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Homily

The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by Deacon Joe

2 Sam. 5:1-3; Ps. 122:1-5; Col. 1:12-20; Lk.23:35-43

Christ the King is “the chosen one” the anointed as the King and his kingdom has no end.  King David was anointed king of Israel for this is how one becomes king by being anointed.  The people anointed David as their king but Jesus is anointed by God himself, “the image of the invisible God”.  To be “Christos” means to be “the anointed one”, Jesus is the anointed one as king of the universe.  This signifies a kingdom not of this world but of all creation “in heaven and on earth”.  Blessed are the souls who seek the kingdom prepared from the beginning of time, let us enter and rejoice. 

This marks the end of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church as a reminder of the end of time when the fullness of the kingdom of Jesus is to come.  The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 with the end of the first World War and the rise of atheism and secularism among nations.  It was a sign and a warning that the separation of “church and state” can only bring greater evil to society.  A nation with no God is a nation divided among itself with no unity to bring peace.  It gives rise to earthly kings who seek their own power and enslave its people. 

That movement to isolate the church within its walls has only grown with the rise of a secular god, the god of self.  To be one’s own god is to objectify not only every other person, but even one’s own body as the object of pleasure to serve oneself.  Lost is the image of the person in the image of a God who we serve.  We are created for a God given purpose and apart from that purpose we roam in the desert of life in search of something greater than ourselves.  A soul separate from God is among the living dead, in existence without lasting purpose.  All earthly treasures come to an end and then what?  Look to the cross to see the answer. 

If today we celebrate Christ the King, why is the gospel returning to the final hours of Jesus on the cross?  As one of the criminals reviles Jesus calling him to save himself and save him, he is the image of society that has no place for God in its circle and structures.  It treats the pain of suffering as a condemnation.  The other criminal however speaks with a heart of repentance and with a fear of God pleading for mercy when Jesus enters into his kingdom.  He is the repentant sinner who deserves death but receives absolution. 

The crucifixion was reserved for the death of a slave.  The inscription “This is the King of the Jews” is to mark Jesus as the king of the slave people.  Jesus’ slavery and death mark the end of death and the beginning of his reign as the king of freedom.  It is the freedom to be a slave to God, a slave to the love of God, a slave to the will of God and to a God given purpose.  This is why so many turn away from God because it carries the mark of the cross, the slave who dies for another.  Few stand ready to die for another so who will enter the kingdom of God?  Jesus gives us our hope when he answers to the criminal “today you will be with me in Paradise”. 

“Paradise” is not heaven.  Paradise represents the hope of eternal salvation recalling that when Jesus died, he descended to the dead where those in Paradise were waiting for the Christ to come.  This paradise is in part the final purgatory for nothing unclean can enter heaven.  The criminal was forgiven for his sins upon his confession on the cross but his soul still carried the marks of his sins. 

Paradise is the cleansing of or baptismal robes, the washing of the feet, the final penance for lack of love.  Jesus does not ascend to heaven until fifty days later with the coming of the Holy Spirit.  A quote from St. John Vianney says, “It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the sufferings there that one must endure exceed our imagination.”  In Purgatory mercy and justice meet to heal and to purify the soul.  Christ the King, the chosen one has marked the baptized to be among his chosen ones but he waits for our response to his call.  Let us not delay before our time comes to face our Lord. 

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Homily

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Son of Justice

Posted on by Deacon Joe

The “sun of justice” has come in the person of the Son of justice to rule the earth.  This Son with blazing heat brings us the healing fire of purification for justice and mercy are both the same act of love.  It is his redemptive love of sacrifice on the cross that calls out for justice against the sins of the world.  As Jesus says to the people, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” and so it came to pass as history gives testimony. 

