The Way, the Truth, and the Life

* Note: This was a post from my blog with the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2008 *

            Recently there was an article in the Catholic Review which stated that Catholics are leaving the Church in droves. According to a study done by CARA, the Catholic Church is losing members more rapidly than any other denomination. The article gave many possible explanations for that, such as a lack of religiosity in the home, the distractions of materialism, being too busy, feeling like the Church is “disengaged” from the real world. However, I really think that there is one fundamental problem.

            We have stopped claiming to have Truth.

            People of my generation, however, are hungry for truth. We don’t want mere opinion, we don’t want relativism. We want something true that we can sink our teeth into. And often times, catechists and leaders in the Catholic Church are afraid to claim that we have truth.

            Indeed, in our country it is politically incorrect to have “truth”. As I was browsing through our parish library this past weekend, I came across a book by a priest titled, “Ten Best Guesses About Life.” Intrigued, I opened it up. In the introduction, the priest wrote that he hadn’t figured out the meaning of life and death, the meaning of suffering and the reality of God, but just that he was presenting his best guesses about the topics. And while there’s something to be said for admitting our own struggles with faith and our own limitations, I am seeking for the Truth about life and death, not mere “good guesses”!

            As I approach the end of pastoral year and think about returning to seminary, it hits me that this time next year I will be less than a month away from my ordination to diaconate – where I will make permanent promises of chastity and obedience. And it strikes me that I need to know that I am committing my life to the Truth. If the Catholic faith does not have the Truth, then aren’t I wasting my time and my life by vowing myself to be faithful to our Church?

            Perhaps I’m being too black-and-white. But in my view, many aspects of our faith MUST be black and white. They can’t be both/and. For example, is the Eucharist really Jesus, or is it bread? It can’t be both (that’s a heresy in itself). Is the Catholic Church really the true Church founded by Christ that contains the fullness of revelation, or not? It seems politically incorrect to say this. We want to hide beneath a false “ecumenism” and say that there are “many equal paths to God”, as I have heard it said by leaders in the Church. But when we get right down to it, either it is or it isn’t. And why would I want to give my life to the Church if it is only one of many “equal paths to God”?

            The Scriptures and the Church really do make some audacious claims. Jesus is truly the Son of God? The Pope is truly the Vicar of Christ? Missing Mass on Sunday, when done knowingly and with full consent, is truly a mortal sin? Abortion really is murder? These things are pretty bold, perhaps even imprudent, definitely politically incorrect. But it is the teaching of the Church. And when we water this down, refuse to preach and teach it, we are claiming that our faith does not have the Truth – about life and death, about the afterlife, about God and Jesus and our relationship to them.

            And if our Faith does not have the Truth, then why be a part of it? People of my generation are fed up with being taught that we are a Church of “best guesses,” and this is why many of them have left the Church. Is there any truth here at all? If not, they will go somewhere else to seek the Truth. I have seen it over and over again – young people leaving because they don’t believe; not believing because they are taught that it’s not the Truth, only the opinions of a few old cardinals in Rome.

            I suppose that this past weekend’s Gospel readings really struck home with me – Jesus says to His disciples, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” I believe in an utter uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. I believe in the Catholic Church as the One True Faith founded by Jesus Himself. I believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

            And I only believe it because it is the Truth.

Full Circle

* Note: This was part of a blog that I published with the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2007 *

            It’s funny how the Lord works. Things from my past that I never thought I’d be involved in again have proven to be critical over this pastoral year. And that’s really cool, to think that God never wastes things that you’ve been through in order to evangelize.

            A couple of examples from this past year:

            When I was growing up, I was really into the lay movement Regnum Christi. They were pretty much my spiritual formation when I was a teenager (it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that they were the reason that I am still a Catholic today). They, and their branch of priests, the Legionaries of Christ, held retreats a couple of times a month for boys, and through that I really developed a personal relationship with Christ and many friendships with awesome priests and laypeople on fire with the Faith. But after going off to college, I wasn’t able to get involved in Regnum Christi at Steubenville. I thought that my days of connection with Regnum Christi were over.

            Well, here I go and get assigned to St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, which turns out to be a hub of Regnum Christi activity in the area. I’ve gotten to know many families in this parish who are very much involved in the movement. That has resurrected a certain aspect of my spirituality that has lain dormant for many years. And interestingly enough, because I have had this background in Regnum Christi, I feel like I can better able minister to these families because I know about their spirituality.

            Another example of this phenomenon of the Lord using something from the past to help me minister currently is my involvement in the Boy Scouts. Growing up as a teen, I was really involved in the Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout and holding lots of leadership positions in the troop. But of course then I grew out of that, and left it all behind going off to college and getting involved in the diocese.

