Corpus Christi (Cycle A)

I have to tell you how wonderful it is to be here with you. I've been looking forward to praying with you, working with you, and getting to know you since I was informed I would be assigned to St. Michael the Archangel Parish. I don't want to bore you with too many details, but allow me to share just a little about who I am and where I come from. I was born and raised here in St. Louis, Hazelwood in fact. I am the oldest of 14 children, 10 girls and four boys. Most of my siblings still live here in the St. Louis and St. Charles area and I am blessed to have 15 nieces and nephews. I went to seminary at an early age and spent eight years right here in Shrewsbury at Kenrick-Glennon seminary. I was ordained a priest in 2008 by Cardinal Burke. My first two years of priesthood priesthood were at the Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End. The last four years have been spent at St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville. I have enjoyed each of these assignments and the people I have served and I love being a priest!

Some people have noticed that when I was assigned here, I was not named pastor but rather parochial administrator. Many people, either at Cottleville or here in Shrewsbury, have asked me what exactly is a parochial administrator? I thought this might be be a good moment to clarify without going into too many technical details. In recent years, it has been the policy of the Archbishop to name rookie pastors parochial administrators. As such, I have the same responsibilities as a pastor, I carry out the same functions as a pastor, but there are certain restrictions as well. Before making some decisions, I have to check with the Archbishop and if things are not going well, it is easier for an administrator to be moved than a pastor. Typically, we rookies remain administrators for about a year and then the Archbishop comes to the parish and formally installs us as pastors. Hopefully that provides some background on who I am and what I will be doing here. 

Let us now reflect for a little while on today’s beautiful feast of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for the “Body of Christ”. The Church gives us this feast as an opportunity to remember what a gift we have in the Eucharist. 

One of the benefits of growing up in a house full of children, is that you were taught how to hold a baby from a very early age. For example, you learn to hold your arms in such away that the baby’s head and neck are supported and the infant is held close to you so that there is no way it can wiggle out of your arms. You also make sure to be careful of any soft spots on their delicate head and you soon become comfortable with laying down or handing over this precious cargo. Getting to hold someone else's baby is an honor; it is something that should be done carefully and with attention to every detail. Imagine how horrifying it would be if someone handled a newborn baby roughly or carelessly. It would take your breath away, it would probably anger you, and I hope all of us would do something about it.

In the Eucharist, we are given a similar but even greater privilege. Every time we come to Mass and receive Holy Communion, God says to us: “here is my precious Child, my only begotten Son, I am going to let you hold him, touch him, receive him so that you can become my child too and have the strength to follow me and love your neighbor.” In the Eucharist, God becomes vulnerable for us. How do we respond? Do we have the same care and concern for the Body and Blood of Christ as we do for a newborn infant? Can people see in us that same tenderness, awe, and attention to detail?

Fortunately for us, the Catholic Church gives us many traditions and procedures to help us maintain our piety and love for Jesus in Eucharist. For example, that is why we are asked to fast from all food or drink, except water or medicine, one hour before we take holy Communion. Our respect for the Eucharist is why we genuflect towards the tabernacle when we come into church. The same is true when we come forward to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus; we should bow as the person before us is receiving: when it is our turn we raise our hands before us, one on top of the other as a throne for the King of Kings. We should also feel comfortable receiving the Eucharist on our tongue, as this is still the normative way to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. If we choose to receive the Precious Blood, the same reverence applies as we take a small sip of the Blood that was shed for us on Calvary. If we are aware of some serious sin that we have committed since our last confession, we should not receive the Eucharist until we have gone to confession. We should also pay attention to other details, like taking some time to prepare to receive the Lord, perhaps as we are driving or walking here to church, or even getting here a few minutes early so that we can set aside any distractions or worries that we brought with us. Finally, we should make sure that we never do things that appear disrespectful or careless when it comes to the Body and Blood of Jesus. We should never be chewing gum in church, playing on our phone, or taking Holy Communion without consuming it immediately.

In just a few minutes, you and I will be entrusted with God’s Son in the Eucharist. Let us be careful, let us be filled with awe, let our piety radiate as we receive this precious gift. May the Body and Blood of Jesus transform our lives and help us to grow even more in love with him!

