Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul Homily - June 28, 2014

Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

June 29, 2014

Conversion

 

            Peter and Paul – the two rocks on which the Church was built, the two men that Jesus entrusted with the most dangerous, difficult mission of spreading the Gospel, leading the Church, and saving souls – these two men both had something in common: they started out as great sinners.

            St. Paul, of course, was a persecutor of Christians. He was responsible for the murder of hundreds. Although we don’t know Peter’s sins, the very first time he met Christ, he fell at his feet, saying to the Lord, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

            But what happened to both of them? They had conversions. The word conversion comes from the Latin “conversio” which literally means “turning around.” To have a conversion is to have an encounter with the Lord who literally turns our life around, so that we’re facing in a new direction and walking in a new path.

            For St. Peter, it happened right there in that boat on the sea of Galilee. The Lord did not depart from Peter as he asked, but instead told him, “Come, follow me.” And Peter left everything immediately, and went to follow Him. His life turned around completely after encountering the Lord.

            For Paul, the conversion was even more drastic. He was heading to Damascus to capture and murder even more Christians when he was blinded by a light and met Christ face-to-face. His life then took a completely different trajectory – from a persecutor of Christ to a preacher of the Gospel.

            For most of us, our stories aren’t quite as drastic. But I do hope that all of us here have had that life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. My own personal conversion happened when I was a teenager. I wasn’t a bad kid, but I certainly didn’t take my own faith very seriously. However, there were several things that happened simultaneously that caused me to develop a real relationship with Jesus. First, I had the privilege of going to Rome on a pilgrimage when I was 14. Walking in the footsteps of the saints, standing in the Coliseum where tens of thousands of Christians shed their blood for Christ, and seeing the great history and works of art that all proclaimed God’s glory, made me realize for the first time that my faith is bigger than my small, boring parish church back home – maybe there really WAS something truly epic about this Jesus thing! A short while later, my parish started perpetual Adoration – where there would be someone adoring the Eucharistic Lord at every hour, night or day, seven days a week. My family signed up for an hour, and though I went reluctantly at first, I soon began to love spending an hour in silence with God.

            Around that time, when I was a senior in high school I began taking a philosophy class at a local community college. The professor was an agnostic, and many of my classmates argued passionately against the existence of God. I was forced, for the first time, to examine my beliefs – did I really believe in God, in Jesus, in the Church? The best argument, for me, was looking around at the life that my classmates were leading – a life of parties, drunkenness, fornication, gossip, and the endless pursuit of money, and I saw how deeply unhappy they were beneath all that. For me, that was argument enough to search for something more – how should I live my life? Only for God alone if I really wanted to find peace and joy.

            At the same time, I would go on retreats with my church youth group, and I met a group of very authentic Catholics who challenged me to go deeper in my Faith. And deeper I went – for Lent that year, I decided to take on the worst penance I could think of – I promised the Lord that I would pray the Rosary daily. At the time, I couldn’t stand the Rosary. To me it was tremendously boring. But throughout that Lent, I began to discover the treasures of it – how it calmed my mind and caused me to meditate on Christ’s life. When Lent was over, I was addicted to the Rosary, and I’ve prayed it every day since I was sixteen.

            What God did in my life was awesome! He saved me from a life of sin, from a life of pursuing selfish and self-centered goals, to a life of grace and pursuing Him.

Have you had a conversion – a profound, life-changing encounter with Jesus? It doesn’t need to be dramatic, like St. Paul. St. Peter’s conversion was more gradual – as he got to know the Lord more, he began to become more like Him, until Peter even followed Christ to the point of dying on a Cross, like Jesus did. If you have had a conversion, a turning-around, then you realize deep within your heart that you are created to be a saint, and you hunger for a deeper relationship with Jesus. If you have not yet had a conversion, today is the day of decision. Is this something you want? Is this something you desire – to be better than mediocre in your faith, to make your entire life about loving Him who first loved you? His grace, even now, is knocking at the door of your heart. He is inviting you to live a more meaningful life, to become the best-version-of-yourself. Today is the day of conversion – if you are willing to turn from your sin, from your former way of life, and begin the long, arduous, beautiful journey toward Him.

Corpus Christi Homily - June 22, 2014

Corpus Christi Homily

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Hidden Treasure

 

                A man traveled from England to India to try his hand at making a fortune. As luck would have it, he was immensely successful, and after a few years, he traveled back to England on a ship laden with gold, jewels, and spices. As he got to England, he told his servants to wait on the ship until he found someone with whom to share his newfound fortune. Changing into the clothes of one of the servants, he went into town to the house of his brother.

                “Dear brother,” he said, “I have just returned from India, having lost everything there. Could I stay with you for a while until I find a job?”

