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Homily

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Dt. 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps. 33:4-6, 18-20, 22; Rom. 8:14-17; Mt. 28:16-20

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is the mystery of God’s salvation in the history of the world revealed in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In the Old Testament, Moses asked his people, “Did anything so great ever happen before?”  The people heard the voice of God the Father, they experienced the hand of God coming to save them as a nation among nations and how he tested them.  Now they “must keep his statutes and commandments” that they may prosper.  No nothing so great happened before Moses, but a greater thing has happened in the history of salvation with the incarnation of Jesus, God the Son coming to his people.  Not only that but with his ascension into heaven came the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit to remain in us, who he calls his own. 

Who can explain the mystery of one God in three persons?  Early in church history this was the center of the debate trying to make sense of who was Jesus.  How could he claim to be God and yet pray to the Father?  In the same way he would say “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30).  In what is known as the prayer of Jesus, he prayed to the Father, “Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began–that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us” (Jn. 17: 5, 21).  Jesus always was before the world began and is for all eternity.  The Catechism of the Catholic church teaches us that “God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation” (CCC 237).  The work of creation in which we can seek him is from within ourselves.   

We can seek to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from within, from our own nature though imperfect as it is.  The nature of humanity is that it exists as body, soul, and spirit.  The body is not the soul for the body dies and the soul remains alive.  The body has a brain but the mind comes from the soul and yet body and soul are one for what affects the body affects the soul and what affects the soul affects the body.  The body and soul however are not separate from God their creator who gives us the breath of life and who without his breath we would immediately die.  His breath is the spirit of life that dwells within and yet it remains the spirit of God who is the life giver and still we are one person in a multitude of humanity. 

The Catechism teaches us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are consubstantially one God in three persons, one in being of the same substance in relation to each other CCC 251-254).  Our calling is to bring our humanity, body and soul in unity with the Trinity, to be perfect as God is perfect.  To the degree we remain a sinful people this cannot be, for the flesh and the will are weak.  Our flesh and soul are in battle for we now have the Word given to us by God the Father, made flesh to be one with us in the Son and strengthened by the Spirit of truth and yet we resist.  We carry our sins beginning with pride before us and turn away from God’s revelation to his people. 

We do have hope, but our time is limited.  When we see the visible sign from saints who remain incorruptible, we see how the soul overcame the flesh by the power of love.  A soul that is perfected by God gives witness to his call to perfection.  This is the prayer of Jesus that we may be one with the Trinity but also one within ourselves body, soul, and spirit.  The battle is won when we turn to him with all our love and desire. 

The day is coming when those who have responded to the call to perfection will be transformed and receive a resurrected imperishable body.  Then we will see God as he is and come to know him in his glory.  Let us prepare ourselves that we will be numbered among his own in his kingdom for all eternity.  God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and we are called this day to be one in being with the Trinity. 

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Homily

Pentecost Sunday – “Graduation Day?”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:1-11; Ps. 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Cor. 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Pentecost Sunday is about the “mighty acts of God” coming through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is given to his disciples that they too may go forth doing the mighty acts of God.  In the gospel we see the mighty acts of God in the form of speaking in different languages so that “every nation under heaven” can hear and believe.  What enters the mind leads to conversion of the heart and confession of the lips to say “Jesus is Lord”.  It is through the Holy Spirit that we see the mighty acts of God, the healing of the sick, the exorcism of demons and the authority to forgive sins.  These are now his apostles to the world.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not reserved to the apostles but to all who believe and are baptized.  The same Spirit comes to each one of us with gifts for some benefit in the call to serve the mighty one.  We were all baptized into the one body, the body of Jesus so that he may remain in us and continue the works of salvation.  What mighty works are we called to live out through the gifts of the Spirit? 

We may think, I have not done any mighty works of God.  I have not healed anyone.  Yes, you have, when you care for the sick you give them your love and love is healing.  I have not done any exorcism. Yes, you have, when you bless yourself with holy water or bless your children you reject the evil and protect yourself against the evil one.  I have not forgiven any sins.  Yes, you have when someone offends you or commits a sin against you and you forgive them it brings healing to the relationship. 

We could call Pentecost Sunday graduation day for the disciples.  Today in many places including here in our church young people are celebrating graduations.  It represents their achievement in their educational goals.  As a community of faith, we are proud of their accomplishments.  For some it is a dramatic step of entering the working world and for others the journey continues for higher education. In the spiritual life as in the world, the more that is given the more that is expected.  The expectation is to be the best that you were created to be with the gifts that you have been given. 

