28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

One day, a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his line cast out into the sparkling blue  surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish. About  that  time,  a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve   the  stress  of  his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the  beach and  decided to find out why this man was relaxing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. "You aren't  going to catch many fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman, "you should be working rather than lying on the beach!"

            The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"

            "Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.

            "And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.

            The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!"

            "And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.

            The  businessman  was  beginning to get a  little irritated with the fisherman's  questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.

            "And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.

            The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet  of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"

             Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"

            The  businessman  was  red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living  again! You can spend all the rest of your  days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"

            The  fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"

            Our society is so materialistic, that it is easy for us to forget what really matters in life.  To so many people, happiness depends on possessions.  A beautiful house, a luxurious car, the latest in video and sound equipment, an exotic vacation, all these things become people’s goals in life.  Then, if one of these items cannot be attained, if a young couple cannot get a mortgage for their dream house, if an older couple cannot retire when they expected to, if the promotion a person was counting on falls through, then, for some people, life has taken a terrible turn for the worse.  They become despondent.  They can no longer have what they set their heart on.

            Actually, this is not just a quirk of modern American Society.  The Egyptians buried their stuff with them so they could take it to the next life. In every culture, man has tried to cling to wealth and struggles with letting go. In the Gospel for this Sunday a young man is called upon to leave his riches to follow the Lord.  This is a good man. This is someone who has tried hard to serve God. This is a man whom Jesus looks upon and loves. But he couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t leave his possessions to follow the Lord.  He had many possessions.  Too many. He was incapable of seeing the all surmounting value of following Christ. Just as some people entrust the happiness of their families to their things rather to the presence of the Lord in their love for each other.

The remedy for this is found in the first reading from the book of wisdom. King Solomon is reigning over one of the most prosperous and peaceful eras that God’s Chosen People have ever experienced. It is here that the Lord appears to the young king and promises him any one thing that he asks for. Imagine the thoughts that must have gone through Solomon’s mind. Should he ask for unlimited power? Endless riches? Ceaseless pleasure? Perfect health? Certainly any of us would rank these requests high on our list. But instead of these attractive things, he begs the Lord for something much more subtle and profound. He asks for Wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and because of that, all of the gifts that he could ever have wanted followed.

So what is this wisdom that Solomon speaks so highly of? It is really the combination of three desirable traits working together in perfect unity. True wisdom is the blending of knowledge, experience, and good judgment together to inform every decision a person makes. This harmony of knowledge, experience, and good judgment makes a person wise and able to see things for what they are, both good and bad. A wise person has perspective when it comes to setbacks and disappointments, he knows what to fight for and when to concede. The people who possess wisdom know the right order for living, how to make good choices, avoid evil, and most importantly, how to have the right priorities.

A truly wise person can live with incredible wealth or complete poverty and still be happy. And whether they find themselves surrounded by friends or under siege by enemies, they will still find peace. And in any other circumstance you can think of, good or bad, the wise person has all that they really need because their strength and joy and comfort come first from the Lord, who never breaks his promises and who never stops protecting those who call upon him in faith. 

Our readings today require us to look inward and ask if we are truly wise. Have we asked God for his gift of knowledge, experience, and good judgement to live within us? Are we humble enough to accept the lessons that wisdom teaches us, lessons that often require a complete faith and trust in God? Can we believe that if we seek his wisdom then everything else that we need will be given to us in abundance? And that the things we used to think so important, might no longer matter so much? Or will we falter like the rich young man, whom Jesus saw and loved and invited to draw one step closer to perfection and eternal life? Will we go away sad because we cannot escape the power that worldly things and riches and prestige have over us? 

To possess wisdom and live wisely is not easy, in fact on our own we won’t get there. But with the help of God’s grace and learning from him in daily prayer, he will share this wisdom with us freely. May we be wise enough to put the things of this world in their proper place and when Christ invites us to trust and follow him, may we joyfully answer yes, without sadness or hesitation.

Respect Life Sunday (Catholic Principles of Voting)

This weekend, throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis, we are observing what is called “Respect Life Sunday.” There is a great deal to talk about, especially considering that we are in a general election year and there is much at stake. But before we dive into all that, I think it is important for us to first go back to the gospel of last Sunday, where Christ gave us two direct orders. The first was to be sure and never lead another person, another child of God into sin. Jesus used the image of a millstone, which is a large, heavy rock, and said it would be better to have one of those around your neck and to be thrown into the sea than to be responsible for causing another person to sin. The second command, equally strong, was that we are to avoid sin at all costs. To drive this point home, Our Lord uses the image of cutting off one’s limbs and plucking out eyes if they are the things that are leading us to sinful behavior. Obviously, Jesus is not telling us to act on this literally, otherwise we Christians would be a blind and gimpy lot. But what Jesus IS telling us is that he takes sin and scandal, which is the act of leading another to sin, very, very seriously and that we should stop at nothing to drive them out of our lives.

Which leads us to today, Respect Life Sunday. Traditionally I have used this Sunday to preach about the scourge of abortion in our country, a legalized genocide that has taken the lives of more than 50 million of our fellow Americans. I usually point out the gross hypocrisy of our society, which will vigorously defend the lives of some innocent people, which is good, and yet will allow the murder of millions of others in the name of a mother’s choice or convenience, a possible birth defect, or a perceived lack of quality of life. But today I want to to focus less on abortion, not because it is any less important. No, abortion is the number one evil in our country today. Instead I want to focus more on voting because that civic act has the potential to end abortion and protect the right to life to generations to come. I also want to focus more on the Catholic teaching on voting because there is a terrible amount of confusion and dissent among Catholics.

