5th Sunday of Lent, Year A (RCIA) – Homily

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5th Sunday of Lent, Year A (RCIA)
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (7)
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45
March 21, 2021

Today we hear of the last of seven signs done by Jesus.  And it is no small sign!

Lazarus, the one who Jesus loved and the brother of Martha and Mary, was ill.  They sent word to Jesus of the illness.

What was Jesus’ response to the news?

He had already been healing people who were not his close companions.  He says, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God.”  Surely, one might think He would immediately go to heal Lazarus. 

He does not.  In fact, He remained where He was for two days.

Do not fear.  Jesus knows the right time to go just as God knows the right time to answer our prayers.

Of course, as He often does, He is using it as a teaching opportunity.  He speaks to his disciples with him about Lazarus’ death, “Lazarus has died.  And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” 

He is about to do something incredible.  By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus “had already been in the tomb for four days!”  No one would expect Jesus to be able to do anything for Lazarus.

Still, Martha has faith.  When she heard that Jesus was coming, she goes out to meet him.  In faith she says, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”  She believed that Jesus could have healed Lazarus.  She believes that God will do whatever Jesus asks.  Clearly, she continues to have faith even after Lazarus has died.

Jesus then speaks of the Resurrection.  Martha affirms her belief in the Resurrection.  Jesus responds, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

Martha has faith in Jesus.  Mary has faith.  Even some of the others said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that his man would not have died.”  They believe that Jesus could have healed Lazarus but they think it is too late now.

It is not too late.  In fact, it was God’s intent all along for Jesus to come after Lazarus died so that they might see the “glory of God.”

Standing outside the tomb, Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out!” and Lazarus came out.  The seventh sign reveals that Jesus has power even over death.

What does it mean to die?  What does it mean to live? 

Remember Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

Does this make sense?  How could He say we will never die?

In human terms, we see death as the end of a life on Earth.  Through the prophet Ezekiel God told his people, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.”  In hearing this passage, our tendency as Christians is to think of the Resurrection.  The passage does indeed speak of the Resurrection to come but what would have it meant to the Israelites hearing it several centuries before Jesus came?

They were in exile in Babylon.  To be taken from their homes seemed like death to them.  God told them, “I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land.”  He will set them free from exile and return to their land and life.

When Jesus speaks of living and dying, He is not speaking of human life and death.  He is pointing us to what it means to live. 

Sin brings death.  Forgiveness brings life.

Thinking of healing, we have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  For a long time, this Sacrament was limited to those at the point of death.  Study of the ancient church helped us understand this Sacrament is for anyone seriously ill.  The words the priest says as he anoints the person are, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.  May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.”

These words are said for all who anointed.  The part “raise you up” may direct us to the Resurrection but I think it also points us how the Lord helps us face our illness.  We may suffer and be sad but the Lord is with us in our illness, lifting us, raising us up.

When Jesus speaks of living and dying, He is not merely speaking of physical life and death.  As Paul writes, we are “not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit.”

To truly live is to live as led by the Spirit.

When Lazarus emerged from the tomb (resuscitated not yet resurrected), Jesus told the others to “Untie him and let him go.”  Lazarus has been freed (untied) from the binds of earthly death to life in Jesus.

What keeps you from living in Jesus?

Is it sin?  Then confess them and God will give you forgiveness and life?

Is it an illness?  Ask God to walk with you through the Sacraments.

Maybe the pandemic, job issues, or a difficult relationship?  Offer it to Jesus who walks with you through it, giving you life.

Solemnity of St. Joseph – Homily

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Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
March 19, 2021

Today we celebrate this Solemnity of St. Joseph.  I emphasize “solemnity” because it is the highest rank of saint days that we have.  We don’t know a lot about Joseph.  Yet, what we do know is from Scripture itself.

We know he was of the house of David from the genealogy provided in Matthew 1:1-17.  We know he was betrothed to Mary when she was “found with child through the Holy Spirit.”  Knowing he could not be the father, Joseph assumed she had committed adultery.  Being a righteous man, he decided to divorce her quietly.  Then, “the angel of the Lord” told him to take Mary as his wife for she had conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps the most important thing we should know about Joseph is that he always did as the Lord directed.  Thus, he became the father of Jesus.

