Homily for Ordinary Time 27 - October 2, 2022

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 27

October 2, 2022

The Incarnational Aspect of Faith

 

            Once when leading a bible study for middle schoolers, we were discussing a part of John’s Gospel where Jesus says, “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is of no avail.” I asked the kids what they thought it meant. One boy raised his hand and said, “I think it means that it doesn’t matter what you do with your body, as long as you believe in Jesus in your heart.” The boy next to him turned to him, incredulous, and said, “So it doesn’t matter if I punch you in the face?”

            We all had a good laugh, but it made an important point – what we do with our bodies matters. It is in and through our bodies that we do good works or commit sin; it is in and through our bodies that we grow in virtue or descend into vice.

            Our faith is essentially incarnational. God took flesh and was born in a human body, and this sanctified and elevated all of our bodies too. We believe that, as Christians, our bodies are “temples of the Holy Spirit” and thus we should glorify God in every aspect of our physical flesh. St. Paul even urges us to “make our bodies a living sacrifice” – that is, to offer our aches and pains, our recreation and our labor, to the Father as a sacrifice. God doesn’t need sacrifices of goats and calves; rather, He wants us to become a living sacrifice in the flesh. At the end of time, our bodies will rise again in a glorified form, to join in the reward of Heaven or the punishment of Hell.

            The Sacraments show us most clearly the connection between body and soul. Every Sacrament has a physical element – water for baptism, bread and wine which become the Body and Blood of Christ, the oil of chrism on our foreheads for Confirmation. Today’s second reading recounts how Paul ordained Timothy a priest – it was through the “laying on of hands” – it wasn’t just a prayer, but a physical action that sanctified him and actually changed his soul so that he became a priest.

            Even outside of the Sacraments, we have a very tangible faith, filled with things we can see and touch. We call these things sacramentals – objects that remind us of the invisible love of God. Crucifixes, Rosaries, holy water, statues, images, stained-glass windows, scapulars – all of these very physical items are reminders of God’s presence and what He has done for us. We need them in our lives and in our homes. After all, if something is out-of-sight it is often out-of-mind, so we constantly need reminders of who God is, who we are, and what we believe.

            Thus, we come to the Gospel – and we hear the Apostles cry out, “Lord, increase our faith!” Perhaps that’s the cry of your soul, too, if your faith is wavering or unsure. There are many ways to increase our faith (reading and studying the Word of God, more time for daily prayer, reading the Lives of the Saints, coming to the Sacraments more frequently) but one easy way is to fill our lives with concrete reminders of God’s endless presence and love. For too many people, we go Sunday to Sunday without thinking of God in-between…because we have nothing to remind us of Him. But if we have a crucifix in our living room, we remember His presence every time we look at it. If we wear a cross around our neck or a Miraculous Medal (a medal dedicated to Our Lady), then getting dressed in the morning is a reminder that He is with us always. If we carry a Rosary in our pocket, we are reminded to pray every time we reach for our cell phone or car keys. All of a sudden God becomes a part of our daily lives, because we have included physical sacramentals in our daily life. Our soul is shaped by what we put into our five senses.

            You may notice that we have some new furniture in our church – kneelers up front here. Starting this weekend, we have the opportunity to kneel to receive Holy Communion. Kneeling is completely optional – you are still welcome to stand for Communion – but for those who wish, this is a concrete, physical way of showing that we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. The Church as a whole – and certainly here at St. Jude’s – is in need of a Eucharistic revival, where we truly believe with our whole hearts and souls that this is not just a sign or symbol but is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. What better way to strengthen our faith in His Real Presence than to receive Him on our knees, recognizing that it is God Himself that we receive into our bodies. Our physical bodies should express our personal faith in His Real Presence.

            A non-Catholic was once asking a Catholic what he believed about the Eucharist. The Catholic responded that he believed it was truly Jesus Christ Himself – not a sign or symbol, but God hidden under the form of bread. The non-Catholic responded, “If I believed that God physically dwelt in my church, I would crawl into the church on my knees!” A poignant reminder that if we believe He is here, then our physical posture will reflect that reality.

            So, I encourage us, if our knees are good and healthy, to consider receiving Him kneeling. We can receive Him on the tongue, which is the ancient traditional way (another sign of reverence for such an incredible gift), or on the hand. Our faith is expressed through bodily actions, and the most fitting response to the true presence of God is to fall down on our knees and worship Him.

Homily for Ordinary Time 25 - September 18, 2022

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 25

September 18, 2022

No More Plastic Man

 

            St. John Cansius was a Polish priest who was a college professor in the 1400s. Along with his incredible intellect, he was a profoundly simple and humble man. One day, he was making a journey on-foot to another town when he encountered several robbers who beat him and stole his knapsack. They brutally asked him if he had anything else, but finally left when he insisted when he had no more money.

