ALL SAINTS - November 1st

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  You are called to be a saint!  And you need not leave the world to do it.  You need not leave worldly occupations to become a saint.  This is part of the message of All Saints day, celebrated every November 1st.  This feast day celebrates all saints, which includes those who we are saints in heaven yet were not canonized as such on earth.  This is the whole company of those whose faces see the Divine glory in heaven, who gaze upon the face of the Son.  What sunlight - to see reflected through them as through a stained-glass window the beauty and disarming gentleness of the saints, who come to us from all walks of life - from the ordained to the professed to the layperson.  When they come marching in - do you want to be in that number?

Over the Hump (...of Summer)

As we inch closer and closer to September my spidey senses tell me that its time to get planning and organizing for the upcoming months, the start of religious ed, confirmation preparation, the rite of Christian initiation, fundraisers, fall suppers, 50th anniversary celebrations and the like.  However,  I am fortunate to have a priest cover a weekend for me (the newly ordained Fr. Owen Burns) which opens up some dedicated down-time.  With the things brewing on September's horizon I'm tempted to stay in the trenches but I've decided I will enjoy the time of respite that has been given - thank you God! - and thank you Fr. Owen!  and visit with friends and family - because that is what summer's rest is about.  And then I'll return to the saddle refreshed and renewed to 'go for it'.  Now is the time to do it - because like it or not - we're over the hump and cascading toward September!   :) 

Bearing Witness Amid Hostility

15^th Sunday in OrdinaryTime – Year B                                                                       

July 15, 2012

Read Amos 7:12-15. 

Here we see a showdown between the king’s court and Amos the prophet of God.

Amos’ words were a stern warning to the king and his court. 

 -  Punishment  - Banished into exile.

Amos was from the southern part of the kingdom–conquered by the north. 

God tells him to go to the North and tell them to mend their ways - or else.

Amos arrives after a tiresome, dangerous journey to deliver God’s message– the unlikely shepherd-prophet from the south squares off against the king’s court.  

As he gazes upon his audience, what does he see?  Looks of indifference, boredom, many more with cold contempt –sneers - smiles that hide the true thoughts of the heart...and what does he hear? a few snickers some snide, stage whispers – mocking remarks....a palpable atmosphere of disrespect.

How many more audiences like this would the Apostles face? 

Today’s Gospel they receive their mandate from Jesus.  It is demanding.  Read Mark 6:7-13.  Nothing but trust in the Savior and the authority given them over unclean spirits and to heal the sick (which might be the same thing).  They were to be without means so as to trust in God.  And to lean on the hospitality of those they met.  They preached repentance.  Preached a message of warning, of invitation, of sin and redemption through the name of Jesus.  If they were not welcomed they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on to the next place. 

How will their journey go? 

Some will welcome the 12 apostles, as do today. 

Demons and illness will be dispelled. 

These who welcome them echo the words of the psalmist:

I will hear what God proclaims – the Lord – for he proclaims peace

his salvation is near to those who fear him

As Saint Paul points out in today’s reading “In him we were also chosen...we who first hoped in Christ” and we have been “sealed with the (...) holy Spirit” which buoys us up because it is God’s gift to us – an inheritance that is ours through baptism. 

What is it then that stymies us, that makes us give up so quickly, in sharing the message with others? - In giving ourselves more completely to the work of evangelization?  In telling others of Christ...In asking pardon for our sins...

Most believers do not have to bear the burden having no extra tunic, no food, no sack, no money in your belts - rather our share of food is taken care of, there is some money in our belts, and sacks of potatoes or bird seed even (in our basements).  But our task is to evangelize.  After all, as St. Paul points out – we have been redeemed by His blood, we have the forgiveness of our sins, and grace that he has lavished upon us.  We are to welcome this grace asking God to help us to receive the grace we need.  While some are called to be missionaries and some to be priests and full time prophets, most are called to home ministry.  Building up their families, being beacons of forgiveness and light, people who seek ways to speak about God and opportunities to pray alone and with others.  We have our own hostile crowds to face, but we are to give it our best shot...and by times, we will have to shake the dust off our feet and move on to the next situation remembering that the battle has been won by Christ and that we don’t receive the big reward until the last day. 

These words were written in an air-conditioned room and delivered in a sweltering, heat-wave-Saturday-night parish.  O well, it could be worse.  We could be standing in Amos’ shoes, or the apostles, as they give their last will and testimony to their faith in Christ.  Peter and Paul gave the ultimate witness to their faith in God and love for the Church.  Peter was crucified on a Roman hillside and Paul executed by the sword in Emperor Nero’s circus.  I’d take a sweltering church over execution any day. 

