"Let Yourself Be Moved..." [4/9/23]

There is a story told of a third grade teacher who worked very hard with her students to put on a Passion play for three consecutive nights.  She had tried so hard to include every one and to make sure that every part would be covered.  She even planned to have someone play the part of the stone that covered Jesus’ tomb.  But this did present her with a bit of a problem.  None of her students wanted to play that part, so she ended up having a different student assigned to that role each night.  It seemed as though everything was in order, at least relatively speaking, just hours before the first night of the play, the teacher learned that the little character who was supposed to play the stone that night was sick and could not participate at all.  Now she was in a spot.  Only after much coaxing, she was eventually able to convince another one of her students to play the part but only with the promise that this first night was the only night that he would have to do it.  All things considered, the first night went off very well.  Unbelievably, on the second night, the teacher ran into the same problem.  The next student assigned to play the part of the stone was sick and not able to participate.  Although she did not want to do this, after looking over her very limited options, she pleaded with the boy who had substituted the night before to play that part one more time.  He agreed, but only under the condition that no matter what, he would not have to play that part again on the last night.  All things considered the play went off very well once again.  Now it was the third night and everything was going well.  And this time nobody was sick!  However, as the teacher was happily about to tell her two-time substitute that he could finally play his original role, he came to her with a surprising request.  He asked if he could play the part of the stone again!  She was shocked and asked why?  He told her that it was the best part in the whole play.  “What do you mean?” she asked.  He said, “When I play the part of the stone, all I have to do is let myself be moved, and everyone knows that Jesus is alive.”  The play went off very well once again, but much more importantly the teacher and the little boy had learned a lesson that they would never forget.

Every Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  All we need to do is allow our hearts to be moved by that mystery and everyone will know that He is alive.

Holy Week at Saint Aloysius....DO NOT MISS IT! [4-02-23]

Believe it or not, it is Palm Sunday, 2023!  We are about, once again to enter into holiest of all weeks of the year, as we begin by commemorating the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His Passion. Next Sunday of course, we will celebrate His Resurrection. But what about all the days in between-remember it is “Holy Week”; it is made up of seven days, not just one or two. Our invitation and challenge is to make sure that we do not miss it, that we accept the invitation and challenge of Jesus to walk with Him from the time of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, through His sorrowful passion to His joyful Resurrection.  I firmly believe that here at Saint Aloysius Parish you will have ample opportunity to do just that.  Of course, we will begin by participating in today’s celebration of the Mass of Palm Sunday. Note that we are invited to leave from Mass in silence as a sign of the fact that we are beginning the most solemn journey with Jesus through the holiest of weeks. Perhaps you would consider participating in our 8:30 AM Masses on Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday mornings so that you might continue walking with Jesus as He moves closer and closer to the Upper Room and Gethsemane. I encourage you to participate in our school children’s presentation of Living Stations on Tuesday at 6:30 PM in our school gymnasium, 844 N. Keim Street.  Then on Wednesday evening you will have your last opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Easter at 6:30 PM in church.  Please note this is your last chance to receive the sacrament before Easter.  Then, on Holy Thursday we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 PM. Join us as we present the newly blessed sacramental oils, celebrate once again with Jesus the Last Supper, the First Mass, the institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood.  At the end of Mass, we will process the Blessed Sacrament down Hanover Street and back into the Gather Center to the Altar of Repose which will be where the Sacred Heart statue now stands.  As the Triduum continues we will commemorate Christ’s passion and death with the celebration of Morning Prayer on Good Friday at 8:30 AM.  Adoration will continue throughout the day until our Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 PM.  This is an absolutely moving service which includes the most powerful ritual of the veneration of the Cross.  On Holy Saturday morning at 8:30 AM you may bring your Easter food to be blessed within the celebration of Morning Prayer.  Then we wait with heartfelt expectation for the blessing of the Easter Fire at 7:34 PM on the evening of Holy Saturday as we begin the Easter Vigil and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.  As you can see, this is indeed the holiest of weeks. 

Do not miss it! 

"Lazarus, Come Forth!" [03-26-23]

“Lazarus, Come Forth!”

