Pentecost Sunday - June 4, 2017

Homily for Pentecost Sunday

June 4, 2017

Why Be Catholic?

 

            I trust Wikipedia far more than I should. I also trust my GPS, my dentist, and my local newspaper (that last one might be a big mistake). We need to trust things like that because no one can figure out absolutely everything on their own! I know nothing about dentistry or auto mechanics – thus, I trust that my dentist and my mechanic know more than I do about their respective sciences!

            As great as it is to fix a car or show me the best route from Stamford to New Haven, there are more important matters in life – namely, how to love God well, to follow Him, and to get to Heaven. So wouldn’t Jesus leave us an authority to guide us on the most important matters? He did – He left us His Word in the Scriptures, and He left us His Church to teach His Word without error.

            Three thousand people converted to Christ because of Peter’s preaching on Pentecost – but it wasn’t his preaching alone that did it. It was the authority behind that teaching – authority because it was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter (our first Pope) and the Apostles (our first Bishops) were given the authority to teach and preach in Christ’s name! The Gospel features Jesus giving the authority to forgive sins to His Apostles, through the power of the Spirit. Clearly, Jesus entrusts His Church with remarkable authority – the authority to preach and forgive in His name!

            Some of our Protestant brothers and sisters say that the only authority we need is the Bible. But the Bible itself gives witness that the Church is indispensable – for example, 1 Timothy 3:15 says that “the pillar and bulwark of the truth is…the Church!” Besides, there are over 33,000 different Protestant denominations, all claiming that the Bible is their only authority – yet the Bible is not meant to splinter us into so many different groups with diverse teachings! Thus, we need an authentic interpreter of Scripture – one who can tell us how it applies to modern day.

            It’s a lot like our government. We have our Constitution, which is the foundational document of our nation. But how does that apply to today? Lots of questions come up that need answers – so we have the Supreme Court to help us interpret the Constitution.

            But we have one major difference – we have a promise that the Holy Spirit will never desert the Church (while our government does not have the same kind of assurance!). This makes sense – imagine that someone gave you a GPS and said, “Yeah, this is probably right, but it might make some mistakes.” How likely are you to trust the GPS – or that fake friend, for that matter? Not likely. So would Jesus give us His Church if it could be wrong every now and then? What kind of church would that be? It makes sense, then, that Christ would make sure His Church would have the gift of the Holy Spirit known as infallibility to make sure we wouldn’t stray off the path.

            Infallibility means that the Church would never teach an error. Infallibility does not mean that everyone in the Church is perfect. You may have heard of “The Keepers” which is a new Netflix documentary that discusses some of the evils committed by a priest in Baltimore in the 1960s. A friend who watched it posted on social media, “The Catholic Church is a corrupt organization! I will never set foot in a Catholic Church again!” I had to respond that while yes, there are many great sinners in the Church, there are many great saints as well. And only in the Catholic Church do we find the fullness of grace – through faith, Scripture, and Sacraments – which can take a sinner and make them a saint! The Church is full of imperfect people, which is a good thing – because I am an imperfect person! As the great novelist Walker Percy said to a friend who had converted to Catholicism, “The Church is a very untidy group you are hooking up with, but it’s the one thing that will be around until the end!”

            This past week in our middle school lunchtime bible study, we were asking the kids what they liked about being Catholic. I was expecting something like, “I like our church building, or the music, or the great coffee and donuts after Mass.” But in each session, they all said, “I like being Catholic because it is true.” There are a lot of perks to being Catholic. The saints, the beauty, the tradition…but all of those are not the main reason. We are Catholic because it is true. It is only here that we receive Christ’s true Body and Blood in the Eucharist. It is only within the loving embrace of the Church that we read and interpret Scripture rightly. It is only here that we encounter Christ in His fullness. St. Ignatius of Antioch said back in the second century, “Where the bishop is, there is the Church, and where the Catholic Church is, there is Jesus Christ.”

            Why be Catholic? Because it’s true, and it was established by Jesus Christ with the authority to lead us to Heaven. That’s good enough for me!

