Lent 4 - March 26, 2017

Homily for Lent 4

March 26, 2017

Seeing Life As God Sees It

 

            One of the first things a college freshman learns in their Introductory of Philosophy class is Plato’s famous “Allegory of the Cave”. Plato tells us to imagine a group of people who had been chained in a cave since birth. They have never seen the outside world, but they see shadows on the wall in front of them – shadows of moving figures, people, animals, objects. Since they don’t know any better, they think that these shadows are the real world.

            Plato then tells us to imagine that someone is released from the cave and allowed to see the world outside – at first, the light hurts his eyes. He sees even less because of how much light there is. But once his eyes begin to adjust, he starts to see things clearly – wonderful things, greater than he’s ever imagined. The free man can then return to his friends in the cave and tell them of the marvelous world outside of their miserable cage.

            This famous allegory is also true in the spiritual life. Jesus criticizes these Pharisees for being blind – yes, they have visual sight, but they do not see the world as it truly is – as God sees it. The blind man, on the other hand, is able to recognize Jesus as God (notice how he worships Him at the end), and therefore has truly seen reality, not just shadows.

            One time when I was running a youth program, there was a young man named Matt who went from someone who didn’t care about God to being a fervent, daily-Rosary-praying Catholic high schooler. One day I took him aside and asked him what made him so on-fire with love for Jesus, and I’ll never forget his reply – he said, “I felt like I was living life half-asleep, and now I’m finally awake.” Once he discovered God and started passionately following Him, the rest of the world made sense and he was able to see, clearly, for the first time.

            As C.S. Lewis put it, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." It’s because of our faith in Christ and His Church that we see everything else about life clearly. Let me give you three examples of ways in which our faith views things clearly, while the world obscures it.

            First, family life. The world often looks at marriage as a contract – you give me something, I give you something. I’ll give you happiness if you give me happiness, but if you stop giving me happiness, then you’ve broken the contract, and we can walk away, no questions asked. But Christ gives us a different, clearer view of marriage – it is not a contract, but a covenant: a sacred bond between two people, a Sacrament that gives grace, for the dual purposes of helping each other get to Heaven and raising kids to follow Christ. Faith sees kids, not as a burden to be planned out, but as a gift from God to be received with joy and trust. Which view of family life have you been operating under – the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            Second, work and money. The world tells us that success is measured in dollar signs. We work so that we can make as much money as possible so we can buy nice things for ourselves and take expensive vacations. But Christ gives us a different, clearer view of work and money. He says, through His Church, that work is meant to glorify God by developing our talents. We work to serve our brothers and sisters. Money, then, is not for our pleasure alone but is entrusted to us by God to be used to take care of those less fortunate. Which view of work and money have you been operating under – the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            Third, life and death. The world tells us that death is the worst thing in the world, and we should avoid it at all costs. Look at all the superhero movies – they all are fighting to keep the world alive, as if death was an unspeakable tragedy! But for Christians, death is not a tragedy but a passageway to a new and more abundant life. Death is not the worst thing – sin is the true tragedy, since sin separates us from God. It’s because of faith that St. Dominic Savio could take as his motto, “Death rather than sin!” It’s because of faith that St. Jose Sanchez del Rio could choose to be martyred rather than spit on a crucifix and live. For Christians, we realize that this life is temporary and that Heaven is far better. So how do you view life and death – through the world’s view, or Christ’s view?

            If we are still viewing things through the world’s view, then we are only seeing shadows and images of the Truth, not the real thing. Once we start to view life through God’s eyes – as it has been taught to us through the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church – then we will truly see clearly as we see the world as it really is!

Homily for Lent 3 - March 19, 2017

Homily for Lent 3

March 19, 2017

Hungry and Thirsty

 

            Back in 1944 as World War II was ending, many places in Europe experienced starvation on a mass scale. Realizing that there was really no scientific understanding of how starvation could be prevented or how to help people recover from famine, a doctor named Ancel Keys decided he needed to study this. He recruited 36 men – all of whom were conscientious objectors to the war, but who wanted to help the cause in a non-military way – to participate in a year-long study about starvation.

