Father Isaac Hecker…the founder of the Paulist Fathers…once said:
“The whole future of the human race
depends on bringing the individual soul
more completely and perfectly under the sway of the Holy Spirit.”
Father Hecker lived in the early 1800s.
Yet, his words are not bound to the moment in which they were spoken.
They mean a great deal to us today…
as we watch the world around us grown further from God
and more distant from the dominion of the Holy Spirit.
In a world of license and endless creativity for its own sake…
precious few souls are under the sway of the Holy Spirit.
In a world of selfishness…
the virtue of docility to the will of God has been forgotten.
[PAUSE]
As men and women who have been baptized into Christ's Body…
our lives have been given a radically new meaning from the rest of humanity.
We do not live for ourselves but for God and one another.
An essential element of our Christian life is surrendering ourselves to God’s will.
This means praying each morning and offering the day to God…
thanking Him in prayer each night for the blessings and lessons of the day…
making God a part every decision of our lives.
Instead of falling into frustration and despair…
because we can’t figure something out…
or because we can’t find the answer…
we ought to turn instead to the Lord…and away from ourselves… and pray for guidance from above.
If we do this…then life will become less about our disappointing selves…
and will become focused on the Lord,
whose perfect wisdom will never let us down.
Docility to the Holy Spirit also means surrendering our ideas and opinions
to the mind of the Church.
Even when we are convinced the Church needs to change her teaching…
to conform to what we think…
the true Catholic is docile to the Spirit, who guides the Church,
and says: “The Church knows better, and I shall cling to her.”
In everything, our lives should proclaim the refrain of our Responsorial Psalm…
“Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will!”
[PAUSE]
As the Prophet Isaiah teaches in today’s First Reading:
It is too little for us to be the Lord’s servants…
The Lord desires to make us lights to the nations.
It is not enough for us
to have this deep relationship of docility in the Lord’s presence the Lord…
and keep it to ourselves.
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist testifies
that he has seen the Holy Spirit…right before him…descending upon Jesus.
Like John…we, too, are called to testify to the presence of the Holy Spirit…
wherever and whenever we recognize Him.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is alive in this parish!
He is alive…
in the hearts of every person who worthily receives Holy Communion… in every soul forgiven in Confession…
in every sick and suffering soul who receives love and peace from our hands.
The Spirit is alive in the hearts of the men and women
who are serving on our newly-formed Vocations Committee…
which met for the first time this past week.
The Spirit is alive in the devout parishioners
who pray before the Blessed Sacrament
in the chapel every Thursday evening.
It is because of their prayers…
that grace that the rest of us need to continue our mission in the Church…
flows in abundance.
He can be alive in your heart, too, if you give of your time and join them in prayer.
The Spirit is alive in the busload of your fellow parishioners
who will be travelling to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for the March for Life.
The so-called “pro-choice” movement…is one stark example
of how our society has drifted far from the sway of the Spirit.
Praying for an end to abortion…as well as euthanasia and the death penalty…
and witnessing publicly to the sanctity of human life
is one critical way we can witness to the Spirit
and bring souls once again closer to God.
The culture of death must end now…and no one but you can make that happen.
If we still have to go next year, we’re taking two busses to Washington.
I’ll be counting on you to fill them.
We testify to the Spirit whenever we teach others about the Faith.
We testify to the Spirit whenever we live lives of holiness and virtue.
We testify to the Spirit whenever we reach out to others in need.
The world needs you…now…
to be a voice for the innocent ones who suffer
to testify to the Spirit’s presence, and His truth
and to bring every soul under the sway of the Spirit.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Homily Baptism of the Lord Year A 13 January 2008
The Baptism of Jesus is a moment of supreme humility
on the part of Jesus, the Word made flesh.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the whole world,
has no sins which could be washed away in the waters of Baptism.
Yet He insists on being baptized.
John the Baptizer protests.
Even John, the one who came to prepare the way for the King, does not understand.
It doesn’t seem right to him.
Yet, John…in humility and in obedience…surrenders his will to the will of Christ.
Jesus was not baptized for His own sake but for ours.
Jesus comes to present Himself for Baptism…
not that He may be sanctified…
but so that He might Himself sanctify the very waters of Baptism.
As He enters the waters, He is not cleansed of sins…
as we have been in our own Baptism.
Instead, as He rises from the waters, our sins cling to Him.
As He did in becoming man in the womb of the Virgin,
Jesus again humbles Himself to be baptized by John.
By his own plunging into the waters of the Jordan River…
He makes the sacramental sign of water holy
and institutes the Sacrament of Baptism for the good of His Church.
The voice of the Father is heard delighting in what His Son has done.
The Spirit hovers over to river to bestow grace on this holy moment.
The Triune God is present in His fullness
as the path to holiness and eternal life is opened for all humanity.
Baptism bestows on our souls an indelible character… a mark…a seal…
which brands our soul…as belonging to Christ.
The baptismal character consecrates the baptized for the Christian life…
sets them apart from the rest of humanity…
because of the intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
into which we are drawn through this sacrament.
The Baptismal seal enables the baptized…and compels us…to live in Christ…
by authentic participation in the Sacred Liturgy
by the witness of a holy and devout life
by the practice of charity
and by carrying the truth and love of Jesus Christ to the world!
The baptismal call of all the baptized is a solemn responsibility…
and it is one that must be understood in its authentic fullness.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council
offered very beautiful and precise teachings
about the mission of the baptized faithful.
In Lumen Gentium,
the Council’s document on the nature of the Church, it is written:
The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house…
They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity.
This teaching of the Church is of incredible significance to all of us…
for it not only offers a framework of what disciples are called to do…
but it defines who you are as members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
You who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ…
are strengthened and enlivened by his grace to live the faith you profess.
What defines the unique call of the baptized faithful
as distinct from the clerical state…
is that you are called to evangelize the world.
My own unique vocation is intimately connected with the celebration of the Mass.
I am most a priest when I offer the sacrifice of the Mass and preach the Gospel.
While the faithful are expected to take part in the Mass…
in a real and deeply spiritual way…
your own vocation is not fulfilled there.
You have access to people and places where I as a priest cannot go…
your workplaces, your schools, your homes…
and so you can bring Christ…and His truth and love…
into the lives of others in ways I could never dream of.
While it is good that so many of you offer yourselves to the Church
in various ministries in the Liturgy…
your proper vocation is not fulfilled by your service in the sanctuary.
God desires to work in you in so many other ways.
You are husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…students and teachers…
co-workers and colleagues.
Open your hearts to God’s grace at work in your lives in the world.
The Church does not teach about the distinct call of laity and clergy and religious
because of a need for power or a sense of superiority…
as the accusations go.
