The Reward of Perseverance - Feast of the Presentation (Feb 2, 2025)

 

Homily for the Feast of Presentation

February 2, 2025

The Reward of Perseverance

 

            There are many virtues needed for a life of holiness, and one could debate which one is the most important: humility? Charity? Patience? All of these are critical, but I would add one more, an often-forgotten virtue: perseverance. Every saint had this virtue, often in heroic ways.

            Take, for example, one of the more recent Canadian saints with an interesting connection to Connecticut: St. Andre Bessette. He was born in the mid 1800s to a simple blue-collar family. As a young man, Andre was devout but a little lost – he wasn’t good at school, had poor health, and couldn’t find a trade that he excelled in. He ended up moving from Montreal to upstate Connecticut for a time, where he worked in a textile mill. But finding no success there, either, he returned home and asked to enter a religious community called the Congregation of the Holy Cross (which is the order that runs Notre Dame University).

            Initially, they turned him down due to poor health and lack of education. But his pastor intervened, sending him back with a letter that said, “Please accept him – I am sending you a saint!” So they allowed him in, but only to be the porter – the one who answered the door and handled the mail.

            But pretty soon, remarkable miracles started to happen. People would come, asking for prayers, and Br. Andre would pray with them – and miraculous healings would occur. This led to his fame starting to spread, as people believed he had the gift of healing – so he needed to deflect the attention! He began to credit all the healings to the intercession of St. Joseph, telling people “Ite Ad Joseph” – Go to St. Joseph for your miracle!

            His devotion to St. Joseph grew, until the Holy Spirit inspired him to want to build a giant church dedicated to this great saint. But this poor, uneducated man had no way to make it happen. So he started to beg for nickels and dimes for the project – and over the course of several decades, he raised millions of dollars through only nickels and dimes! The Church was finally built – called the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal – and it is still the largest church in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. But what perseverance! First to try to enter the religious order, then to build this tremendous church. Every saint needs to persevere, because holiness does not come quickly or easily.

            Neither does the Messiah. The two unique characters from today’s feast, Simeon and Anna, are perfect examples of perseverance. Every single day these two holy people, advanced in years, came to the Temple in the expectation that God would send the Savior. For centuries men and women had hoped for the same thing…and it seemed like God was not listening, like He was distant, like He had forgotten His promises. Many people, perhaps, lost hope – but not Simeon and Anna. They would persevere, day in and day out, and their perseverance was rewarded as they were blessed to hold the infant Savior in their arms.

            There are four ways in which these two saints persevered – they persevered in prayer, in sacrifice, in vigilance, and in their vocation. Let’s examine each one and apply it to our lives.

            First, they persevered in prayer. The Gospel describes Simeon as “righteous and devout, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Certainly he lived in intense union with God – even if his desired Messiah seemed distant? Yet he prayed, not to force God to do his will, but to conform his will to God’s. If God would give him the gift of seeing the Savior, then praise Him for that gift. But if not, praise God for His mysterious will.

            This is so important for us. Jesus gives us several parables instructing us to persevere in prayer – He says, “seek and you will find, ask and you shall receive.” But a lot of people give up on prayer because God hasn’t given them what they wanted. God, are You even listening?

            But we must persevere. First of all, we must remember that God’s ways are not our ways. If we pray for healing but someone dies, then we must see it from the vantage point of eternity and realize that a soul is now, hopefully, rejoicing forever with Him. If we pray to get into a certain college but get rejected, that means that God has beautiful things in store for us at our second-choice college. But also, we must remember that the point of prayer isn’t to get stuff from God, but to draw closer to His Heart. When I was a kid, my religious education teacher asked us all a question: does God listen to the prayer of Mother Teresa more than a criminal? She said no, God listens to all of our prayers equally. But for some reason that answer didn’t sit well with me. Much later I realized why: because Mother Teresa is more intimately united to God than a criminal, she knows what to ask for! Mother Teresa asks God for grace to be holy, while many ordinary folks ask only for money and healing and physical goods. God will grant those, but only if they are helps for the ultimate goal of holiness.

