What Are You Expecting (3rd Sunday of Easter, Year A)

To listen to this homily, click here.

            Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in building things, fixing things, and learning how stuff works. As a result, tools have fascinated me since I was a kid. Between 5^th and 8^th grade, I would beg my parents to take me to the hardware store at least once a week. When I would enter this splendid shrine dedicated to hand tools, power tools, and other hardware accessories, I would take a deep breath and then slowly proceed 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 or Christmas rolled around and I was asked what I would like, I just said: “more tools.” 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 maybe even jigsaw blades. 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 anger. Inside the box was not a tool, or drill bits, or saw blades. Instead there were four books, by J.R.R. Tolkien, which were the classic Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

           

These were really nice books and it was a thoughtful gift from my parents. But I didn’t like them and I wouldn’t read them for seven years (!!!!) because they weren’t what I was hoping for. Because I had set my expectations on something else, I wasn’t able to see the goodness of their gift! I was blind to what the Lord of the Rings had to offer me because I had made up my mind on what my gift should have looked like.

           

We see something similar in the gospel today. Two of the disciples are on the road to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. The gospel tells us they were downcast and debating about the life and death of Christ. Jesus approaches them, but they do not recognize him. You can hear the frustration, dejection and confusion in their voices as they speak with this “stranger” on the road to Emmaus. These disciples were hurt and confused. They had such great expectations for Jesus; they had such high hopes for him but then he was crucified and all seemed lost.

           

During the entire walk of seven miles, the two disciples do not recognize Jesus next to them. Even after he explains the scriptures, they cannot see that this is the Lord. How can this be? Why were they so blind? The disciples are unable to see Jesus walking with them because of their own expectations of how his life should have played out. For them, it didn’t seem possible that the Messiah could redeem the world if he died. Their assumptions made them blind to the wisdom of God. It is not until the breaking of the bread that they recognize Jesus and begin to understand.

           

Doesn't this happen to us? Throughout our lives, we find ourselves on the road to Emmaus, just like the two disciples. There are times when we are downcast, confused, disappointed, angry, hurt, you name it… because we expected one thing from God but got something entirely different. Perhaps it's the death of a loved one, a personal affliction or illness, difficulties at work or home. These hardships challenge the way we think of God; they can make us feel alone and abandoned. Because of our own expectations of God, we can be blind to the fact that he is walking right alongside us in our time of difficulty. We often have our own ideas of how God should act and what the plans for our lives should look like. When those don’t work out, it can cause us great distress, disappointment, and even anger.

           

 It's important to learn from our gospel today. Even in the darkest moments of our lives we should not despair; we should not give up. Christ is always walking alongside us during these moments but we may not recognize him right away. Like the disciples, we may walk quite a distance down our road of difficulty before we recognize the presence of Christ. And this healing, calming presence of our Lord may be found where we least expect it: in the kind words of a stranger, in the beauty of fine spring day, or the smile of a friend or family member.

            Finally, we can see our time here at Mass each week as our own journey to Emmaus. Here in this first part of the liturgy, we can bring all those things we have on our minds and present them to God. Here we have the Word of God, which is opened up and explained to us as it pertains to Christ. Jesus is working in these readings each and every week to show us how they point to him and his saving message. 

           

But Jesus doesn’t stop at explaining the scriptures. In a few minutes he will become present in the breaking of the bread here at the altar. It was this breaking of the bread that opened the eyes of the disciples and helped them to recognize the risen Christ in their midst who walked with them during their journey to Emmaus. He does the same thing for us. He wants our eyes to be opened, so we can see him working in each and every situation of our lives. He wants us to let go of our own expectations of God so we can believe and trust completely in his plan of salvation for us. 

           

My prayer is that we approach this Eucharist with the eyes of faith, a faith which sees Jesus walking alongside us, each and every step of our journey on earth. May we be a people who recognize the presence of Christ here in the breaking of the bread. May we, like the disciples, say to one another as we leave this church: Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”  

                         

Everyone Needs Mercy (2nd Sunday of Easter, Year A)

To listen to this homily, click here.

