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Homily

1st Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Homily

Ash Wednesday

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Homily

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Homily

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Sir. 15:15-20; Ps. 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34: 1 Cor. 2:6-10; Mat. 5:17-37

Keep the commandments by choice to the greatest potential and you too shall live.  Today we are reminded “life and death, good and evil” we receive by choice, we sin by choice, and we walk in the law by choice.  The best choice is to “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’.  Anything more is from the evil one”.  “Yes” and “No” are absolutes without preconditions in obedience to the law of God.  What is fear of the Lord?  It is fear of the disobedience of the “law” of God.  “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”  Follow the law and the choice is the water of holiness and life but choose to disobey the law and the consequence is the fire of sin and death.  The human experience is conditional, negotiable, self-justified. 

The conditional experience asks “What’s in it for me?”  Negotiable in seeking the greater reward for the least sacrifice.  Self-justified with a sense of entitlement.  Conditional, “Going to church every Sunday but what do I get out of it?”  It is negotiable, “As long as I confess my sins God will forgive my sins in the end.”  It is self-justified, “No one is perfect, I have a right to still be angry” as the sun sets on life with no guarantees of tomorrow.  How can we simply do the right thing when our feelings are not there yet ready to accept that choice?  It is an act of the will to say, “I go to church…I avoid the near temptation to sin…I forgive despite my hurt.”  This is following the law of the Lord by choice and the blessings will pour into our lives.  These are conscious free will decisions we choose for the greater glory of God.  Nobody said it was an easy road. 

The “easy road” we follow is to do the least, a minimalist like a child who is told to clean their room and they push everything under the bed that is on the floor.  Is the room clean or simply giving a false illusion?  In the “easy road” we bargain with ourselves, minimize the fault, blame the other, share the guilt, “after all everyone does it” we tell ourselves. We must ask ourselves, “Is this the best of us we offer our God?” 

The best of us begins by making the right choice and trusting in God to get us there.  Choose to go to Mass and expect to receive a blessing from God.  When we expect the best of us, we receive the best God desires to pour into our lives.  Choose to avoid the near occasion of sin even when tempted by the circumstances and our heart remains focused on the good not the bad.  It is tempting to want to blame the other for our weakness rather than to take responsibility for growing in virtue.  Choose to forgive the other so God may heal our hurt and we return to the joy of living.  The right choice produces the right results in the natural law of God, not complicated but challenging. 

The early church was called “the Way”.  It was the way to fulfill “the smallest part of a letter…until all things have taken place.”  To surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees Jesus spoke of was a low bar since it was based on doing the least often in the interest of those same scribes and Pharisees who had the most to gain in their indulgence.  The Way demands the greatest out of us for the “Spirit scrutinizes everything”.  How do we teach others to break the commandments or follow them?  By our example we normalize behavior for the water of blessing or the fire of suffering our sin.  The seed of sin for anger, adultery, swearing, lust lies not in the world for the world is food for the sinner who eats of this flesh.  The seed of sin is already dormant in humanity and waits for the moment to be given life. 

What is wisdom but the foundation of truth!  It is eternal truth that passes through time from generation to generation when we put our trust in him.  Wisdom is seen in our Blessed Mother Mary who chose obedience in the Spirit and was given the crown of glory.  Wisdom “God has revealed to us through the Spirit” received through love of God and the fulfillment of the law of God.  The choice we make makes us unto itself.  Choose laughter and find joy, choose kindness and find peace, choose generosity and find wealth, choose the commandments and find yourself, finally choose prayer and find God.  Do the next right thing and grow in righteousness.  Trust and see by the choice we make “the mysteries of the kingdom”.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

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Homily

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

Once called to be salt and light in baptism we share in Christ’s humanity as salt of the earth and in his divinity as light from heaven.  True salt does not lose its taste in its chemical composition but it is “lost” when mixed with other impurities we call sin.  Sin covers the taste of sanctity making impure what was purified by the waters of baptism.  Salt returns the impure to a state of purity in a spiritual sign of holiness.  In Hebrew society salt not only was used for seasoning but also as a preservative and disinfectant.  We are called to be the preservative of the word made flesh and the voice to “disinfect” the mind from the snares of the devil that lead us into temptation. 