            He had walked another mile when he remembered that he had a few coins in a hidden pocket inside of his clothes. Quickly he ran after the robbers and told them that he did indeed have more money, and offered it to them. The robbers were so struck by his honesty that they quickly returned everything they had stolen, and departed with their heads hanging in shame.

            Honesty and integrity should be the hallmark of every Christian. Honesty means being truthful in words; integrity means being truthful in our life. Lies are always from the Evil One, whom Scripture calls the “Father of Lies” – but by contrast, Jesus calls Himself the Truth. Those who follow Him must speak and live Truth.

            So…is Jesus then complimenting this dishonest steward? I have heard many interpretations of this parable, but the one that makes the most sense to me is that both the steward and the master were dishonest, by overcharging these debtors. When the servant is let go, he decides to right the wrong that he helped perpetrate, by bringing down the debts to their rightful amount…which also had the added benefit of ingratiating him to the debtors, guaranteeing a job once he was let go. The master admired the stewards’ shrewdness – the steward may have gained less money from this plan, but he gained something much more valuable: the respect of his peers and hope for the future. In context, this is what Jesus is praising – the steward being willing to make a sacrifice of money for a greater good – as Jesus wants us to be willing to use the things of this world in such a way that we actually pursue the greatest good of eternal life.

            The virtue of integrity, then, orders our entire life to pursue the highest good. That means that we are a Christian in every aspect of our life: our work life is done for Christ; our romantic life is in accords with God’s beautiful plan; our recreation gives Him glory; our school life is done for His praise; even our internet presence is infused with God. Integrity means that we’re the same person on Monday morning and Friday nights as we are on Sunday morning; that we’re the same person with our grandmother that we are with our football buddies.

            It might be easiest to see integrity as contrasted to its opposite, which is being two-faced or duplicitous. But it becomes impossible to wear two faces for long – as the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true one.” Much wisdom there!

            An older friend of mine used to have a saying whenever he encountered someone duplicitous: “I can see right through you, Plastic-Man.” The idea is that until Christ penetrates every aspect of our life, then our faith is only skin-deep. If our souls are truly transformed by grace, it will necessarily radiate to every aspect, not just our Sunday morning activities.

            My vocation was sparked by a priest who had incredible integrity. His name was Fr. Michael Sliney, and he used to run retreats for high school boys. He was an incredible athlete with a passion for soccer, and he was so much better than all of us high-schoolers. And he wouldn’t go easy on us, either – he would run circles around us with a cutthroat desire to win!

            But one day we were on our monthly retreat, and all the boys were playing soccer. Fr. Michael was standing off the side of the field, with a look of conquest in his eyes. I could tell that he was absolutely chomping the bit to get in. But instead, he did a surprising thing. He turned away, pulled out his Rosary, and began walking down the path praying the Rosary. He thought no one saw him, but I saw him, and I thought to myself – that man loves Jesus more than soccer, more than anything in this world. I want to be like that man. Integrity is being a Christian when no one’s looking.

            Jesus says something interesting at the end of today’s Gospel. He says that if we are trustworthy, we will be entrusted with true wealth. He can only give His greatest spiritual gifts – like intimacy in prayer, overcoming of sin, the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and so much more – to those who are men and women of integrity, who seek to allow Him to penetrate the depths of their being and who don’t live shadow-lives. St. John Vianney once told the story of a saint who had a vision of Jesus during Mass. As Communion was being distributed, the saint saw Jesus standing before the altar with His arms full of amazing gifts of grace, looking for souls to distribute them to – but He could only give them to a soul who was trustworthy, that is, a soul living in integrity.

            This morning, my challenge is to consider how well we live this virtue. Are there times, places, or situations in our lives where Christ is not yet welcome? And how can we better invite Christ into these places?

            No more plastic men. Let’s be men and women of integrity – Christian, not just in name, but in reality, through and through.

Homily for Ordinary Time 24 - September 11, 2022

 

Homily for September 11, 2022

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Confession: The Road to Healing

 

            St. John Climacus was a seventh-century Egyptian Catholic monk whose famous book “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” tells many edifying stories of his life in the monastery. He recounts that on one occasion, a notorious thief presented himself to the abbot, hoping to join the monastery. The abbot warned him that, because of his former sinful way of life, he would have to confess his sins publicly if he wished to enter the monastery. The thief, truly desiring repentance, declared that he’d be willing to confess his sins in the marketplace of Alexandria if that meant God would forgive him.

            So, the thief was admitted to the monastery on a trial basis. When Sunday came, the abbot gathered the entire monastery in the church for Sunday Mass, but he interrupted the Mass in the middle of it and called the thief to the center of the church. Strong monks grabbed this former sinner and threw him on the ground before the altar. The abbot struck fear in the heart of all when he cried out, “You are not worthy to enter here! What evil have you done?” Through tears of sorrow the man confessed the most horrible sins – lust, greed, even poisoning others. This public confession went on for some time, with loud wails and tears. When he had finished his public confession, the abbot instructed the monks to raise him up and clothe him with the religious habit (garment).

