Lent 4 - March 26, 2017

Homily for Lent 4

March 26, 2017

Seeing Life As God Sees It

 

            One of the first things a college freshman learns in their Introductory of Philosophy class is Plato’s famous “Allegory of the Cave”. Plato tells us to imagine a group of people who had been chained in a cave since birth. They have never seen the outside world, but they see shadows on the wall in front of them – shadows of moving figures, people, animals, objects. Since they don’t know any better, they think that these shadows are the real world.

            Plato then tells us to imagine that someone is released from the cave and allowed to see the world outside – at first, the light hurts his eyes. He sees even less because of how much light there is. But once his eyes begin to adjust, he starts to see things clearly – wonderful things, greater than he’s ever imagined. The free man can then return to his friends in the cave and tell them of the marvelous world outside of their miserable cage.

            This famous allegory is also true in the spiritual life. Jesus criticizes these Pharisees for being blind – yes, they have visual sight, but they do not see the world as it truly is – as God sees it. The blind man, on the other hand, is able to recognize Jesus as God (notice how he worships Him at the end), and therefore has truly seen reality, not just shadows.

            One time when I was running a youth program, there was a young man named Matt who went from someone who didn’t care about God to being a fervent, daily-Rosary-praying Catholic high schooler. One day I took him aside and asked him what made him so on-fire with love for Jesus, and I’ll never forget his reply – he said, “I felt like I was living life half-asleep, and now I’m finally awake.” Once he discovered God and started passionately following Him, the rest of the world made sense and he was able to see, clearly, for the first time.

            As C.S. Lewis put it, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." It’s because of our faith in Christ and His Church that we see everything else about life clearly. Let me give you three examples of ways in which our faith views things clearly, while the world obscures it.

            First, family life. The world often looks at marriage as a contract – you give me something, I give you something. I’ll give you happiness if you give me happiness, but if you stop giving me happiness, then you’ve broken the contract, and we can walk away, no questions asked. But Christ gives us a different, clearer view of marriage – it is not a contract, but a covenant: a sacred bond between two people, a Sacrament that gives grace, for the dual purposes of helping each other get to Heaven and raising kids to follow Christ. Faith sees kids, not as a burden to be planned out, but as a gift from God to be received with joy and trust. Which view of family life have you been operating under – the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            Second, work and money. The world tells us that success is measured in dollar signs. We work so that we can make as much money as possible so we can buy nice things for ourselves and take expensive vacations. But Christ gives us a different, clearer view of work and money. He says, through His Church, that work is meant to glorify God by developing our talents. We work to serve our brothers and sisters. Money, then, is not for our pleasure alone but is entrusted to us by God to be used to take care of those less fortunate. Which view of work and money have you been operating under – the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            Third, life and death. The world tells us that death is the worst thing in the world, and we should avoid it at all costs. Look at all the superhero movies – they all are fighting to keep the world alive, as if death was an unspeakable tragedy! But for Christians, death is not a tragedy but a passageway to a new and more abundant life. Death is not the worst thing – sin is the true tragedy, since sin separates us from God. It’s because of faith that St. Dominic Savio could take as his motto, “Death rather than sin!” It’s because of faith that St. Jose Sanchez del Rio could choose to be martyred rather than spit on a crucifix and live. For Christians, we realize that this life is temporary and that Heaven is far better. So how do you view life and death – through the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            If we are still viewing things through the world’s view, then we are only seeing shadows and images of the Truth, not the real thing. Once we start to view life through God’s eyes – as it has been taught to us through the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church – then we will truly see clearly as we see the world as it really is!

Homily for Lent 3 - March 19, 2017

Homily for Lent 3

March 19, 2017

Hungry and Thirsty

 

            Back in 1944 as World War II was ending, many places in Europe experienced starvation on a mass scale. Realizing that there was really no scientific understanding of how starvation could be prevented or how to help people recover from famine, a doctor named Ancel Keys decided he needed to study this. He recruited 36 men – all of whom were conscientious objectors to the war, but who wanted to help the cause in a non-military way – to participate in a year-long study about starvation.

            It was called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. For six months, these men were starved. They ate only half of their usual daily calories, losing 25% of their body weight. They were amazed at the psychological changes that happened: during this six-month period, their thoughts were mainly all about food! They fantasized about it, talked to each other about it, savored every tiny meal they were allowed. The starving men found it hard to think about anything else. Dr. Keys was amazed at how much their lives revolved around the one thing they lacked: food!

            The one thing the men were allowed to have unlimitedly was coffee and gum. As a substitute for food, some men reported chewing up to 30 packs of gum per day, or drinking over 15 cups of black coffee! Since they couldn’t have food, they tried to make up for it with substitutes – ultimately empty, though, since they didn’t satisfy them.

            Why am I talking about starvation? Because just as our bodies were designed to run on food and water, our souls were designed to run on an intimate union with God. Nothing else will satisfy us. We thirst for Him – but often we don’t know it.

