MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

1 JANUARY 2023

 

          As we gather to celebrate the Eucharist today, we are very much aware of time.  It is on our minds that we have turned the calendar page today.  That is why so many people are celebrating in Tim’s Square.  They bid farewell to 2022 and greet the New Year, 2023.      

However, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year is not the concern of Saint Paul as he writes to the Galatians.  Saint Paul speaks of “the fullness of time.”  He refers to the birth of Jesus Christ.  In the past, the original witnesses encountered him and worshipped him as a vulnerable infant placed in a manger in Bethlehem.  On this last day of the Octave of Christmas, Saint Paul speaks to us about “the fullness of time.”  In the present, we encounter Christ in the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Saint Cyril of Alexandria says, “Jesus is placed like fodder in a manger….  By now approaching the manger, even his own table, we find no longer fodder, but the bread from heaven, which is the body of life.”  We will also encounter Christ in the future. In the Prologue of his Gospel, Saint John says that Jesus has pitched his tent with us and will continue to dwell with us throughout this New Year.

            Mary, the Mother of God, helps us to understand how we have encountered her Son in the past, how we are encountering her Son now, and how we will encounter him in this New Year.  Saint Luke tells us that after the shepherds left glorifying and praising God, “Mary kept all these things reflecting on them in her heart.”

            This is not the first time that Mary pondered or treasured or reflected on things in her heart.  It happened earlier when Gabriel shared the news that she had been chosen to bear God’s Son.  It will happen again when Joseph and Mary take the child to be consecrated in the temple.  There, they will meet Simeon and Anna, who will confirm that the child is the sign of salvation and the fulfillment of all their desires.  It will happen a third time when Joseph and Mary find their twelve-year-old son who had been lost in the temple.  Even though she may not understand why her Son felt at home in his “Father’s house,” she will keep all these things in her heart.

            Mary spent a lifetime digesting all that had happened.  She reflected on her treasured memories and perplexing moments – of angels and shepherds and old people and rabbis in the temple.  She held them up to the light to deepen her understanding.  Her reflections helped her to form her conscience and her actions.  They fueled her imagination for what God was doing.  As Mary pondered these things, she grew in the courage she would need to face whatever lay ahead for her and her Son.

            Mary invites us to ponder and reflect on our own experiences of her Son in the year that we are leaving.  If we have encountered the mercy of Jesus, then we can reflect on how we can share that mercy with those who are too hard on themselves.  If we have encountered any kind of healing from her Son, we can ponder how we can be part of the healing of the wounds of others.  If we have encountered strength in an impossible time, we can treasure how to share the light of Christ with someone dwelling in darkness and fear.  If we have experienced the correction of someone who has had the courage to confront us with love, then we can be part of the process of straightening the life of a loved one making bad choices.

            In our digital age with 24/7 instant news and communication, it is easy to make snap judgments and knee jerk reactions.  Mary can teach us how to embrace the Mystery of the Incarnation in our past, in our present, and in our future.  She teaches us how to live in “the fullness of time”, no matter what happens to us in these next 365 days that the calendar gives us.

 

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

25 DECEMBER 2022

 

            Our Scripture readings tell us of those who encountered the mystery of Christmas:  God taking on human flesh.  Joseph obeyed the message received in a dream and trusted that Mary had conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.  He obeyed the order of Caesar Augustus and traveled to Bethlehem with his pregnant wife to be counted in a census.  Shepherds in the area responded to the message given by the angels and encountered the child  born in a stable.  Astrologers from the east encountered the child and gave precious gifts.  All of these original witnesses were profoundly changed by their encounter.

            However, all of them returned to the same unchanged world after their encounter.  The Roman emperor continued his work at managing the world, completely unaware of what had happened in a backwater part of his empire.  Joseph and Mary were still under the tyrannical rule of King Herod.  The shepherds returned to a society that disregarded them.  Considered by the religious leaders of the day as equivalent with tax collectors and prostitutes, no one would trust their witness.  The magi returned to a solidly pagan world.

            We too encounter this Mystery as we gather to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.  The Mystery occurred in Bethlehem, which means “house of bread” in Hebrew.  We encounter his real presence at this Mass, as ordinary bread is transformed into the Body of Christ, and ordinary wine into his Blood.  But like those original witnesses, we return to the same world unchanged by Christmas.  The dysfunctions in our families remain to cause pain.  Our society is still bitterly divided.  Despite the presence of the Prince of Peace, the war in Ukraine rages on, along with violence and bloodshed in our streets.  We might be tempted to ask ourselves a question.  What difference does Christmas make?

            The shepherds and the magi were profoundly changed by their encounter.  We do not know what they did after they left the manger.  But we do know what Joseph and Mary did.  They took the child to the Temple and listened to Anna and Simeon, who had waited their entire lives to encounter this child.  Joseph obeyed another message in a dream and took his wife and child as migrants in a foreign country.  We can only presume that Joseph taught his stepson the trade of carpentry when they returned to Nazareth.  Mary stood with her son, even when people began turning against him.  She stood at the cross as he was cruelly executed.  After her son had been raised from the dead, she joined the apostles in the upper room for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Because of the Mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph and Mary faced the realities of daily life with the firm conviction that God was dwelling in their midst.

            The same can be true of us.  We too can be changed by our encounter with the newborn Christ.  Our encounter reminds us that God continues to dwell in our midst, no matter what happens in our daily lives.  Confident that the Lord dwells in our midst through the ongoing Mystery of the Incarnation, we gather here on Sundays to hear the Lord speak to us in his Word.  Throughout this Liturgical Year, Jesus will invite us to become more intentional disciples, as he invited the original disciples to follow him.  He feeds us with his real presence in the Eucharist.  He sends us forth to conform ourselves to his person and his message.  With his indwelling, we can be confident that we can make a difference in our world, despite the many circumstances that will remain completely out of our control.  We can also be confident that the Lord has shared in our humanity, so that we can share in his divinity.

