Deacon Pat's Homilies

The Epiphany of the Lord

2012-01-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Is 60:1-6, Mt 2:1-12

The Gospel today is rich with symbols:

• The Journey,

• the Personalities from distant lands,

• the star, its disappearance and reappearance,

• the gifts,

• the difficulties,

• the dream….

All have a unique meaning, especially for Christians, and if contemplated can lead us to where it led the Magi:

To Faith in Christ.

Faith is indeed a long journey, a life-long one. This Faith journey leads us from the security of the “Lands” we are familiar with, to a far-off place where the rules of the game are very different. It requires courage to set out on such a journey when we could stick to the comfort and security of home and “do just what everyone else does.” It requires us to persevere and continue the journey, especially when it is not clear where we are going…. because with all real journeys of faith, more often than not, the specific route and destination is unclear.

But where does such faith come from? I think we all understand that it can’t be purchased, or even earned. Faith in Christ is a grace; or rather it is the grace of all graces.

A gift given to us. But this gift is not to be kept for ourselves, it comes with responsibility. I was once told that to whom much had been given, must is expected. We are all called to share this gift. And in sharing this gift, this gift of faith, our primary responsibility is to be a personal witness of what it contains. We are responsible for doing what we can in the sphere of our own lives so that the light of Christ shines through us to others.

• However, someone who is constantly bad-humored, or self-centered, or continually sad, is not a sign that God lives within them.

• Nor someone whose behavior and conversation is coarse and lewd and who profanes everything he sets his eyes upon or turns his tongue toward, he is not a sign that the sacredness and the beauty of God is within him.

• Nor someone who destroys her neighbor’s reputation on a daily basis; She will not inspire others to say, “Look how they love one another.”

• Nor will someone who lives only to have more of the “stuff” of this world, be likely to make people catch a glimpse of the world to come.

We must honestly ask ourselves: “What or who do I represent to those around me? And am I, a transparent window into what can be seen as the City of God?”

Today’s readings also show us that Christ is for all, for everyone. And that the church must be a city placed on a mountain top so all can see and all can come. This church involves each of us. Every Christian, and more so, every Catholic, Is this church. Each one of us is the church in the sense of being the place where Christ dwells and is to be revealed to those who do not know him.

So let us ask ourselves,

“Do I really believe that I am the dwelling place of God?”

“Do I have such faith?”

Many of us were born into a Christian family and it is difficult to appreciate how great the gift of “Faith” actually is. It is easy to take for granted, and we often fail to exercise it. And as we fail to recognize and utilize this gift, it can grow weak, and then we are only capable of short journeys with few or no difficulties.

Perhaps we can’t even travel past the everyday obstacles to find Christ our Lord.

Whether it is due:

• to a health problem,

• or that difficult sister-in-law,

• or the way that particular priest celebrates mass,

• or that particular habit my wife or husband has,

we have such little “strength of faith” that we lose our way. Many people think of the New Year as a time for a new start, and for some it is, but in reality, we have all been on a journey for years,

• and we choose who or what we are searching for,

• who or what we follow,

• and who or what we desire.

The Magi have shown us through example, that when Christ calls, and we focus on him rather than on ourselves, we can persevere. Even at times when the star seems hidden, with faith, it will reappear, and as we journey in faith, we will, come upon –

“The Savior of the World.”

So in conclusion……this gift of faith that has been given to each one of us awaits a response. And like the Magi, God speaks personally to us as well, if only we will listen and believe!

Rise up in splendor, Jerusaelm! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.

The Annunciation – Mary Our Model and Ultimate Disciple

2011-12-11T18:55:00.001-08:00

The Annunciation – Mary Our Model and Ultimate Disciple

Luke 1: 26-38

When I find myself in times of trouble,

mother Mary comes to me,

speaking words of wisdom:

“Let it be.”

And in my hour of darkness,

she is standing right in front of me,

speaking words of wisdom:

“Let it be.”

Those famous words from a Beatles song are open to many interpretations. But at least one interpretation can serve as a key to unlock today's gospel. Mother Mary comes to us in a scriptural scene which is the greatest moment of her life.As she stands before the Angel Gabriel, Mary changes the course of history by agreeing to become the mother of Jesus.

This is Mary's greatest moment

· greater than giving birth in Bethlehem,

· greater than standing at the foot of the cross,

· greater than being assumed into heaven.

For in this moment, Mary utters the greatest prayer ever offered. Her prayer is “Let it be.” “Let it be done to me according to your word.” In this moment, Mary reveals herself as the first and greatest disciple and provides a model that all subsequent disciples must follow. Mary's prayer tells us that the foundation of the Christian life is accepting the will of God.

She is our model because to believe we too must surrender to God's purposes. Now following the example of Mary is not easy, because all of us want to be in control. We want to call our own shots in life. We want to determine how to move from A to B. With the best of reasons, we want to bring about good things for ourselves and for those that we love. Therefore, when things happen that we cannot control, when hurts occur that we cannot heal, when troubles come that we cannot escape, our life is thrown into turmoil and confusion. We loose sleep; our stomach churns; we beat our head against the wall. All because we cannot determine what we should do . Mary tells us that what we should do is surrender, surrender to God.

To follow Jesus we must accept those things in life that we cannot control or change. Surrender is truly the foundation of the Christian life. Yet it is important to understand that surrender is not neglect. Surrender is not “letting God do it” and avoiding our own responsibilities. For whenever in life a clear path is shown to something that is good, we are obliged to follow it.

Whenever there is an opportunity for reconciliation, healing, growth, or understanding, we know that it is God's will for us to act. We must take responsibility and do what is right. But we also know how often things are not clear, that there is no viable option to take, that there is nothing we are able to do. It is in those moments that we must surrender. So surrender is not neglect, nor is it giving up.

Surrender is not throwing in the towel in a desperate act of frustration. Surrender is not giving up, it is handing over, handing over to God. As believers, we understand that there are things that we cannot do, but God can. There are things we do not understand, but God does. There are many times where we are not in control, but God is.

Believers hand over to God;

· what is impossible,

· what is unclear,

· what is painful, realizing that God will do what we cannot do.

In the end, surrender is trust. So if there are troubles and divisions in your family, which you cannot heal, surrender them to God who can.

If there are people in your life, that you cannot change or protect from harm, entrust them to God who will not abandon them. If you wake up yet another morning, with a pain that you cannot relieve, hand it over to God who will carry that burden with you.

When you find yourself in times of trouble,

mother Mary comes to you,

speaking words of wisdom:

“Let it be.”

And in your hour of darkness,

she is standing right in front of you,

speaking words of wisdom:

“Let it be.”

Mary points to a truth

which only faith can see:

There will be an answer,

Let it be.

3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) Year B

2011-12-09T22:57:00.001-08:00

Advent is a time in which we prepare for the coming of the Lord:

• His coming to us Sacramentally at Christmas,

• His coming to us individually at the end of our lives,

• and His coming to us collectively at the end of time.

And today, within the season of Advent, it is the 3rd Sunday of Advent known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice”. It is a reminder that as Christians, we are to be joyful people.

The joyfulness seen in Catholics, and in their relationships with others should be a witness to the world of the Love of God and the transforming power of His grace to those who embrace Him. This radiating Joy should inspire others to seek the source of such peace. Yet, in our current culture, for many, this joy seems to be lost.

• Why?

I think for many, it is due to the lack of establishing and maintaining a close relationship with Christ. And also, for some, it is due to their inability to see Christ in those around them.

What if we were told that the Christ whom we have heard so much about, and whom we are waiting for, is already here in our midst as one of us? What possible difference would that make?

I recall a story that can help us understand this question a little better. A certain monastery discoverered that it was going through a crisis. Some of the monks had left, there were no new candidates joining, and people were no longer coming for prayer and spiritual direction as they used to. The few monks that remained were becoming old, bitter, and depressed. Even the relationships between the monks were becoming stressed and unkind. The Abbot had heard about a holy man, a hermit, living alone in the woods and decided to consult with him regarding their problem. The Abbot told the hermit how the monastery had dwindled and diminished and now looked like a skeleton of what it used to be. Only seven old monks remained. The hermit told the Abbott that he had a secret for him. He informed the Abbott that one of the monks now living in his monastery was actually the messiah, but he was living in such a way that no one could recognize him. With this revelation, the Abbott went back to his monastery, summand a community meeting and recounted what the holy hermit had told him. The aging monks looked at each other in unbelief, trying to discern who among them could be the Christ.

• Could it be Brother Mark who prays all the time! But has a “Holier-than-thou” attitude?

• Could it be Brother Joseph who is always willing to help? But who is always eating and drinking and can’t fast.

The Abbott reminded them that the messiah had adopted some bad habits as a way of camouflaging his real identity. This only made them more confused and they could not make any headway figuring out who was the Christ amongst them. At the end of the meeting what each of the monks knew for sure was that any of the monks, excluding himself, could be the Christ. From that day, the monks began to treat one another with greater respect and humility, knowing that the person they were speaking to could be the very Christ. They began to show more love for one another, their community life became more brotherly, and their prayers more fervent. Slowly people began to take notice of the new spirit in the monastery and began coming back for retreats and spiritual direction. Word began to spread and before long candidates began to show up and the monastery began to grow again in numbers as the monks grew in zeal and holiness. All this because a man of God drew their attention to the truth that Christ was living in their midst as one of them, actually, that Christ was present in all of them.

As Catholics, baptized and confirmed, we have the spirit of Christ within us. And through the Holy Eucharist, we have the true body and blood of Christ physically united with our bodies. The source of all Love and Joy resides within each and every one of us.

How can we Not be joyful knowing this! (Pause)

But to rejoice, it also takes Faith.

Many of us are experiencing tough times, have lost jobs, are enduring hardships, personal losses, and what appears as insurmountable obstacles. We are even feeling the pain associated with the separation from our Priest, Father Uriel, and all the emotions surrounding the recent occurrence. And yet we are to shine as Joyful witnesses.

Almost seems impossible doesn’t it?

Yet, this is where Faith comes into play. Haven’t we all heard the scripture that “God will not give us more than we can handle.” And that He will give us all that we really need to life. So hearing this...just how do we approach life when so much around us seems troubled?

We are to have faith!

Faith that everything in life, good and bad, has a purpose, and that purpose will be used to help us grow in virtue and holiness. Faith also directs our attitudes.

I can recall from years ago, the power that a mother had on her family at a time of trial and when all seemed lost. One day the father of the family came home from work and announced that he lost all his money because his business partner tricked him and ran away with the companies funds. The likelihood of poverty seemed eminent and despair just around the corner. Yet, that same evening, the mother of the family went out, sold some of her expensive jewelry, and bought food for a family feast. People criticized her for recklessly spending at a time when poverty was staring the family right in their face.

But she told them "the time for joy was now, when we needed it the most, not next week. And that God would provide." Her courageous act, and deep faith, rallied the family and gave them the hope they needed to face the future with confidence and to trust that God was still in control.

• Do you believe that God is in control of your life?

If so, what do we really have to fear?

Even the severe hardships and trials have a purpose and are used by God for what really is important in life.... Our preparation for eternal life in heaven.

We really do have much to be joyful about! As Catholics, we have gained access into a holy family and a relationship with God. We have been given this family here at Church and in our community. We have been given the opportunity for everlasting life and the assurance that we are loved and will be eternally cared for. Let us look for and see the holiness in each other. Let us honor and respect each other knowing that Christ lives within all of us. Through our example, let us be that voice crying out in the desert and show the world the Joy that radiates through us. Let our faith radiate the truth, that no matter what trial, obstacle, or discomfort comes upon us, we deeply know that Christ is present, and that he will come again offering an eternal life of joy, love, and peace for those who truly embrace him. This is the source of our Joy and our focus here today, on Gaudete Sunday!

The Parable of the "Talents"

2011-11-12T15:15:00.001-08:00

Homily – The Parable of the Talents

33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel is one of my favorites because I think it represents a truth that so many of us struggle to understand.In the Gospel each person was given a specific amount of talents, and then they either used them completely, partially, or not at all.

This parable is a direct reflection of the talents or gifts given to each of us.You have probably noticed that God gave each of the men a different amount of talents, just like how God creates us uniquely and give each of us different gifts and in different quantities.Yet – we often forget about our uniqueness. In many ways we want to be like others, or at least possess their qualities.When we were younger, many of us looked up and admired, and wanted to be like an older brother or sister, or perhaps like that popular person at school.And even as we age, we still often find ourselves looking on to others with some degree of jealousy.

You know what I mean:

1. The person who seems so happy, physically fit, and attractive.

2. The person with such musical talent.

3. The person with the big beautiful house... and for us guys.... the guy with all the toys.

4. Or even the person who seems to attract such attention when the walk into a room with their charismatic personality.

Don’t we all find some degree with such struggle?

This reminds me of some wise words once shared with me regarding the awful trap of comparing oneself to others. These wise words, simple in concept, have changed so many lives.It goes something like this:Beware of the trap of comparing yourself with others. Because what we see in others is not the complete person, usually only seeing what the other wants you to see.We are all pretty good at hiding our faults, especially our really bad ones.What we often see in others is the best of their qualities, yet what we know of ourselves includes what I like to say is the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”And if you continually compare yourself, your entire self, only against the visibly good qualities of another, it doesn’t take long and you are feeling pretty unsubstantial.You see, this is not a fair or true comparison, comparing all of you against only the good of another. And what makes this worse; many of us are continually comparing ourselves against ten or even hundreds of others in such a manner.Yet, so many us do this, some of us are doing this right now.No wonder why so many people take anti-depressant medication.No wonder why so many people constantly work through gossip trying to destroy reputations and create scandle... they want others to look less perfect so they can feel better about themselves.

Yet, they miss the whole point.None of us were created to share the exact same qualities, and not in the same amounts.We are not to look externally and try to identify who we are, but we are to look internally, deeply, identifying our unique gifts, then grow and nurture those gifts, and then share those gifts with others.That is how we are to find our purpose in life, to find peace and comfort.It isn’t difficult to see our faults.... we all have them... and we all know them very well.

1. Some of us have difficulty with moderation.

2. Some of us are quick to anger and slow to forgive.

3. Some of us are prideful

4. Some of us have physical disabilities

5. Some of us are shorter than we would like to be, or have less hair than we would like

6. Some of us struggle with learning

7. And some of us have difficulty being around people.

But God isn’t concerned with these faults, he often gives them to us to keep us humble and they help us develop virtue and character.God is more concerned with the personal identification of our gifts and talents.

1. Some of us are especially kind and compassionate.

2. Some of us have the ability to develop and maintain deep and meaningful relationships.

3. Some of us are intelligent and can teach others.

4. Some of us are healthy and can physically work hard.

5. Some of us are creative.

6. Some of us are healers: physically and spiritually.

God doesn’t care about status, popularity, or external characteristics.He cares about your heart and your soul, and how you serve others to the best of your ability with the gifts he has given to you.He wants you to use them for the good of others, not to just burry them or keep them to yourselves.Unlike the misguided saying that “You can be anything you want to be,” this is not necessarily true. God has a special purpose for you and if you only look deeply within yourself, you will see that you were created specifically to be something and someone.Not everyone is destined to be the president, an astronaut, nor a doctor or lawyer. Not everyone has the gift to be a beautiful singer, poet, or artist.But each of us can be something much greater.... A Saint!

All we have to do is use what God has given to us, our unique gift, to develop that gift, and then constantly share it with others.You will quickly find that you are not like anyone else in this world, beautifully unique and special, and have been given a special role to play unlike anyone else on earth.This is the truth, the Gospel and the Good news, shared amongst us today!

Veteran's Day Celebration Invocation

2011-11-11T21:46:00.001-08:00

The End of Time & Eating With Jesus

2011-10-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

28th Sunday Ordinary Time

Isaiah 25:6-10; Philippians 4:12-14,19-20;

Matthew 22:1-14

Eating at meals was important to Jesus… not just eating food, but also sharing one of the most important things we do in life with others. He ate with others in their homes, not in fast-food restaurants. He shared Himself in a setting where everyone spent significant time with each other during leisurely meals, banquets, and feasts.

Jesus did this so often and with so many different types of people that His enemies often accused Him of eating with gluttons, drunkards, and sinners. In the New Testament we find

the word “meal” used eight times,

the word “banquet” used nine times,

the word “feast” used thirty-five times,

and the word “bread” used fifty-five times.

Clearly meals, and the human sharing at those meals was of great importance in the life and teachings of Jesus. We should reflect today on our own experience and understanding of eating together. This should be of particularly importance to us living as we do in a culture which conveys the message that eating is something we do individualistically with little regard for sharing our selves, our time, our thoughts, and “our caring to be with others” at meals. Are we sharing in “a function,” or are we sharing “ourselves?”

Ask yourselves this question: What has happened to our family meals?

Do we in fact share much time with each other around family meals?

And just what do we share when we are together at table?

Sharing food with others carries implications of friendship, trust, closeness, caring, love, and even forgiveness. We cannot harbor hostilities against each other while at the same time sharing our food, our selves, and our time with each other in a long, lingering meal. Breaking bread together means breaking the chains of resentment, hostility, and bitterness that hold us in bondage. One of the great themes in the Bible is that of the Messianic Banquet. A banquet is a rich and bountiful meal of delicacies and choice wines that fill us with shared delights, loosen our tongues, warm our hearts, and call us to share forgiveness, understanding, and even love. Trust, friendship, and intimacy become food for our souls when we share this holy community with others.

Ancient Jewish prophets saw the Messianic Banquet as something God would give us in fulfillment of His promises to us. Banquets are given in times of fulfillment, in times when promises are fulfilled. We have banquets when we graduate from school, when we are married, when we receive honors, and at other times of promises fulfilled. In the imagery of the Bible banquets are celebrated at “end times,” when “hoped for things” are realized and made present to us. Banquets are at end times, not at “the end of time.” Too often people do not understand the proper use of the term “end times” when they preach or teach about the Bible. The biblical meaning of the end times is something quite different than notions about the end of all time.

The birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus usher in the end time, that time when God fulfills His promises to us in His Son Jesus Christ. As we know, we are probably nowhere near the end of all time, even though, in God’s grand scheme of things, we are now living in His end times, in those times when His promises to us are being fulfilled. With all of these ideas now a part of us, let us ask ourselves why we are here at this Mass. When we celebrate the Mass we go back and enter once again into the Last Supper along with Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. We enter into what we call the Paschal Mystery, all that Jesus did to join our humanity into His divinity so that through Him, with Him, and in Him, He can take us back to our Father in heaven. There we shall share forever in God’s Messianic Banquet. The Mass is our sharing in the Messianic Banquet that has been begun by Jesus. Jesus is our Host. Not only that, He is the One who wants to share Himself with us, giving us Himself in the Living Bread that is our Eucharist. The Christ of glory is both our Host and our Living Bread.

• So what am I bringing to this Banquet?

• Am I here with a heart loaded down with resentments?

• Am I here because I have to be here, or am I here because I want to be here?

• Am I here harboring resentment and bitterness toward others?

We need to remember that each person on the face of this earth is a son or daughter of God. Every living person is invited to share in this Heavenly Banquet, that Supper prepared by Christ and set before us beginning with the Last Supper.

• Am I here, entering back into the Upper Room with Jesus, or am I here with my own little agenda, with a heart filled with stones, living in my own isolated little life?

• How can I share in Christ’s love if I am not living in reconciliation and forgiveness with others?

And what of those in our world who are hungry… hungry not only for food for their bellies, but hungry in their empty hearts, and thirsting in their souls for love, care and concern? There are those, too, who hunger and thirst for justice. They hunger and thirst for a true justice, a system of justice that treats every person with equal dignity and respect, the unknown, the unborn, and those living at the bottom of our social-economic ladder. If the end time is that time in which God’s promises are being fulfilled, and if we are here sharing in Christ’s Messianic Banquet, perhaps we should ask ourselves how we are fulfilling God’s promises in the lives of those around us. What are we doing to actually help them have their hopes fulfilled and God’s promises made real in their lives? The Mass, you see, isn’t all about “me and Jesus,” it’s about “we and Jesus.” Am I here because I really want to share myself, or am I more concerned about going home so I can busy myself with only that which I want to do?

If it’s all about me then I have a spiritual eating disorder. If it’s all about “me” and not about “us as a community,” then I have a spiritual eating disorder and I need help from the divine physician, our Lord, to cure my disorder…. And then, I can use this opportunity as an

“end of time,”

an end to a selfish and self-centered time,

and begin my life a new!