Brothers and sisters, let us pray for those situations and individuals who God has called us to witness to, that his light shine on us and give us understanding and patience.  And let us too, overcooked though we may be, cry out with the psalmist:

I will hear what God proclaims – the Lord – for he proclaims peace

his salvation is near to those who fear him

Truth is truth even when nobody believes it. 

Error is error even when everyone believes it. 

                                - Servant of God, Fulton Sheen

The Most Holy Trinity

Sunday Mass (homily)

June 02, 2012

“O God, come to my assistance.  Lord, make haste to help me.”

If the Holy Mass is celebrated with charity and devotion, it renews even the most soured souls.  Timid souls breathe new life.  Desperate souls find comfort and hope, oppressed souls are set free, angry souls begin to love. 

This evening, Saturday, as we move toward the Lord’s Day, Sunday, and the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – let us ask our Blessed Mother Mary for the new wine that will make our lips exultant to tell the marvels of God to those around us -our families, friends, fellow parishioners, to our parish priests, to the young and to the old, the rich and the poor, the popular and the lonely, in short, to spread the Gospel as God has called us to do.

To speak on the Trinity can be a daunting task.  It reminds me of a young Polish priest, speaking in very broken English to his parish: “The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is a great mystery...If I speak on it – it will be even greater mystery.”  Yet the Holy Trinity is the ground on which the rest of our faith rests.  It is the 'sun' at the center of the solar system of faith. 

The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity states that God is a unity of three persons – we hear this doctrine from Jesus own mouth, “Go therefore and baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is God, The Father is God, and the Holy Spirit is God – these are the three persons of the One God.  And that God wants to be brought to the nations “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations”.  The truth of God’s love is not to be kept in a corner or hidden away.  Instead, God here entrusts his apostles “Go therefore, and make disciples”.  How can this happen in our day in our little part of the earth? 

The first thing that Paul tells the Romans (and us) is to remember who you are, as he says, “You are not slaves to fear but adopted sons of God”. How often our minds hemorrhage in angst and uncertainty – we forget that we are adopted children of God.  We forget that Jesus is with us “until the end of the age” – in other words, he is with us forever!  So, remember who you are.  Secondly, says Paul, remember who GOD is... “You can cry out ‘Abba, Father’ and you will be helped.”  Think of the most basic prayer – the Our Father – we pray it every Mass.  We ask for our daily bread – the things we need.  But do we think to honor the Most Blessed Trinity and pray with the infectious courage of the psalmist in psalm 33:  “See the eyes of the Lord are upon those who hope for his kindness, He is our help and our shield.”  The psalmist remembers that the Most Holy Trinity is a saving God, one who is our help in time of trial.  Can we pray like that, placing our hope in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, even when we faces storms, divisions, and a lack of understanding?  The answer is YES.  How?  The psalmist answers this too, his peace comes to those souls who “wait for the Lord”. 

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.  We are naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.  We should like to skip the intermediate stages.  We are impatiend of being on the way to something unknown, something new.  And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long time.  (Pierre Teillard Chardin, SJ).

The feast of the Most Holy Trinity stands at the heart of the Christian faith.  God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and has given us the task/commission/call – to preach his gospel to the ends of the earth – while being a member of His Body – the body of Christ – in union with the whole Church and under the care of Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.  We must always strive to follow the faith of the Church, which has been handed down through the ages.  It is a faith built on the witness of the Apostles, with doctrines derived from Jesus own words and the apostles’ teaching.  We must choose to be obedient to her counsels, especially resisting the temptation to fashion our practice of religion in our own image...as Moses puts it, “You must keep the Lord’s statutes and commandments and ordinances” so that you and your children and grandchildren might have life.  The 'teaching of teachings' is on the Most Holy Trinity and it shows how important to the Catholic Church is – the hierarchy – the teaching authority.  It is an essential element.  This authority is challenged even within the Church, even by those who purport to be among her faithful servants.  Were it not for the teaching authority of the Church there would be no faith! Be on your guard against those who would lead you away from the Church’s teaching – tickling our ears with ‘up to date’ ways of being Church – which amounts to little more than imitating the society with its permissiveness.  That we believe in the Trinity is important.  But equally important is to understand that our faith is underguirded by the teaching authority of the Church = as handed down by the apostles.  Just as Moses handed down the law to the Israelites, after reminding them of God’s great love...so too the Church guides us down the moral alleyways of today: abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage, women priesthood.  In rejecting what is contrary to the Gospel we hold fast to the truth.  In holding fast to the Church we endure the scorn of those who, through ignorance or bold-faced intolerance, reject those who embrace the teachings of Christ.  But for we who believe the trajectory is clear: ‘Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them’ in the name of the blessed Trinity – in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Baptize them in the sacraments of the Catholic church.   Hold fast to her teachings.  And remember that I will be with you always, until the end of the age.

