Homily for The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102421.cfm

Today, Jesus and the crowd are on their way to Jerusalem where they come across a blind beggar sitting by the road, named Bartimaeus.

And when this blind beggar hears that Jesus is passing, he cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus may have been physically blind - but he saw - he saw who Jesus was - even when most around Jesus did not yet understand who Jesus really was.

Now, Jesus had a reputation that preceded Him.    Bartimaeus had heard about Jesus, but when he called out to Him, he did so with insight and understanding.  He cried out to Jesus as someone who could heal him and make him whole.

Now, the crowd and many of the disciples following Jesus, thought Jesus was way too important to stop for a blind beggar and many people told Bartimaeus to be silent.

Imagine that…someone in desperate need, calling out to Jesus,  surrounded by people trying to quiet him down.

I hope none of us would ever prevent someone else from coming to Jesus.  But we might do that sometimes, without recognizing it.

We may not stand in the way of Jesus explicitly, I mean we’re all here in church today.  But as they say, “actions speak louder than words”. 

We’ve all done the right thing by coming to Mass, but thinking about what we’re going to do after Mass or someplace else we’d rather be, or visibly annoyed by a crying baby or chatty child or being outwardly judgey about someone else’s appearance - do we move from “Peace be with you” to “Peace Out” and blow it before we even get out of the parking lot?  

Too many times others who would come to Jesus could say, “If that’s what being a follower of Christ is, I want no part of it.”

To Jesus, Bartimaeus was not a speed bump in the road, he was the reason Jesus had come.

Jesus did not go to Bartimaeus, but rather called him. 

And in much the same way, Jesus calls us.  Do we drop what we are doing immediately and go to Jesus?  

Tossing aside his garment, basically, all he has, this blind beggar rose and went to Jesus.  His garment is what he laid out on the ground for people to toss their scraps into. His garment is what kept him warm at night. His garment was everything he had.  But nothing was going to stand between him and Jesus. 

So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”  To which the blind man answered, “Master, I want to see.”

In humble trust Bartimaeus asked not for wealth, power, or success, but only for sight. 

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Pretty awesome, isn’t it?  

But this is where it gets hard because this story is not about Bartimaeus - it’s about us.

In the course of our troubles in life, do we see Jesus?  

Do we call out to Jesus or do we sit on the side of the road held back by our own blindness, in the form of the wounds, hurts, and diseases that we have? 

Do we inadvertently get in the way of others around us trying to get to Jesus?

And if we did take our problems to Jesus, and He were to ask us this very second, what could He do for us, what would we say?

Would our faith be strong enough for us to ask?  

Would our faith be strong enough to save us?

Like Bartemaeus, we can all ask Jesus for the power to see.  

This week, let us pray that our Lord strengthen our faith so that we more readily bring our brokenness to Him.  

Let us pray that our faith be made strong enough to save us and those around us.

And let us pray that by doing this, we can become better followers of Jesus and be reminded that there is nothing in our lives, no matter how big or small that God cannot use to save us.

Amen.

Homily for The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092621.cfm

If you cause someone else to sin, go drown yourself.

If a body part causes you to sin, lose it.

Does that strike anyone else here as a bit harsh?

I think the answer is absolutely - yes, it is harsh…but maybe that’s the point.

After hearing these words, I think all of us need to ask…how seriously do we take the Word of God?

As I look around - it seems that most of us have our bodies largely intact with our full complement of arms and legs and eyes.  

But that doesn’t mean that we don’t sin, because in the eyes of God we are all sinners.

That is why Jesus gave us the sacrament of penance - confession so we can get right with God.   

But if Jesus isn’t telling us to maime ourselves to keep us from sinning, there must be something else that He’s getting at.

As I reflected on this week’s gospel, I was reminded of the climber several years ago, who during a solo descent of a canyon in Utah - got pinned between two large rocks.  Perhaps you remember him.  After five days of being pinned, he decided to break his forearm so he could free himself by cutting off his arm using a dull pocket knife.  

After that he had to rappel down a 65 foot drop and hike 7 miles alone to safety.

He was in a difficult situation where he had to choose between life and death.  

I’m sure his choice was not easy, but - he chose life.

What Jesus is talking about today, is a life and death struggle.  

And we are in one right now.

Jesus uses the images of cutting off a hand, or a foot, or plucking out an eye because he wants to emphasize how high the stakes are when it comes to sin and Heaven and Hell.  

Now, we don’t talk about Hell a lot.  

