Thursday, Sixteenth Week of the Year /
Mass for Vocations
27 July 2006
Something we can all agree on, I suspect,
is that we live in a very noisy and busy world.
We are permanently tethered to our cell phones, pagers, and e-mail,
so someone can always find us.
We are faced with the constant demands that work, school, and family place on us
and a barrage of noise from every side.
Life can be exhausting…
and often little room is left among all the distractions for the voice of the Lord.
So often, we look at the world around us…
as we whiz by on the way to the next event…
but we don’t really see the loving and creative hand of God.
Often, we hear the words of the liturgy or our own prayers
but we don’t really listen to God’s voice speaking to us.
In answer to His disciples’ question Why do you speak to the crown in parables?
this is precisely the answer Jesus gives:
because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
In a particular way, this is true of the call of the Lord
to ordained ministry and consecrated life.
There is not so much a "vocations crisis" in our day…
as there is a crisis of listening and understanding.
God still calls men to the priesthood…
and men and women to the consecrated religious life.
Yet, people are not really listening and understanding what God is saying to them.
And, so, the Lord must speak in parables, as it were.
He calls men and women to vocations in the Church through a myriad of ways…
many times in ways that are not obvious at first.
This I know to be true,
since I have heard many stories of how men came to the seminary.
Each and every man has a unique and fascinating story to tell
about how he came to realize his vocation to the priesthood.
Each one shows the wonder of God’s providence.
Listen with your hearts,
for God may be using you to plant the seed of a priestly or religious vocation
in someone’s heart.
Clergy, parents, family, friends, fellow parishioners…
all have a role to play in encouraging young people to consider a vocation.
Sometimes all it takes is saying: "Have you ever thought about being a priest…"
As we pray the Votive Mass for Vocations today…
and begin the Novena to Saint John Vianney, patron of parish priests…
may we all commit ourselves more and more
to earnestly praying for and encouraging
vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Tomorrow we will lay to rest Father Kevin Fete,
a truly great priest…a priest after the heart of Christ.
His death at a young age is a loss for the Church.
And on Saturday, a new priest will be ordained for the D. O. Y.
Father Shawn’s ordination is a moment of great joy and blessing for the Church.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away!
In addition to the priests who have passed away…
we have also had several priests retire this year.
There are not enough priests to meet the increasing needs of the Catholic people.
Without priests, there can be no Eucharist or Confessions…
and without these sacraments,
we are separated from the living presence and healing grace of Christ.
So, today, we pray that many will hear the call of God to serve the Church…
and, more fully, that they will truly listen and understand.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Homily Sixteenth Sunday of the Year / NFP Week / 23 July 2006
On July 10th, the Holy Father traveled to Valencia, Spain…
for the fifth World Meeting of Families.
The bishops and theologians who gathered with families
representing countries from all over the world
described the "unprecedented crisis" to which the family is now subjected.
The Cardinal in charge of the meeting spoke of
"the great social changes, technological advancements, migratory
movements and profound cultural changes"
which are changing civilization
and putting tremendous "ideological pressure" on the family.
As we are all aware,
the family values that our faith holds dear are under attack in our day…
by those who want to re-define marriage
by those who value pleasure above true love
by those who try to tell us that truth is relative.
The words of the prophet Jeremiah ring true today…
for there are many who, in various ways, mislead and scatter the sheep
and drive them away from the truth of God and of His Church.
They are found even among those who are charged with providing leadership.
In the midst of what appears to be quite a discouraging situation…
we can take solace in the words of Jeremiah:
The Lord says…I myself will gather my flock…and appoint shepherds
who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble.
In the face of attacks against the values you struggle to instill in your children…
God has appointed the Church as shepherd and guardian of the truth.
The authentic mission of the human family is proclaimed by the Church…
and by every family which lives out the Gospel of Jesus.
The Church rejoices when you go out into the world and stand up for the truth
about life, and love, and the joy which comes from being truly Christian.
Speaking at the same World Meeting of Families, Pope Benedict XVI,
a faithful shepherd appointed by God to guide the Church,
proclaimed the great mission of the family:
"None of us gave ourselves life or single-handedly learned how to live.
All of us received from others both life itself and its basic truths, and we have been
called to attain perfection in relationship and loving communion with others.
The family, founded on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman,
is the expression of this relational, filial, and communal aspect of life.
It is the setting where men and women are enabled to be born with dignity and to
grow and develop."
The Holy Father also beautifully describes the mission of parents:
"…to be guardians of life…teachers of the art of living and of the art of loving."
Husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…
have been given a unique vocation to be guardians of life…
life both natural and spiritual.
The family is the foundation of society…
the community of love in which life is transmitted…
the communion where every human person deserves to come to maturity…
with parents to care for us…
brothers and sisters who teach us about life and are in turn taught by us…
and grandparents who share the wisdom of past generations.
In the tradition of our faith, the family is also called the "Domestic Church."
For it is in the family that mothers and fathers…
the first teachers of their children…
hand on the wisdom of the Church and Gospel of Christ.
What a glorious gift it is…
to share with God in the creation of new life…
and to share with the Church in the handing on of the Tradition of our faith.
