Homily for Easter 5 - May 2, 2021

 

Homily for Easter 5

May 2, 2021

Three Fruits, One Vine

 

            Later this afternoon, the confirmation candidates in our parish will be taking their Confirmation test. I have a pretty vested interest in their success, as I have taught them this past year. If they don’t pass, that would mean that I didn’t do my job very well!

            Everyone wants to see the fruits of their labors. Doctors want to see their patients get better; lawyers want to win their cases; teachers want their students to learn things; parents want their kids to grow up and be successful. It is often tough to labor as a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a parent – these are jobs that are difficult, time-consuming, exhausting - involving blood, sweat, and tears, as the proverbial saying goes. It is only natural that if we make a huge effort at something, we want to see its fruit.

            Jesus wants His Sacrifice to bear fruit, as well! He gave everything on the Cross – every drop of His blood, every breath in His lungs, every ounce of Love in His Sacred Heart – and He, too, does not want His sacrifice to be without fruit. The reward that He desires is souls. We are the fruit of His passion and death. But what does that mean? Practically speaking, I want to mention three types of spiritual fruit that God expects us to bear.

            First, virtue. We must be seeking to grow in every virtue: patience, kindness, humility, generosity, self-sacrifice, chastity, courage. Virtues make us like Christ, Who perfectly lived every virtue. Every parent delights when their children become like them – if a dad is an athlete, he usually wants his sons to follow in his footsteps. If a mother is a musician, she might delight if one of her kids also takes up an instrument. In the same way, Jesus rejoices when we become like Him through virtue – and this is a great spiritual fruit that the Lord expects us to bear.

            Have you heard of the recent saint canonized last month by Pope Francis, named St. Margaret of Castillo? Her life could have been a tragedy in so many ways – she was born with so many disfiguring disabilities that her parents told everyone that she had died in childbirth, and they hid young Margaret away from the world. When she was a child, they bricked up a small room in their house, trapping young Margaret inside – her only contact with the outside world was through a small slit where they would pass food into her cell. But the local parish priest began to bring her Communion and teach her about God, and she quickly advanced in learning and love for God. When Margaret was 19, her parents took her to a shrine where they heard that healings were happening…but when Margaret wasn’t healed, her parents abandoned her there, and she became a beggar…but one with an uncommon love for God and neighbor. She began sharing her food with her fellow poor, and would spend all day and night in prayer. She gathered children around her and taught them catechism lessons. The townspeople recognized her kindness, patience, gentleness and mercy, and when she died, they insisted that she be buried inside the parish church, which is an honor usually only given to noblemen. It was her virtue that redeemed her otherwise tragic life – her life, although full of suffering, bore incredible fruit for God, because of her virtue.

            A second fruit God expects us to bear is good works. Very few people know that during the mid-1800s, there was a tremendous outpouring of hatred and prejudice in America against Catholic nuns. Nuns all over the country were spat upon, slanderous books were written about them, and it even got so bad that a Protestant group in Boston burned down a convent. But despite such persecution, the nuns responded by taking care of those most needy. During the Civil War, many nuns opened their convent doors to wounded soldiers, to the poor, and anyone in need. Their good deeds so changed the nation’s attitude toward them that an imprisoned Union soldier wrote to the Mother Superior of the Sisters of Mercy: “I am not of your Church, and have always been taught to believe it to be nothing but evil. However, actions speak louder than words, and I am free to admit, if Christianity does exist on this earth, it has some of the closest followers in the ladies of your Order.” It was good works that brought honor and dignity to the Catholic Church in America – it is good works that bring fruitfulness to Christ’s sacrifice.

            Finally, a third fruit is bringing souls to Christ. When I was ordained, the priest who vested me leaned in close as he was placing the stole around my neck and whispered, “Bring thousands of souls to Heaven with you.” I’ve never forgotten it – and we should all ask, “Who am I bringing to Heaven with me?” Our kids? Our coworkers? Our neighbors? I don’t want to show up to Heaven empty-handed, but hopefully with many souls I can present to the Lord as the fruit of His labor through me.

