Palm Sunday, Beginning of Holy Week - 2015

Yesterday, March 29, 2015, Passion (Palm) Sunday, I began my third Holy Week as an ordained Deacon.  I assisted at Mass at two of the three parishes that make up the Beverly Catholic Collaborative.  At the beginning of each Mass, there was the blessing of the palms, followed by my proclaiming the Gospel reading according to Mark; of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into the city of Jerusalem.  Crowds gathered around Him, shaking palm branches, and yelling out “Hosanna,” and proclaiming that the Kingdom of David was at hand.  Yet, during that same liturgy, we would hear the Passion of Jesus Christ according to Matthew; during which the crowds are now yelling out, “Crucify Him!”   

The five weeks of Lent were meant to be a time to prepare for this Holy Week, for in many ways, this week will be the most challenging of the Church’s liturgical year.  We are to recall the events that lead to the Crucifixion of Jesus, and to His Resurrection.  We are being challenged to reflect more deeply and personally on what those events mean to our world, our Church and for ourselves personally.  We are being summoned to; if just for this week, live a life of intensive prayer and meditation.  We are being challenged to open our minds, our hearts and our souls to the presence of our Resurrected Savior, and be willing to be transformed by Him; transformed into bearers of the Good News.  Evangelizers, by word and deed; to let others know of the love and mercy of our God!

An Old Argument Re-Surfaces, Communion in the Hand!

A long time ago, I was reading an issue of “Saint Anthony’s Messenger,” published by the Franciscan Friars.  I was scanning the comment letters, when I saw a letter in which the writer was complaining about a previous magazine cover depicting a woman holding a communion host in her cupped hands.  The writer was outraged that a Catholic magazine who depict a layperson (cannot remember if he made reference to gender) holding a consecrated Host.  The writer went on to state that because of this practice, the Eucharist was being demeaned in the eyes of the faithful.  Well, this letter got my dander up (I still had hair at the time!), and I wrote a reply, which actually was published.  As I recall what I wrote, I am sure I stressed that receiving on the tongue, or in the hand, were both valid choices.  What upset me, and continues to upset me, are those who believe that I am desecrating the Eucharist, when I receive in the hand.  For me, it is the greatest honor, the greatest joy, to be able to receive my Eucharistic Lord, in my hands.  To realize that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved me; loved all of us so much, that He humbles Himself each day to be with us, to feed and strengthen us.  He is willing be present in simple bread and wine, so He can be one with us.  This realization for me is awesome!

All this came to mind when I saw an article by Mathew N Schmalz, a contributor to the website Crux.  He also was commenting on how divisive how one receives Communion has become.  It is becoming a litmus test, a way to determine if you are for Vatican II reforms or against them.  Are you a “traditionalist,” or a “liberal” Catholic?  Do you believe in the sacredness of the Eucharist or not?  What should be the highest experience of Christ’s Presence among, has become just another theological or liturgical argument!

Since I was ordained as a deacon in 2012, I have distributed Communion at many, many Masses.  The vast majority of those who come forward to receive Communion come with their right hand cradled in their left hand.  Many approach me with a look of anticipation, a look of reverence in their eyes, as they receive the Body of Christ in their hands.  There are some who do come up to me and receive the Host on their tongues.  I see the same sense of reverence, in their eyes and in their voices, as they say “Amen,” and I place the Host on their tongue.  Whatever way we chose to receive the Eucharist, it is vitally important that we remember who it is we are receiving, and be open to His Eucharistic Presence.

Reflection on the Readings for the First Sunday of Lent - 2015

Genesis 9:8-15

Psalm 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (10)

1 Peter 3: 18-22

Mark 1: 12-15

The story of Noah and the Ark has in many ways has become a child’s fairy tale.  Most depictions of the story look like a cartoon, showing friendly animals, lining up two by two, to enter the Ark.  We see Noah and his family, smiling as they welcome the creatures coming towards them.  Yet, like most of our modern fairy tales, the origin of the story of the Ark; the deeper meaning of the story, can be grim and frightening.

We see God, looking out at the humanity that inhabits His world and seeing only evil and corruption.  Like a potter, unhappy with the pottery he has made, God intends to destroy His creation, wipe the slate clean.  Yet, God is a creator, not a destroyer.  While He intends to wipe out the evil, He sees the good that still exists, exists in Noah and his family.  So God saves a remnant of humanity, and insures their survival.  And Noah and his family, humanity is reborn, life begins again.  And the Creator promises never to destroy all humanity again, and the rainbow is the sign of that promise.  He will seek another way to save His people from the power of sin. 

