On February 22 the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. This is an important feast for the Universal Church for on this day we do not celebrate the man who sits upon the chair, but rather we celebrate the office of the papacy itself.
In our Gospel Christ states unto Saint Peter: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In this passage Christ looks upon Saint Peter in his imperfection and yet despite this imperfection bestows on him the office of pope. This office transcends that of earthy affairs and thus it deals with the Kingdom of Heaven. We do not follow the pope because of his personality, but rather we follow that authority which was bestowed upon him by Christ.
In accordance with this Gospel we are taught that the pope has the authority to speak infallibly. This often gets confused and thus each and every time the pope speaks does not mean that he is speaking from the chair of Saint Peter. Throughout the course of history the pope has used this ability on few occasions. Pope Benedict XVI stated: “The Pope in not an oracle; he is infallible in very rare situations.”
In order to speak infallibly the pope cannot create a new faith, but rather has been chosen by the Holy Spirit to carry on this office. He thus defines that which has always been taught since the time of the apostles to be true. Thus in the case of the Assumption of Mary which was celebrated on the 15th of this month is something that had already been accepted as being true from apostolic times.
The office of pope is very important for each of us and we should pray for our Holy Father always in order that he may remain open to the Holy Spirit and be protected against the cunning of the evil one.
The pope represents for us the unity of faith. Thus if we do not accept the pope and his authority as given by Christ we cannot be held unified in our faith. The pope keeps each of us from falling into division and error. If we want to remain united to Christ then we must be united to the one who takes His place here on earth.
Let us therefore pray for our Holy Father, Francis, and too allow ourselves to be unified with the teachings that have been handed down and protected by the popes of the Church. May all pope saints pray for us that we may strive for the Kingdom of Heaven to which our faith guides us.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
20th Sunday of OT Year A Homily
This woman in our Gospel makes us realize the importance of perseverance, humility, and thus too true faith.
She had a daughter who she desires to be healed from her affliction. She seemingly was ignored and yet she continued to make her petition. In her humility she realizes that even the smallest morsel of grace which is extended unto her daughter would be enough to bring about healing.
True faith is to not give up when things do not go our way. True faith is to continue to make petition and to trust in the Lord's saving mercy. True faith is to lower ourself in a spirit of humility and thus trust that God's grace is sufficient for us to live out good and holy lives.
So many have weak faith and thus when their petitions seem to not be heard they leave God behind. So many have weak faith and thus when it is tested in the slightest they are ready to run and give up the race towards Heaven. So many have weak faith for they have the Sacraments at their disposal and yet they don't allow them-self to be entrusted to their care.
Let us therefore develop within ourself the faith of this woman. May we realize that perseverance is something which is not always easy, but it is fruitful. An answer may not come in this life, but it will come in the life to come. Let us realize that humility is necessary because it counteracts our pride and reaches out to another to proclaim that we are in need of their help. That we are in need of God and His grace every moment of our life. Not only when we find ourselves in the comfort of this Church, but always.
Thus today may we be nourished by the morsel which come to us from the Altar of Sacrifice for what we receive here is Jesus Christ Himself who continues to dwell with us. We can be lead to believe that other avenue will make us happy, but this isn't true. Happiness can be found through Christ alone.
Therefore may we come to develop the persistence of this woman and thus allow ourself to be found in work of it each day. Let us therefore take on the humility of this woman thus reaching out in our need and acknowledging our need of God's grace. Through actions such as these true faith will be developed and found. Let us set forth to imitate the faith of this woman.
She had a daughter who she desires to be healed from her affliction. She seemingly was ignored and yet she continued to make her petition. In her humility she realizes that even the smallest morsel of grace which is extended unto her daughter would be enough to bring about healing.
True faith is to not give up when things do not go our way. True faith is to continue to make petition and to trust in the Lord's saving mercy. True faith is to lower ourself in a spirit of humility and thus trust that God's grace is sufficient for us to live out good and holy lives.
