THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH

29 DECEMBER 2019

          When Saint Paul writes to the Church of Colossae, he calls them God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.  God had chosen them to enter into an intimate relationship with his son.  Already beloved because they had been created in the divine image, they became holy when they were baptized.  Having emerged from the waters of Baptism, they were clothed in a white garment, signifying their unique union with Christ.

            Saint Paul challenges the Colossians to wear that garment well.  He speaks not about a physical garment, but the clothing of holiness:  heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Clothed in Christ, they must bear with one another and forgive one another.  He knows that members of a family can develop a grievance against one another.  He reminds those clothed in Christ to forgive one another, precisely because God forgives them. 

Saint Paul speaks this same message to us.  We are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.  We have passed through the waters of Baptism.  Once we emerged from those saving waters, we were clothed with a white garment, signifying our union with Christ.  Saint Paul challenges us to respond to God’s heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience by wearing those same garments ourselves.  Those garments represent our outward actions toward one another, especially in our willingness to forgive as Christ as forgiven us.  But they also represent our inner dispositions, expressing our trust that the Lord Jesus can transform us.

            Saint Matthew gives us a model for holiness:  the holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  At first glance, we might get discouraged.  How can we compete with a family like this?  The son is God himself, the mother is a virgin who never sinned, and the father is a quiet man who responds immediately to the angel’s messages to him in dreams without uttering a single word!  However, we can understand that their marks of holiness can become ours.  The Scriptures tell us very little about this family.  But we they observed religious traditions.  They communicated, especially when their child was lost in the Temple.  This family is bound together by love, the bond of perfection.  Faced with the danger posed by Herod, the parents trust the Father and take the risk of fleeing to Egypt to protect the child.  As a toddler, Jesus probably took his first steps as an immigrant in a foreign land.  The parents continue to trust the Father when the angel tells Joseph in a dream to return to Nazareth.  Saint Matthew gives this detail to express the reality that God had always been with his people.  God had been with the brothers of Joseph when they went to Egypt to escape famine.  God had been with his people when Moses led them through the desert to the Promised Land.  God continues to be with this particular family in their dangers.

            We celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family during the Octave of Christmas.  We continue to reflect on the Incarnation, on the Mystery of God dwelling in our midst through Jesus Christ.  We are called to be holy, to wear the garments of our baptism, as a parish family.  We evangelize best with humility and trust when we wear those garments.  The same is true of the individual human families in our parish. When Saint Paul wrote to the Colossians, he used the family structure of his day, urging wives to be submissive to their husbands.  But he also departed in a radical way from the way the culture expected men to behave.  He insisted that husbands love their wives as Christ loved his bride the Church:  dying for them.  He speaks to us today, no matter what our individual families may look like. Our families may conform themselves to the patterns of holiness in our culture.  But they can be radically transformed by taking Paul’s advice and clothing themselves in Christ. Wear those garments proudly.  They define who we are.

CHRISTMAS     

25 DECEMBER 2019

          Christmas teaches us how God chooses to be present to us.  The Word could have taken flesh in a politically stable environment.  Instead, the Incarnation happened in a troubled little kingdom dominated by Roman occupation.  Jesus could have been born in a comfortable palace.    Instead, he was born in a smelly stable full of animals.  His parents could have had supportive family around to help them.  Instead, the birth occurred far from home in a crowded village.  Local dignitaries could have been the first to welcome the child.  Instead his first visitors were nomadic peasants who moved around with their flocks and could not be trusted by the locals. 

            As we gather to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, no one has to tell us that we live in a messy world.  In both our culture and our Church, we are polarized and deeply divided.  We may not live in stables.  But we all have our share of messes that smell.  Some are separated from families and supportive friends at this time of the year and feel very lonely.  Some of us find ourselves mourning the loss of loved ones.

            Into our messy world, Christ enters and wants to dwell with us.  Christmas is not a one-time event that happened a long time ago in Bethlehem.  The Christmas miracle happens every time we open our hearts to trust in God and let him take flesh through the work of our hands.  The Christmas miracle happens when we listen attentively to the Word of God, like Mary did, and allow the Lord’s will to take place in our lives.  The Christmas miracle happens when we ask Saint Joseph to help us respond to others with compassion in the midst of doubt and despair.  The Christmas miracle happens when we become angels of peace to bring radiant hope into a lonely person’s darkness through words of encouragement.  The Christmas miracle happens when we make haste to seek Christ in the poor, the lowly, the rejected, and the outcast.  

            It is not a coincidence that we celebrate the Christmas miracle at the darkest time of the year.  We can identify with darkness, because we live with the darkness of war, hatred, prejudice, disease, and the devastating results of bad choices that we all make.  The Christmas miracle reminds us that the Lord is truly the light of the world.  That light shines in the darkness of our fragile and broken world.  That light reminds us that the Lord can dwell in our midst, if we are only open to his coming to us.

            All of us are in different places as we gather on this Christmas.  Some of us have the good fortune of celebrating Christmas surrounded by positive and supportive family members.  If life is good, we need to thank the newborn Christ for this gift and not take it for granted.  Others are in more difficult situations.  We can trust that the Lord Jesus can take flesh in your life, just as surely as he took flesh in the messy situations of his birth in his own day.  Christmas reminds us to open our hearts to the incredible love God has shown by dwelling in our midst.

