Homily for Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A)

The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122219.cfm

Despite what we may think.  We are more powerful than we know.  

Back in March, we heard in the gospel, the angel Gabriel come to Mary and announce that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would bear a son - the son of God.

In today’s gospel, we see that Joseph is now in on this little secret and that very soon - everyone else would be too.

Now, Mary was betrothed to Joseph.  This means that Mary and Joseph had exchanged vows before witnesses. 

Mary was living with her parents, and after a year, Joseph would take her into his own house.  In the meantime, Mary was to be called the wife of Joseph. 

Any violation of Joseph’s marital rights could be punished as adultery - a very serious offense. 

Then, suddenly, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary becomes pregnant.  Seriously? Who would believe that story? 

Mary knew...Joseph knew...everyone knew how babies were made.  What would she tell Joseph? What would she tell her parents?  

And imagine how Joseph felt.  He had been betrayed. Would people think he did it?  He must have been disappointed, confused, angry and worried.

Despite these feelings, Joseph didn’t want to expose Mary; he didn’t want to cause her any shame and he didn’t want to see her harshly punished. 

But he wasn’t going to take the hit either.

I’m sure, Joseph didn’t want to support someone else’s child. 

But with total trust in God, Joseph agreed to become the foster father of Jesus. 

Mary’s pregnancy was a surprise that could have led to swift and harsh judgment.  

Instead, Joseph made a compassionate choice.  

He had a choice, as we all do many times a day, to deliver judgement or compassion.  Thankfully, Joseph chose compassion.

Now Jesus desires compassion - he calls us to it.  As he said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”  

So why does Jesus recommend compassion over judgment? 

Because as flawed human beings, compassion is the unexpected choice, based in love and it creates new possibilities for the future when we choose it.  

Joseph chose compassion and look at the difference that made on all of human history!

God often asks us to make a choice.  And we have the power to decide how to do that.

We can judge the people around us, or we can show them compassion. 

Obviously, that doesn’t mean that everything is ok.  

Actually, many things are not ok and we know that, don’t we?  We have rules, laws, the Ten Commandments, the Church and our conscience to guide us, but at the end of the day each of us has a choice to make in how we respond to others in our lives.  

People will disappoint us - people will do things we don’t approve of.  That doesn’t mean we are called to be judge, jury and executioner.  

Jesus calls us to love, to call out, to correct, yes - but also to help and to do each of these things from a place of compassion, not condemnation.

In the upcoming season of Christmas that starts in just a few days, we may come across many family members and friends. 

They may be guilty of immoral behavior. 

They may have made poor life choices. 

They may be struggling with issues that make us want to judge them.  

Making matters even worse, we may have made choices that make us worried about how we will be judged.

In each of these situations, we should remember that Joseph showed compassion.  

Who knows what would have happened if Joseph operated from a place of ego, wanting to be right or worry about what others thought, rather than operating from a place of compassion?

Each of us has the power to react, judge, condemn and end;  We also have the power, as Joseph showed, to be merciful, to show compassion and to love and as a result, create new beginnings as we go.

Despite what we may think.  We are more powerful than we know.  

Let us appreciate that power, and wherever possible use it to operate from a place of compassion, rather than judgement.

Homily for First Sunday of Advent (Year A)

The readings for the First Sunday of Advent (Year A) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120119.cfm

Life is busy isn’t it?  So much to do. So little time.  

There’s always something going on, always something to plan for, always something to do, always more items on our ever growing to-do lists.  

This past week was a perfect example.  

We planned and prepared for Thanksgiving.  

Whether we were home or travelled to be with friends or family, chances are we spent many hours thinking about and preparing for Thanksgiving.  

Meal plans were prepared.  

Impromptu trips to the grocery store happened for that one item we forgot on our list.  

Then it became about getting the house ready, doing the cleaning, preparing the table, cooking the meal.   

I heard something earlier this week that caught my attention.  Basically it went like this...we spend 10 hours preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, twenty minutes eating it and 3 hours cleaning up after it.  That’s thirteen hours of a lot going on there for a twenty minute meal!  

And no sooner than when Thanksgiving was over we were already on to the next thing - making lists, reading circulars, drinking ginormous cups of coffee and heading out for Black Friday shopping.  

