30th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

In the midst of a city such as Alcoa it is difficult to get a glimpse of true darkness. Even in the middle of nowhere we may get a good look at the stars at night, but this is still not true darkness. If you want a true glimpse into darkness take a trip into a cave, turn off your flashlight, and then you will know what it feels like to be submerged into complete darkness.

Light and darkness are a common theme throughout scripture. Light is attributed to virtue and being held into relationship with God. Darkness is attributed to sin and the death that it brings into one’s life. Darkness becomes blindness because through it one is unable to see the light which is meant to be seen. There can be nothing worse then being thrust into the darkness of sin and the blindness that it brings unto the soul. If we were to be thrust into the darkness of a cave we would long for the light which we once knew, but it would be difficult to find our way out. Once light is cast upon the situation we will then be given guidance to the path which we must take.

In our Gospel we are actually given the name of the man who was healed from his blindness, Bartimaeus. This name reveals to us that he is the son of Timaeus. Saint Augustine concludes that he came from great influence, but lost all that he had when he became blind. When we encounter him he would be placed along the wall leading out of Jericho. This was a good spot because this was a busy path which many would cross as they would make their way to Jerusalem.

Jesus passes along this path for He is making His way to Jerusalem and there He will be welcomed and then crucified. As we pray in the Stations of the Cross: “We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.”

These words are most true because by the Holy Cross of our Lord we have been redeemed and have been allowed to have the light of Christ shine brightly in the midst of the darkness of sin. To think of this man cast out of the community and lowered to the necessity of begging all because he could not see. Thankfully he had faith in Christ and was willing to shout out to Him in his faith in order that he may be healed. Even when voices raised in protest he was still willing to cry out all the louder from the midst of his faith: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

From our encounter with Bartimaeus we are given a reminder of the importance of seeing the light of Christ, we are given a reminder of the richness that come from faith, and we are being taught of our need to shout out loudly above all those voices which seek to ruin our relationship with the Lord.

Darkness ,just like sin, is not a relative notion, but like the light which springs forth from Christ it is finite and true. Therefore I implore you to study your faith and to conform your life to the morality which is found therein even when what must be sacrificed from you may seem great. No one locks their self into the cavern of cave to proclaim that it is not dark inside. Let us then seek out and find the light of Christ by prevailing ourself to His infinite mercy especially that infinite mercy which is found in the Sacrament of Confession. In such manner may our eyes be opened to the light of Christ.

29th Sunday in OT Year B Homily

My name is Father Dustin Collins and I am the new priest who has been assigned to this parish. I just celebrated my 33rd birthday on October 13th. If you remember from history that is the day that the sun danced about the sky bringing about the conclusion to the apparitions at Fatima. I celebrated my birthday and was then sent to this parish named after Our Lady of Fatima. Divine providence, I hope so. I look forward to meeting all you, being present for the various activities of this community, and I desire to lead each of you into a greater relationship with Christ our Lord. Pray for me that I always be a true servant of the Lord.

One topic that many priests dread is that of money and yet here I am on my first Sunday at this parish, and guess what, I have been asked to give this homily on stewardship. Hopefully each of you already realize that the word stewardship deals with more then just money. Stewardship is concerning our time, talent, and treasure or more simply it is to become a servant of the Lord through all that we do.  At the end of Mass a representative from our parish’s finance council will address you concerning the financial situation of our parish and will encourage you to evaluate what you will give to this parish in the upcoming year.

Often times when something becomes a routine we lose sight of the purpose that lies behind what we are doing. To throw a few dollars into the collection can be done mindlessly, but more importantly it must be seen as a giving of self. Through our participation in the offertory we are making a sacrifice and are joining it to that sacrifice that is offered perfectly on our behalf by Christ upon the cross. I cannot tell you what you should give, but I can tell you to pray about it. We should pray about all that we do and especially invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our deliberations. Maybe what you give is a habit which ceases to respond to this sacrificial mentality?

Our Gospel instructs us on the importance of being a servant. This takes me to the true heart of stewardship. So many get caught up in money, but my concern is the salvation of souls. If souls are being saved then we have accomplished Christ’s task. We must thus become servants of the Lord. Christ gets to the very heart of servitude in the Gospel of Saint John when He washes His disciples feet. Jesus states to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Humility is something which is tough and must be worked at. It is said that its opposite, pride, is the root of all sin. If we are to become servants of the Lord then we must become humble of heart. In such a manner we will see our dependence upon God and thus the necessity to build up a relationship with Him. If we realize our dependence upon God then we also realize that our time, talent, and treasure should assist in the building up of His Kingdom here on earth.

The answer to a healthy community of faith is not its influx of money, but is souls who are willing to become servants of the Lord in all that they do. Therefore I invite you to make this your parish home. Frequent this place through its many activities, but most all participate in our life of faith. Frequent the Sacrament of Confession, worthily receive our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion, and don’t forget about the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and making time to spend with the Lord. May we truly become servants of the Lord and be giving of ourself to the needs of the Church through our time, talent, and treasure.

