Extravagance in Love (Palm Sunday, 2024)

To listen to this homily, click here.

In the opening scene of St. Mark's Passion, a woman pours a jar of perfumed oil over Jesus. Because of its great value, some asked, "why this waste?" That is precisely the question for Holy Week: why did God go to such extremes to save us? By our human way of thinking it could have been accomplished more simply, with a lot less pain, suffering, and mess. So much needless trouble and misunderstanding could have been avoided.

Yet when we consider the world God created, it becomes clear that He does things on an extravagant scale. Scientists often look at the immensity of the universe and speculate there must be other planets where intelligent life developed. But even after so many years of searching for signs of life, some are saying the precise conditions are so narrow, the odds of life on other planets seems unlikely. If that is true, the billions of galaxies are a magnificent gift which God created for the angels and us!

Such extravagance fits what we ourselves experience: Love moves people to do things which outsiders consider crazy, even scandalous. Time and time again, there are stories of people who have no savings and are barely getting by, who make sure their children have a special gift for their birthday or the holidays. Love is not always practical, looking to do the bare minimum, or preoccupied with balancing the budget. Love asks the question, “what is the most I can do for the one I love, even if it requires tremendous sacrifice from me?” So it is with God.

I recently stumbled across a podcast highlighting seven of America’s forgotten heroes. These stories are taken from a number of our Nation’s conflicts and they highlight the incredible valor, loyalty, strength, virtue, and single-mindedness of these incredible warriors who sacrificed so much for their country and the people they loved. Each of them went above and beyond what they were expected to do out of love. Their stories are truly amazing and inspiring. How sad that the average American might only know the name of only one or two, if at all! It reminds me that it is very possible to forget and no longer acknowledge someone who has given so much for our sakes.

During Holy Week we see the extent of God's love and the Church begs us to never forget or minimize what Jesus did for us. These sacred days, if we enter into them prayerfully, help us avoid sliding into indifference. No one can look at Jesus on the cross and say that God did the bare minimum or took the easy road. I invite you to participate deeply in these mysteries, especially during the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. Experience the extravagance of God's personal love for you - and ask him in what way you are to pour yourself out in response to such grace. 

As Clean As Coldwater Can Get Them (4th Sunday of Lent, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Some misunderstandings are funny. Like the case of John, who travelled to a secluded part of Georgia to visit his 90 year-old grandpa. After spending a great evening talking and catching up, John woke up to a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast, all prepared with love by his grandfather. The only thing that seemed slightly wrong was a film-like coating on his plate. So John asked his grandpa, “Are these plates clean?”

Grandpa replied, “They are as clean as cold water can get them. Just go ahead and finish your meal, young man!” For lunch, the old man made thick, juicy hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates since his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg. So he asked, “Are you sure these plates are clean?” Without looking up, the old man said, “I told you before Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don’t you worry, I don’t want to hear another word about it!”

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather’s dog started to growl and wouldn’t let him pass. John yelled, “Grandpa, your dog won’t let me get to my car.” Without turning his attention away from the football game he was watching, the old man shouted, “Dang it Coldwater, leave that boy alone and go lay down!” 

The humor of this story lies in the misunderstanding, in the delightful confusion of the words and their meaning. The same sort of misunderstanding can be offensive and tragic when it deals with the Word of God, especially the passage of today’s gospel, John 3:16. This is perhaps one of the best known lines of the entire Bible, certainly one of the most profound and moving, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that those who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life.” How odd that many people would know this verse as the scripture to be found on signs at sport venues and playoff games. Not quite the appropriate setting for a scripture so solemn and profound! Even more hurtful and sad are those that simply refer to this passage in order to condemn others. Perhaps they should read the rest of the passage that states, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.” 

Perhaps worst of all are those who are unaffected by the power of these verses from St. John’s gospel. How can it be that some people are indifferent to those beautiful words of hope and salvation written with the guidance of the Holy Spirit? For many Christians, there is the subconscious thought that Jesus was sent by his father to save the human race in some sort of vague, general way. As if God said to his son, “why don’t you go down there and fix that problem and I will see you when you get back.” This indifference to John 3:16 reminds me of an old story told by a Rabbi.

A Jewish father in the U.S. was concerned about his son.  He had not truly raised him in the faith of Judaism. Hoping to strengthen his son’s Faith, the father sent him to Israel so that the boy could experience his heritage.  A year later the young man returned home.  He said, “Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers.  It was wonderful and enlightening.  However, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity.”

“Oh, no, what have I done?” the father thought.  So, in the tradition of the patriarchs, he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace. “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated his friend. “I, too, sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian.” So, in the tradition of the Patriarchs, they went to the Rabbi.  “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated the Rabbi. “I, too, sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian.  What is happening to our sons? Brothers, we must take this to the Lord,” said the Rabbi.  They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.

As they prayed, the clouds above opened, and a mighty voice stated, “Amazing that you should come to Me.  I, too, sent My Son to Israel and he started Christianity”

Of course, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus was no surprise to God the Father. Nor was the fact that Jesus instituted a Church to carry on his saving work until the time when history will cease and eternity reign. God knew all of it. God saw each and every one of us when he made the decision to redeem the human race. With the love and knowledge of each human soul, he asked Jesus to become one of us so we could be saved and restored to the divine friendship we had squandered in sin. To drive that home, I’d like to re-read the gospel passage we heard but with my name filled in so that you realize how personal this salvation is. As you listen, and fill in your name as well! John 3:16 takes on a whole new meaning when we realize God did all of this, not just for us as a human collective but for you, for me, by name. All that is left is to choose him, to respond, to run to the light, and remain in it!

