FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

29 JANUARY 2023

 

          We have been hearing from the Gospel of Saint Matthew for the last few Sundays.  Jesus has established his headquarters in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  As he walks along the shore, he proclaims that the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived in him.  He invites his listeners to repent and be part of that Kingdom.  Last Sunday, he called two sets of brothers – Andrew and Simon and James and John.  They left their fishing boats and followed him.

            Today, he takes these two sets of brothers and others who have made a commitment to become his disciples to a mountain near the Sea.  Just as Moses had given the law on a mountain, Jesus gives his new law in the Sermon on the Mount.  He begins his sermon with words that must have comforted his disciples, who had given up everything to follow him.  He tells them that they are “blessed,” a Greek word that means “happy.”  They may not have any possessions or have any power, but they are blessed.  They may not always feel the emotion of happiness.  But they are grounded in a fortunate situation in being part of the Kingdom of Heaven already.  As members of that kingdom, they will be blessed in the future because of their intimate encounter with him as the Messiah.  When they will be persecuted, as he will be persecuted, they will know the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven as their reward. 

            Because this is the living Word of God, Jesus speaks it to us today.  For us in our world, these beatitudes can be both challenging and difficult.  Let’s be honest with one another.  We count our blessings when we are safe and healthy, productive and successful, financially secure, and usually married with children.  And we rightly give thanks to God for all these blessings.  But we need to hear these beatitudes from the God who does not operate in the ways we would imagine.  Throughout the Old Testament, God regularly proclaims a preference for the poor and oppressed, along with a special care for the widow and orphan.  God did not enter human existence as a triumphant king.  He came as a vulnerable infant born in poverty.  As the disciples would eventually understand, he will not offer salvation through an amazing visible victory.  He will destroy death by entering into death himself.  God’s ways are not our ways.

            It is from this perspective that he challenges us with his beatitudes.  As disciples, we are truly blessed (or happy) when we understand that wealth and possessions will not ultimately save us.  We are happy when we mourn the wickedness of the world, and when we get our feelings out in mourning the loss of a loved one.  We are happy when we are meek, relying on God and not our strength to set things right.  We are happy when we long for God’s saving action in the same way we hunger for food and thirst for drink.  We are happy when we offer mercy to others, as God has offered mercy to us.  We are happy when we are peacemakers, when we make genuine efforts to bring harmony with God and other people.  Even if we are persecuted and rejected for our faithfulness to the Son of God, we will be happy for our reward in the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven at the end of our lives.

            Jesus promises us that we will experience true happiness if we embrace these beatitudes and work to make them an integral part of our lives.  Like the first disciples, we realize that the happiness that Jesus promises is not an emotional state.  It is the state of being part of the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst.  Like those earliest disciples, we encounter him in Word and Sacrament.  Like them, we trust that the Kingdom will be fully realized at the end.  Like them, we can make a difference in our world by showing others what it looks like to be truly blessed, truly happy people.

 

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

22 JANUARY 2023

 

          The prophet Isaiah speaks to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah dwelling in darkness.  The Assyrians are about to annihilate the northern kingdom of Israel.  They already carry the yoke of slavery.  The pole of domination is heavy on their shoulders.  The rod of their occupiers leaves them little hope.  Those in Judah fear that the same fate awaits them.  But Isaiah gives them hope.  Through the leadership of Gideon, God had delivered their ancestors from the Midianites.  Now, God will deliver them.  Those who walk in darkness will see a great light.  They will experience abundant joy and will make merry at God’s saving hand. 

Saint Matthew sees this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  We celebrated that bright light at Christmas.  Now, Jesus begins his public ministry in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, revealing that great light through his miracles.  The religious leaders in Jerusalem consider Galilee to be an area of darkness.  Those in the fishing industry do not take the ritual steps of purification.  They handle the bodies of dead fish all the time without taking time off and purifying themselves.  They also intermingle with the Greek pagans in their territory. 

It is here in this darkness that Jesus, the light of the world, announces that the kingdom of heaven has arrived.  He insists that those who want to be part of the kingdom must repent, must change their ways.  As he walks along, he invites two brothers, Peter and Andrew, to be part of that kingdom.  Then he invites two other brothers, James and John.  Both sets of brothers respond and follow him immediately.  Normally, those interested in being disciples choose the rabbi they want to follow.  Jesus is the one who chooses them.

In choosing these fishermen, he will teach them how to use their skills to do what he is doing – catching other human beings to be formed into disciples.  The Lord has already chosen us to be part of the kingdom of heaven when we were baptized.  He continues to call us to make immediate choices at various times in our lives.  When we weaken or break our connection with the kingdom through our sins, he calls us again through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Many parishioners made immediate choices when they participated in a Christ Renews His Parish retreat.  He is calling us during this parish Year of Encounter to encounter him more profoundly, especially in the Eucharist.  He is calling us to recognize his presence in those around us, especially in those whom we might find difficult or challenging.

We also live in a very dark world, filled with deep divisions, profound distrust, racial hatred, and wars.  We need to trust that we can reflect his light in this dark world, just as Saint Paul encouraged the members of the Christian community of Corinth to embrace this mission.  At the heart of this mission is the cross of Jesus Christ.  That cross invites disciples to die to a desire for power, control, wealth, and all kinds of allurements drawing us away from Christ.

Saint Paul speaks to us, the members of the Christian community of Saint Pius.  We face the same temptations that the Corinthians did.  Just as they were divided by their attraction to certain human leaders, we too can be divided from each other.  Instead of finding our common identity in our baptism into Jesus Christ, we can further the divisions of our time by identifying too much with human ministers.  Some prefer Pope Benedict.  Others lean toward Pope Francis.  Some identify with a certain website or an individual on a You Tube video.  In our parish, some identify with Fr. Augustine.  Others with the crazy pastor.  All of us ministers are fragile humans with different strengths and weaknesses.  As Saint Paul himself admits, we are all sinners.  The Lord is calling all of us to the mission of fishing for people.  We can do that only when we know our common identity is in Christ, despite our differences of opinion and personal preferences.   

 

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.