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Homily

1st Sunday of Advent – Be watchful!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 63:16-17, 19b, 64:2-7; Ps. 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:33-37

“Be watchful!” in mindfulness.  We begin the new year in the Church this first Sunday of Advent mindful of a year overtaken by a pandemic and watchful of a continued virus threatening the world.  The Lord also calls us to be both mindful of the Lord “in our ways” and watchful in this the year of the Lord for his coming. 

“Mindfulness” is the current cultural trend in wellness as something new.  We learn however from today’s first reading that mindfulness is as old as the book of Isaiah in the words “that we were mindful of you (Lord) in our ways”.  In mindfulness the focus is remaining in the present awareness not only of your inner being but also of your “watchful” eye around you.  This keen awareness allows for the eye of the soul to focus on what matters apart from the noise that steals our attention cluttered with worries, temptations, constant distractions, and mindless activity aimed at filling in for the silence and avoiding the presence of God. 

We believe in the presence of God and we say “God is in control” but do we remain mindful of his presence in all “our ways”?  We must recall “our ways” are not his ways and here lies the great divide between what we profess and “our ways”.  Our ways focus on “self” according to pleasure, power, prestige, and profit.  However, the gospel of Mark reminds us “For what would it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? (Mark 3:86)”.  The higher purpose of “mindfulness” is to unite our “self” to God’s way.  Our watchfulness is to see the hand of God at work in our ways and give glory and honor to our God. 

God’s way is to remain mindful of him as “our father, our redeemer”.  Mindful of God our father we recognize him as the “potter” and “we are the clay” seeking to form us in his loving hands into his image of love.  As a loving father he molds us by grace with all the spiritual gifts to enter into “fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.  Mindful of God our redeemer is awareness “we are sinful…and our guilt carries us away like the wind”. Mindfulness of God allows us to also recognize the evil one coming in fear, temptation, distraction and mindless activity to separate us from the love of God. 

Mindfulness is to be watchful “as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”.   In mindfulness we remain watchful “for the Lord hears the cry of the poor” and our poverty lies in our separation from all that is truth, unity, good, and beauty.  This is our separation from the love of God.  Be watchful for the coming of the Lord to lead us along the path of righteousness, to answer our prayers, to give us the grace to respond in our trials with the power of his love.  Be watchful as the Lord comes to destroy what is evil, to destroy the enemy of death, to purify the soul for the final coming to lead us home. 

In mindfulness there is an awareness that all things matter in spirit and truth.  This includes the awareness of sin.  We don’t live by the rule “I did not kill anyone” as if avoiding mortal sin is all that matters.  It recognizes if all things matter the smallest of venial sin matters in our awareness of having offended thee O’ Lord.   The evil one tries to convince us “no harm done” if we lie a little, cheat a little, steal a little after all when we did it when we were little it was cute.  Soon we believe no harm done in little things and become immune to bigger things. 

When I was little, we were poor but I didn’t know it.  Most of my toys were made up from my imagination until Christmas when Salvation Army came by to drop off a box with toys from stores.  One day my mother went to visit one of her friends who had children.  I saw all these toys in the house.  When we got home my mother noticed I was acting different.  She asked me, “what’s the matter?” in Spanish.  I said “nada” meaning nothing and started walking backwards.  I lead her to the bed where I had hidden a toy I took from the other children as I kept saying “nada”.  She made me take it back and treated it as not so cute.   Has your child ever taken a candy at the store and you made them take it back or was it just not worth it after all it is just a little thing?

Mindfulness is not obsessiveness.  Bad politicians like to say “never let a crisis go to waste”.  The devil could not have said it any better.  In this pandemic we see mental health issues, a rise in depression, addictions, anxiety, and suicide.  This is especially a time to be mindful of the evil ones’ opportunity to bring chaos into our relationships.  The evil one will lead your mindfulness to obsession and neurosis.  We are mindful of safety precautions with a virus and act prudently to protect ourselves but obsession creates such fear of germs as to become obsessed with washing of hands that it leads to neurosis.

As an introvert being intra-mindful is more natural than extra-mindful.  An introvert is simple task oriented focused on going deeper in spiritual awareness at the risk of not losing awareness of the beauty around us.  For an extravert it is more natural to be extra-mindful and better at multi-tasking to see the hand of God at work around us.  Whether we are being intro or extra-verts, God is above us, beneath us, behind us, before us and remains within us for our awareness as we go about our ways.

Father Miguel Marie from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal on EWTN whenever he celebrates mass says “as if this was the first time, the last time, the only time”.  This is love.  This is an awareness of the significance of the moment of the presence of God.  Mass is an act of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Jesus on the altar.  Each moment of life comes once at this time and moves us closer to the eternal.  Be watchful!

Until the hour of his coming we are to be mindful of our Lord in all our ways in order to be ready to receive him in all our heart, soul, and mind.  Who can we turn to in as our reminder of true mindfulness more than Our Blessed Mother who did all things with her watchful eyes of love toward her son. Thus, be watchful of his coming and mindful of his presence that we may follow his way to the eternal glory of God. 

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Homily

Solemnity of Christ the King – Viva Cristo Rey!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ezek. 34:11-12, 15-17; Ps. 23: 1-3, 5-6; 1 Cor. 15:20-26, 28; Mt. 25:31-46

Christ the King reigns in our lives, Viva Cristo Rey!  “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  Christ the King reigns in our world and lives in battle with the enemies of this world.  Who are these enemies?  They are the legion of “evil spirits that prowl about this world seeking the ruin of souls”.  The most sinister is pride among the seven capital sins that include its generals of greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth leading the army of other deadly sins. 