Amen. 

Doors of Faith

(Homily) 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2012

Our faith may be the size of the mustard seed but during this year its going to blossom.

Brothers and sisters, we have entered through the doors of the Church, which are the doors of faith, a symbol of baptism – and we have gathered here to nourish the tender branch of our faith - allowing Him to plant in us seeds of faith and to root out, as a good gardener, all that hinders us on the path to holiness.  If our faith remains only an outward duty devoid of contact with the person of Jesus Christ, it bears no fruit.  If we encounter Jesus through our celebration of the sacraments, through Mass and our daily prayer –we come close to His heart – and become his disciples.  This, of course, is not our own doing, but is God’s doing.  We are reminded of this fact by the Gospel acclamation: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to Him will live forever.”  Since we all ‘must appear before the judgment seat of Christ’ – the word of God applies to all of us without exception – to the strong as well as the weak in faith.  So let us listen as He speaks.  Let us not block His words but instead make use of them to gauge honestly our progress in the faith. 

The materials used to build a Church are like those used in any other building: the nails, the beams, the foundation.  But Church doors remain shut until the Bishop comes and sanctifies it for worship at a special Mass.  This event happened here in Marysville 50 years ago – an event that will be celebrated in October this year.  Once this act of consecration is accomplished the Church doors give access the sacraments of eternal life. The doors of the Church give access to the heavenly kingdom – which is why an atmosphere of prayer is maintained, usually with very hushed voices.  The first of these sacraments – these seeds of faith – is baptism.  It is through baptism, watered by the faith of their parents, that children receive the gift of adoption by God the Father.  Through baptism God – the steadfast gardener – grafts us onto Christ.  It has been a pleasure to see 10 souls welcomed in this way through baptism this year.  Coming through the doors of the Church before baptism they were creatures of God – leaving the Church after baptism they are children of God.  These ten are added to the hundreds who have been baptized here over the past 50 years.  In fact, some of you here have received your baptism here, or your children.  Pray that the faith in God encountered in this small church not fail to elicit a response in all hearts to “give thanks to the Lord” and to keep holy the Sunday Sabbath day.  A life devoid of Sunday Mass is a life devoid of the God’s fullness.  Without the root of faith nurtured in our liturgy, religious practice withers and we soon confuse the doors of the Church for those of the hockey rink, movie theatre and shopping mall.  I, your priest, share in your concern for those who are not here, who do not practice their faith.  I feel compassion for the pain you feel when you encourage a spouse or family member and repeatedly fail.  I am aware of how much of a struggle it can be for those with teens especially to come to Church, but this I encourage you to continue to do as your duty before God for as long as they are in your care. 

There is a profound crisis of faith experienced among many today, yet through his love,

Jesus Christ attracts to himself the people of every generation, [to whom] he entrusts the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new.

- Benedict XVI

As the Church we are to ‘follow His footsteps wherever He goes in search of souls’ – Mother Teresa.  To this end Our Lady of Fatima is going in search of souls by opening up her doors to celebrate the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  We were donated an icon of Our Lady by a parishioner and we will use it in our communal prayer.  Also, this year we will open our doors to hungry souls in a few months at the fall supper.  We will celebrate a special anniversary Mass.  We will invite seekers who want to know more about the Catholic faith into our living rooms and share the faith.  We will invite youth to participate in confirmation preparation and we will need teachers to continue offering religious education.  Finally, we will also take up a Year of Faith – beginning in October and going until the following November, as requested by the Holy Father Pope Benedict.  Through many varied ways we will attempt to recover the basic faith as presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church to strengthen ourselves in faith, feeding our minds with the wisdom of our intellectual and historical traditions.  These seeds will be planted - as to assessing their effectiveness and growth - we leave this to God.  In the words of Mother Teresa, “God asks not for success, only faithfulness.”  Think about this during the summer break.

