22nd Sunday Ordinary Time Christian Perfection

Posted on August 31, 2019September 1, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Sir. 3: 17, 18, 20, 28-29; Ps. 68: 4-7, 10-11; Heb. 12: 18-19, 22-24a; Lk 14: 1, 7-14

Inward humility manifests itself in outward charity for Christian perfection. The Lord speaks to our sense of justice and our call to Christian perfection in two statements. First is “God in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor” and then he says “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you”. First, we recognize God is good and in his “goodness” he cares for the “poor” and we all share in being among the poor. Second in our poverty of humanity we are to demonstrate our humility by charity to the poor that is among ourselves for Christian perfection. When we do good we feel good because the goodness of Christ lives in us.

God’s home for the poor is the tabernacle in the sacred heart of Jesus. He is “the mediator of a new covenant” we receive in the Eucharist, “the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently” to live is us that we may be at home in our being in Christ. The poor is not a class system of disparities between the “haves and have nots”. We all share a poverty we bring to Christ as an offering and let his will be done.

The word of God was often spoken in parables to be understood by the spirit of God at various levels of understanding for “The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs”. There are for example the poor who suffer economic stress having to choose between buying food or buying their medications. There are the poor of health suffering from chronic illness, trauma, or genetic conditions. There are the poor in spirit who suffer from anxiety, depression, obsessions, and/or abandonment. There are also the poor in grace who suffer from separation from God crippled by sin, blind from God’s presence.

The Lord’s response to all the poor is, “you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God…and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant…”. In our poverty spiritual and corporal, we come to Jesus the just judge to be transformed into the “just made perfect”. How are we made perfect given our own weakness, sinfulness, poverty and brokenness? When we do good, we feel good because the goodness of Christ lives in us to be made perfect in Christ. Christ says, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more…the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.” When we recognize our own poverty before God, we give life to our spirit of humility and our actions are transformed into charity for a greater good.

Our call is to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect and it begins in humility and leads to charity. Jesus says, “Learn from me, for I a meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:29) For this perfection we cultivate a temperance among all virtues, love without selfishness is not about what’s in it for me; obedience without servility is about what is good for both not one over the other; patience without weakness is standing firm in our faith, firmness without pride is honesty, courage without recklessness is prudence, and authority without haughtiness is justice with a heart of love.

Finally, I want to do a “shout out” for the souls in purgatory with the reminder that “alms atone for sins.” The souls in purgatory suffering in the “flames of fire” hunger for atonement of their sins. They thirst for water that quenches their suffering and our prayers, Masses, offerings of charity in remembrance of them is water that quenches. I just finished the book titled Hungry Souls on the apparitions of the souls in purgatory to many people. What all these souls have in common is they seek some form of atonement by the person they appear to while in purgatory to shorten their suffering and time in purgatory on their path to heaven. This is perfect charity to make atonement for the souls in purgatory “because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

I say again, “When we do good we feel good because the goodness of Christ lives in us.” We just may be shortening our time in purgatory in atonement of our own sins in perfect charity. We are all called to be saints and heaven is waiting to receive saints. Purgatory is waiting to purify the souls who died short of Christ’s perfect call. Let us pray to receive the grace to follow the call to perfection while there is time.

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Homily

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on August 24, 2019August 22, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Is. 66: 18-21; Ps. 117:1, 2; Heb. 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13: 22-30

In Quincianeras (15^th year Celebrations) I enjoy playing the “Knock-knock” game with the quincianera. The game starts like this:

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?) “God is” (Q: “God is who?”) “God is your Father who is in heaven calling you to be the best he created you to be”

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big O” (Q: “The big O who?”) “The big O of Obedience who is your BFF, best friend forever”. Called to obedience in God’s greatest commandment is in our DNA search for happiness. We come to know who God is in obedience as he reveals who we are in his image. Not who we are in general as a people of God but who we are individually as a unique being with a given purpose and meaning in this life and time. Obedience to the natural law as God created it is for the greater good even science cannot deny it. Obedience to God’s command is the “narrow gate” many will “attempt to enter but will not be strong enough”. All are invited to enter the “narrow gate” but are we strong enough to resist the sin in our lives that draws us away?

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big D” (Q: “The big D who?”) “The big D of Discipline to “endure your trials as ‘discipline’…For what ‘son’ is there whom his father does not discipline?” With discipline we stand for our faith or we may fall for the sin that is pleasing at the moment. Discipline is the workforce that makes obedience come easy. Parents love is based on discipline to mature in truth for learning freedom is not free it is a sacrifice out of discipline. Discipline “later brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it”. Discipline begins by doing the next right thing in obedience to the law already in our hearts from our baptism. Parents teach and reinforce this law by their testimony of love through discipline. “Endure your trials as discipline”, is it not as punishment. When we suffer we have an opportunity to purify our souls, wash clean our baptismal robes, unite ourselves to Christ in his passion for our sins and make an offering of ourselves.