As salt of the earth we season good relationships by taking care of the “hungry, sheltering the oppressed and homeless…and do not turn your back on your own.”  These “good deeds” provide the light in the darkness of this world and shine up to heaven.  The deeds are the good fruit to nourish the soul and the fuel for the lamp to give light.  It is in giving that we receive.  We receive healing from our “wound” and “vindication” justified by the blood of Christ.  In giving of ourselves Christ makes himself present, “Here I am!”.  It is the “secret” of great saints, Mother Teresa of Calcutta feeding the hungry and sheltering the poor, St. John Paul II preservative of the faith, Padre Pio the long hours in the confessional and many others whose lives wore the white robe of sacrificing themselves for others in long holy lives. 

There are many gifts each according to our state in life but all called to be great saints for Christ.  Having returned from a deacon’s retreat this past weekend we were reminded all service begins with prayer.  It is the voice for the next right step to do God’s will.  God is ready to pour out his gifts on his servants yet we stand in the way of receiving those gifts without the prayer of sacrifice.  The gifts of God come “with a demonstration of Spirit and power” to be the light in a world of darkness.  Recall the cup with water we see as half empty or half full.  The battle in the mind is to see the potential of life-giving water and not the cup of the world.  We receive the rivers of living water that will not run dry and share with those who thirst for life.  The cup of the world preaches the darkness of failure, not good enough, hopelessness and death.  Prayers focuses on the water that refreshes the soul and doesn’t run dry. 

It is not what our good deeds say about us, it is how they “glorify your heavenly Father”.  Great saints reflect the power of God as they trust in him.  Each day we give of ourselves that is the power of God within to be good.  As Jesus responded when called “good teacher” he said only “God is good” but we give his light as instruments of his goodness, beauty, truth, and unity.  Be transformed into his light of love. 

I am always touched by the poor and homeless when I open my window of my vehicle and give “any amount” as their sign says and their response is consistently “may God bless you”.  In the poor we receive God’s messengers and demonstrate our trust and faith in him as we would receive his disciples who bring the good news and the blessing.  When we give to the least, we are blessed abundantly. 

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Homily

The Presentation of the Lord

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Malachi 3:1-4; Ps. 2:7-10; Heb. 2:14-18; Lk. 2:22-40

The Presentation of the Lord is a revelation to the world through Simeon a “righteous and devout” man who walks into the temple in the Spirit.  Are we in the Spirit ready to receive Jesus our Lord?  The manifestation of the Son of God is our calling in the Spirit.  Jesus, flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.” 

Jesus is brought to the temple to be consecrated to the Lord by the high priest just as we are brought to church to be consecrated to the Lord in baptism.  In baptism we now share in the one body and blood of Christ as brothers and sisters.  For the next thirty years nothing is written about him except “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”  God does not remove his favor from us unless we like the parable of the prodigal father and son separates ourselves from his favor because we choose to leave. 

Now Anna has essentially spent her life in the temple after becoming a widow.  She is a prophetess meaning she too is in the Spirit finding favor with God.  Simeon makes the proclamation but it is Anna’s calling to begin the evangelization by spreading the good news of this child.  The Holy Family returns to Nazareth but Anna plants the seeds in Jerusalem for his coming, the king of glory “it is the Lord.”  Since she was a prophetess, she had gained the trust of the people to be believed filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon her.  The favor of God is upon us from our baptism and the path of wisdom is given to us if we remain in the Spirit by returning to the temple of the Lord to receive his body and blood in the Eucharist. 

Both Simeon and Anna were presented with the test of faith, “is this the one?”  Guided by the Spirit they were ready to respond.  There is a daily test of faith we face.  It is manifested in how we respond to life before us in all the moments of life, in all our encounters with other souls before us.  If we respond in fear then our faith is in the power of the evil one but a response in love is faith in the presence of God to claim victory over all circumstances for a greater good. 

There is also the test of suffering a universal condition of the flesh in body, mind, and spirit.  The great saints speak to this darkness of the soul as wounded warriors.  This is our test of the cross when we turn to Jesus on the cross and he is most present to us to be our help.  Where one suffers, he suffers.  We don’t keep him on the cross he accepts the cross for our sins and suffering reminding us of the sacrifice that brings the resurrection and the life.  He bears our pain with us and we find the comfort of the Spirit at our side.  What must we do to receive it?

