12th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The lawyer posed a question in order to test Jesus. Jesus turns this around by responding to him with a question of His own. To this the lawyer responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.”

It is one thing to say these words and it is another thing entirely to put these words into action. Knowing this the Lord responded to this man, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

The parable of the Good Samaritan unfolds from here and further expounds upon what was told to this lawyer. At the heart of the message we should not spend our time attempting to figure out who our neighbor is, but instead take care of all those whom we come across. One does not have to be of the same demographic in order to be shown such care.

Often times this Good Samaritan is seen as being Christ. He encounters this man who was left for dead and through His mercy restores Him to proper health, even entrusting him to the care of the inn which is the Church. It is from this same font of mercy that we are given health and set upon the straight path which leads towards the Kingdom of Heaven.

Like this lawyer we need to encounter the Lord and be sent forth by Him in a spirit of such charity. It can be easy to rationalize our lack of care for the needs of others. This was precisely what the Lord was making this lawyer to understand.

The Gospel challenges us to something more then using the proper set of words. Rather, it sends us forth to glorify the Lord by our life. Whenever we fail to love our neighbor we cannot claim to have love for God. Love God can only be made manifest if we are also willing to love our neighbor as self.

In our prayer we should reflect upon the ways in which we have failed to show such charity to others. This might entail thoughts that we hold in our mind concerning them, this might be the words which we speak against them, or even the actions that we put into motion which goes against their human dignity.

As Christians this gospel challenges us in a great way. If we are to grow in the practice of such charity towards our neighbor we must enter into the infinite love of God. By entering into this reality we are sent forth to share what we have received. Let us be willing to let go of ourself in order to grow in that love that expressed to us by Christ from the wood of the cross.

22nd Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Saint Augustine stated, “The way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility, third through humility.”

Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Summa perfectly defines this virtue, “Humility means seeing ourselves as God sees us: knowing every good we have comes from Him as pure gift.”

Humility’s opposite, pride, is seen as the root of all evil. Therefore, humility serves as the foundation from which all other virtues are able to take root. Without humility what would seem to be virtuous would only point back to our self importance.

From Saint John Chrysostom, “Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue.”

Humility is no easy task. A simple reflection of the prayer known as the Litany of Humility would give rise to such feelings. Deliver me, Jesus from the desire of being esteemed, the desire of being loved, the desire of being extolled, the desire of being honored, the desire of being praised, the desire of being preferred to others, the desire of being consulted, the desire of being approved, the fear of being humiliated, the fear of being despised, the fear of suffering rebukes, the fear of being calumniated, the fear of being forgotten, the fear of being ridiculed, the fear of being wronged, and the fear of being suspected.

Dispositions such as these should make us see the difficultly of being humble. It is easy to want ourself to be exalted for all the wondrous things that we have done. We must live in proper balance where we don’t think too highly or too lowly of self. Through humility we realize who we are and that we are dependent on God’s grace and the love that Christ shares to us from the wood of the cross.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola makes reference to three modes of humility: humility for the sake of salvation, humility of a detached life, and humility for the Love of the poor Christ. To achieve this we must first acknowledge our need for humility by acknowledging our faults and sins. Then we can grow in our desire to follow the will of God instead of being caught up in our own desires, and then finally we are able to live as one who goes about things simply out of pure love for Jesus.

Let us desire to grow in such humility for without humility we would be unable to strive to be saints. Through such humility we will find our rest not in the ways of this world, but in Christ who invites us to abandon all things in order to come and follow after Him.

11th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

In the Rite of Baptism we are told at the Ephpeta, “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak, grant that you may soon be able to receive His word and profess the faith to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

Baptism thus takes an individual who has inherited the stain of original sin and washes it away. Through our baptism we can proclaim with the Psalmist, “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Through our baptism we have been given sanctifying grace. It is important that we do not allow such a gift to lie dormant. Instead as those who have been baptized we must be sent forth in order to live a life of faith.

The Ephpeta makes two comments, “to receive His word” and to “profess the faith to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

The reception of something requires humility on our behalf. We must realize that we are in need of the gift of God’s grace that is being bestowed upon us. We cannot receive if we remain closed to such a reality for we will be unable to hear the voice of God which is being made manifest in our life.

To profess something requires that we be sent forth to share what we have received. As is said in Saint Matthew’s Gospel, “Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all the house.” Through profession of faith are making Christ a priority of our life that we radiate wherever we may go.

Profession of faith does not require that we write books on the topic, give lectures, or preach in the public square. Profession of faith does mean that we allow our whole life to rotate around Christ. That when we are with others we live as one who has been claimed for Christ. Are our words and actions lived in accordance with the gospel?

