15th Sunday Ordinary Time “Parable of the Sower”

Posted on July 15, 2023July 14, 2023 by Deacon Joe

The parable of the Sower is the revelation of Christ himself, the word made flesh revealing God’s truth to his people. It is a revelation also of the heart of mankind at all stages of faith and desire for the mysteries of God. It begs the question “how much does it matter to see, to listen and to understand what God desires to reveal to us?” Jesus is the seed that comes to us in baptism with hope to grow strong within the soul of a person and reveal himself in all his love and splendor. The seed of baptism is the beginning of the gift of Jesus himself but it is up to us now to attend to this gift by our priorities. Where our time, energy, and focus is spent reveals what really matters in our lives and God knows it.

It could be that it really doesn’t matter that much to the one who does not understand the reality of God’s presence in the world and dismisses it as mythology. We are all born ignorant and must be taught the “how to” of life, how to speak, read, walk and even how to understand our roles as a child, student, parent, and worker. We all know that the first teachers of our children are the parents. We love it when they begin to talk their first words and learn their ABCs. Ignorance is replaced with knowledge, and knowledge with understanding and understanding with wisdom. For many the sins of the parents is having failed to bring their child in the knowledge of God teaching them all about survival in the world and little about salvation from the world.

Even the agnostic can attain wisdom since that person too is a child of God but without God it is a limited wisdom of the world. The atheist however has heard of God and rejected God to be their own god. Without the seed of Christ their hour of salvation is quickly coming to an end as they sink deeper into the quicksand of death. Did they ever have anyone to teach them there is a God who loves them? Ignorance of God is death.

We also must be taught to know ourselves as a child of God. Do we rejoice by teaching our children the “Our Father” in the same way as reciting the ABCs? In baptism class, I often ask parents if they know the prayer to their guardian angel. Not surprising few were taught the prayer as children themselves. We cannot live a faith we have not learned how to live. If we wait for them to grow and learn later in life the evil one will have the advantage like a bird that comes to eat up any signs of faith in God. The evil one is the master of denial, deception, and doubt to bring confusion of faith and loss of hope in a God.

It could be that God revealing himself to us matters only when it comes to the wonders and gifts God brings us like a mythical Santa Claus to the world but the heart quickly loses interest in the gift when it requires commitment, practice, or sacrifice. Now the road becomes rocky even facing tribulation. We can quickly lose heart in pursuing the things of God. The seed on rocky ground lacks maturity of discipline and perseverance. It is excited to go to retreats, Christian concerts, and even enter into different religious movements but soon the excitement wanes never taking root in any commitment to the faith.

We all live in a culture full of thorny ground. Common sense understanding of life such as such as male or female is no longer accepted as a reality but a state of mind. Christian values are under attack and the concept of go along to get along no longer works in segments of society. The thorns of a culture of death are here to choke out any life of faith in a God. Then there is the weakness of the flesh exposed to sin where sin is now a freedom to be honored not just with tolerance but with reverence in society. Compliance is demanded in order to be accepted in a thorny world. It becomes easy to lose focus on living an active spiritual life by trying to “fit in”. This is the test of our times no longer able to remain silent but expected to participate in the sins of this world. Whose fruit will we bear and which god do we serve? The God of heaven or the god of the world waiting to devour us.

Finally, is the one who has eyes to see the hand of God working in his creation, has ears to hear his call to do his will as an instrument of God’s love, and whose heart understands the truth of the mystery of redemption not in theory but in practice bearing fruit in all seasons. We become “that one” the person of faith in the one true God who reveals himself within his kingdom where we are called to enter and see, experience and love, and live our God-given purpose. We not only have to live it but it becomes our identity as a child of God. Christianity is not something we do it is who we are.

Some people will say “I don’t do religion I am just spiritual”. Translation is they don’t belong to a God they are their own god as they meditate on themselves. We respond “I don’t do religion either, I am of God”. Religion is not something you do it is something God does and gave us to bring us to him. A person of God comes to church so God can do his mystery of love in the sacraments and give of himself to us.

We are call called to be that person but to be that person we must also be “shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” says Jesus to his Apostles “as sheep in the midst of wolves”. As we often hear “ignorance is no excuse”. We must not only walk by faith but know our faith and follow the teachings that comes through Jesus to his Apostles, his church, and his people as a community of believers. Jesus is with us to help us navigate through what Saint John Paul II called a “culture of death”. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us otherwise it is a battle of the wolves seeking to prey on the weak that is “p-r-e-y” not “p-r-a-y”.

Every day can turn into a day when the ground beneath us will tremble, the sun will be overshadowed and darkness can cover us. It is then that we will discover what really matters and our readiness to walk without fear in the light of Christ. If we desire to be and to remain as the person of faith, hope, and love in all seasons, then let us remain close to Jesus, receive his body and blood in the Eucharist, spend time with his Word making every day an offering of ourselves as we do the work before us. Jesus comes to the humble heart that is that person of prayer who knows “I am of God”.

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Homily

Ascension of the Lord

Posted on May 28, 2022June 1, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mk. 16:15-20

Ascension of the Lord, now what? Now the Apostles wait upon the Lord in prayer for his return. Now the Novena has begun in the upper room for the coming of the Advocate. Now they wait for “the promise of the Father”, to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit coming with gifts of the Spirit. Now comes the gift of wisdom and revelation to have knowledge of God. Now comes the gift of enlightenment to receive the hope and “riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones”. Now we receive the “surpassing greatness of his power” which “he put all things beneath his feet and gave him (Jesus) as head over all things to the church which is his body”. Yes, to the church something to reflect on how well we follow the precepts of the church.

