Homily for Easter 7 - Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Homily for Easter 7

June 1, 2025

Come Lord Jesus!

 

            Since the beginning of time, evil has been oppressing the good. Ever since Cain killed Abel, injustice seems to win the day. Today we see myriad examples of the suffering of the innocent: the unjustified invasion of Ukraine, the genocide of Palestine, where 80% of those killed in the war are civilians, the extreme poverty of 770 million people in the world who make less than $2 per day, the sixty million unborn babies in America who are unable to see the light of day due to a woman’s choice, the people addicted to drugs and lust to fill corrupt wallets. These injustices should break our hearts, as I’m sure it breaks the heart of God.

            Such injustices cry out for justice – will the evil always triumph? Why do the wicked prosper while the good suffer? Is God silent in the light of such tragedies? We ought to do our part to end these injustices, but we live in a world where there will always be more injustice, more evil to fight. It can get depressing just to read the morning news!

            Which is why the Church has cried out for all time, “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!” We need a definitive answer to human evil – a definitive judge to set right all that humans have messed up – and Jesus Christ is the answer to human evil and the suffering of the innocent!

            In today’s first reading we see one such injustice: the martyrdom of St. Stephen. He was the first one to shed his blood for Christ, but only the first of many – there have been about fifty million people who have been faithful to Christ until death, and the persecution of Christians continues today. For example, this past Tuesday, Islamic radicals attacked two Christian villages in Nigeria, taking the lives of over 40 Christians, solely for the “crime” of believing in Jesus Christ. In 2019, Xi Jinping in China ordered Catholic churches to stop displaying the 10 Commandments in their churches, and instead to display quotes from President Jinping himself - closing any churches that do not obey. In May of 2023, a two-year-old in North Korea was sentenced to life in prison because his parents were caught with a Bible. In that country, over 70,000 Christians suffer in prison camps due to their faith – and many more in the middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian countries. Persecution is, sadly, quite prevalent in much of the world.

            This should break our hearts, and move us to cry out to God for all the innocent who suffer, particularly among His people. Our hope, then, is in Jesus Christ, Who promised to end all injustice when He returns. Our second reading is full of this hope – come, Lord Jesus! Come to bring justice to the innocent!

            In our Catholic tradition, there are four sins that have been called “sins that cry to God for vengeance” – all of which are sins of injustice. They are: oppressing the poor and widows and orphans, killing the innocent, unnatural sins of impurity, and cheating the poor out of their money. Just this past Sunday, my friend Colleen was telling me how she fell for scammers. They had hacked the email of their pastor and she got an email she thought was from him, asking her to buy a bunch of Amazon gift cards. She ended up buying $500 worth, and then the next email came in telling her to send the PIN numbers. This made her suspicious, so she called up the pastor, who was (understandably) confused and told her that he didn’t need any gift cards. She felt incredibly foolish – having spent a large chunk of her family’s money on this scam!

            But then she did something surprising – she wrote back to the scammer, “I want you to know that I forgive you for your lies and evil. You must have had some real problems in your life to lead you to do this – please know that I will pray for you.” And to her surprise, the scammer wrote back, “Please do pray for me.”

            So what do we do when injustice hits close to home? Perhaps some of us have been seriously wronged – abused, maltreated, unjustly accused, lied to. Our role is to forgive them, love them, and leave the justice up to God. It says in Scripture, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” And trust that God really will bring justice – the guilty will not go unpunished – this is good news because evil needs a real answer!

            Of course, we do not want any soul, no matter how wicked, to be lost for eternity. We want all to be saved, but not without repentance. Consider that the young man Saul, from the first reading, consented to the stoning of Stephen…and then converted to Jesus Christ, was re-named Paul, and wrote most of the New Testament. How beautiful that both St. Stephen and St. Paul rejoice together in Heaven! Although I’d imagine their first meeting in Heaven may have been a little awkward… “Hey, Paul, remember that little incident with the rocks?” It is Christ’s desire that all be saved, but evildoers must first turn from their evil ways – Scripture also says, “God is not mocked”. Our second reading actually omits a line from the Book of Revelation – after Jesus says, “Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates,” He then says, “Outside are the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshipers, and all who love and practice deceit.” Only the repentant receive mercy.

            This may seem a bit dark, but ultimately it is good news that wickedness will not win. Christ is the triumphant victor – so even if we suffer from injustice, God will bring about our redemption.

