FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

          The Book of Genesis is about beginnings.  In the very first verse, God breaks through the chaos and imparts order by creating the world and making everything very good.  Beginning with the sin of Adam and Eve, human sin affects the goodness of creation and introduces chaos into the beauty of God’s creation.  That chaos culminates with the destruction of the world through the flood.  As we heard in the first reading, God uses the chaos of the flood to wash away sin and recreates everything.  He enters into a covenant, promising a faithful love that will ultimately defeat chaos with order and beauty.

            The Gospel of Mark is also about beginnings.  Jesus begins his public ministry when he emerges from the waters of baptism in the Jordan River, with the Holy Spirit hovering over him and the voice proclaiming that he is God’s Beloved Son.  Immediately, that same Spirit drives Jesus into the chaos of the desert.  It was in that desert that his ancestors had been tested about their identity as God’s Chosen People.  Time and time again, they failed the test.  Jesus is also tested by the devil, who specializes in chaos, in tearing things apart.  Even in the midst of wild beasts, Jesus remains faithful to his true identity and mission.  He emerges from that place of testing to proclaim the Gospel of God.  He will continue to battle the forces of the devil and all who thrive on chaos, until he finally defeats them with his death on the cross.

            The Letter of Saint Peter uses the flood to help us understand our baptism.  Just as the flood washed away the chaos that resulted from sin, so the waters of baptism washed away our sins and made us one with Christ.  That is why the Elect (those preparing for Baptism) are so important in Lent.  As Jesus was tested in his forty day stay in the desert, so our Elect will be tested in this forty day season of Lent, as they prepare for the waters of baptism to wash away their sins and as they emerge one with Christ.  During this season, most of the Rites of the Christian Initiation of Adults will focus on them, as we take them through the three Scrutinies and present the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed to them.  We will also anoint them with the Oil of the Catechumens to strengthen them in their battle with the evil one, just as angels ministered to Jesus in the desert.

            We who are baptized pray for them.  As we walk with them to the waters of baptism at the Easter Vigil, we humbly admit that we have not always kept our baptismal promises.  Having been saved from the chaos of the evil one, we have made choices which introduce new chaos into our lives, affecting ourselves and those around us.  We use these forty days to do penance – through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  We embrace these disciplines so that we can draw near more closely to the Lord Jesus, who has already won the victory for us.  Even though our Lenten penances can become like wild beasts sometimes, threatening to tear us apart, we can keep our eyes open to those angels who will minister to us and sustain us.

            This Season of Lent has the potential to bring us closer to Christ as individuals.  The Lord’s merciful love restores order, no matter how many times our bad choices cause chaos.  But, we are not alone in Lent.  The Letter of Saint Peter reminds us that the ark became the safe haven for Noah, his family, and all the animals, carrying them through the chaos of the flood.  We also have an ark.  We often refer to the Church as the “Bark of Peter,” carrying us through the chaos of this world.  The Letter of Peter reminds us that we are secure remaining in the Church, in that ark.  There is no doubt that there is incredible chaos in our world, over which we have not control.  As we allow Christ to help us deal with the chaos of our individual lives, we trust that he will remain with us all in the ark that is his Church.

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

          The laws in the Book of Leviticus seem very harsh to our 21^st century ears.  When anyone had any kind of skin disease that “appears to be the sore of leprosy,” that person was banned from the community.  Not only did the person suffer terrible physical pain, but also banishment from family, friends, and any kind of a supportive community.  As tough as it was for the individual, the real concern was for the common good, the health of the community.  In a pre scientific age that had no cures for skin diseases, excluding the contagious people was the only way to prevent the destruction of the fabric of a closely knit society.

            In our culture, the opposite dynamic is true.  We so value the rights and freedom of the individual that we sometimes do not consider how our behaviors affect the common good.  In our families, having it my own way can have negative effects on the rest of the family.  We can become seduced by the message of consumerism so much that we do not see how our greed for things we do not need affect the poor.  We can be tempted to become consumers of the good things of our parish and give no thought to those stewards who can burn themselves out by doing all the heavy lifting.  We engage in gossip and slander without giving a thought to the damage done to the reputations of those around us.  There are many examples of making decisions without giving any thought to their impact on the common good.

