21 December 2012

Ummm . . . We're still here . . .

So . . . the world didn't end today.

Sorry, Mayans, but you guys can't count . . .

It is a wonderful opportunity to note and reflect upon a number of things:

1. We were alive for a once in a multi-generational opportunity when the sun of our solar system paralleled the center of our galaxy, something that only happens every 26,000 years. The last time that happened, humans had yet to walk the Earth, and, if we're still here in 26,000 years, it will be our great-to-the-nth-degree grandchildren that will alive for this event. I think that's pretty awesome.

2. Yes, the world didn't end and we're still here. Another pretty awesome thing, because now we can continue our lives without the hype of Armageddon predicted to be coming any time soon. For us who live as Christians, we can continue living as God has asked us to, without fear of His coming, and rejoice when He finally comes. (Remember: No one knows the day or the hour. So let's not worry about it.)

3. We've still got time now to truly focus on the important things in life, which, as the saying goes, aren't really things at all. Our families, friends and relationships with all the other people in our lives have the opportunities now to be strengthen in the love of Christ. We have that chance now to strengthen our relationship with God and with one another. (Which includes heading to confession if you haven't been there in a while.)

4. While I'm not a huge fan of snow, I do have to say it looks rather beautiful here at the parish. And since we're getting ready for the great celebration of Christmas, it does make the season more suited to the holiday songs . . . especially ones like "Sleigh Ride" and "Winter Wonderland". I even had the chance to take a picture of the holly tree in front of the car port at the parish, ground-lit for the Christmas season.



I think that I'm finally ready to celebrate . . . 




Enjoy the journey . . .

18 December 2012

What a weekend . . .

We all know of the tragic and horrific acts that happened over the course of last Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. And, I'm sure, we're keeping that town and all who died in our prayers.

Yet, in the calendar of the Catholic Church, we celebrated Gaudete Sunday, a time of rejoicing. However, a number of us didn't feel too much like rejoicing. Nevertheless, we did. And we needed to, for in that rejoicing, we remembered that the Lord is ever near us, now more than ever, and will never leave us abandoned or orphaned. At a time when we, as a nation, were trying to see where God was in the confusion of the chaos that had erupted, we recognize that He was there the whole time.

We continue to ask our Blessed Mother, under her titles of the Immaculate Conception (patroness of our nation) and Our Lady of Sorrows, to continue to intercede for the United States of America and her citizens.

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Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent – 16 December 2012

“Rejoice!” “Rejoice!” “Rejoice!”
           
This is the message of Mother Church on this Third Sunday of Advent, just as it is every year. She calls us to rejoice because the Day of the Lord is near. This “Gaudete Sunday”, as it’s traditionally known, calls us to look forward to the celebration of the Incarnation, which is now just under ten days away.

Yet a majority of us throughout the United States are wondering just how we can rejoice when the events of Friday in Newtown, Connecticut, cast such a sad and frustrating shadow on what is truly a most joyous time of preparation. Most of us are probably like the crowds in today’s Gospel, asking, “What should we do?” Frustrated, we ask the Lord for the answer, and, frustrated again, we may not like the answer we’re given: Rejoice! We rejoice because as Saint Paul reminds us in today’s Second Reading, “The Lord is near!”


Yes, we rejoice because the Lord is near! Not because Christmas is near, but because the Lord – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is nearer to us now more than ever. This is how Saint Paul exhorts us to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” we should always be “[making our] requests known to God.” “What should we do,” then? We need to be in constant communication with God. The more we talk to God, the more His peace will be in our lives – that peace “that surpasses all understanding” will lead us to the full joy of God and a life lived with and for Him.

With this peace, with this joy, does that mean we will live a life full of pain-free happiness? Obviously not. Each person in this church, in this parish, has been struck by fear, frustration, pain and sadness in our lives. But when we allow this peace, this joy to transform our lives, we are able to cry out like Isaiah in our response to the First Reading: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and He has become my savior.” And we, then, confidently remember the words of Zephaniah, that “the Lord is in [our] midst,” and that “He will rejoice over [us] with gladness, and renew [us] is His love.” And it is in this love of our God that we find our peace.

