Homily: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     This story of the blind beggar Bartimaeus is packed with much deeper meaning than what we can glean from first reading. First of all, it serves as a bookend to an earlier healing of a blind man recorded at the beginning of this journey to Jerusalem. However, that man was healed gradually while Bartimaeus is healed instantaneously. This is sort of a reflection on the manner in which the disciples spiritual blindness has been slowly healed along the journey, however, by the events that would take place in Jerusalem, they would soon see clearly who and what Jesus truly was and is. 

     Bartimaeus has parked himself on a busy thoroughfare which many many pilgrims would have traveled while on their way to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. While these crowds would have most likely been joyful and festive, such a stark contrast can be seen between them and the socially isolated blind man left on the side of the road. However, while he may be physically blind, his spiritual sight is 20/20. Upon hearing that Jesus of Nazareth is approaching, he begins to call out, referring to Jesus as “Son of David.” While the literal meaning of this title is simply “descendant of David,” to a Jew, this meant so much more. The “Son of David” was the one who would come to free them from their oppression, the Messiah. Bartimaeus is the first one in the Gospel of Mark to use this title. When Jesus calls him, the crowds tell him to take courage, as if he needed any encouragement. His shedding of his cloak infers the shedding of the old man, now ready to live remade in the likeness of Christ, through his personal encounter and healing by the Lord. Furthermore, Bartimaeus is the only one healed by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, whose name is specifically recorded. This infers that Bartimaeus did in fact follow after Jesus and was an active and know disciple in the early Church. So much that his name was remembered by the evangelists when relaying their Gospel message. 

     The questions we must ask ourselves after hearing this miraculous healing are:

Where are my blind spots?

Where do I not see the Lord active in my life and when are the times and situations I close myself off from Him rather than looking to Him for strength and guidance?

     I was at the Youth Ministry Retreat last night (until almost 11:00 o’clock!) and the topic that was being discussed was seeking he Face of Jesus. When we imagine and think about Our Lord, what does his face look like to us? What do we see in the face of Jesus? 

Is he stern?    Is he judging?    Is he loving?   Is he kind? 

     We must seek the face of Jesus in our lives. We must open the eyes of our hearts and souls to see Him at work around us. Not only in mystical and spiritual experiences, but in our interactions with others in our daily lives. We ought to be able to recognize the face of Jesus in those we encounter who bring his peace, his love, even his correction at times, into our lives and changes us, heals us, for the better. 

     Once we can recognize Jesus in our lives we can better live out our baptismal call to be Christ to others. This requires us to allow Jesus to enter our hearts and heal our blindspots. The first reading that we heard from the Prophet Jeremiah sums up this process of conversion and healing we must open ourselves to:

They shall return as an immense throng.

They departed in tears,

but I will console them and guide them;

I will lead them to brooks of water,

on a level road, so that none shall stumble.

     

     Allow the Lord to console you and guide you. Search you heart and soul to find those blind spots and turn them over to Him. Be assured, he will heal our blindness and fill us with His Spirit, so we may go forth and serve as convicted witnesses in the world, living testaments to His grace, truth and His love. 

Homily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     The Apostles of Jesus never cease to amaze us with their terrible timing. The few verses before this passage contain Jesus’ third prediction of His Passion. After receiving this somber news, James and John (“The Sons of Thunder”) are seeking places of power and authority in Jesus’ government. remember that Jews were expecting a Messiah who would be a great and powerful military ruler who would save them of their temporal struggles and rule the nation, free from the oppression of foreign governments. However, it is interesting that instead of reprimanding them, Jesus simply grants them their request, to an extent. He lays before them this caveat of “drinking the cup” that he will drink. Now, in the Old Testament, this image of “drinking the cup” referred to humbly and fully accepting whatever God had in store for you, be it abundant blessing or vengeful wrath. James and John, without even thinking, agree to this, most likely focused on the idea of a “cup of blessing” rather than a portion in the suffering Jesus would endure on Calvary. 

     Jesus’ reference to Baptism is along a similar line. For to the Jewish Old Testament understanding, the sea and large bodies of water were considered as places of death. Being plunged into water, immersed in its depths, was symbolic of immersion in actual death and separation from the blessing of God. Thus we understand Baptism as a dying of the old person and rising again of a new person who has been reborn in the image of Christ. 

     However, it would not be until those dark hours on Calvary, that the realization of what it means to share in the “cup of Christ” and share in “his Baptism” would become clear to His disciples. Imagine what they were thinking when they saw their Master and teacher, hanging on a cross, and on his right and on his left were the two thieves, also crucified for their crimes. Certainly this episode and the words of Our Lord would have come racing back into their minds. 

     The anger of the other disciples is understandable, for they were most likely annoyed that they had not thought to ask for these positions of power first. But Jesus points out that such power seeking and ladder climbing was not to be the way of life among his followers. Certainly there would be leadership in the Church he established, however, each was to be the servant of the other. The plague of “Careerism” in the Church is most damaging and ought to be avoided at all cost. 

     While this is a sobering lesson for clergy and those employed by the Church, it can serve as a reminder to all of us of our true purpose and mission. We must seek humility and lowliness, not strive for the highest place. Even in secular employment this is a the case. Now granted, when opportunities for advancement present themselves and such a move up would be beneficial for our families and such, consider them a gift and work hard and do your best to secure such a promotion. But, avoid the danger of being consumed with the idea of the constant need to advance. With power and influence come two things: Prestige with Perks and Suffering. 

