THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH

28 DECEMBER 2014

            When we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family, we might be tempted to become discouraged.  How can any of our families compete with this family?  Here is a family where the child is the only begotten Son of God, the mother is an immaculate virgin without any sin, and the father learns all kinds of incredible things when he is dreaming!  Other than what we hear today and what we read later in Saint Luke's Gospel about Jesus being lost in the Temple at the age of 12, we know nothing about the details of their family dynamics. 

            There is no way to keep up with this family.  That is why I have always been more than willing to share stories about my own family gatherings at the rectory at Christmas.  To be honest, it was a pretty uneventful Christmas for us this year, and I have no stories to tell.  The reason we celebrate this Feast is to learn lessons from the Holy Family to apply to our own.  In the light of our celebration of the Eternal Word of God taking flesh and dwelling in the midst of our families and their messes, the characters of today's Gospel can give us some helpful hints.

            The first lesson comes from the parents of Jesus.  Saint Luke is careful to tell us that they are following the law of the Lord in presenting their first born child in the Temple.  Because they are dirt poor, they can only afford a pair of turtle doves as a sacrifice.  But this ritual is more than a demand of the law.  They use it to thank God for the gift of a healthy son and commend him to the Lord's service.  Parents today can learn from this lesson.  Parents keep the promises they made when they had their children baptized by bringing them to Mass, teaching them to pray at home, and helping them to understand the ways they can love God and neighbor.

            The second lesson comes from Simeon.  He trusted the Lord's promise that he would not die before seeing the savior.  His trust is rewarded when he recognizes the Christ and proclaims the canticle which we pray every night at Compline, or Night Prayer.  Simeon teaches us how to find joy in each of our families.  In sharing his joy, Simeon is also very realistic.  He does not promise that everything will always be rosy and sweet for this family.  He talks about the sword that will pierce Mary's heart and the suffering which would be endured by her Son.  He reminds us that God's faithfulness and promise will not keep our families from tragedies or even divisions that will tear us apart.  In fact, he realistically states that practicing our faith may get  us into more trouble.  But, he also promises that God will be as faithful to us as God had been to him.

            We know the least about Anna.  She is a daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, which was the smallest and least significant of the twelve tribes of Israel.  We know that she had only seven years of marriage before her husband died, and she lived as a widow till the age of 84.  Instead of dwelling in the past and becoming bitter about the difficulties of her life, she lived in the present and praised God for this family and the child she encountered.  Her lesson is important.  It is easy to become angry and bitter over the ways in which life might have battered us around.  But Anna teaches us to let go of all that bitterness, to live in the present moment, and to look for ways in which God is revealing himself now.

            No matter what might be happening right now in each of our families, Christmas reminds us that the Lord has taken on human flesh and lives in our human families and lives in this parish family that gathers to celebrate his presence every Sunday.  With Mary and Joseph, we commit ourselves to sharing the riches of our faith as much as possible.  With Simeon, we recognize the Lord's presence in our midst and share the joy, trusting that the Lord will be faithful to us, no matter what difficulties we will endure.  With Anna, we let go of any bitterness we might be holding to give praise for the ways in which God works in and through us now.   

CHRISTMAS

25 DECEMBER 2014

          Imagine the “breaking news stories” on this day if the ancient had our technology and our twenty-four hour news cycle.  The leading stories would feature the complaints of so many citizens that they have to return to their home towns to be counted.  Everyone knew that the government was counting them only to get more taxes out of them.  News from Rome would feature the problems caused by unending deployment of troops, along with problems caused by insurgents in the Middle East.  Local news would feature the continued reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem under King Herod, a real tyrant with ties too close to Rome, but a pretty good builder.

            The news would certainly not include the reason why we are here tonight.  The birth of Jesus Christ would not have been featured at all.  There had been no royal caravans heading to a magnificent palace for the birth of an important person.  Instead, two peasants had walked from Nazareth and had no choice but to give birth in a stable.  The angelic chorus had chosen to announce this birth to a bunch of shepherds.  Today, we tend to romanticize the shepherds.  But in that day, they lived on the fringes of society.  When I was pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross in Columbia City, I learned how shepherds would have been regarded.  In that small town, no one ever locked their doors, except when the carnival came to town at the end of every summer.  The locals did not trust the traveling carnival workers and considered them criminal, just as the residents of Bethlehem would have regarded the transient shepherds as thieves who would steal from them and move to the next town as soon as possible.

            The birth of Jesus was completely unnoticed by most of the culture of the time.  Even today, the twenty-four hour news cycle is interested in other stories.  However, the Mystery we celebrate tonight is just as present now as it was 2,000 years ago.  God has taken on human flesh and dwells in our midst.  God continues to announce this Mystery through the lowly and the insignificant.  The Lord speaks especially through our little children, who can hardly contain themselves with joy and expectation at Christmas.  He speaks the news of this Mystery with ordinary human words just proclaimed in the Scriptures.  He humbles himself by identifying himself with ordinary bread and wine and feeds us with his very Body, as his physical body had lain in a manger in Bethlehem (which means “House of Bread”).  Formed by our encounter with him in these sacramental signs, we more easily recognize the ways in which he dwells with us in our families gathered for Christmas.  We look beyond whatever family conflicts and dysfunctions may be present to see him present in the mess of our family gatherins.  We open our eyes to recognize him in the homeless, the poor, the stranger, and those who live on the margins of our society.

            When we leave Mass tonight, we will return to a world that really has not changed much.  But we leave with changed minds and transformed hearts.  We leave more convinced than ever that God so loved the world that he sent his only Begotten Son.  That Son dwells in the midst of our messy world.  He has shared in our humanity, so that we can share in his divinity.  There is no better news that that!

