No Servant Can Serve Two Masters

Here's my homily for this weekend.  As always, comments, questions, and more are always welcome!

Location: Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier (Dyersville, IA) – 5 p.m. Sat., 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Sun.

Date: Sunday September 22^nd, 2013 (25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C; women’s CRHP retreat)

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Amos 8:4-7
Resp. Psalm: Ps. 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8
2^nd Reading: 1^st Timothy 2:1-8
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13 (OR Luke 16:10-13 {short version})

FOCUS: Conversion of mind and hearts leads to honest stewardship of God’s gifts.  

FUNCTION: Examine your life; reprioritize if necessary; grow in the grace of conversion.  

          I’m convinced that life has become far too busy.  One article I read on our working habits here in America mentioned this – “Not only are Americans working longer hours than at any time since statistics have been kept, but now they are also working longer than anyone else in the industrialized world. And while workers in other countries have been seeing their hours cut back by legislation focused on preventing work from infringing on private life, Americans have been going in the other direction.  (…)  Road rage, workplace shootings, the rising number of children placed in day care and the increasing demand on schools to provide after-school activities to occupy children whose parents are too busy have all been pointed to as evidence that Americans are overstressed and overworked.”

          Some of this can’t be helped; but something needs to change if we’re actually going to live healthy, happy, and holy lives.  If we keep rushing around at the break-neck pace we’re going, we’re either going to burn out or die trying to keep up; we end up living to work rather than working to live.  All this constant busy-ness is not good for us spiritually, physically, emotionally, or intellectually.  When we’re overworked and overstressed, we’re deprived of peace and we begin to lose perspective; life begins to feel more like a vicious cycle of things to do rather than an adventure to be embraced; constant work makes us more like robots and less like human beings, when all we really want to do is live life to the full without having to constantly worry about having money to pay the bills.  We need to keep things in proper perspective.   

          Jesus tried to provide us with that much-needed perspective in this weekend’s Gospel – “No servant can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.”  And yet this is exactly what many of us are trying to do.  We’re constantly trying to serve two masters – on the one hand, here we are in Church, seeking to be in relationship with God; and on the other hand, we serve whatever “idol god” appeals to us most: maybe it’s drinking, or sports, or our social lives, or achievement, or popularity, or entertainment, or….whatever.  We’re all idolaters – we’re all worshipping something else other than God.  We’re all guilty of violating the first of the Ten Commandments – “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.”  And why did God ever give us such a commandment?  Because He created us; because He knows that we creatures can only find our fulfillment in God the Creator. 

          We need conversion – and I say this pointing to myself first of all.  I need conversion.  I need to know and firmly believe that only God will satisfy me, and that I can’t be satisfied by anything or anyone else; the weight of the human desire for happiness is so profound that nothing in this world can satisfy it except for God alone.  In the famous words of St. Augustine, “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in You.”  When we begin to believe those words, then we start living as we should; then we regain some of the perspective that we so often lose when we get entangled in worldly pursuits. 

          God wants your heart – are you willing to give it to Him?  God wants to give you true fulfillment and peace – are you willing to receive?  We need the grace of interior, spiritual conversion; only when God is at the center of our lives will we be at peace and know true happiness; only then will we start achieving our true potential for greatness; only then will we become the kind of person that God wants us to be – the kind of person who can make a difference in the world.

          This life we live is a gift; God didn’t have to create us – but He did so out of sheer goodness.  The very first paragraph of the Catechism tells us the meaning of our lives – “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.  For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man.  He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.  He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church.  To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior.  In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life,” (CCC, no. 1).

          How’s that for perspective?!  That’s why we exist!  That paragraph from the Catechism tells us the very purpose of our lives.  It’s not about work; it’s not about drinking and pleasure; it’s not about sports, or our social lives, or achievement, or popularity, or entertainment, or anything else.  We exist to know, love, and serve God in this life, so that we might enjoy eternity with Him in the next; that’s the purpose of our lives.  Are we living as good stewards of God’s many blessings?  Are we living with an eye on the prize?  Or have we gotten distracted by the busy-ness of life around us? 

