3rd Sunday After Easter Homily

“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”

Sorrow is something which is common in life. There is sorrow which is felt at the loss of a loved one. There is sorrow that is felt whenever we go mocked or ridiculed. There is sorrow which is felt whenever we endure the anguishes that come with life.

Despite this reality of sorrow we are promised that we will receive a great joy. We cannot let the sorrows of this life keep us down because we now anticipate the reality of Heaven and thus Eternal Life with God. There will be no greater joy that we can share in but this.

This joy is brought about through the events of the Lord’s sorrowful Passion. He took on the many sorrows of this world as He embraced death upon the cross. Nevertheless, He rose on the third day and from the empty tomb spread a message of hope. This hope turned into joy as many came to believe in the Gospel and strove day by day to embrace it with their life.

When we look to the life of the saints we have no further to look then to the Blessed Mother. One of the many titles attributed to her is “Our Lady of Sorrows.” Here we are reminded of the words of the prophet Simeon, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” It was she who looked upon her Son as His crucifixion took place. Her heart was pierced with sorrow, but this sorrow became a joy.

What are the trials that are present in your life? Despite these sorrows which are present please be assured that they shall be turned into joy. As Christians we cannot fall into a spirit of despair for whenever we set our sight upon God, come to embrace the cross, and set out with faith towards Heaven we are given such a joy.

The cross which the Lord endured was not the end. From it we now profess the reality of His Resurrection which is the reality that He rose on the third day. Very soon He will be taken up to Heaven at the Ascension. From there we set our sight upon Him and dare to go where He has now gone before. 

This is the Kingdom of Heaven which reminds us that this world is not our home. As we are told in Book of Revelation: “ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This is a reflection of this coming Kingdom which will turn our sorrow into a joy.

If this spirit of faith be found true in us “your joy no man shall take from you.”

2nd Sunday After Easter Homily

This 2nd Sunday of Easter is often refereed to as Good Shepherd Sunday.

Our Gospel causes us to focus upon Christ as being this Good Shepherd. It is He who cares for the good of His flock which is the Church. As stated in our Collect, “has snatched from the perils of endless death.” On the other side of this relationship are those shepherds to whose care we have been entrusted.

Saint Peter instructs us in our Epistle, “For you were as sheep going stray: but you are now converted to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” Likewise, as instructed by Saint Leo: “The Holy Spirit was bestowed upon all the apostles by our Lord’s breathing upon them, and that the blessed apostle Peter, raised above the rest, having already received the keys to the kingdom, saw the care of the Lord’s flock committed to his charge.”

In the Gospel of Saint John we are told, “whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” This is the purpose of the sheepfold which is the Church. The Church provides such protection for us concerning the wickedness and the snares of the devil. In this sheepfold all of our needs are met as God pours out to us the gift of His grace.

We must live in the unity of faith that is found within the Church. Outside of these gates there is so much which will do us harm. Outside of these gates fragments of truth may be found, but within them we find the fullness of truth contained. It is to this truth that our shepherds must direct us. If they are unwilling to lead souls to an encounter with truth they are nothing more then sheep in wolves clothing.

Christ is that Good Shepherd who goes in search of souls. He desires that they encounter Him and have faith in Him. So too we are called to participate in the missionary reality of the Church. We must be willing to go outside of these walls in order to bring the Good News of the Gospel with us wherever we may go. The graces to do such a thing have been implanted in our soul through our baptism and confirmation.

Let us pray for the Shepherds of our Church that they may always love Christ and direct souls unto Him. Let us continue to pray for and support vocations to the priesthood in order that we will have more priests who will shepherd souls to Christ. Where we have gone astray may we return to Christ and His love for us. In all things let us stay united to Christ and His Church always remaining in the sheepfold that is His love and His protection.

3rd Sunday of Easter Homily

So often things of faith go hidden from our senses. As we were told of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, that “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” Here the Lord chooses to go “hidden” in order that He may bring about a true sense of faith within the depths of their hearts. They do not receive a simple answer to their many questions, but have to be strengthened and inspired to grow in their faith.

It was only with the Breaking of the Bread that they came to recognize Him. So too do we come to recognize Him in the Breaking of Bread. What we see with our eyes is mere bread and wine. Nevertheless, what we behold is truly Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divnity. Through the lens of faith we are able to see and believe in that great reality.

