We Already Know the Final Score (4th Sunday, Year A)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Back in 2019, when the Blues accomplished their unlikely march to the Stanley Cup, I was a nervous mess. My family, like so many of you, have suffered in silence, and sometimes not silently at all, as the Blues choked, year after year in their quest for the cup. During some of these high-stakes games, I got to the point where I couldn’t watch them live. So I would record the game and go do something else. Occasionally I would check the score but otherwise, I would wait until the game was over. If they won, I would go back and watch the recording. If they got smoked, I wouldn’t bother. As strange as this method was, it did wonders for my blood pressure and stomach lining. I was amazed how calm I was when I watched the games, already knowing the final score. Even if the Blues fell behind or there was some terrible missed call, it didn’t really matter. I knew they would be victorious in the end and that made all the difference.  

Today’s gospel, outlining the beatitudes and what it means to be happy as a follower of Christ, offers a similar lesson. In the game of life, we already know who wins the battle between good and evil, sin and death. As bad as they may sometimes be, our sufferings and losses do not have to be the final score. In fact, Jesus shows us a way to be happy, even as we go through them. Happiness is not something far away in the future, or only found by a select few who win it all, have it all, or somehow skate through life with the fewest setbacks. Instead, the beatitudes promise happiness and blessedness to anyone and everyone who seeks Christ and the kingdom of God. A happiness that starts now, even when things look dark and disappointing. The truth is, we all want to be happy. This desire for happiness is what drives every aspect of life. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy, in fact, God himself put this desire in us. The problem occurs when we try to find happiness apart from God or in opposition to His loving plan for us. The problems we have in this life are not so much with what God wants, but with what we want. How easily each of us could finish the sentence, "I will be happy when...." with a million possible endings.

  

-- I will be happy when I grow up and move away from home.

-- I will be happy when summer comes and I don't have to go to school.

-- I will be happy when I retire.

--I will be happy when my aches and pains go away

Realistically, though, when will we be happy with this mindset? What will it take? What are the chances that it's ever going to happen? How long will it be? One year? Five years? Fifty years? Does it rely on someone else doing everything the way we want or with a millions things remaining under our control? We all want blessedness, happiness, and comfort. Today Christ promises these things, even when we find ourselves in the worst possible circumstances: mourning, persecuted, or in last place. God wants us to be happy so much that he gives us a roadmap, a way of life called the beatitudes, which ensure that happiness no matter what is going on around us. The literal meaning of the word beatitude means “blessed” or “blissful” and was the same Greek word used to describe the island of Cyprus: a place so blissful and perfect you never needed to leave its shores. Jesus is offering that same, self-contained contentment and peace which cannot be disturbed or taken away by outside influences. So how do we get it? As Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount, live for His Kingdom and his Righteousness; then we will be given eternal life along with blessedness, happiness, and comfort! 

So what about the meek and lowly, the mourning and the poor in spirit? How about the merciful and the persecuted, the peacemakers and the pure of heart? All those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? They will be blessed, they will be made happy, they will inherit the kingdom of God not because they sought out persecution, not because they attempted to become poor in spirit, not because they willingly handed themselves over to death, not even because they worked to show mercy to those who don't appear to deserve mercy but because God wants them to have those things the world has not given them and cannot give them. True joy.  True peace.  True blessedness.

St. Paul understood the beatitudes very well in his own life and he knew how difficult it could be to embrace them. That is why we hear his explanation today in the second reading to the Corinthians. In the beatitudes, “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised of this world and those that count for nothing so that no human might boast before him.”

Sometimes we wonder what in the world the beatitudes have to do with us; they seem like wonderful, pious, platitudes that would be nice to have but don’t really fit us, especially in our times of loss and misfortune. If nothing else, just remember this: we know how this story ends; Jesus triumphs, evil loses, those who play dirty and cheat to get ahead will not be the ones who gain the final prize. That knowledge of victory makes all the difference, like it allowed me to remain calm while watching the blues, knowing these current sufferings will not last forever and it makes the final triumph all the more rewarding! The beatitudes teach us that we don’t have to wait to be happy, nor does everything have to go our way. If we believe in God, if we follow Christ, that joy starts now.

So how badly do you want to be happy? How strongly do you desire to be blessed? Is it enough to make you want to embrace the beatitudes? Place your hope for happiness in the wisdom of God. Seek to live for the kingdom of God every day and in every way. You will not have to wait until the next life to rejoice and the joy given to you will not be taken from you!