In fact, one of our defense mechanisms is to convince ourselves that Hell is only for the very worst sinners, like Adolf Hitler and a handful of others.

But this is not reality, we have the numbers all wrong.  It reminds me of the difference in the title between two, well-known classic rock and roll songs - A Stairway To Heaven and a Highway to Hell.

So Hell is real and none of us really think we’re going to Hell, because if we did, our lives would be different and we’d have at least as many people going to confession as we have going to communion.

So, what if Jesus were to use different words to get his point across?

What if He said, “Do you want to be with me? Or would you rather stay as you are, even if it means eternal separation from me and my Father?”

What if He said, “Would you rather keep doing what you please and risk not being with me forever?”  

You would think that these would be easy questions for us to answer. 

But they’re not, - because it means admitting we need to face some unpleasant truths - and none of us like to do that.

Hopefully Jesus’ words get us to make a solid examination of conscience and to make a good sacramental confession and to change our ways.

Remember, Jesus didn’t say these words about cutting off an arm or a leg or plucking out an eye if it causes you to sin to the unconverted…

He was speaking to His disciples…  

He was speaking to us.

Jesus was not exaggerating to make a point.  

Jesus was demonstrating how seriously God takes sin.

Like that pinned climber in Utah, we have the power to choose between life and death.  

But do we have the courage to make the same choice he did and choose life, even if it means making a hard choice and enduring short-term pain and giving up something that has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember? 

This week, let us ask our Lord to give us the humility to see our situation as it truly is, and regardless of how hard or painful it is in the short-term, to choose to stay close to Him and to always choose life.  

Homily for The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082921.cfm

We all heard it growing up, I’m sure.  

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”   “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”  

I heard both of those quite a few times growing up.  

And as a parent, I might have even said them a few times.

We are all often caught up in appearances.  

So we go through the motions.  We develop a routine.  We follow social norms.

We put on a facade and pretend about this or that because we want other people to think well of us.

We are here at Mass, we could be anywhere else, but we are here,  we must be good people.  

We have clean clothes, our hair is brushed - well, mine isn’t because I really don’t have any - but that’s besides the point.  

We have clean hands.  But do we have clean hearts?  

That is the point that Jesus is making to us all today.

The Pharisees get called out in holy scripture yet again for being caught up more in man-made rules, in appearances - than what God wants.  

So they freak out when the disciples eat without clean hands.

But Jesus makes it clear, it's what’s on the inside that matters most.

Jesus says that “ Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

Now, thankfully, Jesus is not saying that our personal cleanliness doesn’t matter. 

But, He is emphasizing that the condition of our heart is a much bigger deal. 

Our heart is directed toward what we love the most. 

Our heart is the place that evil comes from when we rebel against God and devote ourselves to things He has forbidden. 

And in the process, our hearts get stained and dirty from compounding sin.

So we should take care to wash our hearts and not just our hands. 

And how do we do that?  How do we wash our hearts?

Jesus, as usual, gives us the answer.

He freely offers His mercy and power to cleanse our heart through the Sacrament of Penance, when we confess our sins to a priest and receive absolution for our sins.

But we complicate things.  We don’t just put on airs and pretend for other people do we?

We sometimes actually pretend for ourselves.

“The things we have done are not so bad.”

“Jesus is merciful and good, He’ll look the other way.”

“I talked to Jesus already, I don’t need to confess my sins to a priest.”

So many times, we pretend we are already clean.  Even when we know we are not.  

Of course, Jesus wants our hearts. But, He also wants us to avoid the double life that the Pharisees are living - full of selfishness on the inside, while appearing to be role models on the outside. 

Jesus doesn’t care what we look like; He cares only about who we really are.

If we want to be truly clean and grow in holiness, we need to allow God’s Spirit to transform us.  

We need to be more concerned about what is inside of us than what is on the outside.

If it’s been a while, we really should pray to our Lord to help give us what we need to get us to confession, so that we can get clean, really clean.

So this week, as we pray, Let us ask Jesus, that our outward behavior and appearance reflect the joy, the purpose, and the goodness He has put in our hearts. 

Let us ask Him to help us care more about what He thinks than what others think. 

Let us ask Him to take care of our hearts and give us the strength to return to the sacrament of confession so that we can be closer to Him and better love as he loves. 

Because, after all - it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Homily for The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080121.cfm

We all have a relationship with food.

And like most any relationship, it’s not always good, is it?

I mean, we don’t don’t always eat because we’re hungry.  