     Good leaders are able to humbly accept the prestige associated with their office and look at the benefits thereof in a healthy and controlled way, not living in a perpetual state of entitlement. However, good leaders are also open to and accepting of the sufferings that come with leadership. For when we love others and desire to lead them to greatness, there is always suffering. Parents suffer for their children, bosses suffer (or should) for their employees, teachers suffer for their students. That is truly sharing in the “cup of Christ.” Accepting suffering with grace and trust in God, understanding that there is great value in such suffering. Certainly this teaching of Jesus could not have been more counter-cultural in His day, so too in ours. However, we must not fear or avoid suffering. We must not constantly seek comfort and pleasure, but instead seek to follow the will of God, even when it is uncomfortable and unpleasant. 

     I leave with a quotation from the great work The Imitation of Christ:

     “Vain is the life of that man who putteth his trust in men or in any created Thing.  Be not ashamed to be the servant of others for the love of Jesus Christ, and to be reckoned poor in this life.  Rest not upon thyself, but build thy hope in God. Do what lieth in thy power, and God will help thy good intent. Trust not in thy learning, nor in the cleverness of any that lives, but rather trust in the favour of God, who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.”

Homily: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     As is their usual mode of operation, the Pharisees in today’s Gospel passage are once again trying to trick Jesus. They are not actually asking Him if divorce is lawful, for they know the Law and they are aware that Jesus knows the Law and the Scriptures. Rather, they want to hear His interpretation of the Law, so that they may accuse Him of being too rigid or too loose in regards to the Mosaic allowance for divorce. However, instead of giving them the satisfaction of such, he simply quotes a different passage Scripture to them, which comes from the first reading we heard from Genesis.

     The beginning of Genesis speaks of the creation of the world and the garden paradise of Eden. In the Garden of Eden, all was perfect, sin had not entered the world and everything was as God originally intended and created it to be. This includes marriage. We learn from Genesis the perfect model for marriage. The indissoluble bond between a husband and wife that allows them to become more that simply a stable pairing of persons, but in fact one flesh, so devoted to each other that the distinction between the two seems to disappear. 

     Sadly, we live in a fallen world, a sin-ridden world in which human relationships are difficult and troublesome at times. Nevertheless, despite our struggles, we continually look to Christ as the model for how we ought to live in this troubled world. The Church looks to Christ as the source of her teaching on the nature of marriage, and the reality that a valid and true marriage bond is only ended in death. This is indeed a difficult teaching at times. Because of the brokenness of our world, there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. Just ask anyone who is married. My own parents have been married for almost forty years and they would be the first to say its not easy.  However, they have kept in mind the very real vows they made on their wedding day which united them as husband and wife. 

     Much like the way the Pharisees were attempting to trick Jesus into taking sides, many have tried to trick Pope Francis in the same way, especially in his visit to the United States. However, our Holy Father has continued to uphold the teaching of the Church on the dignity and the sacredness of marriage. However, Pope Francis is different from recent popes in that he comes to us not as a scholar or a high-ranking churchman, but as a pastor. Therefore, Pope Francis is helping us to not only uphold the value of marriage, but to remember the difficulties of marriage today, and the reality that at times, some marriages cannot withstand these difficulties. 

     When the sad reality a couple who cannot reconcile differences occurs, the Church approaches it very seriously, not because she is rigid and desires to create more trauma for these couples, but because she loves them and concerns herself greatly with each individual’s spiritual welfare and peace of soul. That is why in our own diocese, Bishop Rhoades has removed any monetary fees associated with the annulment process. Fr. Mark Gurtner, our Judicial Vicar and head of the Diocesan Tribunal is working to make our offices more efficient. Pope Francis has also adjusted certain requirements in order to streamline the process of obtaining a declaration of nullity, the decision of the diocesan court that a valid and sacramental marriage was in fact never in existence from the beginning. 

     Granted, the decision that a relationship of marriage is not going to work is never an easy one to make and should not be taken lightly. That is why we often encourage and urge couples who are struggling to not be afraid to seek professional help. Often times an outside view can be a huge help to a relationship, it brings fresh outlooks, new solutions, and most of all, hope for reconciliation. 

     In the letter to the Hebrews that we heard today, we read that Jesus was “for a time made lower than the angels” and knew the human condition of pain and suffering. It is through that reality that we can draw courage and strength in our own struggles. Our Lord knows the pain we encounter in this life. He encountered it Himself. He too felt alone, abandoned, broken and betrayed. If we turn to Him and place our burdens at His feet, He will certainly assist us in carrying them on the journey to healing. “By His stripes we were healed,” and it is His love and compassion that are the healing balm for our earthly wounds and pains. Allow Him to guide you. Allow Him to heal you. Allow Him to simply love you. 

Homily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     Upon first reading of today’d Gospel we can easily look at the close disciples of Jesus and frankly consider them to be simply foolish. What part of “they will kill him” and “he will rise” is so difficult to understand? However, if we place this passage in context, we can cut the disciples a little slack. First of all this journey follows very shortly after the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. Peter, James, and John are still reeling from the events they witnessed  there. Furthermore, the idea of a suffering Messiah could not have been any more counterintuitive to the Jewish mindset. At that time, not so different from our own, servanthood and suffering was a sign of weakness, not strength. Therefore, the Jewish people expected their great Messiah to come as a strong warrior king, not a man who would hand himself over to death.           