            We have encountered him here.  As he sends us forth, may that encounter transform us to be disciples of hope in a very dark world.  Merry Christmas!

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

11 DECEMBER 2022

 

          John the Baptist is in prison.  As awful as modern prisons might be, they cannot compare with ancient prisons.  John has been lowered by ropes into a dark stone pit, sitting alone in the dark, awaiting execution.  The question sent by his disciples to ask Jesus a stunning question gives some insights about his emotional state.  He is the cousin who leapt in his mother’s womb for joy at the Visitation.  He had pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and baptized him in the Jordan River.  Now, he asks, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”  In the darkness of that cell, is he so depressed that he has lost his faith?  Is he impatient, because his cousin, the Messiah, had not delivered him from his terrible fate?  Or are his expectations of a Messiah crushed because Jesus is being compassionate instead of hurling judgments at sinners?

            Jesus does not answer his question directly.  Instead, he sends John’s disciples to tell him what they hear and see.  Blind people regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.  Unlike so many of the religious leader who are finding offense at him, John is “blessed” if he recognizes that these results of his ministry had been prophesized by the Prophet Isaiah centuries before.

            As we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s first coming at Christmas and to prepare for his second coming at the end of the world or at the end of our lives, we too can find ourselves stuck in some kind of prison.  Our prisons can take many forms.  We can be immersed in doubt when it seems that the Lord does not respond to our prayers.  We can be so paralyzed by fear that we cannot open ourselves to any encounter with Christ or other people.  We can be drowning in an uncertainty that robs us of any confidence in the faith we profess at Mass.  Confined in those prisons, we can easily ask John’s question to the Lord: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

            Jesus does not get angry with John for asking his question.  Instead, he praises him for his heroic role in taking the attention away from himself and pointing to the coming of the Messiah. Neither does he dismiss our questions.  Instead, he gives us the same answer.  He urges us to open our eyes to see the ways in which the Lord is present in our darkened and divided world.  People who have lost their spiritual sight are beginning to see, especially in many of our adult education offerings in the parish.  Some who have been separated from their families are walking back to be reunited at Christmas.  Some who have been forced to the fringes of society are being welcomed back.  Many are hearing the Word of God for the first time in this Season.  Some who have been at death’s door have recovered.  Many poor families who have received the good news that we care about them through the gifts they received from our Giving Tree.

            We call this Sunday “Gaudete Sunday,” because we are invited to rejoice and have hope, even in the midst of a very dark world.  The Letter of Saint James speaks of the importance of patience in keeping the faith.  Like a farmer who trusts the rhythms of nature to provide a harvest, we must be patient in looking for the Lord.  We encounter him not by complaining about one another, but by seeing our encounter with each other as an encounter with Christ.  Like the prophets who did not see the results of their challenging words, we do not always see the results of our good intentions or actions.  Saint James tells us to be patient.  He does not define patience as resignation.  Instead, patience is the fruit of a loving faith that is content to discover God’s gifts in the manner and the moment the Lord chooses to reveal them.  With that loving faith, we can see the ways in which the Lord comes to us now.  As disciples learning to be more patient, we can maintain our hope that the kingdom is in our midst now, but not completely yet here.  

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

4 DECEMBER 2022

 

          The Jesse Tree is all about the kingship of David, whose father was Jesse.   It is a reminder of the promise that the messiah would come from his house.  But the Prophet Isaiah is honest about the state of that tree in his time.  The kings had not been good successors of King David.  They had trusted the appearances of those who clamored for favors.  They had believed rumors and had gone to wars needlessly.  They had ignored the poor, and they could have cared less for the land’s afflicted.  They focused their energies on their own needs.

            That stately tree has become a stump, Isaiah says.  Yet, he gives hope to his people.  He says that a shoot would sprout from that stump.  God would keep his promise.  With the gifts of wisdom and understanding, the promised Messiah would have the intelligence to rule rightly.  With the gifts of council and might, he would have the practical ability to govern.  With the gifts of knowledge and fear of the Lord, he would have the piety to be the Lord’s anointed one.  The kingdom of this Messiah would usher in the peace of the Garden of Eden.  It would be a peace so profound that natural enemies will live together in absolute harmony.

            We believe that this prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  During Advent, we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas.  We prepare for his second coming at the end of time.  We believe that his first coming has ushered in the kingdom of heaven in our midst.  But non-believers scoff at that.  Where do those natural enemies of nature live in peace?  Where is that perfect harmony promised in the kingdom of heaven?  It is true.  War is raging in Europe and other areas of conflict in our world.  The Mideast continues to be in turmoil.  We see strife and division and racism and hatred in our own country.  Even within our Catholic Church, there are tensions and divisions.  Where is the absence of harm or ruin promised by Isaiah?

            That is why Advent is so important.  His kingdom is here, but not yet perfected.  The end of time will usher in the fullness and absolute peace of the kingdom of heaven.  Advent invites us to catch glimpses of that kingdom already in our midst.  We can catch a glimpse if we slow down and express gratitude for those people whom God has brought into our lives.  We can catch a glimpse of his kingdom when we can finally let go of a difficult hurt inflicted by someone we once considered a friend and confidant. We can catch a glimpse when we see the abundant fruits of this year’s Giving Tree and its impact on so many of our needy brothers and sisters.  We can catch a glimpse when we allow our children to teach us what it means to be “childlike.”   

            In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist points another way to catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of heaven in our midst.  He calls us to repent.  He wants us to acknowledge the ways in which we have turned our backs on the kingdom of heaven with our sins.  He invites us to examine the ways that we have failed to allow the kingdom to be more evident through us.  We can do that by encountering the Lord’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Come to the Advent Penance Service a week from Tuesday, or make a good Confession during the week before Christmas. 

