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Homily

5th Sunday Ordinary Time – The just man!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 58:7-10; Ps. 112:4-9; 1 Cor. 2:1-5; Mt.5:13-16

The just man is a light producing the fruit of good deeds that glorify our heavenly Father.  The acts of a just man is from the light of Christ coming to serve the needs of the poor and our poverty is both corporal and spiritual.  Born of both body and soul our bodies hunger to be nurtured and sustained but our soul hungers for a greater need, for the truth of God.  Our justice comes from the Lord as we bring our gift of self to serve him in our spiritual and corporal works of mercy. 

It is in giving that we receive the “vindication” before God who will guard our going and our coming.  Ever wonder “does the Lord hear my prayer?”  At death will we come before the Lord and hear those dreadful words, “who are you?”  And he will say to us either “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it to me” or “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me”.  What is our gift to the Lord this day?  The just man is ready to see God coming in the stranger.  Our gift to the Lord is how we respond to the messenger of God before us for we do not know when it may be an angel of God who is testing our love of him.  Have you ever encountered an angel of God? 

Years ago, in the 1980’s, when as a youth group sponsor, we took a group of youth to Garner State Park as a retreat experience.  On the way back home, I was down to the last ten dollars for gas and no credit card for backup.  I was worried with the gas left and ten dollars we would not make it home to the Rio Grande Valley, another 250 miles to go.  We had stopped at the Alamo in San Antonio so the kids could tour.  Looking for bathrooms my son and I walked to a plaza close by and found some bathrooms.  As each of us went into a stall he said, “Dad, I found a penny.”  Looking down at my feet I noticed an old wallet.  When I opened it there was no identification and it was pretty much empty except for a hundred dollar bill.  I said to my son, “I found a hundred dollars!”  The place was empty so we left back to the group. 

Returning to the group, I was sitting on the wall with the group and the area was packed with people walking the streets.  I then notice an old man come out of the crowd.  He was dressed in worn faded clothes, had a beard and his face was filled with wrinkles.  He walked directly to me and just extended his hand without saying a word.  At that moment I thought, God you answered my prayer but now you are asking for me to share your blessings with this man.  I opened my wallet and gave him my ten dollars, thinking this is my tithe in return.  The old man turned without a word and walked back into the crowd.  I tied to keep my eye on him but he just seemed to vanish and my heart and soul felt like I had just encountered an angel of God.  We arrived home safely but to this day the impression of that experience remains as a reminder of Hebrews 13:1 “Let brotherly love continue.  Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” 

The just man’s justice comes from love of God and love of neighbor.  Self is regarded as an instrument of this love from who the light comes in darkness.  The light brings us the Spirit and power to do marvelous deeds for the Lord and the Lord is ready to say “Here I am!”  Turn to the Lord for his love and mercy endures forever and in weakness we shall see the light of life.  It is then that we become the salt of the earth and a beacon of light for others. 

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Homily

4th Sunday Ordinary Time – Boast in the Lord!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Zep. 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps. 146:6-10; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Mt.5:1-12a

“Boast in the Lord; rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.”  A young child will hear their parents boast about them and learn to have pride in themselves but where does a child also learn humility?  I recall the jingle “anything you can do I can do better; I can do anything better than you”.  We boast in the Lord for coming to our salvation.  We boast in him who redeems us, sanctifies us, and justifies us for he fulfills what is lacking in us to be saved.  We see this in the father whose son is possessed by a demon in Mark 9:24 who cried out to Jesus, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”  God does not seek the perfect soul but to perfect us in himself. 

The world is in constant competition judging who is better and who is not good enough.  In the world we boast about our achievement, our creation of success, our multiplication of wealth greater than others but to boast about our humility is an oxymoron.  In humility we are to see Jesus in others and give honor to God in recognizing his image reflected in the person we meet.  In this is our humility to say, “thank you for being Christ to me by your love, your counsel, your forgiveness, your testimony.  He who gives himself up to the world will be lost in the world and suffer the misery of a world with empty promises.  The world will simply move on to the next person who claims to be “better than you.” 

How foolish to believe in the world view that it is all about “me”, my passion and my will be done. Imagine the contradiction to hear “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  To grow in faith is to grow in humility understanding that without God we perish.  Then in the poverty of our spirit we come to him to save us for his kingdom.  Our time in this world is for God and his passion for the eternal heavenly kingdom.  We are created in his image for something greater than ourselves and we are invited to come and join him.  It is our time to choose wisely. 

In the world of “me” it is all about my “safe space”, my choice, my rights, my kingdom.  In the world of God, it is all about the “other” doing the will of the Father who art in heaven who is our strength.  Our call is to be merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, hungering for righteousness and willing to accept persecution if necessary. 

It is not surprising that even as believers we are slow to respond to the call to follow or boast in the Lord when our flesh is weak and our hearts are vain.  The temptation is to remain in ourselves and not look to the Lord as the mind tries to compromise with the idea of “yes but not yet”.  “Yes, I want to go to heaven but not yet ready to accept death.  Yes, I want to be a saint but not yet ready to forgive.  Yes, I believe in one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church but not yet ready to follow all the teaching of the church.”  Not yet at least until the moment we find ourselves in need and even then, we question God “why me, Lord, why now?”