            It was called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. For six months, these men were starved. They ate only half of their usual daily calories, losing 25% of their body weight. They were amazed at the psychological changes that happened: during this six-month period, their thoughts were mainly all about food! They fantasized about it, talked to each other about it, savored every tiny meal they were allowed. The starving men found it hard to think about anything else. Dr. Keys was amazed at how much their lives revolved around the one thing they lacked: food!

            The one thing the men were allowed to have unlimitedly was coffee and gum. As a substitute for food, some men reported chewing up to 30 packs of gum per day, or drinking over 15 cups of black coffee! Since they couldn’t have food, they tried to make up for it with substitutes – ultimately empty, though, since they didn’t satisfy them.

            Why am I talking about starvation? Because just as our bodies were designed to run on food and water, our souls were designed to run on an intimate union with God. Nothing else will satisfy us. We thirst for Him – but often we don’t know it.

            This woman comes to meet Jesus at a well – she wants to satisfy her physical thirst because she doesn’t yet realize her spiritual thirst. Oh, she’s been thirsty all right. Thirsting for love – which is why she’s gone through six different men trying to find the love she’s longed for all along.

            Jesus asks her for a drink, not because He is thirsty, but because He wants to make an exchange – He will take her water if she will drink from Him, the Living Water. They begin speaking, and she recognizes that He is a prophet. She starts to recognize her thirst for God, so she asks Him about the proper way to worship. He tells her that she will someday soon be able to worship God in spirit and truth, and she affirms that she does believe in the Messiah. When Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah, her thirst is finally quenched – she knows that in and through Jesus Christ, all can drink deeply of the love of God.

            But how deeply are you aware that you are thirsting for God? We don’t often think about food until we are starving – then we can think of nothing BUT food! We often don’t think about God – perhaps we need to be starving, we need to be thirsty, we need to increase our desire for God! We will only find Him when we desperately desire Him!

            Unfortunately, much like the men who tried to satisfy their craving for food with gum and coffee, we often try to fill our desire for God with things that won’t satisfy. We distract ourselves with TV and the internet and our iPhones. We look for love in sinful relationships. We seek approval from our boss, our friends, our spouse, instead of seeking to love the Lord first. We allow our hobbies and sports to fill our lives with such busyness that we can’t desire the Lord.

            My friends, God will only be found by those who hunger and thirst for Him alone. He won’t come into your soul if you only give Him a half-hearted welcome. Rather, let’s stir up our desire for Him, a holy longing to be in friendship with Him. Thirst for His presence in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures. What you desire will determine your choices and your life. Burn with desire for Him, and you will find Him.

Homily for Lent 2 - March 12, 2017

Homily for Lent 2

March 12, 2017

Soldier for Christ

 

            There was once a young man named Martin whose father was a famous soldier in the Roman empire. Growing up, military life is all young Martin knew, so at eighteen years old he joined the military. At the same time he began to be intrigued by Christianity, and finally decided to become a Christian. At the time, the process to become a Christian took several years, and he embarked on the journey with the same enthusiasm he brought to the battlefield.

            When he was 20, he was riding his horse one day when he encountered a poor beggar who was shivering from cold. Moved with pity, he took off his cloak, sliced it in half with his sword, and gave half to the poor man. That night, he had a dream where Christ appeared to him, wearing the half of the cloak he had given to the poor man. When he woke up, his faith was kindled in a deeper way. He went to his commander and told him, “I am a soldier for Christ – I can no longer fight in battle.” (In this, he was the first conscientious objector in history!). He then left the army and began fighting for a different king – fighting for Christ, for souls – as he became a priest and a bishop of Tours, France.

            That idea of being a “soldier for Christ” used to be more common in the Church. Many of you remember that at your confirmation, the Bishop used to give you a gentle slap on the cheek – to make you aware of the need to fight and suffer for Christ.

I was thinking of this image while hearing St. Paul’s words in today’s Second Reading – “Bear your share of hardships for the Gospel.” Soldiers bear all sorts of hardships. They sometimes have to sleep on the battlefield. They risk their lives, facing injury and even death. They are deprived of good food, comfort, and their families. And – if they are good soldiers – they bear all of these difficulties with courage because they remember the reason why they are fighting. Many soldiers would bring pictures of their family and friends with them onto the battlefield, to remind them of why they are enduring such sufferings.