     However, now 2000 years later, we, at least intellectually understand Jesus’ words. The theme of “being handed over” is central to Jesus’ Passion and Death. It reveals to us Our Savior’s complete willingness to abandon himself to the will of the Father out of love for each and every human person on the earth, both then and now.

  In response to this teaching Jesus’ disciples argue about who will be the greatest, probably the most inappropriate response possible to this revelation that Jesus had just shared with them. However, Jesus presents a child to them as the one to emulate. Children at Jesus’ time had no rights or status in society whatsoever. Yet Our Lord stresses to His followers the need to receive, to accept, to serve others as though they were children. To receive, accept, and serve those most vulnerable and lowly in society.

  So we have some questions we must ask ourselves:

Do I hand myself over completely to the loving will of God, and offer myself as a servant not only to Him, but to my neighbor?

Do I receive, love, and serve not just those who I feel are deserving of my love and service, but especially those who are most needy and vulnerable in society?

  Something that can help us to live out our life of faith to the fullest is to become as children in relation to God. Now, being childlike in one’s faith is not the same as being immature in one’s faith. If I have an immature faith life, I only turn to God when it’s convenient for me, when he is showering blessings upon me, when the way is easy, when I am getting what I want. In other times, as a person immature in my faith, I turn from God because I am not getting what I want. To be childlike in faith means to trust completely in the loving care of God. When a child has a problem, he/she turns to those adults whom he/she trusts and knows will care for him/her. So too must we turn to God, not just in the good times but in the difficult times as well. 

  If there was any childlike Saint who understood surrender to the will of God and the blessings gained by such a disposition it was St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. So I leave you with her words

     “Oh, my Jesus! To all my foolishness, what are you going to reply?…Is there a soul that is smaller and more powerless than mine!…However, even because of my weakness, You were pleased, Lord, to fulfill my little childlike desires, and now want to fulfill other desires that are bigger than the universe…”

Homily: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     Before I entered the seminary I was a bank teller for about 2 years. I had a co-worker named Nancy who was one of the sweetest persons I have ever met. One day we were talking and she asked me “Do you go to church?” I answered “Of course I go to Church, Nancy.” Then I thought to myself, how could she not know that? Do I not act in a way that she could tell I was a church-going person? 

     This is what James is talking about in our second reading today: Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. If we do not live our lives as Christian people, our faith and our worship here is practically meaningless. Are we just going through the motions, or are we here to be fed and empowered by the grace of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist so that we may go into the world and live a life as Christian people? 

     One of my seminary professors who was teaching us Ancient philosophy made a comment to our class when we asked what the point of learning Aristotle was. We of course thought it was useless and a waste of time. But he said to us: Use your philosophy always, just don’t mention it. It wasn’t until several years later that I fully understood what he meant. However, that statement (with a slight modification) can be made about our faith life as well. Use your faith always, just don’t mention it every time. We must allow our relationship with God, our life of faith, to inform every aspect of our lives. We should be living in a way, filled with Holy Joy and the Peace of God, that others we encounter are intrigued and think “there’s something different about him/her.” 

     Now that of course isn’t for our own vain glory, but rather, so that we may become Christ’s witnesses to a broken and hurting world that is so desiring of Joy and Peace. 

     This requires within us a conversion of heart. Conversion is a lifelong process and we can never stop growing closer to God until we are completely united with Him in heaven. Now conversion can be difficult, it can be scary, it can be painful. We can encounter a lot of roadblocks along the way. This can come from our own personal struggles with change, but it can also stem from others around us who discourage us at times. When my sister and I were in high school, my mom went through a period of deeper conversion and really started to live her life of faith in a more open and dynamic way. My sister and I were both sort of embarrassed by her and we would constantly mock her and her new found devotion. We were like Peter in today’s Gospel. Jesus is living out the mission He was sent for and Peter, motivated by fear was trying to discourage Him. Jesus’ response is really quite strong: Get behind me Satan! 

     While I don’t advise you use those same words with folks who may discourage you, I do encourage you to consider them in your heart. Don’t allow fear of embarrassment to stop you from serving as a witness to your faith. Live your faith in a visible way. Preach always, sometimes use words. We must let the Joy and the Peace that we gain from our life of faith, radiate into all aspects of our lives, this is the ‘works’ that James speaks of. 

     If we use/live our faith always, we shouldn’t have to mention it. Let your actions proclaim to the world that you are a friend and follower of Christ. 

Homily: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     In todays Gospel passage there are several things that Mark is revealing to his readers. I would like to focus on two of them.

(1) JESUS HAS COME NOT JUST FOR THE JEWS BUT FOR THE GENTILES (all of Humanity) AS WELL. 

     

     If we look at a map we can see something strange about Jesus’ route described in the first verse we read. “Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee into the district of the Decapolis.” Now this would be like saying “He left Washington by way of New York to get to Atlanta.” Several commentators on this passage claim that Mark was simply confused. I personally think Mark knew exactly what he was writing and was using the geography to infer that Jesus was traveling completely through Gentile territory. He had turned His focus from the Jews, who had by and large rejected Him, to turn to the Gentiles. 

     When Jesus arrived, we can see that the Gentiles in this territory receive Jesus much more hospitably than the Jews had previously. Rather than asking Him to leave their territory, they bring Him those who are in need of healing because they have probably heard of his great works and recognize Him, not as a heretic or a blasphemer, but as a great worker of miracles. 

