15th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on July 11, 2020July 8, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Is.55:10-11; Ps. 65:10-14; Rom. 8:18-23; Mt. 13:31-23

The Quantum Zeno Effect (QZE) of Christianity is the “seed sown on rich soil”. What is the QZE of a Christian? It is the “mental act of focusing attention…on your mental experience, whether a thought, an insight, a picture in your mind’s eye*” of the presence of God despite the distraction of “worldly anxiety” or “the lure of riches” to do the will of God. Saint John Paul II proclaimed “faith and science are two wings of a bird”, they must work in harmony to fly. The world focuses on science while church leaders focus on faith but in our times we need a language that freely integrates both to rise in the splendor of God’s creation.

In QZE is said “attention density shapes identity”. This “identity” comes from the willingness to deepen our focus and keep our eyes centered on God who is always present in order to “hear and understand”. It can be said that the density of our focused attention brings us out of darkness into the light of wisdom as evidenced by all the great saints and mystics. This identity is shaped in the image of God in his creation by the gifts of the Spirit.

Must we all drape ourselves as monastic hermits seeking to isolate ourselves to benefit from QZE? No, QZE is a discipline practiced by anyone who exercises faith to be great arts, culture, business, love, and sanctity. As Mother Angelica often said on her EWTN program “we are all called to be great saints” and QZE is the discipline of faith through prayer to open up our souls and rise to the grace and greatness God is calling us to be.

QZE is how we approach our daily life with “God First” at the center of our focused attention in the present moment of our experiences. St. Theresa of Lisieux “The Little Flower” understood this simply as “Remember nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love”. It all matters so it is worthy of our focused attention to see God’s work before us and through us. Today God is working in each of us to be the greatest he created us to be.

A child is born with focused attention to the wonderment of the world before him, learning with focused attention to speak the language of his parents, to ride a bike and to listen, learn, and understand the gifts that they are blessed with in order to grow in the joy and love of God. QZE is a natural gift of childhood that is either nurtured or lost by overstimulation, constant media messaging, and a loss of learning skills for problem-solving and synthesis of ideas when we try to serve a child with all the answers “on a silver platter”. Allow the child to wonder and create on their own their version of “Lego” ideas rather than simply following a pattern of numbered parts to represent the picture-perfect box display is critical thinking QZE best practices. The is the meaning of “think outside the box”.

What if we would pray outside the box! Make a holy hour in adoration before the blessed sacrament with focused attention on Jesus and you begin to pray outside the box. In an age where every self-help author has their list of seven, ten, or twelve steps to a better “whatever”, we are convinced that it only takes this formula to get to our desired “whatever”. All answers are personal to our state in life. For a Christian there is simply the first step of faith which is prayer and let God be God in our lives for what follows. Prayer is focused attention to God who is the way, the truth, and the life we seek as our center of being. In God all things are possible as Philippians 4:19 reminds us “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”, strengthens our focused attention to God’s purpose for our being and the action that must follow.

The “seed sown on rich soil” is the one who hears, understands, and does the will of God. Christianity is based on hearing the Word of God, receiving understanding by grace and responding with courage to live the Word despite “worldly anxiety” or the “lure of riches”. Quantum Zeno Effect is the seed to bear fruit.

Let us look to our Blessed Mother Mary who kept her eyes on Jesus with focused attention in the density of her loving heart as a great witness of the QZE in her earthly life with the rewards of her ascension into heaven. Today we receive the rich soil of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist with focused attention in the density of the Spirit of God to go out and bear fruit. As Saint Padre Pio often said, “Pray, hope and don’t worry”. It is all about God, we are invited to come, take, and learn how to follow.

* Article (The Neuroscience of Leadership, David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz; Eight Great Ideas Organizations, March 2010)

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Homily The Deacon Joe

14th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on July 4, 2020July 3, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Zech. 9:9-10; Ps. 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14; Rom. 8:9, 11-13; Mt. 11:25-30

Jesus says, “Come to me…Take my yoke and learn from me”. Come, take, learn is the process of discipleship. All baptized are called to come, take, and learn as his disciples. First “come” is an invitation, a choice of the free will to come and believe, come and take the “yoke” of the cross and learn how to follow in his steps. Jesus provides the way for us to come and follow.