Pentecost (Cycle, A)

I know that some of you have heard this story before but I want to share it again for two reasons: 1) because I think it ties in with today’s celebration of Pentecost and 2) because the main troublemakers of the story are here with us today (Where are you, Mom and Dad?) Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in building things, fixing things, and learning how things work. As a result of this interest, from an early age, tools fascinated me. Between 5^th and 8^th grade, I would beg my parents to take me to the hardware store at least once a week. And when I would enter into this splendid shrine dedicated to hand tools, power tools, and other hardware accessories, I would take a deep breath and then slowly proceed to walk down every single aisle, looking at the newest innovations, dreaming of the day when I could afford something as glorious as an air compressor, a nail gun, or a table saw. But it didn’t stop there. Every time my birthday rolled around or Christmas approached and I was asked what I would like, I just said: “more tools please.” So for a couple of years that was what I counted on for my birthday and Christmas. I received screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, tape measures, hammers, handsaws, and occasionally, if I behaved and promised to be careful, a coveted power tool.            

I was in the height of this “building” stage, when my twelfth birthday rolled around. After blowing out twelve candles and smiling through “happy birthday,” I was eagerly anticipating the newest addition to my workbench. My parents presented me with a small box, about this size, which was somewhat heavy. I just knew that it had to be some new drill bits and or maybe even a new part for the riding lawn mower I had souped up to drive around the neighborhood. I was so excited; I ripped right through the wrapping paper and that’s when I saw them. My mouth dropped and I just stared at my parents in disbelief. My expression was a strange mixture of confusion, betrayal, and yes, even anger. If you see photos from that moment, you don’t have to guess how I am feeling. Inside the box was not a tool or engine parts. No, instead there were four books, by J.R.R. Tolkien, the classic Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

           These were really nice books. And it was a very thoughtful gift from my parents. But I didn’t like them and I wouldn’t read them for quite a long time, eight years to be exact, because they weren’t what I was expecting or hoping for. Because I had set my expectations on something else, I wasn’t able to see the goodness or the wisdom of their gift until many years later. My short-term desires blinded me to the long-term benefits of this birthday gift, which I would later read nonstop.

As we gather to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which is regarded as the birthday of our Catholic Church, we acknowledge that the apostles didn't originally plan for this gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, they were hoping that Jesus, Risen from the dead, would simply stick around with them indefinitely. That was the gift that they wanted, that was what they were hoping for with their limited wisdom and foresight. But Jesus has something even better in mind. He knew if he stayed here with the apostles and the early church, there would be a limit to how much they could grow in their faith and in their ability to spread the good news.

That is why Jesus leaves them at the Ascension to return to his heavenly father. It isn't what the apostles want but it is exactly what they need. Because Jesus loves the apostles so perfectly and because he is so madly in love with his church and with each and every one of us he only wants to give the best of gifts. Gifts that are beneficial for us in the scope of eternity. That is why we have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, Consoler, the third person of the holy Trinity, who abides in the church forever until that day when Jesus returns. Like a wise parent who knows what his child needs even before the child realizes it, Jesus knows that we need the presence of the Holy Spirit even more than we need him walking around in church today.

With this gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles will be transformed immediately. They will literally go from the room in which they were hiding, out fear, onto a balcony where they will proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and challenge the very people they were hiding from to repentant of their sins and embrace Christianity. Could Jesus have given them any better gift? In his eternal wisdom, he knew that the Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, could have this effect on his beloved friends.

Our Lord wants the same good things for you and me. He wants us to be bold, confident, full of joy, and ready to do his will. He wants us to be free from fear, from sin, and any other weakness that my burden us or limit our potential. Is this gift of the Holy Spirit, first received in the sacrament of baptism and given more fully in confirmation, that enables us to live in this way. The Spirit is with us always, whether we are awake or sleeping, at home or traveling, alone or surrounded by thousands of people. There is only one condition that comes with this incredible gift from God. The one thing required of us is docility, a certain humility and openness to whatever it is the spirit leads us towards. Sometimes he will lead us in ways we like, that we agree with, which are easy and pleasant. But other times, the Holy Spirit will challenge us, correct us, and even convict us of wrongdoing and laziness. If we hope to receive all the benefits and transformation that can be ours, we have to be open to everything that he wants for us, even when our limited knowledge protests or throws a fit, even when his gift isn’t exactly what we were hoping for. 

