Category: Homilies

Recordings of Recent Sunday Homilies

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Dying to Self, Living in Christ

     One of my favorite actors is Anthony Hopkins. The man can take on any role most convincingly. It is he who quipped, “I make my living by pretending to be other people.” Believe it or not, my favorite role of his is not Hannibal Lecter, but as St. Paul in the 1981 miniseries, Peter and Paul. 

       St. Paul is a very intense, and very intriguing character. Unlikely as it was at the time, it is no surprise that Christ chose him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This is a guy who could think and pray outside and inside the box and then act decisively on the fruits of his deliberations. He fully embraced what Christ meant in today’s gospel when he completely reordered his life after meeting the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. In short, he received Christ totally and completely. He “lost” his previous life and found new life in Christ.  Pretty cool.

       In his letter to the Romans that we read today, he helps us understand this teaching of Jesus. For Paul, baptism is the portal through which the Christian dies to his former life and begins to live anew in Christ. “Are you not aware,” he says, “that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”

Whether we do this at our baptism as adults or embrace it later if we were baptized as infants, for each Christian there is that moment when we must each decide in our heart of hearts whether our life will be in Christ or in the world. This “fundamental option” as it is sometimes called, will make all the difference. 

       How, because Paul does not stop there. It is not enough to leave the old life behind. There is so much more. Dying with Christ in baptism leads one the Resurrection in Christ.

       Now, there is a temptation to think of the Resurrection as some distant, far off, eschatological reality. That’s only partially true. St. Paul had a very good sense that to be a Christian was to be a person of the resurrection from the moment of your baptism. “Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin, and living for God in Christ Jesus.” For St. Paul and for all of us, heaven begins now.

Pedro Arrupe, the late Master General of the Jesuits said it well.  He said,

“Nothing is more practical than finding God,

That is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,

What you will do with your evenings,

How you spend your weekends,

What you read,

Who you know,

What breaks your heart,

And what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

              ― Pedro Arrupe

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An Abundant Harvest

Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there.  Thanks to all who have sent me a Father’s Day card.

     I like to give new life to old things. When we first got the parish house, there was an old, dilapidated greenhouse out back. It was made from a lot of those old single-pane windows that the U.S. Army gave away back in 1978 when the renovated the barracks on Ft. Rich. It looked to be about that old. The previous owners had been using it to store wood. Many of the panes were broken and the roof panels had holes. But the guts are good, so I decided to revive it. Why? Because I also like to grow tomatoes, and you can only grow tomatoes in Alaska in a greenhouse. I seem to be fairly good at it. 

       The project is taking longer than I had hoped, mainly because I can’t find a contractor willing to pour the footer and slab I need. Too small a project I guess. Nevertheless, by summer’s end, I am determined that it will be complete. I may have to get creative.

       This may seem like a lot of work just for a few dozen tomatoes, and it is. But to me, it’s worth it. There’s just something special about planting the seeds, watching them grow, and harvesting the fruits in due time.

       I think that is a lot like what is going on in today’s gospel as Jesus gives the Twelve a pep talk before sending them out. They have been with him for a while.  Now it is time to send them on a little mission so they can grow in their faith and confidence as his disciples. Notice he gives them authority and sends them out to do exactly what he has been doing: proclaiming the Kingdom, healing the sick, casting out demons. Cool.

       As a parish family, we are called to do the same thing. Within the believing community, we plant the seeds of faith, we help each other discern the gifts that we have been given, we call those gifts forth, train to give competence, give authority to use those gifts in the various parish ministries that serve the parish and the community around us, and then we have a big party every Sunday and at the end of the year to give thanks to God and to each other for the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that have helped our little part of the Kingdom to bear fruit.

       From time to time, we also call forth young men and women to serve the Church as holy priests, deacons and consecrated religious. It is essential that we do so to fulfill our mission.

