Homily for the Week of April 27, 2014

HOMILY: Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy: 2014

Acts 2:42-47 · 1 Pt 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31

         Every year on the Second Sunday of Easter we hear the story of Jesus appearing to the apostles "on that first day of the week." At that time Jesus gave the permission to priests to forgive all sins by way of Confession for those who ask.  Jesus also showed them that, although he had died on Good Friday, he was now alive.

         But the close friends of Jesus had locked themselves in a room. They were afraid that they too would be killed just as Jesus had been killed a few days before. It was into a locked room that Jesus appeared.

         Among them was Thomas who has been named a “Doubting Thomas.” Very often Thomas has been given a bad reputation. Thomas did not doubt Jesus. What Thomas doubted was the testimony of his friends and companions of several years. How could he believe in their experience when he himself had not shared it? We must not miss the point that Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared within the community of faith. Rather, when Thomas was within the community of faith, he shared in the experience of Christ’s presence.

         These events took place just a few days after Easter or the day that Jesus appeared after he had been killed. Try to imagine that you are one of those who had listened to Jesus and tried to follow him/  He died. Now he is back again talking to you. Perhaps your main concern would be what do I do now?  I gave up everything to follow him, and now he is gone. Jesus never left a blueprint or a user’s manual as to what do I do after he is gone. The fact that you and I are here today is part of that mystery.

         The first reading for today is from the Acts of the Apostles. It gives us a snap shot of the early Catholic Church.  There were no church buildings or churches as we know them today. Catholics would meet to pray with all the Jews in the Temple area, but after they would gather in each other's home for Mass. Soon after Jesus died St. Paul gave instructions as how we are to offer Mass. In the year 150 St. Justin described in detail the Mass as we have it now. During most of the Mass the priest and people would stand and then sit while there were readings from the Bible.  After some reflection on what Jesus expected of his followers, they would participate in the ''breaking of bread,'' and received Holy Communion.  One of the problems they had was to get forgiven if they did something wrong.

         The First Letter of Peter, part of which we read today. answers that question and tells us about God's mercy.  Catholics have a long history of minding other people's business when that business involves showing mercy.  Jesus made it very clear that our faith and religion must be translated into good works. Our Faith without good works is dead.  The Catholic Church separates our actions of mercy into corporal and spiritual works of mercy.   There are 7 corporal works of mercy among which are: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, bury the dead, and 7 spiritual works of mercy. Without knowing each of you have brought mercy to others when you support our Food Shelf or food pantries, helped with Habitat for Humanity, send a message or phone call to a sick person. You practice spiritual works of mercy whenever you participate at Mass, offer words of encouragement, let go of grudges.

         Today we might compare ourselves to that of the first Christians described in our first reading. We read that these first Catholics were taught four requirements for being active members of this new religious community: that members devote themselves to studying the teachings of the apostles, which is nothing less than studying the teaching of Jesus; that members contribute to the support of the community; that members devote themselves to the breaking of bread, which means being present for the Eucharistic meal and whenever the community comes together in prayer, and finally, that members be devoted to prayer for the whole community. It was these elements being practiced by the disciples in the locked room that opened for them an experience of Christ. Thomas was missing for the first moment, but once present, he too shared in Christ’s presence, and he most likely never missed again!

         You and I have not witnessed Jesus in the flesh in the upper room, but we do experience him in the Eucharist.  To that experience of the Jesus we say with Thomas MY LORD AND MY GOD.  We are invited not to put our finger and hand into his wounds, but to take Jesus into our very hearts.  Then we can profess our faith in him more powerfully and announce the Good News of his resurrection to the world. And we also be known for our gift of mercy.

Homily for the Week of April 20, 2014

HOMILY: Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy: 2014

Acts 2:42-47 · 1 Pt 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31

         Every year on the Second Sunday of Easter we hear the story of Jesus appearing to the apostles "on that first day of the week." At that time Jesus gave the permission to priests to forgive all sins by way of Confession for those who ask.  Jesus also showed them that, although he had died on Good Friday, he was now alive.

         But the close friends of Jesus had locked themselves in a room. They were afraid that they too would be killed just as Jesus had been killed a few days before. It was into a locked room that Jesus appeared.

         Among them was Thomas who has been named a “Doubting Thomas.” Very often Thomas has been given a bad reputation. Thomas did not doubt Jesus. What Thomas doubted was the testimony of his friends and companions of several years. How could he believe in their experience when he himself had not shared it? We must not miss the point that Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared within the community of faith. Rather, when Thomas was within the community of faith, he shared in the experience of Christ’s presence.

         These events took place just a few days after Easter or the day that Jesus appeared after he had been killed. Try to imagine that you are one of those who had listened to Jesus and tried to follow him/  He died. Now he is back again talking to you. Perhaps your main concern would be what do I do now?  I gave up everything to follow him, and now he is gone. Jesus never left a blueprint or a user’s manual as to what do I do after he is gone. The fact that you and I are here today is part of that mystery.

