20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

One of the great joys of being in this parish is the many opportunity to be around families, especially our young families with children. Our parish is blessed with so many good families. Not perfect families but definitely good families. As one of your priests, I have gotten to know many of you and I know how hard you parents work to care for your children. You try to keep them clean and feed them well. You protect their health, not just caring for them when they are sick, but preventing sickness by taking them to the doctor for check-ups, shots, the dentist for their teeth, to name a few. You help them with their school work. You help them learn to make their way in the world especially in making good relationships with others. You want them to grow to be good, healthy people all the way around. Being a good, involved parent is a full time job, without a doubt. But being a good parent is more than just doing things. Being a good parent also means being present to your kids and taking time to watch what they are doing and observe. Now I don’t have to tell you this: children are entertaining to watch because nearly everything they do is heartfelt and genuine. 

One of the most entertaining things that kids do, especially young ones, is eat. For a child, eating is a total body experience. For example, the young child doesn’t just taste ice scream, he smells it, feels it, wears it and LOVES it! The same is true when a child dislikes his food. He makes faces, he is totally repulsed by its presence and may even cry or throw the offensive food across the room. There is something about watching a child happily eat that warms our hearts, especially when we cook the meal or provide the food. 

That is, as long as they DO eat. One of the most maddening things to see is a child that refuses to eat or at least try certain types of food. I was never a picky eater but some of my siblings were and, to this day, the picky eater or the child who refuses to eat, well, that is something that drives me up a wall. It just seems so irrational! I want to say: “there is no reason to cry about the vegetables on your tray!” “It won’t hurt you to take a little bite!” These words don’t usually make a difference unless there is some sort of bribe involved. In any case, the child who refuses to eat their food can be frustrating because they don’t realize that what they are being offered is for their own good. And they have no idea of the sacrifice and time that went into getting and fixing the meal itself. I am sure that most of the families here have at least one child who gives them a run for their money at the table. But you don’t give up. The child has to eat and eat the proper food.

Now, if feeding and watching our loved ones eat brings us joy and satisfaction, how much more must it be cherished by God, our Heavenly Father. He is the one that provides everything that we use, from the rain and the sun, to the soil and the intelligence that has learned how to cultivate the earth and use its resources. I am sure it must warm His heart as he sees us enjoying the food and other good things He provides. 

But that is not the only food that God gives us! Even more important than the daily nourishment our bodies consume is the perfect meal that is the Eucharist. For this food He offers us is the very Body and Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the Bread come down from heaven, which provides eternal life when received worthily. How much happiness God must experience when he sees us entering into his heavenly feast with great attention and zeal! How he must long for us to participate with our whole heart, soul, and body! When we eat His Body and Drink His Blood in a worthy and reverent way, we show him that we appreciate his gift and the sacrifice that he endured to provide it for us.  

I am also sure He is saddened when we refuse to eat or carelessly receive the Great Meal He has prepared from the beginning of time. When we refuse to eat, or only sometimes come to Church to receive His Food, the Lord must feel like the parents who are upset that their children refuse to take the nourishment that they have provided with love and sacrifice. The Lord paid dearly for the Food He gives us. He paid for that food with His own life. How must He feel when we refuse to eat or fail to receive the eucharist with the proper reverence or while in serious sin?  

It is good for us to reflect on our disposition towards the Eucharist as we near the end of the Bread of life discourse which has continued over the last month. This week’s Gospel reading gets right to the heart of the Eucharistic message: Jesus says, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood you will not have life within you.” When we receive communion properly, we receive the Lord’s life within us.  

There are some people who reduce this sacrament to a meal of fellowship. There are some who equate the Eucharist in the Catholic Church with meals of fellowship in non-Catholic churches. These actions are not the same. For us, the Eucharist is Jesus Christ himself. The Sacrament we receive is so much more than a sharing of fellowship. It is total union with Christ, whom we take within ourselves in sacramental form. Some people simplify this mystery into a reception of Blessed Bread. The bread is not just blessed. It is Christ. The Eucharist is Jesus dying for us, sacrificing himself for us, and calling us to go out and perform the same sacrifice for others. This is why the Church gives us five weeks to reflect on the Bread of Life Discourse of St. John’s Gospel. She wants us to come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the gift that we routinely receive every time we come to communion. 

