2nd Sunday of Easter - God's Great Love and Mercy

 It's quite late, but here's my homily for Divine Mercy Sunday.  Comments are always welcome.  God bless you!

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

Date: Sunday April 27^th, 2014 (2^nd Sunday of Easter, Year A – aka Divine Mercy Sunday)

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Acts 2:42-47

Resp. Psalm: Ps. 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

2^nd Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Gospel: John 20:19-31

FOCUS: God’s great love and mercy makes everything we’re celebrating this weekend possible. 

FUNCTION: Have recourse to the sacrament of mercy when you fall into sin. 

          There is a lot happening today – we observe today as Divine Mercy Sunday; Beckman has prom (tonight); we are celebrating First Holy Communion for our 2^nd graders; and this weekend Pope Francis will also canonize two modern popes: Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII.  We have a lot to celebrate.

          But how do they all connect?  It’s all about God’s great love and mercy.  That’s why a school like Beckman Catholic exists which enables students to go to Prom; that’s why Jesus gave Himself to us as the Bread of Life and the Chalice of salvation in Holy Communion at the Last Supper; that’s why we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday and the revelation of merciful love by Jesus to St. Faustina; and that’s why two Popes were inspired to live a life of heroic virtue and holiness.  God’s great love and mercy is the reason we’re here today.

          First of all, God’s great love – it was love that led God to create humanity; and after humanity’s fall from grace, it was love that led God to give humanity a Savior in the person of His only Son, Jesus our Lord; it was love that led Jesus to suffer and die on the cross and be raised to life again on the third day; and it was love that led Jesus to form the Church and send that Church forth to proclaim the good news of the Gospel and the promise of new life in Christ.  Love created us, Love redeems us, and Love sustains us. 

          Secondly, God’s great mercy – because God knew that we could not repay the debt that we would accrue because of our sin, God had mercy on us.  God instructed the Jews in the beginning to offer various sacrifices in atonement for sin; but knowing that the blood of bulls and lambs could never take away sin, God offered a sacrifice that only He could provide – the sacrifice of His only Son.  Jesus suffered and died and rose again so that we might experience the forgiveness of sins and the joy of eternal life; His death on the cross paid the price of our sin.  While He was on earth, He exercised a ministry of mercy; and before He ascended to the Father, He entrusted to His disciples the new ministry of mercy – they were given authority, by the Holy Spirit, to forgive sins and to reconcile people to God and to each other. 

          We see Jesus doing that very thing in today’s Gospel – “…he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’”  Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to His disciples; He Himself had and exercised that authority during His earthly ministry; and after His resurrection, He entrusted His disciples to do the same; this is the biblical origin of the sacrament of reconciliation.  We confess our sins to a priest because Jesus gave the authority to forgive sins to His disciples, who transmitted that same authority to their successors, the Bishops, who likewise shared that authority with their co-workers, the priests.  It all goes back to the words and actions of Jesus Himself. 

          The sacrament of reconciliation is vitally important in today’s world as a source of grace and healing for God’s people; our 2^nd graders celebrated their first reconciliation last year in preparation for receiving their First Holy Communion today; our students at Beckman (and our other area Catholic schools) go to confession at least twice a year in Advent and Lent in order to be prepared to celebrate the solemnities of Christmas and Easter.  The sacrament of penance and reconciliation cleanses us of our sins and helps us experience the grace of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross; it is the sacrament of conversion by which we try to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. 

          Jesus entrusted that great sacrament to the Church so that we might become saints by experiencing spiritual conversion and growth in grace.  Ss. John Paul II and John XXIII weren’t born Saints; they were made Saints by their cooperation with God’s grace; they sought to live a life focused on God, because they knew that only God would satisfy them; and so they continually turned from the many false pleasures and dark allurements of the world and, with God’s help, worked hard to be faithful to the message of the Gospel.  They are Saints because they were faithful, and because they knew Jesus. 

          Today’s Gospel also gives us the story of “doubting Thomas,” who also proved to be an incredible man of faith; after He experienced the risen Lord, He said one of the most remarkable acclamations of faith in the whole New Testament – “My Lord and my God!” 

          And we can have that kind of faith, too, but we have to allow ourselves to believe in more than what we can see and touch.  We believe that Jesus is really and truly present in the sacrament of the Eucharist; but we can only know that by the gift of faith.  To our eyes, it looks like bread and wine.  But when we look at the Eucharist with eyes of faith, we see that it is so much more – it is the very Body and Blood of Jesus, who seeks to reconcile us with God and with each other.  After St. Thomas’ incredible acclamation of faith, Jesus says to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

          That can be us!  But it all starts with recognizing God’s great love and mercy.  God wants to make us Saints.  He wants us to become men and women of heroic virtue and authentic holiness.  How does that happen?

