1st Sunday in Advent, Year C – Homily

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1st Sunday of Advent, Year C
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
1 Thessalonians 3:12 – 4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
November 29, 2015

Through Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord reminds the people that He “will fulfill the promise” He had made a promise to Israel and Judah of an heir to David.  The Lord reminds the people of his promise while they are in exile to assure them that He has not abandoned them.

The promise of an heir to King David was first made around 1000 B.C. The Lord reminds the people in exile of his promise about the year 600 B.C.  That means they had already been waiting for 400 years.  There were many kings that came and went but none like David.

Ultimately, the Lord’s promise is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.  That means the Israelites to whom the Lord was speaking had to wait another 600 years.  It is amazing that they had not given up.  The gospels make it clear that the Israelites still believed the messiah would come.

This was their hope.  This was their faith.

Turning to what Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he also speaks of the coming of the Lord.  Paul writes after the birth, life, and death of Jesus.  So, the coming of which he speaks is not the same coming we hear about in Jeremiah.  Paul speaks of the second coming.

The first coming of Jesus was anticipated with great expectation.  It was seen as the source of all hope.  Even now, 2,000 years later we will celebrate with great joy Jesus’ birth at the first coming.

It is a time of great joy for us.  It is a time when many people who don’t come the rest of the year will join us for Mass on Christmas.

Certainly, people get excited about the presents and the parties for Christmas but I believe it also kindles the fire of flame within people.  We live in a world with terrorism, wars, large scale shootings, hunger, and homelessness.  We need hope.  People may focus on the gifts and the parties but their hearts are stirred to seek the hope that Jesus gives us.

The first coming is celebrated with great joy.  The second coming of which Paul speaks, not so much.

Jesus speaks of the second coming as a time where nations will be in dismay and people will die in fright.  The second coming can be seen as a scary time.  Why?  Because we know we are not ready.  Our redemption is at hand but we fear we will not be judged worthy.

The prophecies of the Second Coming are not meant to scare us to death.  These prophecies are meant to get us to think, reflect, and pray about our own readiness.

What do we need to do to be ready for the Second Coming?

We can make a good examination of conscience of our lives to find what we need to change.  We will find things we need to work on, sins we want to stop.  Yet we struggle to do so.

It seems so hard.  What must we do to change?

In a world that often says you have to do it for yourself, you can’t count on others, I think the most difficult step that each of us needs to take is to realize that we can’t fix ourselves.  We need Jesus.

As Paul writes, we need Jesus to make us “increase and abound in love”.  We need Jesus to strengthen our hearts and make us holy.

The most important step we can take is to turn it all over to Jesus.

Today we start our new church year with Advent.  The secular world rushes to Christmas and the earthly preparations for the celebration.  We need to prepare ourselves for Christmas but the most important preparation is not buying gifts, decorating, or preparing food.  The most important preparation is in our souls.

We need to ask ourselves what we have done wrong and seek God’s forgiveness.  That’s why in addition to our regularly Saturday afternoon confessions, the next three Saturdays will have a penance service followed by individual confessions at one of our area churches.  For those who can’t make it on Saturdays, you will find two dates in the bulletin when I will offering individual confessions during the week.

When we come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to confess our sins, God’s forgiveness is showered upon us but it doesn’t end there.  God’s mercy doesn’t end there.

God’s mercy includes his love and help for us going forward.  Whatever struggles we face in our lives, God grants us mercy.

Pope Francis has called a Year of Mercy to begin on December 8th.  A large part of the year will focus on our need for forgiveness (mercy) and our call to show mercy to others but Pope Francis goes beyond forgiveness and calls us to do corporal works of mercy to help those in need, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and spiritual works of mercy to offer prayer and comfort to others.

