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Homily

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Deut. 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Ps:147:12-15, 19-20; 1Cor. 10:16-17; Jn. 6:51-58

“The cup of blessing” and “the bread that we break” unites the many into the one body of Christ not as a people of race, culture, or nationality but as a people of origin from the one God in three Persons.  While race, culture and nationality give the body its human origin it is the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ that raises it up to it divine origin. 

Some seek to use the human origin as a weapon of division to bring crisis and division extending the journey in the “terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions” wanting to poison the water of life.  Justice comes from God in his body and blood when we gather to break bread and recognize Christ present in all our brothers and sisters. 

Today there are many false prophets in the streets who shield their face of evil with the veil of justice but as the sun sets their true image is revealed in their crimes to humanity.  Those who seek justice work for peace while those who seek power work their crimes.  Peace will come when hearts turn to worship Christ not worshipping an ideology.  The miracle is in the person created in the image of Christ, a transformation of the soul into the image of Christ not into the image of an ideology. 

Division is not only in the public square but in the church as the cornerstone of faith is his body and blood in the Eucharist when rejected among people of faith.  The sacrifice he leaves us on the altar to transform our very being from the beginning of the church, rejected by the Jews remains questioned by people of all faiths who still ask “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 

In the eyes of reason alone miracles don’t exist but in the eyes of faith life and all its existence begins as a miracle and anything is possible for God.  The miracle we seek is the eternal life Jesus promises to the believer who receives him in body and blood not in faith alone but in the act of consumption found in the Eucharist, “whoever eats this bread will live forever”. “Thousands are, as one, receivers, One, as thousands of believers, eats of him who cannot waste”. 

This food, the body and blood of Christ “cannot waste” in preparing us to answer the call he has designated for us in serving the greater good.  This is social justice, the work of the church to go forth as a sign of Christ in the work of salvation.  We were not created to live by bread alone but from the bread of life which directs our ministry, provides purpose and meaning, and allows us even to suffer with Christ always present in us and through us. 

Years back on a pilgrimage to Israel our guide was a very well educated older Jewish man with a sense of humor.  He was also in much better physical shape than a lot of us younger people.  During daily Mass he always sat in the back but remained in church.  He had a good understanding of Christian history and was a very good guide.  When discussing the faith of the church in transubstantiation, the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, it was a stumbling block for him.  His response was “it cannot be that easy”.  It is that easy if it is the will of God who is above all human understanding to be transformative. 

The choice we make makes us to receive or reject his gift.  In the end “Bad and good the feast are sharing, of what divers dooms preparing, endless death, or endless life”.  Today we share the feast of the fruit the world has prepared and the choice we make is one that passes into death.  Christ invites us to receive the cup of his blood and the bread of his body that passes into life to live eternally with him.  We can look to Jesus passion, death, and resurrection as the trifecta of his great miracle.  We can also look at his coming in birth, his return in the Holy Spirit, and his remaining in the Eucharist as the trifecta of his loving presence with us. 

Let us remain in him in his Most Holy Body and Blood, the Eucharist.  If we seek a world to be transformative we will continue to be disillusioned.  If we seek transformation of ourselves in Christ’s body and blood the world will be transformed.  May God bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you now and forever. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ex. 34:4b-6, 8-9; Dan. 3:52-55; 2 Cor. 13: 11-13; Jn. 3:16-18

The Lord, Our Father, one in three Persons is the answer to our pandemic, our injustice, our violence.  He is Jesus who first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection with the words, “Peace be with you”.  Do we seek peace, justice, unity and community then now is the time to proclaim Jesus is alive!  The power of evil on the streets is calling for “law and order” but the soul is hungry for love and justice.  The church must not be silent nor divided at this time but be one in the faith with the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We must not carry the sin of omission by being silent. 

During this pandemic we have experienced a separation from the Mass, the summit of our celebration of faith.  Is this a “vacation” from our obligation with a dispensation or a realization of our need for the body of Christ in the Eucharist, our need for unity as a people of God, and a need to enter into a deeper communion with the Trinity in our life of prayer.  One of the hardships for the community is having to bury the dead without a Mass.  In addition to the loss of a loved one and limited participation allowed from the funeral homes there is also the sense of an incomplete participation from the church.  The body of Christ is grieving to return to being one again and we must open the doors to the fullness of the sacramental life once more. 