And that way is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, through His death and resurrection, freed all humanity, past, present, and those yet to come from, from the power, and consequences of sin.  And with that freedom, with the fulfillment of the promise the Father made to His creation, the “kingdom of God is at hand.” 

This is the Good News that Jesus is calling us to accept and believe.  To believe that God does love this world, loves us; loves us so much He gave us His Son to save us, to heal us.  That kind of love calls for a response from us, and that response is to change our lives, to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, to live the Gospel!

The season of Lent is meant to be a time of preparation, a time of reflection, a time of conversion.  A reflection on what our lives have been, and to see, in light of the Gospel, what needs to be changed.  And we prepare our hearts to be open to experience the joy, and wonder of Easter morning, to celebrate the love of God

First Sunday of Advent - 2014; A Reflection

Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64: 2-7

1 Corinthians 1: 3-9

Mark 13: 33-37

We are entering the Advent season, in preparation for the celebration of Christmas.  Of course, the department stores, electronics stores, the online shopping sites, have declared that now is the Christmas season.  “So buy now, now, NOW; while prices are low, low, LOW!”  And even those who do understand the meaning of this Advent season, they focus more on the preparation to remember the first coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as a human child.  We tend to forget that Advent is a time to also reflect on the Second Coming of Christ, at the end of time.  Many of us, I think, have the attitude that the Second Coming will not happen in our lifetimes.  This is fueled by scientific speculation that the Universe has billions of years left in it’s life, that Earth itself, has millions, if not billions years of life left in it. So we become complacent, we are like the college student who slacks off most of the academic year, figuring he can cram in his studies and be ready for his final examination.

Then today’s Gospel can be an alarm for us. For Jesus is grabbing us by the shoulders; shaking us and saying: “Watch!”  He is telling us, in no uncertain terms, that we do not know the day or the hour of his coming again, his coming in glory and power.  So we need to live every day, every hour, and every second, in expectation of Christ’s Second Coming!  And our hearts and souls must to ready, every day, every hour, and every second, to greet Him when He comes.  We must strive daily, to read, reflect on, and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We must live in expectation of encountering Christ daily, through God’s Creation, through His Word, in each other, and especially through the Eucharist.  We must work to make our hearts open to the Presence of our Living God..

This requires work, this requires preparation; it will mean a lifetime of work.  God is with us, ready to form us in a beautiful creation; as long as we do not harden our hearts against Him.  This is what the season Advent is to help us understand, to help us begin anew the work of conversion, to prepare and watch for the coming of the Lord.

Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2014

Exodus 22: 20-26

1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10

Matthew 22: 34-40

In today’s Gospel, we have one of those rare encounters with the Pharisees, where they were not trying to trap Jesus.  We see a scholar of the Jewish Law asking Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the Law.  This is a traditional rabbinic practice, to ask a question about the Torah, and then debate over the answer.  If you go into a school that trains Jewish rabbis, you may see a room of students, one on one, debating about the meaning of some passage of Scripture.  Sometimes, the debate is quite vigorous.  Now keep in mind, the rabbis of Jesus’ time counted 613 commandments in the Law.  Out of all those commandments, Jesus picks one as the greatest, and also describes the second greatest commandment.

“You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  How many of us squirm just a little when we hear Jesus say to us what it means to be in a relationship with the Lord Our God, the depth of the commitment that is being demanded of us:  all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds.  It is not enough just to come here to church every week, to take a few minutes every day to say a prayer, or read some Scripture.  As good and important those actions are.  No, we are to strive to be present to God every second of every day of our lives.  We are called to live lives that give praise to the goodness of God, that offer thanks for God’s gifts to us. We are called to be in an intimate, personal relationship with the Father. 

Now, we all have to acknowledge that for many of us, this may not be easy.  We know from our own personal relationships with others, that we can fall short of the mark, that at times we will stumble, make mistakes, and not be fully present to the other.  However, the Father offers us the grace to overcome our faults and weaknesses.  Especially here, right now, He seeks to inspire us through His Word, and to strengthen us through the Eucharist.  We need only to open our hearts, our souls totally to the transformative power of the Father’s love.  We can then, in turn, be able to return that love.

