As my wife will be quick to share: I am a pretty sound sleeper and there is not much that keeps me up at night. However, I do sometimes wake up in the middle of the night – now more often with a new born crying for something to eat (thankfully my wife has been great taking the late shift feeding our son, Owen) or I am anxious about a problem or project at work, worried about the family budget, thinking about a loved one who is sick or hurting, or what to say when it is my turn to preach. Often in these moments in the middle of the night, I am able to calm myself with the words in today’s Psalm: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” In fact, I try to start every day with these words. I find these words ground me in my faith and lead me into an even deeper relationship with God.
When I say these words, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will,” I acknowledge that Jesus is my Lord, who I am called to listen to, obey and follow what he has commanded, which is to love and serve God and others –not to be selfish and self-serving. Over the holidays I finished a book by Curtis Martin called “Made for More” - this book will be in the Lighthouse kiosks in the near future. In his book, Curtis shares that in his return to the Catholic Church he made a big step in his faith journey when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and lived by this motto: “If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all.” In other words, he (and each of us) need to follow Jesus wherever he leads us and in whatever we are called to do and at all times. When we say: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will,” we seek to follow the example of Christ himself, whose entire life was in obedience to and in love with his Father. Jesus’ birth, life, Passion, death, resurrection, and sending of the Spirit provide the perfect example for us of obedience and love that we are called to have.
When I do this, when I listen to and am obedient to God’s will, there is an incredible freedom that I experience, because I am no longer swimming against the current, I am no longer trying to fit a round peg in a square hole, I am no longer fighting against God’s will, but I am living the life I was made to live, I am allowing God’s will and desire to move me and guide. Saint Paul makes this point in today’s second reading – encouraging the Corinthians to avoid immorality and be obedient to God’s will and glorify God in your body. I found greater clarity in my calling through my participation in the parish’s That Man Is You program. We started our second semester this morning, and I invite and encourage the men gathered here to join us next Saturday – you will not regret it!
When I say these words: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will,” I also place a great trust and hope in the promise of eternal peace and life made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection. You may have heard about a young professional football player by the name of Tim Tebow (just kidding)…when you get beyond the media buzz and hype of this player, one of his favorite verses has great meaning and purpose for us as Catholics. The now infamous Bible verse John 3:16, which is associated with Tim Tebow – it was written under his eyes last year and just so happened to be the number of yards he passed and the average number of yards per completion in his game last week – also has this important promise for us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” I suspect that this is what John the Baptist, his disciples and the Apostles were looking for in today’s Gospel and what they found in Jesus. The promise of eternal life is what motivates my faith in Jesus Christ, too. I believe, so that I might have eternal life. I say “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will” as a reminder to myself everyday that my belief in and my obedience to God is for a reason.
God is calling each of us. Like Samuel in today’s first reading, God is calling us personally, by name, to be in relationship with him. How wonderful is Samuel’s response: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” And like Samuel, God is not calling us from a distance, but is coming directly to us and is present even now – in this faith community, in Sacred Scripture, and in the Eucharist we are about to share – drawing us closer to him. Our response must be: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” Our response must be in obedience to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessed Pope John XXIII (23rd) once said: “True peace is born of doing the will of God, and bearing with patience the sufferings of this life, and does not come from following one’s own whim or selfish desire, for this always brings, not peace and serenity, but disorder and discontent.” I want true peace now and eternally and this is what I want for each of you.
So I start my day and calm myself in moments of anxiety or selfishness with these words: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” Make this your prayer too. When you feel stressed, when you are suffering, when you feel alone, when you are exhausted, pray: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Saturday, December 10, 2011
HOMILY - Third Sunday in Advent (Year B)
This Advent, I found myself returning to the writings and homilies of Father Alfred Delp for spiritual inspiration. Fr. Delp was a German Jesuit priest who was imprisoned and martyred in a Nazi death camp in 1945. At the time of his arrest, he was the Rector of St. George Church in Munich and had a reputation for being a gripping and dynamic preacher. He was also an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime and a leader in the Resistance movement.
I like to read Father Delp’s writings because he was a great Christian man, filled with a deep faith and was fearless in his calling as a priest, even in the face of great chaos, fear and hostility.
He has wonderful insights for this season of Advent. Father Delp speaks of Advent, especially, as a time in which we journey towards an encounter with the Ultimate, with the Almighty, with the Lord God. Father Delp writes that to be face-to-face with the Ultimate and Almighty that we must be “in a state of being shaken, with an alert, awakened heart that does not freeze up, does not become weary, or cramped, or deadened, but sees things as they are.” These words are echoed in the passages from the last several Sunday’s readings: to stay alert and sober.
