bg-image

Homily

Second Sunday of Easter – “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

It is the evening of the resurrection referred to as “the first day of the week” and Jesus appears to the disciples ready to deliver a great gift.  The gift is wrapped with a bow he declares as “Peace be with you”.  The bow of peace brings joy to the disciples in order to be ready and open to receive the greater gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the gift that comes with power to give witness to the resurrection of Jesus.  This is the gift that transforms the lives of the disciples into vessels of authority to forgive sins, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to offer up the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. 

The resurrection brings us the joy of peace.  It is the peace to know his victory over death.  It is the peace of eternal life.   It is the peace to live in peace regardless of what this world brings us.  It also is the peace to open our minds and hearts to receive the Holy Spirit and give testimony to the resurrection of life. Even in this life we are to become a new creation through the sacramental life of the church.  The Lord offers us his peace which we can accept by the act of trusting in him or we can refuse by holding onto our own worries and anxieties.  This day is also the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in which the words he gives us to accept are “Jesus, I trust in you”. 

We are all familiar with the expression Let go and let God”.  The mercy of God requires our trust in him.  It does not mean we sit still waiting for life to happen, to the contrary it means we go forth in peace trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit to direct our hearts, minds and actions towards the will of the Father.    The disciples devoted themselves to “teaching” and to “communal life, the breaking of bread and to prayers”.  They had a mission to fulfill and it started with understanding their purpose in building up the church.  The mission remains the same to add to the number being saved.  It is our mission and it begins with bringing our children to the sacrament of baptism and being raised in the faith. 

We hear today that our “inheritance” is kept in heaven “safeguarded through faith” to be revealed in the final time.  In other words, we must persist in faith and not lose heart because of the trials we encounter in this life.  Each time we are “tested by fire” we have a choice to turn from God asking “where were you God when I needed you” or responding with “Jesus, I trust in you”.  We are weak but the power of God is waiting for us to stand by our faith and persevere through our trials. 

Thomas represents all of us when our faith questions God even though we have already accepted Jesus by faith.  Our faith wants to see evidence of his presence in order to believe.  Thomas wanted to see the nailmarks in his hands and the wound on his side.  We start with prayers that are conditional “if you do this for me Lord, I will believe, I will go to church, I will stop committing this sin”.  God hears the prayer of an unconditional heart who surrenders to his love and remains hopeful for God’s time as the right time. 

Here we are 2000 years later believing in Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Is this the faith of our parents who we follow simply by tradition or is this the faith built on a strong foundation of trust, trials, and having a personal relationship with the one we love?  The life we have by faith comes with the power of the risen one who is opening the window to his mercy or we remain wandering in the desert still searching for what is this life all about. 

“Jesus, I trust in you.” 

Tags
Shared this
Views

295 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

Easter – A Triduum of sacrificial love

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Easter is a Triduum of love in the person of Jesus Christ.  The mystery of the Jewish Passover is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, his passion, death and resurrection.   Through his sacrifice of love, Jesus brings us salvation and passage into heaven. 

Holy Thursday seen as the institution of the priesthood and the eucharist comes with the words “Do this!”  Good Friday, the only day without the celebration of the Mass is the paradox of being “Good” when at the same time the Lord is being crucified and proclaims on the cross “It is finished!”  Holy Saturday is the “Proclamation of the Exultet” from darkness to light with the lighting of the Easter candle, a sign of the Lord’s resurrection and the conquering of death concluding with Easter Sunday.  Thus, Easter is not a day or a moment but a living out of life through a process of love that begins with a command “Do this!” and so by doing it we enter into the life of Christ, his sacrifice, death, and resurrection. 

“Do this!”  Jesus command to his disciples to follow “the way”, his way before his death was to take his high priesthood as son of God and bestow it to his disciples.  It is the call to his royal priesthood.  This was not a public proclamation but a solemn event to those he called to be his disciples in order to give them a mandate of love through an act of charity by washing their feet.  This was “the way” of continuing to multiply the “loaves” of bread to feed his sheep and tend to his sheep through his body and blood in the Eucharist.  Jesus taught publicly many lessons but he reserved to these disciples a call to a life apart, a sacramental life, and a sacrificial life for the stranger making disciples of all nations. 

