Christ the King Year B Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King which brings about the conclusion of our liturgical year.

A king has a kingdom entrusted to his care. For Christ our King this is also true, but it does not come in the worldly sense which was expected. To put this into perspective, the words “Kingdom of God” appear a total of 122 times throughout the course of the New Testament, 99 of these times they are found within the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and 80 out of these 99 times are the words of Jesus Himself. From this we can gather that the “Kingdom of God” is at the front and center of Christ’s message.

If the “Kingdom of God” was so important to Christ’s message we must reason that the Kingdom of God continues to be important for us in this day and age. Despite this importance it easy to get confused on the true meaning of the Kingdom of God or the statement that Christ is our King. Our Gospel presents us with Pilate who much like others was confused on these statements. Pilate who questions Jesus concerning His Kingship. Pilate who was confused on what it meant for Christ to be a King or to have a kingdom. Pilate who was convinced that Christ was a threat to his rule.

Much like Pilate our world seems to be engulfed in a similar attitude. We have become so busy as a culture that we have fooled ourself into believing that we are no longer in need of God. We believe that we are at the height of the enlightenment and thus we reject the reality of there being a finite truth. We have become desensitized to immorality to the point that we no longer feel compelled to chase after virtue. We place the pursuit of money and belongings at the center of our life. We have cut ourself off from the community and attempt to do everything alone. Yes, much like Pilate we fear anything that might infringe upon our way of life.

Nevertheless, it is Christ whom our heart truly longs for. It is Christ and His Kingdom that will set us free from all that holds us hostage. Pilate came into an encounter with the Kingdom of God because he came into an encounter with Christ. Despite this encounter he missed the very thing that His heart longed for. Origen held that the Kingdom of God is made manifest through the presence of Christ. Therefore this statement is not about a location, but is about the Person of Christ Himself and our relation to this Person. In the words of Benedict XVI: “The Kingdom of God is not to be found on any map. It is not a kingdom after the fashion of worldly kingdoms; it is located in man’s inner being. It grows and radiates outward from that inner space.”

Therefore as we celebrate this Solemnity of Christ the King may we allow His Kingdom to grow within our heart. As is petitioned within the Our Father: “thy Kingdom Come.” If we allow His Kingdom to grow within us we and our world will be transformed. We will allow His Kingdom to come and reign in our midst. If this Kingdom is to come and Christ is to be our King we need to place Him at life’s center. We need to be willing to let go of all that keeps us from Him which includes the lure of worldliness and sin. We cannot be like Pilate who had Christ in his midst and yet could not conform his life to the truth which was before him. Instead let us “seek first the kingdom and his righteousness” for Christ will come again and His Kingdom will never pass away.

33rd Sunday of OT Year B Homily

There are many religious groups which are concerned with the end of time. They are convinced that what is going on within the world is proof of various revelations made throughout the course of scripture that proves that the end is nigh. Some are so bold that they even dare to attach a date to the end of the world, but time and time again those dates come and go and we are still here.

Now surprisingly, the Church does proclaim that we are already in the final age. The 2nd Vatican Council states: “Already the final age of the world is with us and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way.” This is true because we now await the second coming of Christ. As we proclaim in the mystery of faith: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.”

We now set our sight upon the end of time for next week we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King which will bring about the conclusion of the liturgical year. Then we will find ourself in the midst of the season of Advent as we prepare for the birth of the Messiah as well as the return of Jesus in the second coming. I believe that this second point often goes forgotten, but we cannot forget the fact that Christ will come again.

Saint Mark’s Gospel expresses these notions for “the sun will be darkened” “and then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that we know not the time nor the hour. We are told that we must remain vigilant for we do not know the hour when the owner of the house will return.

As Catholics we do not spend time attempting to calculate the date of the world’s end, but we must be convinced of the importance of being found prepared. The fact is that Christ will come again. To this we know not the time nor the hour. We may be alive or long gone, but He will come again. Even if we are long gone by the time of Christ’s second coming there is no one among us who can escape death. Each and every one of us will fall prey to its grasp.

Despite this we often live our life as if we are invincible. Rather, we should acknowledge the reality of our own mortality and strive for Heaven above all things. To think that there will come an hour when we will be judged, but we act as if this matters not to us. The judgement of God stands for all eternity and yes there is the possibility that we will not be found worthy of Heaven.

Therefore prepare for the end now because once it gets here there will no longer be time to prepare. As we come to the conclusion of this liturgical year and draw ever closer to Advent and our Lord’s second coming we need to prepare. This is precisely why actions such as fasting and penance are so important. They aid us in being found prepared as we draw closer to this reality.

