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Homily

Paschal Triduum

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Paschal Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday

Gospels:  Jn 13: 1-15(Holy Thursday); Jn 18:1-19:42 (Good Friday); Mat 28: 1-10 (Easter Vigil); Jn 20:1-9 (Easter Sunday)

The Paschal Triduum once referred to as “the still days” returns once again to this message of being still in the celebration from sunset Holy Thursday through Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.  During this time the bells of the church are silenced reminding us to silence our hearts in this solemn time of Jesus Passion, Death, and Resurrection.  The question for us is how will we respond in this call to an interior solitude? 

The Church recognizes signs of holiness, visible signs of invisible grace.  It does so in the sacraments we celebrate with each sacrament having a visible sign beginning with baptism having the sign of water.  The invisible grace is the coming of the Holy Spirit to reside in us and us in him.  In the world today exist three visible signs of Christ representing his presence in the Paschal mystery of his passion, death, and resurrection.  These signs remind us of a crucified man who underwent excruciating pain, died, and appears to be coming back to life.  In fact, the word “excruciating” comes from “crucifixion”.  What are these signs? 

The visible signs of the Paschal mystery are three cloths where science has recognized as inexplainable by natural means and remain a mystery.  What is not a mystery is what science reveals about the man crucified.  The first signs is a cloth called “Sudarium” (latin for sweat-cloth) identified as Veronica’s veil and in Italian called the “Telo Di Oviedo” representing the location it is in.  In the Via Dolorosa we recall Veronica wipes the face of Jesus and his blood and sweat leave an imprint on the cloth.  This Sudarium is simply one mystery cloth until it is joined to the other two. 

The second cloth is perhaps the most recognized in the world because it has been studied by scientist over the years.  This visible sign is the Shroud of Turin, so called because of the location where it is kept.  This cloth bears a negative image of a man whose body is scourged, face beaten and a crown of thorns placed on his head.  The negative image of this man shows holes in his hands and feet indicating he was crucified.  When a negative of the negative is made then a positive “picture” appears of this naked man crucified.  The cloth is the traditional Jewish burial cloth able to wrap along his back and front area showing the scourging on his back, the wound on his side, the nails in hands and feet, the imprint of thorns on his head.  Pope John Paul II now Saint John Paul II called the shroud “a mirror of the Gospel” something to be still and contemplate. 

The third cloth is the covering over the face of a crucified man called the “Volto Santo Di Manopello” again because of the location where it is found but also known as the “Face of Jesus”.  Having visited during a pilgrimage the site of Manopello the “Visitation Pilgrimage” group was privileged to be there on the day it was being exposed and processed through the community.  This happens only twice a year.  We were also given a presentation by a Franciscan Father who demonstrated the significance of each of the cloths together.  Having each cloth overlap each other they produce a perfect fit revealing they belong to the same crucified man.  The significance of the cloths also reveals by their pollen content that they represent the area of Jerusalem as their original location.  More significant about this cloth is that science indicates areas of the face that are dead tissue and areas that are living tissue while the eyes are pinpoint as if just coming into the light.  What does this mean? 

The meaning of all three cloths beyond the significance that they belong to the same crucified man is the deeper mystery of these cloths, it is the Paschal mystery.  Veronica’s veil is the cloth representing the passion of Jesus scourging; the burial cloth represents Jesus’ death in the tomb; and the “Face of Jesus” cloth represents the moment of the resurrection. This is the Paschal Triduum, this is our faith. 

What we make of these “signs” is for our personal reflection.  What we make of our faith has everlasting impact.  These “signs” are left for us to contemplate our faith, what we believe and how we practice what we believe.  Faith and reason remain in the heart of the soul to discern but the fact is these cloths remain to tell a remarkable story of a man brutally tortured, crucified, buried, and coming to life.

In time science will continue to study these three cloths and reveal much more of the crucified man but the truth is already revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.  The sign we are given is faith through the Holy Spirit, in the sacraments of the church at the altar in memorial of the sacrifice we offer this Paschal Triduum and the sacrifice he gave for us.  This man we call Jesus of Nazareth, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son of Man, our redeemer.  This we believe, this we celebrate and this is our Easter!  Be still and know that the great “I Am” is God with us.  Be still and come to the deeper life of faith, hope and love.  Happy Easter!  Happy Resurrection Day! Alleluia! Alleluia!