            This woman comes to meet Jesus at a well – she wants to satisfy her physical thirst because she doesn’t yet realize her spiritual thirst. Oh, she’s been thirsty all right. Thirsting for love – which is why she’s gone through six different men trying to find the love she’s longed for all along.

            Jesus asks her for a drink, not because He is thirsty, but because He wants to make an exchange – He will take her water if she will drink from Him, the Living Water. They begin speaking, and she recognizes that He is a prophet. She starts to recognize her thirst for God, so she asks Him about the proper way to worship. He tells her that she will someday soon be able to worship God in spirit and truth, and she affirms that she does believe in the Messiah. When Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah, her thirst is finally quenched – she knows that in and through Jesus Christ, all can drink deeply of the love of God.

            But how deeply are you aware that you are thirsting for God? We don’t often think about food until we are starving – then we can think of nothing BUT food! We often don’t think about God – perhaps we need to be starving, we need to be thirsty, we need to increase our desire for God! We will only find Him when we desperately desire Him!

            Unfortunately, much like the men who tried to satisfy their craving for food with gum and coffee, we often try to fill our desire for God with things that won’t satisfy. We distract ourselves with TV and the internet and our iPhones. We look for love in sinful relationships. We seek approval from our boss, our friends, our spouse, instead of seeking to love the Lord first. We allow our hobbies and sports to fill our lives with such busyness that we can’t desire the Lord.

            My friends, God will only be found by those who hunger and thirst for Him alone. He won’t come into your soul if you only give Him a half-hearted welcome. Rather, let’s stir up our desire for Him, a holy longing to be in friendship with Him. Thirst for His presence in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures. What you desire will determine your choices and your life. Burn with desire for Him, and you will find Him.

Homily for Lent 2 - March 12, 2017

Homily for Lent 2

March 12, 2017

Soldier for Christ

 

            There was once a young man named Martin whose father was a famous soldier in the Roman empire. Growing up, military life is all young Martin knew, so at eighteen years old he joined the military. At the same time he began to be intrigued by Christianity, and finally decided to become a Christian. At the time, the process to become a Christian took several years, and he embarked on the journey with the same enthusiasm he brought to the battlefield.

            When he was 20, he was riding his horse one day when he encountered a poor beggar who was shivering from cold. Moved with pity, he took off his cloak, sliced it in half with his sword, and gave half to the poor man. That night, he had a dream where Christ appeared to him, wearing the half of the cloak he had given to the poor man. When he woke up, his faith was kindled in a deeper way. He went to his commander and told him, “I am a soldier for Christ – I can no longer fight in battle.” (In this, he was the first conscientious objector in history!). He then left the army and began fighting for a different king – fighting for Christ, for souls – as he became a priest and a bishop of Tours, France.

            That idea of being a “soldier for Christ” used to be more common in the Church. Many of you remember that at your confirmation, the Bishop used to give you a gentle slap on the cheek – to make you aware of the need to fight and suffer for Christ.

I was thinking of this image while hearing St. Paul’s words in today’s Second Reading – “Bear your share of hardships for the Gospel.” Soldiers bear all sorts of hardships. They sometimes have to sleep on the battlefield. They risk their lives, facing injury and even death. They are deprived of good food, comfort, and their families. And – if they are good soldiers – they bear all of these difficulties with courage because they remember the reason why they are fighting. Many soldiers would bring pictures of their family and friends with them onto the battlefield, to remind them of why they are enduring such sufferings.

My friends, one must be willing to endure sufferings if you want to follow Jesus Christ. Recently a friend of mine told his parents that he would be joining seminary, since he felt that God was calling him to become a priest. His parents, who don’t have much faith, were so angered by his decision that they fought him and they promised him they would never support his decision. Evan as he carries the burden of his family’s lack of support, he knows that he has to set his face towards the Lord and be unmoved, courageous as a soldier for Christ.

I love playing paintball, which is like being a soldier but with no chance of death! When we play paintball, before the round starts, every team makes a plan – we’re going to go here, run there, cover this building, make a mad dash to their flag. But when the battle actually starts, a lot of times there’s so much craziness and unexpected things happen, and all we can do is keep our goal in mind – reach the flag. If that goal is unshakeable, then we can do courageous things like run into a line of fire, or dive into a trench while being shot at.

In the same way, we all know what we must do to be saints. We must pray, we must practice virtue, we must practice acts of charity. We often make plans to do just that – but then life becomes a chaotic battle! Our day becomes unexpected, we get a flat tire or the kids start getting whiny, there’s an unexpected problem at work or someone picks a fight with us. Only if we keep our eyes on the goal can we press forward in this spiritual battle, and the goal is to be close to Christ, to be holy, to be in Heaven with Him. Focus on this one thing, and you will be a successful soldier for Christ!

