Becoming what we receive

HOMILY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, February 7, 2010:


Three men appear before us in today’s Word – Isaiah, Paul and Peter. What brings them together is that all three experience a manifestation of God’s presence. Isaiah sees the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne. God’s presence shakes the door of his house. His reaction, “Woe is me, I am doomed.” Paul recounts his own unworthiness at having been called to be an apostle, despite his own persecution of the church. Paul’s reaction? “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective.” And then Peter, at Jesus’ command catches a miraculous amount of fish. His reaction? “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

We see in all three situations that being in the presence of God changes everything. It transforms our perception of the world, our perception of others and most importantly our perception of ourselves. God makes himself present to us in the every day events of our lives – through the very act of breathing, the miracle of birth, the wonder of creation, the depth of our loves and our relationships and so powerfully in the Eucharist that we celebrate each and every week. But, it causes us to ask – how do we react to that presence? We could respond like Isaiah, Paul and Peter who shrink away from God because of a recognition of our sinfulness. Yet it is precisely because we are sinners that God comes to us in these ways, to transform us into His creations. The power of the prayer that we say just before receiving the Eucharist – “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed” – the power of that prayer is not in our recognition of our unworthiness, but in the trust that through God’s word, we are saved and healed. Even in the moments when we feel a great distance from God, God is always present to us.

So, let’s talk a bit about this incredible presence of God in our midst – the Eucharist, and what it means for God to be present there, what it means to say that the bread and wine we offer become the body and blood of Jesus. We know that we say that the Eucharist is the True Presence of Jesus in His Body and Blood. But, could we answer the follow up question to that – what does that mean?

First, Jesus established the sacraments as a way of communicating with us. Through the sacraments, God speaks His love and His grace to His people. They are a means of real contact with God. Christ told us that he would be present in his church until the end of time, and He is pre-eminently present in the sacraments. Of the seven sacraments, the Eucharist stands out above the rest. The Second Vatican Council reminded us that the Eucharist is the source and summit of what the Church is and does. In this sacrament we get an insight into what it will be like to be in the presence of God in Heaven. There is a movement in the Eucharist. God moves towards us, and in response we move towards God.

So, what do we mean when we say that Jesus is truly and fully present in the Eucharist? Someone from the outside might look at what we are doing and say, “It still looks and tastes like bread and wine to me.” And that wouldn’t be completely wrong. Our physical senses can confirm that – it doesn’t taste like actual flesh or actual blood – and let’s all thank God for that. So how do we reconcile these two realities – that it still looks and tastes like bread and wine, and yet we know it is the Body and Blood of Jesus? What the Church has come to understand over centuries of prayer and reflection is that what God changes is what is most important – its identity. While the substance doesn’t change – the external stuff of it is still bread and wine – its identity, the core of its being changes, its identity becomes fully the Body and Blood of Christ.

 St. Francis of Assisi named it well when he said of the Eucharist, “Let the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest! …The Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself in an ordinary piece of bread! Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He who gives himself totally to you may receive you totally!” And there is the key.

If the bread and wine are changed most fundamentally in their identity, so what? If that’s it, we have nothing more than a neat trick. There has to be more. And, of course, there is. But, it absolutely has to be personal. We have to ask ourselves, am I just here watching this thing taking place on the altar or, am I entering into it? Am I being transformed by what I participate in? Is this a thing being changed – bread and wine – or is this a person – Jesus – entering in.

What is truly amazing and miraculous about the change that takes place in the Eucharist is that it isn’t only the bread and wine that change. It isn’t only the bread and wine that take on the identity of Christ – it is us too. We become what we receive. We receive the Eucharist because we believe that what God has done on the altar, He will do to us. As God transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of His Son, so too through our participation, He transforms us into the Real Presence of His Son in the world. And now, it begins to make sense. God can change our identity – He won’t change our physical bodies, those will still be the same – but we know that it is our identity that is really what is important, what is really at the core. If we fail to believe that our God can make this miraculous change in the bread and wine, how will we ever believe that He can do the same to us?

We receive the Body and Blood of Christ so that we may become the Mystical Body of Christ. When we respond "Amen" after receiving, this is both something that identifies us but also calls us, summons us to this great calling to spread the Good News, just as Jesus called Peter in our Gospel today. So, when we say that we are the Body of Christ, we are also being called to become more and more the Presence of Christ in our world. We become what we receive.

May the words of God proclaimed to us today reach into our hearts, into our sinfulness and speak to us of the presence of God. As we encounter the Real Presence of our God in the Eucharist today, may we respond like Isaiah, Paul and Peter with humility, and may we both see Christ appear on our altar and allow that same Christ to enter into our hearts that we today be transformed to become what we receive – the Body of Christ.

“Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He who gives himself totally to you may receive you totally!”

My God, “Only say the word, and we shall be healed.”

May God give you peace.

Love, sweet, love

HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 31, 2010:


How many of you remember the old Dionne Warwick song, “What the world needs now, is love sweet love. It’s the only thing, that there’s just too little of.” That song was running through my head as I reflected on our second reading today and it’s great statement on Love. It is most definitely one of the most well known verses of Scripture. And for good reason – if you want to know what true love is, read that chapter over and over again. Many times in church we speak about the importance of love. In the Christian life, it is all about love. Even God, Scripture tells us, is love.

Today, however, I want us to do more than just talk about love. We talk about love all the time. But, as Jesus – and Dionne – remind us, we need more love in our world. This reading causes us to ask in our own lives, how much of a loving person am I? An exercise based on this reading helps us to find that out easily. The reading we heard proclaimed said, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

What if we changed the passage and put “JESUS” and “HE” wherever we find “LOVE” and “IT.” “Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He is not jealous, He is not pompous, He is not inflated, He is not rude, He does not seek His own interests, He is not quick-tempered, He does not brood over injury, He does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” That still sounds pretty good. We can easily agree with every line. But, what now if we replaced the same words with our own name? Say it with me in your own heart. “I am patient, I am kind. I am not jealous, I am not pompous, I am not inflated, I am not rude, I do not seek my own interests, I am not quick-tempered, I do not brood over injury, I do not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.” Placing our own names there, do we still agree with every line in the passage? Is each line still true for us? How do we score ourselves on a scale of 1 to 10? This is the measure of loving that God gives us; this is they way He wants us to love. “What the world needs now, is love sweet love.”

There is a story about a teacher who gave his class an assignment to go and tell someone that they loved them before the next week's class. It had to be someone to whom they had never said those words before, or at least not for a very long time. At the next class, one man stood up and recounted his story to the class. He said to the teacher, “I was angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I felt, ‘who were you to tell us to do something so personal?’ But as I was driving home, my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say “I love you” to. Five years ago, my father and I had a terrible argument which we have never resolved. We have avoided seeing each other since and hardly speak to each other. So last week by the time I had gotten home after class, I had convinced myself to tell my father that I loved him. It’s strange, but just making the decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest. When I told my wife, she jumped out of bed, gave me a big hug and for the first time in our married life saw me cry. We sat up half of the night talking.

The next day I was up bright and early. At 9AM, I called my father to tell him I wanted to come over after work and talk to him. He reluctantly agreed. By 5:30, I was at the house. When my father answered the door, I didn't waste any time. I took one step inside and blurted out “Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.” Well, it was as if a transformation had come over him. Before my eyes, his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he too began to cry. He reached out and hugged me, saying “I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.” My mother walked by just then with tears in her eyes. I had not felt that wonderful, happy and peaceful in a very long time. Two days after my visit, my dad, who had heart problems but hadn’t told us, had an attack and died. So my message is this: don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done, to express the love that is in your heart.”

My friends, we know that True Love transforms us and transforms our world. There is no greater antidote to the greed, power, individualism, cruelty, and evil that exists in our world than the Love that God gives us and calls forth from us. And it should be obvious to all of us that our world truly needs more love. And so, I offer to each of you, my brothers and sisters, and myself, the same opportunity as our story. Go home and tell someone you love them before next Sunday. Tell someone you really love, but to whom you have never said those words before, or at least not for a very long time.

My friends, “Love never fails.” You can trust God on that one.

May God give you peace.

A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti

We prayed this at Mass this morning here in Ireland and I thought it was beautiful. Perhaps you will pray it where you are:


Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings
when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever.

We ask the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
the Patroness of Haiti,
as we make our prayer through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Pope Benedict on St. Francis of Assisi - "True Happiness: To Become Saints"

"The Secret of True Happiness: To Become Saints"

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 27, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall.

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters,

In a recent catechesis, I already illustrated the providential role that the Order of Friars Minor and the Order of Preachers, founded respectively by St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic Guzmán, had in the renewal of the Church of their time. Today I would like to present to you the figure of Francis, an authentic "giant" of holiness, who continues to fascinate very many people of every age and every religion.

"A son is born to the world." With these words, in the Divine Comedy (Paradiso, Canto XI), the greatest Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, alludes to Francis' birth, which occurred at the end of 1181 or the beginning of 1182, in Assisi. Belonging to a wealthy family -- his father was a textile merchant -- Francis enjoyed a carefree adolescence and youth, cultivating the chivalrous ideals of the time. When he was 20 he took part in a military campaign, and was taken prisoner. He became ill and was released. After his return to Assisi, a slow process of spiritual conversion began in him, which led him to abandon gradually the worldly lifestyle he had practiced until then.

Striking at this time are the famous episodes of the meeting with the leper -- to whom Francis, getting off his horse, gave the kiss of peace; and the message of the Crucifix in the little church of San Damiano. Three times the crucified Christ came to life and said to him: "Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins." This simple event of the Word of the Lord heard in the church of San Damiano hides a profound symbolism. Immediately, St. Francis is called to repair this little church, but the ruinous state of this building is a symbol of the tragic and disturbing situation of the Church itself at that time, with a superficial faith that does not form and transform life, with a clergy lacking in zeal, with the cooling off of love; an interior destruction of the Church that also implied a decomposition of unity, with the birth of heretical movements.

However, at the center of this Church in ruins is the Crucified and he speaks: he calls to renewal, he calls Francis to manual labor to repair concretely the little church of San Damiano, symbol of the more profound call to renew the Church of Christ itself, with his radical faith and his enthusiastic love for Christ.

This event, which probably occurred in 1205, makes one think of another similar event that happened in 1207: the dream of Pope Innocent III. He saw in a dream that the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Mother Church of all churches, was collapsing and a small and insignificant religious supported the church with his shoulders so that it would not collapse. It is interesting to note, on one hand, that it is not the Pope who helps so that the church will not collapse, but a small and insignificant religious, whom the Pope recognizes in Francis who visited him. Innocent III was a powerful Pope, of great theological learning, as well as of great political power, yet it was not for him to renew the Church, but for the small and insignificant religious: It is St. Francis, called by God.

On the other hand, however, it is important to note that St. Francis does not renew the Church without or against the Pope, but only in communion with him. The two realities go together: the Successor of Peter, the bishops, the Church founded on the succession of the Apostles and the new charism that the Holy Spirit created at this moment to renew the Church. True renewal grows together.

Let us return to St. Francis' life. Because his father Bernardone reproved him for excessive generosity to the poor, Francis, with a symbolic gesture, and before the bishop of Assisi, stripped himself of his clothes, thus intending to renounce his paternal inheritance: As at the moment of creation, Francis had nothing, but only the life that God gave him, and into whose hands he entrusted himself. Then he lived as a hermit until, in 1208, another fundamental event took place in the journey of his conversion. Hearing a passage of the Gospel of Matthew -- Jesus' discourse to the Apostles sent on mission -- Francis feels he is called to live in poverty and to dedicate himself to preaching. Other companions associated themselves to him and, in 1209, he went to Rome, to submit to the Pope the project of a new form of Christian life. He was given a paternal reception by the great Pontiff who, enlightened by the Lord, intuited the divine origin of the movement awakened by Francis. The Poverello of Assisi had understood that every charism given by the Holy Spirit is placed at the service of the Body of Christ, which is the Church; hence, he always acted in full communion with the ecclesiastical authority. In the life of saints there is no opposition between a prophetic charism and the charism of government and, if some tension is created, they must wait patiently for the times of the Holy Spirit.

In reality, some historians in the 19th century and also in the last century tried to create behind the Francis of tradition, a so-called historical Francis, just as there is a desire to create behind the Jesus of the Gospels, a so-called historical Jesus. Such a historical Francis would not have been a man of the Church, but a man linked immediately only to Christ, a man who wished to create a renewal of the people of God, without canonical forms and without the hierarchy. The truth is that St. Francis really had a very immediate relationship with Jesus and with the Word of God, which he wished to follow sine glossa, exactly as it is, in all its radicalism and truth. It is also true that initially he did not have the intention of creating an order with the necessary canonical forms, but, simply, with the Word of God and the presence of the Lord, he wished to renew the people of God, to call them again to listening to the Word and to literal obedience to Christ. Moreover, he knew that Christ never is "mine" but always is "ours," that "I" cannot have Christ and "I" cannot reconstruct against the Church, his will and his teaching -- but only in communion with the Church, built on the succession of the Apostles, is obedience to the Word of God also renewed.