Persevering Faith and God's Mercy

2011-08-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

Do you have strong faith, strong enough to persevere? Strong enough to persevere in spite of obstacles? Or is it a faith that easily gives up? Faith in what? Chance, Fate, God?

The message today really has to do with: “What kind of faith do we possess, and in what kind of God.”

Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus going to the districts of Tyre and Sidon. These cities are outside the boundaries of Israel – they are up North, along the coast. The people who lived there were not Jews like Jesus, they did not follow the religion of Israel. They were Gentiles, “Pagans”! The woman from that region came to Jesus. She was a Canaanite. As I mentioned, The Canaanites were Gentiles, Pagans, outside the covenant the Lord had made with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Yet they lived close enough to have some knowledge about the religion of Israel, and this woman apparently did. For she comes to Jesus, crying out “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.”

Notice the title she uses, “Son of David.” That is a messianic term. The messiah whom God had promised would be the “Son of David” – a physical descendant of the great King David, and the greatest one of all, even greater than David himself. The Lord had promised David that one of his sons would reign on his throne forever. And this son of David, this Messiah, this Christ, would usher in a glorious reign of blessings for Israel and---- a glorious reign of blessing for all the other nations as well.

This woman must have known the prophecies about the coming Messiah, the Son of David. She knew something of those promises, and it gave her faith. She was waiting and looking for the coming of the Christ. And she recognized in Jesus the one who was fulfilling those prophesies. She saw in him the promised Son of David. The Canaanite woman must have heard what Jesus was doing, his healings, his miracles, his acts of mercy. And knowing of this emboldened her to come forward with her request. As she states “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. Lord have Mercy.”

Several times in the Gospels we hear people crying out to Jesus with those words. Blind men asking for their sight. A father seeking help for his demonized son. And this woman, a mother, seeking help for her daughter who was suffering terribly.

Suffering can either drive us to despair, or drive us to our Lord. One of the benefits of suffering, strange as it may seem, is that it can lead us to seek the Lord and his mercy. When life is going smoothly and all is well, we might forget about the Lord and take his blessings for granted. But when suffering comes, and we have no one else to turn to, nowhere else to go – that is what it may take to get our eyes focused again on God. But when trouble comes, God says “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” That is what this woman is doing when she comes to Jesus. It is her day of trouble, and she is calling on God for help. She cries out “Lord have Mercy.”

Don’t we all carry some trouble, some misery, some pain with us as we come before the Lord here at mass? We come before God with all kinds of suffering and misery that finds a place in our lives and in the world. All the misery we pile up in this world through Contraception, Abortion, our sinfulness rooted in pride and self pleasure, a guilty conscience, the answer to all of it, ultimately, is in the mercy that took Christ to the cross. By his all-availing death, you and I will be delivered, finally, from all the misery that there is in our world.

Returning to the Gospel, did you notice Jesus’ initial response to the Canaanite woman – or should I say, his lack of response! As the gospel states “But he did not answer her a word.” Isn’t that surprising, not what one would expect. “He did not answer her a word.” What is going on here? Is Jesus being rude, or cold hearted? How do we explain his silence?

Come to think of it, how do we explain God’s silence in our own lives? How many times have we prayed to God in our distress, and we didn’t get the answer we were looking for, nor the relief. And we are met, so it seems, with the silence of God. This silence is a mystery to us. But we must remind ourselves, sometimes God moves and acts in a mysterious way. The seeming silence of God in not his cold-heartedness, but rather our inability to see and hear what God is doing. Just Maybe, He has a better plan in store than the one we have in mind. Just Maybe, He sees a need for humility. Just maybe, He sees a need for developing compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.

At first the Canaanite woman is met with silence. “He did not answer her a word.” Jesus is waiting….. He wants this woman to exercise her faith… But in spite of this seeming rebuff, the Canaanite woman persists. She perseveres. She kneels before Jesus and says “Lord Help Me.” But again, another obstacle is placed in her way. Jesus replies, “It in not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” That is to say, “It is not right to take the blessings promised to the children of Israel and give it to the gentiles.” In other words, “the dogs.” The woman came, not claiming anything as her right, but simply throwing herself on the Lord’s mercy. She was willing to be a dog that eats the scraps off the table. The Canaanite woman is not deterred.

Think of the obstacles that her God-given faith fought through: She was not deterred by Jesus’ initial silence, when he did not answer her a word. She was not deterred by the comment of the disciples, “Send her away.” She was not deterred by Jesus’ comment about being sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Nor by his remark about the dogs eating the bread of the children. This woman simply does not give up. She perserveres. Her faith, her God-given faith, overcomes all these obstacles.

God wants to give you that same kind of faith – persevering faith in a merciful Lord. God wants you to come to Jesus, time and time again, in spite of the obstacles in your lives. It is so easy to give up. People do it all the time. When there is suffering in their life, they give up and think that God is uncaring. When something goes wrong in their lives, people just give up and stop coming to Jesus. When something at church doesn’t go the way they like, people give up and stop coming to Mass or quit ministries. But God does not want you to give up. He wants you to persevere, in faith, like the Canaanite woman did, and to seek—and to find—his mercy and blessing. The Canaanite woman did not give up. And Jesus commends her faith: “O woman, great is your faith!” Jesus grants her request and Her daughter is healed.

In closing, and returning to my initial questions:

1. Do you have strong faith, strong enough to persevere? Strong enough to persevere in spite of obstacles? Or is it a faith that easily gives up?

2. How do you view God? Do you see him as someone holding out on you? As being stingy with his gifts? Unwilling to help? Or do you see him, rather, as rich in mercy, ready and willing to help you?

3. How do you approach him? Are you willing to humble yourself as low as a dog, if that means being at the Lord’s table….. or are we just too proud!

The final question that we must ask of ourselves:

“What kind of faith do I possess? And in what kind of God do I believe in?” (Repeat)

Spiritual Soil - Our Experience in Guatemala

2011-07-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

Along with my family, I and a few other catholic families from the local parishes just returned from San Lucas Toliman, a small town in Guatemala, located within a tropical forest, high in the mountains. We spent 15 days working with the Mayan people through a Catholic Mission. This was the fourth visit to the mission for my wife, kids, and me; but it was the first visit for the families who joined us. After a few days of settling in, and the fears of existing in a 3^rd world country settled in the minds and hearts of the families who joined us, we began to clearly see God’s hand in the lives of the people around us.

Each day began with a new adventure and project, often traveling to a new village and meeting new people.

As we worked, at times pounding large boulders with hammers to make gravel that would be used in building with cement,

or preparing soil for the planting of seedlings,

later to be transplanted to prevent further mudslides that had devastated so many villages, we were blessed with working side by side with the local people. What I enjoyed the most about the trip was getting to know the local people as we worked with them.

Whether it was Elde, a construction worker, who was 26 years old, had two children, and a wife who ran away from them. He explained that he made 30 Quetzales a day, about $4 and used every cent to provide food and shelter for his children and his mother who also lived with them. Even thought life was difficult, he still possessed a smile on his face and with such kindness corrected our mistakes.

Or Chona who described that at a young age, her husband, working for the mission was mistaken for a supporter of the anti-military gorillas, vanished from her and her children’s lives without notice. She never remarried, and it took 20 years for her to finally find out that her husband was indeed murdered by the military. Yet, there were to be no repercussions.

Almost everyone we met had a story that represented such pain and horror.... We began to see and hear tragedy like never before, and were able to put a face with each story.

As we walked the street, returning to the mission after a hard day of physical work, we witnessed an older lady dressed in ragged woven traditional clothing, down on her knees gathering one by one, corn kernels that must have fallen off a cart and nestled into the cracks of the cobble stone road. It was at that moment, I could see in the eyes of the kids and adults of our group that they realized starvation and desperation still existed.

But what was so remarkable was that as we visited and communicated with different people from the communities, not one conversation finished without some mention of God, their thanfulness, and how he was the center of their lives.....

He wasn’t just a concept, or an invisible being...... They knew him, recognized him, and experienced him each and every day. I couldn’t help but see the contrast, the spiritual contrast with our lives here in America and what I was experiencing in the small towns and villages of Guatemala.

Maybe that is why I keep coming back, year after year. We have so much, and they have so little, yet they possessed such great inner happiness and joy..... such generosity, such peace. I couldn’t help but think about God’s grace, and how we either accept it.... or just let it float on by like the clouds in the sky, unnoticed. I couldn’t help but think about our connection and relationship with God.

Today’s Gospel states:

“You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see.... they have closed their eyes.....”

Something unexpected happened while we were in San Lucas on the Feast of Corpus Christi. I have heard of the magnificent processions in Central America where the streets are carpeted with beautiful, elaborate and colorful carpets. The carpets are created with colored saw dust, tropical flowers, and fruit. The monstrance containing Jesus if then carried for miles over these beautiful and elaborate works of art.

I had always wanted to see one of these processions in person. Well, not only did my dream come true, but I was asked by the Local Pastor, Father Fito, to carry Jesus, and lead the procession.

I, followed by the whole town, walked for 2 hours upon the most beautiful carpets I had ever seen. The local town people had been preparing for weeks for this procession and awoke at 3 in the morning to begin building the carpets. There were hundreds, if not a thousand people working together to prepare the road for Jesus. As we walked, we would often stop by a home that had prepared a resting place for Jesus.

As we entered the home to place the monstrance on a living room alter, the people in the home, just as we entered the room, would immediately fall to their knees and weep. As I witnessed their humble and pure faith.....The feeling was overpowering. They knew who had just entered their home. They recognized Jesus in the Eucharist.... They recognized Him, because they knew Him. We would then pray together, and then bless the home, and then each family member would embrace Jesus with a kiss.

The whole town patiently waited outside the home for this personal encounter, then we would return to the streets and the journey would continue. As we stopped at a variety of homes along the way, the same response occurred. The people inside the home would immediately drop to their knees and weep as Jesus entered, not tears of sadness, but joy and humility.

As we walked the streets of San Lucas, it was Jesus leading the way.... I cannot adequately describe the feelings and emotions that I experienced.... It was beyond words.

I know that many of you do not have easy lives, and many of you have endured tragedy as well. But the experience in San Lucas has shown me that it is through trials, tragedy, and discomfort that God’s hand and his grace can often be seen most clearly. And for you who can see Him, the gospel says: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see and your ears because they hear. Amen I say to you, may prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Let us take a moment and reflect upon our own lives.

Let us think about the spiritual soil within us, the place prepared for and cultivated for Christ to grow within us. What is our relationship with God? Do we talk to him everyday? Are we able to experience Christ in the people around us? Can we see how he is using all the situations of our lives to grow closer to him?

We must ask ourselves, What are we doing to cultivate the spiritual soil within us, the soil that can accept God’s grace, his spiritual seeds, and that will allow deep roots to grow within us.

The seed sown on rich soil in the one who hears the word of God, understands it, and who bears fruit.

As I was leaving Guatemala, Father Fito explained that the Guatemalan people live in a reality different that ours. And that even if we wanted to, we cannot live in their reality, and they cannot live in ours..... that is just a fact!

But what is our reality...... Does it contain Jesus within the center..... and do we see him, hear him, and experience him everyday? Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear....... We might not be searching the cracks in the road for spilt corn..... But are we searching for God, His Voice, and His Grace in the people and circumstances around us?

Honestly.... We must ask ourselves..... are we truly looking for God in the people and circumstances of our lives..... or are we allowing him to just float on by, unnoticed, like the clouds in the sky....

Pentecost Sunday - The Catholic Church, The Holy Spirit, and Relationships

2011-06-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Pentecost Sunday

Year A – Catholic Relationships

Today is the celebration of Pentecost, the beginning of our church. In preparing for this homily I began to think:

What does the word “church” actually mean?

What really is the purpose of a church?

Some might say that it is a place to feel nourished, loved, respected, and even forgiven. But as I pondered the readings from today, I began to see more clearly what the early church was, and what it is also to be today. It is a place where we gather together as a family.

A place to be formed and taught.

A place that inspires and motivates us to go out into the world on a mission.

A church isn’t just a building. It’s the people who gather and belong to the community that make a church. It’s not the structure, it’s the relationships. In fact, to be a Christian means that we all have a relationship with Christ. And to be Catholic means that we have a relationship with others. And what sets us apart from many Protestants denominations is our understanding that our faith is, not just a “Me and Him” relationship, but a “He and Us” relationship. The relationship isn’t self-oriented, but rather community-oriented, an outward focus.

To be Catholic means being: helpful, loving, prayerful, selfless, faithful, obedient, respectful, and forgiving.

These are all qualities of being “in” a relationship.

Not unlike the early church, we gather here today, a family, to share in the word of God, to learn something new about what it means to be a catholic, to experience Christ in the Eucharist, to receive the Holy Spirit, and then strengthened and nourished by this encounter, we are then sent out into the world as the body of Christ, sharing him in relationships.

Pope Benedict recently said:

“It is important to make them understand that being Christian is not a type of outfit that one wears in private or on special occasions, but something living and totalizing, capable of taking all that is good in modern times.”

What a profound understanding of what it means to be catholic.

So what or how does this apply to us, our world, our community, our lives?

The world around us is full of hurting souls, just look around us in our own community. It is full of people who feel hopeless, worthless, inferior, ugly, fat, and crippled.

Where do we see these people?

We see them in the poor, the neglected, the addicted, those with chronic illness, the unemployed, the old, the young, and those in jail.

So really, who are these people?

They are our parents, our friends, our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, our children.

They just want to feel loved. They just want to feel as if someone in this world actually cares if they live or die.

I can remember a part of my Mom’s life that to this day has such a meaningful effect. To many, my mom probably didn’t seem to be anything but ordinary. To some, they knew her for her mental illness and at times her erratic behavior. Some might have even of known of the emotional scars that she possessed.

But there were many who knew her differently.

My Mom lived in Marysville, and after my Father died, she proudly participated in a ministry through her church, St. Joseph’s, that they called the “Sandwich Shop.” This ministry consisted of making sandwiches each day and handing them out at the rectory to the poor and the homeless. Each day had a designated sandwich……

Monday was bologna day.

Tuesday was egg salad.

Wednesday was Peanut butter….. You get the idea.

My Mom knew almost every homeless man and woman by name, and greeted each of them by name every day as they came to see her. They would visit with her and she treated them the same way she treated everyone….. She had established a relationship and friendship with each one of them. She knew what they liked, what they didn’t. She even knew that one of the homeless men, Jeff, really only liked bologna sandwiches, so even if it was “egg salad day” she had a bologna sandwich made especially for him. It wasn’t the sandwiches that brought these people back to the rectory each day; it was the relationship that each one of them had with my mom. It was knowing that they were someone, that they were loved, wanted, and cared for that made them feel so good.

She was Christ to them….. She was able to bring peace to them!

I often reflect on my life and the relationships in my life.

I often wonder if I am Christ to those around me? To anyone?

Are you Christ to those around you? To anyone?

I was once asked if I wanted to see and feel Christ in my life.

Of course I replied “Yes”!

Then I was instructed to examine the unique gifts that God had given to me. And then to find a way to personally share that gift with someone else. I was told that if I could share my talent with someone who was in need, specifically a person who could truly benefit from the gift God had bestowed upon me, that was when I would meet and see Christ…. In that charitable and loving action, Christ would be present!

It doesn’t matter how much you have, what you think you have or don’t have to offer….. There is always someone who has less!

I can remember the words of Blessed Mother Theresa:

“None of you can do what I am doing, but I can’t do what you can do!”

Meaning that God has a unique plan for each one of us and has created us with unique gifts, and will put those people in our lives who he wants those gifts shared with.

Are we sharing our gifts with others? And I don’t just mean possessions…… Do you share yourself with others?

So where do we start? Returning to the wisdom of Blessed Mother Theresa;

“Start with the person who is right in front of you.”

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the beginning of our church and an example that we are still to follow today. We are to gather together as a family. We are to come here to be formed in the faith, to be nourished, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to meet and be absorbed by Christ, and then we are sent out into the world to spread the good news and share ourselves with others. This good news, and acts of kindness are passed on through relationships….. Relationship by relationship.

Returning to the words of our Holy Pope:

“It is important to make them understand that being Christian is not a type of outfit that one wears in private or on special occasions, but something living and totalizing, capable of taking all that is good in modern times.”

And we are to start by looking at who God has placed right in front of us!

Is it the end of the world as we know it?

2011-06-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Pentecost (Vigil Service) - Homily - Year A

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Many today believe that we are about to begin one of the darkest periods of American History. Some believe that the darkness has already begun, and can site example after example of why they believe this be true. There is a feeling among many of you that there has been a progressive destruction of morales and values over the last 40 years in this country, and if fact… the world.

Is this true? Especially in regard to the suggestion of us venturing into darkness?

Only God knows for sure. But I do know that there is great struggle for many and that we do live in a world that in many ways has become deaf to the word of God, and is especially void of his Spirit.

The reading today from the prophet Ezekiel can shed some light on dark times and how we are to respond to such a time. Ezekiel‘s experience of the “dry bones” occurred during the middle of the darkest chapter of Jewish history.

The Jews were in exile in Babylon. The temple was destroyed, and the Babylon exile directly challenged all of the ways that people thought about God.

The exile did away with the simple notion that God would protect his people. It seemed to suggest that God had no people, that God had broken His promise to the chosen ones. All the history of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David appeared to have been simply swept away.

It was the end of the world as they knew it, and things definitely did not “Feel Fine.” These days of exile were ominous days, empty days, and hopeless days.

So when the Spirit of God took Ezekiel to a valley that was full of bones, God wanted to send a perfectly clear message. These were not bones of the newly dead with flesh still upon them, but old, dry bones. They had been there for sometime. This must have been a frightful sight!

And God made Ezekiel walk amongst the bones in every direction. Then God asked him “can these bones come to life?”

I don’t know about you, but my answer would have been “Are you kidding!”

But Ezekiel answered “Lord God, you alone know that.”

Good Answer!

Then God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones. God is asking Ezekiel to preach to this hopeless situation, to preach to something that cannot hear, to preach in the face of utter hopelessness.

So what does Ezekiel do…. He does as he is asked and begins to preach. And upon doing so, the bones begin to reassemble, he saw them come-together, bone joining bone, flesh actually formed upon them and skin covered them right in front of his eyes.

And as he continued to preach, as he did what God had asked of him, the Spirit came into them and they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.

God then revealed that these bones were an example of the whole house of Israel, who had been saying that their lives and their future had become hopeless, that despair had already set in, and that they already knew that they had been abandoned.

· How many of us today can only see a negative future?

· How many of us today have had despair take root in our lives?

· How many of us today feel abandoned by others and by God?

Yet what does God say?

“I will rescue you. I will put my Spirit in you that you may live… and you will know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it!”

So as Christians – We are to always believe in the promises of Christ and of God.

Even thought God may allow our lives and maybe even our world to experience struggle, sadness, pain, and difficulties, we are never to give up.

Like Ezekiel, we are to continue to speak the Good News to others. We are to speak the Christian message of turning away from sin and sinful lives, seeking forgiveness, and then continue the journey toward eternal life.

And like Ezekiel, as we preach the Christian message, the Holy Spirit will come upon us, will make us and others alive, and will turn us and many around us into an Army of Believers.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean that our lives, or our world will always be joyful, or that we won’t experience from time to time some darkness.

But, we as Christians are to be the light in that darkness.

We are to renew the face of the earth.

So to answer that frightening question….. Is this the beginning to the end of the world as we know it?

Our answer is: “Lord God, you alone know that.”

Our focus shouldn’t be on things of this world, but rather on the things of the heavenly world. It is often found that when this world becomes somewhat uncomfortable, that our gaze then begins to refocus on the spiritual world, and then we can see with greater clarity the need to alter our journeys.

God’s ways are not always our ways, and as Jesus proclaimed: “let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.”

Let us allow, on this eve of Pentecost, His Spirit to fill us, to transform us, and just as Peter was transformed on the day of Pentecost, let us be that same witness of truth - that will not only bring peace, comfort, and Joy…… but will give everlasting life.

Where is Your Emmaus?

2011-04-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Homily 3rd Sunday of Easter – Year A

The disciples were heading to Emmaus. Where is Emmaus, you might ask? It is a place just 7 miles from Jerusalem. Why were they going to Emmaus? Because it is just 7 miles from Jerusalem, and if you were walking, it is just far enough to get away from the misery and confusion of Jerusalem.

