21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 66:18-21
Psalm 117:1, 2
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30

Who is welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Jews saw themselves as a chosen people, the only ones who would get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  They did little to share the faith with others.

So, it would sound astonishing to them to hear Isaiah speak as a prophet of the land and say that the Lord will gather people from “distant coastlands,… bring all your brothers and sisters from ALL the nations,… from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.”

Really?  ALL the nations?

Yes, all the nations.  We MUST make salvation by God’s mercy known to all.  We need to “go out to ALL the world and tell the good news.”

Is this easy?  No, as Jesus says we must enter through the narrow gate.  Being disciples requires effort on our parts.  It requires discipline.  It means confronting our trials with God at our side.

I want to talk a little bit more about what it means to “confront” our trials.  I don’t mean to go out and confront people who we think cause our trials.  When I say “confront” I mean that move forward into what challenges us trusting that God walks with us.  With this trust in God we are made stronger.

When we move forward in faith against trials we also serve as a witness to others that we really do believe, not just when things are good but in all things.

Being people of faith requires effort.  It STARTS with coming to church each Sunday but that is not all it requires.  To those who said, “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets” Jesus replied, “I do not know where you at from.”

It is not enough just to show up.  We need to take what God has given us and be good stewards by using our time, talent, and treasures to tell the good news.”

Different people have different gifts.  At different points in our lives, we can use what we have been given differently.  For instance, a young teen may shovel snow for their elderly neighbor while the elderly person who is infirmed helps by praying for others and offering up their sufferings for the salvation of the world.

The newly retired person may find themselves with all kinds of free time to be able to volunteer in ways that help others.

For those who work, it can be making sure we do a good job even when it doesn’t seem to have to do with our faith.  It doesn’t matter what we do.  For instance, farmers are very important to us.  Without farmers, we would have no food to eat.  Without custodians, our bathrooms could be in awful shape leading to sickness.

Of course, we all need to learn how to talk about faith.  I believe the most important place to start is by telling others what draws us to church.  Why is it we come here?  Then we go out and tell the good news.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 (14b)
Hebrews 12:1-4
Luke 12:49-53

Jesus tells us that he comes to bring division, to set father against son and mother against daughter, and in-laws fighting.  The thing is, we don’t need Jesus help with this.  We can find enough to fight with family about without Jesus’ help.

So what is Jesus getting at?

Jesus’ goal is not division.  Jesus comes to bring us closer to God, to set our hearts on fire with faith.  This should bring peace and tranquility but Jesus knows it doesn’t for everyone.  It isn’t because what Jesus teaches is divisive in nature.  Jesus’ word brings division because not everyone accepts it.

Some people reject the very notion that there is a God.  Others accept that there is a God but they think they get to decide what is right and wrong rather than listening to what God says.

We come here today because we realize we need God in our lives.  We may not always be sure why.  We may not understand all that God says to us.  We may not have all the answers but we know our life is better when God is part of it.

We can come to church to find safe haven from the world we live in.  This is a start but we need to take what we receive from God and proclaim it to the world.

This is not easy because many people don’t want to hear God’s Word.  This is nothing new.  We see how Jeremiah was rejected and they planned for his death.

Why?  They claim that he is “demoralizing” the people, making them feel down.  This is because what they are doing is wrong and he is telling them so.  They had turned away from God proclaimed as good.  They also claim he was “not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.”  This is not true.  Jeremiah was interested in their welfare.  It’s the precise reason that he was preaching to them, because he knew they were doomed if they did not repent.

Even when they tried to kill him, Jeremiah persevered in proclaiming God’s Word.  He kept his eyes on the Lord and it brought division.

Jesus came to reveal God’s Word.  Many listened and became his disciples.  Many did not.  There were people who plotted to kill Jesus because they didn’t like what He was saying.

Jesus came “to set the earth on fire.”  This was not a destructive fire.  It is the “fire” of the Holy Spirit in which He speaks.

What does it mean to be on fire with the Holy Spirit?

Some might say it is about the way we worship.  Think of the churches were there is “rock” music and swaying of hands and bodies.  I believe the fire of the Holy Spirit is much deeper than that.  We need to be reverent in our worship but open to be touched by the Word we hear to have our hearts set on fire with energy and enthusiasm.

The Church’s mission is to proclaim the gospel.  If we want to do this we first need to both come to church for Mass and pray.  You come here to be rejuvenated in God’s Word.  Then, in turn, you are to take what you receive from the Lord and go out to the world.