Coming also means leaving behind what is in the “flesh”. In the flesh is sin, passion for indulgence, and works for self-gratification. Coming is coming into the Spirit of truth in the Trinity, meaning “God First”. Passion is not evil, misdirected passion is sin. Did not Jesus suffer his own passion for love of the Father in carrying the cross and a redemptive passion for love of humanity? Passion is ordered to the greater good to be the best we were created to be for God. Passion for indulgence is toxic to the Spirit and creates debt to the flesh until both body and spirit is dead.

“Take my yoke” is the yoke of obedience to the will of God the Father as Jesus did. It is accepting the authority given to the Church as an instrument of God’s mercy in our world. It is the yoke of sacrifice for a purpose of greater good that ourselves. The yoke is not punishment it unites us to his cross as a witness of our love to bear not as an end to itself but as grace for salvation.

Learn what we are called to be as sons and daughters of Christ. Learn what God desires for our greater good in serving him by our daily life. Learn the meaning of life in Christ. Learn to follow the path of salvation through faith and works as two sides of the same coin. Unit our works for the purpose of salvation as an offering to God “and you will find rest for yourselves” and the peace of Christ.

Come, take, and learn what God desires to reveal to each of us in our pilgrimage through this world. The works of the Lord are holy and we are to become the work of the Lord, holy in all our being, in the flesh and in the spirit be holy.

The world speaks of global warming, hurricanes, and viruses that can create fear of crisis and even death. The tribulations of the world are disruptive and a threat to humanity. They stand as a reminder of our mortality in the world and question our purpose of existence. Purpose cannot be found in what the world offers that is transitory. Purpose is God given and until we turn to God we remain lost wandering in the desert of the soul. Seek first the kingdom of God and pray for the grace to come, take and learn what God is calling of us.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

13th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on June 27, 2020June 25, 2020 by Deacon Joe

2 Kg. 4:8-11, 1“4-16a; Ps. 89:2-3, 16-19; Rom. 6:3-14, 8-11; Mt. 10:37-42

God First!” This is true discipleship and the rest is defined by God. We live in the “trophy” age of rewards. Recognition is given to the person who “wins” down to the person who participated for their effort. In today’s gospel a similar degree of recognition is given from “Whoever receives a prophet…will receive a prophet’s reward…whoever receives a righteous man…will receive a righteous man’s reward” all the way to “whoever gives only a cup of cold water…will surely not lose his reward”. The God of all who is in all brings justice to all “because the little one is a disciple”.

All baptized are called into discipleship which in the early church a disciple prepared the way for the coming of Christ. John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Christ through his sacrifice being the lone voice in the desert. Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs to spread the word. First and foremost, we prepare the way by the testimony of our lives, the sacrifice of faith, and the witness of love. All “achievers” recognize their rewards come through sacrifice. God blesses the great and small beyond our understanding.

This we see in the first reading when Elisha asks the servant “Can something be done for her?” in appreciation for her sacrifice to provide Elisha with a place to stay overnight. The answer by the servant was “Yes” because she had no son. Elisha promises her “This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.” The woman’s generosity was a free gift of kindness but the prophet promises a greater gift of love for this woman. This is testimony to God’s response to our acts of generosity and sacrifice. With God nothing is impossible when we respond with love to his son, his disciple, and his “little ones”.

All baptized are “Baptized into his death?” Yes, this “death” is the death of sin to live in holiness. Holiness is defined as “God First!” Godly love for mother, father, and children cannot be separated from the love of God and the love of God from the Word of God. Our daily call is to live the Word in our relationships with family and all humanity. It is not negotiable or compromising but authoritative and final. This is the final test of faith, to stand for obedience to the Word first before others even those we love dearly. Born of free will this is the most challenging of all relationships, to be united under “The Word” and keep God first. Death to self is a separation from worldly values and conformity.