Christ the King has his own powerful army of angels led by St. Michael to instill in his people the weapons of virtue against each deadly spirit.  The battle against greed is the virtuous weapon of charity, for wrath is patience, for envy is gratitude, for lust is chastity, for gluttony is temperance, for sloth is diligence, and for pride is the virtuous weapon of humility.  The battlefield is in our souls and Christ the King is here to destroy the enemy.  Christ has already won the battle against Satan that sought to destroy him now he comes after us and we are to prepare each day for the attack of temptations.  Consider the week not only as a daily battle against the enemy but as a daily strategy of response to the attack.

Monday’s attack comes after the day of the Lord with the spirit of sloth bringing resistance to work.  Diligence wins as we rise and accomplish our first task in making our beds ready.  Beginning with the end in mind not only overcomes sloth but reminds us of the importance of being ready.  Ready for a morning prayer to strengthen the soul we offer our work of the day in thanksgiving for the talents received to build up the kingdom of God. 

Tuesday’s attack comes as a thief in the night with the surprise attack of wrath with the unexpected car that swerves in our way, delay in our plans, breakdown of communication and all the little things that matter.  Patience wins when the enemy enters the heart in rejection of others claiming rights to justice in an unjust world.  Wrath says “how dare you” but the spirit of patience comes to counter wrath with empathy in a search for understanding that dares to pray for our enemies.

Wednesday’s attack brings in focus the comparisons with others in envy as we get passed up on that promotion, recognition goes to someone else, see the rich get richer in the struggle to cover expenses.  Envy is defeated when we view the hand of God at work to who much is given much is expected and we are grateful for our portion of expectations.  Gratitude wins as we respond in appreciation for others gifts in support of their success, we unite to create a better world for the kingdom of God. 

Thursday’s attack follows envy from behind with greed to forget others in a world seen as a “dog eat dog” world where only the strong survive and thrive while the weak are marginalized from society.  Charity wins when begin to see Christ in the hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, imprisoned, and in the stranger.  We resist greed when we recall the charity of Jesus with his words in the last supper on Holy Thursday as he breaks bread “do this in memory of me” as a self-sacrifice.  Greed is the betrayal of Jesus who in charity offers up himself to God the Father and calls us to follow him in the same manner.

Friday’s attack looks to greed to permit the attack of lust with consent for entitlement to all the passions the mind can imagine having bought into the world’s doctrine of “my body my choice”.  Chastity wins the battle as we recall the passion of Christ when the “good” of Good Friday was Jesus dying on the cross for the good of others in atonement for our sins.  The power to say “no” to self and “yes” to the Lord conquers lust.

Saturday’s attack allows lust to open the door for gluttony once entitled there is no limit to the sins that follow to store up in our bellies and in our illusion of wealth.  Gluttony is a slow death to the soul and must be met with an equal amount of daily temperance.  Temperance wins in reminder of the Easter Vigil’s long wait for the coming of the Lord to keep all things in balance and be ready.  Ready as the militant church on earth for the attack with the sword of Jesus’ word just as he spoke to Satan in his own temptations.

Sunday’s attack comes in for the kill with pride to be our own god, to be the beginning and the end of all our actions.  Humility wins the against the final attack as we enter again into the resurrection day of Easter Sunday and claim victory for our souls in the resurrection of Christ.  When we come in humility to receive Christ the King’s mercy in the Eucharist the battle is won where evil cannot exist in the souls of the just. 

Our battle is won when faith takes action to counter evil and do good as Jesus promises “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”.  Faith is an incarnation of Jesus to do his will recognizing his presence in the poor, hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, imprisoned, and in the stranger.  Faith alone is a lost sheep ready for slaughter by the evil spirits.  By taking action faith is an invitation to Jesus to come into our lives and fulfill his work and be recognized in our presence. 

Faith in action separates the sheep from the goats.  It creates our identity through self-sacrifice, love of others, and service to each other.  Doers of the word come together as sheep while goats simply talk a good talk and scatter apart.  Faith in action creates an identity such as the difference between people who play an instrument and musicians, people who like to sing and a vocalist, people who have children and a parent, or someone who is an ordained a priest and a pastor.

Action forms faith in thanksgiving, in reparation, in redemption, in mercy, in love, in justice, in fellowship, and in unity with the one true God.  Action builds up faith as a connection with God in the works of mercy.  Be merciful and see Christ the King our good shepherd for the battle is won.  Claim your victory, Christ the King lives “Viva Cristo Rey”. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

33rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Born to be rich!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Born to be rich!  This is not the traditional silver spoon babies receive at birth or the hopes received in prosperity Mega Churches of today. This is the riches from heaven. In birth God has already deposited in his servants an investment of wealth waiting to see the return on his investment.  God’s investment of his riches is not an economic, social or political investment, it is a personal investment of himself in a treasure of gifts, talents, graces, and virtues. 

Our treasure chest may include among others the gift of voice to sing praises to the lord or proclaim his word, the talent to build up the kingdom of God in our homes and community, the grace to comfort the sick and attend to the suffering, and the virtue of humility to honor God in our service and mission in life.  We all receive our unique set of treasures in who God created us to be.  All born to be rich by our active participation in salvation.  God multiplies the wealth we receive in the faithful servant. 