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big W” (Q: “The big W who?”) “The big W is the work plan that comes through Jesus. Scripture says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me”, through his love embodied in discipline. The work plan is to spread the Good News we have been given. The plan of salvation is an invitation to all the people of all the nations and “they shall come and see my glory” says the Lord. Salvation is not an accident waiting to happen, it is a calling and we are free to respond yet not all have. That is why we are reminded in the gospel there will be those outside the “door…(with) wailing and grinding of teeth”. Lesson learned is we take so much in life for granted until it is gone.

There was a program on EWTN with Father Mitch Pacwa interviewing a doctor of philosophy named Dr. Frey (first name not captured). She was invited to Yale University to debate with a doctor of psychology on the topic of happiness. She proposed the question that if there was a box in which the person was guaranteed to always be stimulated to feel happiness would they enter and be left there. The psychology doctor said yes. Others however saw the logic of being trapped in a box with reservation. The “box” represents a place of isolation and happiness comes from being outside yourself in relation to God and others. She stated 25% of college students suffer from anxiety, depression, and isolation. This is the lie of Satan mentioned last week to live each day thinking only of yourself a little more until you find yourself in this box of artificial stimulation and emptiness. One of the main tools becoming an addiction is social media. The box is the phone to create an altered reality filled with artificial and narcissistic grandiosity of happiness because the world that is waiting outside the phone is too intimidating.

The Good News is happiness comes from the unconditional love offering of giving of ourselves to God and others. Follow the way of Jesus giving of himself out of love in the freedom of a world created for us to give good fruit. “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight your paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed”. Let us live outside the box of sin. There will be trials through the “narrow gate” but also great consolation as we enter into his presence, healed by his love and at peace. The discipline is a life of virtues all serving the greater good for ourselves and others.

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Homily

20th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on August 17, 2019August 20, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Jer. 38:4-6, 8-10; Ps. 40:2-4, 18; Heb. 12:1-4; Lk. 12:49-53

“I have come to set the earth on fire.” If our faith on fire or simply lukewarm? Jesus speaks of a baptism to come though he was already baptized by water in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. His great “anguish until it is accomplished” is his passion and death on the cross. Christ teaching was a two-edge sword of division.

For the institutions of this time there was the Jewish tradition with governance by its law and the other was the Roman political structure in control of the territory or as we would refer to in our time as church and state. Jesus word would cut through both ways dividing long held Jewish beliefs and traditions for families and threatening the status quo for the state. Who is the identified enemy? For many it became the messenger, Christ and his followers. For Christ it was peoples’ sin the “struggle…you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”

St. Francis of Assisi threw himself on thorn bushes to mortify his body against the temptation of sin. Other saints have used flagellation to mortify their bodies and some have done simple acts of mortification such as placing a pebble in their shoe to feel the constant reminder for holiness in every step of discomfort. Even modern psychology in behavior therapy will use the example of having a rubber band on your wrist to pop yourself every time you are tempted to do a negative behavior like biting your nails to break the habit. As a church we have the Lenten season to deny ourselves with fasting and abstinence to mortify our bodies. For the world a voice against the normalization of sin must be silenced.

Jerimiah was a voice against sin in his time. He prefigures Christ the King. King Zedekiah hands him over to the people for his crime. What is his crime? He is “speaking” and teaching the people against sin and this is judged as “not interested in the welfare of our people but in their ruin.” When evil held as good and good is attacked as evil kingdoms fall to ruin. The voice of Jeremiah, the voice of Christ is counterculture.

Before, during and after Christ until the present to challenge the institutional norms is treated as a crime worthy of death. We have only to look at our own world history in the making to see the same culture of death as Jerimiah and Christ faced. Speak of sin and you will quickly make enemies and there is no end to the labels that are thrown out ending in “phobic” to silence anyone willing to speak up. It is not a phobia to speak of the natural law of marriage between male and female, or beliefs and lifestyles contrary to the natural law. It is simply defending God’s creation through his Word and his Word is the foundation of his creation in natural law. It is the source of life not for his good but or our greater good.

I was listening to a homily on EWTN where the priest shared a story of another priest who approached a group promoting the Church of Satan. He asked them what they believed. They said they practiced being “friends of Satan”. The taught their followers to practice thinking of themselves a little more each day. If everyone follows this logic to the end then every person will create an island within themselves to exist in isolation from others. To have a friend is to think of the other before yourself. The great lie is Satan has no friends, it is all about him and his followers are simply puppets of this lie. Place a person in solitary confinement and deny them all human contact and they are more likely to become depressed and suicidal than to grow in happiness and peace. Hell is a deprivation of love.

