7th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Each saint throughout the history of the Church has a story to tell. None of their stories are the same, but in the end they reach the same goal, Heaven. What drew people to the saints especially when they lived upon this earth dwelling among us? My answer would be their love for Christ. People were not drawn towards a cult of personality, they were not drawn towards prestige, they were not drawn towards a message of worldliness, but rather they were drawn towards Christ who dwelt through them.

From our Epistle we heard: “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” This points us back towards Adam who ushered in a reign of sin and death, but through Christ and through what He accomplished for us upon the cross we have been set free from this burden which enslaves us. It is not enough to desire to dwell apart from Christ, but instead we must embrace Him. We cannot simply be content with only embracing Him, but also striving each day to conform our life on this earth to be more like His.

And so the saints accomplished this task. They show us that this task is something which is possible. Not only is this task possible, but this task is also life giving. Despite this reality so many of us fear to hand our life over to Christ. To place our fears and our concerns in His Hands. To be led not down the path that we desire, but instead the path which leads towards Him. 

Our Gospel makes it clear that if we are to “bear the image of the heavenly one” that we first have a lot of self emptying that we must undergo. If you think that our Gospel passage sounded pleasant or even easy then you were not paying attention. I encourage you to go back later today and read it over again and take its contents to prayer for we will soon begin to undergo the season of Lent. If we truly want to grow in virtue and grow as saints we need to humble ourself in the Lenten season if we are to ever be formed into bearing the image of the heavenly one.

As Christians we are called to a different standard and that is the standard of Christ. Yet so often we take our sight off of this standard to walk about lost in this vale of tears. The saints understood that this standard was Christ and so they always moved themself towards this standard.

Do we truly desire to be like the saints, do we truly desire be borne in the image of the heavenly one, do we truly desire to move towards the standard of Christ, do we truly desire to live the hardships as expressed in Saint Luke’s Gospel, or are we simply content with where we are in the here and now? We need to be awakened out of our slumber and stirred into movement.

Lent calls us out of our slumber and stirs us into movement. It calls us to undergo practices such as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in order that we can grow in this love. Yet how many of us dare to take this season seriously in order to grow in our pursuit of love for God and neighbor? We must take these practices seriously if we are to cut away that which leads us astray from this love and stir us into motion! In this way we too can strive to be like the saints who have been “borne (in) the image of the earthly one, but also bear the image of the heavenly one.”

OLOF Men’s Evening of Recollection Sermon I

Let us now look ahead. 

If we were to look ahead we would ultimately conclude that our destination is that of Heaven. Unfortunately, there are many who fail to look ahead in this life. They allow themself to live in the here and the now without contemplating the truths of faith. Instead they become slaves to their own passions instead of being liberated through Christ Jesus.

If we are to look ahead we would also realize that very soon we will enter into the Sacred Season of Lent. It is this season which has been placed before us in order that we may be reminded of this ultimate destination of Heaven and the preparations which are necessary if we are to get there. The Lenten season assists us in contemplating the certainty of our own mortality. As our forehead is marked with ashes in the form of a cross: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Lent also sets out to renew within us that which was begun at the moment of our baptism. From our baptism we were welcomed into the life of the Church, the stain of original sin was washed away from our soul, and we were thus prepared for our ultimate destination of Heaven. The concept of Baptism is central to this season for this season is about renewal and being prepared to rejoice with Christ Resurrected through our celebration of Easter.

It was Saint Josemaria Escriva who exclaimed that “No ideal becomes a reality without sacrifice. Deny yourself. It is so beautiful to be a victim!” What we want to become a reality for ourself, is that of reaching our ultimate destination of Heaven. If we are so convinced with this ideal we must desire that it becomes a reality for all eternity. Some only want the concept of Heaven without striving for this goal each day.

It is through Lent that we have an opportunity to undergo “a time of penance, purification and conversion.” Lent should not be easy for us, but neither should being a Christian. So many Christians live life rejecting sacrifice which means that they want nothing to do with the cross of our Blessed Lord. The truth remains that “Christianity without the Crucifixion is not truly Christianity.”

As we enter into this Sacred Season of Lent may we come to embrace the crucifixion for ourself, not just in thought, but in deed. Now is the time to pray and reflect upon what we need to purge, what we need to surrender to the cross, during this season if we are to be a true follower of Christ who is striving for the ultimate destination of Heaven above all things. Practices such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer assist of being liberated from all that holds us back.

May we take this season, no matter how difficult that it may be, seriously. May we become convinced that practices such as these are good for our growth in the spiritual life and our pursuit of our ultimate destination of Heaven.

5th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

I am convinced that the apostles were the worst fishermen in recorded history. They never make a catch unless Christ first tells them where to cast their net. Much like the apostles we are in need of forming this relationship with Christ. In the Church we have the great gift which is Christ present with us in the Eucharist and yet we so often don’t spend the time necessary to fathom what exactly we receive or whose presence dwells with us here.

Simon Peter is most striking in our Gospel. He comes to encounter Christ and then falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” I reflect that if Christ were to walk into this Church that this would be my response. I hope that this would be all of our response, and yet Christ is present with us here in the Eucharist, but our attitude doesn’t always line up with this reality.

It is Christ who takes bread into His holy and venerable hands and says: “this is my body which will be given up for you.” In other words what Christ institutes for us in the Most Holy Eucharist is not symbolic, but is literally the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord.

In this world in which we live we are all looking for belonging. We often look for this in all the wrong places when we have what our heart desires here within the Church and yet we often don’t feel compelled to go in search of it. In the words of Saint John Vianney speaking on the Eucharist: “Jesus is really there, and if you knew how much he loves you, you would be the happiest person in the world.”

Simon Peter realized this revelation for himself within our Gospel. Hopefully we too will come to realize this revelation for ourself. With humility Peter came to acknowledge Christ. His response was not that I am owed such a gift, but rather “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” To behold the Eucharist, to receive the Eucharist, to be in the midst of the Eucharist should bring us to trembling. It should make the words of Peter come to our lips: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Within this Mass we proclaim similar words: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

We cannot be like the rest of the world, but we must instead remain on guard that we don’t allow our ourself to comprise the Church and her teachings with worldly ways. Peter did not stand, but he knelt. Peter was not filled pride, but with humility. Yet we allow the church to be place of noise as we compromise on sacred silence turning our sight away from Christ who dwells with us here in the Eucharist. Reverence has been thrown out in favor of speed. Is what going on in the rest of our day so important that we must rush out the door before the Mass even finishes?

Hopefully, we will become convinced of the Lord’s presence. The apostles became convinced of His presence. It was only then that they let go of their own desires and trusted in His guidance. At that they caught a great catch of fish. Therefore, let us let go and trust in the Lord for ourself. Let us foster that relationship with Him especially in the Presence of the Most Holy Eucharist.