            I close with a powerful story of a saint who endured a great deal of injustice – but found vindication in the Lord: the first Black priest in the United States, Venerable Augustus Tolton. Augustus was born a slave in Missouri before the Civil War, but his whole family escaped when he was a young boy. They settled in Illinois, which was a Union state. His family was Catholic, but uneducated. However, the local parish priest saw great intelligence in the ten-year-old Augustus, and offered him a full scholarship to his Catholic school. This was unheard-of – even the Catholic schools were segregated in those days. But Fr. McGurr was adamant that Augustine be treated well. Despite great racism, the lad received a great education, and even graduated as valedictorian for his class.

            But entering seminary was another matter. He was rejected by every American seminary due to his skin color. But Fr. McGurr was persistent – and kept writing letters on behalf of young Augustine. Finally, it was decided that he would study in Rome, where racism wasn’t such an issue. He was finally ordained a priest in Rome, and, realizing that America wasn’t ready for a Black priest, prepared himself to do mission work in Africa, and asked the Cardinal in charge of the missions where he should be sent. To his shock, the Cardinal famously replied, “America has been called the most enlightened nation. We will see if it deserves the honor. If America has never seen a Black priest, it will see one now." He was sent back to Illinois to minister – and what a job he did! He was such a good preacher and singer that many white people began to attend his Black church. He was known as “Good Father Gus” – and is now known as Venerable Augustus Tolton, on the path to sainthood. Here was one who endured injustice – but forgave, persevered, and trusted that God was going to bring justice in the end.

            When faced with injustice – either in the world, or in our own lives – we must do the same. Forgive, persevere, and cry out with the Church in every age: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

The World Needs What You Are

 

Homily for CKA Baccalaureate Mass

May 30, 2025

The World Needs Who You Are

 

            What is success? What does it look like? We have had many towering scholars in the history of the church – Aquinas, Anselm, Bonaventure, Augustine. We have had many saints who have built enduring movements – St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. We have had many saints whose lives impacted thousands – St. Francis Xavier, Mother Teresa. And perhaps some of us are called to change history, to impact the world. Perhaps some of us will be remembered long after our death for our contributions, the memorials we have built, the mighty deeds we accomplished, the brilliant words we have spoken.

            But I would hazard to guess that the vast majority of Christians are called to live a hidden life, unfamous and unknown. Most of us will not have a Wikipedia page written about us – most of us will not be remembered apart from a tombstone with our names inscribed in stone.

            Which is why the greatest thing you could ever do, the most important work of your entire life, is to become holy. Not necessarily a canonized saint, but a small outpost of the love of God here in this world. As Archbishop Charles Chaput once said, “The only people to really change the world are saints.”

            It was St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross who said (and I paraphrase), “The world does not need what you have or what you do – the world needs who you are.” The greatest work you ever do will be primarily interior – yielding your heart and soul more and more to Christ, that you may decrease and He may increase. The world doesn’t need your gifts and talents – the world needs Christ living through your gifts and talents. Your gifts and talents weren’t given to glorify you, they were given to glorify God. What good is it to build skyscrapers and pass laws and make money and win championships if the only thing that is eternal – your soul – is left abandoned, dark and empty?

            We live in a world where there are a lot of action, but very little stillness. There is lots of noise, but very little silence. There are lots of opinions but very little wisdom. When our new Holy Father was elected a few weeks ago, I was shocked at how many people asked me for my comments – why do I, or any of us, need to comment about every event that occurs in the world? Sometimes, it’s better to be still, silent, and pray.

            As you graduate, you will be encouraged to go change the world, make the world a better place, seize the day. But the world already has a Savior, and it’s not you. I don’t mean this to discount all the good you have done, and will continue to do, but we have to keep in mind that “making the world a better place” is only possible with the one Savior of the human race. We need to make the world a better place because it’s been wounded by sin…which means that the antidote is grace and love, not more humanistic solutions.

            So, as you go forth to conquer college, high school, and the rest of the world, remember that the most enduring and important thing you can do is not what you do in the world, but what you allow Christ to do in your soul. When you are transformed into Christ through grace, this is what the world needs. For the world needs, not what you do or what you have, but who you are.