            And here is the key – all of this fruit (virtues, good works, bringing souls to Christ) is only possible through His grace in us. Jesus makes it clear in the Gospel that “without Him we can do nothing.” Not “some things”, not “a few things”…nothing. It is our intimate union with Christ through prayer that allows us to do anything good. A plant cannot bear fruit if it is not watered; likewise, a soul cannot bear fruit if it does not drink deeply from the Living Water of Christ.

            Some of us say we are too busy to have a serious prayer life. To this, St. Francis de Sales said: “Always pray for a half-hour a day, unless you are busy. Then you need to pray for an hour a day.” We can try to grow in virtue or do good works on our own – striving, struggling, laboring – when God wants us to bear fruit easily and quickly through prayer!

            One day, Pope John Paul II’s secretary got a message about some world tragedy and needed to inform the Pope immediately, even though it was 3am. The secretary went to the Pope’s bedroom…and he wasn’t in bed. So he started searching…the chapel, the kitchen, the Pope’s office, everywhere…and he couldn’t find him! Now absolutely terrified that he lost the pope, the secretary went back and searched everywhere again…and found the Pope lying face-down on the floor of his chapel, completely absorbed in prayer, in the middle of the night. With his busy schedule, the Pope knew how vital it was to keep that intimate communion with the Lord if his ministry was going to bear any fruit!

            Christ wants His sacrifice on the Cross to bear fruit: the fruit of virtues, of good works, of souls led to Him. We are the branches who will bear this good fruit, only through His grace living in us. Turn to Him in prayer – daily, hourly, moment-by-moment – and then go and bear great fruit for the Kingdom.

Homily for Easter 4 - April 25, 2021

 

Homily for Easter 4

April 25, 2021

Safe Confines of the Church

 

            Simon Peter makes a shocking claim: “There is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved except the Name of Jesus.” Are we to take this literally? Does this mean non-Christians don’t go to Heaven? After all, the first Vatican Council taught that “Outside the Church there is no salvation.” What does this mean?

            There are four things to understand about how the Church sees members of other religions.

            First, all religions have a part of the truth. For example, our Protestant brethren share the same Scriptures with us, our Jewish friends share the Old Testament, Muslims believe in an afterlife and a human soul, and even Hindus recognize that we should seek after virtue and a righteous life. The Church recognizes all the elements in other faiths that are true and good, and these are seen as a preparation for the Gospel.

            But we also believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth. In fact, the Second Vatican Council declared, “The church that Christ founded on earth subsists in the Catholic Church.” In other words, Christ didn’t merely start a loose organization of believers, but a visible structure, a hierarchy, and an unbroken line of Apostolic succession. The Catholic Church, while full of imperfect members, still teaches the same holy teachings that Christ taught while on earth.

            So, anyone who knowingly rejects Jesus Christ or His Church cannot be saved. The key word here is “knowingly” – this means that a person recognizes that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and still refuses to follow Him; or that a person is convinced that the Catholic Church is the fullness of truth and still refuses to join it.

            But if someone is ignorant of Jesus or of the truths of the Catholic Faith, they can still be saved because they are not necessarily guilty of their ignorance. Maybe the only Christians they’ve ever met are bad examples; maybe the only time they heard about Jesus was from The Simpsons or Saturday Night Live – in this case, we entrust these people to God’s mercy (and we seek to bring them to the light of truth!).

            If non-Christians are saved, though, they are saved in spite of their own religion, not because of it. Mohammed cannot save anyone; Buddha cannot save anyone. Only Jesus offers us salvation. I guarantee that everyone who is in Heaven is a Christian now, even if they weren’t Christians on earth!

            There is no safer place to be than within the arms of the Catholic Church. This is the safe sheepfold for the sheep, where we cannot be led astray by error, and where we can be closest to the Shepherd. Rather than the Church stifling us, restricting our freedom, or preventing us from living life to the fullest, the Church actually protects us from harm and keeps us spiritually strong and healthy.