Now as soon as I said Catholic Teaching and voting, some people probably started getting uncomfortable and angry. Many people say, “what business has the Church in politics? Stay out of it!” But how can this be? Jesus commands us to be a light to the world and to spread the Good News to every person on the earth. How can this happen if we turn off our faith and even ignore it in public matters like politics. Especially when those politics affect our rights and the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves! Others simply dismiss the priest by saying, “the Church tells me I have to vote according to my conscience and my conscience tells me to vote for A, B, or C.” It is true that the Catholic Church believes that you must vote according to your conscience. But the Church also tells us that we must form our consciences according to Catholic Teaching and Natural Law. To vote without first forming our conscience would be as irresponsible as turning on a fire hose full blast without holding on. It would be dangerous, unhelpful, and end up doing more harm than good!

So what is the Catholic Church’s teaching on voting? First of all, our Church teaches that it is a serious responsibility that we should make every effort to fulfill. As good citizens, we need to vote unless there is some serious reason we are prevented from doing so. This is one of the ways that we participate in building a Christ-like society, by choosing the leaders who will represent us in making public policy and defending our rights. Secondly, there is a hierarchy of goods or, put another way, a hierarchy of evils. Some things take precedence over others, some things are more important and others less so. On one hand there are significant political issues like education, foreign policy, fiscal policy, healthcare, green energy, and transportation, to name a few. Each of these political issues are open for debate and argument. You can make an argument for your position and, unless your thinking is off the wall or downright immoral, your position can be totally valid. However, there could be another person who disagrees with you and could have another completely rational and feasible viewpoint. These sort of things are true political “issues.” They are not hard truths and you are not required to subscribe to any particular view.

On the other hand, there are other topics that have been adopted by politicians and political parties, which transcend the classification of a political issue. These matters are not up for debate, they are not one person’s opinion against another, they involve a definite right and wrong, they are always and everywhere black and white. These topics are different because they deal with basic human rights, inalienable rights that are not granted by the decree of any government but instead are due to every human person because that person is created in the image and likeness of God. These topics tap into natural law, a law written on every human heart, regardless of that person’s religion creed or upbringing. They have a definite right and wrong because they deal with the very foundations of society and order. To violate them would be to attack the basis of civilization and human dignity. So what are they? 

There are six major topics that all Catholics must consider this Fall when they go to the polls to vote. They are: Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception. Each of these are intrinsically wrong, which simply means that they cannot be justified in any circumstance. No matter what sort of supposed good might be accomplished through any of these actions, they remain wrong, always and everywhere, no matter who you are. 

Now this bothers some people a great deal. They say, “I don’t agree with the Church’s position on these issues, so I don’t have to follow this” Well, what if we took the same approach to gravity. The law of gravity has been very inconvenient and even deadly for some people. I can disagree with it all I want. But if I go a very high place, and denounce gravity and tell the world how I don’t believe it is true for me, and then I jump...well, gravity doesn’t care what I think. It will still be true when I reach the ground.

Others say that they follow most of what the Church teaches just not one of these topics. But our Faith doesn’t work this way. Being Catholic is not something that we do partially or even mostly. Being Catholic is something that we must embrace fully and completely. And each of these six subjects are fundamental teachings; if we disregard them, we are no longer living a faith that is Catholic. It’s kind of like trying to have a pizza without cheese. 

Which brings us to the final point of this homily, which is putting all this together so that we can live our catholic faith with integrity while fulfilling our civic duty. There are many political issues that all of us can differ on and come to various conclusions. In fact, most of the issues in a given election fall into this category. However the six major topics that I mentioned earlier: Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception require that we always select the candidate who supports the church’s teaching in these areas. And if there is no candidate who upholds all of these teachings, which is usually the case, then we must pick the candidate who supports the greatest number of these fundamental truths. 

I think its important that each of you know that I don’t enjoy preaching on this topic of voting. I wish there wasn’t even a need to have a respect life Sunday on the calendar because all us Catholics were on the same page concerning the six major topics. Sadly, this is not true. But it is my responsibility as your priest to share the teaching of the Catholic Church and to make sure that your consciences are formed as you prepare to vote in a few short weeks. We are responsible for the choices we make in the voting booth, even if no one else never knows who we voted for. Our choice, as insignificant as it might seem among the millions of others, is a statement of who and what we support, of who and what we stand for. Will it be with the Catholic Church, who has weathered the storms of many centuries and still stands strong and consistent in her moral message? Or will it be with something else that is worldly and fleeting and prone to change?

In the end, it is indeed our choice and ours alone. But we must remember that our vote has consequences, not only for ourselves but also for others. If we claim to follow Christ, we need to do so from beginning to end, A to Z, in the fundamental truths of our faith which are under attack with Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception. Voting to support candidates who promote these immoral things, especially when there exist other candidates opposed to these evils, is wrong, plain and simple. Such a choice separates us from the Church because we are choosing to act in a way that is not consistent with the Catholic faith. My prayer for all of us is that we have the humble courage to do what is right, even if it be difficult, even if we struggle to completely embrace these teachings. Let us trust the wisdom of our Church, which has been guaranteed the guidance of the Holy Spirit until the end of time. May God bless and protect our great nation. 

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

One of the best parts of getting to know someone well, is the fact that you start to know a whole bunch of little-known facts about them. This happens all the time in our families. We know which brother or sister likes this or that food and which vegetables they will secretly feed to the dog when no one is looking. We also know their favorite color, the music they like to listen to, the car of their dreams, and what they want to be when they grow up, even if that seems to change every three weeks. If we are lucky, we will also have a friend or two like this. We will be blessed to know their favorite food, their most embarrassing moments, and even the things that drive them crazy. The more we love someone, the more we want to know them inside and out. And the more we know someone, the better we can love them because we understand them better, with their qualities and preferences that make them unique.

