Easter Homily

Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today we rejoice for the tomb was not the end and so after three days He rose again in accordance of the scriptures. Our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection is important for us because it affords us hope and orients our life down a path which leads towards Everlasting Life. This is the great hope that is brought forth through our celebration of His Resurrection.

The doctrine of the resurrection of the body is central to our Christian belief. As we profess in the Nicene Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” This statement of faith applies to each of us. Therefore, at a Funeral Mass we are able to proclaim despite the certainty of death “that life has changed, but not ended.”

When the Lord was taken down from the cross and placed inside of the tomb it would of been easy to think that this was the end. Likewise, whenever we face the reality of death it could be easy to look at it as if it were the end. Nevertheless, the Lord triumphs over the tomb and thus hope springs forth from it that all of those who have been touched by sin and death will be given life.

As Christians we have been marked with a seal through the event of our baptism for through these waters we were given life. In the Book of Ezekiel the faithful received a mark upon their forehead, the faithful are also given a mark upon their forehead in the Book of Revelation, and we enter into this mark through that which has been given to us at our baptism. 

Baptism is not a reality that stays in the past, but enters into the present and into the future. Through it we are given an indelible mark which will not go away even with death. Therefore, we are always marked as Christian and we should live as such. It is through our consent to sin that we turn away from God and this life that has been extended to us.

Christ suffered and died upon the cross, rose again on the third day, and Ascended into Heaven. These acts brings about the totality of His sacrificial action. Through such acts of complete love we ought to realize the seriousness of what we come to profess with our hearts, voices, and lips. Let not our life be lived in accordance with the Gospel for only a moment, but always.

This is truly what we come to profess through our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. The Good News that springs forth from the empty tomb must continue to be meaningful for each of us. Our life must be lived in accordance to this message, for this message is one of Everlasting Life. Let us desire this pearl of great price which is foreshadowed by our Lord’s glorious Resurrection and order our life towards it.

Easter Vigil Homily

Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

On this most sacred of nights we acknowledge the fact that Christ has triumphed over the tomb of sin and death. Our readings took us upon a journey down salvation history and this journey culminated with the Good News of our Risen Lord. At times it may seem that there is no hope for our world which has been touched by both sin and death. We cannot give into such despair for our world or self for our Lord has truly risen.

Despite dying on the cross He rose forth on the third day. So too, we who have entered into the waters of baptism, or will soon enter into these waters this night, must remember that our life follows a similar path. Through baptism we have been plunged into the death of our old self and we rise forth from these waters as a new creation in Christ Jesus. Not just for a moment, but for our whole life. Let us continue to pray for these individuals, who will soon enter into the waters of baptism, or will be received fully into the Church. May their “yes” to the Lord remain their whole life as our “yes” to Him should remain forever and not just for a passing moment.

May this most holy of nights bring forth true desire in ourself to live for the Lord and to be filled with that great hope which springs forth from the empty tomb.

Holy Thursday Homily

There are seven sacraments and each of them find their origin in Christ Jesus. Tonight we place our focus upon Christ’s gift to the Church which is the Most Holy Eucharist. You will notice that today’s Mass prayers state that tonight He took into His holy and venerable Hands bread and wine saying “this is my Body” and “this is my Blood do this in remembrance of me.” This statement draws our minds towards what takes place on Holy Thursday as we come to commemorate the Lord’s supper.

When a Jew celebrates the Passover meal it is understood that they are not simply recreating a moment of time from the past. Rather, they are entering into that very moment where time stands still. Therefore, they do this in remembrance of what took place. So too we do this in remembrance of what the Lord did when He gathered with His apostles on this solemn night. What we do at each Mass is to be taken to the point in time of His Passion where time continues to stand still.

Following this Mass there will be the opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This heralds back to those words spoken in the garden, “Could you not stay watch with me for one hour?” The Lord continues to invite us into relationship with Him. Let us take up this invitation and develop such a relationship where we allow Him to remain at the center of our life. With the Lord at life’s center we are called to be sent forth to share what we have received with others. Let us enkindle such a relationship with Him always remembering the important of what takes place here at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

5th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

On this 5th Sunday of Lent we also celebrate the life of a great British saint, Saint Patrick.

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain and was captured by Irish pirates at age 14 in order to be placed into slavery to herd and tend sheep. At age 20 he escaped and returned to Roman Britain. A few years after returning he received a vision from God which caused him to study to be a priest and to later return to Ireland in order to bring the Gospel with him. Through his fervent work Ireland was converted into a Christian nation.

From Saint John’s Gospel, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” Saint Patrick was willing to take the call that came to him from God and put it into action. His servitude to Christ was so great that he was willing to go back to that land that had placed him into slavery. Through God’s healing work within him he was able to convert many to the Gospel.

We too must undergo such a spirit of conversion, so that we can get to that point where we are able to embrace the Gospel to it’s fullest degree. So often we fail to look towards where we are headed in life. We allow many short term distractions to seep in and cause us to lose sight of our ultimate goal, Heaven. Every aspect of our life should be informed by this goal for if this is not true within us we cannot be a servant.