         Almost twenty years ago, St. John Paul II designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. He did this to help deepen Catholic awareness and appreciation of the gift of God’s mercy. In instituting Divine mercy Sunday, the Holy Father also showed the connection between the resurrection and mercy. In order to understand Easter and the resurrection we have to embrace forgiveness.

         There is not a single person in who doesn’t want mercy. It's something we've all experienced and even begged for at one time or another.  Kids, you know how much you shoot for mercy when you’re grounded. For whatever reason your parents tell you that the car, the xbox, the computer, the phone, or TV are off limits. Naturally, when you are grounded these are some of the things that you want to do the most. Which one of you doesn’t ask “Mom, please, can’t I just watch my favorite show?” or “Dad, I know I am grounded but all of my friends are going out tonight and they asked me to go with them?”

         Those of us who drive know the horrible feeling when we look in the mirror and see a police car behind us with the lights on. The feeling of dread and doom as the officer approaches often turns into a plea for mercy and forgiveness. “Officer, I did not realize how fast I was going,”, "I didn't see that stop sign", or “I thought the light was still yellow.”

         Many of us might also know how the desire for mercy springs up after flunking a test. We suddenly find ourselves asking the teacher for a chance to retake the test, earn extra credit, or be graded on a curve. This is especially true when we feel like it wasn't our fault; maybe we had a game the night before, we were sick, or the teacher asked unreasonable questions.

         In each of these cases, we desire mercy; we want a break even if we don’t technically deserve one. And often people go easy on us. Any one who has driven away after being pulled over with a mere warning knows how good mercy feels. The same could be said for those cases when a teacher grades a test mercifully or our parents ease up on us when we are grounded.

         I vividly remember one of my first experiences of mercy. I was a mere lad of 6 or seven and while I was playing outside, I broke our neighbor’s window. I was devastated. I had no money to pay for the window and there was no way to fix it either. I ran into the house distraught and told my mom; then I waited for the police to show up. I figured jail was the only way I could pay the penalty for breaking a window. A short while later my mom came and told me that I was not going to jail. Our neighbor told me not to worry about the broken window at all and he was not angry about it. Let me tell you, this small act of mercy took the weight of the world off my shoulders.

        

         Of course, these examples of mercy are only a taste of the mercy God has for us. Our mercy towards each other is shown by words and actions. God’s mercy is so powerful it actually became a person: Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mercy of God who came to save us from sin and death. He did not have to become man, suffer, and die. He had no sin; but he suffered and died because of his merciful love for us.

As Christians, the celebration of the Easter resurrection is inseparable from mercy. In the resurrection of Christ, God’s mercy is fulfilled; sin and death are defeated forever. The message of Divine Mercy Sunday is that God is offering each of us the freedom over sin and death. Just as he opened his arms on the cross, Christ waits with open arms to give you and me mercy.  But he will not force it on us; we have to meet him halfway.

Do we take advantage of opportunities to receive mercy? As Catholics, we have the wonderful sacrament of reconciliation, where God wipes away our sins. Do we go and encounter Christ in this sacrament of forgiveness or do we put it off month after month and year after year? Don’t wait any longer!! Christ wants to heal you if you just approach him!! We can’t fully appreciate and understand the joy of the resurrection if we are not receiving God’s mercy on a regular basis.

But mercy is not simply about receiving; it must also be given. Think of it as a two-way street; in the gospel, Jesus reminds us we will be forgiven to the extent that we forgive others. Some of us have people in our lives who are waiting for our unconditional forgiveness. Some of us might be withholding mercy because of grudges, past hurts, or pride. We cannot become people of the resurrection until we show mercy to all those in our lives: friends and enemies, those we enjoy being with and those people who drive us crazy. Our lives must become a continual cycle of giving and receiving mercy over and over and over until it becomes part of who we are.

 Living mercifully is difficult and we will need God's help to do it properly. When we step out of church we will be faced with opportunities to give and receive mercy. For some of us this challenge may seem overwhelming. There might be many things we have to do in order to become merciful. Let’s resolve to start with small things, perhaps a kind word when we are losing our patience, a compliment to someone we don’t necessarily care for, or letting someone go before us in line.  If we commit ourselves to the practice of mercy every day then we will truly understand the joy of Easter and the meaning of the resurrection. May we reflect Divine Mercy to everyone we encounter this week, knowing that God will repay it many times over in forgiving the wrongs we have done.