          Every once in a while, we all need to step back and evaluate what we’re doing and how we’re living so that what we’re doing and how we’re living don’t simply become matters of routine but ways for us to live full and healthy lives.  Conversion of mind and heart – which happens when we realize God is our goal – helps us live as good stewards of God’s many blessings.

          This weekend, women from our cluster parishes have gathered together for their Christ Renews His Parish weekend retreat; they’ve realized the importance of stepping back and taking time to focus on their relationship with God so that they can live life to the full; they don’t have the answers, but they know the questions; and those questions will lead them to the only answer any of us need to hear: Jesus.  Knowing Him is the task of our lives; so how are we going to make that happen?  Examine what consumes your thoughts; reprioritize what’s important in your life; and ask God to help keep you focused on Him.  And then peace and fulfillment will be yours, along with the whole kingdom of heaven. 

2nd Sunday of Lent - Be Transformed in the Light of Christ!

Greetings!  Here's the homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent; it was preached in the Holy Rosary Cluster where I covered for the pastor who came to preach at our Spires of Faith Cluster 40 Hours Mission.  Let's all heed the call to be transfigured this Lent!

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Resp. Psalm: Ps. 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
2^nd Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1 (OR Phil. 3:20-4:1)
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

 FOCUS: The transfiguration of Christ invites us to be transfigured and/or transformed, also. 

FUNCTION: Make a self-examination – where are you closed and where are you open to God?

          It’s a privilege to be with all of you this weekend!  Since I’m not up in this area very often, I appreciate the opportunity to visit your Church and see the area.  We’re very happy that Fr. Steve accepted our invitation to come and speak at our annual “40 Hours Mission” in the Spires of Faith Cluster.  Just to give you a hint of what the Cluster’s like, we’re situated on the western edge of Dubuque County and the eastern edge of Delaware County, and there are five parishes in the Cluster – the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville, Saint Joseph’s in Earlville, Saint Boniface in New Vienna, Ss. Peter & Paul in Petersburg, and Saint Paul’s in Worthington.  Fr. John O’Connor is the pastor of the parishes in Petersburg and New Vienna while Fr. Dennis Quint is the pastor of the parishes in Dyersville, Worthington, and Earlville.  Yours truly gets to be the Associate Pastor of all five.  If I ever write a sitcom for TV, I’m going to call it, “My Two Pastors.”  I’m sure it’ll be good for a couple of laughs J

          So, this weekend, I get to celebrate Mass here in your parish while Fr. Steve is covering the Masses in the Spires of Faith Cluster.  When Fr. Steve gets back, be sure to tell him all about how that the substitute priest was a much better preacher than he is J  I’m sure that will be good for a few laughs, too!  On second thought, you better not – maybe the homilies will only get longer J  Regardless, it’s a pleasure to be with you this weekend. 

          The Gospel reading this weekend presents us with the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus found in Saint Luke’s Gospel.  The First Sunday of Lent always presents us with the story of Our Lord’s temptation in the desert and this Second Sunday of Lent always presents us with the story of the Transfiguration.  But after these first two Sundays of Lent, the Gospel readings aren’t consistently themed from year to year.  So why should we hear about the Transfiguration on the Second Sunday of Lent every year?  I think the answer is probably quite obvious: Lent invites us to journey with Our Lord into the desert on the First Sunday and on the Second Sunday we’re invited to be transformed.  Lent invites us to grow in the grace of “conversion” – to become people who are willing to share and reflect the goodness and the light of the Lord to the people around us. 

          And so what do we often do during Lent?  We examine our consciences and go to the sacrament of Reconciliation; we pray the Stations of the Cross devotion; we try to observe the typical Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; we give up something that we like in the hopes that we’ll become a better person; we abstain from eating meat on Fridays as an act of penance and self-denial; and we try to be more patient, more forgiving, more loving.  It’s all about preparing ourselves to celebrate the holiest days of the entire liturgical year – Holy Week.  We should probably think of Lent as a kind of pilgrimage; and we should think of ourselves as journeying towards a great destination – ultimately, heaven itself.  And as we make this great pilgrimage through life, we might ask ourselves, “Lord, am I living as You want me to live?  Am I living like I’m headed towards life in the kingdom of heaven?”  And if the answer to those questions is no, then it’s probably time to make a change.

