Monday of Holy Week
The election of Pope Francis brought me great joy. Of all the wonderful attributes that he brings to the papacy, I believe that it is his humility and his call for justice which give me the greatest cause for hope. I think that the readings today speak of how we are all called to serve others humbly in order to achieve the justice that God calls us to bring to this world.
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
We Catholics are a little crazy. After all, we eat and drink the body and blood a guy who died two thousand years back but believe that he is alive. We are so crazy that we think that when we read his words that he is actually talking to us. We even think that when we gather in his name he is in our midst even though we do not see him. It is a little spooky but without him being with us there would no reason to get together. And then we break bread and drink wine in his memory but then, it is not just ordinary remembering; rather, we believe that we are actually reliving his death and resurrection. If this has not freaked you out yet, we also believe that those who are yet to come into the world, those who are here and those who have gone before us are all connected in an ‘eternal NOW.” I told you we Catholics are a little crazy!
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
In today’s first reading, the prophet Ezekiel writes of how the LORD God will gather the people of Israel together again from their exile. God promises to heal their divisions, to cleanse them from their sinfulness, and to help them obey His commands. He promises to set up make a new and eternal covenant with them. He promises to make a sanctuary, a place to worship Him properly, that will last forever. As Catholic Christians, although we would acknowledge that the Jewish people may have other legitimate ways that they would see a passage such as this fulfilled in their own history, we interpret this passage primarily as relating to the coming of Jesus and to the establishment of the Church. Much of the passage is understood metaphorically- we do not seek to control a particular piece of land upon the earth but instead to be united to God as one “People of God” who are spread out all over the earth. In our understanding, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist means that God dwells with us constantly in the tabernacles of our various Church communities.
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
It is so ridiculously easy to feel despair, anxiety, and worry. I've been surrounded this week by people who ask: why bother with the church? Isn't Christianity just dying? The "young people" just don't care anymore, they'll say. While I don't think Christianity is (or should be) a numbers game and that Jesus is never "relevant" to cultures, I do worry about being a good evangelist for new generations - especially my own children. I've been surrounded this week, too, by hundreds of stories (literally) about the Steubenville rape trial, its victims, more rape victims in around the world, and rape culture as a whole. Golly - sex and women - we don't treat either very well more often than not.
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Reflecting on today’s gospel reading (John 8: 51-59), I realize that we have the post-resurrection perspective on it. Jesus is accused of being possessed or insane and his life is at risk because what he is saying not only doesn’t make sense, it’s considered blasphemous too. I think about whether or not I would have believed this man, Jesus, if I had heard him saying what he was saying then. Of course, we understand that Jesus was referring to a spiritual death, not a physical death when he said “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.” But it also means eternal life and the eventual resurrection of the body. This past Sunday we heard the gospel reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and next week we will be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And his is a bodily resurrection, not just a spiritual resurrection.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
What if someone else could look at our lives from a vantage point outside of ourselves? Let’s say they could video tape our every move and our every word. What would they find? Would they hear us bad mouthing our neighbor? Would they see us worshiping something other than our Triune God? They might be able to help us realize that our golden statue is something more like materialism. Or maybe it is winning a battle at all costs with little regard for larger outcomes.
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
As a father I often think of my role in promoting the faith of my children. I am delighted when I see my children grow and learning. I want my children to see themselves in relation to God, other people, and all of creation. The scriptures for today talk of the role of St Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the early life of Jesus. They also speak of the role of his faith in his story.
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Several years ago my wife came into the possession of her great-grandfather's bible. Recently seeing it on the shelf of our office, it caught my attention as I suddenly found myself curious of the translation type and the exact publication date. Although I've looked through this nearly 100-year-old bible before, this time I became drawn to all the personal notes and highlights that my wife's great-grandfather had made. On many of the worn, yellowed pages, his fine penmanship filled in the margins on all sides. I found numerous notes, quotations, personal prayers, and even a piece of handwritten music complete with scales and time signatures entitled "My Mother's Bible." I read much of it. From the handwritten inscription on the inside cover to a 5-part definition of what the word "catholic" meant, I saw an unbreakable link between his story and the story of his God. With generations between us, I felt a connection with him founded on a common love of the Lord. And without ever having met him, I felt like I knew him.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Just this last week, I celebrated the last sacraments with six different families and presided at three funerals. So when at the Theology on Tap session last Thursday the young adults asked me to share the best part of my life as a priest, it did not take me too long to answer. The most meaningful aspect of my ministry is also the hardest – praying with those nearing death and their families. Funerals take their toll on me but funerals are also the most hope-filled experience. In spite of the grief, the lifelessness, and the absence that death causes, thanks be to our faith in Jesus Christ, there is a meaning and blessedness in death that cannot be compared to any other experience.