This can be a problem because people don’t want to hear God’s Word.  Then remember St. Francis of Assisi’s words to “proclaim the gospel always, use words only when necessary.”  Proclaim the gospel by living it.

Then your witness can give others a reason to come here.  Then, we can work together to help them learn more.

It isn’t easy.  It wasn’t easy for Jeremiah.  It certainly wasn’t easy for Jesus but God will give us what we need to persevere and keep “our eyes fixed on Jesus.”

The Need for Martyrs

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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence.  He was a deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II and was martyred in 258 A.D.  Yesterday we celebrated the optional memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein) who was martyred during World War II.  Our Catholic Church has a long history of martyrs beginning with St. Stephen found whose story and what followed can be found in chapters 6-8 of the Acts of the Apostles.

One might wonder why the church continues to have martyrs today.  Is there value in martyrdom?  All we have to do to see the value of martyrdom is go back and read the story of Stephen and what followed.  He was among six handpicked by the Twelve Apostles to be a deacon.  He was martyred for his faith.  After his martyrdom, the disciples spread because of the persecution.  They went out to new lands but they did not give up on their faith.  Because of the witness of St. Stephen, they continued to preach the gospel and the church spread out through new lands.

I wonder what the Church would be like today if there had never been martyrs.  Why?  The word martyr literally means “witness”.  A martyr is so steadfast in their faith that they would rather die than abandon their faith.  This is needed in the world.  We need to see people who put their faith above all else.  The willingness of the martyrs to accept death has served to strengthen the faith of the people who saw their martyrdom and even for us today.

The martyrs gave their all.  As we read in today’s first reading from 2 Corinthians, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The martyrs “sowed bountifully”, cheerfully giving their lives so that there will be a bountiful harvest of disciples.

People are still being martyred today.  We must not let their voices go unheard.  I encourage you to spend some time in prayer thinking about what the martyrs mean for you.  I used to not think about the martyrs much.  Then, I was ordained a priest on June 30th, the Memorial of the First Roman Martyrs.  Now, I think about my service to God and the Church as my way of honoring the martyrs.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

 

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 18:6-9
Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Luke 12:32-48

Last week we saw Jesus’ reaction to the man who asks him to tell his brother to share the inheritance.  Jesus wasn’t interested in talking about inheritance.  Jesus told the parable of the rich man with a bountiful harvest who kept it for himself.

Last week I talked about this in the context of greed.  The man was building up his wealth but, while he seemed to enjoy being wealthy, there is one other thing we might consider.

Was the man afraid?  Afraid that the coming years might bring a severe drought so he just wants to be prepared (It happened in Egypt)?  Today this might come into play with retirement planning.  We need to plan for retirement but when is it good planning vs. greed?

Our need for food, water, clothing, and a home are all real.  That’s why Jesus tells us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. There are people who have real reason to fear having their most basic needs meant.

Jesus tells us “Do not be afraid any longer.”  He knows what fears the people have and He wants to help.

While Jesus knows these things are important, they are not the greatest treasure we can have.

The greatest treasure we can have in this world is faith.  As Hebrews reads, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

We hope for love.  We will know the fullness of God’s love when we make it Heaven but while we can hope to make it to Heaven, we cannot see Heaven.  We cannot see God in the same way that we see earthly things.

What Jesus shows us gives us hope of better things to come.  Having this hope, we can have the patience to wait for the Kingdom.

We see this in Abraham.  God promised Abraham an “inheritance” in the Promised Land.  Abraham immediately went as commanded even when he didn’t know what would be coming because he trusted God.

Likewise, after David, the Israelites waited a thousand years for the new messiah in Jesus.  As they waited, many turned away to earthly treasures or false gods.  Yet, many others kept the faith in hope.

Having hope can be a challenge.  We might suffer severe illness, loss of job or other financial crisis, the injury of a loved one, a devastating divorce.  Through it all, Jesus is with us.  Jesus may not whisk away our problems but He is with us through it all.  Jesus knows what it is like to suffer.

When we suffer, hope can be hard to see.  When we don’t get immediate results, we might want to take matters into our own hands.  We might wonder why God allows such things.  We don’t have all the answers.

Sometimes people say when they get to Heaven, they are going to have a lot of questions for God.  I wonder if, when we get to Heaven, if we will even care about the answers.  We will be with God.  What more can we ask for?

