The Power of a Name (Trinity Sunday)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

This Sunday we jump right back into Ordinary time by celebrating the Holy Trinity. Of all the things we believe as Catholics, our catechism names the Trinity -  God’s revelation that he always has been, always is, and ever shall be One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - as the central mystery of our faith. We’ve been mulling over this dogma ever since we were taught the sign of the cross and for many Catholics, the Trinity ranks right up there with Transubstantiation as something that makes smoke come out of our ears as we try to understand it or explain it to others. As long as the teaching of the Holy Trinity remains only an intellectual concept or theological construct, it will feel distant and irrelevant to our lives. But once we move beyond the fancy words and detached terminology, we find something we can all relate to, which is a name. Not just A name but the NAME above ALL names! Behind the mystery of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the gradual revelation of who God is. As He builds a relationship with his people, he steadily shares more and more of himself, first as Father, then as Son, and finally as Holy Spirit. 

We do this all the time in our human interactions. The first time we meet someone or introduce ourselves, we make sure to pronounce their name correctly and attach the proper titles. It is a sign of respect for who they are and what they have accomplished. We also use our proper name rather than our favorite  nickname or Twitter handle. Now, perhaps over time, we get to know this person better and a friendship develops. Remember how wonderful it feels when someone says, “you don’t have to call me Mr. Smith, John is fine.” That is an honor and sign of a deeper relationship, revealed through a name. If that friendship continues to grow, we might even move beyond proper names to nicknames, which are often based on a shared experience or inside joke. But imagine if we went right from introducing ourselves to someone to assigning them a nickname. It probably wouldn’t go over real well!

To know someone’s name is power. It gives us the ability to relate to them on a deeper level and as a unique individual. The Bible recognizes the importance of names and treats them with great reverence. Jesus tells us that if we come together in his name, he will be among us. He taught us to venerate the Father's name and one of the ten great commandments is to use the name of God with reverence, never in vain. The apostles used Jesus’ name to prophecy, work miracles and cast out demons. He promises enormous repayment to those who do even the smallest kindness in his name. The Acts record Peter and the other apostles doing many things in Jesus’ name, including sacraments like baptism and the breaking of bread. Finally, Revelation states that the elect have the Father's name on their foreheads.

Because of their importance, one of my greatest fears is that I will mess up someone’s name at a funeral or wedding. So far, God has spared me that embarrassment! But I have been at a funeral where another priest called the dearly departed by the wrong name. Spontaneously, the family corrected him; they couldn’t even help themselves. There is something special about a person’s name and you gotta get it right.

It’s the same with God. We have to get his name right. That’s why we baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That's how God has revealed himself to us. Foolishly, some folks have changed God’s name to be more in line with the times. Some people find “Father”, “Son”, and “Holy Spirit” to be offensive, old-fashioned, or just hard to relate to. But we never have the right to change another person’s name, much less the name of the Almighty! To have a personal relationship with someone, you have to know, use, and respect their name.  If I keep calling someone "Bob" instead of "Bill", he might be amused at first, but if I kept using the wrong name and never bothered to correct my mistake, we couldn't have much of a relationship. Knowing someone's name is the first step which leads the way to greater friendship and sharing. That is the relationship God wants with us and he invites us closer by sharing his name.

Trinity Sunday is far more than an academic reflection on some theological point. It is a reminder of who God is as he has revealed himself to us. It is central to our faith because we are made in God’s image and likeness. The more we understand God and grow in friendship with Him, the more we actually understand ourselves! It is a celebration that God has trusted us with his name and promised every good thing when we are willing to bear it as his faithful children. When we choose something or someone else’s name in place of God, we fall into sadness and slavery. But when we call out to God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - it brings peace and freedom. May each of us know that we are loved and protected by the God who knows us each by name. And may we glorify his name by faithfully living in witness to him and introducing others to him. In the name the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Seeing Through the Darkness (Pentecost, Year B)

As many of you know, I went to high school at a boarding seminary in Hannibal, Missouri. In it’s heyday, Hannibal was quite the destination for water traffic using the Mighty Mississippi and it’s fortunes were made as a river town. That industry has mostly dried up but Hannibal still celebrates it’s remaining claim to fame, the writer Mark Twain who was born and raised there. Just outside of town is a network of caves that made an impression on Mark Twain when he explored them as a boy and they figure prominently in his famous stories involving Tom Sawyer and Hucklebery Finn. As part of our school orientation, we were given a tour of the caves and one of the things they did was turn off all the lighting for a moment. When this happened, it was completely and utterly dark; you could not see your hand in front of your face, no matter how good your eyesight was or how many carrots your mom made you eat! There simply was no light for the eye to see. St. Hilary, one of the early saints of our church, related this experience of total darkness to what it's like for our souls to try to know and love God without the Holy Spirit. He says that just as a fully functional eye cannot see unless there is light, the human soul needs the Holy Spirit to experience God. In other words, we can have fully functional souls because of our baptism, but the actual encounter with God begins with the Holy Spirit. We can be card-carrying Christians and “good catholics”, but if our faith is not formed and led by the Spirit and his gifts, we will be trying to see without light. 