     Mark is emphasizing that the Gentiles are also to be heirs to the great blessings of God. The Greek term Mark chose to describe the “speech impediment” with which this man is afflicted is only ever used one other time in Sacred Scripture. It appears in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in the Book of Isaiah. “Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy.” This was in reference to the joy of the chosen people upon returning from the Babylonian Exhile. Now Mark is referring to the fact that the Gentiles will be called to join in this joy in the promised land of salvation. 

(2) JESUS WISHES TO HEAL EACH OF US AS INDIVIDUALS THROUGH A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.

    

 Rather than heal the man in front of the crowd, we see Jesus pull him aside. The description of this healing miracle is probably one of the most physically specific in all the Gospels. Jesus physically touches the mans ears and spits on His finger and touches it to the man’s tongue. While we of course think that’s frankly gross, in Jesus’ day, saliva was believed to have great healing effects. The more important thing to recognize is that Jesus heals the man instantaneously and completely through His touch and His word. We hear that Jesus looked to heaven and groaned. He looked to His Father above and was groaning at the sadness of the broken human condition resulting from the plague of sin in the world. 

     After all this has taken place we hear the reaction of the crowd. Rather than urging Jesus to leave their territory driven by fear and and anger they simply proclaim: “He as done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” These people simply proclaimed the truth of what they had seen. In that lies a lesson for us. Do we have a personal relationship with our Lord? Do we allow him to heal our deafness and our silence? Our Lord Jesus desires to meet us, to know us, to journey with us, to love us. Simply put by St. John of the Cross:

     “In the first place it should be known that if anyone is seeking God, the Beloved is seeking that person much more.”

Homily: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     All this week at daily Mass we’ve been hearing the encounters of Jesus with the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel of Matthew. We see similar interactions here in the Gospel of Mark as well. These instances bring up several questions for us. 

     First of all, who were the Pharisees? Well, the Pharisees were a sect of Judaism which focused on a very strict adherence to the Mosaic Law. They were very well versed in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, and knew the over 600 Laws of Judaism like the backs of their hands. However, Jesus points out to them time and time again, that sadly that was the extent of their faith in the Living God. They looked at their relationship with the Almighty as a contract of sorts: Here are the rules, follow the rules, nothing else matters. It was very black and white for them. But Jesus notes that despite their displays of outward piety, they are filled with a whole list of sinful things: 

     “…evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance,  [and] folly.”

     Jesus stresses the fact that these sins originate in our hearts, wounded by original sin and for lack of a better term, “broken.” So our first focus must be to honestly answer these questions:

Do I love God with my whole heart, my whole soul, and my whole mind? 

Do I truly live out my Baptismal call and my share in the priestly office of Jesus by entering into the world and consecrating my time, my work, my actions, to the Lord?

Do I let the reality of what we celebrate and do here at Mass truly resound within me and fill me with the Grace of God to live as a true disciple of Jesus Christ?

     These can be tough questions to ask ourselves. We can easily get caught up and distracted in our daily lives, living in our modern, fast-paced world. But a great way to begin to answer these questions is to look at one thing: our calendar or datebook. What things do we find important enough that we write them down so as to ensure we don’t forget them? Is there ever and appointment for God in our plan for the day? Is our relationship with Him important enough to us that we schedule time for Him everyday? Or is it simply work related tasks and meetings, shopping lists, and social engagements? On what things do we focus our energy? 

     St. Paul calls us to be “…doers of the word and not hearers only.” Be “…doers of the word…” This is a call to be actively aware and engaged in our faith and in our place in God’s plan of Salvation. Our time spent in conversation with God is only wasted if we fulfill it as though it simply done out of some kind of duty. We must pray out of love for God, out of love for ourselves, out of love for our neighbor. If our prayer is not spurring us on to further conversion of heart and action on our part, we’re frankly and simply doing it wrong. Granted every time we pray we won’t float around the room and see blinding light radiating from the ceiling. However, we will be encountering God and sanctifying and consecrating that time to Him. 

     St. Theresa of Avila, who was a rather formidable woman who wasn't afraid to even tell the Pope himself what to do, sums it up best I feel:

     “The most potent and acceptable prayer is the prayer that leaves the best effects. I don't mean it must immediately fill the soul with desire…The best effects (are) those that are followed up by actions;  when the soul not only desires the honor of God, but really strives for it.”

Homily: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     I once heard staggering statistic that only 45% of Catholics who attend Mass truly believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That means that 55% either do not believe or do not understand fully the reality of the Blessed Sacrament. This Sunday we get the meat and potatoes as it were of Jesus’ discourse on the Eucharist. In past weeks we have been building up to this teaching. Jesus has been stressing the importance of deep and lasting faith. That is because this teaching requires such faith in order to accept it. 

     Often times, we will hear arguments against the True Presence in the Eucharist by individuals who claim that Jesus was merely speaking figuratively. However, this is frankly incorrect once we examine the context of John’s 6th chapter in the life of Jesus and his manner of teaching. 

     First of all, we must consider the vocabulary used. Jesus not only uses the term “flesh” several times but the Greek word used for “eat” is very specific. Like English, the ancient Greek language had several ways of referencing eating. In English we may say, “eat,” “dine,” “chow down,” and the like. Jesus uses the term which literally means to eat as a wild animal would, to gnaw on something. Thus, His words are even more specific and graphic that we can understand on the surface. 

