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.