How is it that on a day when “sin” tries to claim its victory over God in the crucifixion of Jesus we recall it as a “Good Friday”?  Is there anything more of a paradox in life than to see Jesus crucified and call it “good”?  It is good that Jesus remained obedient to the Father through all his suffering even till death on a cross.  It is good that “it is finished” in bringing us the final victory over sin and death so that at the name of Jesus sin and death can have no power over us.  “Death, where is your sting?” It is good that we never forget this day in the life of faith so we may endure our own suffering knowing grace and patience until the day of our deliverance.  Yes, it is good to recall “God doesn’t give us what we can handle, God helps us handle what we are given” by our “cries and supplications” and by his grace to the God of deliverance. 

Exult for we have come from darkness to light, from death to life, and from sin to holiness.  Exult for the history of salvation is revealed to us in order to give us wisdom and understanding of the mysteries of faith.  Exult because now is the time of deliverance from the power of evil from the days of Adam and Eve to a new creation in Jesus Christ.  Let us exult for we now are transformed into the creation of the temple God longs to live in when we surrender into the waters of our baptism to rise again as he did from the darkness of death.  This is the “Proclamation of the Exultet” to rise again from our darkness. 

Rejoice children of God in Easter Sunday as the temple is raised again as promised in three days.  Rejoice because in rising from the dead he appeared to his disciples with a new command to forgive sins with the power of the Holy Spirit that is to come into them.  Rejoice children of God for our Shepherd is with us as we listen for his voice.  From the day of birth of mother church in the institution of the priesthood to the rising of the Son of God we rejoice for we are not alone, never abandoned nor forsaken by the Lord who suffered his passion in order to remain with us until the end of time.

Easter, a Triduum of love has been called the “silent times” in which we have offered our sacrifice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during our Lenten season in order to experience the resurrection of the Lord in our own mind, body, and spirit.  In these silent times God speaks and his words are both universal to the world as they come also to each of us to say, “Do this for love of me.”  In the quiet of our hearts, we now come to Lord to receive his glory and to celebrate our own victory as we pass through from death to life in Christ. 

Happy Easter!  Happy Resurrection Day! 

Tags
Shared this
Views

228 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Mt. 21: 1-11; Is. 50:4-7; Ps. 22:8-9, 18-20, 23-24; Phil. 2:6-11; Mt. 14:27-66

The Lord’s Passion, it has begun.  It has begun what the prophet foretold a “king comes…riding on an ass…a beast of burden”.  It is the burden to come for the sins of the world.  Those who worship cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David” and those filled with hate “crucify him”.  His betrayer, one of his own disciples for thirty pieces of silver.  Did this have to be simply to fulfill a prophesy?  It had to be because of a fallen humanity that no longer served God but served itself under the guise of religion in order to exert power over the people. 

Jesus is the suffering servant to this day whose death on the cross is not just a historical event but an active suffering that remains in his soul for our sins and failure to respond to his love and gift of mercy.  The world remains in a culture of death that by it’s action cries out “crucify the innocent and release the sinner”.  Jesus institutes the Mass, that is the cup that does not pass him by in his body and blood as a perpetual sacrifice for our sins.  Why do Catholics continue to leave Jesus on the cross even though the resurrection has also come?  It is because both can be true at the same time his perpetual sacrifice for our active sins and his resurrection for those who have been redeemed. 

This day of the Lord’s Passion, we prepare to live the Easter Triduum recalling Jesus’ prayer “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”  In his humanity it seemed intolerable to endure the cross but in his divinity the spirit came to his aid to bear the unbearable.  This is our cry in our suffering that this too will pass us by and we can overcome all trial and tribulation.  It also is the willingness to accept the will of God who provides the strength to overcome the cross.  The cross is also a gift to bring about sanctification if we unite it to serve a greater purpose as revealed by God.  The flesh is weak but the spirit is strong when supported by the grace of God. 

The Lord’s Passion reminds us how easy it is to promise but how difficult it can be to fulfill.  We see this in Peter and all the disciples who each claimed they would not deny Jesus.  When the time came and the “shepherd” was struck the “sheep of the flock” scattered in fear.  How easy it is to renew our baptismal promises, as easy as it is to forget them in the moment we are tested when we leave the sanctuary.  Jesus knows this would be and so he suffers his passion once again. 

We must not lose sight of Jesus words when he says he could call on the Father and, in a moment, he could call the whole Passion off “with twelve legions of angels”, “but then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?”  Jesus reminds us of the gift of the will to follow the path of the Word, God’s purpose for our life or separate from him to follow our own design and consequence.   Jesus could not deny himself his own mission for the redemption of the world.  Are we living our mission as designed by our creator? 

