Epiphany Homily - January 3, 2021

 

Homily for Epiphany

January 3, 2021

The Mission Ad Gentes

 

            In the early 1900s, a group of French missionary priests called the White Fathers (so-called because of their white habits) began mission work in French Guinea in Africa. The people there were animists – they worshipped the rocks and the trees and the animals. But through the tireless efforts of the missionaries, many were converted to Christianity.

            There was one family of converts who had a young boy whom they baptized Robert. Robert was an intelligent young man, deeply religious. He was very impressed by the White Fathers missionaries, who traveled from another continent amidst great hardships to bring the Gospel to his people. When he was about twelve years old, one of the White Fathers mentioned to him that he might consider the priesthood. Robert was shocked, because up until that point he had never met any priests who weren’t Caucasian, but he so loved the missionaries that he said yes to their suggestion and entered seminary. He became a priest, bishop, and now cardinal – and now he is known as Cardinal Robert Sarah, who works at the Vatican and has written many profound books about the Lord. What faith was planted in that young boy by those missionaries who brought the Gospel to his land!

            It has been said that the Church doesn’t have a mission, the Church is a mission. The entire reason why the Church exists is to bring the world to Jesus. Here we see the beginnings of this mission, as these wise men from the East come and encounter Christ.

            But have you ever wondered how these wise men knew to expect the Messiah? It all goes back five hundred years before Christ. The Chosen People were meant to be “a light to the nations” as we hear in the readings – every tribe and tongue, every race and demographic, was meant to encounter God through Israel. But Israel didn’t live out their mission. They gave a bad example to the other nations through their idolatry and sin, and they refused to welcome other nations to encounter the Living God. In fact, even to this day, if someone wants to convert to Judaism, rabbis are instructed to turn away inquirers three times before they finally welcome them into Judaism.

            So God forced the issue by allowing the Jews to be exiled into Babylon. They remained in Babylon for seventy years, but even after they were allowed to go home, not all the Jews chose to do so. Some stayed and became friends with their Persian, Greek, or Roman neighbors – and these foreigners learned about the Jewish faith and the promise of a Savior. So, by a circuitous route, God prepared the pagan world for the coming of the Savior.

            Since that time, we have once again lapsed into a pagan world. Sometimes we think, “Oh, everyone in America knows about Jesus” – but truthfully most people’s knowledge of Jesus comes from “The Simpsons” or “Saturday Night Live” and not from the Bible or the Church. We live in a post-Christian nation – when forty percent of Millennials say they have no religion, we find a world ripe for the Gospel. Of course, there are many nations where the Name of Jesus has never been preached – only 31% of the world’s population is Christian – so we must not forget about those souls who need to know the love of Christ and the hope we find in Him.

            If you are a member of the Church, then you must participate in the Church’s mission of bringing the world to Jesus! Everyone’s role to play in this mission is different, but no one can excuse themselves from this most critical task! I’d like to suggest four ways in which we might be called to participate in the mission of evangelization.

            First, by becoming missionaries. My dear young parishioners – does your heart burn within you to lead souls to Christ? The need is great! St. Francis Xavier, the great sixteenth-century missionary to India, Japan, and the Philippines, once wrote back to his friends in Paris: “We have visited the villages of the new converts who accepted the Christian religion a few years ago. The native Christians have no priests. There is nobody to say Mass for them; nobody to teach them the Faith. I have not stopped since the day I arrived. I baptized all the children and taught the older children [their prayers]. I noticed among them persons of great intelligence - if only someone could educate them in the Christian way of life, I have no doubt that they would make excellent Christians!

“Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out like a madman: ‘What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you!’”

Some of you, I am certain, are being called to the mission field – whether New York City or Africa, whether Hollywood or China. If God is calling you, may you have the generosity to say yes and go wherever He sends you!

Second, for those who cannot go to the mission field, you can support the missions both financially and in prayer. It is only God’s grace that changes hearts and helps them encounter Christ – so call down that grace, through prayer, upon the efforts of missionaries!

Third, closer to home, we can live as missionaries in our own neighborhoods and families simply by living radically for Christ. There’s a great story of this from the life of St. Josemaria Escriva. He was an ordinary teenage boy growing up in Spain in the early 1900s, with dreams of a family and a career. But on one snowy day, he went out about the town when he was shocked to see that there were footprints of a barefoot Carmelite priest – and he began to consider, “If that priest can walk barefoot in the snow for Christ, Jesus must be worth every sacrifice! How can I sacrifice my life for Him?” And Josemaria became a priest, the founder of Opus Dei, and a saint – all because one unknown Carmelite priest lived radically for Jesus.

And our lives will only be witnesses to Christ if we are counter-cultural. So be generous to God with your family size; don’t be afraid to skip sports games to attend Mass; tell your boyfriend or girlfriend that you won’t move in with them until you’re married; speak up for the person whom everyone is making fun of; be joyful when you face a heavy suffering. Just being a “nice person” won’t evangelize anyone – but being radically counter-cultural for Christ, at great personal cost to yourself, is a profound witness that makes the world sit up and take notice.

Finally, invite people to take the next step. Invite a co-worker to Mass with you; invite your spouse to pray with you. Share your own spiritual journey with your family member; publicly thank God for your blessings. How many people are just waiting for an invitation!

Recently you may have read about the death of millionaire Tony Hsieh, the internet mogul who died a few weeks ago in a tragic house fire in Bridgeport. Even more tragic than his death was the way he lived his life. His motto, as he put it in his autobiography, was: “Happiness is really just about enjoying life.” And he tried to enjoy every moment through drugs, partying, and drinking. After he sold his company to Microsoft for $250 million, he and his friends went on a three-day cruise to celebrate, complete with alcohol and every pleasure known to man. On the last day of the cruise, at last call, reality hit.

Hsieh realized in this moment that he had no ultimate goal; no real purpose. He asked himself a series of questions culminating in, “What am I working toward?” And then: “I still didn’t have the answers. So I went to the bar, ordered a shot of vodka, and clinked glasses with Sanjay. Figuring out the answers could wait until later.”

Later never came, as he committed suicide by barricading himself in a shed and lighting it on fire last month. What would have happened if he knew the hope held in store for him in Jesus Christ? How many people like Tony Hsieh are aching, hungering, longing for “something more” – and waiting for you and I to tell them about Him?

