Easter 2016: Alleluia

Easter 2016:

Alleluia, the Lord is Risen.  I love that word: Alleluia.  It is a Hebrew word that means: “Praise the Lord.”  Indeed, we praise the Lord today.  Jesus is risen from the dead.  He died and rose again so that all of us, even if we die, will live forever.  This word, Alleluia, captures the essence of our faith: we praise God because of all he has done for us.

On the night before he died, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.  He stooped down to wash them clean.  He said: do you realize what I have done for you?  As we think about the resurrection of Jesus, these words really strike home.  I think the resurrection is an event that we think is great for Jesus, but he did it for all of us.  There is a beautiful, ancient homily that reflects upon Jesus’ death.  It says that when Jesus died, he went into the realm of the dead to rescue Adam.  This is why Jesus died, so that he could reach all those who were imprisoned by death.  God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to seek all the lost children of Adam.  In his resurrection, he takes all of us with him.  Jesus says, do you realize what I have done for you?  As we proclaim that Jesus has been raised from the dead, we need to take it a step further and see that he rose, so that we might rise.  He lives, so that we might live.

This is a powerful and amazing message.  But, because it is something so central to our faith, it can be easy to take this message for granted.  I sometimes think about those GEICO commercials.  You know the ones?  You can save by switching to GEICO, and the response is: everyone knows that…  Sometimes the resurrection of Christ is like that: Jesus has been raised from the dead: everyone knows that…  But, stop and think about just how amazing this message really is.

We hear in the gospel today that the women went to the tomb to look for a dead man.  But, they didn’t find him.  That alone is pretty amazing.  Usually, dead people stay dead.  There is no doubt that Jesus was dead.  We heard the account of his suffering and death on Good Friday.  He was dead, but he didn’t stay that way.  Listen to the way it’s described in the gospel: the women were puzzling over the missing body, the disciples did not believe the story, Peter ran to the tomb and was amazed at what had happened.  Those first disciples were confused, amazed, surprised, and shocked.  They saw Jesus die.  There was no reason to suspect that he wouldn’t stay dead.  Even though Jesus had told them that he would rise, they were still shocked and amazed.  Jesus has been raised from the dead, everyone might know that now, but they certainly didn’t know that that first Easter Sunday. 

I love the way the gospel puts it.  The women tell the disciples and they don’t believe them because “their story seemed like nonsense.”  The greatest story ever told seemed like nonsense to Peter and the apostles.  Think about that for a second.  It seemed like nonsense.  The story was so amazing, so profound, so unbelievable, that even the apostles simply didn’t believe it early on.  The saving truth of the resurrection of Christ that most of us simply take for granted, was flat out not believed by the greatest saints in the history of the Church.  I think that when we take this story for granted we miss out on some of the power of the message.

Do you realize what I have done for you?  Ponder the mystery of the resurrection with new eyes.  Approach that empty tomb expecting to find a dead body.  Feel that sense of amazement when you see the open and empty tomb.  What could this mean?  How could this happen?  More than any other event in Jesus’ life, the resurrection shows us who Jesus really is.  Jesus Christ is the son of God.  He came here to die and rise so that we might live.  His death overcomes our sins, his death overcomes our suffering, his death overcomes our death.  His rising allows us to rise.  If we let this truth sink in, if we allow ourselves to be amazed, puzzled, shocked, and awed by that empty tomb, the effects can be amazing.

Like I said, this message wasn’t believed by the greatest saints in the history of the Church.  At least, not at first.  But, these apostles and holy women became the greatest saints ever because this story become much more than just a story.  They heard about the resurrection and didn’t believe. But, once they met the risen Christ, it changed everything.  If we want to be great saints, the same should happen for us.  We have heard this amazing story, but have we met the risen one?  Have we encountered Christ in our life in such a way that we truly realize what he has done for us?

What a blessing it is then, that we get to meet Christ right here.  The apostles met Jesus in the upper room after he was raised from the dead.  This is our upper room.  This church is our place to meet Christ.  This is the beautiful garden where we meet the risen Lord.  Right here on the altar, we celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  Right here, we see the risen Jesus.  He appears in a different form, to be sure.  But, it is the same Christ.  The Eucharist is Jesus, risen from the dead.  By meeting him here, he can transform us.

Jesus Christ has been risen from the dead, and he gives us his very body and blood here in the Holy Eucharist: everyone knows that…  But, today, on this Easter day, let’s not take this message for granted.  Rather, we renew our amazement, our wonder, our shock and awe at this profound message.  Reflecting on the resurrection of Jesus, we shout with our hearts: praise God, alleluia forever.

Good Friday

Good Friday 2016:

We just listened to the story of love, the story of mercy.  We just heard how far God will go because of his love for us.  The Father sent his Son to save us; that love led Christ to the Cross.  Especially during this Year of Mercy, the cross proclaims a powerful message of mercy.  This is how much Christ wants to save us.  He couldn’t give any more.  He gave his life, he gave everything.  If we ever question the power of God’s mercy, if we ever question the depth of God’s mercy, we have to look no farther than the cross and we get our answer.  How far is Jesus willing to go to save, heal, and forgive us?  He is willing to go all the way, even into the grave.