Behold the Lamb! (2nd Sunday, Year A)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

There is a story told of a German artist who, centuries ago, was working on the roof of a monastery chapel in Werden, Germany, which is in the Western part of God’s country. While he was working, his safety belt snapped and he plummeted towards his sure and certain death. Due to Murphy’s Law, the area to which he was falling was not only far below, but also filled with large, jagged rocks. But this man must have been saying his prayers each night and putting something in the collection every week. As Providence would have it, there was also a lamb, who at that moment made the fateful decision to graze on the grass which grew between the rocks. How it happened, nobody knows, but the artist miraculously fell on the lamb, which died instantly, but saved the artist’s life. When he recovered from his shock and bruises, he sculptured a lamb and placed it on the church roof in gratitude. That lamb still stands there to this day. 

This crazy story helps us to understand the Gospel reading today, the story of another Lamb who breaks a much more serious fall. John the Baptist's favorite title for Jesus is "the Lamb of God." It became one of John the Evangelist's favorite titles as well. He uses it here in his Gospel, and then he used it again, twenty-nine times, in the Book of Revelation. It brings together three images that would have been familiar to the Jews of that time. And so, by calling Christ the "Lamb of God," St John is telling us those ancient images are fulfilled in Jesus. 

So what are the three images? The first takes us back to the Old Covenant and the Book of Exodus where God required the Jews to sacrifice a lamb twice a day to cleanse the sins of the people. In this first image, the lamb symbolized the price that had to be paid for sin. It showed the people how awful and deadly sin truly was. It was not something harmless or minor. The second image was found in the high holy day of Passover. In the Passover ceremony each family sacrifices and eats a lamb to recall their liberation from slavery in the days of Moses. On that night, God allowed the death of all the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians, but spared those of the Hebrews. In order to indicate which households the angel of death was to skip over, God commanded the Hebrews to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts of their homes with its blood. Because of this saving act, the Passover lamb signified God's merciful and redeeming love. The third and final image is found throughout the prophecies and promises of the Messiah. Again and again, the Savior is described as a lamb going silently and obediently to the slaughter. This Messiah, the Lamb of God, was going to take Israel's sins upon himself and wipe them away through his suffering obedience. His Blood would be the protection from God’s punishment of sin. Anyone who was washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb would be pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

By calling Jesus the "Lamb of God," John reminds us that all of these Old Testament symbols pointed towards Christ, the one and only Savior. Christ's sacrificial love is so central to our faith that the Church reminds us of it every time Mass is celebrated by praying: "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us." In just a few minutes, when we receive Holy Communion, we will be receiving the Lamb of God, partaking of the saving Lamb, just as the Jews of the Old Covenant shared in the Passover Lamb. And when we receive the Lamb of God with a lively faith, he strengthens us to follow his example: obediently loving God above things and fearlessly giving our lives in service to others.

So, practically speaking, what can each of us take away from this reminder of the importance of the Lamb of God? What can Jesus’ incredible saving gift teach us about our relationship with God? Well, first of all, it shows us that absolutely nothing we do can ever extinguish God’s love for us. He died for us while we were still sinners; therefore we should never doubt his love for us. The Lamb of God loves us even in our sinfulness, no matter how serious or awful. We must never doubt this Divine Love. In those times in our lives when we find ourselves doubting God’s love or goodness, we can be sure that this thought is a temptation from the devil. I have come across many people who doubt the love of God, and if some of you are in this place right now, allow our reflection on the Lamb of God bring you renewed hope and trust in Him. Even though you might not feel his love or sense His Presence, be assured He is there loving and protecting you every moment of every day.

Secondly, by giving himself up for our salvation, Jesus showed us the path to happiness. We will only be happy by imitating the Lamb of God in our own lives. We were not created to indulge ourselves, but to give ourselves in love to both God and neighbor. This is how Christ conquered sin and evil; by loving and giving himself to others. You and I will conquer sin and evil in the same way - by loving, by giving without counting the cost, by forgiving without limits.

As we come to this Eucharist, we are reminded that each of us is like that falling German artist. Each of us has sins and weaknesses that threaten to destroy us and plunge us towards a spiritual death. How blessed we are, that the Lamb of God has decided to break our fall from grace! How incredible that God would send his Beloved Son to sacrifice himself so we might be saved and restored to full spiritual health. All that he asks, is that we receive his love and mercy. And then, having received that amazing love, he asks us to share it with world and to become, with his grace, lambs of God to the world around us. So let us give thanks today for the Lamb of God  and not be sheepish. Let us make use of the sacraments he gives to the Church to bring us his grace and strength. Finally, let us not hesitate to offer ourselves back to God in love so he might use us to save those who are falling towards the jagged rocks of despair and sin. 