       I’d like to concentrate on the way that we call young men to the Holy Priesthood for a moment, because this is the most pressing need at present.

       Where do vocations to the priesthood come from? What are the conditions in which the seeds of a vocation can thrive and grow? 

       1. Prayer. As individuals and as a parish family we need to pray for vocations. 

       They did a study a few years ago on the parishes that seemed to be hotbeds of vocations to see what they had in common.  Their findings were interesting. Demographics did not matter. It did not matter whether the parish was wealthy or poor, culturally or ethnically homogenous or diverse, urban or rural. 

       The only common denominator in parishes that produced lots of vocations to the priesthood was…

       …regular Eucharistic adoration.  

       2.  So, we need to pray for vocations, and we need to encourage vocations…but where?  How?   

       a.  At home – especially fathers

       Mom and Dad, you want your sons to be happy. You want what’s best for them. Dad’s, you have a special role in that. 

       If Christ is calling them to priesthood, what a blessing if you support that.

       Let me tell you what I mean. When I was 24, I had been working as a program manager for Junior Achievement, but in the background I had been discerning a vocation to the priesthood. There was no small amount of inner turmoil and self-doubt.

       One of my main concerns was how to tell my dad.

You want your dad to be proud of you.  I wasn’t sure how he would react.  So I scripted out every argument in my head:

       “If he says, this, I will counter with that. If he says that, I will counter with this.”  Eventually, I had it all worked out in my head.  All I needed was the right opportunity.

       I did not have to wait long.  A week or two later, my dad calls me up and said, “Hey, your mother is out of town this week, why don’t you come on by for dinner.”

       Thank you, Holy Spirit.

       We had a great dinner grilling steaks and eating huge football-sized baked potatoes.

       Then he says, “Hey, why don’t we have some brandy and cigars out in the living room.”

       Hey, cool!  We never got to have cigars in the living room when Mom was home. So, there we sat chatting away with our brandy and cigars, with a big fire going in the fireplace.

       So I said to myself, “Self!  No time like the present.”

       But before I could say anything, my dad looks at me and says, “Leo, you’ve been working that job at JA for some a couple of years now, and we both know that’s not what you are going to be doing forever. So I ask you, what are you thinking of doing with your life?”

       Gee, thank you Holy Spirit.

       I paused for a moment and then said to him, “Well, Dad, to be honest, I think I want to become a priest.”

       He paused for a moment, had a sip of brandy and took a puff off his cigar, looked me right in the eye, and then said,

       “Well…be a good one.”

To this day, that is the best gift I have ever received from my father.

       b. We encourage vocations at home, we also need to encourage vocations as a parish family.

       The early Church did not have a shortage of vocations crisis. Why?  Because it was the parish that called them forth from the congregation. 

       Your vocation was not primarily some inner prompting from the Holy Spirit. It came from the people around you.

       The community gathered, prayed, and then discerned who among them had the gifts necessary and then called them forth for ministry. 

       It’s interesting to note that the premise of John Chrysostom’s great treatise on the Holy Priesthood is that he and his friend Bartholomeus are hiding, because they have been called by the local church to be priests. The tract takes the form of a Greek dialogue where John is convincing his friend that he needs to come out of hiding and embrace his vocation. 

       I makes me wonder…what would happen if we did something similar here…

       We are not at that point, but I will say that if you see a young man in the parish who you think has the gifts, take him aside and say to him, “You know, I see the gifts in you that would make a good priest. Have you thought about it?  Please do. I’m going to be praying for you.

       I guarantee you, if you can see it, they have been thinking about it. 

       And it might not be who you would expect at first glance.

       We all have a role to play. We all have gifts to offer to further the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of souls here in 99504.  As a parish family, one of the best things we do is plant the seeds of faith, water them with our prayers and faith.  It’s up to the Holy Trinity to take it from there.

       We plant the seeds, the Father gives the growth, the Son gives the commission, the Spirit gives power of God’s love. This is how we yield an abundant harvest.            

