19th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C: Await the Blessed Hope

When we think of our family history we tend to think back a couple of generations to our grandparents or great-grandparents and the memories of where have lived and grown up and where we have come from. There is more interest now than ever-before in genealogy and family trees. People love to know where their roots are. In fact I had a family come in this past week who were not Catholic but were interested in finding a record of their great-great-great grandfather. And we saw a couple weekends ago at the Manton Music Jam how many people from all over the region came to listen to some good bluegrass music and recall their roots at Holy Rosary.

Sometimes we hear people say, “I come from a long line of…” any given profession. For example, “I come from a long line of farmers… or soldiers… or doctors.” Children look back to their fathers and grandfathers to find direction for their own lives in the present. Our readings helps us to see that we have a spiritual family that goes back much more than 2 or 3 generations. In fact, we have a family history that goes all the way back to Abraham and the Israelites of the Exodus. We are as much a part of that spiritual family line as we are of the family of our last names. And we can look back to our fathers in faith for spiritual direction in our lives today.

The second reading described the calling of Abraham, his summoning into the desert. God gave him no direction, no destination, no departure time; He just said “Go” and promised that he would make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars. Abraham loved and trusted the Lord so much that he did go; he just started walking. The first reading described the summoning of God’s people out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. God promised he would free them. He gave Moses very specific instructions regarding a Passover meal. The people were to consume an unblemished lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts. When the angel of death swept through to punish the Egyptians for enslaving God’s people, he saw the blood as a sign, and passed-over their houses. The Israelites ate the Passover meal in haste, ready and eager to follow Moses and God’s call to the Promised Land.

Our fathers in faith trusted the Word of God, put their faith in his oaths, and were convinced that what He promised, He would do. They did not live to see these promises fulfilled. Abraham’s descendants didn’t truly become as numerous as the stars until Christ and His Church appeared. The Passover that freed God’s people from slavery to Egypt to pursue a territorial Promised Land wasn’t truly fulfilled until the Last Supper and the Eucharist which frees God’s people from slavery to sin to pursue the Promised Land of Heaven. But, we too still wait for a fulfillment, the final fulfillment that will come with Christ’s Coming – either at our death or at the end of time – whenever that will be. Will we be as watchful, trusting, and vigilant as our fathers in faith were? Will we follow their direction?

To be vigilant in our faith doesn’t mean scrupulosity. But it does mean being attentive to the small victories in our day-to-day spiritual lives. We do not know the hour when Christ will come for us. Vigilance through the small victories will ensure that we are ready and will make Christ’s coming a joyful one. But, if we are lukewarm in our faith, not trying to learn more about it or grow in it, or if we have turned away from the Lord, then his coming will not be joyful, but will be like a thief in the night.

A daily examination of our conscience and of the day, at the end of each day, is a helpful tool for discerning how vigilant we really are. When we prayerfully think back over each day, we can notice the small signals, the little red flags that show us that we followed The Way or had gone astray. A daily examination helps us to become more astute observers of all of the little temptations of each day that can in turn become many occasions for compiling victories.

St. Francis de Sales has a wonderful reflection on this approach in his great work, The Introduction to the Devout Life, which I highly recommend to you. It is very accessible and readable. There he emphasizes that many small victories are better than a single great victory in the spiritual life (In Conversation with God, 57.3). When an enemy force is attacking a castle, they focus all of their strength on the front gate so that a clever spy can go unnoticed to the back of the castle and infiltrate it through a small crack or crevice. It is the many small temptations and victories that we should not lose sight of. Little things are a prelude to greater things. Small daily victories strengthen the interior life and mold it to be more sensitive and receptive of divine things.

St. Francis de Sales also gives some very helpful examples of these many opportunities. One, he calls the “heroic minut:” that minute when you first wake up or when your alarm first goes off. Heroically getting up in that first minute – I’m so terrible at this! – is a small but very good victory! Another example is overcoming, when you first sit down to perform a particular duty or responsibility, that first temptation of curiosity that leads to a waste of time. Overcoming the first temptation to see if your favorite blog has been updated, or to check your email, or to check for facebook comments is a wonderful small victory! Other examples are offering a self-denial at meals – overcoming the temptation for second or third helpings or the desert you know you don’t need; living sobriety at social engagements – stopping at 2 or 3 beers at the family cookout or wedding reception; or offering pleasant conversation to others – injecting a kind word when your friends begin to gossip about a neighbor. These temptations come many times each day. It can be inspiring to consider, St. Francis de Sales says, that “For all the battles we win against the small enemies there will be a precious stone placed in the crown of glory that God prepares for us in his holy kingdom.”

One final bit of advice he gives is to make each small temptation an occasion for payer or an act of love. The devil tries to infiltrate our lives, to pick away at us little by little with all of these small temptations in the hopes that the more they are indulged, they more he can lead us to even greater transgressions. But if every temptation brings a prayer to God then he will cease to tempt us. The last thing he wants us to do is pray! Men… every time you see a young lady immodestly dressed say a prayer for her in that instant rather than staring at her, then the devil will cease his efforts at driving you to lustful thoughts or actions.

As these little victories compound, we will find ourselves growing in peace, serenity, and joy “as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” We will find ourselves vigilant and ready for the final fulfillment of God’s promise to us of true freedom in heaven. Living this way, when the Lord comes, he will find us not only ready, but joyfully awaiting him as servants who await a master to prepare a feast for them; as a bride who waits for her groom to take her to the wedding feast; as a young mother who waits for her husband to return home from battle. This isn’t a gloomy waiting or a gloomy readiness, this is a joyful readiness! This is how the Lord wishes to find us when he comes again.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C: Rich in What Matters to God

As Christians, when we think about avoiding materialism, we focus on trying not to accumulate things just for the sake of accumulating them, like clothes, shoes, DVD’s, whatever it may be. But it seems like the accumulation of books is an acceptable form of materialism. The guys who helped me move into the rectory will tell you that much! I have four bookshelves over there filled with books on philosophy, theology, the spiritual life, the sacraments, etc. They go on and on. And I tell myself that I need them, or that someday I will refer to them. Many of them are in fact very useful, but most have only been read in bits here and there.

The guys who helped me carry in box after box of books may not believe this, but I actually gave away many books as I packed up to move here. That was a very liberating exercise. It not only helped me have less to pack, but it also relieved a bit of that spiritual and psychological burden that escalates as we – as I – accumulate more and more books and things. I felt like a 50 pound weight has been lifted off of my shoulders as I gave those books away. My dad says for every one book I buy I should take two off of the shelf. Well, then they would just pile on the floor!

I pray that I can retain an impulse to periodically pare things down, to unload a bit, and to free myself of so many things that distract me from what is most important. We see this impulse especially in the elderly and most especially in those who are preparing for death. Facing death causes one to look back at how well he has lived his life. “Did I live well? Did I do the right thing? Was I a good husband and father? How well did my children turn out? Will my family be OK?” All of these are questions that I have heard elderly people ask as I have visited them at home or at the hospital. And the point that many make is that the things they thought were most valuable, really aren’t that valuable anymore in the grand scheme of things. Many feel a certain disappointment or embarrassment.

They fought and worked so hard for so many decades in order to have a wealthy retirement or to finally enjoy all of the things they felt cheated out of as they concentrated on raising their family. Now all they want to do is be free of it all, to have peace and quiet, to see virtuous living among their children, to give and to receive love, to share the stories and the lessons they have learned. And the wisest of the elderly want to die well, detached from all of the things and all of the plans that now have little value before the eternal value of their own soul and their preparedness for eternal life.

In one of the most important encyclicals of our Catholic Social Teaching, Populorum Progressio, On the Development of Peoples, Pope Paul VI wrote, “Increased possession is not the ultimate goal of nations nor of individuals. All growth is ambivalent. It is essential if man is to develop as a man, but in a way it imprisons man if he considers it the supreme good, and it restricts his vision.” Our first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes began by exclaiming “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” The Hebrew word, translated here as “vanity” really means “a breath” or “a vapor”; “vanity of vanities” is the Hebrew way of saying, “the merest breath.” The author isn’t talking about being “vain”, he is emphasizing that the things we work so hard for in life, what Pope Paul VI called our “increased possession,” are like “a breath”, like “a vapor”, they pass away with the wind. Those who are approaching death from sickness or old age readily see how their things will pass away like “a breath”, like “a vapor” and the wisest among them are liberated, not embittered by this fact. Why can’t most of us, who cannot see our death approaching, have the same liberation and experience the same freedom of detachment?

The fact is, God put into man an insatiable desire for the infinite, but we try to fulfill that desire with finite things. Because we do this, we live in constant frustration, going from one thing to the next, never satisfied. But, our satisfaction will only come, even in this life, when we satisfy our infinite desire with things that have eternal significance. Perhaps we need a healthy reminder that death could come for any of us at any minute. This might cause us to be a little nervous or anxious; maybe it should. The better reaction though is to live each day valuing what is most important, what does not simply pass away on its own, for example, the share in God’s own divine Life in the grace of the sacraments; the gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love; the spiritual growth of our children and grandchildren; the peace and fulfillment that comes from working with “wisdom and knowledge and skill,” as the First Reading put it; or the freedom that comes from interior detachment from the things that we own.