God our Father, is the perfect father, and he knows that his children need to eat, and they need to eat well. He provides us with the Body and Blood of His Son, at each and every Mass so that we can have all we need and more, to grow in his life and love. We need to take the food our Heavenly Father provides us without being picky or stubborn. May we receive this gift with gratitude, never taking it for granted, never receiving it unworthily. Let us heed the advice in our psalm today and “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Before I leave for vacation, there is something I need to get off of my chest. Some of you might think I’m crazy, some of you may be horrified by what I’m about to share, but I think many of you will understand. What I want to say is this: I am frustrated by a certain behavior of babies that is widespread, almost epidemic. Now, I don’t mean little newborns, no, they are actually pretty good about this. I am thinking more about babies when they start being aware of their surroundings and begin exploring and trying to impose their will on others. Certainly, by the time they are toddlers, this behavior is full-blown. 

So, what am I talking about?

Napping, that’s right, napping. These little babies, who everyone thinks are so cute, are rejecting invitations to nap all the time. Even when they are fed, changed, gently rocked, and pleaded with, they still fight ferociously. So often, you can tell that the baby is exhausted; they need the nap but they continue to resist. It drives me crazy when I see these little people, surrounded by their adoring entourage, turing down invitations to nap. The don’t know how good they have it, what a gift they are being offered, and so they reject it. Now, I can’t be too hard on these little babies, I myself acted the same way. Sneaking out of bed during nap time, fighting and screaming every day when that time came around. I now regret my behavior and often wish I could reclaim those wasted opportunities for rest. I lecture my nieces and nephews this every time I see them protesting their nap but they don’t seem to understand what I am saying and sometimes they scream and yell even louder.

Believe it or not, I share this personal frustration with you for a reason. Just as little children fail to see the good thing they have in taking a nap each day, so too, in our first reading, the Israelites fail to see the good things that God is providing for them in the desert. Prior to their journey into the desert, God’s people were in a bad place. For generations, they had been slaves of Pharaoh and their fate was a miserable one. They were pressed into heavy labor, day after, year after year, with less and less rest. Their captors became more and more abusive, to the point that they began to slaughter their male children in the hopes of taking away the strength and future of God’s people. In response, God raised up Moses, and inflicted the 10 plagues upon Pharaoh and his people. Egypt let the Israelites leave, but soon changed their mind and pursued them with bad intent. At the Red Sea, God completely destroyed their captors and ensured the freedom of his people in a very definite way. That’s where our reading today starts.

But the people begin to complain already. They are hungry and God is making them rely completely on him during this time in the desert, by themselves they are powerless. They begin to forget the hardship of their slavery to Egypt and they complain. They tell Moses, "Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine! In other words, we had it better as slaves because, back then, at least our bellies were full of meat and bread! Already, God’s people are settling for something less than the freedom he offered them, they are willing to be enslaved again simply so they don’t have to be hungry, they are setting their eyes on the lower, lesser goods. God, in his goodness and patience, gives them manna from heaven and even provides meat for them while they sojourn in the desert. This food literally comes down from heaven and through this great miracle, God is already setting the stage for an even greater miracle where he will feed all who believe in him with an even better bread from heaven.

Now, we might listen to this story and be a little indignant. We might think to ourselves, “How dare those Israelites question God’s plan for them in the desert! I can’t believe they complain after all he did for them! We might wonder how in the world they would be willing to go back into slavery, just so they could have their little pots full of meat and bread. Don’t they see what they would be giving up?! Don’t they see that they would be sacrificing the freedom and the Promised Land that God wants to give them?!” As outraged as we might feel, as awful as the Israelites behavior truly is, it is a problem that you and I struggle with in our own hearts and lives as well. 

We have been given the True Bread from heaven, the Body and Blood of Jesus himself! The food that God gave Israel in the desert was just an appetizer for the perfect meal that he was preparing when his Son would come to earth. And yet, do we really appreciate that gift? Do we complain about what the Lord has given us and wish for something else? Don’t we sometimes wish that Mass could be a little more interesting? or a little shorter? Or at a more convenient time? Perhaps these things are not our struggle. But maybe we settle for lesser things as the Israelites did. Instead of finding our true happiness and fulfillment in Christ, we look for those things in worldly items, pleasures, and honors. Perhaps we are willing to go back to a spiritual slavery so that we can be a little more comfortable or familiar with our surroundings. 

