Sts. Peter and Paul (Cycle A)

            I sometimes wonder what it would have been like for Jesus, if he had decided to start the Church in our present day and age. I imagine that he would have received lots of advice from his followers on the best structure of management. I am certain that one of the first things he would have been advised to do would be to form an LLC. In addition to limiting his liability, I'm sure that someone would have insisted that Jesus’ twelve apostles undergo some sort of testing to make sure that they were worthy of such a demanding and difficult job as fishers of men and leaders of the Church founded by Christ himself. And more than likely, when these reports came back on the twelve apostles, it would sound something like this:

            “Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new Church. All of them have taken our battery of tests and we have scored the results. After arranging personality interviews for each of them with our psychologist and other consultants, it is the opinion of our staff that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the enterprise. They have no team concept. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has no qualities for leadership. The two brothers James and John place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas shows a skeptical attitude that would tend to undermine morale and authority. Matthew, the former tax-collector, has been blacklisted by the Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings and registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale. One of the candidates however, shows real potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man.”

            While this assessment of the twelve might seem crazy to you and me today; in human terms, it is pretty much dead-on. And if there is anything that our feast today teaches us, it's that God's power can transform anyone into vessel of his grace. That includes those of us who, humanly speaking, feel unqualified, unable, or unworthy to follow in the footsteps of these great men. This solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul also shows us that God can bring about great things through situations and persons which seem to us to be impossible or unlikely. 

           

            Look at St. Peter; here was a man who was impulsive and uneducated. He abandoned the Lord in his hour of need. Simon Peter also denied Christ three times, right after Jesus foretold it. And even today in our gospel, after being highly praised by Christ for his insight into who he was, Peter will blow it. Just four verses after this glowing praise, Christ will say to him, "get behind me satan" when Peter scolds him for talking about his death on the cross.

           

            And what about St. Paul; what a mess he was. He held the cloaks of the men who murdered St. Stephen. He devoted himself to the imprisonment and persecution of the early Church. Here was a man who was downright dangerous and cruel to anyone who professed belief in Christ Jesus.

     

            How could anyone know that these two men, along with the other apostles, would become the greatest saints of our Church? No amount of testing, training, or preparation would have been able to transform these two men into the saints that they became. It was simply God's grace working through them. God's grace took their sinfulness, their little-mindedness, their faults and failings, and transformed them into men after his own heart. How ironic that St. Peter would stand tall against the critics and nonbelievers of Jesus Christ and fearlessly preach the gospel. He would never deny Christ again, even when he was led to his own crucifixion. How fitting that St. Paul would go from persecuting Christians to being persecuted as one. And what a beautiful witness he gives in his letters, as he waits in prison for his execution:

            I think it is easy for us to look at the sort of person that St. Peter and St. Paul became and think: I could never be holy and courageous like them!! Far too often we forget the fact that the saints, even the great ones, were human, just like you and me. And we let ourselves off the hook; we sell ourselves short of the holiness and the service of the Church we are called to by God. Peter was not perfect, as a matter of fact he made a lot of mistakes. But he loved the Lord with all his heart and Christ took that little 'yes' and made him a great saint. The same could be said of St. Paul, who, by the end of his life was able to say in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me."

            Today Jesus calls us and asks us, "who do you say that I am?" He gives us the opportunity to profess our belief in him and to be transformed into his saints, just as Peter and Paul were. Like St. Peter we lack faith at times, we are cowardly, we sin, we question God and sometimes we think that we know better than God. Like St. Paul and the other disciples, we have much to learn, we have our past to confront, and sometimes we are selfish. Seeing that the apostles were men of limited competence and yet they still did so much for the Church should give confidence to us. If Jesus could use them, he can certainly use us. With the grace of Christ along with time spent in prayer with the Lord, we too can grow from weakness to strength and accomplish great things for God and his kingdom just as Sts. Peter and Paul.