Last night, at the Mass of the Last Supper, we heard the words of Christ: do you realize what I have done for you?  This simple and direct question is pointed at each one of us.  Do we realize all that Christ has done for us?  Asking ourselves this question in prayer can be a wonderful spiritual exercise, because recognizing the hand of God in our lives, empowers us to live as disciples of Christ.  This whole year we have been celebrating 25 years of Stewardship here at St. Jude’s.  The first principle of stewardship is to recall that everything we are and everything we have are gifts from God.  Indeed, we have much for which to give thanks.  Do you realize what I have done for you, Christ says to us.

Today, especially, we remember Christ’s passion and death.  I’m sure it is impossible to realize fully the power of the cross.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died to save me and you.  Let this solemn day be a time to reflect on this powerful mystery.  Allow the saving power of the cross to affect your life.  One of my favorite actions of the year is our Good Friday veneration of the cross.  In a few moments, our beautiful crucifix will be brought forward, and all of us will have a chance to adore and venerate this precious cross.  As you come forward, I invite you to ponder the words of Christ.  Do you realize what I have done for you?  Answer that question by saying: yes Lord, I realize you gave your life for me, and I worship and adore you and your holy Cross.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Year C 2016:

We just heard the gripping account of the Lord’s passion.  I am particularly drawn to Luke’s passion.  Only in his gospel do we hear Jesus’ words of mercy from the cross: Father, forgive them.  Only in Luke’s gospel do we hear the dialogue with the good thief on the cross: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.  Luke’s gospel reminds us of a very important truth: the cross of Christ shows the love, mercy, and compassion of our Savior.  Jesus died on the cross so that we might live.

This message of mercy is the absolute core of our Christian faith: Jesus is God, he died so that we might live.  This message gives our lives direction and focus.  This message gives us hope.  Even though we might suffer, even though we might die, we will live forever because of the death of Christ. 

But, I was thinking about our last spiritual work of mercy.  Today we think about instructing the ignorant.  I know that ignorant is almost like an insult.  We might call people ignorant as a way to demean them.  But, ignorant is a term that simply means a person who “doesn’t know.”  So, I know absolutely nothing about nuclear physics or rocket propulsion.  I don’t mind in the least if you call me ignorant about those things.  Ignorant is not a bad word, it just means we don’t know.  But, what about the message of Christ?  This message of mercy is the greatest message in the history of the world.  This one fact is the most important thing to know.  We are gathered here today because of this fact.  We are not ignorant to this important truth.  But, there are many in our world who simply do not know Jesus.  They don’t know the Church.  They don’t know the sacraments.  We all learned this message because someone took the time to instruct the ignorant.  And I’m certainly glad they did.  We have just heard the most important story in the world.  Now, it is up to us to be sure that others hear this Good News.  Holy Week is a great time to share the truths of our faith with others.  Maybe there is someone at work, maybe someone at school, someone you know: can you instruct the ignorant?  Can you share the Good News with them?  Invitation bags are prepared at the doors of Church.  Maybe they would be a good way for you to share the message of Christ.  He said to the Good Thief: today you will be with me in paradise.  He wants to tell that same message to others through you as well.  

I do not condemn you, go and sin no more

5th Sunday of Lent Year C:

            In today’s gospel we hear the story of the woman caught in adultery.  This is a helpful and insightful gospel.  But, unfortunately, it really only applies to people who are sinners.  So if you are not a sinner you can stop paying attention for the next couple of minutes.  Now, for the rest of us, we are all included here.  All of us who are sinners should see ourselves in this passage.  Whether our sins are like that of the woman, or that of the Pharisees and scribes, this story is talking about us.  I think that if we reflect on this passage we will gain a terrific insight into God's mercy, especially the sacrament of reconciliation.

At the heart of this story is Jesus.  He is put in a terrible position.  The scribes and Pharisees are trying to trap him.  According to the law this woman should be put to death for her sins.  If Jesus simply overlooks the woman's sin he would give the impression that sin does not matter and that we should overlook the commandments. But, stoning this woman contradicts his message of mercy: God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that all those who believe in him might have eternal life.  Jesus came to lift us out of sin, not to smite us on account of sin.  His solution to the problem is very simple and beautiful.  He reminds the scribes and Pharisees that none of us are free from sin, if we remember that we are all in need of God's mercy, we will be more merciful to others.  But, then he tells the woman, go and sin no more.  Jesus tells us that we all need God’s mercy, and we need to move away from sin.