Homily for Easter 7 - May 28, 2017

Homily for Easter 7

May 28, 2017

All Flows From Union With God

 

            The story goes that a banquet was being held in celebration of an elderly priest’s 50^th anniversary of ordination. Many famous people who were personal friends of the priest were in attendance, including one very famous Shakespearean actor. During the course of the after-dinner convocation, someone asked the actor to recite Psalm 23 – the one that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” The actor agreed to do it, on the condition that the priest would recite it after him.

            The room was quieted and in a powerful, dramatic voice, the Shakespearean actor gave an unforgettable recitation of the Psalm. The room shook with thunderous applause when he had finished. After this, the priest slowly got up, and in a quiet voice, trembling with age, he recited the same Psalm – “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want…” When he had finished, there was absolute, reverential silence in the room, and tears were streaming down many people’s faces.

            The actor turned to the man beside him and said, “Why do people cheer at my performance, but are moved with emotion at his?”

            The man responded, “You know the Psalm, but the priest knows the Shepherd.”

            The priest was able to move hearts because of his union with God. Although his words were the exact same words as the actor’s, they were spoken with a hidden power – the power of God, which penetrates even into the listener’s souls.

            Union with God is precisely what our readings are all about. The first reading speaks about what the Apostles did after the Ascension. Remember – Jesus had just given them a mission, the mission to go convert the whole world! A rather daunting task, if there ever was one! But what is the first thing they did, according to our reading? They went to the upper room and prayed. They sought out union with God. They knew that all of their words and efforts to convert the world would be utterly fruitless unless their words had the backing of the Holy Spirit.

            Likewise, our Gospel is almost an eavesdrop onto one of Jesus’ most beautiful prayer. It is called the “High Priestly Prayer” because it is the prayer he prays immediately before beginning His passion and death. In His words, we hear how He has sought, and continues to seek, union with God the Father. Ultimately His Passion and Death are only fruitful because they are in union with the Father’s plan.

            Right now, outside, we see all sorts of incredible flowers. I have never seen such azaleas and irises, radiating color. Sometimes, to enjoy a beautiful flower, we pick it and we bring it inside, where it adorns our dining room table. That can be quite nice…but from the moment we pick the flower, it starts to wilt and die. We can slow down the process by putting it in a vase with water, but when it’s separated from the plant, the flower will die quickly.

            Likewise, if we are separated from God, off doing our own plans but not listening to Him and seeking Him, we wilt and die as well.

            At Trinity High School, the seniors will be graduating this Friday, so all of them are excited about going off to college and moving on with their lives. But when they tell me about their plans, I often ask them, “Did you pray about that? Did you ask God where He wanted you to go to college?” Usually they didn’t…but how much smoother would life be if we asked God for guidance when we make a choice!

            I can testify to this. When I was a senior in high school, I had my heart set on going to this college called Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland. It was close to my house, they gave me a great scholarship, and they had everything I was looking for. But when I went to Adoration and asked God where HE wanted me to go, I kept getting the sense that I was supposed to go to a different Catholic school, Franciscan University. It wasn’t as if He gave me a flashing sign like a billboard or anything, but it was a resounding sense of being led in one certain direction. I ended up going there, and had the best four years of my life!

            When we surrender to God’s will, to His plan for our life, making our decisions in union with Him, we will find a greater joy and freedom than if we tried to plan out our lives on our own. Do not be afraid to live your life in union with Him! He takes nothing away, but gives everything – love, life, meaning and purpose.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 21, 2017

Homily for Easter 6

May 21, 2017

The Wild Goose

 

            I love the outdoors – backpacking, canoeing, mountain climbing, anything that involves getting away into the wild. I have learned many spiritual lessons from the wild – and one of the best lessons is, “Be prepared for the unpredictable.”