Because Thanksgiving was so late this year, there are even less days to prepare for Christmas.  So much to do. So little time.

That’s exactly what the gospel for the First Week of Advent is all about.  

So much to do.

So little time.

Unlike Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Christmas, which we have had marked on the calendar, we don’t know when we will meet our Lord.  

Whether we meet Him as part of His Second Coming or because of the unexpected end of our own lives, that day will come.  The days of preparation, the planning, the list making, all the activity will come to an end. It’ll happen.  

No matter how hard we try to control our day-to-day lives, ultimately events will overtake us.  And that is why we need to be prepared.  

In today’s gospel, our Lord’s message is simple.  Prepare for the unexpected through faith. Trust in the Lord daily and when disaster strikes, you will have the where-with-all to survive.

Now, Our Lord does not want us unable to sleep, anxious, constantly worried about whether today could be the day for us or those that we love.  But He does want us to prepare for the inevitable.  

He calls us to be prepared.  Today is not just any day.  

Today is where eternal happiness or eternal punishment is decided.  

That’s scary isn’t it?   I’ll say that again.

Today is where eternal happiness or eternal punishment is decided.  

We don’t know when our earthly pilgrimage will come to an end, but if we thought it could come today, how could that change the way we live our lives?

To be saved we don’t have to meet any special conditions, or to be in a special position in life; we simply have to be faithful to the Lord in the middle of ordinary, everyday life.  To live in a way where we are conscious of our souls and of being in a state of grace.

Our Lord calls us to be prepared and like a good Father, he has given us some guidelines to help.  He has given us the commandments and has given us the pathway to ensure we are in a state of grace in the Sacrament of Penance.  

Examine your Conscience.  Go to confession. Do it as soon as you possibly can.  

If you are too embarrassed to go to your parish priest, go somewhere else.  If the schedule for confessions doesn’t work for you, call the parish office.  They will gladly accommodate your request for a sacramental confession. Go to Our Lady’s Chapel downtown.  Find a priest that may be a little hard of hearing if that helps.  

That one has worked for me in the past.  

As you work through your list in preparation for Christmas, make sure making a good sacramental confession is on it - if not at the top of it.  

As we begin this Advent journey, let us be mindful of our eternal lives and that caring for it be somewhere on our ever-growing to-do list - if not at the top.

After all,

We have so much to do 

and less time to do it in 

than we can possibly know.

Homily for Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C)

The readings for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111019.cfm

You only live once.  We’ve all heard this phrase before, haven’t we?  At times, we use these words to justify a purchase, a trip or a decision we know we probably shouldn’t make, because after all…you only live once.

But life, at least in terms of our immortal soul is a long one and in today’s gospel, we hear the promise of eternal life.    An eternal life that we are meant to spend with our Lord in heaven.

But how often do we really think about heaven?  How often do we think about the alternative? If we thought more about it, would that change the way we think about our life now?  

In heaven, we will love everybody, but more perfectly than we do now.  In fact, if our enemy makes it to heaven, we will love them more than we love our spouse or family or friends now.   That should fill us with great hope.

And that’s what today’s readings are about - hope.

All the boys that died in the first reading - they talked about the hope of the resurrection, and that was before Jesus came and proved there was a resurrection by rising from the dead.   That’s hope!

They said you may take my life now, but God will give it back for eternity. That’s hope! 

St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to reinforce the strength that God would give them so that they could be hope-filled.

So, we need to be a people of hope. 

That means no matter how dark things seem, no matter what happens in the Church, in this collaborative, no matter what happens to those that we love, no matter who says what about whom, no matter who gets elected, no matter what, we need hope!   

The hope that no matter what - God is with us and strengthens us. 

Regardless of what happens in this life, as followers of Jesus, we are people of hope and that means that God always wins.  Always.  

And being people of hope, we need to make sure we live not just for this life, but for eternal life.  And that’s not always easy. Speaking for myself, I can get so caught up in day to day life and my “to do” list, that I can often forget what’s important and that’s heaven.

So as people of hope, our ultimate goal is to keep our eyes on eternal life in heaven, which is a place of love.

