13th Sun of OT Year B Homily

1st Reading: Wis 1:13-15,2:23-24

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13

2nd Reading: 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15

Gospel: Mk 5:21-43

Four years ago Saint Mary's in Oak Ridge became my first assignment as a seminarian, and now Saint Mary's in Oak Ridge becomes my first assignment as a priest. I look forward to serving this parish as the associate pastor and look forward to serving each of you in your needs.

I was ordained a priest on June 2nd and sense have been pulled around the diocese to celebrate Mass and speak for various meetings. One thing that I wanted to do prior to this assignment was to get away for a few days with my family. This family trip finally came about this past weekend when we got the opportunity to go to Pigeon Forge. One thing that I wanted to do was to go to Dollywood because it had been about three years since my last visit and also because I wanted to ride their newest ride, the Wild Eagle. The forecast for that Friday was rain with a chance of thunderstorms and I figured that due to this less people would be in the park and that the weather would be cooler thanks to the clouds in the sky. When it came to getting in line I was able to walk right past the sign that said "45 minutes at this point" and to walk right past the sign that said "15 minutes at this point." Finally I would get behind a few people as I waited to get on the ride. Despite so easily moving up the line I was more consumed with the desire to get on the ride and get the wait over with then to be thankful for my quick wait.

In today's Gospel everyone wants a piece of Jesus. From the moment that Jesus arrives on the land people are shouting and making requests of Him. One man who is present asks Jesus to come with Him and heal his daughter before she dies. I can only imagine that this man wanted Jesus to move quickly because there was the life of a loved one hanging in the balance. While in route to this location more people wanted Jesus to act for them including a woman who had been suffering for years. After healing her of her health problem Jesus takes time out of His journey to speak to her. I can only imagine that the man who wanted Jesus to move quickly grew impatient at the site of Jesus stopping to speak with this woman while his daughter's life was in jeopardy. Finally Jesus arrived on the scene and the news was grim because the girl he had come to save was dead. I am sure this man thought back to Jesus stopping on the streets to help other people out in their need and quickly lost His faith due to Christ's response not coming quick enough. Then he is surprised because his prayers had been answered and his daughter was not only healed, but brought back to life.

No matter how much we have before us to be thankful for we each get caught up in desiring instant gratification. Whenever we have a prayer or need; we desire God to follow our orders and to act instantly instead of working in union with His Divine Will. Sometimes what we desire is not what is actually best for us. Sometimes unknown graces can come out of being forced to wait for results. To have faith is an act of being persistent and being able to endure even when we do not understand what is going on. We cannot approach faith from the same angle that we approach our everyday life where we have been taught that getting things instantly is the only option. Faith is not turning on a computer, exchanging your credit card number, and getting an instant download that comes at the moment that we desire it. Faith is the life long process where we continue to believe and walk with Christ even when we do not get what we want at the moment that we begin to desire it. To posses faith is to allow God to be at the center of our lives and to allow God to walk with us every step of the way.

Saint Paul pointed out in his second letter to the Corinthians that it was written that: "Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less." This is a reality for us in all matters of faith because when we hand ourselves over in faith what we currently have will be multiplied. When we continue to endure daily in our faith we will begin to grow in many ways which will show the reality of our growth to the world. When we are forced to wait in order to receive the answer that we are in search of we will begin to grow in many areas as we continue to endure inside of our faith. In the Book of Wisdom we were told about the great love that God has for each of us. We were told that the love of God is so great that humanity was made in the image of His own nature. Through this reality God continues to look over us even when we do not feel His presence during our lives. God continues to love each of us and through this great love invites us to open up our hearts and souls to Him through faith. Faith is the key for each us of us today because through it we will be firmly rooted in relationship with the Lord.

Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ I pray that each of us will continue to grow fervent in our faith. May each of us continue to praise the name of the Lord who has come to rescue us from the power of death. When we go into the world today and allow anxiety to raise up within ourselves when we have to wait to get a seat at a restaurant, wait in the check line at Wal-Mart or the local grocery store, or even sitting in front of a red light that seems like it will never change may we allow our hearts and souls to ponder the glorious mystery of Christ. May these moments plant a seed within us that sees our need to trust in the enduring reality of faith. If we can forever trust in this reality we can come to a true relationship with Christ where we are dependent upon Christ and His love for us alone. It is only through our ability to trust in Christ that we will ever grow free to grow in our faith. May we take it upon ourselves today to encounter all matters of faith like the girl in the Gospel who was told: "Little girl, I say arise!" and then she trusted and arose.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Today Pope Benedict XVI announced that Fulton Sheen has been named venerable. This opens the door for a possible beatification of this American bishop. This news also comes on the same day as the Supreme Courts ruling concerning Obama Care. Fulton Sheen would make a great saint for this country especially for his concern for religious freedom. May Fulton Sheen interced for our nation especially as Forenight for Freedom continues on.

I have included a segment from Vererable Fulton J. Sheen's talk titled "The Freedom of Authority" which was given in 1932. I believe this text deals perfectly with the Church's concern for freedom. To read the whole text click here.

It is false to say that we can be absolutely free from law and authority, for freedom from law and authority is an illusion. The real problem is not whether we will accept law and authority, but rather, which law and authority we will accept. Even though this is a free country, I find that if I do not obey the authority of my government, then I shall have to accept the authority of a warden; if I do not accept the authority of the pure-food commission, then I shall have to accept the authority of the undertaker; if I do not accept the authority of the traffic lights, I shall have to accept the authority of the jailer. In religious matters, if I do not accept the authority of the Church, then I must accept the authority of public opinion. Public opinion is the common stalk of thought and sentiment created by human society, and in the realm of religion outside the Church it is practically always a compromise.