           

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

21 DECEMBER 2014

          King David was a powerful man with ambitious plans.  He had united the tribes of Israel into a stable nation and established Jerusalem as its capital.  He had defeated the enemies and brought peace.  He had built himself a nice house.  Now he wanted to build a proper house for the Lord who had given him his success.  At first, Nathan the prophet agreed.  But the Lord spoke through Nathan and told David to scrap his plans.  God had greater plan than a physical temple, which would be built by David's son, Solomon.  God told David to trust that he would build of his line of descendants a house that would endure forever.

            One thousand years later, we meet a teenage girl living in a remote village 90 miles north of Jerusalem.  We have no idea of what Mary was planning, because she had none of the fame or power of King David.  We can only speculate that she was planning to settle down with her betrothed, Joseph, have children, and raise a family.  However, the Angel Gabriel startles her to announce that the promises made to David would be fulfilled in her.  Like the Spirit of God hovering over the void at the time of creation, the Holy Spirit would come upon her.  Her body would become the Ark of the New Covenant, bearing God's only begotten Son.

            When the 15th century artist, Fra Angelico, painted this scene, he used a device to help us understand what the Angel's message did to Mary's plans.  In his painting, Gabriel is leaning in toward Mary.  The artist linked them by writing the words of their conversation between them.  The Angel's declaration that the Holy Spirit will come upon her is straight forward.  But Mary's response, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word" is written upside down and backward.  By doing this, Fra Angelico shows us that Mary's plans are reversed, and her world is turned upside down.  In agreeing to be the handmaid of the Lord, Mary enters into a certain darkness that comes with uncertainty and unexpected change.

            Today is the darkest day of the year.  Not only do we experience a short period of light today, but cloud cover around here makes this time of the year gloomier.  This darkness is a sign of the deeper darkness which is experienced by those who have had their worlds turned upside down and their plans reversed.  Those who have lost loved ones to death and are facing their first Christmas without them know the darkness of having their world turned upside down.  The same is true of those who are suffering from any kind of illness or depression or even the flu.  Others bring the darkness of broken relationships and dysfunctional family dynamics to this week.  Many dwell in the darkness of being alone. 

            When we find ourselves in any kind of darkness, we are tempted to believe that God is distant from us.  But, in fact, the opposite is true.  God's presence is much more profound than an emotional feeling of warmth or happiness.  When our world gets turned upside down and our plans are reversed, God keeps his promise to us, just as certainly as God kept his promise to King David and to Mary, the Mother of God.  It took 1,000 years before God's promise to David was fulfilled in Mary's response.  Mary continued to ponder all these things in her heart as she faced the darkness of her new and unexpected condition.  Mary trusted that the Lord's promise to her would be fulfilled, even when the village gossiped about her pregnancy, even when the child was born in a stable, even when they were exiled in Egypt, and even as her Song hung on the cross.

            It is Mary's faith that sustains us in these final days before Christmas.  Of course, we need to do the work of preparing for our celebration.  But, if we prepare in a way that allows God to surprise us, even in turning our lives upside down and backwards, then we can also say with Mary, "Let it be done to me according to your word."

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

14 DECEMBER 2014

          The words of Isaiah the prophet are filled with hope and promise.  Standing on the ruins of Jerusalem after the return of his people from their fifty year captivity in Babylon, he is filled with the spirit of the Lord and makes some bold promises to save his people.  500 years later, when expectations for the coming of the Savior were very high, many people identified John the Baptist as the one who would fulfill these promises.  He fits Isaiah's job description well.  The spirit of God is definitely upon him.  He announces glad tidings to the poor.  His words heal the brokenhearted, and all the other duties assigned by Isaiah.  His bold words in the desert raise the question about who is the Messiah – John or Jesus.  Both proclaimed the Kingdom of God.  Because John came first and baptized Jesus, some thought that Jesus was a disciple of John.

            But John the Baptist is very secure in his identity and in his role.  When the religious authorities start grilling him, he defines himself in terms of who he is not.  He is not the Christ.  He is not Elijah come back again.  He is not the prophet described by Moses.  He is the one who points to the one who identifies himself as "I am" in the rest of John's Gospel.  Jesus uses that term, "I am," to identify himself with God who revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  He is the vine.  He is the Light of the world.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  John's role is to point to him and tell people the truth about him.

            In knowing his true identity and mission, John displays true humility.  He is in sharp contrast to the frog in one of Aesop's Tales.  The frog is tired of the muddy pond where he spends his life.  He wants to see the world.  So, he talks a stork into allowing him to hold onto his leg to fly above the earth's beauty and diversity.  But the frog's small hands are too small and slimy.  Every time the stork takes off, the frog loses his grip and falls back into the water.  Finally, the frog decides to attach himself with his mouth.  It works.  As the stork flies high with the frog attached to his leg, some bird watchers marvel at the incredible sight of these two creatures working so well together.  They say, "How ingenious these two animals are!  I wonder which of them came up with this idea."  Swelling with pride at their compliments and wanting to take credit for his cleverness, the frog blurted out, "I did."  And he fell to his death.

            It is with the humility of John the Baptist that we enter into these final two weeks to prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ at Christmas.  Instead of pointing to himself and giving in to the adulation of the crowds, John keeps his gaze fixed on Jesus Christ.  He invites us to do the same.  We may be preparing to celebrate his first coming and waiting for him to come again, but he is already in our midst.  He invites us to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, who tells us over and over again that we can recognize him in the least among us.  Formed by our contact with him in the Sacramental life of the Church, we humbly recognize him in our Latino brothers and sisters of our sister parish of Saint Adalbert and in the poor served by the Giving Tree.  We humbly dedicate ourselves to serving others, without worrying whether or not we get credit or whether or not people give us credit for our good work.  We recognize him in those people who annoy us most in our lives with a humility that reminds us of the ways we are probably annoying them also. 

