2nd Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday

Posted on April 23, 2022April 24, 2022 by Deacon Joe

Acts 5:12-16; Ps. 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Rev. 1:911a, 12-13, 17-19; Jn. 20:19-31

Divine Mercy Sunday proclaims the Lord’s “mercy endures forever” open to all but received by those who share in the “distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus”. We all like to receive gifts but if the gift comes with an expectation, then we become hesitant to receive the gift and fail to recognize the value of the gift. We can understand why even something as important as the gift of mercy is not sought after because the expectation is that something in us is expected to change and we resist change of self more than perhaps anything else.

The expectation of the Lord is that we share in the “distress, the kingdom, the endurance we have in Jesus”. This “distress…kingdom, and endurance” is the call to come and follow the path of perfection through the love of God and neighbor, and the sacrifice of mercy to forgive and be forgiven and to persevere in our faith, hope and love. Simply stated the gift of mercy is by sharing in the sacrifice of the Lord to live and die for each other. It is a covenant of mercy to be merciful for the mercy we have received by passing it on in a world known more for its “dog eat dog” mentality than for the lion to lay next to the lamb.

Do we share in this struggle for the sake of the kingdom or have we become habitual in religion showing up on Sundays and special celebrations and lost throughout the week in ourselves? Before the Lord we proclaim we believe but outside of the Mass our lives are lived as St. Tomas doubting his presence is with us. St. Tomas hesitancy to believe lives on in us when we fail to recognize the hand of God in our lives, when faith does not overcome the test of distress, and when we trust ourselves more than trust in God.

The reflection of how we live our lives outside of Mass speaks louder of how we keep our baptismal promises. It is not a heavy yoke but a joyful sacrifice of love for God. The struggle for the kingdom is because evil remains in this world seeking to ruin our souls, tempting us to deny what we believe in practice and persecuting the faithful for rejecting the teaching norms of the world. The gift of divine mercy is also the power of endurance that we will not be overcome by the world but overcome the world with mercy.

We hear, see, and experience a world filled with evil, distress, and fear of persecution and the Lord is calling us to his mercy through repentance of our sins and acts of mercy. Just this week there is an intent to remove “conscience objection on religious grounds” from medical/health practice intended to force health professionals to perform legal medical procedures such as abortion, euthanasia, body mutilation for gender change or risk losing their right to their practice of medicine and/or health care. Mercy is not about “going along to get along” or “not rock the boat” as is commonly described. Mercy is about giving testimony to the truth of the gospel by giving the warning of Jonah to Nineveh to repent while there is still time and proclaiming the mercy of God when we turn to him.

Mercy is not for the weak in faith but for the courage to stand for what we believe for the good of the other even when we know we will be rejected as Jesus was rejected. This is sharing in the distress for the kingdom with endurance. The power to endure comes from the word of Jesus “Peace be with you.” It is his peace that lives in us that can look at the world not in fear but with the love of Christ is us.

The resurrection of Jesus brings us God’s reconciliation of love. Forgiveness takes on the dimension of mercy. In forgiveness there is the cancelation of debt that “you owe me” but in mercy there is a reconciliation of love. When a child does wrong and is corrected there is a need for justice often equal to the wrong done such as “because you hit your little sister you have to say you’re sorry (seek forgiveness) and be nice to her (justice) and give her a hug and tell her you love her (mercy)”. Mercy is beyond forgiveness and restorative justice it is reconciliation of love. Are we ready to love our enemies? We pray “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive”. Divine mercy is recalling the Lord’s call to forgive is to reconcile with love.

The resurrection of Jesus brings about the great commissioning of now his apostles “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Father sent Jesus to bring his gift of mercy through forgiveness of sins and Jesus now commissions the apostles to “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This gift of mercy comes to us through the sacramental act of Reconciliation in our confession of sin to a priest to be absolved by the mercy of God. Think of the penance a priest gives in the confessional and consider the alternative of restorative justice in purgatory, which would you desire most? Fear not the confessional but believe and be healed. The mercy of God comes to us through the authority given to the priesthood to forgive sins that we may hear the words of absolution and believe.

John was told by Jesus “Do not be afraid” and Jesus told Tomas “…do not be unbelieving, but believe”. Are we a believing people unafraid to come to Jesus for mercy or simply following a religious cultural practice out of habit? This Jesus who was once crucified and died is now “alive forever and ever…and hold(s) the keys to death and the netherworld.” Let us believe in his divine mercy and be healed of our sins in confession.

Let us not be afraid of what we have seen and is happening in this world but be ready for “what will happen afterwards”. Jesus is coming for us and he makes all things new.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Pentecost – Solemnity “Jesus is Lord”

Posted on May 22, 2021May 21, 2021 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

“Jesus is Lord” is spoken by the believer as a confirmation of faith through the Holy Spirit with the grace to be proclaimed to the world. Those possessed by evil cannot make this claim for it is an anathema to Satan. “Jesus is Lord” is a proclamation of the Trinity as three persons in one God from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Just as we are to pray “In the name of Jesus” we are to proclaim “Jesus is Lord” as children of the highest God creator of all, there is no other.

