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”.

Hope Triumphs Over Despair - Easter Homily - April 20, 2025

 

Homily for Easter Sunday

April 20, 2025

Hope Triumphs Over Despair

 

            When I was applying to seminary, I had to meet with the Vocations Director for an interview. As part of the interview, he asked me, “What would you do if archeologists found the Body of Jesus, beyond the shadow of a doubt?” That question struck me as odd, but I recalled a quote I heard somewhere, “If Christ is not raised, then our faith is in vain.” It was only later that I realized I had been quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

            Our Catholic Faith is based upon a historical fact that Jesus Christ got up from the tomb. In Medina, Saudia Arabia, Muslims often go on pilgrimage to visit the tomb of Mohammed, whose body is encased beneath a green dome in a marble sarcophagus. After his death, the body of Buddha was cremated and his relics have been stored in eight locations across India. But no reputable person has ever claimed to have the Body of Jesus – despite the fact that such a find would bring great fame and fortune to the one who would find it!

            The Resurrection of Jesus is historical, but it is an event that reverberates throughout history. We don’t say that Jesus was risen, but that Jesus is risen – present tense. This makes his resurrection unique in human history.

            Many great saints performed miracles that raised people from the dead. For example, there is a delightful story in Acts of the Apostles where St. Paul is preaching in a house on the third floor. His sermon was going on and on, late into the night, and people were getting drowsy. A young boy happened to be sitting in the windowsill to catch the breeze, but he fell asleep and fell right out the window, hitting the ground and dying from the fall! St. Paul went down, prayed over the body of the boy, and then took him by the hand and raised him back to life. Must be the first case of someone dying from boredom in church!

            But there are two major differences between these “raising the dead miracles” and Christ’s Resurrection. First, only Jesus Christ could raise Himself from the dead – the many other stories of people coming back from the dead require another person to perform the miracle on them. Secondly, everyone else received a resuscitation, not a resurrection. The difference is that this boy would resume his normal life, live for a while, and then die again. Jesus Christ, once raised, will never die again. He did not merely resume His ordinary daily life – His Body was so utterly transformed that it was glorious. His Apostles did not recognize Him, so much did His Body change, and He was not limited by time or space, as he was able to walk through locked doors and vanish whenever he wanted. As Pope Benedict XVI puts it, “The Resurrection opens up a new dimension of human existence” – one that we hope to share in.

            And herein lies the practical takeaway to this most remarkable historical event that is not merely in the past but in the present too – we have the opportunity to participate in it, and this colors everything we do. Imagine for a moment two people walking down the road. Same action, same road. But one person is on the way to be crowned king, while another is walking to his execution. What a difference, although the externals are the same! The difference is that one walks with hope and eager expectation, the other walks with dread and despair.

            Although Christians and those without faith do the same actions, we do it with hope and confidence in the final victory of Christ over the grave. We eat and drink, go to work and school, recreate and enjoy life, suffering and struggle – but to people without faith, those actions are just buying time until the ultimate annihilation of the human person. However, people with faith in the Resurrection see these same daily actions as a journey to our ultimate fulfillment when we shall join the Resurrected Christ in a life that never ends.

            It’s the difference between hope and despair – Christians know that life and love win in the end. So we can look at the chaos of our modern world with peace, and take it all in stride – just as the crucifixion wasn’t the end of the story, so our broken world isn’t the end of the story, either. In the Resurrection, Christ is victorious…even over our broken world.

            Two centuries ago, there was a German noblewoman who firmly disbelieved in the Resurrection. She gave orders that her grave was to be sealed shut with a slab of granite on top of it, for large stones on the corners, and iron clamps holding it all together, with an inscription on top that read, “This burial place will never be opened for all eternity.” She wanted to make a bold statement that she did not believe in life’s triumph over death.

            But a little birch tree seed found its way between the side stone and upper slab, and it started to grow…and grow…and force its way under the iron clamps and the granite slab. Over time, the tree’s growth tore the solid grave apart, so that all of the iron and granite are resting upon the trunk of that solid tree, which is large and flourishing. Life triumphs!