“God First” is unity to the Trinity not to worldly values of “inclusiveness” by conformity or “tolerance”. Jesus clearly defines to his apostles the choice of “God First” brings division and consequences. We see this most clearly in our decision for the “Right to life” versus the “Right to choose” movements for the unborn and for euthanasia as “mercy killing”. “God First” is mercy to live and allow God to be the one who calls us away from this life. When God is first even suffering is an offering of redemptive suffering and a transformation of self into his image.

It often seems human (Christian) behavior perceives Jesus on the cross as suffering so that we may not suffer and go on with our lives. This is far from the truth when Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him. “God First” as transformation of self into his image is sacrificial first in faith and belief in the greatest of rewards to come according to his will for our greater good as he meets the desires of our hearts aligned to his sacred heart beyond what we can imagine.

The will of God takes our suffering as we let go to God our unborn, the “little ones”, our closest family, and even our own lives always for something greater, the reward he desires to give us. The world cannot accept this but we can accept this because God is already present to us and he cannot be denied.

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Homily

12th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on June 20, 2020June 17, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Jer. 20:10-13; Ps. 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35; Rom. 5:12-15; Mt. 10:26-33

“Fear no one.” What unites us under God is greater than anything that seeks to divide us. Sing and praise the Lord “for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” In times of “Terror” and efforts to “Denounce!” what is good and just is denounced in an effort to justify what is evil in hate and violence. We fail to see in this hate the truth denounced by the Deceiver. The Deceiver is Satan working in the hearts of those seeking to destroy culture, society, the “law” and natural law. Jesus answer is simple, “Fear no one.”

It is the spirit of evil spread throughout the world recognized by the intent to create confusion and chaos. “Law and order” are not a human construct but given by divine revelation throughout salvation history. Just as the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament and Jesus proclamation to love God with all your heart and might and your neighbor as yourself are not “feel good” options but calls to obedience. In these times we are to proclaim what unites us as a people created in the image of God creator of all. As the church closed its’ doors in fear of a virus the evil one opened the gates of hell to reign in chaos. As the doors of the church begin to reopen it is our time now to exorcise the demons and rescue souls in the name of Jesus Christ.

We are called to testify through “the Spirit of truth” and “proclaim in the housetops”. These “housetops” go outside the walls of the church through the highways of modern communication resources and down to the streets of our neighbors and friends. These are spiritual wars calling for the sons and daughters of God to fear not “those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” attempting to shame and silence the voices of God’s truth. When others speak in error of God’s truth, we face the test of faith to acknowledge God before others with a message of truth or to deny God before others with our silence, avoidance of conflict and fear of shame.

Jeremiah reminds us, “All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine” and what was true then is true of today’s society. As long as we follow in submission giving power to those who seek to take over the streets for the purpose of anti-God, anti-law, and anti-order we are free to roam in silence but speak of God, justice through law, or respect for order then the attack will be swift and vengeful. Under the guise of justice is the search for power in the “us-them” force of division. “Us-them” has the only ending possible which is destruction of all that is good, truth, goodness, beauty and unity. It is to deny God.

Fearlessness requires overcoming our own prejudices, that is our prejudgment of others and learned biases because of our differences and having the courage to encounter people where they are at in their lives sharing the good news of Jesus’ love, mercy, and justice. Fearlessness is relational in seeking to understand and overcome division for a greater good. Fearlessness is knowing there is no difference or similarity among us that God does not know created for a purpose that can serve a greater good so be not afraid God is with us.

If we are to testify in the “Spirit of truth” and are to be ready to respond to the test then we must be a people of prayer, of celebration of life in communion with the church, and of union with Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist. These are our weapons to fear not and reflect the light in this darkness of sin and evil. Let us constantly pray, “Lord, in your great love, answer me” in every moment and challenge before us and he will give us the words of eternal life and the word at the moment of truth.

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Homily

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Posted on June 13, 2020June 12, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Deut. 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Ps:147:12-15, 19-20; 1Cor. 10:16-17; Jn. 6:51-58

“The cup of blessing” and “the bread that we break” unites the many into the one body of Christ not as a people of race, culture, or nationality but as a people of origin from the one God in three Persons. While race, culture and nationality give the body its human origin it is the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ that raises it up to it divine origin.