Saint Paul says that we can maintain our hope in the presence of the kingdom of heaven and its fulfillment at the end of time by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures.  The Scriptures we hear during this Advent Season give us hope.  Encouraged by what we hear, we can repent and resolve to encounter the Lord more clearly in our daily lives and see him in our encounter with others, especially with those we do not like or with whom we disagree.  If we can make these efforts, then Christmas will be different.  It will be more than one day that will pass into our collective memory.  It will be an authentic encounter with the essence of Christmas: The Mystery of the Incarnation.  Christ truly dwells in our midst.  He will keep his promises.    

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

27 NOVEMBER 2022

 

          The opening prayer at the beginning of Mass is called the “Collect,” because the priest “collects” the individual prayers of the people of God and prays a communal prayer on behalf of all present.  Today’s Collect sets the tone for Advent: “Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming.”

            The Season of Advent focuses our attention on the Lord’s coming.  It helps us to prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas.  But it also prepares us for his second coming, either at the end of the world or at the end of our individual lives.  Jesus says that no one knows when that will happen.  That is why Saint Paul urges us to throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  The best way to prepare for the Lord’s second coming is to commit ourselves to living our baptismal promises.  If we put on the Lord Jesus and die daily to ourselves and to our selfish interests, we can conduct ourselves properly in the light of Jesus Christ.

            If we follow his advice, then we do not live in fear of death.  Instead, we embrace the challenge offered by the Prophet Isaiah.  In our very divisive time, it has become customary to deal with our enemies with swords and spears.  We are tempted to use these rhetorical weapons against those with whom we disagree.  Instead, Advent invites us to turn these weapons into tools of agriculture.  We can use plowshares to prepare our hearts for listening.  We can use pruning hooks to dismantle our prejudices and tendencies to demonize the opposing forces.

            The Collect implies that we run forth to meet our Christ.  We may be running forth like crazy getting things ready in this “holiday season.”  But, the more important part of running forth is the action we take arm ourselves with righteous deeds.  Ironically, this type of action is accomplished only through time spent in prayer.  We do not need to back away completely from the holiday activities.  Instead, we can carve out time to enter into Advent prayer.  We can participate in the Advent prayers here in church.  We can also make a commitment to Advent prayer alone and with our families in our domestic churches.      

            Please pick up one of the guides to prayer as you leave church today.  Be sure to read the mailing we have sent about renewing our commitment to the stewardship of prayer, the most important element of living stewardship as a way of life.  But now give your attention to Mike Molnar, who will speak of the ways he has embraced prayer in recovering from his life-threatening injury and is running to meet the Lord today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Molnar - St. Pius Witness Talk – November 26/27

 

When I got a call from Father Bill asking me to speak at mass, my immediate reaction was this would be out of my comfort zone.  My second thoughts were what an honor and opportunity.  Plus, it is very difficult to say no to Father Bill.

My name is Michael Molnar and I did not grow up a Catholic.  I married my wife Stephanie here at St. Pius in 2011 and through the process I got to know a lot more about Catholicism.  When our first child was baptized, I asked Father Bill to talk because I had some general questions about the Catholic Church.  I think he had been waiting for that talk … he was ready… when I got home my wife asked me how it went… I said, “I think I just signed up for RCIA.” 

On March 26, 2016, I became a Catholic.  Over the next three plus years I traveled around the world for work and when it was Sunday, I would find a Mass.  Bosnia, Thailand, Tanzania, China, to name a few countries I attended Mass at.  While there is nothing like mass at St. Pius, I was always welcomed in and found a sense of being at home. 

On July 6, 2019, my entire world got flipped upside down and my faith was put to the test.  I was involved in a bad boating accident. I had to be flown to Memorial Hospital South Bend which is a Trauma 2 level hospital.  On the way there I prayed that God protect me.  After 10 surgeries, 19 units of blood, and 3 plus years of therapy I can do most things I was doing before my accident.

I believe that a huge part of my survival and successful recovery had to do with my faith and with our community that we have here at St. Pius.  The two doctors that saved my leg… they are parishioners here.  Father Bill coming to the hospital for my first anointing lifted me up when I had doubts.  My Brothers from TMIY, many of whom I did not personally know, where praying for me and once I was able to join them, they prayed with me.  There are so many others who I did not mention, but I was told to keep it to 2 or 3 minutes, and we all appreciate how we finish mass on time at St. Pius.

Today my wife and I are blessed to have 4 children.  We are lucky to be able to send the ones who are old enough to St. Pius School.  Our first born who sparked my desire to get baptized is now in 2^nd grade preparing for her first reconciliation and first communion.  The prayers in preparation that we share together are a special time for our family.

Dedicating time to prayer is challenging at the moment.  I have a very busy house and a busy job.  Sometimes I stop at the grotto at Notre Dame to light a candle and have a few moments of silence.  Sometimes I will say “Our Father” while bouncing our newborn in the middle of the night.  Prayer right now for me, is fitting it in where I can.  

For me the annual anointing of the sick service is a time for personal reflection and prayer.  I challenge you to find a special day or service that connects personally to you.  Use it as a day of reflection and prayer. Usually, I end up with feeling the need to reach out to people who are going through life’s challenges.  To share how much faith can help in challenging times.  To put purpose to the suffering I have had to endure.

Faith and prayer are an integral part of my personal life balance.  I continue to try to grow as a husband, a father, a son, and as a Catholic man.  This church and the community we have here are blessings for me and my family.  We are so grateful.  Thank you for giving me the honor of sharing a little with you today.