The Lord desires our prayer to be “why not me Lord, let your will be done”.  Boast in the Lord what marvelous works he has done for us, through us, and despite our own weakness.  Jesus calls us to be in him.  In his space we receive righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  There is nothing safe about the illusion of a safe space without God.  Outside of him there is evil, fear, despair, and a pit of darkness.  Jesus came to give us the light of truth, hope where there is doubt, courage when there is fear, and the peace that comes from his love that gives us joy.  Joy to boast in the Lord.  This we are to boast when we rise each day to be sanctified, when we labor through the day in righteousness, and when we retire each night in thanksgiving for being redeemed by his love. 

Being poor in spirit we recognize we need God, his forgiveness of sin, and to trust in him.  We are to mourn those times we have failed to do good, to respond to his call, and rejected his love by our sin.  Meekness in the Lord is not wimpiness as the world defines it but our recognition of our need for God and in humility turn to him who loves us.   To hunger for righteousness begins from within to remove the splinter from our own eye before we address the beam in others.  Mercy comes to those who live by the law of forgiveness, as we forgive others, we receive forgiveness.  To be clean of heart is to say what you mean and mean what you say that is with honesty, without deceit and desiring the good of the other.  Peacemakers are not meddlers but carry the peace of Christ within and by their presence bring the light of God’s truth to bear. 

We live in a time where there is a rise in persecution for the sake of righteousness anytime the truth is spoken that abortion is killing the unborn person, that we are born male and female by God not by choice, that assisted suicide is murder, that same sex relations is a sin and anything else the social and cultural trends claim to be justified then be ready.  Immediately the insults and persecution are felt with all the “phobia” labels and racist claims that can be used to silence and cancel the voices that dare speak of God.  Living the beatitudes is not for wimps but for people of courage and endurance. 

Each day we are to fight the good fight in our daily encounters with others.  The voice in the desert is now our voice speaking to the person you encounter who will question and challenge you and may even turn against you.  This person may even be living in our home.  Will we stand or will we fall?  Boast in the Lord who will always stand by us when we stand for his truth. 

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Homily

3rd Sunday Ordinary Time – “Light has arisen!”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 8:23-9:3; Ps. 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor. 1:10-13,17; Mt.4:12-23

“Light has arisen!”  This is the light that consumes ordinary humanity and transforms it into something greater than ourselves.  Light has arisen and this light is Jesus Christ.  Jesus comes into the darkness of the world “curing every disease and illness”, the disease of sin, death, and the illness of body, mind and spirit.  The light has arisen but only upon those who respond to the call “Come after me”.  Apart from Jesus life is driven by emotions, reason, and our will not God’s will.  God’s will that we receive the infused virtues of light to know truth, righteousness, and peace.  The darkness of humanity is a vessel without the sail of faith in the one true God.  Peter, Andrew, James and John saw in Jesus the risen light and believed.   

Jesus saw in Peter, Andrew, James, John and the other apostles his church, his priestly descendancy with authority, his infallible teaching to be handed over to them to be taught before the whole world with the risen light of his gospel word made flesh as he institutes his church at the last supper, Holy Thursday.  Thus, today is more of the apologetics of the Catholic church in the world called to be one, holy, universal, and apostolic church for the meaning of Catholic is “universal”.  This is not to create separation from us and other believers who do not follow us but to remind us of the call to unity in the one body of Christ.  Recall the “Jesus’ prayer” for unity, John 17:21 “I pray…so that they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I in you…that the world may believe that you sent me.” 

Jesus comes proclaiming “the Gospel of the kingdom”.  It is one “Gospel” that holds the totality of his word and it begins with the word made flesh.  Jesus is the “Gospel”, the good news and “Gospel” is the revelation of absolute truth.  Jesus reveals to us the absolute truth of God the Father in his Son through the Spirit.   The Spirit is within the Son and the Father and all give witness to being one.  Without fulfilling the Jesus’ prayer for unity the world has not come to believe and a divided house cannot stand.  What is the world to believe if even among believers there is such great disunity?  It can only conclude what Pontius Pilates asked Jesus, “What is truth?”. 

The call for unity is the preaching of St. Paul this day “that there be no divisions among you” Christians “but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.”  Even in the early church history there are signs of division creating factions of different mindsets.  History is the great “fact checker” that is given to us to discern the one true church.  History has no partiality but records in itself and reveals to us Jesus’ kingdom coming through the call of his disciples.  History tells us the will of Jesus was to ensure unity in his church by proclaiming Peter as the “rock” of authority, by recognizing in the early church priests, bishops, deacons, and respect for the chair of Peter in Rome. 

