All Souls Day Homily

Today we observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. When it pertains to those in purgatory, for whom we now pray, it is important to remember that they have already been judged as worthy of Heaven. Purgatory is not a second chance; for it simply cleanses souls who are already been saved and are carrying the residue of sin.

When a person receives God’s forgiveness the eternal guilt of sin is wiped away; that soul is destined for Heaven. Sin also leaves behind a deeper wound known as temporal punishment. This is a disordered attachment to created things rather then God which leaves a spiritual debt of uncorrected harm.

Prayer, fasting, and works of mercy help to realign the soul towards God and to begin to heal those spiritual wounds. Through the concept of indulgences we are not receiving a get out of jail free card, but the remission of temporal punishment brought about from sins which have already been forgiven.

Let us not fail to pray for those souls in Purgatory that they may now be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven and let us persevere towards that same Heavenly homeland. 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.

All Saints Day Homily

Today we observe the Solemnity of All Saints. On such a day we contemplate that “great multitude” spoken of in the Book of Revelation. Such a glimpse emphasizes that sainthood is not restricted to a select few, such as those who have been formally canonized by name, but also includes those now in Heaven whose names we don't know (members of our family and friends).

This celebration causes us to reflect upon the universal call to holiness. Heaven is populated in the words of Revelation by “every nation, race, people, and tongue.” In other words, Heaven is populated by ordinary people from all walks of life who have chosen to accept this universal call to holiness. Through such a pursuit they died in the state of grace and were judged as worthy.

We are told that these are the people “who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” In other words, their holiness does not come from self for it comes from being washed, redeemed, and transformed by Christ’s sacrifice.

The saints are not in heaven because they were flawless on their own strength; they are there because they allowed themselves to be forgiven, cleansed, and transformed in Christ’s mercy. Such a transformation is not reserved to clergy, monks, or nuns alone. We are all being invited to undergo such a transformation because such a transformation is necessary for heaven.

We are told in 1 Timothy, “This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” This is the desire that God has that we choose to turn our life towards Him and undergo that transformation that points towards such salvation. We have been invited to be numbered among the saints by how we choose to live and order our lives.

The saints, who have gone before us had their own crosses just like each of us. They underwent grief, temptation, persecution, doubt, and physical suffering and yet God’s grace allowed them to be carried through until the end. Their “white robe” is a sign of God’s fidelity and not of their human perfection.

We must notice that these robes were “washed” and not “given.” Salvation is an offer of grace, but grace requires a response. It demands of us repentance, faith, and active cooperation with God. If we are to survive “the time of great distress” we also must treat our faith with such urgency for if not, we risk hearing those words, “I never knew you” and being cast out.

May all the saints intercede for us this day that we may heed the universal call to holiness that has been extended to us. There is great urgency that we embrace such a call and participate with God’s grace in order to undergo daily transformation. This daily transformation is seen in how we live out the Beatitudes- choosing meekness, mercy, and purity over the demands of the world.

All the saints of Heaven, pray for us.

30th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The scholar’s question was a deliberate theological and legal trap that was set by the Pharisees. By the first century, Jewish rabbis had calculated that the Torah contained 613 individual commandments. If one of these was singled out over the others He would have been accused of diminishing the rest of the Law.

Instead of choosing one law over another, Jesus cites from Deuteronomy, “Love the Lord your God” and pairs it with Leviticus, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Rather than picking one law to invalidate the rest, He reveals the animating principle that exists behind every law in Scripture, authentic love (charity).

It is easy for us to lack such an understanding when it pertains to what is being asked of us through religious practice- attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, observing fasts, and keeping moral boundaries. Following laws out of duty or the fear of punishment is a starting point, but is not the ultimate destination.

If rules are kept strictly out of obligation we are treating faith as a routine checklist instead of something that transforms. Through such a disposition of mind resentment grows as we solely see God as a taskmaster or one who lies in wait to catch our mistakes. It is here that minimalism sets in where we strive to do the bare minimum of what is being asked.

