Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is not just a mere symbol of Christ, but is truly Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine. To receive Him under our roof is to allow Him to be the one who nourishes us and leads us forth fortified by the gift of God’s grace.

The Israelites underwent a 40 year journey in the desert where the wondered toward the Promised Land. This journey would bring many twists and turns (they were hungry, thirsty, and lost); they would even think that they were better off in their slavery of old. Nevertheless, God heard their cry and poured down heavenly food which would nourish them along this journey.

We too find ourself on such a journey with the Promised Land of Heaven as our ultimate goal. Throughout the pilgrimage of this life we take many twists and turns; it is easy to desire to live the life of old instead of living for Christ Jesus. In the words of Saint Augustine, “Lord, grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” As Jesus said in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Eucharist is food for our journey. It sustains us as we travel through the spiritual wilderness of this world. We must flee the slavery of sin and head toward the true Promised Land of Heaven. If we allow our life to be centered upon Christ and His presence among us then we will be given the strength necessary to continue to move forward without looking back.

The manna in the desert could only temporarily fight off death for the Israelites. They ate it daily, they grew old, and they eventually died. If they hoarded it, it would rot for it belonged to this temporal world. The Eucharist grants eternal life for it heals the soul, strengthening the believer against mortal sin and allowing them to live for the Resurrection which is to come.

As we pray when we recite the Our Father, “give us this day our daily bread.” A better translation would be “super-substantial” or  “supernatural” bread which is to say that we are asking for the daily nourishment of the Eucharist for this gift goes far beyond the effects of physical food for this heavenly food also provides for the wellbeing of our soul.

It is so easy to get caught up in things which will never fill. It is most difficult to move ourselves away from unhealthy practices which we have allowed to become routine. Let us dare to look as Saint John the Baptist directs, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Indeed in the Eucharist we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Let our be centered upon Him and thus may we come to repent of all sin and enter into communion with Him in order that we may allow Him to always remain the food for our journey which leads towards the Promised Land of Heaven.

You have given them Bread from heaven. Having all sweetness with it.

Trinity Sunday Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Such a celebration causes us to contemplate the deepest mystery of faith, the inner life of God. Through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we are able to see a perfect communion of love which is being made manifest for us and this world.

As we look ahead our nation will come to celebrate its 250th anniversary. Due to this we anticipate the upcoming consecration of our country to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. I invite you to begin the novena to the Sacred Heart this Wednesday leading up to its feast day on June 12th. Our parish will reconsecrate itself to the Sacred Heart the following weekend.

It is through the beating heart of Christ that we are able to see the mysterious love of the Triune God being made visible. We so often fail to enter into the depths of such love as we turn inward upon self overlooking the needs of others and twisting things entrusted to our care so that they no longer meet their God given purpose.

It is through the Trinity we are able to see the manifest love of God pouring forth without reservation. Through the Sacred Heart we are given a vivid image of this love being made manifest. This heart beats in order that we may turn back to God in order that we may be healed of all that burdens us.

Not only are we in need of such healing, but so is our country and world. We must turn back to God in order that we may come to achieve unity and healing as a nation. We must remember that Christ is King and thus He alone is able to bring us to discover our refuge in the midst of all turmoil. A political party cannot save for Christ who saves upon the wood of the cross.

From Exodus Moses would go to his knees as he pleaded for a “stiff-necked people.” Through our national consecration we acknowledge the need for the Lord to enter in to bring healing to a people that are so in need of His mercy. As Saint Paul would address the Corinthians, “mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace.”

We do not experience the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as something which is abstract. Rather, the Trinity is the outpouring of God’s mercy that is to be received. To participate in the life of the Trinity is to enter in through the door of Christ’s pierced side where we choose to conform our life after the virtues of humility, purity, and the sacrificial love that flows from His Most Sacred Heart.

