The Dual Nature of Water

(The following is a homily given at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK on the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 6-19-16)

Reading 1 Zec 12:10-11; 13:1

Responsorial Psalm Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Reading 2 Gal 3:26-29

Gospel Lk 9:18-24

The readings today made me think of water… and made me thirsty. 

Water is an important element to our existence.  Water cleans us; hydrates us.  It makes up the majority of our bodies; it covers approximately 71% of the earth’s surface.  And yet we can have too much of a good thing.  Although nearly every lifeform needs water, they can also be killed by it.  Fresh-water fish cannot survive in salt water, and vice versa.  We ourselves can only survive underwater without an air supply for around 5 minutes before suffocating.  We have also experienced natural disasters where the main culprit is water, such as floods or tsunamis.  Water – by its nature, can bring life and death.

In a way, our readings discuss this dual nature of water.  Our first reading, for instance, is a prophesy of the death of Christ, the one “whom they have pierced” who will act as a catalyst for God’s purification.  Through him, God will “pour out” upon the house of David his Spirit of grace and petition, and he will act as a cleansing fountain of repentance (see 1st reading).  We know as Christians that Jesus was pierced on the Cross, and that blood and water flowed from his side, showing us – even in his death – that God wishes to cleanse us and bring us to new life.

Then we have our responsorial psalm.  This psalm speaks of the deep-seated yearning of our spirits for the only thing that can truly satisfy our longings.  Our God who blesses us, keeps us in existence, nourishes and protects us.  And we seek to know him more and more.  This thirst for God reminds us that without him, our souls are arid deserts, “parched, lifeless and without water”, unable to sustain life (see RP).

Our second reading gives the idea of water a particularly Christian twist.  Here, we learn that we are “all children of God in Christ Jesus,” no longer identified by our previous way of living or our backgrounds, but instead by the saving and purifying waters of baptism, which clothe us in Christ by making us a part of his body the Church (see 2nd Reading).  Here we come to understand on a spiritual level the dual nature of water, where here we die in the waters of baptism to our old selves and rise from them as new creatures, living not simply for ourselves but for Christ who lives within us.

Finally, our Gospel.  Interestingly, it doesn’t speak about water much.  At all really. But the message it speaks to us is linked to our previous readings.  Here we learn about Jesus’ identity as the “Christ of God” and the “Son of Man.”  Coming from God, He has within himself life unending.  He is life.  But by becoming man, he gives himself the ability to die.  Not a pointless death, but a death that will bring that limitless life to those who believe in him.  Like water, then, Jesus shows us that he has taken upon himself dual natures – both of which are essential to our existence, and yet also capable of killing us. 

The question for us, brothers and sisters, is whether or not we are willing to live by dying.  Are we ready to take up the saving and life-giving crosses we have been asked to bear by our baptisms so that we can kill the sin in us and rise up new.  Will we allow the cleansing waters that gush forth from the pierced side of Christ envelope us, cleanse us, kill us, and bring us back to life?  It’s a risk, and may even sound crazy.  But the world is thirsty, and the only way it can take a drink is if we have emptied ourselves of our sin and – as Baptized Children of God – been filled with God’s waters of mercy.

The Reaction of Mercy

(The following is a homily given at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid, on the 11 Sunday in Ordinary Time -- 6/12/16)

Reading 1 2 Sm 12:7-10, 13

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

Reading 2 Gal 2:16, 19-21

Gospel Lk 7:36—8:3

As I prayed over our readings for today, I kept being confronted with the idea of action and reaction.  The readings show us how this natural law plays out in our life of faith, particularly, in the idea that the action of acknowledging our sinfulness is vital to bring about the reaction of God’s Mercy. 

Our first reading starts us off with the story of Nathan the prophet confronting King David after David had committed adultery with Uriah’s wife Beersheba and subsequently had Uriah killed by placing him at the front lines of battle with the Ammonites.  Despite all the blessings that had been placed upon David, he had chosen to act upon his passions, sinning against God.  Because of this, Nathan prophesies the reaction: that “the sword shall never depart from [David’s] house” but that it would eventually come to define him and his family, leading to his destruction. (see 1^st reading)  In response, David shows remorse and says: “I have sinned against the LORD.” (Ibid)  With these simple words – and with the not-as-simple acknowledgement of and repentance for sin – David resets the clock, so to speak.  Nathan replies – “the LORD, on his part, has forgiven your sin”.(Ibid)  Interestingly, however, the consequences for David’s sin are not removed.  He must still face the suffering that his actions have set in motion, learning to rely on God’s strength to get him through.