Protestantism by its very name is a protest and rebellion against the chair of Peter and his appointed apostles.  Protestantism follows the belief in “Sola scriptura” by scripture alone do we discover the truth and the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice.  Thus, each person should be able to pick up a bible and receive the risen light of truth and understanding without error.  Vanity of vanities to presume each person’s interpretation of the bible by reason is absolute truth and if not absolute truth at least to hold it as “my truth” from the light of reason.  This is the false truth of moral relativism leading those who follow to be their own God. 

Moral relativism proclaims that there is no one truth.  It allows each to live their truth based on their own reason without God?  Thus, where two or three come together with their agreed upon conclusion they now proclaim it to be gospel truth and they establish their own church.   However, if two or three disagree they can each go their own way with their own theology and doctrine, divided not united.  This is what St. Paul is warning his people about and what we see in our world today.  This is how the world operates with the view of “to each his own” and we can easily fall into the same false belief unless we believe that Jesus established his church and gave it authority, the keys to the kingdom to “bind and to loosen” in earth and in heaven.  (Mt. 16:19, Mt. 18:19)

I have my truth from scripture and you have yours.  If there are multiple truths from God then why the incarnation of Jesus and his sacrifice if in the end who are we really following?  “Is Christ divided?” asks St. Paul, then why are we divided?  History proves by evidence of all the denominations that the same gospel can arrive in many minds at many different doctrines unless there is one authority coming to us from the beginning of Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel.  A divided church St. Paul warns results in the cross of Christ being “emptied of its meaning[JG1] ”. 

In Jesus the light is risen from the darkness but like a virus each time it is divided and mutates into another version of itself it becomes weaker and darker and dies.  Denominations rise and denominations fall but the fullness of truth of the gospel remains in the hands of the Catholic church and history proves who came first and remains with us to this day. 

In Jesus the light is risen to be a new covenant with his people.  But wait, does not the Lord speak of this new covenant stating, “I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts, I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.  Is it not the same law that comes to each of us as believers then why the division?  Why appoint twelve apostles designated to go out and teach what they have received?  Humanity needs the visible guiding light to understand the call to the divine life.  Just as a child needs his parents to become a mature adult the faithful need their earthly shepherd to enter into the Father’s house. 

Once baptized the spirit of the law is received in the gift of the Holy Spirit, planted in our hearts but it cannot mature without the body of the law to guide it in this pilgrimage.  This body is the Church, these apostles are the new priestly order, and through this order Christ reveals himself in the sacramental life of the church. 

To follow Jesus through the church is a great gift for humanity because the church bears the cross of shepherding the faithful in the truth.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation” received in the sacraments of the church to be the risen light to the world.  Jesus also left us the law of the gift.  The law of the gift says that it is in giving of ourselves that we find our true self.  Jesus gave himself up on the cross for us and in dying he rose to the visible fullness of himself and appeared to many.  The law of the gift is our calling, so let us remember it’s not about self but about self-giving that sets us free to become our true self, a child of God, a visible image of the light now risen in us. 

 [JG1]

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Homily

2nd Sunday Ordinary Time – Here am I, Lord!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 49:3, 5-6; Ps. 40:2, 7-10; 1 Cor. 1:1-3; Jn.1:29-34

“Here am I, Lord…who formed me as his servant from the womb” to do his will.  We are created to love, know and serve God, not generally as a human race but individually in a personal relationship with Christ from the moment of conception until death, from the womb to the tomb and beyond.  From the womb God is already granting us his love with the gift of the soul to be in union with him.  Life has meaning and purpose and God wants to reveal to us what that is for each of us.  We have a calling in this world and each day we are to discover and uncover more and more how we have been formed to love and serve the Lord. 

Some may ask, “If all are formed in the womb to be servants of God then why so much evil, division and chaos in this world?”  This question is more frequently asked as “If God is good why is there evil in this world?”  Formed to be servant recognizes the freedom to choose good or evil, right or wrong, obedience or rebellion.  Thus, the history of the world and of salvation history is filled with story upon story of who responded according to God’s will and who rejected his command to do his will, deceived by the evil one and by our own free will.  “Here am I Lord, I come to do your will is to be obedient whether convenient or inconvenient because you call upon me and you will it.  This is where the expression “the rubber meets the road” becomes our test.  Do we will to do his will or our own? 

To do God’s will is beyond obedience simply because he is God and we are not.   Obedience to God’s will does not make us slaves as puppets on a string.  Obedience to God is freedom, joy, peace, and love because the blessings, graces, and gifts from God are multiplied and continue to form us according to his image to be great saints.  When we obey and follow God’s commandments our lives are guided and protected and we grow in sanctity becoming our true self, perfected by his love we are free indeed. 

In Exodus, Moses asks God, “Who am I?  What do I tell them?”  God replies “I AM has sent me to you”.  The I AM is calling us to respond “Here am I, Lord” but often we remain doubtful still wondering “who am I to accept the call?”  “I AM” in Hebrew meaning is “I will be” as in becoming for the God of creation who is seeking us to become according to his will.  He becomes in us what is needed for us to be his servant and fulfill a divine purpose if we open ourselves to his becoming in us, with us, and for us.  God is waiting for our response “Here am I, Lord” for a transformation to go forth from our humanity to his divine calling yet we are more ready to question “Who am I?  Not I, Lord.”   