  

Jesus the Hero (Easter 2017)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Last Summer, July 7th to be exact, a tragedy unfolded that exposed both the best and worst of human nature. It was a Thursday night in Dallas, about 9pm and protestors were finishing up a demonstration against recent police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota. Without warning, an enraged gunman opened fire on police officers. Because of the ensuing confusion and his previous training in the military, this shooter killed five police officers and wounded nine others, along with 2 civilians before he was stopped. Having several family members in law enforcement, I followed this particular story closely. A theme came up time and time again in witness accounts of that evening (and remember, many of the people telling the story were there originally to protest the actions of police in other situations). Over and over again witnesses observed how the police officers ran into danger as everyone else was running away. Not knowing they were the target, they focused first on getting all of the protestors to safety rather than saving their own skin. Many of the demonstrators praised the police for their selfless service, for putting their own lives on the line, moving to neutralize the suspect when every instinct was telling them to run away or hide.

That is the true definition of courage, the real meaning of hero: to put one’s own safety, comfort, and very life on the line to help or save another person. We hear stories of true heroes fairly often, not only in law enforcement, but in so many first responders, soldiers, medical professionals, organ donors, and good-hearted strangers who see someone in trouble and jump in to help.

The only appropriate response to a hero is gratitude. Those who are saved or protected have been given a new lease on life. Through the sacrifice and courage of another, they are alive and more than likely, will never take another day for granted. Many times, the price of being a hero is significant; for some it costs the ultimate price, life itself. For that reason, there is something within our human nature that venerates a hero and never wants to forget their sacrifice. 

Today, on this happy day we call Easter, Christians around the world celebrate the ultimate hero, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead! Before the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we were in mortal danger from sin and death. Nothing we could ever do would release us from its grasp. Until Christ, not a single person could enter heaven. The human race was a prisoner to its sins and weaknesses. Because of that first offense of Adam and Eve, each and every one of us was born into darkness with the tendency to resist God and live for ourselves. God did not have to save us. We did nothing to deserve his salvation. But God has a heart of Love and couldn’t bear to watch his children suffer. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned, throughout the centuries, he prepared the world to receive his Son, who would be willing to do anything to save us. 

When Jesus was born into the world, he wanted to experience everything we do, except for sin. He grew up in a family, he learned a trade, how to pray, and so many other things that each of went through as a developing human. He did not choose an easy life for himself because he never wanted anyone to doubt his love for each and every one of us. Ultimately, Jesus would pay for his kindness in the worst way possible. He would be tortured, humiliated, betrayed by one of his closest friends, and executed on a cross. Let’s not forget, Jesus did not have to do this! He could have tapped out at any time or called on armies of angels to destroy those who were trying to destroy him. Instead of pulling back or running away, he goes headlong into the worst that humanity has to offer. By laying down his life, he ends up saving ours.

Easter Sunday is a reminder to say thank you to the hero who saved our souls. It is a reminder that God loved each of us so much he died for our sins and made it possible for us to be with him in heaven. Today, as we gather with friends and family to celebrate and enjoy time together, let’s make sure we don’t neglect to thank the very person who gave everything so we would no longer have to be prisoners to sin and death. Let us not take that sacrifice for granted! Every Sunday is a little Easter and every time we come to Mass, we say “thank you” to God for running into danger on our behalf and saving us.

May the joy and peace of Easter fill our hearts and homes. May we never take this gift of salvation for granted or fail to thank our heavenly hero, Jesus Christ, risen and victorious forever!

Jesus Wept (5th Sunday of Lent, Year A)

To listen to this homily, click here.