            So, we must persevere in prayer no matter how difficult or dry. St. John of the Cross used to record what inspirations he received in prayer – and for years, he recorded only one word each day: “Nada” – “Nothing”. But he still showed up and prayed, and eventually experienced deep union with God. As Woody Allen said, “80% of life is just showing up” – and most of prayer is just showing up, too. Simeon showed up, day-in and day-out, and eventually had the incredible joy of holding the Savior in his arms.

            Secondly, we must persevere in daily sacrifice. The Gospel speaks of Anna “worshipping night and day with fasting and prayer.” Here was an 84-year-old woman who made sacrifice a part of her daily routine. It’s easy enough to sacrifice for 40 days in Lent, but every Christian must make it a part of every day. How will any of us achieve holiness or spiritual strength if we give in to every single desire that comes across our path?

            Greatness is only accomplished through sacrifice. In the 1940s, there was a young woman from the Czeck Republic named Sara Salkahazi, who was quite the intriguing woman – a semi-atheist, engaged to be married, a liberal chain-smoking journalist. She was very interested in helping the poor, so on a lark she attended a meeting held by a religious community called the Sisters of Social Service who spent their lives ministering to the poor. As the nuns were explaining their mission, Sara felt a burning desire to join them – but they initially rejected her, because she was an atheist chain-smoker! They said, “Start practicing the faith and give up smoking for a year, and you can join.” Both were immensely difficult for her, especially the smoking – she was totally addicted and struggled every day to overcome the habit. But through self-sacrifice, she was able to do so. After a year she joined the congregation and began working to save Jews who were threatened by the Nazi occupation. She ended up saving over 100 Jews before she was caught and killed as a martyr. She is now Bl. Sara Salkahazi, who was only able to achieve greatness through sacrifice. We must persevere in saying “no” to ourselves daily if we wish, like Anna, to be able to see God.

            We also persevere in vigilance. It is said that Simeon was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” – he wanted to find the Christ, and did anything to find Him. We, however, have the gift of grace – we already possess Christ in our soul if we are in the state of grace. So we persevere in vigilance in a different way. We do not have to find Christ – He is present in the Eucharist, in the Catholic Church, in the Word of God. But we have to make sure we never lose Him, through sin or faithlessness.

            One of the greatest spiritual truths is that we can trust God immensely – but we must never, ever trust ourselves. We never reach a place in our spiritual life where we won’t be tempted. The great desert father, St. Anthony the Abbot, had given up everything to serve Christ as a hermit in the desert. One day he was walking with a companion when they chanced upon a bag of gold. The companion said, “Look! A bag of gold. We could give this to the poor.” But Anthony felt a glimmer of greed arise in his heart, so he made the sign of the Cross over the bag, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke – it had been a temptation of the Evil One. We, too, must be vigilant about what we read and watch, with whom we converse and where we go, that we too may do everything to possess Him alone.

            Finally, we must persevere in our vocations. Many married couples speak about the “seven-year itch” – that after seven years, we get bored with our spouses and struggle to persevere. We get bored with our jobs, restless and burnt-out. But sometimes we’re just called to persevere. The grass can seem greener on the other side, but this job or vocation is the labor to which we are called. Simeon and Anna showed up, day in and day out, faithful to their calling. So – persevere in that difficult task God has appointed for you. Perhaps you’re a caregiver for someone who’s ill. Perhaps you work at a job you dislike, but you need it for your family’s sake. Perhaps you have a challenging marriage. This is your sanctification – so persevere.

            What a beautiful message from the two saints of today’s feast – St. Simeon and Anna. What perfect examples of perseverance! Persevere in prayer, in sacrifice, in vigilance, in your vocation. And may we, too, be found worthy to embrace Christ at the end of our lives, as did these saints.

Ordinary Time 2 - Wedding Feast

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 2

The Wedding Feast of Cana

January 12, 2025

 

            This is such an amazing Gospel to unpack, so open up your missalettes and let’s discover the riches in this short story from John’s Gospel!

