Childhood

(The following is a homily given at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church on the Monday of the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 7/27/15)

I may have been the only one who did this – probably not – but when I was a kid, whenever I got in trouble, I’d always try to make up an excuse, and if I could, I’d blame someone else.  It would go something like this:

“Why didn’t you clean your room like I asked?”  Mom would say.  And I’d reply with “Well, you see, I was going to, but then I had to take out the trash and then the dog bit me and then I slipped on a banana peel… and out popped a golden calf!”

I guess my parents knew a little of what I’d be up to when they named me “Aaron…”

Then we have the Gospel.  It reminded me of how parents don’t just come out and say something, but they have to speak in code.  For instance, when I got “the talk” – I ended up being afraid that there was going to be some apocalyptic invasion of birds and bees that would exterminate that human race.

Of course, I was a bit of a dramatic child…

My point in bringing these things up is to show you that we, my friends, are children in the eyes of our God.  We are incomplete, we are weak, and we are needy.  And fortunately, our God understands this.  He forgives us of the sins we commit; He explains to us on simple terms his power and love for us.

He knows that we will be stubborn, afraid, and lonely like the Israelites.  He knows that will be thick-headed, and slow to understand like those who first heard his parables.  And yet he loves us.  And yet he saves us.

We should revel in our childhood, my brothers and sisters, because we are children of God.  Trust in the love he has for us.  Talk with Him in prayer as children who are confident that they will be heard. 

Family-Style Dinners

(The following is a homily given at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK on the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 7/36/15)

 

When I was in seminary, we would have what was call “family-style dinners” every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.  These were dinners that we as a seminary community were required to be at.  Here’s how it would go: After praying Evening Prayer together, we would all make our way to the cafeteria. We would find a place to sit at one of the 30 or so tables and stand in front of our chairs, waiting for the rector to come into the room.  The room would hush as Fr. Rector came into the room and stood at his own chair.  He would then being the Prayer before meals. 

Now most of us are familiar with the main part of this prayer:

 “Bless us oh Lord and these Thy gift which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.”

But there’s actually a lot more to the prayer that I didn’t know until I experience my first family-style dinner.  Before we ever got to this familiar prayer, the Rector would begin with the following words:

“The eyes of all creatures look to you to give them food in due time; you give it to them, they gather it up; you open your hand, they have their fill.” (See Ps. 145)

This line, adapted from our Responsorial Psalm today (Ps. 145) would then be followed by an “Our Father” and then with the familiar prayer we know.  The purpose of having these family-styles dinners was to teach the importance of community and fraternity.  Especially as future priests, we had to come to understand not only the importance of this, but the necessity of it; the essential element community – family -- plays in our faith.

The readings for today speak to this in a couple of ways.   Our first reading (II Kings 4:2-44) presents us with the story of a man coming to Elisha the prophet to offer 20 barley loaves to the LORD.  Elisha tells the man to give them to the people gathered there, but the man protests, saying that it is not enough. 

“How can I set this before a hundred people?” the man asks Elisha.  And indeed this was a reasonable question.  Elisha nonetheless says that it is the Lord’s will, and to do it.  The man does as he is told by the prophet, and everyone has their fill, leaving left-overs.

The important element of this passage is two-fold for us as Christians.  The first is that with obedience to God’s command comes blessing.  As a family of faith that is increasingly counter-cultural, we cannot forget that what we believe and what that belief asks of us is meant for the benefit, not only of us, but for the world.  This is true even when we think that what our faith asks of us is difficult or implausible.  An example of this can be found in the family today where, for very reasonable justifications, wives and husbands are reluctant to stay open to the possibility of children.  They have the mantra of the culture echoing in their minds that to have more than 2.5 children is not only inconvenient but irresponsible; that you couldn’t possibly give the time and the love to a larger family.  Today, many good and faithful Catholics find themselves asking, as the man did today of Elisha: “How can I set myself before such responsibility?”

