Corpus Christi Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi which is a celebration of the importance of the Most Holy Eucharist in our life and that of the Church.

There are many faith traditions outside of the Catholic Church that have some type of eucharistic meal. In these services they direct their mind unto God and receive a symbolic representation of Christ. The Church would agree that what they receive is symbolic, but what we receive in the Eucharist at Mass is the true presence of the Lord our God.

When Church teaching becomes difficult in one area or another some are willing to flock to other faith traditions to receive something that is only symbolic for this is an easier path. If we understand and believe in the Eucharist there is no way that we can leave the Church behind for to do so would be to leave Christ behind for something lesser. Out of love for Him we must choose to embrace His cross and live our life for Him no matter the difficulty.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds, “The Eucharist is properly the sacrament of those who are in full communion with the Church.” As is stated in the Epistle of Saint John, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself.”

From these statements we can conclude that reception of the Eucharist is important and that it should be treated as such. Reception of the Eucharist should not be something taken lightly or be treated as if it were something that is routine and expected of us no matter the state of our soul.

As we are addressed in the words of Saint John the Baptist at Mass, “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.” And the words of the centurion of which we respond, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

With true thought we should profess these words with the realization of the one whom we are to receive. We will receive Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine. If we discern that we need to make a good confession first let us do so. Let us properly prepare for the one whom we receive and give thanks for that gift that has been given to us instead of rushing out of the Church, without receiving the final blessing, in order to be the first to leave the parking lot. Instead let us rejoice in the Eucharist and desire to be held in His presence by how we live and order our life towards Him as we are sent forth.

“O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who according to the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, hast by Thy death given life unto the world, deliver me by Thy most sacred Body, which, I, unworthy, have presumed to receive, from all my iniquities and from every evil, and make me ever to hold fast to Thy commandments and suffer me never to be separated from Thee. Amen.”

Most Holy Trinity Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is central to Christian belief and as Catholics we constantly call to mind the Trinity in our prayer. The Trinity is something which is difficult to wrap our minds around and thus can seem as a foreign entity.

Through the Trinity we profess One God in Three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). As we are told in the Gospel of Saint John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We are later told, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Concerning the Holy Spirit we were told last Sunday at Pentecost in the words of Saint John, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.”

Through these verses we can see the presence of the Trinity from the very beginning. As is stated in the Athanasian Creed, “ The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, but proceeding.”

Here we see two words given to us which are important to understand, begotten and proceeding. To say begotten in reference to the Son is important because it implies that He is fully God and not a creation of God. To say proceeding in reference to the Holy Spirit implies that the Holy Spirit comes forth from the love that exists between Father and Son.

Thus we begin to see the Trinity in reference to relationship. The love of God is perfect and knows no end. It is a love which is flowing over and found to be creative. Therefore, the Father loves the Son and the Son the Father and thus another springs forth out of this love, the Holy Spirit.

We can thus say that from all eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have poured themselves out into each other in an infinite act of love. As Christians we are called to enter into the love of the Trinity and to share this love with others. How would our world be different if we were moved by the perfect love of the Trinity in all that we say and do?

True love is able to look upon the other and care for them in their need. It is not about what we will get out of it. This is especially a love which must be pursued in Holy Matrimony. It is not about me, but is about our love for the other. We must learn to grow to love as God loves for this love will transform the world and ourself.

Let us be sent forth from here to enter more fully into the love that is found in the Trinity. Through this relationship of Persons we can see that the Trinity is not a foreign entity, but something that is very close and life giving. 

Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Pentecost Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is on Pentecost that we call to mind the apostles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit which sent them forth to spread the message of the Gospel throughout the whole world.

From the Gospel of Saint Luke we are told, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him.”

These words present the Holy Spirit to us as an being an advocate. This word “advocate” comes to us from the Latin word “advocatus” which means “called upon.” During the Middle Ages it was an advocatus who was the representative of the ruler to perform certain responsibilities which had been entrusted to him.

The Holy Spirit is an important advocate for us. Through the Holy Spirit the Lord remains with us until the end of time. It is the Holy Spirit who enhances our relationship with God and makes it possible to allow God to dwell within our heart.

The Holy Spirit serves as an advocate for the Holy Spirit is constantly working for our good. The Holy Spirit desires that we come know truth and to open our heart unto it. For this reason the promptings of the Holy Spirit are very important for us. They tug at us and move our heart onto God.