 

 

 

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

20 NOVEMBER 2022

 

          According to the Second Book of Samuel, all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron, because they want him as their king.  The Kingship of Saul had just ended in disaster with his death in battle.  They come to David for three reasons.  First, they acknowledge their kinship with him.  They use the same words that Adam had used when God created Eve from his rib: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”  Second, they assert the truth that it had been David, and not Saul, who had led the Israelites out to victory and then back again.  Third, they know that God himself had chosen David to be king.  As king, David was certainly not perfect.  But he was the model king for centuries, and the faithful of Israel looked for a messiah who would to be a successor to him.

            In today’s Gospel, we encounter Jesus Christ, not reigning on a glorious throne, but dying like a common criminal on a Roman cross.  Above his head is written, “The King of the Jews.” The rulers of the people, who had demanded that Pontius Pilate condemn Jesus to death, mock him in his weakness.  In mocking him, they actually speak the truth.  He is the Savior.  He has been chosen by God as the suffering servant to save others, and not himself.  He is the Christ, the promised successor to King David. There is only one person who sees beyond the horrific appearances on Good Friday:  the criminal we know as the “good thief.”  He admits his own sinfulness and proclaims Christ’s innocence.  Instead of mocking Jesus in his weakness, he asks him to remember him when he comes into his kingdom.  He seems to understand the distinctions Jesus has made during his public ministry between his kingdom and the kingdom of this world.  In defeating death, Jesus will open the Paradise that Adam had lost through his sin.  The new Adam promises the good thief: “today you will be with me in Paradise.”

            On this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, we can ask some questions as disciples of Jesus Christ.  When we suffer on our cross, do we side with the mockers and doubt his kingship?  Or do we side with the good thief?  Do we expect him to save us by taking us off our own cross?  Or, like the good thief, do we recognize Jesus’ kingship with us in the crosses we carry?  Do we appreciate that he is bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh and has chosen to experience the trials that are part of every human life, especially the battle that all of us must face with death?  Do we see him as the good thief does in offering us life in his eternal kingdom?  Does our desire to be with him in the fullness of his kingdom override our fear of death?  Are we living and dying on a daily basis in ways that show us to be worthy of his companionship and his kingdom?

            These are tough questions to answer.  But if we are to embrace the saving reality of Christ the King, we must do what we can to respond to them.  Saint Paul gives us a direction in his letter to the Colossians.  He says that Jesus Christ was present at the creation of the world and is present in the world’s recreation through his death and resurrection.  He says that all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Jesus.  That word “fullness” is used in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish.  After feeding 5,000 people, twelve baskets of fragments were left over.  They are left over for us, who feast on the Lord’s real presence at this Mass.  The risen Jesus who died on the cross is the Lord of all creation and reigns with the fullness of grace.

            Next Sunday, we enter into Advent.  We begin a new Liturgical Year inviting us to deepen our faith in the fullness of Jesus Christ.  We begin a new season of reflecting on the kingship of Jesus Christ, visible only to eyes of faith at the crucifixion on Good Friday.

 

 

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 NOVEMBER 2022

 

          In his public ministry, Jesus forms his disciples to give testimony, so that the Gospel will be spread.  At Saint Pius, we have come to understand the power of people who are willing to testify about their faith.  When we invite parishioners to renew their commitment to one of the three legs of stewardship, we invite normal people from the parish to testify about their embrace of stewardship as a way of life.  They speak with more credibility than I can.  Those of you who have participated in a Christ Renews His Parish retreat know the importance of team members testifying about their faith.  It is this testimony that leads others to deeper faith.

            Today Jesus is at the end of his public ministry.  He stands in the temple.  The temple is one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world.  People marvel at its beauty.  But Jesus puts their awe into perspective.  He tells them that this temple will be destroyed.  He warns of deceptive leaders, alongside wars, insurrections, and natural disasters.  He warns his disciples of the personal consequences.  They will be seized and persecuted and thrown into prison.  In the face of all these difficulties, how will they be able to muster the courage to testify to their faith?

            He tells them they will testify with words, but not with their own words.  As the Word made flesh, he promises to reveal the words to them.  Faithful testimony happens by listening for divine wisdom.  He also encourages them to testify with actions, even in the midst of suffering.  He tells them that they can persevere through darkness and trust that “not a hair on your head will be destroyed.”  They must trust in God’s saving action.  Death is not the end.

            In the chapters of Luke’s Gospel after this passage, we will see Jesus’ own testimony.  He will pray for divine wisdom in his final night in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He will persevere through his own persecution, when he will be arrested, when his friends will betray and abandon him, and when the crowds will demand that he be put to death.  Jesus himself will experience the same darkness that he lays out in today’s Gospel.  His trust in the light to come will never waver.

            By the time this Gospel had been written, the Romans had destroyed the temple.  Saint Luke uses the words of Jesus about the destruction of the temple as an image for the destruction of the world at the end of time.  His disciples were persecuted, and many of them put to death.  Those early martyrs testified as Jesus had told them to do, and they persevered to eternal glory. 

            These readings can frighten us, as Jesus’ words frightened his first disciples.  As we come to the end of this Liturgical Year, Jesus tells the truth that the world as we know it will end.  Each of us must face the darkness of our own deaths, as well as the darkness of the deaths of those we love.  Each of us will experience moments of darkness in our lives that cause great pain.  In the midst of all of this, the Lord encourages us to testify to our faith.

            In two weeks, we will enter into the Season of Advent.  Advent provides a wonderful time to practice testifying to our faith in three specific ways.  First, we can listen for divine wisdom.  We can listen by setting aside 5 minutes (or more!) each day in quiet prayer.  In those five minutes, we can set aside distractions to listen to the Holy Spirit.  Second, we can light a candle.  Even a small flicker of flame can brighten these dark days and draw our awareness to Christ, the Light of the World.  Third, we can reflect on the Advent Sunday Scripture readings.  Those readings invite us to empty ourselves of our own preconceived notions and trust that God is in charge, and not us.  In particular, the words of the prophet Isaiah point to the dawning of a new and glorious day.  If we can learn to testify to our faith better during Advent, then we can better testify to Christ’s incarnate love at Christmas.

