6th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The Eucharist should be central to our life of faith. As we are told from the Second Vatican Council, the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

In the modern age we have the opportunity to receive the Eucharist on many occasions. There is nothing wrong with this, but we cannot allow ourself to take this gift for granted. As the Catechism instructs, “The Sacrament of the Eucharist is called Holy Communion because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ who makes us sharers in His Body and Blood to form a single body. We enter into communion with Him, one bread, one body one in Christ.”

From these words we should see the importance that the Eucharist plays within our life. Through the Eucharist we enter into communion with Christ, not as a symbol. We make this petition when we pray the Our Father, “give us this day our daily bread.” A more perfect translation would state, “supernatural bread” which made to the gift of the Eucharist.

In our Gospel Christ looked upon His disciples and saw them to be in need. He provided not only for their physical hunger by feeding their body, but also provided for their spiritual hunger by feeding their soul through this foreshadowing of the Eucharist. In the end this gift was so abundant that we are told that there were seven baskets of bread left over.

So too when we consider the Eucharist should we think of the many graces which most perfectly flow to us. Through these graces we receive an increase of sanctifying grace, we are aided in times of temptation, we receive an increase of the theological virtues, we grow in holiness, and we are prepared for the glory of the resurrection on the Last Day.

We should always be found thankful for this gift because there is nothing which is mundane when it pertains to the Most Holy Eucharist. Saint Thomas Aquinas realized this and expressed this through his many prayers to the Eucharist. He wrote prayers which reminded people to pray prior to Mass in preparation for this gift that they would receive as well as prayers for after Mass made in thanksgiving for what we have received.

There are some who receive our Lord in Holy Communion and habitually come late and others who leave right after receiving Holy Communion as if the rest of Mass holds no importance. If we come late we miss the introductory rites of the Mass and the readings and if we leave early we miss the blessing of Christ who sends us forth from His midst to live the faith in the midst of this world.

Let our heart always dwell with Christ and His presence among us. Throughout our day let us make visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Some may be able to do this by frequenting our adoration chapel while others can simply allow their mind to be taken to Christ presence for a moment of prayer. As Christ provided for the needs of the multitude, so to does He continue to provide for our needs. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

14th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Struggles are present within our life. There is always a burden for us to carry and for some this burden is more apparent then with others. This may be the burden of health, marital issues, job security, addictions, and other burdens that are thrown at us on a constant basis. In the midst of all these burdens the devil wants us to believe that we are all alone, but this is not the case.

We must remember that Christ is in our midst. It is He who came to the apostles in order to calm the many storms that were rising up around them while they were on the sea. As we were instructed in our Gospel, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This imagery brings us to the oxen who set out in order to plow fields. It is the yoke which sits around their neck in order that the burden of their work may be made light. This yoke joins them together with another in order that they may work together as a team. Without this yoke this burden would lay down upon them and make their work difficult. It is Christ who desires that we turn towards Him in faith in order that He may take all these burdens upon Him.

When we look to the cross we see Him take this yoke upon Himself. It was here that He emptied Himself out for us out of love. He took upon Himself that weight of the sins of the world and did so lovingly in order that we may be redeemed. As we are told in Sacred Scripture, “Take up your cross and follow after me.”

Whenever we take up the cross we join ourself to Christ. We remember that we are present with Him and that He assists us in all that we do. Wherever the storm is present in our life it is He who calms it if only we believe. This yoke is well fitting because it has been given to us by Christ, is found to be perfect, and assists us in our journey towards Everlasting Life.

In the days of old the yoke was made by a skilled carpenter in order that it would perfectly fit the oxen that would use it. This allowed their work to be efficient because it would not waste their strength and made it less likely that they would be injured. If an inexperienced carpenter made the yoke it would not work as efficiently.

This image is important because it is made in reference to the cross. The cross becomes easy and light when we compare it to the burdens of this world which we so often worry ourselves about. Let us place our trust in Christ and His cross that has set us free from sin and death. In doing so we are sent forth as disciple of the Lord who place their trust in Him and His cross which has brought about our redemption. Despite all the burdens of our life, it is Christ and His cross that sets us free.

5th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

 Reconciliation is an important aspect of the Christian life.

In this world we see a lot of division. There is division that exists between nations, different groups, and even at times within the church. This division brings about violence and hatred that causes us to forget that we have been created in the image and likeness of God.

Division is brought about through sin. Whenever we sin we distance ourself from God and that love that exists perfectly for us. Through sin division is brought about in ourself and our relations with one another. If we are to return to God and His mercy we must heal the disunity that has been brought about due to sin.

We are reminded of this in our Gospel where we were told, “If therefore thou offer they gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother; and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.”

We must desire to mend divisions especially those which have been caused by us. Through healing these divisions we come to bring about unity. Reconciliation is not a dream which cannot be achieved, but is something that we should desire and work at. Reconciliation brings about a transformation in the midst of a world that has been touched by so much division.