+
The challenge presented to every family…
in the midst of many problems and crises…
is to remain faithful to the vocation to be guardians of life…
to love naturally…
to be good shepherds of the domestic church.
In order for husbands and wives to authentically fulfill all that God calls them to…
the living out of their unique vocation to complete, self-giving love
must remain intimately united to their vocation to bring forth new life
and their lives must remain open to life always.
+
As we all know, family life involves challenges…and includes many sacrifices.
This includes setting aside our own desires…
taking a leap of faith…
and facing the challenges of family life with trust in the teaching of Christ.
Yet, as Pope Benedict said to those gathered for World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany:
"…becoming men and women according to Jesus’ plan demands sacrifices,
but these are by no means negative;
on the contrary, they are a help in living…a truly human and happy life."
+
In today’s Gospel story, Jesus looks at the vast crowd before him…
desperate for the words of truth He would speak to them…
and He pitied them, for they were life sheep without a shepherd…
and He began to teach them many things.
He has many things to teach us as well.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
He teaches us the authentic path to happy, healthy, holy living.
His truth provides a way of living far happier than the ways of the world.
He refreshes our souls with His Body and Blood,
and with the grace of the Sacrament of Penance.
To experience deeply the overwhelming love of Christ,
we, like the Disciples, have to go away by ourselves and rest with Him.
This includes setting aside time for personal prayer each day…
time for prayer together with our families and friends…
time also for studying together the Word of God…
and the teaching of the Church.
Nourished by the grace of the Eucharist we celebrate…
and strengthened by our faith in the teaching of Christ…
may you go forth and live the command of John Paul the Great:
"Family, become what you are!"
May we all fulfill the great mission of the family with courage…
and forever proclaim to our broken world,
the love and truth that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ!
for the fifth World Meeting of Families.
The bishops and theologians who gathered with families
representing countries from all over the world
described the "unprecedented crisis" to which the family is now subjected.
The Cardinal in charge of the meeting spoke of
"the great social changes, technological advancements, migratory
movements and profound cultural changes"
which are changing civilization
and putting tremendous "ideological pressure" on the family.
As we are all aware,
the family values that our faith holds dear are under attack in our day…
by those who want to re-define marriage
by those who value pleasure above true love
by those who try to tell us that truth is relative.
The words of the prophet Jeremiah ring true today…
for there are many who, in various ways, mislead and scatter the sheep
and drive them away from the truth of God and of His Church.
They are found even among those who are charged with providing leadership.
In the midst of what appears to be quite a discouraging situation…
we can take solace in the words of Jeremiah:
The Lord says…I myself will gather my flock…and appoint shepherds
who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble.
In the face of attacks against the values you struggle to instill in your children…
God has appointed the Church as shepherd and guardian of the truth.
The authentic mission of the human family is proclaimed by the Church…
and by every family which lives out the Gospel of Jesus.
The Church rejoices when you go out into the world and stand up for the truth
about life, and love, and the joy which comes from being truly Christian.
Speaking at the same World Meeting of Families, Pope Benedict XVI,
a faithful shepherd appointed by God to guide the Church,
proclaimed the great mission of the family:
"None of us gave ourselves life or single-handedly learned how to live.
All of us received from others both life itself and its basic truths, and we have been
called to attain perfection in relationship and loving communion with others.
The family, founded on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman,
is the expression of this relational, filial, and communal aspect of life.
It is the setting where men and women are enabled to be born with dignity and to
grow and develop."
The Holy Father also beautifully describes the mission of parents:
"…to be guardians of life…teachers of the art of living and of the art of loving."
Husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…
have been given a unique vocation to be guardians of life…
life both natural and spiritual.
The family is the foundation of society…
the community of love in which life is transmitted…
the communion where every human person deserves to come to maturity…
with parents to care for us…
brothers and sisters who teach us about life and are in turn taught by us…
and grandparents who share the wisdom of past generations.
In the tradition of our faith, the family is also called the "Domestic Church."
For it is in the family that mothers and fathers…
the first teachers of their children…
hand on the wisdom of the Church and Gospel of Christ.
What a glorious gift it is…
to share with God in the creation of new life…
and to share with the Church in the handing on of the Tradition of our faith.
+
The challenge presented to every family…
in the midst of many problems and crises…
is to remain faithful to the vocation to be guardians of life…
to love naturally…
to be good shepherds of the domestic church.
In order for husbands and wives to authentically fulfill all that God calls them to…
the living out of their unique vocation to complete, self-giving love
must remain intimately united to their vocation to bring forth new life
and their lives must remain open to life always.
+
As we all know, family life involves challenges…and includes many sacrifices.
This includes setting aside our own desires…
taking a leap of faith…
and facing the challenges of family life with trust in the teaching of Christ.
Yet, as Pope Benedict said to those gathered for World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany:
"…becoming men and women according to Jesus’ plan demands sacrifices,
but these are by no means negative;
on the contrary, they are a help in living…a truly human and happy life."
+
In today’s Gospel story, Jesus looks at the vast crowd before him…
desperate for the words of truth He would speak to them…
and He pitied them, for they were life sheep without a shepherd…
and He began to teach them many things.