And this is where the second greatest commandment that Jesus declared comes into play.  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Now, let me repeat that, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  In order to love others, we need to first be able to love ourselves..  In other words, we need to be able to accept ourselves, with all our strengths, our gifts, our talents, and our weaknesses, our faults, and our failings.  And for some of us, maybe all of us, that may not be such an easy thing.  But if we accept the fact that God loves us, no matter how good or how bad we are, if we have experienced that wonderful love, then we can learn to love ourselves.  And if the God, who loves us, also created and loves all the people around us; how can we not care for them also.  And I am not just talking about loving our family members, our friends, and acquaintances; we are called to love everyone, the strangers, people that do not fit in our communities, the social outcasts, the “aliens” in our midst.  We are called to love those who are not nice to us, to those who have done us harm.  If we are followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot make distinctions; everyone is a brother and sister, everyone deserves our care and concern. 

“You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus describes these as the greatest of the commandments; that must be the foundation of all those other rules, laws, commandments, and as we have seen, the most challenging.  How well we strive to live these commandments to love can be an example to the rest of society around us.  That from us, the Good News of Lord will sound forth, and can, and will be a beacon of light to the world.

Reading the Good News, Living the Good News

"Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to the gospel". (Art. 4, OFS Rule)

In a recent talk, Pope Francis encourage everyone to carry a small book of the Gospels with them.  And more than that, to reflect daily on a passage from the Gospels. It is through the Gospels, that we can encounter Christ, be guided by him, be inspired by him.

I have my copy; do you have yours?

(PS: This is my first selfie!)

Third Sunday Of Ordinary Time Reflection 2014

Isaiah 8: 23-9:3

First Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

Matthew: 4-12-23

In last Sunday’s Gospel, we hear John the Baptist declaring to his follower’s that Jesus is the promised Messiah; not only that, Jesus is the Son of God, who has come to free from the power of sin.  In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus now beginning his mission; but one would expect that he would go straight to Jerusalem!  There he would find men who knew the Hebrew Scriptures backwards and forwards.  One would think Jesus would be seeking the most powerful and influential men of his time.  But no, he is traveling along the roads of Galilee, walking the streets of Capernaum; it is to the provincials, the local yokels that he is proclaiming the Good News that the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  It is to the poor and down trodden, the farmers and craftsmen, to the ordinary people who need to hear this Good News; that Jesus goes to. 

So in Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee; he comes across Simon Peter and Andrew.  And out of the blue, he asks them to come and follow him; he had special work for them.  Now a normal person would have looked at Jesus and replied: “Yeah, right!” and would have gone on their work.  However, Peter and Andrew dropped their nets and followed Jesus. 

The term “dropping their nets,” I heard used yesterday at a talk I attended at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center down in Braintree.  The presenter was Sherry Weddell, who with a Dominican friar lead workshops that helped people discern their charisms.  An outgrowth of that work was a book entitled “Forming Intentional Disciples.”  She defines an intentional disciple as someone who makes a conscious decision to follow Jesus; in other words, he or she “drops their nets,” Now, from the moment we were baptized, we became a part of the Body of Christ, we became disciples, but the majority of us, I am sure, were way too young to make a intentional commitment to the faith. 

Now, however, we are being called, we are being called every day, every moment to follow Jesus, to enter into an intimate relationship with our God.  We are called daily to live the commandments Jesus gave us: “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind,” and you shall love your neighbor as yourself;” with all the challenges, and the joys that we will experience. 

There is a community out there, a state out there, a nation out there, who needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.  There are those who need to see people, by word and deeds striving to live the Good News.  So we need to ask ourselves, if Jesus was to tap us on the shoulder, will we drop our nets?

Second Sunday Of Ordinary Time Homily - 2014

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6

First Corinthians 1: 1-3

John 1: 29-34

In the 1990’s, Tom Cruise starred in a film, entitled “Jerry Maguire,”  in it he played a sports agent, who leaves a super sports management agency, because he feels he can do better on his own.  He is trying to retain his clientele, especially this promising football player, portrayed by the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.  Jerry Maguire is trying desperately to convince the football player to stay with him, the player remains unconvinced.  Finally, he tells Maguire, “Show me the money!” which becomes a catch phrase for the ‘90’s.  “Show me the money,” in other words, “Show me that you are the real deal, that you can deliver on your promises.”  Now, imagine if you are Jewish person during the time of Isaiah, and you just heard the words that are in the first reading.  Actually, these are the Lord’s words that Isaiah is repeating.  Keep in mind that this reading takes place during a time of trial for the people of Israel, the kingdom is being shattered, the people dragged into exile.  And God is saying that Israel will become a light to the nations!  Some of the people will take these words to heart and have hope!  Others, I am sure will say, “Show me the money!”  “Show that this promise will ever be fulfilled.” 