Last week was the Epiphany of the Lord marking the end of the Christmas liturgical season and the beginning of Ordinary Time with the celebration of the baptism of the Lord.  Little history is revealed to us of the life of Jesus over a period of thirty years.  Was the Lord simply living and growing in his humanity or was something else happening to prepare himself for the purpose he had come into the world.   In the finding of Jesus in the temple he tells his parents in Luke 2:49 “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?  He…was obedient to them; and Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”  This was not idle time this was formation time in his divine call.  There is a time to plant, a time to grow and a time to harvest yet every moment is also a time to respond “Here am I, Lord” open to your call. 

God is planting and growing in us his Word but he also calls on his harvest at the right time.  We are to be vigilant so that in every moment we are called we are ready to say, “Here am I, Lord”.  This is not about me feeling ready, worthy, or strong enough for the challenge.  “God is now my strength!”  To do the will of the Lord is beyond our strength.  He is the strength we need, he alone parts the waters, and raises the dead.  We are to trust in him to receive power “to become children of God” and do the ordinary will of God that is extraordinary for our being. 

When the church makes the call for volunteers to be involved in music ministry, lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, catechism teachers or support fellowship activities do we ask “who am I” or do we say “here am I”?  The Church is not waiting for professionals to step up but for faithful servants to respond and contribute as a sign of love of God and love of neighbor.  John the Baptist in the gospel of Mathew tries to tell Jesus “Who am, I” to baptize Jesus with the words, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”  Jesus’ response was “Allow it now”.  God’s call is not about our readiness but about his will calling us to “allow it now”. 

The Lord has spoken who formed Jesus as his servant from the womb of Mary.  We are born into this world from the womb of a woman but in the waters of baptism we are reborn in spirit from the womb of Mary to be our mother. 

John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the man to come who “existed before me” and to testify “he is the Son of God.”  John’s testimony came from the spirit himself to reveal himself upon Jesus coming down “like a dove from heaven”.  The Spirit is the one who sent John to baptize with water in order to reveal himself upon Jesus and testify Jesus is the Son of God.  For this John came to be into this world, to grow and to become a servant of the Lord in life and in death. 

The story is also true for you and I, we are born to be and become in the image of God, to wait upon the call of the Lord and to respond to the call as his servant “Here am I, Lord.  Do with me according to your will.”  It is a call to surrender in order to be free, to be weak in order to be given power, to trust in order to see, to love in order to serve.  “Allow it now!” 

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Homily

The Epiphany of the Lord

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 60:1-6; Ps. 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph. 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt.2:1-12

The Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of Jesus to the world marked by the appearance of the three magi or as we often refer to them as the “three Kings or wise men”.  “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me” the Epiphany of Jesus in all his humanity and divinity.  “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me” the manifestation of the Christ for all the world to see.  Christmas is Jesus pouring out himself onto the world, through his graces, his answered prayers, his miracles of life and his everyday presence to us in spirit and in the Eucharist.  While the season of Christmas ends, Jesus offers us Christmas every day because he is the gift that keeps on giving. 

The question for us is “what is our gift to him this year?”  On the day we depart this world and judgment comes did we give ourselves to him with loving sacrifice?  Pope Benedict Emeritus died this week leaving us a legacy of his body of work as a theologian, scholar, priest and Father.  Some have already referred to him as a “doctor” of the church with a small “d” since that title has not been officially given.  In some ways it reminds us of the death of Pope John Paul II who quickly began being referred as a Saint.  Titles aside what where the last words of Pope Benedict as he died?  It was, “I love you, Jesus.”   This was his last gift to the Lord to testify his giving of himself, his love, his heart, his all.

We hear in the second reading “the stewardship of God’s grace…has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”.  This Spirit we have received in baptism as priest, prophet and king to share as “coheirs, members of the same body” alleluia, alleluia!  It is a gift and we have a choice to make, to give Jesus the homage of thanksgiving by how we live our lives or to squander it by following the illusion of this world that denies God his rights to our lives.  We are called to be good stewards of his gifts, to multiply the good they are designed to produce, to reflect the love of Jesus in our souls and in our acts.  We are called to be Jesus in a world that does not recognize him. 

Today there are many in the image of Herod who speak of doing homage to the Lord calling themselves a follower of the faith but whose actions resemble the evil intent of Herod seeking to be their own king and authority above all.  It happens within the church and from without because ideology is their god.  Words like “conservative, liberal, or activist” are used not just in the political environment but within the church to oppose each other with different personal ideology.  Where is our homage to the one true God, to the one truth, to the Word made flesh that came to us over 2000 years ago to bring unity by declaring to Peter “you are the rock” and placed his trust in his Church?  History is a sign that Herod still lives with the desire to kill truth and unity seen in the Reformation, seen in secularism, seen in a culture of death and relativism. 