He has many things to teach us as well.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
He teaches us the authentic path to happy, healthy, holy living.
His truth provides a way of living far happier than the ways of the world.
He refreshes our souls with His Body and Blood,
and with the grace of the Sacrament of Penance.
To experience deeply the overwhelming love of Christ,
we, like the Disciples, have to go away by ourselves and rest with Him.
This includes setting aside time for personal prayer each day…
time for prayer together with our families and friends…
time also for studying together the Word of God…
and the teaching of the Church.
Nourished by the grace of the Eucharist we celebrate…
and strengthened by our faith in the teaching of Christ…
may you go forth and live the command of John Paul the Great:
"Family, become what you are!"
May we all fulfill the great mission of the family with courage…
and forever proclaim to our broken world,
the love and truth that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Homily Friday of the Fifteenth Week of the Year 21 July 2006
So many times we have all experienced the tension that arises
between law, and following the rules, and following orders on one hand…
and, on the other hand, serving those in need…
whose situations do not always conform to our way of thinking.
In today’s Gospel, we read of Jesus’ Disciples acting unlawfully…
doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath.
In Jewish Law, the Sabbath is sacred…
no one may work on the Sabbath, not even to pick grain to eat.
The Disciples are picking and eating heads of grain, not out disdain for the law…
but out of necessity…
they are hungry!
Human need takes precedence over ritual law, over human law.
This is often the case in life…
many times at work, or at home…we have to think "outside the box"… to set aside human laws in order to meet the needs of others.
This is true in the Church sometimes.
In this diocese at least, priests who celebrate three Sunday Masses
are dispensed from reciting some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Often priests are allowed to eat after the first of several Masses,
and set aside the Communion Fast.
Other examples abound.
People have to take care of themselves…
else they will not be fit to fulfill their duties…
or to minister to others.
So, sometimes, we have to set aside human laws…
in order to be good stewards of the life God has given us.
Above all, we need to remember that it is God’s law, not our own, that is supreme.
The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
God’s law is revealed to us through the Scriptures
and through the Tradition of the Church.
So, some aspects of the life of the Church change to meet the needs of the times.
And other things do not change, for they give expression to eternal realities.
The Ten Commandments are our way of life. They do not change
The moral law of God and of the Church does not change.
The Sacraments do not change.
Jesus says: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
The Pharisees were consumed by the prescriptions of the law…
ritual washings…when they could work, and so forth…
forgetting all the while something much deeper:
God desires hearts full of mercy…
in imitation of His own great mercy.
One of my favorite antiphons from the Liturgy of the Hours…
from Daytime Prayer…is…
"Law finds its fulfillment in love."
Laws are there to guide us…
But what is more important is that we recognize
that God’s law exists because He loves us.
And we are to approach laws…and obligations…
in a spirit of love for others.
between law, and following the rules, and following orders on one hand…
and, on the other hand, serving those in need…
whose situations do not always conform to our way of thinking.
In today’s Gospel, we read of Jesus’ Disciples acting unlawfully…
doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath.
In Jewish Law, the Sabbath is sacred…
no one may work on the Sabbath, not even to pick grain to eat.
The Disciples are picking and eating heads of grain, not out disdain for the law…
but out of necessity…
they are hungry!
Human need takes precedence over ritual law, over human law.
This is often the case in life…
many times at work, or at home…we have to think "outside the box"… to set aside human laws in order to meet the needs of others.
This is true in the Church sometimes.
In this diocese at least, priests who celebrate three Sunday Masses
are dispensed from reciting some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Often priests are allowed to eat after the first of several Masses,
and set aside the Communion Fast.
Other examples abound.
People have to take care of themselves…
else they will not be fit to fulfill their duties…
or to minister to others.
So, sometimes, we have to set aside human laws…
in order to be good stewards of the life God has given us.
Above all, we need to remember that it is God’s law, not our own, that is supreme.
The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
God’s law is revealed to us through the Scriptures
and through the Tradition of the Church.
So, some aspects of the life of the Church change to meet the needs of the times.
And other things do not change, for they give expression to eternal realities.
The Ten Commandments are our way of life. They do not change
The moral law of God and of the Church does not change.
The Sacraments do not change.
Jesus says: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
The Pharisees were consumed by the prescriptions of the law…
ritual washings…when they could work, and so forth…
forgetting all the while something much deeper:
God desires hearts full of mercy…
in imitation of His own great mercy.
One of my favorite antiphons from the Liturgy of the Hours…
from Daytime Prayer…is…
"Law finds its fulfillment in love."
Laws are there to guide us…
But what is more important is that we recognize
that God’s law exists because He loves us.
And we are to approach laws…and obligations…
in a spirit of love for others.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Homily O. L. Mt. Carmel Parish Feast Day 16 July 2006
Today, as we gather to celebrate the great Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary…
under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel…
in the ninety-eighth year of the life of this parish…
we recall the tremendous graces God has bestowed upon the Church
and the local community…
through the love, the dedicated service, and the faith
of thousands of Catholics…
who have called Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church their home.
We rejoice in the fidelity and love
with which they have fulfilled their baptismal calling…
to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
And we pledge ourselves ever more fully to our own unique vocations.