Fast forward to the time of John the Baptist.  He is going up and down the Jordan River, proclaiming that the Messiah is coming!  He calls people to get ready, repent from your sins, be baptized and cleansed from your sins.  And he drawing great crowds, but there are those who listen to him, especially the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem; who come up to him and say “Show me the money!”  Show us this Messiah!  John points to Jesus and declares “Behold the Lamb of God!” and he gives testimony of his own experience, of seeing the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus, and knowing in his heart of hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.

Fast forward again to our present times, we see in this country the Christian community in decline; people no longer willing to make a commitment to the Church, no longer willing to believe.  We cry out to them, “Behold, Jesus Christ!  The Way, The Truth, and The Life!” do people respond to us by saying: “Show us the money!”  Show us, testify to us, by your words and deeds that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!  How do we respond?  Do we insulate ourselves here in this Church?  Become a faithful remnant?  I would say no!  From the moment we were baptized and confirmed, we received a precious treasure, a treasure that is renewed and increased each time we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord!  But it is not a treasure to be hoarded, we are to go forth into our homes, our offices and workshops; the marketplaces and street corners; and share that treasure with everyone we come in contact with.  We are called to give ourselves in service to others, that they may know God’s love, to be a voice for the poor and oppressed.  That each person we greet, will experience the peace and love of Christ.  Let us “show the money,” let us show them the power, the reality of that the love that can only come through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  

Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi

"I have done what mine to do: may Christ teach you what you are to do."
    (Second Life of St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas of Celano)



The above words were spoken by Saint Francis to his brother friars, as he was on his death bed.  He was encouraging his brothers not to just imitate him, but to learn from him, and the example of his life.  It was a life of being totally open to Jesus Christ, following in the footsteps of Christ, being inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  From that inspiration, they will learn what is the will of God for themselves, how they are to proclaim the Good News, in words and deeds.

The same is true for us.  During this feast day, it is not enough just to visit a Franciscan shrine, or to read a biography of St. Francis.  We must learn from St. Francis, and become open to the power of the Holy Spirit, and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Homily For 11th Sunday In Ordinary Time - 2013

2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13

Galatians 2: 16, 19-21

Luke 7: 36-8:3

We are now in liturgical season called Ordinary Time, and I think we can see a different tone in today’s Scripture readings.  During the Easter Season, and on Pentecost Sunday, we see that the readings where full of hope, love, and peace.  In today’s readings, we see that three letter word that makes all of us uncomfortable: …sin.  My feeling is that the Church, after all the celebrations of Easter, Pentecost, and Corpus Christi; when we all may be on a spiritual high; is giving us a reality check.  Yes, we are Easter people; we do believe and follow our Risen Lord.  But we are still human; we can still be tempted by sin. 

I found several definitions of sin in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Sin ”is a failure in genuine love of God and neighbor causes by perverse attachment to certain goods.” (1849)  “Sin is an offense against God…sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it.” (1850)

And we are all capable of committing sin; whether we are regular folks or among the bright, rich, and powerful.  We see that illustrated in today’s readings.  The first reading tells the story of King David.  David, who was one of the key figures in the history of ancient Israel.  God selected him to take over the throne of Israel from King Saul; had Solomon anoint him as King.  The hand of God was over David, protecting him, making him a powerful leader.  And after all that God had for him one would think David would acknowledge that, and obey God’s commandment.  Instead he wanted more, he wanted Bathsheba.  And he was willing to kill for her.  God, through the prophet Nathan, brings David to account for himself, to acknowledge his sin. 

In the Gospel, we read of a Pharisee, by the name of Simon, who invited Jesus to dinner.  Now the Pharisees prided themselves on keeping the Law of Moses, even to the smallest passage of the Law.  Yet, we read that he failed to extend hospitality to Jesus, which was required by Jewish custom of the times.  And he looked at the sinful woman, who came in to wash and anoint Jesus’ feet, and did not feel compassion for her, but disgust.  Jesus, very cleverly calls Simon to account for his sins.  

