1st Reading: 1 Sm 24:3-21
Responsorial Pslam: Ps 57:2-4,6,11
Gospel: Mk 3:13-19
In today's Gospel Jesus called twelve men who would serve Him as His first priests. We have twelve men who each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Not one of these twelve was perfect, and all of them still needed the sacrifice that would take place upon the cross. We know that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. We know of situations that Peter put himself in where he later had to be put in his place. The other ten apostles also had their situations where they showed their own humanity and therefore did something that was not in line with the teachings of Christ. Despite these limitations these men were still called to follow Christ as His first priests. We must therefore pray for all of the clergy of the Church that those who have been called to this specific ministry may be strengthened.
We have all been set apart through our baptism. Each of us who have been baptized have been called to go into the world and live out the Gospel. We are similar to the twelve apostles who were called because we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. May we be willing to live out a life where we try our hardest to live out our baptismal promises. At times when we fall may we take the example of Peter and return to Christ for forgiveness and mercy. Do to the fact that we have been called by Christ in this special way we must take it upon ourselves to preach Christ to the world through our words and actions. We must go into the world of darkness and sin and bring forth the light of the Gospel. All of this can only be possible if we place ourselves around Christ.
We have come to this Mass, so that we may draw closer to Christ. Through the reception of Christ in the Holy Eucharist we are being prepared for the ministry that we must bring to the world. "Go forth, the Mass is ended" does not mean that our work on this earth has come to an end, but shows that we must depart from this Church and bring Christ to the world. May the Holy Apostles intercede for us as we work with great fervor to bring the light of Christ into the world.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
2nd Sun of OT Year B Homily
1st Reading: 1 Sm 3:3b-10,19
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2,4,7-10
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a,17-20
Gospel: Jn 1:35-42
It is truly great to be back at this parish. I will be returning to the seminary on the 21st of January to finish up my final semester of the seminary. Following this upcoming semester I God willing will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville. I take each day with great excitement as I finally draw closer to something that I have spent the past eight years of my life preparing for. This final semester of studies will continue to help me prepare to minister to the people of God as a priest. Through my preparation I am preparing to "behold the Lamb of God" in a very profound way. Each of us here find ourselves upon different paths towards holiness, but our goal remains the same and that is to do everything possible to draw closer to Christ.
"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." We have taken the time out of our day, so that we could come to this Church and do just that. We have made the sacrifice out of our day, so that we can gather as a community of faith who desires to "behold the Lamb of God." To fathom the things that are going on in the world around us such as television, sports, movies, work, and the need to get some much needed rest, but we have still drawn ourselves to this Church for a reason. We have taken time away from these daily events even if we were pulled here by somebody that we love. For this hour we step outside of the noise of the world and we allow our hearts and souls to enter the realm of the divine. It is here at this Mass that we join with all of the Heavenly Host of Heaven and allow time to stand still. It is only here that we will be able to "behold the Lamb of God" through the Eucharist.
If we indeed dare to "behold the Lamb of God" we have a lot of work that needs to be done. In our second reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians we are told that our "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you." If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within us how can we continue to fall into sin even if it is the smallest of sins? With the knowledge that we have been created within the image and likeness of God we should strive our hardest to do away with any impurity which might cause harm to ourselves or to those who surround us. Each of us are joined to Jesus Christ because we share in Holy Communion. It is through this great Sacrament that we are all joined together no matter where we may be. Therefore the reality of sin does more then effect you, but it effects all of us. Sin gets in the way of being able to "behold the lamb of God" because through our own sinful behavior we have decided that we do not want to behold Him inside of the Sacrament of the Altar.
Thankfully we are reminded through today's first reading from the first Book of Samuel that the Lord keeps calling out to each of us. It took the Lord four times to be able to actually get Samuel to hear and to understand. How many times have we heard the Lord calling out to us in our lives and yet decided that we were not ready to respond? In this passage Samuel hears the Lord calling, but needs the assistance of Eli in order to understand how he is to react to this call. It can indeed be difficult to understand where we need to orient our lives when we have so many voices and distractions that get in our way. Despite any distractions that arise in our lives it can be important to seek out help from another person. A close friend or family member could be the perfect place to begin to seek the direction that we need in our lives in order for us to hear this call from God. Taking advantage of different classes and occasions of prayer that this Church offers can also open up hearts and souls to "behold the lamb of God."
John's Gospel presents the apostles to us and tells how they were called to follow Jesus Christ. They saw Christ walking towards them and John pointed out the fact that this was the man that they were now to follow. At this moment the living Gospel of Christ had walked into their lives and all written in the Law would be fulfilled. The fact that John pointed out that He is "the Lamb of God" is very profound. Through this statement he is making reference to the spotless lamb who is sacrificed upon the altar. He is making the statement that Jesus Christ is the one who is free of sin and has arrived in order to be a sacrificial offering for each of us. This is truly the arrival of the Messiah. The apostles had no other option then, but to follow Christ because this is what they were preparing for. They had been called to follow Christ because He was "the Lamb of God" and they did so with great faith. Therefore it was out of the faith of these two apostles that Jesus finally turned his face towards them. They were finally able to come in this close contact with the Divine Savior of the World.