The same is true for our times and all time that we live in a world where kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall.  Nations fight against nations while natural disasters destroy what once stood as a work of human hands leaving only a memory of the past.  Jesus is preparing his people for the suffering that is to come from a world that lives for itself and not for him.  He is preparing us to fear not but to persevere and we will secure our eternal life.  Our call in this life is to give testimony of our faith regardless and despite what hardships and suffering come our way. 

Many will question God asking, where is the Son of justice when suffering surrounds, us and the innocent who are persecuted by so much evil.  God is always present in the suffering.  He brings us his redemption through our suffering but he also offers the sinner his mercy.  In the sin of humanity, the Son of justice is suffering the pain of the cross to offer us sinners his mercy and forgiveness that we may be redeemed by a conversion of heart. 

St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians speaks to those living in a “disorderly way”.  These were the ones who expected the end to come in their lifetime and so were living off the hard work of others no longer contributing to the goods and services needed for the community.  St. Paul puts it plainly “if anyone is unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.”  This is a warning against an attitude of entitlement from the work of others recalling the parable of the one who buried his “talent” and had nothing to show the Master when he returned.  We are all called to work for the kingdom of God and it begins by offering our daily work that brings food to the table as our sacrifice to serve others. 

Since the time of Jesus there have been voices that call out “the end is near” but Jesus reminds us “See that you not be deceived”.  For God time is in the present so that for us we are to live with the end in mind not in fear but in joyful anticipation of the glorified state of the one true kingdom of God.  To be set free from the bonds of sin, of disease, of corruption, of suffering and of death is our joyful hope for the end to come. 

For now, we live in the near end, almost there but not yet.  We are there when we come to receive the mercy and love of God in the sacraments, we are there when we open our hearts to love as God loves, we are there when there is nothing to fear for God is with us.   The end is always near, closer than we may realize.  The nearer we come to Jesus the more prepared and secure our life is for heaven’s gate.

In the recent past we have seen fires destroy a hardware store, a restaurant, a lumber store and all three had been in our communities for generations.  Only the memory of the service they gave to our community remains for us reflect on.  With the end have come new structures and new hope but like Lazarus who was raised from the dead but still had to die again what belongs to the earth returns to the earth.  We live with the end in mind and it is the end of our suffering for the glory of God and the promise of the Son of justice in his resurrection. 

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Homily

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ez. 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Ps. 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Cor. 3:9c-11, 16-17; Jn.2:13-22

“You are the temple of God” when you receive him not only in spirit and truth but as body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist.  Jesus is the temple who rose from the dead in three days validated by the empty tomb, by the witnesses who he appeared to after his death, by the breaking of the bread as he shared a meal with his disciples, and by his ascension into heaven.  The story does not end with his resurrection but continues with the coming of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the temple of God.  A temple not made of stone but of flesh and blood.  Then why are we celebrating a church made of stone today? 

The Feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome represents the “mother church” of all Catholic Churches going back to 324 A.D. with its historical significance as the home of the popes for many years.  Today it is the official cathedral of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome.  It is the physical presence of a temple that Jesus defends in the gospel today with his “Zeal” for the house of God.  Today Jesus remains in the tabernacle in the Eucharist and we not only guard his presence but we come to worship and honor him with our prayers, devotion, liturgy and music.  This is a holy place and our actions should reflect our awareness of God with us in his temple. 

Jesus also desires to remain with us and the water that flows from the temple is holy that we may be made holy by the waters of baptism.  From the sanctuary comes the rivers of living water that bear fruit and the medicine for healing of our body and soul.  Grace flows from God through his temple.  Anyone who claims they don’t need to come to church to receive God is denying God his command.  Jesus instituted his church as the channel of his graces by us receiving the sacraments he instituted as he gave his disciples authority to do.   Without the institution of the church, we make of ourselves a church of one with no past, no followers, and no future.  This was not the vision of Jesus for his people. 

The celebration of the Lateran Basilica in Rome is a reminder of the link from the Israelites as the people of God to the Christians who Jesus opened the gates of heaven to receive.  It symbolizes the authority of the church from St. Peter to Pope Leo XIV.  There is no other church that can claim this connection given by Christ to his church.  All other churches have risen since by opposition to the Catholic church without apostolic authority. 

