3rd Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Saint Paul instructs us concerning the unity which is found in Christ. The four marks of the Church are that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. To proclaim that the Church is “one” is to be found in agreement with Saint Paul who stated that “a body is one though it has many parts.” The Church is one because its source is God the Father, its founder is God the Son, and its soul is God the Holy Spirit. The Church is thus found to be one in its faith, one in its worship, and one in its leadership.

As Saint Paul goes on to state in his Epistle: “But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body.” We are told elsewhere in sacred scripture concerning division. Quoting from the Gospel of Saint Mark: “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Therefore I hope that we do not allow division to enter into our life and into our practice of faith. Division does nothing more then destroy the unity that Christ instituted within the Church.

Again the Church is one in its faith, one in its worship, and one in its leadership. Yet so many reject this oneness to chase after their own self serving motives. To be one in faith is to be one in our belief of doctrine and yet how many act as of they know more then Christ and His Church. Accepting what they want to believe and pushing off that which is difficult. To be one in our worship is to realize the importance that is proclaimed in the Mass which is the same here and throughout the world. Yet there are those who seek to reject the Church’s liturgy for other self serving forms of worship. The Church is one in its leadership and yet we seek to be individuals rather then one body who are united with Christ as our head.

We find ourself to make up this local parish of Saint Francis in Townsend, but we cannot forget that we are only a part of the Diocese of Knoxville which is only a part of the universal church. It so easy to become forgetful of such a fact as we chase after our own local interests without concerning ourself with the interests that make up the Church. Again the Church is one. We are united under the leadership of a pastor, the bishop, and the pope to serve this oneness that Christ instituted on this earth.

Next weekend will be commitment weekend for the annual bishop’s appeal. Some dread this weekend and don’t understand why they should support something other then their local parish. Again the Church is one and we are hopefully connected to this oneness which is our faith. The bishop’s appeal goes onto support so many wonderful ministries which not only assist this parish in some way, but also assist the needs of those throughout the diocese.

Through your support you will assist this diocese in supporting Catholic Charities, the formation of its clergy and seminarians, its formation of its youth, young adults, and adults in the life of faith, in matter of justice and peace, as well as the support of our mobile clinic. Truly to support the annual bishop’s appeal is to support the oneness which makes up our Catholic faith.

May we come to heed the words of Saint Paul for “a body is one though it has many parts.”

Baptism of the Lord Year C Homily

For one last time, Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which brings to conclusion our celebration of the Christmas season.

Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and being incorporated into the life of Christ and His Church. Some will say that an infant cannot sin and therefore baptism does them no good. This is not true for those who say this forget that Adam and Eve ushered what is known as original sin into the world. Baptism washes away not only sin, but also original sin of which we have all inherited including an infant.

Baptism is so serious that we are told in the Code of Canon Law: “Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks; as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared properly for it.” Yet how sad is it to see in this day and age the sacrament of baptism being pushed off more and more. The few weeks turns into the first few months turns into the first few years turns into if baptized at all.

The Sacrament of Baptism is so important that even Christ went forth before us into the waters of the Jordan and there He came to be baptized by Saint John the Baptist. Let us not be led into error here and think that Christ was a sinner who needed baptism. Christ did not have sin to be washed away, but He does humble Himself in our humanity and shows us the importance which will be found in these life giving waters. As Christ had just said before our Gospel picks up: “Truly, truly, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Last week we celebrated the Epiphany which means to manifest. Thus traditionally it is a celebration of three realities where Christ is made known to the world: (1) the visit of the magi, (2) Christ’s baptism, and (3) the miracle of the turning of water into wine. I point this out because we are instructed that “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him

in bodily form like a dove.”

Before His baptism we for the most part know nothing about Christ. It was only after His baptism and the descent of the Holy Spirit that He began His public ministry. From here He would head into the desert to pray and then He would work His first miracle of the changing of water into wine. This is important for us to reflect upon for from our own baptism we too have obligations to the Lord which must be met.

To be baptized is to transformed. You cannot look into the face of another or even at yourself in the mirror and see this transformation, but through baptism the state of our soul has been forever changed. There will not be a moment when we are not baptized in this life or in the next. We must therefore be sent into the world as true disciples of the Lord. We must realize that our life of faith is not just a moment, but is the journey of one’s whole life on this earth towards Heaven. Let us renew in ourself what was begun at our baptism and live up to these promises always.