Christ desires to come into contact with each of us. It is His desire to show His face to us, but we must have the faith to actually desire it. Prayer creates this relationship and helps us to grow closer and closer to God each day until we are able to clearly see His face. No matter how wonderful or grim our life may seem to be Christ is still present in those moments and continues to walk into our lives. We must never take for granted "the Lamb of God" who has walked into our lives. It is because of His sacrifice that we have been granted everlasting life. Therefore when we say "Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world" we should not be saying only words, but should be crying out with joy that Christ overcame the sin of the world through His sacrifice on the cross. Following that moment the priest will raise the Body of Christ over the chalice and will proclaim to each of us "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb." At this moment the priest is calling to us like John called to the two apostles. The priest is inviting us to this divine union with Jesus Christ. May we truly "behold the Lamb of God" and profess that we are here to do His will upon this earth.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2,4,7-10
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a,17-20
Gospel: Jn 1:35-42
It is truly great to be back at this parish. I will be returning to the seminary on the 21st of January to finish up my final semester of the seminary. Following this upcoming semester I God willing will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville. I take each day with great excitement as I finally draw closer to something that I have spent the past eight years of my life preparing for. This final semester of studies will continue to help me prepare to minister to the people of God as a priest. Through my preparation I am preparing to "behold the Lamb of God" in a very profound way. Each of us here find ourselves upon different paths towards holiness, but our goal remains the same and that is to do everything possible to draw closer to Christ.
"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." We have taken the time out of our day, so that we could come to this Church and do just that. We have made the sacrifice out of our day, so that we can gather as a community of faith who desires to "behold the Lamb of God." To fathom the things that are going on in the world around us such as television, sports, movies, work, and the need to get some much needed rest, but we have still drawn ourselves to this Church for a reason. We have taken time away from these daily events even if we were pulled here by somebody that we love. For this hour we step outside of the noise of the world and we allow our hearts and souls to enter the realm of the divine. It is here at this Mass that we join with all of the Heavenly Host of Heaven and allow time to stand still. It is only here that we will be able to "behold the Lamb of God" through the Eucharist.
If we indeed dare to "behold the Lamb of God" we have a lot of work that needs to be done. In our second reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians we are told that our "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you." If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within us how can we continue to fall into sin even if it is the smallest of sins? With the knowledge that we have been created within the image and likeness of God we should strive our hardest to do away with any impurity which might cause harm to ourselves or to those who surround us. Each of us are joined to Jesus Christ because we share in Holy Communion. It is through this great Sacrament that we are all joined together no matter where we may be. Therefore the reality of sin does more then effect you, but it effects all of us. Sin gets in the way of being able to "behold the lamb of God" because through our own sinful behavior we have decided that we do not want to behold Him inside of the Sacrament of the Altar.
Thankfully we are reminded through today's first reading from the first Book of Samuel that the Lord keeps calling out to each of us. It took the Lord four times to be able to actually get Samuel to hear and to understand. How many times have we heard the Lord calling out to us in our lives and yet decided that we were not ready to respond? In this passage Samuel hears the Lord calling, but needs the assistance of Eli in order to understand how he is to react to this call. It can indeed be difficult to understand where we need to orient our lives when we have so many voices and distractions that get in our way. Despite any distractions that arise in our lives it can be important to seek out help from another person. A close friend or family member could be the perfect place to begin to seek the direction that we need in our lives in order for us to hear this call from God. Taking advantage of different classes and occasions of prayer that this Church offers can also open up hearts and souls to "behold the lamb of God."
John's Gospel presents the apostles to us and tells how they were called to follow Jesus Christ. They saw Christ walking towards them and John pointed out the fact that this was the man that they were now to follow. At this moment the living Gospel of Christ had walked into their lives and all written in the Law would be fulfilled. The fact that John pointed out that He is "the Lamb of God" is very profound. Through this statement he is making reference to the spotless lamb who is sacrificed upon the altar. He is making the statement that Jesus Christ is the one who is free of sin and has arrived in order to be a sacrificial offering for each of us. This is truly the arrival of the Messiah. The apostles had no other option then, but to follow Christ because this is what they were preparing for. They had been called to follow Christ because He was "the Lamb of God" and they did so with great faith. Therefore it was out of the faith of these two apostles that Jesus finally turned his face towards them. They were finally able to come in this close contact with the Divine Savior of the World.