Rather, we recognize that essential distinctions must be made
and the truth of who we are must be lived out.
Holiness is in the details!
Every baptized person has been renewed in Christ by the grace of our Baptism…
and so are called to live in Christ and to proclaim His Gospel.
From within the faithful, men chosen by God for the priesthood
are further set apart as consecrated ministers of Word and Sacrament.
Also from within the faithful, God calls men and women
to live the consecrated religious life.
As we celebrate the beginning of Vocations Awareness Week today…
we are reminded of these critical distinctions
among the members of Christ's Body.
Holiness is in the details!
Muddying the distinctions only serves to suck the life out of each unique calling.
God calls each person for a unique purpose.
Holiness is found only by living as God calls you…
and none of us can live another’s vocation!
Ponder today where God has called…or is calling…you.
Humble yourselves before His will…and embrace the fullness of your vocation.
Embrace the truth…
and strive always for holiness in the details of each and every day!
on the part of Jesus, the Word made flesh.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the whole world,
has no sins which could be washed away in the waters of Baptism.
Yet He insists on being baptized.
John the Baptizer protests.
Even John, the one who came to prepare the way for the King, does not understand.
It doesn’t seem right to him.
Yet, John…in humility and in obedience…surrenders his will to the will of Christ.
Jesus was not baptized for His own sake but for ours.
Jesus comes to present Himself for Baptism…
not that He may be sanctified…
but so that He might Himself sanctify the very waters of Baptism.
As He enters the waters, He is not cleansed of sins…
as we have been in our own Baptism.
Instead, as He rises from the waters, our sins cling to Him.
As He did in becoming man in the womb of the Virgin,
Jesus again humbles Himself to be baptized by John.
By his own plunging into the waters of the Jordan River…
He makes the sacramental sign of water holy
and institutes the Sacrament of Baptism for the good of His Church.
The voice of the Father is heard delighting in what His Son has done.
The Spirit hovers over to river to bestow grace on this holy moment.
The Triune God is present in His fullness
as the path to holiness and eternal life is opened for all humanity.
Baptism bestows on our souls an indelible character… a mark…a seal…
which brands our soul…as belonging to Christ.
The baptismal character consecrates the baptized for the Christian life…
sets them apart from the rest of humanity…
because of the intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
into which we are drawn through this sacrament.
The Baptismal seal enables the baptized…and compels us…to live in Christ…
by authentic participation in the Sacred Liturgy
by the witness of a holy and devout life
by the practice of charity
and by carrying the truth and love of Jesus Christ to the world!
The baptismal call of all the baptized is a solemn responsibility…
and it is one that must be understood in its authentic fullness.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council
offered very beautiful and precise teachings
about the mission of the baptized faithful.
In Lumen Gentium,
the Council’s document on the nature of the Church, it is written:
The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house…
They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity.
This teaching of the Church is of incredible significance to all of us…
for it not only offers a framework of what disciples are called to do…
but it defines who you are as members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
You who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ…
are strengthened and enlivened by his grace to live the faith you profess.
What defines the unique call of the baptized faithful
as distinct from the clerical state…
is that you are called to evangelize the world.
My own unique vocation is intimately connected with the celebration of the Mass.
I am most a priest when I offer the sacrifice of the Mass and preach the Gospel.
While the faithful are expected to take part in the Mass…
in a real and deeply spiritual way…
your own vocation is not fulfilled there.
You have access to people and places where I as a priest cannot go…
your workplaces, your schools, your homes…
and so you can bring Christ…and His truth and love…
into the lives of others in ways I could never dream of.
While it is good that so many of you offer yourselves to the Church
in various ministries in the Liturgy…
your proper vocation is not fulfilled by your service in the sanctuary.
God desires to work in you in so many other ways.
You are husbands and wives…mothers and fathers…students and teachers…
co-workers and colleagues.
Open your hearts to God’s grace at work in your lives in the world.
The Church does not teach about the distinct call of laity and clergy and religious
because of a need for power or a sense of superiority…
as the accusations go.
Rather, we recognize that essential distinctions must be made
and the truth of who we are must be lived out.
Holiness is in the details!
Every baptized person has been renewed in Christ by the grace of our Baptism…
and so are called to live in Christ and to proclaim His Gospel.
From within the faithful, men chosen by God for the priesthood
are further set apart as consecrated ministers of Word and Sacrament.
Also from within the faithful, God calls men and women
to live the consecrated religious life.
As we celebrate the beginning of Vocations Awareness Week today…
we are reminded of these critical distinctions
among the members of Christ's Body.
Holiness is in the details!
Muddying the distinctions only serves to suck the life out of each unique calling.
God calls each person for a unique purpose.
Holiness is found only by living as God calls you…
and none of us can live another’s vocation!
Ponder today where God has called…or is calling…you.
Humble yourselves before His will…and embrace the fullness of your vocation.
Embrace the truth…
and strive always for holiness in the details of each and every day!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Homily Solemnity of the Epiphany 6 January 2008
Today we reflect upon and ponder
the journey of faith of three men of the ancient world
whose lives are caught up in a search for Christ.
Legend and history combine to help us imagine these men and their journey.
First, there is Gaspar…
His name is from the Persian word for “treasurer.”
Gaspar is a man of wealth and power…
dressed in fine robes of purple silk…
his head crowned with an elegant turban.
He makes his way down from the region around the Black Sea…
to bring his treasure box to the newborn king:
a beautiful vessel of frankincense…
fragrant African aromatic resin…
symbolic of prayer…and laced with gold.
He brings incense…an ancient symbol of the presence of God.
All the treasure in the world cannot compare to the joy and splendor
of being able to adore the Christ Child.
Second, there is Balthazar…
His name is of Phoenician origin, meaning “Lord protect the king.”
Legend says he was a Nubian, the king of Saba in Africa.
He brings to Jesus a vessel of myrrh, an aromatic oil
that comes from the bark of thorny African trees.
The gift of myrrh keeps the inevitable passion of Christ in our minds.
For myrrh is a symbol of suffering…
and was used in the ancient world to anoint the bodies of the dead.
Hidden in that precious gift to the baby Jesus…in a time of joy and love…
was the gentle warning that suffering was to come…
that the passion would come.
Finally, there is Melchior…
His name is Semitic, from the Middle East, meaning “king city.”
He is a wise and dignified man, allegedly the eldest of the Magi.
He is a king in the ancient Arab world.
He brought to Jesus the precious gift of gold…
a fitting honor for this child who is also a king.
[PAUSE]
These men of wealth, power, and prestige…
men who had all they needed to be comfortable in this world…
set out on a journey
which was the goal and summit of their whole lives.