            The scene is a wedding feast – which should ring some bells for those who know the Old Testament! In Isaiah, the coming of the Kingdom of God is inaugurated at a Wedding Feast; in Hosea and other prophets, the relationship between God and His People is described as a sacred wedding. It was not random chance that Jesus picked this particular setting for His first miracle – yes, a bride and groom were getting married, but moreso, Christ the Bridegroom has come for His Bride, the Church.

            Wedding feasts in ancient times lasted seven days, with specific times for drinking and toasting. It would be a complete embarrassment to run out of wine, so there is a practical problem that needed attending to. Mary notices and seeks a solution – a beautiful symbol of Our Lady’s intercession in our life – She notices even the small problems of our life and brings them to Our Lord’s attention.

            There has been a growing devotion in our Church to one of Mary’s more unique titles – Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. Back in 1700, there was a wealthy young man from Germany who was very devoted to Our Lady. However, his family was in trouble – the grandfather had planned to divorce his grandmother, causing a huge rift in the family. The young man went to a priest for advice about how to help his grandparents, and the priest and the young man together went in front of an image of Our Lady and prayed, “Mary, untie the knots in this family situation and smooth it out!” Within a short time and completely unexpectedly, the grandparents had reconciled, and in gratitude the young man commissioned a painting of Our Lady the Undoer of Knots, which has since spread to the entire Church. A beautiful testimony, on display in today’s Gospel!

            But Jesus’ words seem to be a rebuke. First, He calls her “woman”. Is this disrespectful? Of course not – it’s theological! Who else is called “woman” in the Bible? Back in the beginning, Eve was called woman – so Jesus is saying that Mary is the New Eve, whose obedience undoes Eve’s disobedience. But there is another “woman” – in the Book of Revelation, John has a vision of a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars. She has no name, but is known only by “woman”. So Jesus is saying, “Not only are you the New Eve, you are also the one who will be crowned as queen of Heaven and Earth!”

            Then Jesus says, “What concern of that is it to Me? My hour has not yet come.” In John’s Gospel, “Jesus’ hour” always refers to His Passion. So in essence, Jesus is saying, “Don’t worry about it, Mary. I can do all things, since it is not yet time for my Passion.” It’s not a rebuke – Jesus is sharing with Mary His willingness to do this miracle!

            Which engenders Mary’s response – “Do whatever He tells you.” Notice that it is only after the miracle that the disciples believe in Jesus, but it is before the miracle that Mary believes in Jesus. Do you believe in Jesus before He works in your life, or do you have to see to believe?

            These are actually the last recorded words of Mary in history: “Do whatever He tells you.” Like any “famous last words”, they carry immense weight – Mary is not just telling the waiters to follow His instructions, She is also telling us, the disciples from every time and place, to do anything the Lord asks. This is Her final parting wisdom – and it sums up the entirety of the Christian life!

            The Gospel writer then goes on to note that there were six stone water jars for ceremonial washings. This is so dense to unpack! These jars were huge – we’re talking a total of 150 gallons of wine – showing the superabundance of God’s blessings upon humanity. But it was kind of gross for Jesus to use those water jars. They had been used for a ritual hand-washing, so they were dirty – why can’t Jesus just use the empty wine jars to make the new wine?

            Because He’s making a huge point about what He has come to accomplish. These jars had been used to fulfill the old Jewish law, which was very specific about many aspects of daily life, such as washing. But Jesus came to fulfill and supersede the Old Law. The jars had an important purpose, but in Christ, it is no longer necessary to follow the Old Law with its specific commands about diet and clothing and sanitation. We no longer follow the Jewish Law, but the Lawgiver.

            This is also symbolized in the number of jars. In Scripture, the number seven is the number of perfection, completion, and covenant. So it is significant that there were six jars – symbolizing that the Old Covenant is imperfect, incomplete.

            Even the headmaster recognizes Jesus’ superiority over the Old Testament. While most people serve good wine first, now the best wine is saved for last. Likewise, God gave the Jewish Faith a glimpse of His truth and love, but now in Jesus we have the fullness of that truth and love.

            John ends by saying that this was the first of the “signs” – notice he does not call them miracles but “signs”. A sign points to a deeper, often invisible reality. So these miracles are not ends in themselves – Jesus didn’t just do it because He likes a good party. Rather, Jesus wanted to reveal a bit more about Who He Is – the incarnate God Who can change literal matter with merely a word.