Christ desires to come into contact with each of us. It is His desire to show His face to us, but we must have the faith to actually desire it. Prayer creates this relationship and helps us to grow closer and closer to God each day until we are able to clearly see His face. No matter how wonderful or grim our life may seem to be Christ is still present in those moments and continues to walk into our lives. We must never take for granted "the Lamb of God" who has walked into our lives. It is because of His sacrifice that we have been granted everlasting life. Therefore when we say "Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world" we should not be saying only words, but should be crying out with joy that Christ overcame the sin of the world through His sacrifice on the cross. Following that moment the priest will raise the Body of Christ over the chalice and will proclaim to each of us "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb." At this moment the priest is calling to us like John called to the two apostles. The priest is inviting us to this divine union with Jesus Christ. May we truly "behold the Lamb of God" and profess that we are here to do His will upon this earth.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Rosary for Life
The third annual Rosary for Life was held today across the street from an abortion clinic in the downtown area of Knoxville. Justin Cardinal Rigali led the rosary in Bishop Stika's absence, due to death in his family. This year the weather was good and we had a huge turnout from the Knoxville faithful. I have attached a few pictures from this year's event. May all of us continue to join our hearts in prayer that one day life will be respected and thus abortion will come to an end in this country and around the world.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
St. John Neumann Knoxville, TN
I have attached some photos of the parish I was assigned to this past summer. It is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and is named Saint John Neumann Catholic Church.
Wed of 1st Week of OT Homily
1st Reading: 1 Sm 3:1-10,19-20
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2, 7-10
Gospel: Mk: 1: 29-39
Movies concerning exorcisms have attracted the public eye. To put it simply we have a desire to see the unknown while it has been tagged as being "truth." What could be scarier then sitting through two hours of "truth" which means that I believe that this could happen to me. The film that is currently playing in theaters is "The Devil Inside" which claims to be a film centered around "truth." The claim that this movie makes is that the Catholic Church acts as a bunch of cowards who will not grant exorcisms, but thankfully we have two renegade priests who go against the will of the Church and perform these exorcisms. Exorcisms do exist, but not as portrayed in movies such as "The Devil Inside." Instead we should worry ourselves with the healing sacraments of the Church and how they can bring healing to out troubled souls.
Today's Gospel reading shows the power and authority that Christ works inside of his public ministry. We see that he has the power to heal those who are in need and we see that he has the ability to cast out demons. Our Catholic faith is founded upon Christ and what he passed along to his apostles. Through the laying on of hands the priest has been set apart and is able to act in the "Person of Christ." This means that he does not act upon his own human hood, but draws upon the Spirit of Christ who dwells within his soul. As we now respond during the Mass: "And with your Spirit." Through this Spirit the priest can heal through the Anointing of the Sick and can even drive out the evil of sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And yes the power of exorcism exists, but hardly as portrayed or seen in movies such as "The Devil Inside."
May each of us gathered here today trust in the healing nature of the Sacraments of the Church. May we no longer allow ourselves to walk about sick and in a state of sin. The Lord is calling out to each of us as He called to Samuel in today's first reading. The Lord will continue to call to us until we finally respond to His call. Once we fully hand ourselves over to the Lord we will no longer have anything that we will need to fear. In a matter of moments Christ will call out to us again in the form of His Body and Blood. May we accept this call and allow Him to come to dwell within our hearts and souls.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2, 7-10
Gospel: Mk: 1: 29-39
Movies concerning exorcisms have attracted the public eye. To put it simply we have a desire to see the unknown while it has been tagged as being "truth." What could be scarier then sitting through two hours of "truth" which means that I believe that this could happen to me. The film that is currently playing in theaters is "The Devil Inside" which claims to be a film centered around "truth." The claim that this movie makes is that the Catholic Church acts as a bunch of cowards who will not grant exorcisms, but thankfully we have two renegade priests who go against the will of the Church and perform these exorcisms. Exorcisms do exist, but not as portrayed in movies such as "The Devil Inside." Instead we should worry ourselves with the healing sacraments of the Church and how they can bring healing to out troubled souls.
Today's Gospel reading shows the power and authority that Christ works inside of his public ministry. We see that he has the power to heal those who are in need and we see that he has the ability to cast out demons. Our Catholic faith is founded upon Christ and what he passed along to his apostles. Through the laying on of hands the priest has been set apart and is able to act in the "Person of Christ." This means that he does not act upon his own human hood, but draws upon the Spirit of Christ who dwells within his soul. As we now respond during the Mass: "And with your Spirit." Through this Spirit the priest can heal through the Anointing of the Sick and can even drive out the evil of sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And yes the power of exorcism exists, but hardly as portrayed or seen in movies such as "The Devil Inside."
May each of us gathered here today trust in the healing nature of the Sacraments of the Church. May we no longer allow ourselves to walk about sick and in a state of sin. The Lord is calling out to each of us as He called to Samuel in today's first reading. The Lord will continue to call to us until we finally respond to His call. Once we fully hand ourselves over to the Lord we will no longer have anything that we will need to fear. In a matter of moments Christ will call out to us again in the form of His Body and Blood. May we accept this call and allow Him to come to dwell within our hearts and souls.
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