 

            So what in the world is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Life of God and the Third Person of the Trinity. He also tends to be the most ignored and mysterious. This power, this life, this energy and love of God, was first experienced on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Jesus’s resurrection. Everything changed for the disciples when they experienced the Holy Spirit in the forms of tongues of fire and rushing wind.  They finally began to understand the teachings, preachings, signs and wonders of the Lord. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the dots were connected regarding the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Their faith moved from their head to their heart and they left the Upper Room where they had been hiding and courageously proclaimed the Gospel with no concern for the consequences. The Scriptures go on to say that on Pentecost Sunday alone 3,000 people became followers of Christ. Within a few decades Christianity found its way to most of the major cities of the Roman Empire.  Eventually it would spread to the entire world.

 

            It is clear it was the work of the Spirit, the unstoppable love of God, that was responsible for the miracle of evangelization.  The apostles would all die, most of them as martyrs, but nothing could stop the growth of the Church. The Church expanded due to the Presence of the Holy Spirit within the apostles and within those who came after them. When we live our faith without fear or compromise, the Spirit draws others to Christ. 

 

            Living our faith demands that we, like the first apostles, have the humility to let God to give us a knowledge beyond mere human facts and solutions.  Living our faith means we are willing to leave our own safe, comfortable Upper Rooms. Living our faith means trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to speak about things are difficult and unpopular. 

Based on the readings this weekend, we might be tempted to think the early Church had more Holy Spirit than us. But that isn’t true. When St. Paul went to visit the Ephesians, he sensed they were missing something in their faith. So he asked point-blank, "Have you received the Holy Spirit?" They replied they hadn’t even heard of the Holy Spirit! When he heard this, St. Paul immediately confirmed them. They became supercharged Christians and their impact was felt immediately in the Church. 

We are one step ahead of the Ephesians. We have listened to Christ's command, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Each of us received the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation. The Spirit's gifts are awesome. Listen to them: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They are already present in our souls but we must learn to activate and use them.

Why were the twelve apostles, most of them illiterate, able to win a world for Jesus? And why are a billion Christians unable to repeat the same feat now? The answer is the Apostles used the Holy Spirit's gifts to the fullest and we do not. 

The Holy Spirit is just as available to you and me as he was to Peter and the other members of the early Church. But the Holy Spirit is God, he is not a pet. We cannot say, “Come Holy Spirit into my prayer, but stay out of my work” or “You are welcome in my house but stay out of my marriage or my finances or the way I parent or my choice of friends.” If we want his transforming power to take over our thoughts, words, and actions, we have to give him permission to enter every aspect of our lives, ESPECIALLY the ones that are ruled by fear and control. If we block off certain parts of our hearts to the Holy Spirit, his gifts cannot bring about the powerful results we hear about in today’s scriptures. 

The amazing news of Pentecost is that God wants his Church to be just as lively and dynamic today as it was when the apostles were around. He is still pouring out gifts of healing, prophecy, comfort, preaching, and so many others to Catholics around the world and right here at Incarnate Word. We are not waiting for God to deliver the goods, He is waiting for us to say “yes”, to accept his invitation and let Him pour the waters of grace on the seeds of the Spirit that have just been waiting to explode into full bloom.

Ultimately, it is not that God and his Spirit are asking too much of us; it’s that we settle for too little and don’t ask for the light God wants to share with those who live in and by the Holy Spirit. Often we try to make our way through the darkness with our eyes alone. However, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are at our disposal. Let the Divine light show you the way. Ask for the Holy Spirit every day so you can be transformed and led out of the upper room which imprisons us with fear, doubt, and worldly comfort. The Spirit will speak through you and lead others to a better and holier life! The Church and the world needs you to be powered by these gifts! Say “yes” to God and do not hesitate to cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit come!”

 

The Saving Strength of the Gospel (Ascension, 2021)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

When I hear these words at the end of Mark’s gospel, it makes me feel like a spiritual slacker! I can’t think of the last time I started spontaneously speaking a new language, picking up deadly serpents, or drinking deadly poison without any ill effects! Does that mean that I or anyone else who has not experienced these remarkable signs do not believe in Jesus? What in the world are we supposed to take from this passage from Mark’s gospel?