It is not a sin to be rich or to own many things. We have many saints in our tradition who were kings or queens. But it is a sin to value finite things over eternal things. Our things should be instrumental toward our salvation; they find their value in the way they help us toward it. They should not amount to our salvation or be the source that we look to for a sense of salvation here on earth. When you and I die, what will people say? Will they say: “Yes, he lived a life accumulating, day after day, year upon year… grace, prayer, charity toward his family and neighbors, parishioner after parishioner who decided to be a more faithful Catholic because of his example. He thought ‘of what is above, not of what is on earth,’ as St. Paul wrote to the Colossions. He accumulated rosaries prayed, confessions humbly given, novenas offered, hours spent before the Blessed Sacrament. And he accumulate these not so he could provide a final tally to God, but because they brought him true fulfillment and happiness. They brought others relief from their burdens. They were pleasing to God.” Or… instead… will God say to you and me what he said to the foolish rich man in today’s Gospel: “‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

17th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C: Prayer and Persistence

Why is it that… of all the things that are the most life-giving in our faith, prayer can be the most confounding? The questions that we have when we first learn to pray continue to pop-up when we are most advanced in prayer: When should I pray? How should I pray? What should I say? Why should I even try? The good news is we are not left on our own to find the answers to these questions. And we are not alone in asking them. Jesus’ disciples, even after his preaching, teaching, and parables; even after his miraculous cures and his miraculous feats; even after he calmed the storm at sea, cast out demons, and multiplied the loaves and fishes; even after the Transfiguration, they still felt the need to ask him how to pray.

And this we should pay close attention too. This is Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human. The Father cannot resist the prayers of His Son. The very words of the “Our Father” that Jesus gave his disciples were given to Jesus by the Father as he prayed in silence. At the same time, Jesus knows the human heart perfectly. He knows how to put into words exactly what we need. The “Our Father” is the perfect prayer. No matter your experience of prayer it is the surest way to our Father’s heart. It should always be a staple of our personal prayer.

The words of the “Our Father” in St. Matthew’s Gospel are the words we are most familiar with. In St. Luke’s Gospel today, the “Our Father” is a little more succinct. He starts out with, “Father, hallowed be your name.” He doesn’t say “who art in heaven.” St. Luke does this because he doesn’t want us to think that God is somehow confined in heaven and distant from us. He leaves this out in order to draw us up to heaven, close to the Father, and to draw us away from earthly things (Theophylus, Catena Aurea, Luke 11). This closeness to him is the reason that we are able to call him “Father.” We truly are his children and we should feel like his children. We should feel like we can come to him with whatever needs we may have. And if we pattern our prayer after the “Our Father”, he is sure to answer us, even if not how we expect.

Believe it or not, there is a right and a wrong way to pray. The Letter of St. James, chapter 4, verse 3 says, “You ask, but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Sometimes children pray for silly things, like when a girl prays for God to make her brother mute so he’ll stop picking on her! This is OK because it cultivates a familiarity with God and an impulse to turn to Him regularly. When we become adults we should have a child-like faith, but not a child-ish faith. We shouldn’t pray to win the lottery or for our favorite team to win. Like the “Our Father,” we should praise God first – “hallowed by Thy Name” – ask for his will to be ours – “Thy Will be done” – then pray for only those things which are objectively good for us. We should examine our motives and ask God to purify them.

Even a seemingly good prayer, like “God, grant me a deeper understanding of your Church’s teaching,” could be tinged with the desire for others to praise us for this understanding. And God, who knows our hearts perfectly, will not answer us right away because he does not give what is not good for us now. Like the gospel said, he will not “hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish” or “hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg.” This is because no matter how good the fish or the egg might sound, if in his will they are not good for us now, then they will be harmful. But, when we pray the “Our Father” or pattern our own prayer after it, asking for good things with pure motives, our Father will surely answer us, even unexpectedly. He would not encourage us to ask, seek, & knock if he was not willing to give and give abundantly.

Our ancestral father in faith, Abraham, gives us another sure and certain way to our Father’s heart: persistence. The Lord in the form of an angel was determined to go to the wicked towns of Sodom and Gomorrah to see if the outrage expressed against them was really true. Abraham knew what the verdict would be if it was: The Lord’s justice would prevail over those cities. Moved with hope he concluded that surely there are innocents among them. Then out of love for these unknown innocents he implored the Lord repeatedly to make concession for them. He was humble, he expressed all along his desire not to pester the Lord. But with courage he continued to intercede for the innocent residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. And with patience and generosity the Lord progressively tempered his justice with his mercy at each of Abraham’s requests. It was Abraham’s persistence that elicited the most generosity from the Lord.

We should never be afraid to be persistent in prayer. Jesus Christ himself taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”. This daily bread is both our temporal, physical, or emotional needs for that day and especially our spiritual need for the Eucharist. These we should pray for every day. But, when we think of praying to God about the same thing over and over we imagine a little child in line at the grocery store who begs and begs for candy until his mother finally buys it. The mother in that case isn’t teaching the child about the nobility of persistence or rewarding him for his perseverance. She buys the candy because she can’t bear the whining any longer! This is not how God operates and it is not how he sees our relationship with him. From God’s point of view, He is unwearied in his love for us. From our point of view, we pray repeatedly for something not because we want to pester God into submission but because we believe that he can provide what we want. It’s actually a sign of great faith. If you are one who prays repeatedly, you should know that God has given you a great faith

Repetitious prayer also develops our reliance on Him rather than on ourselves. It helps us to give the proper value to God’s gifts and not to take them for granted. One who toils for years for something keeps it safe and secure, he doesn’t leave it unguarded to be lost or stolen or forgotten. God’s gifts, his graces, virtues, assistance and healing are more precious than gold. He doesn’t wish for these things to be taken so trivially. But this doesn’t mean that he is stingy in his giving. In fact, He gives much more than we are willing to receive.

God sometimes delays in answering our prayer because he knows that this delay will serve us better in the end. If the man in the parable today had opened the door on the first knock for his friend who needed bread for his guest, then the friend in his hurry would have taken the bread and ran home immediately to his guest. Instead, the man inside delayed, forcing his friend to consider not only his immediate need, but also the late hour of his request and the courtesy due to the family inside who were asleep. The man caused his friend to think more deeply about their friendship, to honor it more, and to think outside of himself toward others. God’s delay in answering our prayer should cause us to consider the same things.

When we pray the “Our Father” in a little while say each phrase carefully and think about each phrase as you say it. When we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Hosanna in the Highest!” praise God from the depths of your heart. Before you receive Communion, ask the Father, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit to unite your will to his. Then spend some quiet time in prayer after Communion, the most fitting time to pray, and ask for what you need. When you praise him, seek his will, and ask for good things with good intentions at this time – right after receiving Communion – you will not only be praying like Jesus and with Jesus, but you will be praying as Jesus, because the Father will look upon you and see the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, living in you. When He sees His Son in you, He will not fail to answer.

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C: In Contemplation, We Love the Lord with Our Whole Heart, Being, Strength, and Mind.

Do you remember last week’s Gospel? A scholar of the law asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus asked him for his own take on the answer. The scholar replied, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, …being, …strength, …and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Then Jesus vividly illustrated the second half of his answer by telling him the parable of the Good Samaritan. St. Luke, today, follows up this parable by illustrating the first part of the scholar’s answer, how we are to love God with all our heart, being, strength, and mind.

Last week we went deeper into the parable because it is too easy to just dismiss the priest and the Levite who passed by, praise the Good Samaritan for his good deed, say, “Just love everybody,” and end it at that. In this account of Martha and Mary we must also go deeper in order to see how it really illustrates loving God with one’s whole heart, being, strength, and mind. Again, it is too easy to just dismiss Martha for her busywork, praise Mary for her listening, say, “Just listen to God more” and end it at that. We need to appreciate the work Martha was doing. In the first reading, Abraham busily tended to his three guests. He saw the Lord in them, he ran to greet them, ran into his home to have Sarah prepare a meal, then ran to his servant who quickly prepared the meat, and finally he waited on them while they ate. With eagerness and haste he waited on the Lord.

This sounds a lot like the hospitality that Martha gave our Lord. She too “welcomed him” and was “burdened with much serving.” We see in her the same sense of eagerness and haste in serving the Lord that Abraham had. In fact, Abraham’s scenario – which occurred “by the terebinth of Mamre” – and Martha &Mary’s scenario – which occurred in a “village”, probably Bethany – both happened in the same area, just south of Jerusalem. These parallels help us to see that Martha’s “anxious and worried” hospitality should not be simply dismissed. Jesus would never rebuke such hospitality outright. We can imagine that Jesus had his disciples with him and Martha wanted to honor them by being a good hostess. The Lord’s reply to Abraham, “Very well, do as you have said” should comfort Martha too.

But, at the end of the day, very little was needed physically or temporally. After all, in serving the Lord, Abraham only brought his guests “a little food”, just enough to “refresh” them. Jesus himself says to Martha, “There is need of only one thing.” His physical needs will come and go, but his Word endures forever. Mary preferred to sit at his feet, as a disciple does before a master, and listen carefully to his teaching, tending to the Word of God. Were these words to be lost on Martha? Her work for Jesus was good and will continue to be good but only after she spends some quiet time with him listening to his voice, and receiving it deeply into her heart. This is how we are to love God, by allowing our whole heart, being, strength, and mind to be filled with and permeated by the Word of God.