 

 

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 NOVEMBER 2022

 

          There is an expression in our English language that we sometimes use:  “It’s to die for.”  A teenage girl might be looking at one of those glamor magazines and spot a young man.  She can say to her friend, “Isn’t he good looking?  He’s to die for!”  A car specialist might be at a car show and say to a friend, “Look at that car.  I’d love to drive it.  It’s just to die for!” 

            We know that these expressions are exaggerations.  But today, the Book of Maccabees raises the question, “Just what am I willing to die for?”  This book is set in the second century before Christ’s birth.  The Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes is in control of Palestine.  He has demanded that everyone must follow all Greek customs, including the worship of Greek gods.  His forces have turned the sacred Temple in Jerusalem into a gymnasium.  They are pressuring all the descendants of Abraham to abandon their loyalty to their Jewish faith and customs.  To prove that they have abandoned their faith, the residents are required to eat pork, which is forbidden by Jewish law.  Many people give in to the demand, thinking that it would save their lives and they could continue to practice their faith quietly.

However, for this mother and her seven sons, this is a line that they cannot cross.  They refuse to eat a piece of bacon.  Because they refuse, each son is brutally tortured and murdered, along with their mother.  A couple of centuries later after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many of his disciples will be called into the public square of their towns and villages to proclaim that Caesar is lord.  Some of them will cross their fingers to save their lives.  However, those who insist on proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord will be put to death.  Centuries later during the Second World War, the German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was fearless in the face of torture and death at the hands of the Nazis.  He said to his captors, “There is nothing you have that I want, and nothing I have you can take away.”

Why have so many people over the centuries been willing to die for what they believe?  Jesus provides the answer in today’s Gospel.  The Sadducees are the Biblical fundamentalists of their day.  They know that there is no specific mention of resurrection in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible).  They do not accept later developments.  They know that the Torah allows a widow to marry her deceased husband’s brother, to carry on the continuity of the family line.  They try to trick Jesus with their ridiculous question, making fun of any belief in resurrection.  But Jesus cuts through their trick.  He affirms the reality of the resurrection by insisting that risen life is not a continuation of the same life we experience here.  As he will demonstrate after his own death and burial, risen life is life transformed in ways that we can never imagine.

It is this belief in the resurrection that has motivated so many people to be willing to die, even at the hands of persecutors and murderers.  Martyrs throughout the centuries have trusted in this part of the Paschal Mystery and have gone to their deaths confident that they would share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  At every single Mass, that life-giving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is made present as we remember it.

During November, we pray in a special way for our deceased loved ones.  We remember them to make sure that they are not forgotten.  But we also pray for them.  Death is not the end for them.  They may be purified by the fire of God’s love to be part of the Communion of Saints.  They are still part of the Church.  The readings remind us that each of us will face our own deaths.  November invites us to deepen our faith in the resurrection.  Maybe we are not being forced to make a choice about dying for our faith.  But we need to die on a daily basis to our own self-interests to share already in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

30 OCTOBER 2022

 

          Three details about Zacchaeus help us understand the power of this Gospel.  First, we know that he is short in height.  There is a reason that Saint Luke tells ss that Zacchaeus is short in height, when no Gospel provides details of the physical characteristics of Jesus Christ.  We rely on the imaginations of artists to visualize what our Savior looked like.  Perhaps Zacchaeus had been made fun of throughout his childhood and given derogatory nicknames for his stature.  He was more than likely bullied.  Could he have made a childhood vow: “one day, they will look up to me?”  He could have learned to be ruthless in the loneliness and isolation of his childhood.  He is not the first or the last whose bruised adulthood began with childhood mistreatment.

            The second detail about Zacchaeus is that he is very rich. He has gotten rich by working with the hated Roman occupation forces to rip off his own people.  Tax collectors collected taxes well above what the Romans required and kept the rest for themselves.  The local community hates him for his ruthless means of becoming rich.  Earlier in Saint Luke’s Gospel, Jesus met a rich young man who wanted to follow him.  When Jesus told him to give away his wealth, he walked away sad.  At least he was a good man who lived the commandments.  Not Zacchaeus!  He is the town’s chief sinner according to every religious, political, or polite standard. 

            The Gospel of Saint Luke warns us about the dangers of wealth for disciples.  We heard the parable of the rich farmer who dies while planning to build bigger barns to enlarge his wealth.  We heard the parable about the rich man who ends up in torment because he has ignored the plight of Lazarus.  We heard that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to be saved.  Will Jesus condemn anyone who is wealthy?

            The answer is no.  That is why the third detail about Zacchaeus is so important.  He may be embarrassing himself by climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus.  Jesus wants to see him.  Jesus had intended to pass through Jericho on his way up to Jerusalem.  When Jesus sees him, he calls him to come down and invites himself to dinner at his house.  Jesus looks at him with love, even though he knows his sins.  Zacchaeus responds and promises to give half of his wealth to the poor.  He promises to repay those he has defrauded four times over.  No matter how much the people of Jericho may hate him for the ways in which he has cheated them, Jesus sees the potential in him.  By loving him, his grace transforms him into who Zacchaeus really is:  a child of Abraham.  It is possible for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

            Last week, we pilgrims passed through Jericho, where we saw a huge sycamore tree.  Throughout our pilgrimage, we visited many sacred sites associated with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The local Catholics call the Holy Land “the fifth Gospel,” because the actual places have the power to deepen what we learn from the four Gospels.  We encountered Jesus Christ in new and unexpected ways as we traveled “the fifth Gospel.”  Through those encounters, we encountered one another in our huge group of 93 pilgrims in new ways.  That is what this encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus teaches us.  We tend to write off those whom we find offensive.  We easily dismiss the possibility that those are doing wrong can change.  As the Book of Wisdom reminds us, God creates only what is good.  We too can respond to the invitation of Jesus to come down from our sycamore tree to dine with him.  As this Eucharistic banquet, we join everyone in trusting in the transforming love of Jesus Christ that gives everyone a chance to turn more completely to him and his manner of loving.