We are being asked not simply for compliance, but for internal conversion that must take place. Church laws and moral precepts are not hoops put in the way for us to jump through. They are formative tools that are designed to assist us in moving outward and thus the ability to grow in our ability to love (neighbor, self, and God).

Through Jesus telling His disciples, “I no longer call you servants… I have called you friends” we see a shift in our relationship with God’s law. If done under obligation Law is an outside force that is telling us what to do. If done out of love Law becomes the desire to align ourselves with God’s will which is what sets us free and sends us forth in order to love neighbor, self, and God.

The Church’s ultimate goal for us is that we become so united with God that His love naturally flows through us. Rules give structure to our life, but it is love which gives them life. The invitation that the Gospel makes is to move past seeing rules as a burden that must be carried in order that we may begin to see them leading us directly into a transforming relationship with God.

Let us strive to enter more fully into the life of the Church in order that such transformation may take place within the depths of hearts; leading us towards the liberation that takes place when we enter fully and without reservation into the love that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

29th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The Pharisees and Herodians were attempting to catch Jesus in a calculated trap. If He responded “yes” He would look like a traitor to the Jewish people and if He responded “no” He would Have been immediately arrested for sedition against Rome.

He turns their question around by asking a question of His own: “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” This coin bore the face of Caesar and would have read an inscription declaring him to be of divine origin (Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus).

To “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” points towards the coin and the image of Caesar that is stamped upon it. Returning a coin to him is reasonable in the confines of secular order. “And to God what belongs to God” which points towards the fact that God claims our entire soul, heart, mind, and body.

As is stated in the Book of Genesis: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” God’s authority is radical because it extends to the very essence of who we are as one who has been created in the image and likeness of God. What do we allow to control us in this life which pulls us away from such a reality?

As Peter and the apostles would answer in the Book of Acts, “We must obey God rather than men.” Such a profession of faith makes it known that the state does not own our human dignity, conscience, or salvation. When civil law contradicts moral law or human rights God must be obeyed over man.

We must guard ourselves against moral relativism that seeps in, causing us to falsely claim that what’s true for you is true for you, instead of morality being informed by truth. At the same time we fail to form our consciences in such truth and are so willing to be kept morality divided by political parties or other ideologies which become our basis for truth. If the Church, in her teachings, says something we disagree with we would rather hide behind cultural norms, biased opinions, and political parties rather than truth.

On moral issues—such as abortion, the nature of marriage, human sexuality, the protection of the poor and vulnerable, care for the environment, and even capital punishment, which has been highlighted recently here in Tennessee—we are willing to trade objective divine truth for political reasons or social comfort. Rather than standing firm on the sacred dignity of every human life, which has been stamped with the image of God from conception to natural death, we selectively embrace only those moral teachings which align with our preference, be it political or social.

Caesar can claim his coins, but it is God who claims our very soul. Let our hearts, consciences, and identities be turned toward God and not the powers of this world which attempt to consume us. “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

28th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Elevating the host for the people to see, the priest invites, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” In this simple statement attention is being placed upon the importance of the Eucharist and thus what lies in wait for us at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In our gospel we were told about a wedding feast which took place where a multitude of people were invited. Despite such a wondrous invitation there were those who never made the effort to be present for they were caught up not in heinous crimes, but their worldly affairs: “Some took no notice and went off, one to his farm, another to his business.”

We must remain on guard against losing focus upon the importance of what takes place for us here. Without such a perspective it becomes easy to put ourself with our fears, anxieties, and busyness before the Lord. Through such a mindset, we treat Holy Mass as something to attend only when convenient, convincing ourselves that there is nothing wrong with putting other things first.

Blessed Fulton Sheen sums up what is taking place for us here and thus why this celebration is so important, “The Mass is the greatest love story ever told, because it is the story of a God who loved us so much that He died for us, and who continues to offer that same love to us every single day.”