May this celebration of Pentecost be a powerful reminder that we are loved without limits by a wise and caring God. Let this crowning feast of the Easter season renew your openness to the Holy Spirit and the many ways he wants to renew your soul. Let us be careful not to limit God by our own expectations of how he should work in the Church and in our lives.  Above all, let us rejoice that Jesus has given us this Advocate, this Holy Spirit, to be with us everywhere and always until he returns in Glory! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and renew the face of the earth!

The Ascension of the Lord (Cycle A)

This year, the feast of the Lord’s Ascension speaks to me in a very personal way. Today Jesus is leaving the people he loves, the ones he has cared for, and spent every day with. He is leaving for something even greater, the next stage, a new chapter. Today, Jesus rejoins his Father in heaven and paves the way for the Holy Spirit to come down and abide with his believers forever. Something similar happens for the priest as he prepares for a new assignment, saying goodbye to people he has been with for years. One significant difference: I do not anticipate being taken up into the clouds as I make my way to St. Michael’s! 

As Jesus ascends into heaven, he gives us a parting gift: He gives us his final words.

We normally take very seriously the last words our loved ones uttered to us; 

     - we turn those words over in our minds, 

     - we consider them carefully

     - we store them up in our hearts and ponder them - much as Mary stored up the words of the angel, the shepherds, and the magi in her heart after her encounters with them. 

If the last words of a loved one to us are uttered in the form of a command or wish, if they are uttered with any seriousness - in the knowledge that soon time and space will separate us, if they ask us to do something, we are inclined to do everything in our power to both remember those words and to do that which was asked of us.

Last words are indeed important words. Knowing that - today I want to reflect with you on the last words of Jesus while he was here on earth.

If you ask most people  what the last words of Jesus were, chances are they might tell you that his last words were: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" -- or perhaps - "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit". When most people think of the last words that Jesus spoke here on earth we tend to think of those words that he spoke upon the cross - those words he spoke just before his death - and not of the words that he spoke to his disciples, and to all of the Church, after his resurrection, on the day he ascended into heaven.

The last words that Jesus uttered while still on earth, while still walking about in his resurrected body, were just read to us in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. As he prepared to join his Father in heaven, Jesus tell the Apostles and us: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

But what does it mean to be his witnesses? The answer to that question can be found in today’s gospel from Matthew. Christ says quite simply, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” During this indefinite time between his ascension and his return in glory, Jesus wants the apostles to make the church grow, to spread the Good News of his victory over death, and to witness to his resurrection. He promised great signs and divine protection to those who follow his command. 

But Christ’s command to the apostles didn’t stop there; as a matter of fact, his mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations” extends to you and me as well. Even though Christ has ascended into heaven, even though we are waiting for his return at any moment of every day, we are expected to evangelize and give witness to all we have received through the gift of our faith. All of us have received the gift of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism and those of us who have been confirmed have also received the graces of Pentecost within our souls. 

The Ascension reminds us that it is time to spread the gospel, whether we are a priest or parent, a teacher or laborer, professional or full-time student. This is our task in this time of waiting for Christ’s second coming; we are not just supposed to sit around idly, hoping that we are ready when Jesus returns. 

I point out this command to spread the Good News because far too often people think it is something reserved for deacons, priests, bishops, and these who have consecrated their lives completely to Christ. And while it is my full-time job to spread the gospel, it is yours as well. I believe that one of the reasons that people still do not know Christ, the reason that so many people do not live the gospel is because ordinary Christians do not realize the power of their witness and their ability to spread the saving message of Our Lord. In a special way, in a way that I cannot be, you are the apostles to the corporate world, the educational world, the retail world, the entertainment world, and so on. This is the beauty of the Christian vocation; all of you, through your everyday work, have the privilege and opportunity to be made holy and to bring others to Christ. The Ascension of our Lord compels and commands us to use this time, before he returns, as an opportunity to bring others to the Lord. It is not enough simply to take care of ourselves.

As we come to this Mass on this blessed feast of our Savior, let us pay close attention to these last words of Christ. First, let us thank God for the gift of our faith, which was given to us by those following the Lord’s command. Second, let us resolve to spread our own faith to those we encounter in our lives, not in pushy or preachy ways, but by the joyous and peaceful manner in which we carry out our business. Finally, let us recommit ourselves to the practice of personal prayer, that our witness to the gospel will not be mere words or empty showmanship but a genuine and passionate display of the life of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will honor Christ by making disciples of all nations.