Father Delp also speaks of Advent as a time for us to make a confession. In one sense, his use of confession means to acknowledge and seek forgiveness for sin in our life as we await Christ’s second coming. And so, I do invite and encourage you to join us at our Advent Parish Penance Service tomorrow/this evening, in which we will pray Evening Prayer together and will have the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Father Delp also speaks of confession in the sense of making a public declaration or affirmation. He states that each of us are asked daily, just as John the Baptist was asked in today’s Gospel, “Who are you.” Our response, like John’s is two-fold: who we are not and who we are. In response to the question: “Who are you?,” John responded, “I am not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet,” but I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'make straight the way of the Lord,'" as Isaiah the prophet said;” AND “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
John’s confession comes from a wonderful clarity of thought and integrity of action – these are beautiful qualities that we speak of in our Saturday morning men’s initiative as qualities of authentic male leadership. It is this clarity and integrity that makes John focused and determined in his love and service to God.
This is true also of Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians, in our Second Reading; Mary’s Magnificat, which was today’s Responsorial Psalm; and of the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading. Each in their own way possess great clarity and integrity in who they are and what they are called to do. Paul’s joy-filled pastoral letter to the Thessalonians show his great love for and service to this community. Mary’s hymn of praise comes immediately after being told the impossible – that she was to conceive a child – and expresses her openness and joy to God’s calling. And Isaiah, who rejoices heartily in the LORD, is clear in his call to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.
It is not always clear what we are called to do or what brings us joy. Yet, it is from an encounter with the Lord that has come and a Lord that is yet to come that we find clarity of thought, integrity in action AND joy in who we are.
Like Father Delp, John the Baptist, Saint Paul, the prophet Isaiah, and Mary, let us be grounded in who we are through our relationship with Jesus Christ, who taught us how to be in relationship with God and others; and who suffered and died so that we might be in this relationship eternally.
This Advent we rejoice that God became man, in Jesus Christ, and we eagerly await his second coming.
And, when asked: “Who are you?;” rejoice in the comfort and assurance of knowing who you are and what you are calling is.
I like to read Father Delp’s writings because he was a great Christian man, filled with a deep faith and was fearless in his calling as a priest, even in the face of great chaos, fear and hostility.
He has wonderful insights for this season of Advent. Father Delp speaks of Advent, especially, as a time in which we journey towards an encounter with the Ultimate, with the Almighty, with the Lord God. Father Delp writes that to be face-to-face with the Ultimate and Almighty that we must be “in a state of being shaken, with an alert, awakened heart that does not freeze up, does not become weary, or cramped, or deadened, but sees things as they are.” These words are echoed in the passages from the last several Sunday’s readings: to stay alert and sober.
Father Delp also speaks of Advent as a time for us to make a confession. In one sense, his use of confession means to acknowledge and seek forgiveness for sin in our life as we await Christ’s second coming. And so, I do invite and encourage you to join us at our Advent Parish Penance Service tomorrow/this evening, in which we will pray Evening Prayer together and will have the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Father Delp also speaks of confession in the sense of making a public declaration or affirmation. He states that each of us are asked daily, just as John the Baptist was asked in today’s Gospel, “Who are you.” Our response, like John’s is two-fold: who we are not and who we are. In response to the question: “Who are you?,” John responded, “I am not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet,” but I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'make straight the way of the Lord,'" as Isaiah the prophet said;” AND “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
John’s confession comes from a wonderful clarity of thought and integrity of action – these are beautiful qualities that we speak of in our Saturday morning men’s initiative as qualities of authentic male leadership. It is this clarity and integrity that makes John focused and determined in his love and service to God.
This is true also of Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians, in our Second Reading; Mary’s Magnificat, which was today’s Responsorial Psalm; and of the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading. Each in their own way possess great clarity and integrity in who they are and what they are called to do. Paul’s joy-filled pastoral letter to the Thessalonians show his great love for and service to this community. Mary’s hymn of praise comes immediately after being told the impossible – that she was to conceive a child – and expresses her openness and joy to God’s calling. And Isaiah, who rejoices heartily in the LORD, is clear in his call to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.
It is not always clear what we are called to do or what brings us joy. Yet, it is from an encounter with the Lord that has come and a Lord that is yet to come that we find clarity of thought, integrity in action AND joy in who we are.
Like Father Delp, John the Baptist, Saint Paul, the prophet Isaiah, and Mary, let us be grounded in who we are through our relationship with Jesus Christ, who taught us how to be in relationship with God and others; and who suffered and died so that we might be in this relationship eternally.
This Advent we rejoice that God became man, in Jesus Christ, and we eagerly await his second coming.
And, when asked: “Who are you?;” rejoice in the comfort and assurance of knowing who you are and what you are calling is.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
HOMILY - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Last Sunday, my wife and I watch the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. The movie is based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner, played by Will Smith, is smart salesman and family man who invested the family’s savings in a business opportunity. The business opportunity proves to be not a success and he loses everything - his house, his bank account, credit cards, and his wife – and he is left to raise his son alone. Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner is now desperate to find a steady job; he takes on a job as a stockbroker, but before he can receive his first paycheck, he needs to go through 6 months of unpaid training. In the meantime, they are homeless, living off pennies. I won’t tell you how it ends, because it is a good movie for your family and you to watch, which I hope you do.
