Episodes
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Presentation of Jesus Year A (4th Sunday of Ordinary Time)
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
My notes for the homily as recorded:
Context of our 2nd Reading today – the author first introduces a brief account of Salvation History – within the context of the dignity of Man because God became Man. He takes the example of Angels – and lists a number of things he said about his people that he did not say about the Angels – then the Author exhorts to pay closer attention to what is said to us in the “last days” when God spoke to us through His son. He then points out the need of perfection through suffering – harkens back to the First reading – trying of silver and gold…initially damages the metal, initially looks blemished, but once the final project is done it is radiant and sturdy and beautiful.
Then we get the section that we just read – the telling line…He didn’t suffer, he didn’t defeat Satan on account of the Angels – they didn’t need it….rather it was for the descendants of Abraham – us, here gathered in the pew. It was on our account that Jesus experienced all that we experience, especially the reality of temptation – both physical and spiritual temptations. But it was through this, the books of Hebrews tells us, that Jesus was able “to help those who are tempted.”
Of the many ways I could focus on how he helps us, I want to focus on the example he gave us. The one key thing throughout Salvation History that God had to deal with his people was disobedience or unfaithfulness. Hebrews tells us that Jesus became one of us so that he could be a “merciful and faithful high priest…” It is faithfulness that God asks of us. This obedience is hard. We, as human beings, don’t like to follow the rules for the sake of the rules.
Story about high school prom time – asking a girl out on a date….dad’s response…how my mind was changed a little because he experienced the difficulty. There is something about that experience that tells us, “Oh, maybe I can listen to him….He knows what he is talking about.”
Jesus is that perfect example….and maybe we are thinking to ourselves, “yeah…but he’s God, so of course he can be obedient, of course he can do ‘what’s he supposed to do.’ We aren’t God, how does he expect us to do that?”
Another example – today’s feast day – the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Joseph and Mary were faithful people – striving to adhere to all the laws of the Jews – it was prescribed to come to the temple 40 days to offer the 1st born son to God. Why 40 days? That was the time period after birth that women were deemed to be “ritually” pure from childbirth – they could not go into the Temple during the time they were deemed “ritually impure.” Mary was obedient to that fact, just as she was to many other observances to the Law. Joseph, too, exemplified obedience.
We have these two examples of obedience in the Holy Family – human beings…just like you and me. Yet they had the openness to the work of God, the movement of the Spirit, and the desire to cooperate with that movement. That is what made them great, that is what made them holy. That is the same invitation to each one of here today. How well are we listening the movement of the Spirit in our lives? How well are moving away from sin, away from the disobedience in our lives that prevents the openness to the Spirit?
If we are not, how often to seek the graces of confession, seek the unity of God in the sacrament that will give us graces and strength, and spiritual encouragement to not give up – but to say to God….I still struggle, but I am going to continue to fight!
May we always have the movement of the heart, that resolve to listen more closely to what God desires to speak to us, that desire to move towards being obedient sons and daughters of his – so that we receive the greatest grace and gift – being united to Him forever in Heaven, where we shall see Him as He is.
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
My notes for the homily as given:
Last year around this time, I was coming back from the March for Life in D.C. – we had to leave early due to do weather….this allowed me to be home earlier than expected and receive a phone call asking if I was able to come to a gathering to talk about doing a program called Exodus 90 some of the guys at St. Mary’s were thinking about doing. I went, we discussed the program and how it does ask to have a priest chaplain in the program with you. I said, why not – it would be good for me….then I said when are you planning on starting – they said – tomorrow. Alright, let’s do this was my response….
In the Gospel today, we see similar reactions to Jesus’ invitations. He’s walking along the sea of Galilee – a body of water that is 13 miles long by 7 miles wide at the widest portions of the sea. Jesus spots two fisherman and invites them to follow Him.
This is important for at least two reasons:
- Jewish Rabbi’s didn’t usually call their own disciples. Rather, a man aspiring to be a rabbi would request to study under one, then that rabbi would have the option to accept him as a student or not – but the rabbi’s did not go out and seek their own disciples.
- The men Jesus called could be presumed to have a successful career – Jesus gets into one of the boats belonging to Simon – suggesting that he has multiple boats – James and John left their father and his hired workers – again suggesting moderate success – they left that behind.
So the question we could be asking ourselves – what was it about Jesus that at just seeing him, people were willing to leave all they knew to follow him. They didn’t give much consideration in that. I have often reflected have often reflected on this question in my own prayer. Especially as I started to intentionally follow Jesus – started to “build up trust in Him” so to speak. Or in reading lives the saints, they often did the same as the Apostles – left wealth, fame, popularity because they knew Jesus was asking that of them – and they lived joyful, contented lives in following Him.