They set out separately…each from their own homeland…
following the same star through deserts and mountains…for perhaps years…
until at last the star…a sign of God’s providence…
showed them the way to Bethlehem.
They meet one another near the city and together approach Herod
to discover the precise place where they will find Jesus.
Imagine the excitement in these men’s hearts as they encounter one another…
realizing how God has drawn them together from separate and distant places
and has woven their lives together for a very special purpose.
They represent all the nations of the world coming to adore their king and God.
Imagine the stories they share with one another about their unique journeys.
Imagine their amazement at realizing they are not alone in this journey…
that God was leading them to Christ…and to one another…as well.
With Herod’s directions, they make the last steps of their sacred journey.
One might imagine that they are dead silent…
overcome with anticipation and awe as they approach the Holy Family.
They lay down their treasures…fall to their knees…prostrate…and adore Jesus.
Humbly, they place their costliest treasures before Him.
Humbly, they lay down themselves before Him!
Rising, they are filled with grace and peace.
They are changed forever, renewed and enlivened by their encounter with Christ.
They depart…as the Lord tells them…by another route.
[PAUSE]
The Lord has touched our hearts and called each of us from different places
to meet him face-to-face…and to be members of His holy Church.
His providential hand has led us through deserts of suffering
and the seemingly insurmountable mountains of life’s troubles.
Each of you has a uniquely amazing and beautiful story
of how you came to truly know Jesus Christ.
We could share with one another our stories…
and be amazed at how God has drawn us to Himself…and to one another.
We are Christians…and we have been drawn into a relationship with Christ.
Christ awaits us.
He waits for us to lay down before Him all that we treasure…
the material things that we hold on to…
to return to Him…for His glory…the gifts He has bestowed upon us.
But it does not end there.
He waits for us to lay down ourselves before Him…as the wise men did…
to lay down our egos, our pride, the ideas we hold contrary to the Church,
our vanity, our need for approval…everything.
Having come to Jesus silently…in awe…in trembling…
Having spiritually prostrated ourselves before Him…
Having done Him homage in our prayer and works of charity…
Having laid down our whole lives at His feet…in His service and for His glory…
We shall rise!
We shall rise filled with grace and peace…
changed forever…and renewed in Christ.
Once we have truly known and loved Jesus Christ…
we cannot possibly take leave of him by the same route.
The old way of sin by which we have lived needs to be closed to us.
We cannot return to past sins.
We have all come to know Christ in our lives.
We need to go forward having encountered Him…
and journey toward our true heavenly homeland
by a new and different route…the road of holiness and love.
The hand of God has led us from distant places to His own beloved Son.
We…like the magi…have made the journey of a lifetime.
From this moment and forever…may we travel by a different road!
the journey of faith of three men of the ancient world
whose lives are caught up in a search for Christ.
Legend and history combine to help us imagine these men and their journey.
First, there is Gaspar…
His name is from the Persian word for “treasurer.”
Gaspar is a man of wealth and power…
dressed in fine robes of purple silk…
his head crowned with an elegant turban.
He makes his way down from the region around the Black Sea…
to bring his treasure box to the newborn king:
a beautiful vessel of frankincense…
fragrant African aromatic resin…
symbolic of prayer…and laced with gold.
He brings incense…an ancient symbol of the presence of God.
All the treasure in the world cannot compare to the joy and splendor
of being able to adore the Christ Child.
Second, there is Balthazar…
His name is of Phoenician origin, meaning “Lord protect the king.”
Legend says he was a Nubian, the king of Saba in Africa.
He brings to Jesus a vessel of myrrh, an aromatic oil
that comes from the bark of thorny African trees.
The gift of myrrh keeps the inevitable passion of Christ in our minds.
For myrrh is a symbol of suffering…
and was used in the ancient world to anoint the bodies of the dead.
Hidden in that precious gift to the baby Jesus…in a time of joy and love…
was the gentle warning that suffering was to come…
that the passion would come.
Finally, there is Melchior…
His name is Semitic, from the Middle East, meaning “king city.”
He is a wise and dignified man, allegedly the eldest of the Magi.
He is a king in the ancient Arab world.
He brought to Jesus the precious gift of gold…
a fitting honor for this child who is also a king.
[PAUSE]
These men of wealth, power, and prestige…
men who had all they needed to be comfortable in this world…
set out on a journey
which was the goal and summit of their whole lives.
They set out separately…each from their own homeland…
following the same star through deserts and mountains…for perhaps years…
until at last the star…a sign of God’s providence…
showed them the way to Bethlehem.
They meet one another near the city and together approach Herod
to discover the precise place where they will find Jesus.
Imagine the excitement in these men’s hearts as they encounter one another…
realizing how God has drawn them together from separate and distant places
and has woven their lives together for a very special purpose.
They represent all the nations of the world coming to adore their king and God.
Imagine the stories they share with one another about their unique journeys.
Imagine their amazement at realizing they are not alone in this journey…
that God was leading them to Christ…and to one another…as well.
With Herod’s directions, they make the last steps of their sacred journey.
One might imagine that they are dead silent…
overcome with anticipation and awe as they approach the Holy Family.
They lay down their treasures…fall to their knees…prostrate…and adore Jesus.
Humbly, they place their costliest treasures before Him.
Humbly, they lay down themselves before Him!
Rising, they are filled with grace and peace.
They are changed forever, renewed and enlivened by their encounter with Christ.
They depart…as the Lord tells them…by another route.
[PAUSE]
The Lord has touched our hearts and called each of us from different places
to meet him face-to-face…and to be members of His holy Church.
His providential hand has led us through deserts of suffering
and the seemingly insurmountable mountains of life’s troubles.
Each of you has a uniquely amazing and beautiful story
of how you came to truly know Jesus Christ.
We could share with one another our stories…
and be amazed at how God has drawn us to Himself…and to one another.
We are Christians…and we have been drawn into a relationship with Christ.
Christ awaits us.
He waits for us to lay down before Him all that we treasure…
the material things that we hold on to…
to return to Him…for His glory…the gifts He has bestowed upon us.
But it does not end there.
He waits for us to lay down ourselves before Him…as the wise men did…
to lay down our egos, our pride, the ideas we hold contrary to the Church,
our vanity, our need for approval…everything.
Having come to Jesus silently…in awe…in trembling…
Having spiritually prostrated ourselves before Him…
Having done Him homage in our prayer and works of charity…
Having laid down our whole lives at His feet…in His service and for His glory…
We shall rise!
We shall rise filled with grace and peace…
changed forever…and renewed in Christ.
Once we have truly known and loved Jesus Christ…
we cannot possibly take leave of him by the same route.
The old way of sin by which we have lived needs to be closed to us.
We cannot return to past sins.
