23nd Sunday Ordinary Time – “Be opened!”

Posted on September 8, 2024September 8, 2024 by Deacon Joe

Is. 35: 4-7a; Ps. 146:6-10; Jas. 2:1-5; Mk. 7:31-37

“Be opened!” Be opened to the word of God. Be opened to receiving the Holy Spirit. Be opened to the mystery of faith that “makes the deaf hear and the mute speak”. The Lord is ready to reveal himself in us but are we ready to receive him? We are especially called to be open without partiality to receive Christ in the poor and the suffering. The Lord “loves the just” and justice shows no partiality especially in doing good.

Be especially opened to the reality that the Lord is among us and he “comes to save you”. The Lord is our refuge and all creation is subject to his word. He not only returns sight and hearing but he multiplies the bread as his true body and the wine as his true blood in the Eucharist to transform our very being to be Christ to the world. The Lord lives and he desires to live through us not just with us.

“Ephphatha!” is the prayer that is said in baptism over the ears of a child that their ears be opened to the word of God and over the lips that they may proclaim the word of God by their lives. Baptism opens the soul of a child to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to be guided by the spirit of God. It opens the child to come to see good and evil, to search for something greater than this world, and to be protected from the powers of darkness. Who does not desire this for their child? In baptism we are open to receiving the graces from God to lead a virtuous life.

In a world with constant noise around us seeking to grab our attention to be open to the Lord requires our silence. To hear the voice of the Lord we must find a quiet place and be still. Where is that quiet place we go to in our lives? Is it the early morning before the days rush begins, or maybe at night when everything settles down, we can “turn everything off” literally and figuratively and listen for the Lord. During the day can we turn off the music, the constant “news alerts” or how about put that phone on silent mode for 15 or 30 minutes and find some rest and peace in the Lord?

There is the expression “I have no time to think”, just too busy, too many demands, maybe someday. Then one day we realize where did the time go and who did we really live for God or for the world. To be open to God is to give him our time as we go through the day aware of his presence active in our souls. To be open to God is to come and worship giving thanks to him in our prayer in Mass, in adoration, in opening his Word and allowing him to speak to our hearts.

We were created in God’s image and so we reflect who God is in our being. We connect to God in our soul with our thoughts, emotions, and will. Our will desires his will, our emotions desire his love, our thoughts reflect on his Word and he opens us to receive his truth, his passion, and his good for our salvation. Be open to surrendering ourselves to the Lord and we will receive his greatness.

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Homily

Eleventh Sunday Ordinary Time – The Seed

Posted on June 15, 2024June 12, 2024 by Deacon Joe

Ez. 17:22-24; Ps. 92:2-3, 13-16; 2 Cor. 5:6-10; Mk. 4:26-34

The seed we receive today is the word of God. Each time we come to Mass we receive the seed in the liturgy of the Word. We are the ground in which it is to rise up and give fruit to the world. This is our calling to receive the word and to give testimony to the life of faith we have received. The seed needs to be attended to in order for it to grow. Prayer and reflection help fertilize the ground so it can take root but the lifegiving water is the Eucharist that allows it to grow and spread throughout the soul of a person.

The essence of the soul is in the unseen but it reveals itself to the mind that we may unite our thoughts to the mind of God, in our love for God is love who speaks to the heart of love, and in our will that we may seek to do the will of God. The seed gives us the eyes of faith to transcend what is seen and believe what God has revealed.

While we are in the body “we walk by faith not by sight”. Does this mean that we are not to trust our own eyes? To walk by faith is to trust in the unseen. Our eyes only allow us to see what is outside of the body, a person’s actions, the words they speak and what they fail to speak and do. We see the world and all its creation and by faith realize this does not exist from random selection but by a prime mover that gives the world all its beauty.

Faith transcends the external world to “see” with the eyes of faith what is revealed that lies inside the heart of a person. It allows us to become united by faith with a common understanding, similar hopes, and right intentions. It is the faith that seeks understanding, to understand the will of God in our lives in each and every moment in order to take right action. It gives us the courage to go forth even when we cannot see what lies ahead. Without faith two people could never come to trust the other with their love and enter into sacred matrimony. In faith we bring a child to the waters of baptism to become children of God.

The seed is planted in baptism before the child can even speak because it comes as a gift of God himself through the Holy Spirit to overcome the weakness of the flesh. Recall that in the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh so that in baptism now the Word is united to our very being to become incarnated in us. This is why we bring a child to be baptized to receive this gift and grow from the seed of faith to the maturity of a majestic cedar that draws others to it. The world will also see but falsely claim that the person has good “Karma” because they refuse to give God the glory. Today we are reminded it is the Lord that brings low and lifts high, withers up and makes the cedar bloom.

Baptism of a child places the responsibility on the parents to bring up this child in the faith it has received. Just like the seed on the ground still requires the farmers attention, the child requires the constant attention not only to the physical and emotion needs but also to its spiritual needs. The child of God never outgrows this need no matter the age thus we are that child of God. We need God and he comes to us in the sacramental life of the church to keep feeding us in Word and his body and blood. Where are we in this journey of faith?