This points to something very important about forgiveness.  Forgiveness does not negate consequences.  The Lord is very ready to offer his forgiveness, but that does not meant that the suffering that comes about because of sin will go away.  Suffering will continue to linger, telling us that something bad has happened in our lives because of the fallen world we live in.  We don’t have to be the direct cause of the suffering like David was to feel its effects in our lives, and oftentimes we’re not.  What is important for us to learn is how we can give our suffering purpose by relying of God strength to endure. 

Acknowledging that suffering is a consequence of sin helps us to start that process, but that alone is not enough.  It is not enough because we know at our core that we were not made to suffer.  Our creator did not design us to endure suffering any more than he designed us to sin, and so our nature, while naturally inclined to sin – and so suffering -- now fights against itself to try to retrieve what it has lost.

This action of the struggle brings about the reaction of God’s response – and that response is Jesus Christ.  In Christ we are given the ability to take on the strength of God through his suffering on the Cross, where the action of sin was met with a reaction: the reaction of Mercy.

My brothers and sister, the suffering of Christ on the Cross continues in His body the Church to this day. This is how we may continue to suffer yet be assured that our suffering – whatever it may be – can mean sharing in the redemption of the world.  We as members of His Body the Church, renew St. Paul’s words today by being “crucified with Christ; yet we live, no longer ourselves, but Christ lives in us.” (2^nd reading).

Acknowledging the action of our sin gives us the greatest reaction we could possibly hope for in the Mercy of God.  May we continue to cling to the faith of Christ which saves us, and so bring its peace to those who have yet to acknowledge the struggle waged within each of us (see Gospel).  May we become for the world God’s reaction of mercy.

"Do Whatever He Tells You"

(The following is a homily given on the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK, 1/17/16)

Reading 1 Is 62:1-5

Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:4-11

Gospel Jn 2:1-11

“Do whatever he tells you.” 

These are powerful words.  They are words that are simple, yet direct.  They don’t mess around.  They cannot be misinterpreted. 

“Do whatever he tells you.”

So, the logical question becomes: “What is Christ telling us to do?”

From all of our readings today, I think its fair to say that we get the message of trust.  Turst in God’s ability to save us from our forsakenness and desolation (see 1^st reading); trust in the spirit’s ability to endow us with his gifts (see 2^nd Reading); trust in Christ’s ability to change the circumstances in which we find ourselves (see Gospel reading).  “Trust me,” our Lord says to us today, “and you will be unable to stay silent about my love for you!”  “Trust me,” he tells us, “and you will be incapable to remaining quiet about my endless mercy!”

All because you will come to know Him, and love Him, and so want to serve him in the way he has asked us as his army of saints.  He will ask some of us to bring healing, some of us to perform mighty deeds, some of us to prophesy, some of us to proclaim the Gospel in various tongues.  He will ask some to pray, some to mourn, some to overcome adversity, some to be the littlest of flowers in his divine garden.  And tells us all to trust.

What better example could we have than in our Blessed Mother, who today shows us what it means to trust?  With unconditional trust the ability of her Son to change the anxiety of the wedding party into joy, she instructs the servers to follow Jesus’ command.  She could not have known exactly what her son would do, but the faith she placed in her Son gave her the confidence not to have to know, thus showing us the quality of true belief.

Our Lady shows us that our faith in Crist is based on an inherent trust.  We can only be faithful to the things that Jesus asks of us through His Church if we trust in Jesus’ love for us.  This can oftentimes be marred by the very imperfect elements of the Church, but these human scars cannot detract from the divine reality of God’s love for us and his desire that we be truly happy. 