How can we, like Martha’s sister Mary, choose “the better part” each day, if we do not love the Lord enough to let Him speak to us? Ignoring or not giving enough attention to his voice is tantamount to not loving him. How many wives would insist that their husbands loved them if their husbands never communicated with them on a deep level? How many children would insist that their parents loved them if their parents completely ignored them? Loving God involves much more than just hearing the readings on Sunday. It means much more than fitting some quiet time for Jesus into our busy day. Loving the Lord means fitting our day into Him! Setting aside time for quiet prayer is certainly very good. But the other parts of the day that do not give us silence can still be lived in dialogue and union with God who is always speaking to us, always calling us to be with Him.

Fr. Jean Corbon, a Dominican theologian, wrote a book that I read a few summers ago called, The Wellspring of Worship, about how we can constantly live in the grace of the liturgy. In that book is a quote that always comes to mind whenever my conscience tells me to pray but the evil one makes me feel guilty for not being busy. It’s a simple quote that just says, “Contemplation is the most fruitful human activity.” This is because contemplation involves our whole heart, being, strength, and mind.

Contemplation can happen in silence or in activity. In silence, we love God with our whole heart when we give him all our inclinations and passions and ask him to make our heart like his Sacred Heart which beats with purity, sacrifice, and perfect love. In silence, we give our whole being to him when we surrender to him as his faithful disciple and he fills us with his own being by making us holy through grace. In silence, we give all our strength to him when we focus all of our attention on him despite how tired, or bored, or distracted, or rebellious we may be and he gives us strength to persevere in prayer when it is dry or to be consoled when it is fruitful. Finally, in silence we give our whole mind to God when we give him all our thoughts, feelings, and desires and he in turn gives us what he gave St. Paul: the completion of the word of God, “the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past”, and “the riches of the glory of this mystery”, indeed, “all wisdom.”

Contemplation can also extend to the activity of our day. We can and we must extend the dialogue of our quiet time in prayer throughout the rest of our day. I really like how you all spend some time in prayer before Mass in order to gather your heart, being, strength, and mind to be filled by God. Many parishes have fallen out of this practice. I also encourage you to spend time in prayer after Mass to thank him for making you holy and to draw the rest of the day’s plans into his presence. We must continue to do this.

Then when we get up Monday morning for work we can say to God that we will work this day not for some superficial goal but in order to glorify him. And during the day we could say: “Lord, let me approach this customer as if it were you.” Or, “Lord help me to offer up the pain I feel from my illness for the salvation of my family, just as you saved all mankind through your crucifixion.” Or, “Lord I invite you to be a part of even the smallest steps of this project.” Now, work is not prayer, it must have its own time. But our work can be done prayerfully when we contemplate the presence of God in everything we do and in everyone we encounter.

This is the “better part,” when we fit our entire lives and our entire day into him, rather than fitting him only into some small part of our life or our day. When we pray at night, at the end of a day of both quiet and active contemplation, we will not feel as if we are finally speaking to our long-lost friend again. We will be speaking to the Lord who all the while was “standing nearby” us, was running to “the entrance” of each day to greet us, who has brought us the “little food” of the Eucharist for our eternal refreshment, who hastens and runs to bring us his graces, and who “sets these before” us always. We will discover that He was the one “burdened with much serving” so that even through a busy day, he “will not be taken” from us. Through contemplation, the most fruitful human activity, we shall “love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, …being, …strength, …and mind.” We “will live in the presence of the Lord” and “shall never be disturbed.”

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Good Samaritan and The Courage to Love and be Loved

This parable today, of the Good Samaritan, is one of the most memorial parables in Scripture; like the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where the son squanders his inheritance and comes back for forgiveness; or the Parable of the Good Shepherd, where the shepherd leaves the 99 in search of the one lost sheep. These parables are so memorable, we could easily think, “Oh, I’ve heard that one before, I know what it means” and tune them out. But, any time we think we already have a parable or a passage figured out, that should be a sign to go even deeper. I typically don’t like to just retell the readings in a homily, because you all just listened to them! But this parable warrants a re-telling so that we can uncover its deeper meaning.

A scholar of the Old Testament law approaches Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus essentially answers, “You tell me!” The first part of the scholar’s answer is a no-brainer for any Jew: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, …soul,…strength,…and mind.” A faithful Jew prayed these very words from the Book of Deuteronomy twice every day. But this scholar, a pious Jew, who understood the true spirit of the law, added onto the end something unexpected, a reference to the Book of Leviticus: “and [you shall love] your neighbor as yourself.” It would have been very unexpected for a Jew to make this connection. In fact none of the writings of the rabbis from this period connect loving God with loving our neighbor. The scholar is on to something here: To love God is to love our neighbor.

But who is my neighbor? For the Jews, one’s neighbor was a fellow countryman or a pilgrim in his country. It did not include those outside of Israel, or those who were non-Jews, or those who were sinners. Their whole concept of holiness involved being faithful to God by avoiding contact with those who could lead them away from Him or who could make them ritually impure, unfit to participate in public worship. And this wasn’t necessarily a bad approach because the Jews were influenced so greatly by the pagan worship of those who conquered them or surrounded them. So, in our Gospel’s parable of the Good Samaritan, we shouldn’t be quick to judge the priest and the Levite for passing by the man who had been robbed, stripped, beaten, and left half dead. The law dictated that they should only have contact with the corpses of their immediate family or else they would be impure for worship. But Jesus teaches the scholar and us that the bar for maintaining holiness has been raised. Holiness was once found adequately in acts of strict obedience to the law. Now it must be found in acts of mercy for all people, especially those in need, whether they are a part of the same community or not. And Jesus used the example of a Samaritan, a nationality hated by the Jews, to make this very point.

To see how much the Jews hated the Samaritans, you only have to look in the Book of Sirach, chapter 50. There, the author asks God to bless all of mankind, except for certain groups of people who had led the Jews astray. He says, “My whole being loathes two nations, the third is not even a people: Those who live in Seir and Philistia, and the degenerate folk who dwell in Shechem.” Those “degenerate folk who dwell in Shechem” who are “not even a people” are the Samaritans. We would understand then if the Good Samaritan ran right past the fallen Jew just like the priest and Levite did, in order not to be seen or persecuted. But, moved with great pity and mercy at the sight of the Jewish man’s suffering, the Samaritan dresses his wounds with oil and wine, takes him to an inn, and gives the innkeeper two whole days wages, enough to pay for several days lodging. He even offers to pay more if needed. He did not simply bandage the man and move on, he made sure he would be increased to full vigor. The scholar conversing with Jesus, humbled by this parable, answers correctly that it was the Samaritan who was the victim’s true neighbor, not the victim’s fellow countrymen, the priest and the Levite who passed by him.

Now, again, just a surface reading of this parable could lead us to resent the priest and the Levite and to simply admire the Samaritan for his good deed and close the book at that. But we must also appreciate the need for ritual purity at that time, the courage that it took for the Samaritan to act, and what neighborliness and holiness truly are: Love and Mercy toward all in need. But, we can go even deeper still because the early Church Fathers, like St. Augustine, saw this not only as a parable, but as an allegory: the characters and the objects in the story represent spiritual meanings. By looking at the spiritual meaning we are taught not only how to love and who to love. We are taught also that we should receive love.

For St. Augustine, the man robbed, beaten, and left half dead represents Adam the first man who, through his Original Sin, is beaten by Satan, robbed of immortality, and left half dead to sin. The priest and the Levite who pass by represent the Old Testament laws and regulations which were unable to heal man’s soul and raise him to new life. But, the Good Samaritan is Jesus Christ, who comes to man’s side as his neighbor in order to rescue him from death. He doesn’t simply restore mankind to level zero, he increases him by taking him to the inn, which is the Church. There we are healed by the oil, wine, and refreshment of the seven sacraments. And for such gratuitous gifts he paid not two silver coins, or two days wages, but the infinite price of his Precious Blood. And he promised to continue to nourish us, whenever we need it, through the innkeeper, the ordained priesthood, which continues his ministry until the end of time.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is much more than a generic command to just “love everyone.” Each of us, personally, is offered love in a concrete way through the sacramental life of the Church. The Church and the sacraments are God’s great and superabundant gifts of love and mercy for each of us. Do we let Jesus heal us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or are we content with our sins and the havoc they cause, telling Jesus to just move on down the road – “No help needed here.” Do we allow Jesus to heal us of our venial or “minor” sins by worthily receiving Holy Communion, or do we persist in serious sins which close us off from being able to receive Him? We are given so many graces through the sacraments and all of the prayers, devotions, and blessings of the Church’s Tradition that there is no reason why we can’t live life not only restored, but increased and strengthened by God’s own Divine life.

Do we help others to receive this new life? Do we take our children or grandchildren to confession monthly? Do we take them to daily Mass when they are home from school? Do we pray with them at home or at Church or encourage them to receive the sacraments often and worthily? Our Lord wants to be the Good Samaritan to us who are wounded by our sins and weaknesses. Let him take you to the inn, to the Church, which is not a haven for saints, but a hospital for sinners.