Modern religion affirms just as much spiritual and moral truth as in a given condition will keep society together – just so much and no more. It affirms not the whole law of God, but extracts from it, and only those extracts which seem to be the most useful for social purposes, and of which society itself will approve. For example, at the present time it dilates on the Sermon on the Mount, but says absolutely nothing about the Last judgment. It quotes, “Behold the lilies of the field,” but never the text, “What exchange shall a man give for his soul?” Again, modern religion has approved on aspect of the Divine Law concerning murder, and disapproved another, concerning divorce. The reason it does this is because public opinion believes murder to be destructive of society, but does not believe that divorce can be equally destructive of it in the long run. Religion thus compromises, or strikes and average between what is good and what is bad. It approves Christ only inasmuch as Christ approves it. It accepts His teachings and His authority only inasmuch as its maxims and its opinions approve those teachings.

Hence, the problem confronting the religious man of today is not whether he will obey of disobey law and authority; but which of the two he will obey, namely, the authority of public opinion, or the authority of Christ and tradition. And all thinking men, as a celebrated English essayist has put it, want a religion which is right, not when the world is right, but is right when the world is wrong, and by this he meant authority of the Church which holds to the teachings of Christ, even thought public opinion should cry out for the liberation of Barabbas, for the Church is built solidly upon the conviction that right is right if nobody’s right, and wrong is wrong if everybody’s wrong.

Thur 12th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: 1 Kg 24:8-17

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 79:1-5,8-9

Gospel: Mt 7:21-29

We are given two images to grasp onto in today's Gospel. On one hand we have the rock that is hard, unmoving, and impenetratable. On the other hand we have the image of sand which is easy to move about to the point that a person is able to stick their hand inside and the sand will move about so that it can pass through. This cannot happen with the rock because it is sturdy and will not give way for anything that might wish to pass through it. Each of us possess out own interests and gifts, but at the end of the day they must be founded upon Christ the Rock. Christ should be the place that we find our firm foundation because if we place our foundation upon anything else it will be ever moving and unsturdy.

Blessed John XXIII would end his day with this prayer: "The Church is yours, Lord. I'm going to bed." In offering this short prayer he is realizing that at the end of the day his ministry is based upon the rock that is Jesus Christ. He is professing the reality that his ministry is not based in the interests of the world or for his own self gratification. He pointing to the reality that his home has not been built upon the moving sand, but upon the firm rock. This realization is important for us as we carry on our daily tasks because we do them not to impress the world or for our own self gratification, but for the greater glory of Christ our Rock.

If we carry on with lives that only desire to give glory to the world or to ourselves the Lord will be forced to say that He does not know us. This would be a true statement because if we have decided to leave Him out of the equation how can we expect to enter into a relationship with Him. May we go into the world and give glory to the name of the Lord who is our firm foundation that has come into the world to deliver us. In placing all of our trusts here we will be firmly rooted upon Christ our Lord.

Thur 11th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Sir 48:1-14

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 97:1-7

Gospel: Mt 6:7-15

Elijah was able to do wonderful things because of his trust inside of the Lord. His trust in God through prayer made Elijah into an unmovable object. No matter what he would have to endure in his ministry he would always draw upon the strength of the Lord. Elijah was able to bring the dead back to life only because he trusted in his relationship with God. There is nothing that Elijah could not do because of his great trust that he continually placed in the Lord. When we pray the "Our Father" we should place this same unmoving trust inside of the Lord that allowed Elijah to do such wondrous deeds.

The words of the "Our Father" we all know by heart. We pray this prayer each time that we gather together for the Mass, say the Rosary, or pray in the silence of our own homes. The "Our Father" is the perfect prayer that was given to us by Jesus Christ. This prayer contains prayers of intercession, asks for forgiveness of our sins, and for our ability to forgive those who have sinned against us. Each time that we pray this prayer we should not be rattling off words, but should be placing our minds and hearts fully into the prayer. When we allow ourselves to enter fully into this prayer we will become unmovable objects in the faith like Elijah.

Today we are kicking off an endeavor of prayer known as "Forenight for Freedom" throughout this diocese and in the United States. This parish will begin today with a Holy Hour from 3pm-4pm, so that we can gather as a parish community and pray for continued religious freedom within this country. Time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is the perfect way for us to begin this event. It is perfect because prayer is the way that we can conquer all things and must draw our strength. I invite each of you to join us for this occasion of prayer, so that we can rejoice in the Lord who is just.

Tues 11th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: 1 Kgs 21:17-29

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 51:3-6,11,16

Gospel: Mt 5:43-48

We are given a command from Jesus at the end of this Gospel passage which should come off as impossible to answer. We are told: "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Of course each of us knows that we can never live up to the perfection that is found in God because each of us acknowledge the reality that we are sinners. Attempting to strive for this perfection should also come off as a scary reality after reading from 1st Kings today where we are told about Ahab and all the suffering that he would have to endure because of his lack of perfection.

Thankfully we see Ahab's desire to act out of humility because he was willing to acknowledge that was a sinner. We see him tear his garments, place a sackcloth upon himself, and fast as a way to conform himself more and more to the perfection of God. These acts of mortification of the flesh were Ahab's way to acknowledge his sinfulness and move himself away from his lack of perfection. We join with him as we say "be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned." In saying this we acknowledge the reality of our sinfulness, but also acknowledge the reality of God's great mercy.

May each of us today continue our work on earth to strive towards being more like our heavenly Father who is perfect. May we allow prayer into our lives, so that each day we can grow to be more and more like Christ. If we look to the saints we can see men and women who trusted in prayer and daily comforted themselves more and more to the perfection of God. Today we remember Saint Romuald who was a monk whose example showed many of the possibility of turning away from sin. Through his example may we cry out: "Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned" as we strive daily to conform ourselves daily to the perfection found in our heavenly Father.