This week was the burial of George Floyd who died at the mercy and in the custody of police.   His death has become a universal call to justice spreading around the world.  In the streets are the peace and justice crowd seeking to build up a community and the call to violence crowd seeking to tear down a community.  One is based on love and the other on hate.  In a post someone stated “The problem is sin, not skin.  The answer is Grace, not race.  Jesus died for all.  Our nation needs Jesus!”  The world needs Jesus!  Jesus came for salvation of the world but the world still rejects the source of peace.  Jesus appeared to the disciples and his first words were “Peace be with you.”  The universal church must be heard and seen as the voice for peace.  Now is not the time to be silent and let others battle the streets.  Now is the time to proclaim peace in Jesus! 

“The Lord, the Lord a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity…so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”.  In this the promise of the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament in the person of Jesus, second person of the Trinity.  Today we needs the Lord’s mercy upon our nation and the world.

His name “The Lord” is now given as “Father”.  “The Lord” who Moses bowed down and worshiped is now the “Father” who we embrace with the love of the Son to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He is “Our Father” in one body and three persons from the beginning of time.  From the old to the new the Word remains an act of love for the world but the world must respond to this love to receive its salvation. 

Free will dictates we make a choice and the choice we make is to embrace the Trinity as a member of the community of heaven becoming one in body, soul, and spirit that is one in love.  The opposite choice is to remain “a stiff-necked people” where condemnations comes from rejecting faith in his name.  In who are we to believe?  Some claim science as ultimate truth but science is limited focusing on the study of the elements of truth, incomplete and evolving.  Others look to a political nirvana that exists in theory with no potential of survival in a fallen and broken human nature.  Finally, left without a place to turn many are left to believe only in themselves but there is only one of each person with separate minds alone unto itself, challenged and never at peace, to die without unity to other. 

Who do we serve, science, politics, oneself, or someone greater than and creator of all that is above, below and most importantly with all?  The Lord, Our Father from the beginning is a unity in communion as a Trinity.  This the church proclaims as a revelation from God, our Lord and Father in the Son through the Holy Spirit as the source of life itself.  Do we believe?  Eternity is dependent on the answer.  This is the choice this nation finds itself on the streets of good versus evil. 

History of the church was first seen as an outgrowth of the Jewish faith tied to the scriptures of what we know as the Old Testament until it was clear that Jesus would not be accepted as the Son of God, co-eternal, one in being with the Father and many were martyred in the faith for claiming what was rejected as heresy.  Today the division continues to get fragmented into many other denominations and the justification remains the same, the heresy labeled against the other. 

Who do we serve one God in three Persons or one denomination among hundreds?  God is a unity of one and until we accept this unity to love God as one united in the Trinity and our neighbor as one with us in our one Lord and Father, we have a way to journey in the desert of faith.  During this pandemic the church has closed and the world has become more shattered by evil.  The evil one is claiming victory for souls while the doors of the church slowly are opening.  Let us open the doors wide and return to claim our victory over sin and death.  Jesus is waiting and its our turn now. 

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Pentecost Sunday

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:1-11; Ps. 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Cor. 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn.20:19-23

“Come, Holy Spirit, come” to serve the mighty acts of God in us and through us.  This is an invitation for the Spirit to enter our souls and open for us the gates of heaven through the works of God.  Pentecost Sunday is a call to life in the Spirit, that is with the foretaste of heaven though not fully yet realized because we remain in a state of purification with the stain of sin.  As Jesus appears after the resurrection to the disciples, he breathes on them to give them the Holy Spirit of fire and truth and set them on their mission as a royal priesthood in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus appears in his glorified body to the disciples in today’s gospel behind locked doors yet he was able to pass through unrestricted by nature though his body was tangible.  This property we will all have is known as “subtlety” and is governed by the direction of the soul as one of seven properties of the glorified state described by St. Thomas Aquinas.  Jesus is one with the Father in the Spirit and we call on the Holy Spirit to come and be one with us in this mystery of the Trinity. Life in the spirit is the soul’s hunger and restless desire for holiness that is perfection as the Father in heaven is perfect beginning with us calling on the Holy Spirit to “come”. 

