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Homily

Second Sunday of Lent – “Listen to him”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Gen. 12:1-4a; Ps. 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; 2 Tim. 1:8b-10; Mt.17:1-9

The voice of God is a command “listen to him” to his beloved Son, Jesus.  The transfiguration of Jesus with Moses and Elijah appearing at his side in conversation is also a sign that “death” is no more than a transition into the eternal.  It is the death of the flesh and with it the death to sin for those who responded to the call to “listen to him” with believing, following, and trusting in the divine will of the Father.  The ashes from Ash Wednesday are a reminder that there is a death to the body “from dust you are and to dust you shall return” but the soul is eternal. 

When the Lord sends Abram away from his homeland with a blessing and a promise, Abram listened to him and was obedient.  It was a renewal from the disobedience and fall that fell upon Adam and Eve.  It was to regain the promise land and make a great nation for God and his people.  Without knowing where he was going, Abram trusted in God to guide him.  How well do we trust in God to lead us according to his ways?  Our life is a journey we can choose to make alone or with God as our guide.  God is our guide when we walk in his ways that have already been revealed to us by Jesus if we listen to him. 

Lent is our time to take a step back and wait upon the Lord to speak to our soul.  We wait through prayer, contemplation, and reflection upon the Word.  We wait through the act of fasting and abstinence as a form of discipline of the flesh as we deny ourselves the simple pleasures in order to experience the taste of our mortality.  Fulton Sheen soon to be beatified is quoted as saying to be a saint we must be in the “now”.  God reveals himself in the moment, in our awareness of his presence in our life in each and every moment that our minds and hearts turn to him, call to him, give thanks to him, praise his name. 

God calls us to a holy life through “his own design” for our life. It is not God who must bend “to our works” but we must listen to him if we seek holiness.  This is the warning when we read in scripture how many came to Jesus claiming to have done many “works” for God yet God does not recognize them.  Why?  Could it be that we created a god in our own image who would agree with us in our vision of truth, goodness and justice yet we never stopped to listen to him. 

We are to seek the will of God in the moment that can transfigure our own life yet it is in the moment when we forget about God and respond with our own strong will.  Human behavior is often a “read and react” to the situation and not give God a moment in which we also listen to him coming to us with how we are to respond to the moment.  God comes to us in the moment as an inspiration through the Holy Spirit that we may give witness to him in imitation of Christ.  This is what it means to put on “the mind of Christ” and be an instrument in his hand. 

Lent is the call for inner transformation, spiritual growth, and union with God that we may be a light to the world.  Jesus comes to us in the moment in which we live the gospel.  He will manifest his revelation as we receive the grace to go forth and trust in God.  The soul is filled with hope that is not blind or naïve but grounded in the path that is revealed to us because we trusted in him.  The psalm reminds us “our soul waits for the LORD” and he will not delay.  He comes at the appointed moment with his love and mercy when we place our trust in him. 

Just like Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them to a high mountain by themselves, God is leading us to a high place this Lent where we can hear his voice and “rise” above our own humanity, where we can taste and see the goodness of the Lord, where our soul can discover our true identity as a child of God and be set free from sin, from doubt, and from fear.  Speak Lord, your servant is listening. 

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Homily

First Sunday of Lent – “Get away, Satan!”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

“Get away, Satan!”  Jesus was tempted by the devil but for each temptation he had the power of the Word to rebuke Satan.  Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil but they lacked the power of the Word called only to obedience and they failed.  The journey of faith is one that begins with a call to obedience, but we are given also the power of the Word to have not only an informed conscience but the truth from God himself.  It is not my truth but God’s truth.  The Word is wisdom and life, bread for the journey and power to rebuke Satan.

We live by the Word and the Word will set us free.  Satan comes to test us, as he did Adam and Eve, as he did Job and every other figure in salvation history.  He is the fallen angel who prowls about the world seeking the ruin of souls.  He has no power except to deceive and play the role of spoiler and betrayer.  His mode of action is to influence others to act as instruments of his cunning strategy.  We see it when Jesus tells Peter “Get away from me, Satan!”  Peter thought he was acting for the good of Jesus.  We see it in Judas betrayal as Judas is tempted not only by money but by his own pride.  Satan is the classic puppeteer, pulling on the strings of our hearts and minds to direct our actions to sin.  “Get away, Satan” you chose your hell, I choose God. 