Today the Church call us all to reflect on the unique plan God has for each of us.
He has chosen us for a mission...and He sends us forth!
The prophet Amos was chosen to bring God’s Word to the people of Israel.
He was taken from his life as a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores…
snatched from the life he knew and loved…
to go forth on a mission he did not at first understand.
He did not choose to be a prophet…
nor did he want to leave the life he had made for himself…
The disciples of Jesus were chosen from among fishermen and tax collectors…
They received a gift more precious than the prophets of old…
for they knew and loved the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ.
They spoke with Him, learned from Him, were nourished by His loving presence.
They were set aside by the Lord Himself…
and sent forth on a mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ…
and to bring His love…in Word and in Sacrament…
to every corner of the globe.
Such is the great foundation of the Church!
Each one of us is chosen…and sent out.
At our Baptism we were welcomed with joy into the Mystical Body of Christ…
as the priest makes the sign of the Cross on our foreheads.
We are consecrated…and sealed with an indelible mark.
We become more than passive members in an organization.
We are in fact baptized people…set apart from the world…
with our true citizenship in heaven…
and our true destiny in eternity.
We are chosen by Christ to be members of His Body, the Church…
and sent out to bring His Gospel to the world.
From within the “priesthood of the baptized”
are set apart those whom God has ordained to be His ministers.
As the Apostles…the first priests and bishops of the Church…were chosen…
set apart for the ministry which Christ ordained they should fulfill…
and sent forth to preach and to heal…
So every priest is chosen…
consecrated, that is, set apart…
and commissioned…
to teach, to shepherd, and to sanctify the people of the Church.
All are called…and all are sent forth…
to bring the love of Christ to others in a unique way.
Common to each and every baptized person…priest and layman alike…
is the call to self-denial.
Jesus sends His disciples forth with nothing more than a walking stick…
He commands them to take with them only what is essential.
They are to leave behind any possessions that might distract them…
for they must learn to rely on His grace alone.
The authority and power He gives them surpasses any human power…
and offers a source of strength far greater than any material possessions.
Yet, it is more than things that the disciples of Christ must leave behind…
for attitudes, prejudices, personal demands and desires…
can also get in the way of our service to Christ.
If we are afraid to approach people because of who they are…
how will we ever bring the love of Christ to them?
If what we want is always at the forefront of our minds…
how will Christ ever shine through us to the world?
If we do not ever leave behind the sinful habits and trappings of life…
which hold us back from truly embracing Christ…
how will we ever fulfill our journey of faith?
Whatever way God has chosen for you to live…
however you are to spread the Gospel…
one thing remains certain:
In order to accomplish all that Christ asks of us…
we must leave behind all that holds us back from truly embracing our vocation.
Today we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary…
Mother of Jesus…
Mother of the Church…
Mother of each one of us.
Mary stands for us as the premier example of all that the Gospel teaches us today.
She is chosen by God Himself…
given a sacred mission…
which she fulfills with utmost love and humility.
Mary was chosen by God from ages past to be the Mother of His only Son…
She was kept free from the stain of original sin…
She was visited by an angel, who announced to the her joyous news
that she had conceived the Son of God.
She was given the singular privilege of bearing in her womb and raising up
the child Jesus.
Mary’s mission was to bring Christ into the world.
She was the first to be charged with this great commission.
We are to follow in her footsteps.
Mary accepted her mission with outstanding humility and self-denial…
To the angel she declared:
“let it be done to me according to your word.”
Though she was only a young girl…
who could not have understood all that lay ahead of her…
she said “yes” to the call of God!
With Mary as our guide and example…
we approach the challenge that God’s Word presents to us today.
First, we must ask…
what is the vocation to which God has called me?
The vocation of each and every baptized person is unique…
some of you are called to be husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…
some of you may have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.
And beyond that…
how is God calling you right now…in the life you are living…
to spread the Gospel of Christ?
Look deep within yourself…seek to find the will of God for your life!
Secondly, we must ask…
what in my life must change
in order that I may fulfill the mission on which God is sending me?
What must I leave behind in order to follow Christ?
These questions are frightening…
because change…
and self-denial…
and letting go in order to accept the will of another…
is frightening.
Yet, we must not lose hope of the promises of Christ…
That true happiness and true love lie in laying down our life for others.
That to the good and faithful servant is promised the reward of eternal life.
Today, with Mary beside us…
we approach the Altar of God…
the God who brings joy to our lives…
to receive the Body and Blood of Mary’s Son Jesus.
As we draw close to the Altar today…
May we beg God for the grace to leave behind all that burdens us…
and go out from this church nourished by Christ.
to carry out the mission He has entrusted to each of us…
a mission uniquely our own…
a mission which finds its fulfillment in the glory of heaven!
under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel…
in the ninety-eighth year of the life of this parish…
we recall the tremendous graces God has bestowed upon the Church
and the local community…
through the love, the dedicated service, and the faith
of thousands of Catholics…
who have called Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church their home.
We rejoice in the fidelity and love
with which they have fulfilled their baptismal calling…
to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
And we pledge ourselves ever more fully to our own unique vocations.
Today the Church call us all to reflect on the unique plan God has for each of us.
