25 March 2014

Gabriel's Steps to Evangelization



Homily for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
25 March 2014

        My brothers and sisters, quite often we hear on this particular feast or with these particular readings about the “yes” of Mary. And while the response of her who was full of grace is completely integral to the story and unfolding of Salvation History, we cannot forget the title of today’s celebration: The Annunciation.

        While we so often are told that we should respond to the Lord’s will just like Mary did, we forget that we often must also be like Gabriel, and announce the Good News that our God “was made flesh and dwelt among us.” We have the responsibility through our Baptism to announce to the world the presence of our God here in our midst. We, like Gabriel, must become agents of evangelization.

        This may seem like an overwhelming task at first, but when we look at the example Gabriel gives to us in today’s Gospel, it’s really not that difficult.

        Step One: Be open to the will of God. Yes, just like Mary, Gabriel, too, had to say “yes” to fulfilling God’s will. It is only when we are open to whatever God is asking of us can we then go out to evangelize to our environments, tell the story of salvation, and invite others to enter into a deeper relationship with God.

        Step Two: Meet people where they are at. Some people are close to God, while others are at least a million miles away. Wherever they are at on their journey, that’s where we begin with them; that’s where we begin to walk with them.

        Step Three: Tell the Good News. Telling the people the story, the Good News, of Who Jesus is and how He continues to dwell among us, we invite them to encounter our God who wants nothing more than for us to get to know Him. The more we tell the story, the more we share the Good News, the more we evangelize by our lives (not just our words), the more alive and personal that encounter with Jesus Christ will be with those to whom we share the Gospel.

        Step Four: Allow the people time to respond. Give the people you talk to time to respond to the Good News. Gabriel allowed Mary time to sit with the news he delivered, and time for her to respond. So must we allow people to come to understand what we’ve shared with them, but they also need to time to respond to Christ’s quiet knocking on the doors of their hearts. No good ever came from rushed evangelization.

        If we follow these easy steps, then Step Five: Send them out to tell the Good News, will be one that they will want to do themselves. They may be cautious and a little anxious, as Mary probably was of informing Joseph that she was to be the Mother of the Son of God, but the joy of knowing and spreading the Gospel will help alleviate any concerns that they – or we – may have.

        As we celebrate the beginning of the Mystery of the Incarnation this day, we must reaffirm our Baptismal calling to preach the Gospel at all times. But we must also reaffirm to allow ourselves to daily encounter Christ. This celebration of the Eucharist begins our encounter with Christ this day; and though it is the greatest encounter, it should not be our only one.

        My brothers and sisters, say “yes” to the Lord by sharing the Good News. Say “yes” to the Lord by sharing Christ with others, for our God has been made flesh and dwells among us.




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Enjoy the journey . . . 

24 March 2014

Mission Update

You may remember that I support an American missionary in Ecuador. From time to time, he'll send updates about what's been happening. I received an update today, and the story about getting to Mass made me smile on this, the eve of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Below is his e-mail. I thought it so good, I thought I would share.

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I hope that this Lenten season has been a time for quiet reflection on His passion, and for you, a desire to grow deeper in your missionary vocation. He loves us so much, and desires an intimate relationship with us. Jesus is so patient, waiting for us to finally want to 'rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us' and truly fix our eyes on Him. May we, like Him, except the trials that come for the sake of the joy that lays before us. (See Heb. 12)

I must apologize for my absence over the past couple of weeks. We hosted a mission trip of students from SFA University and put the new guys in language school in Quito. Matt and I finally have this day, our day off, to catch up on some updates. Praise the Lord!

First of all, thank you for all of your prayers. The short-term mission trip was a huge success. I was so incredibly blessed to witness the hands and feet of Jesus at work, both from the students of SFA and the people of Misahualli. Our first ministry day we hiked a couple of hours up the mountain, in mud and water, to Verde Cocha and Ishkanampi. It was a physically demanding and dirty hike, which finished with us getting poured on when we came back. At one point, a young girl of the community helped lead one of our missionaries who was struggling with hike the remaining 45 minutes of the journey. She held her hand, encouraging her and giving her confidence. At the end, she proceeded to wash off all of the mud from the missionary and clean her socks and pants. She was her angel! And the missionaries were amazing! They never complained. They were praising the Lord, falling and getting up again. It was incredible! Isn't this what the Lord wants at all times. That we give praise and thank Him, especially during those difficult moments. For certainly, praising and thanking Him will bring us healing when we are sick and hurt. Complaining and worrying will do nothing but bury us deeper in the mud.