Jesus is trying to tell His Apostles the same thing. They have this magnificent vision of Him transfigured in glory – but then He tells them that He will be crucified, rejected, beaten, put to death. Jesus is telling them, “When the battle rages and you are tempted to doubt, to lose faith, to deny Me, to sin – at that time, keep your eyes on Me!”

My friends, if you want to be holy, if you want to be saints, be prepared to do battle. Not a battle of guns, but a battle in the spiritual realm – which is equally as real, and even more deadly, because eternities hang in the balance! But as we fight, as we suffer, as we pray and sacrifice and conquer our temptations through His grace, we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ who has already won the victory!

First Sunday of Lent - March 5, 2017

Homily for Lent 1

March 5, 2017

In The Beginning

 

            Geneologies are fascinating, and they can help us understand who we are today. I’ve been able to trace my family back to the 1600s to an ancestor named Jacob Gull, who was from northern Germany. Knowing that I come from Germany helps me to understand why I need things neat and orderly in my life, and why I’m not a big hugger (seriously, when my family gets together, we never kiss and only rarely hug, even with my mom!). Looking back to the beginning reveals how we got to where we are.

            Today’s first reading goes all the way back to the beginning – to creation and the Fall. Let’s take a look at this story in a deeper way, to help reveal a lot about the human race.

            The Lord God formed man from dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This past Wednesday, as ashes donned your foreheads, you heard those words, “Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” We are not immortal – we are weak, frail, “earthen vessels” (as St. Paul puts it). Although we have a soul and are created in His image and likeness, we are also weak, made from dust, and corruptible. We must remember our frailty – and use that remembrance to rely more fully upon the Lord.

            The serpent said to the woman…The word in Hebrew is “nahash” – dragon. This was a fearful creature! The devil is absolutely real – he is a fallen angel, of much greater intelligence and strength than us human beings. He hates God, and because God loves us, the devil hates us too. He wants to lead us into rebellion against our Father, as he himself has already rebelled.

            …”Did God really tell you not to eat of any tree of the garden?” Look what the devil is doing here – he is sowing doubt. The Evil One wants us to think that God is not truly good, that our happiness is not found in following God but in doing our own will. Eve is beginning to be swayed; she responds, “God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” But wait – God never said not to touch it, just not to eat it. Why did Eve go one step further? Because she was starting to believe that God’s laws were unreasonable, ridiculous, too harsh. How many times have we thought that?

            But the serpent said, “You shall not die!” Yes, technically true, when we sin we do not die physically, but do we not die spiritually? Doesn’t sin take away the peace, the grace, the life of God within us? We must remember that the devil tells us lies in temptations – saying, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter…oh, everything will be fine…” when in reality, sin does kill us, from the inside out.

            The serpent said, “For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.” Wait a second! Weren’t we already created in God’s image and likeness? Yes, we were! The devil attacks our identity – he says things like, “If you want to be popular…if you want to be a real man…if you want to be cool, then commit this sin.” But our deepest identity is that we belong to Jesus Christ, ransomed by His blood, forgiven and made a new creation. Stand on that identity!

            “You will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In the ancient Jewish world, “knowledge” was so much more than just intelligence. Knowledge meant “experience” – like when the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Savior and she responded, “I do not know man”, she meant that she had never had the physical experience of being with a man. Obviously she knew men – she had met them before – but she had never experienced one. In the same way, Eve didn’t just want to know about evil – she wanted to experience it, from the inside out. We ourselves should keep ourselves free from experiencing evil. Innocence is a beautiful, if underused, virtue – we should protect ourselves from experiencing evil, and we will be much happier!

            The woman saw that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and was to be desired to make one wise. Tasty, beautiful, and sophisticated – the exact three temptations that Jesus faced. Jesus was challenged to make stones into bread, satisfying physical pleasure. The devil tried to offer Jesus the glory and gold of the world – tempting Him with riches and worldly beauty. Finally, the devil tried to get Him to arrogantly jump off the temple, defying God – making Him so filled with the pride of the world that He could tell God what to do. We are also faced with these same temptations – pleasure, riches, and pride – and we have to be cautious!

            The eyes of both were open, and they realized they were naked. Before sin, their innocence protected them. They never even considered sinning against each other. But now that innocence is gone, they began to use and abuse each other – most notably here using each other for physical pleasure. Loss of innocence means division, conflict, hatred, and separation!

            Now, with all of this, one is likely to say – “Wow, the human race sure is in a sorry state!” But St. Paul puts it best in the second reading when he says, “Although death entered the world through one man (Adam), life was purchased through one man (Jesus).” We can have hope because Jesus has conquered temptation, sin, and death! We read about the original sin because it helps reveal a lot about human nature – how we are made from dust, how easily we doubt God and doubt our own identity as His beloved children, how we are tempted by the devil to sin and division. But ultimately temptation and sin is not the final word. If we are in Christ – through faith, Sacraments, living in His Word and following His commands, we can overcome these temptations through Christ living in us.