He has chosen us for a mission...and He sends us forth!
The prophet Amos was chosen to bring God’s Word to the people of Israel.
He was taken from his life as a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores…
snatched from the life he knew and loved…
to go forth on a mission he did not at first understand.
He did not choose to be a prophet…
nor did he want to leave the life he had made for himself…
The disciples of Jesus were chosen from among fishermen and tax collectors…
They received a gift more precious than the prophets of old…
for they knew and loved the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ.
They spoke with Him, learned from Him, were nourished by His loving presence.
They were set aside by the Lord Himself…
and sent forth on a mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ…
and to bring His love…in Word and in Sacrament…
to every corner of the globe.
Such is the great foundation of the Church!
Each one of us is chosen…and sent out.
At our Baptism we were welcomed with joy into the Mystical Body of Christ…
as the priest makes the sign of the Cross on our foreheads.
We are consecrated…and sealed with an indelible mark.
We become more than passive members in an organization.
We are in fact baptized people…set apart from the world…
with our true citizenship in heaven…
and our true destiny in eternity.
We are chosen by Christ to be members of His Body, the Church…
and sent out to bring His Gospel to the world.
From within the “priesthood of the baptized”
are set apart those whom God has ordained to be His ministers.
As the Apostles…the first priests and bishops of the Church…were chosen…
set apart for the ministry which Christ ordained they should fulfill…
and sent forth to preach and to heal…
So every priest is chosen…
consecrated, that is, set apart…
and commissioned…
to teach, to shepherd, and to sanctify the people of the Church.
All are called…and all are sent forth…
to bring the love of Christ to others in a unique way.
Common to each and every baptized person…priest and layman alike…
is the call to self-denial.
Jesus sends His disciples forth with nothing more than a walking stick…
He commands them to take with them only what is essential.
They are to leave behind any possessions that might distract them…
for they must learn to rely on His grace alone.
The authority and power He gives them surpasses any human power…
and offers a source of strength far greater than any material possessions.
Yet, it is more than things that the disciples of Christ must leave behind…
for attitudes, prejudices, personal demands and desires…
can also get in the way of our service to Christ.
If we are afraid to approach people because of who they are…
how will we ever bring the love of Christ to them?
If what we want is always at the forefront of our minds…
how will Christ ever shine through us to the world?
If we do not ever leave behind the sinful habits and trappings of life…
which hold us back from truly embracing Christ…
how will we ever fulfill our journey of faith?
Whatever way God has chosen for you to live…
however you are to spread the Gospel…
one thing remains certain:
In order to accomplish all that Christ asks of us…
we must leave behind all that holds us back from truly embracing our vocation.
Today we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary…
Mother of Jesus…
Mother of the Church…
Mother of each one of us.
Mary stands for us as the premier example of all that the Gospel teaches us today.
She is chosen by God Himself…
given a sacred mission…
which she fulfills with utmost love and humility.
Mary was chosen by God from ages past to be the Mother of His only Son…
She was kept free from the stain of original sin…
She was visited by an angel, who announced to the her joyous news
that she had conceived the Son of God.
She was given the singular privilege of bearing in her womb and raising up
the child Jesus.
Mary’s mission was to bring Christ into the world.
She was the first to be charged with this great commission.
We are to follow in her footsteps.
Mary accepted her mission with outstanding humility and self-denial…
To the angel she declared:
“let it be done to me according to your word.”
Though she was only a young girl…
who could not have understood all that lay ahead of her…
she said “yes” to the call of God!
With Mary as our guide and example…
we approach the challenge that God’s Word presents to us today.
First, we must ask…
what is the vocation to which God has called me?
The vocation of each and every baptized person is unique…
some of you are called to be husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…
some of you may have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.
And beyond that…
how is God calling you right now…in the life you are living…
to spread the Gospel of Christ?
Look deep within yourself…seek to find the will of God for your life!
Secondly, we must ask…
what in my life must change
in order that I may fulfill the mission on which God is sending me?
What must I leave behind in order to follow Christ?
These questions are frightening…
because change…
and self-denial…
and letting go in order to accept the will of another…
is frightening.
Yet, we must not lose hope of the promises of Christ…
That true happiness and true love lie in laying down our life for others.
That to the good and faithful servant is promised the reward of eternal life.
Today, with Mary beside us…
we approach the Altar of God…
the God who brings joy to our lives…
to receive the Body and Blood of Mary’s Son Jesus.
As we draw close to the Altar today…
May we beg God for the grace to leave behind all that burdens us…
and go out from this church nourished by Christ.
to carry out the mission He has entrusted to each of us…
a mission uniquely our own…
a mission which finds its fulfillment in the glory of heaven!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Homily Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time 13 July 2006
Some of you may know that I had an unfortunate accident on my bicycle.
Since then people have been saying to me…
“You’re lucky you didn’t break anything…”
“You should be thankful it wasn’t worse…”
“Thank God you’re alive and have all your teeth…”
Such sentiments are little consolation when you’re being stitched up…
This is perhaps a simple example…
but the experience of wrecking a bike…
flying through the air…
and landing hard on your face…
and walking away from it all relatively unharmed, except a cut chin…
can certainly make one say “thank you” for all he has been given!
