23rd Sunday After Pentecost Homily

We are quickly coming to the end of the liturgical year. Very soon we will find ourself in the midst of the Advent season and will be preparing for the coming of Christ. He comes to us at the Nativity, He comes to us in the Eucharist, and He will come again at the end of time. It is He alone who is able to bring peace into our life for it is He alone who can fill.

As disciples of the Lord we must choose to live for the Lord. We can only live for the Lord if we are willing to take up the cross and follow after Him. In so far as we are willing to reject the cross or to compromise the cross we become enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross always leads us towards an encounter with truth for the cross is life giving.

Enemies of the cross of Christ know not the true meaning of sacrifice. They instead push Christ out of their life by making room for the world to come and dwell with them. They get caught up in the pursuit of pleasures as an end in themselves and fail to treat their neighbor out of love. For them the world is more important the proclamation of truth that is found within the Church.

Advent serves as a means to reorient ourself to what is truly important. Through the passing of these sacred days we make room in the inn of our heart for Him to come and make His dwelling place among us. This reality can only be made so if we are willing to embrace the cross and accept Christ fully into our life.

The woman in our Gospel understood this when she reached out from the depths of faith to embrace the garment worn by our Blessed Lord. She was then told, “thy faith has made thee whole.” Through such an act of faith she was made clean as we are able to be purified by all that keeps us from Christ.

In order to reach out to the Lord in such faith we must have humility. Through such humility we hide not behind excuses or act as if such a commitment is not big deal. Through such humility we truthfully come to the Lord and leave everything that we have with Him. If we are unwilling to act in such a manner of faith we are found unwilling to allow Christ to dwell among us.

Through the sacrament of confession we reach out to the Lord in such humility and allow Him to purify us in His mercy. Each day we must desire for the Lord to dwell with us by staying close Him and choosing to live our faith without compromise. What is keeping us from allowing the Lord to dwell among us?

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

33rd Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Jesus speaks of unsettling events in our Gospel. There will be wars, earthquakes, and persecutions. Seemingly everything that we hold to be secure will seem to be collapsing around us. Statements such as these are especially true in these trying times when the media stirs such feelings within us through all that is going on within our world.

Nevertheless, the true message of this gospel is not one of fear, but faithfulness. The world that we know is currently passing away, but those who persevere in faith will endure forever. Whenever everything around us seems to be out of control we must cling to Christ who is the one foundation that cannot be destroyed. 

Whenever we think of our own death or the second coming of the Lord we should not be terrified, but allow such a thought to awaken us from our slumber. As disciples of the Lord we are not called to place our trust in the powers of this world (those are constantly passing away and can never fulfill), but in the promise of the world to come.

Today we have those among us who have participated in the Rite of Acceptance which is the beginning of their journey toward baptism and the Easter Vigil. Your “yes” given unto the Lord is a reminder to the whole Church that our faith is a pilgrimage. By being marked with the sign of the cross you turn toward Christ for He is the sure hope and final end.

All of us must come to secure our lives through perseverance for we find ourself on this same pilgrimage. Daily we must come to choose the Lord before other earthly allurements. The gospel must be chosen over comfort, truth must be chosen over compromise, and mercy must be chosen over resentment. We are all called to stand firm as a witness to Christ in all that we do.

As we draw to the end of this Church year (and as our catechumens begin their journey to Easter) let us lift up our hearts to Christ who is our hope. War will continue to give rise around us. Natural disaster will continue be a reality. Christians will continue to be persecuted for their faith. The effects of our fallen world will continue to be made apparent. Nevertheless, Christ is the hope who lifts us out of such a plight.

From here we must walk together, the baptized and the soon to be baptized, in perseverance. We are called not to grow wearily in our pursuit, but to be strengthened through the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Through such a pursuit we continue the pilgrimage of this life as we are renewed in Him who is our beginning and end for He is the Alpha and the Omega. Let us place our trust in Him.

Dedication of John Lateran Homily

Today we observe the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

If we were to reflect upon the many churches in Rome the first we would probably think of is Saint Peter’s Basilica. It is this church which is often associated with the holy father and is seen as the center of Catholicism. The Archbascilica of Saint John Lateran is the oldest of the major papal basilicas, the oldest of any church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica in the Western world.

This basilica is also important because it is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. This means that found within it’s walls is the cathedra romana (Roman chair) which is symbolic of the role of the holy father as the Bishop of Rome. This chair is symbolic of the pope’s authority and pastoral role as the shepherd of the Church in Rome and the successor of Saint Peter.