Yet, today’s Scriptures are not primarily about sin; but it is revealing to us the great compassion of God.  He is always ready to forgive us, no matter how great or small is the offense we may have committed.  But we, like King David, and the sinful woman, need to humbly come before the Father, and acknowledge that we have faltered in following his Son, and that we need his forgiveness and his healing.  It is for this reason that Jesus Christ gave us the Sacrament of Penance, the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Through the words of absolution pronounced by the priest, we experience what that woman experienced, the forgiveness of the Father.  And also, like that woman, we will experience the peace of Christ.

Yet, how many of us are willing to come to the sacrament of reconciliation; how many of us are denying ourselves this experience of the Father’s love.  Perhaps we need, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to reflect on the current state of our lives, examine our relationship with the Father, our families, and neighbors.  And know that whatever we realize about ourselves, our failures and sins, Jesus is there with us, ready to forgive us, ready to say, “Go in peace.”

My Fifth Sunday of Easter 2013 Homily

“I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (Gospel according to John)

Love one another; this is the new commandment that Jesus gave to the Apostles, as recorded by John the Evangelist, on that night before his Passion, death and resurrection.  This theme of love, loving one another, we see throughout all of the Gospels.  Jesus expresses this commandment in different ways in the Good News as written by Mark, Matthew, and Luke.  The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind.  And we are to love one another as we love ourselves.   But what does Jesus mean when he commands us to love one another.  Sometimes when we hear the word “love,” we have images of little hearts floating around lovers.  We think of spouses being kind to one another; parents being nice to their children; brothers and sisters being kind to one another.  Everything is all very nice and sweet, like in a movie we see on the Hallmark Channel.

Let me remind us all again of what Jesus said: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”  Look at the crucifix!  “As I have loved you...”  Jesus loved us so much that emptied himself totally for our sake, was willing to suffer and die for us, so that we can be free from the power of sin and death.  He, who is the Messiah, the Son of God, was willing to become a servant for all, healing the sick, freeing those possessed by evil, welcoming and caring for the outcast. 

It is His example that we are to follow.  Whenever, wherever the opportunity presents itself, we must be ready to feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome the stranger.  And our love is not just restricted to members of our family, our parish, our faith, or the “nice people.”  Our love must be given to those whom we are uncomfortable with; the ones we would have called strange.  Love must be given to those who hate us, are unkind to us. We are called to love them just as strongly as our families and friends.

Now to love as Jesus expects us to love a challenge!  But it is not impossible, we see in the lives of the saints, persons who have been able to love others totally.  Francis of Assisi lived among lepers, cleaning and bandaging their wounds, as did Damian of Molokai, Theresa of Calcutta lived among the sick and dying, giving them love and comfort.  Dorothy Day lived among the poor, the addicts, the alcoholics, the disturbed of the streets of New York, and welcomed them all.  And there are many more out there and in our midst, in big ways and small, who love others as Christ loves us.  But I will be the first to admit, it is a challenge, and we are not all going to be able to succeed keeping this commandment.  In fact at times it may seem impossible, but that is when we turn to Him who is the source of all love, Jesus.  We seek inspiration from Him through His words in Scripture.  We gain strength from Him when we receive Him through the Eucharist.  He will help us overcome our weaknesses; give us the courage to reach out to others, in love.

And when we love as Jesus has loved us, we will be evangelizers to the world.  When we love as Jesus loves us, we will be living the Good News.

Easter Sunday Homily 2013

I belong to a Franciscan Third Order Fraternity that meets at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston.  One of our spiritual directors was a Franciscan priest by the name of Father Philip.  Now Father Philip was originally ordained in the Eastern Rite, before transferring to the Roman Rite.  Now members of the Eastern Rite are Christians, who are like the Eastern Orthodox, but they recognize the authority of the Pope and accept Catholic doctrines.  Now there is an Eastern Rite practice that on Easter, people greet each other by one saying: “Christ is Risen!” and the other responding “He is risen indeed!”  Now at the first Mass he celebrated with us after Easter, Father Philip came out and greeted us enthusiastically with “Christ is Risen!”  Now some but not all of us knew the response, there was a weak “He is Risen indeed!”  This was not good enough for Father; he repeated the greeting: “Christ is Risen!”  The response came back a little stronger: “He is Risen indeed!”  But Father Philip was still not satisfied, he repeated the greeting louder: “Christ is Risen!”  And this time we responded with gusto: “He is Risen Indeed!”  Father Philip nodded and began the celebration of the Eucharist.