We often hear of the decline in the priesthood but we never hear of the decline in priests who are willing to serve as exorcists.  We also don’t hear of the increase in calls seeking help in fear of being under the possession of the evil one.  The whole subject is treated as a historical topic we read about in the Bible with some even treating it as a mythology, a misunderstood way of explaining what was a natural human condition of disease in a person who Jesus healed.  If we read carefully however, Jesus often called out Satan before he performed his healing. 

The good news is that through our baptism we have the power to rebuke Satan.  It happens through the name of Jesus, when we receive our sacraments, when we bless ourselves with Holy Water, when we call upon the saints and the angels in the battle, when we say our prayers, and when we confess our sins and receive forgiveness it is a rebuke of Satan.  When was the last time we prayed, “Get away from me, Satan?”  It is the prayer that calls him out from behind the vail of the evil in this world. 

Satan wants to be glorified as a god.  We see him tempting Jesus to worship him and Jesus responds with the living word “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”  If in doubt of the presence of Satan there is also the acclamation that the Satan cannot stand.  It is, “Jesus is Lord!”  The next time you sense someone is doing the “devil’s work”, it would probably not be well received to say “Get away, Satan” but what can be said is, “Jesus, is Lord”.  The power of the Spirit will come to our defense and send the devil on his way.  We may then be able to have an honest dialogue calling on the Word of God. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – If you choose

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

“If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you”.  It is not complicated for God but humanity finds a way to make it complicated.  God keeps it simple either life or death, good or evil, the wisdom of truth versus the illusion of relativity.  Humanity lives in a messy world where right and wrong are determined by the individual conscience that chooses their own truth, defines its own good and evil.  God says “whichever he chooses shall be given to him”.  The message from God is clear If we choose to follow our conscience apart from God’s word and commandments then we will receive the consequences of that choice.  If we obey his word and commandments then we will be saved. 

God is clear “to none does he give license to sin”.  Sin is an act of the will, we own it and God is the just judge of our sin.  God is also our redeemer who offers us a way back to the kingdom by way of his mercy in confession.  He provides the means of reconciliation through the sacramental life of the Church.  It is not only a means of forgiveness but a channel of grace from where we gain wisdom and strength to overcome sin and darkness. 

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.”  What is this law and how are we to receive it?  It comes to us in the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist, that is the Mass.  The liturgy of the Word is the wisdom of God revealed through the Spirit in the form of commandments if you choose to follow or not.  The liturgy of the Eucharist is the act of love that binds us in the one truth, goodness, beauty and unity of the Trinity as an act of worship.   The head and the heart must be one.

The Mass is the “summit” of God’s revelation in which we are called to give public witness to our faith.  To this we are called “if you choose” God’s plan of salvation and if not, it is considered “sin” when we knowingly reject his way.  To those who say, “that is not my God” the Church says, “you lack the fullness of truth.” This is a simple truth to all who claim to hold their own beliefs follow their own conscience, or simply ignore the revealed truth from God, “believe it or not!” 

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”  God’s command is always clear and concise.  Humanity always raises a question “well what about?”  It sort of reminds me of the often quoted saying appearing in various form, “rule #1 God is always right, rule #2 if you believe God is wrong go back to rule #1”.  The history of salvation has many examples where humanity makes the choice of doing an evil and God uses it to deliver his people for a greater good and it can even transform the hearts of the evil doers by the testimony of his chosen ones.  The evil one has been defeated but he still is fighting for the souls of those he can fool.

The psalm is clear we need we need to be obedient to the “decrees, precepts, and statutes” but it also recognizes that we need instruction and discernment in observing the law in order to have an informed conscience.  Here lies the issue with our current society.  It is no longer open to public discourse.  Any speech that does not agree with current trends is identified a “hate speech”, lacking in compassion, and divisive.  This resistance comes with a force of its own hate, anger and division demanding to silence the voices of debate.  Instead of seeking a bond of love through discourse it rejects its neighbor having already convicted them from the heart.  From the hand that you choose to deal you also receive. 

In the time of Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees had taken God’s commandments and through the centuries come up with additional laws and rules in how those commandments were to be practiced.  Jesus comes to set the record straight, that is “not to abolish but to fulfill” in a greater way the intent, purpose and truth behind the law.  Jesus is seeking more than a people who follow the law based on behavior, he desires a law that is incarnated into the heart and spirit of the people. 