This movie had me thinking all week about two things: 1) what do I fear; and 2) what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. For the father in the movie, he feared losing his son and was willing to risk everything to provide for him day-to-day and into the future. Like him, and I suspect like each of you, I fear losing a job or my house, not having money to provide for my family, a broken marriage or the loss of a loved one, or loss of the respect, trust or love from another. And, I suspect, that you like me, fear also the pain, hurt, failure and embarrassment that results when things like this happen.
This movie also challenged me to ask myself what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. Am I willing to sacrifice my ego, pride, possessions to gain or protect something I value even more – such as my family or my faith. I would like to think that like the father in the movie, that I have the discipline and focus to persevere even under the most difficult situations – I pray that you and I do if ever faced with such a challenge.
Coincidentally, this is exactly what we have been talking about in our That Man Is You initiative on Saturday mornings. In fact, just this morning we were ask if we are willing to “pay the price” for what we believe.
We need to ask the same questions not just in our families and places of work but also in our faith life: 1) what do I fear; and 2) what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. For us as Christians, our ultimate fear is being separated from God’s love eternally – “thrown into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth,” which was the fate of the third servant in the Gospel.
Although I don’t always understand or appreciate God’s love, I do know the great joy and peace I experience in God’s presence as I interact with each of you, assist at this liturgy, hear and proclaim Sacred Scripture, receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, receive God’s mercy in Reconciliation, and serve those in need. And I am motivated to never lose this joy and peace - to not be separated from this great love.
And it is in our faith, that we hold that through the grace of God, that we are willing to make great sacrifices and take great risks so that we will know and experience God’s great love now and eternally – and that we share this great love with others.
(Pause) We are at that point in the liturgical year in which we are called to reflect on the end of time, final judgment, and Christ’s second coming. We are reminded that we are called by God to risk everything for His kingdom and not to play it safe or rest in the security of the status quo.
We are challenged by Jesus in today’s Gospel to not hid or shrink from our responsibilities, but to abandon fear and be industrious, reliable and creative in doing God’s will! We have work to do as Christians – to do God’s will in this world, which is to share God’s love with others. And so we must act out of love, not fear. As we await what is to come, we can see our family life and places of work as opportunities to risk, to grow, in our faith and love in God and to in turn love and serve others.
For me this week, I have asked these questions of myself in my place of work (my day job) and as a result I have challenged myself to change some bad habits that I have found myself doing in order that I am focused on what I need to do at work, and that I can say that I am doing God’s will in all that I do.
As many of you know, my wife is pregnant and due any day/week. The pain of labor, which Paul refers to in today’s second reading, will soon be upon her “suddenly” – but not soon enough she is ready!
I don’t wish for any of you to be caught off-guard when our Lord does come. So do not rest – stay alert and ready! Fear being separated from God’s love and be willing to take any risk, make any sacrifice so that you can stand before God, and for Him to say to you “well done, my good and faithful servant…come and share your master’s joy.”
This movie had me thinking all week about two things: 1) what do I fear; and 2) what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. For the father in the movie, he feared losing his son and was willing to risk everything to provide for him day-to-day and into the future. Like him, and I suspect like each of you, I fear losing a job or my house, not having money to provide for my family, a broken marriage or the loss of a loved one, or loss of the respect, trust or love from another. And, I suspect, that you like me, fear also the pain, hurt, failure and embarrassment that results when things like this happen.
This movie also challenged me to ask myself what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. Am I willing to sacrifice my ego, pride, possessions to gain or protect something I value even more – such as my family or my faith. I would like to think that like the father in the movie, that I have the discipline and focus to persevere even under the most difficult situations – I pray that you and I do if ever faced with such a challenge.
Coincidentally, this is exactly what we have been talking about in our That Man Is You initiative on Saturday mornings. In fact, just this morning we were ask if we are willing to “pay the price” for what we believe.
We need to ask the same questions not just in our families and places of work but also in our faith life: 1) what do I fear; and 2) what am I willing to sacrifice or risk for what I believe. For us as Christians, our ultimate fear is being separated from God’s love eternally – “thrown into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth,” which was the fate of the third servant in the Gospel.
Although I don’t always understand or appreciate God’s love, I do know the great joy and peace I experience in God’s presence as I interact with each of you, assist at this liturgy, hear and proclaim Sacred Scripture, receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, receive God’s mercy in Reconciliation, and serve those in need. And I am motivated to never lose this joy and peace - to not be separated from this great love.
And it is in our faith, that we hold that through the grace of God, that we are willing to make great sacrifices and take great risks so that we will know and experience God’s great love now and eternally – and that we share this great love with others.
(Pause) We are at that point in the liturgical year in which we are called to reflect on the end of time, final judgment, and Christ’s second coming. We are reminded that we are called by God to risk everything for His kingdom and not to play it safe or rest in the security of the status quo.