Jesus first words to the disciples are “peace be with you” showing them his hands and his side to erase all doubt of his physical presence.  Jesus then repeats his gift of peace now that the disciples believe and after breathing on them, they receive the Holy Spirit with the call to go forth with their mission “whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained”.  This specific spiritual gift is reserved for the disciples though we recognize “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”  There is a path to holiness given to each of us coming from the gifts of the Spirit and our joy is in recognizing our gifts and multiplying them. 

The disciples first gift and power from the Spirit is to bring peace and healing through forgiveness of sins.  This for many other Christian denominations is a barrier to faith because of the belief “only God can forgive sins”.  This is the same issue the Jews had with Jesus boldness when he clearly took action to forgive sins, an apostasy to place himself equal to God.  Today we accept Jesus as the second person of the Trinity as one with and in God.  Jesus promised the disciples even greater things to come through them and it begins with this gift to forgive sins not on their own but in the person of Christ himself who is with them and acting through them as he does through the priesthood today.  What about our gifts, our calling, and service to God?

Today we are called to speak of the “mighty acts of God” through the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us just as the disciples spoke in different “tongues” we speak through the different gifts of the mighty acts God is doing in our lives.  Each gift is connected to a service to fulfill a work of God and bring about a benefit that is a “fruit” of the Spirit.  How are we doing with our gifts to bring about this “fruit”?  It begins with an act of the will to call on the Holy Spirit to come and be with us as we respond to this day, the challenge of this moment, and to fulfill the benefit waiting to be achieved by our specific gift but it begins with us calling  on him, in spirit and truth to come and “take possession of my heart and strengthen me by your grace”.

Pentecost is the Greek name for Shavuot celebrated fifty days after Passover, the spring harvest festival of the Israelites sharing the first fruits of the harvest which was going on when the Holy Spirit came.  Many came from different regions and languages to celebrate and share their harvest.  Pentecost then is the festival of sharing the gifts of the Holy Spirit with each other bringing the fire of God’s love then going forth with the Good news of the gospel into our world.  Fire is transforming and the Holy Spirit is with us to bring transformation to our lives, our relationships, and our world. 

Our world is undergoing the “test” of faith as it battles the pandemic of a virus threatening our mortal lives.  “Fear” is not the response of faith of a believer nor is withdrawal into seclusion the response of faith.  Prudence is right judgement in responding as a people of faith to the crisis.  It is not if we are to open the doors of the church but how they are to remain open to the sacramental life.  Guided by the fire of the Holy Spirit we are to gather together in celebration to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Holy Spirit, and in the communion with the people.   This is an essential service for the people of God and Jesus is calling, the Holy Spirit is waiting, and the Father is at our doors.  Let us welcome him into our souls by returning to his temple of love.    

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Ascension of the Lord

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 47:2-3,6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mat.28:16-20

“I am with you always, until the end of the age” is our hope and salvation as Jesus visibly ascends only to remain as the invisible God with us.  The disciples went to the mountain of Galilee and “when they saw him, they worshiped but the doubted.”  What a contradiction to see, worship what you see and doubt what you see reminds us only in Christ can we do all things through him who strengthens us. 

In the midst of uncertainty as the disciples found themselves even in seeing the resurrected Jesus, they doubted his real presence.  In the midst of uncertainty how often do we doubt the presence of God and promise that Jesus is with us?  In receiving the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist how many remain in doubt to his real presence even after seeing Eucharistic miracles where the host turn into flesh and drips blood?  The power of faith to believe is the coming together of our will to the will of the Father to give life in the spirit of truth. 

Jesus provided “many proofs” he is alive yet they doubted.  The human spirit desires what only the Holy Spirit brings to the soul, the voice of God.  God enlightens the soul to truth out of the darkness of doubt through the waters of baptism; it confirms us in faith to the divine will to witness against the passion of idolatry; it feeds the hunger for love out of his own body and blood in the breaking of the bread; it brings conviction of sin to be cleansed in confession against condemnation of the law; it fosters unity in one body with the Trinity and fellowship of humanity against division of relativity; it raises sacrifice for a greater good against indulgence of narcissism; it brings peace and joy where there is fear and confusion; it is God with us  and who can be against? 

