Homily for Ordinary Time 4 - January 31, 2021

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 4

January 31, 2021

Practice Makes Perfect

 

            Have you ever noticed that in the Gospels, whenever Jesus casts out demons, they always cry out that He is the Son of God – and Jesus tells them to be silent! Why would He do that? I mean, He really is the Son of God, which is something even His disciples struggle to understand.

            But Jesus doesn’t want demons to testify to Him. Demons are liars, and even though they’re telling the truth in this case, He doesn’t want these evil creatures professing faith in Him!

            You know who else Jesus doesn’t want professing His Name? Christians who don’t live like they believe.

            If someone’s doctor was overweight and a smoker, and he told you to stop smoking, eat right, and exercise, would you follow their advice? Unlikely. And if a person professes to be a Christian but then denies Jesus by their actions, having the name of “Christian” is equally as useless – in fact, it can be harmful to Jesus’ reputation in the world.

            Mahatma Gandhi always had a great admiration for Jesus, and was once asked why he never became a Christian. He replied, “Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians, you are so unlike Him.”

            Now, I want to make a distinction between people who seek to follow the Lord and fall short, those who seek to follow the Lord only partially, and those who do not even seek it at all. None of us live like Christ perfectly – I suppose that’s why we say we are “practicing Catholics” – because we will have to keep practicing all our life so that we get better at being Catholic.

            But there are those – perhaps even some here today – who are not following Christ, either with their whole life or with a part of their life. Maybe such people were baptized Catholic but haven’t made the choice to follow Him. Maybe they love the Lord but have a big aspect of their life that they’re withholding from Him. If that’s the case, ask the Lord to cast out the darkness of your life, as He cast out the demons in the Gospel!

What is that darkness? What are those demons? Perhaps it’s greed – we haven’t allowed the Lord to take control of our finances. Maybe it’s pride – we constantly want affirmation, praise, to be noticed and respected. Maybe it’s lust – seeking pleasure for its own sake. Maybe we haven’t allowed Christ into our Spotify playlist, our bedroom, or our school. Maybe we don’t believe some aspect of the Church’s teaching. Maybe it’s a relationship that constantly leads us away from Him. Maybe it’s an addiction that we don’t really want to be free of. Maybe we live one way at school or work, and another way with our “church friends”. Are you the same person with your grandma that you are with your buddies at the bar?

Today I challenge you – and I am challenging myself as well – to ask the Lord, “In what part of my life am I not yet a Christian?” Listen to His answer – then ask Him to invade that part of His life. When He enters our life, the darkness and demons flee.

St. Ignatius of Antioch once wrote to his friends in Rome, “Pray that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really be found to be one.” May this be our same prayer as well.

Homily for Ordinary Time 3 - January 24, 2021

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 3

January 24, 2021

Just Passing Through

 

            Cardinal Dolan tells a great story about when he was in graduate school in Washington, DC and would frequently make the 800-mile drive back and forth between DC and his home in St. Louis. He would always stop off at a rectory about half-way through the journey and stay the night with some priest-friends. There was an older priest in the rectory who always impressed Dolan with his simplicity. His room only had a few books, a crucifix and a bed.

            One time, the future cardinal asked him, “Is this it? Is this all you have? How can you live with so few things?”

            The old priest replied, “If I go down to your guest room, I see that you only have a few things with you, and yet you are not lacking anything.”

            Fr. Dolan replied, “Well yes, but I’m just passing through.”

            To which the priest replied, “Aren’t we all?”

            We’re just passing through. This world is not our home. “The world is passing away,” St. Paul tells us in the second reading. We are only pilgrims here, heading to our true home.

            This basic truth – that this world is not our home – has profound consequences for us as Christians. Let me mention three.

            First, it will help us remain detached, in a healthy way, from whatever happens to us, both good or ill. In ancient Rome, when a conquering general would return from vanquishing a foe, the people of Rome would throw him a parade, give him lavish gifts, and praise him with celebrations and sacrifices. But as he would ride in his chariot through the throngs of thousands of cheering Romans, he would often have a slave in the chariot with him, whispering in his ear the words, “Sic transit gloria mundi” – thus passes the glory of the world. The general was allowed to celebrate, but the celebration was tempered by the realization that he, too, would someday be as dead as the men he conquered.

            That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the good things of the world – but we don’t become attached to them. The promotion, the sports triumph, the nice car, the fancy vacation – we realize that these will fade with time. On the flip-side, we don’t become too despondent when bad things happen, too. The cancer diagnosis, the loss of a job, the rejection letter from our dream college, the romantic break-up – all these will also pass. So when Christians realize that the world is not our home, we receive good things with gratitude, and bad things with patience, knowing that both the good and the bad things of this world will someday be gone.