May our encounter with the Trinity and thus the Sacred Heart of Jesus heal us and the world. Let us take to heart the upcoming consecration of our nation to His Most Sacred Heart. Through such faith and preparation we are prepared to enter into the love of the Trinity and to embrace such a love in the midst of a world touched by sin. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Pentecost Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, which marks the birth of the Church through the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Genesis, we are told of the Tower of Babel. Here, human pride rejected God’s design for humanity. At Babel, a unified human race, driven by arrogance, attempted to build a massive tower to reach into the heavens. This was a direct rejection of God’s command to scatter, multiply, and fill the earth. Because of this act of defiance, God intervened by confounding their single language into many, leaving them unable to communicate with one another.

At Pentecost, a profound reversal of Babel takes place. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “By this power of the Spirit, God's children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear 'the fruit of the Spirit’... The Church, through the scattering of nations, gathers them into the unity of God's family.”

Therefore, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Apostles begin to speak in different languages. The miracle lies in the fact that everyone is now able to hear the Gospel being proclaimed in their own tongue. Language is no longer a barrier of confusion, as it was at Babel, because the Holy Spirit allows us to hear and understand the truth that has been revealed.

The fire that descended upon the Upper Room did not come to destroy and isolate, but to purify and to heal. At Babel, there was a prideful desire to storm heaven through human power alone, while the Apostles waited in humble prayer for heaven to descend upon them. Through this divine encounter, we have been unified and are now empowered to confess together that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Today, we are invited to look inward at our own lives. Do we rely upon our own strength, leading us down the path of pride, anger, and division? Pentecost does not leave us isolated; instead, it invites us to enter into deep communion with God, the giver of all good gifts. In the Church, this communion is made manifest as people of every nation, race, and tongue stand together before the altar of sacrifice to give God glory and praise.

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are given the grace necessary to live this calling out in the world. We can now scatter across this globe as true witnesses to Christ, multiplying His disciples through our love, and filling the entire earth with the radiant glory of His Gospel. We are not sent out alone; we are propelled forward by the gentle, powerful aid of the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Ascension Homily

Today we observe the External Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. In being taken up, it would seem that the Lord was giving His final goodbye to His apostles. In reality, by being taken up to Heaven, He is not giving a final goodbye nor making a departure, but is becoming more accessible to them—and thus to us.

As Saint Augustine stated, Christ “did not leave heaven when He came down to us, nor did He withdraw from us when He went up again into Heaven.” By ascending, He transitioned from being beside His followers to being among them in a universal way. If He had stayed on this earth, He could only be present in one place at a time; but now, He is universally present.

Through the Ascension, Christ is glorified and thus no longer bound by space and time. We especially see this in the Eucharist, where Christ is present with us—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In the tabernacle is truly God’s presence among us, physically and not merely symbolically. This is possible because He has been taken up to Heaven and has not left us abandoned.

Now, with our sight set upon Him, we are able to be led to where He has gone. He is the forerunner, which means that His goodbye is not final. Instead, He is simply the first to walk through the door, which He now holds open for everyone else. Will we place our trust in Him and allow Him to lead us into Paradise, or will we instead attempt (though it is impossible) to enter by another gate?

As we recite in the Nicene Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” This time between the Ascension and the Second Coming is not an absence, but a vigil. In ancient marriage customs, the groom would leave his bride to go to his father’s house to prepare a place. In going up, He prepares such a place for us—but will we be found watchful and awake?

We must remain in constant readiness, for “no one knows the day nor the hour.” A vigil requires a state of constant readiness so that we may be found prepared. Frequent confession and a daily examination of conscience assist us in being ready to meet the Lord at any moment—be it today, tomorrow, a week, a month, or years from now.

We are not just waiting for time to pass us by; we are entering into something that should be purgative. By remaining attentive to our spiritual lives, we grow in holiness each day as we continue to choose to follow Him. Living our lives as such a vigil allows us to take the Lord’s Ascension seriously, for through it the world has not been left empty, but expectant.

We must remain expectant, for this is not a "goodbye," but a "see you soon." Let us take this promise seriously and strive, with the assistance of God’s grace, toward where He has been taken up: the Kingdom of Heaven.

