God is Revealed through the Law (22nd Sunday, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

I was reading an article the other day that estimated revenue from video games in the US to be about 65 billion dollars this year. That is an incredible amount of money and as many of you know better than I, games today are remarkably realistic and complicated. But video games started humble and simple. The first one 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 inbounds on their side while attempting to make the ball go out 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 sophisticated. 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, like Fortnite which cause children and adults to disappear for hours on end because of how immersive they are. It’s really pretty amazing that over the past 50 years, games have 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 constantly based on the gamer’s choices.

This transformation 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 God placed on our hearts. 

Think back to the very first commandment 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. God wants them to know the law because it will help them to know him. The way 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, 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. 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 not 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 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 layers 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, do we also practice them in the way we think, speak, and act? Do we trust that God gave us commandments to help us get to heaven? Or do we think of them as suggestions or arbitrary laws God imposes upon us? 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. May we find the Law to be life-giving and may it bring us closer to God and neighbor every time we observe it.  

Being in Communion requires Sacrifice (21st Sunday, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

We’ve been blessed over the past few weeks to have an opportunity to do some in-depth reflection on the gift of the Eucharist Jesus left to His Church. During this time, we’ve pondered the role of reverence when we are at Mass, how the Eucharist nourishes our soul as spiritual food and drink, and marveled at the fact that is it actually Jesus’ Body and Blood, not just a symbol. In this final week of praying with the 6th chapter of John’s gospel, we have a chance to consider the Eucharist by another name we sometimes use: Holy Communion. We all know what “holy” means but what about “communion”? It is the same root for the word community and it embodies a deep connection and sharing important things in common. By its very nature, communion requires sacrifice, collaboration, and compromise. I cannot be in communion with another person if everything is all about me and what I want. Communion requires me to go outside of myself, to place others first, and begin thinking in terms of “we” instead of “me”.

Humans are made for communion because our God is a perfect unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and he made us in his image. Belonging to and building a community leads to a level of fulfillment, achievement, and flourishing that simply cannot be accomplished when we do things alone. But just because communion is good for us, doesn’t mean that it happens on its own. There comes a moment for every group, whether that be two people or an entire country, when they have to make a decision: Are they going to hang together or each go their separate ways? That happened, for example, in the history of our nation. After we won the War of Independence, we were still not a nation. We had only gone from being thirteen colonies to being thirteen states. Representatives of the states met in Philadelphia to determine what kind of union they would have. They wanted things like common defense and open commerce, but - at the same time - each state guarded its own rights and priorities. Finally a young man named James Madison stood up and stated the obvious: You cannot form a nation based on each one defending their own turf; you have to make some sacrifices to work together. Well, by a fairly small margin, the delegates accepted Madison's proposal - and instead of being thirteen states we became the United States. It was a defining moment for our country.

Today’s readings are all about forming communion with God and with each other. In the first reading, Joshua gathers the Chosen people and demands they make a choice concerning who or what they will serve. Will it be the one, true God or the gods of other nations? Are they willing to give up their petty arguments, differences, and personal idols? He says that awesome line, “decide today whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” St. Paul says something similar about communion as it relates to marriage. It’s impossible to form healthy, happy, holy marriages if husbands and wives are focused on jealously guarding their own rights and always trying to get their own way. St. Paul uses the word “subordinate”, which has plenty of negative connotation for us. But let’s not let that word ruin the wisdom being presented. St. Paul is reminding the Ephesians and us that in order to achieve the communion that exists between Christ and his Church, husbands and wives each have to sacrifice something and give up some of their personal prerogatives. When they do, they are no longer simply two people living together. Instead, they become a living sign, a sacrament of God’s love and unity to the world.

In the Gospel, we see the disciples facing a moment of decision for communion. After Jesus announced that his flesh was the new bread from heaven and we must feed on him to have life, most people left him. Only the Twelve remained. Jesus did not soften or explain away his words. Rather, he asked them: Will you also leave me? Thankfully, the apostles sacrificed their preconceived notions of what the Messiah might look like and chose to remain with Jesus. They learned to set aside their doubts, their worldly ambitions and expectations, and entered into communion with the Son of God. That Communion would take years to mature but little by little the first followers of Jesus were transformed by their union with Him in the Eucharist.

We must understand that being in communion with Jesus is not like belonging to a political party or a social club where take the parts we like or agree with and leave the rest. We do not pick and choose the teachings of Christ we will follow and which ones we will ignore. Once we do that, we are creating our own god, our own religion and substituting human wisdom in place of God’s. Being in communion with Christ means letting go of leading and teaching ourselves and allowing Jesus to fill that role in our lives.  

There is no doubt that Jesus taught things which challenge and make us uncomfortable. The same was true 2000 years ago when he delivered this teaching on the Eucharist. The question is not whether we like everything he said. The real question is whether we accept Jesus and are willing to do our part to be in communion with him and his teachings. Hopefully we can be like St. Peter who spoke for the other apostles. Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Those words marked a defining moment. This is when the apostles stopped being a collection of individuals, each trying to get their own way. They became a Church. The Church.