Jesus prayer to God was that we may all be “one”, one faith, one body and it can only come through one institution.   That one institution is the Catholic Church.  This is God’s plan of salvation that we may all be one body in Christ but human pride has entered the church and brought division such that instead of unity there is a plethora of independent churches each with its own version of salvation.  Can they all be right?  Common sense and the word of God does not support the practice of to each his own church. 

In God’s mercy he is patient and waiting for the hearts of many to turn back that we may all be one, united in faith, hope and love.  Nothing demonstrates with work of the devil than to see Christians of many denominations express a hatred to other denominations.  This is not the work of God but of the evil one.  While we stand firm in our Catholic faith we also call upon other denominations as our separated brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pride leads many to be the prodigal sons and daughters of the church but the love of a father is faithful ready to accept his children back.  The Lateran Basilica in Rome stands as a reminder of the roots of our faith, the call to come home to the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

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Homily

All Souls Day – The Faithful Departed

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Wis. 3:1-9; Ps. 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Rom. 5:5-11; Jn.6:37-40

Who are the faithful departed?  Some claim to be saved by faith alone while others to be saved by their baptism having fulfilled the law but the faithful departed are the ones who have died to themselves to live in imitation of Christ.  To these faithful departed, death has no sting overcome by the cross of Jesus.  Faith without works is dead while baptism is the beginning of a life in Christ for those who accept the call to take up the cross and follow.  The faithful departed have run the good race, denying themselves their passions to live the passion of Christ.  God is calling us to a closer walk with him that we may be faithful before we depart from this life. 

Why do we pray for the dead? If they are already in heaven then they don’t need our prayers, we need their prayers. Revelation reminds us that “nothing unclean” can enter into heaven. Everyone does not die in a state of perfect grace but many die with the promise of heaven in need of cleansing before entering into the light of heaven.

The love of a Father is to correct his children and so we are “chastised a little” not only to correct our souls but to purify them “as gold in the furnace”.  Suffering is a gift we can unite to the cross as redemptive suffering making up what is lacking in Christ as St. Paul reminds us.  What is lacking for salvation is our fiat, our “yes, Lord” for he cannot save us without us coming to him.  This is life in Christ and in imitation of Christ.  The invitation is an open invitation while there is still time.  In our suffering we are reminded of the mortality of the flesh and our weakness without God.  Suffering can serve as our purgatory in this life as a cleansing of our sin. 

In our humanity we are prone to excuse our actions with words like “I’m not perfect…I’m only human…we all make mistakes”.  The words we don’t hear are “I’m a sinner”.  The sinner we are is what we bring to confession. Jesus came and revealed to us that God recognizes not only the sins of our actions but the sins of our hearts.  We all carry a heavy load of sins in the heart.  The faithful departed have been cleansed from all sin before they can stand before the throne of God.  This is the purpose of our sacramental life, to be cleansed, to receive God’s mercy, to do our penance in this life. 

We have a tendency in funerals to imply that the deceased has gone to heaven, but we don’t know that.  We like to say, “they were a good person” but Jesus says, “only God is good”.  So where does that leave us?  It leaves us with a promise that God is faithful to the faithful in this life who have departed.  It is the promise to the “elect”.  To those who are unfaithful he remains faithful to the promise of a heaven and a hell to separate the elect from those who have chosen to separate themselves from God by their actions. To the faithfully departed there is also a final cleansing in purgatory. 

This was the promise Jesus made to the “good” thief on the cross when he said, “today you will be with me in paradise”.  “Paradise” is not heaven.  Paradise is where the faithful departed were awaiting the coming of the Messiah when Jesus descends to the dead.  The thief did not steal heaven, but he did make his final confession on the cross and descended to the dead to serve his purgatory. 

