4th Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

We have now arrived at the 4th Sunday of Lent which is often refereed to as Laetare Sunday. This name is taken from the first word of our Introit, rejoice. “Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her, all you that love this city! Rejoice with her now, all you that have mourned her! You will enjoy her prosperity, like a child at its mother’s breast.”

With this celebration we should note that are we are now roughly halfway through the Lenten season. As we move into this next half of time it is easy to grow weary and to not remain alert. So too with the pilgrimage of life that we undergo it is so easy to grow weary and not keep our sight upon the Kingdom of Heaven.

Laetare Sunday is a day of great hope and joy. It is the realization that we are just about there and so we must continue to hold steadfast as we keep our sight upon the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Very soon we will come to celebrate with joy our risen Lord and very soon we will be called home to Him through death with Heaven as our hope.

As Psalm 91 reminds in reference to this length of time set before us, “You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that roams in the darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.” This is what is often refereed to as the noonday devil also known as acedia which is a lack of care, apathy, boredom, or discouragement in spiritual matters.

To combat such acedia we need to make time for prayer and scripture, we must engage the work that is set before us, we must persevere throughout the course of the day striving to overcome temptation, and we must make use of the sacramental life of the Church especially the sacrament of confession.

We cannot give into this noonday devil and thus we must remember where we have been, the waters of baptism, and where we are headed, an encounter with our Risen Lord and the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a tradition on this 4th Sunday of Lent to make a pilgrimage to your church of baptism thus remembering where you have been. This is an interesting tradition which unites one to there baptism and what is still set before them in this life of faith.

Today we also hold the 2nd scrutiny for those who will soon find their church of baptism as this parish. Through the life giving waters of baptism your eyes will come to be opened as the blind man in our Gospel. As you rise from these waters you must always keep your sight upon Christ and continue to move towards Him with the confidence of faith each day. Let us keep them in our prayers.

May this day assist us in being able to rejoice as we continue to set our sight towards the coming of Easter and the life which is to come in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through such a glimpse we are given the hope and joy which is necessary to move forth from here as true disciples of the Lord instead of growing weary and being consumed by the noonday devil.

3rd Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

At the Easter Vigil we will come to behold the Light of Christ which dispels the darkness of sin and death from our midst. At our baptism we were given such a light for through these life-giving waters we have come to be claimed for Christ and thus the darkness of sin has been washed away from our midst.

Our Epistle reminds us that we “were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.” As we are told of such light in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where is gives light to all in the house.”

In other words we must embrace that faith that has been given to us to its fullest extent. We ought to come Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, we ought to study Sacred Scripture and the faith, but we must also choose to do something with what we have been given. We must choose to live for Christ in all facets of our life that the Gospel may remain firmly on our mind, lips, and heart.

As our Lord exclaimed in our Gospel, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” Our faith demands that we take what we have been given and bring it into the world in order that it may be lived.

It is sin that seeps into our life and destroys that which ought to be made manifest. Sadly, there are many who see no issue with sin because the ugliness of its ways remains unseen by their sight. To remain in sin is to attempt to extinguish this light that ought to be left burning brightly. When the bridegroom comes in search for us we will not be found ready for our encounter with death.

The sacrament of confession heals that which has been left broken down by sin. Through the mercy of God and the grace outpoured we come to be forgiven and strengthened in order that we may head into the world and live as a disciple of Christ. To not frequent this sacrament would be to give into pride to the point that we are never healed and set straight.

This parish is filled with many opportunities to make use of the sacrament of confession. This Thursday we will hold our Lenten penance service where a total of nine priests will assist with the hearing of confessions. If it has been a long time since your last confession please make use of the opportunities which are constantly being set before you.

My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus we must enter fully into this season of Lent in order that we may be found prepared for our encounter with Christ. Do not move backwards into the darkness of sin, but forward into the light of Christ which dispels such darkness from our midst. 

3rd Sunday of Lent Year A Homily

From the Book of Exodus we were instructed on how the Israelites had a thirst for water as they toiled about in the desert. In our Gospel we were told of the woman at the well who came in order to fill her jar with water. This need for water is an important element of our survival, but it  is Christ alone who is able to fill our need to the brim.

It was through the waters of baptism that we encountered such a reality. Through these life giving waters our sin came to be washed away as we were claimed for Christ Jesus. It is not enough to enter into these waters, but we must also rise out of them as a disciple of Christ in all that we say and do.

Very soon we will arrive at Easter where we will come to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord and renew within ourself that commitment which was made at our baptism. So too there will be those who will soon enter into these same life giving waters at the Easter Vigil. For this reason we hold the first scrutiny for those in our Becoming Catholic class who will soon be baptized.

As we join our prayers with them as they continue to prepare themself for this encounter with the life giving waters of baptism and to proclaim Christ as Messiah we must evaluate our own life and ask what ways we have allowed ourself to be led astray from Christ and the life that springs forth for us from His love and mercy.