St. Joseph is the patron of several causes. 

He is the patron saint of the universal church.  His wife, the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the Mother of the Church.  It is fitting that he be the patron saint of the universal church.

He is the patron saint of unborn children.  He knew Jesus was not his biological son but he accepted Jesus in the womb as a gift.  We pray for all unborn children.

He is the patron saint of fathers.  He accepted the role given to him to be the father of Jesus.  He serves as an example to all fathers to raise their children according to the Lord’s ways.

He is the patron saint of workers.  Matthew 13:55 identifies Jesus as the carpenter’s son.  As a righteous man, Joseph would have been a dedicated man to his work.

He is the patron saint of travelers.  Here we remember the flight to Egypt when Joseph did as the angel directed and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod (Matthew 2:13-15) and their return, again as directed through the angel of the Lord (Matthew 2:19-23).  In their travels to and from Egypt, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of immigrants.

He is the patron saint of a happy death.  While scripture does not tell us, tradition says Mary and Jesus were there when Joseph died.  We seek the same from our loved ones when we die.

St. Joseph is an example to us.  An example of listening to God, to being a good spouse, a good father, and a dedicated worker.  May we always follow his example and do as the Lord ask of us in all things.

We Need to See as God Sees

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If we are going to understand and appreciate what our faith teaches we must see as God sees, not as human beings see (see 1 Samuel 16:7). For instance, I recently wrote an article, “Chastity and Sexuality”, to help people understand Catholic teaching on sexuality and chastity. Our faith teaches that the way we understand our sexuality with our bodies is expressive of our faith. Meanwhile, the prevailing worldview more and more separates the physical act of sex from its spiritual meaning.

It used to be that the prevailing worldview was based on Christian values. However, “In 1974, Archbishop Fulton Sheen said in a conference, “We are looking at the end of Christendom. Not of Christianity, not of the Church, but of Christendom. Now what is meant by Christendom? Christendom is economic, political, social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is ending – we’ve see it die.” ” (University of Mary, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age. Bismark, ND: University of Mary Press. 2020. preface).

The Church continues and will always continue as long as it seeks to do the will of God and not human beings. Christianity will prevail but we need to understand the world in which we proclaim the gospel has changed. When we say that Christendom has ended, we are saying that the prevailing worldview no longer has a Catholic worldview as its center. We are in an “age of change” where we, the Church, need to seek new ways of proclaiming the gospel to be sure we are “not fighting yesterday’s war” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 2). This is especially important when we are trying to bring back to the faith those who have left. “C.S. Lewis once described this difference as that between a man wooing a young maiden and a man winning a cynical divorcee back to her previous marriage” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 2-3). We may need to use different methods to evangelize someone who has never be Catholic than for someone who was but has left the faith. In either case, we need to help them understand the Catholic view of the world.

In doing so, we may be more like the Catholic Church was in its early years in the Apostolic age. than during “Christendom”. The early Church was formed in a Hellenistic culture with a worldwide that was not Christian. The Catholic Church did not give into that worldview. It held to its faith. We need to do the same (see From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 13). I could write much more on Christendom vs. the Apostolic age but I do not need to. If you would like to read more about that, I recommend reading the aforementioned From Christendom to Apostolic Mission. Here I wish to provide a few highlights and then focus on our Catholic sacramental view of the world.

Catholicism used to be part of one’s heritage. Being Catholic had sentimental value as part of the way one was raised (see From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 38). This “sentimentality” might have been enough to keep the faith going in a Christendom world where Christianity was the prevailing worldview. It is not enough now. In a Christendom society, an attitude of “maintenance”, to just keep doing what we had been doing as a church, may have seemed like enough. In Apostolic age, “maintenance” is not enough. We need to focus on “mission” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 26). It can be nice to be in the majority but our Catholic faith is not a movement of the majority. It is a movement of faith (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 33).

Thus, we need to regroup. We are a shrinking church in terms of attendance. The Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the decline. Here, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission says, “The analogy might be to an army in fallback mode, needing to abandon a certain territory in order to gather strength for the sake of a renewed attack at a later time” (57).

So what is the Catholic sacramental view of the world that I mentioned above?