          Lent is actually all about transformation; it’s all about living as we should.  Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, one of the Fathers of the early Church who lived in the early 2^nd century, once said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”  That’s an excellent quote for us to consider as we hear this story about Our Lord’s transfiguration this weekend.  Do you feel like you’re fully alive?  Do you feel like you’re living a full and abundant life?  And I’m not talking about what the world considers to be a so-called “full and abundant life” – lots of wealth, a nice house, or super-fast cars; I’m talking about the full and abundant life that Our Lord came to bring us.  In the tenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I came so that they might have life, and have it more abundantly,” (see John 10:10b).  Jesus wants us to live a full and abundant life!  He wants us to be filled with joy and peace, and to be happy and fulfilled, and to be disciplined and directed towards Him; in short, He wants us to be “fully alive” to the glory of God.

          And Jesus shows us what that looks like – transfigured on the mountain top, bathed in glory, clothed all in white.  His transfiguration is a foreshadowing of the glory of the resurrection that He would receive from God the Father on the first Easter Sunday.  But it’s only this account of the transfiguration – only Saint Luke’s account – that tells us what Jesus was talking about with Moses and Elijah there on the mountain top.  This Gospel tells us that Moses and Elijah spoke with Him about the “exodus that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.”  An exodus?  That’s kind of odd.  Exodus is the name of the second book of the Bible, which tells the story of the Jewish departure from the land of Egypt.  This conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah is kind of “code speak” for the passion and death that Jesus would endure so that He could lead us on our own “exodus” out of the land of Egypt – out of our slavery to sin and death – and into the land that God wants to lead us toward – ultimately, the kingdom of heaven.

          So Lent is about a desert experience – journeying with Jesus into the desert, just like the Jews journeyed into the desert when they departed the land of Egypt.  And that desert experience is supposed to lead us into the ultimate “promised land” – the kingdom of heaven.  The closer we come to that kingdom, the more we’re transformed by God’s grace.   So think for a moment – is your experience of Lent leading you towards transformation?  Is it helping you to become a better person?  Is it helping you become more disciplined and more directed towards God?  Are you experiencing the various “fruits” of Lent in your lives – more peace, more joy, more love, more patience? 

          Now’s the time for us to make an examination of conscience – where are we open to God’s grace in our lives, and where are we perhaps a little more closed?  Our goal in life as Christians is to be totally open to God, and to live in such a way that we come to know, love, and serve Him in this life so that we’re finally able to join Him forever in heaven.  So now’s the time for you to examine your lives and open your hearts more fully to the presence and activity of God; and then let Him transform you and fill you with new life.                                

 

 

Our Call to Evangelization for the Salvation of Souls

Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
    

READINGS:

First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

FOCUS: Evangelization simply involves sharing our Christian hope with others. 

FUNCTION: Bring hope to others by sharing with them the good news of the Gospel.

          How many of you have ever met someone who seemed to embody the sentiments of the first reading?  Have you ever felt that way yourself?  The first reading from the Book of Job certainly does NOT give us a very happy vision of human life.  In fact, Job’s estimation of human life in general – and of his own life in particular – give us a quite hopeless and depressing and miserable picture of human existence. 

          Speaking about his own life, he says, “I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.  My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.  Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.”  And to these sentiments, I would like to reply, “Hey, that’s the spirit!  Way to think positively! What an encouraging message!”  Ugghh.  Maybe not.  There’s not much hope to be found in Job’s estimation of the quality of life.

          This kind of extreme negativism about life can infect all of us at one point or another.  But for some people, this extremely depressing evaluation of human life is the only way they know how to think.  They approach life from the perspective that they are irrevocably doomed, that life is miserable, that nothing good will ever come their way.  Perhaps you’ve met some people like this.  They’re no fun to be around, that’s for sure.  And what they need most – pardon the terrible metaphor – is a triple espresso of hope!  They need to know that life is worth living, that life has value, and that it’s possible to find good, even in the midst of the darkness.  And this is where we – as Christians – are called to bring the light of Christ into the darkness of people’s lives. 