God sees the depth of the heart’s prayer as worship with doubt or worship in faith.  Jesus asks Martha, “Do you believe this?”.  He was referring to himself as “the resurrection and the life”.  Martha responds “Yes, Lord.  I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God…”  First, Martha came to believe indicating faith is a journey and each of us are on that path with its’ own share of joys and sufferings that bring us to this revelation.  Second, Martha arrived at a point of faith that allowed Jesus to perform the miracle of faith in raising Lazarus. 

The Spirit is present and active but where are the believers who have arrived without doubting in this power of God present in us and with us?  We remain as the people of God in the desert looking beyond for the promise land wandering, waiting, hoping, yet doubting.  Jesus is with us yet we must arrive in our faith as he walks beside us while our hearts are burning, wandering and wondering.  Believe and receive the promise waiting to be revealed. 

There was a radio talk show in which the person interviewed came to believe and converted from atheist to Catholic.  The one statement that had a profound impact in her conversion was when they heard “what if you just believed for 30 days what do you have to lose”.  She decided to act in faith what she was discerning and see what would happen knowing that if nothing happened the worst thing in the end she would “eat some crow” for her foolishness.  The encounter with God was not delayed as after only a few days there was a new profound faith giving birth in her soul that was left with no doubt.  Let us come to believe and set doubt aside so God can enter into our faith and make greater miracles of us, through us, and for us. 

For forty days Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection and before his ascension to bring conviction and instruction as to the kingdom of God.  They were to “wait for the promise of the Father…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”.  This promise is given to us who wait upon the Lord in faith already believing and “shout to God with cries of gladness”.  Thank you Lord for receiving me who receives you this day present to manifest power and glory in this humble servant for this I know your promise is everlasting. 

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Homily

6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; Ps. 66:1-7, 16, 20; 1Peter 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

Faith and works unite love and justice into the one body of Christ.  It is the works of the will that reveal faith as the visible sign of invisible grace given to us who seek and ask.  This is the testimony of Philip in today’s reading (Acts) who proclaim Christ to the people of Samaria with visible power in the miracles he performed.  How do we demonstrate the power of Christ in our daily lives? 

1st Peter in his letter calls us to testify to God’s power in us when we “suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God.”  The “if” reminds us not all suffering is the will of God when evil remains in this world.  The will of God comes in suffering from keeping his commandments.  These works of our will call upon the “Spirit of truth” to be our Advocate when we respond with “gentleness and reverence, keeping our conscience clear”.  This is our challenge to call upon the Advocate in our struggle faced with adversity. 

How easy it is to fall into a battle of wills with those we love most.  The impulse is to return “fire with fire” sometimes aggressively getting loud and demanding or sometimes very passive aggressive with rejection through silence and denial of our love.  The human “battlefield” is what the disciples of Jesus hoped for yet Christ followed the righteous path for the sake of the unrighteous”.  Our human battlefield begins within for the sake off a greater good. 

Let not the peace of Christ be disturbed by what comes from without but from within for the evil one is always baiting our souls to fall again into temptation.  What is from without is “dis-ease” meaning a lack of ease about what we cannot control and what wants to control us.  Our power is to reject all dis-ease as from the evil one and claiming the peace of Christ he offered his disciples at his at his appearance after the resurrection when his first words were “Peace be with you”.  Let our hearts not be troubled by pandemics that rise and fall taking innocent lives for even if this suffering comes into our lives the promise of the resurrection is waiting to rescue us.  

In listening to a Catholic radio program, the guest was giving his conversion story from Protestant to Catholic.  He concluded his story recalling how his father a Baptist “died” from a heart attack but was brought back to life in the ambulance.  Later that year he asked his Father what his death experience was like.  His father said it was not what he expected.  To his surprise instead of seeing heaven he went to this “intermediary” place where he had to give account of his life.  As Catholics we identify this intermediary place as purgatory and also the Church suffering.  It suffers as it waits for justice and heaven.  We fail to speak more on purgatory as is needed in our call to repentance while we battle in our time as the Church militant.  This is our battlefield for justice in heaven and earth. 

