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 . . . 

Playing some catch-up

I cannot believe that it is April already. The time has flown by, and I have been rather lax in my responsibility in keeping up this blog. As always, my apologies. Like anything in life, I just need to make this a priority in life to keep this updated.

With all that said, HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER!

It's hard to imagine that we are already in the Tuesday of the Easter Octave, and that this great feast is already here. Lent kept me rather busy, always coming and going from one event or location. Confessions, stations, and other events filled the schedule - but I was always taking the time to slow down as much as I could, so that I would not become burned out. Whether it was for an evening or for ten minutes, that time that I could just "be" was precious - and I treasured every moment of it.

But I did so not because I wanted to become lazy, but, rather, so that I could recollect that peace and zeal so as to become grounded once again in the ways of the Lord.

Holy Week and the Triduum were awesome times. Although this was my second season as a priest, the celebrations seemed a little more intense and within grasp. Maybe it's because I was doing this for the second time, or maybe I was so very excited to be using the new translation . . . Well, whatever it was, it was very enjoyable. But I'm still exhausted. I'm really enjoying Easter this year . . . I feel like I've rediscovered the joy that comes with the season. It's been awesome.

Now today is catch-up day for me . . . need to work on some projects and hopefully focus on some other moments of spiritual rest.



Enjoy the journey . . .

 

Radical Discipleship

The following was my homily for last Sunday (22 January 2012).

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How do you think Jesus first looked to Andrew, Peter, James and John? Was He this “random guy” that just asked them to follow Him? No – remember the Gospel from last week when John the Baptist pointed out the “Lamb of God” to Andrew and John. They knew Who He was; however, they didn’t know what He was all about.

As they continued to travel with and to learn from Jesus, Andrew, Peter, James and John learn that the life Jesus called them to – and now calls US to – is radical discipleship. Not fanatical discipleship; RADICAL discipleship. And in this form of discipleship is something that begins on the inside of our inmost being, and transforms us: mind, soul and body. But radical discipleship requires a deep and burning commitment from those who choose it, because walking with Christ requires, again for those who choose it, an openness to the Holy Spirit and a commitment to come to know Who Christ truly is.

         We who gather today know Who Christ is – and hopefully continue to walk with Him daily. But that walking with Him requires more for us than just saying a prayer here and there, coming to worship when our schedule permits, and throwing a buck or two in the basket. To truly KNOW CHRIST is to be TRULY and ULTIMATELY TRANSFORMED WITH HIS RADICAL LOVE. And this love urges us to be that same Presence which called Andrew, Peter, James and John to journey with Him 2,000 years ago – and which continues to journey with us today. Yet now, by virtue of our baptism, we must have the courage to point out the Lamb of God to others, and we must now leave everything behind to radically follow Christ – even unto death.

          How do we, then, practice this radical discipleship? It is speaking up for the most vulnerable in our society for their right to life – from womb to tomb and everything in between. It is standing up for the dignity of the Sacrament of Marriage and the call for the understanding for how our family life can truly help us grow in grace and wisdom. It is enacting laws that are just and fair towards the poor and vulnerable in society. It is by standing up for the knowledge that everyone has the right to work, and that workers receive the just wages that are due to them.

Radical discipleship also calls us to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers – no matter the race, creed, nationality or economic background – for the God-given rights and freedoms which we acknowledge in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, remembering the words of Pope Paul VI: “If you want peace, work for justice”. And it is in continuing to care for all of creation – NOT as a perpetual Earth Day, but fulfilling the call and responsibility to be the stewards of the Earth, which God first gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden.

Radical discipleship also means that we must make a stand when wrongs or violations to our freedoms are made. Tomorrow (Monday), hundreds of thousands of people will gather in the District of Columbia to make a stand against abortion – the most heinous and grievous intrinsic evil the world knows. Yet, we still need our voices to be heard as we speak up for those who have no voice of their own.

A number of months ago, Bishop Zubik, Father Murphy and I urged you to write to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, urging her to rescind a mandate that would limit the rights and freedoms of people and organizations who object to providing funds for contraceptives and sterilizations in their health care plans. Earlier this week, Secretary Sebelius decided to uphold the mandate, and has given an extension until mid-2013 for all employers to provide options and funding for sterilizations, contraceptives, and, in some cases, abortion in their health care plans.

My brothers and sisters, WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN! Mother Church cannot truly care for her children in the United States if the mandate stands because it is aimed at the very heart of the practice of our religious liberties – the first article of the Bill of Rights. How “fair” is it for people to cry out about keeping religion out of government, but have no problem in placing civil government in the practice of religion? I urge you, no matter what your political party is, to contact your Senators, Representatives, Secretary Sebelius – and even President Obama – urging them to reverse their decision on this mandate – which will continue to enslave our nation in sin and the “Culture of Death”, instead of leading us as a “Culture of Life” to the true freedom promised and given to us by God.

Radical discipleship requires of us to do the hard and difficult thing at times. Jesus called Andrew, Peter, James and John to learn and understand that, every so often, to find the peace of God in our lives, we are called to light the fire of justice. The call to radical discipleship will cause us to have division in our families, circles of friends, and even our nation, because the Gospel is a call to a radical form of love – a love which is not centered on ourselves, but, rather, a love which sacrifices the self for the good of others. And this Love is first and foremost found and seen in the Eucharist. And those who approach to receive the Eucharist should come so that their lives can be radically transformed in the love of Christ so that they can live out their discipleship without ambiguity, apathy or ambivalence. 

And so, how do you think Jesus first looked to Andrew, Peter, James and John? More than likely, as the One who would radically change their lives.

Enjoy the journey . . . 

Video rant

Below is a response to a video that someone posted on my Facebook wall. It's been going a bit viral - but there's some harm in the misunderstandings this guy is pontificating.

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"Jesus>Religion"? Hardly.

by Father-Rob Fleckenstein on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 1:54pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

The above link will take you to a video that states that "Jesus > Religion". (The title of the video at the top will read "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus".) From the first moments of the video to the end, I think I developed a headache in trying to follow his logic, although he said something screwy about logic being unworthy in other areas of life.

Let me try to explain some thoughts I had at things that were said in the course of the video:

- "Jesus came to abolish religion." . . . If this is so, why did He begin the Church? (Matthew 16:18 [You are Peter . . .]) He began the Church, began this "new religion", if you will, to help us understand His teachings. Religion - in general - is a communal way to express one's faith with others of the same beliefs. The religion developed by Christ when He gave the keys of the Kingdom to Peter was to help those who have come to believe in Him (and through Him and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father) in a way which would unify the faith. Jesus was NOT against religion, but came to usher in the fullness of worship to the Father through His Paschal Mystery. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. And if religion is all about laws, then Jesus came to fulfill religion, not to abolish it.

- While it is true that "Republican does not equal being Christian", neither does "Democrat", "Libertarian", "Independent", or any other political ideology. Being Christian equals being faithful to the Truth, Who is Christ. No one particular political ideology can claim this.

- And our poet is correct in claiming that it is knowing Jesus that we are able to boast in our weaknesses, for it is in Christ that our weaknesses become our strengths. Saint Paul teaches us this in his writings, and it is a practice of our faith which we continue to hold.

- Religion "builds great churches, but fails to feed the poor." We have the saying from Jesus that the poor will always be with us, and while it IS important that we continue to show the preferential option for the poor and continue to care for them, we must also and always continue to realize that these great churches were built by the poor who sacrificed so much so that they could glorify God in a place worthy of His praise. How quickly we forget the sacrifices made by the least among us so that they could feel "right and just" worship our Lord in a fitting environment.

- Religion "doesn't get to the core, because it's behavior modification like a long list of chores." But that "long list" helps us set goals and guides us along the journey of faith and life to "get to the core". How else will you get to the core unless you have items along the way to help you out? We, of course, know that the core is Jesus Christ, Himself. Yet it is important for us to understand and recognize those "things" along the way which help us reach the core, which allow us to reach Christ, and that "long list" is there to support us in modifying our behavior so that we CAN become more like Christ in our life, and to reach the core of His promises.

- "Now I ain't judgin' . . ." Yes, you are. You are telling anyone who follows "religion" that they are hypocrites, dressing up their outsides while their insides rot, pretending to be one thing to one group while trying to be someone completely different in their relationship with God. And while it is true that we all wear masks in our lives to protect our vulnerability, we must be aware that in our relationship with God, those masks are destroyed, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. That is one of the weaknesses - if not the greatest weakness - that we boast in because we know that it is in God alone that we come to understand who we are in Truth. And while we do need the Blood of the Paschal Sacrifice to make us clean and whole once again, we also need religion to help us not fall into the damnable patterns of our sinful lives that we find ourselves continuously falling in to. Religion helps us not only keep the outside clean and polished, but it helps us clean the inside by not just a quick rinse, but using the spiritual scour pad to take off the layers of junk that keeps us separated from God and His love and mercy.

- While it is true that the Church should be a "hospital for the broken" (which is why we have such a great relationship with our Divine Physician), it must also be that "museum for good people", because it is in that museum in which we currently are touring. As members of the Communion of Saints, we look to our past (whether immediate or ancient) to recognize those great men and women of faith who, though sinners, are now part of that heavenly celebration in which we hope to one day be a part of. Every saint has a sinner's past. We need to be mended by our Great Doctor, to receive the medicine which He prescribes (through the Scriptures and the Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation), and to continue to take our spiritual vitamins (through the use of sacramentals) and constant consultation with Him (in and through our prayer). We need these multiple buildings (the hospital and the museum), for our community is not yet ready to be gathered into one building (the Temple, in the New Jerusalem).

- "Better than following some rules." Again, Jesus came to not abolish the law, but to fulfill it, since He is the Law Itself. And since He has informed us that He is the Way, Truth and Life, and if we are to follow Him along the Way through the Truth to (eternal) Life, then we come to understand and recognize that the rules that are given to us do not hinder or prohibit the freedom that we share in or live out, but rather enhance that freedom so as to truly live as sons and daughters of the Father.

- Jesus = work of God, cure / Religion = man-made invention, infection ------- Something instituted and begun by God, though run and inhabited by man, can not be seen as "an infection" for humanity. Religion is the path by which we come to know Who God is and who we are being made in His image and likeness. And Jesus cannot ever be considered as the "work" of God. He is the Word of God, He is NOT the "work" of God, though the works of God are enacted through Him. Though, as mentioned above, Jesus is the cure for all that ails us (in His role as Divine Physician).

- "Religion puts you in bondage, makes you blind." And that is very true if you live a life so tightly constricted by rules and regulations that you don't spend some time in coming to recognize the freedom that those rules and regulations are supposed to give you. And religion can make you blind if you are constantly focusing on your relationship with Jesus and forgetting about the relationship that you need to have with your neighbor. Yet, as we have mentioned before, (the Christian) religion is simply a guide for how to live one's life more fully and more alive through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The guide of religion should allow us to see Christ and His Spirit truly alive and active in this world, and how we are to participate in the Spirit for the spreading of the Gospel. (It's all part of that "amazing grace".)

- Religion = Man searching for God / Christianity = God searching for man ----------- Christianity is more than just some philosophical way of life: IT IS A RELIGION! And what is so wrong in man's desire to search for God?! NOTHING! For it is understanding that God desires to search us out that our desire to search Him out makes sense. CCC 27 states:

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for: The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.

Another way to say it was said by Saint Augustine of Hippo in his "Confessions": "You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

Or another, more simplified way: We love Him because He loved us first.

- While our poet does have some truth in the statement about Jesus bearing our sins on the Cross, he is misguided in his understanding about Jesus' statement, "It is finished." Jesus was finishing or consummating the Paschal Sacrifice to the Father when uttering these words; He understood that the salvific actions of the Cross were completed, and that the actions of the new and eternal covenant were fulfilled. Jesus never meant to say that "religion was finished". If this was the case, why would Jesus ask Saint Peter to feed His sheep three times upon the beach following His Resurrection?

Our poet confesses that he does believe in Jesus, the Bible, the Church [the church], and sin. Yet he continues to have this Evangelical / Non-Denominational / American understanding of religion as something that is a barrier to a full life in Christ. It is quite the opposite - it is only through a practice of religion that we come to live that full life in Christ. For Christ did not come to simply establish a one-on-one relationship with His followers, but to give them a community of faith to live out together their joys and struggles, and through the fulfillment of the laws in Truth, come to recognize the fulness of life given to those who not only believe in His Name, but also worship and live within the Church that He established so as to guide us along the way of life and faith to the fullness of the promises He has given us.



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Enjoy the journey . . .

IC '11

Although a few days late, I did want to post my (extremely-short-for-me) homily for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 December). Enjoy!

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Two thousand years ago Eternity stepped into time, and the God of all glory and majesty took on the weakness and brokenness of our human flesh in the Mystery of the Incarnation. Today we come and celebrate one of the final acts of preparation God did so that He could enter our world in such a unique way. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the “final act”, so to speak, of Salvation History before God’s ultimate interaction with His creation through His Word dwelling among us. The graces Mary received so that she could say “Yes” to the Angel Gabriel are the same graces we receive from the Paschal Mystery – in our celebration of the Mass and, most especially, in our reception of the Eucharist – which allow us to also say “Yes” to God so that we, like Mary, may be able to make Christ present to the world. Our openness to God and His graces afford us the awesome opportunity to be like Mary, always willing to say to the Lord that we are His servants – let it be done to us according to His Word.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

An Advent Prayer

Last evening, the combined music ministries of Saint Alphonsus Parish and Saint Alexis Parish had their annual evening of Advent Lessons and Carols. I was asked to do the final prayer, and didn't have anything really prepared. But, as always, the Holy Spirit came through. This is what I composed during the event:

Lord Jesus,
You are the Song our lives sing out.
You are the Silence in which our lives yearn for Your peace.
Break through the darkness of the world's night
And shine, once again, the splendor of Your great light into our midst.
For You, we long.
For You, we hope.
For You, we cry out, "Come quickly, King of kings!", for it is in You we find our salvation.
In quiet stillness, our hearts ache for Your presence.
In joyful expectation, we announce Your coming.
Through Your grace and mercy, allow us to prepare our hearts and our lives to celebrate the remembrance of Your Incarnation and the joyful event of Your coming again.
Turn our hearts to hear Your voice.
Turn our faces to see Your glory.
Turn our lives so as to be like You, so that we may be ready to welcome You when You come again.
We ask this, and all things, through Your most glorious Name.
Amen. 



Enjoy the journey . . .