This is the greatest love story ever told for it is here that we dwell with Christ as He lays down His life for us at Calvary. Time stands still as we are joined to this one central point in time through these Sacred Mysteries. Missing Mass isn’t just missing a church obligation, but is also turning down the opportunity for intimate union with God.

Our week ought to be influenced by what we encounter here for from this place we are sent forth to take what we have received with us out into the world in order that it may be lived. In other words, we must turn away from sin and move towards God, not allowing our baptismal garment to become stained.

The Holy Mass should influence our whole life- not just while we are here, but beyond these walls. This is not an hour given if convenient or an hour given because I have to, but is time devoted to God where we direct our sight unto Him and receive the strength of His grace that we may endure to the end in order that we may not be cast out.

Work, homework, catching up on sleep, sports may all seem to be important, but they are nothing when compared to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We come here not to be entertained, but to be transformed. Let us direct our sight unto God and respond, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

27th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The original stewards of the vineyard were the chief priests, scribes, and Sanhedrin. They sat upon the seat of Moses and taught with authority. They were entrusted with God’s Law, the temple, liturgical sacrifices, and the spiritual upbringing of the people of Israel. 

Nevertheless, they did not own the vineyard for their role was to tend to it on behalf of the landowner. They forfeited their authority for they used it as their own personal property and proceeded to refuse to heed the warning of the prophets and even put the Son of God to death.

In stating that the Kingdom will be “taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” the Lord is referring to a transfer of sacred office. Leadership was given to the twelve Apostles with Peter as chief steward to watch over the Church.

The Old Covenant had a priesthood with a visible hierarchy and sacrificial worship. The New Covenant establishes a visible Church with bishops who are successors to the Apostles who act as the new stewards of the mysteries of God. As the people of God who make up this vineyard we must remain united to them.

St. Ignatius of Antioch professed this, “Let no one do anything that pertains to the Church without the bishop. Let that Eucharist be considered valid which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

Bishops and priests are now the tenants of this vineyard. They must remain on guard against clericalism where the faith becomes self-serving and true faith fails to be taught. To act in such a manner is to bring judgment upon self just like those original stewards had done.

The authority of the Church is to bring forth “fruit.” Such “fruit” is that of holiness, charity, and the truth of Christ being made manifest for He is the true owner of this vineyard. If such is not being made manifest in the life of the faithful this is not the failure of the Church, but the tenants who have been tasked with watching over it.

The vineyard is the people of God. It was the purpose of religious authority in the Old Covenant as well as the Church today to cultivate the people in order that they may pursue holiness and love for God.

The Church is made up of the entire body of believers who are bound together in Christ. Every member of the Church shares the responsibility to bear “good fruit.” This is not limited to clergy alone, but is for all the baptized.

In order to pursue such holiness, we have been given the sacraments which act as channels of grace. We can never bear “good fruit” if it does not come from Christ as its origin. We are not to be self-serving with everything done for our own benefit, but for the glory of God from whom all grace flows.

Let us remain in communion with the unity of faith and thus produce a rich harvest of charity and truth.

26th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Repentance is not merely the feeling of being sorry, but is a profound conversion of heart that results in changed behavior. In Ezekiel, the sinner doesn’t just feel remorse; he “turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just.” In our gospel the chief priests saw the transformative repentance of public sinners, yet “did not later change [their] minds and believe in him.”

In the words of Saint Josemaria Escriva, “To convert means to return. Conversion is a matter of a moment; sanctification is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed of charity sown in our souls wants to grow… and that means we must continually begin again.”

Our initial conversion occurs at baptism or during our first awakening to the faith. This initial conversion is a turn from darkness to light where original sin and past sins are forgiven. It is here that sanctifying grace is poured into the soul. The majority of us present here have already undergone this first stage of conversion.

The second stage of conversion is one that is ongoing. Our human nature remains wounded by concupiscence which is the inclination to sin. Therefore we must remain on guard through a continuous, daily conversion. Through acts such as self-examination and the sacrament of confession we continually surrender ourselves unto grace.