With this in mind, I want us to reflect on the person who is supposed to be a friend to us all. In fact, this person is meant to be our best friend, the love of our life. Of course, the person I am referring to is no ordinary person because it is God himself, the one we are called to love above all things and other persons in this life. And if God is our friend, then those same little things that we know about our family and best friends, well, we should know those about God too! For example, do we know what he loves? Or what makes him happy? And what his dreams are? We can! It’s all there in His Word to us, the Bible, if we are willing to read and listen to it! But for today, I would like us to consider something we probably don’t think about too often. It is an aspect of God that almost seems strange to us and runs contrary to what most people think.  In light of the second half of the gospel,and because he is our friend, let’s take a little time to reflect on what it is that God hates.

This is actually quite easy. There is only one thing that God truly hates and it is sin. Everything else God loves. He loves the earth and the planets and the stars in their galaxies. He loves humans and plants and animals and bugs and everything else that is running, flying, or swimming around. In short, He loves everything that he has created, because it reflects him in some way and is therefore good. So why does God, who is clearly defined by love, find sin so offensive? The answer lies in what sin does, both to God and to the one who sins. 

Sin is defined as any immoral act considered to be an offense against divine law. Sins can be little or large, they can take the form of thoughts, words, actions, or omissions, but they all share one thing in common: they separate us in some way from God and hurt others. Why is this? Well, sin is a deliberate choice to do or not do what God commands. And anytime, we act against what God wants, we end up hurting ourselves, even if it feels good or right at the time we do it. Sin is never in our best interest, even if it seems to be the easier or more pleasant path in the short term. God, who is our creator and redeemer, who loves us more than we can ever love ourselves, wants us to be happy forever with him and with those we love. God hates sin because it separates us from him. And not only that, each sin takes on a life of its own, hurting other people and even causing them to sin as well. When we sin, we risk losing our happiness and peace and we drive a wedge between us and God. Now, that’s bad enough! But sin gets even worse. Our sins don’t just affect us, they also set a bad example thus making it easier for others to sin as well. Some sins that we commit can even cause other people to do wrong. Sin always affects more than us and hurts more people than we know, even though that sin seems private. There is no such thing as a private sin!

This affect of sin, where our wrongdoing hurts other people and encourages them to sin, is called scandal. Scandal is a concept that we don’t hear too much about unless we are speaking about some crazy behavior of a famous person or photos of Kate Middleton. But scandal is a very real consequence of sin and it is something that each and every person is obligated to avoid. God takes scandal very seriously as we hear in today’s gospel, when Jesus tells us that “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” A millstone was a large, heavy stone that used to crush wheat grain into flour. Having one of these around your neck in the water would mean certain death with no hope of surviving. Our Lord tells us that it is better to have a millstone around your neck than to be responsible for leading another person into sin and possibly causing them to lose eternal life. WOW!

Jesus goes on to say, in the same dramatic fashion, that whatever leads us to sin needs to be cut off, torn out, and cast away from us, no matter what the cost. Does he mean this literally? I don’t think so! Does he want us to take sin seriously? Absolutely! Does he want us to avoid even the circumstances and persons that lead us into sin? Without a doubt! Are we accountable for the ways our example might lead others into sin or weaken their faith? You bet! 

There is only one thing in the whole created world that God hates and that is sin. As his children, as the ones who love him, we are called to do everything in our power to avoid sin, even if that means incredible personal sacrifice. We are also required to think of others before we act, knowing that our example, our decisions could cause scandal to others and make it easier for them to sin. No sacrifice is too big if it protects us from hurting God and our immortal souls. Jesus commands us to stop at nothing to protect our relationship with his Heavenly Father and to suffer anything rather than to lead another person into sin. This is a tall order! In fact, we can’t do it on our own. No, we desperately need the sacrament of reconciliation to help us avoid sin and the near occasions of sin. And when we fall, God’s healing grace is available to us if we are sorry and ask for forgiveness.

So let us set our minds and hearts on getting to know God better, paying attention to the things he loves and doing the things that make him happy. And let us never forget the one thing that he hates, trying always to avoid it in every possible way!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Have you ever gone out of your way to do a good deed from someone, only to have it blow up in your face? Has there been a time when you did something that was good, right, difficult --- yet found that you were being criticized for your kindness or your intentions were called into question? My hunch is that most of you probably have had this happen to you at some point in your life. And when it does take place, we find ourselves asking a very basic question: Why are some people so mean? Why are some people so cruel? Sadly, these are questions that even little children ask. Some of you know, all too well that one of the most difficult experiences of raising a child is helping the youngster cope with classmates or teammates who are mean and cruel. This type of behavior exists in Middle School, High School and College as well as in the workplace and in our neighborhoods. The basic plot of many novels and movies revolves around people who are downright mean and cruel. Now we would like to think that it is those “other people” who are the ones being mean and cruel.  But if we are honest, we realize that it doesn’t take much for us to cross the line and begin to treat people badly. 

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom presents mean, cruel people. They plot against the just man. They want to destroy him. The reasons for their hatred are petty and immature. They are jealous of his goodness. They find his witness to God offensive. Worst, he has earned what they themselves so desperately want but do not deserve: the respect of others.  Instead of humbly imitating the Just One and reforming their own lives, they put their energy and resources into destroying the one who challenges them and makes them uncomfortable. 