Every time we come forward to receive the Eucharist, we say ‘Amen” which is us saying “I’m all in; my thoughts, my words, my actions, my faith and my conduct are fully united with the Gospel and the teachings of Christ”. Every time we receive Holy Communion, we are proclaiming that we want to belong completely to Jesus and His Church. That’s why we ask non-Catholics not to receive Communion at Mass; not because they are somehow bad or less but because there isn’t yet full unity there. It’s why, if there’s some central teaching of the Church that we’re not following (whether it concerns doctrine or morals) we ought not receive the Eucharist until that lack of communion is resolved. It’s also why, if we have serious sin on our souls, we ought not receive Jesus Body and Blood until that sin has been wiped away in Confession. Otherwise, our “Amen” isn’t really “all in” and receiving the Eucharist unworthily actually does us more harm than good. We should always be on guard against trying to conform the Eucharist to our lifestyles and beliefs rather than shaping our lives and beliefs to the Eucharist. 

The great news is that we are made and loved by a God who never stops trying to be one with us. Even when we struggle with some teaching or sin, Jesus offers the sacraments to cleanse us and his Church to guide us. Let’s ask for the grace to desire communion with God more than anything else in the world. Let’s not be afraid of the sacrifices such a relationship demands and take care to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner each and every time. May our receiving Holy Communion at this altar make us one in every way with Jesus and his Church!

I'm in Love...(Solemnity of the Assumption, 2021)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Sometimes my friends and family give me trouble for not being more emotive. Some parishioners have asked me to be more emotional and dramatic in my homilies. It’s not that I lack emotions or animation; I really do have them! But I tend to keep them contained and under control. I typically blame it on the considerable German heritage I come from but I realize being stoic is not always a strength. In talking to an older priest about this struggle, he told me how he had also tried to overcome it in his first assignment. His first pastor was Italian and emotions were no trouble at all. This priest, whom we will name Fr. Mario said, “try opening with some dramatic statement to get people's attention. “Like what?” asked the other priest. “Well, when you preach about the Blessed Virgin Mary, you could say, I am in love with a beautiful woman.' Then pause for effect and say, 'She is...my mother.”

The young priest thought it was worth a try so in his next homily he announced, "I am in love with a beautiful woman." The congregation fell silent. He had their attention and he paused to let the bold statement sink in. It felt pretty good. Then he went completely blank. He couldn't think of what came next so he repeated, "I am love with a beautiful woman... She is... She is... She is...Fr. Mario’s mother!”

This Sunday I do want to say, "I am in love with a beautiful woman." And hopefully I’m not alone! I am willing to talk about my feelings and even use that scary four letter word to describe how I feel about her. She is easy to love because of her kindness, her patience, and her goodness. She has always been there for me even when I have wandered from her loving gaze. She is gentle, strong and untouched by any of the viciousness that so often finds its way into our actions. She is resplendent in her beauty, and described in our first reading as a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. This woman who captivates the hearts of so many is no ordinary woman. She is the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

    Many people believe that devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is something best suited to priests, nuns, and old ladies. But if we understand the incredible life she lived and the irreplaceable role she played in our salvation, then we realize that each and every one of us should love her, even if we don’t like to talk about our feelings! Today we remember her life in a very special way as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation that often gets ignored when it falls during the week. 

    But what is the Assumption? And why in the world should this feast of Mary matter to us, especially when we are busy getting ready to start another school year and sending kids off to college? Well first of all, the Assumption is the event where we believe Mary was taken body and soul into heaven when her time here on earth came to an end. We believe she is now in heaven, body and soul, unlike the saints whose souls are in heaven but will have to wait until the end of the world to be reunited with their bodies. This belief of the Assumption was declared official Church teaching in 1950 by Pope Pius XII but it was held as true by tradition long before, since the earliest times of the Church.

    So why is this feast of the Assumption so important that the Catholic Church around the world celebrates it, each and every year? Why should we care about the Assumption? The answer is beautifully presented to us today in the preface that the priest says right before the Holy, Holy, Holy. The prayer explains: 

    “Today the virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of the Church coming to perfection, and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people; rightly you would not allow her to see the corruption of the tomb since from her own body she marvelously brought forth your incarnate Son, the Author of all life.”

That is the reason the feast of the Assumption is so important, or at least should be important to you and me, as followers of Christ. Mary is the sign, the living proof of what God intends to give us in heaven. Her goodness, her happiness, her living forever now with her Son and her Lord is what we were all created for. And if we stay true to Christ, if we keep his commandments and obey his will, just as Mary did, we too will be taken up to heaven on the last day to live and rejoice with him forever. What God did for Mary today, he desires to do for each and every one of us. Even though we have to fight with sin and experience death, Mary’s Assumption reminds us that our final destination is meant to be Everlasting life and love with the God who created us.

    This is wonderful news for us and a source of hope when we are enduring the various trials and setbacks that are a part of life here on earth. We can look to Mary’s Assumption the next time we are sick, suffering, persecuted, or upset and remember that there is something better waiting for us in heaven. And we can take comfort knowing that Mary experienced so many of those same trials and tribulations as a fellow human being and with God’s grace she was victorious. And as she waits for us to join her in heaven, she prays for us and intercedes for us before God, making sure that we have all the graces that we need. 

    So, no matter who you are and whether or not you like talking about your feelings, I hope that you join me today in praising the Blessed Virgin Mary and thanking God for the hope and strength that she gives us. Let her feast of the Assumption give you hope in the various sorrows and difficulties of life, knowing that God wishes to share her blessings with us in the life to come.