And yet we have proof of God’s abundance everywhere we look. The very buildings in which we worship speaks to the blessing our God bestows upon those who revere him and take Him for his word.  As our Psalm tells us: “The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth” -- the truth of utter dependence; complete reliance; total trust. The hand of the LORD will feed us; he will answer all our needs.  His justice and generosity know no boundaries.  And for those who look to Him, God gives them what they need, without exception.  It’s up to us to accept this gift, and receive it regardless of our personal doubts or weaknesses.

The second element this Old Testament passage foreshadows is what the Gospel makes clear: the gift of the Eucharist. (John 6:1-15).  Today’s Gospel reading is of Jesus’ great sign of feeding the five thousand.  In it, we are reminded that God is able to use whatever we have to offer, in order to bring His love to the world.  Moreover, he not only uses it, but He makes it into the food that nourishes and sustains the world: the food of Himself.  St. Andrew might have summed up the thoughts of the man in our first reading, and even our own thoughts when he said:

“There [are] five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” (John 6:9) 

We each have our own loaves and fish to offer, but we cannot imagine how God may use them.What good are our weaknesses?  What good are our failings?  What good are our seemingly insignificant achievements?  There is so much work to be done, and what we have to offer seems, at best, to be a trifle, and at worst, a hindrance to God’s generosity.

But what does Jesus do in reply?  “He took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them” (John 6:11).  

What does this mean for us? 

It means that he will take our stale loaves of sin and weakness, our humble fish of incompetence and insufficiency, and he will make them into His Gift to the Father, thereby making this generous gift free and available to the world.  And he will have done it because we were willing to trust in him.

This sixth chapter of John is seen by the Catholic Church as one of the most important Eucharistic passages in the New Testament because in it we see our Lord multiply something seemingly inconsequential and feeds a multitude.  It is here that we recognize what Jesus wants to do for us: to feed us and to bring us into his life and his family.  He shows us that he can use whatever we have in order to bring his Good News to the world.  “Nothing will be wasted” because Jesus picks up the fragments of our lives and makes them whole again.  He takes our brokenness and heals it, so that we can allow him to perform his signs and work his miracles to heal the world.

My brothers and sisters, what we must never forget is that the danger of scandal comes not from the impossibility of God’s miracles, but in our refusal to accept those miracles in our lives – as a family of believers.  If we do not respond – individually, yes, but more importantly as a community of faith – we will be a part of the causes of division and vice that works to break down the Body of Christ.  We become hypocrites, talking the talk of the Good News, but refusing to walk the walk. 

What the Feeding of the Five Thousand tells us is that we are called to bring the gift of Christ – the Good News – to the world TOGETHER and with obedience to our Lord.  This is why St. Paul tells us today that we are

“to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit.” (Eph. 4:1-4)

It is in this sacrifice, this banquet, that we are given the perfect answer to the problem of Christian Unity.  It is in the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ that we find the cohesion that we – as ambassadors of Christ – desperately need  to feed a world that is hungry for the Truth; is thirsty for Real Love; and is yearning for that which will “satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

 Going back to the family-style dinners at my seminary; we would always finish our meal with a prayer.  It goes like this:

“Let all your works praise you O Lord; let all your people bless you.  We give you thanks, Almighty God, for all your gifts.  Give all people the food they need, so that they may join us in giving you thanks.” 

Today may we allow this Eucharistic Sacrifice give the world the food it needs through us.  Let it teach us how to welcome others home to Christ so that they may join us in this Eucharistic feast.

 

 

Fire Walker

Like a flame that dances on the wick of a candle, flashing its light in a dark room like lightning amidst a storm, our lives are meant to radiate with the Truth of God’s love.  We must not be content with merely admiring this flame and its dazzling splendor; we must dare to walk into the fire – be consumed by it’s burning love, and so be used up a fuel to spread that love to the world. 