            A small midwestern town planned to build a fence around their elementary school playground, but some parents objected, thinking it might make the kids feel like caged animals in a zoo. So the school conducted a study to see how kids behaved in fences versus without fences. Much to their surprise, they discovered that on playgrounds without fences, children tended to huddle closer to the center of the playground, almost subconsciously afraid to venture far. But on playgrounds WITH fences, the kids used the whole field, knowing that they were safe wherever they went. Rather than stifling their freedom, knowing that they were safe gave them more freedom.

            In the same way, in a world that is deeply hostile to our values, saturated with lies and fake news, and filled with temptations and pitfalls, we need a safe space where we can be confident we will be fed with the Truth and shepherded in holiness. That safe space is the Catholic Church. Yes, it’s filled with imperfect, sinful people – but as Dorothy Day once said, “As to the Church, where else shall we go? Though she is a harlot at times, she is our Mother.” The Church is the sheepfold that keeps us close to the Shepherd. Never leave the Church, the source of all grace!

            You may have heard of the American legendary wild-west character, Buffalo Bill. He was a real person, born William Cody, who grew up on the open range. In his middle-age he started a traveling wild-west show, kind of like a circus, that would travel to different cities and show off the lifestyle of the wild west. He toured with famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley and, for a time, Chief Sitting Bull.

            Through this show, Buffalo Bill became very close friends with Chief Sitting Bull, and was rather intrigued to hear of how the Native American chief had embraced Catholicism. He had never encountered a devout Catholic before, and it made him wonder why this religion of the “white man” would be accepted by a native. Even after the show stopped touring, Buffalo Bill never forgot the example of this chief.

            Twenty-nine years later, as Buffalo Bill lay dying, he asked his sister to call for a priest. This was quite a surprise, since he was not a particularly religious man, but she found a priest who visited him. Buffalo Bill explained, “I have always believed in God – and now I want to die a Catholic.” He was baptized and received into the Church right before his death.

            Indeed, both in life and in death, the safest place to be is found in the arms of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and in the Sheepfold of the Church.

Homily for Easter 3 - April 18, 2021

 

Homily for Easter 3

April 18, 2021

The Truth of the Scriptures

 

            Today’s readings have a common theme: that the Scriptures all point to Jesus. Peter speaks to the people on Pentecost morning, explaining that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Jewish scriptures. And Jesus in the Gospel explains to His disciples that the Law and the Prophets all speak about Him.

            But is the Bible historically accurate? Or is it just a myth? This is a critically important question, because if we can’t believe the Bible’s historical claims, we shouldn’t believe the Bible’s religious claims.

            Some modern scholars want to say that the Scriptures are not historical, but that they are myths and legends that grew up around a man named Jesus. In the 1980s and ‘90s, a project took place called the “Jesus Seminar” where about 150 biblical scholars gathered together for a series of meetings where they actually voted on what Scripture passages were historical! Not surprisingly, this seminar said that Jesus never did any miracles, or rise from the dead – they claimed that those were just legends that had grown up around the ordinary man named Jesus.

            So we must ask…does the Bible contain actual history?

            The answer is yes. The Church teaches that the Bible is inerrant and inspired. It is inspired because God used human authors to write down everything necessary for our salvation. It is inerrant insofar as it cannot make an error when teaching a truth needed for salvation.

We as Catholics do not read the Bible literally, however. The Bible is not a book, but a collection of books, with different genres – poetry, letters, history, parables. We don’t need to believe that every little detail in the Bible is historically accurate. Our Catechism says that at times, the Bible uses “symbolic language” – meaning that the stories such as Adam and Eve, while true, may not be as slavishly accurate as we think history should be. Nevertheless, the Bible does contain real, verifiable history. Abraham, Moses, and David were real people; Jesus really did tremendous miracles and rise from the dead.

            But how do we know? Here are six quick reasons why we know that the Bible is historical.