Today on this, Fifth Sunday of Lent we reflect on the story of the Raising of Lazarus. We are so familiar with this story that many times when it comes up for Sunday Mass we don’t listen to it. Our minds wonder because we’ve heard it before and we think there’s nothing more for us to learn from it. Even the fact that Jesus raises someone from the dead, does not stir us because well, that’s what Jesus does and everybody knows that. That is so very sad because in this Gospel passage Jesus reveals so much to us about who He is, how much He cares about all of us and what He wants for each of us.   Jesus wept at the death of His friend. And we have to realize this:  we are Lazarus. We are in the tomb; in many ways we are spiritually dead. If we are not going to confession on regular basis, we are in the tomb. If we don’t realize that we are sinners, we are spiritually dead. If we think we are better than others and look down on them we are in the tomb. If we fail to forgive others or refuse to seek forgiveness we are in the tomb. If we continue to allow past hurts to victimize us we are spiritually dead. When Jesus sees us in this condition He becomes perturbed; He weeps for us. When we are bound by sin He comes to rescue us, to command that that the “stone’ that is locking us in be taken away, to use us to glorify God, to make us whole, to give us new life and to “untie” us so that we might be set free. But there is something that we must do; we must answer His call to “Come forth!” And that’s where the stumbling block might be, because it can get rather, comfortable, it can make us feel safe and we can come to like it in there and it might be pretty scary for us to come out of the tomb. At this point you might say, “But how do I come out, how do I respond to Jesus’ call to come out of the tomb?”  That’s what all the disciplines of Lent, are all about; that is what our prayer, fasting and almsgiving is all about.  Our growth in prayer is about freeing us to be in a relationship of such love and such trust with the Lord that we know that He will never leave us and that we never need to cling to an one else or anything else in this world and that His desire for us and our own desires are truly the same. Through increased prayer we strive to gradually bring ourselves to pray that God’s will be done, and not our own.  Fasting is about freeing ourselves from anyone or anything that is not God. It is about making us strong and setting us free. Almsgiving is about setting us free from money and thereby truly making ourselves free to put God first and giving Him our hearts so that we can be His disciples. Lent is about making us ready to “Come forth” at Jesus’ call, so that He can set us free and give us new life in Him.

Who's to Say Who Can See? [3-19-23]

In the Gospel Jesus brings to the light how important it is to make sure that the physical is in line with the spiritual. The theme that runs throughout is that we human beings can suffer from both spiritual and physical blindness. Jesus’ point of course is that both are indeed very important but although we may not be physically blind, that doesn’t mean that we enjoy spiritual sight. Spiritual blindness means not being able to see clearly as Jesus us sees, as God sees, for they see reality as it is. The Pharisees could not see what was right in front of their faces; that Jesus had healed a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus also makes it clear that both the physical and spiritual dimensions of a person are very important by the very fact that He heals this man. However, while Jesus heals the physical dimension the spiritual dimension is much more our domain because it involves our free will and ability to choose and Jesus will not impinge upon that. At the end of the story Jesus says to the Pharisees and to us, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind," but then they responded, "Surely, we are not blind, are we?" Jesus goes on to say, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains." This is a sobering exchange, is it not? Basically, He is saying to them and to us, that as long as we sin, we are blind.  If we could truly “see,” in the fullest sense of the word, we would never sin; sinfulness would have no place in our hearts. What’s worse is that many of us cannot see that we cannot see.  We have so lost a sense of what sin is that we don’t even realize when we commit sin. Many times, in confession people will say that they really don’t have any sins, but they want the grace of the sacrament?  Really? The first step to sight, as Jesus speaks of it, is to be able to see that we are sinners who need the forgiveness of Jesus.  Beyond that, it is only when we truly stop sinning can we say that we can see.  

The Messiah at the Well [03-12-23]

I think that this story that we know as “The Woman at the Well,” could just as easily be entitled “The Messiah at the Well,” because it is truly more about what Jesus did at the well than what the woman did. After all, the woman was probably there virtually every day, while Jesus, as far as we know, was only there this one time. So, what did Jesus do?  Well, He crossed boundaries, big time.  He sent his disciples off so that He was by Himself. Was He asking for trouble?  He had to know that there was a fair chance that a Samaritan woman would come by to draw water from the well.  He knew that it was not kosher for a man to be with a woman alone in broad daylight-let alone a Samaritan woman! And when such a woman did indeed come along, what did He do? He engaged her in conversation and even asked her for a drink! Why did He behave in such a way, a way that He had to know would have been seen as imprudent?  I think that the very simple answer is that He was, as He shared with the woman, thirsty.  He was thirsty for souls.  At this point He was thirsty for the souls of the Samaritans.  He was determined to make a connection, even if He had to break a number of behavioral norms. Perhaps He felt as though, He had been preaching to His own people, and even to His disciples, without the success, without the response He was looking for.  Now He was in Samaritan territory and He was not going to pass through it without taking a shot at winning their souls.  We, because of original sin, political correctness, etc. etc. are literally held bound by all kinds of social norms, but the Lord is not. One of the lessons of the story of “The Messiah at the Well” is that when it comes to winning our souls, He has a never-ending thirst and that He will not be prevented by any boundary from quenching it.