The promise to the “elect” is that he shall shepherd us and “there is nothing I shall want”.  A loving Father knows best.  God’s love is that we remain in right relationship with him, called to be holy.  For the faithful departed hope has not disappointed and all things are revealed in serving a greater purpose for our salvation and that of others.  We are in the hands of God and he provides for us a kingdom of peace, justice and righteousness guarded from the evil one. 

This week was the movie premiere of “Triumph over evil”. In one of the scenes Fa. Amorth, the famous exorcist priest from Rome who died in 2016, retells his experience of an exorcism where the demon complaints of the bright light in the room. The demon says the light is coming from “the woman”. The woman is blessed Mary who the demon won’t even say her name. In another occasion the demon complains of the monk who is in the room with a rosary. The apparition to the demon is Padre Pio. The faithful departed are in heaven ready to pray for us, to intercede through Jesus to the Father. How much more our faithfully departed who loved and know us are ready to pray for us if we call upon them.

God is faithful, perfect, and loving and he calls us to be in imitation of Christ in the same way in this journey of life before we enter into eternity as faithfully departed souls. It is our turn now in this brief time on earth to respond to his call.

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Homily

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – “O God, be merciful!”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

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

“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  This is the cry of the poor for by our sin we are all poor and in need of God’s mercy.  We are oppressed by our sins and the temptation to sin.  Born with concupiscence our fallen nature is in need forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit through baptism.  Baptism prepares the soul to grow in holiness with the virtues to face the enemy both from within and from without.  Our God is merciful to those who seek him in our sorrow, suffering, and petition. 

“The Lord redeems the lives of his servants”.  St. Paul claims to be the Lord’s servant but so does the Pharisee yet Jesus makes a clear distinction between the two.  What separates the two in the eyes of Jesus and who do we resemble the most? St. Paul who claims “the crown of righteousness” or the Pharisee who exalted himself in his view of righteousness?

St. Paul’s famous line “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” is his claim to righteousness.  This servant of the Lord did what the Lord called him to do and “poured” himself out like a “libation” meaning he sacrificed himself out of love of God.  He did not deny God what was asked of him.  The Pharisee took the position of legalism having check off the boxes of compliance he now felt entitled and exalted himself.  The Pharisee did not stop to ask God what did God desire of him.  St. Paul was filled with the love of God while the Pharisee was filled with the love of self. 

Have we stopped to ask God what he desires of us?  In our daily life God is active providing opportunities to respond as his servant, do his will, and be the hand of God that offers his love.  Our godly call is to be in imitation of Jesus.  Jesus’ incarnation brought his divinity to our humanity that we may imitate his divinity in our frail human weakness through the power of the Holy Spirit.  If our life is simply to serve our humanity by our own desires of life then “religion” becomes a self-righteous practice of self-justification reflected in the comments of the Pharisee. 

Religion, that is the church is a gift of God to raise our humanity to God’s divinity.  It is the means to an end and not an end in itself.  The end in itself is God who provides us the means.  Through the sacraments, the word, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit, Jesus left us the path to true righteousness and to heaven. 

Today we are reminded that “the Lord is a God of justice who knows no favorites”.  God reconciles both his love and his justice in Jesus.  Jesus is the sacrifice that is to live within us that we may make up what is still lacking and waiting to be fulfilled through us.  Our God is merciful to the soul that receives Jesus and responds in the same spirit of Mary’s fiat “let it be done to me according to thy word”.  As Jesus entered the womb of Mary, he also enters into our soul to be united as one in truth waiting only for our response to his will.  This is what is lacking, our response to do his will.  If today you hear his voice, say “yes Lord, I come to do your will”. 