            I want to close with a saint story, of one who realized that the interior life is what changes the world. In the early 1900s in rural Portugal, a young girl named Alexandra was living a simple, humble life. She was uneducated, and toiled on her family’s farm. But she had a devout faith, and would often pick flowers to adorn Mary’s altar, loving the Rosary and keeping herself holy. When she was fourteen, she was on the upper floor of her family’s house when robbers broke in. Afraid for her life, she jumped out the window – and broke her spine on the fall. From that time on, she was painfully crippled. At first she could drag herself to Mass, hunched over, but pretty soon she became paralyzed and bedridden. She prayed for a cure, but more than that – she prayed to offer her life to Christ as a living sacrifice for the salvation of souls.

            For thirty years she did nothing earth-shattering. She smiled constantly, prayed without ceasing, and continually offered all her suffering for Christ and for souls. Even her prayer was suffering – she rarely experienced Christ’s presence, but persevered nonetheless. For the final thirteen years of her life, she only consumed the Eucharist and no other food – a fact verified by a team of medical doctors who observed her around-the-clock. When she died in the 1950s, she had the following words written on her tombstone: Sinners, if the dust of my body can be of help to save you, come close, walk over it, kick it around until it disappears. But never sin again: do not offend Jesus anymore! Sinners, how much I want to tell you.... Do not risk losing Jesus for all eternity, for he is so good. Enough with sin. Love Jesus, love him!

            She is now Blessed Alexandra da Costa, a mystic and victim soul. In the eyes of the world, a nothing-person. She literally could do nothing, being paralyzed – but only in eternity will we see how this poor woman changed the history of the world, not because of what she did, but because of who she was when she let Christ reign in her heart.

            This is your mission, too. Not to seek after great deeds, fame, or success as the world views it – but to fulfill God’s will for your life. If He lives in you, then whether you be the President or garbage-man, your life will change the world, because the world doesn’t need what you do – the world needs who you are, if you are Christ’s.

Homily for Easter 6 - A Wholeness The World Cannot Give

 

Homily for Easter 6

May 25, 2025

A Wholeness the World Cannot Give

 

            The first words spoken by our Holy Father as he addressed the world: “Peace be with you!” And boy, does our world ever need peace!

            The word that Jesus used for “peace” is shalom. Shalom means more than just an absence of conflict – rather, it implies wholeness and delight, fulfillment and flourishing. As one theologian put it, “Shalom is the way things out to be” – putting right all the chaos in the world and in our lives.

            And God wants our shalom! Sometimes we think that God doesn’t want us to be happy – that He’s constantly testing us and wants to take away our happiness. Recently I asked a friend, “What is making you happy these days?” He told me about the kayak he had just bought, how he loved to take it out and enjoy nature. But then he said, “But I just feel like God is opposed to it.” That struck me as odd. I asked him why, and he said, “I don’t know, it’s just hard to believe that God wants anything good for me.”

            Do you ever feel that way? Pope Benedict addressed this feeling when he said, “Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide.” God desperately desires your “shalom” – He said, “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly.” God wants your shalom – not in a worldly sense of success, riches, constant good health – but a richer, deeper peace, joy, and purpose for our life.

            So how do we obtain this shalom? First, we live in right relationship with Him. In the Gospel, Jesus defines Himself by His relationship to His Father. He says, “The words you hear are not Mine, but my Father’s…rejoice that I am going to the Father…the Father is greater than I.” Everything about His being is related to God. A lesson for us – if we want shalom, we make sure we are in right relationship to God: giving God glory for our blessings, offering to Him our sufferings, spending time with Him in prayer, receiving the Sacraments regularly.

            The Carthusians are a group of hard-core Catholic monks, mostly hermits, whose motto has always stuck with me: Stat crux, dum volvitur orbis – the cross stands while the world turns. The only stability, the only peace can be found in the unchanging foundation of our lives: God Himself. Twenty-five years ago, British sociologist Zygmunt Bauman wrote a book called “Liquid Modernity”, claiming that the world is changing at such an epic speed that it kinda messes up our inner peace because we weren’t made to react to such drastic changes so quickly. For most of human history, if a person saw two new inventions in their lifetime, that would be remarkable – now we get new inventions weekly. So we need something to keep us grounded – and the only thing that has been there since the beginning, and will be around until the end, is God. If you’re feeling tossed about by the chaos of the modern world, perhaps we’re missing our anchor – the unchanging God.

            Jesus then connects loving God with keeping His commandments. And His commandments are also for our shalom! I’m a big fan of Calvin and Hobbes, and one of the recurring storylines is Calvin playing Calvinball, a game he invented – but the problem is that the rules literally change every play, every time. Sometimes the score is Q to 16. But that wouldn’t be a very fun game in real life, would it? We need guidelines to understand how we are to flourish. If I want to play a piece on a piano, I have to follow the rules of music – putting my fingers on the right keys, playing them at the right time. Otherwise it is not music, only noise.