            One time a friend of mine, Fr. Chris Perella, and I were hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on a gorgeous sunny day in August. The weather was perfect, and the sights were spectacular. We were on an exposed ridge between two mountains, with 360-degree views…and without any kind of trees or shelter. But we didn’t think that mattered, since it was such a nice day. Lo and behold, literally within three minutes, out of nowhere, a thunderstorm rose up and began to pelt us with massive drops of rain. We had no rain gear, so we booked it to the closest rock outcropping we could find (which was already occupied by a lovely couple from Canada!) and waited it out. Five minutes after it started, the rain stopped and the sun returned. We were amazed – the wilderness is indeed wild and unpredictable! Much like in life, we were clearly not in control!

            But how many times do we want to be in control of God? For far too many Christians, we want our relationship with God to be predictable, tame. We want our relationship with God to be “God, meet my needs”. Instead, He says, “I am doing something new – will you join me?”

In today’s Gospel, I can imagine that the disciples are grieving. Jesus is announcing that He would disappear from their sight, ascend into Heaven. They want to keep Him close by! They had gotten used to being in the presence of Jesus – and Jesus now promises a new thing – the Holy Spirit Who will dwell in their souls.

Which would you rather have – Jesus beside you, or the Holy Spirit within you? Well, Jesus says in John 16, “It is better for Me to go away, that you may receive the Spirit.” Jesus is our brother and Our Lord, but the Holy Spirit literally dwells in our souls.

The ancient Celtic people used to call the Holy Spirit, “The Wild Goose”. They recognized that, like wild geese, the Holy Spirit is untameable. We can’t tame the holy things of God! Look at the first reading and how the Apostles were able to use the extravagant power of the Holy Spirit – demons came out of the possessed, cripples and sick were healed, people spoke in tongues, agnostics came to faith…all because of the wild power of the Holy Spirit.

            We believe that the same Holy Spirit dwells in you and I through baptism and confirmation. We see as much in the first reading – the people have been baptized, but they had not yet received the Spirit until Peter and John pray over them (confirmation!), which stirs up the latent gift of the Holy Spirit within them.

            You, too, have the Holy Spirit. If you believe in Christ, that is the work of the Holy Spirit in you. If you love your neighbor with heroic sacrifice, that is the work of the Holy Spirit in you. If you have a desire for holiness, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. If you pray with conviction, that is the Holy Spirit. If you speak to another person about God, that is the Holy Spirit living in you.

            But perhaps the Holy Spirit wants to do more in you? We often picture the Holy Spirit as a fire, because fire consumes and burns…and the Spirit wants to consume and burn in your life as a passion!

Have you ever met someone with passion? When I think of passion, I think of the late, great…Bob Ross. Remember Bob Ross? He was that painter who had one of the biggest and best afros the world had ever seen. Although he spoke softly, he had an incredible passion for art. Over the course of 11 years, he painted about 30,000 paintings, and he donated all of his earnings from his TV show back to PBS. This is passion – a single-minded devotion and love for something.

The Holy Spirit can inflame your heart with a passion for God. How do we do this? We invite Him in. Pray for an increase in the Holy Spirit. Give yourselves opportunities to encounter God. Recently we had a night of praise & worship music with Eucharistic Adoration at Trinity High School, and afterwards one of the teens who attended told his mom, “That was the first time I had ever felt the Holy Spirit!” Pray with others, pray with music, invite the Holy Spirit in.

Scripture tells us that “no one can say that Jesus Christ is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is wild and untameable, like a wild goose; He is powerful and burning, like a fire. The same Spirit that inflamed the early Church with love for Jesus Christ can, and will, inflame your heart. You already have Him within you – but He must be stirred up and invited to become a bigger piece of your life. Right now, let’s pray.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 14, 2017

Homily for May 14, 2017

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Way, Truth, Life

 

            Why does it seem like many people turn to Christ only when they are in desperate need? Life’s going along just fine, but then a crisis strikes – loss of a job, illness, death of a loved one – and all of a sudden we show up in Church on our knees? A dear friend of mine, a devout Catholic, was like that. He went to church every week but, by his own admission, his faith didn’t make any real difference in his life. But then – his wife asked for a divorce, and as a result of the divorce, he started drinking and became an alcoholic. Finally when he had hit rock bottom, he turned to Christ Jesus through AA and is now one of the most passionate, Christ-like people I know. But it took a crisis!