God the Father is giving us Jesus the Son and making it his body in the Holy Spirit, his body in the Eucharist, his body in the Magisterium of the church with authority and power and calling us his people to be his body in spirit and in truth. The question we may ask is “why is this the way God chose to return to us after the Ascension of the Lord?” God is making himself present in us, with us and through us in all things to remain a visible presence to the world. He makes of himself a continued sacrifice to give himself to us with “surpassing greatness of his power” trusting in humanity his plan of salvation. Are we ready for this? Are we up to receiving the body of Christ called to be his body as he comes “to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”? By our fruits we will have answered to God our readiness or not.

Today in our times many are asking “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” We see war, violence, tragedy, death to the unborn, and the threat of nuclear annihilation and as in every generation the question is asked “will it happen in our time?” The Lord’s response has not changed “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” “Punto final!”, final point! What we do know is the power given to us in the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses of faith, hope, and love to every soul we encounter beginning at home and spreading to our neighbor, friend, and stranger. This we do know, what we do with ourselves has eternal consequences. So, people of Christian faith “why are you standing there looking at the sky?” Keep marching forward doing the will of the Father until he comes to take us up to himself at the moment of our death or at the end of time.

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Do we believe in God enough to trust him with our pain, sorrow, and suffering or do we turn from him complaining like the Israelites in the desert? Do we believe in God when tragedy comes to the innocent in this world and we lose a child, a spouse, or a friend in a tragedy or do we cry out for vengeance? Do we believe when we pray and pray and God is silent or do we give up and choose to go our way?

“These signs will accompany those who believe, in my name they will drive out demons…” In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in baptism original sin through exorcism is driven out. When we make the sign of the cross with Holy Water, we drive out the evil one. When we call out to God proclaiming “Jesus is Lord” the demons rush away. When we honor our Blessed Mother Mary demons tremble in fear. This is the power given to us and the weapons of spiritual warfare.

“They will speak new languages” says the Lord. The Spirit comes with the language of truth, love, and mercy planted into our hearts. We proclaim the Word of God as the language of authority to be our light and salvation.

“They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them”. We lift up in our hands the poisonous serpents in a culture of death threatened if we do not comply and accept what this world calls its freedom to choose against the moral conscience of the church. We will not be harmed with the deadly drink of secular ideologies fed to us and forced upon us through the powers of godless institutions.

“Conscience” meaning in Latin “con – with” and “scire – know”; with whose knowledge do we associate with? Is it with the knowledge of God through the church or with the thinking of the world? Our individual thinking will make an alliance of conscience in support or against the authority of the Church and as for me and my house we stand with Papa and Mother church.

“They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” When we place our hands in the hands of God it is he who heals relationships, raises up the spiritually dying, and restores faith, hope, and love to the sick. We are but instruments in his hands. The world is in need of recovery from the sickness of narcissistic thinking, from the passions of self-indulgence, and from the lies from a culture of indoctrination that wants to take our children and raise them up to believe they are a creation of their own mind and not of God. So many false teachings with information overload that our children are left asking “what is truth?”

We need more of God to blare the trumpets. We need the Lord Jesus who in the Ascension “was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God” to work with us and through us to confirm the word with signs of his presence. We need a conversion of souls and he is with us calling us to be the one to make a difference.

The trumpets are blaring! We are blessed that this day we can sing hymns of praise to the Lord because he already reigns over us though we are in this world we belong to him. He reigns “far above every principality, authority, power and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Are we listed in the book of names? By our baptism we have been named but we must also remain in him….and that is the work we are being called to accomplish this day. Amen.

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Homily

8th Sunday Ordinary Time – The sting of death!

Posted on February 26, 2022February 25, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Sir. 27:4-7; Ps. 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 Cor. 15:54-58; Lk. 6:39-45

“The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.” Where is the law? “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). The law is the word of God. It is given to us in the ten Commandments, in the teaching of Jesus, in the natural law of creation, planted into the heart of the believer by God. The law is always present to give power in order to produce the good fruit through obedience to the law but sin came into the world through disobedience and the world is filled with rotten fruit.

“For every tree is known by its own fruit.” What is in the heart is revealed in the tongue clothed in either corruptibility or incorruptibility, in the sting of death through sin or “swallowed up in victory’ for immortality. Guard the tongue from sin that remains in the heart until the sin of vice is conquered by the virtue of the law. Pride is conquered by humility, lust by chastity, wrath with kindness, gluttony with temperance, sloth with diligence, greed with charity, and envy with patience. This is what we believe is our life journey of purification from sin to take this opportunity and be cleansed of our sins for the greater victory of immortality.

Old age has a way of creeping up on life like a “sieve” shaken and revealing if our husk is good fruit “vigorous and sturdy” or rotten at the core from a life of sin. God in his mercy allows for the soul who has rotted from sin to receive forgiveness but forgiveness is the beginning of the purification process that if not gained in this life comes from the state of purgatory with its fire and justice as the potter molds us in the furnace. For the one who says, “God will forgive me and I will go to heaven” don’t be surprised if at death when all truth is revealed that God’s forgiveness in his promise of heaven comes through his mercy by way of purgatory. The justice of the Lord is the cleansing of any stain of sin for heaven is for the pure of heart, perfect in love, and fruitful in service. Are we there yet or is God still working on us?

