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.”