            Likewise, shalom cannot exist in chaos. We need order to understand the path to fulfillment. We see this in the first reading – there was chaos in the early Church because some were saying you had to follow the Jewish law as a Christian, while others said that it wasn’t necessary. This chaos led the Apostles to gather for the Council of Jerusalem in 50AD. Jesus promised in the Gospel that the Spirit would lead them into all truth, and the Spirit led the Apostles to conclude that the Jewish Law was unnecessary, but that they still had to avoid idolatry or illicit marriages. It wasn’t that they had no commands to follow, but the Apostles offered commandments that were in accord with shalom – with human happiness.

            And so it is with the commandments of God – they lead to shalom. We forgive others, because that leads to a peaceful society. We are honest, because that leads to trust. We are generous to the poor, because it puts love into action, and love fulfills both the giver and the receiver. We practice chastity and purity, because we desire authentic human love and not using others for our own benefit. Notice that shalom is not equal to pleasure – it’s not always convenient – it’s not always easy. But shalom is worth it.

            Do you have shalom? Is your heart at peace, is your life overflowing with joy, is your life filled with love? If not – perhaps we’re looking in the wrong places. As St. Gerard Majella said, “Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?”

Homily for Easter 5 - Hidden In Plain Sight

 

Homily for Easter 5

May 18, 2025

The Dwelling of God Is the Eucharist

 

            Have you ever been in search of something that’s right there in front of you? Maybe you’ve lost your glasses only to find them on your head. Or you search everywhere for your keys, when they’re hidden in plain sight, right there on the dining room table. Sometimes our search for God can be like that – we’re looking everywhere for Him, when He’s right where He told us He’d be.

            John has a vision of Heaven in the Second Reading, from the Book of Revelation: “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.” God has promised that He would always be with us – but where? Do you ever feel like God is distant? Well, perhaps He’s hidden in plain sight – right where He told us He’d be – here in the Eucharist and at Mass.

            But, I can hear many of you saying, “But I don’t feel God here!” Sometimes it feels like empty ritual, just a habit we do every week, and not like the living glory of God come down among us. It is true that in Heaven we will have vision, while here we walk by faith – but the same God Who dwells forever in Heaven also dwells, hidden, in the Eucharist. How can we experience His presence? I’d like to make five super-practical suggestions of how to actually experience God’s presence at Mass and in the Eucharist.

            First, sing! The Bible speaks about singing praise to God over 400 times, with 50 direct commands to sing to Him. St. Paul tells us: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord!” St. Augustine pointed out, “Singing is praying twice!” I look out on a Sunday morning and see a lot of closed mouths. Do we not want to praise Him? Don’t worry about talent or ability – all that matters is the love in our heart, expressed by our lips. As a friend of mine said, “If God gave you a good voice, praise Him with it. If not, sing loud and get even!”

            St. Augustine said that singing to the Lord is evidence that we’ve been changed by Him. Listen to this quote – long but rich: “We are urged to sing a new song to the Lord, as new men who have learned a new song. A song is a thing of joy; more profoundly, it is a thing of love. Anyone, therefore, who has learned to love the new life [in Christ] has learned to sing a new song, and the new song reminds us of our new life. The new man, the new song, the new covenant, all belong to the one kingdom of God, and so the new man will sing a new song and will belong to the new covenant.” A man in love will sing to his beloved – our hearts will learn to love God if we sing to Him.

            Secondly, engage your body! Our souls often follow where our body leads – so if we want our soul to believe more deeply, our bodies should act like we believe. This means dressing up for Mass in our “Sunday best”, keeping the Eucharistic Fast (which means that we do not eat or drink anything but water for an hour leading up to Mass, to show our bodies that what we receive is not ordinary bread but truly the Flesh and Blood of Christ). It is easier to believe this if our bodies kneel and receive on the tongue, too – making clear to our soul that this is Jesus, not regular food. And finally, we can worship more easily if you use the restroom at home before you come here – you know who you are!

            Our bodily actions show what we inwardly believe. There was once a holy nobleman in Austria who was hunting on a drizzly, gray, muddy day. He saw a priest bringing the Blessed Sacrament to a sick person, and the nobleman immediately got off his horse and insisted that the priest take it, so that he wouldn’t get muddy when he was carrying Jesus. The priest did so, and an hour later returned, and tried to give the horse back to the nobleman. But, devout man he was, the man refused, saying, “I am not worthy to ride upon a horse that has carried my Lord.” This nobleman was willing to get muddy for the Lord – what are you willing to do for Him?

