Homily 25 O/T

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
22 September 2013

          Journey with me, if you will, in remembering six months ago when our Holy Father, Pope Francis, was elected. Do you remember how excited the Church was? Do you remember how excited the world was? And rightfully so: it was an exciting time! However, what our media, memes, social media, Catholics, Christians, and non-Christians alike continue to revel in is how “fresh” and “invigorating” and “kind” Pope Francis is.

          Yet the teachings that our Holy Father gives to us are not anything new in the mind and heart of the Church. (Please remember: the mind and heart of the Church is always a genuine reflection of the mind and heart of Christ!) While the “apostolic style” of Pope Francis is different than of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI, and while some believe that that “apostolic style” is more akin to Blessed Pope John XXIII, the teachings of our popes past and present have always been in-line with the Magisterium and Deposit of Faith.

          This idea comes to light rather strongly this week as we reflect upon our First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, and Gospel. Since his election, people have become enamored with the “simplicity” of life that Pope Francis has been preaching about. From paying his own hotel bill following the conclave to not wearing the traditional red shoes, our society has become mystified with this aspect of our Holy Father. Yet his life, as should the life of every Christian, reflects the simplicity, the poverty of Christ.

          Now this does not mean we cannot own wealth, and this doesn’t mean that all wealth is bad. While the simplicity and poverty that the Supreme Pontiff practices should be the model for the life for every follower of Christ, we are reminded by Christ, Himself, and through the prophet Amos that our possessions are not to possess us; that the wealth we have is meant to be used for the common good in making sure that we are taking care of our basic needs while caring for our brothers and sisters in need.

          In a homily a few months ago, Pope Francis said the following: “How many of us, myself included, have lost our bearings; we are no longer attentive to the world in which we live; we don’t care; we don’t protect what God created for everyone, and we end up unable to care for one another!”

          Each of us, myself included, have those moments in our lives when we’d like to “keep up with the Jones’”, where the “new thing” in society dominates our attention. Think about it: How many people in our own city, let alone the nation, waited in line all night Thursday to be one of the first people to buy either model of the new iPhone? How many people rush their Thanksgiving meal so that they can be the first one in line to hit the stores on Black Friday? If it’s “new and shiny”, then you’ll bet that our society will want to have it.

          But Jesus – and, by extension, Pope Francis – isn’t just talking about material wealth. We can be wealthy in other ways in our lives. And if we allow these types of other wealth, such as spiritually, emotionally or physically to name a few, to dominate the attention we give to our lives and ignore the pleading and plight of those poorer around us, then we’ve completely missed the message of the Gospel. When we “are no longer attentive to the world” or when “we don’t protect what God created”, then we fail to be Christ to one another. It is at that moment when we allow our hearts to become possessed by something or someone other than Jesus Christ.

                   Blessed John Paul II once taught us: “The Church continually combats all forms of poverty, because as Mother she is concerned that each and every person be able to live fully in dignity as a child of God.”

As Church, as the Body of Christ, our primary concern is always our neighbor, never ourselves! Our mission, given to us through the Sacraments of Initiation, is to attend to the needs of our brothers and sisters. We are called to continue to establish the Reign of God here on Earth. We are called to be concerned for the least and most vulnerable among us. We are called to help raise up those who are poor – materially, emotionally, spiritually, physically – to see their dignity as a son or daughter of God.

Saint Teresa of Avila, our beloved patron, said it best: “Thank God for the things I do not own.” And she’s right . . .

This great saint knew how our humanity folds in on itself, and allows our possessions to possess us. Teresa’s wisdom points out to us that thanking God for what we do not own allows us to enter more deeply into the eternal mysteries of God, and we are freer to be concerned for our brothers and sisters.

As I stated earlier, wealth in-and-of-itself is not a bad thing. Nevertheless, we must always be mindful that any type of wealth that we possess is to be used for the further establishment of the Reign of God. This is why the Church continues to fight for justice, to teach and practice the preferential option for the poor, and upholds the principle of subsidiarity. This is one of the reasons why we have so many “second collections” throughout the year: We are obligated to support those missions and ministries of the Church which continue to raise those who are downtrodden to a reality that befits them in their dignity as a child of God.