Some seek to use the human origin as a weapon of division to bring crisis and division extending the journey in the “terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions” wanting to poison the water of life. Justice comes from God in his body and blood when we gather to break bread and recognize Christ present in all our brothers and sisters.

Today there are many false prophets in the streets who shield their face of evil with the veil of justice but as the sun sets their true image is revealed in their crimes to humanity. Those who seek justice work for peace while those who seek power work their crimes. Peace will come when hearts turn to worship Christ not worshipping an ideology. The miracle is in the person created in the image of Christ, a transformation of the soul into the image of Christ not into the image of an ideology.

Division is not only in the public square but in the church as the cornerstone of faith is his body and blood in the Eucharist when rejected among people of faith. The sacrifice he leaves us on the altar to transform our very being from the beginning of the church, rejected by the Jews remains questioned by people of all faiths who still ask “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

In the eyes of reason alone miracles don’t exist but in the eyes of faith life and all its existence begins as a miracle and anything is possible for God. The miracle we seek is the eternal life Jesus promises to the believer who receives him in body and blood not in faith alone but in the act of consumption found in the Eucharist, “whoever eats this bread will live forever”. “Thousands are, as one, receivers, One, as thousands of believers, eats of him who cannot waste”.

This food, the body and blood of Christ “cannot waste” in preparing us to answer the call he has designated for us in serving the greater good. This is social justice, the work of the church to go forth as a sign of Christ in the work of salvation. We were not created to live by bread alone but from the bread of life which directs our ministry, provides purpose and meaning, and allows us even to suffer with Christ always present in us and through us.

Years back on a pilgrimage to Israel our guide was a very well educated older Jewish man with a sense of humor. He was also in much better physical shape than a lot of us younger people. During daily Mass he always sat in the back but remained in church. He had a good understanding of Christian history and was a very good guide. When discussing the faith of the church in transubstantiation, the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, it was a stumbling block for him. His response was “it cannot be that easy”. It is that easy if it is the will of God who is above all human understanding to be transformative.

The choice we make makes us to receive or reject his gift. In the end “Bad and good the feast are sharing, of what divers dooms preparing, endless death, or endless life”. Today we share the feast of the fruit the world has prepared and the choice we make is one that passes into death. Christ invites us to receive the cup of his blood and the bread of his body that passes into life to live eternally with him. We can look to Jesus passion, death, and resurrection as the trifecta of his great miracle. We can also look at his coming in birth, his return in the Holy Spirit, and his remaining in the Eucharist as the trifecta of his loving presence with us.

Let us remain in him in his Most Holy Body and Blood, the Eucharist. If we seek a world to be transformative we will continue to be disillusioned. If we seek transformation of ourselves in Christ’s body and blood the world will be transformed. May God bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you now and forever.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Posted on June 6, 2020June 5, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Ex. 34:4b-6, 8-9; Dan. 3:52-55; 2 Cor. 13: 11-13; Jn. 3:16-18

The Lord, Our Father, one in three Persons is the answer to our pandemic, our injustice, our violence. He is Jesus who first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection with the words, “Peace be with you”. Do we seek peace, justice, unity and community then now is the time to proclaim Jesus is alive! The power of evil on the streets is calling for “law and order” but the soul is hungry for love and justice. The church must not be silent nor divided at this time but be one in the faith with the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We must not carry the sin of omission by being silent.

During this pandemic we have experienced a separation from the Mass, the summit of our celebration of faith. Is this a “vacation” from our obligation with a dispensation or a realization of our need for the body of Christ in the Eucharist, our need for unity as a people of God, and a need to enter into a deeper communion with the Trinity in our life of prayer. One of the hardships for the community is having to bury the dead without a Mass. In addition to the loss of a loved one and limited participation allowed from the funeral homes there is also the sense of an incomplete participation from the church. The body of Christ is grieving to return to being one again and we must open the doors to the fullness of the sacramental life once more.