Ideology is about a system of self governing based on ideas and ideals of secularism where God and faith can only exist for the private life with no bearing on public governance.  Remembering Pope Benedict XVI’s view of our times he called it a “dictatorship of relativism”.  You have your God and I have mine or no god at all but regardless it has no place in governance.  This movement of relativism now feels empowered to dictate and to “cancel” anyone who disagrees with their ideology where there is no good, not truth beyond a personal one, no faith except in the power of oneself.  This is the dictatorship of relativism.  What now?

Pope Benedict is quoted, “To have Christian hope means to know about evil and yet to go to meet the future with confidence.”  Evil is from the evil one and it can be very deceptive, the wolf in sheep’s clothing is often the most dangerous because it prowls about the world seeking the ruin of souls quietly before revealing itself to claim to be the standard, normalized by a culture that hungers for “what’s in it for me?”.  The Epiphany of the Lord is the arrival of the ever-present future, Emmanuel, God is with us and we fear not to face this world with confidence. 

When someone dies, we reflect not only on the life of the person but also their legacy.  Pope Benedict wrote 66 books, 3 Encyclicals, 4 Exhortations, and innumerable homilies but this is not the essence of his legacy.  The essence of his legacy is how he lived his final words in his humility, his obedience, and his call to shepherd the people of God with his love of Christ.  Some look at legacy as a summary of accomplishments but Jesus looks at us as a sum total of our love, love of God and love of neighbor. 

So, if love had a scale of 1-10, one being “not very loving”, characterized by “what’s in it for me” and 10 being “divine love” reflective of “all for the glory of God”, where do we see our love rating?  If we are honest with ourselves, we will see that we have our work cut out for ourselves in our spiritual growth.  If we find it hard to judge ourselves then just ask someone you live with and don’t get offended if your rated lower than you expected.  We are all working to build the kingdom of God by one act of love at a time.  The Epiphany of the Lord is now how you and I manifest Christ to the world. 

How do we manifest Christ to the world?  It begins by receiving the Word through the gospel, through the body and blood of Christ and though the Spirit as a revelation of Christ himself.  It is fulfilled by the incarnation of the Word in our very being.  It is no longer the “I” that lives in me but the Epiphany of Christ that lives revealing his love, his mercy, his justice.  The celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord is Christ before me, Christ beside me and Christ within me. Amen. 

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Homily

4th Sunday of Advent – Called to be holy!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 7:10-14; Ps. 24:1-6; Rom. 1:1-7; Mt.1:18-24

Called to be holy!   This is our Advent call to search and reach for holiness which is to search and reach for God himself.  We are all called to be holy by the grace of God who is with us.  “Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory”.  What keeps us from holiness?  Why this resistance to God, to let him enter into our being, to welcome him as our Lord and savior?  Is it simply our attachment to sinful things or is there something greater here?  It is the original sin to be our own God.  We may utter the words “I believe” but our actions show we want to save ourselves, be our own king in our kingdom and keep the Lord on standby for if and when we need to call out to him.  The pride to do it our way and avoid the plan God desires for us. 

Joseph a righteous man was ready to do things his way, to divorce Mary quietly, save face and not expose her to shame but that was not God’s plan.  In difficult circumstances we often react with a desire for the quick fix when God’s plan may have a greater challenge for us, a greater blessing to come, a call to holiness and sainthood.  Had Joseph acted on his intentions, ignored his dream and divorced Mary, Mary would still have fulfilled the prophecy of Emmanuel and had the child Jesus.  Joseph would have gone on with his life believing in his righteousness and missed the opportunity to be a great saint.  Joseph had a free will choice to make and he listened and believed in the Lord.  It was not about him but about his obedience to God that fulfilled his righteousness. 

Joseph’s apostleship was to Jesus and Mary.  The call to holiness was in caring, protecting, and loving his family.  The grace of apostleship is given to us in baptism and our first responsibility as apostles is to our domestic church at home.   To be “apostle” is to be sent as missionary and teacher to others.  Husbands and wives come from two different worlds and are united as one to offer each other the fruit of love having much to learn from each other “sent” to be united in one faith.  Our children are our mission to bring up in the faith and if blessed to live and see our grandchildren grow to plant those seeds of faith that will remain with them their whole life.  Our call to holiness and apostleship begins right where we are in the home.

4th Sunday of Advent is the final call to holiness before the coming of the Lord this Christmas.  It is a season in which we are to shed ourselves of those preoccupations that fill our days with the clutter of life that steals our time away from our focus on what is important.  So let us ask ourselves “what is important?”.  Is God important to give him ourselves by our prayers, sacrifices, and our hearts?  Is our family important to make time to be at peace sharing the joy of life together and not distracted by all those time fillers that occupy our day?  Is our Church important to contribute to the community of faith by our participation in Mass and all the Holy Days of obligation?  These are the foundation stones to holiness that are God given and not to be ignored. 

“Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory”.  It is time to prepare to receive Jesus as a child with a child’s heart.  A child’s heart is full of wonder at the miracles of life, all the goodness God has created in this world, all the beauty of nature including our humanity, all the truth of God that even science cannot explain and all the unity we can bring being of one mind, heart, and love with Emmanuel and with each other. 