Now I ask that we take a closer look at that declaration, “Christ is Risen!”  Present tense!  It is acknowledging a reality that is happening here and now, not something that occurred only is the past.  Jesus Christ is our Risen Savior; he is present, here, now.  As he said in the Gospels, “Where to two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”  He is present in the Scriptures, because he is the Word of God.  He is present here and now in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life.  And He is present in each one of us, when we open ourselves, open our hearts to Him.  He is present in the joys of life that we all have experienced.  He is present with us during the challenges of life, guiding us, inspiring us, supporting us with power of His Love.  And He is present with us during the tragedies and sufferings that sometimes afflict us, helping us to bear the load, helping us to carry our daily crosses, comforting us when we are grieving. 

Christ’s Resurrection is a sign of hope for us, that suffering and death is no longer all that we have to look forward to.  The power of sin and death is broken forever, humanity has been transformed.

This mornings Gospel speaks of Peter and the other disciple seeing the empty tomb.  It reminds me of a scene from the miniseries, “Jesus of Nazareth,” by Franco Zeffirelli.  In the scene, the Temple official who had pushed for the execution of Jesus; arrives at the empty tomb, looks into it, and I believe says, “Now it begins; now it all begins!”  The Resurrection was and is a new beginning, those who witnessed, those who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead, were compelled to go out and proclaim to the entire world the Good News.  We, when we encounter Christ, also must give witness to the joy of that encounter by the way we live our lives, by the way we strive to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our witness may be public for the entire world to see and hear; it may be hidden, shared with, or witnessed by only a few of our family and friends.  However it occurs, we cannot be silent, and we cannot keep this Good News hidden.     “CHRIST IS RISEN

Second Sunday of Lent Homily 2013

Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-1/8

Philippians 3: 17-4.1

Luke: 28b-36

I am sure there are many here among us who could tell a story of an event that occurred to them that changed their lives forever.  We see two instances of this in today’s readings.  We first hear of Abram, a man who hears a voice calling to him to leave his homeland, a place were he felt safe and secure, with everything he owned, with everyone he held dear; and journey to some unknown land.  Once he arrives in the land, the Lord again speaks to him, promises that from Abram, a great nation will spring forth, that the land Abram is standing on will be his.  Now Abram is a practical man, he wonders how he will be able to hold such a vast land; how he, who is past his prime, will father a nation?  God confirms this promise by performing a miracle!  This is the first miracle Abram witnesses in his relationship with the Lord!  Can any of us even guess at the emotions that he experienced from this event?  The promise is confirmed, and Abram’s life is forever changed, he is no longer just a nomad, wandering the plains and hills of Palestine, he is now the father of a people.

In today’s Gospel, we see the disciples of Jesus, Peter, John and James, following him up a mountain to pray.  They have been following Jesus for sometime now.  They have heard him preach and were inspired by his words.  They have witnessed him performing many miracles; and they are in awe of him.  Earlier in this Gospel, we would have read how Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ!  Now, they may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but do they really understand what that means?  On the top of that mountain, Peter, John and James witness the transfiguration of Jesus.  They see him in all his glory, and they hear the voice of the Father confirm that Jesus is the Son of God.  The words the Evangelist Luke uses, I think, fail to adequately describe what those three disciples saw and experienced.  The three persons who came down from that mountain were men whose lives had been changed forever.

I think the common factor that Abram and the three disciples shared, was that they were already persons with open hearts.  They may not have realized it at the moment, but they were ready for God to come in and do something wonderful, that would change them forever.  During this season of Lent, the Church is encouraging us to open our hearts; hearts that may have grown hard over time.  Through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, we break our attachment to those things that may have become a barrier between us, God and other persons.  We have an opportunity to break ourselves open, and become totally receptive to the love and power of God.  We can hear, with open ears, the Word of God; we can see, with eyes of faith, the miracle of the Eucharist happening before us.  And when we receive Christ in Holy Communion, we open ourselves up to the power of His love.  And with each of these encounters, Jesus will, as St. Paul wrote, “change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.”  We have the opportunity to enter into a new way of life.  Now this can be somewhat frightening, scary.  We may be comfortable with the way our life may be, right now.  We may be tempted to stay in the place we are, to remain at the base of the mountain.  However, God is offering us so much more.  Now it comes with challenges, but it also comes with so much joy.  We only need to have the courage to set out on the journey, to have the courage to climb.