            With the humility of John the Baptist, we can also be honest about the ways in which we have not shown the face of Jesus Christ in our words and actions or recognized him in others.  Come to the Advent Penance Service.  There, we can be honest about our failures to imitate the example of John the Baptist.  There God's mercy will allow that light to shine through us in a world filled with too much darkness, as these rose vestments shine in the purple of Advent.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

7 DECEMBER 2014

          By the time the Second Letter of Saint Peter was written, it was clear that the Lord Jesus would not be coming back any time soon.  As a result, some began preaching that the Lord would not come again and that there would be no final judgment.  To that error, the author, writing in the name of the Apostle, responded that the Lord will definitely come again.  He has not delayed his promise.  Instead, he has delayed his second coming.

            Using the metaphor that one day with the Lord is a thousand years, it has been two "days" since the Paschal Mystery.  In our day, we are also tempted to live as if the Lord will not come again and as if there will be no judgment at the end of time.  For that reason, we need to hear the author telling us to be vigilant, a lesson we learned two times on our Pilgrimage last summer.  Had we been more vigilant in Lucca, our bicycles would not have been stolen.  Had we been more vigilant in Rome, thieves would not have taken all the rest of our belongings.  If we could go back in time, we would have behaved differently.  We would have walked our bikes through the streets of Lucca and taken turns sitting with the bikes while visiting local churches.  We would have unloaded our luggage first in Rome and then gone to Saint Peter's Square to celebrate our arrival after 1,200 miles.  But, we cannot go back in time.  We can only learn from those lessons and do things differently if we ever do something like this again.

            The author of the Second Letter of Saint Peter knows that we cannot go back in time.  Instead, he provides a reason for the Lord delaying his second coming.  By delaying his second coming, the Lord is providing us valuable time to look back on ways we have not been vigilant and to use the time remaining as a gift to change our ways.  To use the image of the Prophet Isaiah, the Season of Advent gives us time to make straight the way of the Lord, so that he can come directly into our lives.  We can remove the mountains that have become obstacles and fill in the valleys which have become pitfalls for the Lord to come to us in an intimate way.

            John the Baptist provides ways of using the time in this Season of Advent.  John's father was a priest in the Temple of Jerusalem.  He helped people to prepare the paschal lambs for sacrifice to ask God for reconciliation.  That is not where John speaks in today's Gospel.  John has gone to the wilderness, to the quiet of the desert. where his ancestors had found God in their Exodus from Egypt.  From that barren place, he points to the coming of God's only begotten Son, who will become the real Lamb of God sacrificed, not in a sacred Temple, but on a hill where criminals were executed outside the city walls.  That sacrifice will become the perfect sacrifice which reconciles us with the Father.  As recipients of that sacrifice, we are formed into a living Temple guided by the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us when we were baptized.

            John the Baptist eats locusts which speak of God's judgment and honey which speaks of God's mercy.  John invites us to take some time from the craziness of our culture's holiday season to use Advent as a time to look back on ways in which we have not been vigilant and aware of the Lord's presence and change those patterns of behavior in the time given to us by the Lord.  One very real way of using this gift of time is to make a good confession.  Come to the Advent Penance Service a week from Tuesday.  There will be 17 priests.  Together, we hear the Word of God which can open our eyes to God's judgment on our failures.  Individually, we encounter the Lord's mercy in the Sacrament.  As we wait for others to do the same, we sit in the quiet to be with the Lord.  Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the fire of the Lord's love burns away our sins.  In experiencing the fire of that love, we can face the fire of the Lord's Second Coming with vigilance and without fear.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

30 NOVEMBER 2014

            The prophet Isaiah gives voice to the frustrations of his people.  Living some 600 years before Christ, They had seen the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, demolish their sacred temple, and murder their king.  Worse, they had been in exile in Babylon for almost fifty years.  They had come to realize that the prophet Jeremiah had been correct in telling them to turn back to their Covenant with God and had seen their exile as God's punishment for not listening.  Now, completely dispirited, they beg God to rend the heavens and come down and save them.

            As we begin this new Liturgical Year, we enter into the Season of Advent to consider how God saves us.  God answered the prayers of the exiles in Babylon by rending the heavens with a pagan King, Cyrus of Persia, who issued a decree allowing the refugees to return home.  In a few weeks, we will celebrate the Christmas, when the Father sent his only begotten Son to rend the heavens and come down to save us as a tiny child born into poverty.  This Season of Advent has the potential to teach us valuable lessons about how we can prepare for the ways that God rends the heavens to come down to save us.

            The first lesson is countercultural.  We live in a culture of  immediate results.  In our world of instant communication, we can be in touch with everyone at the tap of the "send" button.  That means that we can send angry and hurtful emotions without looking into the face of the one who receives our messages.  One of my nieces assumed that we are all against her when she got married last summer and "unfriended" all of us, even those of us who do not have a clue about using Facebook.  Our culture has been observing the "Holiday Season" since the first of November, and the voice of consumerism promises instant gratification to those who shop.

            In contrast, Advent invites us to wait.  Advent tells us that there is value in backing off from the glare of lights and holiday gatherings to spend time in prayer and contemplation.  In prayer and contemplation, we can hear the ways in which we have not listened to the authentic prophets of our day and have strayed from the Lord's Covenant of love.  The more contemplative style of our Advent liturgies sets the tone for the season.  Take one of the resources at the doors of  church to help in daily prayer and contemplation at home.  Come to the devotional prayers on Tuesday nights during Advent, including the communal Penance Service on the last Tuesday before Christmas.  We will offer many opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, allowing us to look at the ways in which we have ignored the Lord's presence and to begin again.