More Than Words (6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A)

The spoken word is an amazing thing. We hear in the beginning of John's gospel, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” This Eternal Word is actually a person, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity. God's Word is so incredibly powerful and life-giving, that in the beginning of time, all it took was his words to create the universe, the earth, and all living creatures, including the most magnificent of all, the human person. But God's word is not the only word that has power. Even as humans, our words can have an incredible effect. A word of forgiveness can transform a person’s life. A word of hope can bring new meaning to someone's existence. A word of love gives purpose to one's living; it makes life worthwhile. Inspiring words can even motivate someone to lay down their life for a cause or another person. Yes, our words and God's words are very, very powerful!

But more often than not, words can only go so far. If we are not careful, honest, or sincere, no matter how beautiful or eloquent our words may be, they fall flat if not reinforced by our actions. There is nothing worse than someone who misuses their words for lies or empty flattery. In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us what it means to love God. As people that bear his name, we should pay close attention. Jesus does not say, “if you love me, say nice things to me or recite lots of prayers.” No, Jesus says very simply in today's Gospel, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This seems very simple on the surface, but anyone who has ever been in a meaningful relationship knows how difficult it can be to move from words to actions in loving another person. Talk is cheap but actions speak louder than words. Our friendship with God is not much different than our friendship with other people. What helps us to be a good friend to those around us will also apply in our friendship with God.

If loving God is tied directly to keeping his commandments, what are the commandments that we need to keep? In the Mosaic law, there were many commandments; in fact there were about 613 that every observant Jew was expected to know and observe. Jesus simplifies all of these Commandments into two basic laws. In order to prove our love for God we should love him above all things, with our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole strength, with everything that we are. Secondly, we should love our neighbor as ourselves. All of the “rules of our Church are directed towards keeping these two commands. If we observe these two Commandments, we not only honor God but we prove that we love him. The flip side is that if we do not keep the Commandments we essentially tell God that we do not love him.

Now many people might try to argue with this point. Some will say, “how can God expect me to be perfect?” “I have every intention of loving God and being a good Christian, isn't that good enough?” Today's Gospel answers that objection with a resounding no! Most of us have probably heard of the saying the road to hell is paved with good intentions. St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote that hell is full of people with good desires and wishes. Heaven is full of people who acted on those good intentions and made them a reality. It is not enough for us simply to want to love God or to be a good person. We actually have to carry out that desire by our actions.

So what does this look like an everyday practical terms? Well, it means something like this: when I come to mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation, I'm telling God, I love you. When I obey and respect my parents and my teachers and those who have legitimate authority over me, I am showing God that I love him. And when I follow the church's teaching on marriage and family planning, God knows then that I love him. But when I lie, or gossip, or disobey or pick and choose which commandments I will respect and which ones I will ignore, when I do these things, I am telling God in no uncertain language, I do not love you. That's why sin is so serious, that's why we want to avoid committing a sin no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. Every single sin is an attack on God and on love.

The good news for us, is that even when we tell God by our actions that we do not love him, he still loves us. In fact, God can never stop loving us, no matter what we do to him. He is infinitely patient and merciful and ready to love us when we will accept it. That's why the Church encourages us to go to confession on a regular basis. The sacrament of reconciliation is an opportunity to tell God that we are sorry for our actions that are unloving and it is an opportunity to grow in love once again.

I want to encourage you this week to take some time and examine your actions. Is your behavior something that shows God that you love him? Or does it show that you love someone or something more than God himself? Can people look at your example, the way you treat other people and know, this is a Christian, this is a person who keeps his commandments? More than likely, we all have some work to do. There are probably some things from our past that need God’s healing and mercy. Maybe there are some bad habits of laziness or wrong priorities that need to be straightened out. Whatever the case, don’t put it off, don’t leave it until the next day. God deserves your love; he deserves your best effort in keeping the two great commandments. Let us show the Lord that our love for him is much more than mere words, reinforcing it by our actions each and every day.