This is what we need to embrace to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

A People of Thanksgiving

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Today we celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the United States.  The first Thanksgiving happened almost 400 years ago when the Puritans came to the colonies and arrived in what would become Massachusetts.  It was very hard for them to find food and basic necessities of life.  Fortunately, they received help from the Native Americans and planted the first year’s crop.  When harvest time came, they realized they needed to give thanks, thanks to the natives and to God.  Ever since then our nation has celebrated Thanksgiving.

We can all face struggles in our lives.  Our struggles today are different from those of the early pilgrims.  Sometimes people think if they just believe in Jesus there shouldn’t be any struggle.  Jesus never says we won’t face struggles.  In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  He doesn’t say we will have no burden but it is made easier when we realize that Jesus walks with us through our struggles.  (Remember Jesus knows what it is like to suffer, as He suffered arrest, mockery, beatings, and crucifixion for us.)

Thanksgiving is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving once a year but we are called through faith to be thankful everyday.  The word “Eucharist” comes from a Greek word that means thanksgiving.  Listen to the words in the prefaces and the eucharistic prayers used at Mass.  “Giving thanks” is always part of our prayers at Mass.

When we take the time to realize and appreciate what we can be thankful for, it helps us when things aren’t going so well.  Think of the wars and violence that happen across our world.  How many come because of people focusing on what they don’t have?  Sometimes they are lacking real needs like food.  Sometimes it is greed.  If we focus on what we do have (cup half full) rather than what we don’t have (cup half empty), we find true joy in Jesus as we know He walks with us in the good day and the bad.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, Year B – Homily

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Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, Year B
Daniel 7:13-14
Psalm 93:1-2, 5
Revelation 1:5-8
John 18:33b-37
November 22, 2015

We call Jesus “king” but what does this really mean for us?

The Jews had long been waiting for a new messiah.  The messiah they were looking for was heir to the throne of David.  They saw this to mean the messiah would restore the kingdom of Israel on Earth and make them a great nation once again.

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  Pilate only asked the question because those who opposed Jesus had come to Pilate saying Jesus was making himself out to be a king and that was a threat to Caesar’s power.

Jesus responded by saying, “My kingdom does not belong to this world….my kingdom is not here.”

Jesus is indeed a king but not in the way Pilate is concerned with.  Pilate’s interest lies only in political kingship.  Jesus has no interest in being a political king.  Jesus’ focus is on faith and the theological meaning of kingship.

We see Jesus’ kingship come in its fullness in the heavenly kingdom but we come to know of the heavenly kingdom while we are still in this world.  Jesus comes to tell us of the heavenly kingdom.  Jesus comes to bring us truth.  We call Jesus “king” and that means following the truth he brings.

In recognizing Jesus as king in Heaven, we turn to images of what that kingdom will be like.  That leads us to the Book of the Prophet Daniel and the Book of Revelation.

These two books contain multiple images of what the heavenly kingdom will be like.  Daniel presents the image of the Son of Man coming as the one who received “dominion” and “kingship” from the Ancient One.  Jesus gets his authority from God.

Daniel also speaks of how “his kingship shall not be destroyed.”  No earthly kingdom lasts forever and so we see this pointing to the heavenly kingdom.

Revelation reminds us of how Jesus shed his blood for us.  Many kings expect people (soldiers) to shed their blood for the king but Jesus turns that around and sheds his blood for us.  Jesus comes not to be served but to serve.

Revelation goes onto speak of the Lord as “the alpha and the omega.”  Alpha is the first character of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last so this points to God as the beginning and the end.  Jesus has always existed and will always exist as our king here on Earth and in Heaven.  Jesus is king everywhere.  Jesus is “king of the universe.”

What does calling Jesus “king” mean for us?

First, going back to what Jesus said, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”  Jesus gives us the truth that only God can offer.

If we believe in Jesus, we need to get rid of the idea that seems to be growing in the world today, that there is no one truth.  There is and we don’t get to decide what it is.  The truth comes from God.  We can accept or reject it but our rejection doesn’t change the truth.

