17th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Saint Paul instructs, “that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called.”

In the Church some are called to enter into marriage, others to religious life, and others to the priesthood. No matter the calling that we have received we are called to pursue holiness in our everyday life. By taking up our vocation we share in the same common vocation of building up society in a matter that reflects the love of God.

In our Gospel we were told of the importance of this love. We are thus to “love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind” and you are to also “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

These words express the goal of this common vocation of love. Love is begotten out of self sacrifice. We see this perfect expression of love presented to us upon the cross when the Lord laid down His life for us. Through living in service to others we act as God to others and model ourself more closely after Christ each day. When we faithfully take up our vocation we live in the hope that we will join with God one day in Heaven.

For our prayer we must discern what is our vocation and what is current state in life. Once we understand this we can better reflect upon the love that we are being called to show as we embrace that vocation and state of life. A married person’s response to this will be different then that of a priest then that of a child. In the end each of us are called towards holiness in our everyday life.

If we have the desire to be holy then we must desire to love. Love is not something which is optional for love is something that must be present in every vocation. It is love which draws us into union with God. We should have love for Him and should realize the need to enter into relationship with Him. We must also love our neighbor because a vocation calls us outward to share that love that we have with others.

In order to heed Saint Paul’s words and to be found “worthy of the vocation in which you are called” there must be love in the midst of all that we do. Whenever we fail to love God or our neighbor we cannot claim that we have fully lived out our vocation. Our vocation to love is displayed right here at the Mass.

As Saint Josemaria Escriva remarked concerning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: “The Mass is long, you say, and I add: ‘Because your love is short.” The Mass serves as a lesson in love for through it we enter into Christ’s love for us upon the cross. By entering more deeply into these Sacred Mysteries we grow in our love not only for God, but for one another. 

Let us walk worthy of the vocation in which we have been called by embracing all that God has extended to us in a spirit of love and self sacrifice. This world in which we live is greatly in need of such love for the love in which we so often profess in our society is far from a love of God and a true love for our neighbor as one created in the image and likeness of God. May we live such love for God and neighbor in all that we do.

25th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

There are many people who simply live in the moment without looking ahead. While one is young and healthy something such as preparing for death remains far from the mind. No matter how healthy or unhealthy that we may be scripture still tells us, “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” These words should make us understand that we should seek the Lord and desire to follow after His ways.

From the Prophet Isaiah we were told, “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.” We are only given so much time in this earthly life to choose to follow after Him who calls each of us by name. Each of the apostles were called by name in order to follow Him and in doing so they abandoned their former way of life. So too we must remain attentive to the Lord through our prayer and be found willing to respond to Him with our life.

Through prayer we enter into this relationship with Him and from our prayer we come to pursue truth. No matter the difficulty of this truth there is a need to not only profess Christ with our lips, but we must also do so within the depths of our heart. As we cross ourself prior to the reading of the Holy Gospel, “May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.” In such manner everything that we do should be informed by faith and thus we will live our life in preparation for eternal life.

Our Gospel passage is not a lesson on economics, but is a lesson on eternal life. In this Gospel we are presented with individuals who received this call at various points in their life. When they heard this call they responded to it with their life and set out to work in the vineyard of the Lord. For their response to this call they came to receive the day’s wage. Again this is not fair in the realm of economics, but in the realm of salvation we should rejoice.

This means that in so far as we are alive there is still time for us to be numbered among the saints of Heaven if we so wish. When we receive this call we cannot respond like Saint Augustine did in his early age, “Lord, make me chaste- but not yet!” If we take up this attitude there comes a chance that we will never allow the message of the Gospel to transform our life. Thankfully, in time Saint Augustine embraced the radical change that was necessary for him to be a saint.

In our prayer we must ask what we are currently holding back from God. In understanding whatever this may be we must be willing to embrace the Gospel and conversion from a life which does not lead to the Lord. If you have not made a good confession in a long time now is the time to return unto the Lord in order that you may embrace His mercy. Each of us are called to be numbered among the saints in Heaven, but we must be willing to entrust our life unto the Lord if this is to be a reality. Let us seek after the Lord for He is near.