Before Easter we enter into the time of Lent for forty days to fulfill the sacrifice that brings us Jesus our Lord through his passion, death, and resurrection. Now is the time to fulfill the coming of Pentecost through the nine days after Jesus ascension and fifty days after Easter. It is the coming of the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church who is to forgive and retain sins. The Church through the Holy Spirit works to discern the moral, ethical, and spiritual practices of the people of God as both an institution and through the body of Jesus our Lord. Jesus is Lord of his bride the church and all who come to receive him in the Eucharist as one body in one Spirit though many parts. It is the same Spirit.

We see in the first reading the gift of the Holy Spirit as “tongues as of fire” coming to rest on now the apostles giving them the power to speak in different languages to all gathered in Jerusalem from the ends of the “world”. This Spirit comes to us with “different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit…for some benefit.” What is our gift and are we in service of our gift “for some benefit” of God’s greater good? It is a treasure to do the labor of love.

We are to reflect on the “benefit” coming from our gifts. Who benefits? Is our life lived for simply our benefit, our treasure, our glory or are we serving someone greater than ourselves? That is the question where the answer will bring us to salvation where the only true answer is “Jesus is Lord” of my life. If Jesus is Lord of my life then we offer up ourselves as a sacrifice for the benefit God wants to deliver through us in all our encounters this day. It is in the encounter where the Lord makes his presence known beginning with the encounter in Mass and as we go forth to encounter the world.

In a world of sin, we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to raise us up with the gifts of fortitude, justice, prudence, and temperance known as the Cardinal Virtues to go into battle as the militant church on earth. After Jesus “breathes” on the disciples and ascends into heaven, they pray their “novena” that is their nine days in wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit to bring them the confirmation of their call to go forth as Apostles and proclaim the good news.

In the Charismatic movement the gift of tongues is a spiritual gift of loving God with all our hearts, minds, and souls in worship often described as “slain in the spirit”. It is the joy and fire coming to the poor in spirit who die to self to be raised in Jesus our Lord. The poor in spirit are predisposed to receive the gift by virtue of their humility. Humility is the gateway to all the spiritual gifts. Just as Jesus is the cornerstone of salvation through the church the Holy Spirit is the cornerstone of the spiritual gifts through humility in dying to self that Jesus may rise in us.

In the gospel Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection and breathes on them giving them the authority to forgive or retain sins through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a ministerial gift set aside for the church priesthood. It is not the gift of tongues but the same Spirit belonging to the one body of Christ. In our confirmation within the Church the spirit comes to us giving us the gift that will serve God for some benefit. Do we recognize our gift given to us for the benefit of a greater good? Let the fruit of our gifts be multiplied by each act of service coming from the gifts.

We are to discern the gifts of the Holy Spirit that lights our fire our joy and brings us peace. It is our calling and we are not to set it aside or we will wander in the desert in search of the promise land already waiting for us. Let us stay in the Spirit with Jesus our Lord and neither wonder nor wander but move in the Spirit for the benefit of our salvation and of the whole world. “Peace be with you…and with your Spirit” who comes to us this day announcing “Jesus is Lord”. The time has come, now is the time to enter into the Spirit and take up our gift to Jesus our Lord.

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Homily The Deacon Joe

Pentecost Sunday

Posted on May 30, 2020May 29, 2020 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 May 21, 2020May 20, 2020 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

The Presentation of the Lord

Posted on February 1, 2020January 29, 2020 by Deacon Joe

Malachi 3:1-4; Ps. 2:7-10; Heb. 2:14-18; Lk. 2:22-40

The Presentation of the Lord is a revelation to the world through Simeon a “righteous and devout” man who walks into the temple in the Spirit. Are we in the Spirit ready to receive Jesus our Lord? The manifestation of the Son of God is our calling in the Spirit. Jesus, flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.”

Jesus is brought to the temple to be consecrated to the Lord by the high priest just as we are brought to church to be consecrated to the Lord in baptism. In baptism we now share in the one body and blood of Christ as brothers and sisters. For the next thirty years nothing is written about him except “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” God does not remove his favor from us unless we like the parable of the prodigal father and son separates ourselves from his favor because we choose to leave.

Now Anna has essentially spent her life in the temple after becoming a widow. She is a prophetess meaning she too is in the Spirit finding favor with God. Simeon makes the proclamation but it is Anna’s calling to begin the evangelization by spreading the good news of this child. The Holy Family returns to Nazareth but Anna plants the seeds in Jerusalem for his coming, the king of glory “it is the Lord.” Since she was a prophetess, she had gained the trust of the people to be believed filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon her. The favor of God is upon us from our baptism and the path of wisdom is given to us if we remain in the Spirit by returning to the temple of the Lord to receive his body and blood in the Eucharist.

Both Simeon and Anna were presented with the test of faith, “is this the one?” Guided by the Spirit they were ready to respond. There is a daily test of faith we face. It is manifested in how we respond to life before us in all the moments of life, in all our encounters with other souls before us. If we respond in fear then our faith is in the power of the evil one but a response in love is faith in the presence of God to claim victory over all circumstances for a greater good.