Every church is dedicated in a solemn liturgical ceremony performed by the bishop. During this ceremony the building is being set aside for sacred worship. This ritual will include the anointing of the altar with Sacred Chrism which is symbolic of Christ the “Anointed One.” Through this ritual the church is dedicated to Christian worship.

Throughout the course of a year we celebrate a few dedication of churches on our liturgical calendar. Those being the dedication of the local church (December 2nd for us), the dedication of the cathedral to which one belongs, the dedication of the Lateran Basilica that is celebrated today, and the optional celebration of the dedication of Saint Peter and Paul Basilicas.

Some wrongly see a church building as being unimportant. We must remember that the church building is a visible sign of an image of the Church as the “temple of God built from living stones.” This people being the baptized people of God. The dedication of such a building is a symbolic act that not only consecrates the building, but marks the whole church community’s commitment to being a living witness of Christ in the world.

From the prophet Ezekiel we are given the image of water flowing from under the temple which in return grows into a great river which brings forth life to barren lands. This is symbolic of God’s life giving presence which like this small stream will grow to transform everything that it touches. In return we have grace being poured out to us by God especially seen within the sacraments.

Through our celebration of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome may we continue to allow God to be found at work within our life. The Church is alive and well and by entering fully into it we are sent forth in order that we may live for the Lord. This might seem to be a difficult task, but nothing is too difficult if we commit ourself to Christ and allow Him to be found at work within us.

Let us remain consecrated to God by how we come to orient our life unto Him.

All Souls Day Homily

Today we observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed also known to us as All Souls Day.

All Souls Day reminds us of the importance of praying for those who have now gone before us. Our prayers are unable to redeem them if they have been judged as unworthy of Heaven. Therefore, Purgatory is not a second chance at salvation for we only get one chance at that. By passing through Purgatory one is cleansed of the consequences of their sin so that they can be pure and ready to enter into God’s presence. As the Book of Revelation states, “nothing unclean will enter it.”

The concept of praying for the dead is not something that was created by Catholics. It is found in scripture, it is present in the Church of the East, and is even something which is practiced in Judaism. The praying for the dead is only something which has been challenged by some Christians since the 16th century.

As is stated in 2 Maccabees, “If he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead…thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” In Judaism this is shown through the Mourner’s Kaddish which is prayed for 11 months from the day of death as well as on the anniversary of one’s death.

So often people get caught up on the concept of the dead and forget in the words of the Preface of the Dead “that life has changed, but not ended.” As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

This stresses the importance of the resurrection of the body which we proclaim as a truth of faith that lies in wait. The souls of those who have gone before us are assisted in their purification through our prayers. This hope is found in black vestments, such as the one that I wear today, for one is able to see the black of sin which is purified through the gold or silver in the vestment and thus the soul is being made ready for Heaven.

Let us continue to pray for these holy souls and to strive with the assistance of God’s grace to also one day be numbered among the saints of Heaven. May all the angels and saints pray them that they may be brought into Everlasting Life and may they pray for us that we may faithfully come to run this race towards Everlasting Life.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

All Saints Day Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. On this day we especially ask the intercession of all the saints of Heaven in order that they may pray for us in order that we may run the race to Everlasting Life. This is the race that they have already ran and been found victorious. They now share in the beatific vision and are able to pray for us in such a special way.

In the Church we have a multitude of saints who have been revealed to us by God as being in Heaven. There are also those saints whose names go unknown and yet they are now in Heaven with God. These may be members of our families or friends who have now gone before us into Everlasting Life.

The saints show us that Heaven must be our ultimate goal and they show us that Heaven is indeed achievable. So often we trudge through this life acting as if we are not called to something greater. We are called to holiness in our everyday life and we are called to be intentional concerning our salvation.

Once our life on this earth comes to its conclusion we should desire to be numbered among the saints for this means that we are now in Heaven with God. Do we live our life in such a manner? Do we see ourself as a saint or something else? There still time for us to live as saints and so let us commit ourself to God and His grace and the fulness of the sacramental life of the Church. In such manner we indeed will be victorious and numbered among the saints of Heaven.

All the saint in Heaven, pray for us.

30th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

We must always be willing to praise God with our lips. In today’s parable we are given great contrast between these two figures. The Pharisee proceeds to exalt his own deeds while the tax collector humbly prays with a contrite heart. We too must come to model ourself after the humility of this tax collector.