Let Jesus Have His Way

(The following is a homily given at St. Michael Catholic Church, Goltry OK and St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK on the fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time -- 7/12/15)

In the book of her private writings entitled “Mother Teresa: Come be My Light”, the editor speaks of “the mystery of God’s greatness and [Mother Teresa’s] nothingness [that] had become recurrent in her writing.  Her smallness, an essential element of the way she related to God and to others, had shaped her way of praying and acting, her very life”[1]

This struck me as I was preparing to speak to you today. As we journey through the Scriptures in order to prepare ourselves for the Sacred Mystery of the Eucharist, maybe it will be helpful to consider our own smallness, and God’s greatness.

Our first reading (Am. 1:12-15) does a wonderful job setting us up for this way of thinking.  It is of the book from the Prophet Amos – his call to ministry, in fact. Yet what we hear initially is equivalent to a formal decree of banishment from the priest Amaziah, to whom Amos is conversing.  You see, Amos was a no-body; an outsider.  In fact, Amos tells us very clearly:

“I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.” (Am 7:14). 

Amos is small, and yet God has great plans for him.  Amos goes on to say that “The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people.” (Am. 7:15)

Our Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 85) today continues this theme of God’s greatness, especially within the lives of those who “hear what he proclaims” and “fear him” (Ps. 85).  By doing so, they remove themselves from the picture, so to speak, and allow God to do all the work.  He works his wonders, finally reuniting justice and peace in the Truth of His power and love.  Because the psalmist recognizes humanity’s smallness, he is able to unfold to us the greatness of God’s kindness and the limitless measure of His salvation.

It is in our second reading (Eph. 1:3-10) that we begin to see the importance of our own participation in God’s Greatness.  Yes, we are small; yes we are nothing.  And yet God has ordained that he come to us, be among us, take upon himself our own weakness and frailty, so that we can be lifted above it ourselves.  St. Paul tells us that God chose us – “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4); that he adopted us “through Jesus Christ,” (Eph. 1:5) that he redeemed us and forgave us our transgressions (see Eph. 1:7) – not because we deserved it, or because he was obligated, but simply because he willed it.  Another translation of this text puts it another way:

“such was His will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6, from the Breviary).

Our God loves us!  And he is willing to become small himself to make us great, thereby using us to bring the Good News to the world.

Our Gospel (Mk. 6:7-13) gives us a glimpse of just how God wishes to use us.  Here we see our Lord send the twelve apostles out to preach repentance; to drive out demons; and to cure the sick.  But Jesus doesn’t just tell them to do it; he gives them the authority – his authority – to do all these things (Mk 6:7).  Without his authority, Jesus’ apostles could do nothing.  They were just ordinary men; sinful and weak.  It is the authority Jesus gave them that made them into the pillars of Faith that our Church has relied upon to 2000 years.  It was the strength given to them by the Cornerstone that united their teaching and preaching and healing with the ultimate authority of our Lord. 

Moreover, they themselves had to learn to trust in God’s providence in order to bring the Gospel to the World.  “Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick” our Lord tells them; “– no food, no sack, no money.” (Mk. 6:8) They must trust in God’s greatness to overcome their smallness in these matters.  And when they do, God’s abundance is overflowing.

My brothers and sisters, our readings from Sacred Scripture today show us that when we follow God’s Will in our lives, we have nothing to fear.  Our smallness cannot get in the way of God’s greatness.  But we must trust in God’s love for us.  It is the only way to overcome the fears and anxieties of this world.  It is in trusting our Lord that we come to truly understand ourselves and our God, so that we may willingly unite everything we have and are to Him.

