Sunday, July 9, 2017

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
9 JULY 2017

          To understand the words of Jesus in today’ Gospel, we need to consider the context. In this part of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has been proclaiming the Good News in Galilee.  However, the religious leaders and the “important” members of the communities have rejected him.  In rejecting him, they complained that John the Baptist fasted, avoiding food and drink.  They accused Jesus of eating and drinking, hanging out with “drunkards” and sinners. 
            That is why Jesus addresses his words today to the “little ones”.  The little ones have welcomed him and accepted his message.  So, he invites them to come to him and take rest.  But, the rest that he recommends seems strange.  He invites them to accept his yoke upon their shoulders and learn from him, because his yoke is easy, and his burden light. 
            As the stepson of a carpenter, Jesus knows something about yokes.  A yoke united a pair of oxen together to allow them to share the load of plowing or hauling a loaded wagon.  The yoke rests on the necks and distributes the work load, not necessarily evenly, but in a way that capabilities are shared.  Each member of the yoked pair can contribute to his/her maximum capability, the stronger contributing more energy than the weaker, to accomplish the common task. Jesus' yoke is light, because it is Jesus who is yoked to each of us, and in every task he bears the heavier part of the burden. He is carrying the yoke of rejection.  Important people have judged him to be a fraud.  Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he gives thanks for his close relationship with his heavenly Father.  He continues his journey to the hill of Golgotha, where the yoke of the cross will take his life.  In carrying the heavier load, he helps us to carry our burdens, maintaining our faith in the mystery of his death and resurrection.
            We are his disciples, the “little ones” today.  We have come to Mass to give praise and thanks to God, who slowly reveals himself to us as we continue our pilgrimage together through life.  Each of us comes with our own set of circumstances.  Many of us are taking rest in these summer days following the 4th of July.  For many of us, life is going well, and it is easy to give thanks to God as we gather to worship.  But, some of us are carrying heavy burdens or yokes.  Some are struggling with difficulties in relationships, or even breakups in families.  Others are shouldering economic difficulties, with job losses or unexpected expenses.  Others are carrying the heavy yokes health issues or life changing cancers or other diseases.  Many are burdened with the difficulties of the aging process or loss of memory.
            Whatever yoke we may be carrying, Jesus invites us to rest and carry his yoke.  Instead of allowing the yokes of our lives to separate us from the love of the Father, Jesus invites us to imitate his example in the face of hatred and rejection.  He invites us to yoke ourselves with him, allowing him to carry the heavier load of our burdens.  He invites us to give thanks for his Father’s care for us and to trust that his Father is not abandoning us when we carry heavy yokes.  He does not take away those burdens.  Instead, he promises to yoke himself with us in facing those difficulties and renewing our trust in the power of his death and resurrection.

            Saint Paul expresses this truth in a different way.  He reminds us that we are no longer in the flesh but in the spirit of God.  Saint Paul is not telling us to hate our bodies and regard our bodies as obstacles to being holy. Those who live only in the flesh cannot see beyond what we perceive with our senses.  Those who live only in the flesh will do anything to avoid pain and the cross of Jesus Christ.  Those who live in the spirit can carry those yokes, because we are yoked to Jesus Christ.  If we renew our faith in his death and resurrection, his strength allows us, in our weakness, to keep carrying the lighter portion of the load.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
25 JUNE 2017