Homily For 2nd Sunday In Ordinary Time

Isaiah 62: 1-5
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
John 2: 1-11

Recently, I have learned the meaning of a new phrase, and that phrase is “back story.”  One definition is that it is a literary device used by some writers, to create a history or biography for a character, or events that lead up to the current incident the author is writing about.  The back story may be just for the author’s benefit, to help in writing about a present moment in the story. 

After going through today’s Gospel reading, I find myself wondering as to what was the back story for the wedding feast of Cana.  The passage hints that the wedding party had a good number of waiters or servants in attendance, with a head waiter in charge.  The size of the water jugs seems to indicate that there were a lot of guests invited, who would be using them for the ceremonial washings.  So I am speculating that somebody in the wedding party had, as saying goes, “a lot of brass!”  So how does it come about that Mary, the mother of Jesus, a simple woman from Nazareth, gets invited to this wedding?  It could be that she was a relative from the poorer side of the family.  She must have been loved and respected to be invited, and of course, they would have to invite her son, Jesus, who was developing a reputation as an itinerant preacher

Mary is observant, she notices the distress among the servants responsible for pouring the wine; she sees the wine is running low, and she knows what dishonor it could bring to the married couple.  She turns to her son, who tells her that this is not the moment.  But Mary knows; deep down in her heart, where she has reflected on everything that has happened up to this moment, that now is the hour.  And the rest is, as they say, history.

However, I think we should notice something, the groom and the head waiter are clueless as to what has happened.  It is not to the people who live “Upstairs” that this miracle is revealed; but to the ones who are “Downstairs.”  And we can imagine these servants, the ones who prepared the water jugs, going to their families and telling them of what they had witnessed.  And soon the word gets out throughout their neighborhood.  And soon, all of Cana is abuzz, as is the rest of Galilee.  And everyone is talking about this country rabbi, by the name of Jesus.  And his disciples are now aware that there is something more to this Jesus of Nazareth.

We all know what the something is; we know that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, who died and is risen, who has freed us from the power of sin and death.  If we know this, then we cannot keep this a secret; “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet.” (Isaiah: 62: 1)  We are entering a process to reorganize the Catholic communities of Beverly into a collaborative. The aim of this process is more than just preserving the status quo; their ultimate goals is to give us the resources to go out and be evangelizers, to got out and proclaim the Good News.  We are all called, by virtue of our baptism into Body of Christ, to participate in the prophetic role of Jesus.  Does this mean that we all become street corner preachers?  Maybe!  However, what I would ask all us to do is to reflect on the words of St. Paul from the second reading.  We all receive different gifts from the Holy Spirit, which are meant to be used in building up the Body of Christ.  This means taking the time for prayer and reflection, to become aware of the gifts we have received and what opportunities present themselves to us to use these gifts. Sometimes, the best evangelizers are those who strive to live those two great commandments of Christ, to love God with all of our heart and soul; and to love others as ourselves.  One act of charity can be like a stone dropped into a pond; the ripples will go out and spread through our families, our neighborhoods, our city, the world. 

“For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet.”  Let us not be timid, let us not be quiet, but boldly go out, in whatever way the Spirit calls us, and proclaim the Good News, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

A Good Friday Reflection; From the Writings of Saints Francis and Clare

“Let all of us, brothers, look to the Good Shepherd Who suffered the passion of the cross to save His sheep. The sheep of the Lord followed Him in tribulation and persecution, in insult and hunger, in infirmity and temptation, and in everything else, and they have received everlasting life from the Lord because of these things. Therefore, it is a great shame for us, servants of God, that while the saints [actually] did such things, we wish to receive glory and honor by [merely] recounting their deeds.” (St. Francis of Assisi, Sixth Admonition)


“Look upon Him Who became contemptible for you, and follow Him, making yourself contemptible in the world for Him. Your Spouse, though more beautiful than the children of men (Ps 44:3), became for your salvation the lowest of men, despised, struck, scourged untold times throughout His whole body, and then died amid the sufferings amid the sufferings of the Cross. O most noble Queen, gaze upon Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him.

If you suffer with Him, you shall reign with Him,
if you weep with Him, you shall rejoice with Him;
if you die with Him on the cross of tribulation,
you shall possess heavenly mansions in the splendor of the saints
and, in the Book of Life, your name shall be called glorious among men.”
(St. Clare of Assisi, Second Letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague)

(Image from the e-newsletter of Holy Name Province, OFM)