            That is why we need the Season of Lent.  Lent invites us to take a good look at our lives and examine how our choices have harmed the common good, whether in our families, in our local society, or in our parish.  Lent invites us to take an honest look at the ways in which we have become lepers and separated ourselves from or damaged the communities in which we live. 

            All of us are sinners.  All of us have known the shame which comes from making bad choices.  Like the leper in today's Gospel, we have learned that we can bring our blemishes to the Lord without being condemned.  He reaches out, touches us, and reconciles us to the community damaged by our sinful choices.  He can also heal those smaller, sometimes habitual actions which tear apart at the fabric of the societies in which we live.

            Once we acknowledge how we have made ourselves lepers, the disciplines of Lent have the power to bring us closer to the Lord, whose sacrifice reconciles us to the Father and to each other.  Please take home your packet and resolve to enter into some meaningful form of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  In particular, pay attention to the suggestions for renewing our stewardship of prayer.  It is that aspect of stewardship that is most critical, because prayer not only reveals the ways in which we have made ourselves lepers, but it also reminds us that everything is a gift from God who reconciles us. 

            You would expect me to talk about the importance of prayer.  That's my job.  Please direct your attention to Mary Colbert, who will speak about the place of prayer in her life.

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

FEBRUARY 8, 2015

          Today we hear Job crying out in pain, because he does not understand why he is suffering so much.  He has lost everything – his possessions, his entire family, and even his health.  His wife has abandoned him, telling him to curse God and die.  His “friends” try to comfort him, but only make things worse.  Convinced that suffering is the direct punishment from God for sin, they try to talk Job into confessing that he is a terrible sinner.  Their narrow perspective and easy solutions cause him more doubt and discouragement.  Throughout the entire Book, Job continues to ask God why he is suffering so much.  However, no matter how much Job complains and asks questions, he never loses faith.  In the end, God poses a series of rhetorical questions asking Job if he understands the good things of life which he has taken for granted.  When he answers “no,” God responds that suffering is also a mystery, something we can never understand.

            In the Gospel today, many people who share the sufferings of Job seek out Jesus.  In response, Jesus shows compassion, heals some of them, and drives demons out of others.  Jesus does not explain the mystery of human suffering.  Throughout the New Testament, he does not provide any further explanation than did the Book of Job.  Instead, he embraced our human condition in every way except for sin.  In the course of his ministry, he endured the pain of criticism and rejection.  Eventually, he would suffer greatly and enter into a terrible death.  As the Eternal Word of God, he would show that suffering can be redemptive.  By his suffering, we are redeemed and freed from the grip of sin, the devil, and death.  When we find ourselves in Job's shoes, we can place our suffering within the suffering of Jesus Christ and trust that our suffering can also have a transforming power, especially in ways we would never expect.

            When Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law, he gives some insights into how this mystery affects us.  She is sick with a fever, which not only causes physical pain, but which also isolates her from the community.  Jesus touches her and raises her up, just as the Father would raise him up from the dead.  Not only is the pain gone.  But she is also restored to her family and friends.   Having recognized the Lord's saving power, she waits on them.  Saint Mark uses those words to speak of official ministry in the Church.  She provides an example of a proper response to the healing power of Jesus Christ.  Those who have experienced that saving power respond by giving themselves in humble service to the Body of Christ, the Church.

            Suffering is a part of the human condition, and faith in God does not protect us from suffering.  If anything, faithfulness to the Gospel can open us to more intense suffering.  Jesus does not give us easy answers when suffering invades our lives, causes great pain, and separates us from family and friends.  But we encounter Jesus Christ in the Sacramental life of the Church, just as surely as Peter's mother-in-law did.  He washes away our sins in the waters of Baptism and strengthens us through Sacrament of Confirmation.  He heals us with his mercy when we fail to live our baptismal promises, restores us to the community of family and friends, and heals us in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  He strengthens us to live our permanent commitments in the Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders.