            We don’t say that Jesus was risen, but that He is risen. His death is not a mere resuscitation, but a new way of being human – a way that shows the final victory of hope over despair, the final victory of life over death.

Two Trees - Good Friday Homily - April 18, 2025

 

Homily for Good Friday

April 18, 2025

Wood So Dear

 

            In the beginning, there was a tree. This tree produced a powerful fruit, so powerful that it would make man like the gods. In disobedience, man stretched his hand out to this tree – and unleashed a power he was unable to control, that brought untold chaos and suffering down through the ages.

            But in that garden, there was a second tree. This was the Tree of Life, a tree which would make man immortal if he ate of its fruit. When the Fall happened, this Tree was sealed off, lest man be condemned for eternity in his fallen state, full of suffering and tears.

            But the Tree of Life was unsealed today – now, upon this New Tree, do we see a fruit that, if eaten, will make man immortal. The beautiful, broken Body of Christ, the fruit of this Blessed Tree, must be consumed in the Holy Eucharist, bringing with it both forgiveness and immortality. Now we stretch out our hands to another Tree, not in disobedience but in obedience, eating His Flesh because He told us, “Do this in memory of Me.”

            Consider the shape of this Tree. It has one upright branch, connecting Heaven and earth – for now our reconciliation is complete, and in Christ, God and man are reconciled. God has become man and died, so that man may truly become divine, through grace, and live. While the first man tried to become god by his own efforts and Original Sin entered the world, man can now become Godlike through God’s initiative. And the Cross is the trunk of this holy Tree, leading mankind to God and God back to man.

            But this Holy Tree also has a horizontal branch, embracing all of mankind – and showing us that the path to Heaven is marked by love of neighbor. From the vantage point of the Cross, Christ could see all of the human race – and He orders us to love all, without exception, if we wish to draw near to Heaven.

            It is notable that this Cross stretches out in four infinite directions like a compass, showing the universality of Christ’s love. North, south, east, and west are all embraced by Him.

            This Tree is planted in the ground on a hill called Calvary – Golgotha, in Aramaic, which translates to “The Place of the Skull”. The early Church fathers such as Origen and St. Jerome, echoing a more ancient Jewish tradition, hold that the Skull of Adam, the first man, was buried in that very location. In fact, if you were to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built over Calvary, one of the crypt chapels claims to be the burial place of Adam. And you will notice a crack in the rock in the back of the chapel, stained red. When Christ died, an earthquake tore the rock in two – allowing His Precious Blood to flow down upon the skull of the first man. That skull was a visible reminder of the tyranny of death – but now all of us, who labor under the shadow of death, have hope for life everlasting in the Blood that was shed for us.

            Behold the Tree of Life. Do not look upon a dead Man, but look upon a Love stronger than death. Look upon our hope, our victory. Stretch out your heart to the Tree, and find eternal life!

Look at the Cross - Palm Sunday Homily, April 13, 2025

 

Homily for Palm Sunday

April 13, 2025

Look at the Cross

 

            Having just read the Passion and Death of Our Lord, I would like to draw your attention to that most visible sign of His love – the crucifix.

            Look at the Cross, and see the ugliness of sin. Christ hangs disfigured, because sin disfigured you. His face swollen, flesh torn, dripping with blood – because He has born in His flesh what sin has done in your soul. Look upon the ugliness of sin, and sin no more.

            Look at the Cross, and see our example of how to love. From the Cross, those haunting words echo: “Father, forgive them.” On the Cross, His exhaustion gives us strength to love to the end. Behold the greatest example of self-giving love in human history, and hear His words: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

            Look at the Cross, and see the purpose of human suffering. Which one of us has not suffered physical pain, betrayal by friends, mockery, humiliation, rejection, and even felt abandoned by God? Gazing upon the Cross, we see that Christ has suffered all these things before us, and He invites us to unite our sufferings to His for the salvation of the world. Look at the Cross, and help Christ save the world by uniting your sufferings to His.

            Look at the Cross, and see your value and the price paid for your salvation. That which costs the most is always the most valuable, and see how much your soul cost! You are precious in His sight – so precious that He would rather die than spend eternity without you. In those dark moments when you wonder if your life has any meaning, look at the Cross, and see your value to God.