I think often times, we overthink things or we are hesitant to say Yes to something – we have talk over with someone, have to make sure it fits into my schedule, I am really busy…this is true for many things, and I understand it – I have 8 siblings, I have been a priest long enough to realize the business of all our lives.
But do we take this same attitude and hesitancy with our spiritual life? When Jesus comes to us – through a friend, through a book that we are reading, through a longing in our heart – do we express hesitance to follow Him?
This hesitance is exactly what Satan wants – he wants us to second guess if we can make this reality work, we wants us to think over if we can spend an extra 10 minutes a day in prayer with our Lord, he wants us to reconsider this opportunity our Lord is giving us because that means he has time to spin all the negatives and all the considerations into measures on our time – we are so busy, there is no way I can possibly do that – whatever it is – and so we tell ourselves after this event, or after kids get more independent, or after something else – then I will answer this call from our Lord.
We can’t do that – something else will always come up. This time in prayer, this opportunity to follow Jesus must take priority – we must make the time for that reality. Much like I did when Exodus 90 came up – I made the decision to do, and started it less than 7 hours after I decided – it was a great opportunity – it was a journey with friends and with our Lord I was glad to have done – and if I had thought more about it, I could have listed numerous reasons why I shouldn’t have done it or why I wouldn’t want to do it.
So, how do we make time for prayer? I want to offer one way: Lectio Divina – a method of praying with the Scriptures that takes 15 minutes – allows us to encounter our Lord speaking to us through his Word written for us.
Steps: Prepare, Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio, and Operatio.
May we truly encounter our Lord in prayer, accept his invitation to follow Him, as the Apostles did, and may that be the truly best experience of our lives and allow us to be with Him forever in Heaven, where we shall see Him as He is.
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
2nd Sunday Ordinary Time Year A
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
My notes for the homily given are as follows:
During the summer of 2012, I taught Totus Tuus – a summer catechetical program. Before they send out to parishes to teach the material according to their curriculum, we spend about a week and half in training – a crash course in Church teaching and theological thought. During the course of that training, I was given an analogy of how the Trinity operates – it that of Road, Destination, Motor: Jesus equals the Road (I am the Way, Truth and the Life), the Father is the Destination – we are on pilgrimage in this life to see the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the motor – the means by which we travel on the road to the destination.
Now this community is probably a little different, but I think a common experience among many people in car care is putting gas in it, and trying to remember when the last time we changed the oil – or we just completely rely on the car or sticker placed on the windshield to tell us when it is time to change the oil again. Yet, when the car breaks down, that is when we think of the motor and what could be wrong with it. I think for many of us in our spiritual life – we treat the Holy Spirit the same way. We only look to him when things are going wrong – when the “motor breaks” down so to speak do we take the time to look at why it broke down. The reality is we can often see the troubled times, or know that we can make it through by having that “regular maintenance, that time spent in communion with the Holy Spirit.”
The Church this week, again reflects on the nature of baptism, we again see John the Baptist point out the way – point out the one who was promised. And we hear John testify to Jesus being the Messiah, by seeing the “Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.” He further testifies that this would be the sign of the One who is come – the “one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I want to reflect further on this reality – what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizma – meaning to wash, immerse, or plunge into. Meaning, then, that to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, then is to be immersed with the Holy Spirit. To be filled, absorbed, entrenched with the Holy Spirit. And what does that mean? I think we can look to what the Church teaches about the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Trinity. The word we say in the Creed – “[the Holy Spirit] proceeds from the Father and Son” – meaning that the Holy Spirit emanates from them – the bond of love between the Father and Son. So, in Jesus sending down the Holy Spirit – in immersing us in the Holy Spirit – we are immersed in the love of God himself – we are given a share in the life of the Trinity itself – not by our nature, but by adoption – by the will God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What does this look like for us practically – we must foster that life in us. The common way that we express the work of the Holy Spirit in us is by the 7 gifts – Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, Fear of the Lord
Briefly give an overview of the seven gifts (Wisdom = divine reasoning to know how and why to act, knowledge = divine knowledge – knowing God and things of God, Understanding – both human and divine understanding – can aid in grasping why things happen, Counsel – divine assistance in speech and offering support, Fortitude = courage to follow through, Piety – right approach to God, Fear of the Lord – respectful obedience and trust.)
These gifts are not magic, it is not like they are given and just automatically work – we must foster, we must use the gifts to allow them to grow – to allow the immersion of the Holy Spirit to take root in our lives.