Mary the virgin Mother of God was herself to remain with us for all time as a sign of love “behold your mother”.  Mary remains at the side of Jesus and Jesus hears the love of his mother when she intercedes for us then she turns to us and says “do whatever he says”.  If today you hear his voice do whatever he says.  God’s plan is the perfect plan in the call for holiness. 

Joseph and Mary humbled themselves and by accepting the call to holiness life was never about them but serving the one true God. Did they sacrifice?  Yes!  Did they suffer?  Yes!  Did they have regrets along the way, question their decisions or call out to God in despair?  I would say not because God was with them, revealing himself and in doing so they were able to “fear not, be strong” and trust in the Lord.  Now it’s our turn to fear not, be strong, follow the will of the Lord and he will remain with us.  We turn to you O Lord with childlike confidence and welcome you this Christmas in the manger of our hearts and home. 

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Homily

3rd Sunday of Advent – “Be strong, fear not!”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 35:1-6a, 10; Ps. 146:6-10; Jas. 5:7-10; Mt.11:2-11

“Be strong, fear not!” In our weakness be strong and fear not for the Lord comes “with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”  This is the promise of the Lord “he comes to save us” at the proper hour he comes calling us to be patient while we endure the test before us.  The Lord’s coming is always present to us when we offer up our cross.  The Lord comes in many ways and not always as we expect or anticipate.  He may come to us in a spirit of consolation, in the support of a friend or stranger, in the answered prayer over time and sometimes in the moment and miracle of the day.  One thing is certain the Lord never fails at his coming to us for he is faithful. 

In an age of instant gratification and buying power “we want it now” whatever “it” is.  Patient endurance is rejected in our culture as a sign of weakness not strength.  This is the deception of the evil one to fill us with false pride and the illusion of being strong to make all things happen if only we are strong enough.  The truth from God is “I have the strength for everything through him who strengthens me”, Philippians 4:13.  Only in Christ comes our strength thus, to be strong and fear not is to be in Christ and he in us.  It is then that we find ourselves, our true self in God.

“The Lord gives sight to the blind”.  How many of us if not for the aid of eye-glasses, or surgery would not be able to see clearly or even drive? Do we count our blessings that in the mystery of life science and faith meet to provide for our needs.  Yet the Lord desires to give us a greater gift of sight to see him before us, to see in our hearts his desire for us, and to see the work of his hand in our life.  Our prayer, “Lord, help me to see your will at work in all my circumstances that I may be strong and fear not in going forth.” 

“The Lord secures justice for the oppressed”.  In a world of injustice, we can feel vulnerable and fearful to take the next right step or assume to be strong is to “take matters into our hands”.  Who has time to wait for the Lord?  The one who first places his problem before the Lord, trusts in the Lord and then acts upon discernment as the voice of the Lord comes in spirit and in truth to show us the way.  This is being prudent and wise with patient endurance.  Justice belongs to the Lord.  “Do not complain…that you may not be judged” according to your own standards in the same way as we pray “lead us not into temptation and forgive us our sins as we forgive” others.  Here lies the mystery of the mercy of God by how much we love and show mercy that we may not be judged. 

John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with the question “Are you the one who is to come…?”  Jesus’ response was “Go and tell John what you hear and see”.  The answer was found in the fruit of Jesus.  We come to believe in the one sent to us by his work in us but he cannot work if we are not willing to place ourself before him and walk in his steps.  Can we follow in his ways or do we remain in our way, the way driven by only our human desires?  We are called to be saints and Jesus is the way the truth, and light in the darkness of this world. 

Ironically, we sometimes want to be strong and fear not in the things of the world but when it comes to being strong in the Lord, strong enough to surrender to him our very self we become fearful of letting go and letting God be our God.  This is where our spiritual battle begins with ourself, the greater challenge in our life.   It is less about the problems of the world and more about this relationship we have with our God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier who is looking at us and patiently waiting for us to come to him because he has already come to us.  Be strong and fear not to come to the Lord this Advent to receive Christmas, “mas de Cristo” more of Christ. 

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Homily

2nd Sunday of Advent – Prepare the way!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 11:1-10; Ps. 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13,17; Rom. 15:4-9; Mt. 3:1-12

“Prepare the way of the Lord” in our hearts, in our welcome and by our fruits.  A welcoming heart bears fruit for the Lord.  We prepare the way of the Lord with a perpetual fiat to the Lord to welcome him into our hearts, to allow his transformation of our very being, to receive the gifts he desires to pour into our souls which by evidence bears the fruit each gift is destined to produce.  Second Sunday of Advent has Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the rear-view mirror and culturally there is this rush to get ready for Christmas Day with decorations of lights and gift wrapping and the atmosphere is festive.  Some may be getting ready to make tamales, some of us are ready to buy. 