In today’s gospel the servants receive different amounts of talents.  Here a talent being a set large sum of money per talent.  The parable is a reminder that the time is coming when the “Master” will come and we will account for his investment in our lives.  Those who are ready to give a good account with be rewarded and hear “Come, share your master’s joy.”  Those who are foolish as the virgins of last week, or as the servant who “dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money” will hear “throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”  Is “Papa” God being mean to his people?  No “Papa” God is giving us a reminder of a reality in time, God’s time is coming when there is no more redo or “next time”, when we already made our choice and by consequence enter eternity by the choice we made. 

There is a general theory that 20% of the people do 80% of the work in any group effort.  Apply that to the church and it would indicate that 20% of Catholics are active participants in their faith.  It is a sad indicator and warning we receive today of individual responsibility.  Last week we understood from the “foolish virgins” that the wise cannot share their oil if we consider the oil as each person’s share in salvation.  Each must bring their own works of salvation.  Today it is reinforced with the talents understood as money that was put to work to earn more and not wasted that brings the reward or punishment.  Jesus also gives the example of how in the end time two will be in bed and only one will be taken up because in the end it is all about our individual responsibility and accountability. 

In the first reading we hear of the “unfailing prize” of a “worthy wife”.  In today’s phobic politically correct world it might be called sexist to speak of a woman as a prize, implying some type of “trophy” wife who has all the sex appeal but it makes clear that “charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting”.  Remember the expression “you won the prize” referring to having a good husband or wife?  Did you win the prize?  I know I did.  The prize of a faithful spouse, great kids, even a blessed mother-in-law. Now you are going to go home either there will be joy and “loving hands” or grinding of teeth and choke holds. 

The prize comes from being the person God created us to be with our gifts, talents, graces and virtues in fellowship with others.  In this reading the woman works hard at her trade with “distaff” and “spindle”.  The distaff was the stick that held the fibers to then be spun on the spindle making the thread or yarn that she “works with loving hands”.  She then “lets her works praise her at the city gates”.  We look to this proverb and recognize women in the workplace is as old as history.  I think for the most part women still carry the stick in the home to spin the family into order. 

I remember my mother-in-law when she lived, she loved to sew and of course go to Walmart to buy material.  One of her hobbies to help herself financially was making throw pillows, all sizes and styles.  She had her customers, family, friends and friends of family as she used the best marketing tool, word of mouth to sell her pillows.  In this case she let “her works praise her at the city gates” of her front door.  She was “the woman who fears the Lord” making sure her children went to church even if they had to walk to get there as a family.  Faithful parenting raises a faith filled child to be a “worthy wife” or a worthy husband, “whose value is far beyond pearls.”   Born to be rich doesn’t just happen it takes the active participation of a loving family to develop our God given talents. 

We are not only to be faithful in small matters we are to be faithful in all matters.  The Lord reminds us we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  All things matter!   As children the world is simply black or white, right or wrong, yes or no.  As we grow, we develop a sense that the world is more complicated and there is some gray, right when but not if, yes if but no when.  Jesus is tested often by the Pharisees and Sadducees and his answers are simple, clear and unconditional.  In other words, there is a clear divide and we have a choice to make.  Lie or be honest, do our best or try to get by, persevere or give up, stay awake or slumber, be ready or be left behind. 

I like to say that my three favorite topics are religion, economics, and politics.  It is what the world considers generally taboo if you want to keep your friends.  Then the Lord did say he came to bring division which happens when we stand up for all things that matter.  We can stand to protect the unborn or stand idle, we can defend religious freedom or defend the separation of church and state in the public square, we can be a voice for the poor and marginalized or remain silent to oppression, we can support the environment or pass on to our children the dangers to come. 

In 1776 a nation was born to be rich in freedom and justice for all.  In biblical history the people of Israel asked for a king to be appointed, they sought someone to rule over them.  God had set them free but God answered their request and a ruler was appointed.  The people went on to become people in slavery.  We often hear “Freedom is not free!” Freedom is a work of mercy we are all called to live as a nation under God.  Separate God from the nation and freedom is lost.  Government is no substitute for God. 

The nation is divided and unity cannot exist in a cancel culture that seeks to suppress the voice of freedom.  The gift of freedom does not come from economics by having enough money, or politics by being in the majority, or even religion by following all the Judaic laws for we can become legalistic and forget the deeper purpose of faith.  The gift of freedom comes from God in our souls born with the riches to be free. We may squander our riches and create our own chains.  We can also master the gift of our riches in our works, the works of salvation and inherit the kingdom of God. Faith is not a thought or a feeling.  Faith is a connection with God.

In the parable of the talents we recognize God’s work is entrusted to us individually and collectively as the work of the church.  Life in the church happens in its works of salvation for the people.  Each Thanksgiving the church community comes together to offer the Feast of Sharing for the local community with a hot plate of food.  It is a tradition that survives because God wills to move his people to act not only in support of feeding the hungry but to say God loves you.  The faces change the mission remains.  We need to be reminded of God’s love in the language that speaks to our hearts.  The language of love is found in all the works of mercy.  Born to be rich in mercy.  Be merciful, contribute! 

We are the treasure chest, what lies inside is the deposit of God’s treasure. Invest wisely!

