Freedom From Debt (Divine Mercy Sunday 2019)

To listen to this homily, click here.

History of Divine Mercy Sunday-Formally instituted about 20 yrs ago by St. JPII.

Which isn’t to say that God finally became merciful 20 years ago but rather that the Pope saw the increasing need for an emphasis on mercy for a world that has become increasingly harsh and callous.

The concept of mercy revolves around debt. I remember my first experience of being in debt when I bought my first new car. It as great to have something brand new and perfect. It was not so great to have payments for 5 years and know the bank had a lien on the title. In fact, I disliked the feeling of being indebted so much that I paid off the car 1.5 years early. Many of you know this even more than I do as you carry substantial loans for homes, businesses, and college education which can span 20-30 years! I have never met someone who liked being in debt and I suspect I never will. Humans like to be free in every dimension of their existence.

Imagine someone came to you and offered to pay off all your loans, large and small. This was not some email scam but the real deal. All you had to do was to name the debts you owed, say you didn’t want them anymore and they would be erased. Would you take advantage of that offer? Unless you were insane, I think you would. And what if you could receive this gift as often as you liked, it was not a one-time thing! Would you only go once? Probably not!

Every time we sin, we create a spiritual debt that must be paid. And unlike our financial obligations, these spiritual debts last forever and we are completely unable to repay them on our own. In fact, not even the holiest saint could earn forgiveness for a single sin they committed, no mater how small! It would be more possible for one of us to repay the entire national debt, well over 20 trillion dollars, by ourselves than to earn the forgiveness of one sin.

This is the great news of Divine Mercy; it is not something we earn but a completely free gift of God. And he makes it so easy for us! All we have to do is bring him our sins in the sacrament of confession and he wipes them away forever. And we can receive this mercy as often as we like!

So why don’t more people take advantage of it?:

Shame: “God can’t forgive me…” If God was like us, with our limitations and biases, that might be true but fortunately for sinners, he is pure and perfect love. The only sin God cannot forgive is the one that is not given to him. He will not force his forgiveness on us.

Fear: “I don’t want to be judged…What will the priest think…” There are so many stories in the bible that show God’s tenderness toward the sinful soul. As long as one is sorry, God rushes in to heal and comfort us. More often than not, we are far harder on ourselves than God is. As far as what the priests thinks, let me tell you a little secret, sin is pretty boring (Which is not meant to be a challenge). Everyone commits some assortment of the same general group of sins. Honestly, I forget the sins people tell me within minutes of them leaving the confessional.

Pride: “I don’t need to go…I haven’t killed anyone…I’m basically a good person…”(God is glad that you are not a murderer but the standards for getting into heaven are a little more than simply resisting homicidal urges! We are called by Jesus to be perfect as his heavenly father is perfect! All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…

Stubbornness: “No one tells me what to do…!” We were made by God and for God and he knows us better than we know ourselves. When he instituted the sacrament of confession, it wasn’t simply to give priests something to do or some other arbitrary reason. Rather God, our maker, knew in his mysterious wisdom, that this was the best way for people to experience his mercy on every level of their being: emotional, spiritual, and psychological. When we defy this wisdom and try to seize his mercy on our terms, we do so at our own peril! 

Procrastination: “I will get to confession next week…” Eventually we run out of those! And it’s sort of like telling God, “thanks for the incredible offer but I have more important things to take care of than my eternal soul!”

Bad experience: Sometimes we get a grumpy, impatient, or unkind priest. This is a shame but it should not keep us away from God’s mercy. For better or worse, God has called human beings to administer his sacraments and sometimes we run into that very human dimension in our flawed priests. But just like we would not stop eating out forever if we once had a bad waiter, so too with confession. Don’t go back to that priest, but don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater!

This feast of Divine Mercy is a reminder to us of how much God wants us back. 

He wants to forgive our debts, he doesn’t want us to give excuses but only wants to share his mercy.

As Christians, we need to receive mercy constantly, especially in confession. If we don’t, how can we expect to give it well and freely. We can only give what we have first received.

This feast also reminds us that we are not just asking mercy for ourselves but also for the whole world. We can offer our prayers, sacrifices, inconveniences, illnesses, and pretty much anything unpleasant for those in need of God’s healing. As part of the communion of saints, we are called to intercede for others, even those who have hurt us. In short, we are called to be ambassadors of mercy, all of us, no exceptions. 