The writer Frederick Buechner describes Emmaus well:

Emmaus is whatever we do, or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred: that even the wisest, bravest, and loveliest, decay and die; that even the noblest ideas that we have had – ideas about love and freedom and justice – have always in time been twisted out of shape by selfish men for selfish ends.

We all have an Emmaus!

- For some it is the Adoration room.

- For some it is being absorbed into a good novel.

- For some, it is spending time with grandchildren

- For me, it is the outdoors

Whether hiking a trail, kayaking the river, or camping in the forest, I can escape the misery and confusion often found in this world.

And that is where Jesus found these two disciples: going to a place where they could sort through the pain of Christ’s death, and the confusion of the rumors floating around that maybe he wasn’t dead after all.

Then Jesus approached the disciples as a stranger, and his mood didn’t match their own. He was informal and maybe even a little chatty, stating:

“Whatch y’all talking about?

The disciples looked at him, filled with several kinds of sadness, apparently also a little irritated at the ignorance of the stranger, and responded:

“What hole did you just crawl out of?

Everyone knows what has been happening in Jerusalem.”

Then the disciples began to tell the stranger all about Jesus, his death, and the rumors of his resurrection. But Jesus rebuked them for being so reluctant to believe, and to prove his point, he began explaining the scriptures. How they pointed toward that very moment in time, and even though they listened, they didn’t hear him. And even though he was at their side, walking with them, they didn’t see him.

As the travelers approached their destination, Jesus, who always seemed to be several steps ahead of the disciples, walked on as if to continue his journey. He didn’t want to impose on the hospitality of the disciples, or to force himself into their still-mourning hearts. But the disciples urged him to stay.

Now the scene begins to change.

The strange traveler, their honored guest, had been given a spot at the head of the table. As they prepared to eat, he followed a formula that he had used before, and that we have been using in the church ever since. He took the bread, broke it, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples. That was what they needed, and with that, their eyes were opened. And when the disciples finally realized and recognized Jesus, He disappeared!

Surely the disciples would have wanted him to stay with them: they wanted to understand the mystery of his resurrection.

They still had more questions, and they wanted him in their midst because there was something so wonderful and indescribable about him, something that filled the empty places within their hearts. So what can we glean from this message? Jesus is always present in our lives, but we often fail to see him.

It is often looking back on the past events of our day, or week, even our year that we can begin to see that he has touched us….. He will reveal himself in different ways to different people. But he does reveal himself.

We do not have the power or the ability to force this revelation, but we can search for ways to feel his presence and to celebrate him.

And that is what we are doing today.

“Do this in remembrance of me.”

When we take the bread, give thanks to God, break it, and share it as Disciples of Christ, we aren’t just doing something that reminds us of Jesus.

We are doing what he commanded of us, something that moves us into a spiritual reality, yet a mystery, but actually makes him present to us, and unites him to us.

Can you see him?

Can you feel him?

Can you hear him?

If we answered No!

Then we must ask ourselves….. Why Not?

Not unlike the disciples, He is often present in our midst, yet unnoticeable!

Are we even looking for him?

Do we look for Christ amongst the strangers?

Do we listen for Christ in the scriptures?

Do we honestly prepare ourselves for meeting him face-to-face at Mass?

Unfortunately, How many of us just go through the motions and casually pop a wafer into our mouths, sip a sip of wine, and then sit down unaware of his presence?

It isn’t that he’s not present, we just don’t recognize him.

But that can change!

As we come to the table today, and take the bread that Christ has offered to us, let us realize what it is that is being placed onto our tongues, or reverently laid upon our palms.

It is the most precious substance on earth.

And as we consume his body, blood, soul and divinity, we are to open our hearts, surrendering our will, and allow his grace to fill our soul. As we return to the pews, kneeling in awe of what has just occurred, Mystically united with heaven, we are given the opportunity to feel his presence within us.

Take a moment and think about this……

As you worship – so you believe

And

As you believe – so you worship.

The way we act and carry ourselves at Mass, tells a great deal about what we believe to be true.

As you worship – so you believe

And

As you believe – so you worship.

Let this holy place be your Emmaus. A place that is Holy and Sacred, a place where we meet, face-to-face Christ. Our Lord, Our Savior, Our Hope, Our Joy, Our Life!

Divine Mercy Homily

2011-04-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Divine Mercy Homily (Brief)

Adapted from a homily written by Father Rodney Kissinger

Pope John Paul II established the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy, of course, is the unconditional love of God seen from the point of view of the sinner. It is the fidelity of the love of God. This is the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus said that he came not for the just, but for the sinner. He ate and drank with sinners. He forgave sins and delegated that same power to his apostles. He taught the parables of the lost coin, the Good Shepherd, and the prodigal son, all of which tell us that the Divine Mercy is not “the pardon of a judge, but the embrace of one who loves.” The first Christians knew and experienced the fidelity of the love of God, the unconditional love, the divine mercy. Their lives were filled with peace, love and joy. They rejoiced at having been found worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus. But human nature being what it is, over the centuries Christians began to forget this love of God.

Jesus who wanted to remind us of his unconditional love revealed to Saint Margaret Mary (Alacoque) the secrets of his Sacred Heart. Once again the lives of Christians were filled with love, peace and joy. On the First Friday of each month Churches were packed with people celebrating the devotion to the Sacred Heart.

“Sacred Heart I trust in Thee,” was in the hearts and on the lips of millions.

But as the years rolled on, once again people began to forget the love, the mercy of God.

Then Jesus revealed to Sr. Faustina the secrets of his Divine Mercy, and requested that the Sunday after Easter be celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy.

Sr. Faustina told Jesus,

“I am surprised that you bid me to talk about this Feast of Divine Mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a feast, so why should I talk about it?”

Jesus said to her,

“And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming my mercy and teaching the people about it, often do not know about it themselves.”

How many more revelations do we need to convince us? We should go back to the Gospels and read it again. We didn’t get the point! The fidelity of the love of God, the unconditional love of God, the mercy of God is very clear, and definitively expressed in the Gospels. God is love. The unconditional love of God, the Divine Mercy, is a GIVEN. It is always available. The one unforgivable sin is to think that our sin is too great for the mercy of God. As we saw during Holy Week, this was the sin of Judas: not that he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, but that he denied the Divine Mercy. He thought that his sin was too great to be forgiven. He could have been forgiven just as Simon Peter was forgiven.

And so, we can also be forgiven….. Ask for his forgiveness, and with a contrite heart, you will be given what you seek. God loves you so much more than you can understand. Ask for his love and he will fill you, completely. He will heal you; he will make all things new again, within you. Open your hearts and allow him in.

Why Does God Allow Us To Suffer?

2011-04-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

John 11:1-45

Have you ever wondered why God allows us to suffer?

The Gospel today can help us understand why we experience pain, hurt, anxiety, discomfort, and even despair in our lives. Jesus never stated that he would take all of our pain away. He actually stated that his desire was for us to be fruitful and live fruitful lives. But in order for something to be fruitful, it often needs to be pruned from time to time. We know this is evident in fruit trees and for grape vines but this Pruning also occurs in our lives, and is what enables us to become fruitful as well.

I can remember not too long ago speaking to one of the monks at the monastery in Vina, Near Chico. His name is Brother Raphael and he is the caretaker of the vines. He decribed to me how he purposely stresses the vines by withholding water from them. He stated that when he limits their water, it makes the plant dig deeper into the soil with its roots, and while searching for water, the whole vine becomes stronger. I couldn’t help but think that there was a similarity with regard to how God from time to time also withholds his grace and power from us. By allowing life’s events to stress us we are forced to dig deep and we ultimately grow stronger as well. I don’t know about you, but the times in my life when I have experienced crisis and endured great pain and even heartache, are exactly the same times when I grew closer to God and my spirituality deepened.

At my home, in our backyard we have a few huge oak trees. One in particular, must be at least 100 years old. During our most recent storm I watched the enormous oak sway back and forth in the wind. I did contemplate the potential damage that could result if the tree fell on our home, but then realized that the tree had withstood hundreds of similar storms and the odds were that it wouldn’t fall on that particular day. I began to realize that what I was watching with this tree was somewhat similar to the twists and turns of our lives as Christians. Unknowingly, certain events, like a storm come upon us and pull at us, pressure us, twist us around, and might even break a limb or two from time to time. But these trials, as we endure them and persevere, only make us stronger and more resilient. They especially help us develop virtue and character.

In the gospel today, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill. When Jesus received the message he stated “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God…” But what did Jesus then do? He did nothing. He remained where he was for the next two days before setting off to Judea. And by the time he made the journey and arrived in Judea, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Once he finally arrived, Martha stated to Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She knew that Jesus had the power and ability to save her brother and also to prevent their pain from occurring. And when he didn’t respond, she must have felt angry and hurt that he didn’t intervene. How many of us have felt some degree of anger or hurt when we felt that God didn’t intervene in our lives? But what does Jesus say “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asked to see where Lazarus was laid, and he looked upon the site and he wept. Now - why would he have wept? Especially, when he knew that he was about to bring Lazarus back to life. He wept because he felt the pain experienced by Mary and Martha, Just like how he feels our pain when we hurt. The Jews realized this and even responded by stating “See how he loved him.”

Yet there were still some who doubted, as evident by their statement “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died? How many of us have also doubted when we felt that our prayers were not heard or answered? Then Jesus stated, “Take away the stone.” And Martha responded “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” It wasn’t that Martha doubted Jesus; she just didn’t understand what he was doing or why he was doing it. How many of us question God just because we don’t understand why certain things occur in our lives. Haven’t we been told over and over again that “God’s ways are not our Ways?” Yet - we still feel that we should be capable of understanding God. Isn’t “faith” believing in something that you don’t completely understand, something that we can not prove but believe to be true anyway?

And what does Jesus say “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God.” Doesn’t this same message speak to us today? If we only believe, we will also see the glory of God in our lives. Jesus then raises his eyes and said “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe….” Are we willing to see and acknowledge God’s hand in the workings of our lives? Or are we like the people of Jesus’ time and have such little faith that we need to actually see miracles to believe?

In closing, I would like to point out that the message today helps us understand our times of dryness, desolation, and even despair. It helps us understand that God hasn’t abandoned us during those times, but that he actually uses those difficult times to help strengthen us. It is during those times of struggle that allow us to grow deeper roots of faith, and stimulate the growth of virtue in our lives. It helps us to understand that our ultimate reward is not to be obtained in this world, but rather as Jesus states: “Who even believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me, will never die.”

In this time of Lent, this time of dryness, and often a time of quiet, we must ask our selves if we are embracing the struggles in our lives, and if we are looking for God’s hand in these events. And we must ask ourselves if we are growing in virtue, the virtue that we enable our lives to become more fruitful. God’s ways are not our ways….. And Faith means believing in what you can’t see …but also knowing in your heart and your soul that it is real. So when we struggle, when we suffer, we are to be assured that God has not forsaken us, but just the opposite. He has found us worthy to endure the trial and grow in holiness. He loves us and is always near to those who love him. He truly loves us! And like a good Father, He knows that through times of struggle, pain, and even darkness, We will emerge stronger, wiser, more humble, more forgiving, and especially……. more loving!

The Devil, Temptations, and Lent

2011-03-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Homily - 1st Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Deacon Pat Kearns

It all began in the desert where Jesus fasted and the Devil Tempted. The message today is a powerful message, actually a life changing message if we honestly open our hearts and minds and receive it. Not unlike Christ’s journey, our own journey will be filled with highs and lows, possibly even similar to the joys of Palm Sunday and the contrasting hatred of Good Friday. But we must never forget that this road ends gloriously….. It did for Christ; empty tomb, empty linen clothes, resurrected and Glorified.

Today however, we focus our attention on the desert where the devil faced Jesus at a moment of incredible human vulnerability, and what happened; Jesus concurred the devil. Jesus had become like us in every way. Since we have flesh and blood, he had flesh and blood. We have feelings and emotions, He had feelings and emotions. He shared in our humanity and we even read in the scriptures that he suffered and was tempted.

But there is one important difference between Jesus and us – where we fall, he stands tall. He was tempted, yet was without sin. He was without sin because he was both true man and true God… And that was his mission. He was sent by God the Father to be obedient to God’s law – perfectly, continually, and completely – and to rescue us from our own sins. Christ taught those around him and continues to teach us today.

Let’s look a little deeper into Christ’s desert experience and see how it applies to our lives today. I don’t know about you, but I would have thought that the devil would have been a little smarter. After all, he had been around for thousands of years. He knew God’s promises, he knew Jesus.

• When the devil said in the first temptation “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He isn’t questioning Jesus’ divinity, But plows forward and tries to get Jesus to imitate Adam to wonder, to distrust, and to question: “Did God Really Say…..?” The Devil insinuated that the Father wouldn’t provide for His son as promised.

• And in the second temptation, the devil tries another tactic. Whisking Jesus to the highest point of the temple, a dizzying height of almost 500 feet, he tells Jesus to jump. Satan Proclaims “Didn’t God say that His angels…will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone?” This time, rather than doubt God, he tries to tempt Jesus, in a twisted way, to trust that God will save him, even if he does an incredibly reckless thing.

• In the third temptation the Devil says, “People love power. It is all yours.. if you only worship me.” The devil is asking the Son to abandon His father and worship the fallen angel. Again, the Devil should of know better. He has nothing to offer. The Devil can only confuse the truth, lie, and tempt.

He uses these same tactics on us today. The devil encourages us to doubt that God is the provider that He says he is. How many of us have listened to the devil’s voice as he said:

• Dedicate your lives to work, work, work, to the almighty dollar, because if we accumulate enough money we will gain everything we need. After all, food, clothes, cars, homes, and children all cost money. “Turn those stones into bread…… Turn this time into money…. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will….

• Or what about when we have been tempted to “Jump.” How many of us have rationalized a behavior or an action by saying: “If it is God’s will, it is God’s will, there is nothing I can do if God wants it to happen,”

only to later realize that we just committed an extremely reckless action, foolishly trusting that God would somehow intervene, and then afterwards have to deal with the repercussions. God never promised to protect us from every bad choice, what He said was that He work all things out for our good.

• And finally – The Devil lays all his cards on the table and asks us to disobey the 1st commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Satan promises us power and glory. He promises success and money.

The Devil whispers in our ear: Work on Sundays, work double shifts, you need the time and a half more than time with your family, more than attending Mass. Satan says: “Go ahead, cheat off your classmates test – you need the “A.” He whispers…. “You love her don’t you, go ahead and do it, it’s ok.”

But the Devil is a liar. He lied to Adam and Eve. He lied to Jesus. He lied to you. Like Adam and Eve, we have all fallen for Satan’s lies. Why?

Because: We have bought into the lies that if it feels good, it must be good. The truth is…. We chose to ignore God. We ignored “You shall have no other gods” We ignored “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” We ignored “Honor thy Father and Mother.” We ignored “You shall not commit Adultery.”

For all these sins we end up right where the devil wants us – not in God’s kingdom, but burning in hell, suffering the same torments he suffers.

Strong Message isn’t it – But True!

Thank God there is more to this message. There is Repentance and Forgiveness. Where we fall, Jesus stands Tall! We are to turn away from the world and worldly things and to turn back to God and Godly things.

That is what Lent is all about. Taking time to pull away from our usual routines, our acquired habits, our sinfulness. This is a time to remove the distractions from our lives, to clearly see ourselves for who we are, who we have become, and to place greater effort toward our prayer life, the Sacraments, and our relationship with God. Don’t put off what you can do today until tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come. We can begin today, right now, by concentrating on our prayer life, our participation in the sacraments, and how we act and pray at Mass.

You probably noticed that the announcements that are usually given at the end of mass were given prior to the beginning of Mass today. This will be a new routine for this parish. Why? Because by removing them from within the Mass, it also removes the distraction at the time of our personal connection with the heavenly world, that precious time just after receiving Christ himself.

You will also notice another change after communion. There will be a period of Sacred Silence lasting 1 to 2 minutes. Why? Because we have just consumed Christ, we have just literally become one with the creator of everything. It is a cherished time to savor, a time suspended in time, a time to be absorbed with the greatest thing that will ever happen to us. It deserves our greatest attention and respect. It is truly God; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity that we have just consumed. Not a maybe or I hope so! But God within us!

And then….. After enjoying that Holy and personal time, we rise for the priestly blessing and then without haste are dismissed out into the world, carrying Christ within us, changed from our experience, from our intimate encounter, pure, and holy. With Him, In Him, and through Him, we can turn away from sin, repent, concur all evil and have ….everlasting…. LIFE!

Being Catholic Means Going Deeper

2011-01-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

Being Catholic Means Going Deeper

6th Sunday Ordinary Time

How many of us can truly say that we are completely happy? How many of us can honestly say that our lives are perfect? I might even venture to say that many of us probably think that our lives could be improved in someway if we only knew what to do.

Well, Jesus shows us a little insight regarding this issue in today’s gospel message. This insight really has to do with our lives and the concept of going the extra mile, taking that extra step, and not stopping ourselves short.

We all know the 10 commandments:

• There is only One God

• Do not use God’s name in vain

• Keep Holy the Sabbath

• Honor thy Mother and Father

• Don’t Murder anyone

• Don’t commit Adultery

• We shouldn’t Steal

• We shouldn’t Lie

• We are not to Covent our Neighbor’s Wife,

• nor His Goods

We all know these, but in the gospel today, Jesus tells us that we must surpass these basic commands if we want to enter the Kingdom of God. He even gives us the example that yes we are not to kill, but even goes on to say that whoever is even angry with their brother will be judged firmly.

He further states that we are not to commit adultery, but elaborates further by clarifying that anyone who even looks at another with lust has already committed adultery in their hearts.

Life isn’t just about following a set of rules.These rules are a guide to live by, not a guide in the liberal sense, but to be used as a foundation to be built upon.

Let’s look at the 3rd commandment with regard to this understanding. Keep holy the Sabbath! Keeping the day holy isn’t accomplished by attending 1 hour of Mass and then calling it good. It means that the entire day is to be set aside for God, for fellowship, for prayer, and for honoring in a holy way the other members of our families. We have 6 days a week for work, for recreation, for chores, but Sunday is to be set aside for God and Godly relationships.

At this point some of you might begin to start tuning me out, tuning out Today’s message.

Why? Because what I am saying is not only true, but requires a response.

• One Either rejects this message, rationalizing in some way that it doesn’t entirely apply to them, because if so, it would require changing one’s habits and routine.

• Or, one responds by allowing the truth of the message to resonate within their hearts, humbly responding, and then begin by making some changes in their Sunday routine.

As we begin to realize that God has laid a foundation for us, desires our response, and encourages our growth in holiness, it is then that our eyes are opened to additional possibilities in life, methods and actions that bring deeper joy.

God has given us the commandments, and as the 1st reading states: If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you…. And before all of us are life and death, good and evil, and whichever we choose we shall be given. We have been given a guide to live by and this framework is designed to give us life, protect us, and save us.

Even today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord. But Saint Paul goes on to say in today’s 2nd reading that there is a wisdom that is not of this day, a wisdom for the mature. It is the wisdom of God, It is mysterious and hidden. Yet God, in the form of Christ reveals to his disciples and to us that the law is not to be abolished, but fulfilled.

He has come to show us the way, giving us example after example that fulfilling the law means looking beyond the literal words, and looking for the deeper message. Jesus said, “Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow”…. But then goes on to say, “Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no, anything more is from the devil.”

As Catholics, we are always to be honest and truthful, even in the smallest of matters. There is not to be ulterior motives, hidden agendas, or selfish plans. We are to be honest, true, and transparent. There should be a simplicity to our lives where we are allotted an opportunity to frequently contemplate and seek deeper meanings, and to see God’s revelation.

Our state of holiness should be progressively advancing day by day, stagnation is not the goal. We are either moving toward God or away from God by our choices in life, our desires, and our willingness to live an authentic catholic life.

We must ask ourselves….. Are we willing to take the extra step?

Are we willing to go the extra mile?

Have we honestly listened to today’s message, or did we tune it out?

Have we allowed, in true humility, the Holy Spirit to touch us, to soften our hearts, to inspire us to live the commandments at a much deeper level, and to commit to making a few changes in our lives, stepping closer to God?

Many of us have set a minimal and acceptable standard for being a catholic.

• Weekly Mass

• Periodic Confession

• Living a pretty good life

Is that all that Christ is asking of us…. To live a pretty good life?