Far too often, we settle for lesser things and we fail to appreciate the divine gift that is being offered to us. Like the baby fighting the nap, like the Israelites wishing for the food of slaves, we can fail to see the the gift in front of us. These 5 weeks, with the Bread of Life discourse, remind us of the great treasure we have in the Eucharist. The Church wants us to know that we have been set free by the Body and Blood of Jesus. God will feed our souls with himself, the only thing that will ultimately satisfy us. The challenge for us this Sunday is simple. We have the greatest of gifts; the most magnificent of miracles before us. Jesus, the true and eternal Bread from Heaven, is given to us at each and every Mass. Let us resolve to deepen our faith in this precious gift and never take it for granted. May we strive to receive the Eucharist with grateful hearts taking full advantage of all the benefits it contains. 

 

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

For the next five weeks or so, we are going to be reading from John’s gospel, chapter 6, which is called the Bread of Life Discourse. in our journey, we are going to listen as Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life and gives the world its greatest gift, His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Christ starts with a miracle and then continues on with a series of teachings, reaching back to Moses and other great moments of the Old testament. Today's readings present us with the story of two different miracles, the story of Elisha, who in the midst of a famine feeds a hundred men with 20 loaves of barley bread and the story of Jesus, who when faced with a great crowd of 5000 hungry people, feeds them with five loaves and two fish. 

Both stories share certain things in common.

Elisha's servant, on being told to feed the men with the offering brought by a man from Baal-shalishah, does not think it possible and complains to the prophet saying: "How can I set this before a hundred men?" With Jesus too, there is a servant, an apostle, who does not think it is possible to feed the people with what is available - the five loaves and two fish offered by the child that Peter's brother, Andrew, had found in the crowd.

In both stories, despite these small beginnings, the hungry are fed and there are leftovers - indeed in the story involving Jesus there is an abundance of leftovers - there is more than when the meal first began. The feeding of the great crowd, as John calls it, is the only miracle that Jesus did that is described in all four gospels.  For this reason alone, we need to pay close attention to it. We need to ask ourselves, “why is this?”  What is it about this miracle that catches the attention of the gospel writers.

I think it has to do with three things.

The first is the fact that this story tells us that Jesus has the power of God. Like Elisha he has God's favor and is able to feed the hungry: much as the people of Israel were fed by God in the wilderness with Manna. In fact John goes on after the telling of this story to speak of Jesus as the bread of heaven come down to earth - the one who is not only able to satisfy the physical hunger of his people but their spiritual hunger as well. Jesus has, and is able to use, the power of God to feed the hungry because he is one with God and the Son of God.

The second thing is that the story shows us not only God's power at work in Jesus, but also God's care. God reaches out through Christ to meet the needs of those who are following him much as God reached out through Elisha to meet the needs of the men who had followed him into the wilderness. Jesus cares for those who seek him out. He doesn’t abandon or forget them, rather, he wants to meet their needs and take care of them.

The third thing this story shows us is that Jesus is able to take what is offered to him and to multiply it - so that where there first seemed too little ends up being more than enough. 

It is this third point that I want to focus on for the remainder of the homily.

It has been talked about a great deal, this miracle of feeding the great crowd of people, and perhaps more than any other miracle, people have tried to figure out how Jesus did it. Most people accept the healing stories, they understand that the mind has a strong effect on health, that faith can in fact bring about healing. But multiplying loaves and fish? This seems more incredible, more difficult, and so theories have arisen to explain how it was done. I don’t have time to go through all these theories but it is sufficient to say that most of them have a common theme, which tries to explain away any divine power or true miraculous happening with a natural explanation. 

The most notable theory is that when the boy who had the loaves and fish shared them with others his example inspired others to bring out what they had brought with them and share as well. In other words, there really was no miraculous power at all but instead it inspired everyone to share the food they already had.

We can't say exactly how the loaves and the fish multiplied, nor do we need to. More important than how is the fact that they did, just as the offering made to Elisha by the man from Baal Shalishah. We really need to meditate on that fact: how too little became more than enough when it was offered to God. How human eyes saw impossibility where Christ and the Prophet Elisha saw enough to feed the people’s hunger.