Homily for 14th Sun in O.T.: Vocations–Lieutenants in the Church Militant

As Catholics, we believe that the Church is not only made up of Catholics in this world, but also those who are being purified in purgatory and those who have inherited eternal life in heaven. The Church in heaven, the communion of saints, is called the “Church Triumphant.” The Church in purgatory is called the “Church Suffering”. And the Church here on earth, which is composed of all of us here today, is the “Church Militant.” Together they make up One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Why are we called the “Church Militant”? This is our title because, since the moment of our Baptism and with the strength of our Confirmation, we have been sent out into the world with a mission, to tell the whole world, especially our families, friends, and coworkers, the message of Jesus Christ and His Church, and to make the world around us holy, acceptable, and pleasing to God, our Heavenly Father. We have been sent out as soldiers for Christ, into a very real spiritual warfare, to combat and subdue the devil and all that is evil in our society. To this battle we take the weapons of virtue and truth, the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the graces of the seven sacraments. Against these weapons and the Word of God, no evil can stand. This very Mass is the front line of the battle where Satan is defeated and he gets a taste of what is coming to him at the conclusive victory of Jesus’ Second Coming. The readings are our orders and the Eucharist is our nourishment for the battle.

But, our calling goes all the way back to the first one Jesus gave his apostles and disciples. Ours is the same one. Luke’s Gospel describes how Jesus appointed seventy disciples to prepare his way in “every town and place.” This was a universal mission. He sent them out to all the world. And the mission was urgent. God’s people are referred to as a “harvest”, ready to be gathered into his kingdom. But the harvest is abundant, and laborers are few. They must get to work, there is no time to waste, “the kingdom of God is at hand.”

They are to take no money bag, no sack, no sandals; they are armed only with their mandate from Jesus and the power of His Name. And indeed, they were the first wave of the Church Militant, sent like lambs among the wolves. But, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, “the Lord’s power shall be known to his servants.” As Jesus’ disciples went from town to town, two by two, spreading the “Peace” of Christ, healing the sick, and casting out demons, Satan fell… “like lightning from the sky.” The disciples came upon “the full force of the enemy” and in Jesus’ Name they were victorious. This fight is real.. this isn’t mere hyperbole. Will we be victorious in our own time? In our own hearts and souls? Peace will never reign in our world if it does not reign in our hearts.

A mother and father is absolutely, understandably, proud when they have a son or daughter join our nation’s military. But what about the Church Militant? How many are willing to let their son join the priesthood or their daughter, consecrated religious life? To most of our children, this is never even presented as an option. It is never even considered. But what was true in the early Church is still true today: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”

There are about 200,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville but only about 200 priests. One do have one man from our parish preparing for the Permanent Diaconate, but, since Fr. Mark Spalding was ordained, I don’t think we’ve had a son from our parishes enter seminary for this archdiocese. When was the last time a daughter from our parish took final vows as a religious sister or nun? We are blessed to have many good priests and deacons in this region. We must encourage our children and our grandchildren to follow their good example. They, too, can lay down their lives in sacrifice and service in a vocation of great joy and fulfillment for a Church against which the powers of hell shall not prevail.

Perhaps there are young men here today who are called to be priests or religious brothers. Perhaps there are young ladies here today who are called to be religious sisters or nuns. Who from Holy Trinity/Holy Rosary will take our place when we are re-assigned or have run out of strength? Who from Holy Trinity/Holy Rosary will take up the banner and continue the fight? Who from Holy Trinity/Holy Rosary will ensure that Christ sits enthroned over a culture of life, and not a culture of death? Let us not fall into the trap of caring more about continuing our own name, legacy, or inheritance than we do about continuing the Name of Jesus Christ and his holy family, the Church.

Sometimes we hear people talk about a lack of vocations or a “vocations crisis.” There is not a lack of vocations, there is a lack of discernment. But we are seeing that the tide is turning! The Holy Spirit is moving in this archdiocese and there is much cause for hope and excitement! When I entered seminary in 2005 I was one of three men studying to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville. Now we have almost 20 seminarians and more on the way! Allowing your sons and grandsons to join this faithful band of brothers will not be a losing battle! Since 2005, I have watched their company grow to include good and prayerful men from all sorts of backgrounds. They love God and they love the Church. They love our Holy Father, the Mass, and all that the Church teaches. They are intelligent and they know their faith. They can explain it well and are easy to relate too. They love the people of God and are eager to serve them. It’s the sacrifice and the challenge that entices them the most. They want to be a part of something greater than themselves. They want to be a part of something that has eternal significance, something with meaning and purpose. They want more than ever to take up the banner of Jesus Christ and continue the fight until the victory is won! Your sons or grandsons can be part of that victory too!

The women’s religious orders are seeing tremendous growth as well. The orders that have retained their habit, have held onto their founding principles, that have renewed their lives with prayer and sacrifice are seeing young ladies join today at a rate unseen before. For example, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, in Nashville, TN celebrated their 150^th anniversary a few years ago. They had to completely expand and renovate their convent because they were receiving so many vocations! Their order and so many others like them are converting the world to holiness through their many diverse missions and through their constant prayer in the inner life of the Church.

There is no better time than now to encourage your sons and daughters to consider a religious vocation. If your child or grandchild is considering it, have them email me or call me and I will help to point them in the right direction. As we engage the front line of battle today at this Mass, perhaps we can spend some time after Communion or quietly after Mass to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”… to ask the Head of the Church Militant to call forth men and women from Holy Trinity/HolyRosary who can help him to win this most winnable battle.

Homily 13 Sun OT C–Only the Truth Makes Us Free to Follow Jesus with Resolve.

Last weekend when I introduced myself, there was one part of my story that I didn’t tell: How I came to discern that God was calling me to be a priest. I grew up Catholic, our family went to Mass every Sunday, and I knew what Catholics believe but I didn’t know why we believe it and it really didn’t dawn on me to care. But, then came my senior year in college when a girl I was dating asked me questions about Catholicism that I had no clue how to answer: Why do you go to Mass? Why do you go to confession to a priest? Why do you have statues in Church, etc. All I could say was “Ugh… I dunno… that’s just what we do…” But, I felt lame that I couldn’t give her better answers to her questions, so I did some research. When I discovered Why we believe what we believe, my eyes were opened. By the grace of God what I discovered changed my life and I began to take my faith more seriously.

Before that point I just wanted to be like any other college student: stay out late, mess around, be irresponsible, do whatever… but after my “reversion” I wanted to be a better man, a more honorable man. Obviously, my relationship with that girl didn’t work out. And the more I learned about the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, the more I fell in love with them and imagined what it would be like if I was celebrating them. I made new friends who drew me closer to Christ and helped me to hear God’s call for me to be a priest.

I must say though that in that initial period of change, it was hard not to look back on my former way of life and think, “Man, it was fun hanging out with that crowd and doing this or that…” or be tempted to get back into my old ways. But I knew the Lord wanted me to be resolute in following him, in heading down the Way. Our Lord was resolute and he expects his messengers, his disciples, to be the same. The Gospel said that he “resolutely determined” to journey to Jerusalem and just outside its gates, the site of the Crucifixion and our salvation.

Elijah in the first reading allowed his disciple, Elisha, to kiss his parents goodbye before he followed him. But we follow a greater prophet than Elijah, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has a higher standard. When those he called wanted to tend to their families first before they followed Jesus, our Lord insisted that they follow him first. Of course our Lord was not intending for them to dishonor their parents; of course Jesus keeps the Fourth Commandments to Honor Thy Father and Mother. The point he is trying to make is that he should come first in our priorities, even before our families and even before ourselves.

When Elijah called his disciple he signaled the call by throwing his cloak around him, showing Elisha that he wanted him to share in his identity and mission. We too have been “cloaked,” so to speak – we have “put on” Christ at our Baptism. In the ritual the priest says to the child, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” With that white garment we “put on” Christ and became his disciples. Thank God for the Eucharist and Confession which re-creates this garment whenever we fall away.

But, we can’t afford to fall away. We must be resolute in our call. It may seem at first that marching forward with determination, not looking back on our former way of life is too harsh or restrictive. This is because we often misunderstand what freedom truly is. We tend to confuse freedom for license. Freedom is the ability to do what we ought, whereas license is the ability to do whatever we want. For Paul in the 2^nd reading, freedom is not license. Christian freedom is not a license to indulge in sin and selfishness. We are free, rather, to mature in grace and become the saints we are called to be.

If freedom is not license then the commitment to protecting freedom does not mean protecting license. So many in our society today are grasping at more and more liberties and demanding they be protected as God-given freedoms. They claim, “If I want to do it, I should be able to do it, and no one should say I can’t.” We have seen this especially in recent news concerning the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding so-called gay “marriage.” In their decision on Proposition 8 – the Constitutional amendment the people of California voted for to protect the traditional definition of marriage as a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman – the Court did not strike it down but it did miss the opportunity to uphold it.

More worrisome is the Court’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act. There, the Court undercut true freedom and true equality. What the federal government and the Court failed to realize is that it is OK to treat different things differently. So-called “gay marriage” is not the same as traditional marriage. Marriage, by definition, brings a man and a woman together for life and ensures that children who are a gift and the fruit of their love are raised by their own mother and father together. Gay “marriage” is simply a different thing and should be treated differently – that doesn’t imply that an injustice or hatred is being done.

Given these types of challenges to true freedom, again, we must be resolute. The Gospel says our Lord “sent messengers ahead of him” to prepare for his arrival. We are those messengers, sent to proclaim the Truth and to ready men’s hearts to receive It, especially when we experience setbacks or when times are tough. What we must Not do is react to these setbacks with violence or anger or pessimism or cynicism. We must not seek vengeance in any way. When the town our Lord’s disciples went to “would not welcome him,” James and John asked him, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” This is something that Elijah did! But, again, we follow a higher prophet than he. Our Lord “turned and rebuked them” for suggesting such a thing.