            Once we become aware of his healing actions in our lives, we respond as Peter's mother-in-law did.  We give ourselves in humble service to the community.  That humble service allows us to show the same compassion which Christ has shown us.  That humble service renews our faith that he will raise us up with him in the Mystery of the Resurrection.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

          In the first sentence of his Gospel, Saint Mark lets us in on a great truth:  Jesus is God’s Son!  He writes the rest of his Gospel showing us how people respond when Jesus reveals that truth to them.  Today, Jesus enters a sacred space (the synagogue) on a sacred day (the Sabbath) and teaches.  We are not told what he teaches, but how he teaches.  Jesus teaches as one having authority.  There is no need for him to quote experts of the law and prophets, as the scribes would teach.  He is the prophet promised from the time of Moses.

            However, the unclean spirit knows exactly who he is – the Holy One of God.  The evil spirit knows his mission – he will destroy the power of evil.  In fact, the means of his destroying the power of evil is established already in this early part of Mark’s Gospel.  Jesus has invaded the sacred space of the scribes.  He has identified himself as Lord of the Sabbath.  Eventually, those who claim these sacred spaces as their own will have Jesus executed.  His death on the cross will be the final defeat of the power of sin and evil.  It will be at the side of the cross that the Roman soldier will say the same thing we already know:  Truly this is the Son of God!

            It is significant that the mission of Jesus begins to take shape in a synagogue.  In the ancient world, synagogues were places where people worshipped and were taught.  These two realities are exactly what we are addressing in our capital campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New.”  We need a bigger beautiful church for worship.  We need more space in our facilities for teaching.  Our physical buildings (our synagogue) provide opportunities for people to encounter Jesus Christ and come to know him as God’s Only Begotten Son.  In the course of the year in which we have been running our campaign, we have raised 11.7 million dollars in gifts and pledges.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I thank God for what he is doing through you to ensure that our “synagogue” will provide worship to God and service through the parish community for many years.  Be sure to join us after Mass for the second annual “We are Saint Pius” celebration in the auxiliary gym.  What has happened is nothing short of remarkable.

            As much as we need to express gratitude and celebrate, we cannot rest on our laurels.  We are involved in a marathon, not a sprint.  As we prepare for Bishop Rhoades to preside over our ground breaking for the new church on April 19, we cannot forget our educational needs.  We cannot forget what remains to be funded after this first phase is completed in two years.  We need adequate space for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  We need a multipurpose room for a school cafeteria, and youth ministry, and after school care.  With those needs taken care of, we can use the gyms for athletic events, and grade school students won’t be practicing after they should be in bed.  We also need more bathrooms, classrooms, and space for all day preschool. 

            When Saint Paul wrote this passage to the Corinthians, he was responding to a question they had asked of him.  In the midst of a pagan culture that regarded the body simply as a container for the soul, most members of Corinth did what they wanted with their bodies.  Saint Paul responds to the question asked by the Christian community from the perspective of the second coming of Jesus Christ.  He urges believers not to have divided loyalties.  To those who are unmarried, he encourages them to focus on the Lord.  To those who are married, he affirms the sacred bond of marriage and the mutual love given to each other.  He urges the community to be a beacon in a darkened and confused world.  That is our task.  We can continue to be a beacon of hope in a darkened world.  We will worship the Lord in a beautiful church and learn the ways of the Gospel in a more adequate Education Center.  As living stones, we too can be a beacon of hope, celebrating the victory of Christ over evil, and living that mystery for years to come.

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

25 JANUARY 2015

            In hearing from Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, it might seem like he is an alarmist, trying to frighten his listeners into behaving themselves.  He seems to be saying that the end of the world is near.  But, in fact, Saint Paul is making a practical application to the Gospel we just heard from Saint Mark.  He believes what Jesus is saying, that he proclaims the Gospel of God.  The Greek word for Gospel means “Good News.”  Not only does Jesus speak the good news that the time of fulfillment is near.  He is the Good News, the Incarnate Word of God who ushers in the Kingdom of God.

            When Saint Paul encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he understood that the Kingdom of God was not some vague place in the distant future.  Jesus Christ had transformed his life and the way in which he looked at reality.  Like Peter and Andrew, James and John, Paul completely abandoned his old way of living and saw everything from the perspective of his relationship with Jesus Christ.  His advice to the Corinthians applies equally to us.  We have encountered the Lord Jesus on the day we were baptized.  Saint Paul advises us to view reality from the perspective of that relationship.  In living the reality of the Kingdom of God, we can recognize the Lord Jesus in whatever situation we find ourselves in, whether we are married or celibate, rejoicing or weeping, buying or not owning, using the world fully or not.