My brothers and sisters, this moment in our national attention to such horrific acts is the paradox of the Cross being lived out right before our eyes. The frustration and anger we may feel now as a nation toward such cruel and violent acts not only against other human beings, but, in a worse sense, the innocence of children, is, in some way, justified. We want answers. We seek justice. However, in the course of things, we also seek that peace which only God can give. We do not rejoice at the loss of human life. We do rejoice, however, at the knowledge that our God is near and is in our midst as we continue to make sense of such a tragic and horrific event in our nation.

My friends, ultimately we rejoice because we know that in the day-to-day living out of the paradox of the Cross, our Lord has already won the war over sin and death. We rejoice because He is in our midst in the Word and Sacraments – most especially the Eucharist, in which we will partake of in a few moments. We rejoice because, despite all the insanity, anger, rage and hatred in our world, He Who is Peace itself makes His presence known through varied ways and means to the people who need it most.

And so, my brothers and sisters, let’s take a moment to truly understand what Saint Paul means when he tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” We do so, in all times and places, because Jesus Christ has overcome all the evil, anger and hate in this world, and He has brought us true peace. But let us also pray for those who are lacking that peace and joy in their lives, and pray for the Lord’s peace to be in the hearts and homes of all mankind – not only on this day or the upcoming Christmas season, but for now and eternity, that we may truly rejoice in the presence of the Lord. For Christ is truly near and truly here in our midst.


Please now join me in a moment of prayer for those affected by the violence in Newtown, Connecticut:
·        Our Father . . .
·        Hail, Mary . . .
·        Glory Be . . .

And for those who died on Friday, and for all who have lost their lives due to acts of violence, we pray:
·        Eternal rest . . .




Enjoy the journey . . .

26 November 2012

Catching up . . . A LOT has happened!

A lot has happened since I posted here in April. And until recently, and rather unfortunately, this blog has been put on the back-burner because of things and goings-on in my life.

The one thing that has been the biggest change in my life has been a transfer from my parish assignment of Saint Alphonsus in Wexford to my current assignment of Saint Teresa of Avila Parish in Perrysville. I found about the change in late June, and it took effect on Wednesday, 15 August 2012. (I remain the Chaplain at North Catholic High School.) 

While it was, in a variety of ways, difficult to leave Saint Alphonsus, I gladly accepted the new challenges that would come moving to Saint Teresa's. And while I do miss the people of Wexford, the people in Perrysville have been just as welcoming, and I do enjoy ministering to this portion of the people of God. And though I've only been here about three-and-a-half months, I've been keeping busy with different projects that the pastor has asked me to oversee, while still trying to work with the Youth Ministry program here, and also trying to develop some type of Young Adult ministry within the parish.

One of the strange blessings that has come with this assignment has been the staff. Not to say that the staff at Saint Alphonsus didn't provide me with blessings, but having traveled with the youth minister to Spain and doing some regional youth ministry projects with her while in Wexford, it was a great moment to know the quality of the the program that I was walking in to. Also, the music minister here is a classmate of mine from high school. It has been wonderful to reconnect with him, as well. And since we share similar ideas on liturgy and its practice, it's been great to have that camaraderie.

(A funny thing about the musical instruments here is that our music minister is from the same area of Allegheny County that I was raised in, and so he knew that the parish that I spent my final two years of high school was closing, and that the church buildings were to be demolished. [It was a merged parish, with multiple church sites.] He was able to save elements of the pipe organs from two of the churches, which included pipes from my original home parish which was closed in 1993. They purchased the pipes and the console, and installed the pipe organ here at Saint Teresa's, dedicating it last October [of 2011], and I was able to be present for the dedication. The piano which they purchased from the now-suppressed Saint Martin de Porres Parish was the piano which my parents donated to the church from our family home. So it's been somewhat of a treat to play the piano I played growing up in the parish where I'm now assigned. [And the same could be said about the organ.])

Before the move, however, I had the opportunity to visit a little town called Patzun in Guatemala. It had been six years since I had been there. And while some things had changed, a lot still looked the same. I was able to head down and do missionary work there with some friends, and truly enjoyed my time being back there. And though I got sick coming back (which seems to be a bad habit with me when I leave the country as of late), I really had a wonderful experience serving the people of that town.

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The day began awhile ago, and I need to keep it moving. Hopefully will have the chance to update a little more soon, and a little more often!