     Secondly, we can look to Jesus’ pattern of speech. How does He usually teach? When does He ask questions? When does he repeat Himself? When examining these things in the Gospel of John, we can recognize several patterns in Jesus’ other teachings. For instance, when Jesus speaks figuratively and his listeners misunderstand Him, he corrects them. An exampled occurs when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus in JOHN 3:3-5:

     "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.

     In other cases, Jesus speaks literally and his listeners understand. Jesus’ reaction to this is to repeat and confirm what He said as a sign that they have correctly understood what he has said. For example  in JOHN 8:56-59:

     Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

     So if we look at the pattern of Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel, we see the crowds taking him literally and becoming angered at such a teaching. However, Jesus repeats Himself 6 times in 8 verses! This is because he was not speaking figuratively, but was being completely forthright in His presentation. 

     Furthermore, the expression of “eating flesh and drinking blood” in the Hebrew Scriptures had a specific usage as referring to persecution and assault. Clearly, Jesus was not teaching that in order to have eternal life one must persecute Him, this would make no sense. However, in the Jewish mindset at the time, that is exactly what would be understood if these were were meant to be figurative. 

     An even simpler yet no less convincing form of evidence for the truth of Jesus’ words is the reaction of His listeners. Even disciples who would have been following Him for several years, could not accept this teaching and walked away. Furthermore, Jesus doesn’t stop them and correct their misunderstanding because they did not misunderstand. They understood, and yet rejected Him. 

     Ultimately before us is placed a challenge. A challenged to grow in faith to better believe and interiorize the belief and understanding of the Eucharist that we have been taught. This is not always easy, but with God all things are possible. We must pray for the Grace of faith, so that we may never grow lax in or belief in the Eucharist, that we may never take for granted this great mystery that we celebrate and receive here from this Holy Altar. our prayer must take the form of the man with the possessed son in the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Mark: “…the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Homily: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

     Among the four Marian Dogmas of the Church (Divine Motherhood, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption) this last is one of the more heavily debated among other Christians. Nevertheless, the fact that Our Lady was taken up into heaven body and soul at the end of her life on this earth, make complete theological sense. 

  First and foremost, bodily assumption is not something foreign to Scripture.  We can read of two other explicit accounts in the Old Testament of holy individuals who lived their lives in the service of God and did not experience death, but were rather taken to heaven by God:

(1) Enoch

GEN 5:24 - Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him.

HEB 11:5 - By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.

(2) Elijah

2 KINGS 2:11 - As they walked on still conversing, a fiery chariot and fiery horses came between the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind…

     So from this we can see that for someone who had lived an exemplary life in devotion to the Almighty, the desire for God to spare him or her from the result of Original Sin, ie. death, is not so crazy after all. 

     Second, when we consider another Marian Dogma, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption of Our Lady makes even more sense. The result of the disobedience of Adam & Eve has been the inheritance of the human race in the form of the disfigurement of Original Sin. Mary was preserved from the stain of Original Sin. The Angel Gabriel addressed her “Hail Mary, full of grace.” Mary was in a state of grace before the Incarnation of Jesus and His salvific Passion, Death and Resurrection. She did not need Baptism. She is the New Eve. 

  Even biology points to the rationality of the Immaculate Conception. When a female baby is conceived, she contains in her tiny body all the biological material that will one day develop into children of her own. Therefore, is it not sensible that the child in the womb of St. Ann (Mary’s mother) would be preserved from the stain of Original Sin. Mary, while even in the womb of her own mother was crying about the biological material that would one day make up the physical body of the Incarnate Word, Jesus.

  So, if Mary was conceived without the stain of Original Sin, ought she not be preserved from the punishment of Original Sin as well, and upon completion of her time on this earth, be swept up to God in heaven? 

  In the words of St. John Damascene we hear:

     It was necessary that the body of the one who preserved her virginity intact in giving birth should also be kept incorrupt after death. It was necessary that she, who carried the Creator in her womb when He was a baby, should dwell among the tabernacles of Heaven…

  Ultimately, in order to best honor Mary, we must honor her Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Mary’s last recorded words in Sacred Scripture are found in the Gospel of John (2:5) at the Wedding Feast at Cana. Mary says: 

Do whatever he tells you.

     It is most fitting that the last words spoken by Our Lady in Scripture point not to herself, but to her most Beloved Son, Our Savior. Therefore, our devotion to Mary must always lead us on to Christ.  She is a powerful intercessor indeed, and she desires nothing more than for the world to recognize Her Son as the Redeemer of mankind.

     Thus we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. 

Homily: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”

  These are the words we heard God speak to Elijah when Elijah had grown weak. These words certainly ring true for us as well. In the Eucharist, we receive as Christ said in the gospel, The Bread of Life, love and truth incarnate. It is from this heavenly food that appears as bread, which we receive the strength to carry on the journey. 

  But what is this journey? The journey we are making is life itself. Elijah, strengthen by the bread and water presented him by the angel of God, traveled 40 days and 40 nights to the Mountain of God, mount Horeb, where Moses had received the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. 40 is a significant number in Sacred Scripture. We hear of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, the 40 days and 40 nights Our Lord spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. 40 is a number which always represents a period of purification. Therefore, Elijah, after growing weak and giving into despair, needed this 40 day journey to purify him to encounter God on Mount Horeb. 