This Thursday we will hold our Lenten Penance Service at 6pm. There will be a total of nine priests who will assist with the hearing of confessions. If it has been a long time since your last confession I invite you to use this opportunity to renew that which has been left pushed to the side. None of us can be so prideful as to proclaim that we are not in need of Christ’s mercy and the forgiveness of sins that awaits us in the sacrament of confession.

Do we truly proclaim Him as “the savior of the world” or would we rather Him be lowered to the status of the world? To submit oneself to baptism is a huge statement because it is countercultural as being a Christian is countercultural for we are in the world, but not of the world.

Christ brought His mercy and forgiveness to this woman as He desires to bring His mercy and forgiveness to us. We are all in need of this mercy and forgiveness and so we are in need of having this encounter with Him in the sacrament of confession. Through our continued profession of Christ as Messiah may we allow ourself to be transformed in His mercy which has redeemed the world from sin and death.

2nd Sunday of Lent Year C Homily

The cross has become a central symbol to our Christian identity. We see our churches adorned with the crucifix, we have crucifixes on the walls of our home, and we wear them around our neck. What is being displayed here is an important reminder of God’s infinite love for us and how our salvation has been won.

Despite it’s centrality to our life the cross is something which is difficult to bear. The cross is not just an empty symbol, but one which calls to mind the totality of our commitment to the Lord which should spring forth in the midst of every trial and temptation. There is no trial or temptation that transcends the cross which has redeemed the world.

The Lord has stated to us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” If all that we know is the cross which continuously beats us down there would be no opportunity for hope. There some maybe even here who live in such a sate of mind. Hope is a virtue which springs forth with the understanding that the cross and resurrection work in unison with one another.

Thoerefore, in the midst of the trails of the cross we are able to look towards the joy of the resurrection. Also, in the midst of the joys of the resurrection we have the cross to fall back upon when our life begins to get difficult. Together these work in order that the virtue of hope may continue to exist in the midst of everything that we must face in this life.

It is no accident that on this 2nd Sunday of Lent we are always told about the Transfiguration of the Lord. This is not to be confused with the Feast of the Transfiguration, that will come on August 6th. Instead this encounter is placed here because it brings forth hope to the apostles who will soon come to know the events of the Lord’s Passion.

In this encounter we are given a glimpse into Jesus’ divine glory which reminds us of the ultimate victory over death and suffering which awaits us through His resurrection. The Lord’s Transfiguration is a shining light which springs forth in the midst of hardship and sacrifice using in the virtue of hope.

As we continue this Lenten journey as well as the journey of our own life let us be filled with such consolation from the Lord. It can be easy to allow the cross to become a mere object without purpose. It can be easy to look past the cross that is present in our own life without joining it unto the Lord. Let hope be extended to our life for through these events which spring forth our salvation is being won for us and we can indeed triumph.

Let us continue this journey towards the Transfiguration which brings about our transformation in the midst of a world that has been touched by sin and death.

1st Sunday of Lent Year C Homily

Jesus was led into the desert by the spirit. This emphasized His cooperation with the will of God the Father. He was willing to go where He was being led instead of resisting the call that came His way.

The desert was a place of preparation for His coming public ministry. While here he prayed and fasted for a period of forty days and nights. The desert is a place of solitude and silence where one is able to withdraw from the noise of this world.

While here He came to be tempted by the assaults of the devil. Nevertheless, He held fast solid in faith and did not allow the devil to lead Him astray. To each lie that the devil threw His way He overcame with the truth of scripture.

We have now entered into this sacred season of Lent. Hopefully we see this season as an opportunity to grow in our life of faith. The allures of the devil are real, but despite them we can overcome these temptations through the assistance of the outpouring of God’s grace.

Through our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we better orient our sight unto God. We allow that which has grown disordered in our life to be brought back to it’s proper purpose. These actions prepare us for an encounter with Christ, especially our encounter when Him arisen at Easter.

Therefore, we cannot just pass through this season as if we are in a slumber. Nor can we pass through our life as if we are asleep. The spiritual warfare that surrounds us is something which is most serious and therefore we must remain vigilant in our practice of faith.

The Israelites passed through the dessert for a period of forty years until they finally reached the promise land. This time is symbolic of our life’s journey towards Heaven. We must set our sight upon this pearl of great price and strive with the help of God’s grace to obtain it.

As was stated by Saint Anthony of the Desert, “The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.”

May this season be a time in which we are willing to be led by the Spirit into the desert. Through our prayer and sacrifices we choose to change our life in order that our time may be made for Christ and we may be transformed in His presence. 

This season of Lent will help us to undergo such a transformation if we allow it. Let us not be led away from here by the ways of this world, but by the Spirit. If we are found willing to cooperate with the Spirit we will be found ready for Easter and too the Kingdom of Heaven.