 

 

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

16 OCTOBER 2022

 

          Jesus has a way of getting our attention.  In telling this parable, he contrasts two interesting characters to make a point.  The dishonest judge is a member of the elite.  As a judge, he should have had concern for those who are at the bottom of society.  This widow is at the bottom and among the most vulnerable, because she has no one to support her.  But the judge has no concern for her, because he neither fears God nor respects any human being.

            But the widow is persistent and relentless in pestering the judge for justice.  He finally renders a just judgment, not because he cares about her cause, but because she wears him down, torments him, and even browbeats him.  The original hearers of the parable must have smiled when Jesus says that the judge fears that this helpless widow will give him a black eye!

            Jesus uses this parable to give us an important lesson about praying.  He has just taught the disciples how to pray, giving them the Lord’s Prayer.  He has instructed them to pray for the coming of the kingdom.  In this parable, he is saying that if a dishonest judge can give a just judgment, how much more will the Father who loves us and wants the best for us give us what we need.  As he faces the reality of the cross, Jesus tells his followers not to get discouraged.  Our prayer opens our eyes to God’s kingdom, already in our midst.  We must continue to pray, even to the time when he will come again in glory and usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom.

            When we do not see the results of our persistent prayer, we can think that the Father is not listening.  We can be tempted to think that we can win over the Father to our point of view by continually bugging him in prayer and trying to make deals with him.  But, that is not the point of persistent prayer.  Persistent prayer opens our hearts to the loving care of the Father and the gift of his only Son, whose prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane will not be granted.  Jesus will leave the garden to face the horror of his shameful death.  However, he will be raised from the dead and complete the Paschal Mystery for himself and for us.  That Paschal Mystery informs and directs our persistent prayer.  The Father will not abandon us on our crosses, any more than he did not abandon his Son on his cross.

            There is another way of perceiving the Paschal Mystery in this parable.  Could it be that we are the dishonest judge?  Could it be that we get so caught up in our pursuit of our desires for wealth and honor and privilege that we no longer fear God?  Could it be that we can become so obsessed with our own needs and concerns that we ignore the needs of other human beings?  If that is true, the widow represents God, much like the woman in a previous parable resembles God.  She swept her house until she found the lost coin and invited her neighbors to celebrate her victory.  Like the vulnerable and defenseless widow, Jesus Christ took on our human nature and emptied himself of the riches of divinity.  He shows us the paradox of the Paschal Mystery.  In the Paschal Mystery, he provides strength in weakness and life through death.  Like the widow, he relentlessly pursues us to turn our attention away from ourselves and our narrow concerns to recognize his kingdom already in our midst.

            We have structured this “Year of Encounter” in such a way to provide a variety of new efforts to encounter the Lord in our daily lives, especially in the Sacramental life of the Church.  In encountering the Lord, we open our eyes to the many ways we encounter him in each other, especially in the needy, the vulnerable, and those pushed to the edges of our society.  This encounter will occur when we pray persistently and faithfully, even when we do not see an apparent answer to our prayers.  In our persistent prayer, we increase our trust in God’s unconditional love.  We must make sure that the Lord finds faith when he comes again.

 

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

9 OCTOBER 2022

 

          Naaman is a very important and powerful Syrian general.  But he is also afflicted with leprosy, a skin disease that causes terrible physical pain and the destruction of his body.  This contagious and incurable skin disease also separates Naaman from his community.  One of his Jewish slaves tells him about a prophet in her homeland known for healing people.  Naaman travels to Israel and meets Elisha, the prophet.  Elisha tells him to plunge himself seven times in the waters of the Jordan River.  Naaman is insulted, because the rivers in Syria are much more impressive than the Jordan.  But he humbles himself and does what Elisha tells him to do.  After emerging from the Jordan completely healed, he wants to give Elisha a gift.  But Elisha refuses, because he has been the Lord’s instrument in a grace-filled healing that is freely given.  Instead, Naaman takes two mule-loads of earth back with him to Syria.  He will give thanks to the God of Israel, and not to the local pagan gods he had previously worshipped.

            The ten people who encounter Jesus in today’s Gospel are afflicted with the same painful and isolating skin disease.  They recognize the power of Jesus and call him by name.  They beg him to have pity (mercy) on them, using the same Greek word that we pray during the Penitential Act in Advent and Lent.  He tells them to go and show themselves to the priests, because only a priest can verify an authentic healing and return lepers to their rightful place in the community.  On their way, they are all healed.

            Only one returns to fall at the feet of Jesus in humility to thank him.  He is a hated Samaritan who has nothing in common with the other nine Jews.  Jesus asks where are the other nine.  We do not know.  We tend to think negatively of the nine who do not return to give thanks.  However, before we pass judgment, we might consider different reasons for not returning to give thanks.  Maybe one of them is a literalist with a narrow focus on obeying Jesus’ instruction to show himself to a priest.  It could be that another is keeping a vow to immediately give himself in humble service to the poor if he is healed.  Perhaps another is so overwhelmed with joy that he simply forgets.  The others might be thinking of nothing else other than running back home to accept the welcome embraces of family members and neighbors.

            In both the first reading and the Gospel, those who return to give thanks are foreigners – Naaman the Syrian and the Samaritan.  In humbling themselves to express their gratitude, each one experiences a much deeper healing.  Both are healed of bigotry, racism, national pride, and self-righteousness.  The Samaritan in particular displays an overwhelming desire to continue a relationship with Jesus Christ, the same relationship Saint Paul describes to Timothy and recommends to us.