Day by day we must continue to walk with Him in faith. With all that takes place in this world around us it is easy to lose sight of what is really important. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the here and now and forget about Christ. For this reason we must spend time with Him in order that we may truly begin to grow in faith.

The disciples could have received an easy answer to their needs, but instead they were allowed the opportunity to grow in faith. So too God can act within our life as He wishes, but we must be willing to grow in faith. Faith transcends words and feelings because faith is a way of life in which we come to order our life towards Christ. As Saint Augustine states, “Faith is a virtue by which things that are not seen are believed.”

If we are to grow in this virtue of faith we must in the words of Father Benedict Groeschel have “a powerful awareness of our longing for Christ’s presence, accompanied by a trustful surrender to him of our personal needs.” The apostles had such an encounter with Christ on the Road to Emmaus. They came to have faith because they longed for Christ’s presence and surrendered their life unto Him.

Now we must ask ourself what we desire in this life. Is it relationship with Christ or is it something else? If it is Christ whom we long for then we must develop relationship with Him. This means to assist at Holy Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, this means to take advantage of the sacrament of confession, this means to entrust ourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary for she always draws us into relationship with her Son, this means that we spend with Sacred Scripture, and that we make time for prayer.

If we were to make a list of our proprieties where would Christ fall? Let us continue to journey with these apostles in our spiritual life in order that we too may come to see Him through the lens of faith. Through this lens may we always be united to Him in spirit and truth.

1st Communion Homily

My dearest children today is a joyful day for we gather here for your first Holy Communion. To our eyes we see bread and wine, but the one whom you will receive is Jesus. To receive Jesus is into your life is to allow Him to stay close to you. We stay close to Him when we choose to live our life for Him. The world is a busy place, but we must always make time for Christ. Continue to invite Him to enter into your life to dwell with you out of love. Continue to say “yes” to Jesus each and every day of your life.

To our parents please remember to take your children to Mass. Teach them how to pray and love Him. We are called to build up the domestic church which is the church at home. When we fail to assist at Mass we fail to be present with Jesus. We say that there is something else in my life which is more important then developing a relationship with Him. Saying “yes” to Jesus is not just for these children, but for each of us. Let us share in their joy each and every time that we receive Jesus.

Let us receive Jesus with great joy!

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

This 2nd Sunday of Easter is also known to us as Divine Mercy Sunday. This word “mercy” comes from the Latin, “misericordia.” This derives from two words; “mesereri” which means “to have pity on” and “cor” which means “heart.” From this we are given the image of someone who shows compassion with all their heart.

We should notice that following the Resurrection that the Lord chooses to continue to bear the wounds of His crucifixion. These wounds remind us of the importance of the cross for through them we are able to see the mercy of God. It is He who was willing to lay down His life and thus show compassion upon us with all His Heart.

Saint Thomas comes to venerate these same wounds. He was found to be unbelieving, but through them He was allotted faith. So too through the mercy of the Lord do we come sinful and sorrowful and yet He shows His abundant compassion upon us and on the whole world. Through these wounds we are afforded the same faith that Thomas came to profess.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday we should desire to enter into this abundant font of mercy. In the sacraments the Lord has left us with many gifts which allow God’s grace to enter into our life to strengthen us. One of these gifts is the Sacrament of Confession. As we were instructed in our Gospel concerning this institution of the sacrament, “He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Through the Sacrament of Confession we enter in sinful and are embraced by God as we are absolved of our sins. 

As the priest prays when he says the words of absolution: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.” One who pays close attention would note that the priest formally prayed, “sent the Holy Spirit among us” instead of “poured out.”

To pour out reflects the outpouring of compassion that God has for each of us. This compassion freely flows from the merciful heart of God. We must open our own heart to be found receptive of all that the Father desires to bestow upon us. What He desires to pour out upon us is found to be without end.

In the image of the Divine Mercy we notice two rays which denote blood and water that are poured out from the heart of Christ. It was from His side that He was pierced with a lace that opened up this flow of blood and water. It was His heart which pierced by our sins and those of the whole world. Through this outpouring of blood and water we see the abundance compassion that God has for each of us.

