2nd Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

On this 2nd Sunday After Easter we are reminded that Christ is the Good Shepherd.

In scripture it was the good shepherd who left the ninety-nine in order to go in search for the lost sheep. Upon finding the lost sheep he returned it to the flock with it placed upon his shoulders. This image is represented in the pectoral cross which was worn by Pope Francis during his papacy.

We receive here a reminder of the need for the Church to go in search for those who are lost in order that they may be returned to the graces which are present within the Church. This Good Shepherd Sunday reminds us of the compassion that the Lord has for each of us; that we too may remain in the confines of the sheepfold or return to it if we have wondered away.

As Psalm 23 states of the Lord who is our shepherd, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Here we are reminded of that relationship that must exist with the Lord. Whenever we place our trust in Him we are given the assistance needed to endure in the midst of our sufferings, difficulties, temptations, and crises.

In the Gospel of Saint John we are told that we must hear, know, and follow the Lord. These three verbs negate a need to enter into relationship with the Good Shepherd. With so much that overwhelms on us in this life it becomes so easy to push this relationship off to the side and fill this void with something which can never fulfill.

If we are to hear, to known, and to follow after the Lord we must make this relationship a priority. In order to hear, we must stop despite the busyness of our life and dare to enter into the silence of prayer. In order to know, we must open our heart and mind to the deposit of faith. In order to follow, we must realize that we are being sent forth from the Lord’s midst in order to live the faith that has been handed onto us.

As the Lord states in the Gospel of Saint John, “They shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” The keyword here is “one.” As we profess in the Nicene Creed, “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” When the path gets difficult such as the need for an annulment, embracing conversion when it is difficult, or any other cross that comes our way we cannot go down the easy path because this leads us away from this unity and away from the Lord whom we should hear, know, and follow.

This Good Shepherd always goes in search for us, but as He told the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.” Let us come to know this Shepherd and remain united Him at all times for He is the Good Shepherd who provides for us in the midst of all of our needs.

3rd Sunday of Easter Year C Homily

The apostles had a difficult time catching fish until the Lord came in order to help them. Prior to His Resurrection we are told of a similar account when they were called to follow after Him. It was only after they were willing to listen to Him that they caught an abundant catch of fish.

Likewise, the Lord must be the refuge of our life. We so often attempt to find our refuge in a multitude of other areas. In doing so we are so quick to move the Lord far away from our midst as we place our trust in something else.

This evening the children of our parish have the opportunity to receive the Lord for the first time in Holy Communion. Hopefully this first communion will simply be the first of many times that you come to receive Him in the Eucharist.

No matter how many times we have come to receive Him we cannot act as if what we receive is just mundane food. The Eucharist is special not because we receive bread and wine, but through the reality that what we receive is truly Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

As was stated at the Second Vatican Council, “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.” This is to say that we should live our life oriented towards Christ and His presence in the Eucharist.

Whenever we lose sight of the Eucharist we allow ourself to lose sight of the Lord. If we lose sight of Him we are like the apostles unable to catch any fish because our faith is found to be lacking. With our sight placed upon Christ we are able to catch abundantly because of Him.

For this reason we must frequent the sacrament of confession because it heals our relationship with the Lord broken down by sin. For this reason we must assist at Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation because here we make time to be with the Lord. For this reason make time for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament because here we place our attention upon Christ. Parents must lead the way in living such an example and integrating it into the life of the family.

My dearest children we rejoice with you this day because of Christ and your willingness to receive Him. Continue to keep your sight upon Him and be willing to go wherever it is that He leads. The unknown can seem to be scary, but it is not scary if we place our trust in the Lord.

Through our “Amen” given at the reception of Holy Communion we come to place our trust in Him and His mercy which endures forever. May the Risen Lord continue to come to us in order that we may be sent forth to proclaim Him in thought, word, and deed.

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

At the Easter Vigil the Pascal Candle is prepared for its use for the next year. In the ritual the priest traces the cross by stopping five times in representation of the five wounds of Christ to say, “By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard us and protect us. Amen.”

These wounds assist the disciples in coming to see and believe that His Resurrection has taken place. The disciples came to rejoice at the sight of these wounds and Saint Thomas came to believe as he placed his finger into these same wounds.

Through the resurrection of the body that we profess we will be given a glorified body. Christ did not have to continue to bare these wounds in His Resurrection, but He chose to. These wounds serve as a reminder of His victory over sin and death and these wounds serve as a reminder of His love and sacrifice for humanity.

In the words of Pope Francis, “His wounds were inflicted for our sake, and by those wounds we have been healed. By kissing those wounds, we come to realize that there, in life’s most painful wounds, God awaits us with his infinite mercy. Because there, where we are most vulnerable, where we feel the most shame, he came to meet us.”