We have a small dog who loves to go outside and roll in the grass. He also likes to chase birds and if he could we would run into the lake behind our house. No matter how much we love Trigger he is not allowed into the house dirty and smelly. He has to be cleaned first. In the same way we cannot enter into the house of the Lord dirty from sin. Our cleansing must come first in this life or in purgatory for nothing impure can be with the purity of love and God is love.

“Tribulation is the test of the just” and this day the world is in tribulation. The sins of the world in a culture of death have risen from death to the unborn; death to religion in the public square; death to the biology of the body in sexual identity; death to free speech against the mantra of public opinion; death to humanity in genetic manipulation to create life in a test tube. While the culture war battles itself there are those who seek to gain power by violence in the streets, violence in the name of religion, and violence by weapons of destruction. As one nation rises against another the test of the just will be a reminder that when one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers.

The voice of freedom must respond for the just. From the call of Pope Francis for prayer and fasting for peace to the action of leaders to recognize evil and not be weak but stand for truth and justice by the authority entrusted to them. We all have the power of prayer. We all can make a sacrifice as an offering for peace. Lent is coming upon us and this is the moment to make an offering of sacrifice for an end to war, an end to hate, a victory for peace before it spirals out of control. The evil one has unleased his power taken possession of the souls of the weak who are filled with vices.

Every soul has power and strength grows in times of tribulation as we sacrifice for a greater good and the sting of “death is swallowed up in victory”. Victory comes “through our lord Jesus Christ” as we dedicate ourselves to “the work of the Lord” in whatever state of life we have been called to serve. The work of the Lord is for everyone beginning with prayer that leads to action. Pray and God will reveal the action needed of each of us and we need not to fear for God is with us and who can be against us. Part of our mission is to be ready for the attack to come. We are to prepare our children not just with an understanding of evil but with the faith, hope and love to fear not and be ready for the Lord comes. He is our consolation and this world is but a passing moment in God’s plan of salvation.

In war there are many casualties but also many martyrs who do not fear death but believe in a just cause. Jesus is the just cause in who we must believe and trust. He died for us that we may live for immortality. The early church suffered many martyrs and persecution but with each death the number of followers only grew and we have received the inheritance of faith and freedom. May we have the same love to live for the just cause our Lord has given us to fulfill the law of love, the law of the Word, the natural law, and the law of freedom. Freedom is not free and without casualty but the victory has been won by Jesus and we are called to follow him.

Freedom begins in the mind of the believer where the battlefield is fought against the enemy. The natural law is in the science of truth as a creation of God. The law of the Word is in the incarnation born to set us free from slavery where we are invited to join him by baptism. The law of love is in the heart with the generosity to respond to the call to be the best God created us to be. This is how we clothe ourselves with incorruptibility and the sting of death is “swallowed up in victory”.

Tribulation reveals who is “planted in the house of the Lord” and who languishes in the world. In tribulation “the just one…shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy…declaring how just is the Lord, my rock”. Our justice is from the Lord so be not afraid when tribulation comes and the roaring waves of war, disease, and destruction is all around us. Keep bearing fruit and trust in the Lord for even the sting of death is not the end but the beginning of a greater glory.

Tribulation in life reveals what is in the heart of a person. The gospel today reminds us how easy it is to be blinded by tribulation and begin to notice the splinter in everyone’s eyes. It is easier to blame than to accept responsibility or recognize how did we contribute to the problem. God’s reminder to remove the sin of our lives before we look into the sin of others is so we may see clearly and recognize the fruit we are consuming that is good and not rotten. There is a lot of rotten fruit the world that is feeding us. “Fake news”, half-truth, justified behavior for killing are all part of the menu. Pontius Pilate asked Jesus what is truth? Jesus says by their fruit you shall know. Jesus was killed to protect the institution that felt threatened by his ministry even as he preached the love of God. Today there are many institutions who would rather enter into the culture of death than into the dialogue for life. The fruit of the means does not justify the end and if the fruit is rotten and evil then it comes from the heart of an evil person.

The fruit of the evil one creates division, confusion and the sting of death. The fruit of “a good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good” with right thoughts, right speech, and right action. Let us keep in mind that “one’s speech disclose(s) the bent of one’s mind” and our mind must be well trained in the way of the Lord. Speak the word of God with faith, hope, and love. Pray for those who belong to the culture of death and are waging war against humanity. Let us stay focused on the work of the Lord. Let us be ready and recall the sacrifice of love by Jesus, by his disciples, and it is our turn now. Lord may your love be in our hearts and word on our lips that we may proclaim your glory for ever and ever, Amen.

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Homily

5th Sunday Ordinary Time – Here I am…send me!

