2nd Sunday of Advent – A work in progress

Posted on December 7, 2024December 7, 2024 by Deacon Joe

Bar.5: 1-9; Ps.126:1-6; Phil. 1:4-6, 8-11; Lk. 3:1-6

The Lord has begun the good work in us and will bring it to completion but as any good work in progress it takes two, God and our response to God. We are not passive participants in the work of our conversion but required to be joined to the Lord through the grace and gifts we are given. The Lord saves but he will not save us without us. We must desire his glory and be prepared for his calling in the way that we are to follow.

The Lord does great things for us who are open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We cannot just go about our like and expect great things to happen simply because God is good. Great things include the work in progress for our salvation. It is not enough to just say “Lord, Lord” in a moment of need and ignore our Lord for most of our days. The work that has begun in us is for a divine purpose “to discern what is of value” for our souls to be “pure and blameless”. The work in progress for the conversion of sinners to saints.

The Church is given to us to “prepare the way of the Lord”. It is the Church that determined which books belong to the canon in the Bible. It is the Church that Jesus instituted to continue to consecrate bread and wine to bring us his body and blood. It is the Church who Jesus gave authority to bring us the sacraments including the forgiveness of sins. Many claim to believe in God but not in his church. The devil also believes in God but not in obedience to God. We can all say that every day we are all a work in progress but we are not all headed in the same direction. Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of God.

We are told “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” but it will be little consolation if he simply slips passed us. The gospel reveals to us how in the time of Jesus, John went about preparing the way with a call to repentance. Repentance is more than just our sins that we can confess. Repentance is also to make straight our path by the way we live our lives, the values we hold onto, and our priorities in life. For example, a good question to ask ourselves is what time, talent and treasure to we give to God through prayer, charity, and service? How we spend our time is a good measure of what we really value in life.

The first step on the way to Jesus is to acknowledge not only our sins but also our failure to come to Jesus. Jesus desires our hearts and he offers us his heart of love yet our indifference towards God is the sin of what we have failed to do in response to God’s love. Jesus came in the flesh and yet most of the world denied him or cried out “crucify him”. We too can deny him with our indifference of his presence in this world.

When our thoughts center on us and God is given lip service we return to the days of the Pharisees and Sadducees who stood in the temple only to be noticed but their hearts were far from God. If God is seen as simply being far above in the heavens we miss out on his revelation in our lives. Jesus is alive! He lives to live in us and for us to live in him. This is what we celebrate with the “splendor of God forever”. We rejoice not only in a person but in a relationship that saves. We rejoice because we see the hand of God guiding us, and the greater he reveals himself to us the greater our desire for him to open our minds and hearts to his will. A restless heart can only find rest in Jesus’ plan for our lives.

Doing the will of God is our peace. God’s will is not a promise of an easy road. It is a promise of victory in the transformation of our lives that the work he has begun in us we will see revealed in his glory for all eternity.

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Homily

32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – Once for all

Posted on November 10, 2024November 10, 2024 by Deacon Joe

1 Kgs. 17: 10-16; Ps. 146:7-10; Heb. 9:24-28; Mk. 12:38-44

Once for all, Jesus has come to take away our sins by his sacrifice. Though he came for all not have received him. He offered himself up once, not repeatedly as our high priest “that he might now appear before God on our behalf”. The Mass is that sacrifice of his death the priest offers up for all in our world. Some question why as Catholics we continue to represent Jesus on the cross when he has already risen from the dead. He is risen indeed but he also remains with us in his suffering for our sins which have not ended. Jesus is present to take away our sins but we must turn away from sin and receive his mercy.

We are living “at the end of the ages” awaiting the second coming in which he will “bring salvation” not to all but “those who eagerly await him”. The signs that we eagerly await Jesus is our love of God put into practice. The practice of our worship is to build our relationship with God not to fulfill a social-cultural tradition of simply coming to church. The practice of our charity is to give of ourselves, our poverty as sinners, not as a token of our abundance. The practice of our sacrifice for the greater good for the salvation of our souls and the souls of others reveals our true heart and priorities. God first, in all and through all we do and say to be ever present in our heart, mind and will. This is love.