No!

He wants us to be holy. He wants us to see beyond the literal rules and to go much deeper. “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of God.”

He is asking us to begin today to delve deeper into what it means to be catholic.

The final questions for all of us are:

• Are we listening to his voice?

• Will we respond?

• Are we willing to turn away from worldly things, selfish things,

and look for a deeper meaning in our lives, in our relationships, and in our commitment to being an authentic Catholic Man or Woman in the world today!

An authentic Catholic Man or Woman in the world today!

The Baptism of our Lord and His Example to us.

2011-01-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

Homily – Deacon Pat Kearns

The Baptism of our Lord

In the Gospel today Jesus presents himself to John to be baptized, and how does John react? John states to Jesus: “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” And Jesus responds: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Many have questioned why Jesus needed to be baptized, especially since he was without sin. It has been said that Jesus’ submission to the baptism of John was to demonstrate that he was a faithful Jew who obeyed the Law and the practices associated with good Jewish life.

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to Him and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. Then a voice from heaven said “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

As you know, Jesus taught us so very much through example, through his actions. There are many lessons and insights available to us through today’s experience. But for many of us, especially those of us whom had been baptized as infants, might have either forgotten the significance of a catholic baptism, or frightfully, have never really been taught.

So what does it mean to be baptized?

As baptized Catholics we have been invited and accepted to join as members of a Godly people. God has called us and we have responded to fulfill all righteousness, to be faithful, to obey the laws and practices, and for doing so, we are told that we are beloved, and that God is well pleased with us. He has taken us by the hand and kept us. He has given us a covenant, ensured us eternal life, and has asked that we share the good news of salvation with others.

As God’s loved people, we are to be the light of the world. A city built on a hill that cannot be hid. And realizing that no one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but rather on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. So too are we to be that light. As baptized Catholics, we are called to let our light shine on the prisoners of darkness, those who are slaves to sin, so they may escape the darkness that chains their souls.

But how is it that we are to call on those who do not believe?

How are we to share our belief with those who have never experienced God or his loving spirit?

I recall the words of Saint Francis of Assisi who once told his early followers: “Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words.” Meaning – that we teach most effectively and most abundantly though our actions, not necessarily with our words.

It is through the witness of our lives, our holy actions, our generous hearts, our forgiveness, and our love, that others will experience who and what a Christian is. It is often through the love witnessed by others that God begins to reveal himself. It isn’t preaching, nor chastising that inspires pagans or fallen away Christians to seek God, but rather a desire to have something that is witnessed in the lives of others.

I have heard from so many lost souls, that when they saw the joyfulness, peacefulness, and such love in another; they wanted to posses what that other person had, and when they inquired, and heard that the source of this delight was God, it was then and only then, that their eyes were opened, and then could see that there was something more to life.

Our actions, our behaviors have such power, and much more influence than you might imagine.

We must keep in mind however, that all in this world have a free will, especially those who live in darkness, and unless they recognize their blindness and their imprisonment, they cannot be cured, nor freed.

Many cannot see the darkness of their own lives since it has become usual and routine, yet when held against a contrasting light, a contrasting life, illuminated with God’s grace and love, it is then that the contrast is recognized. God works in mysterious ways, and his ways are not our ways, yet he places certain situations and people in our lives for specific purposes.

You might be thinking, who me, how or what can I do for God? Not unlike John the Baptist who when confronted by Jesus for baptism, immediately felt unworthy, don’t we often feel unworthy or incapable of taking a lead role, especially in things religious?

But how did Jesus respond to John; “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill righteousness.”

And by Jesus being faithful to the laws and practices of the faith, and upon his baptism, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit came down upon him. The same is true for us, that through our baptism, through our submission to the church, obedience to the laws and practices of our faith, the Holy Spirit descends upon us and filled us with something so much greater than ourselves. It is this spirit that illuminates us, it is this same spirit that strengthens us and motivates us to do things beyond our usual comforts, and it is this spirit within us that is recognizable to others as good and holy.

And when we acknowledge that through our baptism we have become holy, we have become united with Christ, and when we help share the good news of salvation, forgiveness, love, and eternal life with others,

God looks upon us and says:

This is my beloved Son, My beloved daughter…. With whom I am well pleased.

To sum up the message for us today and the message from the gospel…..

As we begin to embrace our baptism and we acknowledge that through our baptism we have become holy, we have become united with Christ, and when we help share the good news of salvation, forgiveness, love, and eternal life with others, that voice from heaven says:

This is my beloved Son, My beloved daughter…. With whom I am well pleased.

Mary and Elizabeth - Showing us the Way!

2010-12-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

Homily – Tuesday, December 21, 2010

There are two very different but profound messages given to us today in the gospel and through the examples of two remarkable women;

Mary and Elizabeth.

Let’s begin with Mary – As we all know, she was carrying Jesus within her womb and what does she do Does she withdrawal from the community and hide away with this treasure? No – she ventures out into the world with a plan to give service to Elizabeth. Carrying the person of Christ, His love, His grace, and His power, she sets off out into the world, allowing Christ to be present to others.

I can’t help but wonder if we are applying Mary’s example to our lives as well. Each week… and for some of us - each day, we receive Christ through the Holy Eucharist; Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He becomes as real within us as he was within Mary, and what do we do after Mass? Do we go home and hid him from the world? Or, do we, like Mary, go to great effort to share him, and show him to others?

I was once asked by a group of Protestants what the main difference was between our faiths. My mind immediately filled with explanations of the Sacraments, Mary, the Mass, but then it hit me. I explained to this inquiring group, that we did share many similarities, yet there were some significant differences. One of those unique and significant differences is our belief of relationship. As Catholics, our primary focus on spirituality is not just a “Me and God” relationship where it is entirely about a personal relationship with God. But rather, a common relationship, shared by a larger group of people, called to serve each other, to love each other, to care for and live for each other. You can see how there is a significant difference; one understanding is quite self-centered in the “God and me” relationship. And the other, is just the opposite, it is self-less and truly sacrificial. The group of Protestants had many more questions, but I could tell that this explanation was effective in opening their eyes and broadening their understanding of the depth of our catholic faith.

The other example from today’s gospel is that from Elizabeth, who immediately identifies and is aware of the presence of God in her midst. How many of us are able to recognize when God’s spirit is upon us? How many of us can see and are aware when God places someone filled with grace into our midst? What power or ability did Elizabeth possess to so clearly see Christ, even Christ hidden within the womb? She had the same ability that we have; it is the Holy Spirit, but she was not hindered by distractions, nor obstacles that can distort so very well. One might even say that she had prepared herself well through living a good life, a holy life, a life that enabled her to truly see the world and its effects so clearly.

This preparation was not unique to Elizabeth, it is the same preparation that we are all called to partake in. It has a lot to do with patience, faith, and participating with God when he acts in our lives. Elizabeth shows us that even after being barren for so many years, desiring a child, she doesn’t give up hope, she perseveres, Living an honorable life, caring for her husband and those around her. And when God chose to finally act, giving her a child, even in her old age, she accepts, trusts the Lord, and nourishes the gift placed into her womb. Did she boast of the miracle?

No, rather instead, she remains humble and thankful; in fact what is her initial response when Mary arrives….. Elizabeth doesn’t focus on herself, but rather states: “How does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” She possessed true humility.

When we place our focus and attention on others, and not on ourselves, our ability to see God’s presence in and amongst our lives becomes so clear.

When we live simple and pure lives, allowing time for contemplation, for prayer, and for serving others, this allows Gods’ spirit to manifest itself completely and radiates free from selfish person desires and self- absorbency.

It is difficult to see Christ in others when we are constantly only looking at ourselves.

Mary and Elizabeth have shown us through their life example, a way of embracing our Lord, a method for seeing him in and amongst our lives.

It is through accepting Christ, sharing him unselfishly with others, living simple and humble lives, lives of charity and service that enables His spirit to shine.

It is by following the examples of these 2 holy women that Christ is made visible and present in the world.

Now it is up to us to participate in God’s holy work,

as we partake in the Eucharist,

listen to his voice,

ask him to guide you,

Strengthen you,

and motivate you,

and then…. share him with the world!

Catholic Joy

2010-12-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

Deacon Pat Kearns

3rd Sunday of Advent

Is 35:1-6a, 10, Mt 11:2-11

Catholic Joy

Today we light the 3rd Advent Candle. The Rose colored candle. It is different than and much brighter than all the others. This particular candle symbolizes “Rejoicing”.

Let’s explore in a little deeper way, the meaning of this 3rd Sunday of Advent and listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah, allowing the words to settle upon our hearts as they refer to us…

- Strengthen the hands that are feeble
- Make firm the knees that are weak.
- Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!
- Here is your God; he comes with vindication, with divine recompense.

In other words, God comes to “make-up” for what is lacking in our lives. And Finally: He comes to save us!

Advent is a time of expecting and waiting. However, For many, it is a time of only shopping and preparing for the exchange of gifts at Christmas. But for Catholics, it is a time with a much deeper meaning. Advent is a time to take a closer look at our lives, especially in regard to our preparedness for Christ’s coming. As Christmas approaches, yes we acknowledge the beauty and gravity of that gift of our Lord who humbled himself to take on our humanity. That gift, indeed is beyond our complete understanding and will remain a mystery to us. But we also acknowledge that He will come again, and that when He returns, that will be the end, the end to life as we know it.

However, we must also realize, that HE is also here now, this year, this week, this day, and at this moment. And why is he here? He is here to save us!

So my question to all of us is, what do we need saving from?

- How are our hands feeble?
- How are our knees weak?
- What are our fears?
- What wrong do we need Him to set right?
- How are we blind?
- What is it that we cannot hear?
- In what ways are we lame?

Advent is a time to think about these questions.

Another important question to all of us comes from the depths of a prison, the prison where John the Baptist suffered in Herod’s palace. The same place where John sent his followers to ask the Lord: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? Bishop Fulton Sheen said that John was discouraged and perhaps even close to despair when he acted in such a way. John had spent his whole life waiting for the coming of the Christ, and now he has come – or so he thought – and He, John, still suffers in a prison.

Can’t you imagine why he might of thought:

- Is this really the Christ?
- Is this really the one that he was being called to die for?

And how does Jesus respond to John? Jesus states: “Look at all the wonderful things that are happening to the people around here. The Blind are seeing, deaf hearing, dumb speaking, and the lame leaping.” And then Jesus states: “The poor have the good news preached to them.”

What does this mean?

Who are the poor that he speaks of?

“It is Us!”
We are the poor.

When we truly acknowledge our faults, our inequities, our short comings, and realize just how poor we actually are; and when we reach out for Him, the one who has been faithfully waiting for us to respond, then and only then, our world begins to change. A transformation begins. Something so very special is set into motion. HE hears our thoughts, our prayers, and then he begins to shine his light onto us during our hours of desperation. He begins to fill us with wisdom and peace in places where there has only been confusion. He begins to show us the tiniest ways to begin to unravel the knots that we have wrapped around us through repeated bad choices and sinfulness.

But we have to reach out for him, we must look in his direction for our answers. Yes, this seems so very simple, but not unlike John, we might also experience doubts at times. We might question our faith, especially when we are frightened, hurt, and worn down by trial after trail.

Honestly: haven’t we all questioned, either in our thoughts, or at least in our actions:

Are you the one?

Should we be looking somewhere else?

And how many of us, have and are still looking somewhere else for the answers?

How many of us are seeking peace, joy, and love in all the wrong places.
How many of us seek love, but settle for lust?
How many of us seek joy, but settle for cheap pleasure.
Seek satisfaction, but instead merely feed our greed?
Seek wisdom, but then listen to fools.
Seek true beauty, but instead latch onto what only makes us uglier.
Seek intimacy, but settle for less.

Yet, as we reach out for God, choose to look toward him for the answers, we are then touched by a ray of light, a grace, a sense of warmth, an idea, an understanding, a promise of hope and wonder that is Christ, the Christ that is the One! We begin to yearn and hunger for what is pure and true. We begin to make changes in our lives; we throw away the lies and deceptions as we come clean with the sacrament of confession. We suddenly discover within ourselves the ability to make choices that are different than what we had been accustomed to, in that lost cycle of habit. Our behaviors begin to change, we begin to meet new friends, we begin to grow closer to God, to the church, and then, all of the sudden we find a deeper meaning and understanding in the liturgy, the mass. We begin to see our participation with heaven and the spiritual world. We progressively transform into the person that we were created by God to be.We experience love, joy, and peace. We see beauty where we had never noticed it before. We find ourselves drawn to the scriptures, because maybe for the first time, it now becomes alive, and directly speaks to us. As we receive communion, the Eucharist we receive burns within us as we truly realize who we just consumed….. We begin to taste in our lives the fruits of the spirit that that Saint Paul spoke of: Love, Joy, Peace, and Patience. We become kind and generous. And all of this begins as we have chosen to turn to God, to Christ for the answers.

This is the Joy that is behind the Rose colored candle.

It is the message of hope and salvation.

It is the understanding that, YES, we are the poor. And - We have heard the good news preached to us. We have found THE ONE we are looking for.

As we begin to embrace our faith, our catholic faith, and we realize the treasures of the sacraments; we begin to joyfully understand, the eternal rewards of being a Christian

And

Just – how – truly - rich – we – are!

Catholic Persecution

2010-11-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Homily – Deacon Pat

Luke 21:5-19 (33rd Sunday Ordinary Time)

We just heard in Luke’s Gospel some disturbing words. Jesus tells us:

1. Many will come in Christ’s name, but don’t be deceived.

2. There will be wars and insurrections.

3. Nations will rise against nations.

4. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues.

5. And you will be persecuted because of your faith.

He even stated that some of your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will turn against you, and some will even want to put you to death! Then he states: “But not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will save your lives.” So what is the message for us today? Well, I think we should begin with reflecting on this issue of persecution.

Are Catholics persecuted in our world today?

Are we persecuted for being catholic right here in Redding?

I think the answer to these questions and to the reality that surrounds our lives, has a lot to do with our current state in life, the truthful evaluation if we are seriously living an authentic Catholic Life. If we sincerely believe in the person and existence of Jesus Christ, his message, his teachings, then wouldn’t we expect to be in conflict with many of the people who in our world today? The same people who reject religion, reject morality, and immerse themselves in sin.The very things that happened during the time of Christ, and the time of the early church are still happening today. There really is a war between good and evil!

If you hate abortion, the death to innocent children, the life-long emotional and spiritual scaring to the parents who abort, and you voice your disapproval – that immediately makes you a target of the misguided pro-choice people.

If you proclaim the church teaching on homosexuality and the sinfulness of not restraining abnormal impulses, you are then chastised for being intolerant, judgmental, and inhumane by gay activists.

If you speak out or object to the Pagan approach our government takes regarding the education of our children on moral issues, you will be ostracized, demeaned, and persecuted.

If you voice your discontent regarding the pornography that has become commonplace within Television, and Movies approved for children as young as 13 –You are quickly dismissed for being a radical and an extremist.

These are but a few examples, there are many more, and persecutions take on many different shapes and forms.

My question to you is: Do you find yourself persecuted for your beliefs? If so, isn’t that what should be expected for a Catholic living in a world with such a distorted view. If Not, if you don’t find yourself amongst the persecuted, does that mean that you don’t look much different from the world around you. Does that mean that your life, your actions, and your relationships don’t visibly conflict with the immoral, unjust, and corrupt society that represents such a large portion of our world today?

Yes, this is a strong message. And it takes great humility to look at ourselves truthfully. To avoid self-justification, rationalization, and to honestly evaluate and judge. To judge ourselves in such a way as Christ would look at us.

The Gospel message today is strong and intense, but if you listen carefully, it also contains a promise of good news. Jesus promised that you are not to fear, that when persecuted and confronted, when asked to defend your beliefs and actions, there would be no need to prepare a defense a head of time, For Christ himself will give you wisdom. In other words, he will arm you with the truth, His truth. Yet, even with such truth, Jesus warns us that we will still be judged unfairly, we will be persecuted, that is our cross, but it doesn’t change the truth. We are to cling to the truth, the teachings passed onto us through the Bishops, united with our Holy Father and the Magesterium, then we have the wisdom of Christ Himself.

Christ tells us: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Are you hated by anyone, if so, I hope it is because of your faith and what our faith stands for…… Wasn’t Jesus hated by Many?

I can remember a few years ago, speaking to an elderly priest, a holy man, actually a monastic hermit, and about our journey here on earth, our Christian journey. He stated that the world that we live in is like a river, and the current that flows within the river is like the culture that surrounds us. He stated that as Christians, especially Catholics, we must constantly swim against that current; that is what living a life of virtue, of good character, of Christian values, demands of us; to fight against the sin of the world. Yet, as soon as we stop fighting, as soon as we loose our fervor, as soon as become complaisant, we quickly become absorbed into the current, and begin to flow with the culture within it. This wise, holy man pointed out; It takes no effort to flow with the culture, because even dead fish will float downstream.

I will close with these simple but powerful questions; Are you swimming against the immoral, unjust, and sinful culture? Are you persecuted by those around you because of your faith, your belief in Christ, and your faithful adherence to the teachings of our church?

Or, are you….. just floating along……..

The message today in not one of Depression and Despair, but one of Hope, Truth, and Assurance. Today, many will hear reassurance that their fight against evil, their persecutions, and their endless struggles against immorality is exactly what Christ proclaimed would occur. It is exactly what Christ promised if we were to join the ranks of Christians. For others: who humbly and honestly identify that they have little to no persecution in their lives, might just hear a wake-up call, a call to action, a call to begin participating in the fight against evil.

The Gospel is “The Good News” for all who believe and accept it.

For all who embrace it.

For all who choose to pick up the cross and Live it!

Stewardship (Our Ministry Faire Weekend)

2010-10-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Stewardship Sermon

“What return can I make to the Lord for all the goodness he has given to me?” -- Psalm 116:12

Bishop Robert Moreau says the question in Psalm 116, verse 12, haunts him every day. The auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, says, “I have a dream that I die and the Lord says, ‘Moreau, you were an eight-cylinder car and you only used two cylinders.”

Stewardship, according to the bishop, is about realizing how gifted one is and then properly using all the “cylinders” – all our time, talent and worldly treasure – in the right proportion. He says, “The core of stewardship is gratitude – a gratitude that overflows into giving as a way of thankfulness for all that God has given us.”

Stewardship is really about gratitude.

Let’s face it … for most Catholics, when they hear the word “stewardship,” they immediately think “it’s all about the money.” For many of us, when the priest (or the deacon) starts talking about the need for a “grateful heart,” the eyes glaze over, the ears shut down, and the brain thinks “how much money does that man think we have?”

But Stewardship isn’t a scheme to bring in more money or volunteers. It’s not a “program” or a “campaign.” Stewardship is a Way of Life – where stewards start to look at everything good as a gift from God.

Out of gratitude, Stewardship is about giving back. It’s about offering up our grateful heart to our Heavenly Father. It’s about giving back to God a portion of the many good gifts - our Time, Talent and Treasure – He has blessed us with.

This weekend, we will have the opportunity to do that. We will have the opportunity to honor and thank God with the Gift of our Time and our Talent.

But first, I invite you to watch this presentation. (This is where we Played the Parish Video.)

There are 1700 registered families in our parish – about 4,000 individuals. However, only about 1200 parishioners come to church regularly.

Today, we invite you to make a commitment to give God a Gift of your TIME by attending mass weekly and by setting aside an hour of your time during the week in worship and prayer.

Remember, God gives each of us 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. While each of us will be given a different number of days on this earth, time remains our most valuable commodity.

If we want to spend eternity with God, we better start spending time with Him now – and all God is asking is at least an hour of our time during the week.

Out of the 1200 parishioners who come to church regularly, only about 400 are involved in a parish ministry.

There’s a constant need for new members and new volunteers. Yes - we rely on the help of God but we also rely on the help of people.

We invite you to make a commitment to give God a Gift of your TALENT in service to our parish family - by being involved in one of our parish ministries.

If you are involved already, please recommit yourself or maybe, be adventuresome, explore another ministry, join another group.

For those of us who are not involved, please consider joining a ministry that you think best suit your skills and talents.

There’s a form on the pews and I ask you to prayerfully fill it out.

You can bring the form over to the respective ministry table at the hall after mass.

We have refreshments and our parish leaders and ministers are there to welcome you and help you with any questions you may have.

Thank you so much and God bless you all!