“Lord, come to my aid!” The pit of destruction is to live thinking of ourselves more and more until we become abandoned in the mud of sin and swamp of evil. Jeremiah preached against sin and was thrown into the pit by many but it took only one person to intercede for him with a voice for justice. We must be that voice of justice in this world. We can go to Christ our King to hear our cry for our own family, our church, and all the sins of the world. We can offer our sacrifices coming to Mass, in Adoration, in sharing our faith. When we make an offering of ourselves Christ will give us what we are to speak and how we are to serve. Be open to this grace and trust in the Lord.

The earth is on fire as Jesus foretold and from this fire some will journey down to the fire of hell. Others will pass through the fire of purgatory that purifies on the way to heaven. One path has no end to pain and the other is a flame of love to enter into God’s friendship. This is the fire of love that calls the sinner to repentance and divides the righteous from the unrighteous. If our faith is on fire, we are a voice for righteousness ready to love the sinner not the sin. Let us pray for those who identify more with the sin that with the creator while there is still time. The fire of faith is a flame of love from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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Reflection

The Assumption the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted on August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Who is the greatest apostle for Jesus? Is it from among the twelve Apostles whom Jesus called? They questioned among themselves who was the greatest and Jesus called them to humble themselves. It is the one who says “my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” by her purity, fiat, and her lowliness. Mary is the one who did not taste death but in sleep was assumed body and soul into heaven.

Consider all the relics of the bodies of the apostles who died and were immediately venerated and given their final burial place. Mary was placed in the care of John the apostle by Jesus at the cross. There is no body, no remains, and no burial place for Mary. The ascension of Jesus was witnessed by many and written about. No word is mentioned of Mary. Perhaps no explanation could be given for her assumption as she vanishes without a trace. Death has that impact in that one moment we are here and the next we are face to face before the judgment seat with Jesus but our bodies remain behind as a consolation to others. Mary’s body and soul remained with the breath of God in unity, immortal, uncoruptible, and blessed.

Mary is the one who returns in her apparitions sent to us for the conversion of sinners and is called to holiness. Mary is the one by her son in life and death and the mighty one continues to do great things for her. Her soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord for it is united to his rejoicing to be the beloved full of grace the one “Blessed by God”.

Our blessings come from God and Mary is there to present our prayers before him. Where two hearts are thus united by love a transformation of the world comes for the salvation of souls. We cannot receive in our hearts Jesus without receiving Mary and we cannot receive Mary without receiving Jesus. We belong to a communion of saints called to be one with the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit.

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Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Homily The Deacon Joe

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on August 10, 2019August 9, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Wis. 18:6-9; Ps. 33:1, 12, 18-22; Heb. 11: 1-2, 8-19; Lk. 12:32-48

“Where is that in the bible?” Many non-Catholics question the church’s position on purgatory. They ask “where is that in the bible?” Purgatory is in the Old and the New Testament as a just judge comes to ensure the cleansing of our baptismal robes in our call to sanctity. Listen to these words, “That servant who did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.” Who is God speaking to, the sinner who died without faith in hell or to the ones he says “All these died in faith”? Satan is the master of the fallen, Jesus is the Master of the redeemed. There is no doubt that justice belongs to God and he promises a time of atonement. Jesus died for our sins yet when was the last time we went to confession to seek forgiveness of our sin? If this night our life is demanded of us what then?

The Catechism teaches in #1030 “All who die in God’s grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” The bible tells us in the book of Maccabees (2 Mac. 12:43-44) to atone for the dead through prayer “for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death” yet even in the Old Testament we have Maccabeus talking a collection to send to Jerusalem for “an expiatory sacrifice” for the dead soldiers. We are reminded how important it is to offer Masses for the dead and pray for them in atonement of their sins. Yet how often in a funeral do we hear of purgatory? Focus is given to being in heaven as our hope which is the final destiny but not necessarily a straight ticket.

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” reminds us of the one sin we often fail to recognize. It is the sin of omission. The ten commandments have a focus on what “you shall not” but Jesus comes to fulfill what we shall be called to do. There is a truth of accountability in God’s justice for all. When will it be demanded if not now? It comes at death in the purging of our sins in a state of purification called purgatory.

Just as the more we give the greater the reward the less we serve the greater the sin by God’s commandment. Charity is God’s call for justice and the sign of our love of God. Wisdom says, “Your people awaited the salvation of the just”. The just are the “holy children of the good” doing the will of the Father offering sacrifice of charity. Charity is a sign of faith a “realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. Faith is the awareness that our time is coming when we will be before God and he recognizes his own in the love we offered in obedience just as Abraham did. Our obedience is to respond to the call to serve. We are a people of faith and we know our Father’s will, are we preparing ourselves by acting according to his will or is purgatory our next stop?