Aren’t we often like the skeptical apostles or the doubting servant of the prophet? When there is a need in our lives, in our families, among our friends, in our world, don’t we often say something like:

- How can we help with what little we have?  We don't even know how we will we make do ourselves.

- How can we feed so many?  How can we fund so many.  We have so little and the need is so great.

- What we can do is only a drop in a bucket.  We don't have enough money to help out.  We don't have what it takes.

We don't have enough time. 

We don't have enough energy.

We aren't smart enough.

We aren't wise enough.

We haven't been trained in that area.

We aren't professionals.

There aren't enough of us to make a real difference,

there aren't enough of us to get the job done.

But Jesus, like Elisha, didn't listen to this from his disciples and he doesn’t want to hear it from us either. Rather, like the prophet, he takes what is offered to him in faith, blesses it, and gives it back to us so that we might distribute it to those who are hungry, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And if we trust in God, if we follow him and obey his will for us, there will be enough to go around, there will be leftovers, sometimes Even more than we started with.

This is what happens right here, right now, in the Eucharist. We give the meager gift of ourselves to God, and he in turn gives us Himself. By his gift, we are transformed, strengthened, healed, and then sent forth to help others. God wants to take the little we have ourselves, and multiply it so that it can be shared with others. Others who are hungry, lost, sad, searching, abandoned, and hurting. He make the gift of ourselves more than enough for the people he sends us to, there will be something leftover. All we need to do is to do is bring what we have, as did the man of Baal Shalishah to Elisha and as did the boy on the hillside to Jesus.

So, which voice will we listen to? The voices of the disciples and the servants, who say, when told to feed the crowd - there is not enough - it is impossible? Or the voice of the one who tells us "feed the people" and who takes what we have to offer and makes it enough?

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Today’s gospel continues the story we started last week. Last Sunday, the apostles were commissioned and sent to preach the Good News to the surrounding towns and villages. Today we hear about their return as they complete their first missionary endeavor. How long they were gone, we are not sure, but we get to listen as they report their progress. We know from the other evangelists that this moment of reunion was full of rejoicing and energy - they had experienced the power of God working through them, moving people's hearts through their words and deeds. And how does Christ respond when his missionaries return from their exciting and busy adventure? He takes them aside to rest, to be with him again in the quiet intimacy of their small community.

The lesson is clear, but so hard to put into practice: active apostles, Christians who are engaged in evangelizing the world around them, need to balance their activity with contemplation, with time spent in personal conversation with the Lord. Sometimes we can wonder why we get so emotionally and spiritually exhausted by the busy-ness of our lives. It's because we aren't recharging our spiritual batteries. Stress, discouragement, and other strong emotions can wear us out if we aren't constantly reinforcing our faith in Jesus Christ. Only our friendship with the Lord can supply us with the strength and wisdom we need to be truly successful not only in our daily lives but more importantly, in our relationship with Christ.

Without prayer, study, and time alone with God, our well will soon run dry - we will have nothing to offer others. But without action, without giving freely to others what we have freely received from God, our spiritual waters will become stagnant and lifeless. Contemplation and action, prayer and work - this was how Christ lived his life and this is also how he wants us to live. 

Our society tends to stress the importance of action more than prayer, but the two really are meant to go together. Jesus taught this not only in the way he treated his closest followers but also by the example of his own life. Towards the beginning of his public ministry, he and his apostles visited Simon Peter's house, where he cured Peter's mother-in-law and then spent the evening curing the sick and casting out demons. The next morning, the apostles got up early to start what they knew would be a very busy day. But when they looked around for Jesus, they couldn't find him. They searched all around and finally located him in the hills outside of town, praying. And when they told him that people were already lining up outside the house to see him, he said to them that it was time to move on to other towns. Jesus knew that he had a busy day before him, but he also knew that in order to get through it properly, he had to start off with prayer. Jesus led a full and active life, but that activity was fueled and inspired by his prayer - and if that's the case for him, the Son of God, how much more should it be the case for us, who seek to follow his example!

This is true for the spiritual life, but it's also a principle of human nature in general. As human beings we are body and mind, flesh and spirit. And so, everything we do has a material aspect - work, effort, action - and also a spiritual aspect - planning, vision, long-term goals.