Do we walk by fear or by faith? If we don’t have that connection with God, listen for his voice, and realize the guidance of the Holy Spirit then we will walk by the fear of our own limited capacity. In the words of many who claim to be “lucky or unlucky”, the world will seem to be no more than random probability. In the eyes of faith, we recognize the hand of God, his divine providence, and our God given purpose in this world. The seed has been planted in us so how are we doing as farmers caring for it? It can be seen by the fruit that comes from this gift.

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Homily

28th Sunday Ordinary Time – His saving power!

Posted on October 9, 2022October 9, 2022 by Deacon Joe

2 Kgs 5:14-17; Ps. 98:1-4; 2 Tim. 2:8-13; Lk. 17:11-19

Once again, Jesus reveals his saving power to us as he journeys to Jerusalem. He “remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” in offering salvation to the believer. The readings prefigure his saving power given to us through the sacrament of baptism. Our challenge is to examine our faithfulness to the gospel message and “in all circumstances, give thanks”. We ask ourselves “have I remained faithful to the faithful one this day giving thanks in all circumstances?”

We are unfaithful and deny him when we fail to come to Mass on Sundays, a mortal sin and a sign to God that we don’t need him and we close ourselves to the graces of his love. We close ourselves he does not stop desiring to pour out his faithfulness. Mass is an act of love of God, the first and greatest commandment. We are unfaithful and deny him in our neighbor as we are “destined for judgment under the law of freedom” when we fail to act in mercy and call upon judgment “but mercy triumphs over judgment” (Ja. 2:13) for the one who shows mercy. Be merciful! He cannot deny himself as a God of mercy when we return to him for forgiveness. The sacraments are the gift of God through the Church where mercy abounds.

For Naaman it was the washing in the Jordan that prefigured Jesus’ baptism and the institution of this sacrament. Naaman is cured of his leprosy, a disease taken as a punishment for sin in his time. Naaman is converted by his healing from his unbelief to believing. Naaman’s conversion required his obedience to “plunge into the Jordan seven times”, a number that represents perfection and “his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child”, the image of being born again of water and his spirit was renewed in faith. Naman declares to Elisha, “for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.” He does not say he will do this to the god of Elisha, he claims him as his Lord. This promise from Naaman is to become his act of thanksgiving for the rest of his life. The Mass is our act of thanksgiving today for our salvation to be done all of our lives.

Jesus cures ten lepers but he saves the one who returns to give thanks to God. Going to show themselves to the “priests” was to demonstrate evidence of healing and welcoming back into the community but it does not save them for eternity. Nine were healed who did not return to give thanks to God continuing to live their lives for themselves only to someday die and then what? Where is their act of thanksgiving? The one who returns to give glory to God receives the greatest gift, salvation of his soul.

Naaman’s visible leprosy represents our invisible sins. What is our leprosy? We are in need of healing of our many sins having already been washed in the waters of baptism but by following our own path into sin we remain in need of healing. Is there a conversion moment in our lives? Perhaps there are many recurring moments that bring us to the feet of Jesus in thanksgiving. It is impossible to live this life without trials and tribulations or to not experience the cross of suffering. Are we ready to call out to God “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”? Are we there yet, ready for our encounter with him?

We sometimes view suffering, trials and tribulations in Old Testament eyes as a “punishment” from God rather than in New Testament understanding as something that God allows to happen as a consequence of our free will, our freedom to choose, our separation from him. If anything, we need to ponder this day is the message from Paul, “if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself”. He is faithful to his love of us but he cannot save us without us returning to him. “The ball is in our court” to quote a well-known expression.

Salvation comes as daily encounter with Jesus. He is faithful so let us examine our faithfulness. How is our prayer life, our daily sacrifice for the Lord, our obedience to his word, our acts of thanksgiving, and our trust in him who saves? Countless opportunities to be faithful to him and to encounter him but we must be ready, seeking with the eyes of faith and guided by the Holy Spirit to know when to act and when to wait upon the Lord, for God’s time is the time of perfection.

Faith reveals his saving power. Faith saves “but not by faith alone” for it “is justified by works” according to James 2:24. Faith leads us to a response to God. Our response is our “work”. Our “works” come through obedience to his word transforming us into his image and likeness. Faith is the seed of his love while the growth of the seed is responding faithfully in our act of love in communion with him. This is being in relationship, this is love, this is how we come to his saving power.

The Lord reveals his saving power in Jesus and we reveal our hearts true love in our works. While the world desires our works for itself its rewards are short lived and do not satisfy the heart. The restless heart needs Jesus and we remain restless until we rest in him says St. Augustine. Come to his saving power ready to take on the mission entrusted to us. The mission is the work of salvation and he cannot be denied. Don’t be left behind wondering “what if”.

For some aging can be like wine gets better with time, a slow process with years of longevity, while for other it is like the making of beer, quick and out to market before becoming stale. The perfect drink however comes from God, pure simple water with all its saving power to renew the body.