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God is my copilot?! I think not!

Happy Trinity Sunday, as Dcn. Mick and Deacons John reminded us, this is the third of four major celebrations, the Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi. 

As many of you may have realized, I gave the staff the last week off. Then I decided, heck, why don’t I give myself the week off too!  So, I did.  Joy and I loaded up in the little airplane and flew across the Inlet to my little cabin at Alexander Creek to spend a few days. 

Joy is good little flyer.  She did not like the airplane at first but now that she is familiar with how it works, she doesn’t mind at all.  In fact, I’ve even begun to train her on how to keep us on course in the straight and level. That way I can take a little nap. She’s quite good at it. Indeed, DOG is my copilot!

Speaking of traveling, did you catch what is going on between Moses and the Lord.

       Is it me, or does Moses’ request seem a bit odd? He asks, “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.”

       At first glance, it seems like a fair request. Who wouldn’t want God as a traveling companion, whether you are journeying through the desert or journeying through life?   Why wouldn’t you want God as your copilot?

But think about it for a minute.  What’s wrong with this picture…

       Wouldn’t it be better to for one to want to go along in God’s company?!

       I’m reminded of what Abraham Lincoln said once when someone in the crowd said that it was good that God was on their side. Mr. Lincoln looked at the man and replied, “Rather, my dear friend, let us hope that we are on God’s side.” 

There is wisdom in Mr. Lincoln’s response.

       Like the Israelites, we can become a stiff-necked people. They are wandering the desert, headed this way and that, and they want God to come along in their company. They’ve got it backwards.   

       Yet we sometimes do the same thing. How often we go about our lives, doing our own thing, making our own decisions and expecting God to simply come along for the ride and perhaps bless this wonderful mess we have made for ourselves.

       How easy it is to pray, “MY will be done,” instead of “THY will be done.” 

       We need to let God be in charge. God knows what is best for us. 

       Rather, let us pray, “Lord, help me to want what you want for me.”

Simply put: If God is your copilot, you are in the wrong seat! 

       It is not a bad thing to want God to come along in our company, but how much better that we should go along in God’s company!

Because THAT is the invitation that is offered to us. Nothing less than to share in the very life of God.

       Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the sacred notion that our God is a Trinity of persons in perfect, co-eternal communion. The Father loving the Son, the Son loving the Father, and that co-eternal relationship between the two of them, the Holy Spirit, so powerful that it radiates out like the warmth of a great fire. Our God is perfectly united being. Our God is relationship itself.

       Like any other relationship, we can be invited to share in it. God is very jovial and invites us to come along in his company.

It happens at our baptism.  We are called and invited by name to share in the very relationship that is God.

It happens at our confirmation, when we are invited to

share in the fullness of that relationship, with all of its gifts, and fruits and charisms.

It happens most especially here in the Eucharist, as we gather, share the Word, break the bread, and commune with God and one another before we are sent into the world to tell the good news.

It happens in the confessional, when we acknowledge that we have sinned against the relationship with God and with others, either injuring or severing the bond of Holy Communion.  Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit, power of God’s love, is more powerful than any sin we may have committed, and we are healed.

It happens when our body lies in sickness, or infirm with age, when the Holy Spirit is there to help us in our need, to strengthen us in mind, body and spirit.  It happens when we are called by God to Holy Orders or consecrated life when we are called to share in the love of the Trinity, and give our life in singular devotion to Christ and his Church.

It happens in Holy Matrimony when we are called to share our lives with another in perfect imitation of the love of Christ for his spouse, and thus build up the Church and transform the world. 

This is the life and the love into which we have been invited to share. To LIVE a life with purpose and meaning, invited into and proclaiming to all we meet, by what we say,

       but more importantly, by what we do, the LOVE of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. It is at once too much and never enough. It is infinitely ancient and eternally new. 