6th Sunday of Easter Year A Homily

The Lord makes a promise to His disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” The placement of this passage serves as a bridge for the coming Solemnity of Pentecost. It was at Pentecost that the disciples would receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when gathered together in the Upper Room.

Traditionally, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on this Thursday, 40 days after Easter. In our diocese, this solemnity is transferred to the following Sunday. The time that stretches between the Ascension and Pentecost is nine days. For these nine days, the disciples heeded the words of the Lord; thus, they went to Jerusalem and “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.”

This period of nine days was not just a passive wait, but a time of intense spiritual preparation. Here, tradition states that they underwent a period of asceticism which would detach them from the world in order to make room for the divine gift which would come. The physical Jesus had returned to His Father, and they intensely prepared for the coming of this Advocate.

We, too, should prepare for the coming of such an Advocate. It is so easy to allow the days of the liturgical year to pass by without entering fully into them. Undergoing such a novena allows us to enter into a series of prayers so that we may remain open to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord).

The Sacrament of Confession would serve us well during this period of days. Through such a confession, we examine our lives in light of the Lord’s command to love and seek out the grace that we may live such love in the midst of this world. This allows us to be a suitable dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to enter in and dwell with us.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is very important for us. Without the Holy Spirit, the commandments would seem to be a heavy burden of rules that cannot be followed. The Holy Spirit assists us in knowing all that is true and gives us the strength to act upon it despite its difficulty. Through the Holy Spirit, our fear becomes courage and our confusion becomes a clear witness to the Gospel.

We cannot be content to stay as we are, but must allow the fire of God’s love to renew us. The world may not see or know Him, but through our prayerful waiting, we are inviting the fire of God’s love to renew us. It is He who empowers us to go forth from this church and participate in the ongoing mission of renewing the face of the earth.

In the days ahead—especially from the Friday following the Ascension to the Saturday nine days later—let us have such expectant faith. Let our hearts remain open to the Seven Gifts which give us the strength to live as true disciples of the Lord. Let us prepare with true faith as we say, Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit).

5th Sunday of Easter Year A Homily

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” This verse provides the ultimate hope that our life is a journey toward a specific place that has been prepared for us. Just as the Israelites journeyed toward the Promised Land, we as people of faith journey toward the Promised Land that is the Kingdom of Heaven.

This verse is not a rejection of the importance of the visible Church; it actually reinforces the necessity of the Church. These “dwelling places” are not private islands but are joined together as one into a single family home. For this reason, we must remain united to the Church, for we discover our unity through her.

In the ancient world, a house was not just a building. Rather, it was a family unit where one’s whole family resided. When a son would get married, he would add a “dwelling place” onto his father’s existing home. Over time, this would lead to many dwelling places united together in a permanent community.

Despite the “many rooms” that are represented, they remain united within the one house. This symbolizes the unity of the Church. Here, people from every nation and culture are able to reside together under one roof. They have endured the assaults of the enemy and have now been called home to God.

Jesus proclaims, “I go to prepare a place for you.” He does this through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Church is the vehicle that has been established for us so that we may be prepared for such a dwelling place. He left us the sacraments—such as Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, and Confession—in order that we may be given the grace needed to run the race.

If we were to remove the Church from this situation, we would be left without a structure to which these many rooms could be joined. Without the Church, we would be left as isolated individuals wandering around and doing as we please. The Church provides us with the structure of this home through the Creed, its hierarchy, Sacred Scripture, and tradition.

As Christians, we need to remain united to such a life of faith. There is always the allure of abandoning such confines. In doing so, we chase after something other than the unity that should exist and become individuals who have placed themselves at the center of life. We cannot start our own church based on what we want to believe, but must follow what has been handed down to us as truth.

As we look toward those eternal rooms, let us not see the Church as a set of restrictive walls, but as the very foundation that makes our homecoming possible. We must remain rooted in the life of the Church. Let us persevere in faith by keeping our sight set upon Christ and the Church He has left behind to care for our souls.