The reading from Wisdom is true and speaks to the worst aspects of human nature that it is actually prophetic. Even though these verses were written hundreds of years before Christ, they describe perfectly the attitude of those people who wanted Jesus put to death.  The Temple priests, the Sadducees and Pharisees attacked Jesus because He questioned their arrogance, their hypocrisy and his just lifestyle was offensive to him. They hated it when Jesus told them that they were not true to the law. Instead of challenging themselves, they decided: Jesus had to go. He had to die. Comfort took precedence over conversion.

This cruel situation often exists in our families, our nation, and sadly, even in our Church. A member of the family who is intent on living the faith might be mocked or hated by someone who secretly wishes that his or her faith was at the same level. In the our culture, the media often mocks those who are seeking to live properly. Just think of the degrading comments made about Tim Tebow and LoLo Jones when they stated their commitment to protecting their virginity. Our culture glories in pointing out the mistakes of just people. Instead of joining them in virtue, it would rather tear them down and show that good people are no different than immoral people or, if they are, it is only that they are judgmental, mean and absolutely no fun! Sadly, something similar happens in the Church. This shouldn’t surprise us because the Church is made of human beings. There are people within parishes, including priests and religious, and even bishops, who are ready to attack those whose virtue is perceived by others as greater than theirs, or whose lives make them uncomfortable. Comfort often takes precedence over conversion. 

People indeed are often cruel, mean and petty. These people can be our friends, co-workers, classmates, family, teammates and even fellow parishioners. Since the first sin of Adam and Eve, human nature has looked for shortcuts to doing the right thing. Sin makes us want the benefits of an upright life without submitting ourselves to the sacrifices that justice requires. 

Thus far, we have talking about those other mean, cruel, and petty people who attack the just ones around them rather than challenge themselves to be something greater. Now it is time to point the finger at ourselves and examine the ways that we might fall into that role as well. The truth is, all of us feel threatened by the presence of the Just One in our midst. Sometimes that presence is the voice of a close friend or family member, challenging us to a more excellent way of acting or thinking. Other times it is the teaching of the Church which challenges us to stop thinking as the world does and start looking at things as Christ would. It can even be the correction of legitimate authority that offends our pride and causes us to attack whatever threatens our way of doing things.  

One thing is certain; for each of us, there are areas of our lives that we like to keep just the way they are. There are parts of our hearts and souls we prefer that God just leave alone. We guard some aspects of our relationships and living, we do our best to convince ourselves that the Catholic Church has no right to challenge or correct us in these areas of our life. We want the ultimate authority to reside within ourselves. We want to be our own masters. And if anyone comes along to challenge that, even if it be the Just One of God, well, we will take that person out. Perhaps by attacking their reputation. Maybe by pointing out their faults. Or questioning their motives. Or mocking their old-fashioned values and rigid morals. You get my point?!

The truth is: not a single one of us has all of the answers! No one here in church has it all figured out or all together. And if our first reaction to criticism and correction is to go on the attack and try to lash out at the one who dares question us, well then we are the ones who have a problem. When we respond this way we close ourselves off and risk silencing the Just Ones that God sends us in the form of friends, family, clergy, co-workers, classmates, and the list could keep going on and on. 

Jesus was crucified because a whole lot of people heard the gospel but didn’t want to change or be challenged. They chose to fight to be comfortable in their sinfulness and this caused them to be cruel, to the point of killing the innocent Son of God. Will you... will I make the same mistake? Will we accept Jesus’ challenge to be excellent, to suffer with him, to be corrected and converted and separated from our selfishness so that we can be his Just Ones to a world immersed in darkness? If we humbly say yes to being challenged, if we humbly say yes to being corrected and occasionally uncomfortable for the sake of the gospel, then we will forever sing the confident words of the psalmist: “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life.”

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

If you watch any amount of tv, you’ll notice commercials for video games. Some of these games, played on the computer, xbox, or playstation are incredibly realistic and detailed. As a matter of fact, there are times when I have to take a second look to see if what is on tv might be real footage or simply scenes from some new game. But the video game started very humble and simple. The first real arcade game was released in 1972. It was named Pong and the arcade version was the size of a refrigerator. Pong was a simple game by today’s standards, two people trying to keep a ball from going out on their side while attempting to make the ball go out of bounds on their opponent’s end. This was accomplished by moving a small bar up and down on the screen to hit the ball, which never stopped moving. This game was a huge hit and it paved the way for many other video games, which slowly became more complex and involved. For example, eight years later, Pac-Man was released, which was far more advanced than Pong. Then came Nintendo and Mario Brothers, Sega and Sonic the hedgehog, Playstation and Gran Turismo, which led to the games we see now, which are incredibly addictive, intense, and difficult because of how realistic they are. It’s really pretty amazing if you stop and think about it. Over the past 40 years, games have slowly evolved from Pong, where you could only move up and down in two dimensions to now where the characters can move up, down, left, right, lean, crawl, jump run, walk and interact, all in a 3-d environment that changes with the choices the gamer makes.

This change didn’t happen overnight. It happened little by little, layer by layer as programmers came to a greater understanding of how to write code and computers and game consoles were capable of handling more advanced concepts. So what’s the point of this obscure history lesson? Well, just as gaming has grown in its complexity and depth, so too has our understanding of the moral law as laid out in the readings today. Notice how humanity has slowly, with God’s help, come to a rich and deep understanding of the law, as God has placed it in our hearts. 