It is also true that he did not intend to create a new order, but only to renew the people of God for the Lord who comes. But he understood with suffering and pain that everything must have its order, that even the law of the Church is necessary to give shape to renewal and thus he really inserted himself totally, with the heart, in the communion of the Church, with the Pope and the bishops. He knew always that the center of the Church is the Eucharist, where the Body and Blood of Christ are made present. Through the priesthood, the Eucharist is the Church. Where priesthood, and Christ and communion of the Church go together, only there does the Word of God also dwell. The true historical Francis and the Francis of the Church speaks precisely in this way also to non-believers, to believers of other confessions and religions.

Francis and his friars, ever more numerous, established themselves in the Porziuncola, or church of Saint Mary of the Angels, sacred place par excellence of Franciscan spirituality. Also Clare, a young lady of Assisi of a noble family, placed herself in Francis' school. Thus the Second Franciscan Order originated, that of the Poor Clares, another experience destined to bear outstanding fruits of sanctity in the Church.

The successor of Innocent III, Pope Honorius III, with his bull "Cum dilecti" of 1218, also upheld the singular development of the first Friars Minor, who were opening their missions in several countries of Europe, and even in Morocco. In 1219 Francis obtained permission to go to speak with the Muslim Sultan Melek-el-Kamel in Egypt, and also to preach the Gospel of Jesus there. I want to underline this episode of the life of St. Francis, which is very timely. At a time in which there was under way a clash between Christianity and Islam, Francis, armed deliberately only with his faith and his personal meekness, pursued with efficacy the way of dialogue. The chronicles tell us of a benevolent and cordial reception by the Muslim Sultan. It is a model that also today should inspire relations between Christians and Muslims: to promote a dialogue in truth, in reciprocal respect and in mutual understanding (cf. "Nostra Aetate," 3).

It seems, then, that in 1220 Francis visited the Holy Land, thus sowing a seed that was to bear much fruit: his spiritual sons, in fact, made of the places in which Jesus lived a privileged realm of their mission. With gratitude I think today of the great merits of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Returning to Italy, Francis entrusted the government of the order to his vicar, Friar Pietro Cattani, while the Pope entrusted the order, which continued gathering more followers, to the protection of Cardinal Ugolino, the future Supreme Pontiff Gregory IX. For his part the founder, totally dedicated to preaching, which he carried out with great success, wrote a Rule, later approved by the Pope.

In 1224, in the hermitage of La Verna, Francis saw the Crucified in the form of a seraphim and from the encounter with the crucified seraphim, he received the stigmata; he thus became one with the crucified Christ: a gift, hence, which expresses his profound identification with the Lord.

Francis' death -- his transitus -- occurred on the evening of Oct. 3, 1226, at the Porziuncola. After blessing his spiritual sons, he died, lying on the naked earth. Two years later Pope Gregory IX inscribed him in the register of saints. A short time later, a large basilica was raised in Assisi in his honor, still today a destination for very many pilgrims, who can venerate the tomb of the saint and enjoy Giotto's frescoes, a painter who illustrated in a magnificent way the life of Francis.

It has been said that Francis represents an alter Christus, he was truly a living icon of Christ. He was even called "Jesus' brother." Indeed, this was his ideal: to be like Jesus; to contemplate the Christ of the Gospel, to love him intensely and to imitate his virtues. In particular, he wished to give a fundamental value to interior and exterior poverty, teaching it also to his spiritual sons. The first Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount -- blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3) -- found a luminous fulfillment in the life and in the words of St. Francis.

Truly, dear friends, the saints are the best interpreters of the Bible; they, incarnating in their lives the Word of God, render it more than attractive, so that it really speaks to us. Francis' witness, who loved poverty to follow Christ with dedication and total liberty, continues to be also for us an invitation to cultivate interior poverty to grow in trust of God, uniting also a sober lifestyle and detachment from material goods.

In Francis, love for Christ is expressed in a special way in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. In Franciscan sources one reads moving expressions, such as this: "The whole of humanity fears, the whole universe trembles and heaven exults, when on the altar, in the hand of the priest, there is Christ, the Son of the living God. O wonderful favor! O sublime humility, that the Lord of the universe, God and Son of God, so humbles himself as to hide himself for our salvation, under the low form of bread" (Francis of Assisi, Scritti, Editrici Francescane, Padua, 2002, 401).

In this Year for Priests, it pleases me also to recall a recommendation addressed by Francis to priests: "When you wish to celebrate Mass, certainly in a pure way, carry out with reverence the true sacrifice of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Francis of Assisi, Scritti, 399).

Francis always showed great deference to priests, and recommended that they always be respected, even in the case when, at the personal level, they are not very worthy. He cherished, as motivation for this profound respect, the fact that they have received the gift of consecrating the Eucharist. Dear brothers in the priesthood, let us never forget this teaching: the holiness of the Eucharist asks us to be pure, to live in a consistent way with the mystery we celebrate.

From the love of Christ is born love of people and also of all God's creatures. Here is another characteristic trait of Francis' spirituality: the sense of universal fraternity and love for Creation, which inspired his famous Canticle of Creatures. It is a very timely message. As I reminded in my recent encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," the only sustainable development is one that respects Creation and does not damage the environment (cf. No. 48-52), and in the Message for the World Day of Peace of this year I underlined that also the building of a solid peace is linked to respect for creation. Francis reminds us that in creation is displayed the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator. In fact, nature is understood by him as a language in which God speaks with us, in which reality becomes transparent and we can speak of God and with God.

Dear friends, Francis was a great saint and a joyful man. His simplicity, his humility, his faith, his love of Christ, his kindness to every man and woman made him happy in every situation. In fact, between sanctity and joy there subsists a profound and indissoluble relation. A French writer said that there is only one sadness in the world: that of not being saints, that is, of not being close to God. Looking at St. Francis' witness, we understand that this is the secret of true happiness: to become saints, close to God!

May the Virgin, tenderly loved by Francis, obtain this gift for us. We entrust ourselves to her with the same words of the Poverello of Assisi: "Holy Virgin Mary, there is no one like you born in the world among women, daughter and handmaid of the Most High King and heavenly Father, Mother of our Most Holy Lord Jesus Christ, spouse of the Holy Spirit: pray for us ... to your most holy favorite Son, Lord and Master" (Francis of Assisi, Scritti, 163).

[Translation by ZENIT]

[The Pope then greeted pilgrims in several languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the greatest figures of the Church's history.The story of Saint Francis' life and conversion, and his complete devotion to Christ, poor and suffering, is well known. After gathering a small group of companions and followers, including Saint Clare, Francis sought the approval of Pope Innocent III for his movement, which was completely committed to the renewal of the Church in holiness and to the preaching of the Gospel. Near the end of his life, Francis' configuration to the Crucified Lord culminated in his reception of the stigmata at La Verna. His deep piety found expression in a great devotion to the Eucharist, as the sacrament of Christ's real presence, and his love for creation as God's handiwork. The life and teaching of Saint Francis has inspired countless people to the imitation of Christ through the embrace of inward and outward poverty. May his example teach us ever greater love for the Lord and his Church, and help us to know the immense spiritual joy born of the imitation of Christ and the pursuit of holiness.

A warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today's audience! I particularly greet high school students from Jordan and Israel, members of the initiative Aqabat Eilat: "one more step towards peace," students and faculty from the Bossey Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, as well as pilgrims from England, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and the United States. God bless you all!

©Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
  

IC News, January 26, 2010

Click here for the latest edition of IC News, the news of the Immaculate Conception Province: IC News, January 26, 2010

Make the dream of Jesus, our dream too

HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 24, 2010:


For what seems like an eternity, we here in Boston have been deluged by an endless barrage of political commercials leading up to Tuesday’s special election for U.S. Senator from: Scott Brown’s “Bold New Leadership” vs. Martha Coakley’s “A different kind of leadership.” And now, just when we thought it was over, we’ve had non-stop coverage of the results and the pundits have turned their focus on the President recalling that just a year ago this week Barack Obama was inaugurated and now the question is about what he has or has not accomplished in this year.

But, this reminder of a year ago got me thinking about inaugural addresses. Every four years as a president begins their new term, we engage in one of our regular national celebrations, full of pomp and circumstance – the inauguration. An inauguration is no small affair – it costs in the tens of millions of dollars, there are countless parties, dinners and dances. But, the highlight of every inauguration is the inaugural address, which is almost always a truly memorable speech.

Last year’s speech was no exception as the President said many powerful things including, “The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” Of course, this is just one in a long line of memorable speeches. Remember the powerful words spoken by President Ford as he assumed office in a very difficult and challenging time in our nation’s history. He said, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy.”

Or, who can forget the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 when he said to a nation in the midst of a terrible depression, “This great nation will endure…The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Or some of the most famous inaugural words spoken by John F. Kennedy in 1961, when he said, “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. As what you can do for your country.”

I mention these inaugurals today, not because of the interesting political atmosphere that has gripped us this week in our beloved state, but because our Gospel passage from Luke describes another inaugural address of a new leader. As we are still early in Ordinary Time, we have presented to us the Gospel of Luke. In our three-year cycle of readings, this is the year of Luke. We will hear from this Gospel most of the time this year. In the opening paragraph that we heard today, Luke tells us why he wrote the Gospel. He is writing to Theophilus (a name that means in Greek, “one who loves God), probably a Roman official, to tell him what Christianity was all about. For Luke, Christianity is focused on God's love and mercy reaching out to everyone, but especially to those in need. That’s why, in telling Theophilus about the Christian faith, Luke finds the incident in the synagogue in Nazareth very important. In this incident, Jesus makes a solemn declaration of his mission in the world. It is, in fact, His inaugural address that He gives at the beginning of His mission as Messiah and Savior. And, it too, is filled with exciting and memorable phrases – as every inaugural address is.

Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”
The words of this inaugural address of Jesus are filled with hope – for the poor, for the helpless, for the captives, for the sick and for the oppressed. In this respect, they are like the words of just about every inaugural. They are words that outline a vision that cannot be carried out by one person working alone. They can, and must, be carried out by everyone working together. As St. Paul says in our passage from First Corinthians, “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” In other words, we all must work together and share the responsibility of making the dreams of our Leader, Jesus Christ, come true. We must be the ones to carry on His agenda if it is to be made a reality.

The dream that Jesus sets forth is a dream that can be realized only if we, His followers, make it our dream as well. If the victims of poverty, hunger, and homelessness in today’s world are to hear the Good News of Jesus, then we must be the ones to tell them about it. If the victims of blindness, AIDS, cancer or other illnesses are to recover their hope, then we are the ones who bring that hope to them. If the victims of oppression throughout the world are to be set free, then we are the ones who must raise our voices in their support. If the darkness of our world is to be lit up with the Light of Christ, then we are the ones that have shine that light and help make it happen.

An old man was walking along the beach after a big storm one day. Fifty yards ahead of him was a young woman. She was picking up starfish that the storm had stranded on the beach, and was throwing them back into the sea. When the old man caught up with her, he asked her what she was doing. She replied that the starfish would die unless they were returned to the sea before the sun began beating down on them. The old man said, “But the beach goes on for miles and miles, and there are thousands of stranded starfish. How can your small effort make a difference?” Picking up a starfish and holding it lovingly in her hands, she said, “It makes a big difference to this one.” And with that, she returned it to the sea.

The spirit of that young woman is the type of spirit that every Christian must strive to imitate. When someone asks us, “How can your small effort make a difference in a world filled with billions of people crying out for help,” our answer must be the same as the young woman’s. “It makes a big difference to the ones we are able to help.” And if we give generously of our own loaves and fishes, Jesus will find a way to multiply them and feed the hungry multitude.

My brothers and sisters, this is the inaugural message of our Leader, Jesus Christ, and He invites us to help Him accomplish His mission. The Lord has anointed us “to bring glad tidings to the poor…to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

This is the kind of faith that will inspire others to join us and indeed shine the Light of Christ to dispel the darkness of our world. May we make the dream of Jesus, our dream as well.

May God give you peace.

Pope tells priests: For God's sake, blog!

Who knew I was so far ahead of the curve?  - FT

Vatican City, Jan 23, 2010 / 10:24 am (CNA).- In his message for the 44th World Day for Social Communications, Pope Benedict calls for priests to "make astute use" of available technology in becoming a presence as community leaders on the web. However, he urges them to remain "less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart."

The 2010 World Day for Social Communications will take place on May 16 under the theme "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word." The Holy Father’s message was released today.

The aim of this year's message is to draw attention to the possibilities for priestly ministry offered within the "important and sensitive pastoral area of digital communications."

Read the full story here: Holy Father encourages online priestly ministry :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Hearing God's Call

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK, January 17, 2010:


Today we hear the familiar story of Jesus and Mary at the wedding feast at Cana. This is a powerful story because it is generally considered to be the start of Jesus ministry; and the first recorded miracle performed by Jesus. And, in a way, it continues our theme from the Christmas season as it is another manifestation of the Divinity of God. Jesus shows his Divine nature by performing the miracle.