            A third help is to use our imagination during Mass! Not to picture yourself in Cancun, but to picture in your mind what is truly going on here. The Mass makes present the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross – put yourself there at Calvary, in your mind’s eye offer Christ back to the Father (as an aside, this is why we installed a crucifix here – so we could see, visibly, what happens at every Mass). St. John Chrysostom said that tens of thousands of angels, saints, and our Blessed Mother are present at every Mass – use your imagination to see it! We know that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist – imagine His face or His Cross when you see Him elevated on the altar. I often imagine rays of grace radiating from the Eucharistic Host when I hold Him aloft, the rays penetrating the souls of those who are attending the Mass.

            I know we want to see with our eyes, but God gave us our imagination so we don’t have to physically see to believe. Back in the 1100s in England, there was a Eucharistic miracle in a small town in England where the Eucharist began to bleed at Mass. The Eucharist and the bloody altar cloth were kept as relics and venerated there. One day the holy priest St. Hugh happened to be passing through that town, and some townspeople invited him to see the miracle. He refused to see the miracle, and when his traveling companions expressed a desire to see them, he sharply rebuked them, saying, “Miracles are only for those who don’t believe. If you believe, let faith be sufficient – after all, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe!”

            Fourth, bring much! Bring the mess of your life, and spiritually lay it upon the altar. Don’t try to forget the life outside these church walls – bring it to Him here. All our worries, concerns, sins, brokenness – pray about it. Bring it to Him. Lay it before Him. And tell Him you trust Him.

            St. Gregory the Great tells a beautiful story about a man who was a soldier and was captured in battle. He was imprisoned and his chains caused him a lot of physical pain. The soldier’s wife, fearing him dead, prayed for him at every Mass. After a long time, the man was released, against everyone’s expectation. He returned home, to the delight of his wife, and explained that every week at a certain time, his chains would simply fall from his wrists, and his captors had to reattach them. After years of this, his captors thought this was a bad omen, so they released the man. Upon investigation, the woman realized that the chains would fall from his wrists exactly when she would be praying for him at Mass! St. Gregory goes on to say that, if the Mass can break literal chains, does it not have the power to destroy sin, addictions, resentments, and all the spiritual wounds and burdens that we carry into the Church this morning?

            Finally, expect much from God here! Some of us come here with a shot glass, expecting that much grace. Others come with a bucket. Others come with a bathtub. How much grace are you expecting? Do you really think that the Scripture readings actually have something to say to you? Do actually believe that you are receiving God here? Come hungry, and you will leave filled. Expect much from God, and He will be able to superabundantly pour Himself into you. As long as your glass or bucket or bathtub is cleaned (by living in the state of grace and Confessing regularly), He’ll meet you here if you expect Him to.

            At the end of Jesus’ life, there was a big dispute between the angels and human beings. The angels wanted Jesus to return to Heaven, while men wanted Him to remain on earth. So Christ found the best way to satisfy both – He returned physically to Heaven, and remains sacramentally on earth. God is never distant – He is hidden in plain sight, in the Eucharist.

Homily for Easter 4 - What's the Papacy All About?

 

Homily for Easter 4

May 11, 2025

The Pope-Shepherd

 

            How beautiful in God’s timing that the election of our Holy Father comes right around Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, but since one of the titles of our Pope is “Vicar of Christ”, we hope that he will have the same care for the sheep that Jesus has. Let’s discuss what the Pope is all about so that we can better understand the role of our new shepherd.

            It was Jesus Himself who made Peter the first Pope. In Matthew 16, he takes the Apostles on a field trip to a town just north of the Holy Land, where He asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon is the only one to get it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” And Jesus gives him a new name and a new identity, “You are Peter, and upon this rock (your faith) I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail upon it. To you I give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven.” To hand someone keys is to give them the authority and ownership of the house – hence, Jesus is giving all power over His Church to Simon Peter, the first Pope. Since then, 266 Popes have taken been elected in the lineage of Peter.

            But there are some myths about the Pope’s role in the Church. So before we talk about what the Pope is, we have to talk about what the Pope is NOT.