My friends, one must be willing to endure sufferings if you want to follow Jesus Christ. Recently a friend of mine told his parents that he would be joining seminary, since he felt that God was calling him to become a priest. His parents, who don’t have much faith, were so angered by his decision that they fought him and they promised him they would never support his decision. Evan as he carries the burden of his family’s lack of support, he knows that he has to set his face towards the Lord and be unmoved, courageous as a soldier for Christ.

I love playing paintball, which is like being a soldier but with no chance of death! When we play paintball, before the round starts, every team makes a plan – we’re going to go here, run there, cover this building, make a mad dash to their flag. But when the battle actually starts, a lot of times there’s so much craziness and unexpected things happen, and all we can do is keep our goal in mind – reach the flag. If that goal is unshakeable, then we can do courageous things like run into a line of fire, or dive into a trench while being shot at.

In the same way, we all know what we must do to be saints. We must pray, we must practice virtue, we must practice acts of charity. We often make plans to do just that – but then life becomes a chaotic battle! Our day becomes unexpected, we get a flat tire or the kids start getting whiny, there’s an unexpected problem at work or someone picks a fight with us. Only if we keep our eyes on the goal can we press forward in this spiritual battle, and the goal is to be close to Christ, to be holy, to be in Heaven with Him. Focus on this one thing, and you will be a successful soldier for Christ!

Jesus is trying to tell His Apostles the same thing. They have this magnificent vision of Him transfigured in glory – but then He tells them that He will be crucified, rejected, beaten, put to death. Jesus is telling them, “When the battle rages and you are tempted to doubt, to lose faith, to deny Me, to sin – at that time, keep your eyes on Me!”

My friends, if you want to be holy, if you want to be saints, be prepared to do battle. Not a battle of guns, but a battle in the spiritual realm – which is equally as real, and even more deadly, because eternities hang in the balance! But as we fight, as we suffer, as we pray and sacrifice and conquer our temptations through His grace, we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ who has already won the victory!

First Sunday of Lent - March 5, 2017

Homily for Lent 1

March 5, 2017

In The Beginning

 

            Geneologies are fascinating, and they can help us understand who we are today. I’ve been able to trace my family back to the 1600s to an ancestor named Jacob Gull, who was from northern Germany. Knowing that I come from Germany helps me to understand why I need things neat and orderly in my life, and why I’m not a big hugger (seriously, when my family gets together, we never kiss and only rarely hug, even with my mom!). Looking back to the beginning reveals how we got to where we are.

            Today’s first reading goes all the way back to the beginning – to creation and the Fall. Let’s take a look at this story in a deeper way, to help reveal a lot about the human race.

            The Lord God formed man from dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This past Wednesday, as ashes donned your foreheads, you heard those words, “Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” We are not immortal – we are weak, frail, “earthen vessels” (as St. Paul puts it). Although we have a soul and are created in His image and likeness, we are also weak, made from dust, and corruptible. We must remember our frailty – and use that remembrance to rely more fully upon the Lord.

            The serpent said to the woman…The word in Hebrew is “nahash” – dragon. This was a fearful creature! The devil is absolutely real – he is a fallen angel, of much greater intelligence and strength than us human beings. He hates God, and because God loves us, the devil hates us too. He wants to lead us into rebellion against our Father, as he himself has already rebelled.

            …”Did God really tell you not to eat of any tree of the garden?” Look what the devil is doing here – he is sowing doubt. The Evil One wants us to think that God is not truly good, that our happiness is not found in following God but in doing our own will. Eve is beginning to be swayed; she responds, “God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” But wait – God never said not to touch it, just not to eat it. Why did Eve go one step further? Because she was starting to believe that God’s laws were unreasonable, ridiculous, too harsh. How many times have we thought that?

            But the serpent said, “You shall not die!” Yes, technically true, when we sin we do not die physically, but do we not die spiritually? Doesn’t sin take away the peace, the grace, the life of God within us? We must remember that the devil tells us lies in temptations – saying, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter…oh, everything will be fine…” when in reality, sin does kill us, from the inside out.

            The serpent said, “For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.” Wait a second! Weren’t we already created in God’s image and likeness? Yes, we were! The devil attacks our identity – he says things like, “If you want to be popular…if you want to be a real man…if you want to be cool, then commit this sin.” But our deepest identity is that we belong to Jesus Christ, ransomed by His blood, forgiven and made a new creation. Stand on that identity!