As we continue this Easter season let us come to place our trust in Christ. The more that we enter into this abundance font of mercy the more that we will be sent forth to love others without end. Let our life always be ordered towards Christ and let us be willing to let go of our sinfulness in order that we may be sent forth from Him to repent and believe in the Gospel.

Easter Homily

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, alleluia!

In the Gospel of Saint John; Mary of Magdala, Peter, and John come to put together the puzzle that surrounds the Lord’s Resurrection. That day they expected to find a tomb that contained a dead body, but instead the stone was rolled away. The garments that were used to bury the Lord were found rolled up and laying upon the ground and the body was gone. This tomb was empty and from it sprung forth a great hope.

It is in the Gospel of Saint Matthew that Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb. Here they encounter an angel who sat upon the rolled away stone who told them that He had been raised. From here they encounter the Lord and thus they approached Him, embraced His feet, and did Him homage. They were commanded by Him to be not afraid and to spread the news of His Resurrection.

Our world is in need of this news of the Lord’s Resurrection. So often we allow all that goes on around us to thrust us down into despair. We must remember that the stone has been rolled away and with it springs forth a great hope. This hope is the fact that we have been redemeed. That sin and death hold no power over God. That the emptyness of the tomb is a proclamation of what is to come for each of us.

The message of the Lord’s Resurrection does not remain closed up inside of a tomb, but is taken outward from it. This message does not end with a few select individuals, but continues to spread throughout the whole world. We too must be concerned with taking this message out into the world in order that others may come to believe in this great hope. This hope brings light into a world that has been thrust into darkness.

As those in the Gospel slowly came to put together the puzzle pieces their despair was turned into hope. They came to believe and understand the importance of the Lord’s Resurrection. Let us not only believe in word, but in mind. We too must come to understand the importance of what we celebrate. If we understand this importance we would be here each and every Sunday for we would realize that Christ lives and through our celebration of the Mass we join with Him who has redeemed us upon the cross and risen on the third day.

The world will continue to be touched by sin. Those around us, including ourself, will continue to face the reality of death. There will always be something for us to fear. Nevertheless, there is still a great hope that shines brightly. That is the hope of Christ who continues to be present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Let us continue to rejoice with Him as we continue to proclaim with the confidence of faith that Christ is risen!

Easter Vigil Homily

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, alleluia! 

On this most holy of nights we proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection of our Blessed Lord. It is this news which springs forth from the depths of an empty tomb. Despite all that seemed to be touched by death the stone has been rolled away and life springs forth.

This night we welcome those who will be given new life in the waters of baptism. We also welcome those who will be received fully into the Church making their confirmation and first Holy Communion. Our prayers are with each of you for through this encounter with the outpouring of God’s grace your life will forever be changed for Christ.

We too need to be moved by this same outpouring of God’s grace. Our life of faith should not be regulated to a tomb to be left for dead. Instead our life of faith is to be sent forth, for it is alive, as we live each day for Christ and the Gospel.

There are some who see no hope in this world, but this empty tomb signals a great hope to us. Let us be people of hope as light has been brought into the midst of darkness. It is this light that shines forth brightly no matter what is taking place within this world. Let us be sent forth to live the Good News of the Lord’s Resurrection always.

Holy Thursday Homily

In all things Christ comes to fulfill.

Therefore this night the apostles gather with Him in prayer. In doing so they are carrying out the Jewish ritual of the Passover. It is Christ who becomes that sacrificial lamb upon the cross as He lays down His life for us out of love. In the course of this ritual He gives Himself to His apostles in the Eucharist.

In His words: “This is My Body.” “This is My Blood.” “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

The good and faithful Jew would realize that the Passover meal was to enter into that very day of the Passover itself. There is nothing that is symbolic in what is taking place. Likewise, it is at Calvary that time continues to stands still and we continue to enter into Christ’s saving action. For this reason Fulton Sheen once stated, “The Mass is the greatest love story every told.

This night we call to mind this reality of God’s love for us as we continue to rejoice in the gift of the Eucharist. May Eucharistic devotion be stirred up within the depths of our heart that we may do all things for the greater glory of God. To look upon the Eucharistic is to look upon Christ and to receive the Eucharist is to receive Christ. 

Let us always be changed by this life giving encounter with Him and be found willing to live our life for Him always.