It is interesting to note that Mary, the mother of Jesus, only makes two appearances in St. John’s Gospel: in the passage we heard today at Cana, the beginning of Jesus public ministry; and then again at the crucifixion, the end of it. John shows us that Mary had two tremendously important roles in the ministry of Jesus. At Cana, as the wedding feast went on, the wine ran out. Mary went out of her way to intercede with Jesus, she encouraged Jesus, and Jesus performed what John tells us was his very first miracle.

If this was Jesus' very first miracle, how then did Mary know that Jesus could do it? Well, very simply, good mothers know their children. They know the hidden talents and gifts of their children. There are many young men and women who have gone on to accomplish great things in life because their mothers and fathers believed in them and encouraged them.

You know, we often talk about the need in the Church for more men and women to follow the call of God and accept a vocation to ministry in the Church. We know that there are fewer and fewer priests and religious, and more and more Catholics in our parishes. But, I want to challenge the notion of a so-called Vocation Crisis. As you know, I am the Vocation Director for our Franciscan community and personally, I don’t believe there is a Vocation Crisis. I believe that what we have is a Vocation Awareness Crisis. I know that God continues to call men and women into service, but I think we have created a point in our Catholic culture where people no longer have the ears to hear that call; and the courage and willingness to follow.

This week, we commemorate National Vocation Awareness Week, a special time where the Church asks us to pray for more young men and women to consider living a consecrated or vowed life or becoming ordained as a priest. But, vocations are simply something we no longer encourage among our young people. When someone mentions that they may be considering a vocation today, the regular response is not one of support, but the typical response is, a question, “Why would you want to do that?” Our culture unfortunately values materialism, wealth, status, position, celebrity and power, above a call to poverty, chastity, obedience and service and so the natural outcome is fewer deacons, priests and religious. God always calls more than enough workers for harvest, but too often we question that call and to fail to support it.

We need to encourage our youth to consider this way of life just as they consider the myriad other ways of life presented to them every day. Ultimately it is about doing what God wants you to do. It isn’t that religious and priests never wanted a relationship or marriage or children or a nice big house and a fancy car; rather, it is that we are called to something different. Each way of life is full of challenges – as any married person can attest to. But, when it is what you are called to, you cannot imagine doing anything else. We have to encourage people to be open to the possibility. To open their hearts to listen to Jesus.

The simple thing that we are all called to do is encourage young people to be open to whatever God has planned for them – whether religious, married, single, or priest. When we make Jesus, manifested in our world, manifested in the Eucharist, Reconciliation and all the sacraments, the center of our life, we look at life differently. You see, it is a domino effect. When we are open to the presence of Jesus, we become the presence of Jesus in the world. We leave this church each and every week as walking Tabernacles containing the presence of Jesus for our world.

So, what can we do for vocations in our own limited way? First and foremost, we can talk about them, we can talk about a life given fully to God, we can stop being afraid of raising the subject with someone. In all of my work with young people, I encounter many young men and women who I believe are being touched by God for a special role of service. I always, always tell them that. I always encourage discussion about that. Ask them to at least consider the possibility. In fact, someone here today could be sensing God’s call. Does this mean that they will pursue a vocation? Perhaps, but at the very least, it means that if we encourage them, they will not go through life wondering, “was I called.” And, we can only talk about the issue when we value this way of life. It is the responsibility of every Catholic.

I’d like to ask you all today – have you ever ad the thought about someone that they might make a good priest, a good religious sister or brother? If you’ve had that thought, did you tell them?

In Mary today we are given a great example of how we can all support vocation awareness. Mary saw something in her Son, she encouraged it, prayed for it, supported it all through His ministry, from the very beginning to the very end. Mary is the model for us all. We all have to do the same. Mary encouraged Jesus and he reached out to the people at the wedding, and a miracle literally took place.

Today, then, is a good day to ask ourselves: Who among us might God be calling? What can I do to support that call? How can I be a Vocation Director in my own family, church, community? How will there continue to be this manifestation of Jesus in our world if no one is encouraged to take up the call. Let me end with a vocation prayer that was written by Pope John Paul II:

Lord Jesus, as You once called the first disciples to make them fishers of men,

let your sweet invitation continue to resound: Come, follow Me!

Give young men and women the grace of responding quickly to Your voice.

Support your bishops, priests and consecrated people in their apostolic labor.

Grant perseverance to our seminarians and to all those

who are carrying out the ideal of a life totally consecrated to Your service.

Awaken in our community a missionary eagerness.

Lord, send workers to your harvest and do not allow humanity to be lost

for the lack of pastors, missionaries

and people dedicated to the cause of the Gospel.

Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation,

help us to say "yes" to the Lord Who calls us to cooperate

in the divine plan of salvation.

Amen.

May God give you peace.

10 Things That Promote Vocations

This week is National Vocation Awareness Week.  Here are some good tips for the promotion of vocations.  Take a moment to take a look, and as always, pray for vocations!


By Father David Toups

For all Catholics:

1. Pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. Jesus says in Matthew 9:38 “to beg the master of the harvest to send laborers into the vineyard.” If we want more priests, sisters and brothers, we all need to ask.
2. Teach young people how to pray. Pope Benedict XVI said that unless we teach our youth how to pray, they will never hear God calling them into a deeper relationship with Him and into the discipleship of the Church.
3. Invite active young adults and teens to consider a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. A simple, sincere comment should not be underestimated. An easy way to do this can be remembered by four letters: ICNU. “John, I see in you (ICNU) the qualities that would make a good priest, and I want to encourage you to pray about it.” It is a non-invasive way to encourage openness to a religious vocation.
4. Make it attractive. Show the priesthood for what it truly is – a call to be a spiritual father to the whole family of faith. Similarly, the consecrated life for a young woman is a call to be united to Christ in a unique way, and to be a spiritual mother to those she encounters in her life and service. The challenge for priests and religious is to be joyful models of their vocations.
5. Preach it, brother! Vocations must be talked about regularly if a “vocation culture” is to take root in parishes and homes. This means, first and foremost, the people need to hear about vocations from priests through homilies, prayers of the faithful, and discussions in the classroom. Vocations kept out of sight are out of mind.

For those considering a vocation:

1. Practice the faith. We all need to be reminded that the whole point of our lives is to grow in a deep, intimate and loving relationship with God. This is the first step for any young person desiring to discern any call in life.
2. Enter into the Silence. Silence is key to sanity and wholeness. We can only “hear” the voice of God if we are quiet. Take out the ear buds of your iPhone, iPod, and iTunes and listen to God, the great I AM. Young people should try to spend 15 minutes of quiet prayer each day – this is where you can begin to receive clear direction in your lives.
3. Be a good disciple. Some bishops say, “We do not have a vocation crisis; we have a discipleship crisis.” Young people can become true followers of Jesus Christ by serving those around them. By discovering your call to discipleship, you also discover your particular call within the Church.
4. Ask God. Ask God what He wants for your life and know He only wants what is good for you. If, in fact, you are called to the priesthood or consecrated life, it will be the path to great joy and contentment.
5. In the immortal words of a famous sneaker manufacturer: “Just do it!” If you feel that God is inviting you to “try it out,” apply to the seminary or religious order. Remember, the seminary or convent is a place of discernment. You will not be ordained or asked to profess vows for many years, providing ample opportunity to explore the possibility of a call to priesthood or religious life.

Tuesday Funnies

Thanks to a friend for sending these - they are funny!! - FT

I have kleptomania,but when it gets bad,I take something for it.

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FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS! Except that one where you're naked in church.

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Heaven is Where:

The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French and
It's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss and
It's all organized by the Italians.

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Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

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My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

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In just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday.

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A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory.

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The statement below is true.
The statement above is false.

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I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.

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I am a Nobody. Nobody is Perfect. Therefore I am Perfect.

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Dyslexics Have More Nuf.

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In Memoriam: With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

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I LOVE COOKING WITH WINE. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

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When you work here, you can name your own salary. I named mine, "Fred".

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Money isn't everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch.

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I like cats too. Let's exchange recipes.

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Red meat is not bad for you. Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

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As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on 280 Interstate. Please be careful!" "It's not just one car," said Herman. "It's hundreds of them!"

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I want to die while asleep like my grandfather, not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.

Stepping into the place of sinners

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD, January 10, 2010: 


With today’s solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, we bring to an end our Christmas season. We have spent the last few weeks reflecting upon Jesus’ private life – from His birth through the finding in the Temple and last week’s visit of the Magi. Today’s celebration marks the beginning of His public ministry, a sort of passing of the torch, to Him from John the Baptist as He seeks out baptism in the Jordan.

Even though we hear such beautiful words in today’s Gospel, the voice of God Himself from Heaven proclaiming, “You are my beloved Son,” it begs a very curious question – why is Jesus being baptized? Have you ever stopped to think about this? Baptism, as we know, is for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus didn’t need baptism. We know this. He was untouched by sin – “like us in all things, but sin.” After all, He is the Son of God. You and I, born in a state of Original Sin, are born in desperate need of this sacrament of grace. We need these saving waters to wash over us and restore in us what was taken away by Adam and Eve. But, Jesus? Why would He need baptism?

This is a perplexing theological question and there are many decent answers. But, I came across the best response I have heard a few years ago when the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, released his book, Jesus of Nazareth in 2007. This book, the Pope tells us, is not meant to be a theological technicality, it is meant to be spiritual, to give the answers that our heart needs to hear. So, let me share a bit of what the Pope says about the question of Jesus baptism.

First, the problem. He writes, “The real novelty is the fact that he - Jesus - wants to be baptized, that he blends into the gray mass of sinners waiting on the banks of the Jordan. We have just heard that the confession of sins is a component of Baptism. Baptism itself was a confession of sins and the attempt to put off an old, failed life and to receive a new one. Is that something Jesus could do? How could he confess sins? How could he separate himself from his previous life in order to start a new one?”

The Pope notes that Jesus doesn’t require the newness of life that we all need because of our sin. So, if the baptism of Jesus isn’t about His own sin, since He has none, who’s sin is it about? Of course, it is about our sin. Again, the Pope writes, “The act of descending into the waters of this Baptism implies a confession of guilt and a plea for forgiveness in order to make a new beginning. In a world marked by sin, then, this Yes to the entire will of God also expresses solidarity with men [and women], who have incurred guilt but yearn for righteousness…Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realized what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all [humanity’s] guilt upon his shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners. His inaugural gesture is an anticipation of the Cross…The Baptism is an acceptance of death for the sins of humanity, and the voice that calls out ‘This is my beloved Son’ over the baptismal waters is an anticipatory reference to the Resurrection.”

So, as Jesus begins His public ministry – a ministry that will take Him to the Cross, the grave and to resurrection all for us – He does so by taking on our sins. It is not on the Cross that Jesus takes on the sins of humanity – it is there that He frees us from them. It is in the waters of the Jordan that Jesus steps into the place of sinners, into our place. In the Jordan, Jesus united Himself with us; and in our own personal baptism, we are united again with Him – so that we can be forgiven, we can be healed, we can be saved. Again, the Pope writes, “To accept the invitation to be baptized now means to go to the place of Jesus' Baptism. It is to go where he identifies himself with us and to receive there our identification with him. The point where he anticipates death has now become the point where we anticipate rising again with him. The Baptism that Jesus' disciples have been administering since he spoke those words is an entrance into the Master's own Baptism… That is the way to become a Christian.”

And so baptism is a branding of sort; it is an identification, an initiation, a welcoming. In Jesus’ baptism and in our own, we have been united, one with the other; welcomed into the Family of God as a brother or sister of Christ. When we are baptized, the priest or deacon says these words, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ.” In the Jordan, Jesus was clothed in us, taking our sins onto Himself so that He could redeem us on the Cross. In the baptismal fonts of our Churches, we are clothed in Him – in the hopes that we will live lives worthy of the call; worthy of the name we bear – sons and daughters of God.

In the Jordan, Jesus stepped into our place. Today, through the grace of our own baptism, He asks us to do the same. We must now be the ones to step into the place of Christ and be His presence in our world, so that the Father may say of us as He said of Him, “You are my beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

May God give you peace.

Four essential human freedoms

"In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb."

- US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - State of the Union Address - January 6, 1941

Benedict XVI tells youth not to fear a religious vocation

Vatican City, Dec 31, 2009 / 05:10 pm (CNA).- On the last day of 2009, Pope Benedict XVI led first vespers at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition to singing the Te Deum hymn, he exhorted young people to have the courage to pursue their vocation.

The Te Deum is sung in thanksgiving to the Lord in the Catholic churches of the world on December 31 of each year. In his remarks, the Holy Father noted that this is a time to "put the various events of our lives – major and minor…under the sign of salvation and accept the call God makes to guide us toward a goal beyond time itself: eternity."

"We are called to say with our voices, hearts and lives our ‘thanks’ to God for the gift of his son, …for family, for community, the church and the world," he continued.