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Homily

32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – Stay awake and be ready!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Wis. 6:12-16; Ps. 63: 2-8; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Mt. 25:1-13

“Stay awake and be ready!” Be ready for the last four things, death, judgement, heaven and hell by active participation in salvation. We live in times of slumber like the five “foolish virgins”.  Are we ready to go to the game on Friday nights?  You bet!  Are we ready to go to Mass on Sunday mornings? Well, we sure like sleeping in.  Even the extra hour of “Fall back” daylight savings time helps only for a short time before we fall back to our slumber.  Stay awake and be ready is an act of prudence that comes from wisdom. Wisdom is a gift of grace from God as “she hastens to make herself known” but it is our act of good judgment that seeks out truth and receives wisdom. 

Stay awake and be ready to receive a word of wisdom from God in prayer.  Ready to sit still and watch some T.V.?  You bet!  Ready to sit still and do the rosary?  By the time we get to the first decade, we are already yawning.  “Behold, the bridegroom!”  Jesus comes in wisdom and is sitting at our gate prepared to speak to our hearts and minds in prayer but our minds are active in our own thoughts drifting away rather than attentive to his desire to make himself known. 

Stay awake and be ready to receive a spirit of wisdom in the sanctuary in our thirst for God.  We cheer the team, “We have spirit, yes we do, we have spirit how about you?”  How about us?  Do we live by the Spirit of God who promises to be with us and come to us in spirit and in truth?  We are to rise up in praise and worship and sing to the Lord.  This is the day the Lord has made for us let us rejoice and be glad.  Glad that God is with us in all our trials and he gives us the Consoler, the Spirit of courage and hope.  Be not afraid! “Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed”. 

Stay awake and be ready for a word of knowledge as he makes himself known in scripture.  The will of God makes himself known in scripture proclaimed for our discernment as it applies to us in our time, our home, our struggles and our blessings.  It is not a word spoken only to the people of its time.  It is alive and active for us to discernment how it applies to my life now.  Let not our minds be dimmed in drowsiness as they drift during the homily and we lose sight of his revelation to our hearts.  A homily helps us with the applied word in a form called exegesis.  Exegesis from Greek means “to lead out”.  It leads us out in a critical interpretation and understanding of scripture.  It leads us out as the applied word to our lives. 

Stay awake and be ready to receive his body and blood as he makes himself known in the breaking of the bread.  We hunger for the good things of life.  We are restless and at times bored looking for fulfillment.  Our souls are restless until we come to rest in the truth, goodness, beauty and unity of Christ.  We are to hunger for and not lose sight of his real presence in the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the summit of our faith, hope and love.  We come as unworthy servants but only by his word are our souls healed of sin and purified by grace. 

Stay awake in our actions.  The Church is prudent by making us stand, sit, and kneel during the Mass so we can stay awake, be active participants in prayer and worship.  Our body language speaks loudly of where we are in our relationship with God.  Our souls need to reflect the light of Christ in our behavior and reject the darkness of evil.  “Lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name” says the psalm.  We lift up our hands to pray the prayer Jesus left us in the Our Father.  Mass begins in word and act with the sign of the cross.  It says, “I am a believer!” Who are we to respond as in this world? We respond as the “I AM” a believer!

Stay awake and be ready to confront the evil one seeking to ruin souls when we allow our passions to drive our priorities as “the foolish ones” while the passion of Christ suffers for our sins.  “Then the door was locked” and he said in reply “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you”.  Seems a harsh response for the lack of readiness and poor planning yet it reflects the message of keeping our priorities straight.  God first!  Some say “I am a good person” as if that is all that matters.  Readiness is an active participation in the work of salvation for our souls and those of the whole world. 

Be ready, “Behold the bridegroom!”  Ready as the wise virgins ready with flasks of oil.  The Church prepares us with the oils of salvation; the oil of catechumen, the oil of the sick, and the chrism oil keep the light of our soul shining ready for the bridegroom.  At baptism the light is entrusted to our parents, godparents and the community to keep the light burning.  As we grow the light becomes our responsibility to be the “wise ones”.  No one else can save us or share their “oil of salvation”.  It is the prudent who are prepared to respond to God’s calling.  Every day is a calling to readiness as we do not know the hour or the day of his coming nor the hour or day of our departure from this world. 

Be ready for the four last things!  Death, judgment, heaven and hell we tend to avoid giving it as much thought as it deserves.  We know our time is coming and we are reminded each time someone we know dies.  Our psyche is shaken into this reality and we are encouraged just to move on with our lives.  We are not to move on but be moved deeper into our readiness to face these four last things that lead to eternity.  Do we really move on from having had a loving relationship with someone or do we carry our cross with love in reminder that we are to be prepared for we do not know the hour or day of its coming? 

As early as I can remember as a child my mother would lie in bed and begin acting and saying in Spanish, “Ya me voy a morir!”, “I am now going to die!” Then she would close her eyes and lie motionless.  At first, I would not believe her because she had done it so many times but the longer she laid there even though I knew it was a trick the more it scared me.  Later in life I thought of it wondering why she would play that game on a little child.  As she became chronically ill and into her eighties, I came to realize she understood she lived in poor health and wanted to prepare me for the day and in the event, she died while I was still young.  Fortunately, God blessed her with a long life and she carried her cross of illness for a long time but the gift she left me was a reminder, Be ready, for the last four things to come.

November is the month in the church calendar when we come to the end of the liturgical year and so it is most appropriate to reflect on the four last things, to pray for the dead, to offer Masses for the souls in purgatory still waiting to be washed clean and purified in the fire of mercy.  Let us show mercy by keeping them in our prayers. 