From the Book of Sirach we were told, “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites.” The Pharisee acts opposite to this because he is quick to point out that he “[fasts] twice a week” and “[pays] tithes on [his] whole income.” On the other hand, the tax collector cries out to God’s infinite mercy, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

We must remain on guard against falling into the pride of this Pharisee. We cannot think that due to all the religious things that we do that we are better than others. We must clothe ourself with the virtue of humility which allows us to always remain on guard against such thoughts that might form inside of our mind.

From the Book of Sirach we are told how important that the prayer of the humble is. “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.” Through such humility we are modeled after this tax collector whose simple prayer of humility pierced into the Heavens. Prayer can only take on such a manifestation if we are willing to place our trust not in ourself, but in God.

As we journey through the Sacred Mysteries of this Holy Mass such a reality should be made so within us. We do not just jump into the Mass, but we first turn towards the infinite mercy of God. There we are called upon to “acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to enter into these sacred mysteries.” We then call out to God with a contrite heart, “I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

These words are not just vain words which make a list of all the great works that we have performed. We understand that salvation is a gift which comes to us from God. No matter how many good works we have performed this does not make up for mortal sin which brings death to our soul and thus our salvation. It is for this reason that we humbly move to the sacrament of confession in order that we may be forgiven of the sins that we have committed in order that we may be healed in God’s mercy and forgiveness.

The Catholic Church teaches that “faith without works is dead,” but at the same time acknowledges the need for a contrite heart that calls out to the infinite mercy of God. These works serve as a response to our commitment to the gospel and Christ which must be given of us. Let us choose to be like this tax collector who in humility “beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

19th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our Introit addressed us, “In whatever tribulation they shall cry to Me, I will hear them and I will be their Lord for ever.”

Over the course of this last week there have been many who have cried out to the Lord and rightfully so.

Some of you have cried out in fear, others in sorrow, others in anger, and others who are just at a loss of words concerning that which might now lay before them.

Some of you have moved to Johnson City for this Mass, others have grown up in it, and others have came here later because they were drawn to its reverence.

Some of you may move over the announcement which was made last week and that is okay because we must be willing to go wherever the Lord calls.

Wherever it is that we go let us remain united to the Church and the unity that is expressed therein even if it might feel like such unity can never be a reality.

For those of you who remain in this parish community we will continue to express the fullness of Catholic teaching and this Mass will continue to be offered reverently in the Ordinary Form.

Our Gospel directed our sight towards a wedding feast. This is the same wedding feast to which we are invited for this is the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must strive with the help of God’s grace to run this race towards the Heavenly Kingdom.

This means that we must persevere to the very end without allowing our wedding garment to be stained by sin.

Thankfully we have the sacrament of confession to which we can flock to be cleansed from such a stain in order that we may once again be found to be whiter then snow.

In order that we can have the grace of final perseverance we must cry out to God and believe that He is our Lord forever.

When it pertains to the wounds caused by this transition let us continue to cry out to Him. So too when it pertains to every other struggle in this life we are the cry out to Him and place our trust in Him for He is our Lord for ever.

We are to set our hands to plow and not look back for in doing so we are taking our sight off of the Lord and this Heavenly Kingdom and placing it upon something else.

In faith let us cry out to the Lord for He is calling each of us to fidelity to Him and His Church.

18th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

From our Intriot we were instructed, “Give peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful: hear the prayers of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel.”

From this verse we were given the words peace, faithful, and servant. Let us remain united to the peace that Christ alone can bring to our heart, let us allow the virtue of faith to be strengthened in order that we may never fall away from Christ and His Church, and let us always remain a servant to Christ in all that we say and do.

With this I must inform you that the pastors of parishes with the Extraordinary Form in collaboration with our bishop will now begin to transition this Mass into the Ordinary Form. This transition is made due to Pope Francis’ document, Traditionis Custodes, requesting that this form of the Mass no longer be offered in parish churches.

I understand that this news may be difficult to to hear. I sympathize with your fear and feelings of loss. Nevertheless, please be assured that this Mass at 2pm will continue for the most part as it has been.

This Mass will continue to be celebrated ad orientem, Gregorian chant including the chanting of the propers will continue, communion will continue to be offered at our make shift communion rail, and this Mass will continue to be offered in Latin. Despite transiting to the Missale Romanum 3rd edition the tradition of the Church will continue to be upheld and protected at this Mass.

As you exit the Church there will be a letter from me outlining this process of transition. Next weekend I have scheduled a meeting following Mass for anyone who would like to join me in discussing this transition that will be made over the course of the next three months.