We are challenged by Jesus in today’s Gospel to not hid or shrink from our responsibilities, but to abandon fear and be industrious, reliable and creative in doing God’s will! We have work to do as Christians – to do God’s will in this world, which is to share God’s love with others. And so we must act out of love, not fear. As we await what is to come, we can see our family life and places of work as opportunities to risk, to grow, in our faith and love in God and to in turn love and serve others.
For me this week, I have asked these questions of myself in my place of work (my day job) and as a result I have challenged myself to change some bad habits that I have found myself doing in order that I am focused on what I need to do at work, and that I can say that I am doing God’s will in all that I do.
As many of you know, my wife is pregnant and due any day/week. The pain of labor, which Paul refers to in today’s second reading, will soon be upon her “suddenly” – but not soon enough she is ready!
I don’t wish for any of you to be caught off-guard when our Lord does come. So do not rest – stay alert and ready! Fear being separated from God’s love and be willing to take any risk, make any sacrifice so that you can stand before God, and for Him to say to you “well done, my good and faithful servant…come and share your master’s joy.”
Saturday, October 8, 2011
HOMILY - Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
As some of you know, I am coaching our parish’s 6th grade football team. A couple of weeks ago as the team was warming up for a game against St. Brigid, one of my player’s shoe fell off. I admittedly got frustrated with that happening – certainly not at the player, who is great. It was not the first and probably not the last time it will happen - they often put on and off their cleats like slippers or flip-flops. My frustration was that I want my players to be prepared – focused and ready for the immediate game, and I also want them to approach everything with a bigger purpose in mind. So, little things like not tying their shoes tightly to play a game do matter. Sure they will remember 6th grade football by wins and losses and that is okay. But I really want them to see 6th grade football as a time that they matured as Christian young men and that through this time playing they obtained the skills they need for the rest of their life – things like: humility, responding well to adversity, obedience, helping others, teamwork, sacrifice, endurance, and controlled emotion. All of these are great virtues that they will need as they mature into manhood – as husbands, fathers, and even as priests and deacons.
I share this story – not to talk about football – but because it mirrors the point made in today’s Gospel: that God is inviting us to know and experience something even bigger and better than what we know now - the kingdom of God: this wonderful peace and joy that we are invited to know and experience now and eternally. The kingdom of God is like the wedding feast presented to us in the First Reading and Gospel. A celebration filled with great company, much happiness and joy, and the best of food and drink.
While our loving and merciful God is persistent in extending his invitation to join this celebration, just as the father in today’s Gospel – offering again and again an invitation to all, we too often do respond properly or at all to the invitation. We are often like the people in the parable who refuse the invitation, ignore it completely, make excuses why we can’t attend, and might even be hostile to the messengers of the invitation. We do this in big and small ways every day – by our sinful thoughts, words and deeds against ourselves, others, and God. More often, however, we are like the rejected guest who comes under-dressed – who has accepted the invitation but failed to respond appropriately to God’s invitation. In other words, like him, we say “yes” this is what we want, but we do not respond with acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion to others. All words and no action. We must live out our faith by our actions - our believe must be evidenced by our actions.
I know too well that is hard at times to respond as we should. Going back to my football team, I challenge them to persist and endure through aches, pains, even loss because that is what they will do as men. I get that for a 6th grade boy the trials and tribulations of a grown man are as remote as the man on the moon. However, I still want them to begin to understand that they need to move beyond themselves – their own wants – to be part of something even greater. I want them to respond properly and well to God's invitation. The same is true for each of us. This is what God wants and challenges us to do. We must move beyond our own wants and respond with acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion towards others. This is what it means to accept the invitation to live in the kingdom of God. And this is the only way that we truly and fully experience all that the kingdom of God offers.
This point is reinforced by Paul in today’s Second Reading. Writing from jail, Paul is consumed with Christ – eliminating his earthly concerns, but never his desire for Christ. It is Paul who recognizes that he is part of something much bigger and that he is called to something even greater. He has a single purpose in mind. We see this not only in his words, but by his actions – selfLESSly thinking of and acting for others. It is in Christ that Paul finds the strength to do this and it is in Christ that he is filled with great joy and thanksgiving for God and those who have supported him in his times of need.
And this is a good starting point for each of us as we try respond to God’s call. Let us also find strength Christ, just as Paul did. Let us find strength in the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Christ, we are about to receive. Let us find strength in Christ’s example of love and obedience to God. Let us find strength in Christ’s out pouring of grace to help us respond as we are called to respond.
It is in Christ that we like Paul can trust that: “God will fully supply whatever we need, in accord with his glorious riches.” It is in Christ that we can also say with confidence and thanksgiving “To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.” And it is in Christ that we have the strength and courage to respond to God’s invitation.
My friends, we are called to live in the kingdom of God. I pray that we have the courage to say yes to God invitation to join this celebration and the strength to respond with great acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion.