Through the Holy Spirit we allow all wounds to be healed, bad habits to be conquered, sins to diminish. The Holy Spirit is our advocate in the midst of all that we are called to endure in this life. Like the apostles we are not sent forth to encounter them alone, but with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

For this reason we can and should allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our life of faith. The question is not what we will do, but what God does for us. It was the Holy Spirit who was found at work in the apostles and they accomplished great things in the most difficult of times. Likewise, if we entrust ourself to the Holy Spirit we can accomplish great things in God’s Name even in these most difficult of times. Let us not impede this advocate, but allow Him to be found at work within us.

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

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers. We thank you for the gift of life and pray that the Blessed Mother way intercede for you always. She was the mother of the Lord and watches over all those who have devotion to her that they may be taken closer to her Son.

Please pray for Bishop-elect Mark Beckman who has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new bishop of Knoxville. His ordination Mass will take place on July 26th. At the conclusion Mass we will now pray for Bishop-elect Beckman which is a new prayer that can be found in your pew.

Today we celebrate the Transferred Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven. This feast draws many parallels to His Transfiguration. It was at the Transfiguration that the Lord went with two of His apostles to a mountaintop and revealed His divinity unto them. This glimpse into His divinity strengthened them as they would soon undergo the Passion and death of the Lord.

Both accounts take place high upon a mountain which is understood to be a place where God goes in order to reveal Himself to us. Upon this mountain He revealed Himself to be divine in nature as His clothes came to be dazzling white. Also, upon this mountain He was taken into Heaven both Body and Soul. As He is taken up our sight must be elevated upward in order that we may dare to go where He has now gone before.

At the Transfiguration Peter desired to make three booths for He was not ready to be separated from this experience. The same held true for the apostles at the time of the Lord’s Ascension. As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Luke, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

This departure that took place at the Transfiguration as well as at the Ascension is not a bad thing. We are not being left alone as if abandoned. Hope has not been ripped away from us. Rather, this departure that the Lord undergoes is leading us into freedom. Through it we are being led towards the Promised Land as the Israelites who had been liberated from their slavery were led towards the Promised Land.

For this reason we must elevate our sight upward to where He has now gone before, Heaven. In these days which lay ahead we must prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost just like the apostles. It is the Holy Spirit who came upon the apostles as a strong driving wind moving them forward into the abundant harvest of the Lord. This same Holy Spirit must come upon us to sanctify our heart that we may live for the Lord.

Let this celebration of the Lord’s Ascension convince us of what is truly important in this life. No matter the ups and down that we face with life we are a possession of the Lord and we should live as such. Let our fervent desire be that we will be lifted up the Lord when all is said and done and thus hear those words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

5th Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

The month of May is devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prior to this Mass we held a May crowning ceremony as a reminder of this. When we look to the life of Mary we are able to see one who not only hears, but puts into action what was heard. She was a woman of great faith and as was stated by the archangel Gabriel in reference to her, “full of grace.” She came to give her “yes” unto God which shows that she was willing to put her faith into action.

We must also foster such devotion unto her that our heart and mind may come to dwell with her Son always. Devotion to the Blessed Mother does not end with her, but flows outward to her Son. It is her Son that we must come to love more intimately by how we choose to live and order our life on this earth. So often people are found chasing after things which lead them further and further away from her Son.

To be people of faith requires much from us. This reality transcends sitting in a church and listening with our ears. We must be willing to open our heart and mind up to the gift of God’s grace in order that we may be found receptive of such a gift. Some see the life of faith to be that which is lived in the church for a moment, but instead that which we receive here must be brought out into the world and lived.

In the words of the Epistle of Saint James, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” These words testify to the fact that the faith which has been handed down to us must be lived. It is not to be lived in segregated realities, but in the totality of who we are and what we do. How we choose to spend our time, our money, and the company that we keep must be reflective of this verse.

Do we believe in Jesus and the faith that has been handed down to us or do we see it as some social club that lacks merit? The early Church took these words to heart. We see this through the countless amount of martyrs who were willing to lay down their life for Christ. Martyrdom might not be something that will be required of us, but do we truly desire to live our life for Him or would we rather live it for something else?

As we are also told in the Epistle of Saint James, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” Let us set our sight upon this Heavenly Kingdom and strive to get there with God’s help. This is truly a serious reality that cannot be taken lightly because we must be “doers of the word and not hearers only.”

May the Blessed Mother intercede for us that we may live our life in such a manner. Saint Mary, pray for us!