Homily for the Week of June 29, 2014

HOMILY: Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2014

 Day: Acts 12:1-11 • 2 Tm 4:6-8,17-18 • Mt 16:13-19

         Today we celebrate the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, which is always celebrated on June 29. It is a very ancient feast which goes back to the year 250 AD. They are celebrated together because they are two leaders in the early Catholic Church about which we know the most. They also had the greatest influence as to how you and I practice our religion. They were both killed together by the Roman emperor Nero who lighted the fire that burned the city of Rome. He blamed the fire on the Christians.

         In Rome, a place where few tourists go but which is of great interest is the Mamertine Prison at the edge of the Roman Forum. It is thought that the prison was built to serve as a cistern as it was built over a spring around 4 B.C. The prison is deep, considering its creation as cistern, and it was taken over for use as a holding place for prisoners headed for execution. It is described as a horrible dungeon, “repulsive and terrible on account of neglect, dampness and smell.” The significance of this prison is that Peter and Paul were held there prior to their executions.

         Peter was put in jail by King Herod. Herod was a real politician who took advantage of every situation to make people like him. One thing he did was to give the Jewish leadership a lot of influence. In order to please them, he had thrown Peter into prison and would soon kill him by crucifixion like Jesus. But he could not immediately do so because it was the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This is Passover, and no one could be executed during Passover. He was afraid that the Jews would not like him.

         Somehow Peter was helped to escape from jail. He was again caught and placed in jail. This time he  was again caught by Nero. He was killed by crucifixion.

         To celebrate Peter and Paul on the same day can be humorous, since both of them were very different personalities. Peter was shaky in his faith in Jesus, denying that he knew Jesus at one time.  But he also had a strong religious faith.  Paul in his early age had thrown stones at Stephen to kill him, but afterwards started believing in Jesus.  As such he travelled throughout much of the Greek world trying to invite people to know Jesus and then become his follower.

         Paul never saw or knew Jesus personally. He was born in Tarsus which is in present day Turkey.  He spoke Greek and Aramaic and wrote in Greek his 13 letters which are in the Bible. He was a Pharisee who was dedicated to the Jewish.  Because of that he would try to destroy or condemn all those who believed in Jesus.But all that changed when as he was going to Damascus he experienced a strong light and he was told that the person who was calling his name was Jesus. He discovered that Jesus was not he bad man who had been condemning, but but the Lord and Savior of humanity.

         At that time he began to realize that his purpose in life was to teach others about Jesus, and to invite others to follow Jesus. He did this, not to the Jewish people, but to those who were living in what was  known as Asia Minor, the current countries that have been in the news in the last few years because of fighing and wars.

         Peter and Paul both followed Jesus who told them to feed his sheep, the same invitation each of us are given every day.

         Paul wrote more books in the New Testament than any other author.  Most of them are known as letters which he wrote to various communities or persons that he visited such as Corinth and Ephesus.

         Paul probably wrote the 2nd letter to Timothy during the reign of Nero. Imprisoned twice, Paul first was under house arrest, a privilege given to prisoners of high status. In 2 Timothy, however, Paul was in a dungeon, possibly the cistern I already mentioned.

         Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy was his last as he was executed shortly after writing it. Referring to his death, Paul’s word choice is interesting. He speaks of the departure of a sailor shoving off for home at the end of war or that of a soldier breaking camp to go home after battle. Paul saw himself going home after waging war for Christ against evil. Paul also says he has “kept the faith,” meaning that he has stayed loyal unto death, and that he “finished the race,” meaning that he has done everything asked of him and, now, all is in God’s hands. There is nothing more Paul can do except trust in God.

         Perhaps one of the most remembered passages written by St.Paul is in his letter to the Corinthians when talks about love. In that letter Paul wrote that love is kind, love is patient, love is not jealous, it is not pompous, that love never fails.

Peter and Paul gave witness to the Faith. Neither of them ever doubted who Jesus was. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, he gave Paul the keys to understanding. Their preaching landed them both in prison and led to their deaths.

Homily for the Week of June 22, 2014

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ A 2014

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a

 Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

         Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Today we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Once called simply Corpus Christi (Body of Christ), this feast also celebrates what the Eucharist makes us become: the Church itself is called the Body of Christ. Communion means community. The world of nature gives us many examples of what it is to be connected to one another. Recently I read about the giant sequoias of California.

         Giant sequoias are among the oldest living organisms on earth. “The President” in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park in California, is thought to be the oldest. Its verified age is 3,200 years of age. It is amazing to stand next to a living thing that not only was alive when Jesus was living, but was also alive during the age of King David and the prophets. To touch this ancient, living thing is to be awestruck by history. To stand next to it is to feel very, very small.

         This sequoia tree is 247 feet tall.  We might assume that its tremendous height would mean that its root system must be equally deep in order to keep the tree upright. Surprisingly the roots of giant sequoias are only a foot or so deep, but they spread over more than an acre of land.  And each giant tree’s roots intertwine with those of surrounding trees. With the roots being locked together, the forces of nature cannot topple them.

         This feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus was created in the Middle Ages when diseases and unrest were everywhere. Starvation was a fact of life. Life was harsh and short. People did not see God as loving. Instead, they saw God as judge and punisher. Even today many think of God and religion in the same way.

         People were so afraid of Jesus that the Church had to tell people that they must receive communion at least during the Easter season. This does not mean that people avoided Church or Mass. To the contrary, kneeling in supplication before the Blessed Sacrament was important enough that it led to our practices of Exposition, Adoration and Benediction. This was when the elevation of the Body and Blood after the consecration was added to the Mass. Although fearful of God, people still wanted to see what they worshiped. Over time, fear of Jesus the Judge slipped away to once again worshiping Him by receiving holy Communion in the Mass.

         When Jesus speaks of His body and blood, He is not referring to merely the physical parts of the human body. The idea of the “body and blood” is that they contain the very being of the person, the person’s essence.

         John’s Gospel refers to the manna in the desert and compares Jesus’ giving His body and blood as food and drink to God’s giving the gift of manna to the Israelites. Jesus is saying clearly that He is giving us himself and doing so in a very real way: “My body is real food and my blood real drink.”

         We might jump ahead to the story of the Road to Emmaus where the friends of Jesus and Jesus meet each other. Jesus takes great pains to structure his story around “the Meal.” The disciples did not recognized Jesus until they ate with Him. This propelled the two disciples to rejoin the community of faith, the place where the meal was regularly eaten. It was this very special meal that held the community together and gave them their identity. It was inconceivable for a follower of Christ to miss the meal. To miss the meal was to miss Christ!

         Being hungry does not always mean that we want something to eat or drink.  We have many hungers. We hunger for joy. We hunger for security. We hunger for friends. We hunger to be accepted. We hunger for love. We hunger for family.  We hunger for goodness. We hunger for God. We also hunger that we will have all we need. Jesus knew hunger.  His father and mother had very little.  He probably went without a meal. So he says to us today: whoever eats this bread will live forever.

         The Middle Eastern meal in Jesus’ day involved placing bowls of food in the middle of a circle of guests, and everyone would use bread to dip from the same bowls. To accomplish this, guests sat close to the food so it could be reached. 

         A few minutes ago I mentioned the giant sequoias.  They stand because their broad root systems are entangled with those of the other trees in the forest. These other trees are like their community. The meal that Jesus told us to celebrate faithfully entangles each of us with a community of faith. It is this community, the Church, which enables us to stand. Alone, we will topple, but as long as we are entangled within the Body of Christ, no force of culture or sin can knock us down.

Homily for the Week of June 15, 2014

HOMILY: The Holy Trinity, A 2014

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9: Deuteronomy 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13;  John 3:16-18

        

         Our daily lives are filled with mysteries or puzzles.  The color of grass, an electric current, our genetic code, gravity, the workings of a computer-- all are mysteries to those of us who have little knowledge of the world of science.  There are mysteries all around us.  If we find mysteries in our day to day living, then it should not surprise us that there are  mysteries in the SUPER-natural order.  Also, very often we accept a truth on faith rather than on reason or experience. For instance we believe that Antarctica exists, even though we may have never been there; we believe that George Washington lived though none of us ever met him. We believe these things on the authority of human beings.

         Today we focus on a supernatural mystery of the highest order -- the mystery of the Blessed Trinity -- that in God there are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but there are not three gods, but ONE God.  We know this because Jesus told us that it is true.  And so we believe it because of Jesus.  That there is a Holy Trinity, that there are three persons in one God, is a truth of Christians which was first written about in St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, our second reading for today.  But we could never discover the truth of the Trinity by reason alone.

         I think the most important aspect of this feast of the Trinity is for us to answer the question: WHO IS GOD FOR ME? There are many who question the existence of God.   We call these persons atheists or agnostics. They make fun of the very idea of God.  They regard religion as superstition.  They often describe religion as a virus. 

         We, however, maintain that believing in a personal God is the basis for living as a good person.  We believe that the purpose of human life is not the survival of the fittest, but the ability to understand and to love.  On the other hand that there is a God is not like believing in the Tooth Fairy.  Most of us get to know that something is true by reason, or by scientific evidence or by experience. We know there is a God, however, only by our religious faith. We believe that God had no beginning and has not end.   This God cares about us individually. We Catholics believe this God is the one who put the earth the right distance from the sun; that God designed our complicated bodies; who planned our DNA.  Obviously, no proof or reason will convince an atheist. But that there is a God is reasonable and that our faith helps us.

        

         Unfortunately some say that their experience of God is one of fear, and they think of God as judge who is always spying on us.  The Gospel today tells us that God does not judge. God sent His Son to save us, not to condemn us.

         Each person has a favorite image of God. In the past, it was often the statue of the Sacred Heart, which consoled people and reminded them of God's love and compassion. Often at a funeral, the image is that of Jesus the Good Shepherd that comes to bring us to heaven.  In the third century AD, Clement of Alexandria spoke of God as Father and God as Mother--Father as Creator and Mother as Compassion. For him, and maybe for some of you, feminine images of God help you understand the depth of God's love for humanity.

          Trinity Sunday is more than a celebration of a matter of faith. It is a day that challenges us to consider God, who God is, and what part God plays in our life.  It is a day that challenges us to ask ourselves:  am I  a  follower of Jesus Christ or merely an admirer.  It is a day that leads us to ponder whether saying I BELIEVE IN GOD really makes any difference in how I live.

         Our second reading is part of a letter which St. Paul wrote to those who  lived in Corinth.  Corinth was located on a narrow piece of land between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas in Greece.  This location made Corinth a seaport with a population of about 700,000.  It was famous for the temple of Aphrodite who was the goddess of love. It was also a city known for every kind of corruption and sin.. Paul kept telling the people that they must mold their behavior around their faith in Jesus Christ.

         This feast of the Trinity is a celebration of God's love for each person.  As we ponder our personal experience of God, and as we struggle to put words to that experience, we should also ponder our response. How have we returned God’s statement, “I love you?” Do we behave as a person who believes that God loves us? Have we heard the urging of Paul to mend our ways or to encourage one another in our pursuit of God? Just as lovers strive to discover the depths of each other’s souls, do we choose to strive to discover the depth of God and His love? The mystery of the Holy Trinity is tough to understand, but all of the mystery that we need to grasp is that we are loved by God.

Homily for the Week of June 8. 2014

Pentecost Sunday 2014

Acts 2:1-11;  Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34    ; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13  ; John 20:19-23

         Bob Hope said:  You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the birthday cake. Bob Hope was not talking about the special religious celebration this weekend known as Pentecost, but today is also a birthday.  It is the birthday of the Catholic Church.  We are bout 2000 years old.  It would cost a lot just to buy that many candles at a nickel a piece, but the cake would have to be the size of a kitchen table.  Luckily, we do not need a cake to celebrate this birthday. Rather we have all of us who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism. But many Catholics would be rather confused if they were to try to describe the Holy Spirit.

         But that is not unusual . As we look at our daily lives, we see many things that we can describe to another person. But there are some experiences which are harder to speak of.  Experiences like falling in love or having your first baby can be described, but no one can really feel what they are like until it happens to them. In the same way, we may describe a color to someone who has been born blind, but our best efforts will not give them a true idea of the green of a leaf or the gentle tints of a spring flower or a lilac bush.

         Teachers of religion devote their lives to help us understand our faith that in God there are three persons, God the Father , God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  But there are not three Gods, but there is only one God. This is a mystery.  Today's feast of Pentecost likewise recalls a revelation of God's power. It reminds us that the early Christians came alive only when they felt the power of Spirit as he breathed life into them.

         On the first Pentecost Jews from all over were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast. On that Sunday, ten days after our Lord's Ascension, the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were gathered in the Upper Room.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was gone. It was now the job of his followers to tell others about the good news of Jesus.  That day about 3000 people were converted and baptized.

         The picture St. John gives us is that of a collection of frightened individuals huddled together in fear of their lives. They have lost Jesus, their leader, and in many respects have lost their way. Thomas is not with them as the risen Christ comes amongst them. His first words are ones of reassurance: "Peace be with you." As the presence of Jesus brings them together, they begin to experience the joy of the Spirit. They receive the life-giving breath of God and feel a new sense of purpose.

         The feast of Pentecost was initially a celebration of the gifts of the earth. Farmers gave thanks to God for the first fruits of their harvest, given by God to sustain his people. The early believers adopted the occasion to give thanks for the first fruits of the Spirit. Saint Paul explains to the people of Corinth that the gifts of the Spirit are at the very heart of the Church, and are an expression of the breath of God through different personalities. So even though we are one body, the Spirit works in a special way in each of us.

         As we hear the word of God, we might be tempted to reflect that our community does not exhibit the remarkable gifts of the Spirit described in Acts. But we are unique and the Spirit comes to each of us in different ways. We may have already felt the breath of God; it's just that we don't always call it a "Pentecost" experience.  We don't see the tongues of fire, or even feel the mighty wind.  But as we know, some things cannot be fully captured by words.

         We are called into the community of faith by our Baptism, and empowered to spread the good news by our Confirmation. Through these two powerful sacraments we, like the early community, are anointed and chosen. Let us open the doors of our hearts, that we may invite others to share in the life of the Spirit.

         No matter what our gift or quality it is always an expression of God working through you. Your gift of cooking, speaking, farming, learning, athletics, of teaching, parenting, gardening, of being a lector at Mass, is a way of doing God's work for the good of all. Whatever work you do, no matter what your job brings down to earth the spirit and breath of God. They are for the good of all, so really all that we have been given is to be used for the good of all.

         And finally Jesus says: "Peace be with you." With these words he also gives us the most loving of all gifts by saying that he will forgive us our sins if we want them forgiven. Jesus invites us to be peacemakers, but to be peacemakers requires that we be at peace and harmony within ourselves.  How many locked doors have we placed between ourselves and God? For how many of those doors have we lost the keys? Jesus appeared despite a locked door. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to open our locked doors. Jesus wishes to enter our locked rooms.