We cannot have true conversion that is built upon on our own strength for it is a gift of God’s grace. God’s grace touches the heart and prompts the soul to respond. We are free to do nothing with this prompting despite the fact that its origin is from God. As the prophet Jeremiah prayed, “Convert me, and I shall be converted, for you are the Lord my God.”

An initial turn toward God does not grant us a permanent exemption from moral vigilance. Conversion cannot just lie in the past for it must be continuously lived in the present. Baptism is not a one time action of the past, but one that continuously invites us to be vigilant in making the choice that we will cooperate with God’s grace and live for the Lord.

Jesus condemned the religious leaders in our gospel because they relied on their heritage and status to assume that they were spiritually secure. Nevertheless, they refused to change their lives when they were called to repentance. It is the sin of presumption to choose to continue to sin without care. We must rebuke such a thought and strive for final perseverance.

Final perseverance means that one remains in the state of sanctifying grace at the moment of death, thereby attaining eternal salvation. In the words of St. Matthew, “The one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” Let us undergo the daily conversion that is necessary in order that we put to death all sinful thoughts and behaviors and truly live for Christ.

25th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

There is a temptation that exists to drift through life as if asleep. We live the pattern of waking up, going to work, consuming media, fulfilling our basic duties, and going to sleep. Before we know it time slips away, as days turn to weeks and weeks to years. Instead of functioning out of mere habit, we must make an intentional choice that every day is a non-renewable gift that comes to us from God.

Saint Paul sees remaining in the flesh as “fruitful labor” which is to say that every ordinary action takes on eternal weight when it is offered unto God. We are not just caught up in a meaningless cycle for we have been extended a purposeful mission. Life on earth is short and so our goal must be eternal life.

Pertaining to life and death Saint Paul remarked, “I am caught between the two” while understanding that “to depart this life and be with Christ” is “far better.” Our ultimate goal is not the pursuit of pleasure, career, legacy, status, or comfort as ends in themselves, but is for something far greater (Heaven and union with God).

Our Gospel passage makes it clear that we have been called to a much greater purpose and that we can’t squander the time that has been set before us. Saint Paul chooses life not because he was afraid to die, but because he saw earthly life as a vocation of fruitful labor that was done with purpose.

Saint Therese of Lisieux had such an ardent desire for Heaven. In faith she understood that death was not the end, but an awakening into eternal life. As she would state, “I am not dying; I am entering into eternal life,” but also “I desire neither death nor life. Were Our Lord to offer me my choice, I would not choose. I only will what He wills, and I am pleased with whatever He does.”

Staying alive is a desperate necessity if we do not believe what is to come. When we have belief in Christ we know that He awaits us and thus remaining alive is not about survival, but is about making a conscious decision to serve others and to do all that we do with purpose.

We are being called by the Master of the Vineyard at this very hour and He is inviting us with urgency to offer our work, our sacrifices, our daily interactions to Him with renewed intention and love. We are free to reject such an invitation, but to do so would be to squander the time that has been set before us, to act as if life on earth is all that we have to look forward to, and to potentially be found unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven for we wanted nothing to do with it.

Let us depart from here with the desire to actively embrace every moment of our life as a non-renewable gift given to us by God: to serve our neighbor and to point the world toward the glory that awaits us in Heaven. As the soon to be Blessed Fulton Sheen would say, “life is worth living.”

24th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The command to forgive “seventy-seven” times is not a multiplication problem that equals 490. Rather, what is being demanded of us is an infinite and perpetual readiness to forgive. The number seven represents perfection and expressing it as seventy-seven shows the importance of an infinite disposition towards forgiveness.

This command flips around what was stated in Genesis concerning vengeance, “If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.” In this thought process no matter how small the offense would be met with endless retaliation. Jesus takes this mindset and turns it around to where we are called to embrace infinite mercy.