I share this story – not to talk about football – but because it mirrors the point made in today’s Gospel: that God is inviting us to know and experience something even bigger and better than what we know now - the kingdom of God: this wonderful peace and joy that we are invited to know and experience now and eternally. The kingdom of God is like the wedding feast presented to us in the First Reading and Gospel. A celebration filled with great company, much happiness and joy, and the best of food and drink.
While our loving and merciful God is persistent in extending his invitation to join this celebration, just as the father in today’s Gospel – offering again and again an invitation to all, we too often do respond properly or at all to the invitation. We are often like the people in the parable who refuse the invitation, ignore it completely, make excuses why we can’t attend, and might even be hostile to the messengers of the invitation. We do this in big and small ways every day – by our sinful thoughts, words and deeds against ourselves, others, and God. More often, however, we are like the rejected guest who comes under-dressed – who has accepted the invitation but failed to respond appropriately to God’s invitation. In other words, like him, we say “yes” this is what we want, but we do not respond with acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion to others. All words and no action. We must live out our faith by our actions - our believe must be evidenced by our actions.
I know too well that is hard at times to respond as we should. Going back to my football team, I challenge them to persist and endure through aches, pains, even loss because that is what they will do as men. I get that for a 6th grade boy the trials and tribulations of a grown man are as remote as the man on the moon. However, I still want them to begin to understand that they need to move beyond themselves – their own wants – to be part of something even greater. I want them to respond properly and well to God's invitation. The same is true for each of us. This is what God wants and challenges us to do. We must move beyond our own wants and respond with acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion towards others. This is what it means to accept the invitation to live in the kingdom of God. And this is the only way that we truly and fully experience all that the kingdom of God offers.
This point is reinforced by Paul in today’s Second Reading. Writing from jail, Paul is consumed with Christ – eliminating his earthly concerns, but never his desire for Christ. It is Paul who recognizes that he is part of something much bigger and that he is called to something even greater. He has a single purpose in mind. We see this not only in his words, but by his actions – selfLESSly thinking of and acting for others. It is in Christ that Paul finds the strength to do this and it is in Christ that he is filled with great joy and thanksgiving for God and those who have supported him in his times of need.
And this is a good starting point for each of us as we try respond to God’s call. Let us also find strength Christ, just as Paul did. Let us find strength in the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Christ, we are about to receive. Let us find strength in Christ’s example of love and obedience to God. Let us find strength in Christ’s out pouring of grace to help us respond as we are called to respond.
It is in Christ that we like Paul can trust that: “God will fully supply whatever we need, in accord with his glorious riches.” It is in Christ that we can also say with confidence and thanksgiving “To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.” And it is in Christ that we have the strength and courage to respond to God’s invitation.
My friends, we are called to live in the kingdom of God. I pray that we have the courage to say yes to God invitation to join this celebration and the strength to respond with great acts of kindness, justice, humility, love and compassion.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Homily - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
What I especially like about today’s readings is that they reveal a very important truth, beauty and joy about our God. God our Father is “kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion” and who wants more than anything to restore the broken relationship we have with him because of sin. It is our loving God who, as we sung in the Psalm: pardons all our iniquities, heals all our ills, redeems our life from destruction and crown us with kindness and compassion. Today’s readings challenge us to be restored in this love relationship with our God by seeking forgiveness and forgiving.
Today’s second reading and Gospel were originally intended for communities filled with conflict and tension. And so, we have Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Rome and Matthew’s Gospel for the Christian Gentiles in Antioch. These letters are a plea to these communities to be united, not divided, by recognizing their oneness through and with Christ and then seeking forgiveness and granting forgiveness. In fact, Matthew recalls Jesus challenge to his disciples to forgive “not seven times, but seventy-seven times,” which means as often as necessary and in excess!
The plea found in today’s readings is also directed to each of us. I suspect that you might be like me and find it hard, at times, to seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness. There is often so much hurt, pain and even anger in relationships, which is further compounded by our own pride and egos. We see this in our families, places of work, and in our communities. This weekend’s Anniversary of the tragic events of 9-11 is a sober reminder of this reality in our world.
Before we can forgive others from our hearts, as Jesus commands us; before we can get to a place where we can begin to seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness as we are called to do, we must first start with a hard look at our self – becoming more aware of our own faults and weakness and how we have offended God and others. This requires a great humility to say I am not perfect, that the world does not evolve around me, and to take responsibility and accountability rather than blame God or someone else when things don’t go the way I want. There is actually a great freedom and sense of peace that we can experience when we acknowledge our faults and weaknesses, even when it may be embarrassing or a sign of weakness to do so.
For this reason, I like the fact that we begin the celebration of the Mass with the Penitential Rite – taking a moment to reflect on our sins and asking for the mercy of God and others. In doing this, we stand together with our fellow Christians to acknowledge our own faults and failings and to seek forgiveness before we experience God in the Sacred Scripture and in the Eucharist. We stand together, as the Body of Christ, united in faith and hope in our loving God.