Corpus Christi (Cycle A)

I have to tell you how wonderful it is to be here with you. I've been looking forward to praying with you, working with you, and getting to know you since I was informed I would be assigned to St. Michael the Archangel Parish. I don't want to bore you with too many details, but allow me to share just a little about who I am and where I come from. I was born and raised here in St. Louis, Hazelwood in fact. I am the oldest of 14 children, 10 girls and four boys. Most of my siblings still live here in the St. Louis and St. Charles area and I am blessed to have 15 nieces and nephews. I went to seminary at an early age and spent eight years right here in Shrewsbury at Kenrick-Glennon seminary. I was ordained a priest in 2008 by Cardinal Burke. My first two years of priesthood priesthood were at the Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End. The last four years have been spent at St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville. I have enjoyed each of these assignments and the people I have served and I love being a priest!

Some people have noticed that when I was assigned here, I was not named pastor but rather parochial administrator. Many people, either at Cottleville or here in Shrewsbury, have asked me what exactly is a parochial administrator? I thought this might be be a good moment to clarify without going into too many technical details. In recent years, it has been the policy of the Archbishop to name rookie pastors parochial administrators. As such, I have the same responsibilities as a pastor, I carry out the same functions as a pastor, but there are certain restrictions as well. Before making some decisions, I have to check with the Archbishop and if things are not going well, it is easier for an administrator to be moved than a pastor. Typically, we rookies remain administrators for about a year and then the Archbishop comes to the parish and formally installs us as pastors. Hopefully that provides some background on who I am and what I will be doing here. 

Let us now reflect for a little while on today’s beautiful feast of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for the “Body of Christ”. The Church gives us this feast as an opportunity to remember what a gift we have in the Eucharist. 

One of the benefits of growing up in a house full of children, is that you were taught how to hold a baby from a very early age. For example, you learn to hold your arms in such away that the baby’s head and neck are supported and the infant is held close to you so that there is no way it can wiggle out of your arms. You also make sure to be careful of any soft spots on their delicate head and you soon become comfortable with laying down or handing over this precious cargo. Getting to hold someone else's baby is an honor; it is something that should be done carefully and with attention to every detail. Imagine how horrifying it would be if someone handled a newborn baby roughly or carelessly. It would take your breath away, it would probably anger you, and I hope all of us would do something about it.

In the Eucharist, we are given a similar but even greater privilege. Every time we come to Mass and receive Holy Communion, God says to us: “here is my precious Child, my only begotten Son, I am going to let you hold him, touch him, receive him so that you can become my child too and have the strength to follow me and love your neighbor.” In the Eucharist, God becomes vulnerable for us. How do we respond? Do we have the same care and concern for the Body and Blood of Christ as we do for a newborn infant? Can people see in us that same tenderness, awe, and attention to detail?

Fortunately for us, the Catholic Church gives us many traditions and procedures to help us maintain our piety and love for Jesus in Eucharist. For example, that is why we are asked to fast from all food or drink, except water or medicine, one hour before we take holy Communion. Our respect for the Eucharist is why we genuflect towards the tabernacle when we come into church. The same is true when we come forward to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus; we should bow as the person before us is receiving: when it is our turn we raise our hands before us, one on top of the other as a throne for the King of Kings. We should also feel comfortable receiving the Eucharist on our tongue, as this is still the normative way to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. If we choose to receive the Precious Blood, the same reverence applies as we take a small sip of the Blood that was shed for us on Calvary. If we are aware of some serious sin that we have committed since our last confession, we should not receive the Eucharist until we have gone to confession. We should also pay attention to other details, like taking some time to prepare to receive the Lord, perhaps as we are driving or walking here to church, or even getting here a few minutes early so that we can set aside any distractions or worries that we brought with us. Finally, we should make sure that we never do things that appear disrespectful or careless when it comes to the Body and Blood of Jesus. We should never be chewing gum in church, playing on our phone, or taking Holy Communion without consuming it immediately.

In just a few minutes, you and I will be entrusted with God’s Son in the Eucharist. Let us be careful, let us be filled with awe, let our piety radiate as we receive this precious gift. May the Body and Blood of Jesus transform our lives and help us to grow even more in love with him!