When Elijah asks the widow to bring him “a bit of bread” she responds with the truth of her condition ready to eat her last meal with her son and die. Elijah promises her that the Lord will fill her jar with flour and jug with oil. She does as he asks of her showing her faith and trust in the Lord and the Lord answered. “She was able to eat for a year and he and her son as well.” Notice that it says all three ate for a year, meaning Elijah remained with her giving of himself as well. He stayed not to burden her but to serve her in spirit and in truth. This is what the Lord is asking of us to “stay” with those who are in need. We do this remembering to call, pay a visit, stay in contact and to journey with others. This is the love of charity, not just adding to the jar and continuing on our way.

As the Lord remains with us, one way we remain with him is by the way we remain attentive to the needs of others. The Lord provides by asking of us to be his hands and feet that brings faith, justice, and food to the hungry. Jesus called his disciples not only for the purpose of continuing his teaching but to serve the needs of his people in body and soul.

The Lord gives us the example of two widows in today’s reading who give of their poverty as a true sacrifice of faith. We give in gratitude for what we have received. We give in sacrifice as a testimony of our faith. We give in thanksgiving for the sacrifice of the Lord once for all of our sins that we may be forgiven and be welcome to the table of the Lord.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

30th Sunday Ordinary Time – Finish the race!

Posted on October 23, 2022October 23, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Sir. 35:12-14, 16-18; Ps. 34:2-3, 17-19, 23; 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk. 18:9-14

Finish the race! Through this ordinary time the Lord has been on his journey to Jerusalem persevering while being followed by both friend and foe, those who see him as a messiah and those who see him as a threat. He is about to finish the race for salvation history to be consummated in his death and resurrection. It is a race he embraces with love teaching us how to run our own race of life not in fear but in love of our final destiny. Finish the race of love in spite of the trials, persecutions, and the unknown and unseen around the bend because we have the promise of what lies ahead at the end of our journey.

St. Paul claims his “crown of righteousness” having “competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith”. St. Paul ran the race not for himself but for the call he received that through him “the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it”. St. Paul understood his call and lived it. Do we recognize our call before the Lord and are we on the right track to finish our race? The race we run is not to build up our material fortune, to leave a legacy of accomplishments, or to reach what Maslow calls the top of the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, becoming the best of yourself.

Material goods including money becomes devalued, yesterday’s dollar is today’s dime. Accomplishments become faded memories as the world asks what have you done for me lately. Self-actualization is a humanistic concept that it is all about “you”, the best of yourself, but “no man is an island” so what about everyone else, does it matter? Where is God in our search for meaning and happiness? We can finish the race of life in search of ourselves and lose the connection to our creator who was waiting to take us on a different race, the eternal one.

The race we run is for the salvation of our soul. It is a godly race in the image of Jesus Christ himself, self-giving, sacrificial, and by divine design. What God has intended for us is the first step for our discernment. This ability to judge well God’s call can only come through prayer that we may hear his voice in our reflection as we seek to know and understand “who I am in God’s image called to be”. In other words, just to be myself is not our purpose. Our purpose is to discover our divine call and run our race. Then the God of our salvation will open up the gates of heaven and bring down his power and love, pouring out his graces on those who dare to say “here I am Lord, send me”.

Jesus called fishermen, a tax collector, and even his own persecutor in Saul, to a different race leaving behind all that they knew and believed for something greater was before them. Something greater is before us in the Eucharist through the celebration of the Mass. Jesus himself, body, blood, soul and divinity is present to us and the Church in America is calling for a Eucharistic revival to recognize Jesus is here for our worship, for our healing, and for our salvation. Jesus wants to take us in a new direction radically different from the world while yet still in the world as we fulfill our earthly pilgrimage. When we eat his body and drink his blood there is a revival of our souls becoming one with God in the Trinity. It is more than spiritual food for the race, it is a conversion of souls in the image of Christ himself. This is what happened to the apostles after the resurrection and they devoted themselves to prayer, teaching and the breaking of bread.

We break bread when we gather together in a shared faith at the dinner table, with our social circles sharing our faith, or as we work together for a common purpose, it is the bread of living our faith with others expressing in word and deed who we are as a child of God. I confess I am not one with the gift to proselytize challenging others in their faith. I am more on the side of making sure I am keeping the faith I have received being faithful to the call. There is however a time to be silent and a time to speak. When we encounter Christians of other denominations or people of no religious background who ask “why do you Catholics baptize children, pray to Mary and the saints, believe in purgatory” or any other act of faith they question, this is our opportunity to evangelize by offering a clear understanding of our faith.