What else does it mean to call Jesus “king”?

To call Jesus “king” is to accept him as our leader.  As I already said, many earthly kings expected the people to serve them, to be willing to shed blood for the king.

Jesus turns that around and sheds his blood for us, to call us to serve.  When we lead, we must not lead for our own gain in wealth or power.  When we lead, we must serve the needs of others.

When a parent leads their family, it must be for the good of the whole family and not just for the parent to get what they want.

When we are a supervisor at work, we must work to help others become better.

When a politician leads, it must be for the good of the people.

When any of us leads, it must not be to get our own way.  Our goal must always remember the words in the Our Father, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm 16, 5, 8-11
Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
Mark 13:24-32
November 15, 2015

Once again we draw to a close of another year.  The year 2015 draws to a close in a month and a half but before then, in just two weeks, we end our liturgical year and begin another one with Advent.

So, again just like every other year, our readings shift to the end times.  We use the end of the year as a time to think about the end of this world as we know it.

Our readings speak of the end times as a time unsurpassed in distress.  Jesus speaks of tribulation and how the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.  The angels will be sent out to gather the elect.  Those not found among the elect with face an everlasting horror and disgrace in Hell.

We don’t want to think about everlasting horror and disgrace or a time unsurpassed in distress.

We might feel like we live in a time unsurpassed in distress.  All you have to do is to look at the many terrible things going on in the world.  Just Friday we had the violence in Paris with shootings and bombs.  We might feel like that was far away but there were Americans there and at least one American dead among the 139 dead and hundreds injured.  We see violence in our own streets.  What are we to do?  We can work to become the best Catholics we can and then help others to know Christ also to prepare for Christ’s coming.

When we think of the ‘end time’, we might often think of judgment, Jesus separating the good and the bad.  The good (the elect in today’s gospel) will indeed be separated from the bad.  The good will be taken up to the heavenly kingdom while the bad will be sent to everlasting horror and disgrace in Hell.

Some people ask if God ever really sends anyone to Hell.  I firmly believe that God does not want anyone to be in Hell.  Look at all God has done.  There was the flood with Noah but not all were destroyed and God promised to never send such a great flood again.  God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt and gave us the commandments to know how to live.  God sent numerous prophets to help the people understand their failings and to call for repentance.  When that was not enough, God sent his only Son, not to condemn the world but to save it.  Jesus gave his life for us.  God does everything possible to save us.

God does not want anyone to end up in Hell.

God gives us numerous warnings (like in today’s readings).  God will forgive us countless times if we keep coming to him when we fall into sin but we must repent.

There is no limit to God’s mercy but we have to turn our hearts to God with a desire to change.  We cannot just keep saying ‘God will just have to forgive me.’

Will God keep forgiving us?  Of course! But we have to make a real effort to change.

Think of it this way.  How do you feel when someone does something bad towards you, says they’re sorry, but then keeps doing the same bad thing to you over and over.  They know you will forgive them (and we should) so they don’t bother to make any effort to change.  They just presume you will always forgive them.  How does that make you feel?  Do you feel taken advantage of?  Do you feel like they don’t really care about you?  Do you wonder if they have any desire to change?  Are you hurt by them?

Now ask yourself if you ever do the same thing to God.  Do you keep doing the same sin over and over and just say ‘it is no big deal, God will forgive me’?  I’m not talking about when we try to change here, just when we don’t want to bother.

God wants to forgive us.  We can come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as many times as we need.  God knows we are weak.  God knows that even when we desire to change, we can fall short and God will forgive us but we must have the desire to change.

Let us pray that God help us to have a repentant heart and a firm desire to change so that one day we can be with Him in Heaven.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 Kings 17:10-16
Psalm 146:7-10
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
November 8, 2015

Do we trust in God?

The fact that we are here says we want to but do we live like trust God?