Posted on February 5, 2022February 4, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Is. 6:1-2a, 3-8; Ps. 138:1-5, 7-8; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Lk. 5:1-11

“Here I am…send me!” The Lord reveals himself to Isaiah in a vision and Isaiah’s reaction is “I am a man of unclean lips…Woe is me, I am doomed!” Jesus reveals his glory before Simon with the “great number of fish” caught in the net and “astonishment…seized him”. Simon’s reaction is “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” We cannot stand before the light of truth in our sin and live but the God of mercy is ready to purge us and cleanse us at our confession of truth. With our confession comes his mercy of forgiveness and then our call. Are we ready for what and where he will lead us? Readiness begins with our confession.

Just as the seraphim angel purged the sin of Isaiah with an ember, Jesus comes to purge us of our sins with his Word made flesh cleansing us through baptism and the ember on our lips is our confession. Each Mass before we can receive communion. our lips confess our sinfulness to be purged as we pray “I confess to you…that I have sinned through my fault…my most grievous fault.” It is the beginning of being called and sent forth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. If our sin is always before us, we must examine our conscience daily and pray for mercy and healing. “Here I am…send me” is our call at the end of Mass ready to proclaim what we have received, God’s love and mercy.

St. Paul identifies himself “as to one born abnormally…not fit to be called an apostle”. Many have speculated on what was his abnormality. Was it physical, mental, or simply his sin for he “persecuted the church of God”? Theologically we are born with original sin to be cleansed by water and spirit in baptism but was Paul recognizing this fallen nature of humanity? This is our time to ask ourselves what abnormality of sin do we carry since birth? The church speaks of the seven capital or deadly sins. They include pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. They come with our fallen nature to be disciplined or allowed to foster into sin. They are dispositions that lead to behavior of mortal sin, our separation from God.

Readiness for God is a call to perfection. God forgives us of our sins but his love is beyond forgiveness, he works to bring us to perfection as we are purged with the ember of fire. He invites us take up our cross and follow him. When we go forth in him then life itself is our shedding of the dead cells of our sin that have no life and growing in the new cells with a divine nature towards holiness.

The fire of life is a battlefield and the enemy is in search of our weakness to deny us our claim for heaven. His most persistent attack is from within us to our thoughts, emotions, and will. It is a battlefield within the soul to take possession of us but he cannot possess what we have already offered to God as a temple to abide in us and we receive him in communion. This is our defense and there is no greater act of preparedness than to come to Mass and receive him. The church offers us our weapons for life. They come in the sacraments of the church, in the prayer life of the church, in the Word of God, in the fellowship of the people of God and in the most holy communion. This is the life of the church that prepares us to say “Here I am…send me!”

With each generation the interest in responding to the call to the priesthood decreases [JG1] [JG2] . Many religious vocations continue to lose members and for those who do respond there is an underlying culture of “professionalism” that looks for “advancement” in the ranks than for sacrifice. With each generation the interest in parenthood decreases with the rise of abortion, children in foster care, and marriages having less children if any at all by choice seeking to live the culture of professionalism for self-actualization and recognition by the world. With each generation our youth perceive a godless world as the norm and in order to be accepted in this world they are to live as if there is no god. It is beyond separation of church and state for the rise in a “cancel” culture that desires an end to religion. Who is willing to rise up in these times and be the voice to say, “Here I am Lord…send me”?

If not now, when will we return to a culture of life in the Spirit of God? If not us then who will speak these words of courage to be sent? It is our time and it must begin with us who profess our faith in God. He will do the work when we begin to say, “Here I am Lord…send me”.

[JG1]an

[JG2]

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Homily The Deacon Joe

4th Sunday Ordinary Time – Love is it!

Posted on January 29, 2022January 28, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Jer. 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps. 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Cor. 12:31—13:13; Lk. 4:21-30

Love is it! It is “a still more excellent way” to truth, knowledge, prophesy, and all the mysteries of the greatest spiritual gifts. “If I give everything I own and if I hand my body over so that I may boast” that is pride not love, and “I gain nothing”. Love is it, “when the perfect comes”. If all is lost and all that remains is love, we will live on with our faith and hope in something greater than ourselves and renew the spirit. If we have everything of our desires but do not have love we will surely live with death at our side.

Love it is! It “bring(s) glad tidings to the poor to proclaim liberty to the captives.” When Jesus enters the synagogue and reads from the book of Isaiah the Jews understood this reading as speaking of them as the “suffering servant of God” receiving liberty during the Exile and were poor, captive by the Babylonians, and even blind in need of healing. Jesus changes their meaning of this prophesy to indicate the “poor” who had “no grace” lacking in union with God, “captive” to sin and not the Roman empire, and blind from the “truth” and without the light of God.

We are all poor that is lacking the fullness of love and held captive by our sins. The question is often asked, “Do you see the cup half full or half empty?” To see the cup half empty is to deny the love of God that is present and can lead to despair and “why try for more”. To see the cup half full can lead to hopefulness but can also lead to complacency as “good enough” and “why try for more”. Either way there is risk of settling for less that God’s plan for us. Love calls for more from each other and of each other in relationship. There is something greater here than this. God’s love is greater than our circumstances, greater than our comforts, greater than our struggles, greater than us. Love is it and God is love. Deal with it and be set free. Until then we continue to live the proverb, “Physician, cure yourself.”

When Jesus quoted the proverb “Physician, cure yourself”, he pointed to the day when those of little faith would see him on the cross and question how he could cure others but he could not come off the cross. He also pointed to them though they “were amazed at his gracious words” they quickly became “filled with fury” and drove him out because the reflection he gave of them was of little faith and doubt for lack of love. Without love there is this doubt, fear, jealousy, and anger directed at Jesus as they became “fully known” by the revelation of Jesus. We become fully known by the measure of our love recognized as a son or daughter of God or a child of the world.