Think of a football team.Football players are experts in action - fast action, hard-hits, speed, power and dexterity. But when a football team goes onto the field, how does it organize and direct all that physical potential? By following a game plan, a strategy. For every one minute on the field during a game, the team invests hours and hours of practice, film analysis, discussion, and strategic thinking. That's what keeps the players united, focused, and motivated during the heat of competition: they know what they are there for, what challenges they will be facing, what path to take. Sometimes it even happens that the bigger, faster, stronger team loses, because the other team had a better game plan, a better vision, and executed it well.

A similar pattern occurs in our spiritual life. Every day we are out there battling against temptations, difficulties, and obstacles to fulfilling our vocation in Christ. And it is easy for us to get worn down by the struggle. But if we spend time with the Lord in prayer, if we meet often with the Holy Spirit we will be able to win those battles. In prayer, our faith is renewed, our injuries healed, our weaknesses strengthened, and our victory assured.

St Benedict used a motto that sums up perfectly this Lesson. His motto was Ora et labora, which is Latin for pray and work. Prayer and work are like the two sides of a coin for us Christians. We are called to become close friends of Jesus Christ and we can only do that if we develop our prayer life. But we are also called to be his fellow soldiers, ambassadors of his everlasting Kingdom, and that means we should be putting our talents, time, and energy, into doing things that will make this world a better place, a place worthy of our King.

As we contemplate today’s readings then, we should ask ourselves an important question. Have I found the right balance between "ora" and "labora" in my life? Do I only pray when I come to Mass on Sunday? Do I think of God or speak to him at all during the rest of the week?On the other hand, do I flee to prayer to the point that I neglect my other responsibilities. Do I make excuses as to why it is good enough for me to pray but not to act upon my faith in working for the kingdom?

Some Catholics try to leave all the Kingdom-building activity to the priests, religious, and missionaries. They don't stay on the lookout for opportunities to help others discover the one thing worth finding in this life: friendship and companionship with Jesus Christ. Other Catholics are constantly trying to force-feed everyone they meet with the Gospel, violating common sense and common courtesy. Each one of us needs to find the balance that goes with our personality, our gifts, and state in life. May we be open to God’s grace as he sends us out to his people. May we find that balance between work and prayer, so that we may return with great joy to him each day, telling him of many wonders that he works in our lives.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Rumor has it that every month, the Department of Transportation gives an award to a distinct class of its employees across the nation. This award is not prestigious, rather it highlight an employee who manages to follow the letter of the law perfectly and refuses to employ common sense. The award I am referring to is the “It’s Not My Job Award” and it always goes to the employee nationwide who best proves to be unwilling to go outside the the scope of their assigned task. My favorite photo of this award took place on a road in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Here a road crew was repainting lane markings when they came across something that was not in their job description; it was roadkill! Since they were assigned to paint the center line of the road, not to remove dead animals, they simply painted the road...and the dead opossum! The picture, worth a thousand words, gives us a pretty good idea of the literal approach these fellows took to their job.

Now I mention this, because, as ridiculous as this “It’s Not My Job Award” is, there are many people who could win this award if it were offered for the way Christians proclaim their faith. By virtue of our baptism, we are all anointed priest, prophet, and king. In our readings today, the Church asks us to reflect most especially on the role of the prophet, the messenger of God’s Word. Oftentimes, when we hear the word “prophet”, we think of someone who can predict the future or see things that others can’t. While it is true that some prophets did predict future happenings, that was not their main task. No, the prophet is someone who is called to share God’s Word and message with the people around him. Even if we understand what a prophet truly is, most of us probably have the thought it is a role best suited for a priest or religious or at least someone who has specialized training. 

It might help us understand what a often prophet looks like by looking at the one who comes to us in the first reading today. His name was Amos and he was a normal, everyday, working man. He was a shepherd and an arborist, of sycamore trees in fact! He lived just south of the border between the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, on the Judea  side. How easy it would have been for Amos to tell the Lord, “prophecy is not my job, that’s not what I signed up for!” But instead, he crossed the border into the North and proclaimed God’s truth to those in the City of Bethel.  The people there were not fully living their faith. They were part-time their devotion to the Lord. Amos told them to change their lives and be committed to the Lord; to go back to what their faith demanded of them. The priest, Amaziah, told Amos to stop confronting the people and go back to Judah. Amos responded: “I am not a professional prophet. I am an arborist, a dresser of trees. But I cannot refuse to proclaim the Lord.”