            The second lesson comes from today's Gospel.  As we prepare to celebrate the way the Lord has rent the heavens and come down to save us a child, we are aware that he will rend the heavens at the end of time to bring to completion his work of salvation.  None of us knows when the Lord will rend the heavens to come to us at the moment of our death or at the end of the world.  For that reason, we are to be watchful and alert.  Prayer and contemplation can help us understand that being watchful and alert does not mean that we cower in fear, worrying that we will be caught doing something wrong.  It means that we are actively engaged in living our Baptismal promises, being awake to the ways in which we connect with other people to make our world a more welcoming place for the coming of the Lord.

            Finally, when we combine prayer and contemplation with watching and being alert, we will be much more conscious of the ways that the Lord rends the heavens and comes to us now.  To use Isaiah's image, we are the clay, and the Lord is the potter who is forming us.  The Lord does that in the sacramental life of the Church.  With our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds opened by these real encounters, we become more aware of the ways in which he is forming us now.

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

23 NOVEMBER 2014

          When we began November with the Solemnity of All Saints, we heard the Sermon on the Mount from Saint Matthew's Gospel.  Jesus spoke to his disciples and told us eight ways in which we can be blessed, or happy.  True happiness, he says, lies in becoming detached.  We can be poor in spirit, when we are detached from material things.  We can mourn, when we are not addicted to “feeling good” all the time.  We can be meek, when we are not self centered.  We can thirst for righteousness, when we are detached from sin.  We can be merciful, when we are detached from revenge.  We can be clean of heart, when we are detached from evil thoughts.  We can be peacemakers, when we are free from hatred.  We can endure insult and persecution, when we don’t care what other people think.  With the saints as our models, these are the standards for us as we continue our mission to live and proclaim the Kingdom of God.

            Today, we hear another familiar passage from the Gospel of Matthew.  On this last day of the Liturgical Year, it is addressed to all the nations gathered at the end of time.  Even though Jesus avoids using the title of “king” for himself in his earthly ministry, he clearly is the King seated on his glorious throne.  He is the loving shepherd who knows each of us by name, and he will bring justice to his sheep at the end of time.  He addresses this parable to those whom he has sent out on mission to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom of God.  He knows that it is a difficult mission.  In living detachment, they will have to depend on the kindness of others.  That is why those who provide them with food, water, shelter, clothing, care in sickness, and concern when they are thrown into prison will be judged as sheep.  Those who treat them with kindness are caring for Christ, even if they do not recognize him.

            He also addresses this parable to us, entrusted with the task of living and proclaiming God's Kingdom.  As we live the beatitudes, our efforts to become more detached will lead us to treat those who come to us in need with greater respect.  The six acts of mercy mentioned in the parable form the basis for our seven corporal works of mercy (with burying the dead being the seventh).  These corporal works of mercy are very specific ways in which we continue to live the detachment of the Beatitudes.  Most importantly, Jesus reminds us of the reason why we should treat others in this fashion.  In treating them with respect, we are recognizing Christ in them.

            It is never comfortable to think about the end.  We have been praying in a special way during November for those who have already died.  In doing so, we remember that the end will come for each of us also, not only at the end of the world, but at the end of our lives.  That is why Saint Paul’s words in the second reading can be so comforting.  Christ has already died and been raised from the dead.  Using a metaphor from the ancient Temple Sacrifice, he is the first fruits.  He is already leading us on the way to the Father.  He tells us to focus on the present and the ways in which sharing in Christ's dying is already a sharing in his resurrection.

            So, instead of fretting and worrying about what will happen at the end, the best way to prepare is to practice the corporal works of mercy now.  Practicing those corporal works of mercy keeps us out of the goat department and squarely into the flock of Jesus Christ.  It takes a lot of faith to recognize Christ in those who come to us in need.  Our Saint Vincent de Paul Society does that all the time.  We have to look beyond appearances and not make judgments.  We look into their eyes to see the face of Jesus Christ through our eyes of faith.  In serving them, we serve Christ.  In serving Christ, we serve the Shepherd and King who will not forget our works, who knows that we are sheep, and who will put us on his right hand as long as we act as members of his flock now.

FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

9 NOVEMBER 2014

          In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul is not talking about physical buildings.  He reminds us that we are a living Temple, formed of living stones, and that God dwells in our midst.  Nor does Jesus talk about a physical temple in the Gospel.  Standing in the magnificent Temple undergoing a fifty-year renovation, Jesus is referring to his own body.  As he drives the money changers and animals out of the Temple, he will become the ultimate sacrifice acceptable to the Father, not within the sacred Temple, but outside the city walls in a hill of execution.

            As living stones of the Temple of God, we gather today to celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome.  It is a truly magnificent church.  The Emperor Constantine built the original church on land that had belonged to the Laterani family.  Pope Sylvester I consecrated it on this day in 324.  Since then, the physical church has been destroyed by earthquakes, fires, and invasions of Vandals.  It has been rebuilt and renovated many times.  Even though Popes have lived at the Vatican since the 14^th century, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran has remained the Cathedral Church of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.  It has remained a powerful sign of the living stones of God's Temple in union with the Bishop of Rome.

            Our physical church has something in common with the Baptismal font of Saint John.  Around the top of the octagonal baptismal font at the Lateran Basilica is inscribed a meditation about Baptism written in Latin by Pope Saint Leo the Great in the 5^th century.  Those same words are inscribed around the base of our Baptismal font.  Through Baptism, we are formed into a living Temple.  Through Baptism, we share communion each other, and ultimately with the Pope, who serves as bond of unity for Catholic Churches throughout the world.

            As you may have heard, we are planning to build a new church for our parish!  In our Capital Campaign, we have emphasized the need for more space.  Our physical structures are too small for the size of our growing congregation.  Just as renovations and adjustments had to be made on the Lateran Basilica over the centuries, we are adjusting to changing needs here.