            I think the reason why many people only turn to Jesus when they need Him is precisely that – they think they only need Him in times of difficulty! What a far cry from a true Christian, who recognizes that they need God at every minute of every day! Jesus is far more than an add-on to life. He IS Life Itself. He is far more than just one more truth to believe – He IS Truth Itself. He is not one of many ways to live our lives – He is THE Way.

            One might even say that the difference between a saint and a mediocre Christian is that for many Christians, Jesus is a part of life. For a saint, Jesus IS life. Which one is more true for you? Is Jesus a part of your life, or is Jesus your life?

            We’ve all had the experience, I’m sure, of tinkering with a piece of electronic equipment that just won’t work. Perhaps it’s a toaster or a computer, but we try and try to turn knobs and buttons, try different settings, and get more and more frustrated. Finally, we notice that the device isn’t plugged in! Once it is connected to a power source, it roars to life.

            This is much like our lives. If we are disconnected from Jesus Christ, from the divine life of grace that He offers through His Word, His Sacraments, and daily prayer, then our lives do not function well. Yes, we might live and breathe and walk around, but isn’t life about more than just getting by? Isn’t life more than just taking up space and biding our time until we die?

            Life is about union with God. Ultimately we seek union with God in Heaven, and here on earth we seek union with Him here, too. Jesus makes it clear that it is only through faith in Him that we see the Father. If we want to be close to God, if we want to be saved, we must do so through Jesus Christ! Mohammed doesn’t save; Buddha doesn’t save; science doesn’t save; our bank account won’t save; our own good works do not save us; only a living faith in Jesus Christ, lived out in true charity can save us and bring us into friendship with the Father.

            How do we reach the Father through Jesus? I propose two ways.

            First, we get to know Jesus through the Scriptures and the Eucharist. St. Jerome said that “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” By getting to know Jesus’ words and deeds, He reveals to us the Father. For example, let’s say that someone has had the misfortune of falling into sin. They feel guilty – they wonder if God can forgive them. All they need to do is open up the Bible and see how Jesus treats sinners. He eats with them, and He tells them that “He came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” All of a sudden, the person who had been feeling so ashamed a moment before discovers God’s mercy and hope of forgiveness! They hasten to confession to unburden themselves, knowing that God’s mercy is endless!

            Second, we imitate Jesus’ virtues. Do you have someone in your life who is a great example of virtue? My dad is a perfect example of patience. He rarely gets mad, even when inconvenienced. But while many people excel in some virtues, Jesus is the perfect example of EVERY virtue. He is infinitely kind, patient, courageous, just, pure, full of self-sacrificing love. We look to Him as our model, and we discover the heart of the Father.

            My friends, if we wish to know God, we must make Jesus our Life. Not just part of our lives, but our entire lives – living our lives in union with Him and in imitation with Him. Only then will we be saved; only then will we know the Father.

Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 7, 2017

Homily for May 7, 2017

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Shepherds of the Domestic Church

 

            This Sunday is traditionally called “Good Shepherd Sunday”, after the beautiful image that Jesus uses for Himself in the Gospel. And on this Sunday, it is traditional to speak about the priesthood, since the priesthood and the Church is a way in which Our Lord continues to shepherd us today.

            But instead, I’d like to speak about a miniature Church – the family. Did you know that your family is a “domestic Church” (as Vatican II calls it)? Families have the same mission as the Church – to help people (in this case, each other) to encounter Jesus Christ, be transformed by His grace, and become saints.

            Some may say, “Really? MY family become saints? You’ve got to be kidding!” We’ve all got imperfect, crazy, sometimes-frustrating families. But in God’s plan of salvation, the family is the tool that He uses to help us become holy – through the everyday joys, struggles, tensions, and love of our family.

            So if the family is the “domestic church”, the Church-in-miniature, then the mother and father are the shepherds of the Church. Let’s take a look at how parents can become good shepherds to lead their family to holiness.