My brothers and sisters, ultimately Jesus is talking about justice, that principle which enables us to treat others fairly. Jesus is asking of us today to be just in the way we handle those blessings that have been given to us. And if we have been blessed with a little extra wealth – again, be it materially, physically, spiritually, emotionally – we have the obligation to not hoard it all to ourselves, but see that what has been given to us is excess is shared so that those who lack may never go without.

We pray that this justice may roll like a river, washing all forms of oppression away; that God will come and take us, move us and shake us; that He will make us anew; and that through our thoughts, words and deeds, we may become as just as our God.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

The Choice is OURS

Homily for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
15 September 2013

          We have a wonderful reflection in our Gospel today on how God rejoices when one sinner returns to His loving embrace. The mercy and persistence of God in waiting for us and in calling us back to Himself is something that we expect to discover throughout our lives.

          But the well-known story of the Prodigal Son is brought to life not just through the constant vigil of the Father, but even more so in the decisions of the Younger Son. Because like the Younger Son, we have chosen to leave the life given to us by the Father . . . We have walked away from the good life that has become so ordinary for us, and we choose to pursue the fleeting pleasures of a mediocre life that we believe will fulfill us.

          Yet we know and we have experienced those moments in our lives where, like the Younger Son, we see how miserable our lives really are, and we choose to return back home to the Father to experience His mercy.

          However, that’s the catch: It has to be OUR choice.

          That’s what we reflect upon in our Responsorial Psalm. Our singing the words of, “I will arise and go to my God,” isn’t just a bunch of words to go with a pretty melody. Those words need to be for us the resolution by which we choose to leave our lives of false promises behind and, by our thoughts, words and actions, choose to walk toward the mercy of God.

          Again, though, this choice has to be OUR choice. God continues to call us to become closer to Himself. God, like the Father in the Gospel, keeps a constant vigil for us to come home to Him. But like the Younger Son, we must recognize how – in one way or another – our lives need to experience the merciful and loving embrace of the Father.

          We cannot fully experience the mercy of God if we choose to keep our distance from Him. Now, this does not only mean staying away from Him through not coming to weekly Mass, or keeping ourselves away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation because we’re afraid or embarrassed, but also includes the ignoring of the mercy of God daily through failing to be Christ-like to others or by neglecting to take those final moments of the day in performing a daily examination of conscience.

          My brothers and sisters, our lives are not truly complete if we don’t allow ourselves to experience the mercy of God; our lives are not truly complete if we fail to experience the loving embrace of the Father. We must be courageous, though, to seek God’s mercy and compassion in recognizing that our lives are really dependent on our relationship with God.

          “I will arise and go my God.” My brothers and sisters, don’t allow these words to be just simply something pretty to sing at Mass today. Rather, these words ought to be our resolve to embrace the constant transformation of our lives. These words are that invitation the Church gives to us to run to the Father so as to know that pure mercy which turns into pure joy.

          The Eucharist that we celebrate today is that foretaste of the complete mercy and complete joy the Lord wishes to give to us. The gift of the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive and share today opens us up to be that courageous disciple, choosing for ourselves to place our relationship with God as the first thing in our lives.

          Today . . . Here . . . Now . . . This is the time for us to choose God’s mercy. If we want to secure peace in our lives and in our world, we’ll turn from the false and fleeting pleasures of this life, and like the Younger Son, we shall arise and go to our Father.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

Renunciation and Calculation, or How Not to be Like Clark Griswold

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
8 September 2013

          There’s something universal in watching Clark W. Griswold continuously mess up in the National Lampoon movies. He reminds us of ourselves in those moments of lacking true thought, and when we don’t calculate the cost of what we’re planning to do. Clark has the best intentions in mind, and his heart is in the right place . . . However, his pride gets in the way, and he becomes blinded to everything else going on around him. Even though his family is trying to snap him back to reality and help him out, Clark pushes forward with his agenda as the only thing guiding him.