“O Lord be merciful to me a sinner” is the prayer of a soul that reflects God’s righteousness and not our own claim to truth.  If today we find ourselves broken, trust in the Lord by continuing to serve God willingly for our prayer is being answered justly with the goal that is meant to lead us to heaven.  It is not the years on this earth that determine our destiny but our surrender to God and in his mercy our guilt is washed clean.  The Lord is our refuge in good times and in bad, in joy and in suffering, in temptation from the desires of the flesh and in the attack from the evil one.  Keep the faith and we will have competed well and the crown of righteousness is at the finish line. 

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Homily

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Pray always!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ex. 17:8-13; Ps. 121:1-8; 2 Tim. 3:14-4:2; Lk.18:1-8

Jesus calls us to “pray always” and remain faithful to the teachings of scripture that we may be “competent and equipped for every good work”.  Gather a group of Christians together and ask “who would like to lead the prayer?”  Silence generally follows as if prayer is not a common practice.  Without prayer how can we be competent in our practice of the Christian faith or attentive to the voice of the Lord?  How are we going to know if we are being called to do a “good work” for the Lord or simply doing the work we desire for ourselves?  Is it our desire to live to do the will of God or simply living to do our own will?  Prayer is the source of revelation for the heart that desires to get closer to the Lord. 

“Our help is from the Lord” but he teaches us to persevere in our prayer.  This is the example given us by Moses who even as he grew tired during the battle with the support of others he persevered until the battle was won.  Often our prayer is short and our patience is limited not only with others but even with God.  Our commitment to prayer is reflective of our commitment to God so as we pray or fail to pray, we reveal our true faith and love of God.  Knowing that our hope and our help is from the Lord who is the source of life what does our prayer life say about relationship with our God? 

Infant prayer is recital prayer.  Early in life we are taught a list of prayers which we grow up reciting at meals or before going to bed.  We may even learn the rosary and carry a rosary with us but then praying the rosary is an occasional thing and not part of a prayer life.  It does not go beyond the prayer into a dialogue with Jesus.  Infant prayer however is still filled with “wisdom for salvation”. 

Adolescent prayer is a one-way prayer to tell God our needs, wants and desires.  Focus is on “me” and not on God.  It often fails to ask what God desires of us.  Even as we recite the words “let thy will be done” it is not in our heart to do his will.  Adolescent prayer wonders if God even hears us and why he does not answer us according to our wishes.  Adolescent prayer is a one-way conversation that stops short of seeking God’s purpose in our life.  Adolescent prayer however is filled with the lessons of scripture as we hear the Word of God “useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction and for training in righteousness”. 

Adult prayer begins with the desire to know and do God’s will in our life.  It is a search for meaning in life’s circumstances and how to respond to those circumstances for a greater good that God will provide for us and for others.  It is not afraid to question God in order to understand but it also is willing to accept and trust in God that his answer will be revealed as we go forth by taking the next right step.  It is in trusting and going forth in the Lord that he reveals to us his will.  As the scripture says “be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient” do the right thing.  Adult prayer is a calling to live the Word as a servant of God. 

Spiritual prayer is having a dialogue with Jesus.  In adult prayer we pray and go forth trusting in the Lord while in spiritual prayer we pray and wait upon the Lord.  It calls us to be still, mediate upon his word and how it applies to our life, to contemplate the manifestation of God’s love.  Let God speak into our mind, heart, and will.  The voice of God is one that bring clarity, revelation, confirmation, peace and joy.  There is a sense where we say “I know that I know” what God is asking of me and I am saying yes to him.  Spiritual prayer is a unity of hearts, a confirmation of our thoughts, and a surrender to God’s will.  It is here where the great saints voice the proclamation “It is not I but the Lord who lives in me”. 

“The word of God is living and effective” transforming our lives to be great saints.  The word of God is not to be taken as good “self-help” book, or a book on philosophy of life.  The word of God is to be prayed, to be lived, and to be transformative of our very being.  Pray always! 