          Jesus shows us – we should live as His disciples and follow where He leads; we should practice what He taught; we should love God with our whole being and love our neighbors as ourselves; we should approach the sacrament of penance and reconciliation whenever we fall into sin; and we should look to the example of the Saints who have gone before us and imitate their faith. 

          May we be strengthened by the intercession of the Church’s new Saints, John Paul II and John XXIII, to live as disciples of Jesus, the Risen Lord.                                    

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent

READINGS:

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11

Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

FOCUS: How are we preparing to celebrate the imminent coming of Christ? 

FUNCTION: Celebrate Christ’s imminent coming among us with great rejoicing.

            Things are a little different on this Third Sunday of Advent, also known as “Gaudete Sunday.”  “Gaudate” is a Latin word that means “rejoice,” and is taken from the entrance antiphon for today’s Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I shall say it again: rejoice!  The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5, 5b).  The Latin translation is “Gaudete in Domino semper.”       

          Today, the liturgical colors also switch from violet to rose.  This rose color only gets used on two Sundays of the year: on this Third Sunday of Advent, aka “Gaudete Sunday,” and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, aka “Laetare Sunday,” another Latin word which also means “rejoice.”  In both seasons, the Church celebrates a unique Sunday to rejoice in the nearness of the coming celebrations: during Advent, the coming of Christmas, and during Lent, the coming of Easter.  We’re more than half-way through the Advent season, and the Church is rejoicing in the nearness of the coming Christmas season.  The time to celebrate the birth of Christ is not yet here, but is very close.  And for that reason, we rejoice.

          Advent has been a good opportunity for us to make an examination of conscience regarding our spiritual readiness to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Do we have our priorities in order?  Are we praying like we should?  Have we taken the opportunity to receive God’s mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation?  Have we trained our eyes to recognize the ways in which Christ comes to us?  Have we spiritually prepared ourselves to celebrate Christmas?  These are good questions for us to ask ourselves during the Advent season.  We only celebrate Christmas once a year and we want to celebrate such a great occasion by living as we should.  And so we have our present Advent season to prepare our hearts so that we might worthily celebrate the birth of Christ.

          On this Sunday, we rejoice that Christ is coming soon.  But maybe we shouldn’t let up on the Advent examination of conscience too much.  The Gospel gives us a great witness and messenger in the person and ministry of Saint John the Baptist.  One thing we can appreciate about the Baptist was his powerful witness to Christ: “A man named John was sent from God.  He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.” 

          That’s great, but what is testimony, and does it mean to testify?  The first thing we might think of is courtroom testimony.  TV courtroom dramas like “Law and Order” come to mind.  A witness takes the stand, swears an oath, and then answers questions from the prosecution and the defense.  Witnesses are put under oath and promise to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  They report on what they personally experienced, their area of expertise, or what they believe about a given person or subject.  The whole point of having a witness testify or give their testimony is to bolster the case of either the defense or the prosecution.  Witness testimonies are meant add credibility to law cases and help jurors decide either for or against the defendant.  And as we know, sometimes it’s the testimony of witnesses that can either make or break the case.   

          Like a witness in a courtroom, Saint John the Baptist came as a prophet to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus the Christ.  He came to testify to Christ the Light, helping people to believe that God’s promised Messiah was coming soon.  His goal and mission was to prepare people to believe in Jesus as the Savior who would lead Israel and the whole world to salvation.  Saint John the Baptist was a great witness: he testified to Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy about the Christ, the Son of David, the King who was to come.

          Answering the Pharisees, Saint John the Baptist said, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”  There’s one part that really gets me: “…there is one among you whom you do not recognize…”  Unfortunately, the Pharisees didn’t recognize the Christ living among them in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Apparently they didn’t think that a lowly babe lying in a manger, the supposed Son of a carpenter, could be designated by God as the world’s Lord and Savior.  And so when Jesus began His ministry of preaching and teaching, they were hesitant to believe in Him as God’s promised Messiah.

          Saint John the Baptist makes an excellent point.  Have we trained our eyes to recognize the presence of Christ among us?  Sometimes we see Christ quite clearly with eyes of faith, and sometimes we fail to recognize Him in our midst.  Have we been willing to share with others our testimony about Christ the light so that people who do not know Jesus as the Christ might come to faith?  Or have we been unwilling to share the good news of His birth among us out of fear or a desire to be “politically correct”?

          In the second reading, we heard St. Paul say, “Rejoice always.  Pray without ceasing.  In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.  (…)  May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  That’s the best advice and the best prayer that Saint Paul could offer us on this Gaudete Sunday, in which we are urged to rejoice in the nearness of Christ’s coming.  