This bring us the notion of the “rules” we follow as believers.  Many think that the morality that the Church expounds is an archaic devise to keep the minions under the thumbs of the hierarchy.  But that cannot be further from the truth.  Christ ordained that he bring the Good News to the world through the frail and weak hands of us.  Through our weakness, we are able to amplify God’s strength – to channel it so as to bring his love to the world.  We channel God’s strength by recognizing our weaknesses for what they are – insufficiency, brokenness, sinfulness.  It is not in our reveling in, justification of, or denial of the truth of these weaknesses that God speaks his love, but rather in our willingness to be vulnerable to the intimate healing power of God for the world to see His strength. 

The code of morality we live by helps us do this.  It does not pretend to make excuses for our struggles, nor does it condemn us for the crosses we bare.  No, it empowers us to carry our cross; it encourages us to think of the hour of fulfillment, in which we will lay our crosses and our crowns at the feet of Jesus.  It is the way in which we echo our Blessed Mother, and we “do whatever” Jesus tells us to do, knowing that, even in the most challenging acts of obedience we might face, we will be given the strength we need to bring glory and praise to our creator.

This is our purpose, my brothers and sisters.  This is our charge by which we take possession of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are reconciled to Him, and so given the privilege of feasting on the banquet of his Body and Blood.  By doing whatever Christ tells us, we are made complete, whole, and united to our passionate lover, our intimate friend, and our merciful God. 

The Great Transition of "Yes"

(The following is a homily given on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK, 1/10/16)

Reading 1 Is 42:1-4, 6-7

Responsorial Psalm Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

Reading 2 Acts 10:34-38

Gospel Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

Over the past couple of weeks, we have rejoiced in the coming of our savior, who was born to us by lowly means in order to bring us to the heights of heaven.  We have heralded the Prince of Peace with the shepherds and the angels.  We have seen the salvation prepared for every people with Simeon and Ann as Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple.  We have brought our paltry gifts before the King of Kings with the magi. 

But this moment – the baptism of the Lord – marks for us a transition, for it is here that Jesus is manifested to the world as the beloved Son of God, and gives a public “yes” to his mission.

This is important for us because it is here that Christ sets a precedent for his followers.  Here he blesses the waters of baptism, and makes this sacrament the gateway for all believers into eternal glory.  He shows us the path to exultation, and it is a path of humility and obedience to the will of the Father.

In his baptism in the Jordan, Our Lord gives testimony to what the prophet Isaiah and the Psalmist foretold, that the path to God is through service and trust. God’s servant is upheld as an example of holiness.  God’s chosen one gives delight to God as a beacon of obedience.  The very Son of God gives his father glory and praise through selflessness. (see first reading and Responsorial Psalm)

In this most radical act of humility, Christ forges a path for his followers to take; a path that is a covenant between God and man, symbolically sealed by water, but truly sealed by his blood that he will shed on Good Friday.

Since this pivotal moment, his Church has been entrusted to bring the message of salvation to every corner of the world by means of the sacrament of baptism.  As Christ tells his disciples in his great commission of the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Go, makes disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19)  It is here that he shows us that he is a God who “shows no partiality,” but wishes to bring salvation to anyone who would receive it. (see second reading)

By baptism, we are made sons and daughters of God.  We are this not because we somehow add to the number of siblings Christ had on earth, but by the fact that we become a part of his Body, the Church.   This is why the Church has always preached a Gospel of baptism – dying to ourselves, being buried in the cleansing waters of the sacrament, and rising to new life in Christ.

The baptism offered by Christ though his church is different from that of his predecessor John because it is more than a cleansing.  We see this in how John describes the two baptisms: “I am baptizing you with water, but … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (see Gospel reading)

Water is a symbol of cleansing.  It takes away the grime and filth that has built up on that which is cleansed.  But fire is also a symbol of cleansing.  The difference is that the cleansing offered by fire is a purification.  Like gold being refined in a furnace, the baptism of the Lord not only cleanses us physically, but transforms us into a completely new and redeemed creation. 

You see, my brothers and sisters, the sacrament of baptism, by which we become God’s children in a unique way, is the gift of our adoption in Christ.  This means that when we hear God speak of his “beloved” in whom he is well pleased (see Gospel Reading), he is speaking about us by virtue of our participation in the Body of Christ.  I have become his beloved son; you become his beloved daughter; not because we deserve it, but because Christ Jesus paved a path of love for us, and when he asked us to follow him, we said “yes.”