When you and I go beyond ourselves, in little and big ways every day, and live for others, we are preparing for what heaven is going to be like.  Those in heaven already learned this while they were on earth - that the purpose of life is to love and take care of others.

In a way, that’s what we focus on in the Church in November.

One of the ways we love others is to pray for the immortal souls of those who passed from this life before us.  Sometimes, we don’t pray for them because we assume they’re already in heaven, which can be a mistake. We need to show them love  too, by praying for them, having Masses said for them and helping them along in their journey to heaven.

This is what hope is all about. 

And so, if you have a quiet moment this week I’d ask you to have a think about how you’re doing in this life in preparing for eternal life.  Ask yourself -

Am I more concerned about others than myself? 

Do I make sure that I take care of those in need on a consistent basis, not just when I can fit it into my schedule? 

Do I lay down my life for others? 

Am I just living for now, next week or next year, or am I living for eternity? 

Whether we like it or not, every one of our mortal bodies is going to die.  Jesus’ mortal body died and we know we don’t measure up to Jesus. But his resurrection from the dead that we’ll proclaim in the Celebration of the Eucharist in just a few moments - gives us hope.

While our bodies will die, our souls are immortal and we need to protect them by loving and caring for others.  

We may only live once – but if we do it right, with hope and love for others and our eternal soul – once is enough.

Homily for Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102019.cfm

Let’s face it, we’re busy.  We are short on time. And when we are short on time, prayer is one of the first things to get cast aside.  This is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. Circumstances may have changed, but people, they’re pretty much the same.   

Prayer has always been a problem for anyone who believes in God.  That’s why Jesus told parables about prayer to his disciples. Because we have trouble with prayer.

If we really believed in the power of prayer, if we really believed that prayer could make a difference in this world, if we were truly convinced that prayer changes things, changes us, heals broken lives, then we would be praying constantly. You couldn’t keep us from praying. 

But the problem that most of us have with prayer is one that Jesus addresses in today’s gospel.  We simply lose heart. We give up. We don’t believe. So Jesus says that we are to pray and not give up.  To keep praying without stopping. 

It makes you wonder sometimes why God doesn’t just answer our prayers right away.  Are we asking for the wrong things? Are we doing it wrong? Is God just not listening?   Is He too busy helping other people to help us? And so we do what humans do so often, when things get hard, we get tempted and we give up.

But, Jesus tells us to keep praying and something will eventually happen. Like the widow who keeps coming to the Judge for justice, we need to be persistent and not give up.

But let’s be honest. It’s hard to pray like Jesus wants us to.  We want results for the effort we put in don’t we?

In order for prayer to work, it needs to be a priority for us. We need to have a daily commitment to prayer.  It needs to be part of our routine. Why? Because we are creatures of habit. Some start by simply talking to God about their day.  Others begin by praying from the Bible. Still others have a favorite spiritual book that they begin with. Then when they arrive at the time and place in their day for prayer, they have a plan.  It is not left to chance or mood. They have a habit of prayer and they stick to it.

Beginners in prayer struggle because they try one thing and if it doesn’t work, they get discouraged.  And let me let you in on a secret, whether you sit at the altar or sit in the pews, we are all beginners - we are all still learning.  

To succeed in prayer, we need to have a time to pray, a place to pray and a structure to our prayer.  It can’t be left to chance or if we have time. Because if we do that, it won’t happen.

Set aside a time.  Schedule it. Name the appointment on your calendar, “God” if you have to.  That will make it hard to ignore or decline.

And to pray without giving up doesn’t have to be overbearing or complicated.  

We can all reverence God by making the sign of the cross when passing by a church.

We can all say grace before meals, even when we are out at a restaurant or outside of our own homes.

We can all listen to spiritual music.

We can say the rosary.  We can use our fingers to count the prayers - we don’t even need a rosary.  

We can thank God when we wake up in the morning.

We can thank God when we go to bed at night.

A routine of prayer is anything but routine.  It’s all about having a right relationship with God.  And being in relationship with God changes you. Being in relationship with God transforms you.  

Being in relationship with God changes your prayer - how you speak with God.  

And ultimately, how He speaks back.

