The Child Leads the Way

September 20, 2009
Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year B

Three weeks into the new school year, I suppose that the tests, quizzes and papers are already approaching and being given. The teaching has begun and hopefully with it the learning. We shall see. Today, we see how much learning is happening with the disciples and our Lord. And sadly, it's been a tough go at it so far.

Always the teacher, Our Lord is finding that the disciples are having a hard time learning, the toughest lesson of all, the lesson of the cross. You'll remember last week, our Lord began the lesson by announcing to his disciples that He must suffer and die. The response from the disciples was one of "charitable" non-acceptance. "No, Lord, we will never let that happen to you." And our Lord's response, "Get behind me Satan, you are thinking as human beings think, not as God thinks." Plain and simple, they did not accept his word.

So we find our Lord, trying to teach them the lesson again this week. He talks to them further about his mission and that he must suffer and die. The response this week?? Well, St. Mark tells us that they did not understand and that they were afraid to ask Him questions. And upon questioning from our Lord, they are silent...Students who just don't understand the lesson.

Does this remind you of anything? Perhaps a classroom scene...where the students are just not getting the message?? Jesus may not have the disciples in a classroom, but no doubt he is trying to communicate an important lesson about the cross. And we hear silence, we find fear, we find a lack of understanding.

So then, we see Our Lord offer a perfect remedy for all of this lack of acceptance, namely, a child. We are told that he places a child in their midst and tells them that they must be the servant, they must be as the child, little, unafraid, listening and attentive...if they are to understand the lesson of the cross...for the child will accept the message, and we must follow the little one's lead.

My friends, what a gift this is to us. We who experience the cross daily, we who know what it's like to face the jealousies, wars, conflicts that St. James speaks of. Jesus gives us the remedy, it's being the child...welcoming the child, receiving the child who is in our midst. It is the child who understands and accepts the cross. It is the child who leads the way.

This week, as we face the trials and crosses of daily life and of our own lives, let us remember that we are children, God's children. And in being his children, we will not be overcome by the complexities of the cross. We will possess everything that we need. We will turn to our Lord and find in him the guidance and everything that we need. It's as simple as being a child.

There is Something About That Name

Homily For the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary
Delivered September 12, 2009, for The Kings Men,
a Men's Group, www.thekingsmen.us

Praise God, it is good to be with you here today. We all know the value of our name, for men, our name carries a lot of weight. It is something that we pass on, something we defend, protect and share with our sons. Of course, our real hope is to have not just a name, but a good name. What a tremendous gift, to have a good name. For in the turmoils of life, a good name is a security, a comfort and a worthy goal to have.

There is of course, no better name than the name of Jesus, Savior. There is power, salvation, healing, grace and strength in his name. Today, the Church calls to mind the name of the woman who brought HIm into the world and salutes her name, Mary. Mary's name is holy because she is holy, full of grace, the immaculate one whose fruit is Jesus. The Gospel today, speaks to us of bearing good fruit, well, how beautiful a gift, to have born Jesus, as the fruit of one's womb.

As men, Mary can teach us valuable lesson about bearing fruit. For as men, we like to produce, to make a mark, to make a difference to strive for greatness, leave a legacy, we might do this through our name, but it is Mary who shows us how to bear fruit that endures. And in a nutshell, we bear lasting fruit to the extent that we allow ourselves to be conquered by God.

St. Paul is a great example of this, He did many manly, heroic things, but it all flowed out of his being CONQUERED BY GOD. In the reading today, he identifies himself as being the worst of sinners, and he identifes Jesus as being the savior of sinners. Thus, by definition, Paul is the very target for person of Jesus Christ. And Paul, recognizing himself as such, allows the "arrow" of Christ Himself, to hit him, to conquer him, and to transform him. This is the source then of Paul's greatness...it is Christ's greatness within, that exudes from Paul's being. And paul becomes a living testimony of Almighty God.

My friends, there is a valuable lesson here for us. We become real men, fruitful men, enduring men to the extent that Christ is the Man of our lives. So, yes, we will face battles, trials, fears, storms and floods, but Christ in me is conquering them.

One final point. The Gospel today says, "a good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good." Isn't that interesting? We produce good not out of sheer will power, but out of the store of Goodness. Let us then ask the Lord to stock the shelves of our heart with virtue. Then, like Mary, we too will be full of grace, love, peace and power.
AMEN.

Making History this Week

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year B. September 6, 2009

With the Holiday Weekend upon us, it's fitting for us to call to mind some dates in our history this weekend. In fact, this week is a rather historic week, as we remember the events of September 11, 2001, 8 years ago. There are two other bits of history as well that come to mind at this time...

1)It was twenty years ago this Fall, that the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. That symbol and reality of separation and communism, finally came down, a memorable date indeed...20 years ago.