Advent for the Christian is a season of spiritual preparation “tamales for the soul”.  Each week has a particular significance in preparation for the coming of Jesus.  It is represented by four candles, three purple and one pink.  Purple has a somber aspect of preparation.  The First Advent purple candle is for “Hope”, hope for our forgiveness and salvation at the Lord’s coming.  We recognize we need God in our lives and we hope his coming will find us ready because we have lived a life for Him still worthy even when we have failed.  

The Second Advent purple candle is for “Love”, love of God and love of other.  It is taking our love into a deeper relationship, deep than our thoughts, deeper than our feelings, deeper than our will takes us.  It is a love that calls for sacrifice to fulfill God’s purpose for us in this life.  It is a love that dares to ask the question “what is your will for me O’ God that I may follow?” 

The Third Advent candle changes to pink to symbolize a change of spirit to “Joy”.  Joy comes because God hears us and answers our prayers.  It is the joy of being a child of God and he is our Father.  It is the joy of belonging, we belong to God, we belong the kingdom of heaven, we belong to something greater for all eternity.  We belong and nothing can take it away from us, not the evil one, not the world, not even our weakness to sin can deny it from us as long as we return to him to be reconciled in truth. 

The Fourth and final Advent candle returns to purple and is a sign of “Peace”, the peace that the Lord gives.  He gives us his peace with “a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.”  This is his peace for us that we know Him and that we know he knows us and loves us and we have prepared ourselves to receive him so that every day is Christmas in God’s house.  God’s house is his Church and God’s house is the temple we have prepared for him in our souls and so it begins as it did that fateful day for a young girl who responded to an angel with her fiat, “May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38). 

Our first act of faith, hope, and love is to say yes to the Lord and receive him.  This act of the will we trust in the Church and in our parents to begin to prepare the way of the Lord by bringing our children to be received in baptism.  Baptism by its very act opens the way of the Lord as the soul receives the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.  This fiat is perpetually carried forward throughout life to welcome the Lord each day renewed in faith, hope and love for the Lord and his people. 

Baptism is the seed to be nurtured, cultivated, and grow in relationship with God.  It is a lack of faith to ignore this responsibility to our children who are given to us to prepare the way of the Lord in them.  To say “I believe” is to enter into a covenant with God where we are by obedience called to shepherd others into the kingdom of God.  What will we say at judgment when called to give account for the souls of our children, “I fed, clothed, housed and educated them to succeed in the world but did little to know, love and serve God”. 

Today’s culture teaches children to discover their gender, their sexual preference, their truth without any authority or power of creation.  This is in essence to design and create themselves based on the passions of the flesh with no higher authority of life than the “self” to be their own God and go their own way.  Where is the bridge to prepare the way of the Lord in their hearts if not in the domestic church at home?  The world has long ago “canceled” God out of the public square.  Home is where we prepare the way of the Lord because together, we speak of the Lord, we pray to the Lord, we celebrate the Lord.  The heart grows in love of the Lord by the love of the home.  In this we all take responsibility and share in preparing the way of the Lord.  

We prepare the way of the Lord by belonging to something greater than ourselves.  Our church provides us this gift and opportunity to belong to a greater community of believers, to speak as one voice in prayer and worship of the Lord and to serve each other and those in need from the gifts we are blessed to receive.  Jesus instituted the Church to be the one bridge to receive him in the fullness of his body, blood, soul and divinity.  When we come to receive him, we bring him the fruit of our love as our gift from the past day or week as an offering of our devotion to the Lord.  He welcomes us to be of one heart and mind with him. 

To “welcome” is “to think in harmony with one another” taking time to listen and understand who is before us.  Let this be our welcome to the Lord this Advent, that we take time to quiet our minds and listen to the voice of God speaking even as we go about our day, or as we speak with each other seeking to understand and be in harmony with one another.  This will be the fruit of our Advent preparation, the “evidence of your repentance” says John the Baptist.  This evidence comes together in our hope, love, joy and peace as we welcome the child Jesus this Christmas with the love, we embrace each other. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

First Sunday of Advent – “Therefore, stay awake!”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 2:1-5; Ps. 122:1-9; Rom. 13:11-14; Mt. 24:37-44

“Therefore, stay awake!  And so it begins, the first Sunday of Advent, the anticipation of the coming of the Lord, and our preparation for his coming.  So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”  Advent is the start of a new year of preparation for the coming of the Lord “For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed”.  Each day of life is one day closer to the end for all of us and if prepared for it then we go rejoicing to enter into the eternal house of the Lord. 

Success in life is no accident but a continuous effort at being prepared for what is next.  We prepare for the next step in a process, the next opportunity to come, and the readiness to respond when it is here.  It only makes sense when we think of being successful in this world why would be different in terms of readiness for the eternal world?  Those who do not remain in their slumber, asleep to the heavenly reality.  The Lords calls us to be ready at any moment, to live each day as if it was the last in our preparation for heaven. 

What does this preparation for heaven involve as a Christian?  The Church is here to prepare us by living the sacramental life.  The Word of God is here to be incarnated into our being calling us to go forth and live the Word.  The Spirit comes with infused virtues to strengthen our resolve and discern the will of God for what is next.  Jesus gives himself up to us in body, blood, soul and divinity to give us his holiness and be holy. 