This week was the burial of George Floyd who died at the mercy and in the custody of police. His death has become a universal call to justice spreading around the world. In the streets are the peace and justice crowd seeking to build up a community and the call to violence crowd seeking to tear down a community. One is based on love and the other on hate. In a post someone stated “The problem is sin, not skin. The answer is Grace, not race. Jesus died for all. Our nation needs Jesus!” The world needs Jesus! Jesus came for salvation of the world but the world still rejects the source of peace. Jesus appeared to the disciples and his first words were “Peace be with you.” The universal church must be heard and seen as the voice for peace. Now is not the time to be silent and let others battle the streets. Now is the time to proclaim peace in Jesus!

“The Lord, the Lord a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity…so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”. In this the promise of the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament in the person of Jesus, second person of the Trinity. Today we needs the Lord’s mercy upon our nation and the world.

His name “The Lord” is now given as “Father”. “The Lord” who Moses bowed down and worshiped is now the “Father” who we embrace with the love of the Son to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is “Our Father” in one body and three persons from the beginning of time. From the old to the new the Word remains an act of love for the world but the world must respond to this love to receive its salvation.

Free will dictates we make a choice and the choice we make is to embrace the Trinity as a member of the community of heaven becoming one in body, soul, and spirit that is one in love. The opposite choice is to remain “a stiff-necked people” where condemnations comes from rejecting faith in his name. In who are we to believe? Some claim science as ultimate truth but science is limited focusing on the study of the elements of truth, incomplete and evolving. Others look to a political nirvana that exists in theory with no potential of survival in a fallen and broken human nature. Finally, left without a place to turn many are left to believe only in themselves but there is only one of each person with separate minds alone unto itself, challenged and never at peace, to die without unity to other.

Who do we serve, science, politics, oneself, or someone greater than and creator of all that is above, below and most importantly with all? The Lord, Our Father from the beginning is a unity in communion as a Trinity. This the church proclaims as a revelation from God, our Lord and Father in the Son through the Holy Spirit as the source of life itself. Do we believe? Eternity is dependent on the answer. This is the choice this nation finds itself on the streets of good versus evil.

History of the church was first seen as an outgrowth of the Jewish faith tied to the scriptures of what we know as the Old Testament until it was clear that Jesus would not be accepted as the Son of God, co-eternal, one in being with the Father and many were martyred in the faith for claiming what was rejected as heresy. Today the division continues to get fragmented into many other denominations and the justification remains the same, the heresy labeled against the other.

Who do we serve one God in three Persons or one denomination among hundreds? God is a unity of one and until we accept this unity to love God as one united in the Trinity and our neighbor as one with us in our one Lord and Father, we have a way to journey in the desert of faith. During this pandemic the church has closed and the world has become more shattered by evil. The evil one is claiming victory for souls while the doors of the church slowly are opening. Let us open the doors wide and return to claim our victory over sin and death. Jesus is waiting and its our turn now.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Pentecost Sunday

Posted on May 30, 2020May 29, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:1-11; Ps. 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Cor. 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn.20:19-23

“Come, Holy Spirit, come” to serve the mighty acts of God in us and through us. This is an invitation for the Spirit to enter our souls and open for us the gates of heaven through the works of God. Pentecost Sunday is a call to life in the Spirit, that is with the foretaste of heaven though not fully yet realized because we remain in a state of purification with the stain of sin. As Jesus appears after the resurrection to the disciples, he breathes on them to give them the Holy Spirit of fire and truth and set them on their mission as a royal priesthood in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus appears in his glorified body to the disciples in today’s gospel behind locked doors yet he was able to pass through unrestricted by nature though his body was tangible. This property we will all have is known as “subtlety” and is governed by the direction of the soul as one of seven properties of the glorified state described by St. Thomas Aquinas. Jesus is one with the Father in the Spirit and we call on the Holy Spirit to come and be one with us in this mystery of the Trinity. Life in the spirit is the soul’s hunger and restless desire for holiness that is perfection as the Father in heaven is perfect beginning with us calling on the Holy Spirit to “come”.

