23rd Sunday of OT Year A Homily

We are each called upon to assist each other with great charity to stay upon the path that leads towards Heaven. So often we fear about giving offense to another due to the faith that we have; be it a spouse, a child, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, or somebody that we encounter in passing. Nevertheless, our Gospel instructs us that we must care for all these people and thus be concerned with helping to lead them towards Heaven. This concern should strike fear in our hearts because this concern should be held as being most serious. It is so easy to look the other way and be accepting of another's sins, but indeed it is a lot tougher to walk with them as an assisting hand which leads towards the Heavenly Kingdom. To be this assisting hand is most tough because it requires work on our part, it requires us to truly live out the virtue of charity, it requires us to embrace the conversion that we are also in need of, and it requires trust in God that His will shall be accomplished in all things.

 

The Sacraments place us upon a path that leads towards God. Faithfully living out the Sacraments will keep us firmly grounded upon this path, but so often we lose trust in them and thus fall entirely away from this path. We cannot allow ourself to forget, even for a moment, that Holy Matrimony is a Sacrament. The path that two enter into within this Sacrament is not to lead them into enslavement to their passions or the abuse of the other, but instead it is to assist them in truly living and thus keeping them firmly grounded upon the path that leads towards Heaven. It is the role of the husband and wife to communicate with each other especially at those moments of sin where we cannot allow ourself to look the other way or even to participate in the sinful activities of the spouse. When we are participating or ignoring this reality we are not faithfully living out the vocation that we have responded to by our life.

The starting foundation for our life of faith was begun in us at the moment of baptism. In most cases it is babies who are brought to the Church and are baptized. This is a most important moment for parents and godparents to remember because after all the child cannot answer for themselves. They are not just bringing a child to have water poured on their head as some ritualistic action that is only family tradition. This is a most serious action that takes place, especially for parents and godparents, because they say "yes" to God through their responses. It is their desire to be an example of the faith that will help to lead their children along the path that leads towards Heaven. Out of love for God and for your children you promise to bring your children to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, you promise that your children will receive the other sacraments of initiation, and you promise to teach your children about the faith. Out of love for God and them we cannot ignore these responsibilities, but take them seriously.

Through the course of the day we encounter so many people. We encounter those who we work with, are friends with, and people who we will never get the opportunity to know. Despite how much we know somebody or don't know them; we must remember that all of them have been created out of love in the image and the likeness of God and therefore should live as if they are oriented towards Heaven. In the workplace we should find ways to avoid situations that lead to gossip, the putting down of another, or the use of crude language. None of these give aid in our spread of the faith to those whom we meet. Among friends and family we may know of people who have left the faith for some reason, but never reach out to them to bring them back into union with Christ through the great gift that is the Holy Eucharist. We are not asked to look the other way or to participate in the sins of another, but instead we are asked to be concerned for all and to help walk with others along the path that leads to Heaven.

If we are to have this concern and this desire in our heart, we must be balanced in the virtue of charity. Charity is so often confused to be the acceptance of everything, but this is not charity. Charity is most vividly seen through the Holy Trinity where we observe that within the three Persons of the Trinity love in equally shared and is in no way abused. We cannot leave this Church and act without charity in our encounters with others because if we do we will be unable to move with people along the path that leads to Heaven. When we guide a spouse, child, friend, or somebody else along this path we cannot attack them or put them down because this would not be living out charity. On the other hand, we can not look the other way or partake in another's sin because this also would not be living out authentic charity. If we can find no other way to engage these people, to be loving guides for them in the faith, we can always turn towards prayer. When Saint Monica desired the conversion of her own son, Augustine, and it did not come immediately, she did not just give up on him and look the other way, but in her charity she prayed for her son's conversion. Indeed this day may all of us be filled with great charity, become true examples of the faith, and be willing to assist others towards the Heavenly Kingdom.

22nd Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Every time we come into the Church we have the opportunity to glance upon something that is very counter cultural. What I am speaking about is the cross of our Lord where we will notice that He is found attached to the cross, not separated from it. Hopefully we do not allow ourself to easily pass by the crucifix found within the Church, within our own home, or around our own neck without our minds being attracted not only to our Lord, but also to what He was willing to endure for each of us. In our meditation upon the crucifixion we must each realize that we have contributed to it and thus we must allow the cross to assist us in accepting sacrifice and coming to embrace true conversion. From Venerable Fulton Sheen: "The Soviet Union is like the cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the cross."