As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” To possess such forgiveness we must realize that it is rooted in God. Human forgiveness is not a natural human output because it is a response and participation in the divine mercy that we have already received from God.

Forgiveness is not the acceptance of evil nor does forgiveness mean that we must be someone’s best friend. Forgiveness requires calling a sin what it truly is. Forgiveness releases personal vengeance, but does not eliminate the demand for justice. Forgiveness is not forgetting the harm done to us, but is to look upon an offense without the desire for malice.

Forgiveness is an act of the will to release the debt which is owed, to forgo vengeance, and to desire the spiritual good of the offender. Each time that resentment resurfaces the choice to forgive must be renewed. Through forgiveness we break the bond of resentment allowing the victim to heal and live in spiritual freedom.

In order to forgive we must not confuse feeling with deciding. Feelings of pain, anger, or grief are involuntary reactions to injustice. A feeling of anger does not mean that you have failed to forgive. Forgiveness is an active choice of the will where we refuse vengeance and thus the desire to wish harm upon another. We can choose to forgive while the heart still hurts.

Forgiveness is a process and not a one time event. In forgiving seventy-seven times we are not being told to forgive seventy-seven different offenses only, but to forgive the same offense perfectly. Old wounds can easily be reopened through memories, anniversaries, or seeing the individual. Each time such bitterness returns we are presented with the opportunity to renew our decision to forgive instead of giving into unforgiveness.

In the Eucharist we see self-sacrificing love and through it we are given the strength to extend mercy that we can never give through our human effort. Through the sacrament of confession we allow God’s grace to heal our wounds by clearing away any resentment and hatred that has taken root in our heart. Let us embrace such perfect forgiveness as we direct our sight towards the altar of sacrifice and thus Christ present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

22nd Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The word “duped” makes it sound as if God tricked Jeremiah with false promises. From Hebrew this word could also mean enticed, persuaded, or attracted. Therefore, God did not trick Jeremiah with false promises for He warned him much earlier that he would face opposition. Jeremiah is expressing that he could not resist this prophetic call because he was enticed by God’s love and truth.

He was so swept up by the beauty and power of God’s call that he did not yet fully grasp how much human suffering would come with it. Despite that original attraction he now faced being mocked, thrown into a pit, and isolation from his own community. 

Jeremiah wanted to quit preaching because it brought him so much pain, but God’s word was “like a fire shut up in my bones.” Such a statement expresses what we as Christians must now come to know and believe, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

For us the cross isn’t something which is optional. Following God does not guarantee comfort, approval, or earthly success. Jeremiah was unable to escape the suffering that came with his calling, just as a true disciple of Christ cannot escape the cross. The cross is something which is always part of our life, but in embracing it we do not fail, but grow in our love for Him.

Jeremiah felt as if he were “duped” because his life has become ruined by his call from a worldly sense. Nevertheless, he surrendered to the “burning fire” rather than running away, he chose to remain faithful to God no matter the cost. Likewise, the cross comes first and it is the only road that will lead us to true life and the resurrection.

Peter shows his lack of understanding in all of this by taking Christ aside to protest, “God forbid, Lord!” Here Peter is thinking as human beings do, he wants the victory of the Messiah, but he wants it without the pain and ridicule that comes from the cross. Neither Jesus nor can we take the easy way out by abandoning the cross.

The spiritual life must move beyond a feeling for it demands something hard from us, that we choose to live our life for Christ. This means that we choose to stand firm with Him no matter the cost, even if it means that the world will mock us. Through embracing such a reality we take up the cross which transforms our heart into an enduring love for Christ that becomes who we are.

Jeremiah complained, vented, and felt betrayed, but he didn’t walk away. Peter panicked and tried to reject the cross, but eventually he took up his own. Likewise, we cannot get caught up in the glamour of faith without the cost that it brings. Let us choose to take up the cross and follow after Him instead of so easily turning away from it and thus too Christ.