            As the two sets of brothers learned more about the Good News of Jesus Christ in following him over the next three years, they also came to understand that the Good News of the Kingdom would sometimes involve some very bad news.  They would learn about betrayal, suffering, and the death of the Lord on the cross.  But in the midst of all that bad news, they learned to see reality through the experience of the death of the Lord and embrace the incredibly good news of the Resurrection.  Like Saint Paul, they would learn to persevere in faith both in the good times and in the bad.

            I was thinking of Saint Paul’s advice last week.  My time away on my annual skiing trip was great.  Through the generosity of friends, we rent a condo at a reduced rate.  We ski for five hours every day, enjoying the fresh air, the views, and the physical challenges of skiing.  Despite my best efforts, I failed again this year to do bodily harm to myself.  And yet, the world of skiing can totally ignore the reality of the Kingdom of God.  Everything is geared to the pleasure of the moment, to the best conditions, and the best ski runs.  Having developed a pattern of reading the obituaries in the South Bend Tribune, I read the obituaries in the Vail Daily.  Not once was there any mention of a funeral liturgy.  Every service was listed as a “celebration of life,” indicating that nothing else exists except for the past life of the deceased.

            Like the two sets of brothers and Saint Paul, we are invited to abandon whatever does not last and focus our vision from the perspective of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  In the midst of God’s Kingdom, we experience good times, bad times, and very difficult moments when the cross of Jesus Christ dominates our lives.  As much as I love the sport of skiing, I have learned that the friendships we have made over the years are what really matter.  Graced by these friendships, I return to my day job with renewed energy.  That energy is present for each and every one of us, as we learn to embrace our relationship with Jesus Christ and view our lives from that perspective.  The time of fulfillment in now, and the Kingdom of God is in our midst.  

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

11 JANUARY 2015

          In the ancient world, a person's identity was determined by membership in a family.  When Jesus leaves his family in Nazareth, he in effect sacrifices his identity.  However, he does not go to the Temple in Jerusalem to establish his true identity.  He goes to the wilderness, to the periphery where God had created a Chosen People from a group of escaping slaves.  In

accepting the baptism of John the Baptist, he allows his Father to confirm his true identity and membership in God's family:  "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased."  With his identity as God's beloved Son clearly established, Jesus leaves the wilderness and goes to the places where people dwell to overturn their expectations of the identity of the Messiah.  Filled with the Spirit, he sets out to win the ultimate battle over Satan, sin, and death.

            All of us have received our identities from the families of our origins.  But, it was on the day of our baptism that we received our true identity as members of the Body of Christ.  On that day, our identity was firmly established in Jesus Christ.  Although some of us may remember that day as children, or teens, or adults, most of us were baptized as infants.  More often than not, Catholics do not know the date of their baptism until they are required to obtain  a recent copy of their baptismal certificate for the Sacrament of Marriage.

            After infants are baptized, we smear Sacred Chrism on their heads.  The word Chrism comes from the Greek word, Christos, meaning the anointed one.  The Chrism speaks of our new identity as priests, prophets, and kings, the titles identified with Christ, the anointed one of Isaiah.  As we conclude the Christmas Season today, we recall the identity we received on the day we became one with Christ in baptism.  Reflecting on our identity as priests, prophets, and kings can cause us to make some significant resolutions in this New Year.

            We all share a common priesthood through Baptism.  Father Terry and I have been ordained into a ministerial priesthood, charged to offer sacrifice and to pray as mediators.  As priests, all baptized people are called to offer sacrifice and pray.  All baptized people are called to make sacrifices, putting ourselves in humble service of others.  In this New Year, we might ask ourselves whether we spend enough time in prayer, praying with and for our parish families and our human families.  Our ultimate prayer occurs here, when we become full, active, and conscious participants at this Eucharist.