So many have weak faith and thus when their petitions seem to not be heard they leave God behind. So many have weak faith and thus when it is tested in the slightest they are ready to run and give up the race towards Heaven. So many have weak faith for they have the Sacraments at their disposal and yet they don't allow them-self to be entrusted to their care.
Let us therefore develop within ourself the faith of this woman. May we realize that perseverance is something which is not always easy, but it is fruitful. An answer may not come in this life, but it will come in the life to come. Let us realize that humility is necessary because it counteracts our pride and reaches out to another to proclaim that we are in need of their help. That we are in need of God and His grace every moment of our life. Not only when we find ourselves in the comfort of this Church, but always.
Thus today may we be nourished by the morsel which come to us from the Altar of Sacrifice for what we receive here is Jesus Christ Himself who continues to dwell with us. We can be lead to believe that other avenue will make us happy, but this isn't true. Happiness can be found through Christ alone.
Therefore may we come to develop the persistence of this woman and thus allow ourself to be found in work of it each day. Let us therefore take on the humility of this woman thus reaching out in our need and acknowledging our need of God's grace. Through actions such as these true faith will be developed and found. Let us set forth to imitate the faith of this woman.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Assumption Homily
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. Pope Pius XII defined this dogma by stating: “With the course of her earthly life brought to completion, the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, was taken body and soul into celestial glory.”
The Church has knowledge of the earthly remains of so many saints and yet there is no claim that is made concerning the location of Mary’s body for she has been take body and soul into Heaven. This is a fact which is not contested by history, tradition, nor scripture. In the Old Testament Enoch and Elijah do not experience death, but rather he is taken up body and soul. If this be true concerning Enoch and Elijah then the Assumption takes on an important reality for we know that our Blessed Mother was pure and holy and did not experience the stain of sin.
We thus refer to her as being the Ark of the New Covenant. The Ark of the Old Covenant was ornate in nature and was must pure for what it held inside was the presence of God. Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, takes on this same reality for she contains the presence of God in the form of her Son, Jesus Christ. Thus she must be without sin or blemish because what she bears into the world is God Himself.
As we celebrate this Solemnity of the Church may we come to realize the importance of our Blessed Mother and thus come to foster devotion unto her. At the Assumption she is pointing the way towards Heaven out to each of us. She is encouraging us forward in our life of faith that we may begin each day to purify our heart and soul in order that we may be directed unto Heavenly glory.
It is easy for us to grow discouraged within this earthly life, but we must realize that Mary has now gone before us to point the way towards Heaven and thus too her Son. From her we receive a message not of discouragement, but of encouragement. We are being encouraged that it is possible for us to get to Heaven. We are being encouraged in order that we can come to understand that it is possible to grow ornate in nature as we rid ourself from our relation to sin as we instead grow closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.
Therefore on this great Solemnity of the Church may we allow our Blessed Mother to intercede for us that we may not grow discouraged within this earthly life, but that we will rather become encouraged to chase after Son each day.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Church has knowledge of the earthly remains of so many saints and yet there is no claim that is made concerning the location of Mary’s body for she has been take body and soul into Heaven. This is a fact which is not contested by history, tradition, nor scripture. In the Old Testament Enoch and Elijah do not experience death, but rather he is taken up body and soul. If this be true concerning Enoch and Elijah then the Assumption takes on an important reality for we know that our Blessed Mother was pure and holy and did not experience the stain of sin.
We thus refer to her as being the Ark of the New Covenant. The Ark of the Old Covenant was ornate in nature and was must pure for what it held inside was the presence of God. Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, takes on this same reality for she contains the presence of God in the form of her Son, Jesus Christ. Thus she must be without sin or blemish because what she bears into the world is God Himself.
As we celebrate this Solemnity of the Church may we come to realize the importance of our Blessed Mother and thus come to foster devotion unto her. At the Assumption she is pointing the way towards Heaven out to each of us. She is encouraging us forward in our life of faith that we may begin each day to purify our heart and soul in order that we may be directed unto Heavenly glory.