                But his brother took one look at his shabby clothing and said, no, he simply couldn’t accept his brother into his house, because his house was too full.

                So the man went then to his sister’s house and asked her the same thing. But upon seeing how poorly he was dressed, she said that she couldn’t afford another mouth to feed, so there was no way he could stay at her house.

                A third time the man went to his uncle’s house, but his uncle could find simply no way that he could take in his poor relative.

                Finally, he went to his friend’s house, but his friend was too busy with his own work to concern himself with this moocher.

                The man returned to the ship and changed into his luxurious, expensive clothes, and brought all of his servants carrying chests of gold through the streets of London. Everyone began to be amazed at this once-ordinary man returning as a prince. When the man encountered his family, they were all very repentant of their former behavior and asked the man to stay with them. The man replied, “If you did not accept me when I came to you in humble attire, I will not stay with you now that you see me in my glory.”

                The Eucharist doesn’t look like much, to be certain. But it contains the greatest treasure humankind has ever known – the true presence of our God, His very Flesh and Blood. All the love we’ve ever looked for in life, all the healing we’ve ever needed – it can be found right here in this small white Host we will receive in a few short moments.

                In the parable, the man who didn’t look like much was actually the wealthiest man in the land, but he wasn’t received worthily by his family. In the same way, the Eucharist looks and tastes pretty ordinary, but it actually contains the greatest riches of God’s grace. How many of us treat Him like an ordinary snack when in reality it is the greatest gift we could ever receive?

                When we eat ordinary food, it is changed into a part of us. Our tuna fish sandwich becomes energy, and our body takes out the vitamins and minerals it needs. But when we consume the Eucharist, we become more a part of Him. After all, it’s called holy Communion because we have union with Jesus through this Sacrament.

                Our senses don’t recognize Jesus’ presence, but there’s a lot that we don’t see. For example, when I look at you, I don’t see your soul, but I know through faith that you have a soul. I can’t see the bond of marriage that joins two people into a holy covenant, but it’s there nonetheless. Likewise, although I can’t physically see Jesus’ presence, I recognize that it’s there. It’s a hidden presence, but nonetheless truly there. Much like the man in the parable whose wealth and glory were hidden beneath humble clothes, a tremendous gift of the true Flesh and Blood, the Grace and the Love of Jesus Christ are hidden here, beneath the sacramental signs. Never doubt His True Presence! It’s the treasure beyond all other treasures!

Trinity Sunday Homily - June 15, 2014

Trinity Sunday Homily

June 15, 2014

 

            Growing up, we had a parish priest who was…shall we say…an interesting fellow. You never knew what would come out of his mouth in the pulpit. One day he started his homily by saying, “The very first thing God will say to you when you get to Heaven is, ‘Did you have a good time?’”

            On the way home from Mass my dad turned to all of us in the car and said, “The first thing God will say to you when you get to Heaven is not, ‘Did you have a good time?’ but ‘How much good did you do in your time on earth?’”

            I never forgot that. Life isn’t about what you can get, but what you can give. As Pope John Paul II said, “Men and women can only find themselves when they give themselves away.”

            I think this could actually be a great definition of the Trinity: the Trinity is self-giving. The Father gives all the glory and honor to the Son, sharing His very life with the Son. The Son, in turn, brings all things back to the Father, in honor and glory and praise. Their self-giving is so intense that it brings forth a third Person, the Holy Spirit.

            And it’s that kind of self-giving, self-emptying that we are called to imitate. We only find ourselves when we give ourselves away, right? When I meet people who are struggling with depression – after making sure that the biochemical part is properly dealt with – I always recommend volunteering. We always feel better when we go outside ourselves and look to the needs of others. That’s the lesson of the Trinity – we only find ourselves when we give ourselves away.

            Just recently, Pope Francis made headlines by telling couples in Italy that they shouldn’t choose to have pets instead of kids. That’s a common thing that is becoming a part of our culture – more and more marriages are purposely remaining childless and instead substituting pets for kids, because hey, you can go on more vacations when you don’t have kids, and you might actually get to eat at a nice restaurant every now and then. And yet the Pope says that this choice is utterly loveless. Real love sacrifices, real love gives. And there is no better way for a couple to grow in love than to be generous with God and being open to as many children as God chooses to bless them with.

            After all, self-giving is fruitful. The Trinity was not content simply to love each other in isolation. No, their love was so intense that it wanted to overflow on other creatures, so the Trinity created the world so they could lavish their love upon the world. In the same way, self-giving love must be open to life as well – especially in families, where the love between a couple should naturally overflow to generosity with having and loving children.