Reparation needs to be done for we are a sinful generation who have turned against God. We see this in the scandal of clergy and we see this proclaimed in a generation who knows not God nor His commands. There is no one among us who is without sin, but if we are serious with our faith we will realize that we cannot be content to be sinners who reject God and His commands. Let us truly prepare ourself through fasting, through penance, and through acts of reparation in order that we and this world in which we live may truly be conformed to Christ crucified.

32nd Sunday in OT Year B

“Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance, and to accept them, as once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek.”

These words are contained inside of the Roman Canon also known as the first Eucharistic Prayer. They are reflective of the concept of offering sacrifice freely and for the right motive. Abel offered a sacrifice which was found acceptable to God while his brother, Cain, offered sacrifice for the wrong motive and thus it was not found acceptable. Abraham was tested in offering his son, Isaac, and was found obedient to God. Finally, we have Melchizedek who takes on the role of high priest who would offer sacrifice inside of the temple as a foreshadowing of the priesthood that we know to this day.

The concept of sacrifice must remain central to our understanding of faith especially when it comes to what is taking place when we have the opportunity to assist at the Mass. In our Epistle it may sound like sacrifice is no longer important, but that is not the case. Before Christ sacrifice was necessary because there was no other way to atone for one’s sinfulness. Thankfully, through the coming of the Messiah and His death and Resurrection we have been set free. He offers upon the cross the perfect sacrifice and thus it would be incorrect to state that the Mass is a 

re-crucifixion of Christ because something was lacking. Rather, to assist at the Mass is to be present with Christ at Calvary. Christ is only crucified once and what He offers is perfect and nothing is lacking.

We live in the midst of a world which wants nothing to do with sacrifice. We want things to come easily, we want what we want and we want it as quickly as possible, we hate to undergo any hardship because it is so easy to banish the cross from our presence. If we banish the cross we also banish the resurrection.

In our Gospel we encounter this woman who makes sacrifice. Through this sacrifice she takes hold of the cross of our Blessed Lord. She takes from the little that she has and gives everything unto the Lord. She is unlike the scribes who desire to be seen for from their appearance and deeds in order that they become the talk of the town. Rather, this is a humble woman who is willing to give entirely of herself. Surely it was not easy for her to give so much and yet her trust was placed firmly in the Lord.

Today may we be challenged to enter into sacrifice. From sacrifice and the undertaking of penance we allow ourself to grow in virtue. It is easy to observe that we have grown stagnant in our faith and thus it is sacrifice which challenges us to truly grow. Therefore, I implore that the faithful keep a crucifix with them and to practice sacrifice. Thus in the midst of hardship, worry, and temptation you have something to hold onto which reminds you of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice that has set us free. The cross is important because it teaches us that there is value in that which we cannot control. The cross is important for it forms us into true disciples of the Lord. May we be willing to be true disciples of the Lord who are willing to give our life unto Him and who are willing to embrace the hardship of the cross for from it we have been set free.

31st Sunday in OT Year B Homily

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord, is our God, the Lord alone.”

These are important words for they make up the Jewish prayer which is known as the Shema which is taken from the first word from that statement, “hear.” For the Jew these words are so important. This prayer is so important that it was required to be said at morning and night. This prayer is so important that it becomes the final words that you speak before you die. This prayer is so important that you make sure that your children know these words. The faithful would even wear a little box upon their forehead known as the “Tefillin” which would contain these words. Indeed in the Jewish faith this is the most important prayer.

Not only is this prayer important for them, but it must also be important for us. It must be important because in our Gospel Christ takes these same words and lists them as being the greatest commandment. He then joins them to the statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

That first word, to hear (shema), is most important for us. If we are to hear then we in return need to listen. If we are not willing to listen then we cannot hear. Yet in our modern world we are so busy that we choose not to listen. We cannot fool ourself into thinking that we are too busy to enter into prayer. You fail to pray not because you are too busy, but because you have failed to choose to make time for the Lord to listen to Him. This a choice that must worked at until it becomes a habit like the many habits that we have already formed in our life such as brushing our teeth.

The prayer is important because it reminded the individual of the necessity to be in love with God. Hopefully we too desire to have this same love for God. Not just the word “love,” but rather love which penetrates into our heart and informs who we are as a human person. If we have become convinced of such a reality why would we fail to rejoice in this reality and share this love with others?

Within the home parents are the primary educators and yet what have they educated their children upon? Hopefully it is love for God and love for neighbor. To think that the Jewish faithful would drill the Shema into their children until the knew this prayer. For us I encounter so many children who don’t know the Hail Mary, the Our Father, the commandments, how to make a confession, and this list goes on and on. If we are convinced of Christ and His love for us why would deprive others ,especially one’s children, of this same knowledge and love?