From the cross we can see the perfect reconciliation which has been made for this divided world. Upon the cross the Lord laid down His life for us out of love and healing took place against the division brought about by sin. As we pursue a life of reconciliation we must remember to look towards the cross and to grow in our love for what was brought about there.

As Saint Paul stated, “Be reconciled to God.” In the Church we have the opportunity to seek out such reconciliation through the sacrament of confession. Here we enter a sinner who has caused division in the midst of sin and are embraced by the Love of the Father in His mercy. As the priest says in the words of absolution, “God the Father of mercies through the death and resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself for forgiveness of sins.”

With this we must mediate on the ways in which we have caused division and need to seek out reconciliation. When we have transgressed against another let us be willing to seek out the reconciliation that is necessary to heal the wound of division that we have caused. In such a manner we go to be reconciled to the Father and His mercy which endures forever. 

13th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

From the Rule of Saint Benedict we are told, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.” These words are important for they express the importance of hospitality. As the Gospel of Saint Matthew states, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Pope Francis stated in his encyclical letter, Evangelii Gaudium: “If we are to share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves, we also have to realize that every person is worthy of our giving. Not for their physical appearance, their abilities, their language, their way of thinking, or for any satisfaction that we might receive, but rather because they are God’s handiwork, his creation. God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God’s glory.”

We see this sense of hospitality played out in our first reading through this woman who provided for the needs of Elisha. So too our Gospel reminded us that in receiving Christ we receive God. Likewise, through the giving of a cup of cold water to a disciple we will not lose our reward.

Hospitality is something that cannot go forgotten within our life, our family, and our parish community. Week in and week out so many souls pass through the doors of this church. Some of them are here every week, others are travelers who are passing through, others are simply curious of what takes place within these walls, and others are hit or miss when it pertains to their attendance.

This must be a welcoming community of faith that welcomes all people in. In doing so we acknowledge that we turn towards the Lord and that our life ought to be an expression of His. Hospitality is not something that is a facade, but something that is true for it finds its place in Christ.

One way in which we come to behold Christ is in Holy Communion. As one body we set our attention here and everything that we do should prepare us for this encounter with Him. So too in hospitality we go out in order to lead others towards the Lord. The small things that we say and do can lead people away from the Lord. If we are Christians who lack the words and actions of a Christian how will we ever lead others unto the Lord?

The love of Christ is found to be abundant and without end. This overflowing expression of God’s love is precisely what we are called to enter into when we consider the importance of hospitality. Holy Communion binds us into relation with the Lord and sends us out in charity. Everything that we do should be animated by this life giving reality. Whenever we we encounter others we should welcome them in as Christ welcomes them.

In our reflection we should ask how we can better enact such charity in our life. How could you assist this parish community in being more welcoming of our guests? Again this is not a facade of welcoming, but a true integration of our relation to Christ in how we encounter in others. Hospitality is not a check off list of actions, but is a movement of charity that encompasses all those whom we encounter in this life. In all things let us grow in our practice of hospitality.

4th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Through the lens of Sacred Scripture the apostles always do a poor job at fishing. As they told the Lord, “Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing.” It is only when they opened their heart to Him and responded to His call that they were successful. “But at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes and their net broke.”

This lesson is important for each of us. We so often go about our life without first opening our heart unto God. Each of us are called to serve the Lord in some way through our baptism and confirmation. For this reason it becomes important that we discern God’s call that is being made manifest within our life. Some are called to be priests, others to religious life, others to marriage, and for those who have authentically chosen it the single life.

Some lament that we are in the midst of a vocation crisis. They state this in reference to the priesthood and religious life. At the same time we should reflect that there is also a crisis when it pertains to marriage because many find themselves in marriage without first discerning God’s call. Therefore, we must open our heart unto the Lord for this is the way in which we discern God’s call.

For those who have already responded to God’s call to a vocation we must make a constant renewal of what has taken place within us. Prayer is something that cannot be forgotten, but must be integral to our life. Also through the sacramental life of the Church we are nourished and strengthened to faithfully live out our vocation as a gift that has come to us from God in order that we may pursue holiness in our everyday life.

The profession of the apostles in our Gospel are fisherman. This is how they provided for their wellbeing. Yet the Lord came and called them to abandon their nets and to follow after Him for He would make them fishers of men. At this invitation they abandoned their nets and followed after Him. So too we must remain open to the Lord and be willing to go where He has called us to go.

In this Church there are those who have been called by God to enter into a specific vocation. Some have already entered into this vocation and embraced it. Others have entered into a vocation and must continue to work at participating in the gift of God’s grace. Others need to open their heart in order that this call may be made manifest within their life.

It should be no secret that we need an increase of good and holy marriages. It should be no secret that we are in need of the witness of those who have entered into the religious life. It should be no secret that we are in need of an increase of priests. Let us continue to pray for an increase of vocations and be willing to go wherever the Lord leads us.