Readiness is the prayer, “Here I am, Lord!”  When the bridegroom comes at his hour will we be the Adam and Eve who hid themselves from the Lord or like a new Adam and Eve purified in the waters of baptism, washed clean in confession, filled with wisdom from obedience to his word and reflecting his image in the sacrifice of love in the Eucharist prepared for his coming?   Be wise people of God, let us keep our light burning brightly ready to say, “Here I am, Lord!” 

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Homily

All Saints Solemnity: Highway to Heaven

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Rev. 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps. 24: 1-6; 1 Jn. 3:1-3; Matt. 5:1-12

The Beatitudes is our highway to heaven as Children of God in our mission to be called saints.  John tells us “Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.”  It is the hope of being called “Children of God” by living the life of sanctity.   Today we celebrate All Saints those who made themselves pure to see God “as he is”, amazing, loving, joyful, even a little intimidating.  How would you feel to see God as he is this moment?

“Allhollowtitle, allhollowtide” is the holy triduum of the dead! All Saints’ Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day is the time to remember the dead including martyrs, saints and all the faithfully departed Christians.

Revelations identifies the Children of God as those who are “the children of Israel” and “a great multitude, which no one could count from every nation, race, people, and tongue…who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb”.  These are the Children of God called to be saints who took the high road.  We are saints in the making and the Beatitudes is our Highway to Heaven.

St. Thomas Aquinas describes four qualities of the glorified state after death we can attribute to all saints.  The first is called “impassability” meaning we pass through this human condition of life only once where there is disease and death, never to go through it again.  St. Paul says it is “sown in corruption and it shall rise in incorruption” in 1st Corinthians 15:42.   We are pilgrims on a journey to sanctity and this is not our final destination. 

Second is called “Subtlety” meaning we will have a spirit-like body as we read how Jesus appears to the disciples after his death and resurrection by passing through the door.  We are not bound by physical matter yet we will possess a body.  “Beam me up, Scotty” for those who remember the old TV series from Star Trek.  This Highway to Heaven is a spiritual highway. 

Third is called “Agility” meaning the glorified body will obey the soul with the speed of thought called teleportation, transported across space and distance instantly.  “It shall rise in power” says 1st Corinthians 15:43.   Even before death some saints had the power to bilocate meaning they appeared in places of great distance from where they were.  Saint Padre Pio was known to bilocate and be at the bedside of someone who was dying.  We are no longer bound by space and time and free to be present where the will desires, especially close to the suffering and those we love. 

The fourth is called “Clarity” meaning the glorified state will be free from any deformity filled with beauty and radiance.  This the light of Christ will shine brightly in the Children of God.  “The just shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mathew 13:43).  I don’t know if beauty includes getting rid of some wrinkles and extra weight and looking young again.  Think of the “deformity” of children with developmental conditions, mental illness, seizures, and all the health problems we suffer and being restored to be perfect as God is perfect. 

Baptism gives us our “white robe” of sanctity which we stain with sin yet it is our hope to remain as Children of God by washing our robes in confession, in receiving the blood of the lamb in communion, and in living the beatitudes laid out by Jesus in the gospel.  If we fall short in this life in making ourselves pure then there is purgatory which Dante describes as where we go to wash our baptismal robes of remaining sin. 

Remember the three children of Fatima, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco?  Lucia asks Our Lady if she will go to heaven and Our Lady says yes, then if Jacinta will go to heaven and Our Lady says yes again, finally she asks if Francisco will go to heaven and Our Lady says he will need to say a lot of rosaries, make sacrifices and do penance.  I am not sure if it has something to do with being a boy that we get ourselves into more trouble.  We all could follow Our Lady’s desire to get to heaven by praying more, making sacrifices and doing penance.  We don’t have to wait for Lent to offer some sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. 

When someone is sick, we often ask others to keep them in their prayers as we pray for them also.  Prayers give us hope and bring healing to the sick.  There have been studies in science where there are two groups of patients, one is being prayed for and the other receives just follow-up care.  The group that receives the intervention of prayer recovers better with less complications that the control group.  Pray, offer a sacrifice, and even an act of penance, the trifecta for God hears the cry of the poor. 

Last week’s gospel, Jesus gives us the two parts of the great commandment, the love of God united to the love of neighbor.  Today he lays out the attributes of the Children of God in the beatitudes.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” says Jesus.  Who keeps the peace at home?  Is our home where we go to retreat from the world our taste of heaven on earth or are, we wanting to run away from home tired from yelling, arguing, and even fighting to be heard and understood?  Do we hear ourselves or others saying “my way or the highway” that is the highway to hell?  Our nerves scream “listen to me” and our hearts are saying love is patient, love is kind.  Love is not the easy road and neither are the Beatitudes because they represent an act of love but it is the road to sainthood. 

This month a young schoolboy named Carlo Acutis became “Blessed Carlo Acutis” by the Church.  He is the first millennial to be one step away from canonization as a saint for all those millennials out there and there is a lot of you.  Born in 1991 he only lived to be 15.  He taught himself to be a computer programmer and developed a website for documenting Eucharistic Miracles and had a deep devotion to the Eucharist.  He claimed the Eucharist was his “highway to heaven”.  He was beatified October 10, 2020 in the Basilica of St. Francis Assisi in Italy.  He was considered a “computer geek” but he also was a normal kid who liked soccer and playing PlayStation.  He wanted to use the media to evangelize.  He will be the patron saint of computer programmers which is quickly becoming taught to kids, the next must have essential skill.  Think you can’t be a “normal kid” and a saint think again. 