In some primitive Christian communities, ministers and their congregations do take this passage literally. As a test of faith they plunge their hands into a box of rattlesnakes, pull one out and hold it in front of the congregation. Others drink poison. Some are bitten by the rattlers. Some survive these tests while others do not. These communities view the survivors as a sign of the congregation’s faith. They see those who are bit by the snakes or die from the poison as a sign that the community’s faith is lacking.

I can say, without a doubt, that we are not meant to interpret Jesus’ words literally in this way; working spectacular signs is not the point of the passage, even though that is often what grabs our attention. Jesus doesn’t want us to put ourselves in terrible situations that only a miracle can solve. But these literal interpretations are correct in one aspect: faith in Jesus gives us the ability to conquer the evils of the world.

The message Jesus gives to his disciples, as he returns to his Father and sends the gift of the Holy Spirit, is also meant for you and me. “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” If we are faithful to that one command, Jesus will give us the strength and power to fight and conquer evil in its worst forms. 

Jesus used snakes to represent the devil. Those who believe in him, can defeat the devil and his many minions in the name of Jesus. Our Lord used poison to represent evil in the world. These poisons are around us in the forms of hatred, materialism, racism, the objectification of the human person, the misuse of the gift of sexuality, the redefining of the family, selfishness, and so many more. Jesus promises that his followers will be able to take on the poison of the world and defeat it but only insofar as they preach his gospel. 

Once Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the gift of the Holy Spirit at pentecost, the disciples and the early church community got to work proclaiming the wonders of Jesus’ life. The devil went after them with everything he had. Satan convinced others to torture them and expel them from their communities and friends. He talked some into persecuting and killing them, but the devil didn’t win. He couldn’t stop the work of the Kingdom of God. The more evil tried to silence Christians, the more Christianity spread and grew strong. Despite the hardships, the followers of Christ didn’t go into hiding or back down. By proclaiming the gospel without compromise, they took on the poison of the world and found a life free of evil, a life of meaning, a life of freedom and immortality.

Jesus’ message and promise are the same to us! The gospel needs to be proclaimed now more than ever. It is our job to share the Good News without watering it down or removing its challenges. If we do this simple task faithfully, Jesus promises us victory over the snakes and poisons of our time. So what do those look like? 

We all have poisons that endanger our spiritual lives. We all have our own demons that afflict us. Some are of our own making. Some are imposed upon us by others or by situations beyond our control. One person wages a continual battle against addiction. Another against self-hatred. One is fighting to be in Christian relationships with others. One must deal with the fact that their family is not what it should be. Another is suffering the terror of abuse. One has physical challenges while another battles psychological setbacks. All of us are fighting selfishness. These and so many other poisons of the world attack us, but they can’t defeat us. We will win against the evil of the world because we have the greatest weapon there ever was. We possess Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven and assumed his place as Lord of heaven and earth. What does that mean? It means that he has the power to win, to defeat any and every evil. It means he is in control. He is our Lord. He is the one who fights for us and with us. He is Lord even of those who do not accept him and revile him. Jesus is lord of heaven and earth.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, his followers went on offense. They didn’t cower in a room, afraid of what the enemies of God’s kingdom would do to them. Instead, they took the battle to the devil. The gospel puts this simply, “They went forth and preached everywhere.” Before Jesus transformed their lives, the disciples were people who would seldom leave their villages. Now they travelled the world to wage the battle of the Kingdom. They preached everywhere without fear. 

That’s what we are called to do. We are called to go on the offensive and take the battle to the enemy. We are called to combat moral evil wherever it exists, within us and around us. We are called to give people the Gospel. People need to hear there is a much better life than the one the world offers. There is far more God wants to give than what the world could ever provide. There is a life where every action, every suffering has meaning. There is a life of fulfillment where every good and kind deed is rewarded eternally. This life is found in our Catholic faith. That’s the Good News we are called to share. Life is infinitely better in this world and after this world when it is lived united to Jesus Christ.

We are not promised an easy or comfortable existence on this earth. Snakes will attack. Poison will be forced down our throats. But we, the people of the Ascended Lord will defeat it. We don’t wage this war alone. We fight with the might of Jesus Christ. And with him on our side, how can we possibly lose? It is not up to us to work marvels, heal the sick, and raise the dead. That is God’s job. We simply proclaim his gospel and praise his name. He will do the rest. He will not let us down. So do not be afraid; He will be with us until the end of the world!