            First, the Pope is not an oracle from God. Not everything he says is always true, and Popes can (and have been) very imperfect people. For example, in the 800s, there was a Pope who disagreed with the previous Pope’s political leanings, so he had his corpse dug up and put on trial for treason! Of course the skeleton couldn’t defend itself, so he was found guilty, and as punishment he wasn’t reburied but thrown into the Tiber River! A crazy political rivalry gone haywire! We’ve had some very imperfect Popes in history, and they can even make mistakes in their words. We believe a Pope is infallible (i.e., protected by the Holy Spirit from making an error) only when officially teaching about faith and morals, in union with the other Bishops and in continuity with what has always been taught. So if a Pope gives an interview to a journalist, he can make mistakes! A Pope is not automatically an oracle from God.

            The Pope is also not a political leader. Over the past few weeks we have heard many news outlets talk about whether this or that Cardinal is “liberal” or “conservative”. But these political labels don’t belong in the Church. All that matters is whether or not we are faithful to Jesus Christ and His perennial teachings in Scripture and Tradition. The Pope’s role isn’t to be just another world leader, but to point to a Kingdom yet to come.

            Finally, the Pope is not a religious celebrity. We’ve had some wonderful Popes in the last century, but many were aware of their own weaknesses. For example, Pope John XXIII was a rather large man who was short with huge ears. One day after his election to the papacy, a woman who saw him whispered to her friend, “Goodness, he’s so fat!” The Pope overheard and replied, “Surely you understand, madam, that a conclave isn’t a beauty pageant.” As much as the world wants to make the Pope into a religious rock-star, the reality is that they are frail men, sometimes quiet, sometimes weak – regular human beings, just like us, entrusted with a monumental task.

            So, then, what is the role of the Pope? Three elements. First, his role is to be a shepherd and father. The name “Pope” comes from “Papa” – an intimate term for a dad. One of my favorite stories of Pope John Paul II is that he used to leave the Vatican in disguise to go skiing, one of his favorite activities (according to the Swiss Guard, he snuck out over 100 times in his papacy). One time he was skiing incognito when an eight-year-old boy kept staring at him in line for the ski slopes. Finally, the boy got up the courage to ask him, “Are you the Pope?” And John Paul II said, “Why, yes I am. Would you like to ski together?” So they skied a couple runs together, and then the young lad excitedly ran in to the lodge to tell his mother that he had been skiing with the Pope. The mother thought he was just telling stories, until he said, “No! Come out and meet him!” She reluctantly came out and was utterly shocked to meet John Paul II there on the slopes! But what a beautiful story about a Pope who was truly a father – someone who loved his children, so that he could tell them about Jesus. This was the Pope who traveled 750,000 miles during his papacy – three times the distance to the moon and back – because he wanted to be with his flock.

            Secondly, the Pope must preach the truth in love. He does not have the power to make up a new teaching, but only to faithfully hand on what Jesus has always taught. At the Last Supper in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus makes a really powerful prediction about the trials that the Apostles will go through, when He said: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you [Apostles] like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” In other words, do not be tossed about by the trials of this world, by the whims of popular culture, but preach the Truth, in love.

            Back in 1960, there was considerable controversy about whether or not the Church could change its teaching that artificial birth control is gravely immoral. Pope John XXIII started a commission with theologians, scientists, doctors, and regular married folk, to discuss this topic. After six years, the commission was divided, but the majority said that the Church should change its teaching. The world collectively held its breath when awaiting the final document of Pope Paul VI. Much to everyone’s shock, in 1968 the Pope put out a famous encyclical “Humanae Vitae” in which he reaffirmed what the Church always taught, that the marriage bed needs to remain open to life. Although it caused no little controversy, it was also a profound example showing that the Pope’s job isn’t to change teachings according to the whims of the culture or majority opinion, but to strengthen that which has always and everywhere been taught by Christ through His Church – speaking truth in love.

            Finally, the Pope is the “visible sign of unity”. You know you are Catholic if you believe the same things as the Pope teaches, and consider him your spiritual leader. Ever since Martin Luther began the Reformation in 1517, our Protestant brethren have since fractured into 45,000 different denominations – without a central figure of unity, everyone becomes their own pope, each interpreting the Scriptures as they see fit. But Christ so desperately desired Christian unity that his final prayer in John’s Gospel was, “Father, make them all one, as we are one.” And we have a visible sign of this unity in the office of the Pope.