Pope Francis’s exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad explores the meaning of the Beatitudes and we could call him the Pope of the Beatitudes for his focus on the blessed who are poor, meek, and merciful.  He reminds us that sanctity is a life for everyone to live right there where we are.   We are saints in the making.  How?  By living the commandments, the sacramental life of the church, and remaining in the presence of God through prayer.  Pray, pray, and pray more. 

Remember being a child or if you are a child or even as an adult yet a child at heart and wanting to go on those carnival rides that give us just the right amount of thrills and fear?  Our stomach turns and our heart races but the joy of living the ride makes us want to do it again. We are called to joy of living the ride of sanctity as children of God, don’t miss the opportunity to ride the “highway to heaven.” 

To end let us remember who remained on the highway to heaven from conception to her Assumption, our Blessed Mother Mary. She is a sign that with God all things are possible. Amen.

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30th Sunday Ordinary Time – I love you!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ex. 22:20-26; Ps. 18: 2-4, 47,51; 1 Thes. 1:5c-10; Mt. 22:34-40

I love you!  These three magical words we all love to hear.  There is a hand sign to say it with one gesture.  It is in sign language the “I”, “L”, and “Y” all together to say “I love you”.  When our children are little, we say it to them all the time then they grow up and we say a lot of things but sometimes forget to say “I love you”.  Same thing for couples, we repeat it to each other often before marriage and then like tradition we say it for our anniversary once a year.  We sometimes ruin the message when we say “I love you, BUT”.  The one who hears “BUT” goes from being open to love to being guarded wondering “but now what?” 

I love you is unconditional until we say “but”, and now realize it comes with expectations and standards.  Did you ever think God’s love is conditional?  That is a radical thought.  I will come back to that idea later.  Today God says, “keep my word”.  The essence of the great commandment is love him by keeping his word.  Love of God and neighbor is evident by keeping not simply our word but his word.  Our word is subjective based on our thoughts and feelings.  It is as diverse as we are.  God’s word is a covenant, a commitment for all time to love us in truth, goodness, beauty, and unity.  If love is the goal and God is love then God is the fulfillment of love in all of its truth, goodness, beauty and unity. 

I was viewing EWTN when an animation came out with the headline “I am Catholic…BUT”.  It gave a litany of things people say such as “I am Catholic BUT I believe in abortion; I am Catholic but I don’t believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist; I am Catholic but I don’t believe in going to confession with a priest.  If you remove the flesh of a person you are left with a dead skeleton.  When we remove the teaching of the Church coming from the word of God, we strip the flesh off the body and kill the soul.  

The message of the animation was to explain the church position on all the “BUTs” and concludes with we cannot call ourselves “Catholic” as “cafeteria Catholics” who pick and choose the “word” we want to follow.  This is not love of God if we cannot keep his word.  Why don’t we keep his word when it has been proven to represent the essence of love?  The reason is here before us with Jesus on the cross.  To love God is to follow in sacrifice for him as he did for us. 

The words “I love you God” lose their meaning apart from his word.  The words “I try to go to Mass on Sundays BUT God is everywhere so it is ok if I miss, God knows.”  Yes, God knows and that is the hard reality that God knows when we are not faithful to his word.  Churches were forced to stop holding Mass with the pandemic and now are slowly allowing limited numbers to gather.  Who will join in the sacrifice to return to Mass and who will remain away thinking “God knows”? 

In Thessalonians, St. Paul says “You know what sort of people we were…, so that we have no need to say anything.”  What sort of people were they?  They not only preached the word they sacrificed themselves for the word.  They let their actions speak for the love they gave for Christ and for the community.  We say, “I love you God but” with how many buts added on?  What about God’s unconditional love?  Remember I asked earlier “Did you ever think God’s love is conditional?” God’s unconditional love comes with expectations and standards as a sign of love.

God’s love is unconditional even though we sin when we fail to keep his word “BUT” we are the ones who become conditional with our love until we become unrecognizable.  Consider couples who after many years of marriage end in divorce and one of the reasons is because we believe something changed in the relationship and we say “that is not the person I married”.   Let us hope and pray God does not look at us and say “that is not the person I created you to be”.

When a baby is an infant our love for them is unconditional and sacrificial.  We sleep with our ears alert for any sound and as they grow up, we don’t stop hovering over them as helicopter parents “but” we still have expectations of them as they grow.  Keep my rules we tell them.  We will always love. It is because we love them that we also have our expectations of them and enforce our consequences for their actions.  Love has expectations because it is relational and requires for there to be truth, “just don’t lie to me”; goodness “no temper tantrums”, beauty “comb your hair”; and unity “we all go to church on Sunday.”  “But why?”  It is hard being a parent, imagine how it is for God as his children with all our “BUTs”. 

Today Jesus in the gospel connects two passages from the Mosaic Law, love of God from Deuteronomy 6:5 with love of neighbor from Leviticus 19:18.  He makes it clear that all the 600 laws plus in the scripture can be summarized in these two commandments and you cannot have without the other.  If we claim to love God then we keep his word by demonstrating our love for neighbor that is every other human being is the evidence of our love of him.  Two sides of the same coin, love of neighbor fulfills our love of God. He is the head and we are the followers. 

Some say there is no hell because of God’s unconditional love.  God says, “keep my word”.  The first reading from Exodus reminds us the God of love is also the God of justice with consequences.  God’s love is unconditional without “BUTS” and with expectations and consequences.  Love is not separate from justice.  Love hurts just look at the crucifix and see the pain of love.  If you doubt that try raising a child and see how it hurts.  Jesus answers the group of Pharisees and Sadducees stating the commandments require “all” of our heart, soul, and mind.  No holding back no “BUTs”. 