All around us there is so much potential if only we place our trust in God’s merciful hands. This means total nor partial abandonment to His will. Placed into slavery Saint Patrick probably did not see so much potential for Ireland and yet God brought forth great conversion through his work. Again this was only possible for Saint Patrick was willing to become a servant of the Lord and that servitude brought forth life to a land that was far from the Gospel. So too there is hope that all who are far away from the Gospel may be drawn towards it. We must start this process by choosing to be a servant of the Lord.

We are now just about at the end of the Lenten season. Next week will be Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. Lent is related to Easter because it prepares us for that celebration. So too we must realize that through our work of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we strive to be better servants of the Gospel. We take all that has been touched by sin and death and turn it over to God and His mercy, so that we may be set free from all that holds us in darkness.

Saint Patrick was set free from darkness by coming to believe in the Gospel, being liberated from slavery, and growing into a true servant of the Lord. May he intercede for each of us that such conversion may take place within the depths of our heart. What keeps us from being a servant of Christ? Let us move forward with God’s grace to put that to rest in order that we may truly come to rejoice with the Risen Lord.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.

4th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

Today we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Lent also known to us as Laetare Sunday. This word is Latin for “rejoice” and is taken from this Mass’ Introit which comes from Isaiah 66, “Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you that love her, rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.”

From this text we are instructed to rejoice. Nevertheless, it is also reflected that those who are and have been in sorrow will be given reason to rejoice. In the middle of this Lenten season we must be reminded of this reality. It can be easy for us to lose hope and give up when things seem to be too burdensome. Instead we must persevere each day keeping our sight firmly placed upon the Kingdom of Heaven, that pearl of great price spoken of in Sacred Scripture.

With all that surrounds us in this life it can be easy to question why we have reason to rejoice. In various parts of the world there are still places which are torn about by violence and bloodshed. In families there is the hardship of divorce. There are homes where peace and tranquility are not found in favor of violence. There are people who are barely getting by when it pertains to the paying on one’s bills. There are those whose health is fleeting before their eyes and the certainty of death ever seems to lurk. Those whose lives have been effected by addiction be it their own or those who are around them.

There is truly a lot that goes on within this world that we live. How are we to rejoice? During the Preface dialogue of each Mass we have an exchange of words that takes place between the celebrant and the people. “Lift up your hearts.” “We lift them up the Lord.” “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” “It is right and just.” Giving thanks in the midst of such hardship can be difficult and thus we are to direct our sight to that which is truly important. With our sight set upon the Lord we can give thanks and we can rejoice.

Rejoice my brothers and sisters in the Lord our God for the celebration of the events of our salvation will soon come. The answer is the cross for through it the world has been redeemed. The cross is such a wondrous instrument of our salvation for Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert and they lived and so the Son of Man will be lifted up and they will live. Soon we will arrive at Easter and the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection and here we will come to proclaim the great hope that “life has changed, but not ended.”

In the midst of all that we face in this veil of tears let our hearts remain with these mysteries of our salvation. Through these sacred mysteries we will and have been given life. From them we are able to rejoice and give thanks. We are thus able to move forward each day with the gift of God’s grace to live for the Lord our God. Let us choose to live for Him always and thus rejoice for those thrust into sorrow may finally exult.

3rd Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

The woman cried out to Him from the midst of a crowd, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck.” His response, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” Some use this verse to make a claim against the importance of Mary. Such a stance is absurd and misses the point of His response. 

After all Elizabeth called Mary blessed on two occasions in the Gospel of Saint Luke. “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” As she would respond in the Canticle of Mary, “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”

At point of the Annunciation Mary was greeted by the angel Gabriel and told, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Such a response from the angel heralds the importance of this woman that was chosen by God to be the mother of the second person of the Most Holy Trinity. To say such words concerning her is to acknowledge that she is most perfectly filled with the presence of God. There is no room in her for sin and thus we know that she was conceived without sin for she was the perfect vessel that found without blemish to bring forth her Son.

A better translation of the Greek word that is used in English as “rather” would be “indeed.”“Indeed, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” This response affirms what is uttered by the woman in the crowd when it pertains to His mother and invites us into a relationship with her in following such a path that leads one’s life towards conversion to Him. As seen in His words to His mother from the cross, “Woman, behold, your son” and to Saint John, “Behold, your mother.” This exchange invites us to “hear the word of God, and keep it.”

In the words of Saint John Paul II from Redemptoris Mater, “He wishes to divert attention from motherhood understood only as a fleshly bond, in order to direct it toward those mysterious bonds of the spirit which develop from hearing and keeping God’s word.”

Therefore, those who want to make a case against Mary based upon this verse could not be further from the truth. She most perfectly came to follow God and devotion to her draws souls into closer relationship with her Son. His response invites us into a deeper relationship with Him. We too should strive to live our life dedicated unto Him as Mary lived her life in dedication to the Lord.

The motto of Saint John Paul II was “totus tuus” “totally yours” sums this attitude up for us. He understood that becoming a son of the Blessed Virgin Mary would strengthen him as a disciple of Christ. During this Lenten season let us more fervently come to grow in our devotion to Mary and through her be led into deeper union with her Son. Take up the rosary, make a consecration, among other devotions. “Indeed, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.”