            “You will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In the ancient Jewish world, “knowledge” was so much more than just intelligence. Knowledge meant “experience” – like when the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Savior and she responded, “I do not know man”, she meant that she had never had the physical experience of being with a man. Obviously she knew men – she had met them before – but she had never experienced one. In the same way, Eve didn’t just want to know about evil – she wanted to experience it, from the inside out. We ourselves should keep ourselves free from experiencing evil. Innocence is a beautiful, if underused, virtue – we should protect ourselves from experiencing evil, and we will be much happier!

            The woman saw that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and was to be desired to make one wise. Tasty, beautiful, and sophisticated – the exact three temptations that Jesus faced. Jesus was challenged to make stones into bread, satisfying physical pleasure. The devil tried to offer Jesus the glory and gold of the world – tempting Him with riches and worldly beauty. Finally, the devil tried to get Him to arrogantly jump off the temple, defying God – making Him so filled with the pride of the world that He could tell God what to do. We are also faced with these same temptations – pleasure, riches, and pride – and we have to be cautious!

            The eyes of both were open, and they realized they were naked. Before sin, their innocence protected them. They never even considered sinning against each other. But now that innocence is gone, they began to use and abuse each other – most notably here using each other for physical pleasure. Loss of innocence means division, conflict, hatred, and separation!

            Now, with all of this, one is likely to say – “Wow, the human race sure is in a sorry state!” But St. Paul puts it best in the second reading when he says, “Although death entered the world through one man (Adam), life was purchased through one man (Jesus).” We can have hope because Jesus has conquered temptation, sin, and death! We read about the original sin because it helps reveal a lot about human nature – how we are made from dust, how easily we doubt God and doubt our own identity as His beloved children, how we are tempted by the devil to sin and division. But ultimately temptation and sin is not the final word. If we are in Christ – through faith, Sacraments, living in His Word and following His commands, we can overcome these temptations through Christ living in us.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 12, 2017

Ordinary Time 6

February 12, 2017

Maximum for Love

 

            I’m a big outdoors guy, and over the years the gear has gotten pretty spiffy. Recently there’s been a trend of “minimalist” camping – bring basically nothing but a tarp and some granola bars and you’re good to go (okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration). Hikers are always looking for – what’s the least I can bring?

            Or, there’s also the trend of minimalist living. My cousin is part of the “tiny house movement” – her house has only 440 square feet for five people, three cats, and a hamster. It is so small that their kitchen table folds up and their son’s bed doubles as their playroom! This minimalist movement is all about having the least impact on the environment and becoming less attached to material goods.

            So, minimalism is great in many aspects of human life. But one place where minimalism is not good is in our daily walk with Christ. And yet that is precisely where many people practice minimalism.

            Many people ask themselves, “What is the least I have to do and still get to Heaven?” Minimalism asks, “What is the least I have to do to be Catholic?” But this is based on a false understanding of our faith. It sees God as a divine teacher who is giving His children a test, and we’re just trying to ask what the passing grade is.

            But what if our faith was not a test but a relationship? What if this life was not about just trying to make it to Heaven by the skin of our teeth, but about being a truly excellent human being in imitation of Christ?

            Jesus completely blows minimalism out of the water. He says, don’t just avoid murder, but avoid even growing angry with your brother. Don’t just avoid adultery, but live a life of purity and faithfulness to your spouse. Don’t just avoid false oaths, but live so honestly that no oaths are needed.

            This type of holiness seems impossible. But in a word, Jesus asks us to imitate Him – a Man perfectly holy, perfectly virtuous. And He will give us the grace to do so – if we seek Him.

There, perhaps, is the rub. Why should we strive for holiness? Because we love Him and He loves us. No other reason will suffice. I would hope that a husband who loves his wife doesn’t think, “Gosh, what’s the least I can do so she won’t divorce me?” That would be a pretty unhealthy relationship! Rather, a husband should think, “What’s the most I can do to bless and serve my wife?” THAT is what love is.