            As much as these physical limitations are true, we have not spoken enough of building a beautiful structure.  This feast gives us a chance to reflect on the importance of a physical church. We, the living stones who worship in spirit and in truth, need a beautiful sacred space in which we can praise God.  That is why we have been careful with our present sacred church.  It will be repurposed to provide a new Baptismal Font, with the meditation of Pope Saint Leo the Great inscribed on.  It will also provide a sacred place for gathering as a community before and after Mass, for meetings, funeral dinners, and the work of building our spiritual temple.

            We are also being very careful with the design of the new church.  The new church is Romanesque, which preserves the beauty of a church like Saint Monica.  Yet, it will also be built in a cruciform shape, which will allow the living stones to be gathered around the Altar.  We have been very careful in planning the iconography and the images which will remind us that we are living stones being formed into a great Temple built upon the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

            All beautiful church buildings require sacrifice.  As Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to become the foundation of our living Temple, many parishioners have responded by making sacrificial gifts to build a beautiful and sacred church.  We have already raised $11.2 million in pledges, and we continue to work toward our goal of $15 million.  But, we are not done yet, and we continue to seek help as we go to the Diocesan Finance Council to receive permission to move ahead.

            We are not building grand a basilica to attract the attention of the universal Church, as the Lateran Basilica does.  We are building a beautiful church that will serve the living stones of the Temple of Saint Pius X for many years.  It is a daunting task, just as the maintenance and rebuilding of the Lateran Basilica has been a daunting task, just as the building of our present church had been a daunting task.  But many have sacrificed to give us these gifts.  Now it is our turn to continue the work of building a proper physical church for the living stones who will worship God in it.

ALL SOUL'S DAY

2 NOVEMBER 2014

          As we gather with the living members at Saint Pius today, the first two days of November remind us that the communion of the Body of Christ goes beyond what we experience with our senses.  Yesterday, the Solemnity of All Saints reminded us that countless men and women surround the throne of God and intercede for us.  Today, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of another dimension of that community:  the reality of those who have died and who are being purified by the fire of God's love to be united completely with God and the saints.  Because we have no idea of God's judgment, we pray for them.

            As we reflect on this communion which goes beyond our senses, an example from history might help.  On April 14, 1912, the radio operator on the ocean liner Californian in the North Atlantic turned off his set and went to bed.  That was standard practice in those days.  Mariners had navigated the seas for centuries without radio communication, and there seemed to be no need to keep this relatively new form of communication on 24/7.

            However, that was the night when the Titanic sank, and over 1,500 passengers and crew perished.  The doomed liner was only a few miles away from the Californian, and lookouts on the Titanic had spotted it.  Even thought the radio operator on the Titanic desperately tried to contact the Californian, no one on board that ship was listening.  No one could respond to save what likely would have been hundreds of people.

            In a similar way, praying for our beloved dead keeps alive our communion with those who have gone before us.  Saint Paul reminds us that when we keep our baptismal commitments, when we die to ourselves, we share in Christ's resurrection.  That is the promise of the one who assures us that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life.  But we know that our loved ones have not always died to themselves.  We know that there were times when they took their eyes off him.  We pray for them, trusting that our prayers have an effect.

            We often misunderstand the concept of Purgatory.  Purgatory is not a place, because there is no time and place in eternity.  Purgatory describes the process by which God purifies them.  In our iconography, we place haloes around those who are saints.  They have become so completely transparent that the fire of God's love shines through them.  For those deceased who have failed to die to themselves in living their baptismal promises, the fire of God's love burns away whatever separates them from the saints.  Just as their prayers for us when they were alive have helped and supported us in ways that we do not know, so do our prayers for them.

            When we pray for the dead, we keep our communication open with them.  They are not forgotten.  That prayer is 24/7, because Christians around the world today are praying for them today.  We can also learn lessons from the Titanic.  The loss of life went beyond a radio operator who was asleep.  There should have been more lifeboats on the Titanic.  The life boats that were launched  were not filled, because the arrogance of the owners thought there was no need for drills on an unsinkable ship.  There should have been as much concern for the lives of the poor as there was for the rich.  As the ship sank, the half full life boats could have gone back to save drowning people. 

            We can learn these and similar lessons and make changes in our lives now, just as changes in the law about radio communication were changed 100 years ago.  They remind us to   keep our eyes on Christ and live our baptismal promises more faithfully.  The Saints intercede for us as we make these changes, giving the love of God a chance to purify us.  We pray for the dead who cannot make changes, as they are being purified by the love of God in eternity.    

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

26 OCTOBER 2014

          Toward the end of his earthly ministry, the opposition to Jesus begins to increase.  The shadows of the coming darkness of his passion and death surround Jesus and his followers.  By the time Jesus enters Jerusalem for his final climactic week, his enemies swirl around him like bullies in a school playground.  It is during this week that Jesus goes to the Temple every day to face his bullies as they gang up on him and fire questions to try to trip him up.  They ask, "Do we pay taxes to Caesar or not."  "By whose authority do you act and teach?"  Whose wife will a woman be at the resurrection if she has had seven husbands?"  Jesus is artful in answering all of these trick questions.  In his answers, he does not allow the bullies to push him around.  In standing his ground, he also teaches his followers valuable lessons.

            This scholar of the law tries to trap Jesus again.  The scholar knows that his fellow Pharisees have taken the Law of Moses and listed 613 laws that must be followed.  They had made observance of the Law so complicated that ordinary believers had to consult their wisdom in following the law, just as we have to consult tax experts to navigate through our complicated tax system or skilled mechanics to fix our cars loaded with so many complicated systems.  The scholar of the law wants to put the final nails into the hands and feet of Jesus.

            Jesus stands up to this bully by quoting Scripture.  He quotes a passage from the Book of Deuteronomy:  "You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  All faithful Jews pray that passage every morning.  Then Jesus quotes a passage from the Book of Leviticus:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  In quoting these two passages, Jesus is not teaching anything new.  However he links love of God and love of neighbor in such a radical way that they can never be separated.  We cannot love God without loving our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without loving God.