Jesus promises us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit to be with us that we may also be advocates of our faith by word and deed. Our advocacy begins with love and ends with mercy. This is the race we are all called to run to follow the “God of justice, who knows no favorites” and recognizes Christ present in all. I believe it was St. Teresa of Calcutta who said it is beautiful to love others until you meet the other. If you look at a Tasmanian devil, they are cute, shy and no bigger than two feet but they are carnivorous with powerful jaws and can cause serious harm. We meet the stranger and we are polite and respectful then we turn to each other ready to attack with powerful jaws when things don’t go our way. That’s the challenge of keeping the faith, can we be good when it’s not easy, convenient, or going our way?

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat” says St. Paul. The Lord will rescue us if we but recognize evil and call out to him. The world has become immune to evil seeking to call it “justice, social norms, equity, restitution”. The killing of the unborn is intrinsically evil says the Church violating the commandment “thou shall not kill”. It is the work of the evil one who seeks to separate us by race relations, to cancel a culture based on religious freedom, to silence prayer among students in schools or employees at work. Will we go along to appease the evil around us or will we be a voice of faith and run our race with courage?

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor” so let us recognize our poverty, our brokenness, our lowliness. In the gospel we see the Pharisee who was convinced of his own righteousness comparing himself to the tax collector and “the rest of humanity” who he sees as sinful while he exalts himself. So quick to judge is the person of pride separating themselves from others. It is the humble who recognize if not by the grace of God we are the sinner, we share in the sins of this world, and we too need our redemption. Jesus on the cross is our reconciliation when we come to him “O God, be merciful to me a sinner”. It is only when we turn to the grace of God that we will finish the race and keep the faith.

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Homily

4th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 2, 2020April 29, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Ps. 23:1-3a, 3b-6; 1Peter 2:20b-25; Jn. 10:1-10

The Good Shepherd has called us by name to “Save yourself from this corrupt generation…which does not enter the sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” When Peter stood up and proclaimed to his generation “this Jesus whom you crucified…they were cut to the heart”. Salvation come through repentance and baptism but first the word of God must cut to the heart and reveal our sin before us. Sin is the thief and robber that climbs into our lives unsuspectingly to steal our hearts with temptation until we become “normalized” by a corrupt generation.

The sin of each generation is a thief and robber in search of souls for a self-indulgence trying to feed on the pleasure principle, “if it feels good then indulge” until it becomes toxic but by then the heart is compromised and it stands at the gate holding us in bondage to “steal, slaughter and destroy”. The thief lays the “feel good bag of goodies” to savor but it is our response that is the sin we possess. Fault always is personal to be rejected with virtue. Corruption came from the beginning, the genesis of sin after creation by free will and it remains “mia culpa” by our choice. “For you have gone astray as sheep” but now we hear the voice of truth to lead us back.

Truth leads to wisdom of a greater understanding beyond ourselves. It is not about “me” it is about salvation for “us”. Easter is this gift of salvation in Jesus giving of himself for us in his passion, death and resurrection that all may be saved through the “good shepherd”. Jesus proclaims “I know my sheep, and mine know me.” How does Jesus recognize his “sheep” and how do we recognize our Lord? We are recognized in being “patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God”. Jesus is the example we should follow that he may see himself in us. In this Jesus recognizes his own who are responding to evil with good. How then do we know Jesus? Jesus revelation comes in the voice of truth that cuts to our hearts “and the sheep follow him”. The voice of the shepherd burns in the hearts of his sheep, it cannot be denied.

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want”. The people of Israel sought freedom he gave them salvation. They sought a king for this earth and he gave them a kingdom in heaven. They wanted someone to rule over them and he gave them a shepherd to follow. They wanted to conquer other people and he gave them the power to conquer their own corruption. What do we “want” from the Lord? We seek freedom from disease and pandemics he gives us salvation from sin. We want to preserve our kingdoms we have built and he promises one in heaven. We want leaders for nations to rule and he gives us himself calling us to follow his example. We want to conquer in this world all our enemies and we are given the power to conquer the enemy of the world and victory over death. Jesus is the promise of life more abundantly.

The abundant life in Jesus Christ is the good news! In him is our courage to “walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil”. The corruption of each generation remains in a kingdom not our own but the Lord has called us by name and if “today you hear his voice harden not your hearts” salvation is at your doorstep. Our heads are anointed with oil of salvation at baptism and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts burning for truth, goodness, beauty and unity in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Open the doors of our hearts to “dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come”. Today we pray for the doors to the church to be opened and a return to the banquet of the Lord in the Eucharist until we enter the heavenly banquet closer to us than we recognize in the mystery of faith. The call of the Good Shepherd is “follow me”.