Making God a Part of your Decisions (5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A)

A little over four years ago, the Archbishop called me into his office and asked me to consider taking a new assignment. He told me it was okay if I wanted to take some time and pray about his request. He wanted me to ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my spiritual director, and afterwards come back and give my answer. He was willing to let me make the final choice, whether or not I moved. I did exactly what the Archbishop asked me. I took the next couple weeks and prayed about what God wanted me to do. I asked the Holy Spirit, do you want me to stay at the Cathedral or do you want me to go to a new assignment? I met with my spiritual director and had him pray with me. After much prayer and thought, after some nights of tossing and turning in my sleep and wondering if I was making the right choice, I finally had my answer. I made another appointment with the Archbishop and informed him the Holy Spirit had told both me and my spiritual director that it would be best if I stayed at the Cathedral. He looked at me and said thank you very much. Two weeks later the archbishop called me and told me “I would like you to move and to practice your vow of obedience”. I suppose his Holy Spirit was much stronger and smarter than my Holy Spirit.

Even though I was surprised when the Archbishop told me I would be moving, I knew that I had taken a vow of obedience on the day of my ordination. And I have to say, even though I did not originally choose to come here to St. Joseph's in Cottleville, these four years have been a great blessing for me and I have learned so much.

This practice of using prayer while making a decision is present in today's first reading. In the Acts of the Apostles, the young church is growing by leaps and bounds and has increasing needs that must be met. Some of the widows are not receiving their portion of bread and are going hungry. People raise this concern to the apostles and they take it to prayer to find a solution. The answer they are given is to select seven holy men who will be in charge of the distribution of bread and other works of mercy so that no one is neglected. These seven men are the first deacons of our Church and they become the hands and hearts of the twelve apostles, enabling them to help more people while still allowing the twelve to remain in their ministry of prayer and teaching. 

This method of making decisions is also used to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus.  They know there needed to be twelve apostles to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. This person had to be a witness to the resurrection. They come up with two very good choices. But they allow God to make the final decision, they leave the choice to God's wisdom and his ability to know what is best for them and for the whole church. In the end, Mathias is chosen to replace Judas and he will go on to do great things for the Lord, spreading the gospel and eventually laying down his life in Ethiopia for Christ. 

The pattern used by the early church in making decisions is something that we can incorporate into our own lives as Christian men and women. God wants to be a part of our decision-making; not just the big decisions: like should I be a priest or religious or should I get married? He also wants to be involved in the smaller choices that we encounter on a daily basis. God wants to help us to make good and holy decisions that will benefit us and those we care about. 

So how do we incorporate God into our process of making choices? First of all, we should invite God into the situation we are considering and ask him to help us see all the factors involved. Secondly, we should pay attention to our thoughts and feelings as we play out the different possibilities in our mind. We might ask the following questions: Do we feel more peace or joy with one option rather than the other? Does one scenario use more of our gifts or lead us closer to God? Does it challenge us to grow spiritually and humanly or is it just maintaining the status quo? Thirdly, as one course of action begins to seem more favorable, we can run it past someone we trust and who has our best interests in mind. They can make sure we are not simply rationalizing or deceiving ourselves. Finally, we can move forward with what we think God has led us towards, confident that if we missed something, he will gently guide toward the better part. 

It is important to note that we are speaking about situations where there are two or more good things at stake. This discernment, as it is called, helps us to decide which one is better for us in the given situation. We do not use discernment when there is a choice between good and evil because in that case, we must always choose the good.

It is truly amazing how closely God works with us in these times. He will speak to our hearts if we use this process of discernment, which is very simple and natural. With a little practice and some quiet time to listen, the Lord will show us the path to take. He will help us to avoid settling for less than the wonderful things he wants to give us. He will make use of people and other creative signs to help us know when to take the next step. So let us imitate the faithful example of the early Church and make God a part of our daily decision making. Nothing but good will come of it and this prayerful spirit will benefit every person affected by our decisions.

Mother's Day (4th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A)

As I think back on the many things my mom would say to me growing up, there was certainly a pattern. Phrases like: “it will be ok”, “I’m right here with you” “I love you”, and “keep practicing, it will get easier” were very comforting when I was scared, hurt, or frustrated. I also heard things like: “go to your room until you’re ready to behave”, or “tell your sister you are sorry for hurting her feelings”, and “we’ll see if you still feel that way when your father gets home”. These words were challenging and although I didn’t like them at the time, they usually ended up making me a better person in the long run. These words of comfort and challenge, have been a part of our lives growing up. Perhaps we still hear some of them even as adults! Behind these phrases was a love that can only spring from a mother’s heart. Behind these words was a hope for our future, a determination that we become someone good and happy and successful. On this day our world acknowledges and thanks moms for the countless sacrifices and acts of love that they show us day in and day out. And all of us in this church should take a moment, if we haven’t already, to thank God for the gift of our mom, who loved us incredibly and who sacrificed so much of her herself to help us become who we are today. For some of you, your mom is no longer here with you. Please take some time today and every day to pray for her soul, that she enjoy the rewards of heaven and the peace and fulfillment that only God can give her. 