About 21 years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, my family was in the middle of a lot of activity. I was in the first year of high school. My mom was pregnant with child number 13, my sister Theresa Rose. We had recently sold the home we grew up in in Hazelwood and moved to a larger house in St. Peters. Life was pretty good and exciting but that was all going to change very quickly. One night my mom started to experience extreme pain unlike anything she had felt before. What she didn’t know at the time was she was bleeding internally, something that quickly put her life and the life of my unborn sister in extreme danger. In the middle of the night, while many of us still slept, my mom was rushed to the hospital. By the time the doctors diagnosed the problem, my mother had lost half of the blood in her body and my baby sister had been without oxygen for a devastating amount of time. Theresa Rose was delivered immediately to give her and my mother the best chance of survival. Within a short time the doctors gave us terrible news; my sister would not survive the day and my mother’s condition was critical.

This is the news I woke up to that day. First being told I had a new baby sister and secondly that she would not be with us very long. I cannot describe the impact of the news; I was shocked, I was in disbelief, I had trouble breathing; it was too much to handle. In the following hours I remember pleading with God asking him to spare my sister, to save my mom, to make all of this go away. I wondered how He could let this happen, I wanted to know what I did wrong, what I needed to do to make it all better.  I was frightened, I was sad, I was angry with God. But these thoughts and feelings did not change the reality; my sister would soon die and pass from this world to the next. Perhaps one of the most beautiful and difficult moments of my life came when mom and dad called me into the room to hold my little sister for the first and only time, to kiss her and to thank God for her life which would end moments later in my parents arms.

There were few words that could console me after my little sister died. But the shortest verse in the bible did, the verse in today’s gospel from John. Jesus also loses someone close to him, his friend Lazarus. And when he sees the grief and confusion this death causes to Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha, dear friends of Christ, the shortest verse also becomes one of the most powerful and profound. It simply says, “And Jesus wept.”

The power of this verse is that it reveals the heart of God, the heart of Jesus Christ. He was a man like us, He felt love and joy and anger and yes, even sadness at the death of a beloved friend! This verse reminded me in my suffering that I was loved and cared for by a God who was not indifferent to the hardships of life. He knew how I felt because He himself had wept for a loved one who had died. 

I believe now, more than ever, we need to remember this extraordinary scripture! At a time when our world seems to falling apart with natural disasters, civil unrest, multiple conflicts, horrendous crimes and heartbreaking tragedies, it can be easy for us to wonder where God is. Does He even care when we are suffering? Does it matter to Him whether our loved ones live or die? We can easily question his Love for us, his Power and Wisdom, and why He continues to let bad things happen to innocent people. 

The end of the gospel story gives us the answer to that seemingly impossible question. The tears that Jesus cried for Lazarus were not tears of despair or hopelessness. They were tears of sadness, profound sadness at the pain of death and the confusion and separation it brings. But after He cries, Jesus shows us that neither death nor sadness is the final word. He raises Lazarus, He calls him out of the tomb to show the people of his time and people of every age that his power defeats all death, every evil. His life is now the final word for all who believe in Him and nothing, not even death or the separation it brings can defeat his Divine Love. The good news of the gospel is that we have a God who loves us so much he is moved by our sorrow, our suffering, and our loss. He is never indifferent. 

This power of Jesus, his victory over death didn’t heal my sister or bring her back to life. It will not always take away the loss and pain we are bound to experience in this fallen world. But it always gives meaning and value to those awful moments. God doesn’t cause our sufferings, He is saddened by the loss and the pain they cause. He loves us so much he desired to experience all of the emotions that we do in our daily lives.

Although I didn’t see it right away, the power of the resurrection was found in every aspect of my sister’s death. Before she died, she was baptized and confirmed, assuring her a place in heaven with the God who made her. And as short as her life was, she taught me the dignity and value of a life, no matter how short or damaged. And perhaps most beautifully, it was through her 14 or so hours here on earth that my own heart was opened to hear God’s plan for me. My sister’s death helped me to hear God’s invitation to the priesthood.

Reflect often on the lesson of today’s gospel where Jesus shows us his power over death. Let it free you from those fears that paralyze you. Let it bring you courage and hope in difficult times. Let it bring meaning to your own suffering. Christ turns loss into gain, defeat into victory, sadness into joy, death into life. Let us be faithful so that He can do the same in our lives!