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
In the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, we hear the emphasis on God as the one who knows all: “I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings” (Jer 11:18). Even as a prophet—one who speaks for God—however, Jeremiah struggles to understand what God is telling him. This is especially true when Jeremiah’s expectations contrast with what God tells him. Often, too, the word that God expects Jeremiah to deliver contrasts sharply with the expectations of the people to whom he is called to deliver it. This made for some difficult trials for Jeremiah!
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Like so many Catholics, the last part of this week has been filled with the excitement about the election of the new pope. Habemus papam! I was at work, in a meeting when a colleague knocked on the door and said, "White smoke!" And we all went trotting out to watch Vatican TV on someone's computer. When the name and the man were finally announced, there was a kind of jubilant wonder.
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Here we are, four weeks into Lent, four weeks into the liturgical time of desert and we have a reading from Exodus (32: 7-14) about the Israelites in the desert. In this reading, they have grown impatient waiting for Moses who has gone up Mount Sinai awaiting God’s instructions. In their impatience they make a golden calf to worship. They were not pleased with God, the God of Moses, so they created an idol to make their god.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Recently an archeologist unearthed the “Cylinder of Cyrus”. This artifact is an ancient Persian treasure. This artifact also tell us by what is written upon it that Cyrus, though conqueror, was a benevolent King. On the “Cylinder”, an edict stated, (paraphrase) as your King I want you to know peace. You are no longer slaves and you are free to worship the religion of your ancestors.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
At this point in the season of Lent, I often find myself wishing for a little bit of encouragement. I find myself asking, why am I going through this? What purpose is it serving? How much longer is it going to be before life can return to ‘normal’? The scriptures for today, especially the gospel reading, provide some of this needed encouragement.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Do you ever get tired of seeing the news stories about the Catholic Church? I find I have gotten into the habit of cringing involuntarily each time I see a headline. What new crisis or scandal will it be? Then there are the conversations with fellow Catholics and the interesting conversations with people outside the Church. Even worse is the temptation to discouragement and feeling as though things cannot possibly get better. It can become difficult to see the big picture and navigate these matters from a truthful perspective.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
(I have chosen to depart from my regular style of homilies to adopt a more Ignatian imaginative reflection method. I have tried to put myself in place of the blind man to experience what it must have meant for him to be set free. Please be sure the read the gospel reading before you continue to read.)
I remember this as clearly as the day I first saw light – my parents had taken me to a wise man in my village. I was so nervous. Even my parents were afraid. His voice was gruff. He did not even ask my name. He seemed distant. I could feel the coldness of his hands… and his heart. He touched my eyes and mumbled. His touch felt like dry wood. “It a punishment for sin,” he said. “But we are good people,” my parents protested. “We follow the law and the prophets.” “Go your way, now!” he said, dismissing us. “God does not do this to righteous people. If you did not sin then your ancestors probably did. Don’t waste your time over this blind boy. Sit him down in the market place to beg. May be someone will have mercy on him. And remember to make him look more miserable than he is. He will have a better chance.”
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
The great Catholic fiction writer Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story entitled “Revelation” in which the main character, Mrs. Turpin is a Southern white farmer, who is social, keeps up a nice appearance, and is well-respected. However, a glimpse into Mrs. Turpin’s head shows a different picture:
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
“Listen to my voice,” is God’s command to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading (Jeremiah 7: 23-28) Similarly, we heard a couple of weeks ago in the gospel reading about the Transfiguration of Jesus, God spoke to the disciples on the mountain top about Jesus, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” We hear from Jeremiah that the people did not listen; instead they “walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces” to God. It sounds to me like they were being stubborn, something I’ve found myself being with God at times. Sometimes, like a little kid who wants her own way, not what the parent wants, I have found myself hardening my heart to God and to other people. Sometimes it’s a matter of pride and not wanting to forgive a wrong, other times it’s a matter of thinking that what I want is better than what I hear God trying to tell me about my life.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Today we are challenged to focus on living what our faith teaches. The first reading from Deuteronomy is a prologue of Moses to the people of Israel before he gives them the law. Moses told the people to observe carefully “the statues and decrees” of the Lord. (Dt 4:5) He does this in part to remind the people of Israel what happened to those who had built and worshiped the golden calf. Moses wanted to send God’s chosen ones into the promise land knowing that they would be exposed to people, cultures, and gods that would be foreign to them. He knew they would be tested. Consider the culture to which we ourselves are exposed? How are we being tested? What is our response to those tests? Do we find ourselves praising God and trying harder to more diligently live our mission of faithful discipleship?