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Homily

Palm Sunday

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 50:4-7; Ps. 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Phil. 2:6-11; Mt. 26:14—27:66”

“Field of Blood” set aside for foreigners “for it is the price of blood”, the blood of Jesus given for us “foreigners” passing through this land on our pilgrimage to heaven.  It is set aside as the “potter’s field” for the poor, the suffering, the rejected by this world.  The Field of Blood today is the empty graves claimed in victory by the blood of Jesus. 

Who among us can wash our hands and say, “I am innocent of this man’s blood”?  For all have sinned and share in the blood of Jesus.  We are called to “be perfect” thus our imperfection is “sin”.  In the agony of the cross, Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Jesus fully human lives with us in our agony when we unite ourselves to him, we are not alone.  Now is the time to cry out, now is the hour of need to overcome this coronavirus pandemic around the world and in our community. 

Jesus gives up his spirit and the tombs of the righteous are opened.  In baptism we have died in Christ, now is the time to open the tomb of our hearts hardened by sin, blind in the darkness of this world and all its temptations.  The “earthquake” of our time is this pandemic and the Son of God is calling us to himself.  The world seeks to secure the tomb of our lives by “fixing a seal” to any voice that speaks of God, sin, and/or repentance. “The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue…Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear” so are we listening, are we sharing the word made flesh? The word made flesh is Jesus, and in our flesh, we carry him forth.   The world stands guard against anyone who wants to open the tomb of death through conversion of the world.  The world wants to return to the past and claim victory for itself in overcoming this pandemic.  God’s call is not a return to the past but to a return to him. 

Today we are asked to be Joseph of Arimathea and care for the body of Jesus with our own riches.  In charity to others we take Jesus body and wrap him in love and lay him down in our hearts to remain always with us.  Today we are given this Lent to sit as “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” and contemplate the tomb of Jesus death, his suffering, and his presence in our lives.  He has always been with us yet have we been with him?  This is our call to grow in holiness being present to him not in fear but in love. 

It is easy to be among each other without being present to the other.  God comes to us in the other and asks “Do you love me?”  Love him being present to him in prayer, in fellowship in our domestic church as home, and in reaching out to the other in need.  Today is the day of atonement. “Who is this?  This is Jesus…he was in the form of God…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” our salvation.   Anyone of us may face the “the point of death” at any time.  This pandemic is a daily reminder we must remain obedient to the Father. Today is the day of salvation. 

The good news is we know how this story ends.  It ends in victory in Christ Jesus, in the resurrection of the dead, and in eternal life.  “Fear not” for the Passover of death by this virus will come and claim the body of some but the soul has claimed freedom in Christ and it cannot be taken away.  We are marked by the sign of his blood and today we recall his passion, death, and resurrection.  “O death where is your sting!”  Remain in him, keep the faith, and stay on our pilgrimage to the new Jerusalem.  God is good and deserving of all our love, thus we are good made in his image we have the gift of love.  Love richly, love generously, love always! 

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Homily

5th Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ez. 37:12-14; Ps. 130:1-8; Jn. 11:1-45

“I will open your graves…I will put my spirit in you that you may love…”  In the mercy and fullness of redemption “whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”  O death where is your sting!   The sting of the serpent is lost in the power of the resurrection for the just.  Who are the just?  The just believe in him, receive the spirit, live in the spirit and are righteous.  Faith is the first act of salvation to believe by our free will we humble ourselves to the mystery of faith.  “Living” our faith is the fruit of believing. 

Lazarus is raised from the dead “so that you may believe” in the power of Jesus, in the resurrection and in the “glory of God”.   Lazarus however remains in the flesh subject to a mortal death.  Jesus resurrection is the victory over death itself.  Only the foolish see death as an end but our hope is in immortality.  You shall know the just by their love for God is love and our love unites us to God in immortality.  Jesus provides us a window into the immortality to come in four visible signs. 

The first sign of immortality is an “impassability” in which there is no more death, suffering and disease.  The mortality of this body is all that perishes but the soul and spirit are alive for eternity.  “He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Mt. 22:32).  The power of this impassability is seen in the transfiguration as Jesus in transfigured by the light of heaven seen next to Moses and Elijah.  Moses and Elijah are the visible sign of life after a mortal death of the body. 