Someone once said - and I can’t recall who - that it’s not what we’re eating, but what’s eating us - that decides for us most of the time.  

Sometimes we eat, just because it’s time or we’re bored or we’re stressed or for some other random reason, but not always because our bodies are truly hungry.

And much like the crowd following Jesus, we’re always looking for our next meal.  

But the problem we all suffer from, is not that we are hungry, but how we try to fill our hunger.

Our world is full of bread of all kinds and not all of it is good for us.  

In fact, in order for us to know if a food is good for us to eat, we need to know where it came from and what ingredients it’s made from.

That’s what Jesus is teaching in today’s gospel. 

The people have shown up hungry. Just as we heard last Sunday, Jesus fed 5,000 of them with five loaves and two fish. 

Today they show up and their first question is, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

They don’t marvel at His last miracle or give thanks to God for His generosity or even wonder who He is.  

Instead, they’re focused on where their next meal is coming from and whether Jesus already set out the free food and they’ve just arrived too late to eat it.

They were interested in their own wants and Jesus knows it.  He always does.  We can fool ourselves, but we can’t fool Jesus.

He says to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled”. 

The people are concerned about filling their bellies, but Jesus is concerned about filling their lives. 

The people want to feed themselves with bread, but Jesus wants to feed them with God. 

“Do not work for the food that perishes,” He tells them, “but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

The food that is Jesus himself. 

He is the bread that is broken and freely given for the life of the world. 

He is the bread that is eaten and yet never runs out. 

He is the bread that consecrates those who believe in Him, eat his flesh and have a real relationship with Him.

When we truly believe in Jesus, eating and taking him into our lives, we live differently. 

We see ourselves and others - as persons created in the image and likeness of God rather than as obstacles or issues to be overcome. 

We trust the silence of prayer, rather than the words of argument. 

We choose love and forgiveness rather than anger or making someone pay for what they’ve done. 

We live in a place of humility and gentleness rather than of maintaining appearances and being divisive. 

We listen for God’s voice rather than our own - and ultimately, we seek life rather than death.

Jesus tells the crowd, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” 

He is offering the people - Himself. 

He is the bread that never spoils, that nourishes and sustains life and is more than enough to fill them up. (Pause)

Jesus makes us the same offer. 

He offers Himself to us to sustain and to nourish us.

And in every situation in our life we have a choice what we consume, the “quick fix” or the one that truly satisfies. 

And in that choice, we choose the life we want today, tomorrow and for all eternity.

So I ask you to consider - how will you choose to fill the hunger inside of you?

What “bread” will you choose to fill yourself up?

Homily for The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070421.cfm

Earlier this week, I watched a video clip from the old Johnny Carson show.  For those too young to remember, that show is now hosted by Jimmy Fallon.  

The clip included the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield and was hilarious.  

You see, Rodney Dangerfield was famous for pointing out, in hilarious ways, that he didn’t get any respect.  He’d have audiences cracking up as he listed how his neighbors, coworkers, strangers and even his wife - made fun of him, disregarded his feelings and treated him badly.

I think he was able to make people laugh at something so unfunny, because most of us can relate to how it feels to be overlooked or under-appreciated at times. 

Almost all of us have had the experience of feeling that we don’t matter, especially to those people who know us the best.

Jesus experiences this same thing when He returns to His hometown of Nazareth. 

If you recall from last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus had just performed an amazing miracle when He touched the hand of a little girl who was dead, told her to rise, which she did and then asked, while everyone stood amazed, that she be given something to eat. 

He transformed that family’s life with that miracle. 

But things couldn’t be more different this week when he arrives in his hometown.

For the people of Nazareth, they knew Jesus only as the child of the carpenter and his wife, Mary.  A nice enough guy, but no one to take note of.  In their eyes, he was still a neighborhood kid who nothing special was expected from.

Jesus, of course, knows who He is and has a clear sense of His mission. He enters the synagogue, probably the same place where he had spent countless hours growing up learning about the prophets, the psalms and God’s laws and love.  But instead of sitting with the congregation where he had grown up, Jesus began to teach. 

Jesus had so much to offer the people of his hometown, but they were not ready to receive it.

            

Instead, they were - astounded.  Their preconceived judgements blocked them from receiving what He offers. It was impossible for them to imagine that He might be sent by God to teach and enlighten them.