Today let us thank God for his gift of mercy which he gives freely and constantly. Let’s stop making excuses for staying away from his gift, which only hurts us and those around us. And if we have avoided the sacrament of mercy, if it's been a while since we went to confession, let’s make things right and allow God to love us and take away our spiritual debt. Nothing will make him happier and nothing will bring us more peace and joy!

The Joy of Easter (Easter 2019)

To listen to this homily, click here.

On behalf of the staff and clergy here at Incarnate Word parish, I want to wish you a very blessed and happy Easter! On Thursday, as I was running around like a wild man trying to make sure everything was ready for these holy days, I was tired, my feet hurt, my back was sore and I was wondering if everything was set for the Sacred Triduum. Despite these worries and weariness, I was completely happy and satisfied, as a priest and as your pastor. There is no other job in the world that I would rather be doing! Which got me thinking about the homily for today. We were created for joy. You never hear someone say, “You know, this whole joy thing is not for me. I wish I had a bit more misery in my life.” Humans are created for joy, but we come to realize that it’s not something we can just buy at the local Wal-Mart or order online. Happiness isn't even something we can just put on the calendar or seize for ourselves. Think about the most joyful moments of your life. Isn’t it true they were often unplanned and unexpected?

Mary Magdalene had been there at the foot of the Cross and had seen Jesus die. Crucifixion was no joke. It was such a horrible way to die that the Romans eventually outlawed it. Mary Magdalene was not expecting an empty tomb. She knew that Jesus had really died and when she sees the empty tomb, she doesn’t know what to think. So she runs and tells Peter and John. They both run to the tomb. I guess John had been more faithful to his Peloton workouts than Peter, and he beat him to the tomb. He looks in, and then he waits for Peter. Peter was appointed the first Pope and so John wanted to let him go in first. Peter enters the tomb, and then John goes in. What they didn’t see surprised them. 

The body of Jesus was gone. The burial clothing was there, but the body was gone. Actually the Greek says that the burial clothing was lying there in its folds. It seemed that the body of Jesus had just evaporated and left the clothes lying there. Imagine their surprise. What has happened? Then the gospel says that John saw and believed. He believed that Jesus had risen from the dead! The surprise must have overwhelmed him. But as he began to believe, he was filled with joy. 

Joy is the best response to Easter. Who could have ever imagined that death could be conquered? That’s what Easter means. Your death and my death is not the end. Just as Jesus rose from the dead we will rise from the dead. Body and soul, we will live forever. Suffering does not have the last word. Death does not have the last word. The love of God, given to us in Jesus Christ has the last word. This is why our psalm proclaims: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad!” On Easter, we should allow ourselves to be filled with joy brought on by the miracle of the Risen Jesus. 

A nurse tells a story about one Easter Sunday that some of you might be able to relate to if you've had to work on a holiday. There’d been a last-minute scheduling problem at the long-term addiction-treatment center where she worked and she was stuck with the Easter Sunday shift. Of course, this messed up her family celebration and she was in a bad mood. Instead of wearing her Easter best, she was wearing a work uniform. Instead of thinking positive thoughts or praying during her drive to work, she was caught up in self-pity and resentment that she had to be away from her family and their celebration of Easter. She described how that bitterness continued all day, until one of the rehab patients came up to her after dinner. This patient quietly said, "I have something for you.” Looking down, she saw a little cross of intricately woven palm fronds. “Thank you for giving up your holiday to be with us,” he said.

The nurse's eyes filled with tears as she realized herpatients wished they could be with their families too. But they don’t get to go home at the end of the day the way she did. Most of them won’t get to go home for months. The rest of the day she worked with a renewed spirit, realizing that God had brought joy out of a situation where she had only seen the negatives. 

True joy is a gift from God; it's not just smiling and acting happy. God will never force joy on us: we have to help prepare our hearts so that this gift can take root in us and be authentic. Here are 3 practical suggestions to help us. You might call it spiritual GPS.

The "G" stands for gratitude. A wise saying states that a grateful heart silences a complaining tongue. If we’re always griping, how will the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with joy? If we want more joy in our lives, let’s start by being grateful. A simple way to do this is to write down a couple things we're grateful for each day. You’ll be amazed.

The "P" stands for prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of joy. Joy is the result of our relationship with Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the one who makes Christ present to us.

Finally, the "S" stands for sharing. If you’re not feeling very joyful, try to bring joy into someone else’s life and you’ll be astounded at what happens in your own heart. Call someone, smile at someone, do something kind. Joy flows from these acts of charity.

I hope that today's celebration of Easter is a source of joy for you and your loved ones. I pray that you follow the example of the apostles and Mary and spread that joy generously to the world around you!