            Mother Teresa said, “I have seen the paradox: when we love until it hurts, there is no more hurt, there is only love.” Self-gift is where we find our happiness.

            Of course, the practical consequences of self-giving aren’t easy. It does demand that we maybe give up buying that second Porche or that sixteenth pair of shoes because there are better ways in which we could give our money to a family who is having trouble making ends meet. It does demand that we are open to children in our marriages. It does demand that we look for ways to volunteer, instead of being stingy with our time. It does demand doing unpleasant tasks around the house, and laying down our lives – our wants, our dreams, our strength – for others. Behold the Cross – this is the love of the Trinity.

Graduation Homily - June 13, 2014

Graduation Homily

June 13, 2014

 

            So this is the point of the graduation Mass where I tell you that all of your dreams will come true. If that were the case, I would be 6’2”, a major league baseball player and professional rock star, and have more hair. So, I suppose perhaps a better question to ask is, “what are God’s dreams for your life?” And that, my friends, is very simple.

            God desires your happiness. But maybe not how the world defines happiness – you may or may not have a pleasant, easy life full of money and fame and worldly success. That’s not the kind of happiness God promises. Instead, He promises inner peace, joy, love, hope. That’s the kind of happiness that He promises – and that’s what endures.

            So how do we have that kind of happiness in high school? There are five rules for a successful, joyful high school experience.

            First: every weekend, make sure you go out drinking…from the chalice at Mass. This is key. It might be tough, because after a long week, Sunday mornings will roll around and you will be tempted to steal another hour…or six…of sleep instead of going to Mass. But you will wander aimlessly in high school unless you are grounded in Jesus Christ. Some of you are about to face some major changes when you go to high school: new friends, new classes, new pressures. All of a sudden you may feel like the ground was ripped out from underneath you. What’s the one constant you can count on? Your relationship with Jesus Christ. So I urge you to make the Faith something that you choose to pursue, even when your parents aren’t forcing you anymore. Every weekend, go drinking from the chalice at Mass.

            My second piece of advice is to facebook frequently. I mean, you should face your book and study. Your vocation right now is to be a student – so you will find holiness and fulfillment in doing the best you can at that. Don’t settle for a B if you can get an A. This is more than just getting good grades – it’s about glorifying the Lord by using His gift of intelligence to the best of your ability. It says in the Good Book, “Whether in thought or in deed, do all things for the glory of God.” So whether you study architecture or law or underwater basket weaving, do it to the best of your ability. Face the book, and study – for Him.

            My third piece of advice is: make sure you have lots and lots of GOOD friends. Peer pressure is pretty strong in high school – you will meet people who have some tremendously different values than you have – even at Immaculate or Fairfield Prep. Some of the friends will try to convince you that your happiness is found in red plastic cups or one night stands or playing video games until 3am instead of studying. Those aren’t your friends – those are posers who want to drag you down. Instead, surround yourself with good friends who will challenge you to be the best you can be.

            Number four:  never have first-world problems. You know what first-world problems are – when people say things like, “Jeez, don’t you just hate having so much money in your wallet that it doesn’t close properly.” Or another one I hear a lot: “It is just SO difficult these days to make a choice at Starbucks, there are too many options!” (Insert Fr. Jeff comment here). These are things that pampered people complain about. We just need to volunteer at a soup kitchen or nursing home for a day to realize that we’ve got it pretty good. So, I urge you to volunteer your time, your energy, and go visit people who are in real need – it will be good for them, it will be good for you, and all of a sudden your first-world problems will magically disappear.

            And finally, my fifth piece of advice is: act like a European soccer player. No, I don’t mean that you should dramatically fall to the ground writhing in pain if someone accidentally touches you, like most soccer players do. Instead, what happens on the rare occasion that they put the ball into the net? They run around screaming, “GOOOOOOAL!” And this is how we should be too – totally focused on the goal, not just the goal of high school, but the goal of life: to get to Heaven. That’s why we exist. That’s why we go through the messy craziness of high school – to become saints. Keep your eyes on that goal and everything else will fall into place.

            So, this is my five steps to a successful high school experience: first, go out drinking every weekend from the chalice at Mass; second, facebook frequently; third, make sure you have lots of good friends; fourth, never have first-world problems; fifth, act like a soccer player and keep your eyes on the goal. When it comes right down to it, a high school graduate isn’t successful if they just have a diploma, a nice SAT score, four years of Varsity letters, and a college acceptance letter. A high school graduate would be successful if, after his four years, he is closer to becoming a saint.

New Blog

As I prepare to move to a new parish, a few parishioners have asked that I start posting my homilies on a blog so that they can be read by anyone. I am more than happy to oblige. Homily-posting will begin soon!