As From Christendom to Apostolic Mission says, we face a “daily onslaught of false gospels, leading to confusion and distraction away from invisible realities to concerns solely of this world” (66, my emphasis). Fundamental to understanding the Catholic sacramental view of the world is understanding that the visible realities of the world in which we live as signs of the “invisible realities” of the eternal. As we profess in the Nicene Creed, “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” The visible and invisible are not two different realities. They are one.

We are not to adopt a purely “materialistic, “scientific” view of the world” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 67). Our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is at stake. Yes, from the standpoint of a material world and scientific view, the bread and wine continue to look like bread and wine even after the consecration at Mass. The visible appearance has not changed but the invisible reality has. It has become the Body and Blood of Jesus. We know this not from science. We know it from Jesus’ own words, “this is my body…this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:14-20, Cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). We know it by faith.

It is in this same sense of the visible revealing the invisible that our Catholic understanding of sexuality (see also From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 68) speaks of outward sexual acts revealing inward realities of the love between a man and a woman (see “Chastity and Sexuality”). The physical bodies of man and woman express how their love complements one another in a way that sexual acts between two men or two women cannot.

This sacramental view of the world shows how our Catholic morality is not based on simply what the majority think or what those who hold worldly power (“positivism”) think. It is based on the way God created the world.

As From Christendom to Apostolic Mission says, “In the Christian vision, to be human is to be involved in an extraordinary adventure…An integral aspect of this drama is that we have been born into an invisible world as well as a visible one, and the invisible world is incomparably more real, more lasting, more beautiful, and larger than the visible” (70, my emphasis). To focus only on the physical (visible) aspects of sexuality activity without what it is meant to represent is to miss the greatest part (the invisible).

Jesus became human, incarnate in the flesh, to help us battle “against the powers of darkness” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 71). It is “the ongoing story of God bringing humans from slavery to divinity” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 72). God wishes to take us from the slavery of limiting ourselves to what we see in the flesh, the visible, to the invisible reality of what He offers us for eternity. What we experience in this world is “both immensely significant and of little importance: unimportant in itself and significant in what it prepares us for” (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 73), that is, life with God.

Christianity is not just a set of rules. It is a way of life. It calls us to see the world differently (From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, 74. For more on Christianity as rules or a way of life, watch the video recording of my presentation, Are They Rules or a Way of Life?).

Morality and faith (spirituality) are not two different things. Our morality is part of the way we live out our faith, living not as we will but as the Father wills.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

4th Sunday of Lent, Year A (RCIA) – Homily

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Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A (RCIA)
1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (1)
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
March 14, 2021

Samuel was a prophet in the days of King Saul.  Saul was not a good king.  So, God chose to appoint a new king.  He sent Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the new king.

As the sons come forward, Samuel saw Eliab and thought he must be the one.  Samuel thought this based on Eliab’s appearance and lofty stature. 

“But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him.  Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”

Jesse presented seven sons but none were the one chosen.  Then Jesse sent for his youngest son David.  David “was ruddy, a youth, handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance” but none of this was what the Lord chose him for.  The Lord chose David knowing what was in heart, a love for the Lord.  Samuel anointed David and “the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.”

How do we look at others?  What is it that we see?  Do we see with the light of the Lord?

We hear of Jesus’ encounter with the man born blind.  As they near the man born blind, Jesus’ disciples ask him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.”  The Jewish understanding, the way they saw things was that if you were suffering, it was punishment for some sin you had committed.  So, the disciples naturally assume either the man or his parents must have sinned.

Jesus provides a different explanation, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”  Yes, God had a purpose for the man’s blindness but it was not for punishment.  It was to change the way people see things.  Jesus brings light to the situation.

Jesus then “spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” – which means Sent -.  So he went and washed, and came back able to see.”

Jesus healed the man in a way no one would expect.  This is not a human way of healing blindness.  Jesus did it this way to show the power of God at work in him.

The miracle takes only seven verses.  However, there are 34 verses that follow to help the people see what is really going on.

When his neighbors see the man born blind has been healed, they ask him, “How were your eyes opened?”  He responds by telling them how Jesus anointed his eyes with clay (interesting that he calls it “anointing”).

