4th Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

“But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you.”

From this verse we should ascertain that the Paraclete’s coming is important. The Paraclete does not begin new work, but continues the work that was begun by Christ. Christ’s work is finished as he lowered His head and exclaimed those words from the cross. Despite this we cannot begin to think that there is nothing that is required of us and thus that there is nothing else that we are to do.

From 2 Peter we are told, “He has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature.” Here we are being invited to enter into the divine nature and live. This is not a passive relationship, but one that we must enter fully into and embrace. Yes, the work of redemption has been completed by Christ, but we are to be animated by the Holy Spirit in order that we may come to live and embrace it.

From the Gospel of Saint John we are told, “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Here we can see that the Holy Spirit has an important role in our life as well as the life of the Church. Despite this role we often push the Holy Spirit to the side thus making the Holy Spirit some abstract reality that does nothing for us.

Many see the sacrament of confirmation as such. They forget what God is doing in their life through the sacrament in favor of a concept of the importance of our adult acceptance of the faith. Rather, confirmation is important for we come to receive the fullness of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is this Holy Spirit who assists us in our practice of faith, so that we may endure despite the many temptations and trials of this life.

The Holy Spirit is not stirring forth new revelations in the life of the Church that contradict what has been taught by Christ and handed down to the Church. Some act as if doctrine can change just because it would make them feel good in their sin. This is not the role of the Holy Spirt for the Holy Spirit leads us in all truth and continues the work of Christ.

As the Prayer to the Holy Spirit states, “Help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.” As we are also told in the Gospel of Saint John, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” We must remain open to such truth no matter how difficult it may be to hear. Let us continue to open ourself up to this gift of the Holy Spirit and always remain open to His promptings which lead us forth in such truth.

5th Sunday of Easter Year B Homily

My dearest children today you experience a great joy. That joy is that at Mass we behold Jesus present with us under the appearances of bread and wine. We know this to be Christ who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Today you will receive Him for the very first time run the Most Holy Eucharist. This is truly a great joy.

For the rest us we should join with these children in experiencing such a joy. For we too behold the Lord present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. We too have the opportunity to receive Him under the appearances of bread and wine if we so allow our life to be oriented unto His. This is truly a great joy for us as for these children.

In our Gospel the Lord makes known to us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Here we are being invited to enter into communion with Him. We must remember that our life should live untied to Him instead of lived independent from Him.

So often we are found willing to sacrifice attendance at Mass in favor of some worldly pursuit. So often we flock towards an event, but are content with pushing the Eucharist to the side. In other words we allow ourself to forget that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That He invites us to enter into communion with Him and is truly present with us in the Eucharist.

It is the Second Vatican Council that proclaims that the Eucharist should be the source and summit of our life. Does our life revolve around Him or does it revolve around something else? Again, Christ is “the vine” and we “are the branches.” What would happen to a branch if it is removed from the tree? It will not continue to live. We are in need of Christ and we need to make Him a priority in our life.

This priority is not only for us, but is for the whole family. Parents bring your children to Mass. Teach them how to pray and how to enter into relationship with the Lord. If the home cannot be a refuge of prayer and faith what are we doing for our children (for their salvation, for our salvation)? As the Catechism speaks concerning prayer, “Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all.”

We cannot forget Him who is our life and our all because He is the vine and we are the branches. Let us remain united to this vine always thus entering into deeper communion with Him. It is for this reason that we rejoice this evening with our children who will have the opportunity to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ for the first time.

3rd Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

We must remember that we are pilgrims on a journey towards eternal life. We see this echoed to us in our epistle where Saint Peter addresses us as “strangers and pilgrims” and calls us “to refrain from carnal desires, which war against the soul.” Therefore, we cannot set our sight upon things of this world, but of things which are to come.

So often people find their “joy” in the ways of this world which are disordered. None of these actions can lead someone towards true happiness and joy. Our introit calls us to “shout with joy to God.” Indeed we are to shout with joy to God despite the daily struggle because we come to acknowledge the one who truly fills us to the fullest degree.

In coming to encounter the Lord we were told in our Gospel, “A little while, and now you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me.” These words show the toil that must take place within us if we are to find such joy. So often people of faith are willing to give up hope instead of persevering in their practice of faith.