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Homily

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on January 25, 2020January 24, 2020 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 January 18, 2020January 17, 2020 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 January 11, 2020January 10, 2020 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 The Deacon Joe

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on October 12, 2019October 14, 2019 by Deacon Joe

2Kgs. 5:14-17; Ps. 98: 1-4; 2 Tim. 2:8-13; Lk. 17:11-19

“Your faith has saved you”. In the gospel today ten lepers are healed but only one return to give thanks. Healing came to all ten but salvation came to only the leper who returns to give thanks to God. Leprosy was thought of as a punishment from God worthy for the sin of the person. Naaman also is washed clean of his leprosy but only after his obedience to plunge himself into the Jordan seven times. The Jordan is the river Jesus is baptized in, not for any sin of his but to sanctify the waters to bring us salvation by baptism. Baptism the first of seven sacraments we receive for our sanctification. The story of Naaman prefigures the baptism of the Lord and the coming to perfection the washing clean of our sins.

The story of Naaman is also a beautiful story of conversion. His cleansing from leprosy did not save him, this was the visible sign of invisible grace from God. Naaman returns to Elisha, the man of God to give thanks to the god of Elisha and vows “I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord”. He didn’t simply acknowledge the God of Israel, he called him “Lord”, a conversion of faith saved him. The sign of conversion is to persevere in our faith and die with him as our Lord and savior. Many saintly souls as the hour of death approaches experience a dryness of faith, a final test summed up in the words of Jesus on the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”. It is the final opportunity for the serpent of evil to strike at the soul before it can never approach it again. How are we to prepare ourselves for that hour by perseverance.

“In all circumstances give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” What is the meaning when we say “Alleluia”? It is a two-word translation of “Hallel” and “Jah” meaning “Praise the Lord”. We use Alleluia as an exultation of praise but it is also a command to praise the Lord. We are to give thanks and praise him always, in good times and in bad, sickness and health. “Hallel” in Hebrew means joyous praise in song. In fact, the more we sing the Mass the greater the praise of God. The Mass is a celebration of thanksgiving. The intent is that we boast in God our savior. The dialogue of the Mass is to be praiseworthy. The gospel is announced, “THE LORD BE WITH YOU” spoken boldly with the response “And also with you” just as boldly, not timidly or “ho hum” going through the motions.

It is not easy to constantly be joyous. I would propose that it is almost impossible if our attention is ego-centric. Joy is not an indulgence from having more of our pleasures met. Joy is a conscious awareness of the love and mercy of God present in our lives. Our joy then leads to gratitude, the attitude of being ready to accept the will of God in thanksgiving. In thanksgiving we are open to a spirit of praise. We have a choice, either to focus on the negative and be drawn into pity or on the blessings and be raised up in joyful praise. We teach our children to say “thank you” when they receive a gift. Who benefits more the gift giver or the child by saying “thank you”? The child gains more by learning to be grateful and thankful. We are the child of God. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; thanksgiving changes us not him.

A contemporary philosopher, Tristan Garcia (The Life Intense A Modern Obsession) speaks of our current human condition as in search of greater intensity of life “that might justify our lives”. This is the opposite of the complacency of life. This thrill-seeking behavior is pervasive from energy drinks, drug use, and roller coaster rides not just in theme parks but in relationships for maximum intensification of pleasures, love, emotions, communication and consumption. It seeks an escape from the discipline of life, from perseverance desiring for the “maximizations of our entire being…an intoxication of our sensation.” We are in “search, not for transcendence, as those of other epochs and cultures were, but for intensification”, we want more indulgence.

Transcendence is to know, love and serve God. It is recognizing his presence in every moment and desiring to do his will at that moment. Saint Teresa of Calcutta said her desire was to be a pencil in God’s hand. Saint Therese the Little Flower found her purpose and missionary calling in “always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love” in other words do the next right thing with love for holiness. In those moments of weakness when our struggle of faith is tested, the road less traveled back to our faith is the path of thanksgiving. God desires our greatest good and he knows the desires of our heart so let us trust in his goodness at all times especially in moments of darkness with a spirit of thanksgiving.

One of the dangers in adopting a life in search of a greater intensity is the disappointment from any obsessive behavior, there is no fulfillment, no joy, only emptiness of the soul. The nirvana we created in our minds is an illusion waiting to fall apart. For our youth this leads to anxiety, depression, and suicide. This is in part why we see a rise in mental health issues among our youth and it is increasing in younger children. We go to restaurants and observe families sitting together and each child is so well behaved absorbed with their electronic device. We observe television and each 1.5 seconds the image changes even if it is only from a different camera angle. When is the last time we just sat and contemplated a still image, a work of art, nature? How about sitting and contemplating Jesus on the cross or in Holy Hour for adoration? Here lies our joy and our peace.

Do you feel alive or in a rut? The great experience of living does not come from the egocentricity of overstimulation. It is a transcendent love from God in the Trinity. Turn to the love of God and experience the joy and peace he offers us. In return come to the house of the Lord in praise and thanksgiving to receive his salvation. If today you hear his voice, give praise and thanksgiving. In the morning when we rise, give praise and thanksgiving for all the day may bring before we live it by faith that it may guide us to salvation. Our faith will save us.

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