            Well it turns out that there is a very active troop right here at St. Johns in search of a chaplain. So I stepped in and became the troop’s chaplain. Getting re-involved in the Boy Scouts, this time as an adult volunteer, has been very rewarding in many ways. One thing that I’m doing is teaching the Scouts’ religious emblem, which is an awesome eight-month process of weekly meetings with the fourteen Scouts who are in the program. Though I was a little bit reticent upon taking that on (it takes up three hours of every Tuesday afternoon – that’s a pretty significant time commitment), it has been one of the most rewarding things that I’ve done here – I’ve gotten to know these boys on a deeper level, and that has revealed that many of them are sincerely striving to be saints. This inspires me, and gives me hope that Christ is still at work in the lives of these kids.

            So I guess I just wanted to say that it’s neat how in the divine economy, God uses everything that we’ve been through and everything that we’ve enjoyed, and He uses it all to help us reach out to minister to others. And plus, those things that we’ve enjoyed but thought were in the past (like Regnum Christi and Scouting), can sometimes return in our lives, purified and made holy. How cool this life is!

The Great Rejoicing

          * Note: This was part of a blog I wrote for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2007 *

  I finally understood the parable of the lost sheep.

            Late on Sunday evening, after the last Mass of the day, I was speaking with a lady in the gathering space. I had gotten to know her and her family over these past six months, and they were very inspiring people. She and her husband and the two kids, a boy in fifth grade and a girl in ninth, were a very kind and loving family.

            But it grieved me that they were somewhat infrequent in their Mass attendance.

            So as I was speaking with this lady, the topic came up of where the rest of the family was at Mass, since they had not been attending with her. She explained to me that the boy had swimming practice every Sunday evening, so they couldn’t make Mass.

            I was so saddened by this, and apparently it showed, because she even said to me, “It looks like you’re about to cry!”

            I tried to explain to her about the awesome love that Christ has for us in the Eucharist and how much the Mass means to me. We spoke some more, but in the end I was unsuccessful in convincing her of the necessity of weekly Mass. We parted amicably, and as I went back into the church I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. What would it take to convince them of the beauty and importance of the Mass?

           

            Brief soapbox-ing: I love the Mass so much. To me, the Mass is life. If only we could understand the value of the Mass, we would never pass up a chance to go. As good as other prayer forms, or good works, or recreation can be, there is nothing more healing, nothing more refreshing, nothing better that we can do with our time than go to Mass and worthily receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

 

            Back to the story.

            Okay, so I went to youth group and had a fine time. After youth group, I headed back to the rectory where I checked my email one last time before going to bed. Lo and behold, there was an email from this lady.

            She said that when she got home, she related our conversation to her husband. Her husband thought that it was quite ironic, because while he was with their young boy at swimming, he and the boy had a conversation similar – the kid said that he would rather go to Mass than go to swimming. So the husband ended up changing the swimming class to another time in the week so that they could all go to Mass together as a family.

            I was blown away in shock reading this. For as long as I have prayed for this family, for as long as I have loved them, I could never have imagined that God would have worked so surprisingly in their hearts, through the faith of an eleven-year-old boy!

            The joy that I felt upon receiving this news made me think of what the angels and saints must feel “when one sinner repents”. I was so amazed that God could work so quickly, so unexpectedly, to lead these souls back to Him!

            Just another day in the life of a priest…

Bring 'Em to Jesus and Get Out of the Way

* Note: This was part of the blog that I wrote for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2007 *

If I had to pick a motto for my life, I think it would be, “Bring them to Jesus and get out of the way.” That’s pretty much what we’re all about, as priests (and priest wanna-be’s). And the Lord keeps showing me this – it’s not about me, but it’s about getting out of the way so that He can work powerfully.

            Every first Friday, we have Eucharistic adoration here at St. John’s. This past First Friday, I went over to the school to teach my usual 6^th grade classes in the afternoon. Being that this is Respect Life week, I taught a pretty intense lesson on abortion. The kids were really getting into it and were fairly shocked when they realized how widespread this problem was and how horrific it is in its very nature. Many of the kids, in fact, didn’t even know what abortion was! So when they learned, they were rightly outraged.

            At the end of class, I invited all of them to join me for some adoration for an end to abortion after school let out. Totally optional, but I just wanted to get them praying for an end to this huge problem in our society. Well, I was quite surprised to find that eight kids wanted to join me for adoration. That was more kids than I expected!

            So we headed over to the church immediately after school let out. As soon as we got into the church and started to pray, I could feel the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in their hearts. The young man next to me began to weep, overwhelmed with the love of God. It was all very inspiring to see their faith and attentiveness in prayer.