            At one level, these two commandments are very simple.  We do not need to consult experts to understand them.  At another level, they challenge us to love in a way that goes well beyond the feelings we usually associate with the word "love."  At the end of this climactic week, Jesus will give a vivid example of what the love of God and neighbor will look like.  As the Incarnate Word of God, he will give his entire life on the cross for everyone, friend and foe alike.  He will demonstrate in action what he had been teaching in words.  By his sacrificial death, he will broaden the understanding of "neighbor" well beyond the bonds of national or family kinship.  Everyone is a neighbor, and the love of Jesus extends to all.

            Today at the 8:45 and 10:30 Masses, we welcome those who have never been baptized as Catechumens.  We also accept others who have been baptized in another Christian denomination as Candidates for Full Communion.  These people have joined us at Mass for some time.  They have been gathering on Tuesday nights to pray with us, to study the teachings of the Church, and to share with each other their journeys of faith.  As they take this step in faith today, they are committing themselves to continued formation in the faith.  We will do our best to teach them what it means to be Catholic as we prepare them for the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter. 

            Today, the Lord teaches us the foundation of everything we are teaching Catechumens and Candidates.  God has loved us in some incredible ways.  We return that love to others.  We still need specific commandments that guide us in loving God and neighbor, especially those neighbors who are most vulnerable.  That is why the Book of Exodus commands care of aliens, widows, and orphans, the most vulnerable in that society.  All commandments flesh out the ultimate command:  love God with our entire being and our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

19 OCTOBER 2014

          First words are very important.  We listen carefully to the first words of a newly elected Pope, or the first words at the inauguration of a new president, or the first homily given by a new pastor.  We pay attention to these first words, because they often set the tone and give some indication of what will follow.

            In today's second reading, we hear first words.  Saint Paul wrote this Letter to the Thessalonians around the year 50, making it the first written piece of the New Testament.  In these first words, he sets the tone for all who have become disciples of Jesus Christ.  He greets us with two significant words:  the Greek word Charis (grace), reminding us that the Lord has extended an invitation that we did not earn; and the Hebrew word Shalom (peace), reminding us of a relationship we enjoy through Jesus Christ to other members of the Body of Christ.  Then he affirms our work to be faithful witnesses.  He mentions the three theological virtues which will appear many times in his later letters.  He says that our work must be rooted in faith.  He reminds us that working to be a disciple is a labor of love.  When things get tough, we need an endurance of hope. Finally, he reminds us that we have been chosen.  Just as God had chosen a pagan king (Cyrus) to deliver his Chosen People from their Exile in Babylon, so God has chosen us through the waters of Baptism to become agents of transformation in a world filled with darkness.

            It is within the context of these words from Saint Paul that we can apply to our lives what Jesus says in the Gospel.  When the Pharisees join ranks with the Herodians, they are eager to trap Jesus in a dangerous question about taxation.  The Pharisees strongly object to the yoke of Roman rule and object to the image of Caesar on the coins they must use.  They know that there is only one God, and that is not Caesar.  The Herodians work with the occupying forces and use those coins to increase their wealth.  If Jesus would have answered that it is not lawful to pay the census tax, the Herodians would have arrested him for sedition.  If Jesus would have answered that it is lawful, the Pharisees would have accused him of making Caesar a false god.  Instead, Jesus makes his famous statement:  "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

            That principle has guided Christians in discerning our relationship between church and state for centuries.  Christians have always understood that governments are necessary to bring order to society and to provide services for people to live in harmony with one another.  But we have also understood that everything belongs to God, even Caesar who was made in God’s image.  That is why many Christians in the earliest centuries gave up their lives.  They refused to burn incense to an emperor who claimed that he is god, knowing that there is only one God.  That is why Christians today are being martyred in the Islamic takeover in Syria and Iraq.

            In many ways, we are fortunate to live in a country built on the principle of separation of church and state.  In many ways, we can practice our faith in freedom.  But we also know the current threats to our religious freedom.  We do not ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do"?  Instead, we rely on the wisdom of the teaching authority of the Church to guide us as we sort out these challenges.  We can consult the Church’s teaching by reading Today’s Catholic, by going to the website of the United States Catholic Bishops, and other sources of authentic Church teaching.  In the end, that teaching finds its foundation in Saint Paul's first words.  The Lord has invited us into a relationship that offers profound grace and peace.  The difficult work we undertake must be rooted in faith, love, and hope.  We have been chosen by Christ, not to put ourselves above the culture, but to be instruments of transforming love in our culture.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

12 OCTOBER 2014

          Saint Paul was in prison awaiting execution when he wrote to his favorite Church:  the Christian community at Philippi.  The Philippians had sent money to support him, and he thanks them for it.  But, looking back over his life and ministry, he responds that he has lived in all kinds of circumstances.  There had been times when he had enjoyed an abundance of food, drink, and material goods.  There had been other times when he had nothing.  He had learned how to achieve tranquility, even in the worst of situations.  While the pagan philosophers taught that this satisfaction and self sufficiency could be achieved through a willful training to eliminate all desire, Saint Paul knew otherwise.  He knew that his satisfaction and self sufficiency was a result of his intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

            Saint Paul had entered into that relationship when he accepted the Lord's invitation to be part of the rich wedding banquet of God's Kingdom.  Once he had recovered from that dramatic invitation to be part of Christ's Body on the road to Damascus, he came to understand that Christ the bridegroom had given his life for his bride, the Church.  Paul knew that being incorporated into Christ's Body through baptism was just the first step.  He had been given a white baptismal garment signifying his identity in Christ.  In order to fit into the wedding banquet of the Lamb, he needed to continue to wear that garment, that outward sign of his willingness to change his life and conform himself to Christ.

