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.