            When I meditate on this passage I think about the sacrament of Confession because it really covers all sinners.  Sometimes we are like that woman.  Maybe there is someone out there who is struggling with grave sin.  If so, we have absolutely nothing to fear.  God is all love, all the time.  Christ did not come to condemn, but to heal.  The woman in the story must have seen that compassion written on his face, or else she would have reacted quite differently.  Of course confession makes us nervous, don't you think the woman caught in adultery was nervous?  But, we have nothing to fear.  Jesus came not to condemn, but to heal.  This is what the condemning men in the story did not understand at first.  More than likely, this is what we fail to understand as well.  It is easy to pick up those rocks and hurl them at others who may be sinners, or have offended us personally.  But, how can we judge others when we acknowledge our own sinfulness.  The central message of this story is that mercy is for everyone; confession is for everyone, when we go to confession Jesus speaks to us: I do not condemn you, go and sin no more.

Today’s spiritual work of mercy is bearing wrongs patiently.  This gospel shows us a great way to bear wrongs.  First, Jesus did not react harshly to the Pharisees, nor to the woman in adultery.  He was put in a terrible position, but he remained calm.  Also, his core message really helps us to be more patient: the person without sin is the only one who has the right to judge and condemn.  Since none of us are without sin, none of us have the right to condemn or criticize.  It is certainly the case that we all get wronged in our lives.  We all have times when the sins of another person directly affect us.  These moments can be terribly painful and frustrating.  Our default position is probably to become angry or frustrated.  But, the next time you are wronged, say a simple prayer with the words of Christ: let the one with no sin be the first to throw a stone.  By humbly acknowledging that more than likely we have been the cause of a wrong inflicted on others might help us to respond more generously.  I know that when I mess up, I’m hoping that the people I offend respond to me with generosity and patience.  Therefore, it’s a good habit for us to attempt to do the same.  You can practice this when you are driving.  How many of us have been frustrated and angry when behind the wheel?  We get inconvenienced by the actions of other drivers.  But, I’m sure, if we are honest, that there must have been many times that our actions have been the source of someone else’s frustration.  “Let the one who is the perfect driver be the first to honk the horn.”  Knowing I’m not perfect helps to become more patient with the imperfections of others. 

            Remember, Jesus did not come to condemn, to accuse us, or to discourage us. Jesus came to inspire us, to lift us up, to heal us. In the sacrament of Confession we see the compassionate face of Christ; he forgives us, heals us, and then sends us away with a challenging but inspiring message to go and sin no more.  As we enter into the last two weeks of Lent, it is a wonderful time for us to make use of the sacrament of confession. We will have many extra hours of confessions in the next couple of weeks, and our parish penance service is this Thursday at 7:00.  I'm sure that most of you are already planning to go to confession. But, maybe somebody here is nervous or afraid.  Maybe someone thinks they have done something so bad that they cannot be forgiven, think of today's story and trust in the compassion of Christ. 

Laetare Sunday

4^th Sunday of Lent Year C 2016:

            This weekend marks Laetare Sunday.  Laetare is a word that means rejoice.  So, we put on the rose colored vestments and we rejoice even during the season of Lent.  This Sunday is a sort of like halfway point of Lent.  Reminding us that even while we are carrying out works of penance, it should be motivate by love and leading us to joy.  So, how’s it going?  How are you doing with your Lenten promises?  I’m doing well on some, not so well on others.  Maybe you are the same.  But, with this Laetare Sunday I’m ready to begin again as we march toward Easter. 

            Our readings are also filled with joy.  One thing I like to do when I’m reading the scriptures is to put myself into the story.  Our gospel is one of the best stories in the whole Bible as far as I’m concerned.  I try to imagine my reaction if I’m one of the characters.  If I’m that prodigal son, what would it be like to travel home, not knowing what the outcome would be?  What would it be like to feel my father’s embrace after so long, to receive forgiveness, to celebrate in my family home after a long absence?  What a profound experience of joy that would be. 

            And yet, the story of that son is not simply something for us to imagine.  Rather, this story is very much a part of our lives.  No matter who we are, or what we have done, there is mercy for us.  No matter how we have offended our loving Father, no matter how far we have drifted from him, he is out there waiting for us, watching for us to return.

            One of the real graces of this season for me as a priest is to hear confessions.  It's a remarkable blessing to be able to be God’s instrument of healing and forgiveness.  You see, every time we go to confession, this parable comes alive.  Every time we approach the Father of Mercies in that saving sacrament, we confess our sins, and the Father embraces us, lifts us up, and fills us with joy.  One of the real concrete truths of existence is that our sins do not make us happy.  They bring us sorrow.  Look at the son: he wasn’t even eating pig slop, he was wishing that he could be allowed to eat pig slop.  This is where his sins took him.  How many of us could say the same?  Yet, God’s mercy takes away our pain, it takes away our sorrow, it allows us to rejoice because our God is good.  No wonder Pope Francis called for a year of Mercy.  He said, “contemplating God’s mercy is the wellspring of joy, peace, and serenity because God’s mercy instils the hope of being eternally loved.”  How about you?  Have you felt that love?  Have you known that mercy?  Has the mercy of God changed your sorrow into joy?  If not, return to your Father, kneel down before him and acknowledge your sins, and let him forgive you during this season of Lent.