No matter the feeling that we currently hold in our heart it is important that we remain united to the unity of the Church. We must remember and believe that the same Christ that is made present to us under the appearances of bread and wine will continue to be made manifest to us in the Eucharist. It is He who must be the rock upon which we place our faith. This transition is not reason to abandon the Church to pursue our own personal preferences. We must hold firm to the unity of faith for “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Let us invite the peace that Christ alone can bring to enter into our midst. Let us always remain faithful to the truth of faith and not be led astray. Let us always remain servants who are willing to follow wherever the Lord may lead, no matter how difficult it may be for us to follow.

Together let us move forward upon this transition in faith and trust in the Lord.

External Solemnity of the Rosary Homily

Today we celebrate the External Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary. This celebration is great way to start this month of October because it reminds us that this month is dedicated to the rosary. Pope Leo has asked that the faithful throughout the world will join with him throughout this month to pray the rosary for peace.

This request is important to take seriously because our prayers are very important. This feast ended up being instituted by Pope Pius V to commemorate the victory that was won at the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V had encouraged Christians throughout the world to pray the rosary for victory.

Our world truly needs such victory to be won. We are gravely in need of the peace that our Lord alone can bring. The news constantly reminds us of such turmoil that takes places locally, in our country, and in this world. There is constantly war, senseless violence such as attacks on schools or churches, and there has been the assassination of Charlie Kirk as well as the death of others.

Not only do we need peace in such areas as these, but our world also seems to move further and further away from the divine truths of faith. Children have wondered away from the faith, there increase in broken homes and a lack of a domestic church, sexuality is flaunted not accordance with divine law, and the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death is not respected.

Within the Church we have an attack on the unity of faith. There are some who have allowed their own opinions to rip them away from such unity and therefore we have so many denominations which reflect a splintered Christianity. Even in the Church there are some who allow personal opinions and preferences to become more important then the unity of faith.

Again the answer to this never ending litany of issues which our world faces is Christ the Prince of Peace. As our Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima and addressed herself as “The Lady of the Rosary.” She asked that the rosary be prayed in order “to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”

Some might claim that the rosary is a devotion that focuses to much on Mary. This claim is not founded in truth. The hinge to which all things point in the “Hail Mary” is Jesus. He is the fruit of the womb and through the rosary we are able to mediate on the mysteries of His life, death, and resurrection.

Through the rosary we place our faith in the Lord as we allow our heart to be drawn closer to Him through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us take up this powerful weapon in faith and pray that our life, our family, our world may come to obtain peace. We can only obtain peace if we place our trust in Jesus.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

27th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

This Sunday has been designated as our stewardship Sunday. On this Sunday we reflect upon the importance of stewardship in the life of the faithful. Stewardship transcends the mere giving of money because through it one fully comes to recognize their mission as a Christian disciple. Through stewardship one freely gives of the many gifts that have been entrusted to our care by God.

Our response to our Responsorial Psalm proclaimed, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Such a statement points inward upon self and reminds that we are to hear the voice of God that is being made manifest to us. We can only hear such a voice if we are first found willing to pursue relationship with God.

Through such a relationship we learn to pray. Prayer not only liturgical in nature or devotional (as important as these may be), but so to through the use of silence. Here we discover that silent voice that calls out to us and through the nurturing of such a voice we come to be transformed in the Lord’s presence.

Through such transformation we are able to grow in our participation in God’s love. In such manner our hearts come to be liberated through this relationship and from all that holds us captive. Stewardship then becomes a participation is such love for through it we are giving a response as a disciple of the Lord to God’s unconditional love that is being made manifest for us.

At the conclusion of our Gospel it was proclaimed that “we are unprofitable servants; we have done what what we were obliged to do.” From Psalm 116 we ask, “How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? The answer to this question as well as how we are to be an unprofitable servant is found through our commitment to stewardship.

CS Lewis once stated, “A person whose hands are full of parcels cannot receive a gift.” Stewardship allows us to enter into such a conversion where we can grow in our love and our desire to give freely of self through the use of our time, talent, and treasure. Stewardship is a part of our response to discipleship.

In our parish we are already blessed with so many good stewards who freely give of their time, talent, and treasure. Through our vast list of ministries are found so many who humbly give of themselves out of love. Stewardship is an invitation for us to continue to commit ourself in such a way for through such action we are found to be unprofitable servants.

Sometime this week all register families will receive a mailing asking them to make a commitment of their stewardship to our parish community. Please pray prior to filling out this form and return it next weekend during the offertory. It is my hope that all households will come together to fill out this form and make a commitment to give of their time, talent, and treasure based upon their state in life for the Lord calls to be unprofitable servant of all that has been entrusted to our care.