Nor can any of us. We have to “proclaim the word, in season and out of season” as St. Paul wrote. By nature of our baptism, we have to proclaim the truth we experience within us whether it is a time others want to hear it, or whether it is a time they would rather we just keep quiet. We are all called to be prophetic voices, no matter what our training or vocation. This isn’t just the work of the priests and sisters and religious brothers; it is the work of all the baptized. We cannot simply tell the Lord, “It’s not my job.”

While He was still with us on earth, Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. These disciples were ordinary, everyday men entrusted with an extraordinary task. Like Amos, they were not trained missionaries but fisherman. Jesus doesn’t seem too concerned about that. He told them that the mission was urgent.  They shouldn’t be bogged down with the cares and concerns of luggage. But they should wear sandals because they had a lot of ground to cover. They needed to proclaim to all.  Some would listen, and others would reject them, but the message had to be proclaimed to as many people as possible. And, as we know from the gospel, these unqualified missionaries had tremendous success, success that came from God and changed the world, even our own lives!

It is the same for all of us. We need to bring the message, the experience, the very presence of Jesus Christ to the world. This is our call, no matter who we are, no matter what our state in life. Some will listen to you who will not listen to me as a priest.  Perhaps it is people your age, be it senior citizen or child, who will say, “I want to be happy with life as he or she is happy.”  Perhaps it will be people who look to you for guidance, such as your own children or grandchildren.  Perhaps it will be people who respect and love you, such as your parents and brothers and sisters. Many of these people will hear the message clearer when it comes from you rather than from me or any priest.  So proclaim the message. 

And yes, there will be people who will reject the message.  You may indeed have to move on and proclaim the  truth of Jesus Christ to others.  But don’t stop praying for them. And be patient.   Joy, happiness and the Presence of the Lord are contagious, but sometimes it takes time for the peace of Christ to win over a person.

May we embrace the role of prophet and apostle in own lives as they are modeled to us today in the example of Amos and the twelve apostles. Let us not be afraid of the uncertainties or difficulties that will come our way in fulfilling our call, given to each of us at our baptism. Most importantly, each of us, in our own way, has something to share with the world about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let us not act in a way that would win us the “It’s Not My Job Award” and let us trust that God wants to use our witness to bring others closer to him. 

Homily for Religious Freedom (13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B)

One of the things that helps me keep my sanity around here is regular exercise. And not just here at St. Joe’s, but wherever I have been. Since high school, exercise has been a crucial part of a healthy approach to living. Just last week, for some reason, I was reflecting on the the fact that I have been exercising and working out consistently for the last 15 years. That’s a pretty long time! And yet, isn’t a little sad and frustrating that even with a decade and a half of working out, it only takes a few weeks away from the gym to start losing all that hard work. That is one of the great mysteries of the human body; it can accomplish amazing things, become incredibly strong. Just look at the athletes that are competing for a chance to represent our nation in the Summer Olympics. But if the body stops exercising and challenging itself with resistance training, within a month, muscle mass begins to decrease cardiovascular endurance drops dramatically. I don’t think it’s fair really; that we have to work so hard to get in shape and to stay there but that it can be lost so quickly if we stop exercising those good habits. 

But physical fitness is not the only area which must be exercised consistently or risk being lost. A more important aspect of our lives which follows the same pattern is our human and civil rights. These basic human rights, which are defined as the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality, are not something we have to earn. We have certain rights that are due to us, simply because we are human beings, made in the image and likeness of God. As Americans, we naturally think of those rights that protect life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness or fortune and the free practice of religion. We think of them because they are the foundation of our country, the cornerstone of what makes our nation free and prosperous and a symbol of liberty to the whole world. But these rights must be exercised consistently or risk being lost. If we are lazy or complacent or think that these fundamental rights will never be infringed upon, well, then we are already starting to lose them.