Epiphany Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we come to celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Concerning the magi we don’t really know a lot. They are only recorded for us in the Gospel of Saint Matthew and they are often associated with a prophecy found within the Book of Isaiah. From both of these reading we heard today.

There are many legends which surround them which attempt to fill in the gap, so that we can understand who they were. Some legends traditionally state that there were three while others state that there were more. Legends arise concerning what region they came from and if they were kings or something else. Legends even go as far as to give us their names.

Despite what we do know or what we don’t know concerning them we can say that the magi underwent a path of conversion. They came, no matter what region it might of been, from pagan origin. They underwent this journey, no matter how long or short, and they encountered the Christ child. Here they came to be converted for they came to see and believe in Christ our Lord.

Hopefully we too realize that our life is a journey to come to believe and profess in Christ our Lord more and more each day. There are so many ways that we come into contact with Christ and hopefully through such occurrences we are strengthened in our journey towards conversion.

To think that John the Baptist leaped within the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. Why, but because he came into contact with Christ who is Lord of lords and King of kings. Yes, dear brethren to encounter Christ is to shake us out of the complacency of everyday life and to realize that we are called to a path of conversion.

It is my hope that we will come to believe and profess within the Eucharist. That we will come to realize that Christ dwells with us here out of love. Not in some figurative way, but it a literal way for He is truly present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. If we are to encounter the Eucharist we are to encounter Christ. Again not figuratively, but we literally encounter Him.

In this day and age, so many do not fathom what they receive when we they receive Christ within the Eucharist. I hope that we will never take such a gift lightly by unworthily receiving Him or lazily receiving Him in our practice of reception. 

The magi set out to encounter Christ like we should set out to encounter Him especially in the Eucharist. Through their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh we are given a revelation of who this child truly is. Despite their understanding they also came to believe and profess due to what they encountered. We can truly say that their life was transformed from this journey.

May we too come to encounter Christ in such a way in order that our life may be transformed in His midst.

Mary, Mother of God Homily

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

It is easy to get confused on what is important during the season of Christmas. There is nothing wrong with presents, decorations, Christmas music, or parties, but all of these mean nothing compared to the great gift which is Christ our Lord. Sometimes I believe that we have a hard time grasping just how important this great gift which is Christ truly is.

Therefore, do we truly believe or even thought about the fact that Christ is God made Flesh, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity? We can use the title, Son of God, which is true, but at the same time we must remember that He is both fully divine and fully human. This baby who lays in the manger, thou weak and powerless, is not just any child, but is God made Flesh. Sometimes I feel that we stress Christ’s humanity to the point that we entirely forget about His divinity. When we go back to the Gospel of Saint John we are told that Christ is the Word and that the Word was God.

Some get confused on calling Mary the Mother of God. There is nothing wrong with this title. Rather this title proclaims exactly who her Son is. Her Son is God made Flesh. He who came down from Heaven out of love in order that He could take on our flesh and eventually embrace the cross in order that we could be freed from the grasp of sin. Prior to Christ many sacrifices had been made, but none of them were perfect. The sacrifice that Christ offers upon the cross is perfect only because He is God made man. If Christ were another human like you or me the cross would mean nothing.

Mary has been given many titles throughout the course of history. One of these titles is that of the ark of the new covenant. This title reflects the fact that the ark of the covenant held the presence of God. Therefore, the ark of the new covenant holds the presence of God made flesh. It was this pure and spotless vessel which was called upon by God to bring forth His divine presence. Again we are reflecting the fact that Mary is the Mother of God which is a reflection of who her Son is.

We need to reestablish proper devotion to our Blessed Mother within our homes. Just as the title, Mother of God, reflects who her Son is, so too does devotion to her flow to her Son. Devotion to Mary never overshadows Christ because devotion to her always flows through her and towards her Son. We must reestablish within our homes the praying of the rosary especially the praying of it as a family. The rosary allows us to join with our Blessed Mother who according to scripture held all these things within her heart. With her, then, we join to contemplate Christ and His life on this earth in order that we may hold all these things in our heart and model our life after His.

As we celebrate this Solemnity of Mary the Mother God and embark upon this new calendar year may we do so under Mary’s intercession. Her Son is not just one among many, but is the Savior of the World. He is God who takes on our human flesh and dwells among us. Through devotion to her may we set our sight upon her Son. If our sight is modeled after her Son then we will have proper devotion to the Eucharist for this is the same Christ who is the Son of Mary, God made Flesh, born in Bethlehem, who died upon the cross, and rose again on the third day. May we allow Saint Mary to always intercede for us. St. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!