"Lord, It's Hard to Be Humble..." [3/05/23]

As we journey through this season of Lent, I think it is very important that we reflect on the virtue of humility.  Actually, I have come to see it as perhaps the most important one.   I believe that it stands before and provides a foundation for all the others. It comes from the Latin word “humilitas,” which means “ground”.  We can say that one who lives by this virtue is well “grounded”.  Being humble is very hard for us even when we want to be and are trying to be humble, and let’s face it, there are lots of times that being humble is the last thing we want to try to be. We see humility as presenting weakness or a low or even negative opinion of ourselves. We see it as a sign that we have very little or no ambition and therefore not much hope of achieving or accomplishing much in our lives.  But that is not what it means at all. To be humble does not mean to see ourselves negatively, it means to see ourselves clearly, to see ourselves as God sees us and for us to see God as He truly is. In the brief moment of the Transfiguration that is exactly what happened. Peter, James and John saw Jesus clearly, exactly as God the Father saw Him. If we truly live by the virtue of humility, we would see ourselves and others as God sees them, as His children, as we and others truly are. The humble person does not lack ambition or leadership ability. Indeed, studies have shown that the most successful leaders are those who practice true and sincere humility but who are able to channel their great strength and ambition onto their mission or those they are leading. Please pray for me as I strive to learn, apply and live this virtue. We need to learn to channel our strength and our ambition onto something greater than ourselves. One of the major lessons of God’s relationship with the Israelites is that without God, they were nothing and nowhere. That needs to be our starting point. We need to see humility as a starting point to success and as strength because that is what it is. Scripture clearly teaches that success with God rests on humility. He exalts the humble and scatters the proud. It grounds us in the reality that there is a God and that we are not Him, that everything that we achieve and everything that we are, are gifts from Him. It also teaches us the reality that we need others; that we are made for relationships. It helps us to be kind, merciful, forgiving, and compassionate. It might be hard to be humble, but it is much harder to exercise these other wonderful virtues if we are not humble first. Humility makes us attractive to others. Just ask yourselves, who is it easier for you to be with, someone who is humble or someone who is proud? Yet we find ourselves moving away from humility so very often! The humble person recognizes as Peter did that when we see ourselves and God and others clearly, it is indeed “…good for us to be here.” Let’s strive to get and stay there.  Remember, it is not that humble people think less of themselves. They just think of God and others more.

Fighting Temptation...Is It Even Relevant Anymore? [2/26/23]

Once again, on this First Sunday of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert. Of course, we know He knows that He won a dramatic victory over Satan and that His victory is meant to inspire our own victory over temptation. However, I can’t help but wondering: does anyone ever fight temptation anymore?  I mean, really, does anyone see any value in such an arcane struggle in the present day?  Perhaps I am seeing the glass as half empty, but I do think I have valid reasons to be concerned. We are so affected by the modern culture that I even wonder if we recognize sin any more -the value of trying to stay away from sin – and that is the very reason that Jesus died on the cross! Have we actually gotten to the point where we no longer value trying to stay away from the very thing (sin) from which Jesus came to save us?  Honestly, I am very worried. It would take many books to analyze the negative effects that modern culture has on us, but I can at least mention what I call “the four big lies” by which we are tremendously affected, whether we can admit it or not.  The first lie, or fallacy, is that any action is perfectly acceptable as long as no one gets hurt. This is the old “victimless crime” theory. The problem with this is that there is no such thing. If we commit sin, no matter how “private” someone always gets hurt. It is not okay to hurt ourselves, or God, or anyone else and sin always hurts all three. The second lie is that it is psychologically harmful to deny ourselves of anything that we want-and really, if we want something, we need it; don’t we? Therefore, if I want something, I am harming myself if I don’t act to get it. This kind of thinking is so pervasive that I actually know of multiple cases in which professional counselors tried to explain to the wives of their unfaithful clients, that they had to be unfaithful, or else they would be unhappy! The third lie is that human beings cannot overcome temptation. Therefore, parents should supply their teen children with means of birth control, and provide them with “safe havens” to abuse alcohol because they would not be able to refrain from sex or beer etc.  This kind of thinking denies young people of the human dignity to which they, believe it or not, want to be held. Last, but certainly not least is the lie that because we are living in modern times we need a whole new set of moral guidelines. Because things have changed so much and because we are have learned so much and have become “enlightened,” we simply can no longer abide by the antiquated values of the past. Therefore, no one can be expected to refrain from sex before marriage, self-abuse etc. and certainly we now realize that same sex marriage is to be regarded in the same way as traditional marriage.  What is amazing about this one is that, while we think we are so enlightened, we are not quite enlightened enough to realize that countless cultures bought this lie before us. And guess where they are now?  Well they are exactly where we will be if we also buy it-on the ash heap of history just like the Romans at the hands of the barbarians. You see, the bottom line is this:  there is good, there is evil, there is right there is wrong, and they are here to stay. And human beings are always tempted to sin. But Jesus gives us the means to victory. His lesson is that we don’t have to be slaves to sin. All that we have to do is struggle to resist temptation, and when we fall we turn to Him and keep on striving-and the victory is ours. The only question is does any of this matter to us anymore?