Homily for Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092919.cfm

Early this morning, I met my running partner for a training run in North Fairhaven.  Now, this is not anything new, we’ve been doing this for about ten years.

When I get to his house, I ask him, “How you doing my man?” and he responds to me saying “Life is hard.”  That was his opening line - “Life is hard”. I think we can all relate to that, because life, as wonderful as it is, absolutely feels hard at times.

Now, I won’t bore you with the details of our run, except to say that we did more complaining during that one hour than the Hebrews did in the entire Old Testament. 

So, life is hard - and it certainly was for Lazarus in today’s gospel.

Now, Lazarus was sick, homeless, starving and being licked by wild dogs, and these were not man’s best friend either, but street dogs - scavengers looking for their next meal.  Meanwhile, Lazarus sat at the door of a rich man hoping desperately to eat the scraps that fell off his table. Life was certainly hard for Lazarus.

Not so much for the rich man.  He had nice clothes, good food on the table and all the creature comforts life has to offer.  This man had things, he clearly enjoyed things for himself and he had the opportunity to help others, especially those in need - but he did not share what he had.

The rich man and Lazarus.  Two different people. Two different lives in this world.  And ultimately, two different lives in the next.

Jesus’ point here is not so much that one person is rich and the other is poor, but that one was blind to the world directly in front of him.  It’s about how - despite all the blessings we are given, we can be so focused on ourselves that we can neglect other people as a result.  

As human beings, we can get so wrapped up in our own business that we forget about those around us.  I know sometimes I do.

If we’re honest with ourselves and we compare our lives to most other people on this planet - we are blessed beyond belief and that gives us the ability to show great mercy and be incredibly charitable in how we care for others.

In fact, Jesus calls us to take care of each other.  We are supposed to be his hands and feet. This is all about charity.  Not necessarily charity in the form of giving money, but charity in our disposition, in our spirit, how we relate to people, how we care for people and the respect we show to them.

This parable is very clearly a warning for us to pay attention to how we live in this life.  

Like the rich man who never sees poor Lazarus at his door, we will be judged by how we do or do not practice charity.

Now we might ask ourselves, if I am the rich man, who would be Lazarus in my life?  Who am I neglecting, ignoring or depriving of my help, my time, my gifts? Who have I passed by outside of my door that was in real need because I was focussed on my own stuff? 

And it may not just be a Lazarus outside of our door, but a Lazarus in our own homes.   Our spouse, our children, our parents - are we charitable to them, are we concerned about their well being, do we think about them first or is it mostly about us and what we want, about our situation? 

This week - if you have a quiet moment, I’d ask you to pray for our Lord to help you see more clearly, the Lazarus in your life. Pray.  Be bold. Ask our Lord to show you how you can reach out and help someone else. Bearing the name Christian comes with responsibilities.   Make it a priority to serve a Lazarus this week.

As my running partner said this morning - Life is hard.  

But, the mercy and charity we show can make this life easier for others - and can absolutely determine how hard everlasting life will be for us.

Homily for Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090819.cfm

I like free stuff.  Who here doesn’t like to get things for free?  

I also like bargains.  That’s why we have yard sales, QVC, eBay, Amazon Prime Day, T.J. Maxx, Black Friday, Tax Free Weekend - the list goes on and on.  We like to get as much as we can for the lowest possible cost, don’t we?  

In today’s Gospel, large crowds were travelling with Jesus.  

But, Jesus knew that they weren’t truly following Him.

Jesus saw this large crowd and knew why they were there.  They loved the miracles, the healing and the free food. He knew, they wanted the benefits of what He did rather than an understanding of who He was.  He knew they loved His gifts, but not the life He was calling them to. Essentially he tells the large crowd, something for nothing is not how this works.  Following him is not free.

If we are completely honest with ourselves, we know, at times that we are not too different from that large crowd.  We want the good stuff. We want as much of it as possible, but we want it at the lowest possible cost or we want it for free.  

These bargains don’t just stop at stuff - it extends to our spiritual life, doesn’t it?

We want Holy Communion, we want the Eucharist.  But we don’t want Confession, with its Examination of Conscience to properly dispose our souls for communion with our Lord.

We want a relationship with Christ.  But we don’t want to invest the time to talk and to listen to Him or to spend time with His Word on a regular basis.  Too many other things to do in our busy lives.