            First, because we have ancient manuscripts of the Bible. The oldest fragment we have from the Gospel of John is from around the year 120 – only about 30 years after the Gospel itself was written! The oldest complete Gospel is a copy of the Gospel of Matthew from around 200AD. So we can go back to the very ancient sources and see that they match up exactly with the Bible we are reading today!

            Second, much of the Bible was written by eyewitnesses. Of the four Gospel writers, Matthew and John were apostles. According to the early Church fathers, Mark interviewed Peter for his Gospel, and Luke did his own research, which included interviewing the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul. These people were not reporting about events that happened a long time ago, but events that they (or their sources) saw with their own eyes.

            Third, consider their fate. Most of the writers of the Scriptures did not receive fame and fortune for their preaching of the Truth! Many of the prophets were persecuted (Isaiah was sawed in half, while Jeremiah was imprisoned and thrown into a well). Likewise, Matthew, Mark and Luke were all martyred, while John was exiled. Why would someone write a myth or legend that would get them tortured or killed? This makes me believe that they wrote about what they truly saw and experienced.

            Fourth, there are writings outside the Bible that verify the accounts in the Bible. Several Babylonian writings mention the Kings of Israel by name. We have inscriptions that mention historical events and battles and kings that are recorded in the Bible. There were even Jewish and pagan historians like Josephus and Tacitus who, writing around the time of Christ, mention a man named Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This extrabiblical evidence makes us realize that these were historical events!

            Fifth, the “criterion of embarrassment”. If you were writing your autobiography, would you focus on your failures and embarrassing moments? No, most of us would highlight our successes and triumphs. But the Bible paints Israel – and the Apostles – in a rather unflattering light. Israel is unfaithful and disobedient; the Apostles are fearful and foolish. A myth would not purposely embarrass the very people who are writing it! Thus, the fact that the authors include embarrassing details about themselves, their culture, and their nation shows us that this must be actual history!

            Finally, archaeological findings agree with the Bible. In the seventh century, a pilgrim to Jerusalem named Adomnan of Iona wrote about finding Jesus’ childhood home in Nazareth, between two tombs, with a courtyard and a spring inside the house. But sadly the location of that house had been lost to history…until 2015, when archeologists discovered the ruins of a house that matched all the descriptions of the 7^th Century pilgrim – and evidence that a Byzantine church had been built on that spot, too! Every year, archeology has found more and more artifacts that confirm the historicity of the Bible – just recently, they found the personal seal of the prophet Isaiah!

            Our Catholic Faith hinges on the Resurrection. As St. Paul tells us, “If Christ is not raised, then our faith is in vain.” But the Resurrection hinges on the truth of the Bible. Can we believe that what has been written and handed on to us is true and historical? The answer is a resounding “yes”!

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily - April 11, 2021

 

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday

April 11, 2021

Mercy Given, Mercy Received

 

            Lecrae Moore grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Single mom, drug abuse, the gangsta lifestyle – the whole nine yards. He was headed down a path to nowhere when two unexpected doses of mercy brought him a whole new life.

            He had just been arrested for dealing drugs and was sitting in the back of a police car, waiting to be hauled off to jail, while the officer was searching his car for more drugs. After a minute, the officer came back, holding a Bible. The officer asked why the Bible was in this drug dealer’s car.

            Lecrae admitted that it was just a good-luck charm that he got from his devout grandmother, and said, “Yeah, I need to start living by it.”

            The office responded, “If you promise me you will start reading your Bible and start living it, I’ll let you go.”

            Lecrae was stunned – he quickly agreed, and the officer let him go.

            But change didn’t happen all of a sudden. He still struggled with his own wounds and addictions and sins. He was reading his Bible, but then would go out and party and deal drugs and hook up with women. It took one more act of mercy to change his heart…

            He happened to be invited by a friend to go to a Christian retreat, where God’s grace touched his heart. From the depths of his soul, he prayed, “God, if You are real, get me out of this [sinful lifestyle] – do whatever You need to do, but don’t kill me.” A short while later, he was driving down the highway and lost control of his car, which flipped and got totally destroyed. He was wearing no seatbelt, but somehow emerged from that wreck completely unscathed. This was the (rather abrupt!) answer to his prayer, and he completely changed his life and gave it fully to Christ. Two acts of mercy – one from the police officer, and one directly from God – made him one of the best Christian rap artists in the world: multi-platinum, Grammy-winning, a powerful force for Christ.