  Similarly, we travel the journey of life and it too is in a sense a period of purification. Life is filled with the dangers of sin, especially the sin of despair which can lead to negligence on our part regarding our faith life. 

  However, God comes to us, just as he came to Elijah to strengthen and support us. This happens primarily in the Sacraments which He gave to the Church. In every sacrament, is it not the priest or the deacon who is acting, but it is Jesus himself. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation it is not the priest who personally forgives sins, but God Himself in the minister of the priest. That is why in the formula of absolution the priest says: “Through the ministry of the Church…” before forgiving the sins of the penitent. It is through the Church that God acts, not because we chose it to be so, but because He chose it to be so. 

  In the same way, it is not the priest who consecrates, but Jesus acting through him, which is why the Mass is the perfect form of worship of God on earth. It is our participation in the perfect worship of God the Son offered to God the Father. And it is through this perfect worship that Our Lord feeds us with the Bread of Life, his own flesh in the form of bread and wine. 

  Jesus tells us in the Gospel passage today that: “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.” We come first to be healed in the Sacrament of the Reconciliation and placed in right relationship with God, then we come to enter into the worship of the Son to the Father and are fed with the Eucharist in order to be strengthened for the journey toward God. 

  It is critical that we follow this order. We cannot climb the mountain of God when we are weighed down with our sins. Imagine that our sins are like bricks in a backpack. We carry these around and are trying to climb the mountain to God and cannot even get out of the foothills. When we come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are freed to leave that backpack and its contents behind. God forgives us, so we must learn to forgive ourselves. Only then can we be most open to receive the graces Our Lord wishes to give us to nourish us for our journey. I offer you this quotation from St. Ephraem (Deacon in Syria around the 4th Century AD):

     "O Lord, we cannot go to the pool of Siloam to which you sent the blind man. But we have the chalice of Your Precious Blood, filled with life and light. The purer we are, the more we receive."

Homily: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     Yet again this week we hear of Jesus being chased across the Sea of Galilee by the crowds. The crowds this week are even more amazed however, because they previously saw only Jesus’ disciples leave in a boat, yet Jesus is miraculously now on the other side of the Sea. Thus they ask him “When did you get here?” They are not so concerned about time, but more about the how. Nevertheless, Jesus yet again is able to see through their actions and know their true intentions. 

Similar to previous weeks’ Gospel passages, the crowds are drawing to Jesus, not out of faith and devotion, but out of desire to see miracles, signs, and possibly even grab a free meal.  The come to him now again because they were fed with the barley loaves or heard about this Rabbi who would feed thousands and are thus driven by desires of the flesh. They are so bold as to question Jesus and mention the feeding of the Israelites in the desert, attributing that miracle to Moses. When in actuality it wasn’t Moses who fed the people but God Himself. 

Our first reading from Exodus describes the miracle of the Manna in the desert. We can see similar motivations in the Israelites of that time as well, for they have so quickly forgotten their lives of drudgery and slavery at the hands of the Egyptians and are complaining because the cuisine is not up to their standards. They are so driven by desires of the flesh that they look at their past enslavement through rose colored glasses and say “At least we had plenty of meat and bread.” 

Jesus responds to the people present to Him by first saying “Amen, Amen, I say to you…” This phrase is always a sign that Jesus is about to reveal a critical teaching or revelation about who He is. This is no exception, for He testifies that He Himself is the bread come down from Heaven. This is not ordinary bread as the people are seeking but spiritual bread, spiritual food that will last forever. 

St. Thomas Aquinas discusses in his commentary on the Gospel of John, the boats that everyone took across the Sea of Galilee. He notes that the disciples of Jesus took one boat, which he states represents the One Church. The others had to wait for more boats to arrive and eventually find their way to Jesus. St. Thomas says these other boats represent heretical groups and the like. We will give him the benefit of the doubt since he was writing in the Medieval Era. Nevertheless, there is something interesting about his analysis. We too can in a sense “miss the boat.” While we are here at Mass, and are card-carrying members of the Church,  by what are we motivated? Do we come to Mass simply out of obligation // or driven by some social norm that says nice people go to Church? Some say, “Well, Father, at least people are here.” This is true, and praise God that we are all here and in the practice of consecrating the Lord’s day by attending Mass. However, our presence must be motivated by something deeper. 

We should examine our relationship with God. Does God only hear from us when our lives are difficult and we simply complain to Him like the Israelites? Or, do we regularly converse with the Lord, in both bad times and good times? Have we opened ourselves to the true spiritual food come down from Heaven? Or are we satisfied to spend our life working for worldly gain, for the “food that perishes?”

When we come to Mass and receive the Eucharist, we are not simply eating bread. We are physically receiving the True Living God. We ourselves become a living tabernacle, a sacred vessel in which God Himself dwells. Open your souls to Him, let him fill you, that when others look upon you they may encounter Christ. 

Homily: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

      This week, and the for the next four weeks, we will be hearing not from the Gospel of Mark, but rather from the Gospel of John, specifically the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. Today we heard of the “Feeding of the Five Thousand.” While this miracle takes place in all four Gospels, it gets a little special treatment in John’s Gospel, for John adds several details to this story that we don’t hear in the other three Gospels. First, the mention of a “large crowd” in the Gospel of John is actually rather unusual. While we had been hearing for the past several weeks about a crowd constantly following Jesus, in John this is somewhat new. This miracle follows several other healing miracles of Jesus, and John mentions the crowd now to emphasize that they were following Jesus, not out of devotion and faith, but out of curiosity as one would follow a famous person about. 