4th Sunday of Easter Year A Homily

On this Good Shepherd Sunday we are reminded that Christ as Shepherd is the gate that we must enter into. There are those who will attempt to enter it via some other avenue, but that is an impossibility. We can only enter the Kingdom of Heaven through Him and so no matter how difficult something may be in our life we must come to place our trust in Him.

In our lives we are often tempted to find another way to enter because in the midst of hardship it is always easier to desire to discover a shortcut. Such paths allow us to avoid discomfort, confrontation, or the cost of doing what is right. Through such an attitude we want the safety of the sheepfold, but we do not want the struggle that goes with getting there.

The thief and the robber are reminders of those voices within us that make us desire to prioritize self over what is true. It is much easier to lie to avoid trouble, to remain silent in the face of injustice, or to simply give into the temptations that plagues our mind. To act in such a way is to claim to be a follower of Christ without following the path that He has given us.

In our Epistle Saint Peter stated, “If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.” Such words remind us of the redemptive nature of suffering. Christ did not bypass human suffering, instead He embraced it fully upon the wood of the cross. None of us can climb over the Cross to get to the Resurrection. To follow Him we must embrace the cross.

Through taking up the cross and following after Him we are entering into relationship with Him. Because of this God is not absent in the midst of our suffering and hardships. Rather, He is offering us a share in His own life. Through the cross we are being led towards virtue and the transformation that takes place within us for embracing it.

We can see that the Shepherd always leads by example. It is He who goes before His sheep and they are able to follow His voice. This voice does not lead us to the goal of worldly power or earthly success, but one that leads us towards the ultimate surrender of the Cross. From Calvary we are able to see the love that Christ pours out for each of us.

In our modern world we see such suffering as a sign of failure. This is not the case for through such suffering we have come to be redeemed and from it we have the hope that shines forth through the Resurrection. It is this hope which allows us to continue upon path which leads towards Eternal Life by no other gate than Christ, and thus through all that He has asked of us.

A true sheep is willing to stay within the confines of the sheepfold. Through such a perspective they have come to know and listen to the voice of the Shepherd. Let us listen to His voice and in the midst of all hardship come to place our trust in Him instead of entrusting ourselves to the easier path which never leads unto the Lord and Everlasting Life.

4th Sunday of Easter Year A (1st Communion) Homily

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we come to celebrate our parish First Communion Mass. Therefore, my prayers are with all of the children of our parish who will soon receive their First Communion. Through the witnessing of such an act, may each of us also come to rekindle our relationship with Christ, present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion are all huge steps in our life of faith. These sacraments are not solely a rite of passage, but a font to which we flock in order to be given an abundance of grace so that we may live good and holy lives. As our Gospel promised, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Through the Eucharist, we are being invited toward such an abundance of life. In the early Church, we are told that Christians “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” This reality places Christ, present in the Eucharist, at the center of our life of faith.

Throughout this past year, the children of our parish have been prepared for such an encounter with Him. In their hearts is found a longing to receive our Lord who has made Himself present with us in the Eucharist. Through such readiness, they come to “know his voice,” for He “calls his own sheep by name.”

This calling requires a relationship with Christ to continue to be nurtured. We must be people of faith who desire to know Him. If we desire to know Him, we will make the time to come to know Him through prayer, and we will live lives that relate to the One for whom we have been claimed in the life-giving waters of Baptism.

Whenever life is difficult, let us remember that He is to be the rock of our life. He is the Good Shepherd who leads us toward restful waters and verdant pastures, and whose cup overflows. Many attempt to find fulfillment in areas that will never satisfy. It is Christ for whom our heart truly longs.

My dearest children, let Christ be the one for whom your heart always longs. To your parents: please continue to assist your children in the life of faith. Teach them to pray and to know Christ. Bring them to Mass every Sunday—not only when it is convenient—in order that they may know Christ. Allow your homes to be a place where Christ is made manifest.

Now together, let all of us look to the altar of sacrifice. From here, we will be invited to “Behold the Lamb of God.” Let us behold Him with our sight and our hearts. From this verdant pasture we will be nourished, and from this overflowing cup we will find our strength. This invitation leads us toward an abundance of life that can only be encountered in Christ Jesus.