What I have said today up to this point could be interpreted as saying that everyone gets into Heaven.  That must be our hope but Hell is a real possibility.

To be in Heaven requires us to make choices that are in accord with God’s will.  It starts in Baptism and it isn’t easy.  That’s why we need the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus. 

The reality is we can fall short.  We call it sin but even in sin hope is possible, not because we can undo our sin.  Rather, hope is still possible because Jesus died so that our sins might be forgiven.  We need to be humble enough to admit our sins, to truly do our best to change.

Putting effort in means coming to church.  Putting effort in means working to learn more about faith.  For children this means our faith formation classes on Sunday.  For our youth, it means youth group but it does not end with them.  Even as adults we have much to learn.

In the coming months I plan to offer some adult faith enrichment sessions.  If you can’t make them, maybe you can listen to some of the CDs we have in back.  Maybe you can spend some time reading the Bible.  If nothing else, keep coming to Mass because our faith is a treasure worth the effort.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23
Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Luke 12:13-21

A person comes to Jesus with a request, to tell his brother to share the inheritance with me.  Jesus seems to brush off the question.  Jesus isn’t interested in “inheritance.”

Now one might ask isn’t inheritance about family?  Isn’t family about relationships?  Doesn’t Jesus tell us to love our neighbors?

The man doesn’t ask Jesus to help the family get along and help each other.  The man asks for a share of the inheritance.  The man is concerned about material things.  Jesus’ advice?  He tells the crowd to “take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

What makes you rich?  What makes you happy?  What brings you fulfillment in life?

Are material things important?  They can be.  We need a place to live.  We need food to eat and clothing to wear.  A car can be important to get around but do these things dictate our life?  Do they determine what our life is worth?

They can occupy our time.  We need to be smart about our purchases to get good, dependable stuff at a fair price but having these things should never be for greed or pride.  If we purchase for greed, we get more than we need to have more.  Or we do so just to be able to brag about what we have, which would be pride.

What does it get us?

Jesus tells us the parable of the rich man who had such a great harvest that his barns could not store it all.  What did he do with the excess?  He built bigger barns to store it all and figured he was set for life.

Set for life?  What life?

The store of grain would help him be set for physical food and that is nice.  What about eternal life?  Did the store of grain do anything to nourish the man’s soul?  Did it do anything for his salvation?

The man died that night.  The store of grain did him no good.  It went as inheritance to someone else.  Maybe it went to family that was important to him.

The man spent his life focused on earthly things rather than what is above.  God was not part of his decision of what to do with the bountiful harvest.

Is God part of your decision making about what to do with your material possessions?

What does it mean for God to be part of our decision about material possessions?  After all, when the man asked Jesus to tell his brother to share the inheritance, Jesus didn’t seem interested.

Jesus doesn’t care if we have a red car or a blue car.  Jesus is interested if we spend all that we have to buy a car with things we don’t need and have nothing left to help others.

With the man with abundant harvest, the man was blessed by God with an abundant harvest.  What he had in abundance he could have shared with others in need instead of keeping more than he needed for himself.

I have worked with some young couples who wait to get married and start a family until they establish their careers.  On the surface this might sound great but is it what really happens or does your career then dictate your whole life?  For instance, one might say they will work long hours just to get started but then do the long hours ever go away?

If we look only at today, things like food and a home take priority.  If we look at eternity, then God takes on a lot more importance.

People can talk about the importance of material things in providing for their families so it might seem like children could just make material things all the more important.  Then, with children also comes football, soccer, plays, etc. that compete for our time against church.  Yet, sometimes when people have been away from the church, it is precisely when their children begin to grow and learn that they come back to church, wanting their children to know about God.  So, material possessions are not all we need.

When you leave today will God be part of your decisions?  Will God be a priority in setting direction in your life?

Potter or the Clay?

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If you look at today’s gospel, you will see it begin with Jesus saying “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.”  I think that is all some people hear today and they think everyone gets into Heaven.  God WANTS everyone to get into Heaven but if you keep reading today’s gospel, you will hear Jesus speak of how the good and the bad will be separated and the bad discarded.  There is a final judgment.

Next, I invite you to look at today’s first reading.  Here Jeremiah speaks of the potter and the clay.  My question for you is do you see yourself as the potter or the clay.  I believe we are the clay and that we must constantly allow ourselves to be reformed by God as our potter.  Each time we sin, each time we do our own thing, it shapes who we are away from what God has intended for us.  When we surrender ourselves to God, (for our sins, this flows through the Sacrament of Reconciliation), God can re-form us.