We have all come to know Christ in our lives.
We need to go forward having encountered Him…
and journey toward our true heavenly homeland
by a new and different route…the road of holiness and love.
The hand of God has led us from distant places to His own beloved Son.
We…like the magi…have made the journey of a lifetime.
From this moment and forever…may we travel by a different road!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Homily Feast of the Holy Family 30 December 2007
The late Cardinal O’Connor of New York…
once told this story…related to him by a nun and former schoolteacher…
in a homily on this very Feast of the Holy Family
Sister often had trouble filling the lesser roles in the Christmas pageant.
Everyone wanted to be Joseph, Mary, or the angel, or a shepherd.
None of the little boys and girls wanted to be an innkeeper.
One year, a little boy reluctantly accepted the role
and when Mary and Joseph came…and Joseph knocked on the door…
the little boy, the innkeeper…added his own insight to his role.
He opened the door and said:
"Well, we do not have any room for you to stay
but why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee!”
Of course, the Scriptures mention nothing about the Holy Family stopping for a latte.
Yet, something struck Cardinal O’Conner so much that he retold this story.
His own words were:
“What a trusting family that youngster must live in! What love that youngster must be taught, to reach out to others in this fashion. That is a wonderful, wonderful thing.”
Truly…a little boy who so naturally reacts in a generous way…
must have been taught and shown generosity at home.
He no doubt saw his parents offer hospitality in their home…as best they could.
It is one of the great joys of every priest’s life
that he is able to enter into the lives of many families…
teach them, learn from them, and be blessed by knowing them.
It has been my joy to meet and get to know so many families
since beginning my first assignment here at Saint Michael’s…
parents that live and pass on to their children the values of our faith:
generosity, selflessness, devotion to God and the Church.
Sadly, though, we do not have to look any further than the evening news
to realize that many families in our world…even in our own community…
have not embraced God’s brilliant design for human life and love.
Tragically, there are families where God is unheard of…
families where marriage is not revered as a sacred bond and lifetime commitment…
where sexuality is separated from the gift of life…
and where the lives of children are not valued.
The Sacred Scriptures today
teach us about the authentic meaning and vocation of families.
Above all, the lesson we gain
is that the life and love of a truly holy family
finds its foundation and source in the life and love of God.
We know from Scripture that God is a communion of persons…
Father…Son…and Holy Spirit…
who are eternally and constantly in relationship with one another.
Since human persons are created in the image and likeness of God…
the self-giving, unconditional love of God
and the loving communion of persons in God
become the image of the love to which we are called.
In other words, we are created to love as God loves.
In the unconditional love of God is found the perfect image of family life.
The family is the basic building block of society.
The family is the domestic church…the first school of life and of the faith.
The family is where young people are formed,
where they learn the lessons and values…
whether for good or for worse…
that will shape the rest of their lives.
The lives and relationships of every Christian family
are meant to be centered in God
and are meant to be living images of His presence in our souls.
Most significantly, this means that parents and children…
because they are members of a family…a unique communion of persons…
are called to give of themselves out of love for one another.
Parents are to be revered, cared for, and obeyed by their children.
To really love God means to keep the Fourth Commandment with sincerity.
Parents are called by God to teach and form their children
into mature gentlemen and ladies,
who are able to face the world with wisdom and faith.
That means teaching them the difficult and uncomfortable lessons about life, too:
that God comes first…and family immediately thereafter
that you can’t always have everything you want right now
that life involves sacrifice, hard work, and sometimes suffering.
The example of parents who live a holy marriage in the Lord
is invaluable for their children.
The silent lessons of love and fidelity shown by a mother and father
who sacrifice for each other and for the good of the family
are of tremendous influence and significance.
Even in difficult situations…separated and blended families…
there must be a constant commitment to doing whatever it takes
to live the love of God for the good of the young people.
Saint Paul is often criticized for saying:
“Wives, be subordinate to your husbands…”
Yet, it is critical to recall that he also says in another place:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church.”
Saint John Chrysostom remarks that much more is asked of the husband,
who is called to love his wife as Christ loves the Church…
by being willing even to die for her sake!
The lesson we learn from Saint Paul is that husbands and wives
are called to mutual self-giving…
that both are called to sacrifice for the other…
and for the sake of the family.
This radical self-giving love…after the pattern of God…who is Love itself…
is the vocation of every family.
The challenge for all of you is to live this love…and to be witnesses of it…
just like the hospitable little innkeeper!
Your perfect model in this great journey is the Holy Family…
whose life and love we celebrate today.
Their life was anything but ordinary…and surely filled with challenges…
and yet they persevered in peace and grace
because they never turned away from God and one another.
Literally, they were centered on Christ…as parents of Jesus.
So, too, your lives are to be centered on Christ!
The fabric of our world can only be repaired and strengthened
by the love, dedication, and witness of holy families.
Vocations to the priesthood and religious life will only increase
if the seeds God plants are nourished in holy families.
My dear friends, be holy families!
For through you God desires to renew the world!
once told this story…related to him by a nun and former schoolteacher…
in a homily on this very Feast of the Holy Family
Sister often had trouble filling the lesser roles in the Christmas pageant.
Everyone wanted to be Joseph, Mary, or the angel, or a shepherd.
None of the little boys and girls wanted to be an innkeeper.
One year, a little boy reluctantly accepted the role
and when Mary and Joseph came…and Joseph knocked on the door…
the little boy, the innkeeper…added his own insight to his role.
He opened the door and said:
"Well, we do not have any room for you to stay
but why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee!”
Of course, the Scriptures mention nothing about the Holy Family stopping for a latte.
Yet, something struck Cardinal O’Conner so much that he retold this story.
His own words were:
“What a trusting family that youngster must live in! What love that youngster must be taught, to reach out to others in this fashion. That is a wonderful, wonderful thing.”
Truly…a little boy who so naturally reacts in a generous way…
must have been taught and shown generosity at home.
He no doubt saw his parents offer hospitality in their home…as best they could.
It is one of the great joys of every priest’s life
that he is able to enter into the lives of many families…
teach them, learn from them, and be blessed by knowing them.
It has been my joy to meet and get to know so many families
since beginning my first assignment here at Saint Michael’s…
parents that live and pass on to their children the values of our faith:
generosity, selflessness, devotion to God and the Church.
Sadly, though, we do not have to look any further than the evening news
to realize that many families in our world…even in our own community…
have not embraced God’s brilliant design for human life and love.
Tragically, there are families where God is unheard of…
families where marriage is not revered as a sacred bond and lifetime commitment…
where sexuality is separated from the gift of life…
and where the lives of children are not valued.
The Sacred Scriptures today
teach us about the authentic meaning and vocation of families.