Now I do not want to preach only about Mother’s day, but I think the primary roles of comforting and challenging that our moms practice in raising us is an important dynamic to consider. Why does a mother comfort her child? Of course she does so because she loves her little one. She wants to take away pain, eliminate any fear and assure the child that everything will be ok. A good mother comforts naturally, it doesn’t have to be taught or rehearsed. It radiates from the limitless love she has for her child and it springs from her desire to share everything with her little one. 

The same can be said for why our moms challenge us as we move through the stages of life. Certainly, it would have been easier for them to leave us to our own devices rather than chase us around and ask us to clean our rooms, put away the laundry and take out the trash. Surely, they did not look forward to checking our homework, forcing us to apologize when we had done wrong and hurt someone nor did they derive pleasure from sending us to our rooms or taking away various privileges. A loving mother challenges her children because she knows it will help them to grow and practice virtues. It is a selfless form of love that looks beyond what the child thinks is best in all its immaturity and short-sightedness. A mother’s challenge is for the child’s own good and oftentimes goes unappreciated until many years later, perhaps when that child becomes a parent themselves.

These expressions of love, comforting and challenging, so beautifully manifested by our mothers, are also laid out for us in the scriptures today. In our first reading, St. Peter lays into the Jewish people, reminding them that God sent them a savior, his own Son, whom they put to death. He doesn’t sugarcoat what they have done, he can’t ignore their sin. His listeners are cut to the heart by his challenge; they know they have done something terribly wrong. In his love for them, St. Peter offers them hope, a remedy for their wrongdoing. He tells them to repent and to be baptized. And his challenge, which at first produced heartbreak and anxiety in his listeners, becomes a source of joy and life as 3000 are baptized that very day.

In the Gospel, Jesus engages us with the hopeful and comforting words “that he has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.” There are many things out there in the world and even in our hearts that threaten the gift of life. So many experience anger, self-hatred, jealousy, and selfishness. There are grudges and hurts that we hide from God and try to hold onto, even as they consume us. We live in a society that judges by appearance rather than the heart and which tries to decide which person is worth protecting and which lives can be thrown away. Jesus comforts us with the promise that he is the gate which gathers and protects the sheep. He is the good shepherd who leads the flock to safety and makes sure they have good food and clean water. He is the one who never hesitates to sacrifice himself for his loved ones and who never stops looking for those who have become lost. Jesus’ desire is to comfort us in every moment of our life until that time that we can rest fully and forever in him.

It is important that we accept both the comforts and the challenges that God sends our way if we want to live holy, happy, and healthy lives. For some of you today, God is issuing a personal challenge to draw closer to him especially by letting go of a particular sin. Perhaps, for some of you that are married, he is asking you to trust him more, to be open to the possibility of new life and remove artificial contraception from your marriage. For others, he might be nudging you to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply, even if that person has not apologized or expressed remorse. Many of you will be invited to be more generous in your material support of the Church’s charitable works, here in this parish and throughout the world. Still others will be challenged to let go of the shackles of a personal sin like drinking, pornography, self-abuse, or an unhealthy relationship which only moves you away from God and compromises your dignity. Whatever the challenge, I encourage you to embrace it. God holds your happiness and best interests near his Sacred Heart and whatever he asks you to give up will be richly rewarded. Whenever we begin the process of conversion, he will be there every step of the way to comfort us in our heartache, to soothe us as we move into the unknown and the uncomfortable. Anything he asks us to suffer, he promises to be right alongside us; we are never alone.

So today, we once again thank God for our moms who have loved and comforted us and in doing so, have been God’s hands and hearts in leading us closer to him. And we recognize that in some small way, they have helped prepare us for the ways God also challenges and comforts us throughout our lives. May God bless our moms, living and deceased and may he bless us with trusting and generous hearts for whatever he asks!