Indeed Saint Peter desired to have it this way. He wanted to have a relationship with Christ, but desired to deny the reality of the cross. He wanted to hear the words that Christ would proclaim, but he desired to separate them from action. He wanted the comfort that Christ brought into his life, but he was unwilling to embrace the pains that this relationship would lead towards. He was content with his life as he knew it and therefore was found unwilling to be pressed into change for the sake of the Heavenly Kingdom. Through Saint Peter's denial of our Lord we can see his fear and his lack of trust. Through his denial we can also find each of us who so easily desire to proclaim Christ to be our Lord, but are unwilling to accept the pains of the cross that come with such a proclamation.

Pope Francis's first homily as pope attests to this through saying: "When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly: we may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord." May we truly listen to these words from our Holy Father because they invite us to become true disciples of the Lord who are always willing to put their faith into action. So many easily proclaim their faith in Christ, but are unwilling to actually express it by their life. The cross shows to us that our faith must be put into action, and therefore cannot only be mere words. Of course what this may lead us towards may indeed be most uncomfortable for us, this was also uncomfortable for Saint Peter, this was also uncomfortable for the apostles, and yes the pains of the cross were also uncomfortable for Christ.

Despite how uncomfortable this reality may be to embrace we are told: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." When we are able to come to heed these words that are proclaimed by Christ we will be able to show that our faith is not just words, but is also our actions. Every single time that we pass by the cross we cannot actually say that we have embraced conversion and thus have become true disciples of our Lord. Instead through coming to embrace the cross we realize the value of our sacrifice, the reality of the need for conversion, we see the mercy that Christ extends to us, and yes eventually we will see the true happiness that Christ desired Saint Peter and His apostles to discover through the cross. May we not fear the cross nor may we pass by it as if it is something that is to be despised. May the cross be truly embraced by each of us that we may put our faith into action and truly become disciples of the Lord.

So often we might hear from people of other faith traditions the question of why the crucifix and not the cross because after all our Lord has risen, so why continue to hold Him to the cross. Indeed our Lord has truly risen, the Church does not deny this reality, but we must remember that we were not saved by a cross. We were saved by the sacrifice that was offered by Christ upon the cross. Whenever we glance upon the crucifix, we join with Mary who looked upon the cross where her Son hung and we truly in the words of Saint Paul are able "to proclaim Him crucified." The crucifix serves as a reminder that we are each called to become true disciples  who thus have been called to embrace the pains of the cross. The cross brings value to our relationship with Christ because it shows that none of our suffering is made in vain, it shows that we have each been redeemed through this sacrifice, and it shows that our faith must always be put into action. May we not take the gift of the crucifix for granted, but instead may we allow it to transform our life to better be able to love and live our life of faith by becoming true disciples of the Lord.

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A Homily

Within every Mass we hear these or similar words expressed within the Eucharistic Prayer: "together with your servant Francis our Pope and Richard our Bishop, and all those, who holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith." These are most important of words to hear within the Mass because they remind us of the unity that is found within the Church as is expressed through the Holy Eucharist. It is of no mistake that this petition is made within the Eucharistic Prayer because it is here that Christ comes to dwell with us within the Holy Eucharist and through this Eucharistic sacrifice we as a body of many are shown to be of one faith and mind. This petition found within every Eucharistic Prayer expresses this great reality to us because we are unified in our belief through our bishops and through the Holy Father. It is up to these individuals to be guided by the truth of the Holy Spirit and to preserve for us what has been taught by Christ our Lord.

In our Gospel Christ bestows upon Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the moment when Christ was prepared for the events of His own passion which would soon unfold and realized that He needed to establish on this earth a leader who would preserve His teachings and help to spread the faith throughout the world. It was at this moment that Peter became the first pope of the Church and from this moment forward would come a total of  265 successors. Peter of course was not alone in spreading this message throughout the face of the earth, but he was joined by the other 11 apostles who would help to spread the faith and eventually would come more bishops who would rise up with their death in order to stand unified with the pope. Through the unity that is found through our bishops, through the teaching of the pope, and which is expressed to us through the Holy Eucharist may we remember that in all things we should be drawn into a closer relationship with Christ.