Then, they take the man to the Pharisees who ask the same question, “how he was able to see.”  He tells them what Jesus did.  However, they refuse to see Jesus for who He really is.  In fact, they say, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath.”  Others respond to the Pharisees words, “How can a sinful man do such signs?”  These people may not understand it all but they see great significance in what Jesus has done.

However, many did not believe.  They went to the parents of the man born blind to confirm it is him, probably hoping they would say the man there is not their son so they can discredit Jesus.  The parents confirm the man there is their son who was born blind.

The people continue to try to discredit Jesus as a sinner.  They refuse to see.  However, because of their actions, the man born blind has been reflecting on his healing and what the people has said.  He says to them, “If he is a sinner, I do not know.  One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”  He knows that a miracle has been done and sees that means something.

The Jews continue to try to discredit Jesus, saying, “we do not know where this one is from.”  The man responds, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.”

The man’s eyes have been opened physically and his heart has been opened to see that Jesus is from God or else “he would not be able to do anything.”

The people continue to refuse to listen.  They thought they knew what was going on but instead, because of their closed hearts, they were blind while the man born blind comes to see as God sees.

The man’s blindness was healed when Jesus anointed him.  Knowing the power of Jesus’ anointing, we have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  This Sacrament is more about the healing of the man’s heart to see as God sees than it is about physical healing.  Still, the oil is a sign of healing.

We have various types of anointings in our Sacraments.  In fact, four of our seven Sacraments use oil as a sign of God’s grace.

Besides the Anointing of the Sick, in Baptism we are anointed with the Sacred Chrism as the Holy Spirit comes upon us.  We are sealed with the same oil in Confirmation.  Bishops and Priests are anointed in their ordination.

We are all made children of God in Baptism and strengthened with the Spirit at Confirmation.  God wants us to see as He sees.  Do you open your heart to see with the Light of Christ?

Seeking Your Input

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If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that when the Coronavirus pandemic shutdown began, the number of articles I post here greatly increased. I very much enjoy written articles here, as well as on my general website (www.renewaloffaith.org). I also greatly enjoy doing the video presentations/webinars and making the recordings available on the website.

With writing many more articles, the format, style, and types of content have greatly expanded. I try to go where the Holy Spirit leads me. I hope these materials help you grow in your faith.

As the content and style of what I post expands, I would like to hear what you do and don’t like about the content I make available. I know that not everyone likes the same things but it will help if I know what you do link. To seek your input I have created a Google survey. Some of the questions simply require a check mark or two. Others ask you to write your comments out.

I welcome your input. Here is the link to the survey – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdG2TRAv8w3M-A0u3wH-1K4bSrOmzeWSV-v52IhnUyAsPtZbQ/viewform?usp=sf_link.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Third Webinar in Series “Treating Life with Dignity and Love”

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Last night I hosted the third webinar in my series, “Treating Life with Dignity and Love.”

The recording of the webinar and the slides are now available online at www.renewaloffaith.org/prolife3.

You can now register for Part IV on April 14th, 6:30 pm, at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-XKK13xrRIGGxxufAbg5-A.

If you missed either of the two previous webinars in this series, you can view them at www.renewaloffaith.org/prolife.

As always, I welcome feedback and questions.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

It Has Been a Year

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In March of last year we began to feel locally the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus was known to be out there. Knowing it was coming, precautions were put in place. In church it began with the suspension of the Sign of Peace at Mass, as well as stopping the distribution of the Cup with the Precious Blood. The holy water fonts were also emptied. All this was done to “flatten the curve.” We also saw a marked drop in attendance in Mass as people chose to stay home to avoid getting the virus.

Who would have ever expected any of these precautions, especially in church? We had seen nothing like this in our lifetime. I stress “our lifetime” because there is a history of plagues and diseases in the world. The most recent being the Spanish Flu in 1918. Before the Coronavirus, I did not even know there had been a Spanish Flu pandemic.

Then, the shutdown came. Non-essential businesses shutdown and people stayed home. Churches were not exempted from the shutdown. This was not a question of freedom of religion. It was about public health. In the Diocese of Rochester where I serve, the last public Masses were celebrated on March 16th. That afternoon, Bishop Matano ordered the suspension of public Masses.

