Be perfect, that's all...

7^th Sunday OT:

Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Clear enough?  I guess I should just sit down now.  All that Jesus expects of his disciples is that we be perfect.  So, if you are not perfect yet, get cracking on that…  I will check back with you next week.  Let’s hope we are all perfect by then.

How do you hear these words?  Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  At first it may sound a little bit like Jesus is being completely unreasonable.  He seems to be asking for something that is clearly beyond our power to achieve. 

As some of you may know, I have a couple of jokes that I use over and over again. One of my favorite jokes is when I see kids who are going into the gym for basketball practice, I always ask them what they are doing: going to basketball practice…  So, I always ask them quite seriously, ok, would you mind doing me a favor?  When you are slam-dunking the basketball, would you make sure you don’t hang on the rim?  I don’t want to have to replace those hoops, they are expensive.  One girl said to me, sheepishly, “Fr. Jake, I can’t even touch the net…”  The funny part of the joke is that I’m asking 4 ft tall 5^th graders not to dunk a basketball, because it is so obvious that none of them can jump that high.  Asking them to dunk a basketball is something clearly beyond their ability.

When Jesus is asking us to be perfect as God the Father is perfect, he is clearly calling us to something beyond our ability.  But we know, without a doubt, that Jesus is loving and benevolent.  He is not calling us to perfection simply as a way to leave us frustrated failures.  His call to perfection is not so much an expectation, but an inspiration.

Nobody knows us better than Jesus Christ.  He is the Word through whom all things were made.  Even more, Jesus Christ became human.  He knows us inside and out, so to speak.  He would never call us to perfection unless he saw that potential within us.  He knows we can do better than sinfulness, he knows we were not created for mediocrity.  He did not come to earth to die on the cross so that we would become basically nice people.  He came to call us to something so much more.

And don’t we want that?  Don’t we want more than just mediocrity?  I don’t know about you, but I have always been a competitive person.  If you don’t believe me, ask my Mom.  I have never been satisfied with just good enough.  I always wanted to win every game, to get an A in every class.  I haven’t always been able to get that, but I want to.  Is that an unrealistic expectation?  Sure, it is unrealistic to expect perfection, but I want it. 

I think that there is a desire for perfection, a desire for holiness in the heart of each of us.  We want to be holy, we want to overcome our sins, we want to live for others.  We might not quite get there.  But, doesn’t Jesus’ call to perfection resonate in your heart?  It does in mine.  When I hear Jesus telling us to be perfect, I don’t know if I could possibly get there in this life, but I want to.  It makes me want to turn to Jesus.  Yes, Lord, I do want to be perfect.  Help me, give me the grace, show me the places where I need to grow.  You Lord have called me to be perfect, now help me. 

What a beautiful gift we have in the Eucharist.  Here the perfect one, the Son of God, gives us his body and blood to be our food and drink.  Here he gives us the strength to fight against sin, to fight against our weakness and shortcomings.  It is true that Jesus calls us to be perfect, but here in the Holy Eucharist he gives us grace grow in holiness.  We will never be perfect in this life, and that’s ok.  But, through the power of this sacrament Christ will help us to be more like him.

The Light of the World

Presentation of the Lord Year A:

         Today The Lord is brought into the temple. We might have a tendency to think this a bit strange. After all Jesus Christ is the son of God. God dwells in the temple. So bringing Jesus into the temple seems a bit redundant. But, notice how he is presented. He is presented in accordance with all the laws and guidelines of the Old Testament. In other words he is presented not because of his divinity, but because of his humanity. And what an amazing presentation.

         As our second reading says today he became like us in every way. Jesus is fully human. So when he is presented to God he is Gods own son, but he is one of us. Now when God looks on humanity he sees the face of his son.

This week I received an urgent call that someone was near death down at the nursing home. I can't tell you how much I'm honored to be a priest in those moments. To be with a person as they prepare to meet Christ and to be with the family. But, I was thinking about the prayers we say during that right. At one moment we pray: "May The Lord look upon our sister and see in her the face of his own suffering son" let us pray to The Lord. I find that a beautiful reflection on the incarnation. When God looks at us he can't help but see Jesus. Through our common humanity we are united to Jesus Christ.  So when Christ is presented in the temple today, we are all presented to God with him.

But, we all know that the Lord is never outdone in generosity.  We present Jesus to him, and God gives him back to us as a light to the nations.  At the beginning of this mass we all lit candles.  This candle reminds us of the first candle most of us received, our baptismal candle.  On the day of our baptism we were given a light, or our parents and godparents received this light for us.  The prayer is quite beautiful that goes along with it: this light has been entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly, you have been enlightened by Christ, walk always a child of the light.  This light is a powerful symbol because it represents Christ who is our guide in life.