            Look at the Cross, and see the depths of God’s love for you. This is unheard-of – not only does a God take flesh, but a God who dies for the very slaves that spat in His face? A God who adopts those ungrateful slaves and calls them His sons and daughters? His arms stretched wide to embrace humanity, His side opened by a lance to allow you access to the Heart of God – behold the incarnation of St. John’s words, “God…is…love.”

            Our entire Catholic Faith, the ultimate meaning of our life, the mystery of human history, the intimate Heart of God, is revealed to us – if we look at the Cross.

A Debt Paid - Lent 5 - April 6, 2025

 

Homily for Lent 5

April 6, 2025

A Debt Paid

 

            We just read the powerful story of the mercy of Jesus, who did not condemn but pardoned the woman caught in adultery. But it begs the question: why did God command adultery to be punishable by death? This law is in both Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Some have said that God in the Old Testament was a God of unflinching justice, doling out punishment to evildoers, while the God of the New Testament was a gentle, merciful, and loving God. But that’s actually a heresy called Marcionism (Marcion said there were two different Gods, one for the OT and one for the NT). God is quite kind and merciful in the Old Testament, and Jesus can be strict with those who refuse to repent!

            So, how do we explain such a severe punishment for this sin? There are three explanations for it. First, as the great Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor once said, “to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind, you draw large and startling figures.” The Israelites were spiritually blind and deaf. Surrounded by the pagan nations for hundreds of years, they had become numb to their immoral ways - including polygamy and loose morals surrounding marriage. So God needed to “shout” to get their attention: hey, adultery is not acceptable!

            Second, God often uses the physical to reflect the spiritual. Thus, Israel’s slavery in Egypt is a symbol of slavery to sin…crossing the Red Sea into the freedom of the Promised Land is symbolic of baptism, which “drowns” sin and opens the Promised Land of Heaven to us…and the like. So in this case, adultery being punishable by physical death is a symbol that lust is spiritually deadly, without repentance and Confession.

            But third, and most importantly, adultery is punishable by death because all sin is punishable by death - Jesus’ death on the Cross. It says in Scripture that “the wages of sin is death” - if sin means turning our back on God Who is the source of Life, what have we chosen? Death. But Christ could precisely say to that adulterous woman, “I do not condemn you,” knowing that He would be condemned for the sin Himself in a few short weeks, upon the Cross.

            Isn’t this the meaning behind Jesus’ enigmatic action of writing in the dust? What He wrote is anyone’s guess, but some ancient writers conjectured that Jesus was writing the sins of all present in the sand – sins that would be as easy to wipe away as simply as brushing one’s hand against the dust. Once the penalty was paid upon the Cross, all forgiveness could be unleashed, and sins could be wiped away.

            There was an old Tide laundry detergent commercial that illustrated this well. A middle-aged mother had borrowed her teenage daughter’s fashionable shirt, without the daughter’s permission. But while enjoying the night out, the mom spilled something on it. She knew her daughter would be furious – so she had to get the stain out to reconcile the relationship. Tide to the rescue! The shirt returned clean, the relationship restored.

            This adulterous woman’s sin was a scarlet letter upon her, preventing her from being one with God or her fellow believers. Our sin is a blot which also destroys relationships, because our sin shows that we are disobedient and have used God’s gifts of life, health, possessions, and free will very wrongly. Mercy to the rescue! We put our souls in the wash (the Confessional) and come out clean, the relationship restored – because the cleansing detergent is the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.

            And then we live like the redeemed we are. Another example: imagine you are teaching a young person how to build a fire with flint and steel. They need two things: the tools, and the instruction. Instruction without tools would be futile; tools without instruction would be frustrating and doomed to failure. The Cross is the tool – without it, salvation would not happen. And the instruction is what Jesus ends the Gospel with: “Go, and sin no more.” We can’t “go” or “sin no more” without the grace won for us on the Cross, but the Cross is of no avail unless we are willing to go and sin no more. Christ wins the forgiveness, and then teaches us how to live like the forgiven.