Our readings today speaking about trusting God.  The very first line from 1 Kings says “In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.”  The simple fact that Elijah to Zarephath is evidence of Elijah’s trust in God.

Elijah had been serving as a prophet of God to the Israelites.  Many of the Israelites, including King Ahab were not listening.  So God proclaimed a drought to get them to listen.  During the drought, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath.  This could have been shocking.  Zarephath was not a Jewish land but Elijah trusts in God and goes.

At the same time God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, He also told him to go to a widow there for help.  This too could have been shocking.  Why ask a widow for help?  Widows didn’t own property, etc. and had to count on others for their needs.  Furthermore, this widow is not a Jew so why would she help Elijah.

This doesn’t matter to Elijah.  God says go and Elijah goes because he trusts God.

Likewise, the widow shows trust in God.  It begins with Elijah asking her for a drink of water.  She immediately goes to fulfill this request.  Then Elijah also asks for bread.  The woman responds with the simple reality that she has little to give.  Elijah calls her to trust in God and she does.  Amazing!  Remember she is not a Jew so why should she think the God of Israel would help her?  Yet, she believes and does as Elijah said.  Somehow, she was open to God’s presence in what Elijah said and she responded with trust in God.

Put yourselves in the shoes of Elijah or the widow.  Would you trust God and do what they did?

Elijah and the widow both trusted in God and for this God provides food and water for them during the drought.

Turning to the gospel, we see the contrast between types of people.  First are the scribes who like to go around in long robes, receive special greetings, hold places of honor, and pray with many words.

What’s wrong with all of this?  After all, I’m wearing a long robe and people will greet me differently than they greet other people.  When I pray, I can use a lot of words.  What makes what the scribes do so bad?

When I wear a long robe at Mass, it is to signify the role I fulfill as the presider at Mass.  When these scribes (but not all) wore robes they were doing it for pride and to show off.  When I pray, I hope it is to draw us closer to God.  When these scribes prayed lengthy prayers it was to show off and draw attention and praise.

Do you see the difference in attitude?

Jesus then contrasts the rich people and the poor widow.  The rich people put in large sums of money into the temple treasury while the poor widow just puts in two small coins yet she is the one praised by Jesus.

Isn’t it good that the rich people gave lots of money?  Absolutely but they only gave of their surplus, of what they didn’t need.  It was no big deal for them to give this much.  Some of them did it just to get attention and look good.

The widow, on the other hand, had no surplus but she still gave not for attention but for love of God.

The difference between the rich and the widow should not focus on how much they gave but rather the attitude they gave with.

Now don’t take me the wrong way.  Please don’t think I am saying it is not important to give.  It is and people with more means should give more but not for pride but because they realize they have been blessed and thank God by sharing what they have been given.

The widow was not looking for status.  All she wanted to do was to know God and trust Him.

What is the attitude behind your giving?  Is it out of obligation?  Is it out of trust in God?  Is it out of love for God?  What priority do you place on your giving?  Does God just get the leftovers?

The widow gave everything but she shouldn’t have needed to.  We are to each give according to our means, whether we give of our time, talent, or treasures, the order in which we give says something about our values.  Where does God come for you?  Do God just get the surplus (leftovers)?

All Saints Day 2015 – Homily

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All Saints Day, Year B
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a
November 1, 2015

While we might not know a lot about the saints, they are familiar to us.  Often our churches are named after them.  Our parish is named in honor of Mary.  In our area, there is St. Catherine’s of Siena, St. James, and St. Anthony’s among the churches named after saints.

Other familiar saints can include St. Francis of Assisi and any of the St. Theresa.  There are numerous saints that are known by name and officially canonized as saints by the church.  However, one does not have to be canonized to be a saint.

Anyone who is in Heaven is a saint.  Realizing there are countless saints that we do not know by name, we venerate all the saints today, canonized and those not known.

Saints are one of the misunderstand parts of our Catholic faith.  There are people who think we worship the saints.  We do not worship the saints.  We worship only God.  We venerate the saints.