Think back to the very first commandment that God gave the human race. It was so simple, so basic, just like that first video game! He said, “you are free to eat of whatever tree you like, just stay away from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This one law, this one commandment our first parents could not obey. But God did not give up on us nor did he refuse to teach our stubborn souls. As time went on and humanity grew in its knowledge of right and wrong and of God himself, God began to reveal more of the law to his people. In the first reading, He speaks through Moses as he promises life to those who commit themselves to keeping his commandments. The prophet says, “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live. In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations”

This is where God gives the ten commandments to his people and here, the law gets a little more detailed. Israel gets a little more knowledge into the law and the God who gave it to them. God wants them to know the law because it will help them to know him. The way that they show their love for God is to keep the laws he has given them. Each law has a purpose, not a single one is arbitrary or frivolous. If you read the Old Testament, you will see this pattern emerging: God reveals himself through the Law and he does this little by little, law by law, layer by layer. 

In the second reading from St. James, another dimension of God’s law is manifested. St. James advises us, “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” Here we are encouraged to examine our hearts and see how well we actually do God’s law, taught to us in his holy Word. It is not enough to simply know it or hear it. It has to be practiced in our daily actions and become part of who we are as his followers. What we believe and how we act need to be one and the same with the Word of God. If they are not, we aren’t truly living his law and we won’t be found worthy of eternal life.

These are the first two parts of God’s law: learning or knowing it and then actually doing it. But there is one more dimension, laid out for us in the gospel. Jesus and his disciples are being observed by the scribes and pharisees while they eat. This group complains because they see some of the apostles neglecting the ceremonial washing of hands before they begin their meal. Now the scribes and pharisees knew God’s law and technically they followed it perfectly, down to the little traditions like washing ones hands. But they ignored the third and most important dimension of the law: they didn’t embrace the Law in their hearts and they refused to go any deeper than the appearance of being righteous. This is why Jesus condemns them and their hypocrisy. They know and follow the Law for other people to see and admire but their hearts are far from being in the right place. On the outside they appear spotless and virtuous but on the inside they are proud, arrogant, and sinful. When they observe the laws of God, they honor him with their lips but have all sorts of evil designs in their heart. They are missing this all important 3^rd dimension of God’s law; knowledge and doing are not enough.

This should make us pause and ask ourselves about our own intentions when it comes to the Law of God. Do we have all three dimensions working in our own lives? Do we truly know the moral law as it has been handed down to us through Scripture and the traditions of the Catholic Church? If we know these teachings, which are a revelation of who God is in himself, do we also practice them in the way we think, speak, and act? Finally, in knowing and doing the Law of God, do we embrace it with our whole heart, out of love for our creator? Do we see our obedience to the law as a way to worship him? Or, do we keep the laws so that we can compare ourselves to others and feel self-righteous? Perhaps we do what is right for others to see while harboring evil in our hearts? 

As Christians, we are living in the most advanced stage of the of the moral law; we are not playing pong when it comes to knowing and following the Law! As disciples of Christ, we must incorporate all three aspects into the way we live. We cannot separate any of them from who we are or we risk becoming hypocrites. Knowing, doing, and loving God’s law will enrich our lives and deepen our understanding of God himself. The reason we are here on earth is to know, love, and serve God and the moral law is one of the primary tools that enables us to do so. May you find the Law to be life-giving to you and may it bring you closer to God and neighbor every time you observe it.  

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Being the oldest of many children provided me with the opportunity, the responsibility, or the burden, depending on the way you looked at it, to do a lot of baby-sitting. When my parents took a rare night off or when mom had to run to the store in the middle of the day or take someone to the doctor, these were all times that I would be drafted to hold down the fort and make sure everyone did what they were supposed to until one or both of the parental units returned to resume control. Now, I’m not going to lie to you and pretend that I was always a benevolent sitter. I, like many oldest siblings, would sometimes resort to threats, heavy-handed methods, and scorched-earth policies in the hopes of maintaining order. Sometimes this came from a place of laziness and not caring to take the time to work with my younger brothers and sisters. Other times, it was in the interest of self-preservation. A horde of younger siblings can sense weakness of resolve and self-doubt like a shark senses blood in the water. If you don’t immediately maintain order and control, they can gang up on you and turn the house into a modern-day French revolution. If that happens, the parents might return to nothing more than your bleached bones and full anarchy. 

But I am getting sidetracked! Even though I was not the perfect babysitter, I tried to be fair and reasonable and not abuse the authority my parents entrusted to me while they were gone. As a young person, that was my first real practice of authority. And I noticed something in my younger siblings that I myself had experienced many times before and many times since; we humans struggle with authority! I think we all know this to be true. I can’t count how many times I would tell a sibling to do some task before mom and dad got home but was told: “you’re not the boss of me! Have you ever noticed how quickly a young child learns how to say the word “no”? And it’s not just children either. How many of us like to be told what to or look forward to when someone tells us no? The fact is, ever since Adam and Eve, we haven’t been so good at obedience. Sin has placed a resistance within us to authority, even when that authority us legitimate and might even protect our own best interests. We all want to be our own master in some way, shape, or form. But no matter how strong or successful or powerful or independent we are, we all must serve someone, something. 

The readings today challenge that basic human desire for autonomy and force us to think about who or what it is that we serve. In the first reading, Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel and recounts the saving work of the Lord throughout their history. It wasn’t always clear how the Lord would save his people, it certainly wasn’t always easy or popular or without sacrifice. But in the end, those who served the God of Moses and Abraham were vindicated and rewarded. Joshua called on the people to make their decision once again and to make it freely and deliberately. He didn’t ask them whether or not they wanted to serve a god, no, the question is what god they will decide to serve. Joshua’s statement of faith and obedience is beautiful, so beautiful in fact, that I have seen it displayed in the homes of many families. He says, “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Encouraged by his humility and example, the people of Israel promised to serve the Lord as well and turn their back on the lesser gods that their ancestors worshipped and obeyed.