I stress “public” because Mass did not stop. The priests celebrated Mass privately. Before the shutdown, I had never celebrated Mass privately. I found it a very different experience without people present. While the people could not be present, the people were very much on my mind and in my prayers when I said Mass. While you could not be there, I said Mass for you.

Mass had been available on television and radio for a long time. A few churches had begun to livestream Masses but it was few and far between. That changed with the Coronavirus. About two weeks into the shutdown we began to livestream on Facebook and Zoom. Even when we began livestreaming, it was with the expectation that it was a short term measure during the shutdown.

Holy Week and Easter were celebrated without any people in the pews. It would be three months before public Masses resumed in the Diocese of Rochester. When we did resume public Masses, it was with facemasks, social distancing, removal of the hymnals, and limited capacity. Knowing not everyone would feel safe coming to Mass, the dispensation from attendance remained in effect.

A lot of people still were not able able to come to Mass. With people in the pews, we had to find a different way to livestream. Some equipment was purchased and we switched to YouTube. We have also heard from parishioners who were homebound even before there was a Coronavirus how much they appreciate the livestreaming. This is perhaps one of the positives that have come out of the Coronavirus pandemic.

We made other adjustments to continue to be able to serve the people. For instance, rather than stop the presentations I used to do in person to help people learn about our faith, I learned how to host a webinar on Zoom (my next webinar is tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 10th at 6:30 pm on euthanasia/assisted-suicide. You can register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3PBguDBhTEejhlqqD1mEWQ.).

Weddings and funerals were delayed. We have not been able to do routine home visits.

How has your life been affected? How has your faith been affected? Has this giving you a new appreciation for being able to come to Mass? Has it given you a new appreciation for the time you spend with other people? Do you pray more or differently now?

For me, it has been a mixed experience. I very much missed having people in the church when we were in shutdown. Even now, I am sad when I think of the people still not able to come. I am an introvert so the solitude of the shutdown gave me some wonderful quiet time. However, I also love discussion about our faith. Even now, while I do the webinars, I miss having face to face discussions with people.

One of the positives that came during the shutdown for me was having more time to post blog articles here. Even now, I continue to post a couple of articles a week, something I did not find the time to do before there was a Coronavirus. I make the time now because I feel it is something God calls me to do to support you in your faith journey.

We continue to wear facemasks and social distancing. Attendance is still down to less than half of what it had been before the pandemic. We are grateful that the number of new cases is decreasing. We are grateful that God enabled the medical researchers to develop vaccines in record time. We are grateful for the work of healthcare workers and all workers that have helped supply us with what we need.

So, how has your faith been affected?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

3rd Sunday of Lent, Using Year A Readings for RCIA – Homily

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Third Sunday of Lent, Year A (RCIA)
Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42
March 7, 2021

Jesus is on the road through Samaria with his disciples.  While his disciples went into town to buy food, He stops to rest by Jacob’s well around noon.  There seems to be nothing special in this.

While He is there, “A woman of Samaria came to draw water.”  Again, this could be seen as ordinary.  The well is there to provide water.

Then things begin to unfold.  Jesus said to the woman, “Give me a drink.”  This might seem ordinary but it is not for He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan.  We must know, “Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.”  In fact, they despised each other.  In essence, Jews and Samaritans were racist towards one another.

Yet Jesus talked to her.  Racism is not okay.  Jesus knows all are God’s children.

And the Samaritan woman is willing to talk to him…perhaps she realizes God wants us to love everyone as our neighbor, regardless of race.

Of course, Jesus’ objective is not simply a cup of ordinary water.  He offers something much more, living water.

The woman takes Jesus’ words literally.  Why would she do otherwise?  They are standing by a well.  She questions how He would give her water when He doesn’t even have a bucket.

God provides the water we need. 

During the Exodus, the Israelites found themselves without (ordinary) water.  They “grumbled against Moses” who in turn “cried out to the Lord.”  That day God provided ordinary water in an extraordinary way.  God had Moses strike the rock and water flowed from it.

Jesus offers something more.  He tells the woman that “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.” 

The woman is clearly listening but she is still taking Jesus literally.  She thinks it would be wonderful to “never thirst” and never have to come to the well again.

Of course, Jesus is speaking of more than ordinary water.  He speaks of “living water” that wells up to eternal life.  He also knows the woman does not understand this.  He wants to help her move beyond the literal words to faith.

