Prepare to be Amazed (Corpus Christi, Year C)

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Idea of little kids who are easily filled with wonder. When you are little, everything is amazing.

Car keys with a baby or making noises or faces. Children playing with a simple toy for hours, air vent at previous parish entertaining kids for a good part of mass or until their parents busted them, story of playing with the bathroom sink as kids.

Notice how that wonder and awe can dissipate with time and familiarity. Example of first time parents vs veteran ones. How protective new parents are vs. how laid back moms and dads of 3, 4, 5,6 or more tend to be. My parents have the beginning of a scrapbook from when I was a baby. Numerous professional pics as I grew older. There might be a few photos somewhere of my baby sister of her 18 years of life but I am not really sure. There is definitely no scrapbook.

It’s important that we grow up and mature. I’m not advocating that we turn into simpletons who laugh hysterically at every little thing or that we stop in amazement every time we walk near an air vent. I promise I will not be running around the parish with a sink over my head. But there is something to be said for retaining the ability to be amazed by little things, simple things. It’s not always good that we require more and more to keep our attention, hold our interest or amuse us. A lot can be lost in day to day living when we dismiss and overlook what is familiar and ordinary.

Think of the Eucharist. God takes something commonplace in bread and wine and he transforms it into the body and blood of his son. When I talk to kids about this, they are amazed and usually a little troubled. They have many questions and they want to know why and how God does this. Most importantly, they take God at his Word; they believe and let themselves be astonished, even though it is impossible for them to comprehend completely. When they make their 1st communion, there is awe and excitement.  We celebrate (as we should) with a big party and gifts. But after a while, receiving the Eucharist becomes another thing we do, it becomes a habit. Sometimes our youngsters and even our adults forget what a privilege it is to receive communion and Mass becomes “boring”. It no longer fills us with awe and excitement. The fact that Jesus turns bread and wine into his Body and blood no longer amazes us. We want him to do something more “impressive”, different, or shocking in exchange for our belief and attention.

What has changed? Is it the Eucharist? No! It is us! We have lost that ability to be astonished by God and the simple ways he manifests his infinite power. 

The Feast of Corpus Christi is a chance for us to recapture that child-like simplicity. It is an opportunity to see with new eyes the little ways that God is doing incredible things for us , for our families, for the Church, and for the world. I can tell you that he is. In my own life, when I take the time to appreciate the little miracles, I am humbled and surprised by how near God is to my daily life. When I slow down and stop asking just for the big miracles, I realize that the Lord cares about every part of my life and he is answering prayers and desires constantly.

If we think the only proof of God hearing our prayers will be winning the lottery we are going to overlook His blessings which helped us pay all the bills for this month and I have what I need once again, even if it is not everything I wanted.

We have the potential to be amazed every time we come to church, every time the Eucharist is celebrated if we allow God to wow us on his terms. Corpus Christi is a feast that reminds us of that and encourages us to open our eyes to the way God works 99% of the time: in little things and in simple ways. With bread and wine, one day at a time. 

When you receive communion today, keep that in mind and allow yourself to be filled with wonder and awe!

God Dwelling With Us (Trinity Sunday)

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Receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost, Year C Vigil)

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Today is a very special day. It is Pentecost Sunday, which is also known as the “birthday of the Church.” This may seem a little odd at first, but think about what has been going on in these fifty days since the resurrection. The apostles are still struggling to be brave and keep their faith in the Risen Lord. Even though time and time again Jesus has appeared to them, reassured them, and even scolded them for their lack of faith. Then, just as they were getting used to the idea of Jesus, risen from the dead, they witness His ascension into heaven. So here they are, feeling alone again. Locked in the upper room not quite certain what to do. Not quite ready to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world.

As they were sitting in one room, hiding, there was a loud noise, like a strong wind, and the sound caused the people of Jerusalem to gather around the house to see what was going on. What happens next should be amazing to us. This noise is the sound of the Holy Spirit, who comes down upon the Apostles and completely transforms them! These are the same men who were frightened, confused and in hiding for the last 50 days but look at what they do! They proclaim the message of the gospel to all the Jews who have gathered around the house. Remember, these are the same men who fled in fear when Jesus was arrested. One of them denied Jesus three times!! All of them hid in the upper room for many days after the death and resurrection of Christ. But now here they are right in the midst of the people that had frightened them, fearlessly proclaiming the gospel and telling everyone about the mighty acts of God through his Son, Jesus Christ. They suddenly speak different languages. They are convincing and courageous. This coming of the Spirit, this gift at Pentecost is truly powerful!!

There could be a danger to read this scripture and think, “this is a nice story, but it doesn’t have much to do with me and my faith.” Far too often, we  see Pentecost simply as a one-time historical event. We fail to realize that Christ has given the gift of the Holy Spirit to each of us, to the entire Church when we were baptized. All of the gifts, all of the power we celebrate this Pentecost Weekend is also available to us. While it might not be as dramatic as tongues of fire or a mighty wind, the Holy Spirit is here; working and waiting to be called upon in our everyday lives. Far too often, we are unaware of the presence of this third person of the Trinity and we leave the gifts of the Holy Spirit unused, untapped in our lives. And this reminds me of an interesting story that took place in this country about 80 years ago.

In West Texas, there is a famous oil field known as the Yates Pool. During the Depression, this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Ira Yates. Mr. Yates was not able to make enough money on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family, like many others, had to live on welfare.

Day after day, as he grazed his sheep on the rolling West Texas hills, he must have worried about how he would pay his bills. Then a crew from an oil company came into the area and told Mr. Yates that there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. The following wells were more than twice as large. In fact, thirty years after the discovery, a test on one of the wells showed that it still had the potential of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.

Mr. Yates owned it all! The day he purchased the land he received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he had been living on government subsidies. A multi-millionaire living in poverty! The problem? He didn't know the oil was there. He owned it, but he did not possess it.

Oftentimes we Christians are similar to Ira Yates in regards to the Holy Spirit. From the moment we were baptized we were given the rights to all the spiritual riches that were showered on the Church at Pentecost. We have access to all of the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has to offer. Instead, how often we stay on the surface, using the Holy Spirit like the traffic Law Center, only asking him to get us out of trouble or get us through something difficult? How often do we ask the Spirit for something positive in our daily lives, like to do our work for God's glory or to say the words that will build people up or bring them closer to God? Are we, like Mr. Yates, living in spiritual poverty because we are unaware or unwilling to dig deeper for those divine riches that are waiting beneath our feet?!

People of St. Michael, if someone told you that there was limitless oil under your backyard, you wouldn’t hesitate to start drilling, even if it is only trading at $45 a barrel. As a matter of fact, if you decided to leave that oil untapped and unused I would have to say you would be downright foolish. How much more with the Holy Spirit! We have an immeasurable treasure under our very noses! The Holy Spirit is like spiritual oil that is waiting underneath the ground of our everyday lives. It is inexhaustible, free, and waiting for us. If we are willing to dig a little deeper in our prayer; if we are willing to drill the depths of our hearts, we can become incredibly rich with the grace, joy, and peace that only God can offer us. May we become a people of Pentecost; people who are full of the Holy Spirit, just like the Apostles. May we be fearless, generous, and loving and may our lives be a constant prayer that says “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and renew the face of the Earth.”

My Peace I Give You (6th Sunday of Easter, Year C)

There is no text for this week's homily but you can listen to it here.