The world is ready to test our faith, bring temptation, and reject you if your beliefs are not in line with the norm.  Just this week a football player gave a commencement speech at a Catholic School and spoke about the virtue of mothers who stay home to care for the family.  Immediately he was denounced by the NFL, media, and all types of organizations.  When we stand for our faith, we can expect a backlash from the world.  Remember the power of the Holy Spirit is also ready to protect us against the evil one but we must pray to it, listen to it, and remain in it. 

The disciples are now called to go from being students and interns to the title of “Apostle”.    They had the teachings of Jesus but so many unknowns of what was ahead.  They had a mission but more questions than answers.  The answers were to come through the gift and power of the Holy Spirit.  They not only walked by faith but with authority and power. As soon as Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit, he immediately included the authority “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained”. 

This authority goes beyond the sacrament of confession.  It comes with the authority to establish the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church and to govern the people through the magisterium of the Church.  Many other Christian denominations try to deny that Jesus meant what he said and that only God can forgive sins.  Let us recall that Jesus claimed the Father was in him and he was in the Father.  In the same way Jesus is in the priest and the priest is in Jesus when he acts “in persona Christi” in the person of Christ.  In the same way we are all called to live in Christ and to receive Christ in the Holy Spirit. 

No other church claims this authority because it was not given to any of these churches who have come later in history.  Instead, they deny that Jesus meant what he said.  Obedience to the magisterium of the church is obedience to God and this is not just confession but the whole sacramental life of the church.  Why the magisterium of the Church?  Because the church always speaks as one body and we his servants, bishops, priests, deacons, and religious should always be his instruments in doing the will of God. 

Recall that when we are born, we are given the gift of ourselves and what we do with ourselves is our gift back to God.  What mighty deeds is God ready to fulfill simply because we remained faithful and obedient to God.  Our graduation in the faith came with what sacrament?  Confirmation was our graduation day in the faith.  Today we are called to stand for what we believe and fear not God is with us. 

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Homily

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – The Promise

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mk. 16:15-20

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord comes to us with the promise of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the promise of God’s power to believers.  It is the power to drive out demons, speak new languages, lay hands on the sick and they will recover.  It is God’s power but we are his instruments of this power.  We are his baptized believers so the fruit of this power is to come through us.    

As it is, research says that we only utilize about 10% of our brain’s capacity.  If we include the potential power of the Holy Spirit how well are we utilizing the gifts and power of the promise?  I suspect the answer is “not nearly enough”.  The reason goes back to the weakness of the flesh that holds on to the powerlessness of its own will rather than surrender to the power of the will of God.  The power of the promise is manifest in our desire to do the will of God.  The greater our surrender the greater the power and miracles that come from it.  This is the testimony of the great saints. 

Too often the sentiment is “I am not worthy”.  God places no standard of worthiness on his people.  He places a standard of obedience, surrender and sacrifice.  He calls us friends but as his friends our commitment is still trying to bargain with a “yes, but not yet” or “yes, but not completely”.  If not now when?  How long will we keep him waiting for our hearts to open up to his love?  The spirit is weak from lack of spiritual muscle.  Spiritual muscle comes from spiritual exercises that includes our prayer life, our charity, and our communion with God.   These are the corner stones that opens our hearts to obedience, surrender and sacrifice.  Practice leads to perfection in any of our life goals corporal as well as spiritual.  Do it! Do it right! Keep doing it! 

It all begins with taking the next right step.  It comes as an inspiration from the Spirit, it passes through right judgment, and leads to an act of holiness.  That is why we are called to be holy as God is holy.   It is the Spirit of truth that he promised and we will not be misled.  This is the promise coming from the Ascension of the Lord that we may follow him both now and at the hour of our death.  The Lord left us the promise of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in our faith journey but it is a journey we must still undertake. 

Today also marks Mother’s Day in which we honor our mothers who through the pain of childbirth said “yes” to life.  It is a selfless self-giving sharing in the mystery of creation.  It is saying “yes” to God and trusting in the Lord to walk in faith raising up a child with God’s special graces he gives to mothers.  A mother knows her children because her love comes with a spirit of wisdom and revelation.   They have eyes behind their heads, “lol”. 