Hopefully the words of the Shema will cause us to reflect upon our need to listen and from there be filled with the knowledge of God’s love. From the love that we have we are able to give. Therefore, fall in love with God and allow Him to inform all of your actions and your dealings with others. We are called to share the Gospel and to invite others to fall in love with the Lord. May we be willing to hear in order that we may listen to the Lord’s commands.

All Souls Day Homily

Today we celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. This reminds us of the necessity to pray for the souls of the faithful departed. We play a great disservice to the deceased when we fail to pray for them and to offer our sacrifice on their behalf.

The Book of Revelation is very clear that nothing which is unclean will enter Heaven. If scripture is true here all of us would be in great trouble, because nobody here is without sin. Thankfully, Purgatory takes those in their impurity and purifies them in order that they may be made clean. As scripture attests to this notion in the Book of 1 Peter: “As gold which is tested in fire.” When impurity is found within gold the only way to get that impurity out is to let it pass through fire. I must stress that Purgatory is not a second chance because these souls in question have already been judged as worthy of Heaven by God and must now undergo purification.

Some claim that our prayers and sacrifices do no good for the deceased, but from the second Book of Maccabees we heard concerning the importance of making “atonement for the dead that they might be freed from (their) sin.”

In our modern age funerals so often fail to lead us towards praying for the dead and considering our own mortality. The funeral is not a celebration of life, but rather it is to enter into the Sacred Mysteries of our Lord’s passion in order that the soul of the faithful departed may be cleansed. It is to say that we are not God and we cannot judge the salvation of another, but with the confidence of faith that we can trust in the reality of everlasting life. If we trust in this reality then we too will strive to be found worthy of the Kingdom of God by how we order our life on this earth.

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 Saints Day Homily

During the “Lamb of God” the priest takes the host into his hands and breaks it in half. He then breaks off a third piece from the host which he places inside of the chalice. These three pieces of the host serve as a reminder of the Church which is made up of three realities. There is the Church purgative whom we will focus upon in a special way on All Soul’s Day, there is the Church triumphant whom we focus upon today as we come to celebrate All Saint’s Day, and there is the Church militant which is made up of each of us here on earth who must now strive for Heaven.

When we think of the Church I think we often fail to think about these three realities and yet they are all so closely bound together. We do a great injustice to the souls of the faithful departed if we fail to pray for them. We do a great injustice to ourself if we go through our life without having devotion to the saints. The saints are now in Heaven, they have been called home to God, and hopefully to this same home we now wish to follow after.

When we attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass all of these realities are present with us. We are present within the Church and we are nourished from the Altar of God by the Most Holy Eucharist. The saints of Heaven are present with us as the Sacred Mysteries unfold around us. We also pray for the dead for they too are further purified through the Mass which is offered. For example when a priest offers a Low Mass with nobody else present it is pointed out about the importance of the blessing given at the end of Mass because this blessing extends to the poor souls in Purgatory. Truly whenever we are at the Mass we are joined to these three realities which make up the Church.

Now we must come to understand that God is the just judge. For us who make up the Church militant we must strive for Heaven. We must realize that each of us are called to be saints as the souls in Purgatory have already been found worthy of being saints, but first they must pass through a period of purification. If we realize that we are called to be saints then we should also realize that we must live out our faith and profess it throughout the world. The saints did not just stumble their way into Heaven because if that is all that we are going for it is possible that we will fall short and not be found worthy of our goal. If we know are goal to be Heaven then strive for Heaven. Then participate in the Sacramental life of the Church which means frequenting the Sacrament of Confession and receiving our Blessed Lord in the state of grace.

To think if we reach our goal of Heaven we will be venerated as saints. All Saint’s Day is not exclusive to those saints who we now know by name. All Saint’s Day is for all those in Heaven whose name we now know or whose name we don’t. Nobody here probably has a family member who has been canonized as a saint, though while in Oak Ridge I did have a funeral for a family who was related to Saint Philip Neri (So I guess that anything is possible). Yet their name appearing in a dictionary of saints or not does not mean that they are not in Heaven. All Saint’s Day is a celebration of all the saints who have been called home by God, name known or unknown. Hopefully we will foster devotion to all the saints and come to follow in their footsteps in order that we too may be called home by God.

May all the angels and saints of Heaven intercede for us that we may always elevate our sight upwards towards Heaven and strive to get there by the way in which we order our life to glorify God in all that we do.