            Our spiritual work of mercy to contemplate for this week is to comfort the sorrowful.  In my life, I see so many people in pain.  I see so many people who are mourning a loved one, filled with anxiety in their lives, people who find life to be sorrowful indeed.  It can be a profound spiritual blessing to bring comfort to those in need.  But, it can be quite a challenge.  It can be quite intimidating to approach someone in pain, to try to bring strength to someone who is struggling.  In the face of someone’s pain and sorrow, we might feel inadequate.  But, just remember that God is the source of all love, he is the source of all strength, he is the source of all comfort.  God, our loving Father, is waiting to embrace those in pain, just like he did in the gospel.  However, he wants us to be his arms.  Your loving presence, your word of comfort allows the Father to reach out with his love and compassion when someone is in pain.  Think back in your life when someone was there for you, when you experienced God’s love and mercy because of another person.  I know I’ve experienced that.  In fact, one of the main reasons I felt called to be a priest was because of the sacrament of confession.  I found that going to confession was a remarkable experience of the love and mercy of God.  I appreciated confession so much, that I felt inspired to want to be able to bring that mercy to others. 

            God the Father is still out there waiting with his love and mercy.  If you feel you need that in your life right now, get up and go to the Father.  And, if you know someone who needs it, don’t be afraid to reach out with God’s love and mercy.

Jesus in the desert

1^st Sunday of Lent Year C 2016:

As we begin this season of Lent, we begin this first Sunday by hearing about Jesus’ time in the desert.  I think the barren desert is a good representation for Lent, because Lent is a time of purification and fasting.  But, I was reading a book by Pope Benedict the other day and he mentioned that the symbolism of the desert is more than just the symbolism of fasting.  Rather, he calls the desert a symbol for life without God.  Think about it.  The desert has no water.  It has little life.  It can be harsh and cruel.  Pope Benedict said that this describes pretty well what happens to the human race after the fall of Adam and Eve.  The human race is wandering in a vast desert without life-giving water.  When Adam and Eve turned away from God, they led us all into that desert. 

            But, Jesus Christ goes into the desert in the Gospel today.  He goes out there because that is where we are.  Jesus goes into the desert to find us.  Don’t be afraid to let Jesus find you this Lent.  Don’t be afraid to open your hearts and minds to him and to his love.  Jesus is out in the desert and he is searching for us.

            Now, the desert is also a place of testing.  In our wanderings around without God, we are tested and we fail.  But, when Jesus comes out into the desert of human experience, he is tested and he overcomes the temptations.  How many of us can say that we always overcome our temptations?  Not me, I can tell you.  So, when I hear about Jesus overcoming temptations, I see a new kind of hope.  No longer are we alone out here in the desert, but Jesus comes with power to aid us in the struggle of our lives.  Just let this story sit with you.  No matter what your struggle, whether it be a struggle against sin or some other difficulty in our lives, it might feel like it gets the better of us.  But, it doesn’t have to be that way.  Let this Lent be the year that Christ finds you.  Let this Lent be the year that he helps you overcome your temptations.  Don’t let fear, anxiety, or sinfulness weigh you down.  Christ is out there looking for you.

            I mentioned on Ash Wednesday that this is a special Lent because it takes place during the Year of Mercy.  It’s the mercy of God that sent Jesus into that desert.  And it’s the mercy of God that wants to heal and strengthen each one of us.

            During this year of mercy, I think we should all try to become more merciful as well.  This week we are focusing on the spiritual work of mercy of “forgiving offenses.”  I certainly know from my own experience that forgiveness is hard.  It can be really difficult to be a person who forgives.  But, forgiveness can be a life-changing event.  As I said, Christ comes out in the desert to find us who are wandering around.  He comes with mercy for the sinner.  He comes with strength to set us free from our own temptations.  So, God comes in search of us with healing and strength, it’s up to us to bring that same healing and strength to others.  If we love and appreciate the mercy of Christ who forgives us, we can do nothing better than to forgive others.

            So, how do we forgive?  I’m no expert.  I’m learning also.  But, I think forgiveness begins with an experience of being forgiven.  When was the last time you asked for forgiveness?  When was the last time you went to confession?  When was the last time you asked a family member for forgiveness?  If we want to be forgiving, we first need to be forgiven.  Second, we need to be able to let go of the hurts that offenses cause.  Look at all Jesus went through.  Today he’s out there in the desert, he is rejected, betrayed, scourged, crucified.  He is completely innocent, and he goes through all of that.  Remember his response to the people attacking him: Father forgive them, they know not what they do.  If it was me up there on the cross, I’d say: Father, attack them with lightening bolts from heaven.  Not Christ, why?  His heart was full of love, he doesn’t hold on to our offenses.  He forgives.  Notice those people at the foot of the cross weren’t even asking for forgiveness.  Yet he forgives.  Do you have the courage to do that?  Can you forgive even when people hurt you, even when you are offended, even when they don’t ask for forgiveness?  If you can, you will experience peace and serenity even during trying times.  If you can’t, you will find that the pain and hurt you have felt will stay with you.