28th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

On October 4th the Church celebrated the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, but who is Saint Francis? Most would say that he had a love for animals which is true because he had a love for all of God’s creation, but we cannot allow this image to overshadow his other acts. Others would remember him for the Prayer of Saint Francis which he never wrote. He is often quoted as saying “preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” As true as these words may be this is not a quotation from Saint Francis.

And so who was Saint Francis? Most importantly Saint Francis was an individual who came to love God above all things. He surrendered all that he had for God. Therefore he took on a radical poverty where he got rid of everything in order to follow after the Lord. From his relationship with the Lord he was given the desire to take care of the poorest of the poor and was able to see Christ who dwelt within them. One day during his prayers he was given the gift of the Stigmata where he came to bare the wounds of our Blessed Lord. He was a man who was willing to take up acts such as penance and fasting in order that he could come to love God with his whole heart and to push vice and sin out of his life. Truly Saint Francis is a radical individual who was willing to lay down all in his life in order to follow after the Lord.

Saint Francis becomes a perfect example of what the individual in our Gospel was told: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” I am sure that these words were difficult for Saint Francis to live and yet he was so filled with love for the Lord that he was able to live these words. Christ also looks at us and desires that we come to follow after Him to the point where we are willing to abandon all that keeps us from this relationship.

Our Gospel reaffirms the importance of living out the Ten Commandments and our Gospel reaffirms our need to abandon that which keeps us from following after Him. In the Book of Hebrews we were told “everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” Therefore you may have me fooled, your spouse fooled, your children fooled, your friends and coworkers fooled, but God knows your sin. If God already knows your sin, as He already knew the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden, why not prevail yourself to the Sacrament of Confession and why not begin to abandon that which truly keeps you from following after Him?

One important practice of the Church is fasting and yet most don’t practice or even think about fasting except for on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday where we are required to fast by Church law. Throughout the Church’s history fasting is something that has been held as important. It was common for Christians to fast on bread and water every Wednesday for this was the day when our Lord was handed over, every Friday for it was the day of our Lord’s crucifixion, and every Saturday in preparation for the Resurrection. Yet we are lucky if we fast just two times a year. Have you tried and tried to break yourself from a vice and found that no matter how hard you try you cannot free yourself from its grasp? Do you find hate in your heart towards an individual and no matter how hard you try you cannot forgive? Maybe fasting is what you need in your life to abandon that which is keeping you from living charitably and following after the Lord.

May Saint Francis of Assisi pray for us that we may come to abandon all that keeps us from following after Christ.

27th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Today we celebrate what would be the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. Throughout the month of October our Holy Father has asked that all the faithful pray the rosary as well as the St. Michael prayer each day. Hopefully you have already taken up this task and are doing so as a family. Truly fidelity to the rosary and the strengthening of married life should go hand in hand.

St. John Paul II stated: “The family, the primary cell of society, [is] increasingly menaced by forces of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes, so as to make us fear for the future of this fundamental and indispensable institution and, with it, for the future of society as a whole. The revival of the Rosary in Christian families … will be an effective aid to countering the devastating effects of this crisis typical of our age.”

To put the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary into context: It was on October 7, 1571 that Pope Pius V requested that all of Europe pray the holy rosary for victory and even led a rosary procession in Rome due to the invading Ottoman Turks. Despite being greatly outnumbered Lepanto did not fall to the invading forces. This victory was attributed to Our Lady and to the praying of her rosary.

In a few days will fall October 13th. This is a special day, not because it is my birthday, but because it is the day that the sun danced about the sky and the apparitions of Fatima came to their conclusion. It was at Fatima that our Blessed Mother appeared to three children. She requested: “pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war.”

Sister Lucia, one of the three children who witnessed the apparitions at Fatima, stated: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family. Don’t be afraid, because whoever works for the sanctity of Marriage and the Family will always be fought against and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. Nevertheless, Our Lady has already crushed his head.”

In our Gospel Jesus elevates marriage to the status of a Sacrament. I find it interesting that the apostles were explained this teaching and then they turn around had to be told again. Christ affirms here the indissolubility of marriage as something which was intended by God at Creation. It was for this reason “that God made them male and female” in order that “the two may be one.” To enter into the sacramental bonds of marriage is to accept this life long commitment no matter the cross, it is to accept children and to bring them up in the faith, and it is to join them together in order to pursue holiness.

Despite what Christ instructs in our Gospel it seems that in our modern day world that the words of Sister Lucia are coming true. Truly the sacrament of marriage is under attack.

I hope that we finally come to heed the words of not only our Holy Father, but more importantly the words of our Blessed Mother. The battle is truly being waged between Satan and the family. May we take up the weapon of her rosary and pray it each day as she has requested. May we counteract this misunderstanding of marriage and the family by turning our homes into places of prayer. Places where God and the saints are glorified instead of pushed aside. To think that wars were ended through the faithful praying of the rosary. What changes could be made with our faithful praying of such a prayer? May our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us that we be not be consumed by the ways of our culture, but rather may be found willing to counteract our culture as true witnesses of the Gospel message.