 Four guiding principles of wisdom.  One, respond in faith to the test with love.  God is love and love unites us to the power of his love and brings us healing.  Two, recall our baptismal promises.  This if the foundation of our faith and in proclaiming it we renew our faith and conviction rejecting all that is not of God.  Three, claim by word and deed the truth from the wisdom received.  Speak the word of truth in prayer and unite it to the souls of the living and the dead, to the angels and saints, to the powers and principalities, to the promises of God.  Finally, claim your victory and go forth believing in the greater good which is God is with us.

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Homily

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

It has begun!  Jesus is calling his disciples to ministry leaving behind the old ways and the beginning of “the way” of truth and light.  Baptism is the beginning of our call to leave behind the old ways of the world and follow the way of the Lord.  The way of Jesus was to teach, to proclaim, and to cure.

 The first call of a parent is to teach their children the ABCs of “the way”, that is to believe, to confess, to pray, to serve, to love and to come to Mass.  A child learns to proclaim their faith through the faith of their parents.  If a parent is silent in their faith then the child will be silent in his or her faith.  If a parent proclaims the word of God in their lips “Thanks be to God” acknowledging his presence then the child will keep his heart and mind conscious of God’s presence in their life.  If a parent brings healing to their child with an act of love the child will in turn give testimony to this love by loving others.  How often a child falls when learning to walk and a mother is there to teach it’s only an “Ouchy, its ok” healed with a kiss.  How often does a father teach a child to serve with the simple expectation they have to help their mother, share their toys, be obedient.  The home is the domestic church where the first lessons of faith and life are learned. 

The world is full of “rivalries” even within the faithful as we see in the second reading where Paul is urging the people “that there be no divisions among you but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.”  Rivalries start in the home as two sibling fight for attention, possessions, fairness, in competition and they carry it over to their peers, their sports, their community, and even their church.  St. Paul is addressing the conflict between who the people follow, Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ?  Today we have Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals, Episcopalians, and the list goes on for the Christian communities.  Today there is a movement for division among the Methodist church between the traditionalist who seek to support the core belief of marriage between a man and a woman and the progressives who support same sex marriages.  These are deep divisions and the work of the evil one who seeks to break the hearts of unity until there is no faith but that of each person his own.  The breakup of the family is breakup of the church. 

It is often said, “The family that prays together stays together”.  The ABCs begin at home and the breakup of the home is the beginning of the end of the foundation of the church.  We see and hear of all the attacks on the family.  I speak of antireligious movements, abortion, euthanasia, end of life assistance to say a few.  “Of whom should I be afraid?”.  We live in times of darkness, a culture of death but that is not new it has always existed from the evil one “who prowls around the world seeking the ruins of souls”.  Two people can be sitting side by side and one is living “in the land of gloom” with despair, hopelessness, fear and distress and the other is living the light of salvation in hope, joy, comfort, and peace. 

Today Jesus calls fishermen to come and follow him that is to be his disciples.  The plan of salvation was to call each of us to do the same and be witnesses of our faith proclaiming it to the ends of the world.  No one knows when that end is coming but we do know there is an end to our mortal life and then what?  Now is the time of conversion and atonement confessing our sins and entering the light.  Christ calls for unity in his one body and today we receive his body and blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation”.  Today is the day of great rejoicing because through our baptism there is the light of heaven. 

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Homily

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Deacon Joe

“It is too little, the Lord says, for you to be my servant…I will make you a light to the nations”.  God created us for greatness “a light to the nations”.  He desires greatness for us just we desire greatness for our children.  He is a Father of love with gifts of grace to empower us to greatness but he cannot be without our response, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”  This is true humility to recognize we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and apart from God there is no “life” only the existence of being.  Today the question is “Is our will united to God’s will?” 

Along the spectrum of surrender to God’s will we lose our humility in exchange for our pride.  The Lord desires greatness for us according to his will and we seek a lessor role of servant according to our desires.  Our resistance is framed in false humility, “who am I Lord” as we focus on our limitations.  It is because of our limitations that the Lord comes to demonstrate his presence and power in our being to give us “life”.  False humility is a passive way of saying “no…not now…why me” to God.  Our desire is to go about our life with God to follow behind us.  In surrender to God we respond to his call “come follow”, be the light that reflects his image to the world, he is the way, the truth, and the life.  The call begins with baptism. 