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Homily

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – “Increase our faith”

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Hab. 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Ps. 95:1-2, 6-9; 2 Tim. 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk.17:5-10

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’” and so it came to be after the death and resurrection of the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Before Jesus’ death they were a fearful, confused and an ignorant group of men who heard the voice of Jesus but did not understand.  After the resurrection of Jesus, they were a powerful group of apostles evangelizing, healing, and exorcising demons with sacrificial love.  Jesus increased their faith beyond the mustard seed having to bear their share of hardship “with the strength that comes from God”.  This gift of God’s grace to increase our faith is being offered to us as baptized believers but we must be willing to also take up our cross and follow him. 

The underlying theme of today’s readings is to hold onto our faith and not be “the rash one” expecting only what is good in the world and not have to “look at misery”.  Often the question is, “if God is good why is there so much misery and suffering?”  God allows suffering not to break our spirit but to strengthen it with “power and love and self-control.” 

God wants us to “press one” and he “will not disappoint”.  When are we more open to hear the voice of the Lord, in the midst of suffering or in the midst of our celebrations?  God is with us but we are not attentive to him in the noise that surrounds us.  He speaks into the silence of our hearts, in the quieting of the mind, and in the surrender of our will to his will.  This is how we increase our faith.  In the most challenging of life’s moments, when we cry out for help, it is then that he carries us because we trust in him. 

“The rash one” reveals that it is all about him, what he wants, when he wants it and how he wants it to be and God says this one “has no integrity”.  You hear statements like “I prayed and God did not answer” or “where is God when you need him” as if God exists to be our servant instead of us living to serve God.  This one is his own god. 

In the gospel, Jesus is reminding us that we are called to serve God not as “unprofitable servants” doing simply what we are obliged but in sacrifice.  In sports we often hear the call to give 110%, talent alone does not make you a superstar, sacrifice does.  When it comes to serving God we turn into minimalist, what is the least required of me to get to heaven.  Before we ask “where is God?” we are to ask ourselves “where am I in my commitment to God?” 

There are 5 precepts of the Catholic Church, attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, confession once a year, receive the Eucharist at least during Easter season, observe days of fasting and abstinence, and provide for the needs of the Church.  For some even this seems to be too much to ask for.  These “unprofitable servants” are the ones who say “I don’t get anything from going to church” and don’t care to live up to these precepts. 

The Lord gives the apostles the parable of the mustard seed and the mulberry tree.  The mustard seed testifies to its small size and the mulberry tree to something that is impossible to grow in the sea and yet Jesus tells us in this parable that nothing is impossible with God but it begins with an act of faith.  What is an act of faith?  Follow the commandments, follow the precepts of the Church, make your day an offering to God and be still in prayer to hear the voice of God that we may be one with him. 

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Homily

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Compete well!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Ps. 146: 7-10; 1 Tim. 6:11-16; Lk.16:19-31

“But you, man of God…compete well for the faith”.   Man of God is for all mankind and throughout all stages of life from the young to the old.  There is a competition in this world between the forces of good and the forces of evil and the outcome determines the destiny of the soul for eternity.  It is enough to send a chill down the spine of those who see this truth and respond by competing well for the faith.  It is an active response to pursue righteousness with devotion and love.  Sadly, even among the faithful there is a presumption that life is to seek the pleasures of this world for our good and not to serve the good of others.  The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a clear reminder that God calls all to accountability for what we do or not do for the least we do unto him. 

The sin of a Christian is complacency as we hear in the first reading “woe to the complacent in Zion!”  Complacency is taking God for granted by not responding to the call we were given from God.  We live under the pretext that being a “good person” gets us to heaven but we don’t stop to ask ourselves what is “good” in the eyes of God.   God defines goodness and he clearly has provided us the prophets, the Word and his Son to make clear his will.  Here we fall short of the glory of God and the first step is this awareness that leads us to seek reconciliation and the mercy of God but also to take the right steps to be the person who God desires of us.  God’s desire is to seek his will and pray for the courage to complete well with his grace by our side. 