          Clark W. Griswold is an archetype of the way we as Americans, and even just as humans, behave.

          However, Clark Griswold is also a prime example of how we live out our spiritual lives, as well. Often times we just plow ahead, and do not heed the message that Jesus gives to us in today’s Gospel: renunciate and calculate.

          To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must be willing to renunciate everything that separates him or her from having that honest and fulfilling relationship with Jesus. But before we know what it is we must renunciate to have that fulfilling relationship with Jesus, we must first “count the cost” about what it is to be a disciple.

          When an average member of our society begins to count the cost in what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, that individual would create a list, including items like:

·        Prayer;

·        Worship;

·        Service;

·        Being good;

·        Being loving; and / or

·        Just trying to be like Jesus.

While this list is okay, and has some good points on it, it’s not a list of counting the cost, because “counting the cost” means that whatever it is we’re counting for is going to cost us something. What should be written on the list of items that cost us for being a disciple of Christ includes:

·        Family;

·        Friends;

·        Security;

·        Peace;

·        Contentment; and

·        Acceptance . . .

. . . to name a few items.

          This list should disturb us a little, because these are all good things in life. God doesn’t want us to lose those good things. But if we just plow ahead in our spiritual life, just as Clark Griswold did in his ordinary life, then we’re going to completely miss what it is that Jesus is truly calling us to: Renunciation of this life so to gain eternal life.

          Jesus points out how necessary renunciation is for us. But don’t take this to the extreme: We are not to turn our backs on everything God has given us. He blesses us through our relationships, through our security and peace. However, what Jesus asks of us today is to take a look at our lives and move away from anything – or, perhaps anyone – who keeps us away from loving God fully. This doesn’t mean that we give all our money and goods away or leave our families and friends to never speak to them again. Rather, the Lord calls us to recognize how we are to re-orient our lives to Him – to stop being like Clark Griswold in our spiritual lives – and to follow Him completely and whole-heartedly.

          As Christians, we are to renounce the world while still living in it. As Christians, we live our lives being faithful to the Gospel without counting the cost. We will lose family and friends. The world will hate us. But as we continue to live among the Clark Griswolds of this world, who simply barrel their wills and ways in this world without counting the cost, we continue to remain secure in the hope that the Cross of Christ will be our safety; the Heart of Christ, our refuge; and the Blood of Christ, our salvation.

          Receiving the Eucharist today, we must be willing to ask our God to remove all the Clark Griswold-like tendencies in our lives so that we may live whole-heartedly as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Receiving the Eucharist today, we recognize that our families, friends, and even the world will hate us for being a follower of Jesus Christ, but we take solace in the unity we have as the Body of Christ, knowing that our God will never abandon us.

          My brothers and sisters, we need to resolve, then, today, to not be like the Clark Griswolds of the world. We need to resolve, today, in allowing the Heart of Christ to protect us, the Cross of Christ to guide us, and the Body of Christ to give us strength. We need to resolve each day to renounce the world, and to calculate the way the Lord is calling us to salvation.

          The choice is ours each day to renew the commitment of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. If we’re serious about our relationship with God, we will choose that discipleship without counting the cost, because a relationship with our God is worth more than the world could ever give us.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

All is Labor

Homily for Labor Day
2 September 2013

          I’m sure that a few people in this church today have had the following conversation:

        “Lord, I’m worried . . .”

        “Don’t be.”

        “But, Lord, I need . . .”

        “Don’t worry.”

        “No, Lord, You don’t understand. I need . . .”

        “Don’t worry. I got it covered.”

        “But, Lord . . .”

        “Listen, DON’T WORRY! It’s all alright.”

        My brothers and sisters, we gather on this day to give praise to our God for the gift of “labor”. Yes, the gift of labor. We gather around the Table of the Word and the Table of the Eucharist to once again labor here for our salvation, yet, at the same time, coming to recognize we need not worry about our labors, for the Lord is watching over us.