            Second, knowing that the world is not our true home helps us keep our peace when the world is going to heck in a handbasket. Over the past few months, many Catholics have expressed to me their concerns for the future of our country. And it is right to be concerned, because patriotism is a virtue and we have a duty to work for the common good of our nation. But we ought not lose our peace over what’s happening in our nation or our culture, because we are truly citizens of a better, more amazing kingdom, where the leader is Jesus Christ Himself. We’re just passing through America on the way to Heaven.

            Finally, knowing that we are pilgrims helps us to live for eternity. A few years ago I hiked “El Camino” – the ancient pilgrimage route from southern France, across Spain, to the bones of St. James in Santiago de Compostella. It was a pretty awesome – and exhausting – experience. 498 miles, over 32 days of walking. When making a pilgrimage like that, you have to keep moving. If you’re 200 miles away from your goal, you couldn’t just say, “Oh, well, I got close enough, so I think I’ll just set up shop here and make this my home.” That would have missed the whole point of the pilgrimage!

            In the same way, we must keep moving towards our true home, Heaven. How much time do we spend every day on stuff that doesn’t matter? There’s only one thing that truly matters – to keep moving towards God, to keep developing the virtues that make us more like Him. Everything else is passing away.

            My friends, this truth is fundamental to the Christian life: every Christian is a pilgrim, a stranger, a traveler looking for their true home. And that home is Heaven, with God for eternity – here on this earth, we’re just passing through.

Homily for Ordinary Time 2 - January 17, 2021

 

Homily for January 17, 2021

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Chastity: What It Is, Why We Need It, How to Obtain It

 

            I have a relative who is an avowed atheist, which makes for very interesting conversations when I go home for the holidays. Last year we were talking about the “Me Too” movement, discussing solutions to the harassment that many women had experienced in the workplace and in the world. This relative suggested better training, or more stringent workplace policies that dealt with that issue. I said, “One thing that would be tremendously effective, but that no one talks about, is chastity – if we returned to chastity, we wouldn’t need the MeToo movement.”

            To which he looked at me as if I was a creature from another planet, and responded, “Chastity? Who believes in THAT anymore?”

            And indeed, in our modern world, who does believe in chastity? Nevertheless, it’s an important, if counter-cultural virtue, which St. Paul discusses in today’s second reading. St. Paul tells us that the body is not made for immorality – the actual Greek word used is “porneia”, which is not just immorality in general, but specifically sins of the flesh. So Paul is instructing the Corinthians – and us – that our bodies are sacred Temples of the Holy Spirit. To live like a sacred temple, we must practice the virtue of chastity.

So let’s dive into it – what is chastity, why do we need it, and how do we obtain it?

            First, what is chastity? Simply put, chastity is respecting God’s plan for human life and love. And God’s plan is simple: His great gift of sexuality is to be used only within a marriage between a man and a woman, open to life. Any misuse of this great gift desecrates our Temple and is gravely sinful. Why is it a mortal sin to misuse this great gift? Consider the amazing dignity that God has given to human beings, that we can literally become co-creators of a new human life, and that we can share such an intimate form of love for another person. Such an exalted gift, which allows us to love so profoundly and create life, must be treated with utmost respect, and when such a magnificent gift is disrespected, it becomes devastatingly painful and destructive. So chastity, then, is the virtue that safeguards love and life in the way God intended it – within the context of marriage, and open to life.

            Although chastity is difficult, it is necessary. We cannot give of ourselves to another person unless we first possess ourselves – in other words, we cannot be a slave to our passions and lust if we wish to truly love in freedom. So chastity liberates us, frees us from slavery to our flesh, and allows us to authentically love, in freedom. It also safeguards our soul – after all, our Blessed Mother said at Fatima that “more souls to go Hell for sins of impurity than for any other sin.” Chastity makes us like the angels – innocent, pure – while impurity corrupts us like devils!

            So how do we gain such an important but difficult virtue? Five things to remember.

            First, prayer. The only thing stronger than lust is love. When we love God more than our sin, we will be free of our sin. I knew a man who struggled with sins of the flesh, and he asked God, “Lord, when will I be free of this addiction?” He felt God respond, “When you have prayed one Rosary for each time you have committed that sin, you will be free.” He found that to be true – as he progressed in his love for God, the attraction of sin started to fall away. So we first start by developing a rich prayer life – which helps us avoid every sin.

            Second, the Sacrament of Confession. If someone struggles with chastity, do not be afraid to make use of Confession! Some people think, “Oh, I don’t want to go and confess the same sins week after week.” But we’ll never get clean if we don’t take a shower, and we will never experience the freedom Christ has won for us unless we come to the shower of grace. Remember: Confession is a place of victory, not of shame. God does not look at the sin so much as He is rejoicing over the repentance. Claim that victory through Confession, which can be a great way to grow in chastity.