How? Start with prayer – asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance – maybe begin each moment of prayer with “Holy Spirit teach me to pray.” Teach me the way in which I should be talking to God, teach me the reality of how this conversation needs to go.
This prayer, this growth will lead to fruits in our lives – joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, self-control – the result of living out the life God shares with us.
May we recognize that need of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that share in God’s life, and may that conform us to the love of God in this, so that we be given a full share in that Life for eternity in Heaven, where we shall see God as He is.
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Baptism of Jesus (1st Sunday of Ordinary Time)
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
I know it is well after I gave it, but better late than never right? ;) My notes for the homily is as follows:
I am sure that we have all had the experience of reading something or watching a movie or TV show, and then in talking about it or in reading it again we discover something that we missed, or there is phrase or saying that we read or heard in slightly different context producing a deeper thought on what was actually meant. It is no different in Sacred Scripture – no matter how many times I read it or hear, or how familiar we are with the story – each time I spend time with it in prayer, I always glean something new from it.
Take for instance our celebration today of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river. I am fairly confident that most of us in here today could give a summary of how Jesus was baptized – what John the Baptist’s objection to baptizing Jesus was, the events that occurred – cloud coming over Jesus, dove resting on his head, voice from the cloud – “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” I have to admit, the first time I read this passage to prepare for the homily today, I took a cursory glance at it – I know the themes present, I know the importance of baptism – preaching on this topic is not going to be difficult….but then I read it again – and as I was reading it and praying with it a line that Jesus said caused deeper reflection – that line was – “Allow it for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
The deeper reflection – who was the “us” referring to? For myself, I didn’t really ponder this reality before, as I took it just to mean John the Baptist and Jesus – John as the one who “prepares the way for the Lord.” Part of that preparation would be opening people’s hearts to hear the message of God – and so even in the Jesus’ open action of ministry – his baptism – he allows John to end his preparation – this gesture of baptizing the Messiah, of Baptizing Jesus was the “final step” so to speak of preparing peoples hearts to hear the message of God. But as I was reading it this past week – the deeper thought I had – “What if the ‘us’ in Jesus’ message is really referring to the Trinity – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
And this entirely possible along with my previous understanding, because when the Matthew uses the term “Righteousness” in his Gospel it refers to either to the proper moral conduct of Christians being obedient to God’s will or it refers to God’s saving plan. This latter understanding of the fulfillment of all righteousness is what I want to delve deeper with you in the next few moments.
What came to me in that time of prayer was really this focus on how to understand God’s role, and God’s action in our lives. Especially as we start this new year, it seems that there is always this great focus on our own activity – I need to eat healthier, I need to get more exercise, I need to this – and that seems to be a topic in many of the “self-help” books – there is always a focus on what we need to do. And there is a place for that – even in our faith, in our relationship with God – there is a place for what we need to do – righteousness for our understanding – as it was mentioned above is being obedient to God. So we need to know what God is asking of us, we need to hear and read his word, we have the Church to guide us in our activity – so that we know we are being obedient.
But how often in our prayer, how in our lives do we reflect on what God’s idea of righteousness towards us is? By that I mean – is there a way that God acts righteously towards us. I think the common and true answer is, “yes, he saved us from sin.” But, the danger in our spiritual lives is to think that God’s action only took place in the past – his action, this reality of “fulfillment of all righteousness” is already completed – so we look at our faith as a means of “self-help.” The reality of this phrase of Jesus – Allow this for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” is that God’s action is still present in our lives – especially through the sacraments. Baptism is not a “one and done” receiving of grace – it opens us to receive other graces – through the other sacraments and through actual graces – moments in life where God gives us strength, aid, and guidance in everyday life situations. In our approach to God through out baptism, may we allow Him to fulfill all righteousness, may we invite him into our daily lives, so that every activity of ours, every work we do begins and ends with Him. And may that draw us closer to Him in this life and achieve the greatest grace – of being with Him forever in Heaven, where we shall see him as He is.
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
My notes for the homily are as follows:
As the Church continues to celebrate Christmas, one of the central mysteries of our faith – the reality of God becoming Man, we take this opportunity to reflect on the nature of that reality – the means by which he chose to enter the world. We reflect on Mary, his Mother and specifically her title as “Mary, Mother of God.” As my goal was at Christmas to have us reflect on the grandeur of God and the reality of him choosing to limit himself, so too, I want to reflect on with you this simple phrase – “Mary, Mother of God.”
How many times have we said this phrase? A lot, as we say every time we say the “Hail Mary,” as the second part starts, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners…” So as Catholics, it can be easy to take it for granted, to express this phrase as one of the most natural ones that we say. But have we ever reflected on what we are saying? We are saying that a created being, someone who at sometime in history did not exist, but then came into existence by an act of God, in cooperation with human parents, is now the Mother of that same God who created her.