The Wise Men sought Jesus, and upon finding Him, rejoiced exceedingly. The Church is tasked with bringing that same joy of knowing Jesus to the rest of the despairing world. What is your role to play in that ultimate mission of salvation?

Homily for the Feast of St. John - December 27, 2020

 

Homily for the Solemnity of St. John

December 27, 2020

The Beloved Disciple

 

            Happy feast day of St. John! This is the patronal feast of this beautiful Basilica, which is why we are celebrating his feast rather than the Feast of the Holy Family, which the rest of the church celebrates today. And there is so much we can say about this amazing man who is often called “The Beloved Disciple”.

            First, that name alone is amazing. Wouldn’t it be great to be “the disciple whom Jesus loved”? I believe that John chose to refer to himself by such a name precisely because WE are suppose to follow in John’s footsteps to become that Beloved Disciple. How can we do that? Reflecting on John’s life, I want to mention three ways.

            First, intimacy with Christ in prayer. It is mentioned in the Gospels that John actually reclined on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper. He was so close to Jesus that he could hear the beating of the Sacred Heart. Are you so close to Jesus that you hear His heartbeat?

            There are actually three forms of prayer, each building upon the other. The first is called vocal prayer. That’s when we recite pre-written prayers, like the Our Father and Hail Mary. That is good, but it should lead to the second type of prayer, called mental prayer. This type of prayer is speaking to the Lord in our mind, or meditating on His words in the Scriptures or other spiritual books. This is a very good way to pray. But there is a third way, called contemplation – this means simply enjoying being in God’s presence. In contemplation, we quiet our minds and simply love Him. A good way to do this is to repeat short prayers such as the ancient prayer called the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Or the short prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You.” Pray this over and over again until your mind settles down and rests in His presence. This contemplation is just pure loving attention to Jesus Himself – the kind of loving attention that John gave to Jesus.

            A second thing we can learn from the life of John is to be faithful to the Cross. Notice how John is the only disciple present when Jesus was crucified. Oh, the other disciples loved being around Jesus when it was easy, when He was doing all sorts of miracles and multiplying bread and healing people…but only one could be faithful when Jesus was rejected and crucified. Can we be faithful to Jesus to the Cross?

            During seminary, I had the privilege of teaching at the same school that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton founded. There was a young boy in my fifth-grade class named Zach. He was a quiet, happy kid – nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Towards the end of the year, however, his teacher called me and told me about Zach’s home life – his mother was so depressed that she couldn’t get out of bed, and the father was working around-the-clock so he was rarely home. The teacher and I decided to go and visit Zach and take him out for ice cream so he’d get a break from that tough home life. When we got to Zach’s house, we paid a visit to his mother, who laying in bed with the blinds drawn (in the middle of the afternoon), looking truly lethargic. We chatted with her a bit, but something she said struck me deeply: she said, “Despite all this, I still love God so much.” Wow – this woman, who suffered from crippling depression and anxiety, who couldn’t get out of bed and couldn’t care for her son – still stayed faithful to God despite the Cross. Surely she would be tempted to ask, “Why me?” or “God, why haven’t You taken this away?” But she loved the Lord through the Cross. John the Evangelist did the same – can you and I, in the midst of the Cross, say, “God, I love You. I trust in You.” Then we will be the Beloved Disciple.

            Finally, John shows us what it means to have devotion to Mary. She was given to John as mother, and it says that John “welcomed her into his home”. From that moment onward, John saw himself as a son of the Blessed Mother, and had such a deep love and devotion to her.

            In fact, all of the saints had such a devotion as well. I think of Pope St. John Paul the Great, who lost his mother at the young age of eight. After his mother’s death, his father took him to the famous Polish shrine of Our Lady of Czestahowa, where, kneeling before the image of Mary, the boy cried out, “You must be my mother now, Mary.”

            He carried that devotion to Mary into his papacy – in fact, his motto was “Totus Tuus” – to Jesus through Mary. If you’ve ever been to St. Peter’s Square you may notice a mural of the Blessed Mother on the side of the Apostolic Palace, where the pope lives. That mural has a great story behind it. In 1981, Pope John Paul II was suddenly shot in St. Peter’s Square by a deranged gunman, and he bled so much that his very life was in jeopardy. As he was being rushed to the hospital, the Pope looked frantically all around the square to find some image of Mary to comfort him as he was bleeding to death – but there were no images of Mary anywhere in the square – no statues, murals, paintings – nothing! By a true miracle, the Pope survived the shooting, and when he returned to the Apostolic Palace he commissioned a giant mural of Our Lady to be placed in St. Peter’s Square, so that all may see that She is protecting the Church. And the bullet that was taken from the Pope’s side? He asked that it be attached to the crown of the famous statue of Mary of Our Lady of Fatima.

            Every Catholic should “welcome Mary into their home” as John the Evangelist did. We can do so by honoring her image in our home through a statue or holy picture, by praying the Rosary together as a family, and by frequently thinking of her throughout the day, asking for her intercession and love.

            My friends, John doesn’t have to be the only Beloved Disciple. If we follow his example of intimacy with Christ in prayer, faithfulness to the Cross, and welcoming Mary into our home, we too can be called Beloved Disciples. I don’t know about you, but I would love to hear Jesus consider me a close friend, a beloved disciple.

Christmas Homily 2020

 

Homily for Christmas 2020

He Is With Us

 

                As the world was shutting down this past April due to Coronavirus, prisons and hospitals and nursing homes became fortresses with no one allowed in or out. In Victoria, Canada, prisoners were fearful of losing their chaplain, a priest of the local diocese. He was one of the few who gave them hope, a link to the outside world. Would he be “locked out” from the prison?

            Hearing of their fears and acutely feeling their spiritual desolation, the priest did a surprising thing – he asked his bishop for permission to be jailed along with the prisoners so he could serve them from inside the prison. He was willing to go inside 24/7 to minister to the prisoners, no matter how many months he would have to live there.

            I’m not sure I’d have the courage to do such a thing. This is love in its purest form – to be willing to descend to the depths of misery to accompany people with hope.

            And this is precisely the kind of love that caused God to leave His throne of majesty, where He was worshipped ceaselessly by angels – to enter the misery of human existence, to become one of us. He imprisoned Himself in a body to free His people from their sins; He embraced our poverty to make us rich in grace. He became a miserable servant to raise His miserable servants to the dignity of princes.