How sad it is, that Americans are increasingly blind and apathetic to the dangers and infringements on their God-given rights! Even more troubling that many citizens of this great nation allow those rights to be slowly taken away and even vote in ways that reduce their own rights! (If they vote at all) Did you know that voter participation in nearly every general election has decreased since 1960? That only about half of eligible voters are showing up to choose our nation’s leaders when it is a presidential election and only about a third are bothering to vote when the president is not involved. Why have we gotten so lazy in the practice of our rights? The same rights that so many brave men and women have sacrificed their lives to defend?!

As you know, recent legislation, namely the Health and Human Services Mandate, ignores yet another one of our God-given rights, to freely practice our religious beliefs and not violate our consciences. This unjust law requires employers to provide drugs and procedures for contraception, sterilization, and even abortifacient purposes, regardless of the employer’s religious convictions. In about 31 days, this immoral law takes legal effect for all employers, except religious institutions, which are given an additional year to “comply” with the rule. 

We might wonder, “how did we get to this point?” We might be tempted to simply blame the current administration. It carries a major share of the blame to be sure, but the problem runs much deeper. The only reason our elected officials are able to pass laws that compromise our freedom and violate our religious beliefs is because we put them there, we tolerated their shenanigans in lesser issues, we bought into the lie that our religious beliefs have no place in the public square and policy making and, as a result, with religion removed from the legislation, what fills the gap are secular principles which change according to the fickle winds of public opinion, approval ratings, and in some dangerous cases, personal agendas and ideologies.

We find ourselves face to face with the current threat to our religious liberty in large part because Catholics have grown lazy in exercising and defending their God-given rights and as a result, they are in danger of being lost and taken from us. Now let me make this clear, I have been edified by the faithful and prayerful response of so many in our church, including the bishops, who have spoken clearly and courageously in against the immoral Health and Human Services mandate. But I have also been surprised by how many good, faithful catholics have told us priests that this is none of the Church’s business, that we are getting involved in a political issue, that the Church should not be trying to impose her morality upon others.

But this is simply not true! The Church did not go looking for this fight; it was pressed upon us with no respect for our religious beliefs by our government. The Catholic Church did not make this a political issue, politicians have and it is dividing our country deeper and deeper. Finally, this is not simply a Catholic issue; it is much bigger than that. It is a human rights issue. The problem has less to do with the fact that we believe contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs are immoral and more to do with the fact that our government is deciding that it can tell us to violate our consciences and how we will be allowed to practice our faith. As citizens, we have the right and obligation to speak against this unjust law and to disobey it if it goes into effect. And even if we are not Catholic or disagree with the Church on this issue, we should have a problem with this law, which sets a precedent for the government to infringe on the religious liberty and conscience of any person. If we know our history, we know that every dictator and tyrant has made use of this kind of power to commit atrocities and seize power for themselves.

So what can we do to nip this danger in the bud? How can we keep our nation from following in the footsteps of governments that have taken away the rights of its people to freely practice their faith? First, we must pray and offer sacrifice for our country and her leaders. We must ask God to give them a conversion of heart and see the evil they are about to do. We must ask for courage and  strength for those leaders who are fighting to protect our religious liberty and overturn this immoral mandate. Secondly, we have to witness to our faith by exercising our right to vote and participating in the democratic process of our county. Far too long, Catholics have ignored their faith when it came to their vote and have not been good witnesses of Jesus Christ when it came to choosing people who would represent them in our government. We must also be willing to take the time and effort to contact our elected officials and urge them to protect our God-given right to freely practice our faith and obey our consciences. Finally, we must be prepared to suffer for what we believe. It may happen that our religious liberty is taken away and ignored in the next month. We must not, we cannot comply with the evil that is about to take place. If that means that we are fined, then so be it. If it means that some of us are in danger of going to jail, so be it. We must not and cannot abandon our faith in this time of crisis. We must be willing to endure any hardships this law might impose upon us. We mustn't be afraid to stand up for what we believe in. This may be difficult and unpopular, it may cost us dearly but it is the right thing to do and God will give us the strength to do it. So let us pledge ourselves to this moral and noble cause: to defend our liberty and the right to follow our consciences. And not just for ourselves, but for the generations that will follow us as citizens of our great nation. May God give us strength and may God bless America!