          Jesus gave us a mission to bring a message of hope to those who have none, to proclaim the Good News to those who are so desperate to hear it, to be a light in the darkness, and to help people know – in the words of the responsorial psalm – that God “heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.”  We have been called by Almighty God – through His Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ – to be an evangelizing Church, to be a Church that boldly proclaims the Good News of the Gospel to the people of the world. 

          And sometimes we have done a really terrible job at this.  I know I’ve talked about this before, but we HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO get over this false notion that religion is a purely private matter and that our faith shouldn’t be shared with others.  Because that’s the very philosophy that the Devil would have us profess, so that others don’t come to know the Good News of Jesus’ victory over sin and death and darkness and despair.  If we don’t get over that notion that religion is private, then so many people around us will continue to live lives that feel hopeless, depressing, and miserable – as was Job’s experience of life.

          Saint Paul gave us a lot of insights into the task of evangelization in the second reading.  He said, “Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible.  To the weak, I became weak, to win over the weak.  I have become all things to all, to save at least some.”  And about preaching the Gospel, he also said, “…woe to me if I do not preach it!”  We have a tremendous and powerful example of commitment to evangelization in the person and ministry of Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles! 

          He never shrank from sharing the Good News of Christ with those around him, whether it was the members of the Churches he wrote to, or the people of the cities he visited, or even with royal officials and those in authority.  He never shrank from proclaiming the Gospel to anyone, because he knew that the message of the Gospel was meant for everyone and not just a select few!  God’s salvation is open to all people, and Saint Paul wanted everyone – or at least as many people as possible – to be saved by the grace and mercy of our loving God and Father, and of His Anointed One, Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior.

          Unlike Saint Paul, sometimes we “overthink” what it means to evangelize, or we make it out to be something more difficult than it actually is.  Evangelization simply involves sharing our Christian hope with others.  And that’s not so difficult.  It’s actually quite easy.  So how can we evangelize?

          We can share our hope with the people around us who disbelieve in God’s existence, and show them that God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus of Nazareth, God’s beloved Son.  We can share our faith and hope with sick persons, inviting them to see how the Crucified Lord shares in their sufferings and can make their suffering redemptive and life-giving.  We can share our hope with fallen-away Catholics and invite them to come back to Church to embrace both a personal and a communal relationship with God in and through the Church that Jesus established as His Body.  We can share with our family members the hope and the joy that we have because Jesus is in our life and we life by faith in His never-ending love and mercy.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.  Evangelization is not hard.  It’s simply a matter of being willing to share with others the hope that we have as Christians.

          But before we can share our hope and faith with others, we need to truly possess it ourselves.  As the saying goes, “You cannot give what you do not have.” And so we can ask ourselves: are we really living in the world as people of faith?  Is the virtue of hope present in our lives?  Do we love the people around us as Christ has loved us?  Do we really believe that Jesus has conquered the power of sin and death, and that new life is possible in Him?  In order for us to impart faith, hope, and love to others, we must have first received it ourselves.  Only then can we hand it on to those around us, so that they might know the same joy.

          Very soon, we’ll begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where we will ultimately receive the Body and Blood of Our Blessed Lord.  And as we heard in the Gospel – that Jesus went from town to town preaching, curing illnesses and diseases, and casting out demons – let’s allow this Blessed Sacrament that we receive to change us from the inside out, so that we, too, might reach out to others and help them to experience the healing, liberating and saving power of Christ.

 And let’s answer our call to be an evangelizing Church.  There are still many people in the world who share Job’s unfortunate sentiments about life.  To them, life is often harsh and cold, empty and difficult.  And so, following the example of Saint Paul, let’s share with the people of the world around us the Good News of our Christian faith, so that we might all be transformed by the light of God’s heavenly kingdom of peace, joy, justice, and love.