We want access to the sacraments for us and for our families - a beautiful Church for Baptism, weddings, Holy Mass and the Rite of Christian Funerals, but we don’t always want to make the choices we need to make each and every day to ensure we live our lives in a way that is in line with what Jesus and His Church are calling us to.

If we are honest with ourselves - most of the time, we want what we want, when we want it.  We want all the blessings of heaven - but with the least amount of sacrifice possible. We want free stuff.  We want a bargain. Just like the large crowd in today’s Gospel.

Now, Jesus is telling us that’s not how it works.  

Salvation might be free.  But being a follower of Jesus costs.

The Good News is that Jesus gave us a model of what it means to be His follower.  He showed us through prayer, the scriptures and His commandments.

Jesus prayed.  A lot. To be a true follower of Jesus, we need to be having an ongoing conversation with God through an active prayer life.  This means more than just reciting rote prayers we learned when we were small children. This means having regular conversations with God.  By talking to Him and by listening to Him. We can’t do this by multi-tasking. We need to make the time.

Jesus knew the Scriptures and referred to them often.  True followers of Jesus need to be students of the Word and allow it to guide us in how we conduct our lives.  We need to spend time reading and reflecting on His Word. Doing spiritual reading and letting it filter out to the other parts of our life.

True followers do what Jesus did and care about the things that Jesus cares about.  This may mean leaving behind some things that matter the most to us and making the things of God a higher priority.  Can we leave behind sinful habits or things that get in the way of our relationship with Jesus so we can focus more on what He is calling us to do?  That’s not easy, that’s not free.

No person and no thing is more important than our relationship with Jesus, because our relationship with Him shapes, defines and affects all our other relationships, all aspects of our lives; who we are, what we say, and what we do.  

We can’t invest in our relationship with Jesus if our focus is everywhere else, if we don’t put in the time and effort or if we expect all the benefits of that relationship without giving anything in return - without giving up those things that get in the way of our relationship with Him.

When you start to work it out, the cost of following Jesus is pretty significant.  It’s not free.  

But, when you think about it, the cost of not following Jesus is even greater.

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (Year C)

The readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) May be found at:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080419.cfm

Now, I don’t know about you, but the thing that sticks out to me most about this gospel passage is the fact that God calls this man a fool.  

Now, this isn’t like you or me thinking that someone is a fool or even saying to someone else that we think someone is a fool or even looking straight at someone and calling them a fool - which is not something we should really do.  No. This is God calling this man a fool. God.  

Now, the word “fool” literally means a person without reason, without common sense, or devoid of sense.  Fool. That’s a pretty serious word, isn’t it? I am sure that Jesus doesn’t take the word “Fool” lightly, and yet in this passage God calls the man a fool.  He doesn’t call him that because he’s a crook. He doesn’t call him that because he’s dishonest. He doesn’t call him that because he fails to plan ahead. Right?  I mean this guy is talking about building bigger barns and storing away years of bountiful harvests. What’s wrong with planning for the future? To tell you the truth, in our society, this man would be considered a success.  The fool, in this case, is a person who lives as though God does not exist. He may not actually say it, but in his actions, in his lifestyle, in his priorities, in the way he spends his time, in the things he does, he lives as though God does not exist.  We see this clearly in the parable Jesus told.  

A foolish person is a thankless person.  This man says “I” or “Me” or “My” a dozen times.  In four verses, he thinks or talks about himself, his stuff, what he has accomplished, and what he will do 12 times!  Not once in this whole parable does he ever think, mention, or say, “Thank you”. Not one time. He could plant and till. He could harvest and collect. He could tear down and build, but he could not cause it to rain. He did not cause the sun to shine. He did not keep the bugs and disease away. He did not cause the seed to grow, and yet he thought he had accomplished all that he saw and was grateful to no one.  He never thanked God for what he had. He never thanked God for his health. He never thanked God for the blessings he had. He thought it had all come as a result of his efforts. We live in a society today that is marked by this kind of selfishness. We live in a society where many believe that all they have is the result of their own efforts, don’t we? 