Love Everyone Like a Mother! (6th Sunday of Easter, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Not only is today the 6th Sunday of Easter, but it’s also Mother’s Day. So, with that in mind, I’d like to wish all moms a very happy Mother’s Day. Thanks to you who have brought forth and nurtured new life with generous hearts, for which we are eternally grateful. Thank you for your patience, guidance, and sacrifice in fulfilling your calling as moms, especially when we were unreasonable, selfish, and annoying. So much of what you do is quiet and unnoticed by anyone except God. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful and well-deserved Mother’s Day.    

On this day where we take time to give thanks for our moms, it’s a perfect segway for jumping into the challenge presented by our gospel. Jesus talks about love and how it defines the relationship God has with us. The ultimate expression of a loving heart is the willingness to give up anything and everything to save and protect the life of someone we treasure. Of course, this is what Jesus does for every one of us on the cross. This is what so many moms are willing to do for their children, although thankfully, they seldom have to pay the ultimate price to prove their love. Most often it is expressed in the little gestures we hardly notice to protect our bodies, minds, and souls. 

Now, it is great to receive this sort of love from someone. I hope every person in this church knows what that feels like. I pray for those who do not. Being loved in such a complete and unselfish way transforms you! In any case, it’s not good enough simply to receive this sacrificial love from God and others; we have an obligation to give it as well. This is relatively natural for us to do with the people we like. But annoyingly, Jesus doesn’t make any exceptions. He says, “love one another as I love you.” Then, just a few lines later he says, "You are my friends if you do what I command you." and then he concludes by repeating: "This I command you: love one another." 

But who is one another????? Who are we called to love in the same way that Christ loved us?????? Is it our friends? Yes! Is it our family? Yes! Would this include our co-workers, acquaintances, strangers, and even those who do not love or respect us? The answer is yes! Christ's command to love one another covers everyone, no exceptions! As Christians, we do not have the option of loving only those we like nor do we have the option of liking all of those we must love. Christian love is much deeper; it is more than a passing feeling or fleeting passion.

Jesus’ command demands our reflection today because now, more than ever, there seems to be a hateful mentality in our society, even among those who call themselves Christians. Sadly, it is not unusual to encounter people in this city, people in this archdiocese, people in this parish who have made exceptions to who receives their charity. Christ's command to love one another extends to each and every person made in his image and likeness; and this includes every person on earth, regardless of their color, nationality, creed, or political views. This law of love embraces the whole range of humanity from the unborn child to the terminally ill and elderly. As Christians, we must love all persons, whether they be close to our heart or someone who seems to have a God-given gift for getting under our skin! As followers of Christ, we must love even those with whom we struggle or don't see eye-to-eye.

            Perhaps the reason why we find it so hard to love one another is because we don't understand what love truly is. To love as Jesus loves does not simply mean saying nice things or always grinning and bearing it, or giving someone everything they ask for. Loving as a Christian is always about wanting what is best for ourselves and others in order for all to be saved. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for an individual is to respectfully challenge them with the truth in the hopes of preventing them from hurting themselves or others. Every parent knows about this side of love. Sometimes it means saying things that are difficult to hear or unpopular. Far too often we avoid sharing the truth because we're concerned about being "politically correct" or disliked. As a result, we dilute the gospel message and put people’s souls at risk!

           Friends, our gospel promises wonderful things to those who keep Christ's commandments; by following them we gain the privilege of becoming Children of God!!! To make it even simpler, Jesus tells us that the heart of every commandment is this: love one another as he has loved us. Nothing could be more simple; nothing could be more difficult. In fact, living this type of love is humanly impossible; we cannot do it on our own. We need God's grace to love like Him, especially when it comes to those people who might be difficult, hateful, or just entirely different from ourselves. That is why we are here today, in this Church, at this Eucharist. Our example of love is seen on the cross; Jesus gave his very life for all people, even those who put him to death. We are called to that same level of love. 

Understandably, there are times when people feel like all this preaching is great on the theoretical level, but what is a practical way to live it? It’s one thing to talk about love for all people, but something else to show it to the person who is selfish, proud, irritating, inconsiderate, or never wrong! The best advice I have received is to start with the one I see each morning in the mirror.

         

Join with me in praying for the grace to love one another as Christ first loved us. Thank him for the people who have modeled that love in your own life. Be that example for someone else. May those beautiful words of Christ reign in our hearts: "I no longer call you slaves, I have called you friends. Love one another as I love you."  