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Homily

Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 26, 2020February 26, 2020 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 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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Homily

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on August 24, 2019August 22, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Is. 66: 18-21; Ps. 117:1, 2; Heb. 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13: 22-30

In Quincianeras (15^th year Celebrations) I enjoy playing the “Knock-knock” game with the quincianera. The game starts like this:

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?) “God is” (Q: “God is who?”) “God is your Father who is in heaven calling you to be the best he created you to be”

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big O” (Q: “The big O who?”) “The big O of Obedience who is your BFF, best friend forever”. Called to obedience in God’s greatest commandment is in our DNA search for happiness. We come to know who God is in obedience as he reveals who we are in his image. Not who we are in general as a people of God but who we are individually as a unique being with a given purpose and meaning in this life and time. Obedience to the natural law as God created it is for the greater good even science cannot deny it. Obedience to God’s command is the “narrow gate” many will “attempt to enter but will not be strong enough”. All are invited to enter the “narrow gate” but are we strong enough to resist the sin in our lives that draws us away?

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big D” (Q: “The big D who?”) “The big D of Discipline to “endure your trials as ‘discipline’…For what ‘son’ is there whom his father does not discipline?” With discipline we stand for our faith or we may fall for the sin that is pleasing at the moment. Discipline is the workforce that makes obedience come easy. Parents love is based on discipline to mature in truth for learning freedom is not free it is a sacrifice out of discipline. Discipline “later brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it”. Discipline begins by doing the next right thing in obedience to the law already in our hearts from our baptism. Parents teach and reinforce this law by their testimony of love through discipline. “Endure your trials as discipline”, is it not as punishment. When we suffer we have an opportunity to purify our souls, wash clean our baptismal robes, unite ourselves to Christ in his passion for our sins and make an offering of ourselves.

“Knock-knock” (Q: “Who’s there?”) “The big W” (Q: “The big W who?”) “The big W is the work plan that comes through Jesus. Scripture says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me”, through his love embodied in discipline. The work plan is to spread the Good News we have been given. The plan of salvation is an invitation to all the people of all the nations and “they shall come and see my glory” says the Lord. Salvation is not an accident waiting to happen, it is a calling and we are free to respond yet not all have. That is why we are reminded in the gospel there will be those outside the “door…(with) wailing and grinding of teeth”. Lesson learned is we take so much in life for granted until it is gone.

There was a program on EWTN with Father Mitch Pacwa interviewing a doctor of philosophy named Dr. Frey (first name not captured). She was invited to Yale University to debate with a doctor of psychology on the topic of happiness. She proposed the question that if there was a box in which the person was guaranteed to always be stimulated to feel happiness would they enter and be left there. The psychology doctor said yes. Others however saw the logic of being trapped in a box with reservation. The “box” represents a place of isolation and happiness comes from being outside yourself in relation to God and others. She stated 25% of college students suffer from anxiety, depression, and isolation. This is the lie of Satan mentioned last week to live each day thinking only of yourself a little more until you find yourself in this box of artificial stimulation and emptiness. One of the main tools becoming an addiction is social media. The box is the phone to create an altered reality filled with artificial and narcissistic grandiosity of happiness because the world that is waiting outside the phone is too intimidating.

The Good News is happiness comes from the unconditional love offering of giving of ourselves to God and others. Follow the way of Jesus giving of himself out of love in the freedom of a world created for us to give good fruit. “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight your paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed”. Let us live outside the box of sin. There will be trials through the “narrow gate” but also great consolation as we enter into his presence, healed by his love and at peace. The discipline is a life of virtues all serving the greater good for ourselves and others.

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Homily

II Sunday of Lent

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Gn. 15: 5-12, 17, 18; Ps. 27: 1, 7-9, 13, 14; Phil. 3:17-4:1; Lk. 9: 28b-36

God is pure spirit, a voice in the cloud of unknowing Peter, John, and James find themselves frightened. The voice of God in the cloud is the proclamation of today, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him”. Today’s gospel reading is the Transfiguration of the Lord. What does this mean? Is it simply the outer appearance of his face changing and his clothes becoming “dazzling white” or is it a manifestation of something more profound? Since we believe all scripture is a revelation of God, his Son and the Spirit we can discern meaning and truth about Jesus beginning with Abram.