We reached the communities and ate our lunches, sharing with the kids. We gathered everyone and sang Kichwa songs. Some of the missionaries gave testimonies. We read scripture and reflected on it, delivering them a message: Jesús les ama and He thirsts for a relationship with you. We finished with prayer over the people of the community.

We also helped three different communities build chapels during the day. In the evening over three nights, we held a prayer group in the church. We gave a series talks called the Kerygma. These are fundamental teachings on our Christian faith and beliefs. The new missionaries here in Ecuador each gave a talk, while myself, Rachel and Matt were the hosts for each night. The missionaries from SFA gave testimonies, which were so powerful. We need to do more of this, sharing with others how God has worked in our lives, through Christ, to bring us closer to Him. He tells us over and over in scripture to tell others about His marvelous deeds.

Our trip ended in Quito, where we had a pilgrimage. Our Blessed Mother guided us on an incredible journey of faith. She put in our path the opportunity to visit a cloistered convent of nuns called the Conceptionists at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. It was here where Mary appeared to a nun, Madre Mariana de Jesus Torres in the 17th C. Her body is incorruptible. (See my blog lawlessadgentes.blogspot.com to read more about this incredible story.) That evening we planned on going to mass. When we got to the church, Nuestro Señor de la Misericordia, the mass was over. The missionaries needed to go to mass because they would be traveling all day Sunday. Hoping and praying we asked the priest if he would be able to celebrate mass for us. He said, 'YES!' So we had our own personal mass, just for the missionaries. Then, come to find out, the name of the order of priests is called Inmaculada Concepción. Thank you Blessed Mother, Most Humble Servant of God!

There is much more to tell. I pray that each of you are finding His burden to be light and His yoke gentle. He will not lead you astray. Let us, each day, be more and more excited about our faith: giving Him all praise and lifting up our hands in Joy! Praise you Lord Jesus Christ!

Through Christ, our Peace,
Ryan



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Enjoy the journey . . .

22 March 2014

Quench Your Thirst




Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent
23 March 2014

          “Give me a drink.”

        No “Hello.” No “How are you?” No “What’s your name? I’m Jesus.”

        Just, “Give me a drink.”

        If someone was just reading this story from our Gospel in any other context, they may think that Jesus was just-plain-rude.

        But, of course, we know that when it comes to an encounter with Jesus, there’s always something deeper going on.

        Jesus’ command to “give [Him] a drink” to the Samaritan woman is both a command and invitation. The command is given because He is thirsty; the invitation is to quench His thirst.

        My brothers and sisters, we have to be able to look at our Gospel today not just in the context of the Lenten season, but what it ultimately leads up to: the satisfaction of the quenching of our thirst.

        In the depths of our human heart, we thirst for something greater than ourselves; we thirst for something that will satisfy our longings.

        Enter in Jesus Christ. Like the conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, He, too, asks us for a drink, because He, too, thirsts.

        Yet the Lord doesn’t want a physical drink from a physical well. He wants to drink from the wells of our heart. He wants to satisfy His thirst from the love that comes from the depths of who we are.

        Here is the paradox: The more we allow Jesus Christ to drink from the wells of our heart, the more our thirst for Him will be satisfied. Yes, we thirst for Him for He is the Something greater than ourselves; He is That which satisfies our longings.

        The more we drink from the wellspring of our salvation, the more we drink of the water and Blood gushing forth from the side of Christ, the more our thirst will be satisfied and the more we will be able to satisfy the longings of our brothers and sisters.

        Just as the Samaritan woman ran to the townspeople and told them about Jesus after her encounter with Him, so must we go forth and tell people about how we have encountered Christ, as well. The woman at the well had her thirst satisfied, and she wanted to share the living water given to her by Christ. Here, through Word and Sacrament, we are given the opportunity to have our thirsts quenched and satisfied through our encounter with Jesus Christ. It is now up to us to choose that the ritual we now participate in is not something superstitious, but, rather, is a true encounter with the living God and is a moment to procure that drink from the wellspring of salvation.

        Now is our time to bring others to the Well of Jesus Christ.