Going back to Mother Teresa, she said something in her writings that speaks to a true understanding of who we are and Who we serve in Christ Jesus:

“I wonder [she says] at His great humility and my smallness – nothingness.  I believe – this is where Jesus and I meet.  – He is everything to me – and I – His own little one – so helpless – so empty – so small – I let him have his way – I accept everything.”[2]

With the words of this saintly woman echoing in our hearts, shall we try to accept what God’s has ordained for us?  Can we let go of the fears and the sins that we hold so dear because they insulate us and protect us from the unknown?  Are we brave enough to “take nothing with us for the journey” to heaven except our trust in God?  If so, than may we receive the mighty power of Christ Jesus, promised to us by our baptism.  May we be strengthened to prophesy to God’s people; to hear what God proclaims, and accept our adoption as Sons and daughters of the Most High.  

Let Jesus have his way in our lives.  Let us accept everything He gives us and allows for us.  In doing so, we will be accepting our own salvation.  Amen.

---

[1] Kolodiejchuk, Brian. Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta" New York: Doubleday, 2007. Pg. 272

 

[2] Kolodiejchuk, pg. 272

Risk to Touch Our Lord

(the following is a homily given at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK on the Monday of the 14th week in Ordinary Time, 7/6/15)

Today, the responsorial psalm and the Gospel really spoke to me.  Psalm 91 is prayed every Sunday night in the Liturgy of the Hours.  It is about the faithfulness of God to those who are found under his protection.  I especially find the last stanza that we heard today of the psalm to be worth remembering:

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress. (Ps. 91:14-15AB)

Then you have our Gospel reading today (Mt 9:18-26), where we are given a “two-fer” – a miracle within a miracle.  The surrounding miracle is that of Jesus bringing the official's girl back to life.  But in the midst of the story of this miracle, we are given the story of the woman suffering from hemorrhages.  And at first glance, it can be a little confusing as to why, as if by accident, these two stories are sandwiched together. 

If we look at the consequences of these miracles, though, we see a beautiful parallel.  You see, in the ancient Jewish world, the woman with the hemorrhages was just as dead as the girl – indeed, she was worse off.  She was perpetually "unclean" ritually, meaning she could never worship in the temple; she could never be around others because by touching her, they would be made ritually unclean as well. 

Both the official of the girl and the woman with the hemorrhage desired to be in the shade of the Almighty – they both clung to the Most High’s promise of deliverance, and they both received the healing and the love from God that they needed. 

This week, I challenge you to find ways to cling to God, so that he can heal you from your sins, protect you from your weaknesses, and love you the way he wants to.  Renew your efforts in prayer; avail yourself of God’s Sacraments, especially of the Eucharist and of Confession.  Our God is a faithful God, and he will never leave us in our distress.  Trust in this, and boldly risk whatever it takes to touch our Lord, and to be touched by Him in return. 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Marriage, and Freedom for Excellence

(the following is a homily given at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid OK on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Independence Day Weekend, 7/5/15)

 

This weekend we celebrate America’s Holiday of Obligation: Independence Day.  It is a day that represents all things American: liberty and equality, apple pie and hotdogs, and of course getting a day off from work (for some of us at least). This day stands for those who have fought and died for the freedom we have from the tyranny of oppression to live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

 This particular Independence Day comes amid a major culture shift in our country.  As most of us are aware, this past week we saw the Supreme Court of the United States officially recognize the union of two people of the same sex as a lawfully sanctioned marriage.  And for many in our country, this is yet another way in which to show how our country embraces true equality.  For others of us, though, it makes us feel as if we are beginning a journey into exile, at least morally.  In the face of hard and resistant hearts, we feel weak and powerless in our resolve to hold to our natural and faith-filled beliefs. 

 As Catholics, we have held and will continue to hold to the stance that marriage is “by its nature the union of one man and one woman” and that this understanding of marriage is “established by God, written into human nature, and [has been] recognized as such for millennia.”[1]

 Our Church tells us that marriage must be based on three things: permanence, faithfulness, and fruitfulness.  In other words, marriage must be based on the total giving of self of one spouse to another.  There can be no holding back, but each spouse must give every facet of who they are to their beloved. 