Pentecost (Cycle, A)

I know that some of you have heard this story before but I want to share it again for two reasons: 1) because I think it ties in with today’s celebration of Pentecost and 2) because the main troublemakers of the story are here with us today (Where are you, Mom and Dad?) Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in building things, fixing things, and learning how things work. As a result of this interest, from an early age, tools fascinated me. Between 5^th and 8^th grade, I would beg my parents to take me to the hardware store at least once a week. And when I would enter into this splendid shrine dedicated to hand tools, power tools, and other hardware accessories, I would take a deep breath and then slowly proceed to walk down every single aisle, looking at the newest innovations, dreaming of the day when I could afford something as glorious as an air compressor, a nail gun, or a table saw. But it didn’t stop there. Every time my birthday rolled around or Christmas approached and I was asked what I would like, I just said: “more tools please.” So for a couple of years that was what I counted on for my birthday and Christmas. I received screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, tape measures, hammers, handsaws, and occasionally, if I behaved and promised to be careful, a coveted power tool.            

I was in the height of this “building” stage, when my twelfth birthday rolled around. After blowing out twelve candles and smiling through “happy birthday,” I was eagerly anticipating the newest addition to my workbench. My parents presented me with a small box, about this size, which was somewhat heavy. I just knew that it had to be some new drill bits and or maybe even a new part for the riding lawn mower I had souped up to drive around the neighborhood. I was so excited; I ripped right through the wrapping paper and that’s when I saw them. My mouth dropped and I just stared at my parents in disbelief. My expression was a strange mixture of confusion, betrayal, and yes, even anger. If you see photos from that moment, you don’t have to guess how I am feeling. Inside the box was not a tool or engine parts. No, instead there were four books, by J.R.R. Tolkien, the classic Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

           These were really nice books. And it was a very thoughtful gift from my parents. But I didn’t like them and I wouldn’t read them for quite a long time, eight years to be exact, because they weren’t what I was expecting or hoping for. Because I had set my expectations on something else, I wasn’t able to see the goodness or the wisdom of their gift until many years later. My short-term desires blinded me to the long-term benefits of this birthday gift, which I would later read nonstop.

As we gather to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which is regarded as the birthday of our Catholic Church, we acknowledge that the apostles didn't originally plan for this gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, they were hoping that Jesus, Risen from the dead, would simply stick around with them indefinitely. That was the gift that they wanted, that was what they were hoping for with their limited wisdom and foresight. But Jesus has something even better in mind. He knew if he stayed here with the apostles and the early church, there would be a limit to how much they could grow in their faith and in their ability to spread the good news.

That is why Jesus leaves them at the Ascension to return to his heavenly father. It isn't what the apostles want but it is exactly what they need. Because Jesus loves the apostles so perfectly and because he is so madly in love with his church and with each and every one of us he only wants to give the best of gifts. Gifts that are beneficial for us in the scope of eternity. That is why we have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, Consoler, the third person of the holy Trinity, who abides in the church forever until that day when Jesus returns. Like a wise parent who knows what his child needs even before the child realizes it, Jesus knows that we need the presence of the Holy Spirit even more than we need him walking around in church today.

With this gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles will be transformed immediately. They will literally go from the room in which they were hiding, out fear, onto a balcony where they will proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and challenge the very people they were hiding from to repentant of their sins and embrace Christianity. Could Jesus have given them any better gift? In his eternal wisdom, he knew that the Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, could have this effect on his beloved friends.

Our Lord wants the same good things for you and me. He wants us to be bold, confident, full of joy, and ready to do his will. He wants us to be free from fear, from sin, and any other weakness that my burden us or limit our potential. Is this gift of the Holy Spirit, first received in the sacrament of baptism and given more fully in confirmation, that enables us to live in this way. The Spirit is with us always, whether we are awake or sleeping, at home or traveling, alone or surrounded by thousands of people. There is only one condition that comes with this incredible gift from God. The one thing required of us is docility, a certain humility and openness to whatever it is the spirit leads us towards. Sometimes he will lead us in ways we like, that we agree with, which are easy and pleasant. But other times, the Holy Spirit will challenge us, correct us, and even convict us of wrongdoing and laziness. If we hope to receive all the benefits and transformation that can be ours, we have to be open to everything that he wants for us, even when our limited knowledge protests or throws a fit, even when his gift isn’t exactly what we were hoping for. 

May this celebration of Pentecost be a powerful reminder that we are loved without limits by a wise and caring God. Let this crowning feast of the Easter season renew your openness to the Holy Spirit and the many ways he wants to renew your soul. Let us be careful not to limit God by our own expectations of how he should work in the Church and in our lives.  Above all, let us rejoice that Jesus has given us this Advocate, this Holy Spirit, to be with us everywhere and always until he returns in Glory! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and renew the face of the earth!