He begins this by speaking of her five husbands, something no ordinary person would know about her.  From this, she comes to see Jesus as a prophet.  She has taken a step towards faith in Jesus.

As she continues to listen to Jesus, she speaks of the coming Messiah who, “when he comes, he will tell us everything.”  In saying this, could she be beginning to realize that Jesus is the Messiah?

Jesus makes it clear.  When she speaks of the Messiah, He says, “I am he.”

Their conversation is interrupted by the return of Jesus’ disciples.  They are surprised He is speaking to a woman but they say nothing.  They offer him food but He responds, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”  They are not different than the Samaritan woman was at the start of her conversation with Jesus.  They take his words literally.

The woman leaves and goes to town where she tells the people about Jesus, that He told her everything she had done and raising the question to them, “Could he possibly be the Christ?”

From her words, “Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.”  She had only begun to know Jesus herself but she did not let her limited knowledge stop her.  She shared what she knew.  Do you?

The townspeople will go on to meet Jesus for themselves, no longer believing only based on her word, but on Jesus own words to come to know that He is “truly the savior of the world.”

Where are you in your journey of faith?

Is God just someone you have been taught about?

Or have you come to know Jesus for yourself?

Have you made your faith your own?

As children we learn about our faith from our parents, grandparents, godparents, priests, and catechists.  We memorize prayers and commandments.  We learn when to stand and kneel. 

As we make our faith persona, we come to find meaning in purpose in the prayers, commandments, and postures. 

The woman knew her faith as a Samaritan. In meeting Jesus, she came to a deeper faith.

Have you?

Have you shared the faith with others like she shared with the townspeople?

Who do you know that doesn’t come to church?  Who do you know that used to come to church but doesn’t now?  Is the Holy Spirit calling you to share faith with them?

Maybe it is speaking to someone who have never come to church.  Maybe it is speaking to someone who hasn’t come in a long time.  Maybe you could reach out to someone who is not coming during the Coronavirus.

Ask God what He wants you to do.

Chastity and Sexuality

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We talk about chastity. What does it really mean? We use the term “sexuality” but what is our Catholic understanding of sexuality? What does sex have to do with religion anyway?

Sexuality has a lot to do with living our Catholic faith. It falls under the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18). Some people follow a very narrow definition of adultery, limiting it to only sex of a married person with someone other than their married spouse. Our faith includes all sexual activity as part of the Sixth Commandment (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2331-2400). While the Sixth Commandment is few in words, we can look at Leviticus chapter 18 as well as Leviticus 20:10-20 for a more extensive list of prohibited sexual activity.

However, Catholic sexuality is more than a list of rules about prohibited sexual activity. Chastity has a much deeper meaning than simply saying no to sex outside marriage. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about even lustful thoughts as sins of adultery (Matthew 5:27-30).

To explore the topics of sexuality and chastity, I highly recommend Christopher West’s book, Good News About Sex & Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching, Updated, Revised, and Expanded Edition (Cincinnati: Servant Publishing/Franciscan Media. 2018).

West writes, ‘”Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). These words of Christ sum up the meaning of life and the meaning of human sexuality. At its core, sexual morality is about expressing God’s love through our bodies” (1). To see sexuality only in terms of physical sexual activity is to miss its very meaning.

West provides an analogy of the type of fuel one puts in their car. You do not put in whatever type of fuel you happen to like. Every car is designed to run on a particular type of fuel. We use the type of fuel the designer intended (8).

It is the same way with what we do with our bodies. God has a plan for which He created us. God’s commands about sexuality are not “meant to limit our freedom but to facilitate our freedom in making good choices” (West, 8). West goes on to say, “True freedom is to do whatever’s good, whatever’s in keeping with the truth of our humanity” (8).

At the beginning of creation, Adam and Eve were without sin. When they eat the forbidden fruit, their sin distorted their sexuality. “So they covered their bodies to protect their own dignity from the other’s lustful “look”” (West, 9).

We are created in the image of God, male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). God created male and female to complement one another. The concept of complementing one another goes much deeper but it is seen in the way male and female bodies complement one another when they come together in physical intimacy. Two males or two females do not complement one another in this way. It is not what God intends.