"So Be Perfect, Just as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect" [2/19/23]

“When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well.”  You’ll probably never guess who these words of Jesus remind me of, but I do think a number of  you (especially Eagles’ fans) will remember him once I say his name.  Well, they remind me of Ty Detmer, a quarterback who played for the Eagles for a short time in the 1990s. You might also remember his younger brother Koy, who was a third string QB for the Eagles for several years up until about 10 years ago.  Anyway, Ty was a fill in for a short time for Randall Cunningham. And he did make quite a splash for several weeks. He defied the experts who said he was too short to be a successful NFL quarterback for a few weeks winning (I think!) 5 games in a row.  But then, reality set in. His short stature prevented him from seeing over the opposing defensive lines and his passes, which somehow evaded the hands of the defenders for the first several games evaded them no more. It got ugly, real fast. Just like that, he almost could not complete a pass, let alone be competitive in a game.  It all came to a climax during the Monday Night Football game against, who else, the Dallas Cowboys. Ty had beaten them in his previous meeting, but not this time. In one series he was sacked on three successive plays. I forget the score (I know we lost by a lot) but what I do remember is the words of a Dallas defensive linemen which were spoken about Ty after the game. He said that at the end of one of those sacks, as he was literally laying on top of Ty, he said to him, “Rookie, I hope you’re ready for this because we will be coming every play.”  Ty’s response was very simple. He said, “I’ll be here.”   I remember this because I think it gives us a glimpse into what Jesus means when he talks about turning the other cheek.  It’s not about weakness, it’s about strength, it’s about being there, it’s about choosing not to make the same kind of choice that everyone else makes. Isn’t that what Jesus did? Isn’t his death on the cross the ultimate turning of the other cheek?  Isn’t it the ultimate statement of what it means to be there and not being like everyone else?  Remember, Jesus consistently teaches us that we are not to think and behave like the rest of the world does. We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

"Before Man are Life and Death; Whatever He Chooses Shall Be Given Him" [2-12-23]

These words, taken from today’s first reading from the book of Sirach, give me reason to pause.  They also remind me of similar verses that can be found in Scripture. For example, in Deuteronomy, chapter 30 verse 19 we find these words: “…I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live…”   In Joshua chapter 24 verse 15, we find these words: “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD…” (This verse is particularly meaningful to me, because it always reminds me of my father, and I chose this passage from Joshua to be proclaimed at his funeral Mass.) So, at least in my mind any way, there does seem to be a theme running through scripture which has found its way into our Sunday Lectionary today.  Within this theme are the ideas of free will, life and death, and serving the Lord.  And remember this, for the ancient Hebrews, life, by definition, was that precisely which proceeded from loving and obeying God.  Therefore, if we choose to serve God, we are choosing life.  Death was defined as the rejection of God.  Therefore, if we choose not to serve or obey the Lord, we choose death.  But we need to understand that our choices affect not only eternity-they affect today as well. If I want to live today, it means that I choose to serve the Lord today.  If I choose not to serve the Lord today, it means that for today I have not chosen life; I have chosen something else, and what follows from that choice will not be the life that comes from God but something else, i.e. isolation from Him- which is the same as death. Remember, what we choose will be given to us, so let’s be sure to choose to serve the Lord and not some other god, let’s be sure to choose life, so that we will live today and throughout all eternity with the Lord.