Jesus first words to the disciples are “peace be with you” showing them his hands and his side to erase all doubt of his physical presence. Jesus then repeats his gift of peace now that the disciples believe and after breathing on them, they receive the Holy Spirit with the call to go forth with their mission “whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained”. This specific spiritual gift is reserved for the disciples though we recognize “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” There is a path to holiness given to each of us coming from the gifts of the Spirit and our joy is in recognizing our gifts and multiplying them.

The disciples first gift and power from the Spirit is to bring peace and healing through forgiveness of sins. This for many other Christian denominations is a barrier to faith because of the belief “only God can forgive sins”. This is the same issue the Jews had with Jesus boldness when he clearly took action to forgive sins, an apostasy to place himself equal to God. Today we accept Jesus as the second person of the Trinity as one with and in God. Jesus promised the disciples even greater things to come through them and it begins with this gift to forgive sins not on their own but in the person of Christ himself who is with them and acting through them as he does through the priesthood today. What about our gifts, our calling, and service to God?

Today we are called to speak of the “mighty acts of God” through the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us just as the disciples spoke in different “tongues” we speak through the different gifts of the mighty acts God is doing in our lives. Each gift is connected to a service to fulfill a work of God and bring about a benefit that is a “fruit” of the Spirit. How are we doing with our gifts to bring about this “fruit”? It begins with an act of the will to call on the Holy Spirit to come and be with us as we respond to this day, the challenge of this moment, and to fulfill the benefit waiting to be achieved by our specific gift but it begins with us calling on him, in spirit and truth to come and “take possession of my heart and strengthen me by your grace”.

Pentecost is the Greek name for Shavuot celebrated fifty days after Passover, the spring harvest festival of the Israelites sharing the first fruits of the harvest which was going on when the Holy Spirit came. Many came from different regions and languages to celebrate and share their harvest. Pentecost then is the festival of sharing the gifts of the Holy Spirit with each other bringing the fire of God’s love then going forth with the Good news of the gospel into our world. Fire is transforming and the Holy Spirit is with us to bring transformation to our lives, our relationships, and our world.

Our world is undergoing the “test” of faith as it battles the pandemic of a virus threatening our mortal lives. “Fear” is not the response of faith of a believer nor is withdrawal into seclusion the response of faith. Prudence is right judgement in responding as a people of faith to the crisis. It is not if we are to open the doors of the church but how they are to remain open to the sacramental life. Guided by the fire of the Holy Spirit we are to gather together in celebration to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Holy Spirit, and in the communion with the people. This is an essential service for the people of God and Jesus is calling, the Holy Spirit is waiting, and the Father is at our doors. Let us welcome him into our souls by returning to his temple of love.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Ascension of the Lord

Posted on May 21, 2020May 20, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 47:2-3,6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mat.28:16-20

“I am with you always, until the end of the age” is our hope and salvation as Jesus visibly ascends only to remain as the invisible God with us. The disciples went to the mountain of Galilee and “when they saw him, they worshiped but the doubted.” What a contradiction to see, worship what you see and doubt what you see reminds us only in Christ can we do all things through him who strengthens us.

In the midst of uncertainty as the disciples found themselves even in seeing the resurrected Jesus, they doubted his real presence. In the midst of uncertainty how often do we doubt the presence of God and promise that Jesus is with us? In receiving the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist how many remain in doubt to his real presence even after seeing Eucharistic miracles where the host turn into flesh and drips blood? The power of faith to believe is the coming together of our will to the will of the Father to give life in the spirit of truth.

Jesus provided “many proofs” he is alive yet they doubted. The human spirit desires what only the Holy Spirit brings to the soul, the voice of God. God enlightens the soul to truth out of the darkness of doubt through the waters of baptism; it confirms us in faith to the divine will to witness against the passion of idolatry; it feeds the hunger for love out of his own body and blood in the breaking of the bread; it brings conviction of sin to be cleansed in confession against condemnation of the law; it fosters unity in one body with the Trinity and fellowship of humanity against division of relativity; it raises sacrifice for a greater good against indulgence of narcissism; it brings peace and joy where there is fear and confusion; it is God with us and who can be against?