This can be confusing, as “venerate” is not a common word, even among faithful Catholics.  Worship belongs to God alone as we recognize the blessings and love that God bestows on us.  To venerate means to pay honor and respect.  We venerate the saints as those who have gone before us striving to live holy lives and serve as intercessors for us.  When we pray with the saints in mind, we are not asking the saint to do a miracle.  We ask the saint to intercede by praying for us as they stand before God in the heavenly kingdom.

How many saints are there?

Our first reading from Revelation speaks of the 144,000 marked with the seal.  Some cultic groups take this to mean there are 144,000 of great status in Heaven.  We do not take this to be the number of saints.

Remembering the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Twelve Apostles, twelve is seen as a number to represent the whole group.  144 is 12 squared indicating every a greater “whole” further augmented by the thousand in 144,000.  The number 144,000 is thus meant to point to the fact that Heaven is open to every one from every nation, race, people, and tongue.

Who can be a saint?  Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?  One who hands are sinless.  Who is sinless?  None of us are perfect and if we want to get into Heaven we need to admit this.  We cannot save ourselves.  Salvation comes from our God.

The saints knew this and humbled themselves.  To get into Heaven we need to humble ourselves to be poor in spirit, to be meek, and to show mercy.  We need to stop seeking greatness.  We need to set aside pride and greatness.  We need to strive to follow the commandments but admit our shortcomings and confess our sins.

Is it easy?  No.  We don’t like to admit our shortcomings but when we do, we admit our need for God.  When we acknowledge our need for God, it can in turn help us to seek God’s grace by coming to church every week, perhaps every day.  Is it easy to get up for Mass at 7:00 a.m.?  For some no, but that shows we are willing to sacrifice to seek God in our lives.  If we can’t get to Mass daily do we at least pray daily, saying God I want to be part of our life?

People like to think that everyone gets into Heaven.  Heaven is open to every people of every nation but we have to truly desire it in our hearts.

Of course, anyone in their right minds should desire Heaven (considering the alternative is eternity in Hell) but is Heaven, is God, important enough to us to make it a priority in our lives?

The saints did.  The saints weren’t always perfect.  St. Augustine never even become Christian until he was at least 30.

We might like to think everyone gets into Heaven.  The reality is Hell exists.  The only way we get into Heaven is to follow the example of the saints and to turn our hearts to God.  We do not get into Heaven by doing what we want.  We must hunger and thirst for righteousness and humbly realize we are poor in spirit and then we can know the Kingdom of Heaven and be counted among the saints.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126:1-6
Hebrews 5:1-6
Mark 10:46-52
October 25, 2015

Today we hear of Jesus doing another miracle healing.  This time it is the healing of Bartimaeus who is blind.  Without a doubt this is a wonderful thing for Bartimaeus but is it all Jesus is for us, a healer?

Jesus is indeed a healer.  He is also a teacher and a preacher, helping us to know how God calls us to live.  Jesus reveals God’s will to us.  His role as teacher and preacher is as important as his role as healer.

Yet these are not the central title used in the Letter to the Hebrews.  Hebrews describes Jesus as the high priest.  Yet we know Jesus never took on the role of priest in the Temple.  We never see Jesus take on the role of priest until his death.  Even then it is not in the role of priest as called for in the Old Testament.

What is the role of a priest?  There are many facets to what a priest did back then and what a priest does today.  Ultimately the word is rooted in one who offers sacrifice.

In the Old Testament this was the sacrifice of animals that the priest made on behalf of the people.  As Hebrews points out the priests had the same weaknesses as other humans and had to make sacrifices for themselves as well as for others.  Priests are not perfect.  I am not perfect. That’s why I go to Confession too.

So, in Jesus’ day, the priests were continuing to offer the animal sacrifices in the Temple.  Yet, this is not the sacrifice that Jesus offered for us.  Jesus did not sacrifice animals.  Jesus was not a priest.  Jesus is the priest.  What is his sacrifice?