Simple Wisdom (Epiphany 2023)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Today, I want to look at the story of the three wise men and draw four points from it. Each of these points concern the wisdom of the wise men and their relationship with truth;  a wisdom available to us if we want it.

First, we discover in the story that the wise men sought for truth and wisdom. The magi knew that the star they followed was no ordinary star. Apparently they had been searching the heavens for years for signs of something unique and significant occurring in their world. They were open to wisdom and truth; they searched for it and desired it. They were not simply content to get along with what they already knew. So, when they saw a new star in the heavens, they sensed in their hearts it was a sign from God and an opportunity for growth.

The bible tells us over and over - if we seek, we will find, if we knock, the door shall be opened, if we ask, we will receive.  But how often do we actually seek for wisdom? For truth? For guidance?  

The wise men gained their wisdom because they were seekers - they were looking for new things, new insights, new signs. They were willing to change and deepen their understanding, even if it required something of them. And so can we.

Second, The Wise-men set forth in faith to find what the star pointed to. Faith involves the idea of venturing forth, of risking one's self in a new activity. The living God cannot be found by proxy or without effort. The magi had to travel from a foreign land in search of wisdom and truth. They did not know where the star would lead them, how long it would take, or what the end result would be. They only knew that it was important for them to follow wherever it led. It was a personal quest and the result was an opportunity to worship the one who would be king of kings and Lord of Lords..  

This may be the most important truth for us in the Epiphany story. A story of faith with Jesus has to be a personal story, a relationship, even, an adventure. It is not enough to know all kinds of facts about Jesus. We must encounter the wonder of God's grace for sinners and then make a personal decision to receive him into our heart as Lord. One must decide to follow him and then do so. No one else can do that for us. Faith is not inherited nor can it come from simply knowing what others have said about it.

Third, the wise men sought help from other people as they tried to find the king. We often try to live our lives without making demands on others. We try to be independent, to stand alone, and make it by ourselves. Sometimes this comes out of noble motives - we don’t want to burden people. Other times it comes out of fear: we are afraid of looking weak or foolish.  

When the magi arrived in Jerusalem it seems they lost sight of the star. They knew they were in the right area, but they were not in the right spot. Kind of like us sometimes when we go driving in a new place. We get into the right neighborhood but somehow can't quite locate the street or house we are looking for. We move in circles until we ask someone for help.

That is what the magi did.  The bible says they consulted with the people of Jerusalem. They asked where the new born king was and how they could find him so they could pay homage to him. Because they ask - they receive. Their question was answered by people who were familiar with the scriptures and prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah. They take that answer and go with it and once again they saw the star going ahead of them: until it brought them to Jesus.

There are many people who can help us on our journey of faith if we are wise enough to ask them. The question is: are we willing to ask for help when we need it? 

Fourth, the wise men accepted what God lead them to and believed in it. In today’s feast, a big deal is often made of what they gave to the Christ-child.  But consider what they were given: They set forth looking for a king. After a long and hard journey they wound up at a simple home in Bethlehem in front of a carpenter and his wife and child. There are no costly treasures in the house, no purple robes, no gold rings, nothing in fact to show that they are in the presence of a great king. Only the star stood overhead to indicate something special was going on.

And they accepted this. Although the outward signs told them they were in the wrong place, they accepted that single sign, the sign of God they had been following for so long, and ignore the rest.

So many of us have a hard time accepting what God has given in the form he gives it. Because we are waiting for a gift from God, we look for great miracles, instant healing, trumpet calls, signs and wonders. We have this idea fixed in our minds that God does not, or should not, appear to us in the ordinary aspects of our life. We do not expect God to show up while we are at work in our office, or sitting in a classroom, cleaning the house, or taking care of the kids. We have a hard time considering that God's answers to our questions can be found in a 2000 year old book, or on the lips of the people we work with, or friends, or that a dream we had during a long and troubled night is, in fact, a message from God.

The wisdom of the wise men was and is simply this: they sought wisdom, they were willing to journey in faith to personally discover what God was doing, they did not hesitate to ask for help along the way and they accepted what they found, even though it was different than what they expected.

Simple things really, but wisdom normally is that way. Simple, but when used as the wise-men used it, it leads us to God. May God bless us all with this kind of wisdom today and always!