their fears, makes them willing to take risks when it comes to being a follower of Christ, and assists them in remaining steadfast against the draw of sin.

In our Gospel we are instructed: "Fear no one."

This is precisely what we must be willing to do, but in all reality this is a tough command for us to live out. It is easy to caught up in fear when it comes to evangelization, standing up to another when a wrong is being committed, and remaining blameless in the sight of the Lord.

We must be willing to take this Gospel message to heart and thus we need to foster the virtue of fortitude within ourself. Our Gospel reminds that we are not to hide the gift of faith nor are we to be willing to hand ourselves over to the death of sin.

It is only in fostering the virtue of fortitude that we can make this so. For the virtue of fortitude is the virtue which bolsters all other virtues. We cannot practice virtue unless we first allow ourselves to be courageous in the sight of the Lord thus taking to heart our Catholic faith and thus be willing to live it out faithfully in thought, word, and deed.

As we approach this week which lies ahead may we come to practice growth in the virtue of fortitude. Let us sent forth from here to fear not in presenting ourself to the world as Catholic and inviting others to share this life of faith. Let us realize the glamour of sin and be willing to stand firm in its sight to reject it. Let us be sent into the world to be courageous in our practice of faith.

May we thus truly allow ourself to grow in the virtue of fortitude.

Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

I studied Spanish in Guatemala for a period of three months. In this time it struck me that every time a person walked by a Church that they would make the sign of the cross. Why, but because there was an understanding that what was found inside of the Church was the presence of Christ. Christ made present to us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Thus disposition of our body is most important because disposition of body serves as a reminder of that which is most important. In a recent talk given by Cardinal Sarah he reminded those present about the necessity of rediscovering proper disposition of body when we encounter the Eucharist.

In this talk he spoke about Pope John Paul II and how he always remained persistent that despite old age or his failing health to kneel in the presence of the Eucharist. He would settle for nothing less. He would thus kneel even though he could not get back up on his own and thus needed the assistance of others to do so.

We must remember that what we encounter here is not just some mundane action. Rather the Eucharist sets us apart from other faith traditions for the Eucharist is not a mere symbol of Christ, but is Christ Himself. Scripture tells us about the importance of disposition of body for it instructs in the Book of Romans: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

Thus for us to encounter the Eucharist is to come into an encounter with Jesus Christ for the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord. Seeing that this is truly Jesus Christ who comes to dwell with us out of love our life must be changed by this encounter. What we encounter here is far different then what we encounter anywhere else within this world.

Therefore we enter into the Church and genuflect onto one knee for we know that whom we encounter here is Christ the King. Therefore we enter into the silence of prayer when we are present within the Church for the world is a place of noise, but the Church is a place to which we flock to bring silence into our life. Silence which joins us to coming to know Christ our Lord. Therefore we come forward and receive with great reverence our Blessed Lord.

Let us not rush past these actions as if we are in a hurry, but rather let us take on proper disposition of body out of acknowledgement of Christ who continues to dwell with us out of love. Rush not past a genuflection, but enter into it by joining your mind to Christ. Don't rush past the silence of this place in favor of noise, but rather allow the silencer thus Church to take you to Christ. Remember that in the midst of the busyness of this world it is always possible to stop by here and pay a visit to our Blessed Lord in our perpetual adoration chapel. Don't forget to make use of the Sacrament of Confession for here we come to encounter the mercy of our Lord’s which opens the way towards the Eucharist. Don’t rush into the reception of Holy Communion, but slow down and realize that He who we dare to receive is Christ our Lord.

Therefore may we come to practice proper disposition of Body in order that our hearts may come to dwell with Christ our Lord who dwells with us in the form of bread and wine which have been transformed into the Body, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord.

Holy Trinity Homily

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is a reminder of God's love for within the Trinity we see a love which is so perfect that it is both mutual and overflowing. If love is true it cannot abuse another, it cannot be done with the motive to achieve something in return, and thus it cannot lead us away from God. God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons. The relationship of these distinct Persons express true love for us for the love of the Trinity is both mutual and overflowing.