I think that if we think about this too deeply, we will just make our head hurt, but I want to offer why it is valid to say that Mary truly is the Mother of God, and more than just by way of relationship. We hold that at the incarnation, the mystery of God becoming Man, he took a human nature, but did not become a human person. The fusing of the Divine Person of God created a uniquely singular act one person having two natures. For all of us, our person is our nature – our soul is infused with our body in such a way that to separate them would be to destroy the person, and we are created in such a way that we cannot have two natures – the nature of being human cannot take on the nature of being a dog or a fish….we are human, and in that humanity we have a person – the infusion of our souls with that human nature.
It is not the same with Jesus. As a person, he is the 2nd Person of the Trinity – the taking on of human nature did not change that reality – it wasn’t like he emptied himself of being God – he didn’t limit his nature of being God either – rather that Divine nature as being the person of God fused with a human nature, such a way that you have 2 natures, two distinct methods of being joined together into one person. Thus, the person of Jesus, the reality of who he is, is that he is Divine and Human – 100% God and 100% Man by nature. This personhood of Jesus was then conceived in Mary’s womb, was born, and grew just as we all did. And because it is the case one is not the mother or father of a nature, but of a person, it is right to say that Mary is the Mother of God – the Mother of the person of God who took on a human nature.
And right now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Great, you tried give us more to reflect on, to ponder as we say the Hail Mary, but you have confused us, and what does this have to do with an application to our life?” I want to offer 2 ways this mystery of the Incarnation and in calling Mary the Mother of God will be helpful in our lives.
#1: Just as Jesus’ mission was to point to the Father, as I mentioned in my Christmas homily, and that by him coming to us as an infant would make it easier to approach God, easier to relate to Him, so too by Mary as his Mother, we should have the confidence to approach God even more, especially in times when we are distressed or hurting – as who do we often go to first in those situations? Our Mothers – as they are generally more empathetic and able to share with us our sufferings. So too Mary, is that for us. May we grow in confidence to fly to her protection.
#2: I want to contrast the action of the Shepherds and Mary in the Gospel we heard. Shepherds go and look to see all that the Angels told them – trusted and wanted to see the glory of God in person. As they are leaving the Manger, they go about and proclaim all that they had seen and heard. Contrast that with Mary, she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” I think the reality of our lives is that we share many things – and there is certainly a time and place for that. How often do we reflect on things? Do we turn off the TV, put down the phone, not be by a computer…and reflect on the blessings God has given us, reflect on how God is working in our life? Reflection will lead to sharing and proclaiming, but it will give focus on what and why we share and proclaim a certain message and reality in our life – it won’t be noise to fill silence, it will be a movement of our heart to share our experience with God to others.
May we grow in confidence of Mary as the Mother of God and by that reality as our Mother. May we ponder these things in our hearts, ponder these mysteries we are celebrating, and allow them to transform our lives to being closer to God and share His joys in life, but more importantly to share the eternal joy of being with God forever, where we shall see him as He is.
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Epiphany Sunday Year A - January 5, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Sorry this is out of order, I missed this one my previous uploading time. This should be the homily after the Sunday after Christmas. My notes for this homily are as follows:
Review Benedict’s Book – “Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives”
Who are the Magi
One of four possibilities – Persian Priestly class, possessors and users of supernatural knowledge and ability, magicians, or deceiver and seducers
A further explanation given for the first possibility, as the others seem more self-explanatory: The Persian priestly class were seen as the “rulers of a distinctive religion” but their religious ideas and practices were heavily influenced by philosophy, so much so that Greek philosophers were thought to be students of the Magi.
We are also given an example of the last possibility (deceiver and seducers) in the New Testament: Bar-Jesus in Acts 13:10, of whom Paul describes as “son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness.”
On this point, Benedict says this, “The ambivalence of the concept of Magi that we find here illustrates the ambivalence of religion in general. It can become the path to true knowledge, the path to Jesus Christ. But when it fails, in his presence, to open up to him and actually opposes the one God and Savior, it becomes demonic and destructive.”
In other words, religion (especially natural religions) can become a source of knowledge of God – the one who created all. Think of Socrates and Aristotle, who concluded that only one God would have existed instead of having multiple gods. Or it can oppose that reality and necessity of humility before that God and instead try to usurp God’s power and authority for their own – and thus become in service to Satan who reacted the same way.