It is the sacrifice of his own life on the Cross.  It is by this sacrifice that Jesus fulfills what Jeremiah spoke of “The Lord has delivered his people.”  It is by the sacrifice of his own life that Jesus sets us free from our sins, restoring us to what we were created for.

Jesus is a healer, a preacher, and a teacher but we can only truly understand who Jesus is when we see him on the Cross.  This is why that throughout the early parts of Mark’s Gospel Jesus keeps saying for others not to tell people who he is.  It cannot be understood until they seem him crucified.

The sacrifices of the Old Testament had to be repeated over and over as the people continued to sin.  Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross never needs to be repeated.  Jesus’ sacrifice is a perfect sacrifice just as he is perfect.  There is no new need for a new sacrifice.

Yet, we still have priests today.  I know because I am one.  If there is no new sacrifice offered after Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, what does a priest do today?

As a priest, I offer the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and the Anointing of the Sick.  I teach and I preach.  As pastor, I lead.  There is another sacrament over which I preside as a priest.  It is the Eucharist.

Our celebration of the Eucharist includes a sacrifice.  I said before that there is no new sacrifice after Jesus so how can the Eucharist be a sacrifice?

It is a sacrifice but not a new sacrifice.  It is not a reenactment like a play of what Jesus did.  The sacrifice we offer today in our celebration of the Eucharist is the same sacrifice that Jesus offered 2,000 years ago.

God makes present today what Jesus did on the Cross and at the Last Supper.  What did Jesus say at the Last Supper?  This is my Body which will be given up for you.  This is my blood that will be shed for you.

The Eucharist and the Crucifixion are one event along with the Resurrection.  They must all be understand in light of each other.

Where does leave me as a priest?  I preside over the sacraments by which we receive God’s grace but it is God who really makes it all happen.  A priest today is the visible sign that God gives us to see him at work in our lives.  God does this for us.  In our humanness we need physical signs to see God at work in our lives.  God works through “things” in the Sacraments like water, oil, and transubstantiates the bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood.  God does this all through a human priest to be a sign of what he does for us.

That is why being a priest is a calling.  It is not just a job one chooses on their one to do.  It is God who chooses his priests.

I am a priest.  Jesus is the priest.

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45
October 18, 2015

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

We know God is merciful.  We count on His Mercy.  Because we know we can count on God’s Mercy, we can place our trust in Him.

Recognizing the importance of God’s Mercy to all people, Pope Francis has declared a Year of Mercy that begins on our parish feast, December 8th, the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  Fitting as Mary’s yes to being the mother of Jesus began a new era in God’s Mercy.

In declaring this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has called us to be a people of mercy.  Our prayers for Mass include repeated references to God’s mercy.  Near the beginning of Mass, in our Penitential Rite we cry out Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.  In our Gloria we cry out have mercy on us.  In the prayer I say after the Our Father includes by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress.  In the Lamb of God, we say again have mercy on us.

Without a doubt, mercy is central to who we are as Catholics but what comes to mind when you hear the word “mercy”?

I suspect the first thing that comes to people’s minds is the forgiveness of sins.  Without a doubt, we count on the forgiveness of our sins, not just our own but others as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about God’s mercy as forgiveness of our sins.  The Penitential Rite near the beginning of Mass is about our sins.

The ultimate example of God’s mercy is to look at Jesus crucified on the Cross.  Isaiah prophesizes about this as he writes about the one crushed in infirmity who will justify many.  The Crucifix shows us that there is no limit to God’s mercy.

We all find ourselves in need of God’s mercy for our sins at times in our lives.  It might for pride, like James and John as they sought positions of honor at Jesus’ side.

However, we need to realize God’s mercy is not just about the forgiveness of sins.  Remember the words I quoted from the prayer after the Lord’s Prayer, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress.