            In every crisis, people often ask the question, “Where is God?” This past year, with coronavirus and loneliness and unemployment and political unrest, many have been asking that same question – “Where is God in the midst of all this madness and sickness and suffering?”

            Where is God? He is with us. This is what “Emmanuel” means: God with us. He is shoulder-to-shoulder with us, in the midst of our suffering and confusion and pain. Because God took on flesh, we can literally never say to God, “You don’t know what I’m going through!” Because He does. Are you mourning the loss of a loved one? Jesus, true God and true man, wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. Are you fearful about the future? Jesus was so agonized about His impending death that He sweat blood in the garden. Are you suffering financial hardship? Jesus didn’t even have a place to lay His head – He was born in a stabled and buried in a borrowed grave. Are you in physical pain? Jesus endured the worst sufferings known to mankind on the Cross. Are you lonely? Jesus was abandoned by all of His friends at the end of His life. Are you rejoicing? Jesus too rejoiced – He attended wedding feasts and enjoyed time with His friends and family.

            We can never say, “God, You don’t know what it’s like!” Because He can say, “Yes, I do. I became one of you so that your humanity would be taken up into My Divinity.”

            We may not like that answer, though, because we expect God to be a genie who makes all of our problems disappear. God, can’t you make coronavirus go away…can’t You help me get a job…can’t You make me not anxious or lonely?

            And God responds, “I can do all that, but I have more in store for you than fixing your problems. I want you to invite Me into them, into the darkness of your life, so that I can draw you closer to Me.”

            Instead of praying, “God, take my problems away,” we should be praying, “God, be with me in my life: my good times and my rough times…help me to see where You are moving, how You are blessing me through the struggles, how You are helping me grow through them.”

            You see, God became man so that we could have a relationship with Him. It is hard to have a relationship with someone you never see. Perhaps you can have a pen-pal, but that isn’t quite the same as sitting down across the table from someone. God wanted a deep friendship with us, so He became a man to initiate that friendship.

            Do you, then, share your struggles and your joys with Him? Do you invite Him into your everyday life? He wants to be closer to you than any friend. If you don’t already, begin today to have a living personal relationship with Him. It’s simple – just invite Him into your life. Pray, “Lord Jesus, I love You, and I ask You to be the center of my life.” Speak to Him frequently throughout the day, and let Him speak to you in silence and through the Bible.

            God became man solely out of a free gift of love, because the lover wants to be with the beloved. God wants to be with His people – and He wants us to invite Him into our lives, our joys and sorrows, every single day. That way, He is not merely a God who dwells in Heaven, but one who is “with us” – who desired to dwell among us in Bethlehem, and still desires such a friendship through grace.

Homily for Advent 4 - Dec 20, 2020

 

Homily for Advent 4

December 20, 2020

Fulfillment of All Prophesies

 

            Recently I read that there are over 500 different prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament. I’m going to trust that statistic because I’m not going to go through the Old Testament and count each one! But it’s a bit mind-boggling to think that books written 2,000 years before Christ would have such accuracy in predicting the coming of Our Lord. This goes to show us that the Bible is not just a collection of writings of individuals, but rather that the Holy Spirit inspired these sacred writers to put down on paper what God Himself wanted us to know.

            Today’s Gospel is the fulfillment of a number of Old Testament prophecies. As twenty-first century Catholics, we don’t hear this Gospel in the same way a first-century Jew would hear it…they would immediately recognize that this encounter is rife with Old Testament references! Let’s dive in to see how the Old Testament is fulfilled in the Annunciation!

            First, the story starts out with a virgin of the house of David. Isaiah prophesied about this in Isaiah 7 when he said, “The virgin shall be with child, and shall name Him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’.”

            Then the angel says, “The Lord is with you!” Of course we Catholics would respond, “And with your spirit!” But a Jewish person would realize that this phrase occurs somewhere else in Scripture – in the Old Testament, while Israel was held captive by the Philistines in the book of Judges, an angel appears to Gideon and tells him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty warrior!” And Gideon is given the task of saving Israel from their oppression and slavery. Mary would have recognized this – and realized that her task would be to bring into the world the “mighty warrior” who would set free the People of God from the ancient bondage of sin.

            The angel then tells Mary that she will name Him “Jesus”. In Aramaic, the language Mary and Jesus spoke, the name would have been “Jeshuah” – Joshua – which means “God Saves”. In the Old Testament, Joshua was the one who took over after Moses died and finally led the people into the Promised Land. Jesus, then, is the new Joshua who would lead His people into the Promised Land – not a territory on earth, but the Promised Land of Heaven.

            The angel tells Mary that this newborn child will inherit the “throne of His father, David, and His kingdom would never end.” We heard in the first reading where this prophesy came about. King David, overwhelmed with his love for God, wanted to build a Temple in Jerusalem as a place to worship the Lord. But God said, “No, for you have shed too much blood to build Me a house. Rather, I will build a house for you – I will raise up a king in your lineage, whose kingdom will never end.” Now, this prophesy was not fulfilled immediately. David’s son Solomon was a great king, but after him, the kingdom was split between two rival kings, and eventually the line of kings came to an end when the whole land was conquered by the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. So the promise remained unfulfilled by earthly kings…until the coming of Christ! Jesus, born in the lineage of David, would fulfill that promise by instituting a Kingdom that never ends – the Kingdom of God, where Christ will reign over Heaven and earth.

            Finally, when Mary asks how this will be, the angel responds that the power of the Most High will “overshadow” you. This has an amazing connection to the Old Testament. During the years that the Israelites wandered in the desert, they were led by God directly, as God appeared to them as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. Think about a cloudy day when the sun just begins to peek over the clouds and you see those really cool rays of light shooting out from behind the cloud – this is what it looked like. In Hebrew, this was called “shekinah glory” – the glory of God in visible form – and it would descend to guide the Israelites through the desert. But in a special way, it would descend upon one specific place in the Israelite camp – over the “tent of meeting” where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Ark of the Covenant was considered the dwelling-place of God, where the Ten Commandments were kept, along with the Manna from Heaven and Aaron’s staff. Moses would enter the meeting tent to have face-to-face conversations with God, Who would respond to him out of the Ark of the Covenant. Whenever the shekinah glory would come to rest upon the Meeting Tent, the Scriptures would say that “the glory of God would overshadow” the tent.