"You are the Salt of the Earth...You are the Light of World"

These words, of course, are part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He spoke these words, remember, to the poor, the outcast, to those who were mourning, to the persecuted, etc. He told them that they were blessed and that the kingdom of heaven belonged to such as them. And then He told them that they were salt and light. Now even today, 2000 years after He spoke these words we still appreciate salt and light as valuable commodities. However, I think that we have no idea just how valuable salt and light were to the people of Jesus’ time.  To them, salt was not just something that improved the flavor of food. It also preserved it. Without salt, food would spoil and people would have nothing to eat. Salt was so valuable that it was used as salary for Roman soldiers.  Even today, we need to realize that we can survive without gold but we cannot survive without salt.  Today we have all kinds of light all around us and at our finger tips. In Jesus’ time people literally lived in darkness. Again, try to imagine, how these lowliest of people must have felt when they heard Jesus’ words and know that He is saying them to us as well.  It is truly amazing that the Lord sees us as blessed, as salt and as light. Notice that He does not say, “You are like salt and light,” or “You should strive to become, like salt and light.”  No, He says, “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” He makes a definitive statement.  But, then, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like to me that He is giving us a command, more than He is making a statement.  He is commanding us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  He is charging us to be everything that salt and light was to the people of His time.  And this we must do during this season of Ordinary Time so that our light will shine brightly before others and that they may give glory to God.

Blessed are Those Who Know That They are in Need of God...For the Kingdom of Heaven is Theirs [1-29-23]

It is good for us, while we are still in the early weeks of the season of Ordinary Time (or, as I like to call it, the “season of real life”) to contemplate and reflect on the Beatitudes, which we hear today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, since of course they are the centerpiece of Jesus’ teaching for us and for all people of all time.  If we read them with fresh eyes, listen to them with fresh ears, and receive them with a newly opened mind and heart, we will indeed be better able to live these days of Ordinary Time in an extraordinarily good way.  First, it is probably good for us to remember the context in which they were given and to whom they were spoken.  The crowd to which Jesus spoke was made up precisely of those who were poor, who were suffering, who were mourning, who were persecuted, who were hungering and thirsting for justice, etc. and He told them that they were blessed for heaven would be theirs. Imagine what His words must have felt like to people who were seen and treated as the outcasts of society and realize that in hearing them we should feel the same way.  However, He is not saying that we should strive to be financially poor, or to be in a state of mourning or that we should want to be persecuted.  He is saying that if we are wealthy by worldly standards, if we are not hungering for Him, if it does not sadden us if our loved ones are not following Him, and if the world thinks well of us, than we face the ominous peril of being cursed to an eternity without Him because we perceive no need of Him. However, if we recognize our dependence on Him, and not for the things of the world, if we hunger for His justice and mercy, if we mourn for those who do not realize their dependence on the Lord or hunger for His kingdom, and if we stand up for the kingdom in the face of persecution than we are truly blessed. Why?  Because if we live as people who are fully aware of our need for Him, of our true poverty, then the kingdom of heaven is indeed ours.

Let Your (His) Light Shine [1-22-23]

As we said last week the conclusion of the Christmas Season was not an ending but a beginning; it prepared us to live the season of Ordinary Time, which we are now in and which I like to call the season of Real Life, extra-ordinarily well. And how do we live our real lives extraordinarily well?  We answer Jesus’ call to discipleship in all of its facets. Last week Isaiah taught us that God formed us to be His servants in the womb so that His glory would shine to the ends of the earth.  All throughout this new liturgical season Jesus will be calling people to be His disciples and to let their lights shine; hence the title of our new series. Today the wonderful prophet Isaiah says: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.  You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest.”  The people had seen a great light because they had answered God’s call to serve Him, and were now attracting others to do the same.   They were becoming disciples and calling disciples by their very action of becoming disciple.  In the Gospel today we find Jesus doing what He does, calling disciples.  He says to Peter, to Andrew, to James and to John, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”  And that’s what He continues to do today all over the world and right here at St. Aloysius Church in Pottstown, PA.  He is calling us to be His disciples, to follow Him, to learn from Him and to serve Him, so that His light will become our light and others will become disciples as well.  In today’s Gospel it seems as though Jesus might have been spurred into action by the arrest of John the Baptist. Perhaps He thought that He might soon be arrested as well. And today I believe that He continues to call us to be His disciples, to follow and to serve Him. We have been given many gifts and they are meant to be used in service of the Kingdom.  Our talents are not our own; they belong to Him and are meant to be shared. Truth be known, we have an innate yearning within our souls to answer His call and to serve Him. We will never feel completely at peace until we do. So as we move through this season of Ordinary Time, this season of “Real Life,” let’s live it extra-ordinarily well by allowing Jesus to spur us into action in His service. In this way our light; no, His light, will shine.