            Fifteen minutes passed, and no one stirred. Finally, knowing that I had to get to another meeting, I whispered to them all, “You all are welcome to stay as long as you want, but if you need to leave, that’s okay too,” and I got up to leave, expecting most of them to be tired of adoration already, bored and ready to leave.

            No one moved.

            I was amazed.

            There is such a hunger for Jesus that if we simply bring people to Jesus and get out of the way, He will move powerfully.

            I left and came back a couple of minutes later, just to check and make sure that no one was destroying hymnals or anything (they ARE sixth-grade boys, after all). Everyone was still there, adoring the Lord with great devotion.

            I get blown away by stuff like that. So many people, including fellow ministers in the Church, try to convince me that kids aren’t into stuff like adoration or loving Jesus. And yet, I have seen completely the opposite – there is such an unbelievable hunger for the love of God, even in a place like Severna Park where most people are pretty rich and where materialism has a strong foothold. Yet despite all that, nothing can quench our natural desire for the Lord.

            So, what am I to do but bring them to Jesus and get out of the way, so that the Lord may work most powerfully in their lives!

The Grapes of Solitude

* Note - this is part of a blog that I wrote for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2007 *

            People often talk about the loneliness that’s associated with the priesthood. Well, I’ve got two thoughts on that.

            First, loneliness is a challenge and a reality, but we need to make a distinction between loneliness and solitude. Every time I encounter loneliness (being alone and longing for other human interaction) I try to transform it into solitude (being alone with the Lord). It’s really very simple because we are always in the presence of the Lord – a comforting thought when one is all alone.

            For me, the toughest time with loneliness is on Sunday afternoons. After the wonderful joy of greeting all of the parishioners at Sunday Masses, they all head home to spend the afternoon with their families. And we are left in the rectory all alone. It kind of makes me long to have a family, but then I remember Whose I am – and this is a deeper intimacy than I could ever find with a wife. There is something about sharing one’s entire self – body, soul, spirit - with the Lord that is even closer than man and wife, even at their most intimate union. I think it is because when a soul loves the Lord, they become so totally united that there aren’t two persons but we become, somehow, mystically immersed into the Trinity. Even in married love, though the two become “one flesh”, they still remain two persons. No husband can enter into the soul of his wife like Christ can enter into a Christian’s soul; principally through the Eucharist, and then in one’s private prayer.

            Sorry, folks, I know that sounded like some kind of doctoral dissertation. I didn’t mean it to be. But it’s so incredibly beautiful to be consecrated to the Lord – totally His – that I can’t stop myself when I think about the union that we share. Never perfectly, because of the weakness of His sinful creature, but a real union nonetheless. Awesome!

 

            My second thought on loneliness is this. They say that “the parishioners become a family for the priest and this is an even bigger family than any physical father could have.” That’s so totally true, and this week I’ve been blessed in so many ways to experience that.

            Okay, let’s start at the beginning of this story. We have wild Concord grapes growing on our campus here at St. John’s. I had seen them in the summer when they were still green, and after waiting several anxious months, they seemed to be ripe now at the end of September. No one else seemed inclined to do anything with these grapes, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to make my own wild grape juice.

            And yet a project like that would always be far more fun with help. So on Tuesday afternoon I recruited some of the fifth-graders that I teach in the school to help me make a mess…I mean, make grape juice. With four fifth-grade boys in tow, we picked baskets upon baskets of these wild grapes. Or, at least that was our aim. Many grapes were thrown at each other as the boys tried to have “Grape Wars”.

            After we had the bunches, we washed them, and then came the fun part: the squishing! We washed our hands and then just started squeezing the grapes in our hands to juice them (we opted for the hands method over using our feet to step on the grapes, like they do in Italy…we figured that for fifth-grade boys, their foot-hygiene might pose a health issue with these grapes). It took about fifteen messy minutes (as grape pulp got flung on the floor…and at each other) but by the end we had about a quart of grape juice. Then came the tasting! We gathered everyone from the religious education office to be the official taste-testers. They said that they liked it! When the boys themselves tasted it, they were also impressed with their efforts. Said one of them, “Wow, it’s not as disgusting as I imagined it would be.” A true complement, from a fifth-grade boy.

            So as I was reflecting upon this experience, this really felt like something that I would do with my little brother and sister. And these boys really began to feel like my little brothers! It was pretty cool to have little siblings in the Lord. It’s true that I have a bigger family than I could ever have imagined. The Lord has given me these kids as little brothers and sisters “on loan,” and I must be a good steward in setting a good example for them and bringing them closer to the One to whom they truly belong.