            So when the angel tells Mary that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” Gabriel is saying that Mary is the new Ark of the New Covenant! Jesus is going to be the new meeting-place between God and humanity. If we wish to speak to God face-to-face, as Moses did, all we need to do is go to Jesus! God’s new dwelling is not in a tent or a temple made of wood and stones – God now dwelt among human beings in-the-flesh, in Jesus! The Ark of the Covenant and the meeting-tent was only a symbol – now, in Jesus, the reality has come.

            It is amazing to think that these Scriptural prophesies, written thousands of years before Christ, all pointed to Him. Everything in the Old Testament was hidden and veiled until Christ came and showed us what it meant – because He is the perfect revelation of God to human beings.

Homily for Advent 3 - December 13, 2020

 

Homily for Advent 3

December 13, 2020

Joy That Can Never Be Taken Away

 

            A lot of people have told me that they can’t wait until the year 2020 is over. For many, it’s been a tough year. It was lonely during quarantine; many people lost loved ones or suffered from Covid themselves. Others lost their jobs and their money, or were overwhelmed with depression or anxiety. Most people had their plans upended this past year, as it seemed like chaos reigned.

            But – give thanks in all circumstances. The Word of God is clear – not only in the “good circumstances” but in ALL circumstances. Even in 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic and chaos and suffering – we must give thanks.

            My friends, where does our joy come from? Does it come from our bank account, our health, our relationships, our plans, our secure future? All of these things are fine, but if that’s where our joy is found, it’s very shaky ground. All of these things can be taken away – and many of them have been taken away.

            What cannot be taken away? You are loved; you are forgiven and redeemed; you are being sanctified for eternal life. These things can never be taken away.

            You are loved by God. That is the foundation and rock of our life. Our first reading speaks of God’s love for His people as a bridegroom for a bride. Those of you who are married: can you remember your wedding day? How happy it was! How you delighted in your spouse, how radiant they looked, how you were so thrilled to be “theirs” until death do us part! The Word of God says that God has that same delight in you and me – He rejoices over us, He aches and longs to be with us, He thinks about us constantly and wants to shower us with blessings.

            Or perhaps those of you with children will understand God’s love through your children. When you look at your children, you always want what’s best for them. You love them unconditionally, even when they mess up. How can we, weak people that we are, have such an immense love for other human beings and not realize that it’s only a dim reflection of God’s perfect love for His children?

            To know that we are the beloved of God is the cornerstone of our joy. No matter what happens, this reality can never change.

            But God is not content just to love us in a vague way – He wanted to make it incarnate, so He took on flesh and died on a Cross to reconcile us to the Father. Jesus could have shed a single drop of His Precious Blood and redeemed a thousand worlds as sinful as ours, but He was not content with shedding only a drop of His Blood – He wanted to pour out every single drop, to enter into the most horrific and shameful death known to mankind, to demonstrate the depth of His love. If you ever doubt that God loves you, look at a Crucifix. God would rather die than spend eternity without you.

            And eternity with Him is precisely the invitation He offers to you! In the excellent book, “The Five Love Languages,” the author notes that one way we show love to others is to spend quality time with them. That’s definitely my “love language” – I love to just hang out with friends, playing board games and sharing a meal or going hiking together. So when God invites you and me to spend eternity with Him, hanging out and sharing the Banquet Feast of the Lamb, that invitation is a clear sign of His love!

             These things can never be taken away. As chaotic as this year was – and as crazy as next year will certainly be – we can still “give thanks in all circumstances” because we know we are loved by God, redeemed by Him, sanctified by the Spirit, and invited to Heaven. Nothing can take that away.

            So we rejoice, but not in the world. The world and its pleasures are passing away. Our psalm response urged us to “Rejoice in God”. If our joy is deeply rooted in Him, then nothing can take it away!

Homily for Advent 2 - December 6, 2020

 

Homily for Advent 2

December 6, 2020

Caught Doing Good

 

            It was pouring rain as 14-year-old Tyrea Pryor stood under an overhang outside of a grocery store. He happened to notice an elderly lady in her 90s struggling to push her grocery cart through the rain to her car. Without thinking twice, Tyrea ran across the wet parking lot, took off his own jacket, and used it as an umbrella to shield the woman from rain until she got the groceries in her car.

            Little did he know that his act of kindness was being filmed by a police officer, who then posted it on social media – and it immediately got thousands of “likes” and “shares”. Overnight, the boy became a local celebrity in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. The officer was so impressed by the small act of kindness that he tracked down the boy and his family and took them out to dinner in thanks for his goodness. The manager of the grocery store even offered the boy a job because of his obvious integrity. Tyrea was overwhelmed and humbled by the attention – and as he was being interviewed by the local TV station, he said simply, “I just try to always do what’s right.”

            It’s nice to get caught doing the right thing, isn’t it? It’s always great when the boss walks in while we’re doing a good job, or hidden act of kindness to your spouse becomes known. Getting caught doing good certainly beats getting caught doing something bad!

            Today’s second reading from Second Peter speaks rather terrifyingly about the Second Coming of Christ. We know that He will come back, not as a baby but as a majestic King, to judge the living and the dead. But St. Peter asks a very poignant question: “Because we know that Jesus will return again, what sort of people must we be?” Is He going to catch us doing good, or doing evil?

            We often hear that Advent is a time of preparation. Think of how we prepare for guests at Christmas – we clean the house, make sure the food is cooked, the table is set, everything is ready. If someone were to stop by unexpectedly and see your dirty laundry sitting out on your couch, with filthy dishes in the sink and the trash can overflowing, it would be a great embarrassment, and you probably wouldn’t welcome them into your home!

            In the same way, we should not be caught unaware of Christ’s coming – whether it be His Second Coming or Him coming for us at the hour of our death. It is guaranteed that one or the other will happen to us in our lives – either we will see Him as a judge at our death, or we will see His return in glory. Either way, we must be ready for Him, for He is coming soon – for all of us.

            What kind of preparation do we need? St. Peter himself gives the answer: “holiness and devotion, being eager to be found without spot or blemish before Him.” A life of holiness is the preparation required. This Advent, I ask you to consider – what vice or sin do you need to overcome? What virtue do you need to develop? How do you want your relationship with the Lord to grow?