Always remember, God loves you!

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29th Sunday Ordinary Time – Grace to you

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 45:1, 4-6; Ps. 96: 3-5, 7-10; 1 Thes. 1:1-5; Mt. 22:15-21

“Grace to you…to his anointed…I have called you by your name” to come into this world with a purpose a “title” as servant of the Lord to fulfill your “work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  “It is I who arm you…in power and in the Holy Spirit” to respond to your calling.  In summary these excerpts from today’s reading capture the message of this Sunday leaving us to ask ourselves “what is our title?”    

“Grace to you” and what is “grace”?  Grace represents God’s freely given gift to us of himself to be with us in each and every moment as we respond to our call with truth, goodness, beauty and unity to him as a “labor of love”.  Grace is God himself “opening doors before him and leaving gates unbarred”.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthen us.  Be not afraid to welcome grace and allow God to be the force to be great saints. 

Grace is the gift to speak truth to power as the Pharisees claim “not concerned with anyone’s opinion” “chosen” for this time and in these circumstances to stand for Godly truth.  These are our times to bear the cross of truth to the world as the early apostle went forth knowing there would be persecution.  We stand for truth when we allow God into the public square as the guiding principle of our actions.  We stand for truth as “one nation under God”. 

Grace to you with the gift of goodness “in holy attire” dressed with the goodness of giving of ourselves for others.  Wear the coat of righteousness seeking justice in our everyday relationships.  Others see the world as politics, a “dog eat dog” world of oppression, suppression, and hunger for power.  Grace is the greater good of hunger for righteousness in serving God through others.  Goodness is in the heart for right action.  Take the next right step and allow God to open doors trusting him in his goodness. 

Grace to you with the gift of beauty with a “new song”.  The song we sing gives honor and glory to the Lord with the sound of praise in joyful exultation of the wonders our God has done. “How awesome is he” as we sing “thanks be to God”.  In the popular show America’s Got Talent, the judges separate those with a good voice from those who sing from the heart showing their identity and connecting to the audience.  We can let our song be a routine melody of tradition or a “new song” of conversion praising who God is in our lives. 

Grace to you with the gift of unity as “families of nations” seek peace and equity among our resources.  In a world where hunger and poverty are an epidemic in some nations with limited resources our grace is a gift of giving to meet the needs of others in generosity.  Unity is the feast of sharing our gifts for a greater good, not hidden, not stored away, but exposed in service that the grace of God may multiply them in our lives. 

We give honor and glory to God in the practice of the graces received for a greater good and purpose.  As Spinoza the philosopher states “if love is the goal then generosity is the road to it”.  The human capacity to love is essential to life and to happiness thus if love is the goal and God is love then God is the fulfillment of our happiness. 

We thus return to the initial question “what is our title”?  We wear many titles through life, titles that bond us members of our family, titles that are given in our work environment, titles bestowed as honors for personal achievement, all good in which we may honor God with our lives.   Is that it or is there another title destined by God for us to achieve a greater purpose, a saintly purpose?  Let us consider our purpose in life as a calling to be apostle, apologist, healer, teacher, martyr, servant, religious, deacon, priest, and a witness to give testimony to our faith.  God is listening for a response from our heart to his grace.   We are his anointed by title.

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28th Sunday Ordinary Time – On this Mountain

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 25:6-10; Ps. 23:1-6; Phil.4:12-14, 19-20; Mt. 22:1-14

On this mountain!  A mountain of “juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines” makes for an irresistible banquet in Isaiah the prophet until we read in the gospel how the invitation by the king to the wedding banquet was rejected three times.  Who would reject such a banquet and why?  This seems unthinkable until we identify this “mountain” is Mount Calvary. 

On this mountain is where the wedding feast unites humanity to divinity in the body of Jesus Christ.  The rich food and choice wines come from his body and blood poured out for humanity.  This is the wedding feast rejected by the “chief priests and elders” after the Lord God sent his servants the prophets and apostles to summon them. 

Mount Calvary is not a huge “mountain”.  The “mountain” on Mount Calvary is Jesus on the cross.  He is the mountain of mercy, the wedding feast we attend on Sunday Mass and the food of salvation.  This is the mountain in which he “will destroy the veil…he will destroy death forever”.  Who can behold the man crucified on the cross and proclaim “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!” 

“The feast is ready” but wait there is “a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.”  Who is this person the king identifies as “My friend” and then orders to “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth”?  All are invited but not all are prepared for the feast. 

We are all created in the image of God to be called “friend” but we are not all obedient to the call from God.  The wedding garment we wear is the baptismal robe to enter into the wedding feast of the kingdom of God.  The wedding garment reminds us that there are expectations in the kingdom to be met, expectations scripture gives as commandments and the church celebrates as sacraments.  There are also daily “circumstances” whether “living in abundance and of being in need” in which we turn to God in faith, hope and love.

In all circumstance we are reminded “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  We often say “God only gives us what we can handle” in difficult times.  We remind ourselves to turn to him in our time of need to carry us through the darkness, bear our cross and trust in his divine providence.  The God who is beyond all understanding loves to love with his glorious riches. 

This is the promise already present to “live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life”.  Receive “Only goodness and kindness” in all circumstances when we hunger for righteousness in Christ Jesus.  Remember, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”  The chosen come dressed for the feast bringing the fruits of their love fest. 