Enjoy the journey . . .

Homily for Christ the King

            It’s almost that time of year. And I’m getting excited for it. And I know that some of you are, too. We have about a month until the 24-hour airing of A Christmas Story. I truly enjoy this film every year: From the bunny suit to the leg lamp, from seeing Flick stuck to the flagpole to the discovery of Chinese turkey, I look forward to catching at least one showing every year.

            Now, if you remember anything of the movie, you’ll remember that the only thing that Ralphie wanted for Christmas was a Red Rider BB Gun. And, of course, after many warnings about shooting his eye out, he had the opportunity to enjoy his gun for that first time on Christmas morning. And what happens? He wasn’t ready for the force of the gun, so he was knocked over, his glasses flying off his face in the process. So while trying to search for his glasses, he steps on them, breaking them. So what does he do so he doesn’t get in trouble? He lied . . . HE LIED! Ralphie lied so that he would get out of trouble.

            Yet Ralphie isn’t completely dissimilar to you and me. At least once in our lives, we’ve given a falsehood to get out of a “sticky situation”. Ralphie reminds us of one thing: We all, at one point or another in our lives, have feared the truth. We have run away from it. We have hidden from it. All because, to paraphrase a famous movie quote, “[we] can’t handle the truth”.

            And, in a way, that’s so very true. Truth – REAL TRUTH – frightens us. It scares us. It overwhelms us. The truth is so big at times that we feel as if it will overtake us and sweep us away downstream. Truth frightens us because it makes us look at people and situations for what they truly are, with nothing held back, and forces us to deal with this life as it truly is. THE TRUTH MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE. And thank God for that awesome fact.

            Yet, as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to be more open and accepting of the truth. After all, Jesus Christ hasn’t just spoken the truth, HE IS TRUTH ITSELF. And it our responsibility and duty as Catholics to live in Truth. This is how God created us: As His children, we are supposed to be searching for Him in this life, to recognize Him in this created world, so to live with Him for eternity in the next. That is why Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world. We are not created to simply “exist” in this world, where deceit and falsehood abound. We are to encounter the living God in this world, to create a personal relationship with Him here, so that we may take our place in our true home in the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

            And so like Mary, like the Apostles, and even like Pilate, we come to learn in our lives that when we encounter Him Who is the fullness of Truth, we cannot run away, becoming overwhelmed in our lives. We live in the Truth by becoming subject to Truth. This is why Christ is King! This is why we celebrate this great solemnity today! This is why we once again shout with praise those ancient words of the Church: Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ rules! Christ who has ultimately conquered the lies and deceits of Satan, reigns not just in our hearts but over all of creation to rule supreme as the one, who through Truth, brings us the fullness of life.

            But, again, the Truth is uncomfortable. It is so because we live among the lies and deceits of our society which tear us away from the love of God and from that peaceful community. That is why He continues to be present among us in the humbling forms of bread and wine. For it is through the Eucharist that we have the opportunity to allow the reign of God to once again be established within us, helping us come to recognize the Truth and Life of God while living in the midst of the lies and death of the Evil One. My brothers and sisters, Ralphie lied because he didn’t understand that love, especially love coming from a parent – or even a monarch, is a love that must be both unconditional and just, both unbounded and focused. He lied because he didn’t understand that love is not just peaceful, happy thoughts and feelings, but rather self-sacrificing and down-right difficult and uncomfortable, because living in the fullness of love brings us about to recognizing the fullness of truth in our lives.

            Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! When we allow Christ to conquer all that divides us through the lies of Satan from the love of God, we ourselves conquer by He Who is Truth. When we allow Christ to reign in our lives and in our world as King, he will bring us full justice and peace, a dominion which will never end. When we allow Christ to rule as supreme, then we who He has fashioned into that great Kingdom will recognize him as He truly is, the Alpha and Omega, the One who is, who was and who is to come.

            Ralphie’s response was a human reaction. However, we, as followers of Christ, are called to move beyond human reaction and act as members of His Body. It is then that, when we hear His voice leading us in Truth, we will render service to the majesty of God and ceaselessly proclaim to His Divine Glory.