            Today’s Gospel features John the Baptist “preparing the way for the Lord”. Why? Because his baptism was one of repentance from sin. He knew that before people recognized Jesus as the Messiah, they first needed to turn from their sins. Repentance is preparation for the grace of God. And so it is with us – if we wish to be ready to welcome the Lord, the Sacrament of Confession is necessary. That’s not only true at the end of our lives, but also when we approach Christ in the Eucharist. If we have mortal sin on our soul, we must make sure our souls have first been cleansed by Confession before we can worthily receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

            If Christ came today, would you go out to meet Him eagerly, excited to show Him your life? Or would we run the other way, knowing that we are stained by the filth of this world and our sins? I pray that He may catch us doing good, living in holiness and devotion!

I close with the story of a saint who was “caught doing good”. Born in Turin, Italy in 1901 to the wealthy editor of the largest Italian newspaper, called “La Stampa” (think the New York Times of Italy). Pier Giorgio Frassati was a child of an atheist father and a nonpracticing mother. But from his earliest days, little Pier was drawn to the things of God. He used to walk to daily Mass at ten years old and quickly joined the youth group at his local parish, advancing in holiness. But to his friends, he was just Pier – a practical joker, an excellent athlete, a young man who loved to hike and smoke a cigar every now and then.

Many didn’t know of his clandestine life serving the poor. He would frequently come home after running an errand without his coat or shoes, because he gave them to the poor. He would refuse to go on family vacations because he would rather serve the poor in Turin. His parents thought he was too extreme in his charity and devotions – why wouldn’t he just enjoy life, like all the other young men?

When he was twenty-four, he caught polio from his work with the sick – but his parents refused to believe that he was truly ill. Pier didn’t want to draw attention to his illness, especially because his grandmother was dying at the time, so he suffered in silence. Finally, his polio progressed to the point that he was paralyzed. But again, his parents thought he was seeking attention and didn’t really call the doctors until it was too late. His last words were instructions to his parents to give some money to a certain poor family who needed it for medicine.

His parents were amazed, then, when his funeral attracted over two thousand mourners, most of them from among the poor of Turin. Too late did his family realize that they had a saint in their midst! He was beatified by Pope John Paul II as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. It was only after his death that he was “caught doing good”.

Christ will come for you and me – either at the end of our lives, or at the end of time. Will we be prepared? Will we be “caught doing good” and living a life of holiness? My challenge for you this Advent is to consider: what sin do you need to repent of? What vice do you need to overcome? What virtue do you need to increase? How can you grow in your relationship with the Lord? In a word, what do you need to do in your life to be prepared for the coming of Christ?

Homily for Advent 1 - November 29, 2020

 

Homily for First Sunday of Advent

November 29, 2020

The End of the Story

 

            Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I guess that’s why they make so many trilogies, like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

            The story in which we live, however, is grander, more magnificent, and more epic than anything George Lucas or JRR Tolkien could concoct. We live in a story known as Salvation History – the story of the unfolding plan of God through human history. And like all good stories, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

            The beginning of this story starts out beautifully: humanity in a state of perfect happiness in the Garden. Only love, joy, and peace was ever known. But very soon, tragedy struck – we fell into sin, strayed from the Lord, and brought innumerable evils upon the human race.

            It is this first part of the story that we hear about in the first reading. There is such a passion and anguish in these words from Isaiah: “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind.” From the ends of the earth, humanity cries out: O God, come and save us! We have all fallen astray. When we consider all the evil throughout the centuries: the Holocausts, the genocides, the violence, the lust, the pride, the greed – it seems overwhelming.

            But then comes the climax of the story: God taking flesh and becoming one of us. When all hope was lost, when mankind had began to question if God was even there, He slipped quietly into the world on a rescue mission behind enemy lines, and took our punishment upon Himself for our reconciliation. Hope began to spring anew from the nails on the Cross. As Pure Life lay dying, He purchased Life for us.

            But the story doesn’t end there. The Cross was only the middle of the story. Although Christ defeated evil on the Cross, evil still exists in the hearts of men. There needs to be a final answer. Jesus needs to come in glory to make His Victory known throughout the world.

            And thus, Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel about His Second Coming. Many people think that Advent is a time to wait for Christ’s birth. But He was already born – how can we wait for an event that already happened in history? No, Advent looks forward in eager anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming.

            What will that coming look like? We know that when He comes again, it won’t be as a humble baby. Rather, He will come as a glorious King, the Judge of Heaven and Earth, and He will destroy sin and death forever. He will create a new heaven and earth (by “heaven” it means the sky, not the afterlife). This new earth will have no more sorrow or pain. No evil person or harmful thing will live in this new paradise where God will dwell with His people.

            When will that coming be? That is a very good question. It could very well be soon. Right now we are historically as far from Jesus as Abraham was to Jesus (Abraham lived approximately 2000 BC). St. Irenaeus of Lyon, an early Church father, said that the seven days of creation were a symbol of seven thousand-year periods, and if you look at the Bible literally, Adam and Eve were created approximately 4,000 BC – which would mean that we were beginning the “seventh day” – the seventh millennium since the creation of the world. This “seventh day” is the Sabbath – the day of rest, peace, and union with God. So Irenaeus believed that Christ’s second coming would be right around now.

            Jesus said to St. Faustina, “You will prepare the world for My Second Coming” – and that was in 1931. We know that there needs to be a great falling-away of Faith before Christ comes again – and we see that in the world today, as it becomes increasingly secularized. We certainly have our share of natural disasters and illnesses, which Our Lord and other saints like St. Vincent Ferrer predicted would precede the Final Coming. The increase of sin, globalization, and a return of Communist ideologies are other factors that indicate the time may be near.

            Lest you think this is some radical, fringe belief, listen to what the Catechism says about this: “Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messiah by which man glorifies himself in place of God.” (CCC 675) Powerful words – ones that look a lot like today’s headlines.

            So what does that mean for us? Should we sell everything we have and head for the hills, awaiting the Second Coming? No, I do not think we should. Rather, we should do as Jesus says: “Watch!” We should be ready, at every moment, to welcome Christ as our triumphant King. If He came later this afternoon, would you run to meet Him with eager expectation, joy, and arms wide open? Or would you run in the opposite direction, away from Him, ashamed of your sins, trying to hide from Him?

            Regardless of when He returns in glory, we all must be prepared for when we personally meet Him as King at the hour of our death. A few saints had the great grace of knowing exactly when they would die, such as St. Benedict or Bl. Carlo Acutis. But for most of us, that day remains a mystery – hence, the need to be prepared. Run to Confession, begin praying as if this day was your last. Because some day it will be your last, and on that day we must meet Christ. For those prepared, He will be a merciful Savior. For those unprepared, He comes as judge.