First, a caveat. I am not a parent (in case you haven’t noticed by now!). So I don’t have any first-hand experience of raising kids or leading a family to holiness. But I have had the privilege of knowing and working with thousands of families, and so I’ve seen some certain trends, attitudes, and behaviors that have made for successful, faith-filled families.

So let’s start by looking at WHY we should help our families become saints. I’ve noticed that all good parents and grandparents want their kids to be happy. They make all sorts of sacrifices for the happiness of their kids – whether it be taking them to sports games or dance recitals, paying for extra tutoring or an iPhone for their kids. We would do whatever it takes to make our kids become happy and healthy. But our deepest happiness comes from knowing that we are loved unconditionally and that our lives have meaning. These two desires are only fulfilled by God – only God can love us unconditionally, and our life’s purpose must be to love Him for eternity in Heaven. So, if we want our kids to be deeply, radiantly joyful, they need to know and have a deep friendship with God! Happiness is equal to holiness! If you want your child and your family to be happy, deep happiness can’t come from one more sports trophy or new pair of shoes. Instead, help them to become holy, because only God can give us true happiness!

Let’s take a look at how parents can shepherd their children to become true saints, then! I would propose five suggestions for parents who want to help their children be holy.

First, make sure that Mass every Sunday is a non-negotiable part of your life. No matter where we were as a family growing up – on a camping trip, on vacation, at a sports tournament – my parents would make sure that Sunday worship was the most important thing. That showed me that the Eucharist was really the Body and Blood of Jesus – because my parents were willing to sacrifice for it, going to great lengths to make sure we were at Mass. Going to Mass together as a family made Jesus Christ the heart of our family.

Second, pray together as a family. Growing up, we used to pray the Rosary regularly, and we often went to Eucharistic Adoration together. I know some families who read a Scripture passage every night and talk about it together. Others offer petitions and say “thanks” to God for blessings together. As an old, wise priest liked to say, “A family that prays together, stays together!”

Third, make your home a sanctuary. Fill your home with things such as crucifixes, Bibles, books of saints, small statues of Mary and Joseph, religious paintings. Consider this – let’s say you or your son/daughter comes home from a long, tiring, frustrating day at work or school. You crash down on the couch and look across the room at the wall. If the wall has a nice landscape, you may think, “Oh, that’s a nice picture of the ocean” but it hasn’t really changed your life. But if you had a crucifix there, you might be inspired to turn to God for strength, or unite your small sufferings to His sufferings on the Cross. A mere crucifix, a simple religious picture can inspire us to live a holier life! So make your home a sanctuary.

Fourth, keep sin out of your home. One role of a shepherd would be to protect the sheep from being attacked by wolves or snakes. We have the duty to protect our flock – our families – from being attacked by sin or temptation. That means we should be prudent about what TV shows, music, movies, websites we allow our families to take in. Just because “everyone else” is watching 13 Reasons Why does not mean that we, as Catholics, should watch it! If something does not help us grow in virtue, then it hinders our ability to be holy – and parents, as shepherds, ought to be vigilant for their flock!

Finally, become a man or woman seeking holiness yourself, and surround your kids with others seeking holiness. No one is perfect, and there are no perfect parents. But is your relationship with God the center of your life? Do your kids ever get to know priests and nuns, or other adults who are passionately in love with God? If we want our kids to become saints, we must strive to be saints ourselves!

One lament that I commonly hear is that parents are heartbroken when their children leave the Catholic Faith. Sadly, it is becoming more common – and it is not always an indication of how well a parent did their job of passing on the Faith. We live in a post-Christian culture, where faith is often ridiculed and our Catholic values are constantly opposed. It’s hard to raise kids in the Faith! Pray and fast for your kids – whether they are young or old, fervent disciples or atheists or anything in-between.

There isn’t one magic formula for being a good shepherd of the Domestic Church. I have seen kids become passionate about the Lord while their parents had no faith at all; I have also seen kids stray from the Lord with very devout parents. But these are some suggestions that I have found successful for parents trying to raise faith-filled kids. Ultimately, our kids – and ourselves – belong to the One Shepherd, Jesus Christ, Who loves us and laid down His life for us!