The consequence of the complacent is “exile”.  When we recall the exile of the Israelites it was a wandering in the desert not because the promise land was far from them but because their hearts were far from God.  The exile was a time of suffering to purify their hearts.  The same can be said of purgatory for the believers as an exile from the kingdom of God until our hearts are purified of its sin.  As the prophet Amos declares from the Lord, “Never will I forget a thing they have done” or failed to do out of complacency.   It was the message from last weeks readings and continues with focus on wealth and how we live our wealth and share our blessings. 

Riches are not a sin but they do contribute to complacency as we stretch comfortably “lying on our beds of ivory” and feed comfortably while forgetting the needs of others.  “Blessed is he who keeps faith” with a heart of justice for the oppressed.  We live in a country with tremendous opportunity to grow wealth through hard work and our God given talents.  Wealth creates the opportunity for freedom in how we manage our lives and our resources.  It also can create an illusion of power to control and to govern the lives of others through business, politics, and wealth.  This is vanity of vanities until the hour God says “enough” through loss, sickness, tragedy or death and we find ourselves in exile. 

The God of mercy who says take up your cross and follow me gives us the cross to bear not with a heart of persecution but with a heart of love to turn us back to him as the rich man now recognizes in his exile.  The rich man pleads for someone from the dead to go to his five brothers so they will repent. Abraham responds that if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets they will not be persuaded “if someone should rise from the dead”. 

We live in this time when someone did rise from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ and yet there are few who are listening to his voice.  Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees because he wanted them to remember this story after he suffered and died for their sins that they may repent.  Some did repent but others went to their grave rejecting his teaching and persecuting the followers of Jesus.  Now is our time of repentance, to grow in holiness, to be good stewards of the gifts we are given by the way we live our lives and care for others.  Compete well as a good and faithful steward against complacency and the forces of evil, eternity depends on it. 

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Homily

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – The Choice

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Amos 8:4-7; Ps. 113: 1-2, 4-8; 1 Tim. 2:1-8; Lk.16:1-13

The choice that we make determines our destiny.  Our day is filled with choices that speak to who we serve and is our God.  The list of choices in inexhaustible from who do we pray for to who do we care for as well as who do we exclude as a sin of omission.  What we learn from the rich man and his “dishonest steward” is that an action may on its surface by prudent and charitable but the motive is selfish and self-serving.  The Lord knows the heart and intent behind the choice and judges who can be trusted with the riches of heaven.   As the prophet Amos declares from the Lord, “Never will I forget a thing they have done!” 

Amos describes the “cheating” in the market place tipping “the scales for cheating” as the normal course of business with no sense of moral corruption.  Recently someone shared that in their business (car sales) meeting the mode of operation was described with the words “we are here to get people to make bad decisions”.   The act of promoting open deceitfulness for profit is a choice from the lowest position to the head of a business that seeks to build a culture that normalizes injustice as fair play.  The Lord reminds us there is nothing fair and nothing forgotten. 

The “dishonest steward” whose choice to act in a charitable way is no more than self-serving bias.  He is being held accountable for “squandering” the property of his “master” and knowing his own limitations uses his “masters debtors” to cheat his master even further of the true debt for his benefit.  Rather than having a conversion of heart and repentance he digs himself into a deeper hole.  How difficult it is to admit when we are wrong and our bias looks to avoid accountability.   Adam blamed Eve for the bite of the apple and Eve blamed the snake and both suffered the consequence of their sin.  Their self-serving bias got them both out of heaven and if we follow in those footsteps, it will keep us out of heaven as well. 

Jesus Christ came to be the “one mediator between God and men…who wills everyone to be saved”.  The Lord is good and stands for good over evil.  Jesus further declared evil does not start when an evil act is committed but in the heart of the person that separates them as evil doers from the grace of God.   The culture of evil is nurtured by the creation of social norms that promote the separation of God from humanity.  Humanity is created in the image of God with the purpose of being a reflection of the goodness of God.  Anything that is “other” is from the evil one.  While God wills everyone to be saved, he cannot save us without us by our own free will. 