        In the wake of the Industrial Revolutions, Pope Leo XIII gave to the Church his encyclical, Rerum Novarum, which talks about the relation of capital to labor. Since that fifteenth day of May in 1891, the Church has continued to strive to understand the great gift of labor, and how it ties in to the life of the Church, the society, and the individuals in that society. She continues to teach and preach that there is a dignity to work and a dignity found in the one working. This is one of the seven points of Catholic Social Teaching. We are reminded:

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected – the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

        In addition, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches us:

Work is a fundamental right and a good for mankind, a useful good, worthy of man because it is an appropriate way for him to give expression to and enhance his human dignity. The Church teaches the value of work not only because it is always something that belongs to the person but also because of its nature as something necessary. (Paragraph 287)

        Now what does all this have to do with our Gospel and the conversation at the beginning of this homily?

        Easy: Whether we’re employed, unemployed or retired, everything we do is laboring in and for the Kingdom of God; everything we do is for the glory of God. And if God is truly our ultimate “employer”, then we really have nothing to fear, for He is always looking out for what is best for us.

        We cannot get away from working. What we’re doing here, right now, is labor, for “liturgy”, loosely translated, means “work of the people”. What we do for our families and friends is what we often call a “labor of love”. No matter what stage in life we may be, we continually find some labor, we find some type of work in or for our lives, because, as we’ve just been reminded, “it is an appropriate way for [us] to give expression to and enhance [our] human dignity.”

        If we truly trust in God, whether employed, unemployed or retired, we know that He gives us the opportunity to praise Him in any situation we find ourselves in, no matter how frustrating that situation might be. We must remember that those who are employed are not always happy in their job; that those who are unemployed may be frustrated, but see this status as a temporary “bump in the road”; that those who are retired may not be living the type of relaxation they had dreamed about as the economy of our nation and world has them anxious about their finances and financial stability. These are real concerns! These are the lives of our families and friends, of you and me!

        But don’t worry . . . God’s got it covered.

        And I don’t say this because I’m an overly optimistic priest. I tell you this through my own experience. I’ve been at the end of the spectrum in having enough money to help friends and family out of dire situations. I’ve also been at the end of the spectrum where I’ve been as broke as broke can be, and have seen the charity of God shine through those moments of feeling anxious and helpless.

        Yes, I worried . . . Honestly, who wouldn’t? But it didn’t for one second stop me in glorifying God through the labors He had given me. I didn’t think less of myself because of my situation, my employment or lack-thereof. Through my frustration, through my pain, through my joy, I allowed myself to work for the glory of God. I allowed myself to enter deeper into the call of the expression of my dignity as a child of God.

        And that is what we celebrate today.

        We celebrate the very fact that God continues to call us through our labors – professional or otherwise – to deepen the dignity we have as His sons and daughters. We celebrate the opportunities that God has given us in our employment, unemployment or retirement to truly labor for Him, for His Kingdom, and for our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom. We celebrate the fact that our laboring, our working in this world only prepares us for the labor that we will be fulfilling in the eternal life – a labor that we practice in the here and now: the eternal praise and worship of our God.

        The Eucharist we now celebrate not only unites us to our God and to one another, but also unites our labors to the praise and glory of Him who has given us the opportunity to be called His children. This Eucharist unites our works so that we may lift them up as a sacrifice of praise. The work that we do here at this Eucharist puts all of our other labors into perspective, for this is the primary work of the Church – to praise our God with all that we do and all that we are.

        And so, as many today rest from their labors, and as many others continue to labor, we give thanks to God through the works, both big and small, that we do every day for the glory of Him who has given us the dignity as His children. We give thanks to God for being able to labor in and for His Kingdom. We continue to turn to Him in those moments of anxiety and frustration, knowing that He continues to take care of us.

        We labor here on Earth so that we may prepare to labor in Heaven. We do what we do so that in doing it, God’s love, will, and peace will be made manifest upon this Earth. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina reminds us to “pray, hope and don’t worry.” We don’t worry because the Lord is calling us to keep on doing the work He gives to us, knowing that all is taken care of. As the great Sister Thea Bowman reminds us, we just need to “keep on keeping on.” And we “keep on keeping on” heeding the words of the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux:

"Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labors."

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Enjoy the journey . . .