There is also the test of suffering a universal condition of the flesh in body, mind, and spirit. The great saints speak to this darkness of the soul as wounded warriors. This is our test of the cross when we turn to Jesus on the cross and he is most present to us to be our help. Where one suffers, he suffers. We don’t keep him on the cross he accepts the cross for our sins and suffering reminding us of the sacrifice that brings the resurrection and the life. He bears our pain with us and we find the comfort of the Spirit at our side. What must we do to receive it?

Four guiding principles of wisdom. One, respond in faith to the test with love. God is love and love unites us to the power of his love and brings us healing. Two, recall our baptismal promises. This if the foundation of our faith and in proclaiming it we renew our faith and conviction rejecting all that is not of God. Three, claim by word and deed the truth from the wisdom received. Speak the word of truth in prayer and unite it to the souls of the living and the dead, to the angels and saints, to the powers and principalities, to the promises of God. Finally, claim your victory and go forth believing in the greater good which is God is with us.

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Homily

Pentecost Sunday

Posted on June 8, 2019June 7, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Acts 2: 1-11; 1Cor. 12: 3b-7, 12-13; Jn 20: 19-23

Can you say “Jesus is Lord”? I was listening to a program on ETWN with Dr. Ray. He had a guest who had been a prison guard at a maximum security prison in California. His shift was at night and finding little to do he requested to review the files of the prisoners. He noticed that many of the prisoners had histories of “Satanism”. When he went home and told his mother she warned him to be careful and said one thing they cannot repeat is “Jesus is Lord”. Given his curiosity he decided to put his mom’s statement to the test. At night he went up to a prisoner and offered him a nice meal if he would say three words. Incredulously the prisoner agreed. When he told him all he needed to do was say “Jesus is Lord” the prisoner started to attempt the words and he became possessed making evil sounds. The guard quickly closed the solid door in front of the rails that secured the prisoner. The next night he tried again with another of the prisoner and the same thing happened. Soon he found out that all these prisoners with satanic history could not mutter the words “Jesus is Lord”. “Only through the spirit can one say ‘Jesus is Lord’”.

One tragedy of this story is that one of these prisoners is the serial killer who killed one of our youth from this parish. This community has dedicated a school after and she is our goddaughter in heaven. Evil is real and we are in the battle against the “wickedness and the snares of the devil” but we have been given the greatest power to overcome evil. Where does this power lie? It is in the unity of the one body when we come together and receive of the different gifts. Jesus appears to the disciples who are gathered together and “breathed on them and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit”. When we gather together in prayer and call upon the Holy Spirit, we are given the power to go forth and face our battles with courage transformed to witness our faith in action and we will “renew the face of the earth”.

In the Old Testament you may recall how the people gathered together to build the tower of Babel. They wanted to reach the heavens by their own power. God sent them tongues of confusion that kept them from understanding each other and they were dispersed because of their pride. God is now sending down his Spirit with tongues of fire to bring back the dispersed into unity with God through his Son and the Holy Spirit that we may be one in him. They are “different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit…all baptized into the one body”.

For those who say “I believe in God but I go my own way” listen to this. Our own way is the way of pride and confusion and the evil one knows our weakness to bring us down. In an article in the National Catholic Register (NCR 06/09/2019, by P.J. Smith) it reports a growing trend of “Nones”, that is persons who claim to have no religious affiliation. The percentage is 23.1% of Americans but among Gen-Z, those between 18 and 22 years old it is 40.4% as “Nones” with 16.2% Catholic and 14.4% as evangelical. This separation from faith begins with our youth as they move away to college and find themselves apart from the unity of a church community. Gradually these believers are challenged in their faith. They stop going to church and separated from any affiliation with a group of faithful Christians the evil one finds their weakness. Slowly they move from practicing their faith, to non-practicing and end up as “Nones”.

Our power lies in unity within a community of faith that shares in the different kinds of gifts for the good of the one body of Christ we all belong to. No one person can bear all the gifts except the one from who they come but we can all share in them and in our charity and love draw from them for the greater good. Will there be martyrs along the way who will be singled out for their faith? Yes, history remind us well of all those who gave their life for their faith. They are dressed in white robes to be reminders of the one true sacrifice we all share in. God prepares a special place for them as the book of Revelations makes clear.

Having returned from Italy where thousands were sacrificed as followers of Christ, one place we celebrated Mass was at a cave in the catacombs. There are miles of tunnels and within the walls are carved out spaces where the dead were laid to rest. Within the smell of the dying the early Christians gathered to celebrate life in the breaking of the bread for they had witnessed the resurrection of Christ and believed. Along one of these walls is a mosaic dating back to the first centuries with the image of Peter and Paul. Peter husky with a big head of white hair and beard and Paul slender dark skin and long pointed dark beard. The keys of the kingdom and the spread of the gospel is given to the church in these two men and we are the inheritance of this treasure. Let us remain faithful that is a people of faith, hope, and love. “Come, Holy Spirit, come!”

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