            Afterward, St. John Climacus asked the wise abbot why he made him make such a public show of his repentance. The abbot replied, “It was for two reasons. First, now that he has suffered the shame of confessing, he will never again suffer future shame for his sins. And second, because some of the brothers in the monastery also have hidden sins, and this will encourage them to confess them openly and honestly, thereby leading to freedom.” St. John replied, “Ah yes, I see your wisdom. And as the penitent man confessed the sins, I beheld an angel holding a scroll of the man’s sins. When each one was confessed, the angel crossed out the sin, until the scroll was completely clean.”

            Thus is the power of Confession! We should be grateful that our Confessions can be private – many confessions in the early church were public confessions, especially if the sin was known in public. It wasn’t until the seventh or eighth century that all Confessions became private – in large part because of the Irish people. When missionaries brought Christianity to Ireland, they found that the Irish were rather unruly people, and they would refuse to confess if it had to be done in public. So the missionaries made all confessions private from that time on, and it became the custom of the Church – for which we are immensely grateful!

            It was Jesus’ will to pour out His mercy and to reconcile sinners to Himself through the Sacrament of Confession. These beautiful parables of the Lord’s mercy show how lavish this mercy seeks sinners – of which we all are. But that Sacrament has fallen out of favor in recent decades – so here are six awesome reasons to go to Confession!

            First, because we need to hear those words “I absolve you.” Imagine that we have hurt a friend. We may feel really bad about it, and regret it, but we’re not reconciled until we hear the friend say, “I forgive you.” In the same way, we may feel bad about our sins and regret them, but we are truly reconciled when we hear those words, “I absolve you” – it is Jesus, through the priest, welcoming us back into His arms!

            Second, because we gain free advice! A Jewish psychologist was once chatting with Cardinal Dolan from New York, and the psychologist said, “If your confession thing really catches on, I’ll be out of a job!” He went on to explain, “I listen to people’s troubles all day long, most of which are caused by bad choices. I give them advice, but charge $200 an hour, and can’t even forgive them at the end of the day!” If I really want to grow in virtue, it is critical to have a spiritual guide to give advice on how to overcome our sins – hence, the role of the priest in Confession, as a spiritual doctor giving advice to the soul!

            Third, to help us grow in humility. The root of all sin is pride, so the antidote is humility. And there is nothing that humbles us like having to confess our failings to another fallen human being. Humility is knowing who we are before God, and who we are is sinners redeemed by the lavish, freeing mercy of God.

            Fourth, we confess so that we become honest with ourselves. We all have a tendency to rationalize away our sins. We say, “I’m sorry I cut that person off in traffic…but they deserved it!” Or we say, “Oh, it’s not a big deal if I miss Mass on Sunday.” But when we honestly confess our sins, we can’t rationalize it away – we have to honestly confront that what we did really mattered – and that we are sorry, and God can forgive it. There is a joke in the church that every Hispanic woman’s confession starts the same way: “Oh Padre, tengo problemas con me esposo!” (Oh, Father, I have many problems with my husband!) And then the wife blames all her sins on her bad husband! But confessions helps us to stop doing that – the problem isn’t with this person or that person, it is with me – and this is the first step toward true freedom.

            Fifth, so that we are reconciled back to the Church. Sin doesn’t just hurt the sinner – it wounds the entire Body of Christ. Certainly many sins directly harm others – perhaps insulting a person, or stealing…but even sins that seem to be harmless, like thinking an uncharitable or impure thought, bring down others because it makes us not as holy as we should be, which makes the Church not as holy as it should be! Taking a bucket of water out of a lake may not seem to make much of a difference, but if a thousand people took a bucket, the water level would drop significantly. Likewise, if we are all saints, the holiness level of the whole church will rise and shine forth…but if we are all sinners, we taint the Church’s holiness. Hence, we need to be reconciled, not just to Jesus, but to the whole Church…which is why we confess to the Church’s minister in the priest!

            Sixth, because Jesus said so! On the night He rose from the dead – Easter Sunday evening – He appeared to His Apostles, and what did He give them? Words of wisdom? A miracle? No, He gave them the power to forgive sins. He said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.” He gave the Sacrament of Confession to the Apostles, who were the first bishops, who then passed it down through the Church until now.

            Some of us say, “Oh, well, I’m a good person, I don’t need to go to Confession.” But have you ever had a window that you thought was clean, but once the sun started shining directly on it we notice smudges and streaks? In the same way, when we approach the Light of Christ, He reveals the ways that we have fallen short – not to condemn us, but to cleanse us deeper!

            As we begin this new school year, Confession is a great way to make a new start. Before and after every Mass this weekend, Confessions are being offered. If it’s been a while, come to Confession. If you missed Sunday Mass this summer, come to Confession (even before coming to Communion). If you want to grow in holiness, come to Confession. It’s a Sacrament for everyone – because we are all the lost sheep, the lost coin, the Prodigal Son – we are all the one that Christ is seeking.