We said “yes” to him, through our baptism; we said “yes” to him in confession; and we say “yes” to him at this altar.  Yes to conversion; yes to repentance; yes to faith and hope and charity.

We are asked to help our world say “yes” to our God through the white robes of baptism we wear within our souls.  May we, then, give our assent to this journey before us.  It is a journey paved with humility and obedience.  And its destination is nothing less than eternal glory.

Another Way to Follow

(The following is a homily given on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid OK, 1/3/16)

Reading 1 Is 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel Mt 2:1-12

The Epiphany of the Lord is an event for which all of us here should be grateful.  It marks the time in which the Lord made known to the world that his Gospel was not simply for the Jewish people, but for every single human being.  

As Christians, we take joy in the fact that the darkness of sin and ignorance has been overcome by the LORD because he has given anyone who choses him the ability to carry his light (see 1st reading).  In our first reading, the LORD tells the Jewish people through Isaiah that His light has come to dwell within them, making them beacons for the world around them to follow.  Because the LORD has shown on them, “nations shall walk by [their] light”, becoming like sons and daughters following the guidance of their parents.

And has this not been the case?  Did not our own ancestors, who came from the different regions of the world, not end up following the light first kindled in the Jewish people?  Indeed, as the Psalmist tells us today, “every nation [has come] to adore” the Lord (see Res. Ps.), and it is because of the Love of Christ. 

Our second reading gives us the great consolation that everyone – Jew and Gentile – are meant to be “coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the Promise of Christ” (see 2nd reading) through the Good News.  This is the importance of the Magi for us.  They show us that God became Man to save men and women of every time and place.  They give witness to what it takes to receive his gift of salvation. 

In the Gospel we hear that these men – of noble birth and of great importance within their own time and place, “prostrated themselves and did [Jesus] homage.  Then they opened their treasures and offered” them to Jesus (see Gospel).  In humility and sacrifice, they not only pay homage, but give allegiance to the King of Kings.  The actions of the magi uncover for us the price of redemption. Our ability to receive the gifts God has so lavishly set before us is contingent upon our willingness to bring to the Lord what we hold onto in exchange.  That means that we must be willing to let go of our treasure of prejudice, our wealth of fear, and our abundance of sins.  Until we let go of these things, we will be unable to grasp God’s love for us.  We will instead use the tools we have in our hands to see the world. 

We will judge the worthiness of others to be loved; we will fear the power of others; we will fall prey to the temptations that surround us.  In so doing, will inherently judge our own worthiness of love; we will fear our own weakness; and we will perpetuate the conditions needed for our temptations to thrive. 

My brothers and sisters, we must let go of the things which bind us to this place of sin and death.  We must trust in God’s ability to show us another way to follow, and so come to live in a different and better place – our true homeland which has been prepared for us as Children of God, and so coheirs with Christ. 

May this Epiphany of the LORD awaken within us a greater love and appreciation for Him who has paid the price for the redemption us all as well as a burning desire to follow His path, not ours.  May we use that same drive allow Christ to bring everyone into God’s loving embrace.

The Truth of Things

(The following is a homily given to the Enid Catholic Community on the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas (12/25/15)

Tonight we celebrate the sacred mystery of God-made-Man – The birth of Christ.  And in so doing, we celebrate the truth of things.     

Tonight the wickedness of the earth is destroyed; the Savior of the world has come to reign over us. (see Alleluia for vigil).  God proclaims to us good news of great joy that our Savior is born for us. (see Alleluia for midnight), and that a holy day has dawned upon us, beckoning us to adore the great light who has come upon the earth (see alleluia for day Mass).  And this is the truth of things.

In the bustle of buying gifts that will rust or decay; in the onslaught of what this world thinks the “holiday season” is about – namely that we get along and be friendly; in the hopes dashed by disappointment or the dreams crushed by superficiality and greed – we find ourselves called to celebrate in the truth of things.