This is the life to which the Christian is called.  This is the love into which we are welcomed.  It is all that we could ask for and more than we can imagine.  It is beyond our greatest desires and more powerful than our worst mistakes. 

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believe sin him might not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)

This is the invitation of grace, to share in the very life of and love God and to partake of the very mystery of such a perfect communion

from now unto eternity.

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The Holy Spirit – The Power of God’s Love

[Hi, Church fans! Like I said, until Microsoft simplifies their video editing software, I’ll just be posting texts. Leave it to corporate bobbleheads in Seattle, that bastion of common sense, to fix something beyond usable interface. Perhaps someday they will see the error of their ways and repent of the evil they have done. Here’s the column.]

The Irish, like every great and noble people, have many proverbs and sayings. One of my favorites is, “May the love of God warm your heart like a great fire, so that a friend may come and warm himself there.” 

     I think this is a very helpful image when we try to understand the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in the world. The Holy Spirit is seen manifested in many ways in sacred scripture. In the New Testament, the Spirit is seen descending upon Jesus at his baptism as a dove would swoop down to its perch. At Pentecost, the Spirit is perceived as a noise like a driving wind and as tongues of fire which came and rested upon each of the apostles and the Blessed Mother. Artists often depict this as a tongue of flame above their heads, but I tend to think it rested more around their hearts. It seems to make more sense to me,  especially when I think of the two apostles on the road to Emmaus who said, “Were not our hearts burning within us…?”

The Holy Spirit has many titles: Advocate, Counselor, Paraclete.  But it all boils down to the fact that the Holy Spirit is the power of the love of the Triune God radiating out through the Church and into the world. The Holy Spirit has been revealed to us as the love of God between the Father and the Son. The very essence of God is to be, and more specifically to be in relationship. The beautiful thing is that like any powerful, loving relationship, others spring from that relationship and are in turn invited to share in the warmth of that relationship. The most obvious example of this in the world is a husband and wife. It’s no mistake the expression of their covenantal love for one another is so powerful that nine months later, they have to give it a name! In a similar way, the Holy Spirit is that coeternal relationship between the Father and the Son. It is the power of that love that sang the world and all of us into being, sustains us in love, and sanctifies us in love by inviting us ever deeper into that holy communion with God and one another.  The Holy Spirit is the power of the love of God alive in the world. May the fire of that love set our hearts ablaze so that others may come and warm themselves there.

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To Eternity…and Beyond!

[Just a note. Now that Microsoft has made it impossible to edit videos in less than 2 hours, I’ll just be posting my columns and textual summaries of the homilies. If you want to seethe vid, go to our parish FB Page: www..facebook.com/stpatsak/ . Sorry for the inconvenience. – Fr. Leo]

While I am very rooted in the sacred Tradition of the Church, I’m not what many would call a “traditionalist.”  Still, I wince a little bit when we celebrate the Ascension, not on Ascension Thursday, but on the following Sunday. There are many good reasons for doing so. Foremost is that since it is on a Sunday, more people can celebrate this very important Solemnity in the Church. There’s a lot going on at the Ascension.

   First, why did Jesus ascend? Why didn’t he just stick around in his resurrected body up to the present day? Wouldn’t that make the resurrection a bit more credible? At first glance, I suppose that it would, but it would also severely limit the scope of his ministry and the ministry of the Church. Think about it. If the resurrected Jesus was walking the face of the earth today, where would you want to be right now?

   How much better that Christ has found a way to be truly and substantially present in all times and to all people through his Body, the Church. Remember, Christ did not leave us a book, he left us a Church. There is no separation between the head and the body. The same Spirit that animates the life of Christ animates the life of the Church. While this is true in the life of every Christian, it is especially true when we gather in the Sacred Assembly for the Eucharist. To commune with Our Lord, all who have gone before us in faith, and with one another is the most profound prayer there is.