            I think we all want that peace and serenity that Christ had on the cross.  Wouldn’t we love to be able to return offense with love and forgiveness.  But, it’s so hard sometimes.  Don’t worry, Jesus is out there looking for you.  He wants to help you in your weakness.  This week, ask him for help in forgiving others.  Ask him for forgiveness.  Ask him for that heart of forgiveness that he has.  And if that seems too tough, ask him for the ability to want to be able to forgive.  If that’s too tough, ask him for the ability to want, to want to forgive.  Jesus is in the desert looking for you.  Let him find you.  Open your heart to his mercy so you can be merciful in return.

Live a life of love

4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time year C 2016:

Today in the gospel we hear one of the truly remarkable stories in the life of Christ.  The story starts off with amazing promise.  Jesus proclaimed his mission as the Christ last week and we hear that everyone who heard this proclamation were amazed at the gracious words that come from his mouth.  But, by the end of the story these same people were ready to throw Jesus off a cliff.  Think about that for a minute.  We go from amazement to murder in about 5.6 seconds.  Obviously, Jesus touched a nerve somewhere.  In the beginning, the folks liked to hear the words of Christ, but they didn’t really want to accept them.  “This is just the son of Joseph… his words might sound nice, but who is he to really teach us?  We are not going to change our lives because of what he says…”  And when Jesus doesn’t back down, that’s when the hostility begins.

Now, I’m sure that most of us will say: hey, I wouldn’t be the one to pick up a stone to throw at Jesus.  I mean, all of us are here because we believe in Christ, we are his followers, his disciples.  The reason we are here is because we have heard the voice of Christ and we feel that sense of amazement.  Hopefully the message of Jesus leaves us feeling inspired and enthusiastic.  Jesus told us that he came to set the captives free.  It’s that freedom that we desire.  We recognize that Jesus is our savior.

But, it can be quite easy for us to remain on this level of amazement.  Yet, it’s a whole other thing to let these words really sink in.  It can be quite challenging to put these words into action. 

I don’t know about you, but I have this experience whenever I hear St. Paul’s teaching on love.  What a beautiful reading!  It’s no wonder that so many people choose this reading for their wedding day.  Love is patient, love is kind.  Whenever I hear those words, I can feel a kind of elation.  There is something very moving and inspiration when we hear about love.  That’s because love goes to the very heart of what it means to be human.  We are made in God’s image and likeness.  God is love.  So, love is the pathway to true happiness and fulfillment.  We were made by love and for love.  It’s not too much to say that the very vocation of every human being is the vocation to love.

So, like I said, it’s a wonderful reading and one that can really leave us feeling amazed and inspired.  But, it’s really not that easy to love.  I mean, if I asked you if you were a loving person, most people would say “yes.”  I like to think that I’m a loving person.  But, just think about all that Paul says: love is patient, kind, not jealous, pompous, inflated or rude.  Love does not seek it’s own interest, is not quick tempered, doesn’t brood.  Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.  This is what it means to love.  I think that, if we are honest, most of us would freely admit that we don’t quite match up all the time.  Can I really say that I’m always patient, kind, that I’m not jealous or quick-tempered?

It can be really easy to be amazed by the words of Paul, by the words of Christ.  But, it can be a whole other thing to live these words.  But, don’t we want to?  I mean deep down in our hearts I think all of us would want to have a life filled with love, a life lived with love.  We want to be loved and we want to love.  Like St. Paul says: if I do not have love, I am nothing.

So, how do we do it?  I’m convinced that the only way we can live a life filled with love is to drink deeply from the very source of Love.  We will only live love, if we know love.  If we ever need to know what love looks like, we need to look no farther than right here: look at the cross of Christ.  When Jesus is nailed to the cross he proclaims his eternal love for the Father and for all of us.  This is what love looks like.  Jesus gives himself completely and totally.  He holds absolutely nothing back.  He hands over his body, his soul, even his heart is pierced so that his love can pour out for us.  By pondering the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ we come into contact with the very source of love.  If we want to be patient, kind, generous, and loving.  We can do nothing better than to draw close to Christ so that he can fill us with love.

Of course, Jesus has never stopped loving us.  Right here on this altar he continues to pour out his love for us.  He continues to give by pouring himself out for us in the Holy Eucharist.  When we come forward to receive the very body and blood of Christ, he can fill us with his love. 

Again, it can be easy to stay on the level of amazement and wonder.  But, if we let the love of Christ into our minds and hearts he can change us so that as we leave this Mass we can live a life full of love.  The people in the gospel were ready to throw Jesus off a cliff because they weren’t quite ready to let his love change their lives.  What about all of us?

Glad tidings to the poor

Third Sunday of OT Time and Talent homily,

Today we get a special insight into the ministry of Jesus.  It’s almost like we get to hear his own vision on what it is that he was going to do.  It was almost like his inaugural address.  Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah and outlines exactly what it means to be the Messiah, this is his mission. 