Peter walked with Jesus and yet claimed “he did not know the man”.  He was right even after three years he did not come to know the man until after the resurrection that his eyes were opened as he witnessed “the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised” from the tombs appearing to many.  The resurrection is the proof that reveals and confirms our faith, “Truly, this was (and is) the Son of God!” 

Tags
Shared this
Views

217 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

Fifth Sunday of Lent – Do you believe?

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ezek. 37:12-14; Ps. 130:1-8; Rom. 8:8-11; Jn. 11:1-45

Do you believe in Jesus?  Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?  True faith determines how we live our life and how we live our life determines where we spend eternity.  Believers live with the end in mind knowing that what we do today matters for eternity.  The God who knows every hair of our head also knows our thoughts, feelings, and the intent of our will. 

Where does faith come from?  We claim to have faith but we also pray for an increase of faith from God.  By faith Abraham and Sarah conceived a child.  By faith David believed what the prophet Nathan revealed to him that “the son of David will live forever”.  By faith Joseph believed what the angel revealed to him and took Mary into his home as his wife.  Mary accepted what the angel revealed to her in faith.  In each of these situations there was a messenger from God with a revelation but they were also predisposed to faith because God had already acted in their lives, in their formation of faith.  There is the personal element to believe and to follow.  God comes calling and then it’s up to us to respond as Mary does “let it be done to me according to your will”. 

Jesus said to the woman with a hemorrhage as he does to Bartimaeus born blind and to the Samaritan leper and to the blind beggar “your faith has saved you”.  Clearly there is a personal element to faith in all these individuals who he not only healed but claimed to be saved.  These individuals may not have had any formation of faith but were ready to receive the grace of faith through their suffering.  Suffering opens the heart to receive the grace of God through his mercy and love.   

Jesus rises Lazarus from the dead to show us in him is the power of the resurrection and of eternal life.  Both Mary and Martha said to Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  They only knew of the resurrection to come “on the last day” but by now they believe in Jesus as Martha proclaims “you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”  Jesus brings us “the last day” already upon us in himself.  He is the resurrection and the life.  How are we living “the last day” in our lives when everything is being consummated in Jesus, love, mercy, justice

Do you believe in the indwelling Spirit of Christ?  His Spirit is the source of life and without it we suffer the mortal death of sin.  Christ comes into the heart of a believer.  He sends us the Holy Spirit to help us grow in sanctity with the “tool box” of gifts that we may bear fruit.  Faith leads to right action when we surrender to the will of God. 

Do you believe in the mercy of God?  God comes to save us with love and mercy.  The window of salvation is our time of repentance.  God is merciful but his mercy must be an act of grace we seek otherwise we are left to the consequences of our own will which can deny us heaven.  God seeks relationship with his people to grow in love together.  If we believe then let this Lenten season bring us closer to the God we trust in. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

260 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

Fourth Sunday of Lent – Light of life!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

1 Sam. 16:6-7, 10-13a; Ps. 23:1-3a, 3b-6; Eph. 5:8-14; Jn. 9:1-41

Christ is the light of life and we are to “live as children of light”.  So let us rejoice on this Laetare Sunday that reminds us our Lenten time is coming to an end.  When Samuel anoints David “the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.”  The Lord said to Samuel to fill his horn with oil and the Church continues the anointing with Holy oils in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination and anointing of the sick.  We call upon the Holy Spirit to seal us and heal us that we may live with Christ as our light of life. 

Soon we will be celebrating the sacrament of confirmation for some of our youths have prepared themselves for this great gift when the spirit of the Lord will rush upon them in the anointing with oil.  The sacrament confirms us to be the light of life in the world.  The Holy Spirit comes with its gifts to sanctify us but first it scrutinizes the soul to see that we are well prepared for the gift that will also be a calling to be used in the service of God.  The scrutiny by the Holy Spirit is to measure out the gifts by our love of God, by our commitment to serve God, and by our cleansing of our sin. 

The Holy Spirit is the sanctifier, makes us holy but only through the active practice of the gifts we receive.  The gifts are to serve in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy to be a light in the darkness.  The more the gift serves its purpose the more light it gives and the more we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  However, as in the parable of the talents reveals what we do with our gifts will either be multiplied or be taken from us if we are complacent.  This is why faith without works is dead and we risk suffering a slow death of our own. 

