4th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Through the lens of Sacred Scripture the apostles always do a poor job at fishing. As they told the Lord, “Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing.” It is only when they opened their heart to Him and responded to His call that they were successful. “But at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes and their net broke.”

This lesson is important for each of us. We so often go about our life without first opening our heart unto God. Each of us are called to serve the Lord in some way through our baptism and confirmation. For this reason it becomes important that we discern God’s call that is being made manifest within our life. Some are called to be priests, others to religious life, others to marriage, and for those who have authentically chosen it the single life.

Some lament that we are in the midst of a vocation crisis. They state this in reference to the priesthood and religious life. At the same time we should reflect that there is also a crisis when it pertains to marriage because many find themselves in marriage without first discerning God’s call. Therefore, we must open our heart unto the Lord for this is the way in which we discern God’s call.

For those who have already responded to God’s call to a vocation we must make a constant renewal of what has taken place within us. Prayer is something that cannot be forgotten, but must be integral to our life. Also through the sacramental life of the Church we are nourished and strengthened to faithfully live out our vocation as a gift that has come to us from God in order that we may pursue holiness in our everyday life.

The profession of the apostles in our Gospel are fisherman. This is how they provided for their wellbeing. Yet the Lord came and called them to abandon their nets and to follow after Him for He would make them fishers of men. At this invitation they abandoned their nets and followed after Him. So too we must remain open to the Lord and be willing to go where He has called us to go.

In this Church there are those who have been called by God to enter into a specific vocation. Some have already entered into this vocation and embraced it. Others have entered into a vocation and must continue to work at participating in the gift of God’s grace. Others need to open their heart in order that this call may be made manifest within their life.

It should be no secret that we need an increase of good and holy marriages. It should be no secret that we are in need of the witness of those who have entered into the religious life. It should be no secret that we are in need of an increase of priests. Let us continue to pray for an increase of vocations and be willing to go wherever the Lord leads us.

12th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

We must always allow the virtue of hope to overcome fear.

The unknown is something that we are often uncomfortable with. Many different “what ifs” fill our mind. This is especially true when something bad has happened that pops up in our life, world, or community. The void of the unknown is filled with many different possibilities which are often out of our control.

If we put this gospel into its proper context we would notice that it just followed the Lord commissioning of His twelve apostles. In doing so He sent them out and let them know that life would be difficult for them at times do to the call that they had received. Therefore, this passage brings hope in the midst of the unknown that they will face.

So too we need to discover this hope that overcomes fear. We must realize that we have been given a life of faith and with this gift we are to do something with it. This means heading out into the abundant harvest of the Lord and living the faith and sharing it with others. Such a task can fill the heart with fear, but we must remember that we have been sent forth by the gift of God’s grace.

Over the course of this Gospel passage we were told “Do not fear” on three occasions. In other words we must look to the cross, see that the Lord laid down His life for us out of love, that He rose on the third day, and thus in that balance we are given hope. As the Catechism puts it hope is “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

This hope became true for the disciples of the Lord. Many of them would be forced to face a martyr’s death. Nevertheless, they endured for the believed and professed Christ to be the Lord. They understood the importance of the soul and Everlasting Life with God. This became their hope in the midst of fear.

We must also have this same unwavering profession of faith. Fear cannot prevent us from proclaiming the gospel with all of its demands. We are called upon to be faithful to God in all that we say and do. Whatever the fear that is present within our life we must place our trust in Christ and be willing to walk with Him despite ridicule, criticism, or rejection. 

Let us be filled not with fear, but with hope.

In the words of Saint John Paul II: “I plead with you! Never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”

External Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Homily

Today we celebrate the External Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Through devotion to the Sacred Heart we see the great font of love which pours out upon us and upon the whole world. We most perfectly see the depths of the Lord’s love as He lays down His life for us upon the cross. Through this sacrificial offering we have been redeemed from the sins that we as well as the world commits. It is through His pierced heart that we are able see a visible sign of this love.

Despite such love our gratitude is often found to be short. We so easily commit sin and forget about the depths of the Lord’s love. Our culture is one which so easily turns its sight away from God and is found willing to enter into blasphemy. It was for this reason that the USCCB asked that Catholics pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on this feast day made in reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord which we see in our culture today.

As the Book of Psalms states, “let my heart rejoice in your saving help.” This is preciously what takes place when we turn our sight towards the Lord. It is He alone who saves us and despite our sinfulness brings about our redemption. Our heart is given every reason to rejoice whenever it looks upon the cross and see what took place. From the sight of the cross we must heed the words of the Gospel of Saint John, “let not your hearts be troubled, believe in me.”

Faith is something which the Lord constantly called His apostles to have. If we have faith and thus believe in Him our hearts will never grow troubled. The heart is not something which is found to be fleeting, but is the way in which we direct our whole being, body, and soul to that which we consider to be good. That ultimate good to which we are to obtain is Christ and through His Sacred Heart we see the true unchanging nature of His love.

We are given the choice to move away from Him or towards Him. As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” Some have allowed their heart to move away from God to pursue worldly things. These individuals will always be left empty. Our ultimate treasure ought to be the Kingdom of Heaven thus let our heart dwell with Him at all times.

On this External Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus may we allow our heart to be transformed to be like His. We must desire to love God with all of our heart, not just for a fleeting moment, but by our whole being, body, and soul. May we thus be restored to our original humanity that Christ points us towards by keeping our sight upon Him and His heart which pours out upon us out of love.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

11th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

We should always pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As the Lord instructs, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

As a diocese we have been blessed with an abundance of vocations to the priesthood throughout the years. This past week there where three ordained and in the year to come there will be four. Father Zach Griffith, now assigned to a parish in Chattanooga, was ordained three years ago and was a vocation that was fostered from this parish community.