We know that the apostles had to undergo a lot at the time of our Lord’s Passion. Here they are being prepared for that moment for not only will He die, but He will live as He rises on the third day. So too the sufferings and toils of this life are fleeting before us for from the cross springs forth the joy of the Lord’s Resurrection. This is the virtue of hope that is stirred forth from this moment.

We too must have this virtue stirred up within the depths of our own heart. Without hope there would be a lot which would beat down upon us and cause us to surrender our faith. Despite what we may perceive to be going on within the Church we must hold steadfast in our practice of faith. Despite the temptation that continues to rip upon us we must not give up hope, but remain united with His mercy that endures forever. If and when we are able to do this we will discover that joy which was referenced in our introit.

This season of Easter is a time of great hope for the tomb was found to be empty. From the emptiness of this tomb we are able to go to persevere for there is nothing dead to be found when it pertains to the faith that we profess with our hearts, minds, and lips. Let us be sent forth from this place in order to be filled with the joy of the Gospel, no matter what takes place around us. From this joy let us live an authentic faith that is centered upon Christ and His Church that He has established on this earth. It is this Church that will assist us on our pilgrimage from this life to the life which is to come.

2nd Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

Christ makes known in Our Gospel, “I am the good Shepherd.”

The shepherd is given an important role for it is up to their watchful care to provide for the needs of the sheep who have been entrusted to them. Sheep must receive water, food, and safety and the shepherd must make sure that these are provided. Psalm 23 reflects this important role by stating, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.” “In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me.” “He guides me along right paths.”

From Jeremiah 23 we are told of shepherds of people who have misused their responsibility in shepherding their flock. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.” Later, it is promised, “I will raise up shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear or be terrified; none shall be missing.”

A good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. As we are told from the lips of our Blessed Lord, “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.” You see the Lord’s love for us is great and yet we must reflect upon the ways in which we choose to reciprocate this love. So often we are found too busy and consumed into our own wants to enter into relationship with the Lord.

The sheep know the voice of the good shepherd and thus respond to it. We must come to know this voice by cultivating such a relationship with Christ. The world is such a busy place, but we cannot forget to enter into this life giving relationship. The glamour of sin exists, but we must rebuke it by choosing to stay close to the Lord. He truly provides for our needs especially though the sacramental life of the Church.

We must pray that we will always have good shepherds in the life of the Church. At this time we continue to pray that we will soon receive a new bishop for this Diocese of Knoxville. We must remember that by virtue of our own baptism we are also called to be a good shepherd. We must live and assist others in their pursuit of God. This means that we must embrace a relationship with the Lord and turn away from those paths which keep us far from Him.

In the words of Saint John Paul II, “What a blessing it is to know Christ, the Good Shepherd, to know Him as the Redeemer who laid down His life for the sheep, to know Him as the Risen Lord, the source of everlasting joy and life. What a blessing it is to know the Good Shepherd and to believe in Him. This gift of faith is the greatest blessing we could ever receive in life.”

Let us strive to know Christ the Good Shepherd and to live a life modeled after His commands.

Easter Homily

Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today we rejoice for the tomb was not the end and so after three days He rose again in accordance of the scriptures. Our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection is important for us because it affords us hope and orients our life down a path which leads towards Everlasting Life. This is the great hope that is brought forth through our celebration of His Resurrection.

The doctrine of the resurrection of the body is central to our Christian belief. As we profess in the Nicene Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” This statement of faith applies to each of us. Therefore, at a Funeral Mass we are able to proclaim despite the certainty of death “that life has changed, but not ended.”

When the Lord was taken down from the cross and placed inside of the tomb it would of been easy to think that this was the end. Likewise, whenever we face the reality of death it could be easy to look at it as if it were the end. Nevertheless, the Lord triumphs over the tomb and thus hope springs forth from it that all of those who have been touched by sin and death will be given life.

As Christians we have been marked with a seal through the event of our baptism for through these waters we were given life. In the Book of Ezekiel the faithful received a mark upon their forehead, the faithful are also given a mark upon their forehead in the Book of Revelation, and we enter into this mark through that which has been given to us at our baptism. 

Baptism is not a reality that stays in the past, but enters into the present and into the future. Through it we are given an indelible mark which will not go away even with death. Therefore, we are always marked as Christian and we should live as such. It is through our consent to sin that we turn away from God and this life that has been extended to us.