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

2010-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Today’s gospel has such a rich message for us, a message about faith, a message that might just change our lives if truly understood.

As the 10 lepers began to approach Jesus they stated “have Pity on us.”.

And what does Christ do? Him simply says. “Go show yourselves to the priest.” He doesn’t say that he has healed them, he doesn’t mix dirt and water and apply a healing mud to their rotting bodies, he doesn’t even lay his hands upon them. He simple tells them to go and show themselves to the priests.

To understand the complete message here, lets recall a few earlier verses from the gospel, actually only 4 sentences prior, when the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." And The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.”

This message as you will soon see really defines our faith.

How many of us have wished, maybe even prayed for more faith? How many of us have thought, “if I only had greater faith my life would be less stressful?”

How many of us have thought, “if only I had greater faith I could change some of the things in my life that are holding me back.”

How many of us have thought… “If Only I had greater faith?”

In the gospel, the 10 lepers are sent on their way to show themselves to the priests at the temple, seems simple enough, but what you might not realize is that one of the lepers is a Samaritan, a foreigner. And at the gate of the temple there was a sign that read:

“Any Foreigners who go beyond this wall will have only himself to blame for his ensuing death.”

So what do you think was going through the mind of the Samaritan when Christ directed him to go and show himself to the temple priests? I can bet that he might of thought, “what - I will be killed!” I can imagine the disappointment, the frustration felt by the Samaritan. He was asking for pity, he was asking for help. And Here he is, an outcast due to his lepersy, an outcast for being a foreigner, and what does Jesus ask him to do, the impossible!

Yet, did we hear of any rebuttal from the Samaritan……. No!

So here is the message, the message that really can answer our question about faith. It would have been easy for the Samaritan to think of all the obstacles that would have prevented him from doing as Jesus had asked.

It would have been easy for the Samaritan to stand frozen in fear. It would have been easy for the Samaritan to let disappointment overtake him. Yet – there was “something” he could do…..

He could simply go!

He chose to not focus on the obstacles, not on the fear, but rather focus on what he could do. He could “Go.” Life isn’t always about understanding the whole picture, and exactly knowing how things with turn out. It is about following Christ.

It is about taking that first step. I think we have all heard that old saying “Even the longest of Journeys begin with just one step.” Life isn’t about letting our fears direct our lives, or placing more emphasize on the obstacles, it is about seeing how we can act, and doing something. We all have faith; we all have faith the size of a mustard seed. It isn’t great faith that we need to make a change in our lives, or even the world, it is the understanding that we are to act upon our faith.

Maybe some of you can possibly relate to the Samaritan as he approached Christ.

Beaten down, disillusioned, tired, and about ready TO GIVE UP. Maybe you are dealing with problems or circumstances that make you feel that way. Maybe it’s because of the economy. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s a health issue. Maybe it’s an addiction.

Whatever your particular situation, you might be saying “all these things are against me. I don’t stand a chance.”

Yet – It doesn’t take huge faith – great faith – to see a miracle in our lives. It just takes one step. It takes a response to Christ. Christ is just telling us to Go… If there are problems in our lives and we are stuck, maybe it is because we have chosen to dwell on what we can’t do, instead of what can be done. As Christians we are prayerful people, but we are also people of action. Christ never intended us to be stagnant. He directed us to Love God with all our heart, our mind, and our soul. And love our neighbor as ourselves.

This word “Love” is meant to be a verb, and action word, a directive. He also told us to make disciples of all nations. As Christians we are to be a force of change in this world. It is through our faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed that shows us the possibilities, that gives us the courage, that empowers us. Our life is a journey, and not unlike the Samaritan, as we take that first step, as we follow Christ’s direction in our lives, the healing begins.

It is in response to his call and following him that we grow. We grow in holiness, we grow in compassion, we grow in our faith….

What is important is that we listen to God, to Christ, to the Holy Spirit, and that we are a people of action….. What is it in your life that Christ is asking you to act upon? Are you willing to just take that first step?

Can’t you hear him saying…. Go, just go! Trust me! I Love You!

Sing The New Mass

2010-09-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

So many Catholics are hungry for good liturgical music. They have been exposed to "Feel Good" music but are really wanting to be nourished with liturgical music that will draw them in to the mystery of the sacrament.

Here is a great site to hear and order Good Liturgical Music (Click Here)

The Catholic Church Always Leaves the Door Open - Should We!

2010-09-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Catholic Church Always

Leaves the Door Open - Should We!

Homily on Luke 15: 1-10

In this Gospel reading we hear of Jesus dining with the sinners and tax collectors.

And the Pharisee’s are scandalized by this, why?

Even their title, Pharisee, (Par-oosh—eea) means in Hebrew to be set apart.

This was the wisdom of the day that came from the Mosaic Law.

You separated yourself from the sinner; you shunned the sinner, for two reasons.

1. If you didn’t, he may never fully realize the extent of how wrong his sin is and keep doing it.

2. If you didn’t shun the sinner, his bad influences might start to affect you.

And to a degree, we still do this.

Saint Paul warns us in his letter to the Corinthians to be careful about the company we keep, and not to surround ourselves with friends who will discourage us from the spiritual life.

In the early Church there was a renegade bishop who was putting forth false teachings even after repeated warnings from the apostles.

In one of Saint John’s letters he tells the people not to have anything to do with him, and that John has “given him over to Satan,” in other words, Excommunicated him.

But the difference between the Pharisee’s and Jesus, the difference between the Pharisee’s and the apostles, is that Jesus and the apostles always gave people the chance to repent.

The Pharisee’s didn’t.

In this gospel today, Jesus doesn’t deny that these people are sinners.

He indirectly calls them “lost” by means of the “one sheep,” and the “one silver coin.”

Jesus isn’t doing a warm fuzzy here.

He’s not denying the existence or the seriousness of sin.

But he is giving the sinner the invitation to repent.

I’ve always loved the sacrament of reconciliation, but I especially love the sacrament in regard to those who have seriously fallen away from the church.

I can recall not too many years ago having an in-depth conversation with one of my brothers (I have 5 of them).

I remember explaining what confession was and how it was a gift from God, and what it actually does within our soul.

I was surprised that although he had been a catholic his whole life, he actually knew very little about the sacrament.

Then I remember just how little I knew about my faith prior to my conversion of heart.

Just calling oneself a catholic doesn’t mean that you understand your faith.

I remember using the visualization of a chalice with him.

I explained that our sins are like rocks placed into the chalice.

And as the blood of Christ (Grace) is poured into the chalice, it cannot penetrate the sin, but rather rolls around it, and the chalice can never be completely full due to the rocks, due to our sins.

But by confession, by removing the rocks, by removing our sins, the blood of Christ, his grace, cannot only completely fill the chalice, but there is nothing to limit the amount that is being offered.

I can remember talking to my brother for about 45 minutes on confession and how a complete, well prepared, and truly contrite confession can change your life forever.

He got it……

For the first time in his life, he understood.

And then, the next day he called his local priest, made an appointment, and then gave a “true” confession, his first in 25 years, and probably his first “true” confession ever.

I can recall his telephone call to me the next day.

He stated that after he honestly confessed his sins, all of them, even the really embarrassing ones, and received absolution, he felt the weight of the world lifted off of his soul.

He stated that he felt the rocks crumble, and that he was filled with such overwhelming peace, he felt pure, and empowered to turn away from all those things that had separated him from living a truly good life, a real Christian Life!

He stated that for the first time he felt something special when he prayed.

He stated that now, when he read scripture, it spoke to him louder than ever before.

It was now personal, he could feel God.

He stated that he had been awakened and was esthetic with joy.

He was having a Conversion right before me, a conversion of the heart.

It was by removing the rocks and allowing God’s grace to penetrate within him, that his spirit had been renewed, that spirit that had fallen asleep.

Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.

But before one can be forgiven, they must identify their own wrong doings and want to be forgiven.

At times we must be that beacon of truth; we must speak the truth to those around us.

Yes, we all have a duty to hold the sinner accountable.

We all have a duty not to be permissive in our speech or behavior towards certain beliefs or activities.

But we always have to leave a door open for the sinner to return through.

And I have to say that is why I love being Catholic, and that is why I don’t think I could ever be anything but a Catholic.

I remember a comedian who once said: “I’m a Catholic, but I haven’t been to Mass for seven years.

I don’t give the Church my money.

I never go to confession.

I love being a Catholic because……. they never kick you out.”

Now while he was making a joke, there is some truth in what he said.

The Catholic Church always leaves the door open for repentance.

Every sacrament is an invitation to grow in holiness.

Every sacrament is an invitation to grow in the image and likeness of God.

Every sacrament is an invitation to change our lives.

Not unlike Our Holy Mother Church, we are to:

Always speak the truth,

Hold firm to our beliefs, our truly catholic beliefs as supported by Rome,

At times even call a spade a spade when it is done for the good of one’s soul,

And surround ourselves with people who will help us grow spiritually.

We might even need to temporarily sever relationships when one is acting contrary to the faith and refuses to repent.

But, the door to reconciliation always remains open for the one who truly desires forgiveness.

This is our Faith.

This is our church.

This is…… the Good news!

Can you tell the difference?? Sacred music vs. secular music at Mass.

2010-08-11T16:22:00.001-07:00

Are We Prepared?

2010-08-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Are We Prepared?

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 18:6-9, Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19, Lk 12: 35-40

Today’s Gospel speaks of being prepared, of not knowing at what hour Christ may return. It speaks of being vigilant upon his arrival and not being caught asleep. This is a great opportunity to reflect upon our lives and to evaluate if we are prepared and living a vigilant life.

A few months ago 4 of my brothers and I set a goal to climb ½ dome in Yosemite. None of us were in the best of shape, but we knew if we were to be successful we had better begin to lose some weight and train for the goal of surviving the mountain climb. I’m not sure if it was fear that motivated us, but we all trained well and completed the task fairly easily. Prior to the climb, we developed and maintained a regime of exercise, eating well, and kept life in balance.

However, once the climb was over and we had achieved the goal; our structured and disciplined lifestyle began to fade. Looking back now I can see that without a goal in sight, maintaining a disciplined life can be difficult.

As Christians, our goal is to journey through life with our ultimate destination being eternal life in heaven. But a goal without a definitive target date can be somewhat difficult and troubling. When we were planning our mountain climb, we all knew it was to occur on June 12^th. We could count the days leading up to that day.

But our heavenly goal isn’t as concrete as our goals made here on earth. Like it or not, the heavenly goal for some might just occur this week, next year, or for some 80 years from now. Without having a specific target date to focus on, I regret to say that we have the tendency to lose that sense of urgency. So how does one train for the goal of heaven, how does one prepare themselves?

Great question!

I can’t help but think that is has a lot to do with living a disciplined life. As Christians, Are we not called disciples? Disciplined in the sense of continually forming, fostering, and maintain virtue in our lives.

As I was reflecting on the cardinal and theological virtues, it became apparent that it really comes down to our own personal philosophy of being. It has a lot to do with our understanding of our purpose here on earth.

The concept of being a “Giver” or a “Taker.” We all know people who probably fit that label of being a “Taker.” Maybe that person might just be me at times. A “Taker” is a person who’s primary concern is usually themselves. They are self-centered in their thoughts and make decisions in relation to how it might or might not affect them. Discipline, charity, sacrifice, and loving service are usually foreign concepts to them.

A “Given” on the other hand is just the opposite. We probably all know some who could fit this label as well. They almost always think of others before themselves. They care very little about self-serving concepts, and find themselves feeling content and fulfilled by meeting the needs and wants of others.

When I first sat down to write this homily it didn’t take long and I had a homily that listed all the virtues and systematically broke them down comparing our lives to the ideals. But after a few days of reflecting on the finished product it became clear that it was missing something and I felt the need to scrap it. I needed some help, some divine intervention if the message I was going to share with you today might be considered inspired.

I began to think; What did the prophets do when they wanted to hear and feel God in their lives. What did Jesus do? Many of them would set out to climb a mountain. The concept of prayer and self-reflection while ascending toward heaven had allowed so many to gain heavenly insights and consolations.

So….Don’t laugh, but last Sunday after Mass I drove to Mount Lassen and began to climb. As I was climbing to the peak it became clear to me just how important retreats are for all of us. Spiritual Retreats. The world we live in moves at a more rapid pace than ever in history. Technology is changing daily and communication is instant. Distractions are everywhere and our senses are stimulated almost from the time we wake up, to the time we lay to rest at night. When does a person stop to re-evaluate their lives, to look at what goals have been established, and just how prepared they are for that goal of eternal life.

Clergy in our diocese at required to participate at least annually in a personal retreat just for that fact. To gain a better perspective on their current lives, to humbly self-reflect and evaluate what is good, and what needs some attention. They also need to be spiritually nourished. Many of us take vacations, some more than others, but how many of us make at least one spiritual retreat a year. How many of us take the time, asking for God to help us prepare by self-reflection, humble self-evaluation, adjusting the priority of our goals, and establishing a plan that will foster spiritual growth.

The gospel today states: If the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You must also be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come.

It doesn’t say if he will come. It says, the Son of man will come.

Are you prepared for him?

We are so blessed in the parish for retreat opportunities.

· We live less that an hour away from Vina, the Trappist monastery where many clergy and laity chose to partake in a spiritual retreat.

· There are many women’s retreats sponsored and offered by our diocese.

· Some enjoy pilgrimages like the one planned through our parish for Medugorje this September.

· When have a Men’s group that sponsors: Spiritual Retreats “In-Motion” while backpacking, kayaking, and other activities.

· Or you can design your own, centered on your own unique interests and needs.

The main idea is that you take the time and make it a priority to prepare yourself. This can only be done by periodically pulling away from your daily routines, asking for God’s assistance, critically evaluating your life, and making some changes.

None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, we all suffer from fading fervor at times, and we can be caught spiritually sleeping. We are not immune to the temptations and the trapping of the world, but we must first identify them within ourselves before any change can be made. Our eternal salvation is too important of a goal to forget about, and much too important to not be on the top of our list of desired achievements.

A retreat can be a day, a week, or a month.

It might just give you the answers you have been looking for.

What is stopping you from setting aside some time just for you and God?

Christian Virtue

2010-08-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Christian Virtue

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 18:6-9, Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19, Lk 12: 35-40

(Please Note: I wrote This Homily but then discerned that it wasn't what should be preached to those at our parish so it wasn't used)

The Gospel today speaks of being ready and prepared for the return of Christ. It also speaks of being vigilant. This is a great opportunity to take a little closer look at our own lives and evaluate if we are prepared and also if we would consider our current way of life as “vigilant.”

Many of you know that we have an active men’s group at this parish and last month we had what we called a Men’s Spiritual Retreat “In-Motion.” The group of men and I journeyed down the Sacramento River in kayaks for 6 days, traveling over 150 miles. This retreat had many adventures, some surprises, but was spiritual for sure. Each day began and ended in prayer, included out door mass, a lot of fellowship, but also allowed for a great deal of self-reflection.

Each day was assigned a particular theme, a theme specific to one of the Cardinal and Theological virtues in life:

Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, Faith, Hope, And Charity.

Reflecting on these virtues is a great way of evaluating our lives, our habits, our routines, and in fact, our overall state in life.

As we all know, our lives are a journey, a spiritual journey, where each day, each month, and each year, we should be growing, growing closer to God, and growing in holiness. But without effort, attention, and nourishment we can become stagnant.

Let’s take a few minutes and take a closer look at these virtues and apply them to our own lives.

Prudence – Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means of achieving it. How many of us look at making the decisions in our lives as a discernment process, discerning what God’s will is, not what our will might be, or how the decision might benefit us, but truly what God is desiring of us?

Justice – Justice consists in the firm and constant will to give God and neighbor their due. To be Just is to respect the rights of everyone, seeing the dignity and innate value in everyone, to treat the poor no different that the rich and our actions should always be grounded in what is True, Fair, and proper. Can we truly say that we see no difference in individuals who are weak, who are strong, who are rich, and who are poor? Do we treat them all equally or do we Judge them differently?

Fortitude – Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. This virtue enables us to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. How many of us courageously stand up to the obstacles that surround us? How many of us confront evil with firmness and constancy, or do we do nothing out of fear, allowing the bad things in life to go unchecked, unchallenged and slowly become normalized into our culture? It was once said: that it only takes a few good men to do nothing for evil to prevail.

Temperance- Temperance is the virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created things. Temperance has been lost by many in our society. The Motto: “If it feels good, do it” is embraced by so many. Self-Indulgence has become endemic in our culture. The once common practices of: Fasting, Self-denial, Abstinence, and moderation has become foreign to many of us. Can we honestly say that we practice keeping our desires and instincts within the limits of what is good, healthy, and honorable?

Faith – By faith we believe in God and believe all that he has been revealed to us, and that which Holy Mother Church proposes for our belief. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God” For this reason we seek to know and do God’s will. But we must not only keep the faith and live it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it to others. We must ask ourselves: Do we believe all that has been revealed to us, and what the Holy Church teaches us? Do we live what the Catholic Church teaches, or do we pick and choose what to abide by, What to believe – making ourselves more authoritative than Holy Mother Church?

Hope – By Hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal life and the graces to merit it. Hope is the virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relaying not on our own strength, but on the help of the graces of the Holy Spirit. How many of us truly seek and desire for God’s graces to carry us through life, or are we pridefully confident in our own abilities, arrogantly thinking that we have the power to control our own outcome?

And Finally – Charity – In charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. Charity, the form of all the virtues, “Binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Jesus makes charity the new commandment by loving his own “to the end,” he makes present the father’s love which he received. By loving one another, we imitate the love of Jesus. As Jesus said: “as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: abide in my love.” And again: “this is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

The apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity:

- Charity is patient and kind

- Charity is not jealous or boastful

- It is not arrogant or rude

- Charity doesn’t insist in its own way

- It is not irritable or resentful

- It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right

- Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

If I have not charity, says the apostle, “I am Nothing.”

These virtues help us form attitudes, dispositions, and habits that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct. Reflecting on the virtues also help us to understand more clearly our current state in life and preparedness for Christ. We are to be ready to open immediately the door when Jesus comes and knocks. We are to be vigilant upon his arrival, not matter the time or day, we are to be prepared. For at an hour you do not expect, the son of man will come.”

Are we prepared? Or have we fallen asleep!

Have we embraced our faith and living lives of such virtue that it is recognizable by all who know us? Are we recognized as a Disciple of Christ, a Christian, and a Catholic? Do we live lives of service and charity – or have we become like so many in the world – people who mostly take, but give little of themselves. Have we become takers, always in want, always in search, always seeking a sort of personal fulfillment – no matter the cost? Or have we been transformed into a person of charity, a “Giver.”

We have been called, personally called by God to transcend our broken selves, to use our gift of faith, to cultivate virtues in our lives, and to prepare ourselves each day for everlasting life. We are to embrace the world as Christians and to spread the Good News. We have been given so much… For at an hour you do not expect, the son of man will come…..

If that day would be today, are you prepared? God wants you to be united with Him, Listen to Him, and follow him. Shortly Christ will become present in the Holy Eucharist and many will become one with him by partaking in Holy Communion. Ask him to help prepare you and then listen to him in the quiet of your hearts.

Listen…… and He will show you the way.

Listen….. in the quiet of your heart.

Who Is My Neighbor?

2010-07-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Homily – 15th Sunday ordinary Time Year C
Deu. 30:10-14, Col 1:15-20, Luke 19:25-37

In the time of Jesus, the rabbis determined that there were 613 separate laws in the five books of Moses, and they believed that if they could fulfill them all, God would grant them eternal life.

Quite a daunting task, because just to know and understand those laws, one would need a lifetime of study.

And, if this were true for the highly educated rabbis, what about the common folk who couldn’t even read and write?

And so, the Hebrew teachers set out to identify which laws were the greatest: which laws summed up the entire Mosaic code, so that if one were to fulfill those particular laws, one would fulfill them all.

It was a question that was posed to Jesus probably on several occasions, because he was seen as a great rabbi himself, and here, when he was challenged by a scholar of the law, he returns the question and asks the man his opinion.

Thus we learn that the law of God can be summed up in two commands:

You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind.

And to love your neighbor as yourself.

Love of God and love of neighbor contain all the Laws of the Prophets, and if we do this, we will have life.

Why?

Because if we love God perfectly, with our whole being, we will fulfill our whole duty toward others by recognizing in everyone we meet a person equal in dignity to ourselves, created in God’s image, redeemed by the blood of His only son.