The second sign of immortality is “sotility” meaning a freedom from the material world.  The visible sign is Jesus appearance to the disciples through the doors after his resurrection.  Physically present he asks his disciple Thomas to touch his wounds and believe.  Even before his resurrection he already demonstrated his divinity and walked on water towards his disciples.  This is also seen in documented cases where souls are permitted to appear after the death of the body to holy souls and ask for prayers, masses, and penance to end their purgatory. 

The third sign of immortality is “agility” to move through space at the speed of thought for the soul obeys the will.  The visible sign is Jesus appearance on the road to Emmaus, on the shores of the sea, and in the room where the disciples were.  This was his freedom to be present wherever his will desired.  The souls of the just receive this gift to be present to God and to us most especially at the celebration of the Mass.  The Mass opens the gates of heaven for the sacrificial offering we celebrate for our salvation and the redemption of souls. 

The fourth sign of immortality is “clarity” meaning free from imperfections by being in the light of love, mercy, truth and the beatific vision.  The only death is the death to lies.  The visible sign we share of this clarity is the Word of God as he gave to the disciples and becomes our reality when we believe and follow the word made flesh, Jesus Christ.  The reality of the word is made present when we believe, receive the Spirit and become the temple of the Lord.  We are called to be the visible sign of immortality.  Do you believe this? 

O death where is your sting!  We can think of death as coming to destroy life but it is Christ who comes to save us from evil, sin, sickness and darkness.  We can think of death as an ending to a life as we know it and this is a reality, for we cannot reenter this existence again; let us also think of the new beginning into the immortal promises of God, the beatific vision of love itself.  We can think of death as losing a part of ourselves when a loved one passes on left with the memories and treasures in our hearts; let us also think of gaining an intercessor for us whose love remains at our side as a worker for Christ in heaven.  We can think of saying “goodbye” with tears in our eyes as the last breath of our loved one nears or we approach our final breath; let us also think of the reunion in heaven welcoming the souls of the just into the light of love and immortality.  We can think of a “going away”; let us also reflect on the welcoming home into heaven.  Finally, we can think of death whispering “you must go now”; let us listen to the voice of God calling us “Child of mine, arise!” 

This is our Easter we celebrate each year, each time mortal death arrives, each time a soul is saved in baptism we are a recreation into immortality.  In fact, our own mortal body passes through a death throughout our years of life as our cells die away and new cells are created so that every five years we live in a new body.  Have we not left behind the child for the adolescent, the adolescent for the young adult, the young adult for the middle-aged person, and finally arrived at the elderly stage?  The gift of the spirit also takes our soul through a journey of faith when we die to the old attachments to sin and are recreated into the image of our creator in greater holiness. 

We are called to perfection and we cannot live out our perfection in isolation.  It is in unity and fellowship with the church we come into immortality.  We do not save ourselves, Jesus saves!  Jesus saves by following him, his word, and his church.  This Lenten season is as time to conversion while mortal death surrounds us in this COVID-19 pandemic.  We are being called to repentance and conversion as children of the faith.  The world does not recognize him but the faithful recognize him and our trust is in Jesus.  Let us continue to pray, fast, and be charitable.  It is to the degree of charity that we gain our perfection for immortality.  What we do now matters!  We are called to holiness, an unconditional love, sacrificial love, and purposeful living in love.  Do you believe this?  Believe and be saved!

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Homily

4th Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

1 Sam. 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps. 23:1-6; Eph. 5:8-14; Jn. 9:1-41

“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  This is the central question Jesus is asking of us today.  Laetare Sunday brings back a sense of celebration for our Lenten journey.  It is a time to reflect halfway through Lent on our spiritual journey, how our eyes are open to the presence of God removing our blindness to the work of the Holy Spirit, our awakening to sin, and our call to conversion.  It is a time to say, “I do believe, Lord.”  Do we believe God is present in the current COVID-19 pandemic preparing us for a greater conversion as a family of faith, a country and the world?  Church history tells us that during the greatest crisis is when some of the greatest miracles have happened including all the apparitions of our Blessed Mary. 