After completing the Easter Season and reflecting on the Mystery of the Trinity and the Mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ, our readings this Sunday slam us back into Ordinary Time with a thud!  The Prophet Jeremiah finds himself persecuted by the authorities for speaking the truth to his own people.  Jesus speaks to his disciples about the dangers of proclaiming his name and his message.  By the time Saint Matthew has written this Gospel, his disciples had been thrown out of the Synagogues by their neighbors for their faith in Jesus Christ.  Considered no longer authentic Jews by the Romans, some of them had been hauled into court and executed.  In response, they express their fear and ask the same question which Jeremiah had asked centuries before:  Why is God allowing all these things to happen, especially to believers?
Jesus answers this valid question by telling them not to be afraid.  They need not fear, because they no longer live in darkness.  They now live in the bright light of a Messiah whose suffering and death will be transformed by the light of the resurrection.  They no longer have to keep the message secret!  They can tell everyone.  In telling everyone, they have already experienced rejection and a share in the passion of Christ.
So, he tells them to stop being afraid.  He reminds them of the fate of Jeremiah.  His enemies may have killed his body and sowed it in the earth.  But, they could not kill his soul and separate him from God.  They could not stop the truth of his message, which lives on to encourage those who continue to speak the truth to leaders who live in darkness. They can stop being afraid, because the Father cares for them even more than he cares for the sparrows of his creation.  He promises that the Father puts so much value on them and their witness to the truth that they will see the light of his presence face to face in all eternity.
Jesus speaks this same message to his disciples in every age.  When Karol Wojtyla was elected as Pope John Paul II in 1978, his first words were:  do not be afraid, open wide the doors to Christ!  John Paul II had seen many things that caused fear.  He saw the Nazis invade Poland and kill priests who resisted them.  He watched in horror as his Jewish neighbors were sent to prison camps to be murdered.  After the war, he lived under Communist control of his country and defended the Church against state control.  As Pope, he would return to Poland and see the collapse of Communism.  As Pope, he would be shot in Saint Peter’s Square and eventually sit down to forgive his murderer.  As Pope, he set aside all fear to travel the world to proclaim the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He is one of the saints pictured on the triumphal arch, and he is interceding for us as we face our own fears.  If anything keeps us from living the light of faith, it is fear.  Those of you who are very young might hesitate to speak openly of your faith, because you fear that you will be rejected by your friends.  Those of us who have been blessed with material wealth may be afraid to share our treasure out of fear that if we are too generous, there will not be enough for us to live comfortably.  Those of you who face life threatening diseases might be afraid of what the future holds once your health is gone.  In each of these situations, Jesus says the same thing.  Do not allow fear to keep you from living the Gospel!  God knows everything about us, even how many hairs are on our heads.  (For some of us, that is easier to count these days!)  God also knows the dangers we face.  God will not protect us from those dangers.  But, echoing Jeremiah, God will be our mighty champion.  God will be with us.  Precisely because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can squarely face our fears and live the Gospel!      

Sunday, June 4, 2017

PENTECOST SUNDAY
4 JUNE 2017

            Saint Paul knew that the Church in Corinth was a community torn apart by conflict.  One of the many issues separating them involved the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Some members of the community bragged that their gift of speaking in tongues was superior to any of the other gifts given to anyone else.  In writing to the Corinthians, Saint Paul argues that this is not true.  He points out that there is only one Lord, the source of unity.  If the members of the community embrace the centrality of that one Lord, then they will understand that there are different gifts given to many different people to be given in the service of the Church.  Most importantly, the only way to recognize the one Lord is through the working of the Holy Spirit.
            Today, we recall the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church.  We hear two very different accounts of how the Holy Spirit was given.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke describes the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover.  Just as the original Covenant was given at Mount Sinai in the midst of fire and strong winds, so the Holy Spirit is given to the Apostles, who are the new twelve tribes of Israel.  This gift of the Holy Spirit transforms the polarization at the Tower of Babel, when the languages of peoples were confused.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, the twelve proclaim that the mighty acts of God, raising Jesus from the dead and as Lord.
            Saint John tells a different story in the Gospel, which we heard on Easter Sunday.  According to John, the risen Christ breaks through the locked doors of their fear and gives them three gifts.  He gives them the gift of peace, that abiding presence of God which the world cannot give.  He breathes on them and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Instead of lecturing them about their cowardice in running away in his darkest hour, he gives them the gift of forgiveness.
            As different as these accounts may be, they convey the same message.  The Holy Spirit is not given to an isolated individual, but to a community of believers.  Within each community, there are many different believers with many different gifts to share.  The Holy Spirit drives the recipients out of their comfort zones to proclaim the message that the risen Christ is Lord, and that embracing his Lordship will bring a profound unity.
            That same Holy Spirit is given to us today.  Like the Apostles, we have encountered the risen Lord during this Easter Season.  For fifty days, we have reflected on the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We have experienced his real presence in the Sacramental life of the Church. Through the Sacraments of Initiation, we have introduced believers into a more intimate relationship with Christ.  Now the Holy Spirit drives us out of the Easter Season to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.