At present we not only know partially but are partially known in the darkness of our sins. The day is coming when we “shall know fully” and we will be “fully known” in judgment coming “face to face” with the light of truth something to be grasped. Our mercy will be fully known by our love for what we have done and failed to do. Are we ready for the light of truth to shine on us and fully reveal our lives before God? If not, what are we doing about it? Love is it and now is the time for greater love in our world, the love of charity, the love of mercy, the love of sacrifice, the love of God. Love and be set free! God is always ready to give of his love, are we ready to receive?

Love is it! It never fails to reveal to us the goodness, beauty, truth and unity of God. If “we see indistinctly, as in a mirror” our vision is clouded with our own interests leading to our impatience, rudeness, quick-tempered reactions, and jealousy. Love is not about us but of the other who we love. When we were but a child, it was about us thinking as a child what we wanted and reasoning as a child our privileged entitlement talking as a child asking “why not?” This is the culture of death of our times to remain as a child sacrificing the other for our own self interests in abortion, euthanasia, genetic programming, embryonic stem cell research, and denial of procreation. For the world it is all about “us” and what about God? God is being denied because God is about the “other” in our lives. God is the “other” that makes all things possible.

The culture of death even proposes that we remain as a child and allow governance to determine our sustenance even now by proposing that some get paid to stay at home. If we accept these “childish things” we surrender to remain a child to those in power and not a child of God who calls us to go forth with a greater purpose than ourselves. Love is it and it comes with sacrifice. If there is sacrifice love is present strengthening our perseverance with faith and hope in something greater.

The author Gary Chapman became well known for his book on the “5 Love Languages”. They include “words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, acts of service, and receiving gifts”. This interpretation of love is identified by the behavioral aspect of demonstrating love. The Greeks identify up to twelve types of love more than behavioral but in the essence of love. C.S. Lewis describes four of these types in Agape, Eros, Philia, and Storge from a Christian perspective.

Agape being the unconditional “God” love regardless of circumstances is selfless in charity centered on the other in its perfection to give rather than to receive. Eros for Lewis is the sense of “being in love” not as an emotion but as rational being in a bond of love as in matrimony each giving of oneself to the other. It may also be Eros of passion whereby we gaze upon God his majesty and he gazes upon us his creation. Do we have passion for our God or is he simply treated as an acquaintance?

Philia being the “friendship” coming from shared values, interests, and activities that create a freely chosen bond as Christ called his disciples “friends” to be of one mind, heart, and soul. Storge is the “dependency-based love” of a child to their parent with the need for affection to thrive and without which it would withdraw and die. It is both need-based and gift-giving. In God the Father we recognize our need for God and his gift giving graces to overcome sin and thrive in holiness.

There are three other types of love identified by the Greeks to include for the perfect number of seven. These are Ludus, Philautia, and Pragma. Ludus is translated as “play” the natural desire seen in all species of animals. In the child play is the beginning of exploration at the wonderment of life and as we age play is keeping a sense of humor that lifts our spirit in the comedy of life to be challenging without fear of harm. What a beautiful thing, we begin with play and we return to play as we see that God is it. Play is an expression of love that is why sports play can be very unifying in spirit.

Philautia is “self-love” the love of self-respect for our own dignity created in the image of God guarding our mind, heart, soul, and body from the danger of the evil one prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Self-love avoids the near temptation and consequence of sin that damage our soul and relationship to God.

The last is Pragma the love of commitment as God’s covenant love for his people. It is beyond any mere legalistic agreement. It is the love coming from a sacramental bond of love in each of the seven sacraments. It is God’s love committed for our salvation as he has ordained it and we freely receive and by our fiat we enter into it. Let us always and in every moment say “yes, Lord” to this invitation.

What do all these various forms of love have in common? They all are based on relationship for even “self-love” requires of us to have self-awareness of the other to have meaning otherwise it is simply narcissistic sickness. Relationship gives meaning to existence and purpose for being in Pragma that is in a committed love willing to sacrifice in the image of Christ our savior. Love is it with the many faces of love but the same source of love which is God himself.

There is a story of a child who went to his mother and asked “If God is real, why don’t we see him?” The mother quickly said “Go ask your dad.” The child went to his dad and asked “Dad, if God is real why don’t we see him?” The dad quickly said, “Go ask your mom.” The child felt ignored and began to question “Is God real?” That weekend, his grandfather took him fishing out on his boat. As they sat quietly waiting for the “bite” the boy turned and asked one more time “Grandpa, if God is real why don’t we see him?” The grandpa sat quietly looking at the water and said nothing. The body felt again ignored and discouraged wondering if there was a God. Then the grandpa turned to him and said, “Son, at my age God is all I see.” It is time for us to think, see, and be the adult who can see God and share the love that is God.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

4th Sunday of Lent – Rejoice, O Jerusalem!

Posted on March 13, 2021March 13, 2021 by Deacon Joe

2 Chron. 36:14-16, 19-23; Ps: 137:1-6; Eph. 2:4-10; Jn. 3:14-21

“Rejoice, O Jerusalem” “For God 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.” John 3:16 is printed in posters, cups, shirts, billboards and proclaimed by all Christian people. It stands as a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and unity for his people and we rejoice in Laetare Sunday to be children of God. In the darkness of sin comes the light of faith bring hope into the world.