As Messiah, Jesus proclaims that he is full of the Spirit, he will proclaim glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to those who are blind, he will let the oppressed go free, indeed an acceptable time from the Lord. 

Just think about all that Jesus did on earth.  He proclaimed the gospel.  He taught his disciples the pathway to eternal life.  He healed the sick.  He gave his life as a ransom for all of us.  By his resurrection he inaugurates a new age where sickness, death, sin, and misery no longer get the last word.  Before Christ the human race was poor indeed.  Yet, he proclaims glad tidings to the poor.  God loves us so much that he did not abandon us even when we went astray.  He came to break the prison bars of death and to set the captives free.  This is Jesus’ mission, this is his message. 

That message is just as important today as ever.  I mean watch the news for 5 minutes.  It seems like our world needs the good news of Christ as much now as ever.  Watch political squabbling for 10 seconds and we realize that we need more, we need a savior.  We still need Christ to proclaim glad tidings, to set free the captives, to give sight to the spiritually blind, to proclaim that this is an acceptable time.  God has never abandoned us, he is always close to us.

So now, more than ever, the message of Christ needs to be proclaimed far and wide.  And yet, who is going to do it?  How will that message go out? 

When Jesus rose from the dead he appeared to his disciples.  After completing his mission here on earth, he handed his ministry over to the Church.  It is the task of his followers to continue the work he began.  The message still needs to go out, now more than ever.  But, it is up to us to get that message out.

When you think of “preaching the gospel” what do you envision?  I think for many people we think that this is the job of the pope, the bishops, the priests.  Yet, this is the mission of the whole Church.  One of the true blessings of the Second Vatican Council was its proclamation of an ancient truth.  Vatican II stated very clearly that holiness is the mission of every member of the Christian faithful.  Discipleship is the mission of every person.  I say this is an ancient truth because it is basically what St. Paul is telling to the Corinthians in our second reading.  How many of us may have felt like we are inadequate when it comes to preaching the good news?  I can certainly say that being a pastor is a humbling kind of experience.  I am constantly aware that I have my inadequacies and shortcomings.  But, I take great comfort in hearing St. Paul’s words.  I don’t have to do the whole thing, I just need to do my little part.  The body is not a single part, but many.  There are the great and important parts.  There are the smaller and seemingly insignificant parts.  But, without all the parts, there is no body.  We definitely need to have the pope and bishops to carry out the mission of Christ.  But, we also need the dedicated and humble ministry of each member of the faithful. 

Never for a moment should we think: this mission is too hard, this task too important, this goal too grand for me to participate.  Every one of us has a part to play.  Every one of us is needed.  We each have a task before us.  If we embrace our vocations, embrace our lives as disciples then the church can carry out its mission.  But, without all the parts, the Church will struggle to proclaim glad tidings to the poor.  Just as a body that is missing even small parts will struggle and suffer, the Church cannot carry out the mission of Christ without all of us. 

This is certainly true for the universal church, but it is also true for our Parish.  St. Jude can only carry out its mission when everyone here sees this mission as an important part of our daily lives.  There is no member of this parish who is unimportant, there is no member of this parish who doesn’t share in our mission.  We are only able to do what we do here because of the contributions of every member of the parish.

This is our 25^th anniversary of Stewardship.  During the course of this year, we have been reflecting on what stewardship is all about.  Stewardship is not a program, but a way of life.  Stewardship recognizes that everything we are and everything we have are gifts that come from God.  But, he doesn’t simply give them to us for our own benefit.  Rather, he entrusts us with gifts of time, talent, and treasure so that we might use them to carry out his will.  Hopefully this year of stewardship will be a chance for us to renew our commitment to Christ.

Today, I would like to ask everyone to think and pray about how God is calling you to engage in the mission of the parish.  As a parish, we are one body.  This body will only function with the participation of every part.  I ask you to think and pray about how God is calling you to use your time and talents for the good of the Church and for the good of the parish.  We live in a world that desperately needs to hear those glad tidings.  We are living among captives who are longing for freedom.  Christ wants to reach them, but he needs your help.   Next month you will all be receiving information from the parish about renewing your commitment to the stewardship of time and talent.  If you have already been giving of your time and talent, please sign up to continue.  But, also don’t be afraid to try something new.  If you haven’t signed up for something in the past, consider this to be the year to start.  Paul said that some people are called to be apostles, prophets, and teachers.  God is still calling people to carry out his mission.  He is calling each one of us to a special task, a special mission.  We are one body in Christ.  As one body, we carry out the mission Christ sets out for us in the gospel today.  So, the words of Isaiah can be our words as well: the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, so that we might proclaim glad tidings to the poor.

Marriage

Second Sunday of OT year C 2016:

Today we hear about the Wedding at Cana.  St. John tells us that this was one of the first signs that Jesus performed.  People began to believe in him because of what he did there at the wedding.  And, what did Jesus do?  We know that he made the water into wine.  But, there is much more going on in the story.