Pope Benedict gave special thanks for those who live and work within the Diocese of Rome, of which he is bishop. He praised efforts within the city to follow in the footsteps of Christ and encouraged further participation of the faithful "to be able to offer a valid contribution to the edification of the Church."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: Benedict XVI tells youth not to fear a religious vocation :: Catholic News Agency

Become an epiphany

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD, January 3, 2010:

In the stories of Jesus’ birth, we see two special groups of people came to visit the new-born baby: the shepherds and the Magi. Now, the church has no special feast to commemorate the visit of the shepherds but we do have today’s special feast of Epiphany to celebrate the visit of the Magi. Why is that? It is because the visit of the Magi is a real eye-opener; it is a true epiphany. The word “epiphany” means to manifest or to show; it is a recognition or a revelation. When you have an epiphany, you recognize something or something is revealed to you. You truly see it for the first time. That's Epiphany.

The shepherds did not have to discover the presence of the Baby Jesus; instead they were told directly. They received a direct revelation of Christ’s birth from God through the message of the angels. The Magi on the other hand, were not even looking for the Messiah, they were not even Jewish. Instead they had a truly eye-opening experience discovering the presence of this God in their world. Such is the nature of epiphanies. A manifestation in the midst of the unexpected.

The Magi followed a star that appeared in the sky and that star lead them to the child Jesus. This image of the star is so important to our Christmas celebrations. Christmas is after all a great celebration of the triumph of the Light of the World over the darkness. Jesus is that Light. And the image of light plays such a prominent role in so many of these Christmas stories. And so it makes sense that the Magi follow a light in the sky to find the Light of the World. We are a lot like these Magi. We too follow the Bright Light that is Jesus. And our following of this Light should lead us to an epiphany as well.

Early Church fathers said of the Eucharist that “we become what we receive.” We receive the Body of Christ so we can become the Presence of Christ in our world. So too can be said of the Epiphany. We are recipients of Epiphany, of the manifestation of God in our lives, and the hope is that we will become an Epiphany to the world. We are meant to be manifestations of God’s presence in the world.

There is a story of the Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor. She lived in the South at a time when there was great prejudice against Catholics. An excellent writer, she had been repeatedly denied the National Book Award. As a matter of fact, she never received the award until after her death. One year she went to a convention of Southern Gothic writers. There were some great American writers there like Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Eudora Welty. Of course, she was the only Catholic in the bunch. During the meeting, one of the writers, said to Flannery, “You know you might be the best writer in the room. But, Flannery Honey, you're Roman Catholic, right?” Flannery responded, “Yes.” The writer continued, “Well, Honey, I went to the little Catholic Church right by the hotel. I went to one of your morning masses. And, Honey, I saw the priest come out and do his Mass, and I don't think he was terribly intellectual. And he held up the little white wafer of bread and you Catholics, you think it's Jesus. Well, Flannery Honey, with your brains, you must know it's not Jesus. It's a little symbol of Jesus. It's a reminder of Jesus.”

Flannery looked at him and everyone else in the room and said with tremendous conviction, “If it were just a symbol, the heck with it! But, it is not just a symbol. It is in fact the Real and True Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said it was. The Church says it is. Now, I can't explain it. It's a mystery of Faith. And I'm not ashamed to say that it is a fact. This is no symbol. It is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.” A few weeks after this interchange, Tennessee Williams knocked on the door of a church in New York City and said, “I want to become a Catholic.” And he did! Flannery took an epiphany in her own life – the manifestation of God’s presence in the Eucharist – and turned it into an epiphany in the life of others, notably Tennessee Williams.

This is exactly what today’s feast calls us to. We become what we receive. God has been made manifest to us; and now we must become an Epiphany in our world. We must radiate God’s true and abiding presence to everyone we meet. God showers us with His presence each and every day in so many ways – here at our Mass, God manifests Himself in each one of us gathered in His name, and in His word proclaimed, and we’ll share the same experience that Flannery O’Connor did – God will be manifested in that little white wafer of bread that becomes the Body of His Son. What will we do with the experience of Epiphany that God gives us today? Will we leave the church and just go on, business as usual? Or will we allow ourselves to be touched and transformed by it? Will we be moved like the Magi were to the point where we must do something? Will we be people of our faith convictions proclaiming what we believe? Will we become Epiphany for the world?

O come, let us adore Him!

May God give you peace.

Resolved for holiness

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD, January 1, 2010:

Happy New Year! As we gather on this first day of a new year and a new decade, we celebrate something that has a dual nature – both secular and religious. Today marks an important moment in our secular calendar – the start of a new year – and an important day in our Church calendar – the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

This is historically a day to review the year past and look forward to the year ahead. It is rooted even in the name of the month we begin today. The name “January” comes from the Roman god Janus, who is depicted as the god with two faces, one face looking to the past and the other looking to the future. This is indeed a time to look back at the year that has just ended and to look forward to the new year ahead of us. How did I spend this one year of my life that has just passed? Could I have done better last year in the way I invested my time between the demands of work, family, friends and society, and the demands of my spiritual life? What things did I achieve last year and what did I fail to achieve? Through soul searching questions like these we find that a review of the past year naturally leads to setting goals and resolutions for the new year.

New Year’s resolutions always seem silly to me. As I checked my email this past week, I was greeted with an online poll asking, “What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2010?” These were your choices, “Lose some weight, save more money, or find true love?” Of the nearly 800,000 people who’d answered the poll, 336,633 said lose weight, 263,532 want to save money, 152,802 said to find true love. Silly. And meaningless. Let’s face it. Most of us will probably lose some weight – and gain it back by this time next year; save some money – and spend it by this time next year; and fall in and out of love in the same amount of time.

Hopefully, these things are not what constitute a good year. Hopefully, this is not what constitutes worthy goals for living. Instead, imagine if the poll asked, “What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2010?” with these choices: spend more time with the people who love me, do my part to make the world a better place, be a person of peace, spend more time in prayer, be more like Christ. These are the kind of resolutions that are worthy of our time. These are the things that help us live better lives. These are the things that our minds and hearts should be focused on.

In the secular world, Christmas is already a distant memory – over and done with. Let’s move on to Valentine’s Day. In our Church world, the world of faith, the incredible event of Christmas, the incredible reality that our God came to be with us as one of us, is still with us because it is so powerful an event that we couldn’t possibly do it justice in just a day, we continue to reflect. And we will continue to reflect all the way until the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord on January 10th. Plenty of Christmas is left.

And our continued Christmas reflection today gives us Mary, the Mother of God to focus our minds and hearts on. And it is Mary who gives us the best example of how to achieve these better, holier resolutions for the year ahead. Our Gospel told us, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Mary is the model of that new life in Christ that all of us wish for ourselves in this new year. But Mary did not merely wish that new life, when invited by God through the message of an angel to be a part of His incredible plan, she was resolved to do what God asked of her. She said yes and her will God’s word. So what did she do? “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Mary valued the Word of God, treasured it, meditated and pondered it, in order to discern what God was saying to her at every stage in her life as the handmaid of God – and then, so resolved, she obeyed that Word.

Right there is a difference between a resolution and a wish. Let’s face it, losing some weight is a wish. Winning the lottery is a wish. A wish identifies a goal you want to reach, but a resolution specifies the concrete steps you will take to reach it. A wish says this is where I want to be, a resolution says this is the road I will take, this is what I will do to get there. The wishful person says “I want to pass my exams this year” and the resolved person says “I will devote an extra hour to my studies every day in order to pass my exams.” The wishful person says “I want to have more peace and love in my family this year” and the resolved person says “I will spend more time with my family at table instead of rushing off to the TV, so that we get to know and understand each other better.” The wishful person says “I will live a life of union with God this year” and the resolved person says “I will set aside time every day to pray and hear God's word.” The difference between wishing and resolving is this: are we prepared to do what it takes to make our goals come true, are we prepared to change as God calls us to?

On this day of prayer, this day of peace, let us look to Mary as our model. Let us reflect in our hearts on what our God is calling us to. Let us be so resolved this year to be people of peace, people of prayer, people who show forth God’s love to our world. Let us be so resolved to reflect upon all that God has revealed to us in our hearts, to discern His will in our lives, and to act upon His life-giving, life-saving, life-changing Word.

May God give you peace! Happy New Year!

Make your family a holy family

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH, December 27, 2009:


“Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.” How many wives poked and prodded their husbands as that was read? How many husbands twisted uncomfortably in their seats? This is one of the most challenging passages of Scripture to tackle and I think most homilists shy away from it. But, I think that is a real mistake.

I too shied away from this passage until a few years ago when I saw a movie you may have seen called, My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. The movie is about a large ethnic family focusing on their awkward daughter who pursues her dreams, falls in love and marries. But, there is a scene early on that puts our reading from Colossians in perspective. After years of working in the family restaurant, the daughter decides she wants to go to college. She musters up the courage and asks permission of her father, who immediately turns her down. Crying on her mother’s shoulder the mother responds, “Don’t worry, I will talk to your father.” Feeling the hopelessness of the situation the daughter responds, “He won’t change his mind. He is stubborn. ‘The man is the head of the household.’” The mother strokes her daughter’s hair and smiles, “Yes, the man, he is the head of the household, but the woman? She is the neck. And I can turn that head any way I want.”

This wonderful scene gives us a new perspective on this reading, and that’s exactly what is needed. The problem with this phrase from Colossians, “Wives be submissive to your husbands,” is that we tend to isolate that passage out and not look at the rest of the reading. Alone, this passage is troubling, but seen in the bigger picture, we find not a chauvinistic household, but one that is balanced; not one where husbands lord authority over wives, but one where everyone is subordinate, or the servant, to the other. St. Paul gives us the lens with which to look at the passage in his Letter to the Ephesians where he also uses this controversial line. But, in Ephesians before he speaks about wives he says, “Brothers and Sisters, be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Subordination, or servanthood, is not just for wives towards husbands, it is for everyone out of reverence for Chist. So, if it is true to say “wives be subordinate to your husbands,” then in the perspective of St. Paul it is also true to say “husbands be subordinate to your wives.”

This all ties in to today’s Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, because what St. Paul gives us is the image of what a holy family looks like. We heard his description, “Put on…heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.”

This is a tough time for the family in our world. Families are struggling. Family life in many places is falling apart. Just look at the images that we get of families from the media today. Families are not portrayed as places of love, respect and safety; rather they are battle grounds. Television and movie families often feature children who regularly outsmart their parents, or parents who are preoccupied with their own interests and neglect their children. These are not holy families.

Our opening prayer today said, “Father, help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love.” That seems like a tall order for us today, but it is one that we can achieve if we have the desire to live in holy families. And that is the challenge – throw out what the world tells you a family should be; and put on Christ and what God wants a family to be; one where love, respect, compassion, and humility prevail. Be subordinate to one another; be families of servants and of service.

Yes, the Holy Family is a tough act to follow. The dad was a saint, the mom was the Mother of God; and the son was God Himself. But, that is not what made Jesus, Mary and Joseph a holy family. They were not a Holy Family because of who they were, but rather they were a holy family because of the way they loved and served each other. They were subordinate to one another. Joseph was faithful to Mary even though the child she carried was not his own. Mary was faithful to Jesus even to the foot of the cross. And one of the things that most concerned Jesus as he hung on the cross was to make sure that John would be there to care for His mother after He was gone. God brought the Holy Family together, but love and concern and service to each other kept them together and made them holy. They became holy as a family in the way that they loved.

The challenge of holiness for families today is to put them first – before career, before wealth, before everything. Families need the support, understanding and love of everyone in them. There is a great freedom that comes from family life. We can be crankier, moodier and grumpier within our family than we can with other people. Snoring in your own house is just noise; in another person’s house it’s an insult. But, never let the freedom you enjoy in your own home become an excuse for failing to extend to the members of your family all of the love, respect, attention and compassion they deserve. Reserve your deepest kindness and love for your own family. Honor all of the members of your household; compete in holiness so that you may grow in your love of each other and the love of God.

Make St. Paul’s words your family’s mission statement: “Put on…heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.”

May God make your family a holy family; and may God give you peace.

"See here, this boy was born and that changed everything."

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, Mass During the Day, December 25, 2009:

As I was preparing for today’s Christmas Mass, a movie scene came to mind. It is from Steven Speilberg movie of a number of years ago called, Amistad. This movie is about a group of slaves who were able to win their freedom from slavery in the Supreme Court long before slavery was abolished in this country. It is a powerful movie. But, there is one point in the movie when a slave is given a copy of the Bible by an Abolitionist. The slaves, though, speak no English and have never heard of Jesus Christ and so he doesn’t know what this book is. But, this version of the Bible had pictures in it. The man was fascinated looking at these pictures. At one point in the film, two of the slaves are sitting alone in their jail cell, waiting. One slave thinks that the other one carries the book everywhere simply to impress people and he says to the one looking at the Bible, “No one is watching you here, you can put the book down.” The other one responds saying, “No, I think I have figured out the story.” Pointing to the pictures he says, “See, here, things were very bad for these people, it was a dark time, and they were oppressed. Worse even than us.” He flips a page to the scene at the manger in Bethlehem, “But, see here, this boy was born and that changed everything.” Referring to the drawing which depicts Christ with a halo he said, “You can see that he was very important, even the sun followed him where ever he went.”