            Finally, there is a whole Eucharistic undertone for this scene. Jesus is giving us food and drink, but a food and drink that started as one thing, and then with just a word transformed into something else. If Jesus can turn water into wine, can He not turn wine into His Blood?

            My friends, this rich story reveals a great deal about who Jesus is and who Mary is. Jesus is the great Bridegroom preparing to initiate the Kingdom with this Wedding Feast, and Mary is the perfect Christian Who brings her needs before Him, waits and trusts in faith, and sees His glory. May we all be like Her and entrust our lives to Him!

Baptism of Our Lord - Live Your Vocation (Jan 12, 2025)

 

Homily for January 12, 2025

Baptism of Our Lord

Call to Holiness by Living Our Vocation

 

            Many saint stories feature miracles and marvels, but there are some saints whose lives are just plain ordinary. St. Isidore the Farmer is one such saint. A twelfth-century man from Madrid, Spain, he was an ordinary farmhand who worked for a wealthy landowner. Despite his poverty, he was always generous and would share what little he had with the poor. He was married, and by all accounts, was an exemplary husband and father. He made sure that Christ was the center of his day – he began with daily Mass, and would frequently interrupt his farm chores for prayer. One time, a fellow worker, who was jealous of how well Isidore was respected, told the landowner that Isidore only went to Mass because he was lazy and wanted to shirk his duties. The next day, out of curiosity, the landowner went out to the field during the time of the Mass, and found that angels were plowing his field until Isidore returned from his prayer. Okay, well, I guess even an ordinary saint had at least a few miracles…

            But I start with the story of an ordinary saint, because that is precisely what we are all called to be – ordinary saints. As Mother Teresa said, “Holiness is not the luxury of a few, but the simple duty of you and me.” We reflect on baptism this weekend – not only Jesus’ baptism, but ours too. And baptism laid upon us a duty – the duty to strive for holiness.

            This calling is universal – for everyone, in every state of life. A priest one time had been inviting a certain parishioner to a bible study, but the man kept pushing him off: “No, no, I’m too busy, I can’t make it,” and all sorts of excuses. Finally, frustrated that the priest was persistent, the man exclaimed, “Look, Father, I’m just not that into this whole faith thing.” Perhaps that’s where some of you are – just “not all into” this whole following Jesus thing.

            But I am here to tell you that the days of lukewarm Catholicism are over. No longer is it enough to just go to church and say a few prayers – we must strive for holiness. In fact, it was the Second Vatican Council who articulated most clearly the “universal call to holiness”. Listen to this quote from one of its documents: “All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity.” (LG 5) And again: “The forms and tasks of life are many but [the call to] holiness is one—that sanctity which is cultivated by all who act under God's Spirit and… follow Christ, poor, humble and cross-bearing, that they may deserve to be partakers of his glory.” (LG 41) If you’ve been baptized, you are supposed to become a saint!

            Holiness is simply the perfection of charity: loving God above all things, and loving our neighbor as Christ loves them. It is Christ who makes holiness abide within us – we love God because He loved us first and adopted us to be His sons and daughters; we love our neighbors because Christ, living in us, gives us the grace to do so.

            We find this holiness by living out our vocations. We heard about John the Baptist today, but do you remember back in Advent another Gospel regarding him? On the Third Sunday of Advent, we heard about tax collectors and soldiers coming to John the Baptist. They ask him, “What should we do?” Does John the Baptist tell them to run away to the desert and become hermits? Does he tell them to pray all day? No. He tells them to fulfill their vocation perfectly. To the tax collectors he said, “Don’t take more than what is required.” To the soldiers he said, “Do not extort anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” In other words, be who you are, but be it for God – and you will become holy.