Faith and works unite as one when we act in faith and allow the works of God to be his love through us. We live in it we rejoice in it and we fulfill the works of God in it. It is in the ministry of the priesthood that accomplishes the works of God in the church. It is the works of God seen in the service of the laity coming from our baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith and works are not to be divided any more than our soul is to be separated from our body for we are given both to serve as one in this world.

John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses of the bible by Christians of all denominations. Human nature being what it is has in the same way created disunity among Christian people when it comes to salvation between those who profess “saved by faith alone and not by works” and Catholic faith in salvation by grace in unity with works. James 2:26 reminds us “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead”.

Today Ephesians makes a strong argument for faith, “For by grace you have been saved though faith, and this is not from you; it is a gift of God; it is not from works so no one may boast”. Saved by grace and rich in mercy is our God who desires us to recognize how great is his love that he gave us his only Son to save us. It is clear salvation is a gift of grace from God who is “rich in mercy.” We may ask how one confession wipes away all my sins if not by the rich mercy of God. How can any of our works be considered justification for salvation since we believe in John 3:16, Jesus died in atonement for our sins that we “might not perish”? The simple answer is we don’t. An act of faith opens the gates of salvation to receive the grace of mercy from God. So where does “works” stand in salvation?

“Works” are the visible signs of God’s work in us “so no one may boast” as their achievement but give God the glory who is at work to bring salvation to the world. Salvation is a gift “though faith” visible in the works of the faithful. Anyone who claims to have “faith” gives light to their faith in the visible works of God as we surrender to him. Consider the works of Moses, Elijah, and all the great prophets and all that God accomplished through their faith and trust in God and became the “handiwork” of God “for the good works that God has prepared in advance” for them. It is our turn now as a people of faith to be the handiwork of God for the works he has prepared in advance for us “that we should live in them”.

If we live in God’s works prepared for us then we live in the light of salvation but if we turn to the “infidelity” of our own works then we live in darkness of a faith that is dead. “Infidelity to infidelity practicing all the abominations…until there was no remedy.” Does this sound like ancient medieval times or modern times? We live in a time of infidelity practicing all the abominations going from good to evil, from the sovereignty of human life to calling for the rights of abortion to end life, from made in the image of God to made in the image of genetic manipulation to create an alternative life, from God’s natural law of sexual identity to human law of identity preference, from the right to life until the end of life to the right to die at the time of my choice. Works that stand for death stand against the fidelity to God as an abomination.

Not only have we lost the commandment to keep holy the “Sabbaths” but all the other commandments are no longer the tradition of the public square. They are being held captive to remain within the walls of the church not to be seen in public not even on the walls of anything considered a wall of the State lest we be canceled for infringement on the rights of the anti-commandment culture of death. Where does freedom come from? Is it by authority of the State or by authority of God through his command of life?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn. 1:1) We are reminded in the gospel of John that “all things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life”. Our lifeline is God and without God we are already the walking dead “in our transgressions”. If the State by the authority granted unto itself chooses the darkness of death then let us stand apart as “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn. 1:5) Take courage in that our kingdom is not of this world as children of God.

What is the remedy? Perhaps the critical question is “what is the remedy God will bring upon this world? Perhaps it has already begun as we see the hand of God amid all the crisis in the world “until the land has retrieved all its lost sabbaths.” The remedy is Jesus Christ! The remedy is a call to repentance and retrieve the “lost sabbaths” by returning to the commandments of God. The remedy is a contrite heart in confession for the times we failed to answer the call to holiness and purity of heart. The remedy is the courage to give witness to our faith in the works God desires to work through us. The remedy is more than being “called” children of God, the remedy is to be children of God by the testimony we give every day in every way as the visible sign of his work in us. As Catholics the remedy is the sacrifice of the Mass in atonement for our sins and the sins of the world.

Salvation is a gift of grace “through faith”. The gift is there but it requires action on our part and the first act is an act of faith to believe followed by the natural works that respond to our beliefs that give life to our faith and glory to God. The mystery of faith is Jesus Christ and the works of faith are the children of God who radiate the light of faith in a world of darkness. The works of faith, that is the children of God is the treasure he came to save and raise up from death into everlasting life and glory. The train has left the station since over two thousand years ago and it is making its journey calling the faithful to come aboard. The ticket to ride is an act of faith but there is work to do on the train of salvation to reach our journey’s end. The one who does not work does not eat of the bread of life.

We are reminded that the harvest is ready but the workers are few, not a good sign for this world. The faithful are becoming the silent minority as less people return to the pews. We are reminded that “Early and often did the Lord, the God of their faithers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the Lord against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.” Jesus is the messenger mocked, despised for his warnings, and scoffed as a prophet then and now when we dare to speak for the truth of God.

It is not personal it is the universal battle between good and evil taking place in our times. We are called to battle for our faith, we are called to be the remedy. If not us then who? Jesus has already come to give us life and to bring about his works through us. If not now when? Are we going to witness the enemy “burn the house of God”? It is already happening in other parts of the world as Christian temples are destroyed. The “walls of Jerusalem” the city of God is being torn down because those city walls are the walls of our heart that bind us to the heart of Jesus. All “its precious objects” are the lives of the unborn, the sick, and the poor destroyed in a culture of death.