St. Ambrose explains that Jesus reproves his disciples’ desire for revenge because it is out of keeping with his mission as Messiah; he has come to save people, not destroy them. This helps them to see that zeal for the things of God should never be bitter or violent: “The Lord does everything in an admirable way… He acts in this way to teach us that perfect virtue retains no desire for vengeance, and that where there is true charity there is no room for anger – in other words, that weakness should not be treated with harshness, but should be helped.” When Christians advocate for the truth regarding marriage, for example, we do not do so because we hate persons with same sex attraction; we do so because we love them! We do so, not to be harsh to them but to help them to know the truth, for it is the truth that makes us free.

We must re-double our efforts to be disciples and messengers of the Truth. We must have courage to proclaim the Truth even when… especially when it is hard. To give in to falsifications of the truth serve no one. We must re-commit with resolve to the truth, knowing that only a determined commitment to God makes us fit for the kingdom of God, glorifies him, and serves the common good.

Letter on Changes and Needs

To the Faithful of Holy Trinity and Holy Rosary,

By now you have probably noticed a few small changes around the Church at Holy Trinity. They always used to tell us in seminary, “Don’t change anything in your first year!” But, as I said in my homily my first weekend, liturgy is my highest priority. The more beauty and excellence we give to liturgy and worship, the more glory we give to God. Everything else we do will flow out of that. Therefore, I hope that these will not be too disturbing to you.

I have moved the presider’s chair from the right side facing the altar (the “Epistle side” as they used to say) to the left side (the “Gospel side”) and scooted the credence table beside the side altar. It seemed a little awkward to have the servers crossing the sanctuary each time to hold the Missal (even though I have been impressed with how they bow to the altar each time they pass). Being on the Gospel side with the servers puts us closer together and makes it easier for them to bring the Missal. I have also moved out their kneeler (or “prie-dieu” – French for “pray to God”) so that they can now kneel on the step of the altar on the Gospel side, facing the action of the liturgy head-on, with their bells still close at hand. Bringing them closer to the altar will bring them nearer to the sacred mysteries and help them learn the Mass. I would like to lead a server training workshop soon to brush up on some things, teach them about the items used at Mass, and build up their number. With the chair moved over to the Gospel side, I will not be using the mic stand. I will try the clip-on wireless mic for a while to see how that works. Hopefully you will still be able to hear the prayers well.

On the high altar, I have moved the two gold candles that burned before the tabernacle to the back and moved the flowers and adoring angels up a level. I am thankful for those who have donated money in the past to replenish these candles. I believe that was not done this year though. The two gold candles, while beautiful, had broken vases and were unnecessary given the presence of the red tabernacle lamp (that signifies Christ’s Presence in the tabernacle) and the candles that burn for Mass on the freestanding altar. I moved the flowers and adoring angels up a level to highlight the fact that while the high altar may not be used, it is still an altar (it still has its relic) and so should be prepared as if it is still used. If you would like to donate money toward new altar linens for the high altar and the freestanding altar – that will have lace in the color of the liturgical season, but will not cover the beautiful engraving – please let me know.

A couple other things we need are a new funeral pall and a thurible stand. I want to thank whoever made the funeral pall now used – please introduce yourself! It’s vibrant colors remind one of the happiness of the eternal life we hope for and it has seen many years of faithful use. But it has gotten stained over the years and is fraying in places so it is time for a new one. I would like to get a purple one in beautiful purple damask material with a large cross in the center. I tend to wear purple vestments for funerals rather than white because purple is the color of mourning and its use shows us that suffering is not taboo, that the Church suffers too and wishes to walk through suffering with the family of the deceased. Eventually I would like to bring back the use of black vestments for funerals and All Soul’s day but that’s a reflection for another letter! The aforementioned “thurible” is the metal object that holds incense burned during Mass. We need a stand for it so that the servers can use the thurible during Mass and have somewhere to hang it near the sanctuary when it is not in use. If you would like to donate toward a purple pall, black vestments, or a thurible stand, please let me know this as well.

Another small change regards the baptismal font. Fr. Chris acquired the modern fount a few years ago and it sits with the paschal candle at the back of the Church to symbolize one’s entry into the Church through Baptism. I have put the brass lid onto the fount to highlight its purpose for baptism rather than as a Holy Water receptacle. The receptacles near the doors are still present, filled, and refreshed periodically. The lid also keeps dust and germs out of the fount and the water used for baptisms.

Finally, I have moved the tables and chairs that were stored in the confessional into the space next to it. This helps to preserve the primary purpose of the confessional and gives priority to the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation. Toward that end, beginning the First Saturday of July, namely July 6, 2013, I am expanding the times for confession. Right now, confession is heard for 15 minutes, starting 30 minutes before each daily and weekend Mass. So, for example, from 9:30-9:45am before the 10am Mass on Monday and Wednesday; from 4:30-4:45pm before the 5pm Mass on Saturday, etc. Fr. Chris was very generous in offering to hear confessions every day, before every Mass. But I think expanding the time offered will make the sacrament more accessible and available to you. So, like most parishes in the Archdiocese, I will be offering a confession time from 3-4pm on Saturday afternoons. To give both parishes equal access, on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturday of every month I will be at Holy Rosary in Manton and on the 2^nd and 4^th (and 5^th) Saturday I will be at Holy Trinity in Fredericktown. I will be keeping the 15 minute confession times before each daily Mass but discontinuing the times before each of the weekend Masses. 6:30am on Sunday is too early (!), 8am at Holy Rosary is impossible to make, and 10:30am at Holy Trinity is not enough time.

At the end of the day, these are small changes, but I know that change can sometimes still be tough. And it does seem early for changes to be made. Please know that these are being made not to suit my own preferences. Rather, they are being made out of my devotion to God and to this parish, my love for you, and my desire to do what’s best for the liturgy and for our spiritual lives together. I thank you for your understanding and patience and hope that you will lend a hand on some of the items we still need. I am open to your constructive criticism and feedback.

In Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Hardesty
Pastoral Administrator
Holy Trinity, Fredericktown
Holy Rosary, Manton

Yearbook slogans from 1960

While going through the dressers in the rectory to begin to unpack (!) I came across Fr. Chris Allegra’s old 1960 yearbook from the Boston Latin School.  God rest his soul.  Boy, they don’t write yearbook slogans like they used too!  Now it is a very rare young man who can write anything intelligent or meaningful for his fellow chaps, something more than the common cliché’s (Carpe diem!) or stupid jokes (Get ‘er done!).  Granted many of these sound like re-hashes from their Latin homework, but I think they have a nice ring to them.

Here’s a sampling of the young men’s slogans, starting of course with Fr. Chris’s

He steered the barque of the Burg with great love and affection.

Some others:

“He who has been on both sides of the street has truly had the course.”

“When could they say till now, that talked of Rome, that her wide walls encompassed but one man?”

“One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man.”

“So mixed in him all the elements, that nature might say to all the world: ‘This was a man.’”

“I do all that may become a man.”

“Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.”

“Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.”

“In God we trust; all others must pay cash”

“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

“The Mighty Casey… out!”

“It’s not the hours we put in, but what we put into the hours that really counts.”

“Keep trying, its only from the valley that the mountains see high.”

“Deliberate in judgment and moderate in action”

“The universe, next to Ireland, is the most important.”

“Give every man thine ear, but few they voice.”

“Discretion in speech is more than eloquence.”

“Men of few words are the best men”

“The world will little note nor long remember what we say here”

“Reading maketh a full man”

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft go ka-put”

“Genius does what it must; talent does what it can”

“A little learning is not a dangerous thing to one who does not mistake it for a great deal”

“Intelligence and character need no trumpet”

“Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food”

“Get thee wisdom; but with all thine acquisition, get thee understanding”

“Lincoln was a great man, not because he lived in a log cabin, but because he got out of it”

“I would much rather have men ask why I have no statue than why I have one”

…And last but not least…

“And I did it without learning Latin!”

Introduction Homily at Holy Trinity & Holy Rosary–12 Sun OT C

Hello, my name is Fr. Matthew Hardesty, I go by “Fr. Hardesty,” and I’ve been assigned by Archbishop Kurtz as the Pastoral Administrator of Holy Trinity and Holy Rosary.  I cannot find the right words to express how blessed I am to be assigned to these two parishes.

I’m also very glad that Deacon Joe Dant has been able to be with me at all of the Masses so that I can thank him publicly for all his good work and leadership.  He had led you well during the difficult time following Fr. Chris’s death and he has been a great friend and help to me in transitioning to take his place.  There will be more words of thanks after Communion.

Let me explain briefly what a “Pastoral Administrator” is.  A Pastoral Administrator has all of the rights and duties and privileges of a pastor but without the title “Pastor.”  It is a policy of the Archdiocese to assign all first-time pastors as Administrators first so that if the guy has a difficult time or needs more time as an Associate Pastor somewhere else, he can be more easily moved.  To move a pastor requires a whole canonical process through the Tribunal.  After the first year if all goes well, and I certainly suspect that it will, then the Archbishop will re-assign me here as pastor.