First, there is baptism for our sanctification in Jesus Christ.  Second is “call to be holy” with “ears open to obedience”.  Third is the obedient response, “Here I am Lord; I come to do your will”.  Baptism sanctifies us as we are buried in Christ death and rise into holiness.  Sanctification is the removal of our sins to receive the light and power to go forth with courage and conviction.  Holiness is an active process of avoiding sin, seeking grace, and responding to the call to do God’s will. 

With “ears open to obedience” is part of the baptismal rite called “Ephphetha” the prayer over the ears and mouth of the child saying “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.  May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”  With ears open the Word speaks to our hearts calling us to respond to God’s call.  The power is in obedience to the Word which in itself is a revelation personal and universal.  The Word speaks to us in our spirit, confirms God’s call, and sends us forth in obedience.  Perhaps it is one reason our bibles collect dust at home as we shut out the word during the week and open our ears on Sundays for a word of inspiration before retreating to our comfort zone to the “ordinary” of our week.

The church now enters into “Ordinary Time” but not a time for the ordinary.  Ordinary time is a time for action, for conversion and change.  New Year’s resolutions are a call for change in our lives, change for the better.   We look to change our habits, improve our health and/or our lifestyle.  We are introspective in search of our happiness.  God’s call for greatness is in serving the greater good of the world we have been given where we stand.  It begins with the ordinary decisions we make each day.  Do we respond with the appropriate virtue for the situation, kindness, generosity, empathy, understanding or whatever is needed?  Do we live with zeal for justice and reject sin?  The is the call for the ordinary of life that opens us up to receive the greatness of the Lord. 

God is ready anytime, anywhere since he is everywhere but it is our time now to say “Yes Lord, I come to do your will.” 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Baptism of the Lord

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 42:1-4, 6-7; Ps.29:1-4, 9-10; Acts. 10:34-38; Mat. 3:13-17

“Allow it now” says the Lord.  Today, the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of ordinary time in the church.  The Child Jesus reminds us of his coming fully human and divine, a new beginning for humanity.  The baptism of the Lord is the beginning of Jesus ministry and a new beginning of our call to discipleship to serve God.

If Jesus is who he says he is, the son of God why baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins?  The command “Allow it now” reminds us of the mystery of God.  Often as the moment we don’t always understand why something happens in our life and we question God.  Trust in God says, “allow it now” to be as is for a greater good even in suffering and sacrifice.  The answer to the question is revealed in the life of Jesus as he comes to sanctify what is unholy and make holy beginning with the water of baptism and those who receive it. 

St. Maximus of Turin, bishop in a homily (sermo 100 de sancta Epiphania 1,3: CCL 23, 398-400) gives us understanding into the mystery of Jesus, human and divine.  He says, “At Christmas he was born a man; today he is reborn sacramentally.  Then he was born from the Virgin; today he is born in mystery.  When he was born a man, his mother Mary held him close to her heart; when he is born in mystery, God the Father embraces him with his voice when he says: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: listen to him.  The mother caresses the tender baby on her lap; the Father serves his Son by his loving testimony.  The mother holds the child for the Magi to adore; the Father reveals that his Son is to be worshiped by all the nations.  That is why the Lords Jesus went to the river for baptism, that is why he wanted his holy body to be washed with Jordan’s water.”

We are now sanctified by our baptism into the life as both human and divine to be one with Christ.  We are now called to be Christ to the world in our every day “little way” open to his presence in the world and in others.  When we “allow it now” it does not invite a passive response to life that sweeps us about like the wind blows a feather.  It challenges us much like the Serenity Prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”  Even in “allowing it” and accepting it there is an active process of discernment and responding.  Thus, is the response of patience and waiting upon the Lord without an immediate action. 