The gospel is rich in meaning beginning with the first question asked of Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”   This shatters the central belief of sin of the time, bad things happen to sinners and good things to good people.  We know that to be true in our own lives when we see the innocent suffer and the guilty live in prosperity.  The response however is more profound for us, “it was so the works of God may be made visible through him.”  We all sin and we all have an opportunity to look into our lives and allow God to do his works through us in good times and in bad.  Every situation is an opportunity to receive the blessing of God and be a sign of light in the darkness of the world.  Yes, this COVID-19 is an opportunity for the works of God to be made visible through him when we turn to him “seek and you will find”.

Jesus “spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his (blind man) eyes”.  We are created out of the dust and water of the earth and Jesus actions is to be a sign of our new recreation in him after the fall of Adam and Eve.  He sends him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam “which means Sent”.  The Pool of Siloam is fed by the Gihon river considered to be the waters coming from the Garden of Eden.  These waters were used for bathing to remove the sins of the people during Jesus time just as Mary was required to bathe after her time of delivery.  In his obedience to Jesus he gains his sight.  Today we are sent to the sacrament of confession to be washed clean of our sins.  God seeks to remove our blindness to sin during this time of Lent and crisis and return to the light of truth. 

The people who knew him see the miracle and yet do not accept that it is the same man.  The evidence is before them but their blindness comes from believing only in themselves.  The man answers “I am”.  His “I am” can only be seen in scripture when Moses asks God “who do I say sent me” and God responds to tell them “I Am” sent you.  This is the moment of truth.  The man no longer blind uses the same words as God’s name to express his identity.  He is now a new creation in God as we are in baptism and the reason to celebrate not only Laetare Sunday but every day of life.  Lent is our recreation in God’s image more perfect by our love and following his commandments.  “I am born again in spirit and in truth”. 

The man born blind now gives testimony to his new creation in his response to the Pharisees.  First the Pharisees are quick to judge based on their own practices of the Law. They judge now within the parameters of the Law saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath”.  Again, the blindness to deny what is in front of them and trust in themselves.  The man with new sight gives testimony not only to his physical miracle but to his spiritual rebirth in answering the Pharisee “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from…that God does not listen to sinners…it is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind…If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.”  He is now the “teacher” of the Pharisees who remain blind before the miracle before them.  We can see the COVID-19 pandemic as simply another freak act of nature or something greater in our conversion. 

Jesus finds the man and asks him to confirm his faith with the question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man”.  The man answers “I do believe, Lord.”  The man then worshiped him.  Lent is meant to awaken us not only to our sin but to our need to worship in spirit and in truth.  Coming to church as an act of obedience to the Law is similar to the conviction of the Pharisees.  We miss the miracle before us.  We look only to what we accept and remain blind.  Our sin remains for lack of faith.  Jesus comes “into this world for judgment” to remove our blindness and return us to a holy place, sanctified by his blood.  How may we remove our blindness and receive the gift of sight?  The church is open to the sacrament of penance and now is the acceptable time to go to confession and be washed clean of sin so our eyes may be opened to his presence.  Let us go forth, sent to live in the light of Jesus Christ with eyes open to the revelation of truth in every circumstance, no matter how small or pandemic.  Jesus, Joseph and Mary pray for us.

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Homily

Solemnity of St. Joseph

Posted on by Deacon Joe

St. Joseph is the patron saint of dreamers and workers.  He is also the Patron Saint of the Catholic Church given by Pope Pius IX.  Dreams awaken us up to our deeper hopes, anxieties, desires, and fears.  In fact in dreams we are workers and problem solvers as we allow the spirit to work in us and for us to deal with our daily work.  Work is a means of sanctification, allowing work to bring us to holiness.  It allows us to accept work to prosper our dreams for ourselves, our families, a good cause, and a mission.  It can even become our calling in life. 

Today our Diocese of Brownsville announced the suspension of all Masses until further notice to the public due to COVID-19.  This is our Lenten season and we can appreciate that priests will continue to offer the Mass privately as an offering for this time of crisis.  It is in our suffering we come to a greater conversion and sanctification.  This is a time to come together in our homes as the domestic church and pray, fast, and offer our almsgiving for an end to this crisis.  Let us pray to St. Joseph today to be our protector as he was for the child Jesus and Mary. 

While little is said of St. Joseph in scripture, he is called a “righteous man”.  His voice is silent except in his actions and they speak clearly.  He listened to his dreams as coming from God and was obedient.  A righteous man is honest and responsible to his work.  A righteous man is a committed person.  Once he understood the will of God he trusted in God and was obedient to do all that God asked of him without compromise. 