            My friends, we need not fear that day – if we are prepared. This Advent, what do you need to do to be prepared to meet Christ when He comes again in glory?

Homily for Ordinary Time 33 - November 15, 2020

 

Homily for Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

November 15, 2020

Growing The Treasure

 

            What is the greatest treasure you have been given? Your health, your life, your gifts and talents, your family, your possessions? No – our greatest gift, our greatest treasure is our Catholic Faith. Without our Faith – without the knowledge of God’s love and hope of everlasting life – what would be the purpose of everything else? It would be utterly empty if not for the Faith that animates our life.

            But Jesus makes it clear that the treasure we have received is not static – it must grow. It cannot be buried in the ground – in other words, we cannot say, “I come to Sunday Mass and believe in Jesus, therefore I’ve done all I need to do.” No, faith is a living reality, and all living things are either growing or dying. Things grow when you feed them; they die when you starve them.

            So what are you doing to feed your faith, that it may grow? Here are a few suggestions.

            First, spiritual reading. Do you read the Bible or other spiritual books? Great saints were made through the reading of spiritual books! In the 1300s, an Italian merchant named John Colombino was rich, short-tempered, and unhappily married. One day he came home from his warehouse late, very hungry, and when he arrived he was angered to see that his wife hadn’t finished cooking dinner yet. He began to rage at her, but she responded by saying, “Your dinner will be ready in a moment! While you wait, here, read this book!” And she handed him the Lives of the Saints.

            John threw the book on the floor, saying, “All this is just fairy tales!” and went to sulk in the corner. But as dinner was delayed even longer, out of boredom he picked up the book and began to read the life of a saint. He was immediately drawn in, and in a couple minutes when dinner was ready, his wife called him but he responded, “No, no, let me finish reading.”

            He read long into the night, and was so moved by the stories of the saints that his life changed dramatically. He eventually began giving alms, serving the poor and sick, and, with the permission of his wife, began a religious order of brothers who served the least fortunate. He is now St. John Colombino, whose life was changed because of a book lying around the house!

            Read solid Catholic books – and, as we live in the 21^st Century, you can also listen to good Catholic podcasts (such as “Restless”, which is produced by the young adults here at our parish) or watch good Catholic youtube videos. This is a great way to nourish your faith that it may grow.

            Another suggestion is to go on a retreat or a pilgrimage. Even despite our post-Covid world, there are still retreats available – the Sisters of Life in north Stamford offer retreats, or you could make a private retreat at the Bridgettine Convent in Darien. There are lots of great places to take pilgrimages around here: from the Lourdes Shrine in Litchfield County, to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, MA, and many others. Unplugging from the frantic pace of daily life and instead opening yourself up to the peace and joy of Christ will powerfully grow your faith.

            In the year 2000, a worldly young Irish teenager named Clare Crockett was invited to go with some friends on a retreat for Holy Week in Spain. Clare went along just for the fun of it, as she was not religious at all. At the time, her life consisted of parties and boys and acting (she had gotten a contract to star in a show on Nickelodeon). During the retreat, she spent most of the time sunbathing, smoking cigarettes, and flirting with boys. But on Good Friday, the retreat master forced all the teens into the chapel for the Good Friday service where they venerated the crucifix by kissing our Crucified Lord. This struck Clare deeply – she sat in the back of the church weeping for hours afterward, realizing that Jesus Christ loved her enough to die for her. When the retreat ended, she was a changed young woman. When she returned to her acting gig, she realized how empty it was, and began to pursue the Lord seriously. After a while, she became a nun and served the poor in Spain, Florida, and Ecuador. While in Ecuador serving at a Catholic school, a terrible earthquake hit her town in 2016 and she tragically perished in the disaster…but her cause for canonization is now open, as she is being considered for sainthood – all because of a retreat. The same deep encounter with God’s love will happen to you, as well!

            Finally, if you have not done so, seek out fellowship with other Catholics which can grow your faith tremendously. One of my co-hosts on the Restless show, Lauren, used to be a lukewarm Catholic who only went to Mass on Sundays, but never took her faith seriously otherwise. But one day my predecessor, Fr. Andy Vill, invited her to come to Faith On Tap. For the first time she met other young adult Catholics who were passionate about their Faith. From there, he invited her to join his RCIA class, which helped her understand her Faith deeper, and then she went to Spain for a retreat with Fr. Andy’s community…and now she is on-fire with love for Christ, hosting a Catholic radio show, coming frequently to daily Mass…all because of a simple invitation to come and hang out with other Catholics! We have our Holy Name Society here for men, our youth group for young people, and a Bible Study and study of Humanae Vitae for women…so the opportunities are out there!

            Of course, in addition to these three suggestions, the main Catholic practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are powerful ways to grow your faith. Pray in a new way or a new location; practice some self-denial which will conform you closer to Christ; give of your time or money to others – and you will be amazed at how your relationship with the Lord has grown!

            This gift of our relationship to the Lord Jesus through our Catholic Faith is the greatest treasure we could ever receive, for it is the hope of everlasting life. But this gift of our faith is not meant to be “buried” in the ground, as if we could merely come to Mass and say our evening prayers and that’s enough. Rather, this treasure must grow and grow until we can return to the Lord a life consumed by love for Him – and hope to hear those beautiful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Christ the King Homily - November 22, 2020

 

Homily for Christ the King Sunday

November 22, 2020

God’s Got This

 

            One day a few years ago, I had just finished Mass when a parent of one of our youth group kids came up to me. With urgency in his voice, he asked me to go visit his son Andrew in the hospital. I agreed, and later that day went to Stamford Hospital and was surprised to see that Andrew was in the psychiatric ward. He was one of the most normal, down-to-earth kids, so this was quite a surprise.

            I asked him what happened. He told me that he was just joking around with his friends in high school one day when he made a joke about bombs. A teacher overheard him and had him arrested. He was taken into custody but because his parents were illegal immigrants and didn’t speak much English, they couldn’t explain to the cops that he was just kidding. So they sent him to the psych ward for an evaluation.

            I was shocked by this turn of events in Andrew’s life. I asked him, “Wow, that’s crazy! How are you doing? How are you holding up?”