The Ascension of the Lord (Cycle A)

This year, the feast of the Lord’s Ascension speaks to me in a very personal way. Today Jesus is leaving the people he loves, the ones he has cared for, and spent every day with. He is leaving for something even greater, the next stage, a new chapter. Today, Jesus rejoins his Father in heaven and paves the way for the Holy Spirit to come down and abide with his believers forever. Something similar happens for the priest as he prepares for a new assignment, saying goodbye to people he has been with for years. One significant difference: I do not anticipate being taken up into the clouds as I make my way to St. Michael’s! 

As Jesus ascends into heaven, he gives us a parting gift: He gives us his final words.

We normally take very seriously the last words our loved ones uttered to us; 

     - we turn those words over in our minds, 

     - we consider them carefully

     - we store them up in our hearts and ponder them - much as Mary stored up the words of the angel, the shepherds, and the magi in her heart after her encounters with them. 

If the last words of a loved one to us are uttered in the form of a command or wish, if they are uttered with any seriousness - in the knowledge that soon time and space will separate us, if they ask us to do something, we are inclined to do everything in our power to both remember those words and to do that which was asked of us.

Last words are indeed important words. Knowing that - today I want to reflect with you on the last words of Jesus while he was here on earth.

If you ask most people  what the last words of Jesus were, chances are they might tell you that his last words were: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" -- or perhaps - "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit". When most people think of the last words that Jesus spoke here on earth we tend to think of those words that he spoke upon the cross - those words he spoke just before his death - and not of the words that he spoke to his disciples, and to all of the Church, after his resurrection, on the day he ascended into heaven.

The last words that Jesus uttered while still on earth, while still walking about in his resurrected body, were just read to us in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. As he prepared to join his Father in heaven, Jesus tell the Apostles and us: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

But what does it mean to be his witnesses? The answer to that question can be found in today’s gospel from Matthew. Christ says quite simply, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” During this indefinite time between his ascension and his return in glory, Jesus wants the apostles to make the church grow, to spread the Good News of his victory over death, and to witness to his resurrection. He promised great signs and divine protection to those who follow his command. 

But Christ’s command to the apostles didn’t stop there; as a matter of fact, his mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations” extends to you and me as well. Even though Christ has ascended into heaven, even though we are waiting for his return at any moment of every day, we are expected to evangelize and give witness to all we have received through the gift of our faith. All of us have received the gift of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism and those of us who have been confirmed have also received the graces of Pentecost within our souls. 

The Ascension reminds us that it is time to spread the gospel, whether we are a priest or parent, a teacher or laborer, professional or full-time student. This is our task in this time of waiting for Christ’s second coming; we are not just supposed to sit around idly, hoping that we are ready when Jesus returns. 

I point out this command to spread the Good News because far too often people think it is something reserved for deacons, priests, bishops, and these who have consecrated their lives completely to Christ. And while it is my full-time job to spread the gospel, it is yours as well. I believe that one of the reasons that people still do not know Christ, the reason that so many people do not live the gospel is because ordinary Christians do not realize the power of their witness and their ability to spread the saving message of Our Lord. In a special way, in a way that I cannot be, you are the apostles to the corporate world, the educational world, the retail world, the entertainment world, and so on. This is the beauty of the Christian vocation; all of you, through your everyday work, have the privilege and opportunity to be made holy and to bring others to Christ. The Ascension of our Lord compels and commands us to use this time, before he returns, as an opportunity to bring others to the Lord. It is not enough simply to take care of ourselves.

As we come to this Mass on this blessed feast of our Savior, let us pay close attention to these last words of Christ. First, let us thank God for the gift of our faith, which was given to us by those following the Lord’s command. Second, let us resolve to spread our own faith to those we encounter in our lives, not in pushy or preachy ways, but by the joyous and peaceful manner in which we carry out our business. Finally, let us recommit ourselves to the practice of personal prayer, that our witness to the gospel will not be mere words or empty showmanship but a genuine and passionate display of the life of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will honor Christ by making disciples of all nations.