        My friends, in a few, short weeks, we will hear, once again, how Jesus spoke the words, “I thirst” from the Cross. Yes, He was physically thirsty, but He also thirsted for justice, for righteousness, for charity.

        How many times in our prayers do we cry out to the Lord the same message: “I thirst!”? How often do we allow our stubbornness or confusion to refuse the drink that our Lord presents to us? How often do we thirst for justice, righteousness or charity, but fail to allow the Lord or others – or even ourselves! – to quench that need inside of us?

        How often do we see others in their thirsting for something greater, and fail to satisfy their need for justice, righteousness, or charity? How often do we fail to bring others to the Lord so that they may drink from the wellspring of salvation?

        In our pride and short-sightedness, our prayer before the Lord comes out, “Give me a drink,” yet the prayer that comes from our contemplation of and submission to the will of God is that of, “I thirst.” We, in some ways, must give this command to God so that, ultimately, we may be able to extend the invitation, just as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman.

        My brothers and sisters, Jesus points to Himself as the Wellspring of living water. He invites us to come and drink of all He has to offer. It is through Him, and Him alone, that we are able to live out the Christian paradox: By recognizing that He thirsts for us, we recognize that we thirst for Him, and in that recognition do we understand how that intimate thirst for one another satisfies our hearts and the Heart of God simultaneously.

        Having now dined at the Table of the Word, we move to dine at the Table of the Eucharist, allowing that intimate encounter with our Lord through the reception of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to quench the thirst within us; to allow the Wellspring of salvation to irrigate the aridness of our souls.

        Contemplate the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II:

“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”




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Enjoy the journey . . .

19 March 2014

The Example of Saint Joseph



Homily for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph
19 March 2014

        The statue I placed in front of the altar this morning is called “Joseph On the Journey.” It was given to me from Father John Batchkay, then-pastor of Incarnation of the Lord Parish, when I and my fellow parishioner and classmate, Father Tom Gillespie, entered our priestly formation at Saint Paul Seminary ten years ago this August.

        This is one of my favorite depictions of the Saint whose memory we honor today. This particular image of Saint Joseph is, for me, a reminder of the journey that not only Joseph took when he was alive, but the same journey that you and I are on right now. It is a journey of pure faith; it is a journey of trust in the Lord.

        This man, who spoke not a word in Sacred Scripture, was a man of many journeys: As a child living the Jewish faith, he would have learned how to make the journey to Jerusalem for the great festivals. The first journey we see Joseph make in Scripture is taking his newly-betrothed wife, Mary, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, to be counted in Caesar’s census. We also see Joseph fleeing in haste to Egypt, to protect his wife and the Son of God he was to help raise. And somewhere, hidden from the pages of Scripture, we know of that journey he ultimately took from this life to the next.

        Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI teaches us: “Saint Joseph’s silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to the divine desires. . . . Let us allow ourselves to be filled with Saint Joseph’s silence!”

        Joseph could not have made those impressive journeys throughout his life and of his life if he had not been silent to hear the voice of the Lord.

        And so it is with us.

        My brothers and sisters, as we journey from this life to the next, as we make the many journeys of this life which take us to many places – physically, spiritually, emotionally –, then we, like Saint Joseph, must be silent to hear the voice of the Lord guiding us throughout all of our journeys.

        We must especially be silent when it comes to listening to our God about our relationship with His Son, and how we are to journey with Him.

        The silence guides the journey.

        Yet the journey can be its own reward.

        My friends, the life of Saint Joseph can teach us so much, though we know so little of it. Through his silence, he speaks volumes of how to trust and obey the will of God; his journeys teach us that when we enter into a relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ, and His Blessed Mother, our lives will not be those of standing still, but journeying, ourselves, in adventures and moments of trust that only our God can give us.

        As we approach to receive the Eucharist this day, we pray for the ability to allow that Food to be our spiritual nourishment for the journey, and the Message that we listen for in the silence of our hearts.






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Enjoy the journey . . .

15 March 2014

Hey, Idiot, Do You Trust?

We'll be singing the great hymn, "Be Thou My Vision", this week. It did have an influence on my homily for this Sunday.

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Homily for the
Second Sunday of Lent
16 March 2014

        Peter, James and John were great men. Abram, too, was a great man. But, let’s face it, at times they were idiots.

        Yes, these great men of faith were, at times, idiots.

        And, please don’t take offense, but like them, we can be idiots, too.