I would like to also tell you a little bit about myself.  I’m originally from Owensboro and went to Catholic schools there until I went to Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY.  I was a Computer Science major and got a job in Louisville as a Software Developer for an investment firm.  I did that for three years and it was during that time that I discerned the priesthood and applied to the Archdiocese of Louisville rather than the Diocese of Owensboro.  I felt like God had led me to Louisville and to serve the people of the Archdiocese.  I entered seminary in 2005 at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was ordained in 2011 at the Cathedral in Louisville.  My first Priesthood assignment was as the Associate Pastor at St. James in E’town, St. Ambrose in Cecilia, and St. Ignatius in White Mills.  I was there for two years and was then assigned here.  So I’ve only been a priest for two years!  I ask for your patience as we learn and grow together!

I have actually been here before.  When I was a seminarian, Fr. Chris invited me to here to give a vocation talk and I remember thinking back then, “Man, it would be awesome to be assigned here some day…” and here I am!  Another interesting story concerns my chalice and paten.  Before my Priesthood Ordination I was chatting with Fr. Dale Cieslik who is the Archivist for the Archdiocese.  I asked him if there was a chalice and paten in the Archives that I could use rather than having to spend thousands (!) of dollars on a new one.  He investigated and ended up finding the chalice and paten of Fr. Larry Hardesty, one of your former pastors!  When I was ordained I was able to inherit it and it is a tremendous honor to be able to use it.  If you would like to see it, come on back to the sacristy any time and I would love to show it to you up close.

When I moved in a couple days ago, a group of guys graciously helped me unpack my boxes from the U-Haul trailer.  Once everything was in the rectory I sat down and thought, “Now what??”  Then I started thinking about what my goals and priorities are and how God is calling me to be your shepherd.  I would say that my top priority is the liturgy, the Mass, the Eucharist.  My deep conviction is that if we give all our energy and focus to excellence in the liturgy then many graces and blessings will follow.  Vatican II taught us that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of the life of the Church.  Everything we do in the Church must flow from the Eucharist and lead back to, and be surmounted by, the Eucharist.

In focusing on the Mass, there are many symbols we could take as our launching point.  But the readings this weekend point us to the cross.  Remember from our first reading, the Prophet Zecharian foretold the way to identify the Messiah: “They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1432, explains that “It is in discovering the greatness of God’s love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin…The human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced.” The cross, or to be precise, the crucifix, is the ultimate sign of love. This sign, so vivid and real, should motivate us, every time we look at it, to love God and each other with the same love that it shows, and to never want to offend that love. The cross is the standard for love and the standard for each of us today.

This is what our Lord meant when he said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The Gospel mentions that he said this “to all.” The cross cannot be ignored by any of us, it is essential for continual conversion. If we never give the cross much thought, never contemplate sacrificial love, our hearts may be blinded to the day-to-day sacrifices that we need to make in order to increase and express our love for our family and friends. We may never be called to give our lives for our family. We may be simply called to put down the newspaper, turn off the TV, or step away from the computer. We are called to choose to love our family more than those things, so we take up that cross, and show them our love.

It is conversion brought about by these day-to-day crosses, or lack thereof, that either makes or breaks families in this country. Dr. Gregory Popcak, a Catholic marriage and family therapist, writes about how people often ask him what the greatest problem is in family life. They expect him to say alcoholism, or contraception, or pornography, or infidelity. To be sure, these are huge problems that should not be ignored. But he writes that in most families that are struggling, one member or another loves their comfort zone at particular moments more than the family.

Now, just because I have no natural wife or children does not mean that I am exempt from the need for continual conversion by taking up the daily cross – by choosing sacrifice out of love, over my comfort zone. How easy it is for me to have a full day – morning Mass, preaching, parish activities, taking Communion to the homebound, visiting patients in the hospital, celebrating a funeral, then attending an evening meeting – and finally coming home and plopping down in front of the T.V. But, if the Church is truly my bride, a bride I love and want to give my entire life and heart too, undivided, then I should never be eager to get away from her. You and I should identify ourselves not by our comfort zones, as if to say, “I am in this moment a guy sitting here watching T.V… or whatever.” We should identify ourselves by what we truly are: “I am a father and husband,” for example, or “I am a son of parents who love me.” We must let who we truly are at a deeper level be the lens through which we make choices and interact with each other.

I could choose to relax, that’s no problem; but relax with my bride who I love, the Church. I could spend some time in prayer, reflecting on the day. Or I could call a parishioner who I know is alone, or do some spiritual reading. This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” He is referring to our worldly life and our eternal life. If you or I wish to save our worldly life – the life of his our own choosing and pleasures, free from any sacrifices of love – then we will lose our spiritual lives and the spiritual lives of those God has given to us.  But, if you and I, with the help of grace, work through daily conversion, through daily taking up our cross, big or small, to lose our own life of choices and pleasures; to prefer God and our families over ourselves, then we will save our spiritual lives and the spiritual lives of our families.

Our families need to help each other out, to pray and study together, and support each other. If you have too often neglected the cross, today is the day to take it up. We are not alone in making sacrifices of love, we are not left to our own devices. The prophet Zechariah foretold that God would “pour out… a spirit of grace and petition and open… a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.” The Lord has sent us the Holy Spirit of grace and petition and he purifies us through His Precious Blood and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is at the foot of the Cross that we learn what true love is and where we will be given the grace to embark on continual conversion. The cross must be the focal point of our parish and our families. The restoration of true authentic family life and the salvation of our families depends on it. It truly is a great joy for me to take up the cross with you; to serve you and give my heart undivided to you; to make sacrifices for you and to love you. Let us pray for and support each other as we grow in love and life together.

Farewell to St. Ambrose and St. Ignatius – Fathers and Confession

Well… today, many thoughts are going through my head; the theme of the readings, Father’s Day, and this being my last Sunday Mass here. My last official day isn’t until Tuesday, June 18, but this is my last weekend with you as your Associate Pastor. My new assignment, as many of you know, will be at Holy Trinity in Fredericktown and Holy Rosary in Manton. They are in the same general area, between Bardstown and Springfield, off of US-150.

The readings this weekend present a theme of reconciliation and conversion and they remind me of some of the most profound moments of my time here as a spiritual father to you: celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation. But this message isn’t just for me. Even though Father’s Day is a secular holiday – in the Church, we celebrate today the 11^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – it can give both natural and spiritual fathers the opportunity to step back and take a fresh look at our fatherhood, to see how things are going, to see how inline we are with the Fatherhood of God. Father’s who lead the way in reconciliation and conversion will probably have families and children who live lives formed by these virtues as well. But first, fathers, you and I, must see the necessity to begin with ourselves. This challenges me as I move on to my new spiritual family.

When we examine ourselves, men, if we are honest with ourselves, we know what keeps us the furthest from God. For example, for David in the account we heard from the second Book of Samuel, his issue was lust. He saw a woman he wanted so he took her and sent her husband to the front lines of battle to get him out of the way. It took the prophet Nathan to help him realize that he was on a road of suffering that would last his entire life. When David finally confessed that he had sinned against the Lord, the Lord forgave him, and set him on the road to life. Nathan answered David: “the Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.” The Lord set him on the road to conversion, to turning his face toward him again.

When we hear the word “conversion” we often think of “converting” from Protestantism to Catholicism or from Judaism to Christianity, for example. But what I mean by “conversion” is that call from the Lord, to continually, daily, turn our hearts away from sin and toward him. Ongoing conversion should be a part of every Catholic’s life. God gives us the grace to see and acknowledge our sins, to repent and turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness, and to change our lives, trusting in his help. This we do progressively, every day, especially through the sacrament of Reconciliation. This time of year, going to confession should be one of those “ordinary” practices, so to speak, of Ordinary Time. Saints and popes have consistently encouraged us to go to Confession eat least once a month.  So if you state that it has been 6 months or more since your last confession, I will mostly likely remind you to try to go to confession at least once a month – that way you are doing a regular examination of conscience, becoming a more astute observer of the role of sin in your life.  You also grow in humility as you announce your sins to Christ.  And you receive the counsel of the priest to help you to avoid those sins and the grace you receive will “flow” through your life in a more continuous way and will be a better help to you.

Throughout my adolescence and early adulthood I never realized the real power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and what it really meant. But, thank God, it has become an indispensible part of my life and one of the greatest motivators, along with the Eucharist, of my vocation to the priesthood. I treasure very much the Sacrament of Reconciliation and take it very seriously.  It has been a very fulfilling part of my priesthood to be God’s instrument of Mercy.  I go to confession once a month to my priest-spiritual director who helps me discern God’s will throughout my Priesthood. Through Confession, my Baptism continues to work in my life, washing away my sins; changing my heart and soul with the very love and mercy of God; turning on again the wellsprings of Faith, Hope, and Love; renewing my sonship with God and brotherhood with the Church; fortifying me to not sin again and to avoid the near occasions of sin; and removing all obstacles to God’s grace. Now I hunger and thirst to hear Jesus Christ Himself say, through my brother priest, “I absolve you of your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His Mercy endures forever. The Lord has freed you from your sins, Go in peace.”