Above all, the lesson we gain
is that the life and love of a truly holy family
finds its foundation and source in the life and love of God.
We know from Scripture that God is a communion of persons…
Father…Son…and Holy Spirit…
who are eternally and constantly in relationship with one another.
Since human persons are created in the image and likeness of God…
the self-giving, unconditional love of God
and the loving communion of persons in God
become the image of the love to which we are called.
In other words, we are created to love as God loves.
In the unconditional love of God is found the perfect image of family life.
The family is the basic building block of society.
The family is the domestic church…the first school of life and of the faith.
The family is where young people are formed,
where they learn the lessons and values…
whether for good or for worse…
that will shape the rest of their lives.
The lives and relationships of every Christian family
are meant to be centered in God
and are meant to be living images of His presence in our souls.
Most significantly, this means that parents and children…
because they are members of a family…a unique communion of persons…
are called to give of themselves out of love for one another.
Parents are to be revered, cared for, and obeyed by their children.
To really love God means to keep the Fourth Commandment with sincerity.
Parents are called by God to teach and form their children
into mature gentlemen and ladies,
who are able to face the world with wisdom and faith.
That means teaching them the difficult and uncomfortable lessons about life, too:
that God comes first…and family immediately thereafter
that you can’t always have everything you want right now
that life involves sacrifice, hard work, and sometimes suffering.
The example of parents who live a holy marriage in the Lord
is invaluable for their children.
The silent lessons of love and fidelity shown by a mother and father
who sacrifice for each other and for the good of the family
are of tremendous influence and significance.
Even in difficult situations…separated and blended families…
there must be a constant commitment to doing whatever it takes
to live the love of God for the good of the young people.
Saint Paul is often criticized for saying:
“Wives, be subordinate to your husbands…”
Yet, it is critical to recall that he also says in another place:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church.”
Saint John Chrysostom remarks that much more is asked of the husband,
who is called to love his wife as Christ loves the Church…
by being willing even to die for her sake!
The lesson we learn from Saint Paul is that husbands and wives
are called to mutual self-giving…
that both are called to sacrifice for the other…
and for the sake of the family.
This radical self-giving love…after the pattern of God…who is Love itself…
is the vocation of every family.
The challenge for all of you is to live this love…and to be witnesses of it…
just like the hospitable little innkeeper!
Your perfect model in this great journey is the Holy Family…
whose life and love we celebrate today.
Their life was anything but ordinary…and surely filled with challenges…
and yet they persevered in peace and grace
because they never turned away from God and one another.
Literally, they were centered on Christ…as parents of Jesus.
So, too, your lives are to be centered on Christ!
The fabric of our world can only be repaired and strengthened
by the love, dedication, and witness of holy families.
Vocations to the priesthood and religious life will only increase
if the seeds God plants are nourished in holy families.
My dear friends, be holy families!
For through you God desires to renew the world!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Homily Christmas 2007
Nolite timere.
Ecce enim evangelizo vobis gaudium magnum
quod erit omni populo.
Quia natus est vobis hodie salvator in civitate David
qui est Christus Dominus!
Fear not.
Behold, indeed I declare to tidings of great joy
which will be for all the people.
For today a savior has been born for you in the city of David,
Who is Christ the Lord!
The angels declared to the shepherds…and declare this day to us:
The day of salvation has dawned!
The savior promised by the prophets of old…
announced by the angels…
and longed-for by countless generations for ages past…
has appeared at last on earth!
The Word of God has become flesh!
The moment for which we have prepared by our celebration of Advent has arrived!
The one for whom our hearts have longed and yearned is at last here with us!
Our Savior is born for us this holy day…Jesus Christ has come!
He has come…and how has He come?
The answer lies in the third stanza of a hymn from the 9th Century…
“Creator of the Stars of Night.”
When this old world drew on toward night,you came; but not in splendor bright,not as a monarch, but the childof Mary, blameless mother mild.
Yes, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
our savior has not come as a monarch…in wealth, prestige, or finery.
Instead, the one who is King of the whole universe…
has come as a innocent…helpless…little baby.
The one whose voice…spoken in darkness…brought into being all that exists…
takes on flesh as an infant…
and will learn from His mother how to eat and speak and walk
This child is born in a poor, dirty stable…the home of animals…
filled with straw…and other things you find beneath animals…
no place for any child to sleep.
His first visitors are not dignitaries… but shepherds with their bleating sheep.
This King has no royal robe…but simply a swaddling cloth…
and His throne is a wooden box out of which cows and donkeys eat.
Jesus was born…the same as He lived and as He died…in poverty.
[PAUSE]
The angel declares: “A Savior has been born for you.”
Jesus the Savior has indeed been born for us…
and we are called to embrace Him as Mary did.
As Mary bore Jesus in her womb…and gave birth to Him…
so we are meant to carry Christ with us
to allow His love to grow and mature within us…
and give birth to His love and peace and truth in the holiness of our lives.
Jesus will find a welcome in our lives…
if we embrace Him just as He was first born into our world… in poverty.
Jesus desires to come to us humbly…simply…without pageantry
and without the unnecessary, burdensome trappings of this world.
Mary and Joseph did not need a Hummer 3 to get to Bethlehem.
A donkey sufficed.
The Holy Family did not need an i-phone or a 120” TV.
They entertained themselves by delighting in one another’s company.
The Magi found the stable without GPS.
The star God had ordained was accurate within inches.
We have so many gadgets, and so much noise, and far too many distractions
in our lives these days.
If you, like so many who are overloaded today,
find yourself burdened and yet unfulfilled…busy and yet unsatisfied…
then…this Christmas…embrace Christ in poverty.
Before you make your next impulse purchase and swipe the newest plastic…
ponder the question:
“How will this help Christ's love grow in me and be born in my life?”
Before you make the next big decision at work, as yourselves:
“How will this help me, my colleagues, and my family to live Christ's love?”
Each day, as the rubber hits the road in daily life…
allow your lives to be guided by the fundamental question:
“How will what I have done, what I am doing, and what I will do today
allow me to carry the love and truth of Christ to others?
Strip away all that is unnecessary, that distracts us from God, that is not holy.
Embrace Christ in poverty…
and allow Him to fill you with the riches of grace…
which cannot ever be measured.
Embrace the sweet infant Jesus in simplicity of life and humility of heart.
Carry Him with you everywhere, forever.
Allow His love to grow and mature within you
and to be born constantly in a life of goodness, selflessness, and truth.
Embrace Christ tonight with reckless abandon… love him without reserve…
give yourselves completely to Him…
and never allow anything less than the perfect love of Christ
to guide and guard you in this life.