Back to the Magi who came to see Jesus: Benedict sees them as being ranked in the first class – even if not practicing as a priests, they were keepers of religious and philosophical knowledge
But he also sees them as people who were already searching for something when they encountered the star and the other signs pointing to the reality of the Messiah being born. Just seeing the star by itself wouldn’t have revealed the Messiah being born.
This also reveals to us that God used other sources, besides his chosen people, to offer prophecies about the coming redemption of humanity. The whole world awaits this redemption, the whole world speaks to the need for it, and thus it is open to all who inhabit the world…God desires all to be in union with Him.
So, what does this mean for us here today? First, it should continue to open our hearts to see the greatness of God. To see his plan unfold throughout all of History. Second, it should allow a greater openness to seeing God’s plan work in our own lives. That we need to look beyond how we expect God to work in our lives. We need to place our selves humbly before him in gratitude for his work in our redemption, in gratitude for the blessings we have received, in gratitude for bringing good out of our sufferings or failings or shortcomings – that he doesn’t just allow that evil to be the end – he offers us something more because of it.
And thirdly, this knowledge of the revelation of God to all humanity, both his chosen people and the gentiles, should inspire us to accept his invitation to come before Him, to truly get to know Him. To spend time with Him in prayer, especially through his presence in the Eucharist. For if we do not know Christ, do not know God, neither will he recognize us.
May we spend our lives in noticing that the greatness of God is not so great and overbearing that he forces us to follow him, but that he invites us to follow him, invites us to share in the Unity he shares as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and may that unity bring us to share in the greatest share of seeing the Trinity – God – as He is.
Saturday Jan 25, 2020
Holy Family Sunday (Sunday After Christmas) 2019
Saturday Jan 25, 2020
Saturday Jan 25, 2020
My apologies for the delay in getting this posted. I let the business of Christmas season get away from me. My notes for this homily are as follows - also please note some of this material is specific to my parishes as I introduced a change in our adoration schedule during this homily:
Each year, as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, a reflection I always have is to imagine being Joseph in that family. His wife, Mary, the only human person conceived without original sin. The only human person to never commit a sin…..joke about playing the “blame game” in that relationship. Then you have Jesus – the second person of the Trinity, God himself. I think almost a constant thought Joseph had was, “Who am I that God asked me to be with this family.”
Who is Joseph? We don’t really know. There is a lot about his life before Mary that we are unsure about and what we do have is impossible to sift out what is truth from legend. What we do know about him from Matthew’s Gospel, was that he was a righteous man – meaning that he was faithful to the covenant. He abided by God’s laws and desired to carry them out. From this we can also glean an important fact about – because of his closeness to the Law he was able to understand the Angel’s message in the dreams he had and was able to act on them quickly….meaning part and parcel of Joseph carrying out God’s plan in his life was his willingness and openness to hearing it.
In our own lives, then, we must also ask the question, “If God asks something of me, can I carry it out as St. Joseph did?” Am I the righteous person that he is, so as to give the ready response to God’s plan for me? If not, how can we get that way?
Mass – big part – maybe we come Mass week after week, and don’t have that experience. Went through that over Advent to hopefully help with that
Spending time with God – don’t know for sure, but can infer, Joseph spoke regularly with God. His righteousness and his willingness to respond the Angel make that clear.
Do we spend time with God?
It is my goal to give you that opportunity in a special way – through Exposition/Adoration. Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist will be showcased in the Monstrance. In the past we have had opportunity. This was key to the holy family. They had the ability to be in the presence of God 24/7, don’t think they took that for granted. Spending time with Jesus only allows an increased ability to love, experience goodness, and joy.
Speak about my own understanding of this great experience
1st or 2nd grade – Seminary – priesthood….
Spending time with our Lord is a key component of our relationship with Him. We cannot grow closer to someone we do not spend time with. We cannot grow comfortable in prayer if we don’t take the opportunity to do it.
How this will work – see sheets in the pews – offer explanation as to why the change. Plan to start this next week in OLA, the second Sunday in January being at St. Stephen’s and the third Sunday in January here in Sacred Heart.
May this time spent with our Lord aid us in our Journey to him, and may that give the greatest joy of being with forever in Heaven, where we shall see Him as He is.
Monday Dec 30, 2019
Christmas Homily Year A
Monday Dec 30, 2019
Monday Dec 30, 2019
The first 3:00 minutes is the letter from Bishop Conley, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. My notes for my Christmas homily are as follows:
I think often times, when we think of God-becoming man, it is easy to go about this reality kind of non-chalantly. Our view of God then becomes taking a man, and then saying he can do all these really cool things – like raising a man from the dead, healing the sick, allowing the blind to see – and then this picture of what it means to be God is really just a really cool guy who can do really cool things.