In the new Roman Missal, which we will being to use during Advent, the Confiteor – the “I confess to Almighty God” prayer of the Penitential Rite – will change slightly to provide a more accurate translation from Latin to English and will better ground us in the Scriptural sources for this part of the Mass. There are several notable changes:
First, instead of say simply saying “I have sinned” we will say “that I have greatly sinned,” which is taken from King David’s acknowledgment of his own sin against God.
The second change is the repeating three times of the statement “through my fault” with the third time including the words “through my most grievous fault” – this is done not to glorify our sins, but to heighten the awareness and responsibility for our sins.
Finally, the new Roman Missal encourages the striking of the chest three times as we say “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” This practice is actually an ancient practice proper for this prayer, which never went out of use, maybe only out of fashion.
The hope is that these changes will cause in each of us, as we pray this prayer, a greater awareness and responsibility for the personal sin in our life and our need for conversion, forgiveness and a restoration in our relationship with God.
And my prayer for you is that you will find a peace and even a freedom that comes from acknowledging and taking responsibility for your own faults and failings – and in doing so, you are then able to see your son or daughter, mother or father, brother or sister, co-worker or friend, or even a stranger as one in Christ. And thus we can be quick and generous in forgiving those who offend us and humble, yet confident in seeking forgiveness from others.
My friends, be filled by the grace of the Eucharist we are about to receive that you may today acknowledge your own sinfulness; seek forgiveness from God and others, whom you have offended; and be able and ready to forgive others from our heart, not just 7 times, but 77 times.
May God bless you!
Today’s second reading and Gospel were originally intended for communities filled with conflict and tension. And so, we have Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Rome and Matthew’s Gospel for the Christian Gentiles in Antioch. These letters are a plea to these communities to be united, not divided, by recognizing their oneness through and with Christ and then seeking forgiveness and granting forgiveness. In fact, Matthew recalls Jesus challenge to his disciples to forgive “not seven times, but seventy-seven times,” which means as often as necessary and in excess!
The plea found in today’s readings is also directed to each of us. I suspect that you might be like me and find it hard, at times, to seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness. There is often so much hurt, pain and even anger in relationships, which is further compounded by our own pride and egos. We see this in our families, places of work, and in our communities. This weekend’s Anniversary of the tragic events of 9-11 is a sober reminder of this reality in our world.
Before we can forgive others from our hearts, as Jesus commands us; before we can get to a place where we can begin to seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness as we are called to do, we must first start with a hard look at our self – becoming more aware of our own faults and weakness and how we have offended God and others. This requires a great humility to say I am not perfect, that the world does not evolve around me, and to take responsibility and accountability rather than blame God or someone else when things don’t go the way I want. There is actually a great freedom and sense of peace that we can experience when we acknowledge our faults and weaknesses, even when it may be embarrassing or a sign of weakness to do so.
For this reason, I like the fact that we begin the celebration of the Mass with the Penitential Rite – taking a moment to reflect on our sins and asking for the mercy of God and others. In doing this, we stand together with our fellow Christians to acknowledge our own faults and failings and to seek forgiveness before we experience God in the Sacred Scripture and in the Eucharist. We stand together, as the Body of Christ, united in faith and hope in our loving God.
In the new Roman Missal, which we will being to use during Advent, the Confiteor – the “I confess to Almighty God” prayer of the Penitential Rite – will change slightly to provide a more accurate translation from Latin to English and will better ground us in the Scriptural sources for this part of the Mass. There are several notable changes:
First, instead of say simply saying “I have sinned” we will say “that I have greatly sinned,” which is taken from King David’s acknowledgment of his own sin against God.
The second change is the repeating three times of the statement “through my fault” with the third time including the words “through my most grievous fault” – this is done not to glorify our sins, but to heighten the awareness and responsibility for our sins.
Finally, the new Roman Missal encourages the striking of the chest three times as we say “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” This practice is actually an ancient practice proper for this prayer, which never went out of use, maybe only out of fashion.
The hope is that these changes will cause in each of us, as we pray this prayer, a greater awareness and responsibility for the personal sin in our life and our need for conversion, forgiveness and a restoration in our relationship with God.
And my prayer for you is that you will find a peace and even a freedom that comes from acknowledging and taking responsibility for your own faults and failings – and in doing so, you are then able to see your son or daughter, mother or father, brother or sister, co-worker or friend, or even a stranger as one in Christ. And thus we can be quick and generous in forgiving those who offend us and humble, yet confident in seeking forgiveness from others.
My friends, be filled by the grace of the Eucharist we are about to receive that you may today acknowledge your own sinfulness; seek forgiveness from God and others, whom you have offended; and be able and ready to forgive others from our heart, not just 7 times, but 77 times.
May God bless you!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Knaus and Bauerle Homily
Jeffrey Knaus & Maren Bauerle
Introduce self
Unfortunately, I did not have the joy to prepare them for marriage, we have to credit Father Belden (St. Paul MN) with getting them here, but since Maren went to grade school here at Our Lady of Peace, I am guessing that she is a very smart young woman. She and Jeffrey intentionally selected Labor Day weekend to marry.