            We gather every Sunday to express our gratitude for all that has been given to us when we celebrate the Eucharist (a Greek word which means “to give thanks.”)  But this communal expression of thanksgiving can become routine.  I became aware of my own tendency to experience the Mass as routine during the Easter Season earlier this year.  I watched as those who had received the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil came to Mass overwhelmed by our parish fellowship.  They wept when they sang the hymns.  They received the Eucharist with amazement and awe.  They eagerly heard the Scriptures.  They reminded me that I can take these mysteries too lightly.  They restored my sense of wonder at the presence of Christ in the Sacraments.

            At this Eucharist, we humble ourselves to thank the Lord for everything he has given us, especially for his self-giving sacrifice made present here as we remember it.  We listen to the Lord inviting us to encounter him more deeply and to know the deeper healing of the Samaritan. 

 

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

2 OCTOBER 2022

 

          We have been hearing from Saint Luke’s Gospel these past Sundays. Jesus has been telling parables to teach us how to be disciples.  His parable of the unjust steward teaches us to be resourceful.  But we must avoid causing scandal.  We cannot become moral stumbling blocks that cause others to sin.  Disciples must be willing to forgive.  The older brother of the prodigal son refused to forgive his brother.  We must forgive when there is evidence of true repentance.  We cannot limit the times to forgive repentant sinners who have done us harm.

            The Apostles seem overwhelmed with these demands.  They wonder how they can remain authentic disciples of such a demanding Master.  So, they ask the Lord to increase their faith.  His response is interesting.  He assures them that if they have the faith the size of a mustard seed, they could say to the mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey them.  If their faith is the size of this tiniest seed, they could uproot a tree with deep roots in the soil to have it survive in water.  In other words, they can trust that God will allow them to accomplish seemingly impossible things if they have just a little faith.

            The Lord is giving us, his disciples today, the same message.  We can easily become discouraged.  Like the Prophet Habakkuk, we can ask God why there is so much violence and strife and discord in our culture today.  Like Timothy, we may want to give up when we do not see many results from our efforts to make a difference in our world.  Saint Paul reminds Timothy that the Lord has not given him a spirit of cowardice.  Neither has he given that spirit to us.  He has given us the spirit of power and love and self-control.  We use these gifts when we have the humility to see that we are not in charge.  We are humble servants trying to use even the smallest amount of our faith to make a difference in our world by encountering and living the Gospel.

            We are like those servants who return from plowing.  We plow when we make efforts to evangelize our world.  Evangelizing can be as simple as encouraging someone who is not doing well or showing respect to someone who disagrees with us.  It can be as difficult as forgiving a past hurt and letting go of the hatred and bitterness caused by unjust behavior.  We tend sheep as priests and staff members in doing our best to serve the needs of our parishioners in guiding them to encounter the Lord in each other.  We do not embrace these tasks to get a reward or be recognized for outstanding achievements.  We move beyond our comfort zones because we are disciples of Jesus Christ, humble servants of the Gospel.

            The month of October gives us many opportunities to be humble servants who promote a culture of life in a culture that has so many other priorities.  The parish Respect Life Ministry provides information on our website and in the bulletin.  Many parishioners give a generous portion of their time to the organizations and ministries that make the culture of life more visible in our community.  Please take time to read that information.  Better yet, visit the Respect Life display in the Parish Life Center to make a commitment to join fellow parishioners in this effort.  There are ways we can walk with moms who are experiencing difficult pregnancies.  We can learn how to be more supportive of those who are dealing with any kind of disability.  We can participate in the parish ministries to those who are homebound or in nursing homes.  With a little faith and a great deal of humility, we can make a difference in a world.  With faith, we can recognize the Lord’s gift of power and love and self-control.  We can promote the sacredness of human life, made in the image of God.   

 

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

25 SEPTEMBER 2022

 

          This is the only parable in which Jesus names someone: Lazarus, which means “God helps.”  But, could there be a person less “helped” than this beggar?  He sits outside the gate of a rich man’s house, hoping for the scraps thrown away after the rich man’s meal.  In the ancient world, diners do not use napkins.  Instead, they wipe their faces and hands with pieces of cheap bread.  Lazarus does not even get a napkin.  In addition to being hungry, he is covered with sores.  Dogs come to lick his sores. These are gentle house pets who come to comfort him.  Dogs are scavengers on four legs, and they circle over his body as he loses strength.  They are waiting to finish him off for good.  The rich man has a proper funeral when he dies.  There is no funeral for Lazarus.  The implication is that the dogs offer his body a final indignity.

            The truth is that God does help this poor beggar.  He has given the rich man more than he can ever need.  But the rich man ignores Lazarus and neglects to share anything with him, even the napkins.  Now in eternity, the gate continues to separate him and the beggar.  Their roles are reversed.  Saint John Chrysostom puts these words in the mouth of father Abraham: “When you were living in your wealth, when you were free to see at your own will, you did not choose to see him.  Why do you have such keen sight now?  Was he not at your gate?  How could you avoid seeing him?  When he was near you did not see him; and now do you see him from a distance, even across such a chasm? … The man whom you passed by a thousand times, whom you did not want to see – now do you seek to have him sent to you for your salvation?’  The rich man had not listened to the Scriptures about God’s love for the poor.  He remains unrepentant and wants to order Lazarus around.  His brothers have the same Scriptures.

            We have those same scriptures that speak of God’s love for the poor.  We also have the one who humbled himself to become poor and has risen from the dead.  He speaks to us today through the Gospel of Saint Luke.  He tells us, his disciples, about the place of wealth in our lives.  He does not condemn wealth in today’s parable.  Wealth is a blessing from God.  But he makes it very clear that we cannot hoard our wealth and use it to enrich ourselves only.  We must be mindful of the poor and the needs of others.  We must recognize Lazarus lying at our gate.