The battlefield is fought and won within our souls with the help of the Advocate bringing us the spirit of truth.  Our battle is a sacrificial offering of our day living in the Spirit of truth called to pick up our cross and follow the spirit in faith to victory.  Jesus is waiting to claim victory for us when we unite our will to his we become one body in Christ with the power of the unseen God. 

In the human existence we often confuse love as forgiveness with an avoidance of consequence.  Love and justice in God are both present and justice is his.  A child says “I’m sorry” and expects the parent to not impose justice.  Children don’t understand the value of justice and if it is not fair justice may even lose faith in love.  As children of God we often come to expect forgiveness without justice but justice belongs to God and it comes with love.  Dante described purgatory as the place we go to wash our baptismal robes.  The “place” is a process of cleansing of sin that remains as we leave our mortal bodies and claim our promise of heaven.  It is not a denial of God’s love but a perfection of our love to receive his glory as an unblemished tabernacle of our souls.  It is the unity of love and justice as one.  Faith unites to love as works unites to justice for faith without works is a call to death eternal.  We are a people of the resurrection in faith and works for the greater good. 

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Homily

5th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 6:1-7; Ps. 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1Peter 2:4-9; Jn. 14:1-12

The church is born in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ!  Ecclesiology is the study of the nature of the “church” and traditionally Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension as the birth of the church.  Recently I heard the argument for the Last Supper as the birth of the church when Jesus by the breaking of the bread and giving of the wine instructs his disciples thereby instituting the priesthood of the church.  Thus, the church is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist which we become when we receive the Eucharist at Mass.  The unity in the one body the church comes to its’ fullness in the Eucharist.  We could say the descent of the Holy Spirit is the “Confirmation” of the church. 

In our times it is often repeated “the church is the people” who share in the one priesthood by baptism.  This focus on the people is meaningful to the extent the source and summit of the church remains in the Eucharist and is not lost.  Unfortunately, too many people identify as Christian without unity to the Eucharist becoming “churches” of their own body.  The people are called to “follow” in the body of Christ which they receive in the Eucharist and in the sacramental life of the church.  Can there be church without the Eucharist?  If history is a sign then we see the multiplication of “churches” into isolated cells when people separate from the Eucharist only to rise and fall. 

Easter season is a renewal of the Church as we celebrate its formation in the early church.  Today’s first reading in Acts is the birth of the diaconate into the church.  “Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom…They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them”. The origins for the call to the diaconate was to serve the needs of the people.  In being “reputable”, they were trusted with the resources of the church and not prone to scandal.  In being filled with the Spirit and wisdom they served as a channel of grace to minister to the needs of the people as the hands of the church.  Deacons called apart out from the people but not to the priesthood become the bridge living “in the world but not of the world” uniting church and people as a visible Christ.  The diaconate is to be Jesus as a voice for our times in our homes, work places, and in the community. 

Jesus is our cornerstone present in the Eucharist.  In the gospel he reminds Philip, “The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own.  The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.”  Today Jesus who dwells in us in the Eucharist is doing the works of the Father “and will do greater ones than these because I am going to the Father.”  These are the works of salvation through evangelization as the church fulfills its mission of adding to the house of the Lord many more dwelling places prepared for us.  This is our Easter hope and victory as we wait to gather together after this pandemic crisis is won. 

“Come to him, a living stone…built into a spiritual house…to offer spiritual sacrifices”.  This pandemic is our invitation to offer spiritual sacrifices for the recovery of this nation and the world.  It is also a time for renewal of the “church” into a spiritual vessel of faith, hope and love, and prayer is the sacrifice needed.  Prayer Matters!!  As the nation celebrates the National Day of Prayer bringing people of all faiths we join in prayer for healing, the end of the virus, a return to a healthy work environment, and an opening of our houses of worship. 