A Peace the World Cannot Give (or Take) (5th Sunday of Easter, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Story of our riot against a baby sitter when we were little and she sent us to bed as soon as our parents left. Even though we were terrible, she told mom and dad that we were fine…

Have you ever had a similar experience of hearing or reading something that doesn’t line up with the way you remember it? That’s what is going on in the first reading today. The life of a christian for the first 300 or so years, was anything but peaceful. It was illegal to profess belief in Jesus and those who did had to worship in secret. Many of the first followers of Christ were Jewish and ended up getting kicked out of the temple and shunned by their families. There were constant persecutions, countless martyrdoms, and even internal arguments among its leaders. No one was a casual Christian because of the sacrifice and commitment involved. So, why in the world does the first reading end with the phrase, “The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace”? It certainly was not! At least not in the way we measure peace.

However, if we look at the early christian community with a different lens, then we see something else. Yes, there was no shortage of controversy, conflict, persecution, and suffering. Externally, all around them, things were blowing up. But internally, within the hearts and souls of believers, they were united in their purpose and belief: Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah who had conquered sin and death. He had absorbed the worst of what the world could do and emerged victorious. This message of hope, along with the gift of the Holy Spirit at pentecost, had transformed these early Christians. Even as the world was falling apart around them, they would not and could not lose their peace because they knew, in the deepest part of their being, as long as they remained united to Jesus, they could not be defeated. Nothing could be taken from them that God could not restore and give back. This is the peace alluded to in the first reading. An internal peace that does not depend on what is happening in the outside world. They were connected to the true vine, Jesus Christ, and his life and strength overpowered anything they had to deal with in the world.

It’s hard to imagine a more necessary spiritual quality for us in our time! How many of us have thought, “I will be happy when this pandemic is over and things get back to normal?” Or maybe, I will be able to relax once I get that raise or position at work and there is a little more money rolling in. Or, once this politician is out or this policy is changed. Or, once the Church gets that issue figured out or my parish starts doing this…Or I graduate from this school or don’t have so-and-so as my teacher. All of us, no matter who we are, at one time or another, set an expectation, a goal of, what needs to happen in order for us to be a peace and happy. More often than not, those conditions rely on other people’s decisions and external factors which may or may not go our way. Even if things work out, we all know how quickly they can change and then we are right back to where we were, anxious, unsettled, perhaps even unhappy. 

The peace we crave, the stability we long for, cannot be given by the world nor can it wait for an end to suffering, conflict, disappointment, or any of the other bad and hurtful things that afflict humanity. The beauty of God’s peace is that it starts from within and works it’s way out into every part of our lives. Since it’s not given by others or based on what the world provides, it cannot be taken away by anything this life deals us. It is truly a peace beyond all human understanding. This is what enabled the early Christians to experience a deep, abiding peace even while they were being persecuted, driven out of their homes, and put to death. Their serenity was not based on the things they had, how they were regarded, or what was owed to them. As long as they stayed connected to Jesus, they had what they needed. 

This seems like a radical and unrealistic way of life for you and me. We like to think that our times and our struggles are different. Maybe the Holy Spirit was stronger back then! But these are just excuses. If we are waiting for things around us to calm down and clear up before we can be at peace and work on our friendship with God, then we will be forever waiting. There will always be another crisis, another trial, some obstacle or reason that we cannot quite be happy, hopeful, holy, or content…yet. The time for peace is now and that peace starts in me from my relationship with God and my sincere acknowledgement that He is what will satisfy my and provide what I need.

Take some time to honestly and deeply consider if you experience the peace described in the first reading. Where would you say your peace comes from? Is it within or does it depend on things and people outside of your control? Do you have peace at all or do you struggle with a nagging sense of anxiety and unhappiness or feel compelled to always stay busy? So many of us modern people are discontent and empty, not because we are bad people, but because we have placed our hope for peace and happiness on external things, things that can be lost and taken away! The secret is ridiculously simple and available to all of us. It’s the reason the men of our parish are on retreat this weekend. Its the reason our young people gave up their weekend to lead and participate in the Luke 18 retreat. That reason is a person, Jesus Christ. He is the true vine described in the gospel. Stay connected to him and your life will bear the fruits of peace, joy, and satisfaction, no matter what is happening around you. Being part of the vine is not easy. There will be parts of our lives, some of our priorities, and even certain relationships that must be pruned away. But any pain or loss experienced for His name will help us stay connected to Jesus who can never be defeated or taken away.  

There is no reason Incarnate Word cannot be described like the early Church in our first reading. At peace, being built up, walking in the fear of the Lord and growing in numbers even in the midst of a world full of conflict and division. God wants that for us; are we ready to want it for ourselves?