            Prophets are people who speak for God.  Throughout the Old Testament and culminating in John the Baptist, prophets spoke the truth, whether it was convenient or not.  All too often, authentic prophets got into trouble for speaking the truth.  How courageous are we in speaking the truth about our faith?  We do not need to wear our faith on our sleeves.  But, we can be a bit more courageous in speaking up for the truth and let people know through our actions that we are Catholics, and that our faith means something to us.  We can make even greater strides when we resolve to avoid the gossip and slander that tear apart the fabric of truth.

            Kings were in charge of managing things.  In this New Year, we can ask ourselves how well we are doing as managers.  Parents in particular are called to manage their households with a loving firmness.  In a culture where we are pulled in a thousand directions, we are called to manage our daily schedule in a way that puts proper priorities to the time allotted to us. 

            Jesus Christ, God's faithful servant and God's Anointed One, is the perfect and ultimate priest, prophet, and king.  During this Christmas Season, we have reflected on the Mystery of his dwelling in our midst.  This New Year gives us a wonderful opportunity to make that Mystery more evident, by living our Baptismal promises as priests, prophets, and kings.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

4 JANUARY 2015

            The magi used their own human reason and the science of astrology to search for the newborn King.  Imagine if they had today's technology.  After checking out a variety of philosophies and spiritual exercises, they would have connected their GPS system onto the backs of their camels and began their journey.  Once the GPS had guided them into Jerusalem, it would have told them:  "turn right at the next intersection, and then take the 3rd exit on the roundabout.  Herod's Palace is the second palace on your left."  And then they would have lost their signal, because the latest technology and a variety of spiritual practices could only lead them so far.  Even King Herod, with his massive ego and insecurities, knew that.  He had to turn to the chief priests and the scribes for directions.  They knew that God had continually revealed himself through the Scriptures.  So, they quoted the prophet Micah and told the magi to go to Bethlehem. 

            Many people in our own day are honestly seeking for the truth.  A recent poll reported that there is a large percentage of Americans today who consider themselves "spiritual," but not "religious."  I have sensed this in our own parish.  Many young people are honestly searching for the truth, exploring many different paths and looking at a variety of philosophies or spiritual practices to find God.  At a certain level, there is nothing wrong with this searching.  But in itself, this searching only goes so far.  This human searching looks for a God who will fit into comfortable categories and preconceived notions of who God is.

            We gather here today, because we have learned that our spiritual searching can only lead us so far.  That is what the Magi learned.  In their search for God, they found the One who had been searching for them.  We know the truth about the Incarnate Word of God, lying as a tiny child in a manger, through the gifts given by the Magi.  The gold speaks of his being the King of kings.  The frankincense reveals that he is God.  The myrrh points to his role as Suffering Servant.  He is born, so that he will eventually die, have his dead body anointed with myrrh, and be raised from the dead to share that rising with us.

            An ancient legend gives names and ages to the three magi.  Caspar was very young.  Balthazar was middle-aged.  Melchior was a senior citizen.  When they arrived at Bethlehem, each entered one at a time.  Melchior met an old man his age, and they spoke of memory and gratitude.  Balthazar encountered a middle-aged teacher, and they spoke passionately of leadership and responsibility.  Caspar met a young prophet, and they talked about reform and promise.  After that, they entered together to meet an infant with his mother.  They began to understand that the Savior speaks to each of us at every stage of life.  The elderly hear the call to integrity and wisdom.  The middle-aged hear the call to generosity and responsibility.  The young hear the call to authenticity and intimacy.

            That is why we gather in this church every Sunday to practice our religion.  We hear the Word of God speaking to each of us in our own specific situations, much as the Lord Jesus spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus and revealed the mystery to him.  We encounter his real presence in the Eucharist, much as the magi encountered him when they entered that stable.  We continue to reflect on the mysterious ways in which the Lord dwells in our midst.  We leave this church changed by our encounter with the Lord, just as the magi took another route home, signifying that their encounter with the newborn King changed their lives forever.  As we reflect on the mystery of the Word Made Flesh dwelling in our midst and practice our religion, we too can be a light to the nations, giving direction to those who pursue their spiritual searching.  The Lord can use us as instruments, guiding honest seekers to the truth which we explore.