            Your vocation gives a direction to love. If you are married, you must first love your spouse and kids above all else. I am called to love the people of St. Jude’s above all else (and forgive me for the times I have fallen short!). If you are single, your vocation is to use your time to serve – the poor, your community, your family. It is not holiness to have misdirected love. About ten years ago I made a long walking pilgrimage across northern Spain called El Camino di Santiago de Compostela. It was thirty-three days of traipsing across the Pyrenees and deserts of Spain to reach the bones of St. James the Apostle at Santiago di Compostela. One of the best parts was meeting people from across the world and hearing their stories. For the final ten days of the trek, we walked with a man from Italy named Michele (Michael) who had an amazing story. His three-year-old son was sick with a deadly disease of the liver, and he needed a transplant. He prayed and prayed, and things weren’t looking good, but right at the last minute a donor came through and his son was saved. In thanksgiving to God for this miracle, he decided to undertake this pilgrimage – but he walked all the way from Italy, just out his front door and over the Alps! He had been on the trail for almost six months! It was tremendously inspiring to see his devotion to God and his love for his son.

            However, when we reached Santiago di Compostela, after resting for a couple days, we were about to catch a flight home – and Michele told us that he was going to walk back to Italy! Another six months on the path. But we sat him down and had an honest conversation with him – “Michele, you now have to go home and be a father to your son. Do not walk back – take a train or a plane. Your son needs you. You are called to be his father – do not shirk this duty!” Reluctantly he agreed, and he returned to his son. As good as it is to make a pilgrimage for God, his first responsibility was to be there for his son, and that’s how he will find holiness.

            Holiness looks different for everyone. St. Cyril of Jerusalem uses the example of water and agriculture – water is the same everywhere, but it produces different fruit: grapes on the vine, apples on the tree, tomatoes on the plant. Likewise, the grace of Christ dwelling in the soul is holiness, but it looks different for everyone.

            For example, if you are a lawyer, truly care for your clients and do not be motivated by greed but by justice. If you are a teacher, love your students and do not speak badly of administration. If you are in business, care for your fellow employees and seek to serve customers, living honestly and uprightly. If you are parent, encourage holiness in your kids, sacrificing for them and speaking to them about Christ. If you are a young person still in school, study well for the glory of God, obey your parents and teachers, and treat your classmates as Christ would. Do all this with a deep prayer life, living in intimate union with God.

            It may not seem dramatic, it may seem ordinary – but that’s precisely how holiness becomes real. Most of us have seen the Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. One of my all-time favorites, in part because it gives a message completely opposite of most modern-day movies. Modern-day movies often say, “Follow your dreams! Live your best life! Find yourself!” The classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” preaches, “Do your duty, serve others, and in this you will find a truly wonderful life.” Don’t pursue your dreams – pursue your vocation, which is God’s dreams for you, and you will find happiness… and holiness.

Epiphany Homily - The Search

 

Homily for Epiphany

January 5, 2025

The Search

 

            What are you searching for? These are Jesus’ first words in John’s Gospel – what are you searching for? I think everyone’s looking for the same thing: happiness. But like children playing a maddened game of hide-and-seek, everyone’s looking for the same thing in different locations.

            The Magi and the Chief Priests and Scribes were all looking for the same thing: the Messiah. But they were looking in different locations. The chief priests and scribes were looking for a political messiah to ride in on a stately war-horse with an entourage of soldiers in battle array; the Magi were looking for a humble Baby with working-class parents. The Magi found Him; the Jewish leaders are still waiting for Him.

            I liken this to the fundamental human search: happiness. Everyone’s looking for it, but most people are searching in the wrong place. Perhaps some of us have found a certain amount of happiness in life. Maybe we’ve got a great family, a great career, enough money. That’s awesome – but all of that is a rather fragile foundation. In an instant, it could all be flipped upside down – and then where is our happiness?

            Chuck Colson was a lawyer in the Nixon Administration who had everything his career could offer: free access to the White House, tons of money, prestige and power. Even when he was at the height of his success, he felt restless. He put it this way: “I’d gotten to the top of the mountain, and I couldn’t think of any more mountains to climb.” But that mountaintop wouldn’t last long – he was implicated in the Watergate scandal and faced a jail sentence.