The summer after Hurricane Katrina I went on a mission trip to New Orleans.  On our way we stopped at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  As the name implies it is a huge cave.  One part of the tour included letting us experience what total darkness felt like.  At one point deep in the cave they turned out all the lights and there was absolutely no light what so ever.  Now I don’t normally consider myself afraid of the dark, but I have never been in such a dark place in my life.  It was almost like the darkness was alive and pressing in on me from every side.  The strangest part was blinking, because there was absolutely no change.  Then, for some reason, someone took out their cell phone.  And the little light from the screen seemed like the brightest light I had ever seen.  No matter how dark it might seem, even a faint light can seem tremendously bright.

This is the role Christ wants to have in our life.  To be a light.  His light might seem brighter at times, fainter at other times.  But, the darkness can never overcome his light.  I don’t mind sharing that this has been a particularly dark week for many of us.  The diocese announced that one of our priests has been suspended because of credible allegations of child abuse.  Another priest died recently.  A member of our parish staff had a stroke on Tuesday, then another member of our parish staff is grieving the loss of her father, then today we are all grieving the loss of Joe Becker another member of our parish staff.  There is another family in the parish that many of you know who is dealing with a tremendously scary medical condition.  Seems like an awful lot of darkness.  But, the darkness never wins.  Christ came to shine a light in the darkness.  He came to lead us.  He came to strengthen us.  He came to unite us to the Father, so that when the Father looks at us, he sees his beloved sons and daughters.  So my friends during dark and difficult times, we turn to Christ, the light of the world.

The mission of our Parish: Behold the Lamb of God

2^nd Sunday OT Year A:

Behold the Lamb of God.  We hear powerful words from John the Baptist today.  Behold the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world.  Quite the amazing statement really.  John’s listeners would have recognized that language right away.  The Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world was the lamb that was sacrificed in the temple.  Exodus 29 instructs the Israelites to sacrifice an unblemished lamb twice per day.  This offering of this sacrifice was seen as a way of atoning for the sinfulness of the people.

So, when John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, it is not necessarily a happy title.  Imagine being called a lamb that is killed and offered to God.  And yet, this title summarizes the whole gospel: Jesus is the Lamb of God, he came to offer himself for the salvation of the whole world.  Everything we believe is rooted in this mystery: Jesus came to die and to rise.  As the Lamb of God, his sacrifice brings about salvation for all those who believe in him.

How fitting it is then that we repeat the words of St. John every day at Mass.  I’m often quite amazed and humbled to have the privilege of saying these words.  I take the Eucharist in my hands, hold up Jesus and proclaim to the whole world: behold the Lamb of God. 

It is no accident that we use this title of Lamb of God during the Mass.  The Mass is the fullest expression of our faith, and the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.  So, at this Mass, and at every Mass, we proclaim the Good News: behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  This is the heart of our faith.

But, it is interesting how the gospel passage ends.  John says: I have seen and have testified that he is the Son of God.  Notice that when it comes to Christian discipleship there are always two components: belief and witness.  I have seen, this means that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  I have testified, this means that he is moved to give witness, to share this message, to live it out.  This happens in the Mass too.  We say, behold the Lamb of God, we say that we believe in Jesus, and at the end of the Mass we say: Go and announce the gospel of the Lord, or Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.  Belief always leads to witness; belief always leads to mission. 

St. Jude is certainly a parish that believes in this connection between faith and mission.  I have been truly amazed to witness the way that this parish responds to Christ’s invitation to discipleship.  There is never a dull moment here at St. Jude!  There is some activity or committee or prayer group or catechetical session taking place here every day of the week.  This parish is doing amazing things.  I would like to share a couple of the wonderful things going on here at St. Jude.

First, there is the excellent school.  I can tell you that I find my interactions with your sons and daughters to be an inspiring and uplifting experience.  Whether it is cracking jokes with the servers before Mass, asking the kids questions during the homily at school masses, visiting them in the classrooms, or dodging kickballs as I walk through the parking lot at recess, I find cheerful and well behaved children.  I find that they are learning and growing, especially growing in their faith.  At the first all school Mass of the year I gave them all a homework assignment (we all know how much kids love homework!).  But, their assignment was this: to become saints.  This is the homework assignment for all of us, to become saints.  So, I’m always asking the kids when I see them: do you remember your homework assignment?  Yes, I’m supposed to become a saint.  Good!  This describes well our mission at St. Jude School, to help the children in our care to become saints!

Second, I have been edified at the way that St. Jude values and respects the sacraments.  The very first weekend I was here, I was blown away by the way you respond and sing at Mass.  The participation level here is fantastic.  This shows that St. Jude values and respects the Mass.  Also, since I have been here, I have had the privilege of hearing thousands of confessions.  We have confessions 6 days a week, 3 times on Saturdays.  Devotion to the sacrament of confession is strong.  I have also been impressed at the response of those families who are preparing for first communion or confirmation.  The children in school or religious ed are receiving wonderful preparation, and they are truly excited to receive these sacraments.  The parents have been coming to special preparation sessions, and these have been wonderful opportunities for all of us to grow and learn about the sacraments.  Then there is the great RCIA program: we have dedicated leadership, a great group of core members, and a committed group of sponsors helping our candidates learn about Jesus. 