Every priest has a past. They, like all of us, come from a family. They have their own personality, their limitations, and their interests. Some entered seminary following high school and others did later in life after pursuing other endeavors. Priests did not just come from nowhere and thus I am confident in saying that there are people in this parish community who are called to be priests if only they would open their heart to receive this call.

God calls those among us to answer the call to be His priests, just as He calls people among us towards the religious life, the married life, and those who authentically choose it, the single life. All of us are called to pursue holiness and the vocation that we have received assists us in this pursuit of holiness.

Sadly, we often fail to remain open to prayer and thus the voice of Christ that is being made manifest within our life. If we are unwilling to pray how can we ever discern a vocation? Also, sadly vocations to the priesthood are something which often go discouraged within the home. Without priests we will not have the Eucharist, we will not have the sacrament of confession, and the dying will do so without being anointed.

We need priests and for this reason the Lord has given them to us to continue His ministry on earth. The harvest is abundant therefore we must ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers. This means: (1) We remain open to God’s call through prayer, (2) we pray for vocations, and (3) we support vocations in this community and within the home.

If the Lord is calling you to be His priest we must heed His words: “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” At this the apostles laid down their nets and they followed after Him. Likewise, may we go where the Lord leads us no matter that cost. Through the priesthood of Jesus Christ we are given so much let us continue to pray for an increase of vocations and remain open to God’s will for “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi which is the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The world in which we live constantly hungers for something more. There is a hunger for material possessions, for wealth, and for an over abundance of pleasure. At times we allow these various things to overshadow the presence of Christ among us in the form of the Eucharist. The answer for which our heart longs was given to us in our Gospel: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

For this reason the Most Holy Eucharist is central to our life of faith. What we see with our eyes is mere bread and wine, but through the words of the priest the host becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord. To receive the Eucharist is to enter into a profound union with Christ. It is here that we come to be transformed by His grace in order that we may be strengthened on the journey of faith which leads towards Eternal Life.

On this journey we  continue to live in the world. Thus we  continue to be touched by the brokenness and challenges of this life. We will come to face trials, temptations, and the burdens of our human existence. But it is in the Eucharist that we find our solace, our strength, and the true nourishment for our soul.

Just as physical food sustains our mortal bodies, the Eucharist sustains our spiritual life. It is this spiritual food that strengthens us, that renews us, and empowers us to face the struggles of our daily life with faith and courage. In the Eucharist, we encounter the living Christ who walks with us, who guides us, and gives us the grace that we need in order to persevere.

This Heavenly food that has been extended to us by Christ is truly the food that will sustain us and make us whole. Those who eat of this flesh will never hunger because they have come to receive the presence of Christ Himself. It is this presence that transcends any want or need that we will ever have for the Eucharist is the sustenance of life which sustains us in the gift of God’s grace. There is no greater reality then this, so let us find our contentment here with Christ who is present among us under the appearances of bread and wine. 

With this knowledge let us be willing to spend time with Him in prayer. Let us come to receive Him with true reverence. Let us be willing to allow Him to be the one to whom our life is directed. All things that we do should flow towards Christ. In the Eucharist we receive this life giving nourishment that assists us in our practice of faith. Let us entrust ourself to Christ and His presence among us in the Most Holy Eucharist for He is the one who fills us to the fullest degree.

Most Holy Trinity Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. 

In the Trinity we profess that there is one God in three Persons. These three Persons who make up the Godhead are distinct from one another and yet they are one God. There are many analogies which attempt to give a glimpse into the life of the Trinity, but these analogies fall short and usually end up in some kind of heresy.

The Trinity is a mystery and yet we can know something about this mystery through the relation of Persons and thus the love that exists within. Through the Trinity we see a perfect outpouring of love. This is a love that we should attempt to achieve within this life. We have so many ways in which we attempt to define love, but the love that is found in the Trinity is a charitable love which is perfect and without limitations. This love is so great a love that it is both mutual and overflowing.

For this reason the Trinity teaches us a lesson into love. The more that we allow ourself to enter into the life of the Trinity the more that we are able to love. As Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity states in her prayer to the Trinity: “O my God, Trinity whom I adore, let me entirely forget myself that I may abide in you, still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity; let nothing disturb my peace nor separate me from you, O my unchanging God, but that each moment may take me further into the depths of your mystery!”

The words of this prayer should us assist us in contemplating the communion that exists in God and how we should enter more fully into it. In this world we enter into many realities which help to mold our hearts and minds for good or for bad. If we have a desire to grow in the virtue of love then the answer to our desire is entering into a deeper relationship with the Trinity. Through prayer and devotion we enter further into the depths of this mystery.

Let us on this Trinity Sunday desire to model our life and our family after the love that exists within the Trinity. When we use others for our own gain and gratification we are not loving them as love is found within the Trinity. Through this perfect outpouring of love we are able to look upon another through the lens of true love which respects them as one who has been created in the image and the likeness of God.

The Trinity is a unique expression of love that far surpasses any love that we can know in this life or the life to come. Let us be willing to raise our sight towards this profound expression of love and be found willing to model our own life after this love. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three Persons, but one God. There love is perfect and through entering more deeply into this relationship may we grow in the virtue of love.