            Back in the early 1900s in Paris, two 13-year-old boys were being forced to make their weekly Confession, but this time they wanted to have some fun. They invited their Jewish friend Aaron to play a prank on the priest – he was to make up ridiculous sins in a mock Confession. Aaron readily agreed, and went in to the priest, confessing bizarre and outrageous sins. The priest listened patiently, then said, “I will offer you Absolution, but first you must do something. Go up to the life-sized cross in the church and declare three times, You did all this for me, and I don’t even care. Then come back.”

            The imperious boy marched to the front of the Church, where he said to the crucifix with arrogance, “You did all this for me, and I don’t care!” Then a second time, a little less sure: “You did all this for me…and I don’t care?” Finally a third time he declared, “You did all this…for me.” And he broke down in tears, returned to the priest, and asked for baptism. He was baptized and eventually became the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who died in 2008.

            Adultery was punishable by death because this is the cost of all sin: the death of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. But the stain of sin has been wiped away for those who believe and confess, allowing us a right relationship with the Living God.

Confirmation Homily - April 2, 2025

 

Homily for Confirmation

April 2, 2025

Stand for Something

 

            You are standing…for something. Never forget Who it is you are standing for. You may be seated.

            All of us must take a stand for something. What’s the core of your life that you would live and die for? A priest-friend of mine takes die-hard Yankee to the next level – his ringtone is the famous, “Yankees win!” call. Or perhaps you’ve seen the bumper stickers that say, “Lacrosse is life.” Maybe it’s your family, or a cause you’re passionate about, or making money, or just “enjoying life” – whatever that means – but all of us must take a stand for something.

            I would like to claim that Jesus Christ alone is worth living and dying for – because He has already lived and died for you. The entire reason why God-became-man in Jesus was for love of you…the only reason He died on the Cross was because He loved you…and His love for you has prepared a place in eternal life, just for you. Does money love you? Does lacrosse offer you everlasting life? Only Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, offers what your heart burns for.

            But our response to Jesus Christ must permeate to the depths of our being. It’s not enough to be confirmed, we must live Confirmed. A simple example: Two trees will be standing tall, one healthy tree and one that is hollow inside. But once the wind comes, the healthy tree will continue to stand, while the rotten one will fall. Likewise, today our young people stand tall, professing aloud that they believe in Jesus Christ. But only those whose faith is healthy, who are Christian all the way to their core, will remain standing when the temptations, the peer pressure, the hostile postmodern culture begins to blow. Those who are hollow, who may look like Christians on the outside but inside are empty of Him, will be unable to withstand the storms of life.

            You see, tonight it is easy to stand for Christ. You are surrounded by your family and friends; you will celebrate tonight with a nice dinner and gifts. But there will come a time when it costs everything to stand for Jesus Christ.

            We have such beautiful examples of standing firm for Christ – the inspiring examples of the martyrs, those men and women who fearlessly shed their blood professing that Christ is Lord. The word “martyr” literally means “witness” – they were witnesses to the power of Christ Jesus. One of the early Church martyrs has always stood out to me. St. Polycarp knew St. John the Apostle personally, so he was literally a second-generation Christian. When a major persecution broke out, the Romans wanted to put to death anyone who was connected to the Apostles, and they publicly put Polycarp on the most-wanted list.

            When Polycarp heard this, he was untroubled. He hid out in the home of some friends, spending all night and day in prayer. Someone told the governor of Polycarp’s location, so he was arrested. But the governor had been good friends with the elderly Polycarp, so he prevailed upon him, “My dear friend, come – return to the old Roman gods, for the sake of our friendship.”

            Polycarp replied boldly, “For eighty-six years I have served my Lord, and He has done me no wrong. How can I turn my back on my Savior?” Seeing that peer pressure did not shake him, they tried suffering. The governor warned, “I have wild beasts that I will throw you to.” Polycarp responded, “Call them! What are you waiting for?” So the governor tried again, “If you will not tremble before beasts, I will have you burned.” And the courageous elderly saint said, “You threaten me with fire that burns for an hour, but you know nothing of the eternal fire prepared for those who deny the Lord. Bring on whatever you want – I will not deny Him.” They prepared a fire for him, but as he was placed on it, a most remarkable thing happened. The fire began to form an arch around him, as if he were in the midst of a golden dome, and the fragrant odor of incense came forth from him, until he peacefully gave up his spirit.