Many of you go to confession regularly and I applaud you. Keep it up! Make sure it is always something you hunger and thirst for. It is necessary for a good life. If you are having difficulty going to confession, I understand that shame is a particularly difficult thing to overcome. If it’s laziness, ignorance, or misunderstanding, snap out of it!  But if its shame, a much harder obstacle, know that it can be conquered too. Throw yourself at the feet of Christ’s Divine Mercy, like the woman did in our Gospel today. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at St. James every Saturday from 3-4pm or as long as it takes; and at St. Ambrose at 7:30am before the 8am Mass. Shame need not keep you from the sacrament forever or sentence you to a vicious cycle of confessing the same thing over and over. God’s Mercy endures forever, I’ve seen it unfold before my very eyes. Let Jesus say to you too what he said to the woman today: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Let his forgiveness enflame your heart with love, love for those who suffer, but especially love for Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

A father – myself first of all – who wishes to save his worldly life: the life of his own choosing and pleasures, free from any sacrifices of love, will lose his spiritual life and the spiritual lives of his family over whom he has been placed as their provider and protector. But a father who, with the help of grace, works through daily conversion, through daily taking up his cross, to lose his own life of choices and pleasures; who prefers God and his family over himself, will save his spiritual life and the spiritual lives of his family. Fathers, take your families to confession! especially now that the kids are home from school. The restoration of true, authentic fatherhood, natural and spiritual, and the salvation of our families depends on it.

I cannot thank all of you enough for the trust you have placed in me, in coming to me for confession. I hope that these have been spiritually rewarding experiences for you. I hope that the penances you received helped to restore and strengthen your relationship with the Church. The best way you could honor me when I am away would be to continue to make use of that sacrament.

Farewell Homily, 10th Sun Ordinary Time Year C

Well… this is a sad day for me, my last Sunday here at St. James. My last official day isn’t until Tuesday, June 18 but next weekend, Father’s Day weekend, I’ll be here on Saturday night and on Sunday I’ll be at St. Ambrose and St. Ignatius… so that makes today my last Sunday with you as your Associate Pastor. My new assignment, as many of you know, will be at Holy Trinity in Fredericktown and Holy Rosary in Manton. They are in the same general area, between Bardstown and Springfield, off of US-150. I hope you’ll be able to join me in Batcheldor Hall after the 12:15pm Mass today for a going away party when I can thank all of you in more detail for a wonderful first two years of Priesthood.

I think the readings today, in a sense, encapsulate well my time here with you, my Mission here as a recently ordained priest, a mission to respond in love. Jesus comes upon a funeral procession as it makes its way through the gates of the city of Nain. Unlike when he raised to life the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official, or when he raised Lazarus, his beloved friend – this time no one makes any appeal to him. This time, near the gate of the city, he raises to life the son of the widow of Nain on his own accord, moved with mercy and compassion, for she had lost everything. After this the people glorified God, remembering how the prophet Elijah similarly raised to life the son of the widow of Zarephath, as described in our first reading. Here Jesus shows us his great love and compassion for those who are suffering.

He also provides a vivid model for every priest to follow in his own pastoral and sacramental ministry. It is the law of love that motivates Jesus, not the ritual purity laws that dictated him to stay away from contact with the dead. The law of love motivates him to act, motivates him to step forward, to give of himself, to not simply pass by, to not wait to be called upon. This law of love must motivate the hearts of Christ’s priests as well. It must be their impetus, their impulse.

As you probably know, I can tend to be somewhat shy and introverted. But one of the greatest gifts you have given me has been the opportunity and the welcome to be among you “near the gate,” so to speak, of so many profound moments. You have given me a chance. You have created what one of my old professors used to call, “the condition of possibility” for me to begin to try to follow Jesus’ example as a priest, to step out, to step forward, called by love: “Near the gate” of so many hospital rooms every Monday morning for Anointings and Holy Communion; “near the gate” of this Church for so many Masses and funerals; “near the gate” of the baptismal font for Baptisms and Easter Vigil Confirmations; “near the gate” of the confessional – the great sacrament of mercy; “near the gate” of the sanctuary for weddings; “near the gate” of our classrooms and meeting rooms, teaching and catechizing; “near the gate” of the detention center for confessions and Mass for the prisoners; “near the gate” of the basketball court, cheering on our children; near all of these “gates” so to speak, these occasions for ministry, you have accepted and welcomed me. I cannot say enough how much you have helped me in this way to grow a pastoral heart and to respond to the impetus to love.  Please forgive me for the times when I did not step forward and when I stepped forward to harshly.

Lumen Gentium, the Latin title for the document from Vatican II that dealt with different aspects of the Church, gives a beautiful description of priestly ministry. It says in paragraph 41: “The shepherds of Christ’s flock must [in a holy way] and eagerly, humbly and courageously carry out their ministry, in imitation of the eternal high priest, the shepherd and guardian of our souls. They ought to fulfill this duty in such a way that it will be the principal means also of their own sanctification” (LG 41). This means that the very carrying out of their ministry will be what makes priests holy. The very exercise of their ministry is the means by which God intends to make them saints. Praise God for this! Praise God for you! To a degree that only God knows, I believe that by accepting me and my ministry, you have helped me to grow in holiness. There is no greater gift you could have given me over these two years than that.

Throughout the Mass, most of the prayers are said out loud to God the Father, either directly or in dialogue form with you. But there are some prayers that the priest whispers, in a voice inaudible to the congregation; they are private prayers between God and the priest. Two of these are said as the priest receives Communion. Before he consumes the Host, he whispers, “May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.” And before he drinks the Precious Blood from the chalice, he whispers, “May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.” Hmm… “the Body of Christ” – in light of these readings it may be said that that phrase at that time refers to you too, in a mystical way, the Body of Christ. As Lumen Gentium put it, insofar as I am faithful to being the “shepherd and guardian of your souls,” I am being kept safe for eternal life. Thus, God-wiling, we are keeping each other safe for that resurrection and life that never ends – “eternal life.”

Let us pray for each other. As Christ steps forward and touches our lives, let us always be together in stepping forward to meet him, each of us being faithful to our own vocations, our own unique ways of life. Then we can always be together, together in “glorifying God,” always “near the gate” of his Church, always together extolling Christ, saying, “‘A great prophet has arisen in our midst,’ and ‘God has visited his people.’”

Courage Presentation

Here is a link to the PowerPoint presentation that Deacon Stephen Bowling and I gave to the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Louisville on the Courage Apostolate that we are forming.  Courage is a ministry to persons with same sex attraction who want to be faithful to Church teaching regarding homosexuality and who want the Church’s help in maintaining a chaste lifestyle.

http://sdrv.ms/12uZfno

The link is in “tiny” format and goes to the PowerPoint file on my SkyDrive

For more info, see http://www.couragerc.net

Pentecost Sunday Year C

Thinking over the whole liturgical year, I would argue that Pentecost is the second most important Feast Day of the year, behind Easter. It brings to an end what we call “The Great Sunday,” the 50 days of the Easter Season. It marks the birthday of the Church as it is sent forth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the praises of God and to forgive sins.

Today the Church has placed us in the middle of two of the most powerful events in salvation history. The Risen Lord appeared to the apostles on the evening of Easter Sunday, breathed into them the Holy Spirit, and gave them the power to forgive sins – a sort of foretaste of the Spirit the Apostles received in full, 50 days later. Then, the Holy Spirit almost seems to be breathed into them from the lips of God the Father Himself – “suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.”

This isn’t just one among many miracles. The power breathed into them on Easter Sunday and the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost are intimately connected. The only other times in Scripture when God breathed on mankind, was in the beginning – in the book of Genesis, when “the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen 2:7) – and in Ezekiel, where God raises an army of corpses to new life by the breath of the Spirit (37:9). Just think of how the apostles felt! They probably remembered when Jesus breathed on them 50 days before and they knew the Scriptures of Genesis and Ezekiel. All of this comes together in one magnificent moment in which the apostles receive a newfound courage and zeal and the ability to praise God in languages they didn’t even know. Their hearts, and souls, and minds are filled with God, the Holy Spirit. The Church is on fire and alive! Today this moment is ours too! We are that same Church today. We are the Church of the Apostles, still alive, still on fire, forever young with the exuberance of the Holy Spirit!

God the Holy Spirit wants to fill us too. He wants us to receive the same fullness of Himself that the Apostles received on this very day, over 2000 years ago. In fact he has done this already. He infused in our souls Faith, Hope, and Love through the waters of our Baptism and he enhanced and completed these gifts when we were Confirmed. But He hasn’t stopped there! The Holy Spirit wants to fill our souls every single day so that the Church 2000 years from now will still be on fire and alive.

We have our own part to play in this. Most importantly, I think, would be to simply pray to God, the Holy Spirit. Often times we have no problem praying to God, the Father, because we can imagine a fatherly figure, with gray hair, and a beard! And we can pray to God, the Son, because Jesus Christ is so vividly depicted in the Gospels and in artwork. But the reigning image of the Holy Spirit is a dove! We don’t pray to doves! Most of the time we think of God, the Holy Spirit, simply as a force, or a power, that comes and goes, as if He is the magic pixi dust that God sprinkles on us every now and then! He is much more than this! He is God. He is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. And, as God, He welcomes and answers our prayers.

Throughout my childhood and still today, my Dad always encouraged my brothers and me to pray to the Holy Spirit. Any time we were nervous about a minor league baseball game, or a test at school, or an argument with a friend, my Dad would always tell us to pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance before we went into it. I recommend that for us today. If you have not been in the habit of praying to God, the Holy Spirit, today is the perfect day to start, the day when we celebrate how generously He filled the apostles, and us, with courage and zeal.

