4th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The labors of this life can be prove to be most difficult. No matter how much we toil about it may seem as if there is no fruit and hope in sight. As Simon had exclaimed to the Lord, “Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing.”

So too we might feel as if we have labored all the night and have taken nothing. This can be brought about due to health, the tiredness that comes with the day, the stresses that beat down upon us, and all the temptations of the flesh that continue to give rise.

These are truly sufferings which are real. Saint Paul understood this same sentiment by stating, “The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come.” Here we are directed to look outward towards that life which is to come in order that we may find joy.

With such faith and hope Simon stated to the Lord, “But at Thy word I will let down the net.” It would of been easy to remain in the effects of the past and how it seemed to be going into the future, but instead they looked to the Lord in hope and came to place their faith in Him.

We must also place our faith in the Lord in such a manner. No matter what we have endured in the past, are enduring in this present moment, or will endure in the future there is no burden which is too great if we are willing to place our trust in the Lord and His healing words.

With this the Lord states to us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is not an empty promise, but involves all of us no matter if we are burdened physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

These words don’t promise healing of body and mind in an instant if at all. These words do imply an inner peace and tranquility in the midst of every cross that we have been called to bear in this life. There is truly nothing that is too great for us to endure if we place our trust in the Lord.

As Christians we are called upon to look outward towards that life which is to come in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the balance that exists between the cross and resurrection we are able to see the hope that springs forth from every plight.

Let us place our trust in Him and thus in Him come to find our rest in the midst of all that goes around us in this life. The Lord is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and so let follow wherever His voices calls us to go.

Saints Peter and Paul Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles.

This solemnity is always observed on the 29th day of June which means that we do not always get to celebrate it on a Sunday. This celebration is so important that is trumps the Sunday in Ordinary Time in order to be celebrated throughout the whole world.

The liturgical color of the day is red which symbolizes that blood of the martyrs. The martyrs were so convinced of the importance of the Gospel that they were willing to lay down their lives in defense of it. Saint Peter and Paul are both martyrs who laid down their life in similar fashion. Saint Peter upside down upon the cross and Saint Paul beheaded.

In this day and age those of here in the United States do not have to fear the death of a martyr. Nevertheless, the faith that has been handed onto us from Christ is most important. We do not always live our life as if it were. We are thus so willing to compromise our life of faith for worldly pursuits which end up putting our eternal salvation in jeopardy.

It might be easy to use the excuse that we are not yet holy enough and there will be time for such pursuits later in life. No, there is time now and the grace that God pours forth is sufficient for us who place our trust in Him. Saints Peter and Paul were not perfect and yet they were still chosen for such a task. Saint Peter would deny Christ on three occasions and Paul then known as Saul would put Christians to death and yet God had called them both and they had embraced His call.

So too does God call each of us by name, but we are so often closed off to this voice because we do not make time for prayer. Prayer is important because it places us in the presence of God and opens the way to His will which is being made manifest for us. Let us dare to make such time a priority in our life in order that we may come to be strengthen like Saints Peter and Paul.

Saints Peter and Paul were sent into the world to spread the faith. This was difficult especially when it came to martyrdom and yet they endured. So too is there nothing which will prove to be too great for us. We can and must endure to the end. Let us choose to order our life after Christ, giving no room for the excuse of sin, that we may be sent forth from His midst to bring the message of the Gospel into the world by how we choose to order our life on this earth.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also known to us as Corpus Christi.

The Eucharist is central to our belief because the Eucharist is not just a representation of Christ, but is the very presence of Christ made manifest among us under the appearances of bread and wine. Through the words of consecration the bread and wine truly becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ.

Such a statement should make us consider how we react when it pertains to the Eucharist. To be in the presence of the Eucharist is to be in the presence of Christ. To receive the Eucharist is to receive Christ. There ought to be attentionality when it pertains to us and our relationship to Christ and His presence made manifest among us.

If I were to drop a consecrated host or even a particle of it to the ground there are some who would not flinch and care. If I were to drop a baby that I was holding there all of a sudden would be a lot of concern at what has transpired and rightfully so. We must have such concern when it pertains to the Eucharist and our reception of it. What we are receiving is truly most serious.

Saint Paul instructs of such seriousness by stating “Whoever, therefore, eats the breads or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”

Therefore, if it has been a long time since your last confession make use of this sacrament of the Father’s mercy for it goes hand in hand with our reception of Holy Communion. As the Catechism states, “Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicants union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins.”