            What courage! What strength! He withstood peer pressure, threats, and suffering, because he was rooted in Christ. You never know what you are living for until you know what you would die for – and let us have the courage to be willing to live and die for the One Who lived and died for us!

            Your grandparents might remember that before the 1960s, when young people were Confirmed, the Bishop used to offer a very light slap across the face as part of the Confirmation itself. Sound strange? The whole reason was to emphasize that, as a confirmed Catholic, you must be ready to suffer for Him.

            This strange gesture actually has its roots in the Medieval tradition of conferring knighthood on a man. The Church used to call you, my dear Confirmandi, “soldiers of Christ” – ready to fight with love and truth, willing to withstand anything for your Divine King. In fact, listen to the words of the Catechism on what you are to receive here: “[Confirmation] gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.” Never be ashamed of the Cross – profess the Name of Christ boldly – be a witness with your life and death to the Truth of Jesus Christ and our Catholic Faith.

            My friends, in a few moments you will receive both a gift and a responsibility. The responsibility is that now you must not only follow Christ privately; you must now also stand for Christ, witnessing to Him publicly in your words and deeds. The gift, though, is that God is coming to dwell within your soul with His courage and strength, graces and virtues, to enable you to live that mission well.

            So stand firm. Stand tall. And tonight you receive the Holy Spirit that you may stand for Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – so do not be afraid!

More than our GDP - Lent 4 - March 30, 2025

 

Homily for Lent 4

March 30, 2025

More Than Our GDP

 

            I’d like to make four points about this famous parable of the Prodigal Son, and then tell you a saint story!

            First point. Is a person merely a cog in an economic machine? Is everything reducible to commerce? Or is a person a gift, to be loved and cherished? This dichotomy is a major theme in this parable. We begin, for example, with the younger son asking for the inheritance – to him, his father is merely a bank account – give me what you owe me! More on that later.

            Second point. Where does the son take this money? The words in Greek are quite evocative: chora makra, which literally means “the great emptiness.” It’s not just a foreign country – it’s a place of no return, a vast expanse of emptiness, a deserted wasteland, the limits of human existence. Oh yes, people lived there – but there can be great emptiness and deserted wastelands even in the midst of crowds and parties. Last week in the first reading, God introduced Himself to Moses with the name, “Yahweh: I Am.” God is Being Itself, pure existence. So the farther one gets away from God, the more they are in the “great emptiness” where our human degradation and dissolution creeps upon us, until we are filled with a void.

            Third point – hedonism is boring. Hedonism is the belief that the only thing that matters is pleasure. Of course we think of decadent Roman emperors throwing lavish parties, but it is also the most common philosophy of the world today. I can’t tell you how many young people refuse to pray or attend Mass because “it’s boring.” Since when is “being entertained” the most important value in life? We live in a world with every pleasure at our fingertips at all times.

            But the truth is, hedonism eventually gets old. There are only so many slices of pizza one can eat, only so many impure websites we can look up, only so many vacations we can go on. Eventually it just gets dull. That’s why so many celebrities and rich people are so unhappy: they have every pleasure money can buy, and then find that it won’t buy fulfillment. But we don’t have to be rich to be a hedonist – many regular Americans believe that we should always seek pleasure, no matter what. But that just gets so boring!

            So the young man runs out of money – which brings us back to the first point. Where are his friends? Now that he has no money, they have abandoned him. He was only as good as the parties he could throw. Even when working “for pay”, the owners of the swine refused to give him anything extra. It was nothing but commerce, pure and simple. No relationship, no compassion, no love – just a worthless, utterly replaceable drone in the economic machine.