Christ did not call Peter to become the fist pope of the Church because He was without sin. We must remember that prior to this event Peter walked into the sea and he sunk due to his lack of faith. Following this moment in scripture He would go onto deny the possibility that Christ would be willing to die upon the cross and we all remember that he would go onto deny Him three times. The other eleven also join with Peter, not in perfection, but despite their lack of perfection they were called to be unified in their faith and thus to also grow in holiness. Christ had the desire that Peter would come to follow Him more closely. Christ also had the desire that His own apostles would come to know and to love Him more intimately. In their unity of faith placed within Christ they would be able to come to this understanding and all this growth would take place inside of their life. In the unity of faith that was expressed through their ministry they grew in their understanding and their love for God.

May we also join with them in growing in our own unity with Christ. Christ does not desire for us to walk about as if we are lost without anything to attach ourselves to. Christ desires that we will each come to follow Him more closely. Christ also desires that we will come to love Him more intimately. The more that we allow ourselves to be unified in our faith; the more we are growing in our love for God. The Eucharist that we will receive today, if worthy, is the reality of this great unity. From the Second Vatican Council's document Lumen Gentium"As often as the sacrifice of the cross in which Christ our Passover was sacrificed, is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried on, and, in the sacrament of the eucharistic bread, the unity of all believers who form one body in Christ is both expressed and brought about. All men are called to this union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our whole life strains."

Indeed may we allow ourself to grow in the unity that is found within the Eucharist because it is only here where we will allow ourself to follow after Christ and to love Him more intimately. May we remember always to pray for our holy father, for all bishops, and for all the clergy that they may abandon any selfishness to only proclaim faithfully the Gospel that was proclaimed by Christ. May all the lay faithful of the Church also grow in this expression of faith that is found through the unity of the Eucharist. It will be here that we will be able to look Christ into the eye with the desire to follow after Him instead of the many false voices that exist within the world that divide us instead of unify us as one body of believers. In this manner we will truly begin to love Christ in a more intimate way. May we each continue to live this love through what we encounter through the unity of our faith as is expressed within the great gift that is the Holy Eucharist.

10th Sunday After Pentecost Homily (Extraordinary Form)

In our gospel we encounter two men who are very different. The Pharisee is filled pride while the publican is a man who embraces humility. Through the prayer of the Pharisee we see this pride displayed through the fact that he cannot admit that he has committed any sin, that all his works seem to be for his own benefit, and the fact that he was unable to love his neighbor as someone created in the image and the likeness of God. The Publican ,on the other hand, comes to us in great simplicity and he plays the complete opposite of the Pharisee. He does not allow himself to hide behind pride, his works, nor his judgement of others. His confession is not about pointing the finger at other people or trying to act as if he is perfect in the eyes of God, but is about admitting his sin and his need for God's infinite mercy. The Publican shows to us our own need to respond to God's mercy through humility. Through humility we show the desire to be forgiven and to walk away from our sinfulness.

The action of the Publican is very similar to the actions that we make within the Mass. In his confession to God he struck his breast as a sign of his sinfulness and his desire to avail himself to the mercy of God. In the Confiteor we strike our breast on three occasions as we say "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." When we offer this prayer we should not just be proclaiming words and making gestures, but instead we should be embracing the humility of the Publican who admitted his sinfulness and his need for God's mercy. Within the Roman Canon I will say "to us, also, your servants, who, though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies" while I strike my breast. This action is done because none of us are worthy to enter into these most sacred mysteries and yet through Christ's sacrifice that has been offered have been invited to share within them.

We will also mimic the words, thoughts, and actions of the Publican prior to our reception of Christ in Holy Communion. Lifting the host I will say "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world" and you will respond three times at such a wondrous invitation "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed" while striking your breast on each occasion. This is a great action of humility which should not be rushed past as if they were mere words or actions. At this moment of the Mass we are preparing to receive Christ into our life through the reception of Holy Communion. This action should never be passed over as if it is not important, but instead should be taken with great seriousness. The Publican displays to us that even at the thought at coming into contact with God our hearts should be moved towards humility, and so it is for us when we receive Christ who is present within the Holy Eucharist.

From the moment that we enter into this Church our hearts should be moved to such preparation to enter into the mysteries that are about to unfold before us. The Pharisee had every opportunity to prepare his own heart, but his pride got in the way of him ever being able to do so. The Publican, on the other hand, was prepared for the confession that he made because he entered into it through humility which made it an authentic confession. May we therefore allow our own hearts to be examined when we enter into the Church for the Mass. When we are about to receive our Lord in Communion may we not allow ourself to rush past as if we are entering into nothing of great importance. May we join ourself with the Publican who did not make excuses, who did not hide behind his works, and was not filled with pride.