Christ suffered and died upon the cross, rose again on the third day, and Ascended into Heaven. These acts brings about the totality of His sacrificial action. Through such acts of complete love we ought to realize the seriousness of what we come to profess with our hearts, voices, and lips. Let not our life be lived in accordance with the Gospel for only a moment, but always.

This is truly what we come to profess through our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. The Good News that springs forth from the empty tomb must continue to be meaningful for each of us. Our life must be lived in accordance to this message, for this message is one of Everlasting Life. Let us desire this pearl of great price which is foreshadowed by our Lord’s glorious Resurrection and order our life towards it.

Easter Vigil Homily

Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

On this most sacred of nights we acknowledge the fact that Christ has triumphed over the tomb of sin and death. Our readings took us upon a journey down salvation history and this journey culminated with the Good News of our Risen Lord. At times it may seem that there is no hope for our world which has been touched by both sin and death. We cannot give into such despair for our world or self for our Lord has truly risen.

Despite dying on the cross He rose forth on the third day. So too, we who have entered into the waters of baptism, or will soon enter into these waters this night, must remember that our life follows a similar path. Through baptism we have been plunged into the death of our old self and we rise forth from these waters as a new creation in Christ Jesus. Not just for a moment, but for our whole life. Let us continue to pray for these individuals, who will soon enter into the waters of baptism, or will be received fully into the Church. May their “yes” to the Lord remain their whole life as our “yes” to Him should remain forever and not just for a passing moment.

May this most holy of nights bring forth true desire in ourself to live for the Lord and to be filled with that great hope which springs forth from the empty tomb.

Holy Thursday Homily

There are seven sacraments and each of them find their origin in Christ Jesus. Tonight we place our focus upon Christ’s gift to the Church which is the Most Holy Eucharist. You will notice that today’s Mass prayers state that tonight He took into His holy and venerable Hands bread and wine saying “this is my Body” and “this is my Blood do this in remembrance of me.” This statement draws our minds towards what takes place on Holy Thursday as we come to commemorate the Lord’s supper.

When a Jew celebrates the Passover meal it is understood that they are not simply recreating a moment of time from the past. Rather, they are entering into that very moment where time stands still. Therefore, they do this in remembrance of what took place. So too we do this in remembrance of what the Lord did when He gathered with His apostles on this solemn night. What we do at each Mass is to be taken to the point in time of His Passion where time continues to stand still.

Following this Mass there will be the opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This heralds back to those words spoken in the garden, “Could you not stay watch with me for one hour?” The Lord continues to invite us into relationship with Him. Let us take up this invitation and develop such a relationship where we allow Him to remain at the center of our life. With the Lord at life’s center we are called to be sent forth to share what we have received with others. Let us enkindle such a relationship with Him always remembering the important of what takes place here at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

5th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

On this 5th Sunday of Lent we also celebrate the life of a great British saint, Saint Patrick.

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain and was captured by Irish pirates at age 14 in order to be placed into slavery to herd and tend sheep. At age 20 he escaped and returned to Roman Britain. A few years after returning he received a vision from God which caused him to study to be a priest and to later return to Ireland in order to bring the Gospel with him. Through his fervent work Ireland was converted into a Christian nation.

From Saint John’s Gospel, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” Saint Patrick was willing to take the call that came to him from God and put it into action. His servitude to Christ was so great that he was willing to go back to that land that had placed him into slavery. Through God’s healing work within him he was able to convert many to the Gospel.

We too must undergo such a spirit of conversion, so that we can get to that point where we are able to embrace the Gospel to it’s fullest degree. So often we fail to look towards where we are headed in life. We allow many short term distractions to seep in and cause us to lose sight of our ultimate goal, Heaven. Every aspect of our life should be informed by this goal for if this is not true within us we cannot be a servant.

All around us there is so much potential if only we place our trust in God’s merciful hands. This means total nor partial abandonment to His will. Placed into slavery Saint Patrick probably did not see so much potential for Ireland and yet God brought forth great conversion through his work. Again this was only possible for Saint Patrick was willing to become a servant of the Lord and that servitude brought forth life to a land that was far from the Gospel. So too there is hope that all who are far away from the Gospel may be drawn towards it. We must start this process by choosing to be a servant of the Lord.

We are now just about at the end of the Lenten season. Next week will be Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. Lent is related to Easter because it prepares us for that celebration. So too we must realize that through our work of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we strive to be better servants of the Gospel. We take all that has been touched by sin and death and turn it over to God and His mercy, so that we may be set free from all that holds us in darkness.