A spiritual house recognizes we are all created equal but not equally gifted for the same purpose.  Each is called by name for a given purpose in the house of the Lord yet all serve the same greater good.  As the early church quickly grew in number it realized the need for a house of God united in order of service just as all parts of the human body all come together to create a functioning human.  The homeostasis of the human body is in care for its physical, psychological and spiritual needs and as such the body of the church must be cared for also. 

The living stone is the Eucharist inviting us to a transformation of our body into his body and our souls into his spiritual vessel each called by name to our place of order within God’s house.  Let us enter into it in body, soul, and spirit and our transformation will transform our world into a house of worship with many rooms to serve each purpose in the mystery of faith.

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Homily

4th Sunday of Easter

Posted on 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

3rd Sunday of Easter a resurrection of faith

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:14, 22-23; Ps. 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1Peter 1:17-21; Lk. 24:13-35

A house divided cannot stand so in times of crisis, pandemic or otherwise the first crisis is of faith to stand the test of faith amid the fears.  This Sunday’s readings reveal the disciples’ crisis of faith at the death of Jesus and the continuation of Jesus’ formation of church in his real presence, “the breaking of bread”. 

Three areas of “church” division among Christianity are addressed in our reading summarized as “sola scriptura”, church “authority”, and salvation by “faith alone”.  Jesus opens the scriptures to us but it is in the breaking of the bread that he is made known to us something to consider.  On the road to Emmaus the eyes of the two disciples were prevented from recognizing him.  They first had to hear the word and have it “burn” in their hearts to believe in the risen one before their eyes are opened to recognize him the breaking of the bread. 

“Sola Scriptura” meaning the “Bible alone” is a main source of division in the Christian “home”.  Today many Christian denominations follow “Sola Scriptura” as the only infallible source of authority for Christians.  The “breaking of the bread” is seen as the revelation of the word of God to open the eyes of the disciples instead of his real presence.  Jesus revelation to the disciples on the road to Emmaus came first as a revelation of scripture and then as he breaks the bread to his real presence before them to remain with them body, blood, soul and divinity in the bread.  Today in the Catholic church we celebrate both in the Mass with its two parts called the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  This journey of faith on the Road to Emmaus is our journey of faith “on the first day of the week”, resurrection Sunday.  It is the confirmation of the “Last Supper” to be continued in Tradition.  The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ’s revelation to this very day. 

Church “authority” closely follows in a “house divided among itself” for Christianity.  “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: ‘You…indeed all of you…Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.’ Peter is given the keys to the kingdom by Jesus after Peter denied him during the Passion.  The primacy of Peter is the “authority” to follow in Jesus’ self-sacrifice as a “Holy Father”.  The word without the authority of the church to bring unity is a house divided among itself.  Left to our own authority we divide into our “denominations” as we identify with and we open the scriptures to our “truth”.  The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew the scriptures as faithful Jews but it is the person of Jesus who “interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures”.  This gift of interpretation is passed on to his disciples to build the Kingdom of God in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.  Today it is the “Chair of Peter” passed on to each Pope to carry forth into generations to come. 

Salvation by “faith alone” is the third major pillar of division among the Christian “house” filled with rooms called denominations.  Peter proclaims, “If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works…as of a spotless unblemished lamb”.  Powerful authority to declare not by “faith alone” does the Father judge impartially but “according to each one’s works”.  Faith is the seed of salvation and works the fruit of salvation.  The seed without works dies but the works produced by the seed are the works of God through us, not our own.  The principle argument made against “works” is the conception that they are “our works” to merit heaven as if there is a scale that tips the works in our favor earning our justification.  Far from it for to be Christian is to surrender ourselves to the works of God as instruments of his grace working in us for the salvation of souls.  It is God’s grace, his gift of love, mercy, faith, and hope to be witnesses and bring forth the good news.  These are the works of God that bring salvation who the Father judges how we fulfilled them. 

Finally, the goal of the Christian is to come before the Lord as a “spotless unblemished lamb” that is without sin.  Who then will be saved?  This past week we recall the Lord’s promise of mercy to the whole world in Divine Mercy Sunday.  In confession and the breaking of the bread we receive atonement for our sins when we come to Jesus.  This is our redemptive gift but we must respond or carry our sin with us into the fire of purification, our purgatory in this life or in the next.  Let our eyes be opened to his revelation from the foundation of the Church.  The pandemic of death is not a virus but a house divided among itself in a crisis of faith.  I believe in one God and in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. 