“See here, this boy was born and that changed everything.” My friends, this is the great message of the feast we gather here to celebrate today. With Jesus, everything is changed. Christmas isn’t about presents and extravagant family dinners – as wonderful as those are. We see the signs and bumper stickers everywhere that say, “Keep Christ in Christmas,” but we also endure what can be a very un-Christian experience of visiting a Mall to do Christmas shopping. Need I say more? In the midst of all the hustle and bustle we can be tempted to lose sight of what we gather here to celebrate – the incredible reality that our God became one of us, the incredible event of our salvation. We need to remember always – perhaps now more than ever – that nothing can ever take away the wonder of that event.

We often find ourselves looking for signs. We want God to show us the way, to give us a sign that he loves us. There was a time in my own life, before I became a priest when I was praying about my vocation, trying to decide if God was calling me into the priesthood and religious life. On retreats, I would hear other guys talk about how God had told them this, or how they received a sign for that. I went to church one day to pray and I was being a very typical Thomas, demanding a sign from God. “Why can’t you give me a sign? Is that too much to ask for God?” After leaving the Church, I was driving home when all of a sudden I passed a billboard that said, “Are you looking for a sign from God?” Of course the rest of that sign read, “Join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” I didn’t take that sign literally to mean I should become a Mormon, but rather to stop asking for such things from God.

What we celebrate today is the greatest sign that God could ever give us – Himself, in the form of a little baby born in a humble manger; the Light of the World that shone in the darkness; the Word become Flesh; the Savior of US ALL. It is in fact the greatest sign of God’s love for us. As we hear in John’s Gospel, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” No matter what trials we have in our personal lives, in our relationship, marriages, in our families, our work lives, this Son of God has come to triumph over them all. He can make everything right again in our lives, His Light can shine in our darkness – if we let him.

That is why we celebrate this day with such joy. We gather to hear this Good News of great joy that God showers on the world at Christmas. But, we still need to do something so that we can experience this joy in our lives, in our families, and in our world more personally.

How do we do that? Well, it is easier to explain than to practice – so I'll explain. Just look at the word JOY. It’s a small word – just three letters: first J, then O, and lastly Y. Well, let me propose that the J stands for Jesus, the O for Others, and the Y for You. Joy therefore is: Jesus and Others, before You. To know joy in our lives we need to place Jesus first in everything. When we place Jesus first, he encourages us to place others before ourselves. And that is the recipe for true joy. That is how we can convert the Christmas “Joy to the world” into a personal “Joy in our lives” now and always.

So, as hear the great story of Christmas once again, we would do well to pay attention to the various people mentioned and see whether they place Jesus and others before themselves, or whether they seek their own interests first. You will discover that those who practice J-O-Y are the ones who enjoy peace and joy, and that those who practice “me first” are always the unhappy and miserable ones. Here are a few examples.
On one side we have the innkeeper who turned Joseph and Mary out in the cold night while he enjoyed the warmth of his inn. And then there's Herod who wanted above all else to preserve his position as king, to the point that he was prepared to kill Jesus and others. These people would never experience the JOY of the Good News. But, on the other side, look at the shepherds who leave everything they own and their flock in the fields to go adore Jesus first. Or the wise men from the East who leave the security of their homeland and make a long and dangerous journey to Bethlehem just to worship the new-born Jesus and bring him gifts. They are the one's who receive God's favor, they are the ones who experience in their hearts the true peace and the true JOY of Christmas.

My brothers and sisters, today – this Christmas – let us resolve to follow their good example by always being people of JOY – placing Jesus and others before ourselves and then the true joy of Christmas will always be ours. This is the Christmas story that we all must learn by heart, in our hearts.

“Behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

“See here, this boy was born and that changed everything.”

On behalf of Fr. Antonio, Fr. Claude, myself and the parish staff, let me wish you all the happiest and holiest Christmas.

Buon Natale, Merry Christmas and may God give you peace.

Merry Christmas - Eat the cookie!!

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, December 25, 2009:

A man asked his wife what she wanted for Christmas. She said, “I’ll give you a hint. What I want goes from 0-200 in less than 5 seconds, and I want to see it in the driveway Christmas morning.” Christmas came and the woman ran out to see her gift. And there it was right in the driveway - a brand new, shiny bathroom scale!

Now, I don’t know about you, but although this is supposed to be the season of sugar plums dancing in our heads, and Joy to the World, for me it often feels like wartime. On one side of this war are you and me – good, upstanding citizens and faithful Christians. And our opponent? That plate of chocolate chip cookies that are so fresh from the oven that the chips are still melting. And that piece of pumpkin pie with the dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. And Grandma’s cobbler. And chocolate cake. This my friends is not mere spiritual warfare; no, this is gastrointestinal warfare.

This battle of the bulge takes place every year around this time. The double whammy of Thanksgiving and Christmas explodes our waistlines like a hand grenade. Our cholesterol and blood sugar say no, but our eyes and stomachs say yes, yes, yes. We always end up losing this battle, which means we have to make bold New Year’s predictions about eating tofu and drinking soy milk, which lasts until we open the fridge on New Year’s Day and see there’s one more piece of pecan pie left. We have met the enemy, and the enemy is oh, so sweet!

My friends, as we gather in this holy place tonight, of course, our minds are on the relevance of Christmas, on the reality that God came to us as a little baby boy in a manger, and the fact that this day reminds us that in the birth of Christ we find our opportunity to know God on a more intimate level. That is the reason for Christmas; and the purpose of our gathering. But, I want to pose a very different question tonight, not about the reasons, but about the outcome. What is the result of Christmas in our lives? How should our lives be different because of this event – both the birth we remember 2,000 years ago and the celebration we gather for tonight? One way is that our lives are supposed to be joyful and peaceful. We sing about just these things in all of our beautiful Christmas hymns. But, for many of us, the last few weeks and days before Christmas are anything but joyful and peaceful. One trip to the mall or post office in the last five days is all anyone needs to be reminded of how easily this season of anticipation turns into one of frustration. The problem is we add to that stress ourselves, and often fret over the things that we should be welcoming as joys. And in this season, that stress can distract us from what Christmas is all about.

Of all the times of the year, this is not supposed to be the season of stress. It’s not “God Fret You Worried Gentlemen” or “O Come All Ye Frazzled.” The archangel didn’t tell the shepherd, “Be afraid! I bring warnings of great stress!” He told them to NOT be afraid, his tidings were of great joy. The point is that in the midst of our stress, we sometimes refuse that joy, that happy, healthy, holy, life-giving joy that results from welcoming anew the birth of Christ.

This time of year, people love to bake and give all kinds of goodies. Our kitchen counters can lake any free space for all the sweets covering them. As I was reflecting on this notion of Christmas joy, I remembered one particular plate of M&M cookies that I received last year. It was a wonderful gift, and the kind person who gave them told us that a lot of love went into every one of those cookies. As I stood agonizing over whether to eat one or not, those red and green M&Ms were staring at me symbolizing the inner battle: stop, go, stop, go. I thought, “Should I? It’s only a few hours until dinner, and I certainly haven’t exercised; but I did have a salad for lunch. But, I probably shouldn’t.” And then I realized something. These cookies were a gift, made with love, and I was rationalizing why I shouldn’t accept this gift. It’s not the right time, it’s the not the right place, I haven’t earned such a gift. Joy and love were given to me, and was looking for reasons to refuse that joy.

Think about this: what if the Blessed Mother had been so stressed out that she had refused joy offered her by the angel? She had every right to. She was in no position to take on the responsibility the angel was putting before her. She was engaged to Joseph. How would she explain this pregnancy? She could tell the truth, but who would believe her? She had every good reason to say no. But the angel told Mary that she would have a baby, and that baby would be named Jesus, and that He would be the very Son of God. And Mary finds herself at that plate of cookies, stressing out over this news. “How can this be?” she initially questions. If she accepts, she will be the vessel for a Divine gift; she will be the Mother of God. But it also means that very soon it will be obvious that there’s more than a cookie in her belly, which could lead to the destruction of her marriage and her reputation. She could even be put to death.

And yet, Mary says yes, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” She takes the risk and she accepts the gift of God’s joy; of God’s love; of God’s peace. There are a lot of reasons she could say no: not the right time, not the right place, not the right man, not the right plan. And yet, instead of weighing the pros and cons, instead of counting the costs, instead of listing the reasons to refuse the gift, Mary simply says “yes”. “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

So, my friends, today, I want you to say “yes” to Christmas. Say “yes” to the cookie! Eat and enjoy! Sing and be merry! January’s coming soon enough. There will be plenty of time to eat right, drink bottled water, take vitamins, and get plenty of sleep. So this Christmas, I want you to eat the cookie. I want you to open your heart; open your life and accept the joy of the birth of our Savior.

True Christmas is, of course, about more than the joys of a cookie. In fact, the reality is that the joys we refuse are more often spiritual and eternal; and far more meaningful and transformative. The joy that we are guilty of leaving behind is the joy of accepting God’s loving gift, of letting Christ bless us, and giving ourselves to follow Jesus. Christmas is more than a chance to eat and open presents. It’s also a chance to open ourselves to Jesus, and to be filled, to be satisfied, to be nourished, to be strengthened, as only the presence of Jesus can do. It’s a time to recommit ourselves to God and to recommit our lives to worshiping and serving Him. It’s a chance to let the remembrance of the birth of Christ so long ago, lead to a new birth of Christ within us, right here, tonight. His birth was not only life-changing 2,000 years ago; the result of His birth is meant to be life-changing for each of us gathered in this holy place tonight.

And yet, we don’t have to accept God’s joy any more than Mary had to. We can say “no”, and continue to let stress rule our lives, to be more concerned about holing back than serving others, more concerned about counting costs than reaping true rewards, more concerned about what we can’t have in our lives; what someone else has that’s better than ours; than what we’re truly missing in our lives. We too can say, “It’s not the right time, it’s not the right place, I haven’t earned such a gift.” Well, none of us have, but we’ve been given it just the same. And there’s never a wrong time or a wrong place to recommit ourselves to following Jesus. This is the season of joy; of love and of peace. Have we felt that joy yet? Have we embraced the joy of this season? Or in our stress have we refused the joy God offers us as a free gift?

Now, I know what’s going to happen. You’re going to come to me next month with a frown on your face. Your belt will be a notch looser, and you may even be waddling a bit. And you’ll say, “Father, I did what you said, I ate that cookie, and now I weigh five pounds more than before Christmas!” And I’ll say, “Me too. But, how did your cookie taste?” And your eyes will glaze over, and you’ll look up, and with a big smile on your face, you’ll say, “It was awesome.”

My friends, in this very moment, the gift of Christ; the gift of joy, love and peace; is once again being offered to each of us. What will you do? It’s all up to you. But if you ask me, I’d eat the cookie, I’d get on my knees tonight and thank God for the gift of His Son and welcome that joy; that truest of joys, in to the depths of my heart. And only then can we all say, “Thank you Lord. It was truly awesome!”

Buon Natale, Merry Christmas and may God give you His joy.

The Prayer of Santa Claus

We had a wonderful treat yesterday at St. Leonard's Church as Cardinal Sean O'Malley came for a pastoral visit and to celebrate the noon time Mass.  I had the honor of concelebrating the Mass with him.  As always, Cardinal Sean was a wonderful homilist and part of his homily really stuck out for me and I'd like to share that with you today.

The Cardinal mentioned that at this time of the year, children often approach him with a very important question: "Are you Santa Claus?"  And, while the Cardinal of course responds that he is not Santa, he reminds the children that the real Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was also a bishop.

St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra and among the interesting things about him is the fact that he is the first saint canonized in the Church who was not a martyr.  In the early years of the Church it was the tremendous heroism and courage of the martyrs, willing to die for the faith, that received the most attention and veneration of the faithful.  But, Nicholas, living in the third century after most persecution of Christians had ceased was the first to be officially recognized not for dying for the faith, but for living heroically and faithfully the Christian life.

There are many stories and legends that surround this saint and come down to us over the centuries, but they all have one common factor - his incredible charity.

St. Nicholas, was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

So, what about the Prayer of Santa Claus?  Well, the other thing that really stuck out for me in Cardinal Sean's homily was the fact that St. Nicholas was one of the bishops who attended the Council of Nicea in the year 325; one of the great Christological Councils of the early Church.

Cardinal Sean told the congregation that it was St. Nicholas who wrote the text of the great Symbol of Faith of that Council, a prayer that we pray each and every Sunday - the Nicene Creed.  So, the Nicene Creed is, in fact, the Prayer of Santa Claus.

After the homily, as we stood to profess our faith, the Cardinal invited us all to pray the Prayer of Santa Claus, and I invite you to pray it with me too:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.

Through Him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit

He was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look to the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

St. Nicholas, pray for us!

Jesus or Santa?

HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 20, 2009:

Long ago, a wise and good king ruled in Persia. He loved his people and wanted to know how they lived – especially in their hardships. So he dressed himself in regular clothes and went to the homes of the poor. No one he visited suspected that he was, in reality, the king. One of them was a very poor man who lived in a cellar. The king spent time with him, talked with him, listened to him, ate his meager food with him and cheered him up before leaving. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his true identity. The king expected the man to ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said in wonder, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the meager food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you may have given rich gifts. But to me you have given yourself!”