God sees the depth of the heart’s prayer as worship with doubt or worship in faith. Jesus asks Martha, “Do you believe this?”. He was referring to himself as “the resurrection and the life”. Martha responds “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God…” First, Martha came to believe indicating faith is a journey and each of us are on that path with its’ own share of joys and sufferings that bring us to this revelation. Second, Martha arrived at a point of faith that allowed Jesus to perform the miracle of faith in raising Lazarus.

The Spirit is present and active but where are the believers who have arrived without doubting in this power of God present in us and with us? We remain as the people of God in the desert looking beyond for the promise land wandering, waiting, hoping, yet doubting. Jesus is with us yet we must arrive in our faith as he walks beside us while our hearts are burning, wandering and wondering. Believe and receive the promise waiting to be revealed.

There was a radio talk show in which the person interviewed came to believe and converted from atheist to Catholic. The one statement that had a profound impact in her conversion was when they heard “what if you just believed for 30 days what do you have to lose”. She decided to act in faith what she was discerning and see what would happen knowing that if nothing happened the worst thing in the end she would “eat some crow” for her foolishness. The encounter with God was not delayed as after only a few days there was a new profound faith giving birth in her soul that was left with no doubt. Let us come to believe and set doubt aside so God can enter into our faith and make greater miracles of us, through us, and for us.

For forty days Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection and before his ascension to bring conviction and instruction as to the kingdom of God. They were to “wait for the promise of the Father…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. This promise is given to us who wait upon the Lord in faith already believing and “shout to God with cries of gladness”. Thank you Lord for receiving me who receives you this day present to manifest power and glory in this humble servant for this I know your promise is everlasting.

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Homily

6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 16, 2020May 15, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; Ps. 66:1-7, 16, 20; 1Peter 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

Faith and works unite love and justice into the one body of Christ. It is the works of the will that reveal faith as the visible sign of invisible grace given to us who seek and ask. This is the testimony of Philip in today’s reading (Acts) who proclaim Christ to the people of Samaria with visible power in the miracles he performed. How do we demonstrate the power of Christ in our daily lives?

1^st Peter in his letter calls us to testify to God’s power in us when we “suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God.” The “if” reminds us not all suffering is the will of God when evil remains in this world. The will of God comes in suffering from keeping his commandments. These works of our will call upon the “Spirit of truth” to be our Advocate when we respond with “gentleness and reverence, keeping our conscience clear”. This is our challenge to call upon the Advocate in our struggle faced with adversity.

How easy it is to fall into a battle of wills with those we love most. The impulse is to return “fire with fire” sometimes aggressively getting loud and demanding or sometimes very passive aggressive with rejection through silence and denial of our love. The human “battlefield” is what the disciples of Jesus hoped for yet Christ followed the righteous path for the sake of the unrighteous”. Our human battlefield begins within for the sake off a greater good.

Let not the peace of Christ be disturbed by what comes from without but from within for the evil one is always baiting our souls to fall again into temptation. What is from without is “dis-ease” meaning a lack of ease about what we cannot control and what wants to control us. Our power is to reject all dis-ease as from the evil one and claiming the peace of Christ he offered his disciples at his at his appearance after the resurrection when his first words were “Peace be with you”. Let our hearts not be troubled by pandemics that rise and fall taking innocent lives for even if this suffering comes into our lives the promise of the resurrection is waiting to rescue us.

In listening to a Catholic radio program, the guest was giving his conversion story from Protestant to Catholic. He concluded his story recalling how his father a Baptist “died” from a heart attack but was brought back to life in the ambulance. Later that year he asked his Father what his death experience was like. His father said it was not what he expected. To his surprise instead of seeing heaven he went to this “intermediary” place where he had to give account of his life. As Catholics we identify this intermediary place as purgatory and also the Church suffering. It suffers as it waits for justice and heaven. We fail to speak more on purgatory as is needed in our call to repentance while we battle in our time as the Church militant. This is our battlefield for justice in heaven and earth.

The battlefield is fought and won within our souls with the help of the Advocate bringing us the spirit of truth. Our battle is a sacrificial offering of our day living in the Spirit of truth called to pick up our cross and follow the spirit in faith to victory. Jesus is waiting to claim victory for us when we unite our will to his we become one body in Christ with the power of the unseen God.