Silent obedience is very difficult.  We live in times where every opinion, action, or disagreement is posted on social media.  We exercise our right to free speech regardless of impact.  The virtue of silence is forgotten.  If we would address our speech first to God, we would gain the virtue of prudence knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.  Joseph in Hebrew has the meaning “he will add”.  Joseph adds to the mystery of faith as a silent voice by his obedience. 

Have you ever had a personality type test that identifies your traits?  Named Jose carrying Joseph’s name sake my personality traits in the Briggs Myer test comes out as an “INTJ” meaning Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Judging.  Introverts are of few words and in all of scripture Joseph is not quoted.  His actions did all the talking and no words were needed.  Joseph was Intuitive by understanding the dreams and following the guidance of God he not only spared the life of Mary he was obedient to the will of God.  Joseph was a righteous man Thinking of a manner in which to “divorce her quietly” and save both their lives until he was given a dream. Joseph was Judging rightly to follow with obedience the angel of the Lord’s message.  One of the strengths of an INTJ is that of “strategist”.  A good strategist listens to the voice of God before entering into battle against the enemy.  The voice says “fear not, I am with you.” 

Was Joseph an INTJ we do not know but we can see in his actions one virtue needed in all of us and that is humility.  Humility is the first unifying virtue in receiving Jesus as Lord and savior.  Jesus humility is coming as a child without fear trusting in the humility of a mother and father to follow the spirit of truth.  Jesus trusted in Mary and Joseph to be love and sacrifice for his love.  What does your name represent and what name may Jesus be offering as a true calling that unites who he created us to be in his image with the unique characteristics of our personality?    Ask and it shall be revealed. 

Let us pray to St. Joseph for us to listen to the voice of God in our dreams, our work, our prayer, and our fellowship as a community of faith.  Let us practice the virtue of silence before we speak even if for a moment to gain the virtue of prudence and lead us to righteousness, meaning right action. Let us also ask for St. Joseph’s protection as we live through this pandemic in our world.  St. Joseph pray for us and add to our protection.

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Homily

3rd Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Exodus 17:3-7; Ps. 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn. 4:5-42

“Lord…give me living water” to worship in Spirit and truth.  God is Spirit and the living water comes in Spirit and truth for us to do the will of the Father.  Jesus is the messiah sent to do the will of the Father “and to finish his work”.  Jesus now send us to continue in the harvest reaping and sowing the work of God.  We share in the fruits of the work done by others who came before and now it is our turn to sow for the future of those to come.  What we reap is from the sacrifice of those who responded to the voice of God in salvation history and who proclaim “Jesus is Lord”.  What we sow is testimony to the faith we proclaim in our own calling to sacrifice for love of God.  The gifts we receive is seed for sowing a harvest yet to come. 

Today in the gospel we enter into the process of conversion with the Samaritan woman.  Her encounter begins with a man she recognizes as a Jew thirsty for water.  Her reaction is to question first that which separates her from him, she a Samaritan and he a Jew.  She worships in her “mountain” of Sychar and he in Jerusalem.  We often find ourselves more concerned questioning with what divides us from others, rich or poor, minority or majority, race, creed, male or female that with what unites us.  If we allow what separates us to dominate our hearts then soon there is no one left to unite our hearts with, no other and we miss out on God who comes to us in other as he appears now to the Samaritan woman as Jesus. 

The next step in her conversion is questioning this Jewish man’s identity, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?”  Jesus response is an offering of an eternal gift “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst”.  Her response is to seek and ask “so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”  Jesus then tells her what she has not confessed and in this her conversion rises to believe Jesus is a prophet.  For many in our world Jesus is a historical figure, a wise “prophet” with good teachings but difficult teaching to follow.  This level of conversion allows a person to accept only the teaching they justify to themselves and to ignore what is not in their “comfort zone”.  Truth and acceptance of truth is the beginning of conversion and now the woman sees a prophet.  Who is Jesus in my heart?