            When we walk away from this Christmas, we return to the same messy world that may not appear fundamentally changed by the Mystery we celebrate.  However, this Mystery has the power to change us.  God shared in our humanity so that we can share in his divinity.  When we truly believe that this is true, then we can make a difference.  We can evangelize.  Saint Bernard of Clairvaux said it best:  “let your goodness, Lord, appear to us, that we, made in your image, may conform ourselves to it.  In our own strength, we cannot imagine your majesty, power and wonder; nor is it fitting for us to try.  But your mercy reaches from the heavens, through the clouds, to the earth below.  You have come to us as a small child, but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts, the gift of your eternal love.  Caress us with your tiny hands, embrace us with your tiny arms, and pierce our hearts with your soft, sweet cries.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.” 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT

22 DECEMBER 2019

          Saint Matthew tells us that Joseph is betrothed to Mary.  Unlike an engagement today, betrothal was the final stage in an arranged marriage between the families of Joseph and Mary.  They are bound for each other, but not living together.  When Joseph finds out that Mary is with child, he must have been absolutely devastated.  Filled with hurt, betrayal, and disappointment, he could have reacted to the news about Mary’s pregnancy by doing what the Law of Moses allowed.  He could have had her stoned for infidelity.  However, he is a righteous man and chooses to show compassion instead of justice.  He will divorce her quietly, step aside, and allow the father of the child to come forward and claim Mary and the child as his own.

            However, an angel tells him the truth in a dream.  Mary has conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The angel tells him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home.  As a member of the house of King David, he is to name the child.  Joseph does exactly what the angel told him to do.  In caring for Mary and the child, Joseph will allow Jesus to mature and realize his status as the Son of God and the son of David.  Jesus probably learned from Joseph not be afraid to choose compassion over justice.  Time and time again in his public ministry, Jesus shows compassion to public sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, and those caught in adultery.  At the end of his life on the cross, he gives compassion to those who had betrayed and abandoned him.

            Centuries earlier, another descendant of David received a message from the Lord.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to King Ahaz.  The kingdom of Judah was in a tough situation, and Ahab was weighing his options.  Should he go to war against Assyria or join with Assyria in waging war against neighboring countries?  Isaiah told him to trust in God and do nothing.  He even offered to give the king a sign.  But King Ahaz piously rejected the sign, because he had already made up his mind that waging war was his only choice.  Chiding him that he was wearying both God and everyone else, Isaiah gave him the sign anyway.  In his own time, his son Hezekiah would be for his people Emmanuel, or “God is with us.”

            In just a couple of days, we will celebrate the fulfillment of that prophecy in ways that no one could ever have imagined.  A virgin has conceived and born a son.  He is Emmanuel, not just a good man sent to God’s people.  He is God himself, who has taken flesh and dwells among us.  As we prepare to celebrate this remarkable mystery, all of us face our own issues when we gather with our families for Christmas.  There may not be tax collectors at the dinner table.  However, there will be those who have different political views than we do.  Adulterers and prostitutes may not join us.  But some will have made choices and lifestyles that offend us.  Family members may not have nailed us to any cross.  But they may have betrayed us or spread rumors about us.           We have a choice as we gather for Christmas.  We can dig in our heels like King Ahaz and demand justice, causing further alienation and injury.  Or, we can let go of our fears and choose compassion, as Joseph did when he dealt with his wife’s apparent infidelity.  Joseph trusted that his compassion would bear fruit, and that fruit far exceeded anything he could have expected.  The same is true for us, not only when we gather for Christmas, but when we continue to navigate ourselves through life.  Joseph’s compassion allowed the Lord to work an incredible miracle at the Incarnation.  We ask the intercession of Saint Joseph today.  Through his intercession, we can let go of our fears and increase our trust in the Lord’s will for us.  We can recognize our own sins and failings and take the risk of allowing the Lord to be more present as a result of our willingness to be more compassionate.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

15 DECEMBER 2019

          Saint John the Baptist had leapt in his mother’s womb when her cousin Mary entered the house with the Messiah in her womb.  He had pointed to the Messiah at the banks of the Jordan River and baptized him, even though he declared that he was not worthy to carry his sandals.  He heard the voice from heaven declaring that Jesus is his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased.

            Given this close relationship, it seems strange that John would send his disciples to ask Jesus the question:  “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”  Does he ask that question because he is in a very dark space, locked in prison awaiting execution?  Or does he ask that question because Jesus is not living up to his expectations of the job description of the Messiah?  If you recall, last weekend John had contrasted his baptism of water with Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Instead of talking about unquenchable fire and warning people that they would be chaff burned in that fire, Jesus is preaching mercy and forgiveness.  Instead of separating the good from the bad, he is hanging out with prostitutes and tax collectors.

            Saint Matthew does not give the reason for John’s question.  Instead, he gives the answer of Jesus.  Jesus instructs John’s disciples to listen and hear what is happening.  In Jesus, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.  He cures the blind.  He enables the lame to walk.  He touches lepers and restores them to their families.  He allows the deaf to hear.  He restores a dead son to the widow of Nain, breathes life into the dead daughter of Jairus, gives life to the centurion’s servant, and brings Lazarus back from the dead.  He assures the poor that they are not forgotten.  Jesus is clearly fulfilling the job description given by the Prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading.  He does not come as a Messiah who will restore Israel to its greatness through military action.  He comes as a humble servant initiating the Kingdom of heaven through dying and rising.

            As we light this third candle on the Advent Wreath, we open our ears to hear these words of Jesus.  Like the Baptist, we might be in some dark place.  We might be mourning the loss of a loved one or struggling with a breakup in the family or walking away from a close relationship.  We might wonder why the Messiah had been able to heal so many people, but does not heal the person closest to me suffering from terminal cancer.  On this Gaudete Sunday, the Lord invites us to peer beyond whatever darkness might be enveloping us to see evidence that his Kingdom is in our midst.  The Lord is near.  We can catch glimpses of that presence in the cards we open at this time of the year from people who are distant.  We can be surprised by the kindness shown by others in unexpected ways.  We might be struck by the beauty of the rising sun on a clear day.