          The Lord is coming, and He is very near!  This is good news, the kind of news we cannot keep to ourselves!  And so we rejoice, we pray, and we continue to prepare our hearts for His coming.  And like Saint John the Baptist in the Gospel, we must not be afraid to testify to Christ and to claim our spiritual heritage as Christians, as Catholics. 

          And likewise, we must not allow the sacred event of Christmas to be made into another secular holiday, devoid of its intrinsic Christian meaning.  As the popular saying goes, “Jesus is the reason for the season!”  We know that there would be no Christmas without Jesus the Christ, our Lord and our Savior. 

          We have exactly 14 days of the Advent season left until we celebrate the birth of Christ beginning on Christmas Eve.  Are you prepared?  Is your heart ready to celebrate the birth of the Savior, the Son of God and Son of Mary?  Don’t let this important time of spiritual preparation pass you by.  Today, let us rejoice, for the Savior comes!                    

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent

READINGS:

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 89:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

FOCUS: Prepare the way of the Lord in your life through the sacrament of Reconciliation.

FUNCTION: Make an Advent examination of conscience in preparation for Christ’s coming. 

            Recently, I was able to see the new movie, The Way, starring Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez.  Thomas Avery (Martin Sheen’s character) is an eye doctor who has a good practice, but is rather estranged from his son, Daniel Avery (Emilio Estevez’s character).  They each have different views about the way they’re living their life.  Daniel feels the need to go out and see the world, while Tom, his father, is content staying at home and working as an eye doctor. 

          Without giving away the rest of the movie (because I encourage you to go see it for yourself!), the movie follows the dynamics of Thomas’ journey (and that of his traveling companions) along the famous route known as “El Camino de Santiago,” aka, the Way of Saint James, a journey that often starts in the northern part of France and continues to the northern part of Spain, with the ultimate destination for many pilgrims being the Cathedral of Santiago de Compestela, where the body of Saint James the Apostle is believed to be buried.  The film is a moving story of the human struggle to find healing and meaning in the midst of personal brokenness.

            The Camino itself is a test of endurance and strength, as it often demands long hours and miles of hiking and is physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding.  It is a popular pilgrimage route that takes pilgrims through many interesting and scenic places in France and Spain.  Pilgrims make the Camino de Santiago for many different reasons: some make the Camino for health reasons, some for religious reasons, and some for simply personal reasons.  The Camino is challenging, but it is ultimately rewarding.  And the challenge, no doubt, is what makes it rewarding. 

          What’s this talk about the Camino de Santiago got to do with the readings we heard this weekend?  The answer is found in the Gospel we just heard, in which the words of the prophet Isaiah which are often put on the lips of Saint John the Baptist: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”  Obviously, Saint John the Baptist was a polarizing figure.  On the one hand, he stood in the tradition of the great prophets of old, who announced the will and the words of the Lord.  On the other hand, he made people very uncomfortable because he didn’t soften his message about the need for repentance.  Of course, in St. John’s day, it was not “politically correct” to tell people that they were sinners in need of repentance.  And, of course, it’s not “politically correct” to tell people the same message today.

          So, I hope you’ll forgive me, but I don’t plan on being “politically correct” today either.  My dear brothers and sisters, we, too, are sinners, and we, too, are in need of repentance.  Saint John the Baptist had a powerful message: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”  How are we preparing the way of the Lord in our lives?  Like the people in the new movie, The Way, we, too, are imperfect and broken, sinners in need of salvation. 

          Sometimes we fall into the seven deadly sins.  We get prideful or vain and begin to think more of ourselves than we should.  We can become envious of the good things that others have.  We can easily get angry or wrathful over the things people say or do to us.  Sometimes we can become gluttons in our desire for food or drink or other goods.  We’re all too familiar with a greedy desire to acquire more and more material goods.  We know how it feels to become apathetic and uncaring and generally slothful about the things we know we should be doing.  And we’re familiar with the lust that rises up in us for certain persons or things.  These are the seven deadly sins.  And they’re called “deadly” because they lead to the death of the soul; they are like prisons out of which it can be difficult to escape, if not aided by God’s grace.

          But with God’s grace, we can overcome these seven deadly sins with what we might call the seven lively virtues.  We can overcome pride when we realize that there’s nothing that we have that we’ve not received, and thus grow in the virtue of humility.  We can overcome envy when we learn to be kind to others and realize that God has given all of us many gifts and blessings.  We can overcome anger or wrath by praying for and practicing the virtue of patience.  We can overcome gluttony by practicing the lively virtue of temperance, and using all good things in moderation.  We can overcome the apathy of sloth by being diligent about doing those things we know we should, even when we don’t feel like doing them.  We can overcome the power of greed in our lives by donating to charity and giving to others when they come looking to us for help.  And we can overcome the desire of lust by praying for and practicing chastity of body, mind, and heart in all of our relationships.  It’s these seven lively virtues that are able to overcome and conquer the seven deadly sins. 