            That is exactly the point of Jesus' parable.  By the time Matthew had recorded this parable, Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans.  Matthew looks at that historical event and interprets the parable to identify those who had refused the invitation to the banquet as the residents of Judea and Jerusalem.  As a result of their refusal, the invitation has been extended through Saint Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.  But this living Word of God does not give us an excuse to make judgments on the refusal of others to accept his invitation to be part of the banquet.  Rather, the parable tells us that simply being at the table is not enough.  The man who is not wearing his wedding garment is reduced to silence, because he knows that his actions are not in conformity with the values of the King and his banquet. 

            We need to pay close attention to our baptismal garments, seeing them as visible images which reflect the ways we must change our lives to fit into the great banquet.  If we don't begin to cooperate with God's grace, then we are not fitting in.  If we do not work at loving others and forgiving others as God has loves and forgives us, we do not fit in.  If we are not working on controlling our temper or other habits that can tear apart the fabric of our lives of faith, we do not fit in.  As Saint Paul had reminded the Colossians in another of his letters, we need to "clothe (ourselves) with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."  These are the garments which help us fit into the Kingdom of God, and cooperating with the grace of our Baptism enables us to wear those garments with humility.

            As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we have accepted the Lord's invitation to join him at this Eucharist.  There can be as many lame excuses for coming to Mass as those who had refused to come to the wedding feast in the parable gave.  Our presence here indicates that we have a place at the table.  At this Mass, we receive a foretaste of the eternal Banquet of the Lamb.  Receiving the Lord's Body and Blood has the power to transform us more perfectly into the Body of Christ.  As we prepare ourselves for this Banquet of the Lamb, we can renew our efforts to wear those wedding garments given to us on the day we were baptized, making sure that they help us fit into the Kingdom of God.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

5 OCTOBER 2014

          The prophet Isaiah took a look at what was going on in his society, he did not like what he saw.  He saw widespread disregard for the Covenant between God and his people.  He saw many people returning to the worship of false gods when they thought that God was not listening to their needs.  He saw the wealthy disregarding the needs of the poor and cheating them in the marketplace.  He saw married couples being unfaithful to their vows, people lying to and cheating one another.  Instead of seeing the Law of Moses as guides for living the covenant, people were simply ignoring them and doing what they wanted.

            So, Isaiah used a familiar image.  Everyone knew what a vineyard looked like and how much work it took to maintain a healthy vineyard to produce good fruit.  He reminded his people that God was the tenant, and they were the people who made up his vineyard.  God had transplanted them from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Kingdom of Israel.  God had cleared the land for them, provided them with the best opportunities, and removed their stony hearts.  God had done all the hard work, and they had ignored him and thought only of themselves.  As a result, they were producing bad fruit and would pay the consequences.

            Jesus uses that same image as he approaches Jerusalem and his imminent death.  In his parable, he reminds us that God had sent numerous prophets like Isaiah to remind his people that the vineyard was his, and that they were responsible for producing good fruit by their actions.  After they were ignored and some of them killed, Jesus himself is the Son who will be murdered outside the city walls.  He would become the stone rejected by the builders which would become the cornerstone.  Once the old structure had collapsed, God would give his vineyard to others.

            We are the ones who now form the vineyard of the Lord.  We are here today to celebrate the Lord's victory over sin and death on the cross.  Jesus is not telling us to look back in history to condemn those who did not produce fruit.  Instead, he  invites us to take a look at our vineyard to see what kind of fruit we are producing.

            For forty years, the Bishops of our country have asked us to set aside the month of October as "respect life" month.  If we are honest, we can see many ways in which our society does not foster a culture of life.  Our society focuses on consuming stuff.  As a result, we are tempted to hoard our stuff and ignore the needs of the poor or the community of believers.  Our society puts great emphasis on those things that serve our needs.  As a result, people are tempted to ignore the human life in the womb or the elderly in the nursing homes, because paying attention to them might be inconvenient.  Our society tells us to use violence in response to damage done to us.  As a result, we too easily give up on negotiations and ways of reconciling differences. Our society keeps talking about the good life and being happy.  As a result, we are tempted to see no value in human suffering and take any steps to get rid of suffering.

            When we give into these and many more temptations, we ignore the reality that our vineyard belongs to God, and that God wants us to produce good fruit.  Barb Williams has put up a wonderful display in the back of church.  Please take some time to look at that display and see so many ways in which our Respect Life Ministries are working to help us develop a culture of life in the midst of a popular culture that not only produces bad fruit, but which also brings death in so many ways.  Look at the opportunities which are available to all of us during this month.  They provide occasions for both prayer and action.

            Saint Paul tells us to have no anxiety at all.  He is not saying, "stick your heads in the sand and ignore the evils of our day."  Nor is he saying, "don't worry, be happy.  Instead of worrying and wringing our hands, we can trust God working through us to be better tenants of his vineyard and produce good fruit.

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

28 SEPTEMBER 2014

          The ancient prophets of Israel referred to their kingdom as a vineyard.  Last Sunday, Jesus made it clear that all of us are invited to be part of his vineyard, God's Kingdom.  This Sunday, he reminds us that membership in his vineyard, in the Kingdom of God, is not just a matter of saying that we belong, but actually putting those words into effect.

            Bishop Rhoades is the shepherd of our local Vineyard, the Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend.  Today, he asks for our help in his care of the Vineyard.  Please turn around and consider the ways in which our contributions further the work of the Vineyard.