16th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Today we are give a glimpse into the virtue of charity. In the words of Saint Ambrose, “After he had healed the man with the dropsy Jesus gives a lesson in humility.” As we were instructed in our Gospel, “Everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

It is easy to look upon the one who is ill and see that something is wrong with them. It is more difficult for us to look into the depths of one’s own soul and see the healing that needs to take place. It is only with the festering of a serious wound that we are moved into action while we need to be concerned with the inner turmoil that takes place from within.

Our Lord displays such a reality by curing the man with dropsy. Dropsy is a swelling that is caused by the excess of water into the body. It’s reality easily becomes known while the Pharisees suffered from a much great excess that needed healing from within. This healing would be brought about by the one who was now before them, Christ the Lord.

When pride over takes our soul it is easy to not see the need for such healing to take place. We like the Pharisees can begin to think that our outward actions are good enough even if we don’t allow anything to take place within us. What good will a list of the good that we have done in this life be at the time of judgement if our heart was never in the right place?

Our Blessed Mother cries out from the depths of such humility in the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” This prayer perfectly sums up humility. She was given such a wondrous gift, but she remained firmly rooted in her love for God and that gift that was given to her.

Where do we need to allow humility to creep into our life to overcome the pride that has taken root within us? The prideful spend so much time having people look at them while the humble live authentically in God’s presence. It is for this reason that we cannot take the greatest place at table for there is one greater then us that we must allow into our life. Saint John the Baptist understood this as he stated, “He must increase, I must decrease.”

To grow in humility we must pray that we will receive such a gift each day. We must come to understand that God is the source of all good and assists us in the growth of all virtue. We must learn to become thankful for everything that God has given to us in this life. Finally, we must learn to accept the cross in our life for the cross leads us down the path of humility.

Let us take this lesson of humility upon ourself and desire to open our heart and soul to the Lord in order that we may always be found humble of heart.

24th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

In the “Our Father” we pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” These words sum up the theme that is found in today’s readings, forgiveness.

Forgiveness should be seen as it is presented to us upon the cross. It was here that the Lord laid down His life in order that we may be redeemed. Here we are able to cry out to the Lord, “forgive us our trespasses.” In the sacrament of confession we desire to receive the mercy of God and so we must also realize that God is forgiving of all those who have trespassed against us.

For this reason we proclaim that “the Lord is kind and merciful.” Despite the many times that we have wondered away and entered into a life of sin the Lord continues to forgive those who come to Him with a contrite heart. As with the prodigal son who wondered away from his father returns to him and his mercy we notice that the father is waiting for his return in order that he may rush out and embrace him. So too does the Father wait for our returns and rushes out in His mercy to heal us.

Forgiveness is something that we desire for our self, but can find difficult to offer to another who has wronged us in some way. The Gospel of Saint Matthew instructed us that we must forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” This is to stress the importance of forgiveness for the perfect number of 7 is stressed. Therefore, we must perfectly come to forgive our neighbor of whatever we are latching onto.

In “The Great Divorce” CS Lewis takes the reader on a bus ride which takes on the analogy of our journey towards Heaven. Part of this journey is the reality of Purgatory and thus individuals must face those dispositions that keep them from Heaven. There are those here who must face that very person whom they have wronged in their heart through their own hatred and be moved towards forgiveness. So too we must allow ourself to be moved towards such forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not accepting a wrong that has befallen us as being good. Forgiveness is not becoming best friends with someone who has wronged us. Forgiveness is not looking the other way when something unhealthy is taking place. Forgiveness does not mean that we must now speak to the individual in question. Forgiveness is our ability to let go of all that we hold onto in this life in order that we may be set free. Forgiveness allows us to find that peace that we are in need of.

In order that we may grow in such forgiveness let us be moved back to the sacraments of the Church. Through the sacrament of confession we open our heart to the mercy of God that forgives us of our sins. Through our reception of the Most Holy Eucharist we come to receive Christ into our life. Through Christ we are sent outward in order that we may be more charitable with all those whom we encounter especially those who are most difficult.

How is God calling you towards such forgiveness today? Is there something that you must bring to the mercy of God and leave it with Him in order that you may be reconciled with Him and live?