This theme of obedience and service is also at work in our second reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians. Most priests avoid this reading like the plague because the phrase, “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord” always stirs up angry looks and jabs to the ribs among married couples. But this reading never was meant to inflame the age-old power struggle between men and women, husbands and wives. This reading is meant to change the argument completely from who has the power, who is charge to whom will you serve? St. Paul tells the Ephesians, and us as well, that marriage is meant to a sign of of the relationship that exists between Christ and his bride, the Church. Just as Jesus came, not to be served but to serve. Just as Jesus told God the Father during his agony in the Garden that he wanted “not his own will but his Father's to be done.” So too with married couples. You are supposed to enter into marriage in order to serve your spouse...and not the other way around. Both husband and wife are called to lay down your lives, your wills, even personal ambition in order to promote the good and holiness of your spouse. It is never about who is right, who has the power, or who has the final say. This is a very lofty view of married life but it is the Christian view of marriage and it is something you entered freely when the two of you become one in holy matrimony.

Finally, we have the gospel. Jesus has just finished his teaching on the Bread of Life, which is his own Body and Blood. It is a difficult teaching, so difficult and challenging, that many of Christ’s followers leave him that day and never return. They were willing to follow him until that point but then it became too much, too difficult. Notice what Jesus does, or rather, what he doesn’t do! Jesus does not go back to the huge group that is leaving him and say, “sorry guys for what I said, I didn’t really mean it!” He doesn’t try and water down his teaching or make it easier to stomach. He simply turns to the apostles and says, "Do you also want to leave?" St. Peter speaks on behalf of all twelve when he wisely answers, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." Even though it is difficult, the apostles decided to serve Christ and obey his teaching, Even though many others walked away, they stayed and served and God took care of them.

We for our part, need ask ourselves: who it is that we serve. Is it the Lord? Even when his teachings are difficult? Even when we don’t quite understand? Even when they are unpopular?  Or seen as silly in the eyes of the world? Or judged by the “wise” of the world to be irrelevant? Do we serve the Lord AND see obedience to the Catholic Church as part of serving him?

Or do we serve ourselves? Our own egos, our own ambitions, our own comfort zones, our own laziness, our own selfishness? Do we serve God or do we serve the opinions of others, the current thought of society, the wisdom of this world, or the acceptance of fellow human beings?

We all must serve someone or something. Ask yourself today, who that will be. I hope you will decide wisely like Joshua and the Apostles, “that as for you and your household, you will serve the LORD.”

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

One of the great joys of being in this parish is the many opportunity to be around families, especially our young families with children. Our parish is blessed with so many good families. Not perfect families but definitely good families. As one of your priests, I have gotten to know many of you and I know how hard you parents work to care for your children. You try to keep them clean and feed them well. You protect their health, not just caring for them when they are sick, but preventing sickness by taking them to the doctor for check-ups, shots, the dentist for their teeth, to name a few. You help them with their school work. You help them learn to make their way in the world especially in making good relationships with others. You want them to grow to be good, healthy people all the way around. Being a good, involved parent is a full time job, without a doubt. But being a good parent is more than just doing things. Being a good parent also means being present to your kids and taking time to watch what they are doing and observe. Now I don’t have to tell you this: children are entertaining to watch because nearly everything they do is heartfelt and genuine. 

One of the most entertaining things that kids do, especially young ones, is eat. For a child, eating is a total body experience. For example, the young child doesn’t just taste ice scream, he smells it, feels it, wears it and LOVES it! The same is true when a child dislikes his food. He makes faces, he is totally repulsed by its presence and may even cry or throw the offensive food across the room. There is something about watching a child happily eat that warms our hearts, especially when we cook the meal or provide the food. 

That is, as long as they DO eat. One of the most maddening things to see is a child that refuses to eat or at least try certain types of food. I was never a picky eater but some of my siblings were and, to this day, the picky eater or the child who refuses to eat, well, that is something that drives me up a wall. It just seems so irrational! I want to say: “there is no reason to cry about the vegetables on your tray!” “It won’t hurt you to take a little bite!” These words don’t usually make a difference unless there is some sort of bribe involved. In any case, the child who refuses to eat their food can be frustrating because they don’t realize that what they are being offered is for their own good. And they have no idea of the sacrifice and time that went into getting and fixing the meal itself. I am sure that most of the families here have at least one child who gives them a run for their money at the table. But you don’t give up. The child has to eat and eat the proper food.

Now, if feeding and watching our loved ones eat brings us joy and satisfaction, how much more must it be cherished by God, our Heavenly Father. He is the one that provides everything that we use, from the rain and the sun, to the soil and the intelligence that has learned how to cultivate the earth and use its resources. I am sure it must warm His heart as he sees us enjoying the food and other good things He provides. 

But that is not the only food that God gives us! Even more important than the daily nourishment our bodies consume is the perfect meal that is the Eucharist. For this food He offers us is the very Body and Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the Bread come down from heaven, which provides eternal life when received worthily. How much happiness God must experience when he sees us entering into his heavenly feast with great attention and zeal! How he must long for us to participate with our whole heart, soul, and body! When we eat His Body and Drink His Blood in a worthy and reverent way, we show him that we appreciate his gift and the sacrifice that he endured to provide it for us.  

I am also sure He is saddened when we refuse to eat or carelessly receive the Great Meal He has prepared from the beginning of time. When we refuse to eat, or only sometimes come to Church to receive His Food, the Lord must feel like the parents who are upset that their children refuse to take the nourishment that they have provided with love and sacrifice. The Lord paid dearly for the Food He gives us. He paid for that food with His own life. How must He feel when we refuse to eat or fail to receive the eucharist with the proper reverence or while in serious sin?  