     Earlier this summer, the Parochial Vicar of Saint Pius X Parish, Father Terry Coonan, helped this sagacious and senile pastor to set up his first blog:  fromcanterburytorome.blogspot.com.  With his help and encouragement, I was able to chronicle our 1,200 mile pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome.  It was an opportunity to share with others the lessons God was trying to teach us on our physical journey.  Clearly, God was teaching us that we did not need all that stuff, which was stolen in the course of that journey.
     With that pilgrimage now complete, this sagacious and senile pastor continues the more important Pilgrimage, the journey to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  In this blog, I plan to share my Sunday homilies, hoping to gain some insight along the way of what the Lord is teaching me, and sharing it with any who want to check out those insights.
     We begin with the 25th Sunday in Ordinary time, when the Lord invites us to renew our Stewardship of Sacrificial Giving.  Added to my homily is the witness talk of Jan Druyvesteyn, who more eloquently describes her pilgrimage in faith.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

21 SEPTEMBER 2014

          When Jesus tells this parable, is not speaking about the world as we know it.  He is not offering guidelines for labor arbitration or suggesting a new economic theory.  It would not take long for word to get out that it is not necessary to sweat under the hot sun and do back breaking work all day.  Just show up at 5:00 in the afternoon, and you will get a full day's pay!  The vineyard owner would watch his grapes rot in the vineyard, and his business would be ruined.

            Jesus uses this parable to describe the Kingdom of God.  He deliberately contrasts the ways of our world with the ways of God's Kingdom.  In the Kingdom of God, the value of a person is not established by how much a person works, or how much a person is paid.  Our value comes from being created in God's image.  We enter God's Kingdom when we accept his invitation, no matter where we are in our pilgrimage through life.

            In a similar way, the consumer spirit of our culture can be contrasted with the message of stewardship.  Consumers consider their goods as a result of hard work and guard them carefully.  They look for bargains.  Consumers sit back and enjoy all the services which Saint Pius offers while others do the heavy lifting.  Eight years ago, consumers could take advantage of the sacrifices made by so many in constructing our Parish Education Center to skip the capital campaign to enjoy a Catholic education as a bargain.  The same dynamic can be applied to our present efforts to build a new church.  Consumers receive the benefits of the sacrifice of others.

            Stewards have a very different view.  After prayer and reflection, stewards realize that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God.  In gratitude, stewards give back to God a generous first portion of their time and their treasure.  Good stewards are willing to make sacrifices, because they understand that their gifts serve the common good of the parish.  Good stewards look at their income and establish a first percent to give back.  As a parish, we have taken steps in faith to tithe 8 1/2 % of our income each year -- 5% to our sister parish of Saint Adalbert and 3 1/2% to the poor.  Our goal is to reach 10%.  That will take some time, especially given our current capital campaign.

            This does not mean that good stewards cannot enjoy the benefits of our treasure.  Once we give back a generous portion, we trust that God will give us what we need.  In my own stewardship of sacrificial giving, I have reached 10%.  That still gives me enough funds to take care of one of my most important needs:  cycling!  With the help of insurance money, I have just purchased a new bicycle to replace the one that was stolen in Italy! 

            God invites each of us today to take a step of faith and become good stewards, not bargain hunting consumers.  As you consider your response to the Lord’s invitation, please listen to Jan Druyvesteyn as she speaks of her journey from being a consumer to becoming a steward.

Witness Message for Stewardship Services - September 20 & 21, 2014

Saint Pius X Catholic Church

Four years ago this fall, I began weekly sessions in RCIA, thanks to Father Bill’s encouragement. I was received into full communion in the church the following Easter Vigil, and things have not been the same since. That’s the reason, this Stewardship Weekend (Sunday) I am grateful to share my story.

By way of introduction to the Catholic Church my husband (a new Catholic himself) gave me a subscription to The Magnificat – the monthly meditation that I know many of you read. The daily Scripture readings, prayers, and meditations opened my heart and fed me spiritually. So much so, that after a year, I was actually “dependent” on reading it each day. That was the beginning of the path that led to Saint Pius. What was happening, I realized, was the fulfillment of the words in the Epistle of James, chapter 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”  And God did – beyond my imagining.

To my surprise, I discovered that the Scripture readings for today hold that same message: Isaiah 55: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near,” and  Psalm 145: “The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”

So – drawing near to God ever more faithfully through prayer, reading God’s word, and listening in silence to the Holy Spirit, re-set priorities in my life. I began closely watching how I used my time and ally resources. I realized I was swept away – as most of us are – by the presumed “need” in our society for more and more possessions, for the excuses to be self-indulgent (think... specialty coffee drinks, the extra glass of wine … fill in the blanks) – and the mindless living with excess. 

What’s interesting is that I didn’t intentionally decide to change any habits. The changes occurred because I had drawn nearer to God. And one of those changes, or decisions, was how – and how much – I was giving to the church. I no longer viewed my annual pledge as an obligation, but rather an act of worship.  It’s thanksgiving! And that’s also what the Eucharist is for us each time we are here in worship to receive the body and blood of Christ. 

All that we have is from God – entrusted to us to serve him.  So I asked myself, “How can I possibly thank God except to return to him in thanks-giving ALL my gifts: time, talent, and treasure.

We are blessed to be members of this parish, to worship in a community that supports one another and seeks to be faithful witnesses of Christ’s love. We are blessed by Father Bill and Father Terry who lead us in worship and help guide us along our way through life. Many of us know what it’s like to have Father Bill walk through the door of a hospital room. He is in that instant the face of Christ.  And how often he, and Father Terry come alongside us when we are in need of comfort, support, or blessing.

I had a very dear friend, name Elsie, who rather late in her life discovered the peace and joy of drawing near to God. Elsie always said, “Gratitude is everything.”  May we all count our blessings today – in gratitude – and pray for what we might do to repay those blessings – past, present, and future to our wonderful parish.  May we all be disciples – shining witnesses of Christ’s love to the world – so others may come into this fellowship, welcomed as I was, into the open arms of Christ’s love. For this, I give praise to God, and I thank you.

Jan Druyvesteyn