         The first reading for today is from the Acts of the Apostles. It gives us a snap shot of the early Catholic Church.  There were no church buildings or churches as we know them today. Catholics would meet to pray with all the Jews in the Temple area, but after they would gather in each other's home for Mass. Soon after Jesus died St. Paul gave instructions as how we are to offer Mass. In the year 150 St. Justin described in detail the Mass as we have it now. During most of the Mass the priest and people would stand and then sit while there were readings from the Bible.  After some reflection on what Jesus expected of his followers, they would participate in the ''breaking of bread,'' and received Holy Communion.  One of the problems they had was to get forgiven if they did something wrong.

         The First Letter of Peter, part of which we read today. answers that question and tells us about God's mercy.  Catholics have a long history of minding other people's business when that business involves showing mercy.  Jesus made it very clear that our faith and religion must be translated into good works. Our Faith without good works is dead.  The Catholic Church separates our actions of mercy into corporal and spiritual works of mercy.   There are 7 corporal works of mercy among which are: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, bury the dead, and 7 spiritual works of mercy. Without knowing each of you have brought mercy to others when you support our Food Shelf or food pantries, helped with Habitat for Humanity, send a message or phone call to a sick person. You practice spiritual works of mercy whenever you participate at Mass, offer words of encouragement, let go of grudges.

         Today we might compare ourselves to that of the first Christians described in our first reading. We read that these first Catholics were taught four requirements for being active members of this new religious community: that members devote themselves to studying the teachings of the apostles, which is nothing less than studying the teaching of Jesus; that members contribute to the support of the community; that members devote themselves to the breaking of bread, which means being present for the Eucharistic meal and whenever the community comes together in prayer, and finally, that members be devoted to prayer for the whole community. It was these elements being practiced by the disciples in the locked room that opened for them an experience of Christ. Thomas was missing for the first moment, but once present, he too shared in Christ’s presence, and he most likely never missed again!

         You and I have not witnessed Jesus in the flesh in the upper room, but we do experience him in the Eucharist.  To that experience of the Jesus we say with Thomas MY LORD AND MY GOD.  We are invited not to put our finger and hand into his wounds, but to take Jesus into our very hearts.  Then we can profess our faith in him more powerfully and announce the Good News of his resurrection to the world. And we also be known for our gift of mercy.

Homily for the Week of April 13, 2014

Fourth Sunday of Lent / Laetare Sunday 2014

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a;  Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Ephesians 5:8-14  John 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

         Isaiah Austin, a college basketball player, came to the realization as a teenager that he'd never again see out of his right eye because of a detached retina. He wanted to play basketball but was losing sight. His mother told him that he could make it his excuse, or could make it his story. She said: "You can touch lives or you can be a quitter." He never told the college coach or his teammates that he had a prosthetic eye for two years. He has been an outstanding college athlete and may be a NBA prospect.

         It is difficult if not impossible for us who are gifted with sight to imagine what it must be like to be blind from birth.  The person in today's gospel had never seen blue skies, white snow, green grass, a red rose, or a yellow dandelion.  He  had  never seen a human being, a cat or a dog, a horse or a cow.  He had been born blind without an inkling what seeing is all about.

         But as we carefully consider this blind man's original condition we are able to recognize a similar situation in the world and in ourselves. The man born blind who had come into the world of total darkness may be considered a symbol of the original worldly and human condition. We are told in Genesis that in the beginning when God created the heaven and the earth, the earth was formless and darkness covered it.  It was only when God said Let there be light, that the wasteland began to be filled.

         God's light meant sight. Now there developed all the wonders of creation: sky, water, vegetation, birds, all kinds of animals, and finally male and female humans created in the image and likeness of God.

         We too are born blind in a sense. We enter the world at birth with our eyes shut.  Even though we soon open our eyes for a quick squint, we prefer to keep our eyes shut for long periods of infant sleep. And then finally we take a longer look at the strange shapes we see around us and notice Mama and Daddy.

         This same passage from blindness to sight, from darkness into light is one of the themes of our spiritual life. Jesus who gave sight to the man born blind does the same to each of us. Yet it can happen that we still refuse to see. Tunnel vision can be a serious problem in our daily lives. Although we are not blind, we can act as if we were. Without realizing it, we are claiming our view is right because it is our view rather than choosing it because it is right.

         We would never blame handicapped people for their handicaps, but the people of Jesus’ time did.  We don’t blame the handicapped for their plight. The pharisees assumed that physical or mental disability was the result of a sin committed by the person or by the family.  Jesus points out that there is no connection between sickness and disabilities, and sin.  Not only does Jesus heal the man born blind, he does so on the Sabbath. Yet that did not change them, since they had already made up their mind that they would condemn Jesus.

         Like the woman at the well we read of last weekend, the blind man did not know who Jesus was.  He did not come to a quick understanding of who Jesus was. But he tried to explain Jesus to others. And through this he began to realize who Jesus was. We, also, can be the same.  He become more faithful when we try to explain our faith to others.

         Our Lenten prayer, penance and charity are meant to make us aware that we were once in darkness but now we are light in the Lord. Lent is our call and our challenge to live as children of the light.  Lent is a time for us to be aware of the blind spots in our daily lives. We can easily condition ourselves to see what we want to see or to see what we think we see. Now is the time to take a fresh look at the people we live with, work with, pray with, and play with. This is the time to see things in others we have never seen before, to discover and uncover a hidden beauty, a buried talent t, a disguised characteristic.

         Lent is also a time to take a good look at ourselves, to see ourselves as others see us, to see ourselves as God sees us. This may often mean seeing the good in ourselves which may be asleep in our hearts but ready now to be called forth into the light. It may also seeing anew our bad habits, carelessness, selfishness and stubbornness, a complaining spirit, a reluctance to be thankful for what others do for us. Lent is a time for us to see with 20/20 spiritual vision.  Lent must be a time for us let Jesus take away our blindness.

Homily for the Week of April 6, 2014

The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2014

Ezekiel 37:12-14

 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

 Romans 8:8-11

 John 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

         During the past two weeks we have been reflecting on the image of water, the image of blindness, and the image of light and of darkness. Specifically, we have considered water as it is used in Baptism.  In past weeks we heard of the conversion of the woman who came to get water from the well where Jesus was, and of the blind man for whom Jesus gave back his sight through clay and a little water. And today we heard of the return to life of Lazarus who was dead.  Today we are reminded that the greatest hope we ever have is that life will never end.

         Whether you have been a Catholic for many years or you are a young person Resurrection is a word and belief loaded with lots of questions. In the next two weeks we will hear a lot about Resurrection. Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus who had been nailed to a cross.  Baptism is about the Resurrection. If Jesus had not risen from his death there would be no St. James Church, no Catholic Churches,  in fact no Christian Churches and religions. That Jesus died but also rose from his death is the basis of our Catholic faith. Our three readings today in one way or other describe resurrection.

         The Resurrection of Jesus teaches us that death is not the end of life. Rather, death is the doorway into a new and eternal life. The life that we now live is not all there is, as some people claim. The pains and troubles of this life can be endured because we believe that something better is to come. If we believe that Jesus was raised after his death, then that motivates us to also believe the other things Jesus taught us.  Our Christian faith stands or falls with the truth that Jesus rose from his death. Otherwise, Jesus would be a failed religious leader. He would be purely human.  But it is also most important for us to believe that the Risen body of Jesus at Easter is not a resuscitated corpse but a completely new way of living.  In the very same way our entry into heaven when we die will also be a completely new way of living for us.

         For thousands of years people have imagined what this life after death would be like. The Bible does not give us detailed descriptions about this life, but it has hundreds of references to it. Over the centuries there has been no lack of books written by those who have claimed to have been there and come back. But a study of the Bible which is God’s word will give us all we need.

         But the belief in Resurrection did not begin with Jesus. In the life of Jewish persons before Jesus, Resurrection grew into a picture of a new life and hope while the Jewish people were living in exile. Ezekiel tells us the story of Dry Bones in a field bleached by the sun.  It is a picture of utter hopelessness.  In whatever direction the Jews walked, lifeless bones filled the valleys. But Ezekiel sees his people’s dry bones coming to life again with flesh restored upon them.  They will now see God with new eyes. These dry bones came back to life after God breathed on them.   The people that seemed to be dead will come to life again.   

         The Gospel gives us the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha who had died. We are told that Lazarus was bound from head to toe when he was taken out of the tomb.  Jesus tells Lazarus”sisters Martha and Mary:  UNTIE HIM AND LET HIM GO. They untied Lazarus and he was given life again.  What Jesus does for Lazarus, God will do for Jesus at Easter.

         But the message of Jesus is not just for Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.  It is also important for us. These are words which are used at most Catholic funerals. In the middle of the account, Jesus declares: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME, EVEN IF HE DIES, WILL LIVE, AND EVERYONE WHO LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME WILL NEVER DIE.  Who could make such a statement? They could be someone so unique and special that the world has never known, or they could be someone who is severely delusional. From all we know about Jesus he was someone who was sane. He not only asked Martha if she believed, but he also could empty the tombs.

         Getting life from the dry bones, and the restoring of life to Lazarus can in one sense be called conversion. For many conversion can mean changing from one religion to another.  But in a more personal way it also means changing from one way of life to another.

         Most persons who are honest with themselves will admit that at some time in their life they have gone through at least one conversion experience. They have finally gotten loose from the things that tied them up.    They returned to God after being away from God and Jesus for years, or even for a short time.  People who have gone through this experience mention that they often feel some inner sickness and even death in the process.  They want more, and usually want to be closer to Jesus by practicing their religious faith again. 

         But all of us need conversion experiences in our life.  That is one of the main purposes of Lent.  We need to return to the Lord part of our faith that has become weak or taken for granted. These could be spiritual and personal inconsistencies between what we say we believe and how we act. 

         Each of us experience little losses in life. The can be like little deaths for which we grieve or are sad. It could be our health, our job,our security or the loss of something which meant a lot to us. We  have to trust that God, and only God, can bring life out of death. This is what Easter means. All things work well for those who love God. In a sense we are all visitors on this earth. We all need to have friends, people with whom we can be at home.  This week let each us appreciate our life.  Let us give comfort to someone who is sick.  And especially, let us help someone who may feel that they have lost their faith in God and in Jesus.