In doing so, we celebrate all of the truth.  Not just the niceties of the season, but the reason for such a scandalous season as this.  And make no mistake – this is scandalous.  That God would humiliate himself by taking on the nature of dust in comparison to His Glory is utterly scandalous.  And yet, this is the truth of things.

This is the truth that our fallen world wishes that we would forget.  If we forget the stakes to which Our God loves us, it is easier to say “no” to Him.  It is easier to dismiss our universal call to holiness.  It is easier to say “maybe next Sunday I’ll go to Mass.  Maybe next month I’ll go to confession.  Maybe next year I’ll ‘try to be a better person’” – whatever that might mean.

You see, our fallen world wishes for us to be blind to the glorious gift we have been given, and for which we celebrate tonight.  It wants us to think that Christmas is all about the lights, the presents, the family get-togethers, the music.  It wants us to think of Jesus as the porcelain doll in the wooden crate we bring out this time of year, and then put back its crate for safe keeping the rest of the year.

In the end, our fallen world wants us to forget that this glorious night represents a preparation for us as it was for Christ.  This night marks the true beginning of that which we will come to celebrate in a few months; an event that is even more scandalous than God becoming Man; an event at which the angels of God, which tonight sing glorious praise, will be hushed with awe and wonder; an event of scandalous love for a fallen world: the Passion, death, and resurrection of him who tonight we are called to accept into our hearts.

My brothers and sisters, tonight is not only a memorial of the dawning of Light in our fallen world some 2 thousand years ago.  Tonight is meant to prod us on in our journey of faith to welcome that same light into our very souls.  It is meant to dispel the darkness within us, to cast out our fears, and to teach us how to join the angels in praising God. 

This is the truth of things.  It is a truth that gives us the power to become children of God.  It is a truth that gives us the strength to proclaim from the highest height the glad tidings of Salvation (see Is 52).  And it is a truth that fills us with the grace of one word: love.

May the truth of God’s Love, which has been so scandalously lavished upon us in the Person of Christ Jesus, be celebrated by us tonight and always.  

Amen.

Five Simple Words

(The following is a homily given to the Catholic Community of Enid on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 12/08/15)

Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Reading 2 Eph 1:3-6, 11-12

Gospel Lk 1:26-38

Today we celebrate a doctrine, summed up in five simple words, that has paved a way to salvation for us.  Five simple words which speak to us about the extraordinary Grace of God; of the humility of his most beautiful masterpiece of creations; and speak to who God is for those who believe in Him, and who we can be if we say “yes” to God.

Five simple words – “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

The Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary was a belief held by the church since late antiquity, but it had not been made officially dogma until Pope Pius IX did so in the year 1854. 

This dogma helps us understand how Mary could have been exempt from the stain of original sin.  It tells us that “by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ,” Mary had been freed of the debt of original sin before it came due for her.  It shows us that she was just as in need of the redemption of her son as we are, but precisely because she was to be the Mother of God, she was to receive her redemption in advance so as to “make straight the path of the Lord.” (see John 1:23)

But when Our Lady came to a 14-year-old peasant girl in France named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, she qualified the statement.  Bernadette had asked her for a name, not knowing who the “beautiful lady” was who visited her near the waters of the Pau River.  Finally, she received these five words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

By saying this, Our Lady unlocked for us not only how she had been freed of original sin, but why.  Our Lady’s very identity – her very existence -- comes from the extraordinary gift of grace given to her by God from the moment she came to be. She had not simply been immaculately conceived, as if receiving a token of friendship with our God, or removing a dirty garment.  No: she is born of grace.  She is the masterpiece of God’s handiwork.  And she points to what we are called to be as well.

My brothers and sisters, The Immaculate Conception is the person of the Blessed Virgin, redeemed by the blood of her savior and her son.  She calls her children to share in this gift of redemption by recognizing Who bestows such grace.  Our Lady did not save us.  That was not her role, nor was it within her capacity to fill. What our Lady did do is say “yes” to God (see Lk 1:378), and so pave a way for us to follow to salvation. 

May we follow the way she has paved for us.  May we recognize in her a sign which points us to Christ Jesus, who is our brother by his human nature given to him through his Mother, and who is our God by his nature as the only Begotten Son of the Most High.