Mother's Day Homily

Any preacher who dares to get up and speak on Mother’s Day faces at least three problems or dangers. They are: 1) the danger of appearing to be an “expert” on motherhood, 2) the danger of using Mary as the model of motherhood, and 3) the danger of facing a very mixed congregation. The danger of being an expert: you all know the story of the priest who got up and spoke at great length on the glories of motherhood. And when he walked outside a woman came up to him and said, “ Father, I wish I knew as little about being a mother as you do.” Or the other priest who preached about Mary as the perfect model to be a wife and mother. And a woman came up to him, carrying one baby and with four other children following her, and said, “It’s easy enough for her with her one child!” And then, our congregation is mixed. We celebrate Mother’s Day, we talk about and honor mothers. And yet, many of our congregation are not mothers, and some, like myself are not married and are not women. Nevertheless, what we all have in common is we’ve all had a mother. We’ve all had the experience of a mom and how her love can heal and form us and that justifies speaking about motherhood, no matter what the dangers might be. So thank you, to all of our moms who have shone us countless acts of love. We know that one day is not enough to thank you for all that you do!

On this day where we pause to thank God for the gift of motherhood, I think it is important to note that the concept and dignity of women and motherhood are under a very dangerous attack in our society. Can we ignore the alarming spread of pornography in our homes, in marriages, even among our young people? Or the often-overlooked scourge of domestic violence which breaks the spirit of so many women, hurting and crying out for help? Or what about the shameless objectification of the female body in advertising and entertainment where a person is reduced to an object simply to sell a product.

All of these things sadly, are present in our culture and are accepted by many as the way things are. It is ironic that our society calls us today to honor motherhood while at the same time promoting the very practices that attack the dignity of the women we wish to show our appreciation for. 

Now there are many other evils in our society that are detrimental to women. But I want to zero in on one in particular because it is causing incredible damage and heartbreak. It is devastating to all people but it is harming women most deeply. Therefore, on this Day dedicated to moms and women, let’s honor them by considering what we can do make things better.

The evil that I want to approach is also the most difficult because it is considered a good thing by so many people. It thought to be off-limits by others, something the Church shouldn’t talk about. It has been hailed as the liberation of women, the thing that levels the playing field against men. It was seen as the solution for so many domestic problems and the beginning of new horizons for every female. It would give her control and power, she could be in charge without being subjected to men. This evil is found in the thing known as artificial contraception. 

Since its introduction, especially in the pill more than 50 years ago, it has been touted as the answer to so many problems that plague modern women. It was supposed to improve marriage, increase the quantity and quality of sexual intimacy, free women from the natural rhythm of their bodies. It promises many good things, it looks so perfect, and yet those who use it end up experiencing a deep spiritual sadness and the nagging emptiness of being used.  

Why is it that our society has encouraged women to do things to their bodies, some of these thing very permanent, that go against the feminine nature or “feminine genius” as Blessed John Paul II called it? Why is it that so many women have accepted birth control as the thing that will make them happy or give them control or make them equal with men? And yet, how often the very opposite comes true. More and more, women are seen as objects for men’s pleasure; things to be had on a whim without consideration for the woman or her body. The very thing that was supposed to empower women had led countless women to be used and hurt. The hallmarks of femininity, such as the reception of new life, a nurturing spirit, and quiet gentleness are being replaced by anger, bitterness, and domination. 

If there is one thing that I want every woman, single or married, young or old, to hear, it is this: you deserve better! You deserve the respect of others! You deserve the respect of men for who you are as a daughter of God and sister in Christ, not for the pleasure you provide or the ways you measure up against worldly expectations. You deserve to hear from the Church and from a priest, that artificial contraception is a moral evil, it is lie that will only bring you sadness, emptiness, and pain. 

As a woman you share the privilege of bringing new life into being. Allow this truth to take root in your life and don’t be afraid to respect yourself enough to demand this dignity from others. As men, we need to protect that gift and honor and cherish women as God created them, not necessarily as society sees them. This can be done practically by remembering that each person is made in the image of God and we are all children of God. As a Church we need to support men and women in bringing forth new life and by growing in mutual love and respect. This will strengthen marriages, fortify families, and build up society. This is not simply a nice idea for someone else to try but something that each and every person plays a part in making a reality. As a matter of fact it is one of the most important ways that we live out the love we are called to in our second reading from St. John. So, on this Mother’s day, let us be thankful for the incredible gift of woman and motherhood, and let us, like the psalmist, “give thanks to God for we are fearfully and wonderfully made!”