As is often the case with St. John’s gospel, you can see deep and profound theological truths in this story.  This story clearly intends to tell us something about the life of Jesus, but we also learn a great deal more.

First of all, this first sign takes place at a wedding.  I don’t think this is random.  The first sign of Jesus takes place at a wedding because it is the married couple that is the first building block of our human society.  At the heart of the Christian family is the committed married couple.  But, I don’t have to tell you that there is a great deal of controversy about marriage in our society today.  There are endless debates about marriage: what is marriage?  Who can get married?  There are endless questions about divorce and remarriage, homosexual unions, and more.  So many people in our society think that marriage is something that can be defined by anyone.  “Marriage is what you make of it.”  But, that’s not what we believe.  As Catholics we believe and profess that marriage is an institution written into the very fabric of the human being.  We believe that marriage is a loving commitment between persons that is open to new life.  This is not something that we invented.  Rather, God invented marriage.

But, marriage is difficult.  You might ask how I know that since I’m not married, but I talk to many married couples about their difficulties and struggles all the time.  Marriage is hard because marriage entails two people giving of themselves for the good of their spouse.  Marriage is about sacrifice and giving, not about taking and self-fulfillment.  But, as human beings, we have never been good at sacrifice, service, and humbly following God.  If we were good at that, we would still be in the garden.

This is why Christ came to us.  He came to be our savior.  He came to show us the way to salvation.  He showed us that the way to salvation lies in the cross.  When he gave himself up to death, he granted to the human race the power to overcome sinfulness and selfishness.  And there is no place that needs that gift more than in marriage.  We cannot overcome sinfulness and selfishness on our own.  And there is nothing more damaging to marriage than selfishness, sinfulness. 

So, of course Jesus’ first sign was at a wedding.  He came to help us overcome everything that holds us back.  How amazing then that he does so in marriage.  Don’t be afraid to let Christ into your married life.  It says in the gospel that Jesus was also invited to the wedding.  Do you invite Jesus to your married life every day?  I’m sure for many of you, you invited him to your wedding by having a religious/Catholic wedding ceremony.  But, don’t let that be the last invitation.

If you invite Jesus into your marriage he always brings something with him.  We hear about the wine in gospel.  Jesus made about 100 gallons of wine for this party.  What is that all about?  Is Jesus promoting drunkenness?  I don’t think so.  Actually, in the Bible wine is often used as an image for joy.  This couple had run out of wine.  They had run out of joy in their lives.  But, by listening to Jesus, he brings them an abundance of wine, an abundance of joy.  How many couples today feel like that, like they have run out of wine, out of joy?  But, Christ can do amazing things if you invite him into your lives and into your marriage.

I think we all have a great responsibility to pray for one another.  But, I’m asking everyone to pray especially for married couples.  Say a prayer every day this week for all married couples.  If you are married, this includes your marriage as well.  Let’s all pray that Christ would bring joy and peace to the hearts of all married persons.  Jesus’ first sign was a blessing on a married couple.  Let’s pray that this blessing continues for all the married couples of our parish and of our world.

Epiphany

Epiphany 2016:

It’s hard to believe that we are already in 2016.  This is our first Sunday in the New Year and we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.  Now, we begin the New Year every year celebrating the feast day of Mary, the Mother of God.  But, the first Sunday is epiphany.  I think this is a beautiful way to start the year.  Epiphany is a word that means manifestation.  Manifestation means: to appear or to be made known.  What we are celebrating today is the fact that Jesus has appeared on earth, he was made known.  He was made known not only to the chosen people of Israel, but also to the whole world.  The Magi in the gospel represent all of us, who come to Christ from all over the globe.

Today is a neat day to think about the universality of the Church.  Right now the Mass is being celebrated all over the world.  Right now, Christ is being worshipped in every language, by people of every nationality and background.  The Mass is universal because our faith is universal.  Jesus Christ came for all of us. 

Really, our parish is not too different.  We come from many different backgrounds and nationalities.  Some of us were born in this country, some came from far distant lands.  Some of you were born and raised here in this parish, some of us, like me, are relatively new to St. Jude.  Yet, this is a parish for everyone.  This is a universal parish, open to any and all.  That’s because this is a Catholic parish.  That’s what it means to be Catholic, to be universal.

But, while the Church and our parish are indeed open to everyone, what is it that unites us?  Look again to the story of the Magi.  I think they show us 4 interesting things that will help us to grow in our faith and be more closely united to one another as a parish.

First, they were called by the light of the star.  We are called by the light of faith.  This light leads us closer to Christ, just as it did for the Magi.  Drawing near to Christ is certainly something that we all have in common.  One of the great things about belonging to the Church means that we know that we have something in common with everyone else in the Church: we are all trying to grow closer to Christ.  That’s feature number 1, growing closer to Christ.