Abram prefigured Jesus in “righteousness” obedient to the Lord in offering the sacrifice God requested. Abram received the covenant with descendants beyond the count of the stars. The transfiguration is the new sign of Jesus the righteous one whose kingdom will reign forever. With Jesus appear Moses as a sign of obedience to the law and Elijah as a sign of fulfilling prophesies. What do they speak of? They “spoke of his exodus.”

The exodus is the coming of the Lord’s passion, death and ascension. This is the sacrifice of himself in atonement for our sins in which he becomes fulfillment of the covenant promise. Christians, followers of Christ are the descendants of the new covenant beyond the number of stars we can count and “our citizenship is in heaven.” We too must experience our “exodus” from this world and be transformed by our conversion into the image of Christ.

In the transfiguration is the glorified body to come for those who “stand firm in the Lord”. We see the victory over death in Moses and Elijah already in their glorified state. We receive the promise and he will “bring all things into subjection to himself.” By the power of Jesus we share in his glory but first we must learn the lesson of Jonah in Nineveh. “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” So they repented, fasted, and they all prayed. Lent is our 40 days to repent, fast, and pray for conversion. It is a reminder sin has consequences. Forgiveness comes with conversion and God is merciful. “A heart contrite and humbled, O God you will not spurn.”

Our God is a God of mercy and justice. In mercy God grants us another chance at redemption if we turn away from our sinful ways and do what is right. Our sins are not who we were created to be but we own them by our decisions. We also have the opportunity to receive God’s grace if we seek forgiveness we will be cleansed and live. In justice we are responsible for our choices and if we turn away from God and do evil even our good works will not save us, we shall die.

For those who say “once saved always saved” read Ez. 18: 21-28 and receive the word of God. God does not “derive pleasure from the death of the wicked…but rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live”. Also true is “a virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil…he has broken faith and committed sin…because of this, he shall die.” Salvation is not cheap grace, it is sacrificial love.

Our lent is our time to focus on our conversion of heart and lasting change. It transcends beyond obedience to the law of God. It discerns the intent of our hearts in our behavior seeking true love, sacrificial love. This is change that liberates us from our temptations, sinful behavior, self-defeating thoughts, poor judgment, and weakness. Turn to the power of the name that sets us free.

In the name of Jesus we claim our victory our sin, fear, and evil that “prowls around the world seeking the ruins of souls” damaging our relationships and wounding our souls. This does not have to be if we but “Listen to him!” Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets and he brings us the good news of eternal life. We were born to live “Listen to him!” I believe, I trust, I pray, and I go forth not in fear but in faith.

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Homily

Friday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Deacon Joe

Friday 2st Friday of Ordinary time 2018

1 Cor. 1: 17-25; Ps 33; Mt. 25: 1-13

Where is the debater of this age? St. Paul is challenging us with this question. The debater here is not someone who gets in your face and challenges you like we see in some of the media debates where people talk over each other and only get louder to drown out the other. The debater is an “apologist”, someone generally who can speak out in defense of their beliefs. In Christianity it is someone who can speak out in defense of the truths of the Faith.

St. Paul reminds us that being an apologist, defending the truths of Faith does not come from the “wisdom of human eloquence” but from the message of the cross. This reminds me of the joke where two people come out of the church with one saying “he preached so eloquently” and the other responding, “yes, but what did he say?” The message of the cross speaks for itself and directly to the soul if we can be silent and listen to its meaning in our lives in the moment.

The message of the cross is always relevant to our present life. It is a stumbling block to the sinner who seeks justification for their sin. It is foolishness for the proud who desires glory. What the secular world sees as foolishness Jesus used to proclaim salvation for those who have faith. When we speak of the cross it is Jesus on the cross, the crucifix. Mother Angelica from EWTN once stated the cross without Jesus is just a piece of wood. Protestants will question in their apologetics why Catholics keep Jesus on the cross knowing he is risen. What apology would you give? Would it be an apology of excuse such as it is just a church tradition? Would it be a strong apologetic understanding that we remain sinners who inflict pain on Jesus and are in need of greater conversion? Those who argue against the crucifix say not only “he is risen” but he took our sins with him and “once saved always saved”.

I remember attending a diaconal conference and the speaker was a convert to Catholicism. When he was being mentored in the other faith he did a house visit to a new convert with the pastor. The pastor asked the woman they were visiting that now since she had been “saved” if she committed murder would she be losing her salvation. She thought about it for a moment and then responded “yes, I would”. The pastor responded, “No, once saved always saved.” The speaker said he left there agreeing with the woman more than the pastor. This is just one example of where we may be called to respond to our faith and our response does not need eloquence of speech it needs understanding of Jesus on the cross.