Ask the young couple why they want to marry one another. The answer will be because we love one other, but what is love? Love can only be perfectly understood in the confines of the Most Holy Trinity. It is something for us to strive for and to work at. As English speakers we are deprived of the many words which exist for love in other languages. In Latin one word for love is "caritas." Caritas is the love that is found within the Trinity. When we hear this word we think charity which in all reality is much deeper then giving because we feel obligation, but rather is giving of ourself fully and asking for nothing in return. To fathom how the world would be different if we were able to enter into such love. To fathom how marriages would be different if they were to enter into this love which is contained within the Most Holy Trinity.

We can think of the many ways within this world in which love has been perverted. Where it has been taken and used for one's own gain at the expense of another. Maybe we have participated in this perversion of love ourself. Contraception perverts love for it places a barrier in the way of one's giving of self and turns the marital embrace into perversion of God's love. Pornography objectifies another and places them at one's own disposal thus failing to see them as a human created the image and the likeness of God the Father. Cohabitation does not express love, but rather uses another as a test subject as marriage is avoided. Marriage is something which is tough and it must be worked at and nurtured each day, but God gives all the grace necessary for it be good and holy.

Let us not be content with these perversions of love, within our world or within our own life, but rather let us seek something more. Let us seek the love of the Trinity and pursue this love through the assistance of the Church. The grace which is poured out to us is sufficient for us to conquer these vices and to reform our life after the love of the Trinity. Therefore worthily receive our Lord in Holy Communion and return to the Sacrament of Confession and receive our Lord's mercy. Dare to be different and as a couple enter into prayer together even if it be for nothing more then a couple of minutes.

On this Trinity Sunday may we come to place our sight entirely upon the Most Holy Trinity. May we be willing to see the true love which is contained here and thus desire to enter into such love as much as we are able. Let us strive each day with the grace of God to not pervert love which is both mutual and overflowing, but rather to exemplify these virtues within our own life. May God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit truly come down upon each of us this day and send us forth into the abundant harvest of the Lord to love as the Trinity displays true love to us.

Pentecost Homily

Today we celebrate the coming forth of the Holy Spirit and thus the Solemnity of Pentecost which brings about the conclusion of the Easter season.

From the Acts of the Apostles we are told that the Holy Spirit came forth "like a strong driving wind" and then "appeared to them as tongues as of fire."

This description of "strong driving wind" reminds us that the Holy Spirit is active. The Holy Spirit didn't just lazily appear at Pentecost, but instead was sent forth in a manner which stirs up the heart and the soul of the receiver.

It was no coincidence that the Holy Spirit would appear to them as "tongues of fire" for the apostles were not to remain docile in their practice of faith, but they were to actively bring it into the world in order that all may come to know the name of Christ.

Pentecost has been called the birthday of the Church. It it was at Pentecost that the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift that Christ promised would be poured out for them. It was from this gift that they came to understand and accept their active mission to become heralds of the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit is often forgotten in our life. We understand the importance of God the Father who is the creator of all things visible and invisible. We understand the importance of God the Son who took on our human flesh and died upon the cross in atonement for our sin. Nevertheless, we so often forget about the Holy Spirit who actively comes down upon us and sends us forth into the world to be active in our practice of faith.

On this Pentecost Sunday we must pray that this renewal will take place within us and within this community of faith. The Holy Spirit is in no way docile, but rather is an active force which is sent out into the world. We must not hinder the movement of the Holy Spirit within our life, but must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to encompass us in order that we may be found active in our practice of faith.

The Holy Spirit comes down upon the Church and upon each of us in order that we may live out lives of genuine faith and charity. To follow the way of the Holy Spirit challenges us against closing in upon ourself, but rather opening wide the door of faith to all who encounter it.

May we truly allow the Holy Spirit to enter into our life and to renew the face of the earth.