Why settle for purgatory when we are called to be saints? The opportunity to be charitable is constantly around us? It begins in the home. Husbands and wives when we get upset, frustrated, or even disappointed with each other what do our children witness in our behavior? We can respond in outbursts, anger, criticism, blame or in charity express our concern, disappointment, and our desire for something greater of each other. When we see our children picking on each other using language we ourselves say is it simply kids misbehaving or are they already following down a path that justifies being uncharitable. Love is patient, kind, generous, charitable and at times a difficult challenge. Our heart cries out “If you only knew what I have to live with!” Our goal is to get each other to heaven so don’t simply live with it, make it better. It begins by working on ourselves and we will see the impact our life can have on others.

One thing is certain that a just God knows the degree of our sinfulness, our understanding, and our will to be just, loving, charitable, and merciful. Dante speaks of purgatory as the place we go to get our baptismal robes cleaned. The stains we carry are the stains we have not confessed. It is a sure sign of heaven coming, an inheritance delivering us from the death of sin we carry. Today that sin can be confessed and our sacrifice is to “avoid the near occasion” of sin yet when we fail, we have a loving Father ready to reconcile us back to him.

Finally, where is the “evidence of things not seen”? It is there on the cross and in the resurrection of Jesus. For all who give evidence by their testimony, Jesus is alive. “Stay awake and be ready!” The Son of Man is coming and it is in the bible, in the Mass, and in our hearts.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

18th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on August 3, 2019August 2, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Ps 90:3-6, 12-13; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21

“Vanity of vanities…all things are vanity! If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” I took a personality profile and my profile was defined as a “strategist” which is a combination of Introverted, Intuitive, Thinker, and Judging. This represents only 1.5% of all personality types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. At times I toil with anxiety of heart and at night my mind is restless as I strategize for the next day or how to resolve a problem. “This also is vanity.”

God you created me and now I carry this cross. Still the Lord will “prosper the work of our hands!” A strategist is also a gift but first we must learn to surrender our gift to Him for his greater glory. What is the desire of our hearts, greed or service? Greed leads to lying and deception and the psychology is that it is a “dog eat dog world” of winners and losers. “This also is vanity”. In service we are open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to use our gifts for a greater good.

If there is anything that causes family feuds it is inheritance. It is driven by greed and/or a sense of entitlement. The heart cries out “I was there for them you were never there” or “You have more than I and I need it more than you.” The riches that matter to God is how we give of ourselves to benefit others which includes the use of our resources. Our heavenly treasure is the giving of ourselves to family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. The earthly treasure one builds up in a lifetime becomes the surplus of disposable goods another receives as inheritance to spend at pleasure. “This also is vanity.”

Others plan for that retirement day when we can rest, eat, drink and enjoy our wealth. Meanwhile we ignore our health, the growing up years of our children, the purpose of our marriage and the greatest commandment is compromised for the mighty dollar. Profit, prestige, power, and pleasure go up in smoke in an instant with one major illness, a divorce, a loss of work, or a tragedy. We sacrifice for the mighty dollar but our sacrifice for the heavenly glory is put aside for another day. “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you” says the Lord. We turn back to dust in a short lifespan but did we “number our days aright” says the Lord.

Are we to ignore our responsibilities? Absolutely not, we are to offer our responsibilities to God to bless them and guide us. The recovery community of addiction follows what is known as the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The first step in recovery to bring about change is “we admitted we were powerless over (fill in the blank our obsession with money, work, gambling, food, sex, etc.) that our lives had become unmanageable” If today you hear his voice and life is unmanageable take the first step of honesty and truth. Nothing changes until we make a decision for change.

Step 2 says, “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” The insanity is that we all are given the truth in our hearts of our sins and we keep doing the same thing. The time for change is always now! This is our time to “gain wisdom of heart”. We can spend a lifetime building up anxiety about anything and everything or we can surrender ourselves to God, trust in Him and be set free.

Step 3 says, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him” so that “the gracious care of our God be ours”. Our faith and reason are “challenged” by many doctrines and by our own concepts as we have turned away from the truth to false teachings. Turn back to God while there is time that we may not be found asleep in our sinfulness when he comes.

The Twelve Step tradition is a simple process of faith, hope and love with a long-lived history of success for those who follow it. Our challenge is to not be tempted by all things of vanity which number our days as sorrow, grief, or anxiety. Renew the decision to trust in God each day “that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days”.

God’s mercy comes to seek the sinner who turns their will and life to the care of God and he will open the minds, hearts and souls to the truth and freedom of his love. What do you get when you put two strategists together? Silence! In the silence of our hearts we hear God’s voice, “harden not your hearts” let us trust in Him.

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