2) Another date of history was marked just yesterday. 12 years ago yesterday, September 5, 1997...Mother Teresa of Calcutta passed away.

Theese 2 particular bits of history came to mind as I read theese readings for this weekend. For our readings speak to us of openness, healing, of showing no partiality, no fear whatsoever. And it is clear from the Gospel that it is only our Lord who can do such opening, openning of our senses, openning of our minds allowing the walls come down from within us...straightening our sight, healing our speach impediments and bringing healing to us all.

The example of Mother Teresa and the words of St. Paul, who commands us today to show no partiality, certainly convict us of our need for healing, and we pray for such grace, such openness which is only found in Christ.

My friends, as we celebrate this Labor Day this weekend, we call to mind that it is the Labor of the Lord that we must be about as Christians. And as Mother Teresa said, it is His labor that we must allow for in our lives. Mother Teresa said, that the Christian is the one who gives Christ permission in his/her life. Gives God permission to do the work of God, to love, to take over, to straighten our thoughts out, to see thru our eyes to hear with our ears, to love. This love of God, which we give permission for, will indeed tear down walls in our hearts, it will indeed help us to see and to love and will transform our lives.

As schools open this week, let us pray that our hearts, minds, eyes and ears will be openned as well, by the power of God. Let's make some history of our own and know that history will be made as we allow the Lord to work in us.

To close out this homily, I'd like to leave you with some simple quotes/words of Mother Teresa....who lived the call of this Gospel...and whose witness can spur us on, to do the same.

Mother Teresa said...

"It is not how much you do but how much love you put into the doing and sharing with others that is important. Try not to judge people. If you judge others, then you are not giving love."

"We must grow in love and to do this we must go on loving and loving and giving and giving until it hurts ---the way Jesus did. You must give what will cost you something. Then your gift becomes a sacrifice, which will have value before God. Any sacrifice is useful if it is done out of love.

This giving until it hurts--this sacrifice--is also what I call love in action. Every day I see this love--in children, men and women."

Lord, may your Love be in action in me this week, AMEN.

Grounded and Moving

Homily for Saturday of the Twenty Second Week of Ordinary Time
1st Saturday Pro-Life Mass

An awful lot can happen in the course of just one week's time. This past week was no different, from Church circles to political circles to family circles, a lot happens in just one week.

The same could be said of Jesus' time and there is ample evidence for that in the Gospels that have been offered to us this week.

This week, we've been following Jesus in St. Luke's Gospel, from the beginning of his public ministry in Nazareth (Luke 4) to today's Gospel in Luke 6. Jesus is clearly on the move and so too are the hearts of those who encounter him. This week, Jesus has been greeted with amazement, wonder and faith, but also with contempt, offence and hostility. A lot is happening in just 2 chapters.

Of course, that is no surprise, for when the Lord is present, there is always a lot happening, for the presence of the Lord always evokes a movement.

St. Paul, speaks of this movement and what type of movement should be happening in the life of Jesus' disciples. He tells us that the presence of Christ has moved us from alienated and hostile minds to holiness without blemish, irreproachable before our God and Father, living witnesses of Jesus Christ. I suppose that you and I find ourselves somewhere in the middle of this movement, if you're anything like me, you still have a ways to go.

But no fear, for St. Paul, thanks be to God, outlines the way for us. He says, we must persevere in faith, be firmly grounded and stable, not shifting from the Hope of the Gospel. And in theese words, the irony of the Christian life is revealed. Namely that thru, stable grounding, we are moved! Moved in deeper faith, hope and love in Jesus our Lord!

My friends, there is nothing more grounded, more moving than the cross of Jesus. And it is before that cross, on that cross, and thru that cross that we are moved, we are transformed, we become true witness of the Gospel.

All of us today will experience that cross of the Lord, in some way, shape or form. Make no mistake, we will encounter the cross. It may be at home, with our families, in our own hearts, temptation, or surroundings. A number of us will encounter it as we stand before the Planned Parenthood, abortion clinic. There in a most tangible and palpable way, we will encounter the cross and we will be moved.

For me, when praying in front of an abortion clinic, I'm often moved to throw-up, moved to cry, moved to anger, moved to confusion and moved to experience at times the seeming impotence of faith, hope and love. All right there in front of the cross. And yet, it is precisely there, in contemplating that reality of the Cross, in experiencing that modern day Calvary Evil, that we must allow the movements within to activate the power of good, to activate a deeper faith, hope and love, theese transforming Gifts of God thru which we become witnesses for the world.

Such a powerful, grounded witness of faith, hope and love can and does change the world. And it is this witness which is needed most today. Togethere then, we pray, Lord, make me a witness of the Gospel, grounded in hope, grounded by the cross of Jesus. Make me a witness like Mary, a peaceful, powerful witness of the Gospel. Jesus help me to be your living witness today.