West writes, “Hell is the absence of God’s love. So is lust. That’s why it’s so serious” (11). The purpose of sex is not based on physical activity. It is to be an expression of love.

So what is “chastity”? West writes, “Chastity comes from the Latin word castus which means “pure.” Sadly, sexuality purity is often confused with puritanism – a fearful, repressive approach to all things sexual. As a result, the word chastity itself tends to have negative connotations and needs to be rehabilitated” (54).

Thus, as West continues, “Chastity is the virtue that results from allowing the fire of God’s love to purify our sexual desires, thoughts, and behaviors from the selfish sting of egoism and lust, like fire purifies precious metal from dross. Through this purification, chastity orders all of our sexual desires, thoughts, and behaviors toward the truth of authentic love” (54).

The perspective from which we look at chastity is very important. People often think in terms of what the Catholic Church is against. For them, Catholic teaching is a bunch of “no’s”. Chastity is not simply saying no to illicit sex. It is a “great yes to the true meaning of sex” (West, 54).

Many people think “freedom” means to do whatever we want. The problem with this type of thinking is that, if we indulge all our desires, we can in fact become slaves to our desires. Chastity is a virtue that helps free us from purely physical sexual desires.

Love is not just feeling “warm feelings”. Love is not simply “sexual attraction” (West, 55). Love involves a deep and intimate caring that makes the other person more important to us than anything else.

In this sense, even sex between a male and female who are married to each other can be unchaste if it is only about the physical pleasure. They are missing the love and commitment that sexual intimacy represents. “Sex is only what it’s supposed to be if it expresses the commitment to free, total, faithful, and fruitful self-giving” (West, 58).

Our physical manifestations of affects, “from holding hands and kissing to sexual intercourse – are meant to be outward signs that express genuine inward realities” (West, 64, my emphasis). These “outward signs” are not an end in themselves. To see them as an end in themselves would be lust and adultery (West, 64).

West goes on in his book to speak on Catholic sexuality regarding contraception, fertility, homosexuality, and gender issues. The Holy Spirit may lead me to write more about them in the future. Today, I would like to conclude with a brief mention of what West says about pornography.

He begins by writing, “The problem with pornography is not the fact that it shows naked bodies. The Sistine Chapel shows naked bodies. The problem with pornography is the manner in which it shows naked bodies. It shows them with the explicit intention of inciting lust, reducing the human person to an object to be used” (West, 73).

Artists like Michelangelo “portray the naked body in a way that can help us see the true beauty and dignity of the human person, of our being created male and female in the image of God” (West, 73). Our bodies are created by God but we are not just our physical body. We have a body and a soul. We are unique persons who are beautiful creations of God. Pornography misses this. Pornography omits it in its focus on the physical. In doing so, it degrades how we see the person.

Chastity is not simply saying “no” to sex outside marriage. In fact, when two people, a male and a female are dating and choosing to wait to engage in sexual activity until they are married, they are saying they care for each other such that they do not want to use the other as a means of their own physical pleasure. Sexuality involves the whole person. It requires commitment, commitment that comes in the Sacrament of Marriage.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Our Weapons Against Evil

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In two recent blog articles (“Does Evil Exist?” and “The People of the Lie”), I reflected upon Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press. 2020) and what he says about our battle against evil.

Now I would like to conclude my discussion on his book by reflecting on his “Swords of the Spirit” as he presents them in the final chapter. As Fr. Longenecker writes, “The Christian life is a battle, or it is nothing at all. The baptized are warriors, and the Church is not mild; it is militant” (135).

To be militant does not infer a battle with tanks, ships, and planes. To be militant to be aggressive against a cause. Here, by “aggressive” I do not mean war for the sake of war. Rather, it calls us to acknowledge that Satan exists and that he remains steadfast in his attempts to tempt us into evil. We must be steadfast in our battle against evil.

Fr. Longenecker offers us ten “Swords of the Spirit” as our weapons, our resources and tactics in the battle against evil.

#1 “Sacraments”
As Catholics we know “The Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1131). To put it more simply they are a way that God gives us grace. We need God’s grace if we are to win the battle against Satan (see my video series, Sacraments: Channels of God’s Grace for much more on the Sacraments). As Fr. Longenecker says, “Each one of the sacraments is a participation in the Cross and resurrection of Christ” (136).