            Third, avoiding temptation. St. Padre Pio said, “The devil is like a rabid dog on a chain. Beyond the length of the chain, he cannot seize anyone. And you: keep at a distance.” The best way to avoid any sin is to avoid the people, places, and things that lead us into sin – and this is never more true than with chastity. Sometimes the best way to develop and preserve a virtue is to avoid any temptations that might weaken it. This might mean to put a filter on your smartphone, or reevaluate what movies you watch, or spend less time with certain friends (including boyfriends and girlfriends!).

            Fourth, do not be afraid of sacrifice. When St. Benedict was tempted against chastity, he threw himself into a thornbush; when St. Bernard was tempted, he plunged into an icy pond. I don’t necessarily recommend these extreme measures, but do not be afraid of sacrifices, because every virtue requires sacrifice – chastity more so than most.

            Finally, persevere. No war is won without many battles; no virtue is won without a patient struggle. Some of the greatest saints fought this battle – after all, St. Augustine famously prayed, “Lord, give me chastity…but not yet!” Discouragement is always from the devil. So do not give up, but continue to seek purity of mind, body, and soul.

            I close with a quote from Pope John Paul II, who sums up the matter beautifully. “Chastity is a difficult, long term matter; one must wait patiently for it to bear fruit. But at the same time, chastity is the sure way to happiness [because] only the chaste man and the chaste woman are capable of true love.”

Baptism of Our Lord - January 10, 2021

 

Homily for Baptism of Our Lord

January 10, 2021

Immerse Yourself In Him

 

            The word “baptize” in Greek means “to immerse”. And this is fitting, because Jesus’ baptism wasn’t a few drops of water sprinkled on the head – John would have done a full-immersion dunking. The early Church practiced this kind of full-immersion baptism all the way up to the seventeenth century, and it is still an option today to be baptized by a full-dunk into the water.

            And what a sign that is! Baptism isn’t just immersion into water – it is immersion into God.

            Have you ever had that experience of being so immersed in something that you lose track of time? Maybe it’s a good book, or playing a sport. Maybe it’s talking with friends late into the night and we look up and suddenly realize it’s four a.m. We immerse ourselves in all sorts of things – but do we immerse ourselves in God? St. John Vianney once said, “I want to lose myself and never find myself again, except in God!”

What does that look like? Here are five practical ways to immerse yourself in God.

First, give God your first thoughts in the morning through a morning offering. As someone wise said, “There are two types of people in this world: those who say, ‘Good morning, Lord!’ and those who say ‘Good Lord. Morning.’” We want to be the former and greet the Lord upon arising, offering Him your joys, sorrows, work, leisure, thoughts, words, and actions for the day. Make a morning offering, and you will begin to be immersed in Him.

Second, before you begin any activity, consecrate it to the Lord. Whether it be a test in school or a project at work, cooking dinner or cleaning the house, we say, “For You, Jesus. Let me do this well in a way that pleases You.” God is present in the homework, the project, the dinner-making, and the house-cleaning. All we need to do is realize His presence and seek to do it to the best of our ability, for love of Him – which starts with a quick prayer offering it all to Him.

Third, frequently say “aspirations”. Aspirations are short one-sentence prayers – things like, “Thank You, Jesus” or “Lord, have mercy on me!” or “Father, I trust in You.” Two seconds, really – but we have invited God into the midst of our lives.

Fourth, surround yourself with holy things. Do you have a locker at school? Put up a picture of the Sacred Heart or hang a Rosary in the inside. Do you have a desk at work? Have a small statue of Our Lady upon it. Stock your home with books about the Saints or about the Faith. When people walk into our house, we want them to feel as if they are walking into a church – after all, the family is called the “Domestic Church” for a reason! Amidst the nauseating secularism and consumerism in the world, we should feel like we have stepped into sacred space when we enter our office or our home.

Finally, practice the Daily Examine. This is a powerful prayer, taught to us by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It involves reflecting on our day, seeing where God has been moving. Has God showered us with blessings? Has He given us a small share in His Cross? How did we respond to the graces and the challenges we received? Every day we should consider these things, and ask God for more graces to respond better the following day.

When you were baptized, you were immersed into God. But now you must choose to be immersed in Him. These are five easy ways to immerse yourself in God: the morning offering, practicing the presence of God by consecrating all of our works to Him, praying quick aspiration prayers, surrounding ourselves with holy things, and practicing the Daily Examen.

Now, some may say, “This sounds too radical! I’m not a monk, I’m a regular person living in the world!” But St. John Vianney also said, “[God] must be all around us as the air we breathe.” For many Catholics, we put our relationship with the Lord into a box. An hour on Sunday, and maybe for a couple minutes before we go to bed – and that’s our “God-time”. Imagine the difference if we were immersed in God every day! How quickly we would become saints!