Votive Mass for Election of a Bishop Homily

On this 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Archbishop Fabre, our diocesan administrator, has asked that every parish in this diocese celebrate a Votive Mass for the appointment of a new bishop. It was for this reason that we used a lectionary different then the Sunday lectionary.

If we would of read from Sunday’s lectionary we would of heard a few words proclaimed only two weeks ago, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This statement was directed to His disciples who became the first priests and bishops of the church.

In the church we profess the reality of apostolic succession. Apostolic succession is an unbroken chain that stretches from the modern day bishops of the Church to the apostles who were sent out by Christ. If there was a broken link in this chain the reality of having a bishop or priest is something which would be impossible. 

Therefore, it is Jesus who gave His apostles an important role in the life of the Church as He called them by name and sent them out. They along with Peter are able to “bind and loose” for they hold teaching authority over the whole Church. So too throughout the Church’s history has such authority been extended to the bishops of the Church.

The Diocese of Knoxville is currently what is known as “sede vacante” which means “the chair is vacant.” The chair that is being spoken of is that chair in the cathedral in Knoxville which the bishop alone sits on. This chair is important for it is a symbol of his teaching authority. In Judaism the rabbi would sit upon a chair whenever he was speaking from a position of authority.

As the people who make up this diocese we must now pray for the movement of the Holy Spirit as we await a new bishop for this diocese. As we heard in our Gospel Acclamation, “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The bishop is often referred to as being the Chief Shepherd for his ministry is modeled after the Good Shepherd which is Christ.

May the bishop that will called by name to serve this diocese have the desire to be faithful to the Church’s teachings and model Himself after Christ who is the Good Shepherd. As people of faith may we be prepared to receive our new bishop and to support him with our prayers. It is this bishop who will continue to care for the people of this diocese as Christ cares for needs of His Church. He will teach, govern, and sanctify the people who have been entrusted to his care. He will anoint the faithful with the Sacred Chrism as the Holy Spirit is called upon them in a special way in the sacrament of confirmation. He will anoint the hands of priests with Sacred Chrism who through their ordination will be sent forth to shepherd the people of this diocese.

Let us continue to support our new bishop with our prayers whoever he may be. Make sure to include him in your daily prayer intentions even praying that prayer that we pray at the end of Mass for him. Support him through your prayer and fasting that “the Heavenly Father, through the Holy Spirit, appoint a new shepherd after the heart of His Son, the eternal shepherd and may we come to receive him with great joy.”

14th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Saint Josemaria Escriva popularized the concept of the heroic minute.

In “The Way” he states concerning it, “Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness. If, with the help of God, you conquer yourself in that moment, you’ll have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day. It’s so discouraging to find yourself beaten in the first skirmish!”

In the heroic minute one wakes up instantly when the alarm goes off and commonly will say “serviam!” which is Latin for “I will serve!” The heroic minute is a form of mortification which starts the day in service to God. There are many things which we live in service to. In the hierarchy of goods, so often God and prayer is that which gets pushed off to the side. Upon waking our day can begin through an endless scrolling of social media or can begin with a prayer orienting our day in service to God.

As the Morning Offering states, “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.”

This prayer sums up what our day should be about. Instead of reaching for such goals we enter into a endless mindlessness where we enter into the passions as service to self. We forget the outward relation that we are to enter into with God which extends to how we treat those who are around us. As we treat those around us without love and as we get caught up in an endless pursuit of something we are getting further and further away from entering into relation with God and living in service to Him. In such manner we end up falling into the trap that Saint Paul warned against in our Epistle, the lusts of the flesh.

In our Gospel we were instructed, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” These words should cause us to reflect upon who or what we live our life in service to. Is it is service to God or the lusts of the flesh? Each of us have different hobbies and interests, but these hobbies and interests cannot take the place of God in our life. We do not entrust ourself to them as if they are the ultimate end. There is only one whom we can serve and that one should be God.

As we are sent forth from this Mass let us do all things in service to Him. From the very first moment of the day we must decide that God will be the one whom we live in service to. If we understand this, the rest of our day in all of it’s undertakings, will flow from this understanding of service. Let us make this conscious decision to live in service to God and all of His holy commands.