     The fact that these events took place near Passover is most interesting because it causes us to consider later even more significant events at Passover, namely the Last Supper and the Institution of the Eucharist. This miracle, this meal serves as a prefigurement of the Last Supper and the events leading up to the Lord’s Passion. 

     Now, while there are many many character’s present in this scene, I want to draw your attention to one specific character, and that is the boy who presents the original five loaves. John specifically notes that these are barley loaves. Barley was the bread of the poor. The wealthy had wheat, while the very poor ate barley. Thus we are conclude that the boy who presented these loaves was indeed poor. These loaves of bread may have been the only thing he owned. However, despite the fact that the bread is of lesser quality, it is everything to this boy and he offers it all to Jesus.  He turns over everything he has and gives it to Our Lord. He had faith that this man, this teacher, could do something with his meager offering. Even with the Apostle Andrew’s somewhat disparaging remark:      

     “What good are these for so many?”

Nevertheless, what does the Lord do? He takes this small offering and after giving thanks, in Greek “Eucharisteo,” he feeds the multitude, and they were filled. 

This is passage could serve as an instruction booklet for how we should attend Mass. We should arrive, not simple to see a spectacle, but we should give everything to the Lord. Offer all that is in our hearts to Him, offer our very lives to Him. Our hopes, our joys, our worries, our griefs, our pains, give it all to God. Lay it at the foot of his throne. After opening our hearts and souls to Him, he will fill it. Not simply with a meal of ordinary bread, but with the Bread of Salvation, His very own Body and Blood. Because Jesus is so in love with us that he desires to become part of us, to dwell in our very bodies, and heal us, make us whole. 

     So I urge you all, really open your lives to God in a dramatic way. Remember what it is that we come together to celebrate at this very altar. The feeding of the crowds, the Last Supper, the Sacrifice on Calvary, all culminate in the sacrifice we enter into here and now. Be fed, be filled with God Himself, and dramatically live out that call that St. Paul speaks about in the second reading. That call to not only receive and flourish in the Truth but to spread that Truth, that Joy, that Salvation that comes to us through Jesus Christ, to the ends of the Earth. 

Homily: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     Deacon Craig Borchard and I are huge roller coaster fans. I remember the first time I went to Cedar Point with him. His instructions to me sounded very similar to those we heard in the Gospel today: “Take no backpack, no keys, no wallet, no cell phone. Stuff simply slows you down.” Now as silly as it sounds, the truth of that statement carries over into our life in Christ as well. Jesus instructed the Apostles to take only sandals and a walking stick, traditional objects used by travelers, because we are in fact on a journey in life, a missionary journey. And while on that journey, we can be slowed down by stuff.

  The Apostles were instructed to take nothing for several reasons: 

1. It is easier to travel and focus on the task at hand, in this case the spreading of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, when you are not carting around a bunch of stuff you really don't need. 
2. Not having a lot of material possessions with you, forces you to rely on the providence of God. 
3. Traveling with nothing calls others to provide hospitality for you and minister to your needs as well, thus building community.
4. Last but not least, a certain degree of poverty lends credibility to the message you present. 

  So what does this mean for us? Do we all have to sell our homes and cars and beg for food everyday in order to be saved and please God? In a word no. Some are called to live out lives of drastic poverty for the sake of the kingdom of God. Others are not called to do so. But we are all called to live in healthy relationships to our material possessions. Having possessions is fine, but it becomes a problem when our things begin to possess us. We should be responsible, plan for the future and care for our families, however, we must practice a certain degree of detachment from things. We need to remained focused on the purpose of our time on this earth, that is, to know, love and serve God in this life and be happily with Him in the next. As my mother always said: “There are no U-Hauls in heaven.” 

  Living a life of simplicity, not allowing your possessions to possess you, is an amazing witness to Gospel values in our modern, secular, pagan world. In a world where happiness is obtained through wealth, superficial beauty, and power, an individual who recognizes, yet doesn’t seek constantly for those things, and is more deeply fulfilled and genuinely happy and peaceful, boggles the secular mind. 

  I urge you to preach that message of simplicity through your life and your relation to things. if you are rejected in your mission to bring Christ to others, don’t sweat it. Our task is simply to be obedient to our mission, the success of the mission is in the hands of the Almighty. When we face rejection, we can be at peace with even that. The Jews of Jesus’ time would shake the dust of pagan lands off their feet upon returning home from a journey. This served as a rejection of pagan ideas. When Jesus instructs the Apostles to shake the dust off their feet from town that rejected their message, it would have served at the time to those witnessing it as the greatest form of rejection and separation. Therefore, we must shake off our feet, the dust of the materialistic world in which we live. Only then, can we be free to share with others, the Kingdom of God and the joy, peace, and fulfillment that an intimate relationship with Our Lord provides. 

Homily: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

        When I moved into the rectory 4 years ago for my pastoral year (just like Seminarian Dan), I was soon given the nickname of “The Butler.” This is because I was constantly answering the door, cleaning up, setting the table for guests, serving food and drinks and other various and sundry tasks. The other day, when I walked into the room, someone said “Hey, it’s the Butler." Fr. Bill corrected them and said “That’s Fr. Butler now.” Often times transitions into new roles can be really difficult. Ezekiel speaks of bringing a message to a people whose hearts were hardened and our Lord Himself experienced this in the Gospel passage today.