My brothers and sisters, in just a few days we will celebrate something very similar. Christmas celebrates that the King of kings left his divine glory and came to our dreary world to share with us our poverty, our struggles and challenges. Like our story, Jesus didn’t just come to give us a gift or a favor, He came and gave us Himself.

This has been the challenge of this entire Advent season, a challenge made ever more urgent as Advent comes to a close – who’s arrival are we preparing for? When we think about it, there’s a choice, and most people are preparing for the arrival of one of two people. Are we preparing for the arrival of Jesus? Or are we preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus? We’ve all seen the bumper stickers and pins that say, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season,” or “Keep Christ in Christmas.” We all know the challenge of the busyness of this time of year. I’m sure that the malls and the roads are crazy today. I’m sure that people are scurrying around picking up all of those last minute presents. And as much fun as all of that is, Advent reminds us that we are preparing for something so much bigger, so awesome, so much more monumental than presents and Santa Claus. So, who’s arrival are we preparing for?

We can learn something important by looking at some key differences between Jesus and Santa. What does each of them do? Tradition tells us that Santa Claus rides in an open sleigh giving gifts to children who have been good – so be good for goodness sake. Santa leaves the gifts under the Christmas tree, perhaps enjoys some cookies and milk and then disappears until next year.

Jesus, however, does something very different. Jesus does not leave a gift and disappear. Instead, Jesus is the gift. Jesus comes to live with us. He comes to share our human condition. His very presence is the gift. And, as the poor man in our story knows, being with the king is far more satisfying than receiving a gift from him. Most importantly, Jesus does not disappear not to be seen again for another year. Jesus gives us all of Himself and gives us His real presence in our lives for ever at each and every Eucharist. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!

So, who’s arrival are you preparing for? Preparing for Santa is a very hurried preparation, one that involves lots of activity, lots of rushing around, lots of hustle and bustle. Preparing for Jesus is much more internal, much more prayerful, much more transformative. The King of kings wants to visit your household, wants to visit your life. Will you welcome Him? Will you have the time or the quiet space to welcome Him into your home and into your heart? How will you prepare for His arrival?

Today we are just like the poor man in our story. Like him, our hearts should be full of joy, not in the extra gift the king will give us but in the fact that the king has come to be with us, to become one of us. Let us prepare well so that we can exclaim with the poor man, “To others you may have given rich gifts. But to me you have given yourself!” Come, Lord Jesus.

May God give you peace.

You can't pick your family - and neither could Jesus!

Homily for Thursday, December 17, 2009:


You should congratulate any priest or deacon who successfully made his way through today's Gospel.  It is the decathalon of proclamation linguistics - the Genealogy of Jesus from Matthew's Gospel. Perez, Hezron, Amminadab, Nahshon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat.  The names just keep coming at you like a verbal assault. The rat-a-tat-tat of them seemingly endless! Such is the family of the Messiah.

But what are we to make of this Gospel passage?  Some cringe when it finds its way into the schedule.  Some avoid it all together. Some rush through it so quickly it is an unintelligible garble of gobbledy-gook!  This is a shame because despite the verbal gymnastics, it is one of the richest passages of Scripture.

I remember tackling this in a Scripture class we had while I was a novice.  The Novice Master, himself a great Scripture scholar, asked us if we could only keep one passage of Scripture, the rest was going to go away, what would we keep?  His answer was the Genealogy of Christ.  He would go on to explain how in this list of the descendants of Christ, the whole of salvation history was being presented.

When we look at the geneaology, we see lots of what we would expect for the lineage of the Savior of the World; the very Son of God.  We find Abraham, the one with whom the story began; the forebear of all who would be called God's people.  We find Jacob who would wrestle an angel.  We find the great kings - the courageous David; the infinitely wise Solomon.  This much is not surprising.

But, if we look deeper, it could raise an eyebrow.  We find non-Jews; people not of the covenant - namely Rahab and Ruth.  Worse than this, Rahab is a prostitute. We also find Bathsheeba, an adulteress.  We find other kings who were not of the stature of David or Solomon, but rather those who would lead Israel down the wrong path away from its Godly destiny.

In other words, we find a family just like yours or mine.  We find a family complete with its success stories and its triumphant figures; and we find a family complete with its crazy Uncle Joe's and Cousin Betty's.  We find a family just like any other human family.

I can't help but think of that often-cited phrase, "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family."  The same was true for even the Son of God.   The technical theological term we use for the Birth of Christ is the Incarnation; a word that comes from the Latin in-carne or quite literally "in the flesh."  Jesus did not magically or suddenly appear on the scene as though from some Fellini movie - Heavens part, choirs sing, bright light, and voila Jesus!

No, our Savior is born the same we were through a 9 month pregnancy; even through the difficulties along the way - ending up birthed in a manger stall.  He comes to us in the flesh in the same way you and I came into the world.  He came in the likeness of humanity.

And the beauty of this, I think, as we reflect upon the family, the genealogy of Christ is this - if the Savior could be born into this family - beginning with Abraham all the way to Mary and Joseph - with all of its triumphs and challenges; then He can be born again into your family and my family too.

In fact, He has.  In fact, His genealogy is ours too.  In baptism, we were made members of this very same family of God.  So, these descendants are ours.  So, as we recall the great heritage that is our Godly Family, let us remember to make room again because just around the corner, we will have a new arrival - the Son of God wishes to be born again in our hearts, in our homes, in our lives and in our families!

May God give you peace!

On the separation of STATE and Church

The U.S. Bishops and in-the-pew Catholics have been more active in the last few months as the health care debate has played out in seeking to influence legislators to make sure that tax payer dollars do not pay for abortions.  I have done a tremendous amount of reading on these issues as they continue to unfold because of course the issue is extremely complex and necessitates that we keep up with changes if we hope to understand and effect change.

One of the troubling things that I have noticed in reading these articles are some of the comments that have been made by readers online commenting about stories, and even more startling comments made by some legislators in relation to Catholics making their voices heard; and in particular Bishops making their voices heard.  These comments have generally gone along the line of, "What ever happened to the separation of Church and State."

The implication is that if you are a person of faith, or worse if you are a member of the clergy or church hierarchy, somehow the freedoms afforded citizens in the Constitution of the United States are left at the Church doors.  The implication is that if faith is your guide, you have no right to voice your opinion, your hope, your dream, your expectation of what our country should be.  Baptism apparently, in addition to washing away the stain of original sin, also washes away freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of press, freedom to influence our representatives and those who work on our behalf in Washington.

They would have us believe, I suppose, that we are a truly secular state, perhaps even an atheist one.  They would have us believe that we've got it wrong on our currency.  In fact it is not "In God We Trust," but "In Ourselves We Trust."

The problem is that they have failed to read our Constitution well; have somehow forgotten the heritage of our nation built upon not a secular state, but a religiously plural and free one; and forgotten what our founding documents actually say.

So, what ever happened to the separation of Church and State?  Well, quite simply, it never existed!!  Our Constitution does not call for a separation of Church and State.  It calls for a seperation of STATE from Church.

To quote the relevant text.  The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 

The concept of a seperation is not a concept that hopes to silence religious voices; it is a concept that seeks to stop our government from trying to silence religious voices.  So, when a citizen or a legislator suggests that we should keep silent, aren't they "prohibiting the free exercise" of our religion?

Obviously, legislators remain free to make decisions and laws that they feel are best.  No matter how loudly the Church, its members or its leaders speak, they do not have the power to effect law in this land; but they most certainly retain the "God-given" right to speak out for the government that they hope for just like each and every last citizen of this great land does.

So, if anyone should be keeping their nose out of things, it is the government.  When the Church speaks, listen!  Just as you would listen to any of your citizenry.  We have the same right to freedom; to speak; to participate; to effect without anyone prohibiting our free exercise of our faith.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

"Rejoice in the Lord always!"

HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, "GAUDETE SUNDAY", December 13, 2009:

At this time of year, with each passing week, our Church seems more and more full. That got me thinking of a story I heard a while back about a pastor who wrote in his weekly bulletin, “To make it possible for everyone to attend church next Sunday, we are going to have a special No Excuse Sunday. Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say ‘Sunday is my only day to sleep in.’ There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are uncomfortable. Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say ‘The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.’ Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold and fans for those who say it is too hot. Scorecards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. We will distribute pins saying ‘Stamp Out the Collection Basket’ for those who feel the church is always asking for money.

“One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature. Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them. We will provide hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton balls for those who can.”

I begin with this humorous little story because today, the Third Sunday of Advent is a very different kind of celebration in the season. We celebrate Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. The first reading at Mass today reminded us of this, “Shout for joy, sing joyfully, Be glad and exult with all your heart.” The church is a little more festive, we wear rose-colored vestments. Everything about today says rejoice! It is hard to believe that this is the third week of Advent already. Christmas is barely a week away. How quickly Jesus is coming to us. Advent begins to take on a very different character today.

We heard in our Gospel passage from Luke today, “Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.” In the passage, the people knew that the Messiah was coming, and they asked the most natural question, “What are we to do?” This is the same question that is on our minds and on our lips in Advent. We are excited at the coming of Jesus, but what are we to do? The guest is nearly here, what do we have to do to receive him?

There is a story of a certain monastery that was going through a crisis. The monks were leaving, no new candidates were joining them, and people were no longer coming for prayer and consultation as they used to do. The few monks that remained were becoming old and depressed and bitter in their relationship with one another. The abbot heard about a certain holy man, a hermit living alone in the woods and decided to consult him. He told the hermit how the monastery had dwindled and diminished and now looks like a skeleton of what it used to be. Only seven old monks remained. The hermit told the abbot that he has a secret for him. One of the monks now living in his monastery is actually the Messiah, but he is living in such a way that no one could recognize him.

With this revelation the abbot went back to his monastery, summoned a community meeting and recounted what the holy hermit told him. The aging monks looked at each other in unbelief, trying to discern who among them could be the Christ. Could it be Brother Mark who prays all the time? But he has this holier-than-thou attitude toward others. Could it be Bother Peter who is always ready to help? But he is always eating and drinking and cannot fast. The abbot reminded them that the Messiah had adopted some bad habits as a way of camouflaging his real identity. This only made them more confused and they could not make a headway figuring out who, among them, was the Christ. At the end of the meeting what each one of the monks knew for sure was that any of the monks, except himself, could indeed be the Christ.

From that day, however, the monks began to treat one another with greater respect and humility, knowing that the person they are speaking to could be the Messiah. They began to show more love for one another, their common life became more brotherly and their common prayer more fervent. Slowly people again began to take notice of the new spirit in the monastery and began coming back for retreats and spiritual direction. Word began to spread and, before you know it, candidates began to show up and the monastery began to grow again in number as the monks grew in zeal and holiness. All this because a man of God drew their attention to the truth that is so easy to overlook – that Christ was living in their midst as one of them.

After 2000 years, we have to ask ourselves, are we able to recognize Christ in the ordinary and familiar men and women in our midst with their very normal habits, backgrounds, and looks? Or has little changed? Are we still, like those in the Gospel, looking for the mighty king to come with trumpet blast, with fanfare and excitement – looking so much that we look beyond the Christ that is right in front of us every day.

Brothers and sisters, I’ve got a secret for you today – Christ is actually living in our midst but in such a way that perhaps we do not recognize him.

So, what are we to do? Given what we know about John, we anticipate a radical answer to that question like “Leave everything and join me in the desert; adopt a life of fasting and penance.” Instead, John calls people to faithfulness and care in the normal circumstances of their lives: If you have more than you need, share with those who have less; tax collectors should be honest; soldiers should not take advantage of the vulnerable; parents should cherish their children; spouses should be faithful to each other ; neighbors must live in peace. John gives us great advice for our lives and especially for this season. Share, be honest, be fair, cherish each other, be faithful and be people of peace – and open our eyes to the presence of Christ all around us.

We are being called to be the people who bring Jesus, the Light of the World into all of the places of darkness. But, first we have to let that Light be born in us. Then Jesus will use us to fashion a new world and bring forth the Kingdom of God. On our part, we must open our hearts and look with new eyes, or not look with our eyes at all, instead, we must look with our hearts, and welcome everyone we encounter – whether family or stranger, friend or foe, rich or poor – as though it were Christ Himself.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near!”

May God give you peace!

Follow in your Mother's footsteps

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, December 8, 2009:

A woman was having a very busy day at home. With many children, every day was hectic. On this particular day, however, she was having trouble doing even routine chores - all because of one little boy. Kenny, was three at the time, and was on his mother’s heels no matter where she went. Whenever she stopped to do something and turned back around, she would trip over him. Several times, she patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. “Wouldn’t you like to play outside?” she would ask. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “That’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind her. After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, the young mother began to lose her patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When she asked Kenny why he was acting this way, he looked up at her and said, “Well, Mommy, in school my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see Him, so I’m walking in yours.”