“All the kingdoms of the earth” have been given to us as an inheritance and we are his people called to go up to the city of God. Let us sing to the Lord a new song of love and devotion and give him our troubled hearts. “Laetare Jerusalem” “Rejoice, O Jerusalem” and be glad while there is still time. Mother church rejoices in the children of God and we rejoice in Mother Church to bring us the miracle of the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. The heavens rejoice with us united to our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph and all the angels and saints.

Let us remember that the Church has declared this the year of St. Joseph to be with us as our intercessor. He who was the defender of the Holy Family may have been silent in the scriptures but not in his fatherhood to Jesus and spouse of Mary. Just this week in the news a Christian school is promoting that the children no longer refer to their parents as mother and father. The attack against faith enters through the back door in the form of language to change behavior only to fall into the pit of abominations. Destroy the family unity and you destroy faith.

Today in Mass is our portion of the city of God and may our “tongue” never be silenced, may we never forget the giver of life, and may our God be with us all the days of our life until we too are lifted up into eternal life. The “verdict” is in for those who live the truth “so that his works may be clearly seen as done from God.” Let us rejoice as family!

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Homily The Deacon Joe

16th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on July 18, 2020July 17, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Wis.12:13, 16-19; Ps. 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Rom. 8:26-27; Mt. 13:24-43

Today we kneel for a culture of life to pray always for our victory. St. John Paul II called it a “culture of death” and today the secular culture see it spread under the title “cancel culture” until the children of the “good seed” take action for a culture of life. The children of “good seed” must kneel in prayer against the children of the “weeds” who stand for a “cancel culture” against authority, tradition, and faith in God. In “The good seed (of) the children of the kingdom” God “rebuke(s) temerity” and “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.” God’s “power” governs his children with “leniency” who in turn “must be kind”. Faith is power, the power to love with justice and kindness. It is the faith to call on the Spirit “to the aid of our weakness” to intercede for us and to bring about God’s will on our lives and in this world for a culture of life.

Often, we ask others to pray for us, a good act of uniting others in prayer with us. We also turn to others when our faith is shaken and doubt weakens our spirit through difficulty or suffering. Asking for prayer is good, but minimizing our own faith is not. We are to look to the parable of the mustard seed to recognize the God of mercy is waiting for us to exercise our faith no matter how small we perceive it in order to do his will in our lives. Pray always with authority not our own but coming through God to rebuke evil and confront the “weeds” seeking to “cancel” the kingdom of God.

The world is surrounded by the “weeds” of doubt and despair from lack of faith in God. When tragedy hits the “weeds” of the world don’t want to hear of prayer but a call to justice. Justice is to be guided by the Spirit through prayer least it become the action of the evil one who sows division and destruction. The evil one is spreading his hate in our times through this “cancel culture” seeking to destroy what is good, beauty, truth, and unity. The children of God must unite in prayer and we will overcome this attack from the evil one towards God and his children. It is an attack against God himself.

This year the children of the weeds have spread wildly seeking a “cancel culture” to destroy the symbols of history, tradition, and faith. It views the past through the filter of oppression not opportunity. It seeks not to build up with reform but to tear down through structural change. We must ask, “what is this new identity for structural change?” Hidden beneath the three robes of justice, equality and inclusion is not the nirvana of peace but a ravaged hunger for power and vengeance with the murder of past traditions, the boycotts of speech labeled “hate”, burning of institutions of authority and takeover of streets against law and order. Our power is in God to reject the sins of the world and call down for God’s justice and power as in the days of old and God will not disappoint.

We have received the “good seed” of faith in baptism and grown in the fertile soil of the Church sacraments. The weeds of sin surround us but we must exercise the seed of faith and claim our power of good over evil. One day St. Alphonsus Liguori was being tested by demons when he made the Sign of the Cross and commanded the demons to adore this sign with the words, “At the name of Jesus ,every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10)”.* It was enough to cause the demons to flee. We often forget to call on the gift of the Word, the gift of the Holy Spirit and/or on the angels of God for the Spirit “comes to the aid of our weakness” and intercedes for us.

Padre Pio called the rosary his weapon. We are given many weapons to fight the good fight, from Holy Water and other sacramentals, to prayers, devotions, scripture, and “inexpressible groanings”. Most of all we are given his body and blood in the Eucharist. “There is no god besides you who have the care of all.” This is not a time for timidity but for exercise of God’s authority over his dominion. Pray always and the muscle of prayer will defeat the enemy “prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls.” Today we kneel against the forces of evil for a culture of life to pray always for our victory.

*Thigpen, Paul, Manual for Spiritual Warfare; Tan Books, 2019; pg. 195.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Fourth Week in Ordinary Time “God’s way”

Posted on February 1, 2019February 4, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Jer. 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps. 71: 1-6, 15, 17; 1 Cor. 12: 31 – 13:13; Lk. 4: 21-30

God’s way is a “still more excellent way.” God’s way is not the way of a fallen nature but one that offers the gift of God himself, the gift of love. Jesus on the cross came to show us the more excellent way that lasts for an eternity, God’s way. God’s way is not simply from the womb to the tomb but “before I formed you in the womb I knew you”. God fashioned who he is sending into this world with a divine purpose and “before you were born I dedicated you”. We are not just a unique creation of our DNA we are an inspired creation of the divine creator. The “Right to choose” belongs to God who dedicated us to come into this world for a greater purpose.