Unfortunately, I think some people today see themselves as the potter and the clay is the world around them.  They want to shape the world to suit what they want.  What has that gotten us in today’s world?

So are you trying to be the potter or the clay?  If the clay, is God your potter or is the world and material desires your potter?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

One Month In

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Tomorrow I complete my first month at St. Michael’s in Newark.  Of course, the month has been full of meeting new people.  Every parishioner is a new face to me.  While every person has been a new face to me, there still have been connections to the past.  One of the parishioners here is the son of a couple I knew in my last parish in Ithaca.  Another is good friends with a different parishioner from Ithaca.  There are parents here of two different priests I have met.  In all my parish assignments, I have always had some connection to Catholic Charities.  That is beginning to develop here.

Of course the most familiar thing here is the sacraments.  I’m in a different church and the building is a little different but the Sacraments are celebrated in the same way.

Certainly simply getting to know the parishioners and the parish have been the center of my focus.  Here things are a little less busy than at Immaculate where, in addition to the church, there is also a school, two cemeteries, and there was a gift shop.  With things a little less busy I have already been able to do some home visits.

I love the small village setting and enjoy my walks around town.  It is a nice, peaceful place to live.  In the midst of the peaceful setting here, I think about all the violence going other places.  It has been a small part of my preaching at yesterday’s Daily Mass and last Sunday.  I think it is important that every one of us be praying for the victims and for an end to all violence.  We also need to think about what we can do. Last Sunday I spoke about this in the context of “thy kingdom come”.  Part of life in a small town is how people more tend to know and care about each other.  We need to show that others are important to us, that all lives matter.  We may not know everyone but we can care.  As the pastor of St. Michael’s, I do my best to serve the people of God.  My interest in Catholic Charities is because I care about the people in the community.  I will never know all of them but that doesn’t stop me from caring.

I think back to a parishioner in the first parish where I served.  She was a probation officer.  I asked her what led her to this job.  She knew she had been richly blessed by God and wanted to help others in their struggles for a better life.  This is what is frequently called an “Attitude of Gratitude“.

We can help make God’s kingdom known by sharing what we have been given, materially and spiritually.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Violence Continues

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Today’s (7/26/16) first reading comes from the Book of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah served as a prophet in a time when people had fallen away from faith in our God.  The people faced a very difficult time and wondered if God had abandoned them.  Of course, God had not.  God was simply allowing them to suffer the consequences of their sins.

Jeremiah called upon God to save the people for the sake of his Holy Name.  In those days, there were people who believed that there were many different gods.  If bad things happened to you, it meant that your god wasn’t powerful enough to protect you or was an angry, punishing God.  Jeremiah calls upon God to save his people to show his goodness so that God’s name may be hallowed.

The people continued to sin and so God allowed them to be defeated by their enemy, the Babylonians.  Many were taken away in Exile.  The people continued to feel abandoned but over time many returned to the Lord.  Then God set them free from the Babylonians.

Now all one has to do is much the news to see how bad things are getting.  Before saying Mass this morning, I checked the news headlines and I read of two different violent attacks overnight.  One was in France in a church and the victims include an 84 year old priest who was stabbed to death.  The other attack happened in Japan where a man went into a center and started killing people with disabilities.

When people today see this, the “God question” comes up.  Does God exist?  If God does exist why does He allow evil?  If God does exist, does the fact that He allows the violence mean He doesn’t care or doesn’t have the power to do anything about it?

Of course, God exists!  The problem is that people aren’t listening.  Some people don’t even try to listen.  Some might think they are listening but really are just doing what they want.  Then there are those who truly desire to follow God’s will but find it difficult with all the voices that say you can do whatever you want.

The world needs to hear about Jesus.  We need to share what we know about our faith.  If some people choose not to listen, that is their choice but we must share the gospel message if we want all to live as God teaches.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13

Jesus tells us to ask and we will receive, seek and we will find.  Probably not many of us would have to think much to come up with something we have asked for and haven’t received.  Why didn’t we get what we asked for?