        This is what I mean: When their humanity got the best of them, Peter, James, John, and even Abram failed to trust in the Lord. They didn’t always allow their experiences with God to shape their lives so as to receive the graces that God wished to bestow upon them.

        We, too, can allow our humanity to get the best of us. There are moments in our lives when we can feel the presence of the Lord pulling us in one direction, while society, family, friends, and other influences pull us in another direction. When we ignore God’s tugging on our heart, when we allow the pull of that which is not God to win out in our lives, that is when we are, for lack of a better word, idiots.

        Yet, this is why we celebrate the season of Lent; this is why every Second Sunday of Lent we hear the Gospel story of the Transfiguration. This Sunday, which marks one-and-a-half weeks into this season, reminds us that there is a goal in sight, and the only thing we need to do is to trust in the Lord.

        When Abram, Peter, James and John allowed themselves to truly trust in the Lord, like we see in the First Reading, then they were able to do great things. We know how Abram became Abraham, and how he became the father of three great peoples of faith. Peter, James and John, when allowing their trust in the Lord to guide them, and through the grace given by the Holy Spirit, were able to “bear [their] share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God,” which Paul reminds Timothy in our Second Reading today, whether that hardship be eventual martyrdom, as we see for Peter and James, or the loneliness of exile, as we know John endured.

        Yet, when they allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the human experience, and failed to allow the experience of the Divine to lead them, to guide them, to envelop them, they entered into the arena of spiritual idiocracy, for they failed to simply trust in the Lord.

        The experience of the Transfiguration is two-fold: It helps us to know of the glory that awaits us who follow Christ; yet it also reminds us that we must travel through the valleys to Jerusalem, where our faith and trust will be put to the test.

        Think for a moment about what Paul wrote to Timothy: “He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began . . .” All of time and space, all that we experience around us is moved by the design of God. Does this mean that God wishes us to experience joy? Of course, for that joy is a foretaste of what we will experience in Heaven. Does this mean that God gives us suffering and pain? Of course not, for God never inflicts suffering upon us – but He allows suffering to occur that we may learn how to trust in Him more.

        I know that may sound a little crazy, or, using the word of the day, idiotic. However, the Lord will never give us more than we can handle; the Lord desires for us to trust in Him. Many of you might be thinking, “Father, you have to say that; you’re a priest.” I’m not saying what I’m saying because I’m a priest. I’m not telling you this because it’s simply what the Church teaches or believes.

        I’m telling you this because I’m an idiot, for in my life there have been times in which, like Peter, James and John, I allowed the human experiences in my life to overwhelm me, and I failed to allow the presence, promise and providence of the Divine to envelop me.

        I’m telling you this because there have been times in my life where I have failed to keep the vision of the Transfiguration and Resurrection before me.

        I have failed to make the response of our Responsorial Psalm my own: Let Your mercy be on [me], O God, as [I] place [my] trust in You.

        But as much as I have failed, I know that you have failed, too. Each one of us has fallen short of the glory of God because we fail to trust in Him in those moments when we need to rely on Him the most. This, my brothers and sisters, is humanity at its weakest. Yet, it has the potential to be humanity at its greatest.

        We need to make the vision of Christ at His Transfiguration and His Resurrection that vision which guides us throughout these days of Lent – and beyond! We need to allow the Heart of Christ to become our heart, no matter what may befall us.

        We need to simply allow Christ to become our Vision, our Mission, our Heart, our Guide – and we need to trust in Him.

        My friends, we can be as great as Abram, Peter, James and John, or we can allow ourselves to fall into the downward spiral of spiritual idiocracy that happened to them when they failed to trust in God. Lent is that time for us to, once again, trust in the Lord: Our lives are not simply a collection of mountain-top experiences, nor should they be. We have to travel through the valleys; we must carry our crosses with Jesus.

        In a few moments we will experience the pulling of our God on our lives once again as we come forward to partake of the Blessed Sacrament. Our reception of the Eucharist is probably the greatest acts of trust we make as Catholics, for upon receiving the Lord, upon saying our “Amen”, we open ourselves to the Lord’s work of transforming our hearts, the envelopment of His Love as we are overwhelmed by our human experiences, and the refocusing of our lives to truly make Him and His Gospel the vision which guides us and our lives.

        “Let Your mercy be on us, O God, as we place our trust in You.”




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Enjoy the journey . . .