We can see how vulnerable the disciples where when the Lord came to them stating, “Peace be with you.” He also came to Saint Thomas in His own vulnerability with this same greeting and through these wounds He was brought peace.

Likewise, we must come to venerate these same wounds of the Lord in order that peace may be brought unto us. No matter where we find ourself to be these wounds serve as the answer and the hope in the midst of our sorrow and trial. We cannot just sit idly by doing nothing, but come to venerate and believe in these wounds which bring us peace.

From Saint Faustina’s diary we are told, “When it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds.” On this Divine Mercy Sunday we are reminded of the mercy of God that springs forth for us from these wounds and how through them we are able to enter in and discover the peace which Christ can only bring.

Let entrust ourself to these glorious wounds, For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Memorial Mass for Pope Francis Homily

Pope Francis once stated, “The whole journey of life is a journey of preparation…to see, to feel, to understand the beauty of what lies ahead, of that homeland towards which we walk.” We gather this morning to commend him unto the infinite mercy of God in order that all the angels and saints may come to escort him into this heavenly homeland this day.

All of us find ourself on this same journey where the Kingdom of Heaven is our ultimate goal. We must choose not to squander this time set before us (no matter how long or short that it may be), but to take advantage of it with the confidence of faith.

Pope Francis served the church as pope for 12 years. Prior to this he served the church as a cardinal, a bishop, a priest, a deacon, and as one who was baptized. Despite the temptations of this life and the weight of the cross he was sent forth in service to Christ and the Church including those who are most in need.

We must take this same initiative upon ourself to place our trust in the Lord and to go wherever He calls. Baptism is not simply an action of the past, but one that continues to move us forward each day towards the Heavenly homeland.

It is for this homeland that we must now strive and for which we now hope for Pope Francis. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Easter Sunday Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

The Passion according to Saint Matthew concludes, “And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went his way.” These words imply the sadness that took place on the day of His burial. The Resurrection had yet to take place and thus they did not yet fully comprehend all that had taken place.

In Saint John’s Gospel we hear of the hope that springs forth for “Mary Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.” Here hope slowly begins to build as the wonders of the Lord’s Resurrection begin to spread to His disciples and eventually throughout the whole world.

This stone becomes a barrier in the way of our life. We so often allow such barriers to enter into our own life and to hold us captive. It is easy to remain trapped in a life of sin or to lose hope of that which lies in wait for us. With this stone moved to the side we are able to discover the hope of life eternal and that we can indeed be liberated from the plight of sin and death.

With this stone rolled away they could see that He was no longer in the tomb. As the other disciple went in “saw and believed”, so too must we work at having such faith in the Risen Lord. No matter what we go through in this life the Risen Lord is the answer that we are in need of receiving.

We can only receive this hope if we remain firm in our faith allowing this stone to be rolled away from our midst. Today we will make a renewal of our baptismal promises. Our “I do” to these questions of faith imply our desire to roll this stone away from our life and to live for the Lord without compromise.

It was through our baptism that we rose up with the Lord to live for Him in all things. When we fail to make time for Him especially with the assistance of Holy Mass we are stating that there is something more important than Him. Our life must be changed because it has been changed through our baptism.

Let us continue to proclaim our Risen Savior with the firmness of faith. The stone has been rolled away from the tomb which means that our life has forever been changed. Let us not squander this gift, but embrace it by choosing to become a true disciple of the Lord who has been fortified by the Gospel of Christ and thus the faith that we profess with our lips.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Easter Vigil Homily

On this most holy of nights Christ our Light triumphs to dispel the darkness of sin and death from our midst. From the confines of the empty tomb penetrates a great hope throughout the whole world that Christ has risen and with His Resurrection we have been redeemed from the plight of sin.

Concerning this light we are told by St. John, “that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

On this night there are those who will soon enter into the life giving waters of baptism who will allow this light to enter into their life. There are also those of us who have already been baptized who will soon renew those promises begun at our baptism. To live out that which was begun at our baptism is to live for this light instead of putting our trust in the darkness of sin.

Throughout our readings we were instructed on the course of salvation history which finds its culmination with the coming of Christ, His cross, and His Resurrection. Let us not wonder away into the ways of old, but continue to move forward day by day proclaiming Christ our light by the way in which we come to live and order our life on this earth.

5th Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

Next Sunday we will arrive at Holy Week through our observation of Palm Sunday. Throughout this week we journey with our Lord through His Passion leading towards the joys of His Resurrection at Easter. These most sacred of days assist us in growing in our love for what the Lord has done for us and our desire to live our life oriented towards Him.