We would never want to harm such persons, and we would always seek to help them in their need.

But the scholar is not satisfied with this answer and wants to engage Jesus in a rabbinical debate, he interrogates Him further, questioning “And who is my neighbor? Who am I obligated to Love?”

The question is the same question that we should be asking of ourselves.

Who is my neighbor? Who must I show Love, Care, Compassion, and Forgiveness? Who must I show Unconditional Friendship?

As an unsigned Check is of no value to us, Charity (Good Thoughts) without action towards our neighbor is also of no value. Good thoughts without action will not accumulate treasures in heaven.

Today let us look at some of our neighbors and our obligations toward them.

1.   First of all, let’s look at the obligation of Parents and Godparents to raise their children in the sound doctrines of the Catholic faith.

Today, many churches no longer enjoy the presence of children of all ages because the parents let their children decide for themselves what they want to do – go to Mass, or stay home.

This attitude of spiritual freedom is a betrayal of God’s gift of little souls to parents.

When God entrusted the parents with the souls of newborns, it was with the expectation that the parents would teach their children to adore God on a daily basis, to desire to be in His presence, and to learn right from wrong.

And when Godparents stood in the presence of God and the church on behalf of the newborn children, they personally committed themselves to ensure that the children they sponsored would be raised in the catholic faith.

What happened to that commitment?

2.   Let us also consider the situation of the homeless.

There are many here in our communities who are found sleeping in parks, behind stores, and along the river.

Where are the Catholics who are reaching out to them?

How many of us have personally helped them to wash themselves, do their laundry, give them extra clothing, or even a little food to sustain them for even a few days, or do we rationalize an excuse?

3.   What about those who are hungry?

Are we reaching out to support anonymously the large families by proving them with a little extra food?

Are we reaching out to those who are out of work, those who just don’t have the means to meet their basic needs?

What about the seniors around us?

Do we as Catholics perceive the loneliness that many elders are experiencing?

Some have been abandoned by their children who have moved to other cities, others are unable to reach out and socialize because of their old age or their ill health.

Trapped in solitude, they pray that someone would show care towards them, that someone would maybe take them once in a while to the park.

What is our response to the need of these seniors?

Is anyone offering to drive them to Mass on Sundays so they can fulfill their weekly obligation that means so much to them?

Is anyone making arrangements so they can receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist if they are bed bound?

5.   What about the persecuted?

Do we speak up when we see someone bullied?

Do we speak up when we hear of prejudice?

Do we speak up when we see minors showing disrespect towards elders?

Do we speak up when we hear others gossip and destroy reputations?

6.   What about the prisoners, are they not also our neighbors?

Yes, even if we do not want to hear about it, the prisoners are also our neighbors.

Believe it or not, that includes the murderers, the rapists, and the child molesters.

To exclude these Catholics as our neighbors, it is to be dishonest to ourselves by rejecting the message of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we neglect the salvation of these souls by refusing to share the gospel of Christ with them, who then will bring them the good news of the kingdom of God?

7.   What about the prostitutes on the streets, some of them being so young that it is shameful to just think about it.

And if you think this isn’t a problem in our community, you have been misinformed.

Who is reaching out to these young girls?

Are we ready to help those girls who have run away from home for whatever reason?

How many of them were raped before they turned to prostitution?

How many of them are selling their bodies because their pimps are providing them with food, shelter, and false love?

Is it so hard for us to reach out to them, to open our homes to them, to help them return to school so they can finish their education?

8.   How about the single parents and widows who must bear the burden alone of raising their children?

Are we there for them as Good Samaritans?

Are we offering our services as babysitters so they can get an hour off here and there?

Are we offering assistance with cooking or housecleaning?

If these parents hold a job, do we wholeheartedly offer our services to baby-sit their children when they are sick and must stay home from school or do we just say “It is their problem.”

9. And finally, what about all these young girls who are considering an abortion?

Are we there for them?

Are we there to help them through their pregnancy?

Are we ready to commit ourselves to help them raise their child?

Are we willing to walk that extra mile to save an unborn child and the soul of its mother?

My brothers and sisters in Christ, many are the needs of our neighbors. What I have mentioned is only but a short list of neighborly needs.

So once again the question; “who is my neighbor?”

My neighbor is the one who needs my friendship.

The Lord God commanded us to observe His commandments and decrees with all our heart, and all our soul, including loving our neighbor.

Our Neighbors are all around us, and the message is clear, our Christian obligation consists of:

Raising our Children in the faith
Providing for the Homeless
Feeding the Hungry
Caring for the Immigrants
Tending to Seniors
Adopting the Orphans
Defending the Persecuted
Bringing the Gospel to Prisoners
Reaching out to the Prostitutes, the Drug Addicts, and the Sinners

These are our neighbors, my neighbors, your neighbors.

What we do for them, we do for the Lord Jesus.

By reaching out to those in need, we reach out to Christ.

By refusing to extend our friendship to those in need, we are refusing our friendship to Christ.

In closing, I have one final question for all of us:

When we die and meet Jesus face to face……

Will He say…. “Welcome, my good and faithful servant, you have served me well in your acts upon my children, come and live with me forever”

Or

Will He say…. “Who are you…… neither I, nor my Children recognize who you are.”

Finding Peace Through Obedience

2010-05-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sixth Sunday Of Easter

(Finding Peace Through Obedience)

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Rev 21: 10-14, 22-23

Jn 14: 23-29

We live in a world in which we are bombarded with influences.

Influences that come to us through a variety of mediums: TV, Radio, what we chose to read, our friends, work, school, teachers, and parents, just to name a few.

And the more we are presented with these influences, life events, and worldly situations, our brains begin to normalize whatever it is exposed to.

The more we are repeatedly exposed to something, we begin to accept it as “Normal.”

This in itself, could be good or bad, depending on the situation and influence.

My question to you is: What are the main influences in your life, and what have you come to accept as “Normal.”

This now brings us to today's readings, beginning with the first reading when there was a question about the need for circumcision and Saints Paul and Barnabas were presented with this dilemma.

Who or what do these two men turn to for direction on this sensitive issue, sensitive for sure for the gentiles, as well as the Jews of the time?

I am sure each of the men, Paul and Barnabas had a personal opinion on this issue, yet, they remained silent.

Embracing a spiritual mind, these followers of Jesus placed the Divine Will of God first. They turned to the Church for the direction and the answer.

By subjecting themselves to the authority of the Church, they sacrificed their personal opinions.

This is a wonderful example of what a Catholic is expected to do today as well, and we will explore the reasons why.

This is Especially pertinent for those who cling on to mixed feelings regarding:

Pre-marital relations,

Abortion,

Birth control,

Cloning,

Euthanasia, and Female Priesthood,

just to mention a few worldly issues.

By educating ourselves to the teachings of our church, and accepting the authority of the Holy Catholic Church, one finds peace of mind.

Through peace of mind, one can answer their calling to do all things in the Spirit as a new creation of God.

During today's Gospel reading, we heard Jesus say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (Jn 14:27)

When we do not do all things in the Spirit, our hearts are troubled.

We are afraid because deep inside we know that we are in disobedience and the wrath of God is pending.

We are afraid because the Spirit of Christ talks to us in our hearts and reminds us that we are not walking in the Spirit. The peace of Christ comes to us when we obediently submit ourselves to God's Divine Will through the authority of the Church.

Then, we are blessed with Divine peace; we are no longer troubled or afraid. The mixed feelings that we once had, they have faded away.

So why Rome? Why would we want to have Rome be the influence that directs our lives?

I think we would all agree, that it only makes sense, that when Jesus did something, it had a purpose. Prior to leaving this world for the next, Jesus handed over the keys to the Church, His Church, to Peter, and asked Peter to guide His Church.

And then like tongues of fire, God sent the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, down upon the apostles, down upon the Magisterium, and especially down upon His Pope, to be the voice of God here on earth.

Remember what Jesus Proclaimed: The Holy Spirit will teach you everything....

Saints Paul and Barnabas knew and understood this, we see that clearly in their actions and where they turned to for guidance.

And what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit?

To build up the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Visible in nature with its seat in Rome, its invisible reflection in the holy city with its seat in Jerusalem where the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostalic Church had its beginning.

The unity of the two form the mystical body of Christ, the Church, also being known as the bride of Christ.

The second goal of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify us in Christ so we may be purified and transformed in the likeness of Jesus.

When we turn to Rome, the teachings of the Church, and live in obedience to them, we are able to walk with the Spirit of Christ. We are able to be led not by ourselves and our own desires, but are truly led by the Spirit.

When the apostles and the elders reviewed the issue of circumcision that Paul and Barnabas had brought before them, such was done under the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit.

This truth is affirmed in the context of the response that the church authority sent to them. The reply began with the words, “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us....” In other words, they were walking in the Spirit of Christ, proclaiming spiritual wisdom that had been made known to them through the Holy Spirit.

Once again I return to the question or where do we as Catholics turn to for advise and direction?

What or who do we allow to be the influential factors in our lives?

And what behavior have we accepted as Normal in our society.

I regret to say, that for many, it isn't Rome, nor the Pope that they turn to for direction. In fact, they live lives in direct contrast to what the Church teaches and asks from us, yet they still call themselves catholic.

And in regard to being obedient, most are more concerned with being independent than submissive and obedient, even if it was the Holy Church, the Bride of Christ, that we are speaking of.

Why Obedience, and what does it actually do for us?

Obedience brings us peace and freedom.

As Jesus stated “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”

To understand what peace really means, we should take a closer look at this word Peace.

Actually the term Jesus used was was not peace, but Shalom.

This Hebrew word is generally translated into English as “peace”, but this is a simplistic rendering of a very rich expression.

Shalom really describes completeness, wholeness, fulfillment – everything in life being as it should be.

We tend to equate peace with the absence of war or conflict, but it is much more than that.

Peace in our lives, in our souls, goes far deeper.

It is a sincere peace that assures us we are truly loved by God.

It is not the World's peace; Jesus says it is His peace.

The peace we search for is the peace that only comes from Chrsit. It is a peace the world cannot give us, and that we will never find if we look for it anywhere other than God.

This is the peace that comes from His presence in our lives, it flows from Him. It is Jesus Himself, living and acting in us, and through us.

Sometimes, it is us bringing Christ's peace, being Christ's peace, to others.

The more we work, not for ourselves,but for the glory of God, the more we find peace.

The more we keep Christ's word because we love him, the more His peace will live in us, and the less our hearts will be troubled or afraid.

We can see this in the lives of so many Christians who go through trials and even tragedies. Yes they suffer, and they grieve, but they do so with a level of peace that comes to them through their faith in and love of Christ.

To be obedient to the church and her teachings, is to free oneself from the burdens, temptations, and evils of the world.

It is Christ himself, working through the Holy Spirit that decides what is “Normal” not the other influences in our lives.

To be Catholic means to be complete, whole, fulfilled – and having everything in life being as it should be.

Jesus has shown us the way and has even left us with His Church, under the direction and guidance of a Pope, to guide, support, and love us.

My final question is:

Are we embracing this gift, or throwing it away?

Funeral Homily

2010-04-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

You Do Not Belong to Death!

(General Funeral Homily)

Dear friends, we are united with you today in sorrow at the death of _________________________.

The reality of death, with all its pain and sense of loss, confronts us at this moment. But as we are united in sorrow, we are also united by something else... our Faith.

Confronted with the reality of death, we must allow ourselves to be confronted with the reality of our Faith.

The reality... not a "maybe" or "I hope so" or fantasy or wishful thinking, but a reality.

Our Faith opens our minds to the whole picture about life, death, and what happens after death.

Only in the light of our Faith can we begin to understand what has happened to ___________________ and how we are to keep going from here.

When in our Faith we speak about heaven, and resurrection, and the next life, we do not speak about these things primarily because they give us consolation and strength.

They certainly do that, but the primary reason we speak of these things is because they are True.

God has spoken His Word to us; we hear it in the Scriptures and in the teachings of our Church, and we respond to it by saying, "Yes, I believe; it is true!"

God has broken the silence about death, and told us that He has conquered it!

Death was not part of God's original plan; it came into the world because of sin. Death is not from God; death is from turning away from God.

Yet God did not leave us in death's power. He sent Christ, who died and rose again and conquered death!

God has spoken to the world through Christ, and told us that He wants to give us victory over death in and through Jesus Christ!

Because of this, a Christian is not silent in the face of death! Many people, on coming to a wake or funeral, do not know what to say! Death seems to have the last word. But we who believe are not silent. We speak! Christ is risen! Death has been conquered!

Many people think that the story of human life is, "Birth, life, and death."

For a Christian, it's different. The story is not "Birth, life, and death," but rather, "Life, death, and Resurrection!"

Death does not have the last word; life does!

Death is not the last period after the last sentence of the last chapter of the human story. There's another chapter to come! Death is not the end of the human story; it's the middle.

The end of the story is Resurrection and life that has no end!

The farewell that we give to ________________ today is a temporary farewell;

(the burial we give ____________________ is a temporary burial.)

He/she will live! He/she will rise!

The ceremony today contains many reminders of this, and it points us to the fact that _________________ was baptized.

We sprinkled the casket (remains) with holy water at the beginning of the ceremony... This recalls the waters of baptism that were once poured on ___________________

The white funeral pall is a reminder of the white garment placed on the newly-baptized... a sign of the new life of Christ given to the Christian.

This candle is the Easter candle; it is present at every baptism, and symbolizes the Risen Christ.

When ______________________ was baptized, the life of the Risen Christ was poured into his/her soul!

He/she began to share, here on earth, the life of heaven!

At baptism, God rescued ________________________ from the power of death; He literally snatched him/her from the dominion of death and transferred him/her into the Kingdom of Christ -- a kingdom of eternal life.

Christ said to _______________________ on that day, "You do not belong to death! You belong to me!"

Therefore, a Christian does not merely die. A Christian dies in Christ. Those two words, "in Christ," make all the difference in the world!

We belong to Him by baptism, and we live in Him by a life of prayer, obedience to His teachings, and faithfulness to the sacraments of the Church. If we live in Christ and die in Christ, we will rise in Christ!

In the midst of all this, should we grieve?

Yes, brothers and sisters, it is OK to grieve; it is natural, because we love ________________________.

Even Christ wept when His friend Lazarus died... and He wept even though He was about to bring Him back to life!

Yes, we as Christians grieve. But we grieve with hope.

It is OK to be sad today that we do not see _________________ anymore, but it would be wrong to think we will never see him/her again.

It is OK to grieve, but it is wrong to despair.

Christ is alive!

We pray today for __________________ that he/she may complete the journey to heaven.

Pray for him/her every day, and for yourselves.

Look at him/her today and say with faith, "____________________, you do not belong to death. You belong to Christ, and so do we!" Amen.

(This homily was adapted from one written by Father Pavone "Priests for Life")

Divine Mercy

2010-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

Divine Mercy Homily

(Second Sunday of Easter)

Acts 5:12-16

Rev 1:9-13, 17-19

Jn 20:19-31

Today is The Feast of Divine Mercy, or better know as Divine Mercy Sunday.

On February 22, 1931, a young polish nun, Sister Faustina, saw a vision of Jesus with Rays of Mercy streaming from the area of His heart. Christ told her to have an image painted to represent this vision and to sign it, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

In a series of revelations, Christ taught her that His mercy is unlimited and available even to the greatest sinners, and he revealed special ways for people to respond to His mercy.

My question to you is, Do we really understand Christ's Mercy?

When we look at the Gospel reading today. When Jesus appears to his apostles, he says to them, “Peace be with you.” They were not at peace. They knew Jesus Christ, they believed in Him (sort of), but they were not at peace. And in the second reading we hear Our Lord say, “Do not be afraid.”

Why should we be afraid?

The only reason we would be afraid, the only reason we would not be at peace is because we don't trust Him. We don't fully believe. In our heads, we know; but in our hearts, we don't accept. We keep Jesus at an arm's distance so that our lives don't have to change. We don't want to let him in very far because we know that it will do something to us; something wonderful, something incredible, but we don't know what. So we don't let him any closer. We are afraid to be vulnerable with God.

When we look at the Today's Scriptures, and listen to our Lord's words, He tells us: “Do Not be afraid. Be at Peace.” We are also shown how the Holy Spirit is breathed upon the disciples and how they are given the authority to forgiver sins, our sins. When we really know that our sins are forgiven, we can be at peace. We have nothing to fear if we truly believe in the promises of Our Lord. We live in a day and age when the Mercy of God is more necessary that ever before.

It is true that we live in the most sinful society that history has ever known. We need the Mercy more than ever. As Our Lord told Saint Paul, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.” So there is an absolute, overwhelming abundance of grace that is available to us today, because there is an overwhelming abundance of sin in the world today. But that is not the only reason the devotion to the Mercy of God is so necessary. It is necessary today, more than ever, because people don't believe in the Mercy of God. They don't believe in their own dignity. They don't believe in the forgiveness of sin. They don't believe that God really loves them because they don't believe that they can be loved.

So what does our Lord do? He comes to us and He points to his heart. The rays of love flow from his heart depicting, in two different colors, the waters of baptism and the blood of Jesus Christ. These symbols represent The Eucharist and Baptism; the covenant and the celebration of the covenant that each one of us has entered into. There is a reality that is more profound than anything in the world. It is the reality of the true and real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and the actual reality of having your soul cleansed of sin through Confession. When you kneel before the priest in confession and hear those beautiful words of absolution, you walk out with the knowledge, the unshakable knowledge, that your sins have been removed from your soul. They are no longer there. The Mercy of God is greater than anything we can do; that is what Our Lord wants us to know. There is nothing we can do that is bigger than Him. He wants, more than anything, to forgive our sins.

Yet - most of us never go to confession. And Only 10% of us even fulfill our catholic obligation of yearly confession.

WHY?

Jesus said that it was because of his love and mercy for us that he gave us the Sacrament of Confession.

Sister Faustina records Jesus saying:

Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of my mercy, the blood and water which came forth from My heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in my mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour out the bounty of my grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I myself am waiting for you there. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to my generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because my grace turns away from them to humble souls.”

In confession, our sins are forgiven, for all who believe and are truly contrite, that is our catholic belief.

But something remarkable happens Today / (Tomorrow) on Divine Mercy Sunday. Our sins are not only forgiven, but if the formula is completed as prescribed by Christ, all temporal punishment is removed. What does that mean? That there would no need of purification in purgatory, we would have a straight shot into heaven.

WOW!

Jesus Christ spoke to Saint Faustina and stated: “On that day (Today) or (Tomorrow) the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of my mercy.”

In closing I want to relay the formula for receiving a complete removal of all temporal punishment as stated to Sister Faustina by Christ Himself, and approved by our Church:

1.Go to confession

2.Receive the Eucharist worthily

3.Pray for the intentions of the Pope.

4.Participate in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy

(This can be accomplished by attending The Divine Mercy Celebration at 3 pm in our parish Today / Tomorrow)

Jesus is reaching out for each one of us. Will we drawn near, or will we keep backing away, only to remain at arms reach. That is the problem for so many of us. We don't really believe in Jesus Christ. We don't really believe in the promises of the Lord.

Tragically, most of us are lukewarm at best. We listen, Sunday after Sunday, Yet we walk away, for the most part, unchanged because we really don't believe. We know fully well if we did believe we would have to change our lives; we would have to do something different; we would not fit in anymore with all the people out in the world. We would be like the Apostles who were gathered in Solomon's Portico, when the people were afraid to be with them. It said in Today's reading “They didn't dare to come over to them.” Even though more people were added to them in great numbers, the people were terrified because they were different. They were not like the Jews of the time. There was something special about these people that set them apart. Because they were set apart, nobody wanted to be with them.

But each one of us has also been set apart. Each one of us has been consecrated to the Most Holy Trinity on the day of our baptism. The word “Consecrate” literally means to set apart. We have been set apart for a holy purpose. To do God's work. We are not to be like everyone else out there; we are to be like Jesus Christ.

Accept Christ's mercy into your lives, (Especially Today / Tomorrow) of all days.

Accept his forgiveness, Believe in Him, Believe in your holiness, Believe and know that God loves you so very much.....

All That I Have Is Yours - The Prodigal Son(s)

2010-03-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

Homily

4th Sunday of Lent (Year C)

Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32

The Prodigal “Sons”

There is a great desire in all of us to find happiness and to feel fulfilled in our lives. For many of us, our daily focus in life is centered on experiencing enjoyment.