A foolish person is also often blinded by lies.  What will I do? I’ll build better barns, store up my stuff, and then enjoy myself. More will make me happy.  Oh, the lies that have blind us. If I have more stuff, it will make me content. We never say it like that though.  Instead, it sounds like, “I really want this or that …” believing the lies on TV that a new car, a bigger house, whiter teeth, or shinier hair (yes, I said hair) will make me happy.  We have bought into the lie that more is better when the opposite is often true.  

A foolish person also forgets others.  Why do you we think God left us here and gave us the gift of faith?  It was to witness to and to serve others. Now that doesn’t mean we have to be Mother Theresa, but it can’t always be about us.  Do we consider those around us? Those in need? And not just those in our own family. Do we remember the Church? Are we generous with our time, our talent, our treasure?  

Finally, a foolish person forgets the future.  What would you do if you knew that tonight your life were to be demanded from you?  Might that change the way you spend the rest of your day? Would that change who you spend it with?  The decisions that you make? You might even pray like you have never prayed before. This man, this foolish man, had not prepared for the real, the lasting, eternal future, instead focusing on the here and now. 

This week.  As you are driving around or if you have a quiet moment, I’d like to ask you to think a bit.  Think about all that you have, rather than all that you want. Are you thankful to God? I mean, truly thankful?  Are you living a life of truth and storing up the kind of treasures that truly matter to God and for eternal life?  Are you considerate of others and their needs, and if you are able, do you make an effort to help those that don’t have as much as you do?  Are you examining your conscience and investing in what truly matters in your relationship with God and those around you?  

If you are doing all of things, I say congratulations - you are on track. 

If not, there may still be some time left so as to not be thought of a fool.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C)

The readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C) May be found at:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052619.cfm

Do you ever get frustrated?  I know I do. I mean, when someone tries to explain a complicated story or provide lengthy instructions on how to do something or describes how to get somewhere - and you just can’t “get it” for whatever reason - that can be frustrating can’t it?  It can be. I see some heads nodding - you know what I’m talking about. This past week, I was trying to explain to my mother, who is amazing and who I love very, very much - how to set up a Facebook account, over the phone with me in Massachusetts and her in Florida so that she could watch the live stream video of the permanent diaconate ordination.  I failed miserably. I was frustrated. She was frustrated. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard for you to come up with an example of something that has frustrated you recently. So, as wonderful as it must have been to be one of Jesus’ disciples - it had to be frustrating at times. Like in today’s gospel that takes place on Holy Thursday, Jesus is spending his last moments with his disciples just hours before he is crucified.  During their last night together, as part of what is referred to as Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, Jesus is trying to explain what is going to happen to him and to them. He explains that he is going away and that he will not leave them alone - even though he just told them he was going away. Can you imagine what was going through the disciples’ minds as he spoke those words? You are going away, but you are not leaving us alone? How does that make sense?  It had to be frustrating for them.  Jesus assures them that the Father will be sending someone to help them.  But who? Jesus explains, that while he will be leaving, the Father, God, will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name and that the Holy Spirit, "will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you".  Even with this information, I can imagine that the disciples were still not convinced that Jesus’ leaving could be a good thing. Jesus continues that he is telling them these things now so that when they happen, they will believe. In fact, it is only after the resurrection, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, that the disciples begin to understand and believe the words of Jesus.  This same Holy Spirit, who we refer to everytime we do the Sign of the Cross, or recite the Creed is the same person who helped the disciples and the same Holy Spirit at work in our lives today. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is written that “One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus is. For “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit - No one comprehends the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God.”  So often, we do not understand what God is up to. But, seriously - how could we? As hard as we try, we simply can’t understand how certain horrible events in life could have any positive meaning or result in anything good. It is only with time and prayer and the aid of the Holy Spirit that we begin to see how God might be working for good even in the midst of terrible and confusing times in our lives. Jesus tells us as he told his disciples - that we are not alone. He tells us that it is the profound love of God that he made known to his disciples and that the Holy Spirit continues to make known to us today that helps us when things get hard. The Spirit assures us that we are never abandoned, even in the midst of the loss, pain, and sorrow that are part of life in this broken world.   Jesus promises us peace, not as the world gives, but peace that is based on a power that overcomes anything that the world could possibly throw at us. In the coming week, if you find yourself in a frustrating or difficult situation - and you know it could happen - in fact, it probably will happen - remember that you are never abandoned - take a moment, open yourself up to God, open yourself up to the guidance of the Holy Spirit - remember that you don’t know everything, and that this is okay, because the Holy Spirit understands it all. Ask the Holy Spirit, who you received at baptism and confirmation to fill you with his help to understand what is happening in your life and to ask Jesus to fill you with his peace. You might get frustrated, but the Holy Spirit never does. You are not alone.  He is always with you - and he is with you to help.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C)

The readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C) May be found at: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051919.cfm

Homily

A couple of weeks ago, a parishioner, who shall remain nameless and who clearly wanted me to keep my homilies short, said to me, there’s a fine line between a long homily and a hostage situation - and I think the writer of this gospel, St. John the Evangelist, may have felt the same way. Legend has it, that every Sunday, as he presided over the Eucharist, he would get up to preach. And every time he would deliver the same homily saying these words: “Little children, love one another”, and then, he would stop talking and sit down.  That’s it? Really? That’s literally a ten second homily. When people would ask him why all he ever preached was “Little children, love one another” - he would respond, “What else is there?” Now, you’re probably thinking that my homily is already much longer than Saint John’s...and you would be right! But I hope you’re also wondering what Saint John was getting at when he said “Little children, love one another”.  Let’s see if we can figure it out together. Now love itself, is not a new concept. All of our theology and preaching, in one way or another comes back to the same basic message of God’s love for us - in fact, love is why we were created in the first place. Love of neighbor was already commanded in the Old Testament. Jesus then took this to another level when he told us to love our enemies as well - which is not easy for any of us to do. Jesus also reinforced the first and most important commandment when he reminded us to “Love God with all your heart and soul and mind”.  But when Jesus says in this gospel, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” He raises the bar for us - big time. Throughout his ministry, Jesus showed his love through his teaching, his compassionate healing and ultimately, given that He died for us on the cross - he set a pretty high bar. Now, does that mean Jesus expects us to literally die for each other? No - of course not. For one thing, that wouldn’t a very attractive selling point to the faith. But, in one way, Jesus does expect us to die ... to our own selfishness and to focus a little bit of what we’ve been given on the needs of those around us, especially those who are in the most need.  The self giving love that Jesus lives is how we’re supposed to pattern our love. He expects us to sacrifice for each other. Now, this is the ultimate form of love, to sacrifice for another person. Now, we see people sacrifice for others, don’t we? We know what it looks like. The parent who works the second or third job or the late shift or all three to take care of their family. The person who looks out for their elderly neighbor and checks in on them from time to time to make sure they are ok. The person who brings their leftovers or cooks whole meals for their less fortunate neighbor who may not have enough to eat. The person who volunteers at the homeless shelter, or visits the nursing home or the hospital even though none of their family or friends is one of the residents there.  I’m sure you can think of examples of this kind of love in your day to day life. But sacrificing for others, out of love is not easy. So, why should we do it? The Blessed Mother Theresa might have said it best. When asked why she spent so much effort helping people who were going to die anyway, especially when most of them were not even Christian...the answer she gave was simple. She answered that she had no choice. She was a Christian, committed to serving Jesus, and Christ, himself, identified with the poorest of the poor. She patterned her love on that of Christ - and in the process showed that she was a disciple of Jesus. We are called to do the same. How will the world know we are disciples of Christ? By the way we love. He calls us to love unselfishly and to sacrifice for others. Now this kind of love has to extend beyond the the four walls of this church.  It has to extend beyond this Holy Mass. Jesus calls us to love in a way that shows the world - through our actions - that we are disciples of Christ. In the week ahead, If you have a quiet moment, and I know those are not easy to come by, I want you to reflect on how you show God’s love to others. Can you be more sensitive to the needs of others? Can you be more willing to patiently listen to those in distress? Can you be brave enough to speak out against injustice when it occurs? And can you do these things in a spirit of love? Loving in this way, as Jesus did, gives glory to God. It is how Jesus loves. It’s like our gospel writer was known to say, “Little children, love one another.” Because as he said so well - what else is there?