Saint Patrick was set free from darkness by coming to believe in the Gospel, being liberated from slavery, and growing into a true servant of the Lord. May he intercede for each of us that such conversion may take place within the depths of our heart. What keeps us from being a servant of Christ? Let us move forward with God’s grace to put that to rest in order that we may truly come to rejoice with the Risen Lord.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.

4th Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

Today we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Lent also known to us as Laetare Sunday. This word is Latin for “rejoice” and is taken from this Mass’ Introit which comes from Isaiah 66, “Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you that love her, rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.”

From this text we are instructed to rejoice. Nevertheless, it is also reflected that those who are and have been in sorrow will be given reason to rejoice. In the middle of this Lenten season we must be reminded of this reality. It can be easy for us to lose hope and give up when things seem to be too burdensome. Instead we must persevere each day keeping our sight firmly placed upon the Kingdom of Heaven, that pearl of great price spoken of in Sacred Scripture.

With all that surrounds us in this life it can be easy to question why we have reason to rejoice. In various parts of the world there are still places which are torn about by violence and bloodshed. In families there is the hardship of divorce. There are homes where peace and tranquility are not found in favor of violence. There are people who are barely getting by when it pertains to the paying on one’s bills. There are those whose health is fleeting before their eyes and the certainty of death ever seems to lurk. Those whose lives have been effected by addiction be it their own or those who are around them.

There is truly a lot that goes on within this world that we live. How are we to rejoice? During the Preface dialogue of each Mass we have an exchange of words that takes place between the celebrant and the people. “Lift up your hearts.” “We lift them up the Lord.” “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” “It is right and just.” Giving thanks in the midst of such hardship can be difficult and thus we are to direct our sight to that which is truly important. With our sight set upon the Lord we can give thanks and we can rejoice.

Rejoice my brothers and sisters in the Lord our God for the celebration of the events of our salvation will soon come. The answer is the cross for through it the world has been redeemed. The cross is such a wondrous instrument of our salvation for Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert and they lived and so the Son of Man will be lifted up and they will live. Soon we will arrive at Easter and the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection and here we will come to proclaim the great hope that “life has changed, but not ended.”

In the midst of all that we face in this veil of tears let our hearts remain with these mysteries of our salvation. Through these sacred mysteries we will and have been given life. From them we are able to rejoice and give thanks. We are thus able to move forward each day with the gift of God’s grace to live for the Lord our God. Let us choose to live for Him always and thus rejoice for those thrust into sorrow may finally exult.

3rd Sunday of Lent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

The woman cried out to Him from the midst of a crowd, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck.” His response, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” Some use this verse to make a claim against the importance of Mary. Such a stance is absurd and misses the point of His response. 

After all Elizabeth called Mary blessed on two occasions in the Gospel of Saint Luke. “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” As she would respond in the Canticle of Mary, “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”

At point of the Annunciation Mary was greeted by the angel Gabriel and told, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Such a response from the angel heralds the importance of this woman that was chosen by God to be the mother of the second person of the Most Holy Trinity. To say such words concerning her is to acknowledge that she is most perfectly filled with the presence of God. There is no room in her for sin and thus we know that she was conceived without sin for she was the perfect vessel that found without blemish to bring forth her Son.

A better translation of the Greek word that is used in English as “rather” would be “indeed.”“Indeed, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” This response affirms what is uttered by the woman in the crowd when it pertains to His mother and invites us into a relationship with her in following such a path that leads one’s life towards conversion to Him. As seen in His words to His mother from the cross, “Woman, behold, your son” and to Saint John, “Behold, your mother.” This exchange invites us to “hear the word of God, and keep it.”

In the words of Saint John Paul II from Redemptoris Mater, “He wishes to divert attention from motherhood understood only as a fleshly bond, in order to direct it toward those mysterious bonds of the spirit which develop from hearing and keeping God’s word.”

Therefore, those who want to make a case against Mary based upon this verse could not be further from the truth. She most perfectly came to follow God and devotion to her draws souls into closer relationship with her Son. His response invites us into a deeper relationship with Him. We too should strive to live our life dedicated unto Him as Mary lived her life in dedication to the Lord.