It refers to our sins but also asks God to keep us safe from all distress.  In His Mercy, God helps us in other ways, preserving us in time of famine, helping us in our needs, and protecting us in danger and distress.  Jesus shows His Mercy in serving our needs.

In the Papal Bull Misericordiae Vultus (http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html) declaring the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis frequently talks about our need for forgiveness but he also speaks of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as ways of showing mercy to others.

The Corporal Works of Mercy can be found in scripture, most explicitly in Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus tells us that we will be judged by how we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the sick.  To be merciful here is to help others in their physical needs as we ask God (and thank Him) for helping us in our own physical needs.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy are about helping people in, of course, spiritual need.  They include counseling the doubtful, helping the sinner, comforting the sorrowful, and praying for the living and the dead.

Our living out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy is really about us showing mercy to others as we ask God to do for us.  How is it that Jesus says we become the greatest?  By serving others.

We will begin the Year of Mercy in a little less than two months.  How are you in need of God’s mercy?  Do you need to be forgiven?  Do you need to be feed or consoled?

How can you show God’s mercy to others?  Who needs your forgiveness?  How might you help the hunger, the homeless, and those in distress?

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Is Culture Dictating Our Faith?

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We continue to see stories in the news about surveys that say people of faith hold the same values as people who don’t go to church.  For example, the divorce rate among Catholics is nearly the same as among the general population.  I will note that some of the surveys are finally beginning to distinguish between people who say they are Christian versus those who actually go to church.  Among those who go to church regular, the divorce rates are lower.  The same is true for people’s values on abortion and same sex marriage.

This leads me to the question, “Is our faith guiding our culture or is culture dictating our faith?”

Unfortunately, I believe that our culture is dictating our faith far more than our faith guides our culture.  It’s not that we want it this way.  We sort of fall into it without even realizing it.  It starts with seeing people who do not live in accord with our faith.  At first, they might be few in numbers and we voice our objection to their actions but then their numbers begin to increase so it becomes “common”.  Common simply means we see it regularly.  Common does not reflect whether something is good or bad.  To say something is “common” just means we see it repeatedly.  From common, as we see more and more people do it, so it becomes normal.  Perhaps the distinction I can make between common and normal is that with common we are not surprised to see it.  With normal we expect to see it.

As something becomes normal we begin to think it is OK.  This is especially true in the culture of relativism where one is free to believe whatever they want as long as they keep it to themselves.  This includes matters of faith.  So we end up not standing up for our beliefs because we don’t want to offend anyone.  This might seem innocent enough.  After all, isn’t it worth it to keep the peace?

Jesus calls us to be peacemakers (cf. The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12a) but He also tells us in Luke 12:51, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”  Jesus does not want to start wars but He does want us to stand up for what we believe in.

The problem with keeping silent about our beliefs is that we end up forgetting what we believe ourselves (or at best know what our faith teaches but not why) and we don’t share it with our children.  So our beliefs end up no different from those who don’t practice our faith.

I write this on October 17th, the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr in the second century.  As he was travelling to Rome to be executed for being Christian, he wrote letters to communities along the way.  He had heard that some of them were plotting to rescue him and take him to a safe hiding place.  He told them not to (even though he knew he faced certain death).  He knew he needed to face the trial to stand up for the faith.  If he renounced Christian, he knew it would lead others to give up their faith.  He stood up for what he believed in.  Do we?  It is only when we stand up and declare what we believe that our faith guides our culture.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Wisdom 7:7-11
Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-1
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30
October 11, 2015

Our responsorial verse speaks of asking God to fill us with His Love so that we might sing for joy!  Do we make known the joy we have in the Lord?

Hebrews describes the Word of God as “living and effective.”  God’s Word as found in scripture was written 2,000 years ago but it still is relevant it today.  We need to study it with an understanding of the context it was written in and then apply it to today but it is still relevant as a “living” document.  As to its effective, perhaps we should each ask ourselves what difference has God’s Word made in our lives?  Have we been changed by what we hear?  God’s Word is effective on us today.

