Father Paul’s Blog

This past weekend I had the chance to celebrate First Communion with a number of the younger members of the parish at our Sunday Masses, and it was wonderful. Parents and relatives were smiling, and after Mass one looking into the church might have thought a press conference was taking place with the number of cameras that were out.

Most of us do remember our First Communion, because its one of those big moments in our lives. But hopefully as we look back on that day, we remember not the party, but the fact that this was the first of many wonderful moments - experiencing Christ coming into our hearts through the Eucharist with the rest of the community.

Of course, over the course of a life, many things can happen and the faith, while present, can wax and wane. Its up to us to keep on feeding it, and one of the ways we do that is through the Eucharist. We also do it by being good sheep and shepherds - following Christ down the road of life which can be tough, and being servant-leaders and signs to one another as well.

I reflected on this a little bit during my homily, which is posted below. First Communion is where we say “yes” to follow Christ to the altar having reached the age of reason - but we have to keep on following Him long after that day too. Congrats to all of our First Communicants on reaching this milestone, and may the love of Jesus shine forever in your hearts!
Here are the readings for the day:

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041308.shtml

(Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Ps. 23: 1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6; 1 Pt 2:20b-25; Jn 10:1-10)

***

Homily text:

In the early to mid 1990s, Minnesota experienced a boom in golf courses. They were popping up everywhere as people took a greater interest in the game. I even got into the mix, getting into the game in high school for a time and playing at the nearby executive courses or hitting the driving range whenever I could. I found it to be relaxing and a nice way to unwind.

I must admit though it’s been years since I’ve played a round of golf, not because I hate the game but because other hobbies have kind of taken up my interest. However, I’m not alone. So many new courses were built in Minnesota in the 1990s that many are now struggling to stay afloat. And while golf was en vogue for a time and courses were flooded with kids taking up the game, many left when frankly they found it was hard. You couldn’t just go out and be the next Tiger Woods. If you wanted to get good at golf, you had to do as Tiger Woods did, and practice time and time again. This meant hitting the range, working on putting and chipping, and the many other aspects of the game. I suspect the relative high cost to play a round of golf, and the fact that improvement without hard work was tough to come by led many to leave the game. Don’t get me wrong, golf is still loved by many and I’ll probably eventually play again, but I think the big boom of the 90s is clearly over.

The same can be said of any fad really if you think about it. Remember the Rubik’s cube? The thing seemed impossible to solve, so many gave up. Or even back in January, if you hit the Y or Lifetime, I suspect the crowds were way up with the folks who resolved to drop those holiday pounds; come March though, the resolutions may have been forgotten by some as getting to the gym and sweating proved to be too much of a hassle.

But then there are those who kept hitting the driving range, the gym, or never gave up on trying to solve the perplexing Rubik’s cube, and a funny thing happened: they saw results. The rounds over 100 suddenly began to fall to 95 and then 90. A month went by and the scale began to show a few less pounds. And after weeks of frustration, finally one side of the cube was entirely in blue.

Now no matter what you are into, whether it’s golf or the gym, at first it sounds like a wonderful proposition. I’m going to hit that gym and drop that extra weight, and hit the course and play just like Tiger on T.V. And the first time you do it, you are pretty pumped up. But when we find it’s tough to do, that’s when we have to ask ourselves, are we going to see this thing through, or are we going to move on to something else?

For the most part, there’s nothing wrong with changing hobbies based on emotion. But when it comes to things like trying to lead a healthy lifestyle or giving up on dropping weight or quitting smoking after the doctor told us to, that can be a little different. If we want to stick around to be physically healthy for a while, we’d best change the diet and hit the gym. The same is also true with our spiritual health as well.

I suspect there is a lot of emotion here in this sanctuary this morning, just as there was three weeks back on Easter, for today a number of the younger members of our parish family will be making their first Communion. Cameras will be out en masse, and a few hours from now there will be cake being sliced and orange juice flowing. And it’s entirely appropriate, for today for many is a day of celebration as an important step is taken – the first communicant is saying “yes” to having Jesus come into his or her heart, just as those elect did back on the Easter Vigil. But we call it “first” Communion because it’s the first time of many times that these people will come forward to Jesus. It is a sacrament He has given to us to be repeated time and time again until the end of time. When we come forward to receive Jesus, we are reminded of our need for Him, but hopefully too, as we repeat it time and time again, continually feeding our souls with Christ, we are also reminded of our constant need to feed our faith life too.

Emotions are a wonderful thing, but if we go by emotion alone, at times we might not see something through when they go away. The faith is a prime example of it. In these past few weeks of the Easter Season, we’ve seen the apostles have a lot of joy upon seeing Christ rise from the dead, but we’ve also seen some other emotions too, especially fear. In two Gospel accounts, we found them holed up in a locked room, and last week we found two disciples en route to Emmaus, with some fear and a whole lot of gloominess about what happened to Christ back on Good Friday. But as they celebrated the breaking of the bread, Christ was revealed to them. Even so, upon Christ being revealed to them last week, the Gospel records that Jesus vanishes from their midst. This is something that will happen again when we get to the Ascension. But instead of being gloomy and letting their emotions make them fearful, these apostles go out and boldly proclaim God’s word, and their faith grows. Hopefully ours does the same as well.

What we have to remember though is that at times the faith will require hard work. The reason Catholics aren’t into altar-calls is that we appreciate the fact that growing in the faith takes time. That’s why preparation took place for those who entered the Church fully back on the Easter vigil, for those who will be confirmed here in a few more weeks, and for those whom over these next few weeks will be making their first communions. They didn’t just come to Church with their families one week and walk up to me at the back and say “It’s a beautiful day out today, and Jenny is feeling great, and we have grandma with us so we can all go out to brunch so how about First Communion this morning?” Instead the families took the time to prepare to lead up to this day. But today isn’t just some photo-op moment. It’s the first day of many where people who make their first Communion will encounter Christ in a new way. And just as one has to keep on going
to the driving range, and putting in the hours at the gym to see results, so one has to keep putting in the time the faith requires well beyond the hour that is spent at Mass on Sunday. But when we do, we become not only good sheep but good shepherds as well.

Everyone here this morning has heard the voice of the Shepherd and responded to it, but for us all there can be the temptation to follow other paths and listen to the other voices that try to drown out the voice of the Shepherd, or to bypass the gatekeeper if you will. Jesus in our Gospel is both the gatekeeper and the Shepherd, and we are told that he is a thief and robber who enters the sheepfold the other way. They sound like rather harsh words, but for us all on the road of life there can be the temptation to try to find the back door in to the heavenly kingdom. We should never doubt the loving mercy of God, but at the same time we should never rely on it to the point where we think we have no work to do. That’s presumption, one of the sins against the virtue of hope. There are some in the world who take an attitude of thinking that putting the envelope in the plate or receiving Christ in the Eucharist suffices for it all. Those can be signs of living out the faith, but for the believer hopefully it is much deeper than that, and something that truly takes root in the soul.

One of the biggest helps for it to take root in the soul is to make use of the virtue of fortitude, which we might not think about much but which is so important in living out the faith. Just on Friday, we celebrated the feast of Saint Stanislaus, the patron saint of Poland who was a bishop murdered by a king at a time when Catholicism was the religion of the land, because he stood up against the king and defended the poor and those whom the king was harming. Saint Stanislaus and so many Christians gave their lives for the faith, because they knew that following the way of the Shepherd through His gate might certainly be tough. We don’t have to worry about martyrdom much these days in this country in that sense, but how many times over the course of a life is the faith really put to the test? Take for instance in the lives of the second graders who receive Communion for the first time today. Many will go home to wonderful celebrations with friends and families, but the faith may really be put to the test during the week. Maybe they will be on the bus ride home and see a classmate really being teased relentlessly. Or maybe they’ll be tempted to join in to pick on someone who makes an easy target. Will they stand by and do nothing, or stand up for what is right? The same is true for us all too. The weather will soon warm up, and Sundays or Saturday evenings might be tempting to spend outside or at the golf course. And the temptation can be to skip Mass one week, and then the next week until the weather gets bad again. Time and time again in our lives we will be tempted to bracket the faith to something that takes place within the doors of the Church, and when those temptations arise, we always have to remember that the faith is more than just viewing the Church as a service for sacraments, but as something all of us are a part of, both as sheep and as shepherds. Sheep in the sense that we follow Christ, but shepherds in the sense that we are all servant-leaders. All of the parents out there this morning who said yes to helping their kids prepare for their First Communion helped to lead them to Christ. And every time we say yes going to Church to come and receive Jesus again and hear Him in the Word and see Him in one another, we are shepherds to others who look at us and see the Gospel at work. The same is true when we give of a week night to come and teach the faith to others as a catechist, or to give of our time to sit through a finance council meeting, or to serve as a befriender and visit the sick. As we hear proclaimed in our second reading, when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God’s approval. Hopefully we don’t think of volunteering or Mass as suffering (though the
occasional homily can be the exception) but rather hear those words and understand that following the shepherd
as a sheep and being a shepherd for others require a sacrifice and time and effort, but when it is made, something beautiful happens – we find our way to the heavenly kingdom, and help lead others there too.

To all those making their first communion this morning, and indeed to all present here this morning, I just want to thank you and applaud you. For most of us, it is has been a long time since the First Communion day, but you’ve realized that the First Communion wasn’t just like the latest fad, but something truly special – you followed the shepherd to the altar of God. And here you are again, still at the driving range or gym if you will that is needed to train us to become who we are meant to become – citizens of the heavenly kingdom. Every day the voices of the false shepherds will try to draw us away. Hopefully we never listen to them, but always hear the voice of the true shepherd who invites us to come to Him time and time again, and in turn help others find the way to Him.

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On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we had a rather lengthy Gospel reading from John in which Jesus raises Lazarus. But there’s a lot more to the story than just Jesus raising His friend. Indeed, the story comes down to much about faith, and trusting in Christ completely, which can be tough for us all.

During the week, I meet with Fr. Tim, Chris Kostelc, Nate Reinhardt and Sunny Scott in a liturgy prep meeting, especially focusing on Life Teen. Nate brought up the book “The Great Divorce,” a little gem by C.S. Lewis, which I incorporated into this homily and another one I gave at a funeral during the week. (Here’s a link to the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Divorce. What it comes down to as well is trusting in God.

Here were the readings for that Sunday: http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030908.shtml. (Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45).

This week is Holy Week, and we started on Palm Sunday remembering the crowds welcoming Jesus as a hero. But they prove to be rather fickle, as the cheers turn to insults and ridicule quickly, and they walk away. Trust is a key theme of this solemn week, in that Jesus trusts in the Father, even if at times He might not understand fully the situation. Our trust is put to the test time and time again, and even if we walk away or struggle, we can always come back, which sadly Judas just couldn’t understand. May we never focus on the rear-view mirror of life, and put all our trust in Him, and take His hand to help lead us home.

Have a blessed week. Below was my homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent:

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Over the years, there have been many images of heaven and hell created in books, art and film, some of them better than others. The Christian Author C.S. Lewis created versions as well in his works, such as “The Great Divorce.”

It’s a short read, and easy to understand but at the same time very deep. The narrator begins his journey in a grim place, the gray town. Well, he certainly doesn’t want to stay around this place very long, so he catches a bus. On the bus, he encounters others who also want to get out of gray town as quickly as possible. The bus travels on to a beautiful country, but what the narrator and the others on the bus come to realize is that they are, in fact, ghosts. Unfortunately for them, this poses some problems for them trying to get off of the bus. With every feature of the new, bright land much more solid then they are, even such things as walking on the grass are painful. This gives them second thoughts.

Some people whom they have known on earth try to convince them though that they should continue on, because
eventually they will get used to the country and feel no more pain. But they come up with various excuses as to why they should head back to the gray town. One is a theologian who says that he really needs to get back to teaching theology, because the other people would be lost without him. Another passenger is a man who committed murder, given some guidance by the person he killed who forgives him. The murderer though can’t accept that he is forgiven, and as such can’t proceed on.

The narrator comes to find out that gray town, symbolizing hell, and heaven, symbolizing heaven, work backwards as well. As one remains attached to the gray town, happiness begins to fade, even on earth. However, as one focuses
on heaven, despite at one point being in the gray town, their sorrows, even on earth, over time, are turned into joy.

One of the problems that the passengers on the bus have is that they just can’t see the reality of heaven all that clearly. Some can’t realize that it is even possible to get there; others just focus on the short-term pain that they have, thinking at least in gray town they might not have the physical pain to deal with. Others just can’t quite trust those who try to lead them there.

A similar problem confronts some of the characters in our Gospel today.

George MacDonald serves as a guide to the narrator in The Great Divorce, and Jesus could be taking that role in our Gospel today. Martha, Mary, the Jews and the Apostles could be seen as passengers on the bus.

We seemingly have a quite bleak situation: Lazarus, the friend of Jesus and the apostles, has died. Jesus takes a rather curious course of action. Knowing he is ill, he stays where he is at for two more days. It is then brought to his attention that his friend has died, and what is his response? “I am glad for you that I was not there.” An interesting statement. He could have helped his friend, but instead doesn’t get to the place on time, and now He is happy? The answer though is found in the next line: Jesus is glad not because His friend has died, but rather so that others might come to see the glory of God at work in Lazarus through what is about to happen.

Presumably Jesus and the Apostles were not near a Greyhound station, and as such have to walk to get to where
Lazarus is. And when they arrive, they are met by Martha (again, doing all the work while Mary stays in the house). She tells Jesus that if only He had come earlier, her brother would not be dead. But yet she still has faith, saying “even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Her problem though is perhaps she is a bit focused on her understanding of what will happen to her brother. Jesus starts to tell her that Lazarus will rise, and she cuts Him off, iterating to Him Jewish theology about the resurrection of the body. Jesus then corrects her, telling her that He is the resurrection and the life, to which Martha says she believes in as well.

Martha, like the apostles, has faith, but it is still a little bit gray. They believe in Jesus, but don’t understand fully who He is. Martha, ever the doer, took the lead in her conversation with Jesus, but notice Mary’s response: she doesn’t say anything initially, but rather rises quickly, and comes to Him. She accepts Jesus as the resurrection and the life, in that she says to Jesus had He been there, her brother would not have died. But it’s then that her faith becomes a bit shaky – she has just run to Jesus, and seemingly put her trust in Him, but now begins to weep with the Jews who are there, and as such Jesus becomes perturbed. She gets taken up in human emotion.

It’s an interesting word choice, and we will hear it again later on, and it can almost make Jesus sound cold. But I think the reason the author uses that adjective is to describe that Jesus is perhaps a bit frustrated with the people on the scene. He may understand why they are upset, but He is present. Maybe He just hopes that they would have been able to understand fully his self-revelation and that He is the resurrection. They’ve taken some steps, but just aren’t quite there yet. The Jews (and of course they are all Jews at this point; the author uses that term as this Gospel is written last, probably after the followers of Jesus had been kicked out of the Jewish community to form their own to show differentiation) also don’t quite get it, remarking that wasn’t this the same guy who healed the blind man? I guess He can only do so much.

Martha also joins her sister too in failing to make the total leap to Christ. Jesus tells her to move the stone away, but again she cuts off Jesus, objecting “look, the body has been here a few days now, and there is going to be an odor.” Again though, she is not taking in the situation fully. If she can commit herself fully to Christ, the guiding and saving presence of God will help lead her home. She sees the death as absolute. Despite that though, God acts, making His power visible to all.

Martha, Mary, and the Jews weep because they fail to understand fully God’s plan. Even Christ will have a hard time grasping fully the plan of the Father; from this point on He is moving forward toward the violent end of His life. Before long He will be in the Garden, asking for the cup that is before Him to be removed; after that on the Cross uttering the prayer of lament, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” But as I have said before, that isn’t to signify that Jesus has walked away from the Father, or that despair has entered into His heart, but rather that He’s just not fully aware of the Father’s plan. He still trusts, but doing so isn’t easy.

And neither is it easy for us. As last week the Pharisees looked at the blind man and thought they saw a sinner, this week the cast of characters look in front of them and see a loved one who has died. They have made steps forward in their faith, but they just aren’t at the finish line yet. To do that, they need to turn it all over to Jesus and trust Him fully. But doing so can at times involve pain.

I shared the story a while back about my grandma’s battle with pancreatic cancer, and how when my dad gave her
the news, she had an incredible peace about her. She didn’t want to fight to have a few extra weeks; she was OK
with the situation, having suffered through dialysis for a number of years, and had a number of other medical
conditions. And I saw that peace in her as I visited her in her final weeks on this earth. I’ve been fortunate so far in that I haven’t had to stay in the hospital, but I know when confronted with that I would certainly be frightened at first about not knowing what was ahead. I suspect most anyone might be tempted to cry to God words similar to Mary: If you had been here, this would not have happened. So many lead a good life, work hard, and then get blind-sided by a terrible disease, or suffer loss in their life suddenly; or fall on hard times financially. And when those moments happen, can’t we all be tempted to wonder why wasn’t God there?

We may not realize or be able to see that God is there, and is present to us at the moment though. We have the
hope that we might make it through the situation, but there can certainly be that temptation to give into despair – to thinking that the battle is just no longer worth fighting, and that we are alone, and meant to do it alone, retreating into the confines of our own gray town. Or, we can trust our guide, and take His hand, and truly let His spirit into our hearts.

Many of us will struggle at various points doing that, and that is OK. Jesus may have been somewhat perturbed, but He still reached out to His friends, and God’s glory shown through Lazarus. My grandma encountered her own Good Friday as she laid in that hospital bed, but in how she reached out to all of us in the family, it was clear to me God’s glory was shining through her too. The ways God works can be quite mysterious, and through our own eyes at times they might make little sense. But what is clear is God acts, and God redeems – will we take His hand, and let Him guide us home, or will we go our own ways?

And finally, let us not forget that taking His hand so that He will show us the way can also involve us making the decision to change, which can also involve pain. At the start of Lent many of us decided to change something in our lives, perhaps confronting something we were not too proud about. As Lent winds down now and we approach
Easter, have we been willing to go through the pain of detachment? Have we been willing to walk away from the
things we had that kept us from loving God, loving our neighbors, and even loving ourselves as we should? Have we been willing to, as Thomas says, go and die with Him, by dying to those things that keep us from the kind of
relationship with God we know we can have? There is sacrifice when we take the initiative to turn off the TV or the cell phone for an extra half-hour at the end of the day and pray. There is sacrifice when we decide to put in the extra time to study, or to help a child or sibling with their homework rather than doing what we want to do, or even when we decide to make a lifestyle change like giving up smoking or putting in the time to exercise to take care of our bodies. But for all the short-term pain those things might involve, the funny thing is they can lead to some wonderful things: a better grade, a healthier lifestyle, a better relationship with the person we decided to help, and even a better relationship with God. And even if things haven’t gone the way we had hoped this Lent, there still is time to change.

Getting off of the bus that takes us to heaven isn’t easy. It’s much easier to stay put, and in our own version of gray town. So many people just drift from one day to the next, and put up with the setbacks in life with the motivation to try to build a heaven here on earth, or with an apathy that all that matters are the greenbacks. Others see life as a journey that might involve temporal pains at times, but understand that they aren’t the driver of the bus, just the passenger. The driver knows the way home, and at times it may be a difficult journey. But with Him leading us, it is one we can make. Let’s just make sure we never get off of the bus, and trust that the driver knows what He is doing, even if the road may be a little bumpy at times.

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This past Wednesday, we began our journey through the Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday. Ashes are the symbol of the day, and remind us that indeed one day we will return to dust. But out of the dust comes hope; and just as one looks at ashes and can see something that once was, many looked to Christ on the Cross and saw someone who once was: “He saved others, He cannot save Himself. So He is the King of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him.” (Matt. 27:42). Jesus however, passes over from death to life, and through His sacrifice, also redeems us. He rises from the tomb where He was to become dust, and makes our eternal salvation possible. Yes, our earthly bodies may return to dust, but death isn’t the endgame: we have the hope that heaven is.

However, at times we can be a bit confused, can we not? Maybe this is all there is, so maybe I should focus on this world alone. But when we do that, and focus just on this world and try to fill up our life with whatever it is that seemingly makes us happy - relationships, money, or material items, we still have to face the reality that death is out there, lurking. So, are we going to prepare for it by truly being an “ambassador for Christ”  (2 Cor. 5:20) or are we just going to be an ambassador for ourselves.

Here was my homily from Ash Wednesday, and here are the readings for the day:

Jl 2:12-18; Ps. 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17; 2 Cor 5:20—6:2 and Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

I hope Lent is great and fruitful for you. While those ashes may make us think of death, Lent can make us think of gloom - but in one of the prefaces for the Eucharist Prayer, the prayer reads “Each year you give us this joyful season.” Lent is hopeful too - joyful in that we journey towards Easter, and life is eternal, the power of sin destroyed, with our hope that heaven, not ashes, are at the end of the line for us. May we allow the season to transform us.

****

Each spring, on Palm Sunday, we read the Passion, and of course everyone entering Church that day receives fresh, green palms. They symbolize how those who welcomed Jesus coming into Jerusalem lined the streets, crying out “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel.” It must have been quite a sight.

But come Good Friday, those crowds that welcomed Jesus have been replaced by other crowds, that cry out for His crucifixion. The King of Kings is handed over, beaten up, and welcomed this time not with palms but instead jeers, beatings, and then placed on a throne made of wood.

The many who welcomed Him now are no longer there; most of His friends have now been scattered. Palm Sunday seemingly looked like it would be the finest hour of Christ; come Good Friday His mission has seemingly ended in failure. And, taken down from the Cross, He is placed in a tomb.

It was here where presumably the body of Jesus would decay over time, and turn to dust, much like the palms do over time. Initially if you think back to last Palm Sunday, the palms are of course green and smooth; over the past few weeks as people brought them to Church, they certainly don’t look that way anymore. Now, they have become dry and brittle; and yesterday morning, they were burned, creating the ashes that we will receive today.

Ashes are the symbol of the day, and they seem a rather curious way to mark the beginning of Lent. After all, don’t we hear in our Gospel this morning that we aren’t to go around so everyone can see when we pray and fast, but rather approach such things humbly? Even more confusing can be how they are created, from the palms of last year. But it makes sense if you think about it.

Ashes represent something that once was, and are a stark reminder of our humanity. Certainly at first glance, they might make us look different than others on Ash Wednesday who show up at work or school without ashes. Ted Turner even once remarked a few years back to CNN employees “What are you, a bunch of Jesus freaks?.” I’m not sure what Ted’s faith is, but one thing I am sure of is that he is human. And one day, Ted, like all of us, will have to face the fact that he will die, as will everyone here this morning. Modern medicine has made such wonderful strides, and does so much, but it can’t change the fact that life on this earth is finite.

Ashes, besides symbolizing how we are finite, also symbolize the fact that we all share in sin too, and have the need to repent. That is why we don’t bring them home and wear them from time to time, but the only time we receive them is together. The Christian on Ash Wednesday says “I am a follower of Christ, but I am also a sinner, and have need for change in my life. I need Christ.” They also remind us that we do not live in isolation from one another, but rather are united to one another and that we need to pray and help one another on our journey towards our heavenly goal.

If today were just about what was before our eyes – the ashes – it might seem much like things seemed on the first Good Friday: that our pilgrimage on earth, like the journey of Jesus on earth, would end with the same result: death. However, we know the story does not end there. Ashes may be what remains from Passion Sunday, but ultimately life triumphs over death – Jesus rises body and soul from the dead. The thing of it is though, that was hard for many to see at the time at the foot of the cross. Death seemed to prevail.

And just as many saw Jesus as a failure on Good Friday, and didn’t realize the gift God was giving to humanity, many still have a hard time seeing Jesus in our world today. Sometimes that is even true for us as Christians. So what happens? People don’t lose the faith entirely, but gradually over time people can turn inward, focusing on the things that bring them away from Christ. One sin becomes another, and another. Or we might focus on filling our lives with possessions, making them a golden calf; or perhaps even fill our lives with excuses for not praying, for not going to Church or giving of our time or treasures to charity. So many things compete for our attention to take it from God, and indeed it is good to have things, and enjoy things whether it’s golf clubs or shopping malls, but for us all, what we have to remember is try as we might, we just are not going to find the fountain of youth, or heaven here on earth. The closest we will get to heaven isn’t Augusta National Golf Course, or Paris: the closest we can get encountering God in the Eucharist – where we have that encounter with Christ, and hopefully allow His grace to transform us; in the Word of God and in our prayer, and in our experiences with one another, the daughters and sons of God, the Body of Christ, which is what the Eucharist symbolizes.

The Lent, we are invited once more to re-evaluate our priorities, and our relationship to God and one another. Lent sometimes can give us a very negative feel, and at times the focus can be entirely on giving things up, such as candy, or maybe dessert. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I don’t think the primary focus should be on giving things up. Rather, a better focus is found in our second reading, where we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, and to be reconciled to God. Sometimes it can be tempting to make our penitential practices as obvious as the ashes on our foreheads, and tell as many people as we can about how we are giving up this or that. If you choose to give something up, that can be a good idea if it is something you think you cling to that takes you away from God. But another good idea is to focus on those words of Paul: “be reconciled to God.” We also hear from our first reading from the prophet Joel “return to me with all your heart,” in many ways similar to what is said as ashes are distributed: “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” We do that by trying to transform our lives by helping one another, or spending more moments in prayer with God, turning to Him and realizing that only He will see us through.

Our reading from Joel picks up shortly after a locust attack has ravaged Judah, symbolizing the coming day of the Lord. The prophet then summons the people to repent. Ultimately, their prayer is answered and the Lord promises to drive away the locusts and deliver the people.

And so, too, will the Lord deliver us. The key though is to keep our eyes fixed on Him. I’ve never experienced a locust attack, but if you’ve seen them depicted in the movies, they are often quite severe, sometimes so thick that they block out the sun. In the midst of one, I would suspect people are terrified, and perhaps despair over the loss of all of their harvest. And while I haven’t seen a locust attack, all of us have seen a sin attack. Much like a locust attack, the attack of sin in our lives can blot out God’s face, and all can seem lost. But we know better. God delivered Israel, and He will deliver you and me too. We just have to turn to Him. And in turn, may we help deliver others from sin too by truly being ambassadors of Christ for them this Lent.

I hope you have a blessed, and fruitful Lent. To borrow a term from my favorite seminary prof, hopefully we don’t give up just the foam on our Michelob this Lent, but give up all that keeps us from loving God and one another as we should, realizing that while we may return to ashes one day, and while the palms from Palm Sunday may fade, the power of God, and His love, never do. Hopefully we can always trust in that, turning to ashes the sins and things in our life that keep us from loving God fully, and trust in Him, rather than just ourselves – realizing that God’s love will see us through.

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On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 ruling in Roe v. Wade cleared the way for abortion to be made legal in the United States.

In the years that followed, many have worked to try to change that and help others see that life is sacred, and protect the unborn.

However, as time goes by, I think there is always the danger that one can think something might never change, or things simply have to be the way they are. Others think there is nothing they can do, or we might lose sight of just how important an issue really is and why we should care about it so much.

That being the case, with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade coming up during the week, I decided to preach on abortion on the weekend of January 19th and 20th. I was quite nervous. Even so, I felt it was a good decision, because I did not want to give a quick summary of why the Church teaches as she does on this matter, but also emphasize forgiveness and that the Church is there to help women who have gone through this with an attitude of love and compassion, not judgment and shame. I also wanted to stress to others that we need to treat those who grow through this with a similar attitude. And finally, I wanted to let people know how they could get involved - which doesn’t necessarily mean carrying a picket sign.

I deviated a little from this text, adding the story of the woman caught in adultery to show that we all have sin (in this story in John, Jesus writes something in the ground, traditionally seen as the sins of the woman’s accusers) and to stress the compassion of Jesus, and also emphasized the words from the Gospel that week, also from John, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” also the emphasize the forgiveness of Jesus - which can never be over-emphasized enough.

I also think we can never forget to extend our prayers not just for those who have been hurt by abortion, but also to those who are strongly supportive of abortion, praying that they might change and come to see how life has value. It can be easy to judge someone with a so-called “pro-choice” sign on TV quickly, but lets not forget people can change. “Roe” was Norma McCorvey, and today she is a Catholic and pro-life.

Here is a link to the readings for January 20th, the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. They were: Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/012008.shtml

Here is the text of the homily as I wrote it. God bless!

- Fr. Paul

******

It was about a month ago that cameras filled the outside of a courtroom in Richmond, Virginia.
SportsCenter that morning devoted several hours of coverage to what was going on inside the court house, and it was the lead story on many of the local and national news shows that day as well.

Of course, what was going on inside the courtroom was the sentencing of Michael Vick. He was sentenced to 23 months in a federal prison for one count of interstate conspiracy to sponsor dog fighting. Outside, various people held signs vilifying Vick.

However, there were no cameras covering protests, if there were any, at some of the other spots in Richmond that day. The Planned Parenthood on Floyd avenue; or the Capital Women’s Health Clinic locating on Starling Drive. There is no cruelty to animals that goes on at these places; just simply cruelty to people, as these are some of the abortion centers in the Richmond area.

Such places look like unassuming buildings from the outside. When a woman becomes pregnant and feels that having the child is not the best option for her, some think abortion is the way to go. One woman, in sharing her testimonial, tells the story of how she became pregnant at the age of 15. Unfortunately, her boyfriend assumed that if anything were to happen, she would have an abortion. She also speaks of how her parents had already told her they would never accept her having a child out of wedlock. Paying the fee, she had the abortion, and spoke of how her life went downhill shortly thereafter. She would later have a turbulent relationship with the father of the child, who was also affected horribly by what had occurred, and committed suicide. Thankfully later in life the woman married a good man, had another child, and received support from her church – but the healing took years and years.

This woman’s story is one of the countless that are, sadly, shared by thousands of young women. Abortion has always been a controversial topic, but in many respects, that out of sight, out of mind mentality can set in. One can’t see the unborn child with the naked eye. Arguments in favor of abortion also seem to make sense; the child isn’t fully developed yet or the child might have a bad home to live in, or someone got themselves in over their heads, so perhaps its better to correct the so-called “problem.” People however, can see a dog and can relate to it. There are fond memories of going to the park with the dog, playing with the dog, and the dog is in many ways part of the family. It can be harder for some though who have not had children to relate to
an unborn child As the years pass since abortion has been legalized, while most people are still against abortion, some are uncomfortable doing much about it, thinking about it, or talking about it. Hence, you might come across the argument: “well, I would never condone that sort of thing, but who am I to speak out against what others want to do.” Many people said the same thing with regards to slavery and many people said the same thing with regards to the Holocaust. Indeed, There is a story from the days of the Nazi atrocities that tells of a church along a road where the trains passed, carrying Jews to execution. When they passed the church on Sunday mornings, they would cry out in the hope that the worshipers would hear their cries and rescue them. The noise of the wailing prompted members of the congregation to ask the pastor, “What are we to do about this disturbance to our worship?” The pastor paused and then said, “Tell the people to sing a little louder.” We may not hear the voices of the unborn, but they cry out for us to act. Ignoring this injustice will not make it go away. Indeed, the bishops of the United States, in a 1997 statement on abortion, called the attitude of saying that it’s not the government’s task to legislate morality, and that it’s a personal choice, “morally repugnant.”

What we must remember are the words from Isaiah in our first reading: “the Lord has spoken, who formed me as His servant from the womb.” Life is precious, from the moment of conception. I’m not a parent, but as one parent told me, that relationship is so powerful, starting well before birth. Abortion to most people is unthinkable; but do an opinion poll, and many see it as an accepted form of birth control during the first months of a pregnancy. But from the earliest days of the Church, the Church has spoken out against this.

This week, with Tuesday marking the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, gives us a reminder of the need to speak up for the defenseless, and also gives us a chance to think about something we frankly might not think about too much, as abortion isn’t quite the hot-button issue that it once was say 20 or 30 years ago. But the fact of the matter is, the Church continues to speak out tirelessly on this issue, and we must act as well.

For one, we use the word “justice” a lot these days; some see it in the legal term, others see it more in the social term of assisting others through charitable acts. Abortion covers both. A person has a right to life, and this life is sacred. Time and time again, Christ preaches and speaks out against injustice, which ultimately are to “undo the works of the devil” which are lies and murder – something that the abortion industry quietly does on a daily basis, lying to a woman before hurting her and taking her unborn child. Social justice is a life issue in that we argue for social justice based on the dignity of the human person, something abortion denies.

That is why it is so important for you and I to speak up. Now “speaking up” doesn’t necessarily mean carrying a sign and getting into a shouting match with someone who is a supporter of abortion legalization. However, there are numerous ways we can get involved.

One is by educating ourselves. Someone told me if you ask any parent who sees an ultrasound of their unborn child, its hard to conceive how someone could then go on to have an abortion. While many in the world would call an unborn child not life but potential life, consider how much development occurs in just the initial weeks and months: blood flow by the fourth to fifth week; heart development between 18 and 25 days, and fingers and toes by the sixth week. Its understandable in that during the initial weeks when one can’t see someone as being pregnant one might think that there is no life present – but indeed, we have a human being, and so many just aren’t aware of all that happens in the first moments of life. Our job as evangelists for Christ is to educate ourselves and others about this truth, and also to be aware of the numerous resources that are available to abortion. You may have seen the story that ran this past week that said abortions were at their lowest level since 1981 – 1.2 million per year now. Some feel this may be in part to those who are involved in the pro-life movement setting up abortion alternative centers near abortion clinics. I truly believe they make a difference. If you had a chance to look at this week’s Catholic Spirit, there is a cover story about a sidewalk counselor at the Robbinsdale clinic, Kathy Freed. The story also points out that, according to Pro Life Action Ministries, 59 babies were saved this past year thanks to people like her. Indeed Freed might not have changed the law, but she has helped save lives.

Secondly, forgiveness and compassion. Its what we preach as a Church, and its what we must live out. The Church is there to help women and those affected by abortion offering not just forgiveness through the sacraments, but also to help people find the resources they need to heal. This past summer, I preached on that novel the “Scarlet Letter,” where the woman who becomes pregnant from someone other than her husband is forced to wear a scarlet “A” to stay in the town. But indeed, she was the most virtuous woman in the town; those who scorned her and treated her with cruelty were guilty of a far greater sin. The sad thing is so many woman feel the guilt set in. That young woman whose testimonial I cited, in speaking of her family’s attitude, felt pressured to have an abortion because of the attitude of her parents. Many other women simply have the abortion while other friends and family members never speak up or reach out to help, or let the time pass without reaching out to ease the woman’s pain, but simply let the wounds grow with silence or, even worse, use it to harm the person. Or some even wish evil upon abortionists or those who work at an abortion clinic. We have to strive to reach out to help those who were hurt by abortion, by taking the time to talk with them when they seek our help. We should also pray both for the victims of abortion, but also for those involved in the killing of unborn children.

Third, we need to get involved. There’s a big danger that as we mark 35 years now since the decision that we might think there is nothing we can do, or that abortion is somehow a matter for the courts. But that’s hardly the case. We should consider life issues when we go to a caucus or vote for someone, and while the Church of course doesn’t endorse candidates, the bishops of the United States have given us a great document entitled “Faithful Citizenship” that gives us an idea of what issues should be looked at, and speaks on abortion. Hopefully we keep that issue in mind at the polls. Our legislators can greatly effect abortion. A huge piece of legislation that just happened not too long ago was the Minnesota Women’s Right to Know Law, a great bill. Twenty-three states now have such legislation. It means that before a woman has an abortion, she be made aware of its risks and alternatives. This bill was passed in 2003, but it didn’t happen overnight. It took ten years of people working hard to put pressure on legislators for that bill to be passed and signed into law. That’s just one example of how the people we vote for can help to save lives, and when we speak up for life, they have to listen to us.

And finally, we have to be vigilant and be on guard to avoid apathy. Abortion has been legal my entire life in the United States, and in the current campaigns, it doesn’t come up much which is understandable as most candidates are advised not to address it at length. And many might be tempted to think nothing will ever change. Many people thought that way about racism, but thanks to the efforts of individuals like Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Dr. Martin Luther King, institutional racism began to change in this country, even if shadows of individual racism still remain. For a time in our nations history, slavery was legal in half of the nation. And many didn’t like that, but didn’t want to get involved in the issue because they didn’t feel it was their place to do anything about it or inflict their views on others. But yet our Declaration of
Independence states that all men are created equal, endowed with the Creator with certain unalienable rights; there is no asterisk next to that word “all.” It took tireless efforts to change attitudes and laws, but eventually it happened. Perhaps we may be tempted to think nothing will ever change, but may we remember those words from Matthew’s Gospel that are a Divine guarantee to the Church: “The gates of hell will not prevail against it.” A gate doesn’t attack though; it defends the city. We as the Church storm the gates of evil. It is our job as Christians to storm the gates of falsehood and lies that claim only certain lives or certain people are sacred, and to truly be the light of truth to a world that needs to see that truth and hear it proclaimed. That might not mean carrying a picket sign, but believe it or not we do just that when we pray for those affected by abortion; when we pray for the abortionist; when we forgive and reach out to those who are hurting because of abortion, or when we write our legislators urging them to support pro-life legislation.

I really do like dogs. I’ve never had one, but my plans are to eventually get a German Shepherd and take my dog for runs around one of the parks or lakes. Archbishop Flynn loves dogs too; he told us that he felt every rectory should have one. He has two Golden Retrievers himself. Michael Vick made a choice to harm animals in a cruel way, and there should be consequences. But as the Archbishop asked us in his column last summer, which is the greater moral evil – harming an animal or the destruction of human life? It’s a question that I think as a society we don’t always answer correctly. Through the efforts of you and me as Christians, may we help the world to see the truth, and never cease speaking out for those who have no voice.

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Americans are known to give a lot of money to charity. In 2005, for example, individuals contributed a whopping $199 billion dollars. Not bad at all.

However, many can be a bit confused at what is meant by the term “charity.” Charity, in the Christian sense, really comes down to love. Giving alms is just a tiny part of it.

Many people can also feel overwhelmed. I suspect in November and December more than one person received Christmas cards mailed to them with an envelope enclosed. Pleas for money can and do continue through the year, and many of us have friends or family who also ask for money.

I hope people do give of their excess - it’s a good idea to donate to charity. And if someone gives nothing and has plenty to give, that’s something to take a look at. But some instinctively reach for the checkbook without checking out who or what organization is asking for the money. Others might feel guilty for not giving, or saying no. The thing of it is, I think at times we do have to say no. Maybe we are going through a tough time financially, or just need to save up some extra money, or are already donating to other charities and can’t afford to give extra right now.

Ten percent gets thrown around as a “tithing” number, but I don’t think we should get into specific numbers. It really comes down to individual circumstances - what does a person have, and what are the needs right now. It’s also OK for one to buy things and enjoy things too with their money - we all need a vacation from time to time, and there’s nothing wrong either with having some toys. Of course, if all of the money goes to toys and none to charity or giving of our time, that’s something to evaluate too, as we don’t want the toys to become a “golden calf.” Finding the right balance is important.

So too, do I think we can live out Christian charity in more ways than one. Sometimes we will donate; but donating time is a good idea too. Time can be much more valuable than money, and to give of it by helping those in need, such as going to Sharing and Caring hands, or even serving at the parish, or by giving of our time to our families by going to those Little League games and helping a daughter or son get ready for that history test in the morning, this too is living out Christian charity.

In sum, I think we have to be a balance between Scrooge and Santa - and let’s not forget, even Santa gives out coal every once in a while, as it’s a matter of justice. As such, we owe it to ourselves to check out who or what organization is coming to us for money, because there are those out there who, sadly, just use others for their own benefit.

Our reading from Mass this past Monday was a reminder of that, especially this line from 1 John:

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Here’s a link too to www.give.org. It’s affiliated with the Better Business Bureau, and allows you to get some information on charities and helps people make more informed decisions. You’ll find a ton of useful information here, such as where the money goes, contact information on the charity, along with many other things. (The BBB also has a nice web site too when looking up information on businesses you want to patronize).

So, if you are giving, that’s great and I hope you keep it up. And if you are looking at other charities to give to, that’s wonderful too. But sometimes you have to say “no” too - and if one has to say “no” to a charity because they are in a bad way, or prefer to give elsewhere, I think that’s using prudence wisely.
Here are the readings for the day, and a link to them:
1 Jn. 3:22-4:6; Psalms 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; and Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

And finally, here was the homily I preached for the day:

******

During yesterday’s feast of the Epiphany, I reflected briefly on one of the gifts that the Magi, and all of humanity are given: that of wisdom, which makes humans unique among all other animals on the planet.

It’s admittedly something that is easy to take for granted, but something that we have to be aware of and hopefully we use. And when it comes to wisdom, it doesn’t mean just reading about theology and growing in the faith, but also growing in our ability to ascertain the right answer to the question: is this person telling the truth?

In our reading from the first letter of John today, the author states: “…test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone into the world.” I think these words are so important for us, because at times we may feel guilty to put things and people to the test, or similarly we also might do something quickly without thinking twice about it, such as giving to charity after charity.

First, with people, what it is important to remember is that justice comes first, and then if there is room for it, charity. That might sound cold, but it makes perfect sense. Take something simple like taxes, which we will all be doing shortly now that it’s 2008. We have to pay our taxes to the State, or else we will go to jail. And while we can and should argue and discuss tax policy, without taxes we couldn’t pay for police, road maintenance, or other things that the common good needs. For many people, that’s a high burden; and they need the rest of the money to support their families, to pay for a car or the mortgage, or just need to save money up in the bank for retirement, or for a rainy day. When we have money to give, we should share it and give to those in need, but how much becomes a very gray matter, and is unique to the individual. I don’t think one should have excessive guilt if they decide to save for a vacation, or donate to the 401K or short-sell Motorola with their money, but we should give at least something. And it need not always be money – indeed it can be time too.

But when we get to that giving part, that is why that verse from our reading this morning is so important. It’s a misstatement to say “money is the root of all evil,” for the verse states is “the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil,” and believe me, love of money is out there. As evidence of that, take a look at tele-evangelism. There are some preachers out there who do good work and are indeed genuine; I think for instance Mother Angelica and the EWTN network genuinely aren’t in it just for the money. But indeed, many are in it just for the money. And that is why it is so important to put people who come to us with a request for money to a test, rather than just whip out the checkbook as a reflex because we feel guilty. A good idea is to pray about it when someone asks us for money; look at where the rest of our money is going, and also talk to those whom we trust most – does this sound like a good idea, or a worthy cause?

And finally, we have to remember that we have responsibilities to our families first. While it is great to give, we also have to use that virtue of prudence we are given, which the catechism calls the “charioteer” virtue – the one that guides the rest. If we have a house payment, or other outstanding bills, or are choosing between paying down our debt or giving to someone, we may have to put off charitable gifts until the bills are paid.
It is true there is a lot of need out there. If someone we care about is in a real, genuine need and comes to us for help, I’d hope we’d help them. But sadly, some can abuse the system too. And I suspect if you have given to a charity, your name is on multiple mailing lists, and day after day in December you got requests in the mail for money, or Christmas cards sent to you. Similarly, many of us encounter people in life who ask us for money. I think it’s wonderful to reach out and help when we can, but we also always have to look before we leap, and also make sure who or what organization we are giving to will use the money prudently, and indeed belongs to God rather than their own selfish interests.

May we never forget that we are called to give of our time, talent and treasure to God, and that giving doesn’t always entail writing a check. “No” is a valid, and sometimes acceptable answer – and while it can be tough to say, at times we just have to do it. But we can also give in so many other ways too, by praying for those in need, and by giving of our time to help them find assistance or reaching out to those in need through volunteering too. Hopefully in our lives, we can find the right balance of all three. A little prudence can go a long way in helping
us do just that!

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I hope you have had a blessed Christmas and the New Year is off to a great start.

The Christmas season celebrates God dwelling with us - the Incarnation. But trying to figure out the answer to the question “who is Jesus Christ” is something that the early Church grappled with for centuries. And indeed, we continue to interpret and understand revelation.

At daily Mass on Tuesday, January 2nd, we had the memorial of two saints, Gregory Nazianzen and Basil the Great. I had to look these guys up, as I didn’t know much on them, but I found out they were good friends, and one of the things they had to deal with was Arianism, one of the early heresies which held that the Son was created by the Father, and could be inferior.

Gregory and Basil arrive on the scene in the fourth century, but even before this we have some confusion and some dissidents. Hence, in our reading from the day, the author of 1 John writes: “Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father; but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.” Obviously it takes some time for a consensus on seeing Jesus as both Divine and Human.

And if you think about it, I bet we struggle with that today. Sometimes we emphasize one aspect of Jesus, but we have to have a balanced view of our Redeemer, and I think it’s good to reflect on both His humanity and divinity.

Here’s my homily from January 2nd, which tries to do that a little.

The readings for the day (with the link below)
1 Jn. 2:22-28; Ps. 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; John 1:19-28.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/010208.shtml

Here is the homily I preached:

****

During our first year of theology, one of the courses that we were required to take was Christology. As the title suggests, the course spent time asking the question “who is Jesus Christ?” Obviously, its such a deep question that it required spending a semester examining it. And we may forget that while we believe that Jesus is God dwelling among us, coming to understand revelation is something we continue to do as a Church. And answering that question “who is Jesus” is something that took the early Church years to figure out fully. Yes, we certainly believed Him to be God – but there were also various heresies that emerged. And if you think about it, today, some of us may still have trouble answering that question “who is Jesus Christ.”

This Christmas Season has given us the chance to reflect on the Incarnation, and hopefully we do so with a balanced view of Christ. From our reading this morning, the author states that anyone who denies the Son denies the Father. He does this because at this point, the orthodox position is struggling with those who have differing views of God. Some see Jesus as significant, but struggle seeing Him as God.

The situation would still be troublesome in the fourth century, the time when the two saints we honor today, Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil the Great, both doctors of the Church and two close friends who would eventually become bishops. During their lifetime, the persecutions had eased, but trouble was everywhere. Julian the Apostate was emperor of Rome, the last pagan to be emperor, and was opposed to Christianity. There were no mass executions, but he was hostile to the Church. As such, when Gregory wrote a work that questioned the emperors intellect and said that the Christianity would overcome imperfect rulers, one can understand how it might not be well-received. Gregory was in the emperors cross-hairs, but the emperor died shortly thereafter while on a campaign.