  “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.” Meaning, everyone respects a messenger of God, except those to whom he or she is familiar. The job of a prophet is never easy. Nevertheless, we are all called to be prophets of sorts in our own lives. This isn't an easy calling, though it is not an impossible calling. We can meet the greatest resistance from our own families and friends, and that sort of rejection can destroy our zeal if we let it. But we must remember that despite our apparent weaknesses, God and do great work. 

  St. Paul speaks directly to this reality in his letter to the Corinthians. Now, the community at Corinth to whom Paul was writing, was an especially difficult community. If you ready the letters to the Corinthians, they never seem to get it. Despite Paul’s efforts, those in Corinth were constantly fighting amongst themselves and getting into trouble. So Paul understood what it was like to try to share a message with a people who would reject it. He speaks of this “thorn in the flesh” that the Lord placed upon him. We do not know exactly what this “thorn” was, but part of it may have simply been the great difficulties he encountered with the church at Corinth. Similarly, we may feel like the Lord is not listening to us when we plead for help; when we are really struggling to live out our Christian life and share the Gospel message with those closest to us. However, we must remember that God writes straight with crooked lines. Sometimes, he allows to experience difficulties and appear as weak, in order that we may be reminded of our complete dependency on Him and the Grace He bestows upon us. 

  So how do we develop the proper attitude and disposition in those times of difficulties? Well, we can turn to the Psalm we heard today (Psalm 123). The psalmist presents a completely dfferent attitude than we here in the other readings. It is an attitude of humility and trust. The psalmist writes:

To you I lift up my eyes

who are enthroned in heaven—

as the eyes of servants

are on the hands of their masters.

As the eyes of a maid 

are on the hands of her mistress,

so are our eyes on the Lord, our God,

till he have pity on us.

     This is the disposition we must adopt when we encounter struggles in our lives. Especially when we feel overcome and powerless in the face of conflict. We must place our trust in the Lord. He really does love us and cares for us. St. John of the Cross, the great mystic of …experienced the difficulties of living a live of missionary discipleship and summed it up beautifully, so I leave you with His words:

     “Though the path is plain and smooth for [those] of good will, [those] who [walk] it will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty, if [they do] not have good feet: that is: courage and a persevering spirit.”

Homily : 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     Well, here we are. The first weekend you are all subjected to me as your new Parochial Vicar. Trust me, the feeling of terror is mutual. I asked Fr. Terry as he was leaving: “When do you stop waking up and and thinking ‘Holy Cannoli, I’m a priest!’?” He answered: “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when it happens.” So my request to all of you is that you pray for me as I begin my ministry here at St. Pius. I couldn’t be more blessed than to be placed here with you all and with such a fantastic mentor like Fr. Bill (the older one, that is). 

  It is proof that Murphy’s Law is true, that my first weekend to preach for you all would follow such a major decision made by the Supreme Court. I read the statements put out by both the USCCB and our own bishop, Kevin Rhoades, in regards to the decision to alter the definition of marriage at the national level. I encourage you all to read those statements. They are both rather short and I was pleasantly surprised when reading them, for both stress the need to not only stand up for our beliefs about the natural law and reasonable order of creation, but they also remind us all of the need to have loving compassion on all those who disagree with our beliefs.

So many people in our society are hurting and struggling, overcome by pain and confusion about life in general. I’m sure we can all think of a friend or family member, or anyone we know and love who this decision will greatly effect. Unfortunately sometimes these same people are used by others to push for us to realign parts of our societal structures, which further confuses and deconstructs the world as God created it to be. After all, things always work better when they are doing and acting as they were made to do and act. Consider, a chair doesn’t make a very good table and a table doesn’t make a very good chair. While this example is trite, the truth behind it holds true in all aspects of life. When we decide for ourselves to try to alter that reality, our actions ultimately mess things up even more, and cause greater divisions, and push the more vulnerable to the outskirts of society. 

In the gospel passage we just heard, Jesus carries out two miraculous healings. Both of which thwart and go against the norms established by the society of His time. First the woman with the hemorrhage; she would have been excluded from certain aspects of the community due to her ritual impurity. Second, the young girl who had died and was even more drastically separated from the community. Both are healed through Jesus, but these healings are nuanced in different ways. The first woman is healed through her faith and her own initiative. She took the risk to touch Jesus’ clothing, which went completely against the established norms. The second girl is healed by Jesus and through his power alone, with no initiative shown on her part. So we can see the need to realize the ultimate power of God in solving the problems of the world own his own with no help from us, but also the need to realize that we do have an active role in the health of our society. For we are called to be witnesses to the truth, and not be afraid to, in compassion and love always of course, promote and share the Gospel message of truth with others. 

  So ultimately, we are called to do three things: 

1. GO OUT / REACH OUT in loving compassion to those on the fringes of society who will become even more marginalized and thrust into a category and in a certain way exploited to push the agendas of others. 
2. HAVE COURAGE to stand up for the truth not only about marriage, but about the dignity of all persons, especially our children and young people who are growing up in these troubled times. 
3. TRUST in the power of God, and do not despair over decisions made by mere humans. He is in charge, He made the world and all things in it except sin. Yet he died on the cross to conquer sin and death. So we know the end of the story, Good will triumph over evil.

  Our Lord himself said “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (Jn 16:33)