Tonight, according to ancient tradition, we will direct special attention
to the words in the Creed which speak of the mystery we celebrate tonight.
At the words of Incarnation…
“…and He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man…”
we will all pause and genuflect together.
I will lead you by turning toward the Altar and genuflecting myself.
During the whole year, we all bow at these special words.
Tonight we genuflect because we celebrate this great mystery,
which is at the heart of our faith.
As you genuflect and rise, ponder the mystery we celebrate.
As you take leave of this holy place tonight…
forget not the lesson of this great feast of Christ's birth.
Embrace Christ in poverty and humility.
Let nothing separate you from His love.
Ecce enim evangelizo vobis gaudium magnum
quod erit omni populo.
Quia natus est vobis hodie salvator in civitate David
qui est Christus Dominus!
Fear not.
Behold, indeed I declare to tidings of great joy
which will be for all the people.
For today a savior has been born for you in the city of David,
Who is Christ the Lord!
The angels declared to the shepherds…and declare this day to us:
The day of salvation has dawned!
The savior promised by the prophets of old…
announced by the angels…
and longed-for by countless generations for ages past…
has appeared at last on earth!
The Word of God has become flesh!
The moment for which we have prepared by our celebration of Advent has arrived!
The one for whom our hearts have longed and yearned is at last here with us!
Our Savior is born for us this holy day…Jesus Christ has come!
He has come…and how has He come?
The answer lies in the third stanza of a hymn from the 9th Century…
“Creator of the Stars of Night.”
When this old world drew on toward night,you came; but not in splendor bright,not as a monarch, but the childof Mary, blameless mother mild.
Yes, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
our savior has not come as a monarch…in wealth, prestige, or finery.
Instead, the one who is King of the whole universe…
has come as a innocent…helpless…little baby.
The one whose voice…spoken in darkness…brought into being all that exists…
takes on flesh as an infant…
and will learn from His mother how to eat and speak and walk
This child is born in a poor, dirty stable…the home of animals…
filled with straw…and other things you find beneath animals…
no place for any child to sleep.
His first visitors are not dignitaries… but shepherds with their bleating sheep.
This King has no royal robe…but simply a swaddling cloth…
and His throne is a wooden box out of which cows and donkeys eat.
Jesus was born…the same as He lived and as He died…in poverty.
[PAUSE]
The angel declares: “A Savior has been born for you.”
Jesus the Savior has indeed been born for us…
and we are called to embrace Him as Mary did.
As Mary bore Jesus in her womb…and gave birth to Him…
so we are meant to carry Christ with us
to allow His love to grow and mature within us…
and give birth to His love and peace and truth in the holiness of our lives.
Jesus will find a welcome in our lives…
if we embrace Him just as He was first born into our world… in poverty.
Jesus desires to come to us humbly…simply…without pageantry
and without the unnecessary, burdensome trappings of this world.
Mary and Joseph did not need a Hummer 3 to get to Bethlehem.
A donkey sufficed.
The Holy Family did not need an i-phone or a 120” TV.
They entertained themselves by delighting in one another’s company.
The Magi found the stable without GPS.
The star God had ordained was accurate within inches.
We have so many gadgets, and so much noise, and far too many distractions
in our lives these days.
If you, like so many who are overloaded today,
find yourself burdened and yet unfulfilled…busy and yet unsatisfied…
then…this Christmas…embrace Christ in poverty.
Before you make your next impulse purchase and swipe the newest plastic…
ponder the question:
“How will this help Christ's love grow in me and be born in my life?”
Before you make the next big decision at work, as yourselves:
“How will this help me, my colleagues, and my family to live Christ's love?”
Each day, as the rubber hits the road in daily life…
allow your lives to be guided by the fundamental question:
“How will what I have done, what I am doing, and what I will do today
allow me to carry the love and truth of Christ to others?
Strip away all that is unnecessary, that distracts us from God, that is not holy.
Embrace Christ in poverty…
and allow Him to fill you with the riches of grace…
which cannot ever be measured.
Embrace the sweet infant Jesus in simplicity of life and humility of heart.
Carry Him with you everywhere, forever.
Allow His love to grow and mature within you
and to be born constantly in a life of goodness, selflessness, and truth.
Embrace Christ tonight with reckless abandon… love him without reserve…
give yourselves completely to Him…
and never allow anything less than the perfect love of Christ
to guide and guard you in this life.
Tonight, according to ancient tradition, we will direct special attention
to the words in the Creed which speak of the mystery we celebrate tonight.
At the words of Incarnation…
“…and He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man…”
we will all pause and genuflect together.
I will lead you by turning toward the Altar and genuflecting myself.
During the whole year, we all bow at these special words.
Tonight we genuflect because we celebrate this great mystery,
which is at the heart of our faith.
As you genuflect and rise, ponder the mystery we celebrate.
As you take leave of this holy place tonight…
forget not the lesson of this great feast of Christ's birth.
Embrace Christ in poverty and humility.
Let nothing separate you from His love.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Homily Fourth Sunday of Advent 23 December 2007
‘Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas -- no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About shepherds and wise men and angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say --
December 25th is just a "holiday."
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit,
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!…
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word "Christmas" was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penney's and Sears,
You won't hear the word "Christmas" -- it won't touch your ears.…
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded,
The Reason for the Season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "winter break" under your "dream tree,"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say,
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ... not Happy Holiday!
[PAUSE]
These few excerpts from a parody of the famous Christmas poem
“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”
speak volumes about the reality of our world
and the challenges to our faith which we face every day.
The most basic reality of our faith…
the Incarnation of the Son of God…
is neglected, set aside, ridiculed, and deemed offensive to the public.
And no one bothers to do anything about it!
[PAUSE]
The Holy Scriptures today proclaim the imminence of Christ's birth…
and help us to “zero in” on the authentic meaning and reality
of this season of singular holiness and grace.
Ever since the first man and woman turned from God in the Garden of Eden,
our Heavenly Father has been seeking after us…
drawing us back to Himself…
and preparing to send His only Son to pay the price of Adam’s sin.
From ancient times, the prophets spoke the message entrusted to them by God.
Isaiah foretold that a virgin would conceive and bear a son,
and that this child would be called “Emmanuel” – “God-with-us.”
The Psalmist sings of the coming of the King of Glory,
and declares that that only the pure of heart
will stand with the Lord on His mountain.
When Jesus comes, He will be one like us, in all things but sin...
and so we shall be given the grace of becoming sons and daughters of God,
brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus.
Finally, in the fullness of time, God sent His messengers…
first to Zechariah and the barren Elizabeth…
announcing the birth of John the Baptist
then to Mary…
announcing to her that she would be the mother of the Savior
and then to Joseph…
to give him assurance and peace
in his unique role as foster-father of Jesus.