When we allow ourself to join with the Publican we will indeed see and know that God's mercy is present because we truly desire it within our hearts. The way of the Pharisee always leads in the opposite direction because this way never allows ourself to admit that we are actually in need of God's mercy. Through the many motions that we make within the Mass we show that this pride is not true and instead it is to be overcome in order that we can move into union with God. May we allow the words and actions of the Mass to transform us here and now and to assist us within the world that we must enter back into that we may continue to trust in God's great mercy and to allow it to unfold further in our life each day. In this way we will take the words of our Gradual to heart and allow the Lord to be our protector instead of allowing ourself to do so through the falsehood of our pride. 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Homily

Today through the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven we are able to display our great faith that Mary has conquered over death. This is a most meaningful celebration for each of us, because we to hopefully desire to conquer over death and to one day be able to join in perfect union with God for all eternity. We should not be alarmed at the celebration that is made this day because in no way are we celebrating Mary as an equal with God, but instead we celebrate the great faith and trust that Mary always had placed in God the Father which in return ushered her into her Heavenly reward. We to should look towards the Mother of God and desire within our own hearts to immolate the faith and the trust that is found here. This is so because she shows that Heaven is not only for God, but through the sacrifice that was offered by Christ upon the wood of the cross, is also obtainable for each of us. With great faith and great trust placed in God may we therefore not fear to obtain such a wondrous gift.

For some reason we do fear to pursue such a wondrous gift. We fear the fact that desiring to obtain Heaven here and now will cause us to change the very way that we are able to live out our life. Indeed it is never easy for us to pursue change. Whenever we have change thrown upon us we usually meet it with great resentment, but if we persevere for only a little while that change soon becomes second nature. Religion is about so much more then claiming that we are "religious," but instead religion challenges us to grow in our faith, in our trust, and to daily embrace conversion. The "religious person" concept does nothing, but shows a vague belief in God that has yet to become founded in true belief. The next step for the "religious person" is to embrace the pains that are required by having authentic faith and trust because this will require us to change some facet of our life. Mary shows that such an authentic trust and belief in God is indeed most valuable and displays the great fact that such trust and belief should not be feared.

We should not fear Heaven because only here will we come to obtain true peace and belonging from a world that has been touched by death and by sin. In Heaven we are not pointing to a place like a star in the sky that can easily be pointed out, but instead we are speaking about something that is so much greater. Heaven is a difficult term for our mind to grasp because each of us are only able to explain it through our limited human knowledge. Benedict XVI states concerning Heaven: "It is his Love that triumphs over death and gives us eternity and it is this love that we call "Heaven": God is so great that he also makes room for us. And Jesus the man, who at the same time is God, is the guarantee for us that the being-man and the being-God can exist and live, the one within the other, for eternity." With this is mind we are able to see that Heaven is our unending existence with God who created us out of love and desires for to continue to share within that love forever.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is about that sharing within this love for all eternity. Mary, as we know, was conceived without sin in order that she could be the God-bearer who would bring Jesus into this world through her womb. Mary at the Annunciation showed her great faith and her great sense of humility by giving her unending "yes" to God. She lived her life in great obedience and great trust placed in God's law and from this reality she was never stained by the stain of sin. Mary is fully human alone like each of us who are gathered here this day, and yet her love for God was so great that she never fell into sin. She shows to us in her Assumption that God's love is indeed so powerful that it is obtainable for each of us. She leads us forth by her example that Heaven is about sharing in the love that is found within the Holy Trinity. In this most profound love we see the need for faith and for trust and for conversion because only in this way will we truly come to embrace God who is love.

As Mary journeyed to meet Elizabeth, who was with child, may we to journey towards embracing the love of God no matter what hardship it will cause us to endure within this life. May our Blessed Mother truly show us that this path is attainable and that through embracing it we will indeed be embracing love itself. The pains that exist due to embracing true faith, true trust, and true conversion are all so important for us if we are serious about the reality of Heaven. Our Blessed Mother's love was so great because she always allowed herself to be found faithful upon the path leading towards Heaven instead of the path that leads away from it. In her Assumption she shows that we are each called to enter into the love that is found in Heaven. This day Mary shows the great joy for each of us that death can indeed be conquered if we truly desire to have faith, to have trust, and to desire conversion from our sinfulness. Indeed may we cry out to the Blessed Mother, with great faith and trust, to intercede on our behalf that we may come to hear the word of God and in return observe it by our life.