Many see Christmas Day as the end of Christmas taking down their lights, trees, nativity scenes, etc. and moving onto the ordinary of their life.  In this action we reveal our misunderstanding of Christmas.  The birth of Jesus and the showing up of the Magi with gifts is not the end of the party it is an ongoing celebration and the beginning of our worship of the Child Jesus.  Christmas time was waiting upon the Lord and today we begin a more active response in ordinary time to accept our challenge ahead, seek who we are in Christ.  Jesus reveals his identity with the voice from heaven, “This is my beloved son.”  In baptism we are his beloved sons and daughters.  Our identity is a revelation unto ourselves as we respond to life we discover ourselves in God’s image, “Allow it now.” 

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Homily

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord in the Star of Bethlehem

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

The Epiphany of the Lord in the Star of Bethlehem is the revelation God is with us. “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”  What “star” of Bethlehem is this?  In a world where faith and reason are treated as incompatible God speaks truth, faith seeks reason, and reason has its day of “epiphany”.  The Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of Jesus as announced by the “Star of Bethlehem”. 

In a documentary from producer Stephen McEveety (The Passion of the Christ) comes the possibility that the “star” was a real astronomical event seen by the magi.  Astronomy provides a historical map of time and in this documentary, it reveals that before 3 BC there was an astronomical event where the planets Jupiter, the “King planet” and Venus the “Mother planet” aligned as the magi witnessed as one “bright shining star”.  Science also determines that the movement of the planets creates an illusion of retrograde as a “starry dance” where the planets appear to stop and cycle around giving evidence to the star stopping over Bethlehem.  Nine months prior Jupiter the “Planet of Kings” had also had this starry dance with Regulus the “Star of Kings” creating a halo effect.  These astronomical signs would have been the life study of the magi.  Justice cannot be given in these few words to the complete science in the documentary but worthy of seeking and viewing its merits (bethelehemstar.net).  In the end reason provides us supportive evidence of faith as an epiphany of truth. 

The Magi were Gentile priests from Persia who receive the epiphany, that is the revelation and bring the gifts of royalty to the child and worship the child.  It is to the “other” that is the Gentiles that Jesus sends his disciples out to the ends of the world to proclaim the Good News.  God reveals himself to the world as a child in humbleness to unite the world to those who receive him.  Jesus is now the Star from Bethlehem to lead us by his light in the ordinary of life to every nation, people, and place.  Salvation has come into the world.  It is our turn now!

“Pardon the interruption!”  The light we receive at baptism is our call to receive the “stewardship of God’s grace” and respond to the call according to that grace.  The call is to evangelize according to our gifts where we stand.  The gifts of grace provide for specific ministries within the church in music, as lectors, altar servers, Extra-ordinary ministers, sacristans, parish ministries, committees, and more.  Then there is the ordinary call of grace when God “interrupts” our focus, our plans, our going and coming and asks of us to stop and respond to him.  He comes in the little interruptions of life and says be present to me in your mother, father, sibling, stranger, or in the phone call we don’t have time to take and talk.  Do we say “let it go to voice-mail, or let them call back, or do we say let me stop and answer God in this call, let me be present to the other.”  We should also consider “am I in the moment” or “am I so in the past or future that I don’t see God trying to get my attention.” 

In the gospels, Jesus is often on his way to a destination when the people come up to seeking his help.  The disciples often try to keep the people away from him yet he stops, listens and responds to the individual with his full attention.  This week Pope Francis was walking among the people at St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve shaking hands and kissing babies when one woman grabbed his had and pulled him.  His normal reaction was to pull back but his expression of disapproval, even anger on camera was quite obvious.  He then took time during his homily the next day to express his apology for not being “patient” and his “bad example”.  For the moment he “lost it”.  We live on the edge of life grabbing at us stealing our time, our energy, our purpose and we too “lose it” with a bad example but grace restores us with the light to accept our shortcomings and return to the present where God is in the interruptions of life.

During the week I drive twenty-five miles each way to work and back home.  In the past if I was delayed by anything from getting going, I would get stressed.  Then I noticed the frequency of accidents on the road and it occurred to me that had I not been delayed I may have been involved in the accident.  I learned to appreciate the interruption to my time demands to allow God into the moment for a greater good.  We say in Spanish “Uno propone y Dios dispone” meaning we propose what is important but God determines what is needed.  We need God in the present, and he is ready to give us the light in the darkness, the Epiphany that God is with us.  Not my will but your will be done my God and my light. 

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