The woman then “listens to him” and his teaching of God the Father in Spirit and truth becoming more united to him by proclaiming “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”  To this Jesus responds, “I am he, the one speaking to you.”  Her heart is now opened to the message, she leaves her jar and goes back to town to tell the people “come see…Could he possibly be the Christ?”  We are invited to “come see” what Jesus is ready to reveal in us when we worship in Spirit and truth.   We “come see” as a community together and he reveals himself in the celebration of the Eucharist.  “Come see” what the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ” is ready to reveal to us as the body of Christ when we receive him in Spirit and truth.  We see Christ and “he will tell us everything” when we listen to his voice in the Word, the teaching, the prayers, and receive him in the Eucharist. 

Now the woman in community with her town gather and invite “Christ” to stay with them proclaiming “we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”  This happens because they too come to “listen to him” and his word leads them to conversion.  Jesus calls us to fellowship “where two or three are gathered in his name” he comes to us to unite us in Spirit and truth. From stranger to Jew to prophet, to Christ and finally to “savior of the world”. 

Is Christ my savior or am I still on this journey of faith resisting the call to worship in Spirit of truth?  The Spirit is the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us at baptism.  The Spirit of God is ready but where is our spirit of faith, hope, and love?  The Spirit responds to the will given us to go forth, take the next step of faith, trust in the Lord, “come and see”.  Surrender is a powerful force not of weakness but of strength when our surrender is to God.  Let us invite him now to give us living water, the hour has come and he is “the one speaking with you” in your heart. 

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Homily

2nd Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Genesis 12:1-4a; Ps. 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22; 2 Tim. 1:8b-10; Mat. 17:1-9

Am I a believer?  Then “Rise, and do not be afraid.”  Abram was not afraid to leave behind a life he had created for himself and his family to go to the promise land of “a great nation”.  Jesus “touched them” that is Peter, James, and John calling them to rise and not be afraid of the voice of God calling them to recognize “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  St. Paul in his letter to Timothy is calling him to “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”  There is a plan for us “according to his own design…before time began”.  Are we a believer? 

The believer is in search of their destiny in the plan of God.  The transfiguration in today’s gospel is the metamorphoses in Christ Jesus “who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light”.  It is a revelation of the light of Christ and we are to “listen to him”.  Jesus is the voice of God and is God who we prostrate our hearts to.  A believer listens to the voice of God in the gospel unafraid to follow in abandonment of self.  This is our Lenten journey to fear less the call for abandonment of self, “listen to him”, and believe in the gospel.  The believer will climb of mountain of faith, become transformed into the light of courage and be guided into the plan of God destined for his glory. 

Abram, Peter, James, John and Paul all heard the voice of God and their transformation was instant, complete, and unafraid.  This is the power of our baptism, the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word made flesh when we come to receive as a believer.  Here also lies the fault when our will to believe is weakened by our will to follow our own ways.  If only we would stop and “listen to him”, “seek and you shall find” what is God asking of us in the moment we face.  There is a local expression made famous by President Ronald Reagan who said “trust but verify”.  We are to trust ourselves with the gift of the Holy Spirit and the graces poured out for us to believe and go forth but we are to also take time to listen for the voice of God and verify we are following the will of God.  This is the covenant to walk in unity with God in three persons and with “our neighbor”. 

This unity is a unity with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  We see this unity in the Sacred Heart of Mary crowned as Queen of Heaven.  We see this unity in the heart of the saints whose sacrifice was in unity with the will of God.  We see this unity in our church when we gather together to offer our sacrifice of the Mass with penance, praise, and worship.  We also see this unity when we gather to pray as a family in our home uniting our hearts to be one with God, one in understanding, hope, and love.  This is the fruit of the believer.  There is no longer two, three or more but of one heart, voice, and mind.  I am a believer. 

The plan of God is perfect.  In the transfiguration is Moses a sign of the Law of God, Elijah a sign of the Word of God in the prophets, and Jesus the fulfillment of both.  Lent is our call to follow the law of God given in the word of God and perfected in the son of God as priest, prophet, and king to become flesh in our being, that is of one body, soul, and divinity with Jesus.  This is receiving communion as we come to the Eucharist to receive Christ himself and be transformed as bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh, one in the Trinity of God with all the angels and saints. 

A prayer for the believer in the Great “I AM”:

God is good and deserving of all my love; thus, “I Am” good made in his image

“I Am” perfect as called to be, in the perfection of this moment.

“I Am” master all that has been given to me; much have I received

“I Am” of perseverance in good times and in bad; in the joys and sorrows of life, God is present

“I Am” of prayer for God’s mercy, seek his love, trust in this divine providence

“I Am” a believer, “I Am” of prayer, “I Am” of trust, and “I Am” called to go forth. 