The motto of Saint John Paul II was “totus tuus” “totally yours” sums this attitude up for us. He understood that becoming a son of the Blessed Virgin Mary would strengthen him as a disciple of Christ. During this Lenten season let us more fervently come to grow in our devotion to Mary and through her be led into deeper union with her Son. Take up the rosary, make a consecration, among other devotions. “Indeed, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

2nd Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

On this 2nd Sunday of Lent we are given the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This word “transfiguration” signifies a change of form or appearance. This is perfectly summed up by Saint Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, “the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.” Therefore, here upon Mount Tabor His clothing became dazzling white for He was revealed as God made Flesh to His apostles.

The figures of Moses and Elijah who appear with Him in this account are very important. Moses represents the Law for he was given the Law and Elijah the prophets for he is held as being the greatest of the prophets. Moses died while Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a fiery chariot. Christ is the “Lord of both the dead and the living” in the words of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Moses and Elijah both experience their own encounter with God upon Mount Sinai. Elijah experiences Him in a “light silent sound” according to 1 Kings and Moses encounters Him in the book of Exodus in the burning bush. Now these figures of the Old Testament stand with Him and point the way to His glory. It was of this glory that the apostles experienced with their sight that they would later return to following His Passion and Resurrection.

Much later we are told from the Gospel of Saint Luke that the Lord appeared to His disciples on the road to Emmaus following His Resurrection. There we are told, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.” Here they uttered, “were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”

As we continue this journey of Lent we must allow the Lord’s words to be at work within our own heart and soul. It is no mistake that this account of the Lord’s Transfiguration takes place during the season of Lent because this experience strengthened “the apostles’ faith in anticipation of his passion” in the words of the Catechism. We too must be given such faith in Him in order that we may allow our life to dwell with Him for He is not only fully man, but also fully God.

Whenever we have the opportunity to adore our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar we have the opportunity to be with the same God that Moses and Elijah adored. We are able to be with He whom the apostles gave praise and glory. Through fervent Eucharistic devotion our heart will be burning within us.

Let the tabernacle be a place for our refuge. The Lord invites us into this space and so let us remember whose presence that we have entered into. In the midst of all the issues of this life we should remember to bring them before the Lord in order that He may be the one to strengthen us. Let us adore Christ present among us in the Blessed Sacrament always and let our life become a reflection of His.

1st Sunday of Lent Year B Homily

Today we observe the 1st Sunday in the season of Lent.

Our Gospel accounts for us our Blessed Lord going into the desert in order to fast and pray for a period of 40 day and nights. While there the devil comes in order to tempt Him, but the Lord remains steadfast against his attacks.

In the Book of Exodus Moses led the Israelites into the desert and there they toiled about for a period of 40 years until they made it to the Promised Land. This is symbolic of our own life where we toil about in search for the Kingdom of Heaven.

This season of Lent aids us in making such a journey as we undergo this period of 40 days. It is easy for us to toil about and find that we are lost. No matter where we find ourselves today hope is always found in the Lord. Through Him has the world been redeemed from the plight of sin and death.

The Lenten season connects us to the waters of baptism. From these waters spring forth new life as one comes to be claimed for Christ Jesus. In the dryness of the desert there is this longing for such water to bring life unto us.

When we arrive at Easter Sunday we will have the opportunity to renew our baptismal promises. The proper response is “I do.” Do we truly mean these words or do we simply state them because this is the proper response?

Through our practice of Lent we allow the Lord to assist us in making such a response with the firmness of faith. Through those ancient practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we form our heart and soul to dwell with the Lord our God.

For in this world there are many voices which come our way which attempt to lead our heart away from the Lord. This is the same voice that came to the Lord in the desert, but He rebuked that voice. We must treat our faith with sincerity in order that we too may heed the Lord and His presence among us.

Where sin is found we must be found willing to humbly go before the Lord and ask His forgiveness. This Thursday our parish will hold its Lenten Penance Service where we will have nine priests who will assist with the hearing of confessions. Do not pass up this or other opportunities to partake of this sacrament of God’s mercy.

May this Lenten season be fruitful for us because this season leads towards the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. This celebration is most important for through it we come to profess the Lord’s triumph over the tomb. Where we have been thrust down into sin and death we must place our trust in Him in order to be lifted out of it. His words bring life to us and so may we turn our sight unto His and allow our thoughts, words, and deeds to dwell with Him always.