Number 2, when the Magi arrive in Bethlehem, they see Christ and they worship.  This is another feature of the Catholic Church that unites us.  We all worship together. I once had the privilege of travelling to Rome.  My group went early to St. Peter’s basilica for Mass.  As we walked along there were many other pilgrimage groups having Mass there as well.  I must have heard 5 different languages.  I had no idea what they were saying, but I could tell exactly what was going on at each station because they were celebrating the Mass.  The mass is not just an expression of our diversity as a body, it’s actually what unites us.  We are all Catholics because we come here to Mass, we are a part of this parish because we come here to Mass.  This is what makes us to be who we are as a people, we come here to Christ and worship.

Number 3, the magi gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  They gave Christ the very best of what they had.  This is another thing we do as well.  Every time we come here to Mass we give God the very best of what we are.  First and foremost, we make a gift of our hearts, our lives.  This is the kind of sacrifice that we can all make when we are gathered here around the altar.  But, then we also make our gifts of time, talent, and treasure.  Giving back to Lord is a recognition of all that God has done for us.  Every month when I give to St. Jude via my electronic withdrawal I’m not giving money to the parish because the parish needs the money, I’m giving to God because I want to give him thanks.  So that’s number 3, we give back to God because of all he’s done for us.

Number 4, once they encounter Christ, worship, and give gifts, the Magi return by another road.  I like to think about this as the ongoing journey of conversion.  After we meet Christ and worship him here, I hope we don’t just go back to the same kind of living.  I hope we don’t just go home as the same kind of person.  Ongoing conversion is an important part of what makes us who we are as Christians.  We all know that we are not perfect.  But, we are all called to that perfection.  Hopefully, we are each striving each day to be better people, always closer to Christ.

This is why I think Epiphany is a great feast for the first Sunday of the New Year.  I know many of us like to make some New Year’s resolutions.  But, I think there is no better resolution we could make than to grow in our faith as disciples of Jesus.  As we start 2016 we can take the Magi as our examples.  They show us the pathways of faith: grow closer to Christ, worship him, give to God, and go home a changed person.  This sounds like a great way to spend 2016.

Feast of the Holy Family

Holy Family Year C 2015:

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  Every year on the Sunday following Christmas we celebrate this important feast.  It is a chance for us to look at the Holy Family of Nazareth for intercession and guidance.  It’s a feast where each of us can thank God for our families as well as ask God for help in our families.  None of our families will ever replace the Holy Family, but our prayer should always be that our families be holy.

Our scriptures today shed some light on what it means to be a holy family.  In the first reading we heard that Hannah remembered the promise she made to the Lord.  She also remembered all the good that the Lord had done for her.  These two acts of remembering led her to the temple to worship and praise God, but also to entrust her son to God’s protection.  Now, I’m not saying that we should just leave our kids here at church.  But, I am saying that it important for us to make these same acts of rememberance.  We have all made promises to the Lord.  If you are married, you made promises on the day of your wedding.  I made promises on the day of my ordination.  If you are single, you made promises on the day of your baptism.  We are all called to be in closer union with Christ.  But, we don’t just remember obligations, we also remember all that the Lord has done for us.  If we do so we will grow in happiness and holiness.  I heard a statistic yesterday: just by keeping a thanksgiving journal people responded that it helped them grow in happiness by 25%.  Hannah remembered what the Lord had done, and she went to the temple to worship.

Then we hear the story in the gospel.  It’s one of my favorite stories.  I just love trying to imagine the scene when Joseph and Mary realize that Jesus wasn’t there.  Imagine the dread they must have felt.  I can just hear Mary saying, “how do I explain to the angel that I lost the son of God?”  They were so busy, so distracted by the feast that they lost track of their son, they lost track of Jesus.  Don’t we have a tendency to do the same thing?  We can get distracted and busy, we can lose track of our relationship with Christ.  If Mary and Joseph could do it, so can we!

In both readings we hear that the solution was found in returning to the temple.  Hannah went to the temple in good times, Mary and Joseph went to the temple in bad times.  In both occasions, it was a source of blessing for them.

We want our families to be holy right?  So we learn a lesson from the scriptures.  In good times or in bad times, the important thing is going to the temple.  I think that many people misunderstand our obligation for attending Mass.  We all know that we have to go to Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.  But, why?  Why doesn’t the church just relax these rules?  I mean, we are busy right?  It’s precisely because of the absolute zaniness of our lives that the church insists on Mass obligations.   There are just too many things out there to distract us.  There’s sports practices, after school activities, television, internet, new Star Wars movies, video games, etc.  There is just so much that can pull us in many different directions.  The Sunday Mass helps us to get focused.  It helps us to center our lives on Christ.  Our weekly returning to this temple for worship and praise is not just some obligation.  Rather, it’s powerful medicine.  Whether in good times or in bad, we come to this temple to worship and praise almighty God.  Here at the Mass we find grace and strength.  Today we celebrate this Mass in honor of that Holy Family of Nazareth.  May this Holy Mass give to all of our families the grace and strength to become holy families as well.