We also recognize the women who said “yes” to accepting a child raising them as their own because of whatever circumstances the child was born in or found themselves in.  Mothers are an example of how God works through humanity to bring about life, joy, peace, love and salvation.  The reward of motherhood is a great blessing but greater is the promise to come when God will call us to his glory. 

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Homily

Sixth Sunday of Easter – Love one another!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Ps. 98:1-4; 1 Jn. 4:7-10; Jn. 15:9-17

“This I command you: love one another”, says the Lord.  Our gospel today is a continuation from last week with a common theme to remain in Jesus by following his commandments.  This is the proof that we remain in God and God in us by the greatest commandment not only by our love of God but when we love one another.  Love of the unseen God is bound with the love of one another who we do see.  This love will bear fruit, lasting fruit that remains “so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he many give you” says Jesus.    

There are many who say “I believe in God.  I am a Christian” Having faith is only the beginning of our relationship with God.  Jesus asked Peter “Do you love me” three times and then he commanded him to demonstrate his love by caring for others.  Love of God is active participation in the salvation of souls.  The Mass is an act of love by our active participation with our prayers, hymns, intentions, and offerings.  Love one another is active participation bringing our family to church, making sure our children receive their sacraments, becoming a community of faith that participates in spiritual and corporal works of mercy.  To love is to receive life from God just as death is to refuse to love. 

God is love.  The God of creation brought us mercy, redemption, and salvation through Jesus his son as an expiation for our sin.  God’s love is always active for our greater good but we also must know how to ask rightly from the Father.  Often when we pray, we focus on what are our needs, wants, hopes and desires.  We begin with the love of “I” and not the love of God.  Let our prayer begin with the love of God by asking and trusting that his will be done.  He knows the desire of our hearts and we can express all those desires in the right context of our surrender to the will of God.  Recall how Abraham was put to his greatest test of faith and love called to offer up his son.  Abraham trusted in God and remained obedient to his will and God proved him to be a righteous man.  Abraham also a human being bore lasting fruit that remains to this day. 

Today we see in the first reading Peter who is given homage by Cornelius but Peter raises him up declaring he is also a human being and treats him as a brother.  There is a lesson here that we are all called to be servants of the Lord even as we are all given different authority in the service of his church.  Peter is given authority in the person of Jesus while we are to reflect the image of Jesus as human beings.  As a family our authority rests in the domestic church at home.  The apostles were given authority to lead the faithful as a magisterium of the Church. 

Peter preaches in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit descents upon all present, Jew and Gentile, baptized and unbaptized, circumcised and uncircumcised something to ponder.  The heart that is ready to receive the Lord will not be denied the love of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out onto everyone including the unbaptized.  Peter recognized the mystery of faith at work and called for everyone who received the Holy Spirit to be baptized.  He acted not by the law of division but the law of love for unity of one another.  We must remain open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit calling us to unity and love of one another. 

This is not what we see in the news every day, where division, hatred, persecution and even violence is waged on the streets of cities, college campuses, and on borders of nations.  You cannot have an act be racist against one race of people and not be racist against another race.  You cannot call an act as persecution against one group of people but declare it to be justified “equity” when it is returned back to those people.  As the common expression says, “two wrongs don’t make it right”.  Two wrongs make for endless hate carried on from generation to generation.  It is time to bring an end to this cycle of hate or it will bring an end to us.  History has demonstrated this reality in the rise and fall of neighborhoods, cities, and nations.  Mass migration is often a people in flight from persecution and in search of greater freedom.  Love one another!

Love one another is not easy.  People are not easy to accept much less to love.  When a couple gets married the early years are a struggle to accept each other as we are.  We often assume that the other will change “if they love us”.  This philosophy doesn’t work and it takes a few years to come to realize we can’t change anyone.  The vows to love in good times and in bad should also include to love “as is” with all our good qualities and bad faults and pray that God is not done with us yet.    

We say we love God and his people but when we come to church, we avoid “those people”, those we know because of politics, those that have misbehaved children, those that like to sing loud but can’t sing well, and well those “other” people that look different, dress different, or whatever other things we think of them.  The nature of the flesh is not to love one another.  The spirit of love for another is a gift that we must seek because it will always require some form of sacrifice.  The flesh is not open to sacrifice.  We must unite our will to the will of the Father and be ready to respond to act in love of one another for the greater good.  Easier said than done.  Jesus recognizes his own who recognize him with love of one another. 

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