The “righteousness” of the scribes and Pharisees had taken the law and created all the technicalities required to be in obedience to the law to the point that the true meaning of the law was undermined.  As Catholics we often hear reference to Canon Law of the Church.  It is the ‘big book” that set the standards of practice for the Church and it stands side by side with the “Big Book” of the Bible but Canon Law is at the service of the Word of God and pastoral judgment is required to act prudently in the Spirit of the Word of God which Canon Law serves to support and defend.  Otherwise, we risk becoming like the scribes and Pharisees arguing the law and failing the Spirit.  Canon law gets revised, but Scripture stands forever. The scribes and Pharisees hid behind following the rules they had themselves created but had fallen away from the truth of God’s love and mercy. 

The gospel warns us of the “wisdom of this age” and those who rule over us.  Rulers make laws and decrees, but the scripture teaches us they “pass away” and so do many of their laws but God’s law stands forever.  We cannot come to God with the defense of following the accepted teachings and norms of the world when we have already received his Word.  God’s wisdom has a hidden mystery reminding us that we can choose to save our life our way or we can follow and trust in his plan of salvation.  God has already given us his revelation, choose wisely. 

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Homily

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Light of life

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

We are called from darkness to light, from evil to good, from sin to holiness. Having visited Assisi in France you discover from the top of the monastery as you drive up you see the surrounding villages below. The monastery is cold and dark with solid walls of stone. Once when standing above looking below at the village Saint Francis commented that he wanted to be down in the light where the people lived. We can all create our dark walls seeking comfort and safety, but it takes courage to shine the light of our soul with a heart of love for others.

The light of life shines through the action of love.  Peter was asked three times by Jesus “Do you love me?” Each time he commanded him to demonstrate his love by the act of tending to his sheep.  The light of life rests on the act of love for the other.  Confirmation of a Catholic is the command to shine the light of life we have received on the face of Jesus as he comes to us in the other before us. 

Isaiah also reveals to us the law of reciprocity where it is in giving that we receive not by our standards but by God’s great love for his servant.  When we become a light of life to the world by our love of other “then” we receive the gift of healing, vindication, he hears our cry for help and “the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard”.  What a consoling prayer to know how much more the Lord does for his own than we can ever give of ourselves.  We cannot outgive the source of all life who we call our God. 

St. Paul teaches us that if we want to be good evangelizers it does not begin with “persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of Spirit and power”.  As baptized Christians we have received the gift of the Spirit and through this gift comes the power to act for the good of the other in a spirit of love and generosity.  There is no small act of love and generosity that does not receive its just reward from God who is witness to what is in our hearts and in our actions.  This is how we are to give the light of life that we have received from God.  Persuasive words can “close the deal” in confirming our faith but it is the acts of love and generosity that open up the heart and bind us in the trinity of God, self and other. 

The gospel raises what some may say is a contradiction.  It says “your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds” while scripture also says in Mathew 6:3 “when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” indicating the importance of not drawing attention to yourself.  The argument is then that if no one knows except God how can others “see your good deeds and give glory to God”.  The key here is that the good that we do in secrecy we will not know how far it reaches in the lives of others just as the light of a lamp spreads its light to distant corners beyond its surrounding space.  The ones who lay in the darkness of those corners can see the light even when we do not see them in the darkness.   

There is a question that is often posed as individuals approach the age of retirement.  When is the right time to retire?  Some finds themselves retiring early only to discover they cannot adjust, become melancholic, experience a darkness and must return to the workforce.  Those that do retire and “thrive” have not lost their sense of purpose not by what they do but by who they are.  They are a servant of the Lord for God is not done calling on them.  The light of life continues to shine by the giving of themselves that in return through the law of reciprocity gives them life and purpose. 

Can we “retire” from the “work” of God’s calling?  To retire by origin of the word is “to withdraw” and who wants to withdraw from the light of life coming from God.  Even in death our work is not done as Padre Pio would say he hoped to do much more after his death in serving God than he could in this life.  God’s work is never done.  To choose to retire from the light is to find ourselves in the darkness of the evil one.  This is not a promotion for “workaholics” who neglect other goods in a life out of balance.  God’s temperance is our guiding force to know our limits as we trust in God. 

The light of life is a life driven by purpose in which we discover God is at the helm and we are blessed to shine the light of his love from the bow of the ship.  We go forth trusting in God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit ready to respond when Jesus comes calling.  This is the life of discipleship which we are all called by our baptism.  When do we retire that is to withdraw from the light of life? Never, for all eternity.

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