Today we hear the prophet Hosea speak of the love of God in a splendid way…
in a human way…
as the love of a father for his children.
God draws us to Himself with human cords…with bands of love…
stoops down to us and draws us to His cheek…
How beautiful!
For us who are Catholic Christians…what are these bands of love?
They are the Sacraments.
Through the Sacraments…
the grace of God is present to us in human ways…in material things…
bread and wine, oil and water, the words of the priest
Through these outward signs of His mysterious hidden grace…
God draws us to Himself…
and holds us close… in love beyond all telling.
Think of the tremendous gifts we have received through the Sacraments.
Consider the Sacrament of Penance…
what a gift it is to have the burden of sin washed away
by the blood of Christ…through the ministry of the priest!
None of us is without sin…
so none of us ought to suffer with sin and guilt inside us…
rather, we ought to come to the fountain of mercy and be healed.
Think of the tremendous gift of Christ’s presence…here with us now…
we heard Him speak to us in His Word
He is present in the priest, who stands before us not on his own
but in the person of Christ
He is present as His body, the Church, gathers for worship
and above all, He is present in the Eucharist in a way we cannot fully
understand this side of Heaven…in a real and substantial way…
for the Eucharist is not a thing…it is a person…
not simply a thing we eat and drink…but a person who loves us.
Today we also hear in the Gospel of the work of the early disciples,
which becomes the essential mission of the whole Church.
To preach… to heal… to bring peace…
To do all this we have to remember that it’s not about us!
It is God’s Word we speak…Christ’s love and peace we bring to others.
We have received a gift…
without cost…without deserving it…by no merit of our own.
So we are to give in return…
without putting a price or a condition on our service to God and the Church.
May our lives be filled at every moment with gratitude for God’s many gifts…
and a spirit of generous self-giving in return.
Without cost we have received gifts beyond measure…
may we put no limits on the love we give.
Since then people have been saying to me…
“You’re lucky you didn’t break anything…”
“You should be thankful it wasn’t worse…”
“Thank God you’re alive and have all your teeth…”
Such sentiments are little consolation when you’re being stitched up…
This is perhaps a simple example…
but the experience of wrecking a bike…
flying through the air…
and landing hard on your face…
and walking away from it all relatively unharmed, except a cut chin…
can certainly make one say “thank you” for all he has been given!
Today we hear the prophet Hosea speak of the love of God in a splendid way…
in a human way…
as the love of a father for his children.
God draws us to Himself with human cords…with bands of love…
stoops down to us and draws us to His cheek…
How beautiful!
For us who are Catholic Christians…what are these bands of love?
They are the Sacraments.
Through the Sacraments…
the grace of God is present to us in human ways…in material things…
bread and wine, oil and water, the words of the priest
Through these outward signs of His mysterious hidden grace…
God draws us to Himself…
and holds us close… in love beyond all telling.
Think of the tremendous gifts we have received through the Sacraments.
Consider the Sacrament of Penance…
what a gift it is to have the burden of sin washed away
by the blood of Christ…through the ministry of the priest!
None of us is without sin…
so none of us ought to suffer with sin and guilt inside us…
rather, we ought to come to the fountain of mercy and be healed.
Think of the tremendous gift of Christ’s presence…here with us now…
we heard Him speak to us in His Word
He is present in the priest, who stands before us not on his own
but in the person of Christ
He is present as His body, the Church, gathers for worship
and above all, He is present in the Eucharist in a way we cannot fully
understand this side of Heaven…in a real and substantial way…
for the Eucharist is not a thing…it is a person…
not simply a thing we eat and drink…but a person who loves us.
Today we also hear in the Gospel of the work of the early disciples,
which becomes the essential mission of the whole Church.
To preach… to heal… to bring peace…
To do all this we have to remember that it’s not about us!
It is God’s Word we speak…Christ’s love and peace we bring to others.
We have received a gift…
without cost…without deserving it…by no merit of our own.
So we are to give in return…
without putting a price or a condition on our service to God and the Church.
May our lives be filled at every moment with gratitude for God’s many gifts…
and a spirit of generous self-giving in return.
Without cost we have received gifts beyond measure…
may we put no limits on the love we give.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Homily Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9 July 2006
On the fifteenth of last month…
Brittany McComb…
the valedictorian of Foothill High School near Las Vegas, Nevada…
delivered her speech at the school’s commencement.
The words she spoke were truly her own…
and they portrayed something very dear to her heart…
her faith in God…and His Son Jesus Christ.
Because she dared to mention her God in her speech…
because she deviated from the prepared and censored text
in order to say what was in her heart…
school officials cut off her microphone.
Of course, the ACLU praised the school district
for its efforts to keep religion out of the public schools.
Brittany’s story made national news…
And in a most ironic moment…
when she appeared on Hannity and Colmes to tell her story…
she continued to proclaim with sincerity and courage her faith in Jesus
to a television audience far greater
than would ever have heard her commencement speech!
So, while they may have kept Jesus’ name out of that graduation ceremony…
they could not strike it from her heart.
Nor can they ever quench the fire of faith that inspired Brittany…
and inspires so many young people today.