MAYBE: Long holiday weekend to extend celebration (at the risk of running out of wine as in the Gospel)
To be in Columbus Ohio for a home Watterson and OSU football game
Easy to remember Anniversary (wish I would have thought of that)
But maybe it is that you appreciate that Marriage is truly a labor of love. Today’s second reading expresses this love to which you must aspire to and work for in your marriage:
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it not selfish, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. IT NEVER FAILS.
Such love certainly requires – like any labor we do – hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, humility, patience – these and many more graces that you now receive through this Sacrament!
And this labor is worth it! In our day jobs, in which we labor, we work for a paycheck to pay bills or buy stuff, maybe we work for the weekend – so that we can enjoy things and people. However, with Marriage our goal – the purpose of our labor – is to get our spouse to Heaven - that perfect unity with our loving God, who – as we read in our First Reading - made each of us - man and woman - out of love to be one in love. It is in Heaven that we will experience the eternal joy, peace, and happiness God desires for us from the very beginning.
Maren and Jeffrey – please never forget this primary purpose of marriage!
Just as Jesus – in today’s Gospel – began his public ministry, you two also now begin your public ministry to each other with this goal in mind. So, it is a very important and significant that you begin with this very public action that they are making today. You are stating in a very public way before all of us gathered here to say:
1. That you have come here FREELY and WITHOUT RESERVATION
2. To give yourself FULLY AND COMPLETELY to each other
3. That you will love each other FOREVER
4. That you will be OPEN LIFE and to raise any children in the Catholic faith
AND
5. To do this in GOOD TIMES and BAD, SICKNESS and HEALTH, for the REST of their LIFE
I personally thank you for making this public statement of your love for each other.
I also thank you for making this public statement of your hope and trust in our Catholic faith that will guide you and support you in your marriage.
I pray that your marriage is filled with great joy in the years to come and that this labor of love which you public begin today leads both of you to eternal joy and peace with our loving God.
Introduce self
Unfortunately, I did not have the joy to prepare them for marriage, we have to credit Father Belden (St. Paul MN) with getting them here, but since Maren went to grade school here at Our Lady of Peace, I am guessing that she is a very smart young woman. She and Jeffrey intentionally selected Labor Day weekend to marry.
MAYBE: Long holiday weekend to extend celebration (at the risk of running out of wine as in the Gospel)
To be in Columbus Ohio for a home Watterson and OSU football game
Easy to remember Anniversary (wish I would have thought of that)
But maybe it is that you appreciate that Marriage is truly a labor of love. Today’s second reading expresses this love to which you must aspire to and work for in your marriage:
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it not selfish, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. IT NEVER FAILS.
Such love certainly requires – like any labor we do – hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, humility, patience – these and many more graces that you now receive through this Sacrament!
And this labor is worth it! In our day jobs, in which we labor, we work for a paycheck to pay bills or buy stuff, maybe we work for the weekend – so that we can enjoy things and people. However, with Marriage our goal – the purpose of our labor – is to get our spouse to Heaven - that perfect unity with our loving God, who – as we read in our First Reading - made each of us - man and woman - out of love to be one in love. It is in Heaven that we will experience the eternal joy, peace, and happiness God desires for us from the very beginning.
Maren and Jeffrey – please never forget this primary purpose of marriage!
Just as Jesus – in today’s Gospel – began his public ministry, you two also now begin your public ministry to each other with this goal in mind. So, it is a very important and significant that you begin with this very public action that they are making today. You are stating in a very public way before all of us gathered here to say:
1. That you have come here FREELY and WITHOUT RESERVATION
2. To give yourself FULLY AND COMPLETELY to each other
3. That you will love each other FOREVER
4. That you will be OPEN LIFE and to raise any children in the Catholic faith
AND
5. To do this in GOOD TIMES and BAD, SICKNESS and HEALTH, for the REST of their LIFE
I personally thank you for making this public statement of your love for each other.
I also thank you for making this public statement of your hope and trust in our Catholic faith that will guide you and support you in your marriage.
I pray that your marriage is filled with great joy in the years to come and that this labor of love which you public begin today leads both of you to eternal joy and peace with our loving God.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Lindsay Peters & Mark Rutkus Wedding Homily
Introduce self
Did not have the chance to prepare them for marriage, credit Father with getting them here
But, had great joy in working with both of them as Lindsay prepared to join the Catholic Church
As I have got to know them, two things stand out for me on their wedding day.
FIRST:
Both work in the public spot – Mark (campaigns and city government) & Lindsay (providing the public meeting space of companies/individuals). So, they both appreciate the importance, the power, the significance of doing something publically
So, it is not lost on me, and I am certain that it is not lost on Mark and Lindsay of the importance and significance of the very public action that they are making today. They are stating in a very public way before all of us gathered here that:
1. That they have come here FREELY and WITHOUT RESERVATION
2. To give themselves FULLY AND COMPLETELY to each other
3. That they will love each other FOREVER
4. That they will be OPEN LIFE and to raise any children in the Catholic faith
AND
5. To do this in GOOD TIMES and BAD, SICKNESS and HEALTH, for the REST of their LIFE
This certainly takes a love that we just heard of in today’s readings – it is an unconditional love, even a sacrificial love, in which one puts aside one’s own wants and needs for another. Such a love allows one to make such a public statement as Lindsay and Mark will make before us in just a couple of minutes.