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Homily

2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy)

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Acts 2:42-47; Ps. 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1Peter 1:3-9; Jn. 20:19-31

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  He is risen. Jesus chose the more perfect way of sanctification for the world to follow, the way of the cross to the resurrection of the dead to reveal his Divine Mercy.  The all-powerful God through his Son offers us the path to holiness by way of the cross to our victory over death.  It is to live our passion with all its joys, sorrows, love and mercy in charity for a greater good.  It is to prepare for death living with the end in mind, a final judgment to separate the good from the bad in our humanity.  Finally, it is to be purified to receive the light of eternal glory in the resurrection. 

Believe and receive the gift of faith or live in doubt.  St. Thomas is alive and well in the world of unbelieving.  It is a world looking to be self-reliant in all things until faced with a crisis beyond control having to return to faith in others, in the power of unity and in the love and mercy of God.  “Blessed dare those who have not seen and have believed.” 

Today is recognized as “Mercy Sunday” instituted as such by (Saint) Pope John Paul II after the Canonization of Faustina Kowalska.  In her diary, Faustina writes of the promises of Jesus to those whose “Devotion of Divine Mercy” includes confession and receipt of Holy Communion.  The promise of forgiveness of sins and heaven in the sacraments.  Appropriately this day marks the gift of “confession” to the disciples after he breathes on them and proclaims, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”  This sacramental gift is to the priesthood through Jesus resurrection to his disciples. 

Confession is the visible sign of the invisible grace of God’s mercy.  Just like many of Jesus’ healings were manifested through visible acts united to the act of faith to confirm the gift.  In fact Jesus sign of his forgiveness of sins came with the act of healing because the body and soul are one to rise again in holiness.  The act of faith is to believe in the gift and the visible act is to confess to his servant Priest who receive this grace to be in the person of Christ in the sacrament. 

Confession is made to God in our humanity in unity with the church.  Why would he give the disciples this gift if we can simply “go to Jesus” in the secrecy of our hearts?  This public act of confession requires humility the foundation of holiness.  It calls us to set aside our pride and admit our sins in an act of contrition.  The Lord loves a humble heart.  In this sacrament we hear the words of absolution spoken by the priest sent from God fulfilling his promise “whose sins you forgive are forgiven”.  Then there is the final act of obedience as the priest says “for your penance…”.  This is our gift back to God in thanksgiving for his love and mercy. 

In this sacrament of confession, we are reminded God works through our humanity to lift us up to his divinity.  This is why he chose to enter our humanity as an infant and carry the cross of our sins offering up his humanity as a sacrifice of love and mercy sanctifying us in his blood.  An all-powerful God in all the possible means to manifest himself came to more perfect way of the cross to be our sacrifice.  Alleluia!  Alleluia! 

What about us and our sacrifices of life, do they have meaning and purpose?  In times of crisis we search for meaning and for God.  The opportunity of redemption is a sacrifice.  Today a pandemic has brought about many a sacrifice around the world with suffering and death.  The world believes that “a crisis should not be wasted”.  It looks for the opportunity to exploit a crisis for its own good.  In the passion of Jesus his disciples fled in fear and Peter denied Jesus three times.  In the resurrection Jesus now breathes on them the power of the Holy Spirit to fear not but rise and testify to the truth.  This is our gift in baptism and we too are called in times of crisis to waste not this opportunity to witness to our faith, stand for the truth, and offer our sacrifices for as a greater good. 

The way of the cross for humanity is our call to unity with the cross of Jesus for our redemption and that of the whole world.  It is a call to be a servant of Jesus Christ in this hardship and bring the good news of salvation by our act of faith, hope, and charity.  This is our day of redemption, this is our call to action, this is our way of the cross.  This is the more perfect way to his divinity.  Alleluia!  Alleluia! He is risen.