When we embrace the faith that God has given us, it makes life better.  It doesn’t mean all our problems are eliminated.  Some problems may go away but some may remain.  That doesn’t mean God’s Word hasn’t been effective.  Sometimes God shows us a way through our problems or simply helps to understand that sometimes what we see as an important problem isn’t.

In what God does in our lives we can find peace and comfort. Do others see that in us?  Often, the best way to share our faith with others is to let them see the difference it means for us.

Do we show peace in our lives?  Do we show joy?

I’d like to talk about “welcome presence”.  You may remember that a couple of years ago our Parish Pastoral Council did a survey to help us understand what people thought of our parish.  Over half said it was welcoming and friendly.

Clearly being “welcoming” is important.  That’s why the Council made “Provide a Welcoming Presence” one of the Guiding Principles we developed last year.  We didn’t make it one of the principles because we were terrible at it.  We did so because we realized it is important and that we need to make we try to be welcoming in all we do.

You can look at welcoming on at least two levels.  Welcoming can be something that happens at the door like when I stand outside and greet people before Mass.  Welcoming includes how we treat people inside the church.  Look at the people around you.  Have you ever talked to them (I don’t mean the people you came with, look a little farther)?  Do we really feel welcome if no one has ever talked to us?

I think maybe a way to define what it means to have a welcoming presence is to make people feel appreciated (to know we are glad they are here) and that we care about them.

This include people who aren’t in our church building with us.  It includes our homebound.  We don’t want them to feel forgotten.  That’s why our Communion Ministers who bring the Eucharist to them are important.

We can also think of the people who have never come to our church who are poor.  Soon the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will be upon us and there are our Thanksgiving gift card and Christmas gift programs that show we care.  Hopefully our caring action is a sign of God’s love to them.

How about the people who are involved in our ministries?  Do we ever express our gratitude or do we take them for granted?  I know this is something I need to work on, saying thank you more often.  We shouldn’t do it for the thanks but a word of thanks can help us know we make a difference.

Maybe the best way to provide a welcoming presence is show that they are important to us and that we are glad they join us.

Think of it this way.  Say you see someone sitting in church who hasn’t been in here in a long time.  Are we shocked to see them or do we tell them we are glad they are here?

We do about fifty funerals a year here.  Some include Mass in church while others are just simple prayer services at the funeral home or graveside.  A fair number involve families that haven’t been to church in a while.  It doesn’t matter.  It is an opportunity to show them God’s love.  It makes a difference.  I can literally look out in to our pews and see people who have started coming back to church following a family funeral.

Do you welcome those around you?

Everything I have said so far speaks of ways we can all be welcoming.  I want to now take a moment to introduce a new ministry designed to help us be more welcoming.

After consulting with our Parish Pastoral Council and our Evangelization Team, we have decided that it is time to “begin” a Greeter Ministry.

I really don’t like saying “begin”.  We have our ushers that take up the collection and help direct people to the handicap section or the ever important bathrooms.  What our ushers do is important but we would like to take a step forward now and have greeters at every door before Mass to welcome people as they arrive.

Some of our ushers do this at times.  We need to do it more.  We are going to keep our Usher Ministry as it is.  This is one set of gifts.  Greeting people is another set of gifts.  Some of our ushers have already expressed interest in being a Greeter.  You can do both but we need more people to be greeters.

Could it be you?  Do you feel you can be that warm friendly face at the door?  All you have to do is be here fifteen minutes before Mass and welcome people.  If you would like to find out more, we will be having a workshop on October 26th in the evening and October 31st in the afternoon.  You can come and find out more without feeling totally committed.

If being a greeter at the door isn’t for you that is fine.  Just remember everything else I said about being welcoming.