The Road to Emmaus (3rd Sunday of Easter)

Over the past week I had the privilege to attend a class in Chicago on spiritual direction. One of the expectations of this class is that you spend considerable amount of time in personal prayer. The scripture I chose to reflect on for the week was the gospel we just heard, that long but beautiful story where two of the disciples are lost, confused, and searching for meaning. Because their experience is so relevant to how we feel sometime, let’s take a few moments to explore its meaning. I would encourage you to imagine that you are there with the two disciples as they leave Jerusalem. The road would be filled with pilgrims entering and leaving the city. It would be later in the afternoon with the sun starting to go down on the horizon. 

These two followers of Christ were hurrying out of town on Sunday, the third day after the crucifixion. They were getting out of Dodge, fleeing the madness of what had just happened and trying to stay ahead of possible persecutions. They had seven or eight miles to walk that night. We hear that they are talking about everything that has just happened to them when Jesus approaches and asks what they are discussing. We are told they are downcast when this stranger asks them about their conversation. And this is not surprising. The average lifespan of a person during this time was about 40-45 years. And they had just spent three of them following a carpenter’s son, who claimed he was the Son of God. In their mind, they had lost three important years and they had lost their identity, their mission, their teacher, and Lord in whom they had put all their hope. How beautiful that Our Lord takes an interest in what they are going through and how they are feeling! How amazing that he “draws” near to them to walk with them along their journey. And even though he could just spill the beans and reveal himself to them right there on the road, he doesn’t. He knows they are not yet ready, they need to work through everything that has happened in order to understand. And he walks patiently with them, listening to their experience and filling in the gaps, showing them the reason for it all. He explains that everything happened for a reason, indeed it HAD to happen this way for the salvation of the world.

Even as Jesus explains everything to them, they still do not recognize him. Even though they are being encouraged, in fact, they feel their hearts burning within them, they still cannot believe that this companion is their Risen Lord. And yet, Jesus patiently walks with them to their destination. When they arrive, Jesus gives the impression that he will keep walking, he never invites himself in; he waits to be invited by the disciples and he also waits for our invitation to let him into our lives.They beg him to stay a little longer and he does. How encouraging to us to consider the generosity of Christ, who wants to answer our requests! How humbling that the Risen Lord waits impatiently to serve us, to help us! And how often we fail to invite hime to stay with us.

Once inside, Jesus reveals himself in the breaking of the bread, the same breaking of the bread that we will celebrate in a few moments. Immediately, the disciples get it, and they see who this stranger really is. And in that moment, they realize that the last three years were not wasted at all. That Christ has indeed risen and conquered sin and death and everything that he taught is true. They would have realized in the breaking of the bread that God’s wisdom is infinitely wiser than any human wisdom. They would have known without a doubt that their lord was not just a king but also a patient and loving friend who was willing to walk with them throughout their doubt until their faith and hope were restored. And because any encounter with Jesus is so good, so joyful, so overwhelming, they cannot keep it to themselves, they have to tell others. So they run back to Jerusalem, through the dark roads from which they just came to share the good news with the apostles. 

We are often those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Don’t we all go through times when we are downcast, confused, disappointed, frightened, and hurt because we expect one thing from God but get something entirely different? These hardships challenge the way we think of God; they make us feel alone and abandoned. Because of our own expectations of God, we can be blind to the fact that he is walking right alongside us in our time of difficulty. Christ is always walking with us during these moments but we may not recognize him. Like the disciples, we may walk quite a distance down our road of difficulty before we see the presence of Christ. This healing presence of our Lord may be found where we least expect it: in the kind words of a stranger, in the beauty of fine spring day, or the smile of a friend or family member. 

Finally, we can see our time here at Mass each week as our own journey to Emmaus. Here we can bring all those things we have on our minds and present them to God. Here we have the Word of God, which is opened up and explained to us as it relates to Christ. But our Lord doesn’t stop at explaining the scriptures to us. In a few minutes he will become present in the breaking of the bread here at the altar. It was this breaking of the bread that opened the eyes of the disciples. If we invite him into our hearts, he will do the same thing for us. He wants our eyes to be opened, so that we can see him working in every situation of our lives.

My prayer for all of us here today is that we approach this Eucharist with the eyes of faith, a faith which sees that Jesus is walking alongside us, each and every step of the way. May we be a people who recognize the presence of Christ here in the breaking of the bread. May we, like the disciples, say to one another as we leave this church: Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”