Baptism has been and will continue to be an important element of our life. Nevertheless, we must continue to nurture this gift given to us each day. Continue to enter into relationship with God through prayer and the sacramental life of the Church. Continue to invite God’s grace to enter into your life in order that you may remain an obedient disciple of the Lord.

From Saint Ignatius of Antioch, “Let none of you turn deserter. Let your baptism be your armor; your faith, your helmet; your love, your spear; your patient endurance, your panoply.” In such manner we will “receive His word and profess the faith to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

21st Sunday of OT Year C Homily

This evening we gather together as one around the altar of sacrifice. Here we come in order to adore the Lord our God and to give thanks for all that God has given to us. We will come to commune with Him in the most intimate of ways through our participation in the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist we receive Christ who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

From our Responsorial Psalm we were instructed to “go out to all the world and tell the Good News.” This evangelistic mentality is necessary for through the Great Commission we were told to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” As a parish family we must heed this call and continue to draw others towards Christ and His Church despite our limitations.

Figures such as Moses and Jonah were filled with such fear of unworthiness when they received their call. The apostles had their own faults and yet they were still called by name to come and follow after Him. Likewise, we have been given all that we need to be such an missionary through our relationship to Christ and the sacramental life of the Church.

If we are to lead others towards Christ we must come to embrace a life which is lived in unison with Him. For this reason we strive with the help of Christ’s mercy and God’s grace to enter through that narrow gate. As a parish family let us be sent forth from this place to “go out to all the world and tell the Good News.”

10th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our gospel calls us to live out a life of humility. The opposite of humility is pride which has been seen as the root of all sin.

Saint Thomas More stated of it, “But no matter how high in the clouds this arrow of pride may fly, and no matter how exuberant one may feel while being carried up so high, let us remember that the lightest of these arrows still has a heavy iron head. High as it may fly, therefore, it inevitably has to come down and hit the ground. And sometimes it lands in a not very clean place.”

If we go to the beginning we will encounter Eve who despite being free of the stain of original sin partook of the fruit of the tree. She was lead to believe by the serpent that through such an act she would achieve high results. On the other hand, we have Mary who serves as a saint of true humility (she is after all the New Eve) who stated in the Magnificat, “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.”

Through humility we become the lowly who have been cast down from their thrones. Humility makes us understand that we are simply a servant of God. Despite the shortcoming that are present in our life we must be willing to humbly go before God and be found receptive of His mercy and grace. As Saint Therese of Lisieux had said, “I want to be a saint, but I feel so helpless.”

If we to the saints who have gone before us into eternal life we can see that they were not perfect. They needed the mercy of God and the gift of His grace if they were to preserve until the end. The understood that they could not think too highly of themselves because they were in need of only what God could give.

Through our pride we fail to understand this lesson. Through pride we begin to exalt ourself to high places. In such manner we fail to trust in the mercy of God and we fail to be grounded in the gift of God’s grace. We instead set out as if we are capable of saving ourself for we have been led believe that we don’t need God.

As those who have passed through the waters of baptism we have been oriented towards a much greater path. We are called to be saints and this is only possible if we are willing to be found humble of heart. As Saint Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

We can only accomplish such a task if we are found willing to come to know God and desire to serve Him. This understanding can only come about if we are willing to be humble of heart. In all humility participate in the sacrament of confession and be sent forth fortified by His mercy and grace. In such manner we, despite our faults, can persevere unto the end to be numbered among the saints of Heaven.

20th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Each Sunday and holy day of obligation our ushers diligently take a count pertaining to attendance. The total for this 8am Mass has been roughly 260 with an average Sunday Mass attendance for the weekend of 1,585. This number takes into account all who physically pass through the doors of this church, but it is still way understated.

It is understated because there is one Mass which has been offered and time continues to stand still there. Therefore, all those who have, are, or will be attending Mass coincide at Calvary where time stands still. It is for this reason that Venerable Fulton Sheen had refereed to the Mass as the greatest love story ever told.

So too with every Mass is there “a great cloud of witnesses” around us. We are unable to see them with our human eyes, but the angels and saints are in our midst at the altar of sacrifice. When we proclaim the Gloria or the Sanctus we stand with this great cloud of witnesses as we say “Glory to God in the highest” and “Holy, holy, holy.”

One of the symbols of the church is the use of incense. Incense as mentioned in the Book of Psalms as taking our prayers to Heaven and as mentioned in the Book of Revelation around the altar of sacrifice as held by the angel. Truly the prayers that take place at this liturgy are lifted to Heaven by such a cloud of witnesses who give proper adoration to God.