The Holy Spirit gives us much hope in our fractured and polarized world.  The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to a peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is Lord.  The Holy Spirit blows through those barriers which we use to isolate ourselves from those with whom we might disagree.  The Holy Spirit melts away the icy distances we make from those who are different from us.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to discern our individual gifts and gives us the courage to place those gifts at the service of this parish.  The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of forgiveness, not to pretend that our sins and bad choices were acceptable, but to turn our gaze to the future, enabling us to be healed of the wounds caused by our sins.  The Holy Spirit blows us out of this church to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ and share those gifts with others.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
21 MAY 2017

          Jesus continues to speak to his closest disciples at the Last Supper.  He asks if they love him.  If they do, they are to keep his commandments.  He is not talking about warm feeling.  He is speaking of the two great commandments – love of God and love of neighbor.  He had just washed their feet to demonstrate the humble service expected of those who love him.  He is preparing himself to become the Lamb of God sacrificed for their salvation.  Knowing how difficult this love will become, he promises to send them another Advocate.  For three years, he has been their Advocate – standing beside them and urging them on.  After his death, resurrection, and ascension, this second Advocate will do the same.  The Holy Spirit will stand by them so that they will continue to share his self-gift to the world.
            We see that dynamic in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Philip and other Greek speaking disciples have been driven out of Jerusalem after Stephen had been killed.  Instead of hiding in fear to protect his own life, Philip goes to Samaria, which is directly north of Judea.  Jews and Samaritans hated one another.  But Philip breaks through all those divisions, just as Jesus had reached out to the Samaritan woman at the well.  The Samaritans respond positively to the Gospel he proclaimed and the signs he worked.  Philip baptizes many Samaritans into the Body of Christ.  Then the Apostles Peter and John, come down to give them the Holy Spirit, enabling these newest members to love as Jesus had commanded them.
            Jesus speaks to us at this Memorial of the Last Supper.  He commands us to love, as he has loved us, and as Philip had loved the Samaritans.  We express our love best by being humble servants.  He invites us to trust that our acts of humble service will be powerful signs in the Granger area drawing people to Christ, just as Philip’s works drew people to Christ in Samaria.  Please take a step in faith and make a commitment to some kind of service in our parish.  We ask for a one-year commitment, which can be renewed or changed every year.  Please read the information in the bulletin and the materials that you will receive in the mail next week.  Pray over your decision, and invite the Holy Spirit to help you to avoid hiding your talents out of fear.

            Since we have moved into the new church, the large size of our parish has become more apparent.  We see more parishioners at a given Mass, because our new church holds twice as many people.  Some of you worry about getting lost in such a large parish.  However, you will find that getting involved and giving yourself in humble service not only helps the parish.  It also connects you more closely with the others who serve in that ministry.  In giving, you will receive much more in return.  If you don’t believe me, please listen to Tim Golichowski, as he speaks of his experience of giving his time and talent in humble service of the parish.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
14 MAY 2017