            It also helped that this evening I went to the fifth and sixth-graders’ soccer game at a local park. As I was cheering there on the benches with the parents, I reflected upon how I truly love these people – all of them, the old and the young, everyone. They are truly my family and though I’m not a “Father” yet, I am sort of like a big brother to them all. It’s such a beautiful relationship, and I receive so much from them as I try to give them the little that I have.

 

            All in all, though loneliness could be an issue for some men in the priesthood, it need not be. If we have a passionate love of the Lord and a holy love for His people, we will never be without family or intimacy. What a great life this is!

Homily for Ordinary Time 2 - January 18, 2015

Homily for 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 18, 2015

On Chastity

 

            One of my favorite saints is St. Dominic Savio, who died at the age of 15, but even at such a young age, he was living a life of heroic love for God and his neighbor. One day he was walking in his school when he noticed a group of boys huddled in a corner, talking and laughing. Dominic walked up to them and saw that they were looking at a magazine with dirty pictures. Immediately without a second thought, Dominic grabbed the magazine and tore it to shreds, right there.

            “Hey!” one of the other boys objected. “What do you think you’re doing?”

            Dominic responded, “Our eyes were given to us to behold God’s beautiful creation, and you’re using them to look at impure images!”

            One of the other boys responded, “Oh, come on! There’s nothing wrong with it!”

            To which Dominic replied, “If you see nothing wrong with it, that’s even worse! It means you’re used to seeing dirty things!”

            Needless to say, the boys were all ashamed, and quickly hastened to confession!

            Today’s second reading speaks about the virtue of purity. It’s not an easy virtue, but one that is necessary. As St. Padre Pio said, “Humility and purity are the wings that carry us to God and make us almost divine.” Purity is necessary for a Christian!

            What is purity? A simple definition is that purity is respecting God’s plan for our bodies and human sexuality. You see, we do not belong to ourselves. Our bodies are not our own – they belong to God, and we will have to give an account of what we do with them. Our bodies were given to us so that we can use them to give it away to others in love – not for our own selfish pleasure, and certainly not so we can use other people as objects.

            Self-giving, not selfish. That’s why the Church teaches that sexual sins are always serious sins – it takes this beautiful, life-giving gift of God and uses it for selfish pleasure instead.

            After all, our bodies are holy because they are the temples of the Holy Spirit. If you remain in the state of Grace – in other words, if you are in a deep personal friendship with Jesus and you haven’t broken that friendship through mortal sin – then the Holy Spirit dwells within your body. So we need to treat our bodies with respect and dignity, striving always for purity.

            So how, in our very impure culture, can we live a life of purity? Three suggestions.

            First, we need to practice custody of the eyes. That means that we make sure that what we see is not indecent. When St. Dominic Savio was around beautiful women, he made sure that he either looked her in the eye, or he looked away from her. He did not allow his eyes to wander to where they shouldn’t be. He later reported that he practiced such custody of his eyes that he would get headaches from trying to control his eyes. But it was that heroic virtue that allowed him to preserve his purity.

            So, do you keep your eyes pure? Or do your eyes wander to websites they shouldn’t visit, or do they look upon others who are not dressed modestly? This is a challenge for both men and women of all ages…trust me, I hear confessions. Strive for control of your eyes, and purity will be yours.

            The flipside of this, of course, is that we need to always dress modestly. I gotta be honest, it’s hard to go to a beach or swimming pool…or even the mall…these days because of immodest clothing. It’s important to not wear immodest clothing because our bodies are holy, and holy things should be veiled. The tabernacle has a veil because it is sacred – not everyone can look in there. It’s a holy place. Same with our bodies. We are sacred, so we shouldn’t display everything for everyone. Some parts of us should be reserved only for our spouse and God alone.

            Second, we need a life of prayer. The only thing that can overcome lust is love. We must love Jesus more than we love our sins of impurity. I know that sins of impurity often cause real addiction, such as an addiction to pornography. Only God’s grace can help us overcome these addictions to impurity. Pray often, particularly the Rosary. I remember a friend of mine struggling with an addiction to sexual sin, and he felt like just giving up the struggle because it seemed like he wasn’t making much progress. Finally, in desperation he cried out, “O God, how long will it be until I am free from my addiction?” He felt Jesus respond to him, “When you have prayed one Rosary for every time you have committed your sin, you will be free.” Prayer works!

            Third, we need frequent confession to preserve purity. Be completely honest in confession – we do ourselves a lot of harm if we hide our sins from the healing mercy of God. God desires your freedom, and your purity. He will help you achieve it if you desire it!

            My friends, St. Paul tells us to shun impurity. What a gift purity is! Even if we’ve lost it through sins, we can regain it by God’s grace. As Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the pure of heart…for they shall see God!” If we want to see God, we need purity of mind, body, and soul!

Baptism of the Lord - January 11, 2015

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord

January 11, 2015

Fatherhood

 

            On December 7, 1988, an 8.2 earthquake struck Armenia, destroying cities and killing about 50,000 people. An elementary school in a certain town collapsed, leaving nothing more than a pile of rubble. Immediately after the earthquake, a father ran to that elementary school and began frantically digging through that pile of bricks and mortar himself, in hopes of rescuing his son. There wouldn’t be a full-scale recovery effort for days, so he was all alone in trying to rescue his son. Panicked and desperate, he sweat and grunted and hauled cement blocks away from the pile, hoping against hope. His neighbors told him to give up, that everyone was dead beneath the rubble. But he continued – and he dug, by himself, for 38 hours…until he was finally able to uncover the room where his son and 13 of his son’s classmates were found, miraculously, alive. According to bystanders, when the father finally freed them, the son turned to his friends and said, “See, I told you my father wouldn’t forget us.”

            That is the kind of good Father we have in Heaven. We get a small glimpse of this intimate moment today in the Gospel, as Jesus hears some treasured words of affirmation: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

            It is in imitation of this kind, strong, faithful Heavenly Father that earthly fathers must imitate. It comes as no surprise that there is a real crisis of fatherhood in our culture today. Many fathers are violent, abusive men – I just think about the crisis in the NFL with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, who were both suspended for domestic violence. Other fathers are passive and wimpy men, men who won’t lead their families. Then again, some fathers are just plain absent, and their gap is left open in the lives of their family.

            So what does real, manly fatherhood look like? In imitation of God the Father, I think there are three characteristics of a good father.

            First, a good father protects. A father must protect his family. From what, you ask? First and foremost from sin. The Evil One hates families. He wants to corrupt the innocence of children and destroy the unity of families. So a father must stand as the vanguard to protect his family from sin. It always irks me when I’m spending time with a family and a teenager or a kid would take the Lord’s name in vain or tell some dirty joke and the father will just stand idly by. Men of God, your strength is needed to protect your families from sin!

            Fathers, if you knew that someone had insulted your wife and children, wouldn’t you want to rise up to confront that person? Of course. It’s hard-wired in us as men to defend the innocent. Even more so, we need to defend our families…from sin.

            Second, a good father leads, especially leads his family in the Faith. I heard an interesting statistic one time. If only a mother takes her children to Mass, then the kids have a 45% chance of remaining practicing Catholics when they grow up. If only a father takes his children to Mass, there is a 95% chance that the children will remain Catholic. Why is that? Well, when I was growing up, my father was the strongest man I knew. He was my hero. So when I saw my dad – the strong man – kneeling before Jesus and seeking His grace, I thought: “Wow, we must really need Jesus in our lives, if my father desperately needs Him.”

            In certain cultures it isn’t considered “macho” for a man to be a faithful Christian. Well, too bad! Even men, with all their strength, stand desperately in need of God’s forgiveness, healing, and grace. It isn’t enough to support our wives and children in their faith – we need it deeply ourselves, so that we can LEAD our families to Christ.

            Finally, a good father serves. I remember growing up that my father would never take the last piece of pie. He would always make sure that his family was provided for before he himself would rest or take a break. A good father puts others before himself, following the example of Jesus, Who came to serve and not to be served.

            Lead, protect, and serve. These are the three characteristics of a father, following after the heart of our Father in Heaven.

            Now, when I talk about fatherhood, I realize that many men here are in different situations, so allow me to address each one separately. If you are a man whose children are grown and out of the house, your fatherhood does not stop! Continue to be a source of wisdom and support for your family. Protect them in prayer. Reach out to them.

            If you are a man who has had no children, you are still a father! Look for people in your life who you can mentor. There are many fatherless younger men and boys out there – get involved in their lives in a healthy and wholesome way. I myself have no biological children, but I am called “Father” because hopefully I have the privilege of leading, serving, and protecting my flock.

            If you are a young man who has not yet started a family, pay close attention to my words, because your strength will be needed, by Christ and by your family, to build a world of goodness and holiness.

            If you are a woman, please pray for the men in your life - your physical fathers, your husband and peers, and your spiritual fathers. I know that many times we carry wounds from our fathers – forgive your father, then, if it is necessary. Encourage the men in your life to rise up as leaders, protectors, and servants.

            My friends, this Church and this world needs men to step up and act like men, following closely after God the Father. You have a strength – and it is needed, to protect, to lead, and to serve.