First – Context and the grandeur of God. Want to take a few moments and reflect on what we say when we have this concept of God – as often times we look at Him as just another man with awesome and incredible powers. Some of this realization I think is reinforced with all the “superhero” movies that have come out in the last couple of decades. But is so much more than just some good looking, physically fit, perfect guy who can do cool things. Every week when we profess the Creed, we profess belief in One God who created the heaven and earth, this visible and invisible. First the visible of what is created – want to reflect on you with the stars – in the known universe there are billions of stars that comprise billions of galaxies. To give an idea of how many stars we know about – one grain of sand = one star: could build a sand castle 5 miles x 5 miles x 5 miles. Or just look at one star in particular – the Canus Majoris. The “big dog” star…the biggest star we have discovered. To get an idea of how big this star is: if the earth were a golf ball, the Canus Majoris would be the height of Mt. Everest in comparison. We profess and believe that one all-powerful being created this reality.
What about invisible – want to reflect on the reality of the Angels. We don’t know how many God created, we have discovered, through revelation, that there are 9 choirs of Angels, 3 sets of 3 hierarchies, (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones: Dominions, Virtues, Powers: Principalities, Archangels, Angels). What struck me once as I was teaching this to sixth graders, an experience I had of a mind = blown experience is that God created angels before humanity, and yet he created for each one of us in this room a guardian angel.
From the beginning of Time, God knew he was going to create you, and created an angel for you – Angels are not recycled…which means God in his infinite wisdom, knew how many Angels he would need to create, he gifted that angel with all the knowledge of you and how to best aid you to reach Heaven, and then tasked that Angel with watching over you and guiding you along that path to Heaven….
It is this reality of God that we come here to worship tonight, but not as this great majestic being, but as a baby. As one who depended on others for his survival, and as most babies are, approachable – God chose to become one of us, to limit himself so that we would have the confidence, comfort, and assurance that we can come to him.
So I want to share with you a story. This past March/April, I went to Mexico on a mission trip with “Hope of the Poor,” and one of the things that we did there was visit a shelter for women and their children escaping domestic violence and abuse. One of the things that I noticed immediately, is that the women that I went on mission with (of which all the people I went with were women, except me), the children immediately had no issue with going up to them, playing with them, asking them for things that we didn’t know what they were asking (they spoke Spanish, we spoke English), but when I would try to play with them, talk to them (in very broken Spanish), they were less open to having me around. I had to gain their trust and prove that I wasn’t going to hurt them. The guy who brought us here kind of said that is a common occurance – the children are naturally afraid of men – and I think rightly so.
I mention this story because I think sometimes, we struggle to relate to God as “Our Father” we struggle to this reality…but this is the primary reason God the Son came to earth – his mission was to reveal God as Father, God as protector, as caregiver, but God as loving – wishing to give to all his children – everything. So, he came to us in a most humble manner, proclaiming his coming to shepherds out in the field, as one who needed to learn to talk, walk, manners, throw/kick a ball, how to use a hammer – so that we wouldn’t be afraid to come be with our Lord.
So, if we struggle to see God as Father because of our life situations – may we come to see God as loving us, as an innocent baby who just wants to be with people, who attracts people. May we spend time before the Nativity scene this Christmas season – because what we celebrate tonight, is that reality that God would rather limit himself, would take on humanity than be without us, each one of us. May that give us comfort, joy, and peace at coming before God, and may that earthly comfort bring us to share in the Eternal comfort, joy, and peace in Heaven forever where we shall see God as He is.
Monday Dec 30, 2019
4th Sunday Advent Year A
Monday Dec 30, 2019
Monday Dec 30, 2019
My notes for the homily of the 4th Sunday of Advent are as follows:
Last week, we ended with the Offertory – and I just want to give one final thought on the offerings that are brought up – either through the gifts, or what we are offering the Mass for – the nature of the ordained priesthood that is revealed. The two prayers said by the priest over the bread and wine….Blessed are you Lord God of all creation….he is offering these up to the Father, on your behalf. This is made explicit in the prayer that follows – “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to the Father.” Your response: “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his holy Church.”
In other words: We are praying, but that through your intercession, the sacrifice will be acceptable…what sacrifice – mainly Christ’s sacrifice and it is the special participation of priests in Christ that make all of our sacrifices and offerings united to Christ’s sacrifice being made present through the celebration of the Mass…the prayer over the offerings sums up this reality and asks for favor to be shown upon the offerings so that it will provide physical and spiritual benefits for us.