            Jesus speaks these words to his closest disciples at the Last Supper.  For three years, they had been walking the way to Jerusalem, listening to him teaching them how to be good disciples.  He had taught them that the last would be first.  He had spoken openly of his own death on the cross and their need to carry their crosses.  He had just washed their feet to teach them how to be humble servants.  Even though he had been deeply troubled at the tomb of Lazarus, he tells them not to allow their hearts to be troubled.  He reminds them that they know the way.
            Thomas objects that he does not know the way.  But he will soon find out what Jesus had been talking about all along.  He and the other apostles will find that the way to the Father is through death.  In his encounter with Christ after the resurrection, he would know the joy of being forgiven for running away.  All of them would understand what Jesus was talking about when he says that there are many dwelling places in his Father’s house.  He is not talking about rooms or buildings.  He is talking about an intimate eternal experience of God’s presence.  He used the same image when he spoke about destroying the temple and rebuilding it in three days.  He had been talking about the temple of his body and his presence to them after the resurrection.
            Then he tells them that they will do greater works than his works.  We can see how this promise is kept in the Acts of the Apostles.  Those who had been baptized became living stones rooted in the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.  They were living stones coming from many different backgrounds, languages, and cultures.  That diversity brought conflict.  The Greek speaking Christians complained that their widows were being neglected.  So the Twelve Aramaic speaking leaders came up with a decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  They laid hands on seven Greek speaking men and put them in charge of serving the poor.  As the first deacons, they performed new works of service and helped the Church adapt to changing circumstances.
            We see a similar dynamic happening in our sister parish of Saint Adalbert.  People of Polish descent founded the parish in the early part of the twentieth century.  Today, most of the parishioners have Hispanic origins.  That is why the image of the bishop Saint Adalbert on our Triumphal Arch is flanked by the image of the Mexican peasant, Saint Juan Diego kneeling next to him.  It has not been an easy transition, much as the situation depicted in the Acts of the Apostles was not easy.  The two communities have different languages, different cultures, and different ways of behaving in Church.  But, fed by the Body and Blood of the Lord at every Mass, they have worked things out and are creating a new work in the name of Jesus Christ.
            The same is true of our parish as try to do the works of Jesus Christ.  We may not walk on water.  We cannot take five loaves and two fish and feed five thousand people.  We are certainly not perfect, and we are working to make adjustments in settling into our new church.  But our very acts of service, both within the parish and to those in need outside the parish, make a huge difference.  That is especially true of those of you who are living the vocation of being mothers.  We honor them today, rightly, because they have learned from their own experience that the way to the Father is through Jesus Christ and sharing in his dying and rising.  Mothers wash more than feet on a regular basis.  They deny themselves many times each day and manifest the works of Jesus Christ.  Inspired by the example of mothers in our midst, we continue our journey in faith to the New and Eternal Jerusalem with untroubled hearts.  We continue to walk the way that leads to the Father’s house, where there are many dwelling places.



Sunday, May 7, 2017

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
7 MAY 2017

            One of the great features of our new church is that there are lots of images.  Those images can help us to visualize the spoken Word.  That is true of today’s readings.  The triumphal arch is dominated by the Good Shepherd, seated on his throne and drawing his flock from Bethlehem and Jerusalem to himself.  In other words, through the mysteries of the Incarnation (Bethlehem) and his death and resurrection (Jerusalem), he wants to draw all people to himself in the heavenly kingdom.  The sheep clearly recognize his voice and come to him.
            That is what shepherds in the ancient world would do.  They spent their entire time with their flock, guiding them to safe places for grazing and water.  At night, shepherds would lead their flocks into sheepfolds to protect them from robbers or wild animals.  Because there were no gates in these sheepfolds, the shepherds would take turns lying across the entrance.  They were the gate, and shepherds sometimes gave their lives to violent robbers or ravenous wolves.
            Our Good Shepherd knows each of us by our name and calls us to himself.  As Saint Peter says in the first reading, our Good Shepherd became the gate and laid down his life for us.  That action of laying down his life for us is dramatically portrayed in the cross hanging above the Altar.  Having laid down his life, he has become the Lamb of God, as pictured in the mosaic on the front of the Altar.  At this Mass, we welcome the final group of our second graders to be fed by the Lamb of God in Holy Communion for the first time.  Fed by the Body and Blood of Christ, they will be strengthened to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and to trust in his loving care for them as they walk with us on our pilgrimage to the new and eternal Jerusalem.
            Saint Peter is very bold in his homily.  He calls Jesus both Lord and Christ.  Roman citizens referred to Caesar as “lord,” and Peter’s bold proclamation that Jesus is Lord would eventually cost him his life.  Calling Jesus the Christ got in trouble with his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters, who denied that he was the Messiah.  Peter also tells his listeners that they had been part of crucifying Jesus Christ.  Cut to the heart by his words, they ask what they should do.  He tells them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.  His words are so direct and strong that 3,000 people are baptized that day. 
Having listened to this homily of Saint Peter with us at this Mass, our first communicants will renew the promises made for them when they were baptized as infants.  Their white garments connect them to their baptisms, when they were clothed with a white garment to indicate that they had put on Christ.  With them, we renew the promises made at our baptism.  We confess that we have not always put the Lordship of Jesus Christ above everything else.  Too often, we have put our trust in those things that do not last.  We may not have been part of his actual crucifixion, but we have denied knowing Christ when we have not lived those promises, just as Peter had denied knowing Christ on Holy Thursday.  Just as Peter learned from his sin and accepted forgiveness from Jesus, we too can learn from our sins to turn again to the Good Shepherd, who forgives us and protects us in the sheepfold that is the Church. 