“The Right to choose” in a fallen nature separates oneself from the divine purpose for the personal freedom to choose sin, death, and destruction. The battle for life of the unborn child is once again making news with recent developments of laws that allow late term abortions with the option now to decide after birth the fate of a child. The wolf in sheep’s clothing covers itself with the veil of “compassion” while the evil within is revealed as “infanticide”. In abortion not only does the infant die but what is revealed in the soul of the woman is that with the death of the child a part of her dies with it. It is a slow death, the death of love within of our own humanity. We become objectified not humanized, less compassionate and merciful, and more restless and isolated separated from the peace only God can offer.

God’s way is “a still more excellent way”, the way of forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. God’s way is the way back to freedom from the bondage of sin, death, and destruction. God is love and love is patient and kind, not jealous but generous, not pompous or rude but humble and meek, not seeking its own interests but the good of other from the womb to the tomb. Love does not brood over injury but is merciful in forgiveness of self and others bearing the wounds of our sins and the injury of others and never fails to trust in the divine purpose often veiled but never lost. Who can be God? Jesus came to show us the more excellent way and lead us into his image.

Our nature fails us but God’s grace is greater than our nature for “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) In humility and meekness we surrender to Him to receive his grace and his grace works to fulfill our dedicated purpose. In today’s gospel, Jesus returns to “his native place” and the expectation is that if he is the messiah he should do for his people what he has done for other people. The Jewish people looked to a messiah who would elevate his people above others in a new kingdom. To perform great wonders for Gentiles raised jealousy, seeking its own interests and quick-tempered reactions. He reminded them Elijah was sent to the widow in the land of Sidon not the widows in Israel and Elisha cured Naaman the Syrian a Gentile among the many lepers. How could this be a messiah coming to save Gentiles? This did not fit into the vision of a Jewish messiah and was worthy of death, driving him onto “the brow of the hill” at the edge of the cliff.

Having visited Nazareth in the Holy Land and stood at the brow of the cliff of rock formation one can sense the anger and threat Jesus created when his compassion was revealed as a universal love. He revealed a God of all the people, Jews and Gentiles, children and widows, sinners and righteous with unbounded love. This God was something to rejoice in but the fallen nature of humanity rejected this love in search of a God of death, destruction, and division.

When we speak for life from the womb to the tomb there is an anger brewing that wishes to chase us away to the brow of the cliff to hurl us down headlong and silence our voices. If God is with us who can be against us? Stand firm and pass through their midst. Today we are fulfilling the scripture passage “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (us), because he has anointed me (us) to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me (us) to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” God’s way is to be our way and we are now the ones sent. Amen.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul

Posted on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Acts 22: 3-16; Ps. 117: 1bc, 2; Mk. 16: 15-18

St. Paul as Saul persecuted “this way” of Christianity to death until his conversion. Saul did not act out of his own power alone. He exercised legitimate power with the “letters” of authority from the high priest in a culture of death. He had coercive power to bind in chains all followers of the “way”. Saul had expert power “strictly educated in the ancestral law” and he had referent power as a Jew “zealous for God”. By all means he could claim righteousness in his persecution of the “way” of Christianity except he was unrighteous in error before the eyes of God.

In Saul’s conversion, Ananias reveals to him the “God of our ancestors”. This is the same God in who he believed to be acting righteously who now allowed Saul “to see the Righteous One and to hear the sound of his voice”. Saul has a complete conversion to be Paul a witness and Apostle. Paul’s new legitimate power comes from Jesus to be a witness of what he has seen and heard. Paul now in baptism has coercive power to bind in chains the spirit of demons. Paul’s expert power now is given through the power of the Holy Spirit. He also had referent power through his encounter with Jesus the Nazorean to “know his will” as the one designated as Apostle. There is power in the name of Jesus and we receive the inheritance of this power in our baptism. Saul’s conversion to Paul was a conversion from a culture of death to a culture of life.

This past week we had the annual March for Life and the Women’s March in D.C. Both stand before the righteousness of their beliefs and in opposition from each other but there can only be one righteous truth before God. One stands for life from conception to death for all the other for defense of women’s right to choose life or death for the unborn. One accepts the sacrifice of self for other and the other promotes the sacrifice of other for self. One represents actions made in the image of God while the other represents actions made in the original sin of humanity. One fulfills the ancestral law of commandment to love God and neighbor while the other fulfills the ancestral law of relativity governed by gods made by humanity. If numbers reflect any significance in history the March for Life began as a small demonstration in 1973 and has grown to hundreds of thousands. The Women’s March began in in 2017 with hundreds of thousands and has quickly dropped in attendance to the tens of thousands. The battle for rights is a war on culture and the dignity of human life as “one nation under God with liberty and justice for ALL”.

The “Way” is not about us and our righteousness. It is about Jesus who we persecute when we make it about us. Saul’s blindness made it about himself in his zealousness but God’s mercy made him blind by the light of truth to see his sin and bring him to conversion. Where does our righteousness come from “my way” or the “way” Jesus left us?

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