Then starts the preface to the Eucharistic prayer. The opening dialogue of this prayer is meant to reorient ourselves to what is about to take place – the priest exhorts us to “Lift up our hearts.” We respond: “We have lifted them up the Lord.” If it helps, go ahead and look up at his point – allow our minds to be attuned to our voices. Then the preface prayer itself is a prayer of Thanksgiving – “It is right and just to give you thanks, Father most holy…then touches upon some other aspect of our faith that we want to express gratitude for – either for the season we are celebrating, the feast day we celebrate, or an aspect of our redemption Christ merited for us. Preface always concludes with the “Holy, Holy, Holy” quoting the angels and saints in the book of Revelation.
Catalina offers an image to reflect on….at this moment in the Mass, she saw and they are present here with now – thousands of Angels forming a diagonal line to the left of the celebrant, and as the hymn came to a close, they knelt down in adoration and praise preparing themselves for Christ’s coming. At the end of the hymn, multitudes of people appeared on the right side of the celebrant also forming a diagonal line and also knelt down in adoration and praise. Our Lady told Catalina, “These are all the Saints and the Blessed in Heaven, and among them are also the souls of your relatives and family members who already enjoy the Presence of God.” She later told Catalina that she herself is always present at Mass – she is one place more over time than at Holy Mass and at the foot of the tabernacle with the angels…she is always present where our Lord is present.
Then starts the Eucharistic prayer. It will always include a calling down of the Holy Spirit – the Epiclesis, in which we petition the Father to send the Spirit upon the gifts so that the presence of Christ, under the veil of bread and wine, will be made present – his body, blood, soul, and divinity… and also that his sacrifice on the Cross be made present to us and through that sacrifice we will unite our sacrifices to the Father. It is not a new sacrifice offered, but rather that same sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross 2000 years ago made present in an unbloody manner – we share and join our lives to Christ on the Cross – in this moment we are like Mary and John at the foot of the Cross.
The Eucharistic prayer continues with prayers for the universal Church – especially by naming the Pope and the Bishop of the Diocese, for our own needs, and that we may merit and be present to the great amount of grace offered here that we are literally in the presence of God, the second person of the Trinity. The priest concludes the Eucharistic prayer with a doxology, and offering all that we are and have to the Father, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit – “Through Him, with Him, and in Him….”
Then we say the Great Amen – we announce in unison the great gift and treasure we have received that has been offered on our behalf by the priest. We stand and prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but as this is the greatest sign of unity in the Church – to receive Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity – we first express that with our voice by praying together the words Christ taught us – “Our Father…” then follows two prayers for unity and peace, and a sign of that peace. This sign is not just a social aspect – instead it is a physical representation of the spiritual unity we will all share. At this moment, we should extend the greatest amount of forgiveness and peace to those we like the least, to the one we struggle to get along with, we offer a sincere and heartfelt release and ask that Christ’s peace, the peace he gives us, may also rest with them.
Then we recognize the victory of Christ over the grave, in the image of a Lamb – the Lamb of the book of Revelation who looks as though he was slain, but yet reigns victorious – and we say together, “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World….” Once more, before reception, we recognize our unworthiness to stand before God, but with thankful hearts know that he desires this, and wants to share all that He is with us.In this moment, we are closely united to Jesus and for how long? Jesus tells Catalina, “For as long as you want to have me with you. If you speak to me all day long, offering me some words as you about your chores, I will listen to you.”
After reception and purification of the vessels, we close with the Prayer after Communion, this the is the closing of the “Rite of Communion” which is also why announcements are made after this prayer – we are still in the privileged time of Christ’s sacrifice being completed. The prayer asks that this great gift produce fruit and prepare us for eternal unity in Christ.
Then we have the final dismissal and blessing – asking God to be with us, to cast out evil from our hearts, so that we may share this unity and closeness with God with those that we encounter. We come back week after week, or day after day, desiring that same closeness and blessing from Our Lord.
May the closeness we seek allow the grace and docility to follow God's plan as St. Joseph did, and may we respond with ever greater readiness and ease. And may that response grant us the greatest gift, of being with our Lord forever in Heaven, where we shall him as He is.
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
3rd Sunday Advent Year A
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
The first 4:00 minutes of the homily is reading Bishop Conley's letter explaining his medical leave of absence and a short comment on it from me. This recording was given at Our Lady of Assumption in Deweese, NE. My notes are as follows:
Last Week we went through the introductory rites. Quick overview – we start out by recognizing our unworthiness to stand before God, but it crescendos to praise and thanksgiving that through Christ, we know of God’s desire for us to be here and thus we are welcomed into God’s presence.