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27th Sunday Ordinary Time: It’s vintage time!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

It’s vintage time, the time to produce fruit in now.  God’s time is the perfect time but God’s time is always the present moment for us to respond before becoming “wild grapes” in the world of sin.  The Lord prepared the “fertile hillside” for us to grow in his word of wisdom and in the flesh of the word.  He gave us the word made flesh in his son Jesus to yield a fruitful harvest. 

The Lord asks the question “why…did it bring forth wild grapes?  Without giving the answer he gives the consequence that comes to the “house of Israel and the people of Judah” which is the ruin of its land.  Isaiah speaks of “bloodshed! For justice, but hark, the outcry!”  Jesus is the bloodshed for justice the sacrificial lamb and the outcry is the call to crucify him, all still to come in God’s time.  The vintage time for us to produce fruit is now, we must answer for ourselves, for our own wild grapes of sin we live.  With each sin is the outcry “crucify him”. 

It’s vintage time to produce “whatever is true” we must hold onto in a world of personal truth over universal Godly truth; whatever is honorable in a world that dishonors life in abortion and euthanasia; whatever is just in a world that justifies retribution for past sins with current violence; whatever is pure in chastity in a world of perversion; whatever is lovely in a world seeking to destroy a heritage and culture of faith “in God we trust”; and whatever is gracious in a “me to” world of victimization.  Wild grapes are sown daily in the outcry to silence those who seek to produce the best we were created to be in God’s vintage time.

What are we to do?  St. Paul reminds us to “keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard, and seen in me”.  What we have learned, received and heard is Christ himself.  Keep on doing the work of the Lord in all humility and perseverance bearing “fruit that will remain.”  The fruit we bear is the legacy that remains by having followed the teaching of the Church which is the teaching of Christ, bringing our children to the waters of baptism, to the table of the Lord to receive Communion, to the altar of worship to give thanksgiving, and to the confession of our faith by “prayer and petition with thanksgiving make your requests known to God…Then the God of peace will be with you.” 

The choice of our times is as divided as darkness is to light.  Be strong, be faithful, and remain in our Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s our time now…vintage time! 

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26th Sunday Ordinary Time: Actions speak louder

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ezek. 18:25-28; Ps. 4-9; Phil.2:1-11; Mt. 21:28-32

“Actions speak louder than words.”  This is a common expression we speak when we want to make it clear we want to see some conviction in the words we hear.  In the gospel today, Jesus proclaims the right action of sinners speaks louder than the words of the chief priests and elders.  The gospel speaks to obedience to the will of the Father.  The priests and elders claim righteousness by their proclamations while their hearts are resistant to the revelation of Jesus.  The actions of “tax collectors and prostitutes” to believe and accept the words of “John” (the Baptist) opened the kingdom of heaven to them. 

St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians also speaks of right action being united in heart, mind and love by looking out for the other will complete his joy in being united to Christ.  St. Paul speaks to a new commandment greater than obedience.  It reveals a deeper obligation to allow the love of Christ to dwell in us.  If Christ dwells in us then our words are confirmed by our actions.  It is no longer we who live our lives but Christ who lives in us doing the will of the Father in offering his love to the other.  What happened to our will, our identity, our freedom?  It is transformed into the perfect being without sin and our joy will be complete. 

In the secular world we speak of the “Golden Rule” by treating others as we would like to be treated.  It is a rule of equity and fairness but St. Paul speaks of a different standard by stating “humbly regard others as more important than yourselves”.  This is the standard of Christ on the cross, a sacrificial giving of ourselves so that Christ will be manifest in us and through us.  This is being of the same mind and same love “in the Spirit” of compassion and mercy. 

Ezekiel speaks to turning “from the wickedness he (sinner) has committed and does what is right and just…he shall surely live.”  Death comes from “iniquity he committed” thus sin carries death to our doorstep.  Sin carries the death of mind, body, and spirit.  When we sin against the body through indulgence, passions, and/or self abuse the body dies “a thousand deaths” slowly until it is no more capable of sustaining mortal life.  When we sin against the mind of God in our mind, we attach our thoughts to our psychological fears, obsessions, and pride to fall victim of our own thinking.  When we sin against the Spirit of God our spirit becomes invaded by other spirits of darkness and it is no longer “I” who lives but the darkness that lives in me and God no longer recognizes us.  How are we to overcome all these trials?  It begins with proclaiming “Jesus Christ is Lord”.  The word is made flesh in our being to be lived in right action.

Darkness turns to light when our tongues confess “Jesus Christ is Lord” with right action.  There is power in the Word of God.  It is the power to move us to right action.  One day as a counselor of children of abuse under the care of the State, I had a young child of eight who was in a state of depression.  She was separated from her home, her siblings, her school.  Not only had she been repeatedly molested as a child but also had a history of heart problems. 

After several meetings in which I did not see progress, I asked if she could say, “God loves me”?  She could not repeat the words.  I asked if she could say “I love myself”?  Again, she would not say those words as her whole body language appeared sunken, doing poorly in school, and having a difficult time adjusting to foster care.  Even with some coaching of positive affirmations she refused to say those statements.  I then asked her simply to repeat the words slowly after me.  It was a transformative moment.  The next session her foster mother said she was doing so much better at home and playing like a normal child. 

Words matter but actions speak louder and must reflect our words to be confirmed in the heart. In counseling people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. This is the beginning of unity. Actions do speak louder when united to “thinking one thing”, Jesus Christ is Lord!  Amen. 

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