“The angel said to (Mary), ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is perhaps one of the more misunderstood feast days in the Church. When we regularly refer to the “Immaculate Conception” many people will explain that this feast is about the fact that Jesus was conceived without sin. Of course, this is not a feast of Jesus, but of the Blessed Mother. It celebrates the fact that Mary, not Jesus, was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother Anne.

This dogma of Mary was proclaimed more than 150 years ago by Pope Pius 9th in 1854. The feast itself is, of course, even older than the proclamation. It has been celebrated in the Franciscan Order since 1263; and was adopted by Rome in 1477, by Pope Sixtus IV, himself a Franciscan. And the belief in Mary's Immaculate Conception dates back to the earliest days of the Church. The United States is under the patronage of Mary under her title as the Immaculate Conception and so for us this is also our nation’s feast day.

So, why is this day so important to us in the Church? Quite simply, it reminds us of what our faith is all about; what the goal of our believing leads us to. A few years back, I had the opportunity to preach at the celebration of First Reconciliation for young people. During the service, I brought the kids forward to the sanctuary, and sat them all down. First I asked if any of them were nervous about making their first confession. Some raised their hands and said they were worried they would forget what to say, or they didn't know what the priest would say to them. Then I asked if any of them were excited about making their first confession. Wonderfully several hands went up. I asked one little girl why she was excited to make her first confession. She said boldly and proudly, “Because today, Father, I get to be sin free.” I get to be sin free. Isn’t that the most wonderful statement! Since that moment, I've thought I'd like to have t-shirts made up that say that and I'll hand them out after every confession.

But, this is exactly what Mary reminds us about today. She reminds us that we all have been invited to be sin-free. Another word for sin-free is holy. We are all called to be holy people; to eliminate those things that distance us from God; to be united with Him. We do this by trying to overcome the sin in our life every day. And, if you're thinking, “I can't do that. That's too difficult,” you're right! We can't be sin-free on our own. And it was the same for Mary. Her sinlessness is not something that she achieved by her own power or merit. Rather, it was a gift from God given to her at the very moment of her conception in the womb of her mother Anne.

That's a good reminder for all of us today. When we are without sin, in a state of grace, or when we are doing better on our road to holiness, it is not an achievement of our own greatness and power - it too is a gift from God. We can overcome our sin - with God's help; and only with God's help. We overcome our sin by prayer; by meditating on Scripture; by spending time before the Blessed Sacrament; by praying the Rosary; and pre-eminently by going to Confession regularly and then receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in a worthy manner. We would do well to be like young Kenny and follow in the footsteps of our Blessed Mother striving to follow the example of Christ, so perfectly exemplified in her life.

Belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary is belief in a provident God - a God who provides for the future, who prepares His children for their assigned task in life even before they are born, a God who foresees and equips us with all the natural and supernatural qualities we need to play our assigned role in the drama of human salvation. God does not just throw us into this worldwide wilderness and then leave us to fight it out among ourselves. He helps us to desire and even achieve holiness when we cooperate with Him.

Let us today be inspired by the loving Providence of our God and by the example of Mary; let us follow in her footsteps. Let us strive to live a life worthy of the same angelic message that was given to Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.”

May God give you peace!

IC News, December 5, 2009

FEATURE: St. Leonard's in midst of renovations

Radio Agape holds annual telethon

Franciscan Reflection for Advent

Friar Andre Cirino invited to give lecture at Oxford

'Click this link for the full stories.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

This Wednesday is the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

In the history of the American church, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York recently mused that "there’s never been anybody who’s been able to communicate the timeless truths of the Catholic religion to a very timely culture" as Sheen did, "without diluting any of the essentials."

What amazes me is how timeless he is. This clip originally aired in 1959 and could still play on tv today. Enjoy.

Church celebrates feast of St. Nicholas, the 'original' Santa Claus

Dec 6, 2009 (CNA).- Today, December 6, the faithful commemorate a bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children. Born in Lycia in Asia Minor around the late third or fourth century, St. Nicholas of Myra is more than just the inspiration for the modern day Santa.

As a young man he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study in the school of the Desert Fathers. On returning some years later he was almost immediately ordained Bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern day Turkey.

Read the full story here: Church celebrates feast of St. Nicholas, the 'original' Santa Claus

The Word of God comes to us

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 6, 2009:

A newly ordained priest was sent to work as an assistant to an older priest. The young priest went to the older priest for some advice. “What should I preach about?” asked the young man. The only reply he got was, “Preach about five minutes.”

As a priest we are often faced with the challenge of trying to not let our Masses go to long. I have been in parishes where people even call the office to find out when the quick priest is saying Mass. That has never been me. People don’t want to sit for longer services. They get bored or they don't have much time. But it can be surprising that the same people who can’t sit for an hour long Mass will have no trouble going to a three hour concert or sporting event and still want more at the end. It causes us to wonder, how can people can sit in one place for three hours or more and listen with joy to music or watch sports but they cannot do the same when it comes to listening to the word of God at Mass?

I think the answer lies in something that we hear in today's Gospel. Why don't people hear the word of God with joy? People need to have a personal experience of God in their lives before they can hear the word of God with joy. Proclaiming the word of God to people who do not know God in a personal way, and who do not have a personal relationship with God, is like reading poetry to people who do not know what poetry is all about. They get bored very easily and are in a hurry to leave. How can such people move from a situation of being bored by the word of God to a situation of joy and enthusiasm in hearing the word of God? Today, John the Baptist gives us an example.

As we read in today's gospel, “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” In this short passage we find the three steps necessary to us from being lukewarm to enthusiastic in the faith. The three steps are (1) John went into the desert, (2) the word of God came to him, and (3) John left the desert and went about proclaiming the faith. We also must pass through these three stages to arrive at the point where we begin to live the life of faith with joy.

Stage 1 - We go into the desert. The desert is a place of being alone with God. We go into the desert when we take time off our normal job and household occupation to be with God in church, in prayer, in reading the word of God. The desert is the place where we encounter God. The desert is the place where we eliminate all of the more superficial things that distract us from our relationship with God, so we can truly listen to Him and have the clarity to tell Him what we need. But, we ourselves must take the first step to go into the desert, to reach out to God, to look for God. If we make that first step, He will meet us there.

Stage 2 - The word of God comes to us. Once we open our hearts to God, in the desert God Himself will come and fill us up. A saint once said that when we take one step to God, God takes two steps to us. At this stage God takes the initiative to come to us, to fill us, to renew us, to transform us, to remold us into God's image that we are supposed to be. This is the stage that some other Christian communities often refer to as being “born again”. If we have been lucky enough to have this type of experience with God, everything changes – we want to spend more and more time with God; we would spend the whole day alone with God in church, in prayer, in Bible reading. But unless we are going to embrace the life of a cloistered monk or nun, like John, we must go on to live our lives and carry out our duties in the family and in the society.

This brings us to stage 3. With this overwhelming love of God in our hearts, we are compelled to go about proclaiming the faith. Having experienced the goodness of the Lord in our own lives, our next desire is to share this experience with others. It's like we are wearing a tee-shirt with the inscription, “Wow, God is great!” People look at us and see the joy and peace and serenity that radiates from us and they would like to be like us. They would like to be our friends. And then we can in turn help them by showing them the pathway to the desert, the place where they, in their turn, will encounter God personally. The experience of God is like the experience of love. You can tell people about it but they will not understand what you are talking about until they themselves experience it.

In the opening prayer for this Mass we said, “God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy.” In order for this to happen, we must resolve, in this season of Advent, to take the first step, to head to the desert, to make room for God, make time for church, for prayer, for hearing the word of God, so that we too can be transformed into people exploding with love and joy for God and for each other.

May God give you peace!

"X" is the "Christ" in Christmas

This is the time of year when it seems that the flurry of emails begin to get sent around against the wording of things like "Merry Xmas."  They usually have a theme that goes something like, "Put 'Christ' back into Christmas."  I think that these end up getting passed around because people get whipped up into the fervor over stories about work places and the like that won't allow people to wish others "Merry Christmas," and instead insist on generic, secular greetings like "Happy Holidays."  I would agree that people should have the freedom to wish a "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukah," "Happy Ramadan," or even a "Happy Kwanzaa."

But, what many people don't realize is that writing "Merry Xmas," does not take Christ out of Christmas.  In fact, it keeps Him right there in the middle of it in one of the most ancient ways of referring to Christ, by displaying the letter "X."

The "X" in Xmas is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Χριστός, Christ in Greek.  The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.

In ancient Christian art, χ and χρ are abbreviations for Christ's name. In many manuscripts of the New Testament and icons, X is an abbreviation for Christos, as is XC (the first and last letters in Greek).

In fact, in the early days of Christianity, when it was still illegal in the Empire to be a Christian, the community used the sign "X" to mark the places where the Eucharist would be celebrated.  They used this as a sort of secret code that the Romans remained unaware of, yet for Christians, "X" marked the spot (ever wonder where that phrase came from?) where they community would gather to "do this in memory" of Christ.

Additionally, long before Christians began to make the sign of the cross, they would mark an "X" on their forehead or over their hearts to identify themselves as followers of Christ.
So, this is all a long way of saying that writing "Xmas" does not take Christ out of Christmas.  In fact, it connects us with a tradition that dates all the way back to the earliest times of Christianity, even to a time when it took great courage and strength to live as a follower of Christ. 

Maybe it is time for us to reclaim this glorious symbol and be just as bold in our following of our Savior.  So, "Happy Holidays?" No, thank you.  "MERRY X-MAS?" Amen!!

U.S. bishops launch Advent and Christmas website

Washington D.C., Nov 29, 2009 / 08:55 pm (CNA).- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has created an Advent and Christmas website with suggestions for daily prayers, readings, reflection and action. A collection of Lessons and Carols is also provided for live listening or download.

Printable calendars in English and Spanish are one new feature of the site, a USCCB press release says. They suggest a family activity for each day of Advent, which begins on Nov. 29, and for each day of the Christmas Season.
Many of the calendar’s reflections are taken from four of the collections from the Spiritual Thoughts Series by Pope Benedict XVI: “Following Christ,” “The Priesthood,” “Mary” and “The Saints.”

Read the full story here: U.S. bishops launch Advent and Christmas website

Go directly to the bishop's site here: http://www.usccb.org/advent/

St. Andrew, Apostle

Monday, November 30, 2009
St. Andrew

Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a).

Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.

Comment: As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

Quote: “...[T]he Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2-4).

Patron Saint of:
Fishermen
Greece
Russia
Scotland

Advent awakens hope

"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, "Seek That Which Is Above," 1986

O Come, Emmanuel! Make us new!

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, November 29, 2009:


One day, a young man received a parrot as a gift, but the parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. The young man tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words and even prayers, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary. Finally, the man was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. The man shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. In desperation, the man threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Now fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, the man quickly opened the door to the freezer. The Parrot calmly stepped out onto his outstretched arms and said “Sir, I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.” The man was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird pointed to the item next to him in the freezer and said, “May I ask what the turkey did wrong?”

A little bit of turkey humor on this Thanksgiving weekend. Even though we are celebrating one holiday, Thanksgiving, as we began Mass tonight I was tempted to reference another of our civil holidays and wish everyone a “Happy New Year.” Today is the First Sunday of Advent and for us it is the start of a new Church year. We find ourselves today once again back at the beginning of our liturgical cycle. We triumphantly celebrated Jesus Christ as our Lord and King last weekend and now we go back to the beginning of the story; back to Chapter one of the story of how Jesus came and saved us. As the line from the Sound of Music goes, “Let’s start at the very beginning; it’s a very good place to start.”

In our liturgical cycle, we start with the things that prepared us for the coming Savior and so today we heard from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah who began with the words, “The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.” That promise of course, was fulfilled in Jesus. Likewise our Gospel called us to begin to seek the signs that something momentous is on the horizon, something unprecedented, something that will forever change our lives.

Two weeks ago as we moved into the end of the last Church year, I encouraged us all to review our last year with the Lord. Where did that journey take us? Were we made any different last year through the practice of our faith? Did we grow in holiness? Today, I offer a different challenge. In January, when we have our new calendar year, many of us will engage in the cultural practice of making New Year’s Resolutions. Often those resolutions are very superficial. We will resolve to eat less chocolate, to lose 10 pounds, to watch less television. Sometimes, they are more meaningful – we resolve to be a nicer person, to swear less like our friend the parrot, to be kinder to strangers.

But today, at the beginning of this Church year, I challenge all of us, myself included, to make some spiritual resolutions. Where do you need to grow in faith this year? Is it in your prayer life? In your family life? In your workplace? Where is Jesus calling you to love more, to be more bold in proclaiming His Word? Where are you being challenged to grow in holiness this year?

Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of the Lord. We remember both His historic arrival 2,000 years ago and we look forward to His return again in glory. But, let us also resolve to be more aware of another coming which we tend to forget, namely, His daily arrival in the ordinary events and the ordinary people in our lives. Our Gospel today reminds us that we should be vigilant to recognize and welcome the Lord who comes to us without warning everyday in the people, the places and the events we least expect. If we are preparing for the Lord’s coming by looking up to the sky, Luke today invites us to instead look out, to look to the person on our right and our left, to see the arrival of God that is before our eyes every day, to look into the story of our daily lives and recognize the Lord who comes to us in the ways we least expect.