            Sound familiar? John Paul II says that the opposite of love is not hate – no, it is using. Treating a person as a mere means to an end. No one hated this young man – he had no enemies. But no one loved him, either – he was only a means to an end, totally disposable. Under Communist Russia, Stalin imprisoned about 18 million of his own citizens in the Gulag system, forced to work in inhuman conditions. One of their projects was to build a canal between the White Sea and the Baltic Sea, a 141-mile long canal. One day as it was nearing completion, they dug too close to the sea, and water began rushing through the unfinished canal. The commandants began ordering the prisoners to try to fill the hole with dirt, starting a major wheelbarrow brigade. But the dirt wasn’t coming fast enough to fill the hole, and the canal was in danger of bursting. So the commandants began throwing the prisoners into the water to fill the hole with their bodies. Later they explained their actions: it was hard to get more wheelbarrows, but easy to get more prisoners. A worldview that sees a person as disposable, only as useful as what they can produce.

            What a contrast to his return home! The father embraces him as a person and, rather than requiring repayment, gives gifts. He is given a ring and a cloak, symbols of a rightly-restored relationship. As John Paul II says, “Love is self-gift.” The son is human again – no longer just a faceless employee of a heartless employer, he is a son – a word that designates a relationship, since there is no son without a father!

            Interestingly, this older son also reduces relationship to commerce. See how he argues with his father – I served you, so you owe me a goat to feast on! But the Father brings it back to relationship – I have shared everything I have with you, for I love you.

            Do you see your earthly relationships in economic terms? Sometimes marriages fall into this trap – “I did the chores for the last three days, so I should get to buy the new pair of shoes!” Sometimes kids will play that game with their parents – “Mom, Dad, buy me that new iPhone!” – as if they are owed. Sometimes, our relationship with God becomes one of commercial exchange – “God, I will go to Mass every week if you will heal my mother from cancer.” But love is much more – love is, “How can I lay down my life for you?” Love is “I just want to be in your presence.”

            Fourth point, which is our takeaway. Everything in our relationship with God is gift, pure gift. Our life is a gift. His grace is a gift. And Heaven is a gift, free and unearned. I want to reemphasize this last point most strongly. I am amazed at how many good Catholics tell me, “I think life is a test to see if you’re worthy of Heaven.” My friends, no one is worthy of Heaven, no one! It is completely and totally a gift of God’s grace. Life is not a test, it’s an invitation. God has already purchased Heaven for us with the Blood of Jesus – we claim it by a faith that is lived out in love. I don’t know about you, but I hate tests – and I love invitations. Tests stress me out – what if I do it wrong? What if I don’t pass? Invitations allure, delight – someone loves me and wants to spend time with me! If our faith is a “test” then it becomes a burden, and we fear the test-giver. If our faith is an invitation, then it is a delight and I can’t wait to meet the Divine Inviter! Heaven is a free gift, given to us unearned by a good Father.

            There are a myriad of saints who lived out this parable powerfully, but I’d like to share the story of St. Mary of Egypt. Mary was from a small farming town down the Nile River, but she had heard of the bright lights of the big-city Alexandria – kind of the New York of its day. So at 12 years old, bored with her farm life, she ran away from home and went to Alexandria – and it was quite the experience…until she ran out of money. Not too many economic opportunities for a young girl, so she began to sell her body for money. For ten years she lived this lifestyle, never considering that there was a better way to live. Finally, a group from Alexandria undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and Mary came along – not out of devotion, but simply curiosity. She enjoyed seeing a new land and visiting the churches, but as she was about to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is built over the site of Jesus’ death and burial, suddenly a force prevented her from entering past the doorway. A second time she tried, and couldn’t get past the strange force-field. A third time, same result. She realized it was due to her sinful lifestyle, and was stuck with sorrow. Seeing a statue of Jesus and Mary in the courtyard, she begged for mercy, and tried a fourth time to enter the church – this time, able to go in. She made a good Confession and then heard a voice say to her, “You will find rest in the desert.”

            She made her way to the desert across the Jordan River, and there lived as a hermit in fasting and prayer for twenty years. One day she happened upon a priest, and asked for Holy Communion. She received Communion from him, and that night died of joy. A truly repentant sinner, she is now the patron saint of sinners who seek mercy.

            This prodigal young man saw the world in terms of hedonism and economics – everything was for sale. But this only led to the chora makra – the great emptiness. He was rescued, then, by the free and lavish grace of a Father who restored him to relationship in the house of love. Isn’t that our story, too?