 

Now, we’ve all experienced this kind of disrespect and probably even delivered some of it ourselves.  Based on what we see or have heard or where we’ve been or who we think someone is - too often we assume a person has nothing of value to offer. 

Instead of listening to Jesus, the townspeople spend their time whispering amongst themselves - where did this man get all this?  What is this wisdom that has been given to him? 

The Son of God is standing in front of them, offering wisdom from heaven, but their hearts and their minds are closed and as a result, they miss out.  You know -

            

This is the power that we all have. 

This is the power God allows us to have. 

We can say no to God.  

With generosity and love, God offers bounty and blessings, but God will never force us to accept what is best for us.   

Instead, we can turn away from God and refuse to recognize His presence.

            

This is how much God loves us.  God offers love, forgiveness and new life over and over again.  But we have to acknowledge our need for God’s gifts and be willing to receive them. 

            

Thinking about how much the people of Nazareth missed out on, this week, we might want to ask ourselves - 

Who is the child of God in my life that I am ignoring because that person doesn’t fit my description of what God’s beloved looks like?

How could my day to day thoughts and choices be blocking God’s love and presence in my life?

How often do I walk by the miracle about to happen and keep walking because my eyes tell me that what I see is the same old thing, nothing out of the ordinary?

This week, let us remember that Jesus, from an ordinary hometown, may often enter our lives in surprisingly ordinary ways and often in ways we don’t expect.

            

And unlike the people of Nazareth, let us stand with open minds, open arms and open hearts - ready to welcome Him and all He has to offer.

Homily for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

The readings for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060621.cfm

You might not know it to look at me, but I like to eat.  

Like most people, I have favorite foods, though I’m pretty partial to cheeseburgers and like many of us I’m blessed to have a choice of foods and enough to eat.  

But even with all the choices we have, even with all the blessings we have and no matter how much we have, it doesn’t take too long until we are hungry again.

Throughout the history of the church, the Eucharist has been honored as the true banquet of the Lord. 

In terms of physical hunger, the small wafer that we receive at communion isn’t anywhere near as satisfying as some of our favorite foods are.

But we come here because we are hungry for something more.  

A hunger that mere mortal food can’t take away.

At this Holy Mass especially, we celebrate the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for “the Body of Christ” that commemorates the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus, Himself. 

Now there are disagreements among Christians about what the Eucharist really is.  

Many Christians see the Eucharist merely as a sign or symbol of God’s love for us.  

But as Catholics, we know that with a priest in Holy Mass through the power of the Holy Spirit, bread and wine become the real Body and real Blood of Christ - not  just a sign - not just a symbol.  

In the Eucharist, Jesus is made truly present to us - body, blood, soul and divinity.  

We search for so many ways to fill ourselves up, but the Eucharist reminds us that it is really only in Jesus, and in sharing his Body and Blood, that our hunger - the one deep in our hearts that all of us are always longing to fill - will ultimately be satisfied.

Now when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, making Jesus truly present - Jesus is with us - in a real and permanent way - and as the most important food we eat on our journey to everlasting life.

            

And that is why we come to Mass. 

The most important people we have in our lives are those with whom we eat, and so it is - with the meal we share today. 

                        

But just as our favorite food in the finest restaurant can disappoint us, so, too, the meal we share here can disappoint - if we don’t approach it with the proper preparation by having a regular sacramental confession,

if we don’t approach it with the proper reverence, 

and if we don’t receive it with the proper appreciation for the gift that it is and for what it means to us. 

In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to us just as he gave himself on the Cross. 

In the Eucharist, Jesus tells us that He loves us enough to keep his promise to be with us always in a visible, material and physical way.   

And as awesome as the miracle of bread changing into the Body of Christ is - the Eucharist is not only about bread changing. 

It’s about us, who receive the Eucharist changing as a result of receiving Him.

It is about us, receiving Jesus and living in such a way that we change the world we are a part of, for the better. 

This becomes just another miracle of the Eucharist.  

Not that bread and wine alone is transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, 

but that consuming his flesh is meant to transform us so that we can transform our lives and the lives of those around us.  

And this can’t be accomplished in the forty-five minutes we are at Mass or in the moment we receive Communion. 

When we leave the altar carrying the Body of Christ within us, 

we are commissioned to help change the world by loving as Jesus did - selflessly - heroically - even if it is only our little corner of the world.  

And in the process of loving others, nourished by Jesus, fill that unsatisfied hunger deep within all of us.

What a miraculous and wonderful blessing and grace, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is and how fortunate we are when we receive Him worthily.