          So how can we prepare the way of the Lord in our lives?  One thing we can do is go often to the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Coming up next weekend, we’ll have our first communal penance service here at the Basilica at 4 p.m.  It will be an excellent opportunity to overcome the seven deadly sins and to pray for an increase of the seven lively virtues.  If we think, “Everything’s fine; I’m OK, you’re OK,” we’re deceiving ourselves!  We need to be honest: Everything’s not fine, and I’m not OK, and you’re not OK.  If everything was just “hunky dory,” we wouldn’t need a Savior and God wouldn’t have sent us one.  But we do, and so God did: His name is Jesus Christ, and He is our Lord and Savior, who has come to save us from the sin in our hearts that threatens to eat us alive.

          One of the best ways that we can “Prepare the way of the Lord” this Advent is to repent of our sins and ask God for His mercy and forgiveness.  Going to the sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the best things we can do, and it helps us stay spiritually healthy and strong.  It helps us grow in humility, which also helps us overcome the principle deadly sin of pride.

          So do not be afraid!  God’s mercy is waiting!  His forgiveness is available for you to receive!  He holds nothing back.  His mercy is like a vast ocean, and His forgiveness reaches to the deepest depth and ascends to the highest height.  His power and love knows no bounds.  There is no sin He can’t forgive and no obstacle His grace can’t help you overcome.

          All of us this Advent are traveling along the way, much like the pilgrims who travel on the Camino de Santiago.  It’s a challenging way, but ultimately rewarding.  And God has sent His messenger to us, crying out: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”

          So there’s only one question that remains: how will you prepare?               

Black Friday - Where are our priorities?

Black Friday: Where Are Our Priorities?


For many people, today (often identified as “Black Friday” because it’s the day that many stores come into “the black,” financially speaking) is a day to find and embrace great deals….in preparation for Christmas, or just because.   Today, there are lots of sales and discounts and early hours in businesses around the country.   “Get it while the gettin’ is good” could be the motto for Black Friday.


But if our whole motivation is the accumulation of more and more “stuff,” whether for ourselves or for others, what are we missing out on?   And where are our priorities in the midst of all this shopping?


In focusing so much on the possession of material goods this Black Friday, perhaps we’ve forgotten about the “goods” that really matter: growing in holistic personal health (emotional, physical, spiritual, psychological, etc.), maintaining relationships (with family, friends, and loved ones), or taking time to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you” or “Forgive me” or “How can I help?”   And let’s not forget about the REALLY important “goods” that can’t be bought: truth, justice, mercy, love, grace, forgiveness, peace, healing, wholeness, sacrifice, good will, compassion, kindness, generosity, respect, faith, hope, reconciliation, and so much more.


As the lines for the sacrament of Reconciliation are dwindling in Churches around the country, the lines to get into Best Buy, Wal-Mart, JC Penny’s, etc. are growing around the country. WHY? Because we’ve inverted our priorities!   Instead of focusing on those things that will better our lives in the long run (in heaven!) we’ve given into focusing on those things that will “better” our lives on earth, but which won’t ultimately satisfy us.   Are you looking for a good deal?   Run to GOD’S MERCY!!   It’s always FREE, and you can’t beat free!


As stores are trying to get “in the black” on this Black Friday, are we trying to get “in the black” in our lives, regarding our relationships, regarding how we live, regarding the things we do and say?   Perhaps we’ve been operating at a deficit for some time now.   When do we want to start operating with a profit, with a surplus of wealth?   That requires that we make the effort to turn our deficit into a profit.   That requires that we turn away from the things that won’t ultimately satisfy, to Him who alone can satisfy us.   If you’re not living the kind of full life that you want, maybe it’s because you haven’t heard of or embraced the offer of Him who came to bring us the fullness of life.   Jesus once said (and now says to us!), “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (see John 10:10).


So this Black Friday, take the time to invest in those “goods” that really matter, and you might just be surprised that you’re satisfied with “less” because, in fact, you have “more.”


For those of you who read these words, may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you forever.


“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look kindly upon you and give you peace.” ~ Numbers 6:24-26



P.S.  Please don't think I'm being negative in this post.  I'm only offering a reflection....an examination of conscience, if you will......to help us understand where our eyes are focused: on the world, or on Christ?  That's the question.  So in the midst of shopping, etc. let's keep our eyes on Christ, trusting that the "deal" He gave us through His death on the cross.....namely, the free gift of salvation.....is the best deal of all :)