            Aquinas defined “justice” as giving to each one what we owe them. But mercy can be defined as giving someone what we do not owe them. A second chance, forgiveness with no strings attached, an undeserved kindness, a surprise gift. We are not owed these things – but they are small mercies that can change the entire trajectory of a life.

            In fact, mercy can change the entire trajectory of the world. Ever since Genesis, the world needed a re-start, a do-over. And the Resurrection is that re-start. Notice what John says – “On the first day of the week…” What happened on the first day of the week? Creation began. Now on this “first day”, we see a New Creation. No longer do we see a mortal man in Adam, now we see an immortal and glorified Man in Jesus. When He encounters His disciples, how does He greet them? “Peace” – in Hebrew, “Shalom”. Shalom means far more than just peace – it means wholeness, completeness, right order. After all the disorder that we introduced into the world through sin, on Easter Sunday Christ comes to put it back in order, to undo the chaos, sin, and death. Act 1 of human history, an act written as a tragedy, is over. Act 2 has now begun, an act written by mercy.

            Mercy is what allows us to participate in Act 2. Mercy doesn’t mean that our sins don’t matter; it means that our sins matter, and they are forgiven. I have found, as a priest, that people have one of two reactions when I talk about sin and mercy. Some people think their sins are too big, too horrible to be forgiven, and they fear approaching Jesus out of shame. Other people think they don’t sin at all – they say they are “pretty good people”. But both are errors to avoid. As Jesus revealed to St. Faustina, “The greater the sinner, the greater the right they have to My Mercy” – we put limits on God’s power if we don’t believe He can forgive our sins!

At the same time, St. John writes, “If we say we are without sin, we are a liar” for “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.” In fact, it says in Scripture that “the righteous man sins seven times a day.” And that’s a good man! Sin isn’t just the breaking of a rule, but falling-short of the standard of living like Christ. And none of us live like Him perfectly. We’re not as holy as we should be. So mercy is for all of us – people with huge sins, and people with daily faults who strive to be more like Jesus. That is why all of us should go to Confession, monthly if you can. Don’t wait until next Lent!

            But to accept the mercy of God requires two things. First, once we have become a new creation through His mercy, we must live like we are a new creation. Mercy is not a license to sin. Sometimes we think, “Oh, I’ll commit this sin, and I’ll just go to Confession on Saturday.” My friends, that is the sin of presumption – presuming that God will give you the grace of forgiveness. No, if we wish to have mercy, we must “go and sin no more,” as Our Lord told the adulterous woman.

            Second, we must extend that mercy to others. In the famous book Les Miserables, the homeless ex-criminal Jean Valjean was given lodging at the home of a bishop. He repaid such a kindness by stealing the bishop’s silverware. When police caught him, the bishop pretends that he gave him the silverware, and tells him to take the silver candlesticks he “forgot”. Moved by such an undeserved mercy, Jean Valjean becomes an honest man and uses his life to help others.

            God wants mercy to come to others through us. Notice that in the Gospels He gives His Apostles (the first bishops) the power to forgive sins. He could have made it so that we pray to God directly for forgiveness, but He wants mercy to flow through human beings. That is true, not only in Confession, but also in the daily mercy that we show to others. We hold our tongue and don’t criticize our spouse for their small faults; we don’t get back at our siblings who offended us; we assume the best of others, even if they don’t deserve it. A great way to give mercy is to perform the “Works of Mercy” – feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and the like. Daily we have the opportunity to show mercy to those around us.

            How many times have we received mercies undeserved? Too many to count – especially the confidence that all our sins are forgiven, every time we walk out of the Confessional. Mercy has turned the page, and given us a second chance. We have received it – now we must give it.