            One of the debates in the early Church was whether or not Jesus was truly human. Perhaps He merely appeared to be human, but was only an apparition? The bishops met at Chalcedon in 451 to debate this. Pope Leo the Great was too sick to attend, but he sent a letter to the bishops, confirming that Jesus was indeed fully God and fully man. When this letter was read aloud, the bishops ceased debating and instead cried out, “This is the faith of the fathers! This is the faith of the apostles! So we all believe! Peter has spoken through Leo! . . . This is the true faith!” The Pope was able to unite these warring factions, as he is the sign of the Church’s unity.

            So, as the Church prepares to elect/inaugurate a new Holy Father, we pray that above all else, he is holy and filled with the Spirit. We do not want a Pope who is merely a nice man, one who “puts a good face” on Catholicism, or only says the right words. Rather, we want a Pope who is in constant union with Christ. The Church is not just a charity or an NGO or social service organization – the Church is the supernatural Body of Christ in the world, with a supernatural founder (Jesus), supernatural goal (Heaven) and supernatural means (the Scriptures, the Sacraments). Hence, we pray that our Holy Father may be a supernatural man, led by the Holy Spirit to be in constant communion with Christ.

            For our part, there are three things we must do. We must love the Pope, because if we love Christ, then we love what He loves, and He loved the Church unto death. We must pray for the Pope, for he is our spiritual father. And we must respect the Pope, no matter who he is, because the Papacy itself is willed by God. Once a saint was asked how they could remain faithful to the Church when there was an evil Pope, and he responded, “I respect the seat, but not the sitter.” In other words, we can respect the authority of the Church, even if the members are imperfect. After all, at the end of the day, it’s Christ’s church, not the Pope’s. Every night before bed, Pope John XXIII would go to the chapel and tell the Lord all the troubles of the day – bishops fighting with each other, Christians persecuted, financial woes, secularism winning the day…and at the end, he would close with, “Well, it’s your church, Lord. I’m going to bed.”

            My friends, it is a great gift that we have/will have a new Holy Father. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, let us recommit ourselves to praying for the Pope, that he may truly become a good shepherd after the heart of Christ.

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity - May 4, 2025

 

Homily for Easter 3

May 4, 2025

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity

 

            Many times, little kids will want to act like grown-ups. Sometimes they’ll play dress-up in work clothes, or pretend to be doctors or teachers. But rarely does it go the other way – we don’t often find adults acting like children. Which is why Jesus’ word is so surprising when He calls Peter and the other Apostles “paidia” – “little children”. This would have been a very demeaning term to call a burly, sea-toughened fishermen!

            But Jesus chooses that term purposefully. Peter is acting spiritually immature at this point in the Gospel – and we can take three major lessons from Jesus’ word!

            First, Peter is fickle. He’s probably bored, so instead of praying or waiting patiently, he just goes with his whims – “Let’s go fishing.” It’s his comfort-zone, his fallback. Praying and waiting is hard – fishing is what he’d rather do. His restlessness makes him go along with whatever whim presents itself.

            By contrast, spiritual maturity is steadfast. A person who is spiritually mature has serious spiritual disciplines – a life of prayer, fasting and mortification, discipline, weekly worship at Mass – and isn’t just tossed about by emotions and whims. It is spiritually immature to say, “Oh, I don’t feel like praying, so I won’t do it” or “I know I’ve committed to spiritual reading, but I’m too tired and plus there’s a show on I want to watch.” A spiritually mature person has serious spiritual disciplines, and keeps to them, whether they feel like it or not.

            St. John of the Cross was a Spanish Carmelite priest from the mid-1500s. Every day he used to record what inspirations he received in prayer, Scripture verses that moved him, or conversations he had with God. But for several years, he wrote only one word in his spiritual journal: nada. Nothing. He went for years without feeling God’s presence, without feeling like Scripture spoke to him, without any inspiration or desire to pray. But he was faithful – and after many years of dryness, he experienced mystical union with God.

            Spiritual maturity requires that we have serious spiritual disciples that are unchanging and steadfast – daily prayer, sacrifice, and Sunday Mass – regardless of whether we “feel” like doing them. Faith is not feelings – it is the firm commitment to enthrone Jesus Christ as Lord of our life.

            Connected to this fickleness is Peter’s disobedience. Jesus already told them what to do: go to Galilee and wait for Jesus to meet them there. Just wait – not go fishing, not return to your old way of life. Peter was supposed to be the Pope, not a sailor. But Peter shirks his duty.