Today we hear of these last preparations in the drama of God’s plan.
The prophets have foretold it…
The angels have announced it…
John the Baptist is preaching and preparing the way for the Lord…
Mary and Joseph have been told of their unique roles in the plan of salvation…
Their lives are about to unfold in a way they never thought possible…
In God’s great design…all is ready…all is prepared…
for the coming of the King…the infant King!
Soon the Virgin shall bear a son!
The day of salvation draws ever nearer!
For us, these events are not simply ancient memories.
They are realities and mysteries into which we are drawn
through the celebration of the Liturgy.
This is Advent!
We, too, are preparing…our hearts, our homes, and our spiritual lives…for Christmas.
Meanwhile, we have to deal with the world around us trying to snuff out Christmas.
We are not preparing for just any holiday…or “winter festival.”
We are making ready for the coming of the Son of God…
the birth of the little child who will come to set us free!
There is only one celebration on the 25th of December.
Therefore, there is no conceivable reason why the lips of a baptized Catholic
should ever utter the words “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings!”
The very word “Christmas” comes from two words:
“Christ,” of course…and…“Mass.”
The word signifies the Mass which is celebrated on the birthday of Christ.
The very word is connected to the Liturgy of the Church.
Without a connection to the religious, liturgical celebration of Christ's birth…
Christmas has no meaning at all!
In our stores, legislatures, and public schools,
Christmas is being drained of any significance.
It falls to us to celebrate and proclaim the reality of what Christmas is…
and to keep the meaning of Christmas alive in the hearts of all people.
If you have friends of the Jewish faith, wish them a Happy and Blessed Hanukkah.
Otherwise, bring to those you meet the true blessing of this time of year.
Proclaim Jesus loud and clear, in every way possible!
If you wish by your choice of greeting to include the entire “season,”
remember that the “Christmas Season” extends all the way to Epiphany.
And if a store clerk should ever wish you a “Happy Holiday,”
look at them with love…smile…and say:
“Merry Christmas!”
Anything less than the truth is not worth saying at all.
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas -- no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About shepherds and wise men and angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say --
December 25th is just a "holiday."
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit,
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!…
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word "Christmas" was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penney's and Sears,
You won't hear the word "Christmas" -- it won't touch your ears.…
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded,
The Reason for the Season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "winter break" under your "dream tree,"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say,
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ... not Happy Holiday!
[PAUSE]
These few excerpts from a parody of the famous Christmas poem
“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”
speak volumes about the reality of our world
and the challenges to our faith which we face every day.
The most basic reality of our faith…
the Incarnation of the Son of God…
is neglected, set aside, ridiculed, and deemed offensive to the public.
And no one bothers to do anything about it!
[PAUSE]
The Holy Scriptures today proclaim the imminence of Christ's birth…
and help us to “zero in” on the authentic meaning and reality
of this season of singular holiness and grace.
Ever since the first man and woman turned from God in the Garden of Eden,
our Heavenly Father has been seeking after us…
drawing us back to Himself…
and preparing to send His only Son to pay the price of Adam’s sin.
From ancient times, the prophets spoke the message entrusted to them by God.
Isaiah foretold that a virgin would conceive and bear a son,
and that this child would be called “Emmanuel” – “God-with-us.”
The Psalmist sings of the coming of the King of Glory,
and declares that that only the pure of heart
will stand with the Lord on His mountain.
When Jesus comes, He will be one like us, in all things but sin...
and so we shall be given the grace of becoming sons and daughters of God,
brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus.
Finally, in the fullness of time, God sent His messengers…
first to Zechariah and the barren Elizabeth…
announcing the birth of John the Baptist
then to Mary…
announcing to her that she would be the mother of the Savior
and then to Joseph…
to give him assurance and peace
in his unique role as foster-father of Jesus.
Today we hear of these last preparations in the drama of God’s plan.
The prophets have foretold it…
The angels have announced it…
John the Baptist is preaching and preparing the way for the Lord…
Mary and Joseph have been told of their unique roles in the plan of salvation…
Their lives are about to unfold in a way they never thought possible…
In God’s great design…all is ready…all is prepared…
for the coming of the King…the infant King!
Soon the Virgin shall bear a son!
The day of salvation draws ever nearer!
For us, these events are not simply ancient memories.
They are realities and mysteries into which we are drawn
through the celebration of the Liturgy.
This is Advent!
We, too, are preparing…our hearts, our homes, and our spiritual lives…for Christmas.
Meanwhile, we have to deal with the world around us trying to snuff out Christmas.
We are not preparing for just any holiday…or “winter festival.”
We are making ready for the coming of the Son of God…
the birth of the little child who will come to set us free!
There is only one celebration on the 25th of December.
Therefore, there is no conceivable reason why the lips of a baptized Catholic
should ever utter the words “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings!”
The very word “Christmas” comes from two words:
“Christ,” of course…and…“Mass.”
The word signifies the Mass which is celebrated on the birthday of Christ.
The very word is connected to the Liturgy of the Church.
Without a connection to the religious, liturgical celebration of Christ's birth…
Christmas has no meaning at all!
In our stores, legislatures, and public schools,
Christmas is being drained of any significance.
It falls to us to celebrate and proclaim the reality of what Christmas is…
and to keep the meaning of Christmas alive in the hearts of all people.
If you have friends of the Jewish faith, wish them a Happy and Blessed Hanukkah.
Otherwise, bring to those you meet the true blessing of this time of year.
Proclaim Jesus loud and clear, in every way possible!
If you wish by your choice of greeting to include the entire “season,”
remember that the “Christmas Season” extends all the way to Epiphany.
And if a store clerk should ever wish you a “Happy Holiday,”
look at them with love…smile…and say:
“Merry Christmas!”
Anything less than the truth is not worth saying at all.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Homily Gaudete Sunday Year A 16 December 2007
Among the many saints canonized by John Paul II during his papacy
was African Josephine Bakhita.
She was born around 1869 in Darfur in Sudan.
At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders,
beaten, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan.
Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the family of a general,
and there she was flogged every day till she bled;
as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life.
Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant
for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani.
Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point,
Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master.”
In Venetian dialect, which she was now learning to speak,
she used the word “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ.
Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her.
Now, however, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters,
the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good…even “goodness in person.”
She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her,
that he actually loved her.
She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron.”
What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged
and now he was waiting for her “at the Father's right hand.”
Now she had “hope”…
no longer simply the hope of finding masters who would be less cruel,
but the great hope:
“I am definitively loved
and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love.
And so my life is good.”
Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed,”
no longer a slave, but a free child of God.
She understood what Saint Paul meant when he wrote to the Ephesians
that previously they were without hope and without God in the world…
without hope because without God.