            As we continue to celebrate these fifty days of Easter, we open our ears to the voice of the Good Shepherd calling us to put our faith in his risen presence.  It is not always easy to live our baptismal promises.  It is not always easy to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Christ.  There are many other voices competing for our attention.  His risen presence is most clearly revealed at the Eucharist, when the Good Shepherd speaks to each of us by name and feeds us with his Body and Blood.  Our first communicants can help us deepen our Easter faith.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
30 APRIL 2017

            Saint Luke structures his Gospel as a journey, with Jesus making his way to Jerusalem.  As he forms his disciples and walks with them, he explains to them that he is the Suffering Servant promised by the Prophet Isaiah.  He clearly tells them that he will be betrayed, that he will suffer, that he will be crucified, and that he will be raised from the dead.  Jerusalem is the location for his self-sacrificing and self-giving love. 
            In Luke’s Gospel today, two of his disciples are walking away from Jerusalem.  They are devastated by the humiliating death of their teacher.  With their hopes dashed, they are heading for Emmaus.  Scholars debate the significance of Emmaus.  Some argue that it was the site of a Roman garrison, making it a symbol of power, wealth, and influence.  However, no one knows where the ancient city of Emmaus was.  Several different sites seven miles from Jerusalem compete for money from pilgrims in claiming to be the ancient city.  But one thing is clear from Saint Luke’s account.  They are going the wrong way.  They are running away from the pain of self-sacrificing love and are seeking a reality that might appear to be much easier.
            On that first day of the week, the first day of a new creation created by the resurrection, Jesus himself joins them.  Even though they do not recognize him, they allow the stranger to walk with them.  He listens to them and seems to be amused when they ask if he is the only visitor to Jerusalem who knows what has taken place there.  In fact, he is the only visitor who truly knows what has taken place!  He also knows that they have all the information they need to believe what the women had told them.  They are unable to connect the dots.  So, he connects the dots for them.  He quotes the Scriptures which they know well and explains how God’s love has always involved a loving sacrifice.  By the time they reach Emmaus, he has connected the dots in such a way that their hearts are burning within them.  They beg the stranger to stay with them.  They recognize the risen Lord when he takes bread, says the blessing, breaks the bread, and gives it to them.  With the dots connected, they do something risky.  They leave immediately in the dark to return to Jerusalem, to that place of sacrificial love.  Nourished by the breaking of bread, they are willing to face the dangers of traveling in the dark and the danger of thieves to return to that place of sacrifice where they might be sacrificed.
            The risen Christ walks with us, even when we are going the wrong way.  He listens to our pain, even when we are running away from the sacrifices required by God’s love and are heading toward more familiar avenues of wealth or power or influence.  He never forces himself upon us.  But he speaks to us in a variety of ways, opening our eyes to his risen presence and helping us to connect the dots.  He walks with us when we are devastated by the loss of a loved one, or by any kind of disaster in our lives.  He speaks to us through the mouths of those who love us so much that they are willing to speak the truth with love.  He speaks to us even when we find ourselves devastated by our sins and really bad choices.

            The risen Lord has just spoken to us in the Word.  Just as Peter is able to connect the dots in his sermon from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus invites us to connect the dots of our lives and recognize his risen presence in our midst.  He also speaks to us in these First Communicants, whose hearts have been burning for some time as they prepare for this day.  He speaks to us when they renew their baptismal promises, reminding us to live the promises made at our baptisms.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood, as he feeds them for the first time.  Then he sends us out of this Mass, giving us the courage to walk away from whatever cannot satisfy and to take risks and walk toward the new and eternal Jerusalem, the way of self-giving love.