            Many Christians struggle to obey Christ or His Church. Christ says we must forgive without condition and love our enemies. But how many of us have said to ourselves, “I’ll never forgive that person for what they did to me!” Christ says that we must worship Him on Sundays – but how many of us have said, “Ah, it doesn’t matter if I miss a Mass here and there, I’m so busy.” Christ teaches us that marriages must always be open to life, but many Christians say, “Eh, what does the Church know?”

            You know who else is disobedient? Two-year-olds. (No offense to any two-year-olds here today). Sometimes we can have that same spiritual immaturity – “I want to do what I want to do, and no Church or religion or holy book will tell me differently.” But the root of the word “religion” in Latin, religare, means “to bind” – it means that we bind ourselves and humbly submit ourselves to Christ as Lord of our lives. Americans cherish their independence, but this isn’t a blind or servile obedience. Rather, it’s the obedience of sons and daughters to a good Heavenly Father and to Holy Mother Church, who love us and always want our best.

            A final sign of spiritual maturity is the ability and desire to give. Consider – little children are takers, not givers. They don’t do chores or say “thank you” or contribute much to the household. But the older we get, we are expected to give more – more service, more kindness, more contributions to charity. Peter still isn’t getting this, but we have to go back to the Greek to understand why. Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love Me?” but He uses a specific Greek word for “love” – agape, which means total self-giving love. Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You” – but he uses a different word, philia, which only means friendship. Jesus says, “Do you agape Me – love Me with total self-gift?” and Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, I love You with friendship only.” He’s not yet ready to give his life to follow Christ – but he’s still wants to bask in the delights of their friendship.

            A spiritually mature person wants to give. They want to give their time, their talents, their treasures. They want to bring other souls to Christ. They don’t come to church just to be “takers” but also “givers” – thinking, how can I serve? How can I use my gifts for the Kingdom?

            The wealthy Philadelphia millionaire Katherine Drexel, who lived in the late 1800s, took a cross-country trip and was very moved by the poverty and the plight of the Native Americans and the free Blacks who suffered under such poverty. In 1886, she took another trip to Rome, where she met with the Pope and told him, “You really must send some priests and nuns to these poor people! They are suffering so much!” And the Pope responded, “Why not you?”

            It was the spark that she needed to give up her wealth and start the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious community of nuns who ran schools, hospitals, and orphanages for Native Americans and Blacks in America. We now know her as St. Katherine Drexel. She was challenged, not just to identify the problem, but to be the solution.

            I can’t tell you how many people say to me things like, “The Church should…” The Church should reach out to young adults. The Church needs better hospitality. The Church needs a ministry to single-parents. Great – so why not start it? You are as much a part of the Church as I am – those who are spiritually mature want to find ways to use their gifts to give, so that we can bear much fruit for Jesus Christ.

            Now, in all of this, I don’t mean to knock Peter. I really love St. Peter – he is my Confirmation saint, and for good reason – because I am very much like him. Far too spiritually immature. But the good news about Peter is that Christ was patient with him until he finally grew into the great saint that Jesus knew he could be. Around 64AD, there was a tremendous fire that broke out in Rome, burning over ¾ of the city. Most likely the Emperor Nero ordered the fire to be lit so that he could have space to build a new palace, but when this news got out, Nero sought to put the blame on the already-disliked Christians, launching a major persecution and putting many Christians to death. Peter had been preaching in Rome, but began to flee the persecution. Very famously, as he was heading out of town on the Appian Way to save his skin, he had a vision of Jesus coming up the road heading into Rome. Peter famously asked, “Domine, quo vadis?” – “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus responded, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter got the hint – it was his cowardice which made him run from suffering – so he turned around and headed back to Rome, where he was arrested for being a follower of Christ. The soldiers wished to crucify him, but he said that he was unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord, so he was crucified upside-down instead. And, hence, Jesus’ prophesy in the Gospel has was fulfilled in Peter’s ultimate self-gift of martyrdom.

            (As an interesting aside, a church was built upon the spot where Peter met Jesus on the road, appropriately named the Church of Domine Quo Vadis. Within that church is a marble slab with two footprints in the marble – and tradition says that these are the footprints of Christ! In case you’re wondering, he wears a size 10).

            So what’s our takeaway? If we wish to have spiritual maturity, we must be steadfast in our spiritual disciplines, obey the Lord in His teachings, and be ready and willing to give. It’s never too early or late to reach spiritual maturity – so whether you’re seven years old or seventy-seven, let’s strive to be mature in Christ, who wishes to call us not “little children” but “friends”.