In the final words of today’s gospel we were told, “They took up stones therefore to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.” These words proclaim that it was not yet the time for His Passion, but very soon this event would come to its fulfillment. At His arrival in the holy city of Jerusalem the crowd will receive Him with joy, but so quickly demand that He be crucified.

When we look around the church we will see that the cross and other holy images have been veiled. Through there veiling they have been taken away from our sight. Hopefully there is currently a longing to be reunited with that which has been taken away from us. Through His cross and resurrection we come to be set free in order that we may see clearly again.

As the prophet Isaiah states, “as one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Through our decision to enter into a life of sin we choose to reject Him by failing to hold Him to the respect that He is owed.

We like the crowd at Palm Sunday exclaim “Hosanna”, but we are so quickly willing to shout out all the louder, “crucify Him.” Whenever we choose to enter into a life of sin we add to the suffering of Christ. Our faith is something more then saying all the right words when people are looking on because it is also living a life committed to Him when no-one is around.

As this is summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “When we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him. Nor did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still, when you delight in your vices and sins.”

Hopefully, we will allow these coming days of Holy Week to transform our relationship with Christ. Being a Christian is something most serious as can be seen by these days which will soon unfold before our sight. Let us enter fully into these most sacred of days in order that we come to love Christ and reject the allure of evil.

As Saint Alphonsus Liguori concludes each of his Stations of the Cross, “I love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; I am sorry that I have offended You. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will."

4th Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

We have now arrived at the 4th Sunday of Lent which is often refereed to as Laetare Sunday. This name is taken from the first word of our Introit, rejoice. “Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her, all you that love this city! Rejoice with her now, all you that have mourned her! You will enjoy her prosperity, like a child at its mother’s breast.”

With this celebration we should note that are we are now roughly halfway through the Lenten season. As we move into this next half of time it is easy to grow weary and to not remain alert. So too with the pilgrimage of life that we undergo it is so easy to grow weary and not keep our sight upon the Kingdom of Heaven.

Laetare Sunday is a day of great hope and joy. It is the realization that we are just about there and so we must continue to hold steadfast as we keep our sight upon the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Very soon we will come to celebrate with joy our risen Lord and very soon we will be called home to Him through death with Heaven as our hope.

As Psalm 91 reminds in reference to this length of time set before us, “You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that roams in the darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.” This is what is often refereed to as the noonday devil also known as acedia which is a lack of care, apathy, boredom, or discouragement in spiritual matters.

To combat such acedia we need to make time for prayer and scripture, we must engage the work that is set before us, we must persevere throughout the course of the day striving to overcome temptation, and we must make use of the sacramental life of the Church especially the sacrament of confession.

We cannot give into this noonday devil and thus we must remember where we have been, the waters of baptism, and where we are headed, an encounter with our Risen Lord and the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a tradition on this 4th Sunday of Lent to make a pilgrimage to your church of baptism thus remembering where you have been. This is an interesting tradition which unites one to there baptism and what is still set before them in this life of faith.

Today we also hold the 2nd scrutiny for those who will soon find their church of baptism as this parish. Through the life giving waters of baptism your eyes will come to be opened as the blind man in our Gospel. As you rise from these waters you must always keep your sight upon Christ and continue to move towards Him with the confidence of faith each day. Let us keep them in our prayers.

May this day assist us in being able to rejoice as we continue to set our sight towards the coming of Easter and the life which is to come in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through such a glimpse we are given the hope and joy which is necessary to move forth from here as true disciples of the Lord instead of growing weary and being consumed by the noonday devil.

3rd Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

At the Easter Vigil we will come to behold the Light of Christ which dispels the darkness of sin and death from our midst. At our baptism we were given such a light for through these life-giving waters we have come to be claimed for Christ and thus the darkness of sin has been washed away from our midst.

Our Epistle reminds us that we “were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.” As we are told of such light in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where is gives light to all in the house.”

In other words we must embrace that faith that has been given to us to its fullest extent. We ought to come Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, we ought to study Sacred Scripture and the faith, but we must also choose to do something with what we have been given. We must choose to live for Christ in all facets of our life that the Gospel may remain firmly on our mind, lips, and heart.

As our Lord exclaimed in our Gospel, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” Our faith demands that we take what we have been given and bring it into the world in order that it may be lived.

It is sin that seeps into our life and destroys that which ought to be made manifest. Sadly, there are many who see no issue with sin because the ugliness of its ways remains unseen by their sight. To remain in sin is to attempt to extinguish this light that ought to be left burning brightly. When the bridegroom comes in search for us we will not be found ready for our encounter with death.