It is easy for us to grow discouraged within this earthly life, but we must realize that Mary has now gone before us to point the way towards Heaven and thus too her Son. From her we receive a message not of discouragement, but of encouragement. We are being encouraged that it is possible for us to get to Heaven. We are being encouraged in order that we can come to understand that it is possible to grow ornate in nature as we rid ourself from our relation to sin as we instead grow closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.
Therefore on this great Solemnity of the Church may we allow our Blessed Mother to intercede for us that we may not grow discouraged within this earthly life, but that we will rather become encouraged to chase after Son each day.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
19th Sunday of OT Year A Homily
May our sight remain upon Christ and may we always allow ourself to dwell in the silence of God.
In the Book of First Kings Elijah took shelter from the storms which beat him about. It was then from the tiny whispering sound that he came to hear the voice of God to which he responded to. In our Gospel from Matthew a storm came and beat about the boat which held the disciples. Christ then came to give peace unto them. Saint Peter then came to Him walking upon the water, but he took His sight off of Christ and he began to sink.
Indeed we must foster within ourselves this reality. We must keep our sight firmly placed upon Jesus Christ and we must allow ourselves to enter into the silence of prayer.
Before this storm brought chaos into the life of the disciples we notice that Christ went away by Himself in order to pray. By this action He is pointing out to us what we must do in order to bring this calmness into our life despite the many storms which may beat us about. It is through the silence of prayer that we come to discover Christ and to hear the tiny whisper of God. Due to the noise of this world it is so easy for us to miss this tiny whisper and thus begin to get caught up in the chaos of the storm as we remove our sight from Christ.
The storms of this life are vast. They are the storms of doubt and despair. They are the storms of unending noise. They are the storms that cause confusion to drift in and overtake our life. They are the storms of violence and uncertainty. They are the storms that cause us to question our self worth. These storms are constantly at work within our life and all that they do is pull us away from placing our trust in the Lord and thus allowing ourself to enter into the silence of prayer in order that we may begin to hear the voice of God.
We must dare to make Christ our guide and thus be willing to silence these storms at work within our life by going away in order to pray. We must direct our sight towards Christ in order that we may allow Him to invite peace into our life in order that these storms may be silenced. We learn that despite the noise that is at work within this world that we must be willing to take the time in order to foster the importance of silence in order that we may come to hear the same tiny whisper of the voice of God which was heard by Elijah.
As we embark upon this week may we do so by keeping our sight placed upon Christ and thus may we remain open to hearing the voice of God which is made manifest within our life.
In the Book of First Kings Elijah took shelter from the storms which beat him about. It was then from the tiny whispering sound that he came to hear the voice of God to which he responded to. In our Gospel from Matthew a storm came and beat about the boat which held the disciples. Christ then came to give peace unto them. Saint Peter then came to Him walking upon the water, but he took His sight off of Christ and he began to sink.
Indeed we must foster within ourselves this reality. We must keep our sight firmly placed upon Jesus Christ and we must allow ourselves to enter into the silence of prayer.
Before this storm brought chaos into the life of the disciples we notice that Christ went away by Himself in order to pray. By this action He is pointing out to us what we must do in order to bring this calmness into our life despite the many storms which may beat us about. It is through the silence of prayer that we come to discover Christ and to hear the tiny whisper of God. Due to the noise of this world it is so easy for us to miss this tiny whisper and thus begin to get caught up in the chaos of the storm as we remove our sight from Christ.
The storms of this life are vast. They are the storms of doubt and despair. They are the storms of unending noise. They are the storms that cause confusion to drift in and overtake our life. They are the storms of violence and uncertainty. They are the storms that cause us to question our self worth. These storms are constantly at work within our life and all that they do is pull us away from placing our trust in the Lord and thus allowing ourself to enter into the silence of prayer in order that we may begin to hear the voice of God.