Another thing that St. Jude does well is funerals.  I’m so thankful for the many people who give of their time and talent to help those families who are grieving.  From the dedicated staff and volunteers who help families plan the funeral mass, to the choir and servers who help honor the memory of those who have died.  Then there are the wonderful folks who help serve funeral lunches, and the great people who give of themselves to reach out to support grieving families long after the funeral is over. 

And, of course, there are so many more things happening here too.  CRHP helps people grow closer to Christ, Arise groups enable people to dig deeper into God’s holy word, our Mom’s group provides a place for moms to share and grow in their faith, our adoration chapel is a spiritual home for many, food collections and food baskets reach out to those in need, Social Action committee designates funds to many worthy causes all over the world.  This is certainly a parish that takes seriously these words: go and announce the gospel of the Lord.

I am truly blessed to be a part of such a parish.  This is an amazing place that is doing God’s work in the world. 

This week you will be receiving some information from us in the mail.  I am going to be asking the whole parish to recommit themselves to the mission of St. Jude Parish.  The ministries and mission of St. Jude is only possible because of your amazing generosity.  The name of our new stewardship program is Committed to Christ, Living in Gratitude.  I think this summarizes so well what I find here at St. Jude.  This parish believes in Christ, is committed to him.  We understand that everything we have, everything we are comes from Christ.  This is why we respond by living in gratitude.  Next weekend we will have an opportunity as a whole parish to commit ourselves to the mission of St. Jude Parish, to make a return to the Lord for all he has done for us. 

Behold the Lamb of God, indeed we do believe in him, and by our devoted commitment to the mission of St. Jude Parish we are giving testimony in the world that indeed he is the Son of God.

  

God became like us, so that we might become like Him.

Baptism of the Lord:

One of the dangers of Christianity is that we know that the events of scripture took place a long time ago.  It has been 2000 years since this little baby was born in the manger.  But, the story of Jesus’ life is not just some interesting story.  The story of Jesus’ life is not just some time-bound tale of something that happened long ago.  Rather, Jesus’ story is always timeless and current.

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, he is the Word made flesh.  So, everything he did has an impact on all of us.  There is a simple maxim that we should all learn, which will help us to interpret and understand the events of the gospel.  In the person of Jesus, God became human so that the human race might become like God.  God became a man, so that all men and women could become like God.  He was like us in all things but sin, so that in everything we do, we can see Christ with us, we can look to Christ as a model and an inspiration.

For the past 2 and ½ weeks we have been celebrating the birthday of Jesus.  We have taken some time to reflect on our beautiful manger scene.  Unfortunately, the manger scene has to come down today.  But, in that baby we see Christ, the Son of God.  And how amazing it is that he decided to be born like all of us.  Christ could have arrived on a fiery, but he decided to be born of a woman.  Why?  Because we are all born of women.  Christ wanted to become like us in all things.

I think this is the best way for us to understand the baptism of Jesus today.  For centuries, thinkers in the Church have tried to understand why Jesus would be baptized.  Normally, baptism is a symbol of repentance.  Jesus had no sin, no need for repentance.  Why submit to baptism?  Even John the Baptist had that question at the first moment.  Jesus was born of a woman so that he might become like us, but today he gets baptized in the waters of the Jordan so that we might become like him.  Jesus climbs into the waters and receives baptism, not so his sins are washed away, but so that ours may be washed away.  When Jesus enters the waters of baptism he opens a doorway.  Now, everyone who is baptized, from that very moment until the end of time, can be united to Christ.  When we are baptized it unites us to Christ, who was also baptized.  He indeed became like us in all things, but so that he might lift us up. 

Because of our union with Christ in baptism, the words of the Father from heaven get repeated every time another person is baptized.  You are my beloved Son, you are my beloved daughter.  In the birth of Jesus we see Christ becoming like us, but in baptism we see a chance for us to become like Christ. 

So, it is a real danger for us to let these stories stay in the past.  It is quite tempting to believe that we are not directly implicated, that these stories don’t have a bearing on our daily life.  But, this is not true.  When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we remember that he is like us.  When we celebrate his baptism, we remember that baptism unites us to him.  Later this spring, when we celebrate his death, we remember that he is with us in our own suffering and dying.  But, when we celebrate his rising to new life, we remember that if we are united to him, we will rise also.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human so that all humanity might become like God.  So, today, we thank God for the precious gift of baptism which unites us to his Son Jesus, where each of us hears the voice of the heavenly Father say, you are my beloved, in whom I am well-pleased.