The Importance of the Cross (Good Friday)

To listen to this homily, click here.

It’s hard to imagine the Church cramming any more into these days we call Holy Week. In the short span of seven days, we remember and celebrate the core truths of our salvation in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus through powerful and unique liturgies that are unlike anything else we experience the rest of the year. We are in the middle of what is called the “Triduum”, the Latin word meaning “three days” and tonight’s liturgy is the one day of the year where no Mass is celebrated anywhere in the world. Instead, we commemorate the Lord’s Passion and venerate His cross as a sign of our love and sorrow. We will begin our tribute to Jesus’ cross in a few moments. First, consider some thoughts highlighting the importance of the cross as a symbol and instrument of our salvation.

The cross represents the intersection, or you might even say, the collision of opposites. It reflects both extreme love and hatred, death and life, defeat and victory, shame and honor, obedience and defiance, sin and grace. Just dealing in human terms, the cross overflows with meaning. It is used in our words when we say we are cross, to describe some sort of conflict. If someone is double-crossed, they have been betrayed. When we are at a crossroads, it means a decision must be made. And if you look at any good treasure map, “X”, a cross marks the spot. For the Christian, the cross represents all of these realities in our lives. The cross of Jesus sometimes means conflict with society, with our sinful selves, and even those close to us who would prefer the Gospel to be put aside. At times, when we carry the cross in our lives, we are shunned by friends and loved ones who find Jesus’ message too much. And other times we have been the ones, who deny Christ in others by acts of sin and selfishness. The cross also represents so many decisions we must make in life: “do I follow the king of kings or serve some other master?” Lastly, the cross signifies a treasure, far greater than any sum of silver or gold. The cross marks the spot where humanity was given a new beginning, new life, and freedom from sin and death. 

Even before Jesus came and transformed the cross from the worst form of capital punishment into a symbol of hope and life, the seeds of its glory and the meaning were sown everywhere in the Old Testament. For example:

In the second chapter of Genesis, God creates Adam and Eve and places them in the Garden of Eden. We are told that there are many trees in the garden but two are named: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells Adam and Eve they can eat from any of the trees but just leave the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil alone, which of course, they do not. Just as a tree led to the separation of the human race from God, so too a tree, in the form of a cross will once again restore humanity to friendship with God.

In the Book of Exodus, when the people were on their journey to the Promised Land, they began to complain and rebel against God in spite of all he had done for them. As a punishment, they were bit by poisonous snakes and many of them died. Realizing their mistake, they cried out to God and he gave them a cure. He told Moses, “make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Anyone who looks at this bronze serpent, which is lifted up, will be cured and brought back to health.” You and I have been bit many times by the poisonous serpent of sin, the one we know as Satan. And every time we look to Jesus on the cross, lifted up for our sake, and see the sign of his cross made over us in the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation, we are healed.

Another story from Exodus involves the Chosen People, still making their way to the Promised Land. Blocking their progress is a tribe called the Amalekites. A fierce battle ensues and Moses goes up on a hill to pray for all who are fighting on behalf of God’s people. As long as Moses holds out his hands in prayer, the Israelites start winning. But Moses keeps getting tired and when he lowers his arms, the Amalekites rally. God’s people figure this out and they help by holding up Moses’ arms in this saving position until the enemy is defeated. What does this story represent for us here on Good Friday? Jesus, the New Moses, goes up the hill of Calvary and stretches his arms out on the cross to win the battle raging between Good and Evil. Beneath the Cross, we will be victorious over the enemy on our journey to the Promised Land.  

In just a few moments, I will hold up the cross and chant, “behold, the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world” and you will respond, “come let us adore.” The word “adore” comes from two Latin words “ad” and “oro” which mean “mouth to mouth.” There are two times we go mouth-to-mouth with another person. 1) when we are madly in love with them and 2) when someone resuscitates another. When we come forward to adore the cross, we have the chance to be “ad-oro” with Jesus, to show him how much we love him and to be spiritually resuscitated by the God who will do anything to bring our souls back to life. 

As we move forward in prayer tonight, let us thank God for the saving power of Jesus’ cross, the tree of life. May we stand in awe of the ways God has used it to heal, protect, and redeem us. “We adore you O Christ and we praise you, because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!”

 

Go and Sin No More (5th Sunday of Lent, Year C)

This weekend’s readings are bound together by the ever-relevant themes of new beginnings and letting go of the past. And while I cannot spend the time on these readings they deserve, let me give you a little background so you see how they are connected to each other and lead us to reflect on the infinite mercy and patience of God which is constantly recreating our world and our lives.