Welcome to Ordinary Time [1-15-23]

We have just moved from the Christmas Season to the Season of Ordinary Time. That’s why the decorations are down and put away and it is why I’m wearing green. And you know, it’s not easy being Green and for reasons that we shall soon see, it should not be easy to do so. It’s not like we came to the end of the Christmas Season so that we can say “Whew, we made it,” and then coast into plain old ordinary life. No, that’s not it at all; and thank God it isn’t. Actually, the whole purpose of the Christmas Season was to fortify us, energize us and prepare us to live the season of Ordinary Time extraordinarily well. It might be better for us to try to understand this season as the season of “Real Life;” not that the other seasons are not real, but that we need to understand that their purpose is to try to help us put our lives in a proper perspective and to live them in a good and holy way. The purpose of the Christmas Season was to do just that. The overwhelming message of the Christmas Season was that God the Father and God the Son accepted lowly humanity to the point where God Himself took on human form and became one of us. Through Jesus’ Baptism last week, we have all become adopted as brothers and sisters of Jesus and sons and daughters of God the Father. But the story does not end there; that’s where it begins. There is no “happily ever after,” and thank God there isn’t because that would be so boring, now wouldn’t it? Come on now, you know it would be! What happens next is that God accepts us totally and completely as we are, warts and all, and then calls us to follow Him. Today, in our First Reading, Isaiah tells us that the Lord said to him, “You are my servant…through whom I will show My glory.” That certainly is one way of looking at what a disciple is, is it not? We are called to be servants of God, through whom His glory will shine. Isaiah goes on to say he was formed in the womb to be God’s servant so that the people of Israel might be brought back to God. Brothers and sisters, we were all formed in the womb to be servants of God so that others will be brought back to Him. I have to tell you, to me no other purpose in life makes sense, no other purpose has meaning and we cheat ourselves if we settle for less. Nothing will be satisfactory to us, if we don’t realize this purpose. Not even coming to church every week will cut it. Something will be lacking, because God formed us to be his servants. And when we accept our role as His servants, God tells us that we will become a light to the nations, so that His Good News might reach the ends of the earth. Jesus calls us forth literally from the womb to be His adopted sons and daughters, to enter into and to live out the sacrament of Baptism as His beloved disciples. That is what the season of Ordinary time is about. It is when we live out our baptismal call. Welcome!

The Magi Returned to their Country by another Way [1-08-23]

I once heard a homily on the radio that was given by a Baptist preacher.  He was very enthusiastically speaking about the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel.  He was focusing on the verse in which it says that the angel knocked Jacob’s hip socket out of joint and because of that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life.  His point was that, because of His encounter with the Lord, Jacob literally walked differently than he did before. He said that if any one truly had an encounter with the Lord, then pretty much necessarily, they would walk a different way after their encounter with the Lord than they did before.  He also said that this is something that could not be feigned or pretended.  He challenged his congregation to go ahead and try to change the way they walked. His point was that it was nearly impossible to do, unless we have truly been changed by the Lord. And so, on this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord we celebrate the fact that the Magi visited the infant Jesus as a sign that His birth was a gift to all people and not just the Israelites.  Indeed, this is a wonderful message for all of us. But what strikes me is that they returned to their home country “by another way.”  They did not return home the same way that they came.  Their encounter with Jesus changed them. So, what about us? We also bring ourselves to visit the infant Jesus. Perhaps like the Magi, we even bring Him gifts rather than simply looking for something for ourselves.  But are we going to leave Church the same way we came? Are we going to walk out in exactly the same way that we came in or are we going to return home “by another way?”  If we do not leave somehow differently, somehow changed, then when we came, then I think it is fair to question whether we had a true encounter with Christ. Of course, it does take two to have an encounter-but you can count on this; Jesus is truly here. The only question is, are we?

Need a New Year's Resolution [1-01-23]

I know I have said this many times before but St. Luke’s words in today’s Gospel passage proclaimed for the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God are among my favorite in all of scripture.  As part of his description of all the wonderful events surrounding the birth of Jesus, he says that Mary “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  These words, I think we can all agree, express a beautiful sentiment.  However, I believe we are making a significant error if we cannot see them as much more than merely sentimental.  To me, they are extremely valuable words of advice that, if we are wise, will apply to our own lives.  We all know that Mary would go on to witness the terrible passion and death of this same Jesus that she held in her arms as she pondered the great mystery of the nativity.  It is my contention that had she not made a conscious decision to “ponder them in heart,” she may not have been able to withstand the prophesied sword that did indeed pierce her heart.  The same is true for each of us.  As people of faith, we believe that God has a plan for us and is leading us according to that plan each and every day.  And each day He prepares us little by little for what is to come.  Therefore, it is essential for us, like it was for our Blessed Mother, to take the time and make the conscious choice to treasure all the gifts and blessings that He bestows upon us along the way, so that we might draw upon them in the future to offer Him fitting glory, thanks and praise.  If we don’t take the time to place God’s blessings in our hearts as He gives them to us we will not be as equipped for the future as God intended us to be.  I don’t know about you, but this seems like a perfect New Year’s resolution to me.