It is good for us to reflect on our disposition towards the Eucharist as we near the end of the Bread of life discourse which has continued over the last month. This week’s Gospel reading gets right to the heart of the Eucharistic message: Jesus says, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood you will not have life within you.” When we receive communion properly, we receive the Lord’s life within us.  

There are some people who reduce this sacrament to a meal of fellowship. There are some who equate the Eucharist in the Catholic Church with meals of fellowship in non-Catholic churches. These actions are not the same. For us, the Eucharist is Jesus Christ himself. The Sacrament we receive is so much more than a sharing of fellowship. It is total union with Christ, whom we take within ourselves in sacramental form. Some people simplify this mystery into a reception of Blessed Bread. The bread is not just blessed. It is Christ. The Eucharist is Jesus dying for us, sacrificing himself for us, and calling us to go out and perform the same sacrifice for others. This is why the Church gives us five weeks to reflect on the Bread of Life Discourse of St. John’s Gospel. She wants us to come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the gift that we routinely receive every time we come to communion. 

God our Father, is the perfect father, and he knows that his children need to eat, and they need to eat well. He provides us with the Body and Blood of His Son, at each and every Mass so that we can have all we need and more, to grow in his life and love. We need to take the food our Heavenly Father provides us without being picky or stubborn. May we receive this gift with gratitude, never taking it for granted, never receiving it unworthily. Let us heed the advice in our psalm today and “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Before I leave for vacation, there is something I need to get off of my chest. Some of you might think I’m crazy, some of you may be horrified by what I’m about to share, but I think many of you will understand. What I want to say is this: I am frustrated by a certain behavior of babies that is widespread, almost epidemic. Now, I don’t mean little newborns, no, they are actually pretty good about this. I am thinking more about babies when they start being aware of their surroundings and begin exploring and trying to impose their will on others. Certainly, by the time they are toddlers, this behavior is full-blown. 

So, what am I talking about?

Napping, that’s right, napping. These little babies, who everyone thinks are so cute, are rejecting invitations to nap all the time. Even when they are fed, changed, gently rocked, and pleaded with, they still fight ferociously. So often, you can tell that the baby is exhausted; they need the nap but they continue to resist. It drives me crazy when I see these little people, surrounded by their adoring entourage, turing down invitations to nap. The don’t know how good they have it, what a gift they are being offered, and so they reject it. Now, I can’t be too hard on these little babies, I myself acted the same way. Sneaking out of bed during nap time, fighting and screaming every day when that time came around. I now regret my behavior and often wish I could reclaim those wasted opportunities for rest. I lecture my nieces and nephews this every time I see them protesting their nap but they don’t seem to understand what I am saying and sometimes they scream and yell even louder.

Believe it or not, I share this personal frustration with you for a reason. Just as little children fail to see the good thing they have in taking a nap each day, so too, in our first reading, the Israelites fail to see the good things that God is providing for them in the desert. Prior to their journey into the desert, God’s people were in a bad place. For generations, they had been slaves of Pharaoh and their fate was a miserable one. They were pressed into heavy labor, day after, year after year, with less and less rest. Their captors became more and more abusive, to the point that they began to slaughter their male children in the hopes of taking away the strength and future of God’s people. In response, God raised up Moses, and inflicted the 10 plagues upon Pharaoh and his people. Egypt let the Israelites leave, but soon changed their mind and pursued them with bad intent. At the Red Sea, God completely destroyed their captors and ensured the freedom of his people in a very definite way. That’s where our reading today starts.

But the people begin to complain already. They are hungry and God is making them rely completely on him during this time in the desert, by themselves they are powerless. They begin to forget the hardship of their slavery to Egypt and they complain. They tell Moses, "Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine! In other words, we had it better as slaves because, back then, at least our bellies were full of meat and bread! Already, God’s people are settling for something less than the freedom he offered them, they are willing to be enslaved again simply so they don’t have to be hungry, they are setting their eyes on the lower, lesser goods. God, in his goodness and patience, gives them manna from heaven and even provides meat for them while they sojourn in the desert. This food literally comes down from heaven and through this great miracle, God is already setting the stage for an even greater miracle where he will feed all who believe in him with an even better bread from heaven.

Now, we might listen to this story and be a little indignant. We might think to ourselves, “How dare those Israelites question God’s plan for them in the desert! I can’t believe they complain after all he did for them! We might wonder how in the world they would be willing to go back into slavery, just so they could have their little pots full of meat and bread. Don’t they see what they would be giving up?! Don’t they see that they would be sacrificing the freedom and the Promised Land that God wants to give them?!” As outraged as we might feel, as awful as the Israelites behavior truly is, it is a problem that you and I struggle with in our own hearts and lives as well. 

We have been given the True Bread from heaven, the Body and Blood of Jesus himself! The food that God gave Israel in the desert was just an appetizer for the perfect meal that he was preparing when his Son would come to earth. And yet, do we really appreciate that gift? Do we complain about what the Lord has given us and wish for something else? Don’t we sometimes wish that Mass could be a little more interesting? or a little shorter? Or at a more convenient time? Perhaps these things are not our struggle. But maybe we settle for lesser things as the Israelites did. Instead of finding our true happiness and fulfillment in Christ, we look for those things in worldly items, pleasures, and honors. Perhaps we are willing to go back to a spiritual slavery so that we can be a little more comfortable or familiar with our surroundings. 