In the human existence we often confuse love as forgiveness with an avoidance of consequence. Love and justice in God are both present and justice is his. A child says “I’m sorry” and expects the parent to not impose justice. Children don’t understand the value of justice and if it is not fair justice may even lose faith in love. As children of God we often come to expect forgiveness without justice but justice belongs to God and it comes with love. Dante described purgatory as the place we go to wash our baptismal robes. The “place” is a process of cleansing of sin that remains as we leave our mortal bodies and claim our promise of heaven. It is not a denial of God’s love but a perfection of our love to receive his glory as an unblemished tabernacle of our souls. It is the unity of love and justice as one. Faith unites to love as works unites to justice for faith without works is a call to death eternal. We are a people of the resurrection in faith and works for the greater good.

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Homily

5th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 9, 2020May 8, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Acts 6:1-7; Ps. 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1Peter 2:4-9; Jn. 14:1-12

The church is born in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ! Ecclesiology is the study of the nature of the “church” and traditionally Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension as the birth of the church. Recently I heard the argument for the Last Supper as the birth of the church when Jesus by the breaking of the bread and giving of the wine instructs his disciples thereby instituting the priesthood of the church. Thus, the church is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist which we become when we receive the Eucharist at Mass. The unity in the one body the church comes to its’ fullness in the Eucharist. We could say the descent of the Holy Spirit is the “Confirmation” of the church.

In our times it is often repeated “the church is the people” who share in the one priesthood by baptism. This focus on the people is meaningful to the extent the source and summit of the church remains in the Eucharist and is not lost. Unfortunately, too many people identify as Christian without unity to the Eucharist becoming “churches” of their own body. The people are called to “follow” in the body of Christ which they receive in the Eucharist and in the sacramental life of the church. Can there be church without the Eucharist? If history is a sign then we see the multiplication of “churches” into isolated cells when people separate from the Eucharist only to rise and fall.

Easter season is a renewal of the Church as we celebrate its formation in the early church. Today’s first reading in Acts is the birth of the diaconate into the church. “Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom…They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them”. The origins for the call to the diaconate was to serve the needs of the people. In being “reputable”, they were trusted with the resources of the church and not prone to scandal. In being filled with the Spirit and wisdom they served as a channel of grace to minister to the needs of the people as the hands of the church. Deacons called apart out from the people but not to the priesthood become the bridge living “in the world but not of the world” uniting church and people as a visible Christ. The diaconate is to be Jesus as a voice for our times in our homes, work places, and in the community.

Jesus is our cornerstone present in the Eucharist. In the gospel he reminds Philip, “The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” Today Jesus who dwells in us in the Eucharist is doing the works of the Father “and will do greater ones than these because I am going to the Father.” These are the works of salvation through evangelization as the church fulfills its mission of adding to the house of the Lord many more dwelling places prepared for us. This is our Easter hope and victory as we wait to gather together after this pandemic crisis is won.

“Come to him, a living stone…built into a spiritual house…to offer spiritual sacrifices”. This pandemic is our invitation to offer spiritual sacrifices for the recovery of this nation and the world. It is also a time for renewal of the “church” into a spiritual vessel of faith, hope and love, and prayer is the sacrifice needed. Prayer Matters!! As the nation celebrates the National Day of Prayer bringing people of all faiths we join in prayer for healing, the end of the virus, a return to a healthy work environment, and an opening of our houses of worship.

A spiritual house recognizes we are all created equal but not equally gifted for the same purpose. Each is called by name for a given purpose in the house of the Lord yet all serve the same greater good. As the early church quickly grew in number it realized the need for a house of God united in order of service just as all parts of the human body all come together to create a functioning human. The homeostasis of the human body is in care for its physical, psychological and spiritual needs and as such the body of the church must be cared for also.

The living stone is the Eucharist inviting us to a transformation of our body into his body and our souls into his spiritual vessel each called by name to our place of order within God’s house. Let us enter into it in body, soul, and spirit and our transformation will transform our world into a house of worship with many rooms to serve each purpose in the mystery of faith.

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