So, are you living your faith as a minimalist or a lover of God? Is your faith all about passing a test or growing a relationship with the Lord? Here are some signs of a minimalistic faith: if we are satisfied just being “good” people, but not holy people; if we only pray when we need something, and not to get to know the Lord; if we ask how late we can get to Mass and still have it “count”; if we think to ourselves “how far can I go before something becomes a sin?”

A lover of God, on the other hand, wants to be holy. They seek God daily in His Word and in daily prayer; they look forward to Mass and don’t dread it; they don’t want to merely avoid sin but to grow in virtue.

One time when I was working with a middle school youth group, I remember a kid said to me, “If I want to get to Heaven, I have to avoid sin, so I think I’ll just lock myself in my room and have my parents slip pizza under the door so I can avoid sinning.” I had to laugh – yes, avoiding sin is critical, but that is the minimum – we then have to develop virtue, in imitation of Christ!

My friends, Jesus takes the bare-minimum of the Ten Commandments and deepens them, calling us to a life of virtue. For those who are lovers of God, this is no burden at all – but a privilege and a joy to live like Christ!

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 5, 2017

Homily for February 5, 2017

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Live the Light

 

            Jesus tells us to be salt and light, but He does so in a way that should seem absurd to us – like it seemed absurd to first-century Jews. Everyone knows that salt can’t lose its saltiness. That just doesn’t happen. Have you ever put salt on your food and, after tasting it, said, “Man, that salt just isn’t packing a punch…it must have lost its saltiness!” Of course not – that doesn’t happen! Salt never loses its flavor. Jesus’ listeners – and us – should laugh at its absurdity!

            He goes on to talk about lighting a lamp and then putting it under a basket – crazy, right? It would be completely absurd, and no one would do that! What a waste of time and energy, to light a lamp and then make sure it’s not seen. Crazy, right?

            Both tasteless salt and darkened light don’t make any sense – just like it wouldn’t make any sense for someone to be called a disciple of Jesus without living like a disciple of Jesus. Such a Christian would be good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot, the Lord says.

            St. Catherine of Siena said, “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” In other words, if you really are a disciple and don’t just claim to be one, then your life will change the world.

            I was reminded of this as I was reading the life of Rachel Scott, a young teen whose life was tragically ended on April 20, 1999. She was the first one to be killed in the Columbine high school shooting – according to eyewitnesses, the gunmen asked if she believed in God. She replied, “You know I do,” to which the gunman responded, “Then go be with Him.” She was then shot to death, testifying to her faith in Christ.

            But after her death, reports started to surface of all of the lives she touched. Some of her fellow students who had been bullied spoke about how Rachel had spoken up for them and befriended them. One student who was considered an outcast said, “All my life I just wanted someone to love me…and then God sent me [Rachel]”. Rachel wrote in her private journal that her mission was to “reach the unreachable” by showing them love. She even wrote a prayer for those two boys who would end up killing her. Her legacy continues to live on, as her father started an organization called Rachel’s Challenge which seeks to end bullying in school, and a movie just came out about her life and martyrdom (called “I’m Not Ashamed”).

            From one girl who was willing to take her Christian faith seriously and actually live it out, hundreds upon thousands of lives were touched and impacted. Yes, she suffered for her faith – she wrote in her journal that her five best friends started distancing themselves from her and mocking her because she was starting to live more for Christ – but ultimately the love of Christ won out. Her funeral, televised on CNN, was watched by more people than the funeral of Princess Diana – because this young girl showed the world the face of Christ by her life and her love.

            My friends, the world is tired of self-professed Christians who are really only self-centered Christians. Gandhi was once asked by a reporter, “You quote the words of Christ so often – why do you reject Christianity?” And Gandhi replied, “I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” In other words, he refused to become a Christian because Christians didn’t act like Christ!

            Imagine a world where Christians forgave one another…where they stayed faithful to their vows…where they sacrificed for each other…where they radiated joy and peace…where they prayed faithfully…where they lived pure lives…where they went out of their way to say hello to their neighbors. Imagine a world where you and I did these things – with God’s grace, we can!

            Flavorless salt and darkened light is an absurdity. So is a believer in Christ who is not living like Him.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 29, 2017

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2017

Humility Before God

 

            A millionaire was hosting a banquet and he invited many of his friends and associates. The dinner conversation turned to religion, and the rich man began to scoff at the value of it. He said, “I have everything I need – if I am ever in need of anything, I have the money to buy it. Why would I need to pray to God? What could God give me that I don’t have?”