For God so loved Kevin that he gave his only Son, 

so that Kevin who believes in him might not perish 
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son to Kevin to condemn him, 
but that Kevin might be saved through him.
 

But this passage can cut the other way too! When we sin and reject God, it too is very personal!

And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world, 
but Kevin preferred darkness to light,
because his works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light, 
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, 
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

May we consider these profound words as an invitation to trust him completely, an invitation to thank him for his ongoing patience, and a reminder to repent of the times we have been indifferent to this gift which will provide all we ever need. Let us live in the light of Christ and joyfully invite others to join us!

Fix It From the Inside Out! (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

I acknowledge I was a somewhat-unusual child growing up. There were things that bothered me; things most children probably didn’t even notice. One example was the cast iron stack in my family’s house. Nowadays, these pipes, which carry all of the wastewater out of the home, are made from PVC plastic. But years ago, they were made out of heavy cast iron. The stack in my childhood home started to rust all over and it drove me crazy. With my parents’ permission, I took a wire brush and scraped all the rust spots off the pipe and then applied a slick coat of black spray paint. It looked as good as new. For about a month. Then the rust spots reappeared, right through the new paint, again and again, no matter how many coats of paint I put on. I was frustrated until my dad explained that the pipe was rusting from the inside out and could never be fixed from the outside. The water had slowly compromised the inside of the pipe over several decades and that damage was finally starting to show on the outside. Only replacing the pipe would fix the problem.

I think of this experience as I reflect on the state of our society and even sometimes, our Church.  It is sadly too common to hear discouraging stories of corruption, hypocrisy, and selfishness from civil and religious leaders. But the damage isn’t just limited to leaders. Do we ever go a week without some headline of crimes against the innocent? Places that have traditionally been off-limits as safe havens for learning, leisure, and worship frequently become ground-zero for the next human tragedy. Now, more than ever, there is an outcry to fix the problem by passing more laws, increasing punishments, widening background checks, or focusing on mental health. All understandable measures and perhaps some will help but none get to the source of the rot, which is coming from the inside.  

The answers we seek, the safety we crave, the peace and respect we long for will not be a quick fix and won’t come about simply through the actions of congress, meeting with a doctor, or pure human effort. That is like me scraping and painting the old pipe in our house. That is trying to fix a problem from outside. It might make us feel better for a while but the rottenness is much deeper.

The deeper problem is the moral health of our nation, most especially in the fundamental building block of human society: the family. Our families are under constant attack from many forms of anger, violence, indifference, selfishness, and efforts to re-define it in ways that are contrary to God’s plan; many children breathe this poisonous air, day after day. Over the course of years and generations, this begins to affect the whole fabric of society and becomes a sort of incubator for violent acting-out and disorder.

You and I live in a nation that has, in the last half-century, sanctioned the murder of tens of millions of unborn children through abortion in what is supposed to be the safest of all places, their mother’s womb. Even now, in Missouri, there is effort to gather signatures so that our state constitution can be amended to include abortion as a so-called human right. As Christians, we believe that rights come from God; would God defend and promote the slaughter of innocents. Scripture gives a very clear answer! If a society allows its most defenseless members to be dispatched under the pretense of law and freedom, is it so shocking that troubled individuals feel entitled to snatch that so-called right for themselves as they callously injure or end the lives of others without regret? 

The connection between the breakdown of the family and the serious social issues that plague us is well-researched and well-established. But many people don’t want to talk about it it because it means confronting something that is very personal to each of us: how we choose to live our lives and what our priorities are.

As our society increasingly glorifies sin and seizes powers that belong to God alone, it is up to Christians and people of good will to stand up and recapture the culture. We have a responsibility to prayerfully and purposefully push back against those who are promoting the culture of death; not simply bury our heads in the sand or shake our fists in outrage. We are fortunate to still live in a nation where we get to choose our leaders and practice our faith openly but we can lose those gifts by indifference or laziness. We must demand more from those who lead us but we also must demand more from ourselves. This lenten season is an opportunity to do just that, to recommit ourselves to a deeper friendship with God, by giving him more of our lives. We do this practically by more faithfully observing the commandments we heard in the first reading and allowing Jesus to cleanse us from the inside out as we heard in the gospel. This purification can be painful and uncomfortable at times, and it is always easier to see evil in others instead of acknowledging it in ourselves. But if we declare parts of our lives and hearts off limits, if we never look inward, we are just painting over the rust.

As always, our faith gives us hope and strength to do what must be done. Following Christ each day gives us the courage to challenge and cleanse the parts of our culture that have become selfish, dangerous, and hostile to life, family, and human dignity. The example of Jesus in the temple reminds us that we cannot just sit by and throw up our hands in despair. Zeal for God’s plan of salvation, zeal for the dignity of every human person, zeal for the flourishing of our families must consume us and move us to action. 

No one and no thing is beyond redemption. Our culture can still be redeemed and returned to the glory God intends. This will only happen when we show mutual respect for each other and value the life and rights of our neighbors as much as our own. This lesson begins in the home and is strengthened by faith. Strong families —— and individuals with virtue and integrity are the foundation of a strong and prosperous society. Take this week to prayerfully reflect on the state of your soul and the spiritual health of your family. Make sure both are a place of virtue, generosity, service, and respect. Make it clear that each person in your home is appreciated and loved. Be accountable to others and take responsibility for your actions. Allow God to purify you from the inside out. This is the way of peace. This is the way that leads to eternal life.