This cloud of witnesses continue to be important for us because they are not just dead people. Rather, they are those who have been called home to Heaven to be numbered as the saints. They are those who lived for the Lord and came to persevere until the end. They pray for us in order that we may be good and faithful servants of the Lord.

So too we must strive to be saints like them. Temptation and sin remain a reality of our human existence, but we do not have to allow these to triumph over us. In the midst of such toils we must not grow weary and lose heart. Rather, we must entrust ourself to the gift of God’s grace and strive to be held in relationship with Him.

As those who have been baptized we have been incorporated into such a reality through the Church. The fruits of our baptism should always be allowed to remain active in our practice of faith. In such manner we allow the fulness of the Holy Spirit to propel us outward in order that the fire of faith may come to spread throughout the world.

May all the angels and saints of Heaven come to intercede for us this day to we may come to run this race to its conclusion. All the angels and saints of Heaven, pray for us.

Assumption Homily

Today we observe the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.

This celebration causes us to look upward to where Mary has now gone before, Heaven. As was written by Pope Pius XII, “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

In the Old Testament we are given the figures of Enoch and Elijah. Of Enoch we are told in the Book of Genesis, that he “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” From 2nd Kings that of Elijah who was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. We profess that similar has taken place concerning Mary and her assumption.

Through the use of Sacred Tradition the Church has held this position on Mary’s Assumption throughout time. Mary’s Assumption into Heaven transcends the infallible teaching of the Assumption by Pope Pius XII in 1950. There are many early manuscripts that speak of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven as this was already something that was held to be true in the early Church.

The Church shows reverence to the remains of the saints throughout it’s history. The tomb of Mary has always been held as empty and there has never been a claim to any bodily relic of her. Neither Ephesus or Jerusalem claims to posses the bones of Mary. The same cannot be said of the tombs of others saints for there is claim to their bodies and relics which have been distributed throughout the Church.

This celebration of Mary’s Assumption is far different then the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. The word “ascension” places its emphasis on the one who is being taken to Heaven while the word “assumption” places its emphasis on God who is the principal mover who brought her up to Heaven. The Blessed Virgin Mary is incapable of be taken up to Heaven by her own power unlike Jesus in His Ascension.

By being taken up to Heaven we see the fruits of the Immaculate Conception being made manifest. God worked in her life in order that she would be free of the stain of sin in order that God may come to make His dwelling place among us. Mary would continue to cooperate with God’s plan for salvation throughout her life.

As Christians we profess that we “look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” Mary’s Assumption foreshadows that which God already has in store for us. Let us choose to be faithful disciples of the Lord who order our life on this earth towards Him. In such manner we will go where she has now gone before, Heaven.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

9th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

In the Our Father we pray, “lead us not into temptation.” This petition should not be confused to make us think that God tempts His people. Rather, this is a petition for protection against the evil one and falling into sin. This petition places its emphasis on God’s grace which assists us in resisting temptation and being delivered from all evil.

We should not see temptation as sin. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs, “Temptation is not sin itself; it becomes sin when we consent to it, that is, when we choose to do what we know is wrong.”

Instead of solely seeing temptation as means to vice we should see it as an invitation to pursue virtue. Whenever we resist temptation and strive live in line with God’s commandments we are actively strengthening our will and in return are building up the habit of virtue.

As was stated by Saint Philip Neri, “Do not give over temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.”

We must remember that prior to entering into His public ministry that the Lord was tempted by the devil in the desert. Despite being tempted the Lord did not fall into sin and unlike Adam was able to rebuke this voice that came His way. So too in the midst of our own temptations we must look towards the Lord in order to find our strength.

From 1st Corinthians we were told, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”

With this verse firmly on our mind let us come to understand and believe that we have indeed been given all that we need in order to endure. We cannot allow despair to give rise in us because God’s grace is indeed sufficient in order to find a way to be triumphant. We will be triumphant in so far as we are willing to remain receptive of such a gift.

In taking up one’s cross we should go not alone, but with the Lord who assists us in such a task. Through the sacrament of confession we receive mercy and the forgiveness of sins. So too we receive that grace that is needed to move forward in this life without looking back to our life of old.

Continue to preserve in the midst of all temptation for temptation is an invitation for us to live a life of virtue.

19th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

Death is an uncomfortable topic.

No matter how hard we try to avoid it, it will eventually catch up with all of us like thief in the night. Death has probably already touched us in some way. Maybe a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, or a child.

Death is indeed a great loss and yet through it we are called to be people of faith. Through faith in the risen Lord we are able to exclaim that life has changed, but not ended. 