       Finally, think about the implications for all humanity that Christ, who is truly human and truly divine, returns to the Father. There is no separation between the head and the body. Where Christ goes, we go. The relationship between God and humanity could not get any more intimate. No wonder Leo the Great exclaimed to the newly baptized in Rome, “Christian, remember your dignity!”  May we carry that dignity unstained into the world and into eternity. 

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Emmaus Revisited – Third Sunday of Easter

[Hey, Church fans! Until Microsoft fixes their stupid video editing program, there will be no embedded more videos. You can catch the vid of the homily off the Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/stpatsak/. The text is below.]

       Sometimes, we don’t pick up on the subtle cues and can miss what is going on right in front of us.  Here’s a good example:

     I did a lot of downhill skiing as a kid.  Every Saturday morning, Dad would load all of us eight kids in the in rig and we would head up to Arctic Valley. Mom would always stand on the porch and wave to us as we drove away for a day of fun on the slopes. I always thought it was sad that she never got to come along with us. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I finally figured out what was really going on. Dad was giving her a break by getting us all out of the house! Who’d have thought?

       I get the impression that a similar thing was going on with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. I’m not saying that they were not bright, just that they were preoccupied. So much so that they didn’t really pick up on what was really going on for some time.

       We can forgive them for this. Their entire world had just been rocked.  All their hopes and dreams had died on the Cross with Jesus. They just wanted to get away. Emmaus was about a two and a half hour walk from Jerusalem.  Can you imagine their conversation along the way?  Then this strange guy shows up and walks with them. 

       I’ve written before on an old blog post about how this whole experience between Jesus and the two disciples on is a really good description of the Mass. You can see that at: https://frleowalsh.com/recognizing-jesus-emmaus-the-eucharist-and-covid-19/

Think about it. What happens at Mass?

       We gather.

       We share our stories.

       We break the bread.

       And we are sent.

In liturgy speak, these are called the        Gathering/Introductory Rites.

       The Liturgy of the Word

       The Liturgy of the Eucharist, and

       The Dismissal or Sending Forth.

Let’s take a look at each of these:

Step I:  We gather.  The Introductory Rites

       Those who have been to one of my slow Masses can readily answer the question: When does Mass begin?  The answer is simple: When the second person shows up! Why? Because Jesus said: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.”

       The Second Vatican Council in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Par. 7) is very clear. “When the people gather” Christ is present. 

       Here, on the Road to Emmaus, the two disciples are gathered. Of course, Jesus would be there with them.

Step II:  We share our stories. The Liturgy of the Word.

       I can’t help but think that the conversation with Jesus on the road had to be one of the most intense Liturgies of the Word in the history of Salvation.

       Here you have the Incarnate Word of God, explaining the word of God in the Sacred Scriptures. 

       Yeah, our hearts would be burning too.

       And I hope yours is today.

Again, the Council is very clear. “In the proclamation of the Word” Jesus is present.

Step III: We break the bread – The Liturgy of the Eucharist

       Luke tells us, “He took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.”

       Does this sound slightly familiar?  It should. It is right out of the Third Eucharistic Prayer. (Actually, it is the source of these words in the Third Eucharistic Prayer.)

       The reference to the Eucharist at the table in Emmaus is unmistakable. This becomes even more evident when one learns that the early Church used the words “fractio panis” or the “breaking of the bread” as a codeword for the Eucharist.

       Again, the Council is unequivocal in their language, “(Christ) is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister… but especially under the Eucharistic species” of bread and wine.

       As we know, the Eucharist is the source and summit of all what the Church is and does. Everything that we are and do leads to the Eucharist and everything that we are and do flows from the Eucharist.

       No wonder they recognized him “in the breaking of the bread.”

       Which makes me wonder…do we? 

       More importantly, what about others who wander in our church?   What is going on in their hearts and minds?

       Can they recognize him in our midst as we gather? In the way we treat each other?

       In the way we treat them?

       Are they welcomed? