All Saints Day - November 1, 2015

All Saints Day

November 1, 2015

The Little Way to Holiness

 

            Young Theresa Martin was frustrated. She had heard the stories of the great saints – martyrs such as St. Polycarp and St. Agnes; great missionaries like St. Francis Xavier; strong founders of religious communities like St. Clare and St. Francis; powerful reformers who changed the church, such as St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Some of these saints had mystical visions like St. Catherine of Siena, while some spent their lives working with the poor like St. Vincent de Paul.

            But Theresa was not like them. She was just a simple middle-class girl, not a visionary or martyr. What could she do to be holy?

            Her desire for holiness was so unsettling because she could not figure out how she could become a saint. In search for an answer, she started reading the letters of St. Paul in the Bible. St. Paul writes that the Church is like a body – the entire body is made up of many parts. The ear is necessary, but so is the eye. The hand needs the foot, and the foot needs the hand. Theresa was comforted by this, but she still struggled to see her place in this body of the Church!

            Finally, as she continued to read, she was struck by Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13. “Faith, hope, and love remain…but the greatest of these is love.” She realized that the Church had a heart, and that heart was love. So she determined that she would be the heart of love in the center of the church, and do everything for love.

            But that wasn’t always easy. Theresa ended up becoming a nun, and she had plenty of trials with her sisters. One particular sister used to knock her rosary beads on the pew during prayers – this drove Theresa crazy! But Theresa patiently endured it out of love. Another sister used to purposely splash water on her as they did the laundry together, just to get on Theresa’s nerves. But once again, she bore it all with a smile and forgiveness. A different nun had a difficult personality, and was always grumpy and negative to everyone. Theresa made an extra effort to befriend that nun, even though she found that it cost her.

            These small acts of love were not earth-shattering. They wouldn’t make the front page of the newspaper. But they were real, they were genuine, and they are a simple path to holiness. Theresa called it her “Little Way” – the little way to get to Heaven!

            Let’s be real – most of us here will not have as dramatic of a life as some of the saints we hear about. In Stamford in 2015, there is little chance that we will be a martyr, and most of us are not called by God to be a missionary to a far-off land. But you and I ARE created to become saints – and with God’s grace, we can become a saint through the Little Way.

            The Little Way simply means that every action we do throughout the day can be done out of love for God. Things like doing the dishes, playing sports, driving our car, and talking to a friend can all become steps on the pathway to sanctity when we do them to the best of our ability and motivated by a love for God. It’s very simple – just begin every action with the intention of praising and loving God – and you will become a saint in no time!

            I love how the Australian Catholic writer Matthew Kelly describes holiness. He says that holiness is “becoming the best version of yourself.” Holiness does not mean that you have to become St. Padre Pio. You can’t become him…that particular path has already been walked! Instead, you should become a better version of yourself – your life, lived for Christ. That’s the message of the Little Way.

            I remember making a real mistake about this when I was just starting off on my spiritual journey. I had given my life to the Lord when I was 16, and during freshman year of college I was praying one day about how to be holy. I thought to myself that a truly holy person is humble. And a humble person never draws attention to himself. So that day I decided that to be humble and holy, I would say as little as possible.

            Right after my prayer time, I went up to the football field, where some of my friends were playing in a football game. I was watching from the sidelines when my friend Amelie came up to me. She tried to start a conversation with me.

            “Hey, Joe, how’s it going?”

            Remembering my decision, I replied, “Fine.”

            “How were your classes today?”

            “Fine.”

            Long pause. “This is shaping up to be a good game, huh?”

            “Yes.”

            Finally, she just gave up trying to engage me in conversation and said, “Well, you don’t seem very talkative today. I’m leaving.”

            I realized after that exchanged that I was completely taking the wrong direction to holiness! Instead of trying to become someone we’re not, let’s just become who we are – for Christ!

            This means that, through the Little Way of Holiness, every action of our lives can be an opportunity to grow in holiness. All we have to do is have the desire to do everything for love for God, and then do it to the best of our ability. Now, obviously, this means we should avoid sin – we can’t commit a sin for the glory of God! But in every other action – whether it be our work or our recreation, sports or homework, cleaning and eating and sleeping – if we do it all for the glory of God and we do it to the best of our ability, then we will become saints in no time!

            And that Theresa girl? Now she is better known as St. Therese of Lisieux, a saint herself – and a doctor of the Church – for her wisdom in articulating the Little Way.

Homily for Ordinary Time 30 - October 25, 2015

Homily for October 25, 2015

Ordinary Time 30

Progress in the Spiritual Life

 

            You know what I love about airports? Moving walkways. They’re great! You can just stand on them and you start moving down the terminal, getting to your destination faster. And it doesn’t require any effort on our part!

            Unfortunately, the spiritual life is not like a moving walkway – it does require effort to make progress in our relationship with Jesus. Today’s Gospel is a perfect parallel to that!

            The Gospel is about a healing, but it’s about more than that. The man is not only physically healed, but he encounters Jesus and experiences spiritual healing through faith in Him. But notice this man’s progression. First, he is seated by the side of the road, stuck in a rut. That’s symbolic of how we can be stuck in sin, in a rut, not moving closer to the Lord. But he hears something – he hears the good news about Jesus Christ, about how the Lord can heal him physically…and forgive his sins. So he cries out to the Lord!

            But people tell him to be silent. The world will tell you that you don’t need God at all. Don’t bother seeking, the world will tell you. It’s not worth it. No one cares. God isn’t real.

            I remember when I was in sixth grade at a Catholic school, our teacher gave us an assignment to write and deliver a persuasive speech. For all of us in the class, it was our first time public speaking, and we were all super nervous. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a topic to talk about. My friends were doing a speech trying to persuade the class to save the environment or persuading us that the Giants were better than the Jets, but I wanted a challenge. So I wrote my speech about why we should love God more. I guess it was my first homily – as a sixth grader!

            I was tremendously nervous about giving this speech, and as luck would have it, I was the last one in the class to go. Finally, my palms sweating from nervousness and fear, I was able to give the speech…and no one in my class reacted. Just blank stares. Afterward on the playground I asked my best friend Philip what he thought of it, and he said something I’ve never forgotten: He said, “Who cares about God?”

            So, as we try to seek after the Lord, people will try to silence us and say, “Who cares about God?” But for this reason, like Bartimaeus, we must strive to seek the Lord even more. Finally, Jesus calls to Bartimaeus, and what does the blind man do? He leaps up and throws off his cloak, and runs to Jesus. He is no longer sitting in the pit of sin and despair. Instead, he throws off his cloak – the symbol of his old life – and runs to Jesus. Likewise, if we want to be followers of Jesus, we must throw off the old life of sin if we want to be His followers.

            Jesus then heals him, because of his faith. And if we have faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that is alive and passionate, then this faith in the Lord will heal us too. Does Bartimaeus then go back to sitting down? No! He begins to follow Jesus, to walk with Him – to make progress in his spiritual life.

            There is no automatic walkway in our spiritual journey – we have to walk, daily, and follow Jesus! That’s one reason why I love hiking – because hiking is a great spiritual analogy. If you want to get to the beautiful view, you have to walk the long, arduous trail. There are no shortcuts.

            This past summer I went out with some friends to Colorado, where we enjoyed the Rocky Mountains. Our first day there, we drove up Pike’s Peak, which is over 14,000 feet high. A short distance from the top, I asked to get out of my friend’s car so I could hike. I didn’t want to go to Colorado and say that I didn’t hike Pike’s Peak! So I found a trail and started hiking…and about ten feet into the trail, I immediately regretted the decision. I don’t know if you’ve ever had altitude sickness, but it hit me HARD. I couldn’t catch my breath because the air is so thin, and I was overwhelmed with dizziness, nausea, and headaches. As I watched my friends’ car drive off towards the top, I thought, “This is NOT the best decision I’ve ever made…”

            About forty-five minutes later (and this was only a quarter-mile hike!), I finally reached the peak, where I found my friends enjoying fudge from the gift shop on top. But as hard as it was, I was the only one that could say I hiked up Pike’s Peak!

            For most mountaintops, however, there is no shortcut, there is no automobile road. You have to hike it. And to advance in your spiritual life, you have to rise and walk like Bartimaeus, following Jesus.

            If you aren’t making progress in the spiritual life, you are sliding backwards. It’s like when salmon swim upstream every year. If a fish were to stop swimming for a moment, they would soon be carried downstream, further from their goal. They must swim constantly to make progress. Likewise, if we are not constantly growing in our faith, we will instead lose progress!

            What helps us make progress in the spiritual life? Well, like anything that grows, it must be nurtured. Spending time in prayer. Reading the Bible and other spiritual books. Attending things like retreats and spiritual events. Frequently receiving Confession and Holy Communion. Doing the works of mercy such as feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, or teaching religion classes.

            How do we know if we truly are growing in our love for God? We ask ourselves: am I sinning less? Have I given Jesus control in every aspect of my life, trusting Him completely? Am I growing in virtues such as humility, chastity, kindness, generosity?

            Bartimaeus’ life was changed because he met Jesus Christ, was healed of his blindness and his sin, and followed Him in faith. No longer sitting by the side of the road, Bartimaeus began a journey, following in the footsteps of the Lord and making progress as a disciple. Does our faith in Jesus Christ continue to grow daily, or has it grown stale? Are we sitting by the side of the road, or daily walking after Jesus?

Homily for Ordinary Time 29 - October 18, 2015

Homily for October 18, 2015

Ordinary Time 29

Passion To Serve

 

            God can do a lot with enthusiastic people…once their enthusiasm is directed to the right cause. I think of St. Ignatius Loyola. Before his conversion, he was a worldly man – popular with the ladies, wealthy, vain about his looks (despite the fact that he was only 5’2”). He loved to woo the ladies with tales of glory on the battlefield, from his many years as a soldier in the Spanish army. He saw himself as a knight in shining armor, winning the glory of the world!

In one particular battle, however, a cannonball ripped through his leg, shattering it. It didn’t heal properly, so Ignatius began to walk with a limp. He was embarrassed by this, so he asked the doctors to re-break his leg…without anesthesia! (This was the 1500s and their version of anesthesia was a big gulp of whiskey!). As he was healing a second time, he was bored being stuck in the hospital bed, so he asked for some books to read. He preferred books about gallant knights and romance novels, but the good nuns who ran the hospital had no such thing. So instead, they gave him the Gospels and the lives of the saints. He began to read it, out of sheer boredom – and it completely revolutionized his life. He realized that all of the worldly glory he was pursuing was completely vain, and he needed to instead focus on Christ. When he got out of the hospital, he became a priest, and ended up starting the religious community known as the Jesuits, the largest religious community in the world. God took this passionate, enthusiastic worldly man, and turned him into a passionate, enthusiastic Catholic man…and a saint.

            We see some of this misdirected enthusiasm in today’s Gospel. Right before this Gospel passage, Jesus tells His disciples about His passion – how He will be handed over to pagans, scourged, and crucified. Immediately after this sobering announcement, James and John asked for seats of glory! How could they do this? Didn’t they just hear Jesus’ message of His suffering and death that He would undergo?

            On one level, James and John must have been so pumped-up by the miracles that Jesus had done. They had seen Him raise the dead, feed five thousand people, heal the sick, walk on water. After seeing such remarkable things, they probably were filled with such enthusiasm for the Lord! In fact, they were so enthusiastic that when Jesus asked them if they were willing to suffer like He was, they exclaimed, “We can! Bring it on! We’ll follow You anywhere, Lord!”

            I imagine Jesus being pleased with so generous a response. He assures them that they will suffer with Him, because of the generosity of their hearts. And, as it turns out, both James and John did suffer. John was the only Apostle who shared in Christ’s sorrow by accompanying Him to Calvary; while James ended up suffering martyrdom by beheading while he was the first bishop of Jerusalem.

            Jesus goes on, however, to teach them the meaning of real glory. James and John have generous hearts because they passionately believe in the Lord…but also because they were hoping for a worldly reward. Jesus wants to redirect those generous, passionate hearts towards service, not earthly prizes.

            There is a wonderful story of an old four-star general in the army who was retiring after a long and decorated career. He was not only respected by the men under him; he was loved by them, as sons would love a father. During his retirement ceremony, he was asked what his secret to leadership was. He said very simply, “The secret to leadership is this: officers eat last.”

            He was able to gain the respect – and the love – of his men because they knew that he sacrificed for them. He was willing to make himself humble, eating last, working hard, doing difficult tasks, for them. And this won their hearts.

            Think about the people in your life who have inspired you the most – maybe a parent or teacher, a coach or mentor, a boss or a friend. I’ll bet that these people were humble servants. People with worldly power may write history, but only people who are humble servants really make a true impact in our lives.

            There’s a word in Greek that is used in the Scriptures to describe Jesus’ humble service – the word is kenosis. Kenosis means “self-emptying”. Jesus is the King of the entire universe – the world should bow at His feet. Yet here He is, bowing down to wash the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. He empties Himself of His glory.

            In the same way, He describes this self-emptying (kenosis) in sacramental terms – He says to James and John that suffering with Him will be a baptism and drinking from the cup – hinting at the Eucharist. In other words, those who have been baptized and those who have partaken of the Eucharist must now empty ourselves for Him and for others. The Sacraments must drive us to passionately live out our Faith through concrete works of service.

            Do you love Jesus? Then do the dishes. Do you love Jesus? Then obey your parents. Do you love Jesus? Then stay faithful to your vows. It’s really that simple – if you are passionate about your faith in Jesus Christ, then make that faith alive through sacrificial service. As Mother Theresa said, “There should be less talk. Just grab a broom and sweep someone’s house. That speaks loud enough.”

            But as we’ve seen from James and John, it is easy to say to the Lord, “Yes! I love You and I will follow You everywhere!” But then when the Lord says, “Okay, great. Now follow me in kenosis, in emptying yourself for others in service,” it’s so much harder to obey. James and John had generous hearts, and were willing to suffer for Christ if that meant the glory of the world. Jesus told them that their generous hearts must embrace the glory of service and kenosis instead.

            We follow Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to empty Himself for our sake.

Homily for Ordinary Time 28 - October 11, 2015

Homily for October 11, 2015

Ordinary Time 28

Love of Money vs. Love of God

 

            John is a man who worked hard all his life, and through discipline, a good education, and the right connections, landed a lucrative job working for a Wall Street hedge fund manager. He makes a nice six-figure salary and lives in a beautiful house in Greenwich. He is very generous with his money. He financially supports two Catholic schools in the diocese, and sponsors three children from the Sudan. Anytime his pastor needs anything around the parish, he knows he can count on John to donate the money for it. He is a very devout man, faithfully attending Mass and striving to follow Jesus in everyday life.

            Martin works a landscaping job in Stamford. He lives in a small apartment with his girlfriend. He makes enough money to survive, but gazes longingly at flatscreen TVs and new cars that he wants to buy. Envious of the possessions of his neighbors, he works constantly to have enough money for the new toy – even working on Sunday, which means that he never has time to go to Mass. He has enough money to eat and keep a roof over his head, but he is always striving, striving, striving…his desire for more money, more toys, consumes his days.

            So, according to Jesus, which one goes to Heaven? The rich man, or the poor man? Riches don’t always equal greed, and poverty does not always mean holiness. Sometimes it does – but sometimes it doesn’t.

            The Scriptures do NOT say that money is the root of all evil. Instead, it says that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This is why the rich young man turns away sad – not because he was rich, but because he loved his possessions more than he loved Christ.

            I have met rich people who are greedy, and rich people who are generous. I have met poor people who are greedy, and poor people who are generous. The key to a biblical approach to money shouldn’t be, “How much do I have?” but “What good have I done with the money?”

            Every possession and every dollar that we own ultimately belongs to the Lord. Our money is really His money – He has given it to us so that we can use it to get to Heaven. Like everything else in our life – such as our time and our talents – our money and possessions are given to us so that we can use them to love God and our neighbor. It’s that simple – everything we have is on loan from God, and someday we will have to give an account of how we used it.

            A great example of that is Tom Monaghan. You may never have heard of him, but you’ve certainly heard of the company he founded: Domino’s Pizza! He is a multi-billionaire…and a very public Catholic. With all of his money, he purchased the Detroit Tigers, and began building his dream house – an architectural marvel. However, after reading a book by CS Lewis (“Mere Christianity”), he realized that he was living a self-indulgent lifestyle with all of his money. He sold the Tigers, he stopped building his mansion, and instead dedicated his money to the salvation of souls. He began to financially support inner-city Catholic schools, founded a pro-life radio station, and actually started his own Catholic university – which is still going on today (called Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida). Here is a man who realized that his possessions are not meant for his own enjoyment, but were given to him so that he could further the Kingdom of God.

            So, let me give you an uncomfortable analogy. I hope no one in here has ever been audited by the IRS, but if you have, you know how difficult that is. You have to provide every receipt from the past year to show that you are being honest with the government. Likewise, at the end of your life and my life, God will ask to see your receipts. He will say to us, “What did you do with that money I gave you?” I hope we can show him more than receipts for new clothes and expensive vacations. I hope we can show him how that money was used to feed the poor, to spread the Gospel, to shelter the homeless, to advance the work of the Church. Will you be able to present the Lord with these receipts?

Homily for October 4, 2015 - Ordinary Time 27

Homily for October 4, 2015

Ordinary Time 27

Sacredness of Marriage

 

            One time I was teaching a catechism class to a group of seventh-and-eighth grade boys. The topic was marriage, so I invited an elderly couple from the parish to come and speak to them. They gave a great presentation about the joys and trials of their 53-year marriage, and then at the end, they asked if there were any questions.

            One precocious boy raised his hand and asked, “Did you ever think about splitting up?”

            There was an awkward pause, before the woman slowly replied, “Well…there have been days.”

            The man just looked at her with surprise and said, “Really? You too?”

            I don’t think there is ever a marriage that doesn’t go through a time of turmoil. The question is, what do you do when you reach a rough patch? Do you give up – or pray hard, sacrifice hard, and stay faithful to your vows?

            My parents have been married for almost 35 years, and so I asked them what the secret was to a happy marriage. My mom said, “Patience.” My dad said, “Dying to self…giving up what you want for the good of your spouse.” Seems like my mom got the better end of the deal! But I would wager that a mixture of both are needed for a successful marriage!

            Marriage is not a mere cultural convenience – it’s the foundational building block of society. This is why Jesus comes across very strict in the Gospel – He wants to emphasize the sacredness of the marriage bond. He means what He says – in the eyes of God, a valid marriage is indissoluble (in other words, it cannot be broken). For this reason, a civil divorce does not break the bond that God Himself has formed.

            But we live in a fallen world, where it isn’t easy to keep one’s vows. How do we stay faithful in the midst of the ups and downs of marriage?

            Where I went to school there was a small Eucharistic Adoration chapel called the Portiuncula, or the “Port”, for short. I used to love to go and pray there, but since I went to a very devout Catholic college, it was also the place where many couples would go to get engaged. It became such a hot spot for engagements that it was a running joke – “Oh, I heard John and Sally are going to the Port to pray. You know what that means…”

            But there’s something very profound about getting engaged in front of the Eucharist, because that meant that they were putting God at the center of their marriage. And isn’t that the true secret to a happy marriage? If both husband and wife have God at the center of their marriage, then that marriage is secure.

            A wise priest once told me the best advice I ever heard about dating. He said, “Start running after Jesus. Once you’ve been running for a while, look around and see who’s running with you – those are the people you want to date.” So true! When a couple’s heart is set on God, then no difficulty will be able to shake them.

            Our churches of St. Mary’s & St. Benedict’s are a wedding destination. They are beautiful churches, close to some great reception sites, so we have a large number of couples who come from out-of-town to be married here. Many of them get married here because their parents or grandparents tied the knot before this very altar. But we always challenge them – are you here because you want a pretty church, or are you here because you want God in the middle of your marriage? Because the pretty church will look great in a photo album, but only God’s grace will give you the ability to come back here for your fiftieth wedding anniversary.

            And we do need grace! Marriage is a supernatural union of two very imperfect people. He leaves the toilet seat up; she leaves the toothpaste cap off. He has a weird laugh; she has difficult in-laws. God’s grace alone will get us through it all – and we receive this grace through the Sacraments, through praying together as a spouse, through obeying Church teaching about marriage and sexuality, through being open to life.

            Statistics bear this out – the American divorce rate is somewhere between 35-50% (depending on what study you read). But for those who attend church together weekly, the divorce rate drops to 10%. For those who attend church together weekly and pray together daily, the divorce rate is 2%. For those who attend church together weekly, pray together daily, and do not use artificial birth control, the divorce rate is .2%. When we open our marriages to God’s grace, He will give us the strength to be faithful to our vows.

            Now a word for those who live in difficult marriages – God sees your struggle, and has deep compassion for you. Continue to draw close to Him in the Sacraments. Pray for your spouse. If you are able, stay with your spouse. There are occasions where divorce is the right option – if you are being abused, for example, please do not stay in such a situation! In such a case, it might be possible to get an annulment. An annulment is NOT a “Catholic divorce”. Rather, it’s a declaration that no valid marriage existed in the first place. You may have heard that Pope Francis recently streamlined the annulment process – that simplifies the process. I encourage you to explore that option.

            For those who are divorced already – the Lord loves you always. Divorce is not sinful in itself – only divorce and remarriage without an annulment. Divorce is always a cross, it is always painful. But the Lord walks through it with you and offers you His strength.

            In all, marriage is tough, especially in today’s moral climate. But God is faithful, and if He is at the heart of our marriages, then we will be able to remain faithful as well to the sacred vows that we took on the day of our wedding!