Full of Grace and Truth [12-25-22]

At the very end of the Gospel passage that is proclaimed on Christmas Day, we hear this phrase from St. John, “And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” Full of grace and truth; Jesus was, Jesus is, full of grace and truth. His Gift to us, God the Father’s gift to us in the person of His Son is the fullness of Grace and Truth. Grace is favor, grace is help, Grace is God’s favor, it is God’s help. It is a free gift. It is unmerited, it cannot be earned and we can either take it or leave it. Grace is the teacher staying after school to help a student succeed. It is the employer helping the employee to learn a new skill or helping to place him at a different position where he has a better chance to succeed. Truth is reality. It is what is; like it or not. It can be sought or learned, but it cannot be changed, at least not easily. It can be confusing, and not always easy for us to see especially when we refer to the truth regarding ourselves. It can be very painful, but it also can be especially beautiful, liberating and even transformative. Grace asks the question does it help or does it heal. Truth asks is it real, or is it not real. Truth can lead us to the conclusion that everything is not Okay. It can lead to the awareness of sin. Grace and truth are most definitely related and interrelated. Truth leads to grace. Grace insists on truth.  Jesus brought the fullness of grace and truth to every interaction that He ever had in His life.  He always led individuals to face the reality of the situation in which they found themselves but at the same time gave them the comfort of His saving grace. He forgave the adulterous woman of her sin and saved her from those about to stone her but commanded her to go and sin no more.  When the rich young man approached Him and asked Him what he had to do to get to heaven, Jesus looked at him and loved him-but then challenged him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. When His disciples were being tossed about and frightened by the stormy sea, He first quieted the sea and then scolded His disciples for their lack of faith.  Jesus never brought either grace or truth; He always brought both grace and truth. We human beings tend to either favor one or the other. Those of us who tend to favor truth might be in fact very much correct but not very helpful. In fact, we might even use truth as a weapon. Those of us who favor grace might overlook offensive behavior to the detriment of one’s own self or others. If we take grace or truth away from a situation the results will be unfortunate; they will not be what God intended. If, however we bring both grace and truth we help ourselves and others to be more healthy, more productive, more attractive and more at peace. In fact, the combination of grace and truth is absolutely irresistible. Maybe we have experienced it with some of our peers. That’s what attracted people to Jesus 2000 years ago, even as a babe in a manger. 

It's what attracts us to Him now and what will attract us to Him forever.  Ultimately, in Jesus, grace and truth are one and the same because the ultimate truth of our faith is the grace that God the Father sent His only Son so that we might be saved through Him.  That is God’s Christmas gift to us.  So, what about our Christmas gift to ourselves, to those we love and to the world?  How about if we ask ourselves, how we might bring a little bit more grace to the world and how we might bring a little bit more truth as well?  And then let’s pray about how we might bring them both together at the same time.  Wouldn’t that be a wonderful Christmas present for us to present to the world?  Imagine each one of us more effectively truthful while at the same time more beautifully gracious.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Be Not Afraid [12-18-22]

In today’s Gospel, the angel commands Joseph to “Be not afraid.” to take Mary into her home as his wife because it was through the Holy Spirit that the child had had conceived. An angel told Mary to “Be not afraid” as she was about to become the mother of Jesus. God told Abraham to not be afraid as he left the land of his forefathers to go to “a land that the Lord would show him.” He told Moses to not to be afraid as He was sending him to speak to Pharaoh on behalf the enslaved Israelites. He told Joshua to not to be afraid to lead his people into the Promised Land. Throughout the Testament, there are countless examples of the Lord exhorting, prophets, heroes and heroines, and the people as a whole to “Be not afraid,” as they faced all kinds of obstacles and challenges. In the New Testament, we find Jesus pretty much doing the same thing. Time and time again, He commanded the people to whom He was ministering to “Be not afraid.” As a matter fact, the phrase “be not afraid” is the most common phrase found in the Old Testament. It is also the most common phrase found in the New Testament. We are commanded to “be not afraid,” many more times than we are commanded to love one another. Certainly, we need to consider this fact as we ponder the Lord’s message to us. He understands us as beings who are very much fearful of the unknown. He knows that we must overcome our fear if we are to fulfill the mission He has given us and find true peace. He knows that if we do not face our fears we will not be able to truly love ourselves, others or Him. We might say that He understands that living in fear is not living at all. And so, at least partially in order to help us conquer fear once and for all, He sends to us His son as a babe in swaddling clothes in a manger. So my dear friends, “Be not afraid!” That is the message of this Fourth Sunday of Advent and of the Lord throughout salvation history