            The problem in this age of mass communication is that we see Lazarus every day.  We can be overwhelmed by the needs of the poor and feel that we cannot make a difference.  That is why our Saint Vincent de Paul Society uses the food we bring each month to distribute to those who need it.  They invest the funds we donate to reach out to Lazarus in our day.  That is why our parish tithes 5% of our income to Saint Adalbert and sets aside another 3 ½ % for those who ask our help.  That is why we are mindful of Fr. Larry’s Parish in Uganda and will respond to Father’s Arthur’s plea for help for his work in Uganda next month.  That is why so many of you have chosen your own special charities so that God can help through you.

            Saint John Chrysostom puts our wealth into perspective.  Father Abraham asks the rich man: “And where are your cup bearers?  Where are your flatterers?  Where is your vanity?  Where is your presumption?  Where is your buried gold?  Where are your moth-eaten garments?  Where is the silver which you valued so highly?  Where are your ostentations and your luxury?  They were leaves – winter seized them, and they were all withered up.  They were a dream – and when day came, the dream departed.  They were a shadow – the truth came, and the shadow fled away.”  Saint John Chrysostom challenges us to invest our wealth wisely.  He reminds us that we need to recognize the needs of others and share our blessings with them.  We cannot take our wealth with us when we die.  Our kindness to the poor lives on forever.

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

18 SEPTEMBER 2022

 

          All of the parables of Jesus have surprises and unexpected turns to get our attention.  However, today’s parable not only gets our attention.  It baffles us!  Is Jesus encouraging us to be dishonest?  Is he telling us that it is acceptable to cheat our employers?

            No, he is not.  If we understand the historical context of this parable, it makes more sense.  The rich man more than likely pays barely subsistence wages to peasants, slavers, and sharecroppers to do the hard work.  They resent his lavish lifestyle living in poverty. His steward is in charge of the daily operation and probably keeps a bit of the produce here and there for himself.  When the rich man returns from a journey, he discovers the actions of his steward and demands an accounting.  The steward is very shrewd and reduces the debts owed to his master.  When the rich man returns, the debtors do not welcome him with resentment.  They are glad to see him and are grateful for the breaks they have received.  The rich man commends the steward for his practical wisdom.

            Jesus addresses this parable to us.  It helps us understand how disciples should handle wealth.  God is the rich man in the parable who does not throw the dishonest steward in jail.  Instead, God gives mercy.  The parable reminds us that everything we have is a gift from God.  We are stewards of those gifts.  We need to use them not just to enrich ourselves, but to focus on what is most important – the gift of salvation offered by the Lord to us.

            It is in this spirit that Bishop Rhoades asks us to consider giving a portion of our sacrificial gift to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal.  Our gifts to the Appeal help to provide services to many who are in need in our Diocese.  They support our ministries as a parish.  Please give your attention to the Appeal Video, to allow Bishop Rhoades to speak for himself. 

  

 

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

11 SEPTEMBER 2022

 

          As Moses communes with God on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights, the Israelites have become anxious and worried.  Has God forgotten us?  Has Moses abandoned us?  Are we stuck in this Sinai wilderness to never reach the Promised Land?  In response, the people give their jewelry to Aaron, who fashions a golden calf in the divine image.  In the apparent absence of God, they can see and touch and worship.  God sees this as infidelity and becomes angry.

            The Book of Exodus gives us an insight into the remarkable relationship between God and Moses.  God offers to allow his wrath to blaze up and consume them.  Then, God will make of Moses a great nation.  However, Moses has the courage to remind God of his promise to their ancestors.  “Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self….”  Moses becomes a mediator for his people.  He tells the Lord, “You would look pretty silly going back on your promises.” In using the word “remember,” he is appealing to God’s very nature.  God has not forgotten them.  On their part, the Israelites need to remember who God is and who they are.  They need God, even when God seems distant to them.

            In our journey to the new and eternal Jerusalem, we can find ourselves in a wilderness.  When life gets difficult, we do not pitch in all our jewelry to fashion a calf.  Like the ancient Israelites, we want real assurances that God has not forgotten us.  We want something tangible, something we can see or touch, when we are weary or disillusioned.  We want our leaders to be nearby to lead us, and not up on some mountain communing with God.  There are times when we want God to intervene directly to get us through whatever wilderness in which we find ourselves.

            That is why Jesus tells these three parables.  The Lord wants us to remember that he seeks us out when we are lost, like the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep, or like the woman who searches diligently for the lost coin, or like the father who never gives up on a son who had considered him dead.  While we may sometimes feel that we are alone in a particular wilderness, the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin remind us that the Lord is always near and always remembers us, even when we feel abandoned.  Like the son in the third parable, we sometimes make some very bad choices and wander away from our Father who loves us and from others who care about us.  We often call this the “parable of the prodigal son.”  The son is prodigal, in the sense that he makes outrageous demands of his father, considering him dead.  But it is the father who is also prodigal, because he makes the outrageous choice to give his son what is not his.  He is outrageous in his desire to watch for his son’s return.  He is outrageous when his son comes to his senses and then receives him back fully as his son.  

            Jesus addresses these parables to the Pharisees and scribes, who have been critical of his practice of welcoming sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes and eating with them.  He addresses these parables to us, especially when we think that the Lord has not remembered us.  He wants to share his joy when we who are lost have been found.  As a confessor, I am humbled when I become an instrument of the Father’s prodigal mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and when I give the Apostolic Pardon to a dying person who has been away from the Church for a long time.  Jesus continues to eat with us sinners at this Eucharist.  No matter how lost we may be, or how much we might have thought that he has not remembered us, he seeks us out to share his great joy when he finds us.