The successor of Julian, the emperor Jovian, was a supporter of the Church, but this didn’t mean all was well. The Church was being torn apart in some regions such as Cappadocia, where Gregory lived, by Arianism, which questioned Jesus being divine. Both Gregory and Basil fought against this, including having a rhetorical contest with Arian theologians that was presided over by the emperor’s agents, from which Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. Later in life, Gregory would strive to bring Constantinople to the orthodox position.

However, both of these men were also not exclusively devoted to theology of books. Gregory inherited money from his parents, which he promptly donated most of to the needy. Basil would organize a soup kitchen and distribute food to the poor during a famine and following a drought. So, too, did Basil speak out against injustice of public officials, and built a complex that included a hospice, hospital and poorhouse.

Like so many of the saints, these two friends contributed much to our understanding of the faith, and also lived it out. And if you think about it, it’s only with a balanced view of Jesus that one can do that. If we focus on just the divinity of Christ, it might be hard to see Him as someone we can have a real relationship with. We also might not appreciate the need to speak out against injustice, or assist those in need, as God might seem somehow distant and far away, rather than as one who is among the poor and needy time and time again in the Gospels. On the flip side, if we focus just on the humanity of Jesus, and go the way the Arian’s wanted to take us, what does that say about what happened on the Cross? It diminishes the significance of Calvary. If we lose sight of the Divinity of Jesus, than we forget John’s prologue – the Word becoming flesh, and dwelling among us. God Himself has entered into our humanity, walked among us, died for us, and sends His Spirit to dwell with us still. That is why these holy men we honor today fought so hard to have a proper view of God, and why the Incarnation is so
significant. Unlike the theological debate that Gregory and Basil were in where the representatives of the emperor showed up, what happened in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago wasn’t just a representative of God coming to earth, or just a prophet, but God Himself.

Hopefully as we go throughout our time on this earth, we can always be guided by that balanced view of our God. I once told a confessor about 10 years ago that Jesus was my best friend. And he agreed with me. That sounds nice, and is in many ways true – we can have a friendship with Christ, but beyond that Jesus is also our redeemer. My best friend on earth knows me very well, but can’t change my relationship with God. Only God Himself can do that by reaching out to me. And He has, just as He has reached out to us all. May we enter into a true relationship with Him, our best friend and our Redeemer, and always strive to help others see the fullness of that relationship and how beautiful it can be.

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Advent is here yet again, but how do we deal with it? Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, but as soon as the calendar turns to November the stores put away the Halloween stuff and put up the Christmas merchandise.

I have no problem getting into Christmas a little early. I used to get the tree with my dad in early December as a kid, before we eventually went the fake-tree route, and I’ve put up a small tree in my room and another tree in my sitting room at the rectory. It’s nice to see decorations up around town and nice to see people looking forward to celebrating Christmas.

Advent though brings us up to Christmas, and is described by the Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. writing in Mangificat (a monthly magazine I get with the readings in it for each day, along with some reflections) as a season sometimes referred to as a journey. He writes “Advent is like this. We know our heart is waiting for Someone in whom we will find all the fulfillment and meaning we lack in our life. But Christmas does not happen instantaneously. Gradually, we are introduced and come to know the One who comes to save us from our fragility. The Advent journey is that sequence of graced “confirmations” that readies us for the One who, the night before he dies, will call us ‘Friend.’” It’s a good image, and to it I’d just emphasize hope and peace too in that Someone: Jesus. Hopefully it’s a season guided by hope that we will enjoy the peace of Christmas, where we will welcome our Redeemer into our hearts once more, and keep that peace throughout the year.

Readings from Isaiah are commonplace during Advent, and on Tuesday, December 4th, I talked (or will talk as at the time of this writing) about peace, of how it’s something we all want, and something ideally we experience in childhood. The readings that day brought to mind images from an experience I had recently having lunch with some of the school kids, which was great as the turkey sandwich was good, but more than that just being with the kids was fantastic.

Here’s a link to the readings for the day, Isaiah 10:6-10(a), Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 and Matthew 15:29-37:

http://www.usccb.org/nab/120507.shtml

Here’s my homily for the day:

After glancing at the school lunch menu and learning turkey sandwiches were being served, I made my way there with haste one day last week. It was my second time going there, and
eating with the kids is quite fun, albeit a bit awkward as everyone wants you to sit with them, and is sort of an introvert’s nightmare. Nonetheless, I made my way to one of the tables, and had a nice time hanging out with some of the younger men of our parish community, where we talked a little about football.

It was a fun time, and if you want a word to describe the situation, I’d actually use “peaceful.”
Now it certainly doesn’t seem that way on the outside looking in – one walking by would hear countless voices chattering away, but I’d say it was peaceful in that most of the kids seemed to be at ease, enjoying that sanctuary in the middle of the day that is lunch, where they don’t have to worry about schoolwork, tests and talking out of turn for a few minutes and where kids can just be kids.

The thing of it is though, is those kids all have to leave the lunchroom. And for the most part, I think they enjoy being a part of Holy Name of Jesus school. But I wonder what kind of lives will be ahead of them. Homework seems to increase and increase, as do demands on children. We get them involved in multiple sports leagues, after-school activities, expect them to keep up their grades, so it seems that more and more we have 11-year olds who are great at multi-tasking and using a cell phone, but maybe not so great at just being able to enjoy their childhood.

Now don’t get me wrong: I think if a child wants to play sports or be in theater or the band, that’s fantastic. The key word though is “wants,” and making sure it’s what the child wants, and not what a parent, peer, or society wants. Obviously I will never have children, but from the outside looking in, it seems that society today tries to put more and more pressure on kids, and chips away at childhood so the peace of that time that should be there is harmed, both by society, pressures at home, and even pressures at school from peers and bullying.

What I think made those kids so at ease at lunch was they could be themselves and be at peace, and it’s really not that much of a stretch to say that is what we all want. That’s certainly what we get in our readings today, where we have that image of the future from Isaiah of the peaceful Kingdom of God, and in our Gospel where Jesus likens the disciples to little ones, for that is how we are to receive God as well – as a child, with a peace and a trust, and with a willingness to open ourselves up to come to know him.

One thing that was so great about being with those kids was the fact that I felt received perhaps as a bit of a pseudo-celebrity at first, but they seemed to feel at ease around me. That’s why a little girl felt no problem coming up to me and saying “my friend wants to know how come you always sit with the boys?” (Next time I will make sure to alternate who I sit with). That’s why we could talk about football. Yes, I might be a priest and have studied some more theology than they have, but we are both baptized children of God, both equal in dignity through our humanity, and both want peace in our lives.

And yet, we both had to leave that lunchroom, me to go back to the office, they to their classrooms, just as we have to leave the peacefulness of our sanctuary this morning and go back out into the world to live another day. The challenge though for us is to truly always receive God into our hearts just as a child, knowing that we can always run into the loving arms of our God. As we continue through Advent, a season that ideally is one of peace but so often is a time of busyness and stress, may we be guided by that trust, always striving to increase the peace in our lives and to help ourselves and others find the way to
the place where lunch will never end: heaven.

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I am a big sports fan, enjoying the professional sports and college too, especially college basketball. There are some great games in the winter months, and the conference championships that we are treated to in early March just before March Madness begins are fantastic. They provide added excitement as teams that struggled during the regular season that get hot late have a chance to get an automatic bid. The ACC tournament last year is testament to that, as NC State and Sidney Lowe (former Wolves Assistant Coach) almost got into the big dance by getting hot in the conference tournament. They were only 5-11 in the ACC conference, but still had a great run in that tournament. There are also many other small schools that make things interesting in the tournament itself, so what you have is a sport that makes it interesting from January to early April. And then, there’s college football.

As a Gopher Alumn, I do pull for my team and whoever is playing against Wisconsin. I’ve also always enjoyed Notre Dame. Both teams are having miserable seasons and shouldn’t get a shot at a title. But many other teams should. The pity of college football is that there are many good teams who will have no shot at a national title, when in reality many should, as all are closely even in the top ten. I’m a math phobic so am not an expert at how the BCS computers determine who is ranked where, but the sport would be so much more interesting if only there were something to look forward to than the various bowls. A computer should not determine who gets to play for a title. The national championship game is always fun to watch, and I’ll probably watch some of the other bowls too, but you have to ask yourself come January, is this the real national champion? We’ve had “shared” titles as well, (remember 2003 with LSU and USC?) and just last year, Boise State did all they could - went undefeated, shocked everyone by beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, but had no chance to win a national title, because they could not play for it. Compare this to the years when an unknown has won it all in college hoops, perhaps the most famous being NC State in 1983 shocking Houston. That just won’t happen in college football. And it’s a pity, because December could give us some great games were college football to go to a playoff system like all the other sports have. I really don’t think people will miss Meineke Car Care Bowl too much were that to happen. Hopefully one day it will.

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Though I’ve never been to a convention, I have seen a lot of episodes of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In one episode of The Next Generation, if I remember it right, Riker and Geordi go missing. Essentially they are still alive, but unable to be seen by anyone on the Enterprise, sort of like being caught in another dimension. When they are believed dead, they have a funeral for them, and Data does the planning, turning it more into a celebration.

The funeral is held in ten forward, the ship’s bar, and features a Dixieland band and turns into essentially a party where they celebrate the life of Riker and Geordi. Of course, at this point Geordi figures out how to get them back, and they arrive at their own funeral.

That episode came to mind as I was thinking about the feast of All Soul’s, and the modern way funerals are celebrated. At times, I think they can become more of a party or canonization, then a real funeral, where we pray for the person who has died and comfort one another. It’s certainly not a good idea to talk of the bad things that people might have done in their life at a funeral, but at times there is almost a fear to think about anything a person might have struggled with in their life after they die, so no one will acknowledge a deceased person’s sins and struggles.

I preached a little on that last week on All Soul’s Day, in that it’s perfectly okay to acknowledge that we struggle with sin, and even acknowledge someone we knew who has died had his or her struggles with sin, too. As Catholics, we hold there is a heaven, hell and purgatory. The problem is - at times we just put all of the focus on heaven.

As I point out in my homily, purgatory is not a bad place (actually “condition of existence” is the more accurate term, as used by John Paul II). I don’t believe there is any physical suffering there at all, but some have an image of it being a suburb of hell. This is a bad image. Rather, I see it as a place of joy. Those there will be in heaven eventually, and as far as pain, I think it would be the pain of detachment - learning how to let go of the things that keep me from loving God to my fullest extent.

As far as hell, note that the Church never declares someone to be in hell. Again some bad images I think are fire and pitchforks; rather the pain here is frustration of not being able to be with God. Some wonder how could a loving God put someone in hell; well God doesn’t put someone there, rather over the course of a life one makes choices that causes them to become separated from God to an extreme extent. What we do matters, and some sadly choose to reject God.

For a nice synopsis of heaven, hell and purgatory, check out the words of John Paul II by clicking on the link below:

John Paul II on Heaven, Hell & Purgatory

I hope we do celebrate life, and think of the happy times we shared with our loved ones, and also live our lives armed with hope of being in heaven with God for eternity. But I also hope we continue to pray for one another too, for we are a church of both saints and sinners - but both equally loved by God!

Here is my homily for All Soul’s Day:

(Readings: Wisdom 3:1-9; Ps:21:1-3a;3b-4,5,6; Rom 6:3-9; John 6:37-40.) Link:
Readings for All Soul’s Day***

Rome is a city filled with magnificent churches, glorious pieces of art, and beautiful architecture that really touches the soul. So beautiful that I’m sure more than one person has left their pilgrimage or trip and asked themselves “how close to heaven can you get?” Many people go there when they can because as a center of our faith, it is a real faith building experience when you go to a place where Christians have worshiped for centuries, and thousands were martyred for our faith.

As one journeys through the city, the churches will differ, but many will have similar features as well. That is, until one comes to the Capuchini Bone Crypt, a place unlike anything else in the city. Located beneath the Capuchin Church of the Immaculate Conception, one enters this place and finds bones in the crypt that have been nailed to the wall and arranged in various patterns, and there are various skulls and bones throughout the crypt as well. One will also find a sign that states “What we are, we used to be. What we are, you will be.”

It’s quite a shock to walk through the place, and jolts one back into reality pretty quick. But I’m glad I did visit it, because it gets at something that society all-too-often wants to ignore: the reality of death.

Death is a part of life that we have to endure, but naturally something we don’t like to think about much. As such, we often have mixed feelings about it, and tend to make it as pleasant as possible. Hence, take for instance the modern funeral liturgy. It is in many ways beautiful, but at times it can almost seem more like a canonization. Now I’m not suggesting we speak ill of the dead, but at times it seems as if at a funeral, we have no recognition of any faults of the person at all, as they are seemingly forgotten. And the funeral itself can perhaps seem a bit more like a life celebration, rather than a true funeral where we pray for our lost loved one, in that we look to the past, and not to the future.

Certainly, we should celebrate life. I think it’s wonderful to have a number of pictures in the gathering space, and to share fond memories of the loved ones we lost. But at the same time, we have to remember that we aren’t perfect, and that goes for those who have gone before us too. And that is perfectly OK, because we are a Church of both sinners and saints.

We acknowledge death as a reality of the world we live in, but we also live with the virtue of hope as a part of our lives – a virtue that looks to the future, a virtue that helps us keep our eyes focused on heaven and doing what we can to build up treasures in heaven by making the world a better place, which is why the early Christians who sacrificed their lives help to plant the seeds of a Christianized Roman Empire, and why I’m sure many of us can name people who quietly lived out the Gospel and evangelized us through their daily actions. But,these same great people struggled with sin as well, because we are human. We will do acts of great kindness, but also make mistakes that can seemingly ruin the good things that we do. Family life is a prime example of that; the family being a place of great love and joy, but also inevitable arguments and moments of pain too.

And were it not for Jesus Christ, we would probably despair in that constant waxing and waning we live out, striving for perfection and striving to be with God, but also continuing to make mistakes on our journey, seeing death as the inevitable endgame of life.

Jesus did not have to suffer and die on our behalf, but nonetheless He did so out of love for us all, revealing on the Cross what true love is all about. And in doing that, Saint Paul reminds us, through our baptism and through Jesus’ suffering and dying for you and me, sin and death no longer have a claim over us.

The Cross hopefully guides most of our actions in that we look to the Cross, and see what true love is all about – holding nothing back from God and neighbor, in that Jesus trusted in the Father, and He loved humanity so deeply so as to become the innocent victim. Jesus shows us what we can become. The problem is it can take time to do that; but the good news for us all is Jesus is patient with us. At times, that transformation continues after death, which is why we believe in a purgatory, where some souls go before going to heaven. This is certainly not a place of physical pain, or some suburb of hell; quite the contrary. It rather is a place of joy where we learn to get rid of those things that we cling to that keep us from loving God fully; such as anger, resentment, or selfishness – pick your sin – and if there is any pain there, it is better thought of as the pain of letting go of the things which might give us momentary pleasure but not true happiness, which can only be found in heaven.

Today, on this feast of All Souls, may we reminisce with joy on the lives of our loved ones who have touched our lives in so many ways. May we find peace and confidence in the words from the Book of Wisdom, where we are reminded that the souls of the just are in the hands of God, and also from the Psalmist, who reminds us that even in the moments of darkness in our lives, our Lord journeys with us. But may we also be filled with fortitude, not afraid to acknowledge our own difficulties with sin, and the difficulties our friends and loved ones who have gone before us had with sin too, mindful of the fact that God’s love for them and for us knows no bounds, and armed with the trust that the saints and the sinners are not separated, but united in God’s merciful love.

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