In the Gospel today, this search for happiness is symbolized by the younger son who went in search of personal fulfillment, enjoyment, and happiness. Then only problem with the younger son's journey was that he thought he could find true happiness through a life of what the gospel calls “A Life of Dissipation.” He attempted to find happiness by satisfying every desire he possessed, it didn't matter if it was moral or immoral. This choice of life eventually led him to live with the pigs in the piggery.

I am sure, that if The Father of the Son, or in fact, anyone else had tried to persuade the son that he would be wasting his life and money in this pursuit for happiness, he would not of been persuaded. He had to be left to learn the hard way, from his own mistakes. Doesn't this scenario sound familiar..... familiar for sure to parents, but also familiar to so many of us as well.

He had to decide for himself to return home. If someone had went to bring him home, or to persuade him to return, I would guess that he would of resented it. The younger son reminds me of the struggle for happiness we see in our society today. In so many ways, we live lives of comfort, easy lives, and yes we really are spoiled. I know that some of us are having difficulties, but most of us really are not. We live in a nice climate, we have plenty of food, we have a home with a roof over our heads, and have well beyond the basics needed to survive. Yet, we find ourselves experiencing a spiritual famine in our country. Because of this spiritual famine, in someways, we have ended up like the younger son living with the pigs in the piggery.

Lets take a moment and think about this.

Drug and Alcohol abuse is at a all-time high.
Marital infidelity has become a common occurrence.
Pornography not only has become accepted by so many, it is now in most of the movies rated “PG-13” and “R”, movies that even some of our children watch.
The murdering of children has even become accepted as a personal choice.
And No one speaks of Gluttony as sin anymore, yet for the first time, it is now predicted that many parents will live longer than their children due to their morbid obesity.

Self-indulgence has overtaken our society, our families, and our lives. Because of this, we could say that we are, like the younger son, living with the pigs in need of returning to our Father. So why not return? We wont find happiness with the pigs.

In the Gospel parable, we are given the most beautiful description of our heavenly Father. He is outside of the house waiting for the younger son to return. And when he does return, his father runs towards him, grabs him in his arms and kissed him tenderly, then brings him in and throws a party for him. When we choose to return to God, he also runs toward us, embraces us, and throws a party for us. But He waits for us to make the first move back toward him, that is our free will.

In the Gospel there is another point to be made, maybe more pertinent to many of us here today, and that is the story of the older son. The older son, despite the fact that he was with his father all those years, was shocked that his Father so easily forgave the younger son, embraced him for returning, and even threw a party for him. Even after all those years of being with the father, the older son didn't really know or understand his Father's heart.

The older son never felt accepted, appreciated, or loved by his father. That was “His” problem, not the Father's. So his resentment towards his younger brother was really pointing to a deeper wound; he didn't feel loved. The older son had no real relationship with his Father. He was distant and aloof. He was like the pharisees and the scribes who complained about Jesus' ministry to the sinners (Luke 15:2).

For years the older son had done the right thing but with the wrong attitude. The elder son didn't really recognize his brother as his brother. The elder son could in fact be call “the prodigal son” who stayed at home. He is also lost, but his “lostness” is more difficult to see. So this parable is really about a loving Father and 2 prodigal sons, or two lost sons.

We are all like the elder son in the sense that none of us yet know our Father's heart as we should. How many of us approach the altar and receive holy communion, yet still carry anger and resentment in our hearts? Are we not told that we are to make peace first?

Saint Matthew tells us:

“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:24)

Doesn't this help us understand our Father's heart a little better? Probably the most profound and beautiful part of the parable comes at the point where the Father turns to his elder son and states: “All I have is yours.”

Our heavenly Father also tells us: “All that I have is yours.”

We were not told at the end of the parable if the elder son went into the party, if he rejected his father's invitation, or if he humbled himself, truly recognizing his Father's heart, abandoned his self-pride, allowed compassion and love to overtake his sinfulness and repented. Jesus leaves that conclusion for us to make. But, We also have a choice to make, regardless if we have been near our heavenly Father for years, or have drastically strayed away. Will we stay outside or will we go in and enjoy the Father's party?

Far away hills always seem to look green, there are many attractions in life, there are many voices saying to us “Follow Me” or “Follow your desires and you will find happiness.” But the best offer of happiness is from God our Father and his offer of “All I have is yours.”

God, our heavenly Father, is outside the door waiting for us to come to him. When we return, he runs to us, grabs us in his arms and invites us into his party. For the remainder of this Lent, we might try to make an effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father, to better understand his heart, to understand what it actually means: “All I have is yours”

All - That - I - Have - Is - Yours !

The Beatitudes: Truly Blessings or NOT!

2010-02-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

Homily (6th Sunday Ordinary Time - Year C)

Today's Gospel speaks of the Beatitudes, the Blessings. We have all heard these passages before, some of us 100's of times, but have we ever really understood their meaning?

In the Gospel, Saint Luke draws a distinction in the opening lines between “The Large Gathering of Disciples” and “The Great Crowd of People.” All of who came to either be cured of illness, or to hear the prophetic words of Jesus. If we can imagine a world with little scientific knowledge, no antibiotics, and very few doctors, it is easy to understand the motives of the crowd seeking healing. There must have been a great many people willing to grasp at any straw to be cured. And a healer like Jesus, who seemed to have complete power over any affliction, and could cure any disease with just the words from his mouth, must of seemed like a gift from heaven to them. These were people crying out in need, these were the truly poor, and so often we read of how Jesus' heart went out to them. The crowd of Disciples on the other hand, were those who wanted to hear what Christ has to say. They didn't especially desire a cure, perhaps they had already received one, but they were more attracted to his revolutionary teaching. They wanted to know more, they wanted something much greater than a healing, they wanted the key to eternal life.

Waiting patiently for Jesus to come down from the hill where he had gone to pray, these disciples must have been hoping to hear more words of wisdom and inspiration from him. The atmosphere must have been electric. Jesus had just finished the night in prayer, having just selected the 12 Apostles, and now returning he focuses his eyes not on poor, but upon His disciples to give them yet another teaching. The teaching that the disciples waited so long to hear must of come upon them as a bombshell.

To understand the significance of this teaching we must first understand who these disciples were. The disciples would probably have been the equivalent of the middle class of today. They were not hurting, they had no need for a cure, they could afford to travel, and they had no hesitation waiting around to hear Jesus speak. These were no common people desperate for their next piece of bread. And Jesus says to them: Blessed are you who are poor, hungry, and weeping.

What... They must have been shocked. This was not the expected teaching. These people were not poor, hungry, or weeping. They must have been staggered to hear Jesus comparing them so unfavorably to the surrounding crowd of the sick and poor who were crying out for healing.

So what was the message to the disciples, and what is the message for all of us here today? Jesus is telling us that the very values that we hold so dear, prosperity, security, happiness, and everything we strive so hard to achieve for our children and ourselves are practically worthless when it comes to considering the values of the Kingdom of God. It actually is poverty, starvation, and sorrow that are at the top of his list. And he goes on to say: “happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, call you a criminal, on account of the Son of Man.”

WOW! We crave respect, acceptance, honor, and respectability, and Jesus tells us that the very opposite is what will gain us the Kingdom of Heaven. And even those welcome words of the gospel: “On account of the son of Man”, doesn't give us much comfort. We don't want to be unliked, persecuted, or laughed at. In fact, we will do almost anything to avoid it; it doesn't really matter on whose account it is for. Isn't this really true about us.

We don't even need to hear the rest of the Gospel message: “Alas for you who are rich, had your fill, or laugh, or when people speak well of you,” We know that this actually means more of the same.

And these are called the Beatitudes – The Blessings! This is supposed to be Good News! It surely is good news for the poor and the needy, really good news for them, but is it good news for rest of us?

Now we have come to the core of the matter. And the point is that the Christian life takes us where we don't expect. Sometimes where we don't want to go, and it demands a very great deal from us. It demands that we give up our cozy assumptions; it demands that we take the harder road; it demands that we really do live for others and not for ourselves. These are difficult teachings and none of us ever really manage to live up to them successfully, but we know in our hearts that this is what Jesus desires. This is real Christianity. What Christ desires of us is so counter-cultural, if we truly lived what he teaches, most people would think we have lost it. Yet who are we to listen to: the world, or Christ?

In Closing, and Returning to the message of the Gospel and the message for us today. You must decide: Are you the poor, the hungry, or the sick, that are to hear the reassuring message that you are blessed, and that your reward will be great in heaven. Or are you like the disciples, finding it difficult to hear and believe Christ's words that your life is actually inferior to those who seem beneath you?

Not unlike the Disciples waiting to hear Jesus' words, they wanted to know the key to eternal life, so is our desire as well. Today we have heard it! Are we listening? Are we willing to hear and apply Christ's message to our lives? Do we truly desire eternal life? Do we truly desire to follow Christ? The Beatitudes are blessings only if we apply them to our lives. The Gospel message is the Good news for all who believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, for all who follow his way, and For All who listen and respond.

Catholic Diversity - Yet United

2010-01-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I heard a great homily by Father Jonathan Molina that spoke of the Body of Christ, most specifically the Body of Christ within the Catholic Church. It is easy to identify the differences that we all have, but we must never forget, just like a traditional family, there is conflict at times, disagreement, and even fighting, yet we are family.

In his humility, Father Jonathan stated that this homily was not entirely original, borrowed and adapted (However, are not most homilies similarly borrowed and adapted?)

Homily - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Describing the Catholic Church, James Joyce, an Irish writer and poet, once said, “Here comes everybody.”

What an apt description! Here comes everybody.

Here comes Peter, the denier. Here comes Thomas the doubter. Here comes Judas, the betrayer.

Here comes Augustine, a converted pagan. Here comes Ignatius, a soldier. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher. Here comes Paul, a tent-maker.

Here comes the outspoken Catherine of Sienna and the quiet Therese of Lisieux.

Here comes Martin de Porres, Juan Diego, Father Damien, Lorenzo Ruiz. Here comes Francis, preaching to the birds and Claire, dancing in the fields.

We are all that and even more.

We are monks who copied scripture onto parchment, and preserved God’s word during one of the darkest times in history.

We are priests and nuns who could barely speak the language, but came to an unruly place called America and created the most extensive parochial school system on earth, passing on what we knew, and what we believed.

We are laborers from Italy and Poland and Germany and Ireland who arrived in Brooklyn with nothing, and left behind towering temples of stone and glass in what we now call a City of Churches.

We are G.K. Chesterton, Thomas Merton, Pope John Paul.
We are John Wayne, Oscar Wilde and Susan Boyle. We are Newt Gingrich, Ted Kennedy, Tony Blair and Fulton Sheen. We are Sean Hannity and even Michael Moore.

We are Oscar Romero and Dorothy Day and Caesar Chavez and Mother Theresa.

We are the soldier in Iraq praying the rosary, we are the teenager who walked the Walk for Life today in San Francisco, we are the woman in Haiti – devastated and lost, we are the immigrant in the barrio with Our Lady of Guadalupe tattooed on our back.

We are Fr. Corapi and Fr. Hebda. We are Fr. Uriel and Fr. Jonathan. We are Deacon Ray, Deacon Pat and Deacon Everett. We are Mother Angelica and Sr. Maura.

We are the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Daughters of America. We are the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Agape Charismatic Prayer Group.

We are young and old, rich and poor. We are saints and sinners. Yet, we are - the Body of Christ. Not perfect. Not whole. Broken. Bruised. In need of healing, in need of grace. Yet we are - the body of Christ.

Like a stained glass window. We are those different glasses. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. Some are big, some are small.

When we bring our faces close to the stained glass window, we can admire the beauty of each glass, the way it’s cut colored, and shaped.

But as we step back from it, we can see that all these different glasses, all these different colors and shapes reveal to us another beautiful picture, a more complete picture, telling a story none of these different stained glasses can tell by itself.

That is what being the body of Christ is about.
That is what our life in a community is about.

Each of us is like a little glass with a different shape and color, yet a little piece of a magnificent work of art. No one can really say, “You are different. You do not belong. I do not need you. I alone make God visible” – No - only together, as everybody, do we reveal the body of Christ, the face of God to the world.

Let others who see us then – as the Catholic Church, as the Catholic Church in this Northern part of California, as the parish of Our Lady of Mercy, be able say to say: "They make God visible.”

That is what being the body of Christ is about!

Homily: "The Feast of The Baptism of the Lord"

2010-01-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

Baptism and Grace

Is 42:1-4, 6-7
Ti 2:11-14, 3:4-7
Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

Did anyone here make a New Year's resolution? Has anyone broken it yet? When we make resolutions, we are acknowledging that there is something in our lives that we feel needs to change, and are also stating our decision to change it.

Life really is all about new starts, and second chances. And so is Baptism. Baptism symbolizes turning away from our old way of life, or repenting, and turning towards a new life with God. There is something very special that happens with a Christian Baptism.

I recall a story I once heard many yeas ago. There was a conference in England to discuss the question “What makes Christianity different from all the other religions of the world”? At the conference, some suggested that Christianity is unique in its teaching that God became a human being. However, it was pointed out that the Hindu religion has many instances of God coming to earth as human. Others suggested that it is the belief in the resurrection. Again, it was pointed out that other faiths believe that the dead rise again. The debate grew loud and heated until C.S. Lewis, the great defended of Christianity, came into the room. “What's the rumpus about?” he asked. When he was told that it was a question of the uniqueness of Christianity, he said, “Oh, that's easy – It's Grace.”

On this Feast day of the Baptism of the Lord, the second reading from the letter of Paul to Titus focuses not on Jesus as much as on us as people who have been saved through the grace of baptism as stated: “For when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the waters of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5).

The salvation we have received is not payment for any good works we might have done, or will do, but a free and unconditional gift of God.

In Baptism, God wipes away all of our sins and no longer holds us accountable for them. We also believe that God forgives us our trespasses and treats us much better than we deserve. This is grace. This is unmerited favor.

Baptism, which makes us God's children, is a good example of grace. There are no preconditions for receiving God's grace. That is why even babies can receive baptism. To receive God's grace is free and unconditional. But, to remain in God's grace demands a response from us.

As stated in the second reading: The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age. This response is, on the one hand, that we are to say no to the devil, and to the temptation to run our own lives according to our selfish and worldly inclinations, and On the other hand, that we submit to God and lead lives in submission to God's holy will.

So even if we fail, as we all do from time to time, some of us more frequent than others, we are to never give up, we can always make a fresh start. It doesn't need to be a New Year to make a resolution, It can just a new day, a new beginning, a new start. When Jesus came to be baptized it was a new start for him too. He was about to embark on a new phase in his life – changing, at the most basic level, from carpenter to preacher.

The Holy Spirit came down as a dove after Jesus' baptism while he was praying and He heard the voice from heaven. We may not get the dove and the voice from heaven, but as Jesus said to doubting Thomas, we are part of the generation who has not seen, yet believed, and therefore we are especially blessed.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came to particular individuals to enable them to complete particular tasks, but with Jesus' coming, and particularly with his sacrificial death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit became available to all of us.

So when we fail in life, as Baptized Christians, it isn't a new Baptism that we need, one only needs one baptism in life to become a Christian and to be set aside in society, what we need is to return to God, to repent, and to make a resolution to begin again.

As Catholics we have the Sacrament of Confession that makes us unique among the Christian denominations. This Sacrament that was instituted by Christ himself, separates us from that sin in our lives, cleanses us, and allows the grace to flow freely back into our lives. God never stops providing grace, but through our sins, we establish barriers to receiving that grace. The sacrament of confession removes those barriers and we can become completely one with God again, forgiven completely for our trespasses, for turning away from the Christian life and from God.

So how do we actually identify grace working in our lives?

Well, when we are just about to act upon a temptation, yet something comes over us and we are able to walk away...... that was grace.

When all of the sudden we have the thought and the courage to contact a person that we had been angry with and say that we are sorry.....that was grace.

When we find ourselves amongst great fear and anxiety, when we feel trapped with no way out, no solution, and all of the sudden we are at peace and we have hope again..... that was grace.

And when we are able to accept responsibility for our own actions and stop directing and attempting to place the blame on others..... that is grace. We are surrounded by God's grace and opportunity to accept it. Grace is at work in everything within our lives.

My question to all of us is, do we recognize it, do we accept it, do we allow this grace to enter into our lives, embrace it, and allow it to consume us. Have we become instruments of God's grace.

We often set out upon a variety of journeys in life, and then we meet resistance, or at times even meet failure. That is not unique to humanity. We often set out upon these journeys thinking we have to ability to succeed of our own accord and it doesn't take long to be reminded that we have left God out of the picture, and we fail. God quickly reminds us that without Him we are nothing. It is Gods' grace that actually sustains us.

So how do we discern God 's will and see his grace in our lives? It is through a prayer life that we get to know God and can see and hear him in our lives. It is through the Sacraments: Baptism, the Eucharist, and Confession) that we are cleansed from sin, forgiven, and strengthened.

We live in a world that for the most part is Anti-Christian. It has become a world so distorted that it often identifies Evil as Good and Good as evil. Yet God grace is present everywhere, all we need to do is to accept it.

Wouldn't a better New Year's resolution be:” Beginning today, I vow to live my life according to God's will, not my own, to continually ask for and accept God grace to live my Baptismal promises, to say no to Satan and all his empty promises,., and to say Yes to God.”

This resolution will not only bring us peace, joy and happiness, but this resolution will bring us Eternal Life!

What Happened To Our Family!

2010-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is a sermon given for the Feast of the Holy Family. It was not written, nor given by me, although my wife swore that it was mine, great minds must think alike, but I felt that it so much speaks a prophetic truth, it is well worth sharing.

Here is the homily for your review:

I am going to begin our reflection with a metaphor. Say that an animal is traveling across the desert. The animal is hot and near exhaustion when he comes upon a watering hole. His instinct is strong and the desire to drink the water is overwhelming. Actually, his desire to drink is so overwhelming that he does not notice the other dead animals all around the tainted water hole. He drinks deeply of the water and, as a result, he, too, dies. Later, a man comes along the same path. He, too, is hot and tired, near exhaustion. He, too, is overwhelmed with a desire to drink the cool water. Yet, he hesitates and he notices the carcasses all around the water hole. He REASONS that the water must be poisoned. He decides he must not drink… and he moves on, looking for a fresh and safe water supply.

Our situation is no different. Together we are on a journey through life that has taken us through an arid culture that has become sinister and increasingly dark. All of us, everyone, is exhausted and need to be replenished. But from what will we drink? Hundreds have gone before us and have tried to quench their thirst with water that will only lead to death. Nobody wants to be told to “do this” or “not to do that”, and the result is always the same: the carcasses are piled all around us; the stench from rotten corpses is so repugnant we feel the urge to vomit… and yet, we continue to drink of this water anyway, always with the same result – extramarital sex (including premarital sex and affairs), contraception, pornography (including chat rooms), abortion, placing careers and money above other more important needs of the family, disregard for the spiritual well being of the family, in a word, selfishness. Young people, too: drugs and alcohol, premarital sex, obsession with our appearance, excessive and violent electronic games, inappropriate movies and music… we drink deeply of this water and, as those who have tried this before, we surely die.

Today, when I talk about the situation of the American family, I often encounter anger. I, in no way believe that I have every answer or understand every nuance of raising a family. But I have been in the homes of countless people and have talked with hundreds of young people and yet, when I give advise or counsel, my advice [and that is all it is, it can be regarded or disregarded] often makes people angry. They do not consider my words or the Wisdom of the Church and, before long, their efforts end in disaster.

This is what has happened to us:

In the 19th century, the father was a pillar of the family. Because most fathers worked on farms with their sons, there was ample interaction. Boys became men by learning and working -side by side- with their fathers. Daughters had the benefit of knowing and learning from their fathers as well. But after the industrial revolution, the men left the farms and, as a result, were absent from the family for at least 8 hours (and sometimes more) per day. In addition, we saw the rise of the career; in order to advance at work, men had to give more of themselves to their career and less to their families.

Likewise, in the 1940’s with World War II and the 1960’s under the influence of the feminist movement, women also left the home. Before we jump to a conclusion here: I have no problem with certain aspects of the women’s movement; however, I do not understand why in the movement’s push to have women work in the workforce, they simultaneously made millions of mothers feel inadequate. Mothers began to question their personal worth as well as their irreplaceable importance as the other pillar of the family.

Breathe deep here: this is not a judgment for fathers or mothers, it is only an observation!