The sacrament of confession heals that which has been left broken down by sin. Through the mercy of God and the grace outpoured we come to be forgiven and strengthened in order that we may head into the world and live as a disciple of Christ. To not frequent this sacrament would be to give into pride to the point that we are never healed and set straight.

This parish is filled with many opportunities to make use of the sacrament of confession. This Thursday we will hold our Lenten penance service where a total of nine priests will assist with the hearing of confessions. If it has been a long time since your last confession please make use of the opportunities which are constantly being set before you.

My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus we must enter fully into this season of Lent in order that we may be found prepared for our encounter with Christ. Do not move backwards into the darkness of sin, but forward into the light of Christ which dispels such darkness from our midst. 

3rd Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

From the Book of Exodus we were instructed on how the Israelites had a thirst for water as they toiled about in the desert. In our Gospel we were told of the woman at the well who came in order to fill her jar with water. This need for water is an important element of our survival, but it  is Christ alone who is able to fill our need to the brim.

It was through the waters of baptism that we encountered such a reality. Through these life giving waters our sin came to be washed away as we were claimed for Christ Jesus. It is not enough to enter into these waters, but we must also rise out of them as a disciple of Christ in all that we say and do.

Very soon we will arrive at Easter where we will come to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord and renew within ourself that commitment which was made at our baptism. So too there will be those who will soon enter into these same life giving waters at the Easter Vigil. For this reason we hold the first scrutiny for those in our Becoming Catholic class who will soon be baptized.

As we join our prayers with them as they continue to prepare themself for this encounter with the life giving waters of baptism and to proclaim Christ as Messiah we must evaluate our own life and ask what ways we have allowed ourself to be led astray from Christ and the life that springs forth for us from His love and mercy.

This Thursday we will hold our Lenten Penance Service at 6pm. There will be a total of nine priests who will assist with the hearing of confessions. If it has been a long time since your last confession I invite you to use this opportunity to renew that which has been left pushed to the side. None of us can be so prideful as to proclaim that we are not in need of Christ’s mercy and the forgiveness of sins that awaits us in the sacrament of confession.

Do we truly proclaim Him as “the savior of the world” or would we rather Him be lowered to the status of the world? To submit oneself to baptism is a huge statement because it is countercultural as being a Christian is countercultural for we are in the world, but not of the world.

Christ brought His mercy and forgiveness to this woman as He desires to bring His mercy and forgiveness to us. We are all in need of this mercy and forgiveness and so we are in need of having this encounter with Him in the sacrament of confession. Through our continued profession of Christ as Messiah may we allow ourself to be transformed in His mercy which has redeemed the world from sin and death.

2nd Sunday of Lent Year C Homily

The cross has become a central symbol to our Christian identity. We see our churches adorned with the crucifix, we have crucifixes on the walls of our home, and we wear them around our neck. What is being displayed here is an important reminder of God’s infinite love for us and how our salvation has been won.

Despite it’s centrality to our life the cross is something which is difficult to bear. The cross is not just an empty symbol, but one which calls to mind the totality of our commitment to the Lord which should spring forth in the midst of every trial and temptation. There is no trial or temptation that transcends the cross which has redeemed the world.

The Lord has stated to us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” If all that we know is the cross which continuously beats us down there would be no opportunity for hope. There some maybe even here who live in such a sate of mind. Hope is a virtue which springs forth with the understanding that the cross and resurrection work in unison with one another.

Thoerefore, in the midst of the trails of the cross we are able to look towards the joy of the resurrection. Also, in the midst of the joys of the resurrection we have the cross to fall back upon when our life begins to get difficult. Together these work in order that the virtue of hope may continue to exist in the midst of everything that we must face in this life.

It is no accident that on this 2nd Sunday of Lent we are always told about the Transfiguration of the Lord. This is not to be confused with the Feast of the Transfiguration, that will come on August 6th. Instead this encounter is placed here because it brings forth hope to the apostles who will soon come to know the events of the Lord’s Passion.

In this encounter we are given a glimpse into Jesus’ divine glory which reminds us of the ultimate victory over death and suffering which awaits us through His resurrection. The Lord’s Transfiguration is a shining light which springs forth in the midst of hardship and sacrifice using in the virtue of hope.

As we continue this Lenten journey as well as the journey of our own life let us be filled with such consolation from the Lord. It can be easy to allow the cross to become a mere object without purpose. It can be easy to look past the cross that is present in our own life without joining it unto the Lord. Let hope be extended to our life for through these events which spring forth our salvation is being won for us and we can indeed triumph.

Let us continue this journey towards the Transfiguration which brings about our transformation in the midst of a world that has been touched by sin and death.