The kingdom of God, symbolized by the mustard tree with the birds in it, depicts for us a place of inclusion where all the nations are gathered in.  This is a symbol of the Church, which gathers men and women from all cultures and nations.  Yet they are united by the faith expressed by the Church, especially as outlined by the Creed.  Without a defined doctrine of beliefs our unity in Christ would devolve into a country club of convenience.  Instead, it is our faith as enunciated by our Church tradition that keeps us together and helps us yield ‘good fruit’.  It is this sound and sure teaching that guides us as Catholics to reject euthanasia as a violation of the dignity of the human person – despite increasing support in the wider society as witnessed in British Columbia this past week. 

As we move towards this Year of Faith I realize the Door of Faith must be opened wide and the truth proclaimed welcome or unwelcome.  I know that some of you face opposition in the workplace or family situations because you are a Catholic who takes your faith seriously.  I know some of you are intimidated by the bullying atheism of our day, who are troubled by the rejection of the Christian values you assumed were universal.  There are many such places of confusion and uncertainty owing to our time and place in history.  But I am assured by faith in Christ that we are not left orphaned or alone.  I believe if we seek Christ with hearts open and purified, there is no doubt that we will encounter His presence – alive and ever new.  His word is the seed, He sows it in our hearts.  It may seem like nothing is happening, it may seem insignificant, but this is the pattern of His way of doing things – and the end is not yet.  Believers, says St. Augustine, “strengthen themselves by believing”.  May God help us to be believers – and to accompany us as we seek to find the right path towards the ‘door of faith.’

HAPPY FEET

            During her recent visit my mother said something to the effect that its just plain wrong not to soak up the summer while it is here.  But for some reason I prefer the shade and the cool offered by my office.  It’s catch up day here at the rectory – a Monday.  Mondays are my quiet time - they offer an opportunity to step away from the regular hum-drum.  Although today I’ve answered every phone call and washed and put away dishes – its usually an opportunity to catch up on rest or to get outdoors.  That said, on hot days I prefer to be curled like a nesting reptile – sheepishly soaking in the cool draft that oozes from the air conditioner. 

            Today nothing of the sort is needed – just a little shade from the midday sun.  I gaze occasionally out the window at the greenery of the trees, full and lush with sunlight.  I hear the drone of a lawnmower down the block.  But I can’t help but notice the restlessness in my being, as though I were in a soupy fog, being tugged more by circumstance than charting my course. 

            I’m on call this week at the hospital so I’m taking in this lovely June day in my collar and black dress pants with comfy dress shoes.  I suppose I could change into shorts and a t-shirt.  Instead, I’ll stay on duty as I attempt to keep my mind focused.

            I’m surprised that this is the first time I’ve blogged this year.  At this rate I’m averaging 2 posts per year.  For some reason, as I recount this to myself - I chuckle...it temporarily drowns out the lawnmower.

            I think St. Thomas Aquinas once differentiated things into two categories – the good and the superb good.  So take ‘time’ for instance.  Let us say that the supreme use of time is to unite us momentarily with our ultimate end – which is God.  Therefore those things that unite us to that end ought to be valued highly.  It seems where I parcel out most of my personal time is on food and entertainment.

            Another strange thing I’ve noticed... I often have to drag myself to work (even of building up the kingdom of God) yet I can (and frequently do) leap over small buildings to catch a movie or ice cream!  Yet the movie does not satisfy.  And I think I might be allergic to ice cream.

            Alcoholics Anonymous talks about our insane thinking- that often we do the same things expecting a different outcome.  I think I understand that.  But like someone who is not ready to put down the bottle, I’m loathe to put down the popcorn!  But I am curious to see what hobbies or good things might come from an entertainment hiatus.  I’m curious, am I strong enough? 

            I know what I would do with the time I would’ve wasted on a lousy superhero movie...I’d turn over the sod in my garden, till the soil a little.  I’d go for a walk up on the Killarney Lake, feed the mosquitoes.  On second thought, maybe I’ll make sure there’s a breeze for Killarney.  I could use the extra time for prayer.  Or maybe just organize and tidy up my place a bit.  Perhaps I could work on my homily for the weekend, or go for a leisurely walk up the walking trail – just bask in the quiet, maybe say the Rosary and thank God for the day.  Who knows?  I might even blog.  If I do, I’ll have doubled my output for the year!

            It seems like there is never enough time to grow closer to the Lord.  I always feel behind and my mind rarely is in a place of peace or receptivity.  To find the rhythm of life, the place where more of it fits together...hmm...that is the challenge non?  That’s the rhythm that I’d love to tap my feet to – day after day.  It is a recipe for happy feet.  And though I'm strong enough to do it - will I choose to do it?  

Into the heart of God I delve 
in 2012.                - my Mom