This is the truth: a woman’s genius is in her ability to nurture. I have watched this; it is beautiful and sometimes breathtaking. I love to watch a mother in her interaction with her children. It is much more than being a homemaker; there is something mysterious at work in the vocation of a mother.

A man’s genius is in his ability to mentor. A father cannot be replaced. That, too, is a central truth. Our modern culture has either allowed men to falter in their responsibility or has even gone as far as to destroy a man’s contribution to the family.

The first five years of a child’s life is the most important. The child learns about him or herself in those years. If mother and father are not present to him or her, the child is at a distinct disadvantage – for the rest of his or her life. Parents need to know that, following the birth of their child, every single second, whether they are at work or play or whether they are with their children or at work, for good or for ill, they are teaching their children.

Pope Benedict has been teaching this for years. Recently, he taught a profound truth when he wrote, “We can love ourselves only if we have first been loved by someone else. The life a mother gives to her child is not just physical life; she gives total life when she [teaches her child about love].” Perhaps, since we have experienced great change in our social systems, the art of nurturing and mentoring has been lost. I am afraid some of us do not know any better. Nonetheless, the need remains! Parents have an unbelievably challenging task.

The Pope also told us: “It is only when life has been accepted and is perceived as accepted that it becomes also acceptable. Man is that strange creature that needs not just physical birth but also appreciation if he is to subsist… If an individual is to accept himself, someone must say to him: “It is good that you exist” – someone must say it, not with words, but with that act of the entire being that we call love.”

This is not learned just anywhere; it must be learned in the home – and it is a lesson that takes years to teach. More than that and because of the many negative and evil influences in our world, I think children must actually be convinced of this by his/her parents.

Why do we have politicians and sports figures and movie stars and husbands and wives and even priests who are obsessed with power and sex and money? Simply –and sadly- because this validation / affirmation / permission to exist, was never given to them in the home. Nobody is at fault… it is simply an art that seems to have been lost by our current culture.

The Church teaches that the purpose of marriage is the unity of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. The primary education that parents provide for their children is this “affirmation of their existence in love”, followed by years of training in the virtues as well as character development. Consider this: if a child does not know love, his/her own validation, he/she, in turn, cannot love. And how, I must ask, will they recognize it and receive it from God? Not recognizing and receiving God’s love is condemnation for eternity.

What can we do?

* Parents must remember the most important responsibility they have to their child is not material needs or social needs, it is the eternal destiny (heaven or hell) of the child.

* We must rediscover the importance of our vocations as fathers and mothers… as well as the art of mentoring and nurturing. Much of this can be found in your instinct and common sense. I, personally, would evaluate, suspiciously, every idea about parenting and family that comes from the culture.

* Ask someone in their eighties! We lost sight of family somewhere along the way, grandparents lived in a world quite different than ours.

* Please, pray at home as a family. There is nothing more powerful than to see a father kneeling in prayer along side his wife.

* Take responsibility for the spiritual formation of children.

* Know that marriage is difficult – it cannot be neglected or taken for granted.

* Above all, we as a church (laity and ordained) need to work together for the family. Be aware: some in our world are trying to drive a wedge between us.

This is why the Church focuses on the Holy Family this weekend. It is our prayer today that we learn from the Holy Family… not as some unreachable standard that we will never see. We pray that we might learn from Mary and Joseph, we pray for their prayers – that they might bring the peace of Bethlehem to our own families.

It is never too late for any of us, so be of good cheer. We all belong to the family of Our Heavenly Father; none of us is lost.

But it is well time we begin to take the vocation of the family very very seriously. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as to say it is time to fight heroically for the family, and every single child among us.

A Not So Holy Night and The Message of Hope "Christmas" Mt 1:18-25

2009-12-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

What a special and holy night this is tonight.

But to understand just how special this night really is, we should back up to a night that was not quite so holy.

It was a sad night, a pitiful night, a night of gloom and despair, a night of regret and remorse, of shame and disappointment, the first night that Adam and Eve slept outside the doors of that heavenly paradise called Eden.

“O unholy night, when the stars refused to shine, it was the night of our first parents’ death.” It was a sad night for the whole world, indeed, for every descendant of that cursèd and unholy couple, for God had pronounced a verdict on all humanity because of them, and that verdict was “guilty.”

They had failed the test of tests. Would they listen to the voice of their Creator, or would they listen to the voice of the Serpent? Would they be faithful and obey the command of God, or would they be unfaithful and take what was not given for the taking?

God said: “You shall surely die,” and the devil said, “Did God really say…” A little leaven leavens the whole loaf. A little lie was all it took. A little misinformation, a little twisting and turning of the sacred Word and down into the grave they went. Did they not know that with every bite of that forbidden fruit they were sticking daggers into the heart of the human race?

And now, expelled from the Garden, removed from the gracious presence of their Creator, Adam and Eve would have to suffer the consequences of their disobedience. No longer painless, child bearing would forever remind Eve of her sin; No longer effortless, work would forever remind Adam of his failure to resist the devil.

Life without God—that is what they chose for themselves, and for their descendants. By that one act of disobedience, the many were made sinners. By that one act of rebellion against their Father, Adam and Eve wreaked more havoc than any terrorist attack, any hurricane, or any nuclear weapon could ever unleash.

In shame and regret they hid themselves. Unable to walk before God with a clear conscience, they huddled in fear for their lives. That is what sin does. That is what sin brings: fear, despair, gloom, and regret. Every act of premarital sex, every drunken stupor, every glance at improper images on the computer screen ends, at some point, on some level, with shame and guilt.

With every lie told, with every act of rebellion, with every word of disrespect towards parents and authorities comes that old familiar friend: guilt. You know it, and I know it. That is the great lie, you see, the grand illusion—that sin actually delivers what it promises. That it actually makes one happy, that it really does give one pleasure.

Satan uses this to his advantage. He uses the weakness of our flesh to make us believe with all our heart that what we are doing will make life better, that it will result in happiness, that in the end, if we could just give it a chance, it will all work out for the best. And then he leaves us to wallow in our despair and misery when it falls through, when we get caught.

He does what He did to Adam and Eve so long ago: he laughs, he jeers, he mocks us in our pitiful state. He hates you.

It was a sad night, to be sure, when Adam and Eve gave birth to sin. But it was not without a hint of joy, not without a silver lining. For God had pronounced another word to them: a word of comfort, a word of reconciliation. “He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel,” said the Lord to the crafty serpent. One of Eve’s offspring would undo the damage that the devil had done through Adam and Eve. The world had a glimmer of hope.

That promise was passed on from generation to generation. Generation after generation hoped in the Lord, and longed for the day when Adam’s fallen children would return to the paradise of Eden. That promise was not fulfilled in the generations of Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, or Moses.

It was not fulfilled in Isaiah or Jeremiah, or any of the Prophets. The prophets all spoke of a time when this promise would be fulfilled, when God would send help from above, and rescue fallen humanity from the curse of sin and death. Isaiah spoke of a son born to a Virgin, whose name would be Immanuel. Jeremiah spoke of a new covenant that God would make with his people, one in which He would no longer remember the sins of men.

All of the prophets looked for that day when Eve’s son would finally come forth. For many centuries God’s people waited, until finally, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman.

There in the arms of the Virgin Mary lay the fulfillment of God’s promises to Adam and Eve, to Moses and David, and to all of his people. “He shall crush your head and you shall bruise his heel.” “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel.”

It was a happy night, a night full of joy and holiness, and full of peace, that night when the Son of Mary was born in a Bethlehem stable. For it was the night that the doors to Eden swung wide open once again to let in Adam’s fallen children.

It was the night that God gave to the world a full and holy cure for sin and death in the person of His Son. Eve’s promised son had come to undo the damage that the Serpent had done through Adam and Eve. A happy night indeed, and one worthy of remembering year after year, as we do in the Church. It is that holy night that gives us reason to be joyful and full of peace on this night.

It is that night that gives us a reason to sing God’s praises, to give thanks to Him who is Emmanuel: “God with us.” It gives us reason to defy the devil, who always wants to rob us of the joy that Christ would give to us. Tonight – we remember the holiest of nights.

It was tonight, 2000 years ago, that God had became a child, he had become one with us, to show us the way, to lead us, and to bring us to everlasting life.

(I cannot take credit for the majority of this homily,
it was borrowed from a humble and gifted Lutheran Pastor, adjusted to conform with our beliefs)

Doubt As A Christian - (Luke 1:57-66) Homily

2009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

In the Gospel today there appears to be a message worthy of our reflection.

This reflection begins with The Father of John the Baptist, Zechariah. As we recall, the Angel of the Lord had appeared to Zechariah and informed him that his prayers had been heard.

The Angel stated that Elizabeth, his wife, would bear him a son, and that he would be happy and joyful.

The Angel reported that the son was to be named John, and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb, and that many of the children of Israel would turn to the Lord because of John. But Zechariah responded to the angel by stating “How shall I Know? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” He basically told the Angel that he didn't believe him.

So upon hearing Zachariah's doubt, the Angel Gabriel stated that Zechariah would become speechless and unable to talk until the day these things were to take place.

How many of us have ever wondered if our prayers are actually heard by God?

And not unlike Zechariah, when there is evidence that God has indeed heard our prayers and responded to them, how many of us somewhat doubt that God had anything to do with it?

We often quickly dismiss the event as something related to chance, to luck, maybe a good break, or even due to something of our own accord.

Why is it so difficult to think that when we ask for help from God, that he listens, and then he responds.

Isn't it really that simple?

Or are we more like a doubting Thomas than we would want to admit. As humans, we have a tendency to doubt things at times, especially if we don't see it with our own eyes.

Even John the Baptist, that person who had become and is a model of such faith, courage, and conviction even showed this weakness later in life.

John the Baptist, while in prison sent some of his followers to Jesus and asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? (Mt.11:3) In suffering he had forgotten the words that he had spoken on the Jordan River. “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn. 1:29)

In our time of weakness, we are no different than Zachariah, or John the Baptist We doubt the grace of God. We doubt the love of God. Nothing would satisfy us more than to have Jesus appear right in front of us to convince us that he is here, that his grace is with us, and that he loves us, but then we would not have faith, we would have proof.

In moments when we are tired or sick, Satan uses these opportunities to place doubtful thoughts in our minds. Those are the moments when we must persevere the most in our faith, those are the moments when we must pray for each other.

Faith is a gift, it cannot be earned, it cannot be bought, it is a gift from God. We should thank God for the gift of faith that he has given to us, and never cease to ask God for growth in our faith, in our trust, and in our understanding of who He is.

As you are quite aware, we are rapidly approaching The Feast of Christmas.

We will be celebrating the visitation of God to His people. However we must not forget, it is a visitation that He makes everyday, and he remains continually with us.

As incredible and glorious as The Feast of Christmas is that God would become incarnate for us and he would take on our flesh and come into this world as one of us, so that he would be able to save us from our sins, this is the mystery that we celebrate, in essence, every single day. He remains with us always.

As we begin to prepare to celebrate this great Feast of Christmas and the glorious mystery of the incarnation and the birth of Christ, we look into our own hearts and we ask our selves:

How strong is my faith, My belief in God?

What type of doubts do I carry with me?

How much of my life, lived out daily, conforms with my professed beliefs.

Can I see God's hand in the workings of my life?

Do I pray to God and then watch and listen for his response?

Am I living the mystery that I will celebrate on Christmas?

Am I prepared for Christmas? Spiritually!

Have I prepared within my heart; to be open to receive him into my life.

These are all questions that every Christian should make and seriously contemplate.

During the nine months of his wife's pregnancy, Zechariah had time to reflect upon all that God had done for him and to meditate upon the goodness and the mercy of the Lord who cast his gaze upon his family, with the result that one of his descendants would be the one to proclaim to all the People of God the coming of the messiah!

Zechariah had a special purpose in his life. And through God's grace fulfilled his special role.

John the Baptist, also, possessed a holy vocation that lead and prepared the path for our Lord.

Yet, we also are given a specific vocation, a calling, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to make known who Christ is to the world.

We are to be joyful, caring, and compassionate people, whom others will know and recognize as Christians by the way we love each other. We are to develop our gifts and to utilize them for the Glory of God.

We are to cast away our doubts, to nourish our faith, to live a life free of anxiety and fear, and to know we are loved beyond our understanding by the source of all love.

And there is no doubt.....very soon it shall be Christmas, and we shall adore, praise, and thank God for the greatest gift of all time: The gift of God who became man - Jesus Christ.

The Christmas Message - The Visitation (Mary and Elizabeth)

2009-12-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

"The Visitation"
December 21, 2009 (Luke 1:39-45)

The purpose of Christianity, the meaning of life, the goal of the spiritual life, and the answer to all our questions is love.

Jesus says over and over again that he wants us to love one another, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to love God with all our hearts and souls and mind and strength, to love as he loves us, to love even our enemies. Christmas is all about love because God loves us so much that God wants to be with us and become one of us. Advent is about love, too, about opening our hearts in a spirit of love to God’s loving action in our lives and our world.

Today, we hear this beautiful story of love, the story of the Visitation, and I just want to point a few things about the Visitation--about love, about their greetings of peace, about spiritual conversation, and about blessing one another.

You recall how the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her in the Annunciation that she was to become the mother of Jesus, and after the angel left, Mary set off immediately to reach out in love for her neighbor Elizabeth. So the first thing I notice about the story of the Visitation is love. Mary loves her neighbor in need. She goes to help Elizabeth. I think Jesus learned from his mother that the first step in the spiritual life is to love your neighbor. Mary prepares for the coming of Jesus by loving her neighbor Elizabeth. That’s we have to do too.

So Mary sets off and makes the difficult journey through the desert to Elizabeth and what does she do when she reaches Elizabeth? We are told she gives a “greeting,” which fills Elizabeth with joy. What did Mary say? She would have given the traditional Jewish greeting, “Shalom!” which means, “Peace be with you.” And we remember that when Jesus rose from the dead, he said three times, “Peace be with you.” So he would have learned this from his mother. Mary and Jesus always speak words of love and peace to one another and everyone. Mary does not go to Elizabeth to complain, to say, “You wouldn’t believe what happened to me now!” She does not go to gossip and ask, “Did you hear what Father Or Deacon did now?” She does not go in a spirit of jealousy or envy or resentment or bitterness or anger. Mary speaks words of love and peace which causes even the child in Elizabeth’s womb to jump for joy.

Then, notice that these two holy pregnant women start telling their stories to each other. They share their experience of God. They start talking about what God is doing in their lives and this leads to consolation. This is an important lesson.

Mary and Elizabeth call us to be people of “spiritual conversation,” to talk about God, to tell one another what God is doing in our lives, to tell our spouses and our families where we find God. It’s so important to speak about God’s presence in our lives, because if we do, our relationships and friendships and love will deepen and we build community with each other. We need to talk about God, to ask each other “What is God doing in your life? Where is God active in your life? Where do you find God?” If we engage in this spiritual conversation, we too will be consoled with joy.

Finally, we notice that when Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting of peace, she starts shouting out three beautiful beatitudes:

“Blessed are you!
Blessed is your child!
Blessed is the one who believed in God!”

There’s another great lesson here.

When we reach out with love to our neighbor in need; when we speak words of peace to one another; when we say yes to God; when we believe in God and trust in God and do what God wants; we will be greatly blessed. We will receive beatitudes. I think Jesus learned his beatitudes from his mother.

My hope and prayer is that you and your families have a blessed, holy and Merry Christmas, that despite what the world says and does, you will reach out in love toward those in need, that you will speak only words of peace, that you will focus on the good things God is doing, and that you will bless one another always.

Today, I offer you my beatitudes and say,

“Blessed are you, who say like Mary, Yes to God.

Blessed are you this advent as you prepare for the coming of Christ.

Blessed are you when you reach out in love for one another,

when you love your neighbor in need.

Blessed are you when you speak words of peace to one another.

Blessed are you when you tell each other the good things God is doing in your lives.

Blessed are you when you welcome Jesus into you lives,
this week at Christmas, right now at this altar,
and for the rest of your lives!

Guadete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent) .....REJOICE......

2009-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Homily - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Rejoice in the Lord Always! Today is the 3rd Sunday in Advent, traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice.

There is a theme that runs through each of today's readings and the Gospel. This theme directs us to be joyful, confident, to be free of anxiety and to be satisfied. The first reading from Zephaniah asks us to sing joyfully since the Lord has removed the judgment against us, he has turned away our enemies. He tells us to “Fear Not,” and to Not be discouraged!

So who is this enemy that Zephaniah speaks of?

The enemy is Sin. Through the redemptive plan of our Lord Jesus, sin has been conquered. St. Paul writes in today's second reading, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: Rejoice!”

Or, as another translation has it, “I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord: I repeat, what I want is your happiness” (Phil 4:4). Notice where he says we will find our happiness, “In the Lord.” We will only find true happiness by living the Christian Life. So, to become even happier, what do we do?

We give up sin. We turn our backs on sin. In our Gospel today, 3 times people asked John the Baptist, “what should we do?” Each time he told them to give up something or not to be greedy.

Our journey of conversion is a journey from Wanting and being Greedy and Possessive, to becoming unselfish. That was the journey John the Baptist asked his listeners to make, and the journey we are challenged to make this advent as well. By doing so we will have true joy and happiness to celebrate “Christmas” rather than just “Santa Claus coming to town.” When we turn our backs to sin and follow the Lord it doesn't mean that we will never again have trouble. Of course we will. We will have troubles and problems as long as we live. But we can still find our happiness in the Lord.

In the season of Advent there is a sense of anticipation and hope that is focused on the coming birth of the Christ. Today's readings reflect that the activity of waiting in hope for God to act, by sending us a messiah, a savior, involves two aspects – an passive aspect and a more active one.

If closeness to God is our priority, we learn how to be “detached from things” so that they don't upset us as deeply as they otherwise might, we learn patience and what we might call the “art of waiting.” And so even when the surface activities and events of our lives are turbulent, as they very often are, beneath the turbulence there is a peace that arises out of that attitude of patience and waiting.

It is something we should consciously ask God for: The quality of calm and interior strength, a sense of contact with Him, carrying us along, especially during periods of upheaval or tribulation. But then there is also a more active aspect of waiting in hope for God to make his presence known, and that is the aspect of actively doing something to prepare ourselves for God's arrival.

The prophets called this active preparation “Repentance,” and that is what both Zephaniah in the first reading, and John the Baptist in the Gospel passage are encouraging their listeners to do – to repent, to change their way of living, as a means of preparing themselves for the arrival of God.

Like all the prophets, Zephaniah reminds the Chosen people of their responsibilities under their special covenant with God and calls them back to a more faithful following of God. “Turn away from your sins and turn back to God” is almost a one-line summary of the preaching of all the prophets, because “repent” means “To turn around.” So, how do I apply this message to my life?
How do you apply this message to your life? What is John the Baptist telling us, today?

Ask yourself this question, “Do I need to make any changes in my life in response to the Gospel, the Good News? You might say, “I obey the commandments and I listen to the teachings of the church.” But our own goodness is more than a matter of following the rules – it is matter of being open to God's will, and living accordingly. The teachings of John the Baptist are applicable to all of us. Whatever our role in life is, whatever our job is, Whatever business we conduct, we need to do it faithfully, ethically, and responsibly. We should not be looking for loopholes, for excuses, or for ways to get more that we are due.

If we are to live our lives in accordance with our professed beliefs, we must allow our eyes, and our hearts to notice those opportunities, large or small, to put our faith into action. The word “exhortations” toward the end of today's Gospel can also be translated “Encouragements.”

John encourages his followers to go beyond the law, to be even better people than the minimum required. When we begin to understand the life Jesus came to give us, we also begin to see why the Gospel is good news, even if it means changing our lives. We then will desire to live a good life out of love for God, rather than just to avoid punishment.

Our good works should be a reflection of God's presence in our lives and in the world. This can be demonstrated in our families, in our relationships with friends, neighbors, and co-workers: and in our interactions with others that we may encounter. Our efforts to built a better world, a better community, a better parish, a better family, and a better self, are all preparations for the coming of Christ.

So let us Rejoice, and let the goodness in our hearts, and of our actions, be the good news to all those who need to hear and feel it.

The Lord has removed the Judgmental against us. Let us be joyful ! Let us be confident ! Let us be free of anxiety ! Let us be satisfied in our lives !

Rejoice! Because we are Christians

Gaudete!

Rejoice! Because we know Christ and He is truly near!