“I Am” in the one body, soul, and divinity

The Great “I AM” 

Am I a believer?  I am to “Rise, and do not be afraid.”  I am to “Listen to him” and fear not to go to the promise land destined for the believer.

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Homily

1st Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps. 51:3-6, 12-13, 17; Rom. 5:12-19; Mat. 4:1-11

Get away, Satan!  Jesus rebukes Satan from the three temptations of humanity in today’s gospel.  In psychology terms it is called the Id, Ego, and Superego.  The Id is the temptation of the flesh to hunger for self-gratification of the passions of the body, hunger being primary.  The Ego is the temptation of the mind for self-gratification to “test and see” is there a God of truth, goodness, beauty and love?  The Superego is the temptation of the spirit for self-gratification of a higher consciousness “to be like gods”.  These are the weapons of Satan.  Get away, Satan the father of lies and come to me Jesus, word of God. 

The first man and woman’s eyes were opened “and they realized they were naked”.  Their eyes were opened not to wisdom as promised by the serpent but to their sin and immediately tried to cover the naked truth of their disobedience.  Can anyone believe they can cover their naked sin before God?  The season of Lent is a process of admitting our nakedness of sin to God and returning to a state of grace for our disobedience. 

Which is our greatest temptation to overcome this Lent?  The sins of the flesh in our passions to indulge our appetites for food, sex, alcohol, drugs; the sins of the mind to indulge in gaming, control, obsessions; and/or the sins of the spirit for pride, power, prestige and profit.  “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”  The first step is one of humility, we need God to be our change agent, we cannot do this ourselves.  It is in relationship with a power greater than us that change comes.  Alone we are like dust in the air and Satan is the wind that stirs us up and lets us fall.  Without humility we are still trying “to be like gods” with the false image that the power is ours alone. 

The second step is one of confession.  Our confession of faith requires us to go before God and before brethren that is who we have sinned against and ask for forgiveness.  This too is an act of humility in order to seek reconciliation there is a humble testimony that is made after a fearless moral inventory of our sins.  Our “acquittal” we do not give to ourselves.  We are not judge, jury and executioner.  Our acquittal is in the reconciliation with God and others. 

“But the gift is not like the transgression.”  The consequence of sin is suffering and death but the gift of forgiveness is beyond atonement for Jesus has atoned for our sins.  The gift is “the abundance of grace and gift of justification” to reign with Jesus Christ.  Jesus reigns and we are invited to reign through the power of the Holy Spirit not as slaves but as children of the light.  A new child in Christ is our calling and Jesus does not give up on us, let us not be the one who gives up on ourselves because of the temptations of Satan.  Get away, Satan!

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Homily

Ash Wednesday

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Joel 2:12-18; Ps. 51:3-6, 12-14, 17; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; Mat. 6:1-6, 16-18

“Rend your hearts…now is the day of salvation.  And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”  These lines coming from the three readings of today summarize today’s message of Lent.  Which is harder to make a spiritual inventory of our lives and reveal all the hidden sin we have covered up or to make a sacrifice of the flesh through fasting and almsgiving?  It is the former that is more difficult to make and it creates the “gift at the altar” for the latter to follow.  God’s blessing upon the latter is multiplied by the work of the former in a fearless moral inventory we rend our hearts to Jesus. 

To “rend your hearts” requires honesty of the ego to squeeze our hearts of the full significance of our sin.  It reveals the impact not only on the sinner but on everyone impacted by the sin.  It is tempting to reason “no harm done” when we skim the surface of our hearts than to consider the harm that does happen to our relationships with God and with others.  “Rend your hearts” to the truth that sin is the weapon that destroys our image of Christ and opens the wounds on the cross.  Bleeding is our integrity, honesty, faithfulness and our hope of salvation.  “Once saved always saved” is the lie of the evil one to deceive us and bring complacency and denial to our sins.  If sin is a rock that strikes the calm waters then the ripple effect is an honest appraisal of all impacted by that one act of sin. 

In the field of recovery from addictions there is the “Fourth Step” of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.  It states, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”.  If fear is considered as inverted faith then our fears drive us away from faith and right action.  “If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts” with the courage of faith to search for the divine will ready to be the spoken word.  Faith delivers God’s mercy to liberate us of sin and bring truth to our moral compass. 