            One of the men there, a devout believer, replied, “There is one thing that you might pray for.”

            “What’s that?” asked the rich man.

            He replied, “You might pray for humility.”

            If there was one virtue that God cherishes the most, it is humility. Recognizing our need for and dependence upon Him. Pride makes ourselves into a god – but humility recognizes that there is a God, and I am not Him!

            Recently I was sent a video which was, unfortunately, showed in the Greenwich public schools as part of the 8^th grade social studies curriculum. This video was discussing the causes of poverty in the world, and the narrator noted that all of the poorest countries in the world had the highest rate of religion, while the richest countries were the least religious. The video erroneously concluded that for poor countries to get richer, they ought to abandon religion which, as they said, focused only on Heaven and never focused on improving the lives of those on earth.

            Not only is that conclusion wrong, it also misses the real link between religion and wealth. I believe that the poorest countries are religious because they are steeped in humility – they recognize their utter dependence on God, even for their daily bread. By contrast, the richest countries are the least religious because when we grow in wealth and self-sufficiency, it is easy to become prideful and start to think that we are our own saviors, that we are our own gods.

            In some sense, I think this is why God allows us to undergo trials and suffering. When we are in a hospital bed, it’s hard to be prideful. When we are struggling financially, it’s hard to rely upon our own efforts. Trials keep us humble – and humility is pleasing to the Lord!

            Our readings today talk about God’s exclusive preference for the humble. Only if we are poor enough will God give us the riches of His grace; only if we are foolish enough will He fill us with His wisdom. If we are too full of ourselves, we cannot be filled with Him!

            There is a wonderful story of St. Augustine who had to learn humility the hard way. He had been struggling, for some time, to understand the mystery of the Trinity. He just couldn’t fathom how there could be three persons in one God. He spent days and days pondering this mystery. Finally, in frustration that he couldn’t figure it out, he went for a walk along the seashore. While doing so, he saw a young boy trying to pour water into a hole he dug in the sand. Back and forth the boy went – he would fill up his bucket from the ocean, then go back to the hole and dump out the water, before returning to the ocean again.

            After watching for some time, Augustine asked, “What are you doing?”

            The boy replied, “I am trying to empty the ocean into this hole!”

            Augustine laughed and said, “That’s impossible! The ocean is much too large to fit into that hole.”

            To which the boy replied, “It is easier for me to fit the ocean into that hole than for you to figure out the mystery of the Trinity.”

            Augustine realized he had been seeing an angel, who gave him a great dose of humility that day!

            So what does humility look like in our relationship with God? For one thing, it means that we pray like our life depended on it – because it does! God is not merely a crutch but our very life-breath, our only hope. As a drowning man is desperate for a gasp of air, so our souls should do anything for a breath of God.

            When we pray, too, we must accept God’s ways and His will. We often want to know answers – why did bad things happen, why did my life have to turn out this way. It’s natural to ask these questions, but humility demands that we must trust God when He does things we do not understand. As a priest once said in a funeral homily, “All of us are asking why this young man was killed in the prime of his life – but I believe that Heaven will be one big time of exclaiming, Oh, so THAT’S why You did that, Lord!” We humbly trust that God’s plan is bigger and better than ours.

            Humility realizes that we are sinners. We are never more humble – and never more pleasing to the Lord – than when we are on our knees in the confessional, recognizing our weaknesses and begging from Him the strength to be holy.

            It also means that we humbly accept the teachings of the Lord through His Church. The difference between the disciples and the Pharisees is that the disciples were willing to be taught, while the Pharisees, in their pride, refused to hear Him. I always cringe when I hear someone say, “I disagree with what the Church teaches about X” – because that is a type of veiled pride. It says, “I know better than two thousand years of the holiest and wisest people who ever walked the earth, and I know better than the Church that Christ Himself guaranteed would never fail.” When faced with a teaching we don’t understand, we can question it, we can study it, we wrestle with it – and ultimately we ought to submit to it out of humility.

            My friends, humility is the virtue that pleases God the most. We may fail in charity, but God can forgive that. We may struggle with lust or greed or laziness, but God can forgive that. But God can only rescue a person who is humble.