            Saint James tells us to be patient as we wait for the Lord’s coming.  He gives the example of the farmer, who does all the preparatory work of tilling the field, planting the seed, and weeding the crops.  That work will produce fruit once it receives the rains sent by God.  In a similar way, we need to do the preparatory work of giving ourselves in humble service and opening ourselves to loving and trusting relationships.  In these ways, we express a loving faith that is content to discover God’s gift in the manner and in the moment God reveals them. 

            There is a wonderful way to hear and see what the Lord is doing in our lives at this time.  Come to the Penance Service on Tuesday evening.  Together, we hear the Word of God.  Together, we examine our consciences.  Individually, we confess our sins to one of the 18 priests.  Through that Sacrament, the Lord opens the eyes of blind sinners.  He allows those who are estranged to walk toward one another.  He gives the alienated back to the community.  He opens the ears of those who have failed to hear.  He restores those who have been dead in sin.  And he proclaims to each of us the Good News of mercy and reconciliation.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8 DECEMBER 2019

          In writing to the Christians in Rome, Saint Paul knew that he was writing to a divided community.  Some members had grown up as fellow Jews like Paul himself.  But unlike Paul, they had trouble letting go of their customs.  As the first people to receive the promises made to the Patriarchs, they regarded themselves as better than the rest.  They regarded eating with Gentiles as defilement, making communal meals impossible.  The other members had grown up as pagans, knowing nothing of Jewish laws and customs.  They had no use for any dietary laws.  They made no effort to be sensitive to their dietary restrictions.  There was a great divide, and it weakened the witness of the community in the hostile environment of the city of Rome.

            Saint Paul directly addresses this lack of harmony.  He confirms that the Jewish Christians have received the promises made to the ancient patriarchs.  But he also insists that these promises have been fulfilled so that the Gentiles might glorify God.  He urges both Jewish and Gentile Christians to welcome one another, precisely in the way that Christ had welcomed them.  Christ had welcomed them when they entered into the waters of baptism and emerged completely united with him and with each other.

In this new liturgical year, we will hear from the Gospel of Saint Matthew on most Sundays.  He will recount the message of Jesus, the Messiah.  Jesus offers the gift of salvation first to his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters.  Then he offers that gift to the Gentiles, the rest of humanity.  When we celebrate the Epiphany during the Christmas Season, Matthew will remind us that the first visitors to the newly born child are not fellow Jews.  They are the Magi, pagan visitors from the east who bring gifts that identify the child:  gold for the king, frankincense for the Son of God, and myrrh for the Suffering Servant.  At the end of the Gospel, which we will hear during the Easter Season, the risen Christ commissions the Apostles to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the ends of the earth, to the entire human family.  Jesus had called these Apostles from a group of people who had little in common with one another.  Matthew was a tax collector, and Simon was a Zealot.  They should have been enemies.  But they decided to lay aside their past and their politics to work together for the common good.

            Through the living Word of God, Saint Paul speaks to us.  We live in a deeply polarized world of sharp divisions.  We tend to identify those who disagree with us as enemies.  We have familiar labels for the “other” side, and we hold them at arm’s length.  This is true both in our society and in our Church.  Saint Paul challenges us to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us.  Like Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot, we need to reach out, say a kind word, and sit down and talk with one another.  When challenged about our beliefs, need to spend time to study and pray about our beliefs.  We need to speak the truth with love and respect.

            During this Advent Season, we prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at Christmas.  He came as a tiny child and was crucified as an adult.  We also prepare for his second coming in glory and majesty.  Between those two comings, we are called to recognize the hidden ways in which he comes to us now.  Hidden in the forms of bread and wine, he feeds us.  Hidden in the words of Absolution, he frees us from our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  John the Baptist speaks directly to us and demands that we repent from our sinful ways and turn more completely toward the Lord.  If we take time to examine our consciences and acknowledge the hardness of our hearts, perhaps we can more readily find Christ, hidden in those we consider enemies or polar opposites.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

1 DECEMBER 2019

          The Season of Advent prepares us to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at Christmas.  Advent invites us to prepare for his second coming at the end of time or at the end of our lives.  But Advent also makes us more aware of the ways in which the Lord comes to us now.  He comes to us in the Sacramental life of the Church, most especially in this Eucharist.  Sending us forth from this Mass, he remains with us in his risen presence throughout our daily lives, if only we open ourselves to that presence.

            The prophet Isaiah says that the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.  We see that prophecy fulfilled in the Mystery of the first coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas and culminating in the Mystery of his death and resurrection at Easter.  He wants to establish his house as the highest mountain of our hearts.  Advent invites us to take a closer look at all the mountains of our hearts, all of those realities that are important to us.  Those mountains include our desire to ensure that we have adequate possessions, good jobs, good reputations, and that we provide for our families, among many other goods.  However, if we want the swords of our lives (cutting things apart) turned into plowshares and the spears (poking us at every side) turned into pruning hooks, then the highest mountain must be the presence of the risen Christ in our daily lives.  In preparing for him to come again, his presence cannot be one of many mountains that we acknowledge only on Sunday.  His presence must ultimately be the highest and most important in our lives.

            That is why the persistent pattern of prayer is so important.  People sometimes think that stewardship is about raising funds.  Because stewardship involves living as committed disciples, spending time in prayer is the first of the other two legs of stewardship:  service and sacrificial giving.  Please read the materials on the stewardship of prayer which we sent home (or pick up your packet in the Parish Life Center).  Be sure to join us on the next three Tuesday evenings for our communal Advent prayers.  Take one of the booklets at all of the doors to help with personal prayer.  Allow Advent to assist in renewing a persistent pattern of prayer.  If you don’t believe me, please listen to Stephanie Rucano as she explains how this has happened in her life.

                                                       The Stewardship of My Prayer

Thank you, Father Bill, for inviting me to share a little bit of my prayer journey.

I am happily married to wonderful man named Tony and have an amazing daughter named Camille.

Today, my relationship with our Heavenly Father is very intimate, but it was not always that way.

Prior to now, I was that lost sheep. I was a struggling mom trying to juggle life and do everything. So, it was rare that I’d attend mass or the sacraments. I was just too busy to go! My prayer life consisted of saying a prayer now and then if I needed answers immediately or before meals when I didn’t forget.

Shame and guilt were both weighing me down. I felt a nudge to go to confession, so I did. Then, I looked at the priest as I confessed my sins and saw the most amazing thing. It was Jesus Christ sitting before me. He said, “Your sins are forgiven, and you will be fine in your life-now go in Peace.” The moment I walked out I felt the weights lifted and my relationship with the Lord has been growing ever since.

I start and end my days with our Lord. Whether I’m driving somewhere, going to the gym, or attending daily mass I need to hear the Living Words. There seems to ALWAYS be a message for me that I need to hear to help balance my day.

As a Eucharistic minister during communion, I see Jesus in each one of your faces. After I’m done, I go back to my seat, kneel and pray for each one of you as my Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Recently, I was showing a non-Catholic visitor around and we walked before the chapel and saw Jesus was displayed in adoration. I told her, “that is my Best Friend and he knows everything about me. It’s where I go and have a conversation with Him, and we are All invited.” I turned to look at her at that moment and she had tears rolling down her face. She said she could feel Him in her heart.

With a parish this size I have responded to his call to be with families as they grieve the loss of a loved one. The connection with these individual’s is truly a path I was intended to take guided by the Holy Spirit.

With the opportunities here at St Pius I ask you to accept the invitation, to help your prayer life grow and draw you closer to our Heavenly Father.

Looking up at the Good Shepherd, know that you will never be lost.

Take the path that was created for you, accepting all the Graces and Blessings along the way.

Thank you and God Bless.

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

17 NOVEMBER 2019

          When Saint Paul writes to Thessalonians, he knows that they are concerned about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Believing that the Lord would come again very soon, many of them had quit their work and were sitting around doing nothing, waiting for the Lord to come for them.  Paul responds that no one knows when the Lord will come again.  In fact, Paul has come to realize that the Lord’s second coming has been delayed.  So, he gives them some good advice.  Reminding them of the hard work which Silvanus and Timothy and he had done in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, he tells them that the best way to wait for the coming of the Lord is to continue their daily lives and remain involved in their work, even when it is boring or tedious.  As he reminds them, they should keep busy instead of minding the business of others.

            Unlike the Thessalonians, we do not expect the Second Coming of the Lord any time in the near future.  Over the last two thousand years, we have seen lots of people trying to predict the end of the world.  But the Lord has delayed his Second Coming in the midst of persecutions, wars, and natural disasters.  However, we need to be reminded that he will come for us, not only at the end of time, but also when he comes to call each of us home at the end of our lives. 

            The Lord speaks this same word to us every year at this time, whether we want to hear it or not.  Today is the second to the last Sunday in this current Liturgical Year.  The signs of the death of Nature are all around us.  The ground no longer produces life.  The length of light each day gets shorter.  We have been praying during this month in a special way for our deceased loved ones.  Life in this world is transitory.  We cannot expect that those structures which sustain us will last forever.  That is what Jesus is telling us in today’s Gospel.  By the time Saint Luke had recorded his words, the Romans had destroyed the magnificent Temple and all of Jerusalem.  The disciples of Jesus were dispersed throughout the Empire.  As they formed themselves into a new family built on the foundation of the risen Temple of Jesus Christ, they were beginning to understand that they were living stones being formed into a new and more beautiful structure.  But, they were also being persecuted, harassed, and even executed.  It is no wonder that they were hoping that the Lord would come again very soon in their lifetimes.

            The Lord does not speak these words to frighten us.  Instead, he wants us to be aware of the truth of our existence.  We do that best by following Saint Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians.  We need to continue the work of our daily lives, as boring and tedious as that work may be.  We need to recognize the Lord’s presence in our daily activities and trust that our work contributes to the Lord’s ongoing work in our world today. 

            The prophet Malachi provides a wonderful image for our efforts to recognize the Lord’s presence in our daily lives.  He speaks of the fire of God’s love.  At every Mass, we light these candles, because the Lord is truly present here in Word and Sacrament.  As baptized disciples, we carry the light of that presence into our daily lives.  The fire of that light can shine through us when we live our baptismal promises.  It can also purify us when we fail.  During November, we are more conscious of the fire of God’s love shining through the entire Church.  That fire shines through the saints in heaven.  That is why the saints are given haloes in iconography.  We pray for those who are being purified by the fire of God’s love, which is the essence of Purgatory.  We are even reminded of those who have completely turned their backs on the fire of God’s love and are being burned by it, which is the essence of hell.  As we continue to be guided by the fire of God’s love on our pilgrimage to the New and Eternal Jerusalem, it is by our perseverance that we will secure our lives.

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

10 NOVEMBER 2019

          Throughout this Liturgical Year, Saint Luke has told us about Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem.  On the way, he has been teaching what discipleship means.  He has emphasized that he would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead in Jerusalem.  Today, he has arrived.  He is in Jerusalem, teaching in the Temple just a few days before he will be crucified.

            While the crowds may have welcomed him on Palm Sunday, the Sadducees have not.  They are part of the wealthy aristocracy who cooperate with the occupying Romans.  They are the fundamentalists of their day who insist that the only authentic word of God comes from the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.  They are also the priests of the Temple, and they are clearly threatened by this itinerant preacher from Galilee who does not belong on their turf.

            So they try to trap him in his teaching about resurrection.  Knowing that there is no mention of resurrection in the Torah, they quote the Levirate Law in the Book of Deuteronomy.  That law requires that the brother of a deceased man should take his wife and raise descendants for his name.  They propose the ridiculous situation of a woman who married all seven of the men in the same family and dies childless.  Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?

            Instead of dismissing the Law of Moses, as they had expected, Jesus responds that they do not understand what resurrection means.  They are focusing on the reality of a political earthly kingdom.  He is referring to the reign of God which will be ushered in by his death and resurrection.  Resurrection is life transformed by the God of the living.  As his closest followers will discover, they will not recognize him transformed from the dead on Easter Sunday. 

            At the heart of our Christian faith is the Paschal Mystery:  the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As we walk together to the New and Eternal Jerusalem, we are convinced that death is not the end.  We do our best to trust in the promise of Jesus that if we die with him, we will rise with him.  But as much as we may believe the Paschal Mystery, we sometimes have a difficult time explaining our faith in a clear and understandable way. 

The Second Book of Maccabees provides an insight.  It tells the story of a very difficult time for the people of Israel two centuries before the birth of Christ.  The Seleucids had taken control of the region and decided to ban all religious practices.  The King’s name was Antiochus IV Epiphanes (in Greek “Zeus Revealed”).  In other words, his name meant “just call me god.”  At his command, the Temple in Jerusalem was turned into a gymnasium, and all places of worship were destroyed.  Those who refused to worship him were subject to the death penalty.

            In today’s first reading, a faithful Jewish mother is arrested, along with her seven sons.  They are given a choice:  worship the king (with the big ego) or be killed.  Each of the brothers refuses to worship the king and chooses to die rather than abandon their trust in the one true God.  Each of the brothers is murdered in a brutal way, along with their mother.  They choose death because of their firm belief that God would raise them up again.  Their heroic actions are more eloquent than any theological or philosophical attempt to explain the mystery of life after death.

            What happened to the mother and her sons is not an isolated event that happened a long time ago.  In 2014, members of ISIS captured 20 Coptic Catholics who had come to Libya seeking work.  They dressed them in orange jump suits and marched them to the shore of the Sea.  They gave them a choice:  give up your faith or die.  Each was beheaded in a brutal manner.  A 21^st member of their group decided to join them, even though he was not Christian, because he was so impressed with their belief in life after death.  It is that firm belief in the resurrection which continues to give us hope as we walk to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

3 NOVEMBER 2019

          The book of Wisdom tells us that God loves all things that are.  Even though the universe appears to God as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew, God’s imperishable spirit is in all things.  Even when his creatures turn away and reject him, God rebukes offenders little by little so that they may return to him.  God never gives up on us.

            We see this truth in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, as he travels from Galilee to Jerusalem.  We have been following him every Sunday in the Gospel of Saint Luke.  At one point in his journey, he meets a rich young man.  He looks with love at this rich young man who has been faithful about keeping the commandments.  When the rich young man asks what he needs to do to have eternal life, Jesus shows his love for him by telling him to give away everything to the poor and follow him.  The rich young man goes away sad, because he cannot imagine living without his wealth.  Jesus turns to his disciples who had already given away everything to follow him and tells them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  Convinced that wealth is a sign of God’s favor, the disciples scratch their heads and wonder if anyone can be saved.

            Today, Jesus meets another rich man.  Unlike the rich young man, Zacchaeus is an older scoundrel.  Not only is he in the business of ripping his own people off, giving the proceeds to the hated Romans, and pocketing the inflated balance.  He is the chief tax collector of Jericho.  Isolated by the citizens of Jericho, he must be looking for some kind of acceptance.  He wants to see Jesus of Nazareth, who is passing through the town.  But he is short, both in moral and in physical stature.  So, he makes a fool of himself and climbs a sycamore tree.  We can only imagine the crowd making fun of him.  Jesus looks up, sees him, and invites himself to stay at his house.  Zacchaeus responds in a truly repentant way.  He is willing to make amends for his selfish and greedy behavior.  He will give away half of his possessions to the poor and will repay whatever he has extorted four times over.  Since he had been in the habit of ripping off the entire town, he is in effect giving away his wealth.  He has responded to the Lord’s mercy given to him even before he repented and is filled with joy.  The disciples have their question answered.  Yes, the rich can be saved.  The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what is lost.

            Jesus loves both the rich young man who had been living a virtuous life and Zacchaeus who had been living a life of greed and selfishness.  Neither had earned his love.  The rich young man cannot take a next step in allowing that love to transform him.  Zacchaeus gladly takes that step and accepts the boundless mercy of the one who loved him first.

            This lesson is very important for us as we follow Jesus on our road to the new and eternal Jerusalem.  Jesus loves us first, and we cannot earn that love.  In his relentless pursuit of us, he is always yearning for us to respond positively.  As the Book of Wisdom notes, Jesus rebukes us little by little so they we may return to him.  Perhaps he looks at us with love, as he did with the rich young man, to remind us that we cannot rely on our possessions for our ultimate happiness.  We need to let go of our dependence on material comfort to be more faithful disciples.  Perhaps he looks at us with love, as he did with Zacchaeus, to call us to repent of destructive behavior or selfishness that isolates us.  We don’t need to climb a sycamore tree to see him.  Walking into those Reconciliation Rooms is much safer and less embarrassing!  Reconciled with him, Jesus wants to stay with us in our houses.  In turn, he wants us to do the same for those who are hurting or in trouble.  We can go a long way toward being evangelizers simply by being present to those who need us and extending the Lord’s mercy before anyone asks.

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

27 OCTOBER 2019

          When Saint Paul writes to Timothy is in prison awaiting execution.  He looks back at his life and ministry and knows that he is being poured out like a libation.  As the Romans and Greeks would pour fine wine over their sacrifices, he has poured out his life in service of the Gospel.  Like a true sports fan, he uses athletic imagery.  He has competed well.  He has finished the race. He has kept the faith.

            He knows that his departure is near.  The Greek word he uses for departure has three implications.  Like a beast of burden, he has been cut loose from the plow, the work he has undertaken.  Like a rope removed from a peg, his tent being packed up for the next destination.  Like a rope being released from the dock, his ship is about to sail.  He is confident that his release from this life allows him to reach the crown of righteousness that awaits him.

            Paul is speaking directly to us old people.  He invites us to recognize the ways in which God has worked through us over the years, despite our weakness and sinfulness.  As a converted Pharisee who had encountered the Lord on the way to Damascus, Paul had come to understand that obeying the law and doing good did not save him.  He encourages us to be hopeful as we are being untethered and preparing to meet the Lord, for whose appearance we long.  He encourages us to depend not so much on what we have done or not done, but on the grace God has given us.

            Paul speaks to everyone of any age.  On this Sunday, he speaks especially to our new Catechumens and Candidates for Full Communion.  As you grow in holiness, avoid the mistake of the Pharisee in today’s Gospel parable.  Despite the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees, this Pharisee probably is a good and faithful Jewish religious leader.  He fasts every Monday and Thursday and gives 10% of his income away.  However, he is talking to himself and not to God.  He is patting himself on the back for his growth in holiness.  He is comparing himself to those who are not as “holy” as he is, especially the tax collector.

            The tax collector probably is a public scoundrel.  More than likely, he makes a huge profit when he collects taxes from his fellow Israelites and keeps the difference required by the hated Roman occupiers.  He is part of a corrupt institution, and he knows it.  That is why he beats his breast and addresses his prayer to God as a sinner, begging for mercy.  He goes home justified, because God has heard his humble prayer and puts him in a right relationship.  Perhaps like Matthew, another tax collector, this tax collector can proclaim the Gospel of mercy to other people and draw them closer to the God who loves them.

            As a religious leader, the Pharisee is an insider in the Temple.  He belongs there.  As a hated sinner, the tax collector does not belong there.  Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there are no insiders or outsiders.  We belong to Jesus Christ, who allowed the temple of his body to be destroyed on the cross and raised from the dead.  No matter where we are in our journey of faith – at the beginning, in the middle, or near the end – we can trust that the Lord will always stand by us and give us strength.  He does not strengthen us when we compare our own growth in holiness to those who do not seem to be holy.  He strengthens us when we admit our sinfulness and weakness and depend on God’s and mercy to transform us.

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 OCTOBER 2019

          In a culture dominated by men, widows had absolutely no social standing, no power, and no source of income.  For that reason, the Law of Moses commanded special care and concern for widows.  The judge in today’s parable is a member of God’s Chosen People who should have been concerned about the welfare of widows.  He is also a judge – responsible for implementing the law.  He does not follow the Biblical norms for the behavior of judges.  He does not care about the plight of this poor widow.  He neither fears God nor respects any human being.

            The widow may not have any power.  But she is persistent.  In her own spunky way, she keeps pestering the judge, demanding that he render a just decision against her adversary.  He eventually delivers a just judgment, not because he cares about her plight, and not because she has made a good case, but because he is afraid that she will strike him.  Jesus has a great sense of humor, inviting us to imagine a powerful judge living in fear of a little old lady beating him up!

            The disciples must have dropped their jaws when they heard this parable.  Is Jesus comparing God to an unjust judge?  Do we have to pester God to consider giving us justice?  And the answer is “no.”  God is not like that judge.  If a corrupt judge can be worn down by persistent pleadings from a helpless widow, how much more will the God who loves us and knows what we need respond to our needs in our helplessness?  The disciples need to hear this message as Jesus speaks of his fate when they reach Jerusalem.  The early Church needed to hear this message as they face persecution and rejection in living the Gospel message.

            We also need to hear this message as we walk together in faith to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  Yes, God loves us and knows our needs, even before we express them.  But, we need to be persistent in expressing those needs in prayer, but not to convince God to conform his will to ours.  Instead, we need to be persistent in our prayers to remain in union with God and come to know his will for us and trust that his will can ultimately bring peace and happiness.

            Trusting that God walks with us at every step can be difficult.  The Amalekites in the first reading are symbols of obstacles standing in our way as we journey to the New and Eternal Jerusalem, just as they stood in the way of the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land.  Those obstacles are many.  We might pray for causes that are right and just.  We might pray intensely for a loved one afflicted with cancer or for healing of a relationship.  We can pray for success in our work to support our family or an end to hatred and racism and war.  Those prayers are sometimes not answered.  Not too long ago, I was getting ready to celebrate Mass at one of our nursing homes.  The volunteers from the parish brought in a relatively young man in a wheel chair and asked if he is Catholic.  He responded:  “I used to be, until this happened to me!”  He sat angrily in his chair, glaring at the rest of us, and refused to participate in any way.  At least he remained at Mass, and we prayed that this might be a first step in regaining hope.

            That is why persistence in prayer is so important.  Rooted in this central prayer of the Church – the Eucharist – persistent prayer reminds us that God is walking with us, even if we do not feel his presence.  Persistent prayer keeps us connected with the one who knows our needs and will not abandon us.  On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus is persistent in his prayer, even though he knows that his journey will end at the cross, because he trusts in the resurrection.

            At the beginning his Gospel, Luke introduces us to Anna, the old woman who has waited her entire life to see the Messiah.  If we imitate her persistent prayer, there will be faith on earth when the Son of Man comes.  We can take Paul’s advice and be persistent, whether convenient or inconvenient, convincing, reprimanding, and encouraging all to trust in God’s love.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 OCTOBER 2019

          Naaman was a very powerful general in the Syrian army.  As important as he may have been, he has also suffered the terrible affliction of leprosy.  In the ancient world, leprosy was incurable and highly contagious, condemning Naaman to a terrible fate.  One of his Hebrew slaves approaches him and urges him to get out of his comfort zone to contact the King of Israel, who would know someone who can heal him.  So, Naaman swallows his pride and approaches the king of an alien territory.  But the king does not want to meet an enemy general.  So, he sends him to the prophet Elisha.  Even Elisha does not meet him in person.  Instead, he sends a messenger to tell him to plunge seven times into the Jordan River.  Angered by both of these snubs, Naaman argues that the rivers in his native Syria are much better than this muddy Jordan River.  But, in his desperation, he does what he is told.  Emerging from the River Jordan, he is healed of his leprosy and “his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child.”

            Naaman is not only healed of his leprosy, but he has been healed of his arrogance.  Transformed, he humbly accepts a gift given to him by the God of Israel.  Armed with his new faith, he takes home two mule-loads of earth.  With that grounding, he can offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the God of Israel.  He is truly grateful for both undeserved gifts.

            We know nothing about the backgrounds of the ten lepers in today’s Gospel.  Like Naaman, they are afflicted with a terrible disease.  Not only do they suffer greatly.  But they are also completely isolated from the community.  Like Naaman, they are desperate and cry out for help, this time from Jesus of Nazareth.  At his command, they go to show themselves to the priests and are healed along the way.  Although all ten are healed of leprosy, only one returns to express his gratitude.  And this one, like Naaman, is not of the House of Israel.  This one is a hated Samaritan.  In thanking Jesus, he is not only healed of leprosy.  He receives the gift of salvation from the Savior of the world.

            To be honest, every one of us is afflicted with some kind of leprosy that causes pain and separation from God, or ourselves, or others.  That leprosy comes in many forms.  For some of us, it might be an addiction or a physical condition that limits our movements.  It might be an emotional affliction, like chronic depression or some kind of mental illness.  It might be a destructive habit that seems impossible to overcome or a relational difficulty with a spouse or a parent.  It might include wounds from suffering some kind of sexual or physical abuse.

            No matter how hard we try to heal whatever leprosy afflicts us, we become painfully aware that we cannot heal ourselves.  When we are desperate, we have to humble ourselves to ask for help.  That means turning to a doctor for relief from physical problems, or to a therapist for help with emotional or relational issues, or to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to break sinful habits.  The Lord can use whatever afflicts us to bring us closer to depending on him alone.

            Like Naaman, or like the Samaritan leper, we can express our profound gratitude at being healed and saved.  We express that gratitude here in participating in this Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.  Deeply grateful, we can be much more compassionate when confronted with the "leprosy” of others.  Reconciled with the Lord, we can reach out to those who have been separated in any way in our society.  Having known the Lord’s healing ourselves, we become instruments of the Lord’s healing for others.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 OCTOBER 2019

          On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus has been telling his disciples that he will be betrayed, suffer terribly, be put to death on a cross, and then raised from the dead.  He has not minced words with them about the demands of being a disciple.  They have been eating with sinners, much to the chagrin of the religious leaders.  As sinners themselves, they are expected to share that same mercy with others, as the characters of his parables have been doing:  going after the lost sheep, or the lost coin, or the lost son.  They are to consider all their possessions as gifts from God and be willing to share them.  They cannot ignore Lazarus sitting at their gates.  They must be careful about causing little ones to stumble, and they must forgive without bounds.

            Realizing the difficulty of being a good disciple, the Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith.  He tells them that their faith is sufficient, even if it is the size of a mustard seed.  Mustard seeds are very tiny and seem insignificant.  But, once those seeds are planted and nourished, they produce plants that serve our needs.  In other words, Jesus assures his Apostles that they already have faith.  Faith is a response to God’s initiative.  They have already responded to his initiative, to his calling them to follow him.  Their faith has allowed them to deepen their relationship with him, even if they do not understand everything he says.

            Even though their faith may be as small as a mustard seed, they must plant that seed of faith and become humble servants.  The twelve will eventually become the leaders of his Church established by the blood and water poured from his wounded side on the cross.  They are to take their faith and put it into action – not looking for titles and honor, but being humble servants.  They must become unprofitable servants, trusting that their work of humble service is ultimately the work of the One who called them and trusting that they may not see the immediate results.

            The words of Jesus are reminders to us, the current religious leaders of the Church.  We are not called to profit from our positions of leadership, but to continue to serve tirelessly the needs of the Church.  But his words also apply to all his baptized disciples.

            The actor Will Smith tells the story of a man who owned a bakery.  In front of the bakery was a wall 16 feet high and 30 feet long.  One day, for reasons he did not explain, he demolished it and told his 12-year old son and his brother Harry to rebuild it.  The boys were stunned.  It seemed like an impossible task.  But, every day, after school, they mixed concrete and laid brick upon brick.  After a year and a half of work, they laid the final brick and stood back to examine the new wall.  Their father told them, “Now, don’t you ever tell me that you can’t do something.” That boy was Will Smith himself, and he has never forgotten his father’s lesson.

            As we have learned from building this physical church brick by brick, we are living stones being built by the Lord into a beautiful structure, with Jesus Christ as our capstone and the Apostles as our foundation.  We have responded to the Lord’s initiative and are growing in relationship with him and with each other.  Even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, our acts of humble service make a difference.  It might involve getting involved in one of our many ministries.  It might involve sitting with a fellow student in the lunch room who usually sits alone.  It is easy to get discouraged.  The Prophet Habakkuk voices discouragement well when he complains to God that evil people seem to prosper, while the just do not.  Just as God told him to keep faith and wait, Saint Paul tells us the same thing through his letter to Timothy.  God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control.  We use those gifts to build up the Body of Christ with humble service, one brick at a time!

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

29 SEPTEMBER 2019

          In the worldly kingdoms in which we dwell, the rich and the powerful are remembered by name.  This is not true in the kingdom of God, as we see in today’s parable.  The rich man who lived a very comfortable life is not given a name.  However, the poor beggar sitting at his gate is named:  Lazarus (which means “God has helped”).  The only fact we know about the rich man is that he ignored the plight of Lazarus, sitting at his gate.  The only fact we know about Lazarus is his miserable situation is reversed after death when he is taken to the bosom of Abraham.

            This parable is uncomfortable for us, because we are the rich man.  We eat well, wear comfortable clothing, and live in nice houses.  There is no mistaking the intent of this parable.  We cannot ignore the plight of the poor, as the children of Abraham had done at the time of the Prophet Amos.  That is why we set aside 5% of our income for Saint Adalbert and another 3 ½% for the needs of the poor who come to us.  That is why we support Father Larry’s parish in Uganda and why we support the work of our Saint Vincent de Paul Society. 

            Please direct your attention to this Bishop’s Appeal Video.  In it, Bishop Rhoades outlines three interconnected activities that we undertake as Church:  our worship of God, our task of evangelizing, and our care for the poor.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

22 SEPTEMBER 2019

          Jesus has a unique way of getting our attention with his parables.  This is especially true with this parable of the dishonest steward.  Stewards in charge of their master’s possessions had wide responsibilities.  His contemporaries would have been surprised that the dishonest steward “got away with murder.”  When we hear it in our own cultural context, it seems that Jesus is encouraging us to be dishonest to get out of trouble. 

            Now that Jesus has gotten our attention, we must remember that this parable follows after the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  That son did something outrageous (which is what “prodigal” means).  He demanded his share of the inheritance.  This demand is outrageous because the inheritance is passed down only after the father’s death and only to the older son.  The son considered his father dead and trampled on the rights of his older brother.  When the son finally came to his senses and realized the mess he had created, he decided to return to his father and offer to serve as one of his slaves.  Instead, the father did something even more outrageous.  He showered mercy on him and welcomed him back as his son.

            The steward in today’s parable also acts outrageously.  He had been squandering his master’s property and got caught.  He came to his senses when his master announced that he was being fired.  Like the prodigal son, he also takes action.  He negotiates with his master’s debtors to provide himself an income.  Instead of condemning his steward, his master commends him for the way in which he acted so prudently. 

            The key to understanding both parables lies in the mercy and outrageous generosity of God.  Both parables teach us that we are dependent on God for life itself.  Only God can save us.  Jesus clarifies this truth with sayings about wealth and possessions.  He refers to our wealth and possessions as “very small matters.”  We need them to sustain our lives on our pilgrimage to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  When we realize that we depend on God for everything, our trust in possessions is put into perspective.  If we are trustworthy with these “very small matters,” expressing our gratitude and sharing them in generous ways, then we open ourselves to the ultimate and greatest matter of sharing in the Lord’s rising as we share in his dying.

            Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters.  We must choose between God and mammon.  The word “mammon” comes from the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke.  The Aramaic word simply means “riches”.  Those “riches” are not only the wealth we might have, but they also include other material things like power or prestige or success.  In challenging us to make a choice between serving God and mammon, Jesus warns us that putting all our energies into mammon can easily distract us from depending on God alone.  Our Church suffers today, because too many priests and bishops in the sex abuse crisis opted to give lordship to the mammon of power instead of trusting in God and the needs of the Church.

            That is the message of the prophet Amos.  Seven centuries before the birth of Christ, the wealthy people were so focused on making money and making themselves comfortable that they completely forgot about the needs of the poor.  Worse, their pursuit of wealth included taking advantage of the poor and those who lived on the margins.  They were impatient to get beyond the Sabbath and religious feasts so that they can get back to their business of doing anything they could to increase their wealth.  Like Amos, Jesus is calling us to look at our own wealth, our own possessions, and our own efforts to sustain and increase them.  Do we give lordship to God?  Or do we spend all our energies giving lordship to mammon?