            Where was the happiness now? He would lose it all – what now? A friend of his sent him CS Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity” – desperate to find the inner peace he lacked now that everything else was being taken away, he opened to a random chapter, which happened to be the chapter on pride. All of a sudden his life came into focus – he had been worshipping himself as a god, believing he could provide all of his own happiness. He fell to his knees and invited Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior – and even though he was convicted and spent almost a year in jail, he found a peace he hadn’t known when he was at the top of the mountain.

            As St. John Vianney said, “The happiness of man on earth consists in praying and loving.” But let’s be honest – here we are, sitting in church on Sunday morning, and perhaps we can think of a hundred things that might make us happier. Eating a cookie, watching a movie, playing soccer. So how can I claim that Jesus Christ is our greatest happiness?

            Aristotle recognized that not all happiness is equal. He elucidated four different levels of happiness. The first is pleasure – it’s a quick happiness when you eat a hamburger, but it also lasts for a very short time. The second is achieving goals – we get that promotion, buy that car, get the A on the test. It feels very good, and the “high” lasts for a bit, but eventually it wears off and we’re back to square one. The third is enjoying family and friends – that is awesome, but eventually we have to go back to our room and be alone, and then what? If our happiness is based on something outside of ourselves, then we’re always going to be striving, searching, grasping at something else.

            So the key is to have happiness within – but being alone by ourselves is, actually, not happiness. In fact, Dante writes in his “Inferno” that Hell is not a party of evil people – rather, it’s the terrible loneliness of being unloved for eternity. We were created in the image and likeness of a God who is Trinity, so we are social beings who were made for a relationship of love. So how can we find happiness within us if it’s actually really terrible to be alone?

            The answer is to find it in a relationship with Someone who lives within us – the grace of Jesus Christ. Only in Him do we find Someone who loves us unconditionally, never abandons us, and dwells with us forever.

            But the Magi teach us an important lesson in our search for God – it is arduous, difficult, and we need to persevere. They came from Persia to Bethlehem, a journey of approximately 700 miles, over desert terrain, facing the burning sun of day and the freezing chill of night. It was not easy to seek the Lord – it cost them a great deal, including the cost of myrrh, which in Biblical times was approximately $4,000 per pound! So don’t let anyone tell you that searching for God is easy or convenient. There are sacrifices that must be made, comforts that must be abandoned, sins that must be repented of, and often it’s dry and difficult to pray or to motivate yourself to cultivate a relationship with Him.

            But isn’t that the case with everything that’s valuable in life? Nothing worth pursuing is ever easy. And if Christ is the pearl of great price, He is worth it all. I can testify with my own life – I began to pursue Christ seriously as a senior in high school, when I was taking classes at a local community college. I started hanging out with new people who were pretty shallow – their lives were all about the next paycheck, the next date with the girlfriend, the next party. There was no happiness or peace in their life, because they needed something outside of themselves to be happy. By contrast, I was getting involved in a Church youth group, and these people radiated a joy that came from deep within themselves. I realized that if I wanted joy, I needed Christ.

            So I began to go to Adoration weekly and pray the Rosary regularly. It was awesome, I felt so alive, so filled with the Spirit! Every time I read the Bible it spoke to me; I had such a hunger for the Eucharist.

            And then, about a year later, during my first year in college, all that came crashing down when I began to suffer from panic attacks, depression, and anxiety. It got so bad I could barely leave my dorm room – and my faith was shaken to the core. God, where is that joy You promised? I would go to pray and feel nothing but emptiness. Distraction, dryness, and doubts assailed me night and day. Some days it was all I could do to just barely hang on to the little scraps of faith I had.

            That lasted for about nine months, but when it ended, I felt joy restored – and more importantly, my faith had been deepened and strengthened through the trial. There would be many more times of darkness in my faith, but it was always temporary and there is an undercurrent of hope and joy even when my relationship with Jesus is difficult. So we must persevere in our search, confident that He Who promised us joy will be faithful to His word.

            So what are you searching for? Happiness. Where are you searching – in things outside of you, or in Jesus Christ Who desires to dwell within you? And will you persevere in pursuing Him, even if you find it difficult? The Magi persevered and found the object of their desire. In seeing and possessing Him, we find the happiness that we have always longed for. As St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe in what you do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”