As we transition into high point of the Liturgy of the Word, the readings, it is important to reflect on the necessity of the introductory rites. The G.I.R.M (General Instructions of the Roman Missal) says, “For in the Mass is spread the table both of God’s Word and of the Body of Christ, and from it the faithful are to be instructed and refreshed.” So, the introductory rites are “setting the table” for us – getting us ready to hear God’s Word.
These readings follow a three year cycle, Years A, B, and C. A follows mostly Matthew, B follows mostly Mark, and Year C follows mostly Luke. We just started Year A. Then the first reading usually has a connection to the Gospel – either by theme or by showing a type of Christ exemplified by Christ’s actions in the Gospel. When talking about a “type” in the Biblical language, we mean someone or something that prefigures someone or something in the New Testament. Isaac as a type of Christ – both first born sons, both carried wood up a hill, both offered as sacrifices to the Father – Isaacs was stopped, Christ’s wasn’t.
The responsorial psalm is also given to us by the Church as our response to the first reading. So, in the moments before we participate in the responsorial psalm, we should spend that time in reflection on what we heard and open ourselves to express the response of the Church, to have our minds share that same expression!
These readings are vital – they tell our story. Across cultures and societies, everybody loves a good story. Just think of some of the classic movies or plays – they are effective in relaying a story, and having us emotionally attached to a few of the characters – we care what happens to them. The problem in our current society – we don’t do enough talking about the greatest story ever told. Our story as Catholics – our story as it pertains to Salvation History and God’s journey with his people. Over the course of the three year Cycle, we hear about 90 percent of the Bible – so not knowing the Bible isn’t our issue all the time – what is our issue as Catholics is that we don’t seem to know when certain aspects of the story takes place. This is especially true in the Old Testament – so part of our preparation to come to Mass should be looking where the readings come from, especially the first reading, and orienting ourselves to where that reading is coming from – what is happening the context of what we are reading – we must know our own story.
Then we have the homily, which is meant to draw from the sacred texts and expand or explain what we heard/read. The homily could also explain any part of the Liturgy, and offer exhortations to living out our Christian faith.
The Creed is said on every Solemnity in the Church – Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation are solemnities – as are other days – Annunciation, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Birth of John the Baptist – although these latter ones are not obligated to attend Mass, they still would have the Gloria and Creed said at Mass. The Creed is the summary of our Faith. So, week after week, we confess – we declare our beliefs. And this confession is a personal confession made in the community of the believers, which is why we express it in the singular “I believe.”
To close out the Liturgy of the Word, we have the prayers of the Faithful. It is in these prayers that the faithful – the priest, religious, and lay members – join in their universal priesthood. This is because we are offering a sacrifice/a prayer for the intentions of others. That is a priestly function – and we share in Christ’s priestly role universally – the ordained priest shares in a distinct different way – to distribute the graces God grants through the Church. The CCC notes that intercessory prayer is “characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy.” In other words, the closer we are to Christ, the more we will desire to pray for others.
Then starts the Liturgy of the Eucharist with Offertory. While many of us would explain this part of the Mass by saying something like, “The part where we sit down, a basket is passed around and we put money into while listening to a song.” While that is physically what we are doing, that is not all that is supposed to be happening. I want offer a reflection on the nature of Old Testament sacrifice. Before the Lamb was offered and sacrificed, you would keep it for a week – bring it into your home, care for it and protect it so that it would not become blemished, but also to allow you to become attached to it. To grow to love it – so that when it was sacrificed it was hard to let it go. Something of you was offered as well. Our giving of our riches is much the same – we have worked hard for it, we need it to survive, we “love” it (to a certain extent) and yet we are saying to God – no, you have given me all I am, the abilities I have to make this money, I am offering some back to you.
This is also the part where we want to remember our specific intention of the Mass. When I announce at the beginning of the Mass, who Mass is for, that is my particular intention – I have been asked to celebrate Mass for that reason – but you, in your universal priesthood can also offer the Mass for an intention – it can be for the intention of the priest – we can share that, but it doesn’t have to be. We want to specifically remember that intention during this time. Just an image I want to share with you on this reality of what happens when we offer the Mass for something….
Guardian Angels – three groups – 1st group: people attending Mass with love for God, and offering the Mass for someone, 2nd group: people attending Mass with love for God and a desire to be there but no intention, 3rd group: people attending Mass merely out of obligation, they feel they are forced to come and don’t really actively participate in the Mass.
As we will move into the Eucharistic Prayer next week, may we reflect on these aspect of the Mass – how does God want to encounter me through hearing his words and offering to God my sacrifices, time, and prayers to Him. May this truly open our hearts to receiving Him and His joy in our lives and may that joy bring us to eternal life, where we shall see God as He is.