We must dare to make Christ our guide and thus be willing to silence these storms at work within our life by going away in order to pray. We must direct our sight towards Christ in order that we may allow Him to invite peace into our life in order that these storms may be silenced. We learn that despite the noise that is at work within this world that we must be willing to take the time in order to foster the importance of silence in order that we may come to hear the same tiny whisper of the voice of God which was heard by Elijah.
As we embark upon this week may we do so by keeping our sight placed upon Christ and thus may we remain open to hearing the voice of God which is made manifest within our life.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Transfiguration Year A Homily
Today we take a break from Ordinary Time in order to celebrate this Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Throughout the course of the liturgical year we hear about our Lord's Transfiguration on two occasions. We hear of it on this feast day as well as during the 2nd Sunday of the Lenten season.
The Transfiguration of the Lord serves as a map which points the way towards the splendor and light which awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we pass through the reality of the cross and thus the struggle of our everyday life we are in need of this glimpse.
It was for this reason that Christ took with Him the apostles Peter, James, and John to the mountaintop to be transfigured in their sight. For they would soon experience the Passion of our Lord and thus their cross which would spring forth from this reality. They needed this glimpse into the splendor and light which awaits them in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Each of us have come to experience the same cross in some way. Be it the cross of sickness, the cross of a struggling marriage, the cross of an addiction, the cross of presenting ourself as Christian in the midst of a world which rejects this message, or any cross which we must embrace. We know that the cross is not easy and thus it is easy to get crushed under its weight. Thus we too need this same glimpse into the splendor and light which awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven which was experienced by Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop.
As Christ was transfigured in the midst of these three apostles we are instructed that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as light. This is to say that through this moment in time He was expressing unto the apostles and unto each of us that which awaits us in Heaven. Indeed that which awaits us in Heaven is most beautiful and true and thus may we always place this reality before our sight no matter the cross or difficulty which might present itself unto us for the Transfiguration serves as a reminder of the Kingdom of Heaven.
With the Transfiguration of our Lord placed upon mind and heart may we always move forward towards Heaven. May we allow nothing to get us caught off guard, but rather may we always move forwards towards Christ. May we truly strive to look upon this map which orients our sight towards the joys of Heaven and thus allow it to lead us towards this great reality.
Throughout the course of the liturgical year we hear about our Lord's Transfiguration on two occasions. We hear of it on this feast day as well as during the 2nd Sunday of the Lenten season.
The Transfiguration of the Lord serves as a map which points the way towards the splendor and light which awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we pass through the reality of the cross and thus the struggle of our everyday life we are in need of this glimpse.
It was for this reason that Christ took with Him the apostles Peter, James, and John to the mountaintop to be transfigured in their sight. For they would soon experience the Passion of our Lord and thus their cross which would spring forth from this reality. They needed this glimpse into the splendor and light which awaits them in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Each of us have come to experience the same cross in some way. Be it the cross of sickness, the cross of a struggling marriage, the cross of an addiction, the cross of presenting ourself as Christian in the midst of a world which rejects this message, or any cross which we must embrace. We know that the cross is not easy and thus it is easy to get crushed under its weight. Thus we too need this same glimpse into the splendor and light which awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven which was experienced by Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop.
As Christ was transfigured in the midst of these three apostles we are instructed that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as light. This is to say that through this moment in time He was expressing unto the apostles and unto each of us that which awaits us in Heaven. Indeed that which awaits us in Heaven is most beautiful and true and thus may we always place this reality before our sight no matter the cross or difficulty which might present itself unto us for the Transfiguration serves as a reminder of the Kingdom of Heaven.
With the Transfiguration of our Lord placed upon mind and heart may we always move forward towards Heaven. May we allow nothing to get us caught off guard, but rather may we always move forwards towards Christ. May we truly strive to look upon this map which orients our sight towards the joys of Heaven and thus allow it to lead us towards this great reality.
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