10 April 2012

Good Friday Homily

Since the Passion from the Gospel of Saint John is a little lengthy, I decided (as I try to each year) to preach a short homily. Below is my homily from this year's Good Friday service.

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Saint John of the Cross once said, “He who seeks not the Cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ.” My brothers and sisters, this is the Hour for which Christ came – this is the Hour of His glory. Yet more does the Cross portray just the glory of Christ, but it also leads us to the Heart of Christ. That pierced Heart which continues to drown the world in mercy and compassion. – That loving Heart which calls all sinners to be reconciled to the Father. The Heart of Christ IS the Glory of God – and it is pierced and exposed for us on this day to seek it out and claim it as our own. In our remembrance, in our active participation of the events which bring us our salvation, we once again conform our lives to that of Christ’s – allowing our hearts to be joined with His, and in that joining, we seek to come to not only know, but ultimately experience the glory of Christ. And though we are repulsed at the sight of His Passion, we realize that the road to glory is not always beautiful, and that love is not always easy. The Lamb of God slain on the altar of the Cross shows us the true meaning of love and glory: laying down one’s life for others. This is the heart of the matter, for this is the Heart of God – that we would unite our hearts with His, so that His glory may become for us a living reality here, now. Today we seek the Cross of Christ so that we may once again unite our hearts to His, so that the glory revealed by the Passion and Death that Christ Jesus suffered – which we memorialize today – may be for us the ultimate reality by which we live our lives so that all hearts may be united to Christ’s. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You – for by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Tenebrae Reflections

Each year, as in many parishes throughout the country, we held the service of Tenebrae, in which the darkness envelopes the world is shown through the extinguishing of candles. The pastor asked me to do three of the reflections for the evening. Below are those reflections. Enjoy!



Luke 23.32-38                        “Father, forgive them . . .”

The cry of forgiveness from Our Lord on the Cross opens to us the need to turn our stony hearts to the Lord, so that they may become fleshy hearts – hearts of compassion. For it was out of deepest love and compassion that the Son cried out to the Father. So must our hearts cry out to the Lord for compassion upon all who have done us wrong. This turning of our hearts opens us to the humility that comes with forgiveness – the very fact that we do not seek revenge, but, rather, an understanding that we must seek out the good for all people. And that good begins in willing what is best for the other; a willing that flows from understanding and experiencing ourselves how compassionate the Father is when we come to Him seeking forgiveness. The Cross opens the door of compassion to us, for it is the instrument by which ultimate mercy flowed, the instrument by which our stony hearts become flesh, for the Cross becomes the altar of reconciliation – and Christ, the victim and sacrifice of pure peace and forgiveness.


John 19.23-27                                    “Behold, your son . . . behold, your mother.”

“Behold!” In this statement the Church is given Her Mother, and the Mother Her Child. The Lord – even from the agony of His Passion – seeks the comfort, consolation, and care of those dearest to Him. Behold the ultimate Love of God reaching out in those darkest of hours in which the Lord provides part of the promise that He will continue to care for those who draw close to Him. Behold the infinite Love of the Redeemer providing the sustaining companionship that comes from the gathering of those who come together in His Name. Behold – Love on the Tree providing for the needs of those continuing to learn how to love. Behold the Family of God: so weak, so vulnerable, yet so steadfast in faith while Love Himself provides for us that which sustains us through the journey of faith and life. Behold.


John 19.28-29                                    “I thirst.”

The thirst of Jesus is great. His thirst from the Cross is not simply for water or some other drink. His thirst is for you, for me to be joined with Him in His Body. The Lord thirsts for us to make His Life our own. The Lord, in all His anguish and pain, opens for us that wellspring from which we are all to drink from; that wellspring in which we shall quench the thirst which we cannot seem to satisfy. Christ Jesus, Our Lord, thirsts for us to drink from the fountain of the Cross, from which flows the life-giving stream of His graces – especially those of the Sacraments. Our thirst for God is great, but His thirst for us is greater. Come and drink deeply and richly from the wellspring of life, from the fountain of the Cross, from which the Lord’s thirsting for our lives is quenched in the self-giving acts of love we do in His Name and for His Glory. Satisfy your thirst for God at the Cross – and allow the Lord’s thirst for our lives be quenched by the faithful “yes” we give in following His example.


Enjoy the journey . . .