Let us resolve on this first day of a new Church year, to be people ever more conscious of the presence and action of Jesus in our lives in the big ways and in the small ways. Let us resolve to be people who witness to that presence of Jesus in the lives of others – especially in those places that have been difficult for us in the past. Let us make this a holy Advent, leading to a holy Christmas, an even holier year for us all.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Make us new!

May God give you peace.

"Thank God even for our problems"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  This is from the "archives," a Thanksgiving Day homily I delivered a few years ago.  I hope you enjoy it.

HOMILY FOR THANKSGIVING DAY:

When you ask most people what they think about Thanksgiving they most often say family visits, big meals, football, and after Thanksgiving sales. Many families have an admirable custom of joining hands before the meal and going around the table and mentioning what we are thankful for. I think most of the time, people respond something like “I’m glad that we can all be here together” or “I’m glad that my children like their teachers this year” or “I’m thankful for my family, or my health,” or “This year the turkey is perfect.” And there’s nothing wrong with those. These are all admirable and wonderful things to give thanks for.

But, I’m also mindful today of a Thanksgiving homily I heard a number of years ago. It is one sentence long: “Thank God even for our problems.” This simple sentence is profound in its depth. We are usually very good at being thankful for all of the blessings in our lives – family, friends, prosperity, health, goodness, but there’s also much more in life to be thankful for.

The truth of that singular sentence – Thank God for our problems – lies largely in the fact that it is the problems of life – the challenges – that put demands on us to develop within us strengths previously unknown, leading to new understandings and appreciations of life that not only make the problem more bearable, but also make life richer. You see, the struggles of life, often help us to know more deeply who we truly are and how tremendously we are loved.

An example of this comes from a parishioner whose husband of more than 40 years died a while ago. I remember this women saying to me about a month afterward, “I had no idea I had so many friends. People have been so kind. The house has been crowded with neighbors offering help, the kitchen is full of food; messages have come from people I hardly know.” Through this experience, she found strength within herself as well as a new understanding of and appreciation for the people in her life and for life itself.

Now, I’m not suggesting that death and accidents, disappointment and frustrations, fears and anxieties, should be sought out for their growth potential. But, I am saying that these challenging experiences often teach us qualities that make living most worthwhile: sympathy, compassion, wisdom, patience, love, laughter, kindness and more. These lessons are good to remember in our world which seeks to rob us of the richness of life by eliminating all things that might be negative in any way. I think of an experience in my own families life when I was 10 years old. It was the late 70s, during the last oil crisis. My Dad, being a truck drive, had been out of work for two years. My family struggled terribly during this time. Mom was working double shifts as a nurse; we scrimped and saved and barely got by financially. In every worldly sense, this should be a time of great failure in the life of our family. But, it wasn’t. We all look back on that time as our Golden Years. Why? Because Dad was home and with the family all together, we don’t really recall the things we didn’t have, because we were so grateful for what we did have – each other. And, I don’t think any member of my family would trade that time for all the money in the world.

This is also the message of the Cross. We gather here today to thank God through this celebration of the ultimate Thanksgiving – the Eucharist. It is after all the center of our lives of faith. But, the Eucharist for which we are profoundly grateful, which changes us, makes us better people, is also intimately tied to the suffering of Christ on the cross. Through something as difficult as the Cross, we find nothing short of salvation – and for that we are grateful.

May this Thanksgiving be to you and your family a time of thanks for all God's manifold blessings – for all the good things, all the blessings – but especially for the light that has arisen out of darkness. Thank God for our problems.

We thank you, O God,
For the ability to do more, the more we do,
For the courage that comes out of failure,
For the knowledge that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.
Grant that we may show forth our thanks not only with our lips but also in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving and may God give you peace.

"You say that I am a king."

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING, November 22, 2009:


“You say I am a king. For this I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Yesterday (Friday), there was one of the most remarkable public displays of the faith as 22,000 Catholic young people walked in a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Kansas City as they gathered for this year’s National Catholic Youth Conference. They were part of a truly impressive celebration of the Kingship of Christ following Christ their King present in the Blessed Sacrament. This year’s conference is fittingly themed, “Christ reigns.” As I saw video and photos of that event, I couldn’t help but think that this might not be far from what Pope Pius the 11th had in mind when, in 1925, he established today’s feast as a proclamation of our belief that the reign of Christ should be felt not only in the private lives of Christians but also in the public domain.

We know that the Kingship of Jesus is different from what our worldly standards of kingly power are. This is the trouble that the Jews had in accepting Jesus. They thought their Messiah, their anointed King, would be one who would bring political and military strength and freedom to their nation and lift it out from under the oppression of the Roman Empire. But, this was not what the Kingdom of God would look like.

In thinking of today’s feast, the life of St. Thomas More comes to mind. Thomas understood the difference between worldly and heavenly Kings. Thomas More was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 13th century England. His patriotism and loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry the 8th who made him Lord Chancellor of England, the first layperson to be entrusted with such an honorable responsibility. What Henry did not know was that as loyal as More was to him, his first loyalty was to Christ, the only True King.

And so, when Henry decided to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn, and make himself head of the Church of England, More could not consent. Rather than approve what he believed to be against Divine Will, he resigned from his prestigious and wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty. Because he would not give his support to the king, More was arrested, convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded the following July. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast in the true faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the king's good servant, but God's first.” You see, for Thomas More, it was not enough to simply confess Christ privately in the safety of his heart and among his family; he knew he must also confess Christ in the public realm too.

So today’s feast not only proclaims Jesus Christ as the True King, but it poses a question to all of us: Who is our king? Does our king reign privately in our hearts; or is He the King of our lives? Can we publicly profess His kingship as the 22,000 young people did in Kansas City this week?

What does it look like when we proclaim Christ the King of our lives? The kingship of Christ is not a threat to the kingdoms of the world, as Pontius Pilate thought. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

There are basically three defining characteristics of Christ’s Kingship. First, while other kingdoms have territorial boundaries, the kingship of Christ is universal. Christ is king without borders. Second, while other kingdoms come and go, the kingship of Christ is eternal. And third, while other kingdoms are sustained by military and economic power, the kingship of Christ is sustained by the power of Truth and Love – the Truth and Love that come from God alone. Citizens of Christ's kingdom must, therefore, stand by this Truth, to proclaim this Truth, even when it is inconvenient, embarrassing or challenging to do so.

What Jesus had to say to Pilate ends with a challenge when He said, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Would Pilate listen? More importantly, will we? Pilate did not choose to accept the invitation of Christ to listen to the Truth. What he did at the end of the day, instead of listening to Christ, was to wash his hands of Him. Will we do the same? None of us really wants to. But, to make sure that we won’t, don’t we have to take Him at His word, accept Christ as God’s truth and try to live our lives in accordance with His teachings? Don’t we have to give Him an allegiance that is total and undivided, so that He is the King of our hearts and of our lives? It is in that spiritual sense that Christ is meant to be our king.

There are many voices in our modern world competing for our allegiance. Among them the call to unbridled sensuality and sexuality; the more contemporary call to a secular self-sufficiency, the daily distracting calls to the trivial and the transitory. There is no shortage of calls. But, in the midst of all the din, Christ is calling too. He is telling us emphatically about the uniqueness of His authority and the reliability of His claim to be the very incarnation of God’s Truth. This is a time for choosing or for confirming a choice we’ve already made. Let’s be decisive about it.

The Church will have a place in that Kingdom if, at the end of one Church year and the beginning of another, we renew our commitment to the Lord; if we each make a decisive turn in Christ’s favor.

“You say I am a king. For this I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth.” As this Church year comes to a close, we realize we have traveled a long journey. We have heard all year about the demands and costs of discipleship. Today we must ask: Who is our King? Do we belong to the Truth that is the foundation of God’s Kingdom? Let that Truth take root in our hearts, let it be proclaimed in all that we do.

Let us bring the Truth from Jesus Christ our King – the only King worthy of our allegiance – to all whom we meet.

May God give you peace!

Bishop reiterates pro-life commitment in defense of CCHD

Baltimore, Md., Nov 19, 2009 / 04:21 am (CNA).- The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ subcommittee which oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has defended the program against what he called “outrageous” allegations and claims. He reiterated that the campaign is pro-life and has “zero tolerance” for funding any group that violates Catholic teaching.

Bishop of Biloxi, Mississippi Roger Morin on Tuesday addressed the fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on the topic of the CCHD.

He said that some attacks on the campaign are motivated by concern for the poor or for the Church’s teachings. Some critics may not understand the social teachings of the church, while others charge that the bishops are funding groups that are pro-abortion.

“The critics are using this as an opportunity to attack the shepherds of the Church. I reiterate that we are pro-life, from conception to natural death,” Bishop Morin said.

Read the full story here: Bishop reiterates pro-life commitment in defense of CCHD

Monday Funny

A little girl asked her mother: 'How did the human race appear?'


The mother answered: 'God made Adam and Eve;they had children; and so was all mankind made.'

Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered: 'Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.'

The confused girl returned to her mother and said:'Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?'

The mother answered: 'Well, Dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his.'

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree"

HOMILY FOR THE 33rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, November 15, 2009:

This is one of those times of year when what is going on in nature and what is going on in the life of the Church match up well. We heard Jesus say in our Gospel passage, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree.” In other words, learn the lesson that the natural world can teach you. You can’t help but notice that just about all of the leaves have fallen off of the trees now, and we begin to engage in those annual rituals of digging out our warmer clothes as winter is close at hand. This season of the year, in its grayness, its starkness, its cold, reminds us of endings.

So, too, does our Church calendar remind us of endings. That is why we traditionally celebrate a month in honor of the dead during November. The natural surroundings of November lend itself to such thoughts and prayers. We also head into the final weeks of our Church year. In just a few weeks, on the First Sunday of Advent, we begin again the great cycle in which we recall the history of our salvation beginning with the prophets, leading on to the birth of our Savior, eventually recalling His death, His resurrection, His words and His saving deeds. But, before we get there, we’ll spend the next few weeks reminding ourselves about endings.

The Church gives us this annual cycle in the hopes that we will unite ourselves to it. We don’t simply tell once again the story of Jesus. Instead, we’re meant to hear that story and notice ourselves within it. In this way, not only do we recall Jesus birth, but Jesus becomes born again in us. We not only recall Jesus suffering and death on the cross, but we see ourselves on that cross with Jesus, we find him present in the midst of our own suffering. We not only recall that Jesus rose from the dead and returned to the Father in Heaven, but we become resurrected people. We feel the resurrection Jesus offers us in this life when we overcome the struggles of our own lives, we praise God for the gift of the ultimate resurrection when we too will join Him and all who have gone before us in the glory of Heaven.

We have connected with that great story over the last year. Today, our Scriptures call us to reflect on the past year. Just like any journey when we reach our destination, we look back at where we’ve been and evaluate what kind of journey it has been. Well, we are arriving today. How has this year’s trip been? Have our spiritual lives advanced in ways we could have never imagined? Or do we, upon reflection, realize that we haven’t gone anywhere, still stuck in the same mud we found ourselves in last year? Have we become better people, holier people, more Christ-like people? How has the power of God’s Word, the grace of the Body and Blood of Jesus changed and transformed us this year?

In our First Reading, the Prophet Daniel recalls some hard times for God’s people. Daniel is writing about 500 years before Christ, Alexander the Great and others are ravaging the Middle East. Wars and distress are all around. In the midst of turmoil we hear that God will take care of His people, those whose names are in the Book of Life. Daniel is calling the people to trust their faith in God and live accordingly. Though wars and disasters whirl around them, God will send them the Michael, Prince and guardian.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus predicts the final fall of the Jerusalem Temple. He speaks to His disciples about the end times. Like Daniel, Jesus speaks of wars and distress everywhere. In the midst of destruction, the Son of God, like Michael the Archangel, will come with power and glory to offer salvation to God’s holy people. Jesus uses the image of the fig tree. He points out that people pay attention to the signs from nature and adjust their lives accordingly; and so if we are willing to change our life because of the signs from nature, all the more should we do when we read the signs of our salvation. We are called to be alert and active – to be readying ourselves so that when the end time comes, of which no one knows the day or hour - that's right, the world is not going to end on December 12, 2012, no matter what Hollywood tells you - we will be ready, our names will be written in the Book of Life, we too will make our way to Heaven.

We are called to trust in the Lord. When we look back on the past year, we probably have experienced some joys and triumphs, as well as some storms and distress. Our trust in God tells us that ultimately – whatever the tribulation or the triumph, God is always present with us, God is always leading and guiding us, God will always in the end save us.

As we move into the end of our Church year, as we are reminded of the end things, we are called to reflect – how has this year been? Am I closer to God? Do I experience God as closer to me? My brothers and sisters, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree.” Read the signs of our own spiritual lives. As we look forward to the new Church year, let us ready ourselves to begin again. As we prayed in our Psalm today, “I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.”

May God give you peace.