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Homily

Paschal Triduum

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Paschal Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday

Gospels:  Jn 13: 1-15(Holy Thursday); Jn 18:1-19:42 (Good Friday); Mat 28: 1-10 (Easter Vigil); Jn 20:1-9 (Easter Sunday)

The Paschal Triduum once referred to as “the still days” returns once again to this message of being still in the celebration from sunset Holy Thursday through Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.  During this time the bells of the church are silenced reminding us to silence our hearts in this solemn time of Jesus Passion, Death, and Resurrection.  The question for us is how will we respond in this call to an interior solitude? 

The Church recognizes signs of holiness, visible signs of invisible grace.  It does so in the sacraments we celebrate with each sacrament having a visible sign beginning with baptism having the sign of water.  The invisible grace is the coming of the Holy Spirit to reside in us and us in him.  In the world today exist three visible signs of Christ representing his presence in the Paschal mystery of his passion, death, and resurrection.  These signs remind us of a crucified man who underwent excruciating pain, died, and appears to be coming back to life.  In fact, the word “excruciating” comes from “crucifixion”.  What are these signs? 

The visible signs of the Paschal mystery are three cloths where science has recognized as inexplainable by natural means and remain a mystery.  What is not a mystery is what science reveals about the man crucified.  The first signs is a cloth called “Sudarium” (latin for sweat-cloth) identified as Veronica’s veil and in Italian called the “Telo Di Oviedo” representing the location it is in.  In the Via Dolorosa we recall Veronica wipes the face of Jesus and his blood and sweat leave an imprint on the cloth.  This Sudarium is simply one mystery cloth until it is joined to the other two. 

The second cloth is perhaps the most recognized in the world because it has been studied by scientist over the years.  This visible sign is the Shroud of Turin, so called because of the location where it is kept.  This cloth bears a negative image of a man whose body is scourged, face beaten and a crown of thorns placed on his head.  The negative image of this man shows holes in his hands and feet indicating he was crucified.  When a negative of the negative is made then a positive “picture” appears of this naked man crucified.  The cloth is the traditional Jewish burial cloth able to wrap along his back and front area showing the scourging on his back, the wound on his side, the nails in hands and feet, the imprint of thorns on his head.  Pope John Paul II now Saint John Paul II called the shroud “a mirror of the Gospel” something to be still and contemplate. 

The third cloth is the covering over the face of a crucified man called the “Volto Santo Di Manopello” again because of the location where it is found but also known as the “Face of Jesus”.  Having visited during a pilgrimage the site of Manopello the “Visitation Pilgrimage” group was privileged to be there on the day it was being exposed and processed through the community.  This happens only twice a year.  We were also given a presentation by a Franciscan Father who demonstrated the significance of each of the cloths together.  Having each cloth overlap each other they produce a perfect fit revealing they belong to the same crucified man.  The significance of the cloths also reveals by their pollen content that they represent the area of Jerusalem as their original location.  More significant about this cloth is that science indicates areas of the face that are dead tissue and areas that are living tissue while the eyes are pinpoint as if just coming into the light.  What does this mean? 

The meaning of all three cloths beyond the significance that they belong to the same crucified man is the deeper mystery of these cloths, it is the Paschal mystery.  Veronica’s veil is the cloth representing the passion of Jesus scourging; the burial cloth represents Jesus’ death in the tomb; and the “Face of Jesus” cloth represents the moment of the resurrection. This is the Paschal Triduum, this is our faith. 

What we make of these “signs” is for our personal reflection.  What we make of our faith has everlasting impact.  These “signs” are left for us to contemplate our faith, what we believe and how we practice what we believe.  Faith and reason remain in the heart of the soul to discern but the fact is these cloths remain to tell a remarkable story of a man brutally tortured, crucified, buried, and coming to life.

In time science will continue to study these three cloths and reveal much more of the crucified man but the truth is already revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.  The sign we are given is faith through the Holy Spirit, in the sacraments of the church at the altar in memorial of the sacrifice we offer this Paschal Triduum and the sacrifice he gave for us.  This man we call Jesus of Nazareth, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son of Man, our redeemer.  This we believe, this we celebrate and this is our Easter!  Be still and know that the great “I Am” is God with us.  Be still and come to the deeper life of faith, hope and love.  Happy Easter!  Happy Resurrection Day! Alleluia! Alleluia!

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