            He said that the first night in the psych ward was crazy. He was realizing that he may have ruined his future. How could he apply to colleges? What would happen if people knew he was in jail then the psych ward? He was surrounded by people in the psychiatric ward who were screaming their heads off, or talking to themselves, or believing that they were Jesus Christ or George Washington. Laying there in his bed, he couldn’t sleep – fear and anxiety totally overwhelmed him.

            But then he said the thought occurred to him: “God’s got this.” God’s got this – this whole mess is in His hands. A supernatural peace began to descend on him, and he was able to sleep deeply. When I saw him the next day, he was remarkably calm considering the crazy situation he found himself in!

            “God’s got this” – the best definition of faith I’ve ever heard. In the midst of the chaos, Christ is King. He wins in the end. Do we really believe that?

            Ever since the election, I’ve had many conversations with good Catholics who are very concerned about the state of our country and the direction we’re heading. And for good reason – there are many indications of a deep spiritual disease in our country, from the average person to the heights of power. A disease of corruption and fraud, of lies and power, a disease of division and hedonism. And people of good will are legitimately concerned, because more and more we are becoming a nation that is not led by God’s laws, and not led by Godly leaders.

            But I ask you – is Christ the King, or not? Has God “got this”, or not? As a Christian, this is our hope – that despite the chaos in society, corruption in leadership, atheism and abortion and racism and lust and revolution and all of the evils that we see on a daily basis, God really is going to win in the end. This makes us look at the chaos without fear, because we know that evil won’t have the final word.

            We must remember that Jesus Christ is a King who reigns from the Cross. At the Cross, evil celebrated because it appeared that it won. God was dead, as Nietzsche would later say. The so-called Savior appeared defeated, the triumph of evil seemed to be assured. But we know the rest of the story – three days later, that Crucified King destroyed sin and death by His Resurrection. God’s got this, and He wins in the end.

            Hence, it should not surprise us when it seems like evil is triumphing. This has been the state of the world since the Garden. As Christians, we live in a world that has been under the dominion of Satan – but our faith tells us that Satan’s power was destroyed by the Cross, and Christ will win the ultimate triumph.

            What must we do, then? We must make sure that Christ has conquered the victory in us. How can we expect the world to be free of evil if evil still has a stronghold in our own soul? We let Him conquer us by surrendering our lives to His will, repenting of our sins in the Sacrament of Confession, and uniting our souls to His in the Eucharist and daily prayer. Christ must first be King of our souls.

            Once Christ is King in us, then we must fight to let His Kingdom come in the world. As Christians we win the victory in and through Him. We are called to resist evil, stand up for the truth, and fight for all that is good – not by our own strength, but because we are in Christ Who has won the ultimate victory. We fight with hope, knowing that God’s got this!

            Back in 1241, the German prince Frederick II wanted to increase his territory and began a vicious war against Italy, with the help of Arab mercenaries who joined his army. He marched south through Italy, seeking to take Rome. After destroying several cities, he came to the town of Assisi and the convent of Poor Clare nuns on the outskirts.

            Upon hearing the frightening sound of an army marching in battle, the nuns were justifiably afraid – the soldiers had a reputation of raping and pillaging everything in its path. In terror, they ran to St. Clare, who was sick in bed. These nuns were in a total panic – should they flee? Should they hide?

            But Clare was tranquil. She asked them, “Do you trust that God is with you?” She then got up, despite her sickness, and went to the tabernacle where she removed the ciborium full of Consecrated Hosts. She climbed up to the second story of the convent and stood at a window, holding aloft the Eucharist.

            When the soldiers saw the fearless nun holding God Himself in her hands, it was the army’s turn to be thrown into a panic! They quickly turned around and fled, leaving Assisi untouched. St. Clare turned and said to her sisters, “I guarantee you, my daughters, that you will not suffer any evil. Only have faith in Christ.”

            My friends, Christ is King. He wins in the end. God’s got this. So we go forward without fear or worry, allowing Christ to be King of our lives and fighting for His Kingdom in this world. Even if it seems like the world has won, we know the truth: Christ is King. God’s got this.

Homily for Ordinary Time 32 - November 8, 2020

 

Homily for November 8, 2020

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Good to the Last Drop

 

            It’s funny how your life can change in an instant with something that seems so small, so insignificant. In 1906, a 12-year-old Polish boy named Raymond was goofing off at home, playing pranks and just generally being a nuisance. His mother, exasperated, finally exclaimed, “Raymond! What is going to become of you?”

            For some reason, those words struck him to the heart. That night as he said his nightly prayers, he asked Our Lady, “Mary, what is going to become of me?” A moment later, he had a vision of Mary holding out two crowns: one white, the other red. She asked if he would accept one – white would mean that he preserved his purity for his entire life, and red meant that he would die a martyr. Boldly, young Raymond responded, “I will accept them both.”

            A few years later, Raymond joined the Franciscans and changed his name to Maximilian – and is now known as St. Maximilian Kolbe, one of the greatest saints of the twentieth century who died as a martyr for the Faith in Auschwitz.

            It was that small comment from his mother, likely said in frustration and anger, which ended up being a turning point in his life. His mother probably thought it was a throwaway line – but God used it to change the entire direction of the boy’s eternity.

            Small things can have tremendous impact. Those virgins who forgot their oil probably thought, “Oh, it’s no big deal. I’m not going to need much oil anyway.” A small detail. Insignificant, really. But because of that small decision, they ran out of oil, and consequently missed the entire celebration.

            The oil can be seen as a symbol of grace and virtue – when we have developed a personal friendship with Christ and are living for Him and in union with Him, we shine His light as an oil lamp, filled with oil, shines out. We must make sure our “lamps” (our lives) are filled with the anointed oil of His grace and our virtue! But that lamp is filled up drop-by-drop with more oil – every drop matters.

            In the same way, in the spiritual life, there is nothing that is small or insignificant. Every choice we make is either a choice to draw closer to God or a choice to flee from Him. There aren’t too many truly neutral choices we make in our daily life. Rather, most choices move us in a direction – to become more holy or less holy, to become more like Christ or less like Him. This is obvious for things like sin, which takes us away from God, or acts of charity which make us closer to Him. But what about seemingly small daily choices? They matter too!