On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed
and received her first Holy Communion
On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in religious life.
Josephine made journeys throughout Italy in order to promote the missions…
for she knew that the liberation that she had received
through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ
had to be handed on to others.
The hope born in her… which had “redeemed” her…she could not keep to herself;
this hope had to reach many…to reach everybody.
On November 30th, our Holy Father issued his second encyclical…
entitled Spe Salvi… “In Hope We Are Saved.”
The subject of the encyclical is the Christian virtue of hope.
The full text of the letter is available online…
and I shall offer a few reflections on the Holy Father’s teaching today.
Pope Benedict reflects that, throughout the New Testament,
the words “faith” and “hope” appear to be interchangeable.
Hope is equivalent to faith in the Epistles of the Early Church.
Before their encounter with Christ, the early Christians were without hope.
Those who came to know Christ…those who came to have faith in Him…
abandoned the worship of the ancient gods
and came to have hope in the one, true God.
The distinguishing mark of Christians is the fact that they have a future…
not that we know the precise details of what awaits us…
but that we know that our lives will not end in emptiness.
Because of our hope in what God has promised for our future…
it becomes possible to really live in the present.
The one who has hope lives differently.
For the faithful Christian,
the hope we have changes us…and inspires us to live for God.
The Gospel message is not merely “informative”…
not simply a bunch of information and things to be known…
though knowing our faith is an essential foundation for living.
Rather, in a much deeper way…the Gospel is “performative,”
it is a message that changes lives and makes things happen.
The people to whom Saint Paul preached were previously without hope…
because they were “without God in the world.”
Having heard the Gospel message…
and having experienced a real encounter with God…
they…like all who come to truly encounter God…find hope.
We have grown accustomed to the Christian understanding of God…
and often take Him and our relationship with Him for granted.
For this reason, Pope Benedict included the story of Josephine in his encyclical:
to give us an example of what it means to find God…
and thus to find hope…for the first time.
[PAUSE]
This Sunday is a unique day of joy in the life of the Church.
This Sunday is “Gaudete Sunday”…
a name which comes from the first word
of the introit antiphon for today’s Mass…
the antiphon which is often replaced by the opening hymn.
In Latin, the word is “Gaudete,” which means “rejoice!’
The joy of Christianity is supernatural…
for it is grounded in the beauty and splendor of our unique faith.
This “Gaudete Sunday” is a beacon of light in winter’s long darkness…
a moment of joy…and also of hope…
amid a season of preparation, and anticipation of the Birth of Jesus.
As we continue to prepare for Christmas…
we rejoice today precisely because we have hope that the Savior will come!
Hence also the “rose” colored vestments…
The scriptures today admonish us to
“Be strong, fear not!”
“Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand!”
Today we pray for the grace to experience God’s presence and love anew…
to rejoice as people who have come to know God all over again…
to celebrate this Christmas as if meeting Christ for the very first time…
and to bring others to Jesus by living the hope which wells up within us.
was African Josephine Bakhita.
She was born around 1869 in Darfur in Sudan.
At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders,
beaten, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan.
Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the family of a general,
and there she was flogged every day till she bled;
as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life.
Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant
for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani.
Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point,
Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master.”
In Venetian dialect, which she was now learning to speak,
she used the word “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ.
Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her.
Now, however, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters,
the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good…even “goodness in person.”
She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her,
that he actually loved her.
She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron.”
What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged
and now he was waiting for her “at the Father's right hand.”
Now she had “hope”…
no longer simply the hope of finding masters who would be less cruel,
but the great hope:
“I am definitively loved
and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love.
And so my life is good.”
Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed,”
no longer a slave, but a free child of God.
She understood what Saint Paul meant when he wrote to the Ephesians
that previously they were without hope and without God in the world…
without hope because without God.
On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed
and received her first Holy Communion
On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in religious life.
Josephine made journeys throughout Italy in order to promote the missions…
for she knew that the liberation that she had received
through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ
had to be handed on to others.
The hope born in her… which had “redeemed” her…she could not keep to herself;
this hope had to reach many…to reach everybody.
On November 30th, our Holy Father issued his second encyclical…
entitled Spe Salvi… “In Hope We Are Saved.”
The subject of the encyclical is the Christian virtue of hope.
The full text of the letter is available online…
and I shall offer a few reflections on the Holy Father’s teaching today.
Pope Benedict reflects that, throughout the New Testament,
the words “faith” and “hope” appear to be interchangeable.
Hope is equivalent to faith in the Epistles of the Early Church.
Before their encounter with Christ, the early Christians were without hope.
Those who came to know Christ…those who came to have faith in Him…
abandoned the worship of the ancient gods
and came to have hope in the one, true God.
The distinguishing mark of Christians is the fact that they have a future…
not that we know the precise details of what awaits us…
but that we know that our lives will not end in emptiness.
Because of our hope in what God has promised for our future…
it becomes possible to really live in the present.
The one who has hope lives differently.
For the faithful Christian,
the hope we have changes us…and inspires us to live for God.
The Gospel message is not merely “informative”…
not simply a bunch of information and things to be known…
though knowing our faith is an essential foundation for living.
Rather, in a much deeper way…the Gospel is “performative,”
it is a message that changes lives and makes things happen.
The people to whom Saint Paul preached were previously without hope…
because they were “without God in the world.”
Having heard the Gospel message…
and having experienced a real encounter with God…
they…like all who come to truly encounter God…find hope.
We have grown accustomed to the Christian understanding of God…
and often take Him and our relationship with Him for granted.
For this reason, Pope Benedict included the story of Josephine in his encyclical:
to give us an example of what it means to find God…
and thus to find hope…for the first time.
[PAUSE]
This Sunday is a unique day of joy in the life of the Church.
This Sunday is “Gaudete Sunday”…
a name which comes from the first word
of the introit antiphon for today’s Mass…
the antiphon which is often replaced by the opening hymn.
In Latin, the word is “Gaudete,” which means “rejoice!’
The joy of Christianity is supernatural…
for it is grounded in the beauty and splendor of our unique faith.
This “Gaudete Sunday” is a beacon of light in winter’s long darkness…
a moment of joy…and also of hope…
amid a season of preparation, and anticipation of the Birth of Jesus.
As we continue to prepare for Christmas…
we rejoice today precisely because we have hope that the Savior will come!
Hence also the “rose” colored vestments…
The scriptures today admonish us to
“Be strong, fear not!”
“Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand!”
Today we pray for the grace to experience God’s presence and love anew…
to rejoice as people who have come to know God all over again…
to celebrate this Christmas as if meeting Christ for the very first time…
and to bring others to Jesus by living the hope which wells up within us.
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