Therefore, to stay awake is to remain in the Lord even as we prepare for him.  We “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” by living our works of light and no space is given to the darkness of the flesh.  As the militant Church on earth our call is to do the next right thing before the Lord, one righteous act followed by another, one truth to follow another, one act of charity, forgiveness, compassion, and love followed by another.  It is the call to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  The evil one whispers to us that it cannot be done, reminding us of our past record showing our failure, weakness, and temptations.  We respond with truth, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”.  When we put our trust in Jesus Christ and take that first right step towards him, he comes and brings us our salvation. 

Therefore, stay awake and let us allow the peace of Christ to be within us.  Isiah foretold “In the days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain”.  The day has come through and in Jesus and he established the new Jerusalem is his church.  Every day we come to Mass we climb the highest mountain on earth, the pinnacle of salvation at the altar to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and with him his mother, brothers and sisters in the holy of holies.  Today we climb the mountain of the Lord and “throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” as true warriors of Christ.  The battle is against the principalities of darkness that rise up in the temptation of the flesh.  The battle for the kingdom is within and we must fight the good fight.  Win this battle and we have nothing to fear of this world. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King

Posted on by Deacon Joe

2 Sm. 5:1-3; Ps. 122:1-5; Col. 1:12-20; Lk. 23:35-43

Christ the King, “the chosen one”.  Christ the King is not only “the chosen one, the Christ of God” but God in the flesh as the second person of the Trinity.  This makes him above all not only “This is the King of the Jews” but the king of all in the heavens and earth, our king.  In Christ the King “all the fullness was pleased to dwell”, the fullness of God himself, the fullness of love, mercy, and sacrifice for our sins that as unworthy sinners we may all be reconciled to him “by the blood of his cross”.   

This is the day of rejoicing for the sinner is redeemed, the unfit made fit, the broken made whole, and the poor in spirit made rich in grace.  This is our rejoicing that from the darkness of this world we now share in “the inheritance of the holy ones in light”.  What are we doing with our inheritance to spread this light into our world?  Christ on the cross is the victory over death with the mandate to “go forth” and multiply our inheritance as witnesses of the light. 

When our children look up to us do they see the light of love coming to them or the grumpiness of our struggles for the day?  Is it about us this day or about rejoicing in thanksgiving for the light of God’s love is with, in and through us?   This is our celebration today that we live in this light and are blessed to receive our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.  The Lord’s kingship then makes us his servants to follow in the truth the king has revealed of himself and his kingdom.  The kingship is not a democracy but an authority out of love for God’s creation.  In his kingship there is not “my truth” as my own “god” but the truth for eternal salvation. 

Christ the King established his authority in the Word, in the Spirit and in the flesh.  The Word was given to the disciples to go and teach the Word with the authority of the King.  Jesus says to his disciples “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:19) This is his church speaking for the King we call today the magisterium, the chosen ones to follow in his kingship with authority, trusted with the keys to multiply the kingdom of God. 

Christ the King also promised us the advocate, coming in the Spirit with authority to pour out his graces upon the elect with power to change the world.  In baptism we receive the Holy Spirit to be holy bringing the light into the darkness.  The Spirit comes with fire to fire us up with the Lord’s passion to move mountains.  It does not leave us idle, doubtful, and insecure living in fear of evil, death, or harm.  The Spirit is active, powerful, and committed to something greater than ourselves, something inspired by heaven itself.  When we find it, we will know it is for us to serve our calling, our source of love, our road to salvation. 

Christ the King comes in the flesh even this day body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist as a continued sacrifice of himself for us.  His coming in the flesh is to transform us incarnated in our flesh as one body, Christ in us and we in him.  If he is in us there is no doubt but joy and the fullness of his love for us.  We come as we are into his embrace with our own fiat to be done with us according to his will and we will be purified, healed, and made whole for all eternity.  No sickness of the flesh or death can destroy the body waiting to rise in us.  It is the promise of the resurrection made visible in Jesus himself.  Now is the time for us to rise again to new life even was we live in this flesh. 

Christ the King comes to rule with fire that all may be purified by the fire of his love.  Fire cleanses the impurities of our soul giving off the light and reflection of God’s image upon us.  This image is to go forth and set our world on fire.  Christianity came into the world not to be assimilated into the world but to transform the world.  The world allows Christianity to coexist in the world as long as it remains within the confines of its walls and out of the public square.  Once it becomes a voice for conversion of the world it is scourged into silence and threatened into compliance.  What are we to do?  Do we remain silent, lukewarm, and remain culturally acceptable or do we fear not and go forth? 

The Lord cautions the lukewarm “so because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev:3:16) The chosen one calls the elect to fear not and go forth to claim the kingdom waiting to rise up in victory.  The fearful remain silent assimilated into the mainstream of cultural tradition waiting for the end to come.  The choice is now for us to make while there is still time.  Christ the King is waiting for us to respond with our fiat, he will take us the rest of the way for he is faithful and will never depart from us. 

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