The liberated go forth to offer gifts of sacrifice in the form of prayer, penance, and charity.  It is surprising that the “old” tradition of fasting that has lost its brilliance in an age of indulgence is resurfacing for its great health benefits.  It is being promoted as a form of detoxifying the body yet the body and the soul are one.  What is good for the body is good for the soul and vice versa.  In fasting the soul is also being cleansed of its hunger for indulgence in the form of a spiritual discipline.  It is the one body and soul that is the temple of the Lord and together there is a purification in fasting to strengthen the virtue of temperance, that is regaining the right balance as the temple of God.  Who would of “thunk it” that the old returns as new again?  That is a recognition that there is one truth and it lies in God.  God is the creator of natural law we are called to follow.

In the perfection of obedience to the natural law of God we are purified to offer our gifts of charity and see them multiplied by grace.  It is the perfect way into the spiritual law of God to open our hearts to the great commandment to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves.  In this is revealed the true image of Christ in us to be holy and perfect as your heavenly Father is holy and perfect.  It begins this day for those who take up the call to “rend your hearts…now is the day of salvation.  And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you” beyond what our eyes have not seen and our hearts have not felt, what he has prepared for us. 

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Homily

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Lev. 19:1-2, 17-18; Ps. 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Cor. 3:16-23; Mat. 5:38-48

Be holy as God is holy is our call to life in perfection.  Perfection is allowing Christ to be with us, through us and in us in word and deed.  How?  First, we don’t allow perfection in us meaning we don’t allow Christ to work in us and when we make a mistake, we are quick to acknowledge, “I’m not perfect”.  In the human dimension according to our will we cannot reach perfection even under perfect circumstances as is evident by Adam and Eve.  They had paradise and sinned.  Perfection comes in union with the perfect God-head.  Be still and call upon God actively listening for the sign that leads to the way of perfection. Pray, “God in three persons, reveal the way of perfection that I may follow.” 

The prayer in humility opens the soul to receive the way of perfection blessing the Lord for the Spirit of God already dwells in us.  The Spirit of God is what gives us ownership of health, wealth, life, death, present and future.  It is the miracle of the eternal now ready to manifest itself in the most perfect way.  Jesus in today’s gospel gives a command to “offer no resistance” even in the midst of evil or when called into service “for one mile, go for two miles”.  How is it possible to deny self for other, yet this is what Jesus did for us?  The call to resist not is to be open to God’s divine will so he may act for the greater good in all and through all.  The call to perfection is the summit of our Christian faith if we dare to seek it. 

God is the Spirit of truth that rights all wrongs and fulfills all needs “through Christ who strengthens me”.  This is the mystery of faith when we “fear not” then faith is now set free to work the miracles of life.  It is said “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin…for fear is only inverted faith” (The Game of Life by F. Shinn.  St. Mathew says, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”  How often is fear and worry the resistance in trusting God preventing the pouring out of his grace for that moment in our lives?  God is good and we must seek the good in the moment to bring forth the work that is needed in our lives and in other.  God is love thus by offering love we are covered by God from evil and open to divine will as our mediator, redeemer, and protector.  Let us not be deceived by our fears but respond to fear by taking the next right step of faith.  “There is no fear in love but perfect love drives out fear…” (1 Jn. 4:18).  The next right step of faith is an act of love. 

The call to perfection comes right before Lenten season to be mindful of the next right step towards perfection in living a life in Christ.  The Word says, “be perfect” not “try to be perfect”.  To “try” is already a compromise with an escape clause.  To “be” is to take each moment without fear in in highest virtue being called to live out in the moment.  Perhaps it is patience, generosity, kindness, or courage among others which in the Latin “virtus” represents a moral perfection.  Perhaps in a world of rapid activity it is the courage to “be still” waiting upon the Lord who already in present dwelling in us to manifest his glory. 

“The Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”  What is “fear of the Lord”?  It is the fear of disobedience to the Law of God, the great commandment, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind (perfectly), and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).  “Do you not know that you are the temple of God…Let no one deceive himself” we are very capable of destroying our own temple by disobedience to the Law so let us prepare ourselves this Lent.  The beginning of perfection is repentance recalling “The Lord is kind and merciful” when we return to Him to purify the temple in which he dwells. 

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