As it says in the second reading “Christ will give you light”, the light of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom to discern the truth, understanding to have clarity of mind, counsel to speak for justice, fortitude to take right action, knowledge of the word of life, piety to worship in love, and fear of the Lord to remain faithful as he is faithful to us.  Darkness is from the evil one who counters wisdom of right judgement with rationalization, instead of understanding of truth with confusion, instead of good counsel with spoken lies, instead of fortitude with fear of the unknown, knowledge is countered with false teachings, piety in devotion to God with narcissism, and instead of fear of the Lord brings on ignorance of God. 

God says walk in my ways that you may be blessed but the world is filled with souls that follow their own ideas. Their hearts are hardened because as much as we believe we think for ourselves we are prone to follow ideas of others, ideas that are given to us from this world as they reflect the norm of what is acceptable to the world.  God’s word is not a current idea but an eternal one.  If we trust in him, he will guide us in right paths and “there is nothing I shall want” but to be with our Lord all the days of our life. 

The light of Christ “produces every kind of goodness and righteousness, and truth.”  The man born blind was a test of faith for the man but also for the Pharisees.  The man was healed “so that the works of God might be made visible”.  Jesus with saliva and clay demonstrated how God created humanity and gave it life and by this act he also claimed his identity as God the Son.  The pool of Siloam was fed by the Gihon River which was thought to begin in Eden the place of Adam and Eve.  Jesus now demonstrated not only a work of mercy but a claim to God to make all things new. 

The blind man believed his eyes were opened to see because his eyes were “anointed”, that is the finger of God touched his eyes.  The Pharisees with eyes that see were blind to the truth refusing to believe in the miracle or in Jesus.  The blind man who now sees ministers to the Pharisees “God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him”.  The Pharisees are offended by the truth.  The man now with vision believed and worshiped the Son of Man. 

Jesus said, “we have to do the works of the one who sent me”.  This too is our call to do the works while it is still day.  The night for Jesus was to be his passion and death as our night is also coming.  We however rejoice because the light of life follows the darkness in the resurrection of Jesus and we believe in the promise of the resurrection.  Our Easter day is coming, let us receive the light of life and be transformed into his image. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

326 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

Third Sunday of Lent – “I am he.” 

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ex. 17:3-7; Ps. 95:1-2, 6-9; 2 Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn. 4:5-42

“I am he, the one speaking with you” harden not your hearts.  I am he who comes to you in the Word, in the Eucharist, on the cross, and in spirit and in truth.  I am he who is in your midst present in your joys, struggles and suffering to bring you the good news for your salvation. 

We are all familiar with this gospel of the woman at the well.  First Jesus is addressing a Samaritan woman who readily responds “For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans”.  Jesus was ready to drink from the same cup, the cup he would offer her for her salvation.  He is leading her to recognize him as the Messiah “the one called the Christ”.  She believed because as she said, “he told me everything I had done”.  He is revealing himself to her as the Christ opening up salvation to Jew and Gentile alike.  Now all the people of the town came out and by his word they came to believe “this is truly the savior of the world.” 

That same word is spoken to us in the scriptures we hear each time we come to Mass.  Do we believe he is speaking to us personally giving us a word of knowledge that speaks to our hearts?  Sometimes the more we hear the word the more desensitized we can become as if the story does not apply to us.  In fact, because we have entered into the faith, the Holy Spirit comes to waken us up to the truth of our own sinfulness that we may be converted and seek forgiveness. 

I am he who you crucified who died for you who by your sin drives the nails into my hands.  This Lent is our time to reflect on Jesus on the cross, his passion, death, and resurrection.  In our prayer he comes to remind us “I am he” who not only died on the cross but suffers the sins we commit, not only the sins of his people but the sins of the world.  His sacrifice for us is forgotten as we look to live our lives forgetting his call to be holy.  I am he who by the cross now justifies you by your faith.  Jesus takes the pain of the cross upon himself that we may be justified by our faith in him. 

I am he in the Eucharist who remains with us in this consecrated manner to provide us living water through his body and blood.  As he became incarnated into humanity, he offers himself to us that he can also be incarnated into us as one “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” as food to continue “to do the will of the one who sent me”.  Many come to receive the Eucharist without believing it is him present who we consume.  Without believing the first act of faith Jesus cannot pour out his grace upon the unbeliever even if he or she receives the Eucharist. 

I am he in spirit and in truth who through the Holy Spirit provides the gifts and fruits of the spirit to lead us and enlighten us to what is good, true beauty, unity, and truth.  This lent let us surrender to Jesus and wait upon him to reveal himself in our hearts, minds, and will. It is our time now to respond to him, let us not delay. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

282 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

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. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

310 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

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. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

280 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

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. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

282 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

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.

Tags
Shared this
Views

297 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development