From our Epistle we were told, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” None of us have yet to see Heaven and yet it is the hope to we must now strive. None of us have seen with our own eyes the risen Lord, but we must have faith in His healing word.

At the heart of such a exclamation made by Saint Paul is hope to all of us that something great lies in wait despite all the hardships that we might called to endure in this life. Faith is the answer even if we do not see the instant result that we desire to see.

Our gospel called us to be vigilant for through such vigilance we will be found prepared for death. The thought of death may be uncomfortable and scary, but we don’t have to live in fear because through our faith in Christ we have something far greater for we have found the pearl of great price.

Let faith in the risen Lord continue to move us forward towards this Heavenly homeland. Through faith we must put into action what we believe and profess. Death is truly imminent, but it is a message of hope from within us to live each and every moment in grace, virtue, and love. Turn towards the Lord in prayer and place your trust in Him. This is the hope that we now hold for those who have now gone before us as this should be the hope for which we now long.

In faith let us turn towards the Lord in order to pray for the deceased that they may be called home to God and all the angels and saints may come to escort them into Paradise this day. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

8th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Today we were presented with the parable of the unjust steward. This steward came to the understanding that he would soon be released from his position. With the end in sight he acted in order to provide for his future. He did this by striking deals with his master’s debtors in order that they would come to remember his generosity towards them.

With this he is also remembered for his shrewdness. Shrewdness is foresight and so a shrewd person grasps a critical situation with resolution and foresight. Through the understanding that his time as steward was quickly coming to an end he was able to act with such shrewdness. Through such shrewdness he came to be praised by his master.

We too ought to have such foresight when it comes to our salvation. No matter how healthy or not that we may be at this moment there will come a point in time when we will be called home to God. Will we be prepared for such an encounter or will we instead allow ourself to squander the time that has been set before us?

The Pharisees are constantly being called out because they lack love for God in their heart. Do we have such love for God in our heart or do we instead allow the possessions and pleasures of this life to control us? What is our treasure? We cannot live for both God and mammon for if we did we would put something over our relationship with God.

Let us come to realize that we are called to orient everything unto God. Our possessions and the pleasures of this life should not grow disordered in nature for in doing so we have allowed something other then God to become a priority. If this is all that we are then we do not have the shrewdness to look towards that life which is to come because we are too caught up living for this world.

With the shrewdness of this steward we should look towards the Kingdom of Heaven. We should see that it is the pearl of great price which we are called to obtain. We can only obtain such if we don’t continue to push off such preparation to an hour which may never come. Death will indeed catch up with us, but if we live for God it will have no sting.

If we are to look towards such a reality let us make the sacrament of confession a priority. Let us begin to find ways to make time for God in prayer. Let us allow God to become the priority of our life to which no temporal good can equal. Through acts of charity let us build up the Kingdom of God here on earth for this is a kingdom which will never pass away.

Truly let us be so shrewd when it comes to our salvation. Not squandering this time, but allowing ourself to live entirely for God now. To live for Him is to place our trust in the joys of eternal life.

7th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Following Holy Communion the Missionaries of Charity recite the following prayer which was written by Saint John Henry Newman, “Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go. Flood my soul with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.”

Jean-Baptiste Chautard stated, “God, in His goodness, reveals Himself, in a certain manner, through His saints, and even through fervent souls. In this way, the supernatural filters through and becomes visible to the faithful, who are thus able to apprehend something of the mystery of God.”

From our gospel we were told, “By their fruits you shall know them.” This is true when it pertains to all of the saints. Their life was lived not to give exultation to themselves, but to God. Their actions, even those unseen by the human eye, where oriented towards the Lord. Their relationship with Him transcended the right words and actions when others were looking and became an authentic relationship from which they rested their whole life.

This proclamation should not only be true for those who have gone before us into life eternal. It should also hold true for each of us. All of us are called upon to be saints. This calling is not something which is impossible, if only we are found willing to participate with God’s grace, and make this reality so.

As Jean-Baptiste Chautard stated, “The best way to get men to listen to you is to hold out to them the secret of carrying the Cross, which is the lot of every mortal, with joy. This secret lies in the Eucharist and in the hope of heaven.”

Therefore, if we are to allow our fruit to be authentic we must stay close to the Lord and remain humble of heart. In such a manner we will allow our life to not be about ourself, but about radiating that presence of God to all that we encounter. Through such a disposition of the interior life we can radiate the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.

From such a disposition we allow ourself to produce good fruit for the fruit that we produce is representative of Christ who is the foundation of our life. Let us be willing to be sent forth to radiate His presence with true joy.

As Saint Faustina had prayed, “Let You divinity radiate through me, O You who dwell in my soul.”