This courageous young lady is a prophet in our time…
a prophet of the good news of Jesus Christ…
a prophet rejected in her own home town.
We, who are baptized into the Body of Christ,
were anointed with the Oil of Chrism
in the name of Christ, who is Priest, Prophet and King…
and are commissioned to be prophets in our own time.
For us who are ordained, this mission to be a prophet involves preaching.
Yet, just as you cannot preach in this pulpit…
so I cannot go into your workplaces, schools, and homes,
where you alone can bring the message of Christ’s truth and love.
We each have our own mission…
to bring the love of Christ to others in a unique way.
Being a prophet for Jesus is not a hobby we choose to take up or set aside…
it is in fact a vocation…and one from which there is no vacation.
Our faith is an essential part of who we are as Christian people…
people who are changed and made a new creation in Baptism.
And so our faith permeates every aspect of our lives…
our relationships… our work… and our civic responsibilities.
Every area of life needs to be enlivened by the faith of our hearts.
Despite what we may hear in the news…
and from the lips of those who call themselves Catholics…
for the true Christian…
there is no distinction between personal faith and public duty.
Our mission to be a prophet of the Gospel of Jesus knows no bounds.
We live in a world in which Jesus is once again not welcome.
So, often times, being a prophet brings with it rejection, even from those we love.
For Jesus, the rejection he experiences at the hand of His own people…
is only a foretaste of suffering yet to come.
The ultimate rejection of the Cross begins even now…
as His own native place offers Him no welcome.
We know from the Gospels that Jesus’ friends and family…
even His chosen Apostles…
did not understand His mission…
or the meaning of the suffering He had to endure.
So it is in our time,
when the paradox of the Cross is again misunderstood.
The Cross…
the image of today’s Gospel story…
and the reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians…
together proclaim one message:
“power is made perfect in weakness”
“when I am weak, then I am strong”
The moment of Jesus’ death was at the same time His greatest triumph over death.
So it is for us, who are called to be imitators of Jesus…
whom we adore as Lord and Savior.
Our high calling as Christians
is to find our true strength in apparent weakness.
When remaining faithful to Christ puts us in the minority…
when it brings ridicule at work or in school…
find strength in the example of Christ…
whose death brought life to the world.
Despite the rejection…and in the face of the temptation to remain silent…
with God’s sufficient grace we can be prophets who proclaim the truths of our faith…
the sacredness of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman
the sanctity of each and every human life
the authentic meaning of human sexuality
the justice and respect due every human person
despite their nationality, race, or economic standing.
Christ Himself has called us all to an essential mission in the life of the Church…
a mission that is part of the very fabric of who we are…
as people redeemed by the broken Body and poured-out Blood of the Savior.
The call to be a prophet was heard by Ezekiel of old.
The mission to proclaim Christ was taken up in our time by young Brittany
in her commencement speech.
God is now calling each of you.
Let those around you know that a prophet has been among them!
May we who dare to approach the Altar to receive Jesus…
have also the courage to take Him with us when we leave here today…
and so proclaim His truth in love with all our hearts.
Brittany McComb…
the valedictorian of Foothill High School near Las Vegas, Nevada…
delivered her speech at the school’s commencement.
The words she spoke were truly her own…
and they portrayed something very dear to her heart…
her faith in God…and His Son Jesus Christ.
Because she dared to mention her God in her speech…
because she deviated from the prepared and censored text
in order to say what was in her heart…
school officials cut off her microphone.
Of course, the ACLU praised the school district
for its efforts to keep religion out of the public schools.
Brittany’s story made national news…
And in a most ironic moment…
when she appeared on Hannity and Colmes to tell her story…
she continued to proclaim with sincerity and courage her faith in Jesus
to a television audience far greater
than would ever have heard her commencement speech!
So, while they may have kept Jesus’ name out of that graduation ceremony…
they could not strike it from her heart.
Nor can they ever quench the fire of faith that inspired Brittany…
and inspires so many young people today.
This courageous young lady is a prophet in our time…
a prophet of the good news of Jesus Christ…
a prophet rejected in her own home town.
We, who are baptized into the Body of Christ,
were anointed with the Oil of Chrism
in the name of Christ, who is Priest, Prophet and King…
and are commissioned to be prophets in our own time.
For us who are ordained, this mission to be a prophet involves preaching.
Yet, just as you cannot preach in this pulpit…
so I cannot go into your workplaces, schools, and homes,
where you alone can bring the message of Christ’s truth and love.
We each have our own mission…
to bring the love of Christ to others in a unique way.
Being a prophet for Jesus is not a hobby we choose to take up or set aside…
it is in fact a vocation…and one from which there is no vacation.
Our faith is an essential part of who we are as Christian people…
people who are changed and made a new creation in Baptism.
And so our faith permeates every aspect of our lives…
our relationships… our work… and our civic responsibilities.
Every area of life needs to be enlivened by the faith of our hearts.
Despite what we may hear in the news…
and from the lips of those who call themselves Catholics…
for the true Christian…
there is no distinction between personal faith and public duty.
Our mission to be a prophet of the Gospel of Jesus knows no bounds.
We live in a world in which Jesus is once again not welcome.