Far too often, we settle for lesser things and we fail to appreciate the divine gift that is being offered to us. Like the baby fighting the nap, like the Israelites wishing for the food of slaves, we can fail to see the the gift in front of us. These 5 weeks, with the Bread of Life discourse, remind us of the great treasure we have in the Eucharist. The Church wants us to know that we have been set free by the Body and Blood of Jesus. God will feed our souls with himself, the only thing that will ultimately satisfy us. The challenge for us this Sunday is simple. We have the greatest of gifts; the most magnificent of miracles before us. Jesus, the true and eternal Bread from Heaven, is given to us at each and every Mass. Let us resolve to deepen our faith in this precious gift and never take it for granted. May we strive to receive the Eucharist with grateful hearts taking full advantage of all the benefits it contains. 

 

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

For the next five weeks or so, we are going to be reading from John’s gospel, chapter 6, which is called the Bread of Life Discourse. in our journey, we are going to listen as Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life and gives the world its greatest gift, His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Christ starts with a miracle and then continues on with a series of teachings, reaching back to Moses and other great moments of the Old testament. Today's readings present us with the story of two different miracles, the story of Elisha, who in the midst of a famine feeds a hundred men with 20 loaves of barley bread and the story of Jesus, who when faced with a great crowd of 5000 hungry people, feeds them with five loaves and two fish. 

Both stories share certain things in common.

Elisha's servant, on being told to feed the men with the offering brought by a man from Baal-shalishah, does not think it possible and complains to the prophet saying: "How can I set this before a hundred men?" With Jesus too, there is a servant, an apostle, who does not think it is possible to feed the people with what is available - the five loaves and two fish offered by the child that Peter's brother, Andrew, had found in the crowd.

In both stories, despite these small beginnings, the hungry are fed and there are leftovers - indeed in the story involving Jesus there is an abundance of leftovers - there is more than when the meal first began. The feeding of the great crowd, as John calls it, is the only miracle that Jesus did that is described in all four gospels.  For this reason alone, we need to pay close attention to it. We need to ask ourselves, “why is this?”  What is it about this miracle that catches the attention of the gospel writers.

I think it has to do with three things.

The first is the fact that this story tells us that Jesus has the power of God. Like Elisha he has God's favor and is able to feed the hungry: much as the people of Israel were fed by God in the wilderness with Manna. In fact John goes on after the telling of this story to speak of Jesus as the bread of heaven come down to earth - the one who is not only able to satisfy the physical hunger of his people but their spiritual hunger as well. Jesus has, and is able to use, the power of God to feed the hungry because he is one with God and the Son of God.

The second thing is that the story shows us not only God's power at work in Jesus, but also God's care. God reaches out through Christ to meet the needs of those who are following him much as God reached out through Elisha to meet the needs of the men who had followed him into the wilderness. Jesus cares for those who seek him out. He doesn’t abandon or forget them, rather, he wants to meet their needs and take care of them.

The third thing this story shows us is that Jesus is able to take what is offered to him and to multiply it - so that where there first seemed too little ends up being more than enough. 

It is this third point that I want to focus on for the remainder of the homily.

It has been talked about a great deal, this miracle of feeding the great crowd of people, and perhaps more than any other miracle, people have tried to figure out how Jesus did it. Most people accept the healing stories, they understand that the mind has a strong effect on health, that faith can in fact bring about healing. But multiplying loaves and fish? This seems more incredible, more difficult, and so theories have arisen to explain how it was done. I don’t have time to go through all these theories but it is sufficient to say that most of them have a common theme, which tries to explain away any divine power or true miraculous happening with a natural explanation. 

The most notable theory is that when the boy who had the loaves and fish shared them with others his example inspired others to bring out what they had brought with them and share as well. In other words, there really was no miraculous power at all but instead it inspired everyone to share the food they already had.

We can't say exactly how the loaves and the fish multiplied, nor do we need to. More important than how is the fact that they did, just as the offering made to Elisha by the man from Baal Shalishah. We really need to meditate on that fact: how too little became more than enough when it was offered to God. How human eyes saw impossibility where Christ and the Prophet Elisha saw enough to feed the people’s hunger.

Aren’t we often like the skeptical apostles or the doubting servant of the prophet? When there is a need in our lives, in our families, among our friends, in our world, don’t we often say something like:

- How can we help with what little we have?  We don't even know how we will we make do ourselves.

- How can we feed so many?  How can we fund so many.  We have so little and the need is so great.

- What we can do is only a drop in a bucket.  We don't have enough money to help out.  We don't have what it takes.

We don't have enough time. 

We don't have enough energy.

We aren't smart enough.

We aren't wise enough.

We haven't been trained in that area.

We aren't professionals.

There aren't enough of us to make a real difference,

there aren't enough of us to get the job done.

But Jesus, like Elisha, didn't listen to this from his disciples and he doesn’t want to hear it from us either. Rather, like the prophet, he takes what is offered to him in faith, blesses it, and gives it back to us so that we might distribute it to those who are hungry, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And if we trust in God, if we follow him and obey his will for us, there will be enough to go around, there will be leftovers, sometimes Even more than we started with.

This is what happens right here, right now, in the Eucharist. We give the meager gift of ourselves to God, and he in turn gives us Himself. By his gift, we are transformed, strengthened, healed, and then sent forth to help others. God wants to take the little we have ourselves, and multiply it so that it can be shared with others. Others who are hungry, lost, sad, searching, abandoned, and hurting. He make the gift of ourselves more than enough for the people he sends us to, there will be something leftover. All we need to do is to do is bring what we have, as did the man of Baal Shalishah to Elisha and as did the boy on the hillside to Jesus.

So, which voice will we listen to? The voices of the disciples and the servants, who say, when told to feed the crowd - there is not enough - it is impossible? Or the voice of the one who tells us "feed the people" and who takes what we have to offer and makes it enough?