Jews demanded signs and Greeks looked for wisdom and today the world continues to seek signs and science based evidence but Christianity is an understanding coming from a personal relationship with a person outside of time who can be both on the cross, in the heart, on the altar and risen. Signs and science come from a primer mover and creator of the signs and science as evidence of the unseen God of the heavens and earth “full of the goodness of the Lord…and all his works are trustworthy”.

“But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations.” We can choose to enter into the design of his heart or chose the foolishness our own design at our own peril. To have strength to stand before Jesus who bears our sins on the cross we must be vigilant and choose wisely. Then we will be wise and ready to meet the bridegroom and enter the wedding feast.

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The Deacon Joe

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2017

Posted on July 22, 2017July 21, 2017 by Deacon Joe

Wis. 55: 12:13, 16-19; Rom. 8: 26-27; Mt. 13: 24-43

Judgement Day, Heaven or Hell! “Lord you are good and forgiving…judge with clemency.” I am reminded of a priest covert from a Protestant faith on the EWTN program Journey Home who said Catholics don’t preach much on heaven and hell. Perhaps this is because the focus is on repentance as pilgrims in our journey home to heaven.

The Master over all things does not need our repentance. Repentance is for our good not his and we should not expect leniency but offer our works to receive this grace. Scriptures says, “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone…For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (Ja. 2: 24, 26). The Catechism teaches the necessity of faith, “therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, or will anyone obtain eternal life” (CCC: 161). Faith is the mustard seed to grow through works into the largest of plants in a mature soul. Faith alone is not salvation it is the seed in the journey to salvation nourished by the works of love to our God of love. What are these works? They are the works of love in mercy and obedience to his commandments.

Today’s gospel makes clear there is no universal salvation, a “free ticket” everyone gets to have. Some people think everyone is going to heaven and/or there is no hell. There is good seed, the children of God and weeds, the children of the evil one. Who are the children of the evil one? Those committed to the works of the evil one. Let us not judge the person that is the work of God. Let us judge the works of evil for they will be known by their works. Commitment to a culture of death whether in the name of religion or as a State’s rights are a judgment the works of the evil one against the good of humanity.

In our country we have reached a stage in the culture of death called the “right to die”. In England the judicial system has ruled it has the right to decide the option of death for little Charlie J., the infant born with a rare disease. The state determines life and death not the parents. The court has ruled the parents have no rights to seek further medical care for a child and he needs to be taken home to die. The battle is on. We are not far behind in our laws. Take for example the Church opposition of contraception early in the debate while other faith denominations supported it. No one then thought of late term abortions much less partial birth abortions would be a legal reality. It was for the first trimester of pregnancy or in cases rape or danger to the mother. Today body parts are on the market for sale. Who all participates in the works of the evil one becomes a child of the evil one.

The works of the evil one include those that “cause others to sin”. Here we must examine our conscience. As a culture we value personal responsibility for our actions yet we are quick to blame, “he made me do it or she made me mad”. Is it not that there is a sense of mutual responsibility for the ultimate sin. We acknowledge the reality of cause and effect. Anyone who has dealt with or lived through domestic violence learns understands the cycle of abuse from one generation to another. How many souls will our actions impact for good or evil? How many generations will the impact have?

We also have the expression, “I don’t know what got into me, the devil made me do it.” The devil has received its just punishment but our judgment awaits his day.

In Spanish we have the expression, “En acción de gracias”, “in act of thanksgiving” God is merciful. Scripture says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God, it is not from works, so no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8) Have we found a contradiction in scripture? This completes our understanding of faith and works. God alone saves! There is no target of works we must reach to be saved for one to say “I met the goal and another I didn’t do enough”. Works are the cause and effect of faith. Just as faith has a cause and effect of love as scripture says, “…if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” Faith works through love in its works. We reside in his love through our works of mercy and obedience. It is not either or but both and, both faith and works belong together in salvation history.

The kingdom is like yeast, a little raises three measures of good bread. Jesus is our yeast and the woman is the church kneading the flour to give us a whole batch of children of God. Together we will feed the hungry souls of righteousness.

The faith of a mustard seed means we must take that leap of faith and trust God with how he calls us to good works. Heaven is calling. What is our response today?

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