Easter Sunday Homily - April 4, 2021

 

Easter Sunday Homily

April 4, 2021

If We Die with Him, We Shall Reign With Him

 

            Every normal human being wants to live. Every day, we do all sorts of things to take care of our physical life – eat, sleep, work out, take medicine. We want to preserve our life as long as possible. Without life, what good is anything else? We can’t enjoy pleasures, or money, or honors if we are dead. Even Adolf Eichmann, who was one of the architects of the Holocaust, when he was sentenced to death for his war crimes, wrote a letter to the judge pleading for his life. All of us want to live.

            And Jesus was no different. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He died, He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering pass by me!” He too wanted to preserve His earthly life. But by giving it away, He received it back…in a new and better way.

            The Resurrection is not just a resuscitation. Resuscitation is a continuation of your earthly life. When someone has a heart attack and is brought back through CPR, they will eventually die again. Even when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus would eventually pass away.

            But Jesus experienced a Resurrection. It was not merely a continuation of His earthly life, but a new way of living with a new type of body. This Body is glorified, transformed. Christ’s Resurrection, then, isn’t just bringing the dead back to life – it brought Him to a new plane of human existence! He is not subject to the tyranny of weakness or pain, hunger or thirst. He can never suffer any injury or illness again. This means that it will never die again – it will live forever.

            If you knew that you could never die, or get injured or sick – what would you do? Recently a friend who is a doctor came to see me, and at the end of our meeting she gave me a big hug. Instinctively I jumped back – what about social distancing? Six feet! But she laughed and said, “I’ve been vaccinated – I can hug anyone I want!” How great it can be to live without fear, if we knew we weren’t going to die!

            And if you and I are in Christ – living a life united to Him – we too do not need to fear anything either! St. Paul tells us, “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we are also to live with Him.” If we have put to death our old self, our old life of sin and worldliness, and embraced the living God, then His triumph becomes our triumph!

            The Catholic Biblical scholar Dr. Jeff Cavins tells a great story about this. Right after his conversion to Catholicism, he sensed that God was calling him to lead a bible study in a local men’s maximum-security prison. The first day, he arrived in a room full of the toughest of tough guys – rippling muscles, tattoos, scowls on their faces. Clearly a room of guys who didn’t want to be messed with. Nervously, somewhat intimidated, he began his Bible study, but one of the guys interrupted and said, “Hey, aren’t you afraid of us?”

            He laughed and said, “No, I’m not.”

            The thug said, “You should be afraid of us.”

            Dr. Cavins replied, “You can’t hurt me. I’m already dead.”

            The inmate was confused, and asked what he meant. He replied, “When I became a Christian, I died with Christ…and you can’t hurt a dead man!”

            The inmate laughed and from that time on, he had no problems with the guys.

            If we have already died and risen with Christ, what do we have to fear? Pain? Jesus offers us a heavenly reward after this temporary life. Sadness? Jesus offers us joy beyond our imagining. Sorrow at the loss of a loved one? Jesus promises to wipe away every tear in Heaven. Financial troubles? Jesus has true riches prepared for those who love Him. There is nothing we need to fear – if we are united to Christ.

            And here’s the challenge – our lives must really be lived for Him to experience the benefits of His Resurrection. That means seeking Him in daily prayer and weekly Mass; repenting of our sins through Confession, and striving to live a life conformed to His teachings. We will receive back a glorified Body, too, at the end of time – but our glorified bodies will reflect the state of our soul. If our soul is beautiful, our body will be radiant and we will rise to everlasting life; if our soul is corrupted, our body will be grotesque and we will spend eternity in endless death.

            So if you want to live, be willing to die. Die to sin, die to selfishness, die to lust and greed and pride. Let Christ live His life in you as you are united to Him through grace and virtue. If we are no longer living our lives but rather living Christ’s life-in-us, then we have nothing to fear. He who conquered death on Easter Sunday morning will conquer death in us as well.