            Let’s take two everyday examples. First, let’s say you walk past the break room at work, and there’s a box of donuts just sitting out there. You are torn – you want to keep walking by because there’s really no reason for you to eat one. You’re not hungry – but they look tempting. This choice is actually deeper than a donut. It’s a choice about what will have mastery over you – will you be overcome by your desire for physical pleasure? Or will you make the difficult but freeing choice to say, “Oh, I can go without it” and walk past. Now, I’m not saying that it’s a sin to have a break-room donut – but does it make you a better, stronger, more free, more virtuous individual if you just give in and indulge? No, of course not – it reinforces our lower nature and we miss out on a chance to practice the virtue of temperance.

            Here’s another example. We are ready to relax after dinner and want to watch some TV but we also know we should spend at least fifteen minutes a day in prayer. We are faced with the choice: do we put it off and pray later, knowing that we might be too tired by the end of the day to really give our love and attention to God? Or do we make the difficult but rewarding choice to give God the prime-time hour and pray before we relax with TV or Youtube? One choice puts God first and fills us to overflowing with His divine friendship; the other choice says, “God, I’ll just give You the leftovers of my day” and we remain pretty empty.

            Our Catholic Faith makes a distinction between a sin and an imperfection. We all know we need to avoid sins. But to have a real spiritual life, we must also seek to avoid imperfections. It’s not a sin to eat a donut in the break room; it’s not a sin to be too tired to pray. But these are imperfections because they are choosing the less perfect option. These are the small, seemingly-insignificant choices that are the difference between a saint and an ordinary Christian. The saint seeks to always choose that which is most perfect, because they know that God desires that we become fully alive in Him!

            One may say, “Oh, but those things aren’t a big deal!” But they are! To fill up an oil lamp, you have to pour the oil slowly, carefully, bit by bit. To become a saint, it happens slowly, with small choices, bit by bit – always seeking to choose the most loving, most sacrificial, most virtuous option, and always seeking every last drop of God’s grace.

            A reporter once asked Mother Teresa, “How do you do it? How can you pick up tens of thousands of filthy, dying people from the streets?” She replied, “If I had never picked up the first one, I would never have picked up the ten thousandth.” In other words, Mother Teresa became who she was with the small, daily choices to follow Christ. The choices didn’t look particularly significant or heroic at the time. But gradually, day by day, she advanced in His grace until she was ready to meet Christ with her oil lamp overflowing with grace and virtue.

            How’s your lamp? Is it filled, or empty? Have you neglected it, thinking that it’s okay just to avoid “big sins” while overlooking small imperfections? It’s not too late to fill it up – drop by drop, choice by choice, until we become ready to meet Christ when He comes for us.

All Saints Day Homily - November 1, 2020

 

Homily for November 1, 2020

All Saints Day

One Thing Necessary

                You’ve probably seen “clickbait” everywhere on the Internet. For the uninitiated, “clickbait” refers to a headline that is purposely sensational, so that you click on it. “Five Secrets to Weight Loss” or “Never-Before Revealed Photos of Your Favorite Movie Stars!” Even the Catholic world gets into it, when I see headlines such as “Five Secrets to the Rosary” or “Ten Pro-Tips on How to Go to Confession” or “This Popular Devotion Will Change Your Life!”

                Usually when I click on clickbait, it’s a letdown. Five secrets to the Rosary? Well, yes it’s a powerful prayer, but that’s not a secret! Pro-tips on going to Confession? You mean “examining your conscience” is now a pro-tip? Clickbait usually leads to disappointment!

                But what if there was “one secret to becoming a saint?” That would be worth clicking on! Is it possible that all the saints had one thing in common?

                Yes, I believe they did. They desired to love God more than everything.

                That is the secret to holiness, the secret to becoming a saint. Love God more than everything. No saints loved God half-heartedly; no saints put anything above their love for God. Everything else the saints did: their joy, their works of charity, their great writings and miracles and missionary efforts – all of this flowed from their love of God. That is how you become a saint!

                Consider a few saintly examples:

                St. Dominic Savio, the young schoolboy saint who died at the age of 15 in Turin, Italy, would fall so in love with God that he would lose track of time. One day after Mass, the rest of the boys in his school went to breakfast after Mass, then classes, then recreation. Hours passed, but the headmaster of the school (St. John Bosco) had no idea where he was. He finally went back into the chapel around two in the afternoon and found young Dominic standing stock-still, gazing at the Tabernacle with great love. When Fr. Bosco gently shook him to get his attention, Dominic seemed to wake up and ask, “Is the Mass over?” The Mass had been over for hours, but Dominic was so lost in love for God that he became unaware of his surroundings! As he later told St. John Bosco, “I become distracted, and losing the thread of my prayers, I behold such beautiful and entrancing sights that hours seem to go in a moment.”

                St. Igantius of Antioch was a bishop in the very early church, who was arrested during one of the persecutions and marched from Antioch (in modern-day Turkey) to Rome. On the way there, he wrote seven letters to the churches he would meet on the way – and the letters begged the churches not to interfere with his impending martyrdom! Rather than pleading for his life, he was pleading to lose his life so that he could find it only in Christ. Listen to his powerful words: “No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in me for any earthly thing. Rather, within me is the living water which says deep inside me: ‘Come to the Father’” Wow! What deep love for God!

                Finally, one more saintly example. All of us are familiar with Mother Teresa – but do you know how she started serving the poorest of the poor? Initially, Mother Teresa joined an order of teaching nuns who ran a school for wealthy girls in Calcutta. When she entered the convent, she selected as her motto the quote from St. Therese of Lisieux: “I will love Jesus as He has never been loved before.” That burning love of Jesus in the heart of young Sister Teresa is what prompted her, in 1942, to make a private vow “never to refuse Jesus anything.” Four years later, Sr. Teresa was on a train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling, heading on her annual retreat, when she heard Jesus speak to her: “Will you serve Me in the poorest of the poor?” She had no idea what this would entail – but her love for Jesus and her vow to say “Yes” to Him in everything made her agree to this request from Our Lord. As they say, the rest is history – Mother Teresa became a household name and synonymous with charitable works – but only because she was filled with a burning love for Christ.

                The saints loved God more than anything – that’s what made them saints. You and I can love God more than anything, as well. Not half-heartedly, not putting our worldly concerns and pleasures and entertainment on-par with Him. No, to become a saint is to burn with a desire to know and love Him with our entire heart, soul, mind, our very life. Focus on that, and He will take care of making you a saint!