#2 “Sacred Scripture”
Fr. Longenecker says, “The Letter to the Hebrews proclaims, “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (4:12). Scripture is a dynamic force in the battle” (136). Scripture is God’s Word, revealing God’s way for us. Revelation 12:7-12 shows us that Satan can, and in fact, has already been defeated. Christ is victor over sin in his Crucifixion. We need to read and know the Bible. This is not a matter of memorizing verses. We need to live what God reveals to us as his way.

#3 “Small”
Earlier in his book, Fr. Longenecker discussed Mary’s place in the divine plan. She did not look for glamour and a name for herself (pride). She simply looked to fulfill what God asked of her, to be the Mother of Jesus and, in turn, the Mother of the Church. We might desire to perform the big and the bold. At times we might but often the small, taking “baby steps”, can be the best way to succeed against evil. Honestly, sometimes I look for ways to evangelize in great numbers. I look for ways to bring people back to church in large numbers. At times, maybe God will make that happen. More often, we are called to take it one step, saving one soul at a time. Maybe you don’t feel qualified to bring large numbers to Jesus. Perhaps God isn’t asking you to. God just wants to you be the best Christian you can be, bringing one or two souls at a time to him by the way you live your life. (See Fr. Longenecker on “small” on page 137)

#4 “Secret”
Here, I think of the gospel for Ash Wednesday where Jesus calls us to do our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in secret. Our service to God begins and ends in prayer. We are not to focus on the exterior. Rather, we are to work on the interior, what is going on in our hearts and soul. Satan loves the limelight. We are called to work in secret (see Fr. Longenecker 137-138).

#5 “Sacrifice”
As Fr. Longenecker writes, “Satan cannot understand the power of being small, so he can never understand self-sacrifice” (139). Our actions of self-sacrifice, “no matter how small, is a word thrust into Satan’s heart” (139). Our simple acts of fasting and abstinence for the good of others are important against Satan. They are acts of love and obedience.

#6 “Simplicity”
As was already said above, Satan loves the limelight. As Fr. Longenecker writes, simplicity is a “form of honesty…allows no lies.” When we lead simple lives, we are not as easily tempted by power and greed. When we lead simple lives, we reduce our efforts to have the fancy car or other forms of material wealth. It is not that it is wrong to have a fancy car. It is only wrong (as greed and pride) when we obtain the car because it is fancy (Fr. Longenecker, 140).

#7 “Steadfast”
We must be it in for the long haul. We might want everything to change in an instant. However, Fr. Longenecker reminds us, “When faced with faults or sins in our lives we should not attempt to break them quickly, but to bend them slower over time” (141). We need to be patient, continue the hard work and never give up (141). “Being steadfast in the midst of hardship, disappointment, and failure is the mark of a saint” (141).

#8 “Silence”
The battle against evil can involve words. However, “In the battle, there comes a time when speaking has ended” (141). We have said what needs to be said. Sometimes others are no longer listening. Sometimes the discussion has become unreasonable. Sometimes, we get trapped in the arguing (see Fr. Longenecker, 142). When we reach this point, we need to turn it over to God. At this point, prayer may be the best course of action.

#9 “Supernatural”
We may think the battle is for us to win. However, Fr. Longenecker reminds us “that “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers…with the evil spirits in the heavens” Ephesians 4:12)” (143). The battle is of “eternal significance” and that “we can do nothing by our own strength” (143). The battle is not ours alone. We need to rely on God.

#10 “Suffering”
The tenth sword is “suffering.” This may seem odd. We might think suffering is exactly what we want to defeat. Even Jesus, in his agony in the garden prayed, ““My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). In the end, Jesus accepted his suffering because He knew it would save us. Satan is happy when we put all our efforts into avoiding suffering. We overcome Satan when we accept suffering and offer it up for the good of others. In doing so, our suffering becomes two swords, suffering and sacrifice (#5). Remember, Satan does not understand sacrifice.

This concludes my articles reflecting on Fr. Longenecker’s book, Immortal Combat. It has given me a lot to think about. I hope these articles have been a help to you.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff