FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

1 MARCH 2020

          The first two chapters of Genesis make it clear that the world God created was filled with peace, harmony, and perfect order.  God had given everything to our first parents, including free access to every tree, except for one:  the tree in the middle of the garden.  Satan took advantage of this one prohibition and told Eve that God could not be trusted.  God was withholding something from them.  Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.  Both she and Adam fell for Satan’s lies and committed the original sin:  the sin of pride.  They saw themselves as creators, not as God’s beloved children.

            Today, the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert to be tested.  Satan tries to convince Jesus that God cannot be trusted.  He tempts Jesus to turn stone into bread to satisfy his physical cravings.  Jesus refuses, trusting that his Father will provide for all his needs.  Next, Satan tempts Jesus to throw himself off the parapet of the Temple as a showy demonstration of his power.  Jesus refuses to put God to the test.  Finally, Satan takes Jesus to a high mountain and promises to give him all the kingdoms of the world if he would worship him.  Jesus refuses to accept this shortcut to attain a glory that will pass away.  He trusts in the power of the Spirit to raise him to new life.  He trusts that his passion and death on the cross will end in everlasting glory.

            Satan does the same with us.  Satan constantly tempts us to satisfy our bodily needs in any way we choose.  Satan tempts us to believe that we can only be happy if we purchase lots of stuff.  Satan tempts us to keep up with our neighbors in order for success.  Satan tempts us to put ourselves and our priorities first, before the needs of anyone else. That is why the Spirit has led us into this desert of Lent.  We are God’s sons and daughters.  Through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we join Jesus in the desert to strengthen our wills to resist Satan’s lies.

            One of Satan’s lies has to do with generosity.  Satan wants us to believe that we have earned our treasure and must keep it for ourselves. Satan wants us to believe that God cannot be trusted.  He argues that putting aside a generous first portion will keep us from meeting our own needs.  To be perfectly honest, Satan had me convinced for my first ten years as a priest.  I had given everything to the Church.  Why should I give any money?  I didn’t have much anyway!  But, when I became pastor for the first time, it finally occurred to me that I needed to do what I was urging my parishioners to do.  So, I set aside 1% of my income.  Every year, I took another step in faith and committed myself to giving a little more.  To my amazement, the Lord continued to provide for me, even when I started making intentional and more sacrificial gifts.

            As a parish, we have been taking similar steps in sharing a portion of our income with those in need.  We tithe 5% to our sister parish of Saint Adalbert and another 3 ½ % to those who come to us asking for help.  In the last few years, we could not take another step in increasing our tithe, because we were in the midst of a capital campaign.  But, we continued to trust that God would provide and did not reduce it.  We hope to reach our goal of giving 10% away. 

I was working on my taxes a couple of weeks ago and calculated that I am now giving away 8% of my income.  I also realized that I had set up my online giving several years ago and had not increased it since.  The Lord is telling me that it is time to take another step in faith.  I trust that you have read the materials we sent home and prayed over your response.  Don’t listen to Satan, who might be telling you that you will not be able to afford your standard of living if you make a generous, intentional sacrificial gift.  He is lying if he tells you that the parish does not need your help, or that others will take care of it.  As the ministers of hospitality pass out the pledge cards, I will walk you through the process of making a commitment.   

ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH

23 FEBRUARY 2020

          King David had wanted to build a beautiful temple to the Lord.  But, through his prophet Nathan, God told him that his son Solomon would build the temple.  The first reading from the second Book of Chronicles describes the dedication ceremony of the temple built by Solomon.  Solomon pulls out all of the stops, has a grand procession into the Temple with wonderful music, and fills the Temple with clouds of incense.

            We can identify with these details, because that is exactly what we did three years ago when Bishop Rhoades dedicated our new church.  Today, we give thanks to God for all the sacrifices made by so many parishioners to make our beautiful new church a reality.  We also pay attention to a particular detail in the center aisle.  The second to the last Covenant represents the promise that God made to David.  Although his son would build the physical temple, God would raise up from David a descendant who would form his people into a spiritual temple. 

            Simon Peter points to the fulfillment of that promise in today’s Gospel.  He identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah.  In return for his statement of faith, Jesus makes Simon the rock upon whom he builds his Church.  Another image pictures Peter holding the keys of the kingdom on the Triumphal Arch.

            Saint Paul reminds us that we are that temple.  We are the Body of Christ, built on the foundation laid by Peter and the other Apostles.  As a parish, we have adopted stewardship as a way of living our identity as Christ’s Body.  During the past few years, we have not wholly emphasized the importance of stewardship of sacrificial giving. We have put more energy into stewardship of prayer and service; because we wanted to make it clear that stewardship is not only about money.  In addition, much of our focus regarding a commitment to financial giving has been on the capital campaign.  But, regular sacrificial giving is an integral third leg of the three-legged stool of stewardship as a way of life. In an effort to be as transparent as possible, we have been careful to publish the financial needs of the parish, which have grown with new facilities and new programs.  We now have a unique opportunity to “sprint to the finish” to conclude the Behold, I Make All Things New capital campaign. Once the entire expansion project of our facilities is fully funded, we can better direct our focus on funding the needs of the parish which truly fulfill our mission of renewing all things in Christ. 

You would expect me to say all of these things.  For that reason, I have invited Bill Doyle, a normal parishioner with the same first name, to talk about his family’s commitment to sacrificial giving.  I invite you to read carefully the materials we have provided for you.  Please pick up your packet in the Parish Life Center after Mass.  Please reflect on his talk as you prayerfully consider your commitment to stewardship of sacrificial giving for the next year.  All of us will be invited at all the Masses next weekend to renew our commitment.

 Remarks for St Pius X - Stewardship of Treasure - Weekend of February 22-23

Thanks Father Bill …

I was honored when Fr. Bill and Betsy Quinn asked if I would offer a brief reflection on our support of St Pius.   My wife Mary Lynn and I and our 4 daughters have been parishioners here at St Pius since 2006.   We love the parish, and it is a central part of our lives.

We are truly blessed to be part of this community, and are happy to be involved in it in many different ways.  That involvement also means supporting the parish with our financial gifts. 

As we raised our children and made financial decisions for our family, I always tried to manage our gifts to all our charitable interests alongside the education of our girls and our fundamental commitment to the parish.

For me and Mary Lynn St Pius receives the largest share of our gifts every year.  That includes both our monthly gifts to the parish and our gifts made over the years for parish building campaigns.   We are proud of that support, and whenever we walk into the church I am filled with awe at the gift that God has given us to be part of St Pius. 

We support the parish because we know that everything we have is a gift from God and we are called to share those gifts generously with others. As one of my favorite prayers – the Prayer of St. Francis – tells us – “It is in giving that we receive.“

I love that our parish ministries extend into the community, and I love that we have so many programs offered within the parish.  From our support of St. Adalbert to St Vincent DePaul, from our youth programs to our music ministry, from Baptisms to Funerals, and everything in between, St Pius is here to help nurture the faith lives of our families in every way.  I want to be sure the parish has the resources to always be able to do all of that, and to do it well.   I trust our parish staff and our parish leadership across all our ministries – and I know that they strive always to make great use of all our gifts to fulfill the mission of our parish – to renew all things in Christ. 

We make our gifts to the parish through electronic giving each month.    We are making the decision to support St Pius as a key part of our overall family financial plan – and not just randomly week by week or month by month.  For us that has been important – our support is intentional and we manage the amount we give very specifically. 

If you are already supporting the parish, and almost two thirds of you are – thank you.  I hope you might prayerfully consider the level of your support, and if now might be a time to consider increasing it.  If you have not yet been supportive of the parish, I hope you might consider now as a time to become a contributing member of the parish, at whatever level could be right for you.  Every gift matters, as every gift builds up the faith community of St Pius.  

We are thankful to God that we are part of the St Pius community, and thankful to Him that we are able to support the parish.   May God continue to bless this special parish community, and may He bless each of our families within it. 

Thank you …

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

16 FEBRUARY 2020

          Saint Matthew wrote his Gospel to Jewish Christians.  Because these new Christians had grown up with a deep respect for the law and the prophets, they wanted to know how the new law of Jesus Christ related to the Law of Moses.  As Saint Matthew records the words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount, the answer is very clear.  Jesus has not come to abolish the law or the prophets.  Instead, he has come to fulfill both the law and the prophets.  That is why the ten commandments are still operative in our faith tradition, and why we use them to examine our consciences when we prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

            To make his point clear, Jesus gives six specific examples.  We heard four today in the Gospel and will hear the other two next Sunday.  His new law demands much more than the external obedience required by the scribes and Pharisees.  His first example is based on the fifth commandment.  He insists that his disciples should not only avoid the sin of murder, but deal with the motives and thoughts and attitudes that might lead someone to kill another person.  We who are his disciples are prohibited from taking the life of an unborn child in the womb or a terminally ill person.  Even if we have not committed these sins, we have killed the reputations of other people by spreading slander and gossip and lies.  We can harbor resentments and bitter feelings that fester and affect the way we treat other people.  Jesus is so insistent on eliminating these poisons that he tells us to reconcile with others before we bring our gifts to the Altar.  That is why we offer the sign of peace before approaching the Eucharist.  Exchanging the sign of peace signals our willingness to be reconciled with those whom we have alienated.

            His second example comes from the sixth commandment.  Not only must we avoid committing the sin of adultery, but we must also be careful about the lustful thoughts that lead us to use the gift of our sexuality in a selfish way.  Thankfully, we do not take literally his statement about gouging out our eyes and cutting off our hands.  Otherwise, we would all be walking around blind and without our limbs.  But we need to take seriously his warning.  We need to apply a surgeon’s knife and cut out whatever might lead us to sin.  In an age where pornography is so prevalent and so easily available on line, the Lord challenges us to cut out those sources of temptation that can lead us to objectify the bodies of other people.

            His third example comes from the law.  The Law of Moses allowed divorce.  However, only the husband could file for divorce.  The wife had absolutely no say in the manner.  Too many men used this power for selfish reasons, to the detriment of their wives.  Jesus calls his disciples to regard marriage as a permanent bond, broken only by death.  This challenge is at the heart of our Catholic belief that a civil divorce does not end a valid bond of marriage.

            His fourth example comes from the prohibition in the Law of Moses from taking false oaths.  Jesus tells us that we do not need to take any oath.  We need to mean “yes” when we say “yes” and “no” when we mean “no.”  In a culture which seems to have little regard for any kind of objective truth, we can see the complete confusion of not knowing whom we can believe.

            Jesus calls us, his disciples, to a much higher law.  It is a law of love, given to us by the Lord’s own complete gift of his life for us on the cross.  We can reflect on these demands of the Lord’s law of love.  A week from Wednesday, we will enter the Season of Lent.  Our disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving provide specific ways of acknowledging our failure to love.  They provide strength to better imitate the Lord’s love for us.  Then, we can readily renew our baptismal promises at Easter.

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

9 FEBRUARY 2020

          The prophet Isaiah addresses his people who had just returned from fifty years of captivity in Babylon.  They had rebuilt the temple.  But it was a shadow of its former glory.  They were resuming the pious practices that had supported them in captivity.  The prophet affirms their pious practice of fasting on a regular basis.  Then he reminds the people that fasting in itself is not enough.  Those who fast must share their bread with the hungry; shelter the homeless; clothe the naked; and not turn their backs on those in need.  If the people embrace these good deeds and avoid oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech, then they will reflect the light of God’s presence in their midst.

            Saint Matthew knows these statements from the prophet, because he writes to fellow Jewish Christians.  Through this Gospel centered on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that they will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  They can fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah and make a difference in the world.

            In the ancient world, salt was a valuable commodity.  Salt did more than improve the taste of meat.  Without refrigeration, salt preserved the meat.  Salt was offered to guests as a sign of friendship and hospitality.  Salt was also used as part of a purifying rite in offering sacrifice.  In a world without electricity, light was essential for guiding people in the darkness of night.  With light being a dominant image of God’s presence in Scripture, light not only enlightens minds.  It also offers comfort and warmth.

            Saint Paul certainly embraces these images and the challenge of Jesus Christ.  He came to the Corinthian community proclaiming the bright light that the crucified and risen Christ is the promised Messiah.  In writing to the community now darkened with divisions and bland with arguments, Paul admits that he had come in weakness and fear and much trembling.  The salt and light which he brought to the community were not the results of his actions.  They were the result of the power of God.  Paul begs the community to put the salt and light of the Gospel on full display for all to experience.

            Before the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the priest placed salt on the newly baptized baby’s lips.  Today, we are a bit gentler and give a lit candle to the godparents.  The symbolism is clear.  As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we are called to live our baptismal commitments to transform a world that is bland and blind apart from the salt and light that God provides.  We are salt and light when we live the corporal works of mercy outlined in the words of the prophet Isaiah.

            In just a couple of weeks, we will enter into the Season of Lent.  Lent is always about baptism – not only preparing Catechumens for Baptism at the Easter Vigil, but renewing our baptismal promises at Easter.  Like Paul, we will enter Lent to admit that we sometimes fail to live our faith because of weakness, fear, and trembling.  As a sign that we are willing to live our baptismal promises more fully, we will embrace the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  It is not too early to begin thinking about what those pious practices will look like this Lent.  We must express our pious practices in sharing the bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless.  We must clothe the naked and be attentive to those in need.  When we put these practices into action and live our baptismal promises more completely, we will indeed be a much more robust salt of the earth and a much brighter light of the world. 

           

THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

2 FEBRUARY 2020

          The Book of the Prophet Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament.  We do not know the identity of this prophet.  In Hebrew, the name means “My Messenger.”  The prophet gives the Lord’s message to the people who had just returned from the Babylonian captivity.  Although they had rebuilt the temple that the Babylonians had destroyed, it is a shadow of its former glory.  In addition, the priests are giving lackluster service, reminding the prophet of Ezekiel’s message. Ezekiel said that the Lord had left that Temple because of the corruption and wickedness of the priests.  Now, Malachi promises that the Lord whom they seek will return.

            That prophecy is fulfilled in today’s Gospel.  The Lord returns to the temple as a tiny, vulnerable child.  Simeon represents all of Israel, because he has been waiting all his life for the Lord to enter the temple.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon recognizes the presence of the Lord in this child, brought by his parents to fulfill the Law of Moses.  He utters a canticle that we pray every night at Night Prayer, giving thanks to God that salvation has finally come in this child, who is the light for everyone, including the Gentiles.  An old woman, Anna, also sees in this child the fulfillment of Malachi’s promises.  Instead of remaining cynical and angry as a young widow, she remains hopeful and confident that God had not abandoned her.

            Today is the fortieth day after Christmas.  At Christmas, we renewed our faith that Jesus Christ is the light of the world dispelling the darkness of sin, hatred, wickedness, and death.  That light warmed and encouraged us.  On this fortieth day, we celebrate the fulfillment of Malachi’s promises by blessing the candles we use in the Liturgy of the Church and the candles that we use at home, in the domestic Church.  While we emphasized the warmth of the light of Christ at Christmas, we focus today on another aspect of the fire of Christ’s love.  We pay attention to Simeon’s warning to Mary that this child will be the cause of a sword that will pierce her heart.  We pay attention to the purifying quality of the fire of God’s love.

            As an adult, Jesus will proclaim a love that not only warms us, but will burn away whatever hinders us from loving more completely.  Like fire that separates pure silver from the surrounding ground, the fire of his love burns away all that is not love in us.  Once that is gone, we can love others in the way God loves us – by willing the good of the other.               

            This quality of the fire of God’s love can be very painful.  We know that pain when we allow the fire of God’s love to burn away what our secular culture tells us to be true.  We know that pain when we speak the truth to those we love, even if that truth causes them to be angry with us, accusing us of rejecting them.  We know that pain when we suffer a terrible loss or endure injury or severe illness.  We are reminded that the Lord’s love endures, even when the pain of loss tempts us to think that God is absent.

            We sometimes think that God’s love always involves warm feelings and profound peace.  Sometimes, that is true.  But today’s feast reminds us that God’s love is also present in pain and sorrow.  Mary knew the truth of Simeon’s prophecy when she saw her son rejected and executed as a common criminal.  Once the temple of his body had been destroyed, it was transformed through the power of the resurrection.  The Lord has definitely entered into his temple.  Through our Baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are living stones of that temple today.  We are Christ’s Body, being purified by the fire of his love.