The book of the prophet Isaiah is divided into two main sections: the first half of the book, the first 39 chapters essentially boil down to the prophet warning Israel what will happen if they continue on their path of trusting material things and worldly powers rather than being faithful to their covenant with God. This first part is sometimes called the Book of Woe. The second half of Isaiah’s preaching is all about salvation and healing. It’s details how God will not give up on his sinful people and how he will raise them up and bring them back to him. This is called the Book of consolation.

Today’s reading comes from the beginning of this book of consolation and it has a very interesting line. After reminding the people of the ways God has already protected and saved them, the prophet says, “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!” In other words, don’t spend too much time looking back at the amazing things God has done before, as if there was one golden age and you missed it. Rather, look ahead with confidence knowing that the same God who did amazing things for your ancestors wants to do the same for you, if you follow him in faith! Despite your sins, he will make all things new!

The second reading from St. Paul talks about his new life in Christ. He makes the strong statement that everything he used to treasure and think important, he now regards as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus as Lord. Human accomplishments, worldly power, and material riches pale in comparison to knowing Christ and enjoying his friendship in grace. St. Paul makes it very clear that he does not look to the past but strains eagerly ahead towards the goal of every human heart: heavenly glory and joy in Christ Jesus.

Last, we have one of the most marvelous passages from John’s gospel, the woman caught in adultery. If anyone needed a new beginning, it would be her as she is thrown into the middle of the crowd and her sins proclaimed for all to hear! The crowd is ready to send her to a horrible death and the religious leaders of the time feel they have Jesus trapped in a no-win situation. They are willing to destroy this woman’s life simply to feed their pride and take down the Son of God and Mary who has exposed them as hypocrites and religious frauds. One lesson from this story is how destructive and dangerous religious observance can be when it is done for personal glory and ego rather than the worship of Almighty God! 

Another lesson is the tightrope of moral goodness Jesus crosses. How often when we try to walk it ourselves, we fall off either side of the narrow band of righteousness! He could have easily scolded the woman for her wicked deeds and made her feel the pain, shame, and punishment of the law. There is no doubt about it, she had sinned and broken God’s law. Or he could have been the hippie savior some imagine him to be and just dismissed her fault as “no big deal.” “Everybody sins”, “we all have weaknesses”, something along those lines. 

Displaying the wisdom that only God can have, he acknowledges her sin, he doesn’t minimize it but warns her to go and never do it again. Jesus shows us that he hates sin but but at the same time he loves sinners. He tells the frightened, humiliated woman that he does not condemn her and sets her free, not only from the murderous mob, but also from the doom of self hatred and shame. He has given her a future of grace, a new beginning in her relationship with God to be something more than her past weakness. He does this for her and he does this for us. The rules are the same. Jesus still hates sin: how it hurts us, how it hurts others, and how deeply it hurts him. Our transgressions wound the heart of God more than we can ever imagine. And yet, his love for each of us is so much more than the worst offense we can ever commit. Jesus offers us the same opportunity he gave the woman in today’s gospel; a new beginning, a fresh start free from shame, self-hatred, and regret. But we have to acknowledge our sin and with his grace, “go and sin no more.”

How often the last person left holding the stone, the last one to walk away from condemnation is not others but it is ourselves. Full of self hatred, remorse, and shame, we show no mercy to ourselves over our past failures and feel like we must pay the very last penny for our sins. This is not holy, and sooner or later, that hardness will will be taken out, not only on ourselves but also on others who sin or fall short; first our family and friends, then our co-workers and even complete strangers. The only way to foster a heart of mercy and new beginnings for others is to first receive it ourselves from God, especially in the sacrament of reconciliation. 

All of us struggle with sin in our life. All of us have done things we regret or are not proud of. At some time or another, we have all been the woman in the gospel: afraid, ashamed, exposed, brought low because of our weaknesses. Today’s Scriptures remind us that this is a reason for hope. God loves sinners in every age of the human race. He doesn’t take our sins lightly but he offers us a new beginning, a second chance fueled by his grace. If you are carrying sin on your soul, stop punishing yourself. If you are secretly burdened by shame, guilt, and self-hatred, stop carrying it around. God gave us the sacrament of confession for this very purpose and we would be fools not to take advantage of this healing gift. 

The next time you are overwhelmed by the weight of your sins or you are tempted to condemn another because of their wrongdoing, remember the beautiful line of the poet Oscar Wilde, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”