Maybe during the quiet time after Communion today, or at home together with your family, or before you go to sleep tonight, call to mind something that may be troubling you. It could be the pressures of our economy, a difficult project at work, a relative who has fallen away from the Church, a wound from your past that is still painful, or anxiety over an illness. Ask God, the Holy Spirit, to renew in you the graces He gave you at your Baptism and Confirmation. Ask him to make you on fire and alive with the same courage and zeal that He gave the Apostles on this very day. Ask for big graces! Ask him for wisdom or healing or reconciliation or faith. Heck, ask Him to make you a saint! There probably will not be a driving wind or tongues of fire. He may only come to you in a very small way. But when he does, he will stretch your soul to receive him in a little bit bigger way the next time he comes. Then, he will work on your soul even more. And between His visits, if you maintain your soul with prayer, with Confession, with the Eucharist, He will find you more and more receptive of bigger and bigger gifts.

Come Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts take up Thy rest; Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made, to fill the hearts which Thou has made. Come the same Spirit, let us pray, that breathed into the Apostles on Easter Sunday and filled them when Easter had ended at that great Pentecost. Come, the same Spirit, let us pray, that makes the Church, then, now, and forever on fire and alive. Let us, each one of us, go forth today bearing new fire and life to every place and relationship we have.

Pentecost Vigil Year C

When Jesus, as St. John’s Gospel tells us, stood up and exclaimed to all the people, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink…‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.’” – this was a bold statement. John explains, “He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive.” For Jesus, timing is everything. This happened on the last day of the Jews’ great seven-day celebration called, The Festival of Booths. During this annual liturgical celebration, pilgrims who came to Jerusalem would live in huts made of braches, called “booths.” In one of the major rituals of the week, the high priest drew water from the Pool of Siloam, carried it in procession into the Temple and then poured it on the stone altar of sacrifice. This ritual commemorated the time in which God provided for his people during their Exodus journey through the desert by making water flow from a rock. It is against the backdrop of this celebration that Jesus stands up and exclaims that he is the source of spiritual water, the Holy Spirit, and that it is he who satisfies all that we thirst for.

Everything that water means for the body, now has meaning for our soul. Just as water cleanses the body, gives us strength, and refreshes us, so the Living Water of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, cleanses our souls of sin in Baptism and Reconciliation, gives us strength in Confirmation, and refreshes us in the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick. The Holy Spirit is active in all seven of the sacraments constantly forming and transforming us as the New People of God as we wander in our own Exodus journey through the desert of this life to the Promised Land of Heaven. How are we doing on this journey? At times do we doubt that the Lord can provide for us? If we see ourselves as God’s chosen people, joined to Him by a covenant, then we can ask ourselves, “Am I faithfully keeping my covenant with God? Do I avail myself generously of all that the Holy Spirit provides me through the Church in order to stay faithful to God? Do I turn to other things to satisfy my deepest thirsts?”

Our first reading began to describe how God forged the covenant with his people; it was done amid the majesty of Mt. Sinai, amid thunder and lightning, heavy clouds, loud trumpet blasts, columns of smoke and fire, and earthquakes. This was done in order to show His people that his might and power exceeds that of all the other pagan gods. God is the One, True, God of Power and Might. This spectacle also showed them the great significance of what they were being brought into; what it means to be the chosen people of such a powerful God.

The Lord said to His People through Moses: “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine.” Our covenant with God wasn’t forged amid fire and lightening, rather, it was forged amid the fire and light of our Baptismal candle and the fire and light infused in our souls by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Water. With His grace, we become more and more God’s special possession. In fact, we become, as Moses foretold, a holy nation.

As a people set apart, for all the world to see, we can also ask ourselves: As one member of the entire Body of Christ… As one Catholic in the whole universal Catholic Church… How am I serving the larger body? How am I portraying the Catholic Church to the world around me? Do I make the life of a Catholic one that others would want to follow? Do I act in a priestly way – and this question is for all of us. Do I make sacrifices for other people? Do I offer up my sufferings to God? Do I pray for my family and friends? In these ways we all, ordained or not, can become the holy people that God wants us to be.

All of his would be a heavy yoke, burdensome, and impossible if we were formed as God’s people and then sent forth to rely on our own power. But, neither God nor the Church gives us responsibilities and then leaves us to our own devices. Rather, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified. It is this same Holy Spirit, who spoke from all time through the prophets and through the Church today, who is our help, our advocate, our guide. He is the one who makes the yoke and the burden of the life of holiness, the life of a Catholic Christian, easy and light rather than harsh or restrictive. The Holy Spirit makes life as a child of God one of joyfulness, happiness, peacefulness, and calmness. Does this describe our lives today?

The Holy Spirit comes to each of us in His own way. But we can find hope in knowing that the Holy Spirit has indeed come to all of us. At this Vigil Mass we anticipate and long for Him to come again in our lives. This is His desire too! We have only to acknowledge and remember the great things He has already done for us, plead for Him to come again and again, be willing to receive Him, and then be willing to live according to Him. The Holy Spirit will even help us ask. For as St. Paul says, “the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” How happy the Lord will be to look down upon his people and see in each one of us rivers of living water flowing forth in a life of holiness and a world transformed by His Power in us.

Homily 5th Sun Easter – Self-sacrificial love renews the earth

In the Catholic Church, we don’t just celebrate Easter for one day, we celebrate it for fifty days! This year, we celebrate Easter by following the early Church, step by step, through the Acts of the Apostles. We have an inside look into how the graces of that miraculous Easter morning helped the early Church to endure many trials and thus experience rapid expansion. I think it has been fascinating to watch how our Church first began its mission to preach the Good News and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Along with our journey with the early Church, we are also steeped in the Book of Revelation, the account of the mystical vision St. John received while exiled on the island of Patmos. Today it reveals that “a new heaven and a new earth” will be perfectly formed when God’s Son comes again. God the Father, the one who sits on the throne, said, “Behold, I make all things new.” This is in the present-tense. Although incomplete until the end of time, He is making the new heaven and the new earth, the Kingdom of God, presently, currently, right now. This is what we celebrate!

How does this come about - When, as John’s Gospel says, we “love one another” precisely as our Risen Lord has loved us. The early Church we are following in the Acts of the Apostles shows us exactly what living this love looks like. “It is necessary,” they said, “to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” True Christ-like love involves sacrifice.

On Monday, May 10, we will celebrate the feast day of St. Damien of Moloka’i, an excellent example for us of true Christ-like love. As we look at his example, let us ask ourselves, “Does the love I say I have for God, for my family, for my friends, have an element of sacrifice too? Could it be characterized by sacrifice?” If not, it is not Christ-like love.

St. Damien, a Belgian priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, lived in the mid to late 1800’s. When his brother, also a priest, was unable to take an assignment to go to Hawaii to minister to the native peoples, Damien took his place. At the time the natives were undergoing a grave crisis as they struggled to cope with the new diseases introduced to their population by foreign traders and sailors. The worst of these was leprosy. Knowing very little about the disease or how to treat it, and fearful of its spread, the King in 1865, in a decree that would last over 100 years, ordered all lepers in the kingdom of Hawaii to be quarantined in a small settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, accessible, even today by only a narrow mule path. Between 1865 and 1969 over 8000 lepers were sent there with very little food, supplies, or health care.

In 1873 the Bishop of Honolulu asked for four volunteers to minister to the settlement. Fr. Damien was the first to volunteer and he entered the quarantine which then had over 800 lepers. There he built them a parish, gave them the sacraments, and dressed their wounds. He and the healthier natives also built homes, beds, farms, and schools for them. He also built proper caskets for the dying and dug them proper graves. Out of great love for them, Fr. Damien wrote: “Here I am in the midst of my dear lepers. They are hideous to look at but they have souls redeemed at the price of the blood of our Savior… I love my Hawaiians very much… I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.”

He knew that his ministry among them would soon bring the disease upon himself. But he wrote, “I would not want to be healed if leaving the island and abandoning my work were to be the price.” So he persevered, ministered to them, and showed the natives great love as they died. “By keeping the lepers close to me when they are sick,” he said, “a good number have died with good dispositions.” Fr. Damien himself died of leprosy on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and on October 11, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI canonized him St. Damien of Molokai. In his homily for the canonization, Pope Benedict said:

His missionary activity, which gave him such joy, reached its peak in charity. Not without fear and repugnance, he chose to go to the Island of Molokai to serve the lepers who lived there, abandoned by all… He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity.

St. Damien’s life illustrates what John’s Gospel means when it says we are to love one another as Jesus has loved us: by self-sacrifice, by sacrificing ourselves for each other. Through suffering, offered to the Father, Jesus showed the depth of his love for us and won for us our salvation. That was the way Christ went and so it is our way too, for the disciple is not above his master. St. Paul loved this way too. We have heard all about his traveling from place to place, preaching, ordaining men to lead the local Churches, praying, fasting, and even returning to lands that had persecuted him in the past in order to strengthen the Christians there. All of this he accomplished after being stoned, dragged out of the city of Lystra, and left for dead! He endured all of this in, and out of, great love. This is why he was able to say, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

Self-sacrificial love is how, here and now, God makes all things new. This is how we begin to live in a new heaven and a new earth, the kingdom of God that He is making. Self-sacrificial love is how God dwells among us, wiping every tear from our eyes. This is how he conquers death, mourning, wailing, and pain. This is how the old order passes away – when we endure suffering that comes our way with patience and humility. When we ask God to unite our sufferings with those of his Son’s Cross for the salvation of our friends and family. When we give of ourselves like our Lord, like St. Paul, like St. Damien; when we sacrifice ourselves for those we love, because we love them.