So, often times, being a prophet brings with it rejection, even from those we love.
For Jesus, the rejection he experiences at the hand of His own people…
is only a foretaste of suffering yet to come.
The ultimate rejection of the Cross begins even now…
as His own native place offers Him no welcome.
We know from the Gospels that Jesus’ friends and family…
even His chosen Apostles…
did not understand His mission…
or the meaning of the suffering He had to endure.
So it is in our time,
when the paradox of the Cross is again misunderstood.
The Cross…
the image of today’s Gospel story…
and the reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians…
together proclaim one message:
“power is made perfect in weakness”
“when I am weak, then I am strong”
The moment of Jesus’ death was at the same time His greatest triumph over death.
So it is for us, who are called to be imitators of Jesus…
whom we adore as Lord and Savior.
Our high calling as Christians
is to find our true strength in apparent weakness.
When remaining faithful to Christ puts us in the minority…
when it brings ridicule at work or in school…
find strength in the example of Christ…
whose death brought life to the world.
Despite the rejection…and in the face of the temptation to remain silent…
with God’s sufficient grace we can be prophets who proclaim the truths of our faith…
the sacredness of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman
the sanctity of each and every human life
the authentic meaning of human sexuality
the justice and respect due every human person
despite their nationality, race, or economic standing.
Christ Himself has called us all to an essential mission in the life of the Church…
a mission that is part of the very fabric of who we are…
as people redeemed by the broken Body and poured-out Blood of the Savior.
The call to be a prophet was heard by Ezekiel of old.
The mission to proclaim Christ was taken up in our time by young Brittany
in her commencement speech.
God is now calling each of you.
Let those around you know that a prophet has been among them!
May we who dare to approach the Altar to receive Jesus…
have also the courage to take Him with us when we leave here today…
and so proclaim His truth in love with all our hearts.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Homily Thursday of the Thirteenth Week / Maria Goretti 5 July 2006
Today in the life of the Church…
we celebrate the life and faith of Saint Maria Goretti.
Maria was born in 1890, near Ancona, Italy.
She was raised in a simple peasant family…
and was known to all for her joyful spirit and sincere piety.
When Maria was twelve, she was attacked by a neighbor, who tried to abuse her.
When she cried out that she would rather die than submit…
the man stabbed her with a knife.
As she lay dying in the hospital, she mustered the strength to forgive her attacker,
and moments later she died.
Maria remained a virgin…and died a martyr.
She was only a young girl of twelve…
taken from this world tragically, and far too soon.
And still, young as she was…she made a choice, a choice based on her faith.
And what an impact that choice…and that faith had…
For the young man who attacked her, Alexander Serenelli…
was lying in his prison cell one night…
when he saw a vision of Maria bringing flowers to him.
This moment changed his life into one of love and service to Christ.
He was even present at Maria’s canonization in 1950.
What miraculous fruit was borne from Maria’s life and death!
And so the Church holds up to the world…
the life, death and the faith of Maria Goretti!
Maria stands as a witness to the dignity of the human person…
and of the body, a temple of the Holy Spirit.
She proclaims that to follow Christ means to love Him more than life itself.
She declares that some truths are worth even dying for.
Her life witnesses to the truth that a martyr’s death produces abundant fruit.
So, today, we invoke her intercession for our troubled world,
where the dignity of the body is so often disregarded…
and we pray that purity and chastity will one day be valued by all people.
And for ourselves,
we pray for the grace to defend the dignity of the person and of the body…
in our conversations…in how we act and live…
and the grace to serve Christ with fidelity…
to love Him more than life itself.
we celebrate the life and faith of Saint Maria Goretti.
Maria was born in 1890, near Ancona, Italy.
She was raised in a simple peasant family…
and was known to all for her joyful spirit and sincere piety.
When Maria was twelve, she was attacked by a neighbor, who tried to abuse her.
When she cried out that she would rather die than submit…
the man stabbed her with a knife.
As she lay dying in the hospital, she mustered the strength to forgive her attacker,
and moments later she died.
Maria remained a virgin…and died a martyr.
She was only a young girl of twelve…
taken from this world tragically, and far too soon.
And still, young as she was…she made a choice, a choice based on her faith.
And what an impact that choice…and that faith had…
For the young man who attacked her, Alexander Serenelli…
was lying in his prison cell one night…
when he saw a vision of Maria bringing flowers to him.
This moment changed his life into one of love and service to Christ.
He was even present at Maria’s canonization in 1950.
What miraculous fruit was borne from Maria’s life and death!
And so the Church holds up to the world…
the life, death and the faith of Maria Goretti!
Maria stands as a witness to the dignity of the human person…
and of the body, a temple of the Holy Spirit.
She proclaims that to follow Christ means to love Him more than life itself.
She declares that some truths are worth even dying for.
Her life witnesses to the truth that a martyr’s death produces abundant fruit.
So, today, we invoke her intercession for our troubled world,
where the dignity of the body is so often disregarded…
and we pray that purity and chastity will one day be valued by all people.
And for ourselves,
we pray for the grace to defend the dignity of the person and of the body…
in our conversations…in how we act and live…
and the grace to serve Christ with fidelity…
to love Him more than life itself.
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