Such a public statement also requires a HOPE and TRUST – not only in each – but also in something bigger – a hope and trust in an eternal life, which leads to my second observation of Mark & Lindsay.
SECOND:
Mark has obviously had some political campaign experience (maybe he has roped Lindsay into doing some phone calls or lit drops for candidates).
TODAY, we kick-off the greatest campaign for both Mark and Lindsay, which has as their single goal: to get each other to Heaven, that perfect unity with our loving God, who – as we read in our First Reading - made out of love man and woman to be one in love. It is in Heaven that we will experience the eternal joy, peace, and happiness God desires for us from the very beginning.
Like any campaign, with marriage there will be ebbs and flows – (mis)communication, money problems, drama, lots of emotion, and also lots of hard work, compromise, sacrifice, humility (and I also pray that there will be lots of joy for you two). Just as St. Paul urges the Corinthians to our Second Reading, I urge you to not let jealousy, ego, rudeness, selfishness, tempers, and arrogance keep you from loving each other as you are called to love, as you must love, in order for this marriage to be successful!
Unfortunately, we will not know if your greatest campaign – your marriage – was successful, until we too enter Heaven. But you two will know daily just how successful this marriage is going, as you reflect every night on the “daily polling results” as to: whether you have loved your spouse as you should today; whether you have placed the needs of your marriage and your spouse ahead of your own needs and wants; whether you have thanked and praised your spouse today; whether you have sought forgiveness from your spouse or granted forgiveness to your spouse today, whether you have comforted your spouse in his/her need. YOU WILL KNOW!
I personally thank you for making this public statement of your love for each other, as well as you hope and trust in our Catholic faith, and I pray that your marriage is filled with great joy and eternal success.
Did not have the chance to prepare them for marriage, credit Father with getting them here
But, had great joy in working with both of them as Lindsay prepared to join the Catholic Church
As I have got to know them, two things stand out for me on their wedding day.
FIRST:
Both work in the public spot – Mark (campaigns and city government) & Lindsay (providing the public meeting space of companies/individuals). So, they both appreciate the importance, the power, the significance of doing something publically
So, it is not lost on me, and I am certain that it is not lost on Mark and Lindsay of the importance and significance of the very public action that they are making today. They are stating in a very public way before all of us gathered here that:
1. That they have come here FREELY and WITHOUT RESERVATION
2. To give themselves FULLY AND COMPLETELY to each other
3. That they will love each other FOREVER
4. That they will be OPEN LIFE and to raise any children in the Catholic faith
AND
5. To do this in GOOD TIMES and BAD, SICKNESS and HEALTH, for the REST of their LIFE
This certainly takes a love that we just heard of in today’s readings – it is an unconditional love, even a sacrificial love, in which one puts aside one’s own wants and needs for another. Such a love allows one to make such a public statement as Lindsay and Mark will make before us in just a couple of minutes.
Such a public statement also requires a HOPE and TRUST – not only in each – but also in something bigger – a hope and trust in an eternal life, which leads to my second observation of Mark & Lindsay.
SECOND:
Mark has obviously had some political campaign experience (maybe he has roped Lindsay into doing some phone calls or lit drops for candidates).
TODAY, we kick-off the greatest campaign for both Mark and Lindsay, which has as their single goal: to get each other to Heaven, that perfect unity with our loving God, who – as we read in our First Reading - made out of love man and woman to be one in love. It is in Heaven that we will experience the eternal joy, peace, and happiness God desires for us from the very beginning.
Like any campaign, with marriage there will be ebbs and flows – (mis)communication, money problems, drama, lots of emotion, and also lots of hard work, compromise, sacrifice, humility (and I also pray that there will be lots of joy for you two). Just as St. Paul urges the Corinthians to our Second Reading, I urge you to not let jealousy, ego, rudeness, selfishness, tempers, and arrogance keep you from loving each other as you are called to love, as you must love, in order for this marriage to be successful!
Unfortunately, we will not know if your greatest campaign – your marriage – was successful, until we too enter Heaven. But you two will know daily just how successful this marriage is going, as you reflect every night on the “daily polling results” as to: whether you have loved your spouse as you should today; whether you have placed the needs of your marriage and your spouse ahead of your own needs and wants; whether you have thanked and praised your spouse today; whether you have sought forgiveness from your spouse or granted forgiveness to your spouse today, whether you have comforted your spouse in his/her need. YOU WILL KNOW!
I personally thank you for making this public statement of your love for each other, as well as you hope and trust in our Catholic faith, and I pray that your marriage is filled with great joy and eternal success.
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