What we receive strengthens us in the midst of our daily life as we are sent into the abundant harvest of the Lord. To think of the great gift that we receive when we receive Holy Communion. At this moment we have allowed the Lord to enter in under our roof. What an intimate statement that is more important then a celebrity, a sporting event, or a television show. This is Jesus who has communed with us!

At the Last Supper we should notice that it was Judas who was the first to leave. Why are we sometimes in such a hurry to leave Mass after the reception of Holy Communion that we fail to make time for a prayer of thanksgiving and fail to receive the blessing of Christ which sends us forth from the midst of this place? I agree that it might be convenient to beat the rush out of here, but I promise that making time for Christ is much greater.

As Gandhi stated, “I would like to believe what you Catholics believe about Jesus in the Eucharist. But I am unable to do so, because I don’t think you Catholics really believe what you say you believe; because if I really believed that my Lord and my God were truly present in the tabernacle as you say He is, I would crawl on my belly to church every day and worship Him.”

Trinity Sunday Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

The Trinity is central to our Christian belief. It is the proclamation of one God in three persons. It is a mystery which is difficult for the mind to grasp and thus has often been explained through the use of various analogies which always fall short and more often then not fall into some type of heresy.

Nevertheless, the Trinity is a proclamation of love. There is a lot that we “love” be it a sport’s team, a type of food, a television program, or an individual. In English we are lacking of a proper expression of love. When I speak of the love that exists within the Trinity I am speaking of a love which is much deeper then what one has for the Volunteers or pizza.

In other languages we have different words which negate the type of love that is being mentioned. In Latin the greatest form of love is “caritas.” It is from this word “caritas” that we get the word charity. Such a love is mutual, perfect, and flowing over. This type of love gives entirely of itself and asks for nothing in return.

The Trinity is the greatest expression of such a love. Through the three Persons that make up the Trinity we have a love which is perfect, mutual, and flowing over. The Father’s love for the Son is so great a love that from it is begotten another, the Holy Spirit. These three Persons of the one Godhead have existed for all time and remain important for us in this day and age.

Marriages should strive to be modeled after such an outpouring of love. Through marriage one is entering into something much deeper then a love that can be thrown away when it no longer seems important. Through marriage the couple strive to enter into this love of the Trinity growing in such love day by day through the gift of God’s grace.

The Most Holy Trinity assists us no matter where we may be because the Trinity is the hallmark of how we ought to live as a community. We must strive to enter into such a manifest outpouring of love and share what we receive with others. It is impossible for us to give from that which we do not yet possess and so we must be willing to enter into the love of the Trinity.

Let the Most Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be the guide upon which we build our faith and grow in our commitment to true love which is given entirely of self asking for nothing in return. It is the lack of such love present in our world that we see the many issues that surround us. The love of the Trinity becomes the beacon to which we must place our sight.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirt, as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

Pentecost Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost.

Pentecost is celebrated each year 50 days after the celebration of Easter. It was here that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles as they were gathered together in prayer. Through this interaction with the Holy Spirit they were empowered in being sent forth throughout the world to spread the message of the Gospel.

This celebration of Pentecost brings to fulfillment that which was instituted by God in the Old Testament through Moses. Therefore, 50 days following the observance of Passover Jews would observe the Feast of Weeks. Seeing that this falls on the fiftieth day this celebration is known as Pentecost in Greek.

Pentecost was a time of joy and celebration for those of the Jewish faith. What was being celebrated was the giving of the of the Law to Israel through the use of Moses. During this time of prayer they would gather the first fruits of the harvest in order that they may be offered unto God.

Christ becomes this first fruit for us as for the Jew this first fruit was what was offered at the Passover. It is He who died upon the cross and through His glorious Resurrection we have been set free. From 1st Corinthians we are told, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Through our celebration of Pentecost we are reminded that we have received a wondrous gift in the form of the Holy Spirit. We must do something with the gifts that have been extended to us by God. What has taken place is not the completion of the harvest because we must first remain good and faithful servants of the Lord.

The celebration of Pentecost was a glorious day, but the apostles could not stay locked up inside of a room. They instead received such a wondrous gift which brought them out into the world to bring forth the faith to all of its corners. This task would not always come easily as can be seen especially in the reality of the martyrs who shed their blood out of love for Christ.

Through the receiving of such a gift we are to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is our advocate and there nothing that impossible for us for the the Lord has laid down His life upon the cross, Has risen on the third day, and now the Holy Spirit has gone down upon us like a strong driving wind.

May this celebration of Pentecost be fruitful for us in stirring us out of our slumber and into the abundant harvest of the Lord. Send forth your Spirit O Lord and you shall renew the face of the earth.