In our times as in past times we see a philosophy that attempts to keep God out of policy and business or stated in other terms God and politics don’t mix nor does God and money in the current culture.  Many a “good” person will show their dark side when the politics of another does not support their ideological views.  Behind the cover of public, political and social media is revealed the true hate and rejection of a person who dares to speak against their ideology.   This too is self-serving bias under the vail of a false “goodness”.  The freedom and right to dialogue our differences is no longer the gold standard of discord but the denial of the search for truth as a free society.  When evil acts are celebrated as “good” our self-serving bias is the great divide between humanity and God and a nation, a community and a family will soon come to an end.  The cost to bear is eternity.  The choice we make reveals the true self and nothing is hidden from God.    

Today, St. Paul calls for “supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone” not just those who agree with us.  From those in authority whose actions will impact our lives to the poor where our actions will impact their lives.  This is the choice of true love, Godly love that rises to heaven.   

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Homily

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Num 21:4b-9; Ps. 78: 1bc-2, 34-38; Phil. 2:6-11; Jn.3:13-17

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is Jesus on the cross lifted up to open the gates of heaven to eternal life.  The Holy Cross is exalted as the greatest sign of God’s love.  There are four signs of hope for humanity, God the lover, God’s gift of creation, God’s gift of his son Jesus, and God’s gift of eternal life. 

God the lover for God is love.  Love is transcendent and unifying.  God is unified in the Holy Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Love is eternal transcending our mortal life and uniting us to our creator.  Love gives life to the dead and brings about new creation. 

God’s gift of creation is a sign of God’s love for humanity.  Created in God’s image we can transcend our mortal being with the gift of his grace to be united to God as body, soul, and spirit.  The body serves God to be his temple that we may be united to him.  The soul is the image of God in its likeness as intellect, will, and emotions.  We are to put on the mind of God in our minds, unite our will to his will, and with filled with emotions to experience God’s love.  God’s gift of creation is all creation from the insect on the group to the eagle in sky, from the thorn bush in the desert to the flowers and crops in the field are a gift with a purpose. 

God’s gift of his son Jesus is our hope in the Exaltation of the Cross, lifted up to offer atonement for our sins.  When the people suffered for their sin in the desert God’s “punishment” was not an act of vengeance but an act of mercy to turn a hardened heart back to him.  Suffering brings us back to God, to the truth of our mortality and our need for a God who is love.  It was a sign of the coming of Jesus who also would be lifted up that we who look up to the Exaltation of the Cross will live as we bend our knees and we proclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord”.  We are to always be aware of the power of the name of Jesus to bring us healing and salvation. 

God’s gift of eternal life is our hope that cannot be denied by the Exaltation of the Cross.  God is faithful to his promises.  There is not a moment in our life that God is not at work in us.  We often fail to recognize the grace at work and forget all that we have received from him.  We tend to be like a bottomless pit asking “what have you done for me lately” blinded by our own indulgence and failing to recognize how he has already freed us from slavery in order to live a Godly life.  The gift of eternal life is our greatest treasure, and our time is a window to prepare ourselves to be received in heaven. 

There is a false impression that God sends “punishment” to appease his anger and satisfy his wrath.  This fails to understand God acts out of love and love requires action not to “condemn the world but that the world might be saved” through Jesus.  God told Moses “Whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived”. By their sin they suffered the bite of the serpent and died as we suffer the bite of our sins and die. Our salvation is to look up to the cross of Jesus and live.

God’s action is his mercy to bring healing to the suffering of his heart for the sins of his people and call his people back to his love.  This is made clear through Jesus and his sacred heart who reveals his wounds on the cross in atonement for our sins.  It is our time now to respond to his suffering heart with the one gift he desires, a heart of love, love of God and love of neighbor in adoration, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.”   Amen. 

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