Gaudete Sunday - Fighting for Hope [12-11-22]

That’s what John the Baptist is doing in today’s Gospel. He is fighting for hope. He finds himself in a position not all that different from positions we have found ourselves in before and will find ourselves in again, or in which we may find ourselves right now. Just, like the song says, “flyin’ high in April; shot down in May,” John was just last week doing what he was called to do and this week he is in prison.  He is now fighting off depression and fighting for hope. Now, if this can happen to this man, who Jesus calls the greatest who ever lived up to that point in time, we should not be surprised when it happens to us. And how does Jesus respond? He gives John a challenge and an invitation to hope. Through his disciples, Jesus asks John what he hears and what he sees. That’s what Jesus always does with us as well. He challenges us to see the miracles that He provides for us. If we fight to see them, than we have hope. But we have to desire it and we have to fight for it. We have to act on that desire.  In the movie the “Shawshank Redemption” the two main characters, who just like John the Baptist found themselves in prison, fought for hope throughout the entire movie. Actually what they did was follow a three step program that kept hope alive for them throughout their struggle.  First of all, they clearly identified their desire.  We must do that.  Secondly, they approached their desire with confidence. We must do that also.  We must answer God’s call in our life with confidence and the faith that He is with us always. Finally, they worked on it incessantly. They were not surprised by opposition or obstacles. They expected them and fought and persevered through them. They lived as if freedom would be theirs. They knew that freedom would not just happen. At the very end of the movie Morgan Freeman’s character says this: “I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head…” Folks, with these words couldn’t he be describing a child hoping for Christmas Day? That’s the way we should be in hoping for our miracles. He goes on, “…I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope I can see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”  We must hope. And we must fight for it.

Brood of Vipers? [12-4-22]

So now we have arrived at the Second Sunday of Advent. Does anyone know what that means?  Perhaps we can come up with several responses to this question, but there is at least one answer of which I know that will always hit the nail on the head. The Second Sunday of Advent always marks the entrance of John the Baptist onto the scene of salvation history.  And what are the first words that he utters according to today’s Gospel readings?  He calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers.” Please now, remember what I have said so often about the Pharisees and Sadducees-for all intents and purposes they are us. Also remember that the Pharisees and Sadducees were among the faithful church going people of the day. They would have essentially been known by society as “the good guys,” and I am sure we would be considered among the good guys of our day.  So why, in his first words, does the Baptist refer to the good guys as a brood of vipers? By the way, does anyone know what a viper is?  Among the definitions found in the dictionary are the following two: 1. a snake with hollow fangs that it uses to inject venom into its victims when it bites, 2. an offensive term for someone who is considered to be malicious, treacherous or ungrateful. Which of these would you rather be?  Well, at least as I see it he refers to them (and to us) as a brood of vipers, because he believes that they simply presumed that they would be saved.  You might say that John was the first in the Kingdom of God, who railed against the entitlement culture, and that the entitlement culture is nothing new. So, what about us-do we sometimes fall into the rut of kind of just going through motions of practicing our faith, and more or less presuming that we are entitled to salvation? I know one thing; I would not want John the Baptist to answer that question. This Advent, let’s allow him to wake us up out of our spiritually dull routine and watch with joyful hope for the coming of our Savior.  Let’s not give John any reason to think of us as a brood of vipers.

Happy Advent Everyone! [11-27-22]

When I was about 6 years old my Mom and Dad traveled to Connecticut for the wedding of one of my mom’s cousins. They took my youngest three brothers with them but they brought me and my oldest two sisters to stay with my Aunt Helen while they were away. I really enjoyed my time with my Aunt Helen and fondly remember that weekend as a very special one.  Although I had visited her many times before and many times after that particular visit, all of my encounters with her after that one seemed always to point back to that one. I can remember even looking forward to some special time in the future when she and I could again share a time that was as special as that one. My memory of my relationship with my Aunt Helen causes me to reflect on our collective relationship with Jesus. We, as the human race, shared a special time with Him in which He actually walked the earth with us.  Ever since then all of our encounters with Him both point us back to that special time and at the same time cause us to look forward to that special time in the future in which we, collectively and individually, will be with Him once again.  That’s what Advent is all about. During this special Season we are called to reflect on the three “comings” of Christ: His coming to us as our Savior in the past, His coming to us in prayer, word and sacrament in the present, and ultimately, His Second Coming at the end of the world.  With this mindset, let’s “dive” into this joyful season knowing that Jesus, out of His great love for us, came to us in the past, comes to us each and every day, and will come to us again.