Our Lord gives us an example of this in his own incarnation, where he came down from heaven in order to give his very Body, Blood, soul and divinity to his bride, the Church.  It is by this example of Christ that those who are called to the vocation of marriage are to live. (CCC 1643)

 But many in our country – those who even may have held the same or similar position as us in years past – no longer agree with this understanding of marriage.  Many today firmly believe that to be free means to live as one pleases, and that to be truly equal means that there should exist no objective distinctions. This freedom of indifference – a freedom based on an individual’s legal license to follow whatever brings him comfort and pleasure – is alive and well in our country, and is leaving us in a kind of exile of morality.

Our first reading (Ez 2:2-5)I think has something to offer us regarding exile.  Ezekiel the prophet ministered to the people of Israel during the Babylonian captivity, from the year 593-573 BC.  In this O/T book, Ezekiel describes at length the growing disregard for the Law of the LORD, pointing to idolatry and neglect of the Temple as proof of this.   

The section we hear today is from the “sending forth” of Ezekiel into his prophetic mission.  He was to go to the Israelites and, through his witness, shown them how to truly live.  Interestingly, Ezekiel is not called to say much of anything to the Israelites, but rather is to live out his faith and thereby be a witness to God’s Will.  Ezekiel’s very presence in the midst of idolatry and defilement is the testimony God desired to show the importance of repentance and returning to the LORD.[2]

 The LORD goes on to warn Ezekiel that the people of Israel would resist him: that he would have to hold fast to God’s Word in order to weather the storms of dissension, misunderstanding, and even hatred.

“And whether they heed or resist – for they are a rebellious house – they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ez. 2:5)    

 The reason for Ezekiel’s effectiveness was the faith he placed in the LORD. He followed God’s call despite overwhelming odds, and the likelihood of rejection.  His faith sustained him even in his personal weakness, and so propelled him to be a prophetic witness to the people of Israel, even though they didn’t want it.

 Does this sound any different from our own circumstances? 

Faith gives us the ability to overcome the rebellion and obstinacy of those to which we are called to bring the Good News.  Yet if we fail to receive the gift of faith in our lives, we ourselves end up rejecting the truth of the Gospel because it does not conform to our personal understandings or desires.  This is what Ezekiel’s prophecy highlights for us, and it is the standard to which we are called to hold fast.

 My brothers and sisters, strengthened by Faith, we are called to witness to the Truth in our lives, regardless of the consequences.  As human beings, we are called to love, and to love is to give freely and completely to others.  Considering the recent news regarding marriage – and not forgetting the ages-long struggle for marriage in general – our society has shown that their working definition of love is very different from the one given to us by our Lord.  It is an individualistic and selfish definition, focused on bringing the maximum amount of physical and emotion comfort. 

 This is a definition we must strive against – for we know the truth of Love; we experience it when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist; we experience it when we are absolved of our sins in confession; we experience it when we witness the love of a man and woman joined in covenant for life; when we hear the cries of new-born babes as they are ushered into this world and baptized for the next, and we experience it when we see the tears in the eyes of mourners at a funeral as they send off the faithful departed into the loving embrace of our Lord and our God.    

 It is to this that we must witness.   We must hold to the truths revealed to us by God through our natures and through the experience of our faith, thereby becoming witnesses to the Truth for a world in desperate need for such witness.

 You know, the Greek word for witness is “μαρτυρέω” (martureo) from which we get our word “martyr.”  On this Independence Day weekend, maybe our God is asking us, in some way, to fight for, and if need be, to die for a lasting freedom for excellence, and an enduring Independence from the tyranny of sin, so that God may bring us all – from sea to shining sea – to live in the Land of Promise, our eternal homeland, where He Himself lives reigns forever and ever. 

Amen.

---

[1] Archbishop Coakley Statement on Supreme Court Ruling for Same-Sex Marriage, http://www.archokc.org/top-news/5514-archbishop-coakley-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-for-same-sex-marriage

[2] Leclerc, Thomas L. Introduction to the  Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings and Scrolls. New York: Paulist Press, 2007.  Pg 282