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

On this 2nd Sunday of Easter and final day of the Octave of Easter we come to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Here we are able to look upon the wounds of our Blessed Lord and see that we have been healed from sin and death by them. God’s mercy continues to meet us throughout the daily encounters of our life.

Last week our Gospel told us of John who entered the tomb seeing the discarded burial clothes and being able to see and believe. Today we are told of Thomas and how he, filled with doubt, came to demand to see the nail marks and put his hand into the side of Christ. Through this act of intimacy with the Lord he too came to see and believe as he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.”

John was able to believe through the absence of a body while Thomas came to believe through the presence of the wounds of our Lord. Therefore, mercy is a quiet light as it was for John, but also is a hand that reaches out to steady a trembling heart as it was for Thomas. As we come unto the Lord in such a way we are encountering a “fountain of Mercy” in the words of St. Faustina.

When we look upon the Divine Mercy image we are being reminded of such a reality. Within the image we see the red and pale rays flowing from Christ’s heart. These represent the blood and water that Thomas was invited to approach. Through this glimpse we are being invited to have faith by entering into these wounds in order that we may see and believe.

As the Lord stated unto Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Here we are being invited to have the spiritual sight which John came to possess. The signs of the sacraments which draw us closer to such a Divine truth. Also, like Thomas we are given the permission to bring our doubts and struggles unto the altar that we too may be healed.

Divine Mercy is not a static concept, but a living encounter that seeks us in our isolation. Here we encounter the Lord who speaks to us from the depths of His mercy, “Peace be with you.” Through these words we are being invited to enter in and find our refuge for this is indeed the font of all mercy.

Let us come to place our trust in Him who has now conquered over the grave. Let our hearts be made new by the blood and water that continues to gush forth for us. In the midst of every doubt let us reach out to Him like Thomas and in those moments of peace let us see with the eyes of John. That in all things we may enter into the depths of His mercy and allow Him to heal us of all that holds us captive in order that we too may exclaim, “My Lord and my God.”

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Easter Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Today we celebrate the great hope the springs forth throughout the whole world through the reality of the Lord’s Resurrection. In our gospel passage we would seemingly notice nothing out of the ordinary. There were no angels to announce what had taken place, no earthquakes, nor was our Lord present to show Himself alive. Nevertheless we are told, that John “saw and believed.”

What exactly did he see that caused him to believe? If someone would of stolen this body they would of done so in a hurry. They would not of taken the time needed in order take off let alone fold these garments. This gospel is even careful to note that the cloth that covered His head was not with the others cloths, but “rolled up in a separate place.”

Fulton Sheen as well as some Church fathers saw this seeing and believing caused by a shroud that was empty but still draped in the shape of a body. He had not sat up and unwrapped Himself, but passed through the matter of the linens entirely. The Greek text would suggest that these clothes were flat or collapsed for in Jewish burial they would of hardened into a stiff casing. He looked upon a hardened shell that had not been disturbed, but the body was gone.

This account is far different then what takes place with the resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus had to be untied by others for He was still a prisoner of death. Jesus is the New Adam and so He was able to pass through these garments. John was able to see the tidiness of this tomb in order to see that sin and death had been reversed by such an act from the Savior of the World.

Therefore this was not a crime scene, but a sanctuary. From this sanctuary a great hope was present for all those who had been touched by sin and death that Christ was alive. That He had truly risen from the dead. This is the same hope that springs forth for us as we come to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord on this Easter Sunday.

Yet, in our modern world we live in an age that demands a photograph, a recording, or a physical touch to validate truth. John’s faith lies in his ability to see that the Resurrection was a physical reality that left its mark on the world. Let us have such faith in our Risen Lord and allow Him to bring us to such solace in the midst of the chaos of this world.

The tomb has been permanently vacated through the Lord’s Resurrection. The stone is gone, the shroud is empty, and the New Adam has gone forth to make all things new. This glimpse brings light unto our life that sin and death cannot destroy. Let us be sent forth from the Lord with such confidence that we too may be like Saint John and see and believe.