We can ask ourselves what is it that we asked for.  Did we really understand what it was?  Here Jesus speaks of how a father would never give his son a scorpion when he asks for an egg.  Of course not, but what if the egg we were asking for wasn’t what it seemed.  There was a type of scorpion that would curl into a ball and looked like an egg.  So someone might ask for it thinking it was an egg, not knowing it was a deadly scorpion.  Realizing the truth, we would not want the scorpion.

We might also think of how we ask God for something.  Here we think of Abraham.  God is preparing to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for the sins of the people who live there.  Abraham speaks to God seeking mercy for the innocent.  Certainly this is a good thing but effectively he bartered with God from fifty innocent people down to ten.  Is that how we pray to God, bartering for what we what?

Or do we pray like Jesus teaches, “Father hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…”

How is God’s name hallowed?  To be hallowed is to be revered, to be known as great.  We hallow God’s name when we speak of the good things He has done for us.

Your kingdom come – do we work to help the world become what God wants.  Look at the world!  How many times have we heard of violence in the news recently?  There’s the person in France who drove through the crowds killing many and injuring even more.  There is the coup attempt in Turkey.

In our own country, there is the ambush shootings of police officers, shootings in malls and schools, I could go on but I don’t think I need to.

None of this is God’s will.  None of this is caused by God.  It happens because of the choices people make.  Most directly it happens because of the choices the people who commit these acts make but it is influenced by the way society in general lives.

A large part of this is in the focus on the self, what’s in it for me.  How dare you do this to me.  Yet lost in this is the dignity of self as giving by God.  When we see life as a gift, then violence and killing is not a way to respond.

When we see all life as a gift, we realize that all lives are important.  All people deserve and must be treated with dignity.  If we really want to pray your kingdom come, then we need to love and respect everyone.  How do you show your love and respect for others?

Jesus says the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.  We pray that we receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit so God’s Kingdom will come.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Team, Year C – Homily

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42

I know people who when they hear this gospel the question comes up so are like Martha or Mary?  Are you a doer or are you one to sit by and observe?

I think we need to take a harder look at what Martha is doing and why.  Martha is trying to be a good host.  Jesus comes to the village and Martha is the one who welcomes him.  In welcoming him, Martha seeks to provide a meal.  Isn’t that a good thing?  People need to eat, right?

However, when Martha comes to Jesus and tells him to tell Mary to help, Jesus says no.  Martha probably was shocked by this.  Martha was doing what was expected of her.  Yet, Jesus says “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Let’s back up a couple of thousand years and look at the first reading.  The Lord appeared to Abraham as three men.  Abraham goes to greet them and offers them water to bathe their feet and food to refresh themselves.  He shows them good hospitality.  Does the Lord scold him?  No, in fact Abraham is then told Sarah will have a son that year.

Why the difference between Martha and Abraham?  Honestly, I am not sure but I think we might consider why Martha and Abraham each offer a meal.

I would say that in both cases the offer of a meal was a good thing.  Abraham showed great generosity to the three strangers.  Was Martha acting out of generosity or was she “doing what was expected of her”?

When you invite people to your house, are you doing so because you like them and want to visit them or are you doing it to impress them by putting on a good show?  Do you put on a spectacular meal but don’t get to visit with your guests much because you spend most of the time in the kitchen?  I enjoy a good meal but when I go to someone’s house it is to spend time with them.

What about what we do as a parish?  For instance, last week our Altar & Rosary Society with help from many parishioners hosted receptions after each Mass to welcome me.  The spread of desserts was wonderful.  (I think I managed to avoid gaining any weight).  I am very thankful and appreciative of that.  If it was just about the food, we could grab and go.  It was great to have the food as we came together to get know each other as a community of believers.

When you read this week’s bulletin, you will see we are planning something new in September.  You all know our parish is named after St. Michael the Archangel.  The feast day is September 29th and this year we are going to do Mass at 5:30 p.m. with a dish-to-pass supper afterwards in the hall.  So, we are having a party but the point of the party is to come together as a parish community.  That’s why we will start with Mass and then dinner.

We all want to grow closer to Jesus.  Part of this means being a community that supports one another, that welcomes one another.  You see me out front before and after Mass greeting people.  I’m not doing just because I am new.  This is what I do all year long because I want people to feel welcome here.

We need to be a community of prayer so it is good when we can get to church a few minutes early to pray quietly.  It is also good to take some time after Mass to get to know each other, to be a community united in faith.  I love the small town feel I experience here of people knowing each other.  Then we can pray for each other.  That we can help each other.  In doing so, we share love, love that is rooted in God.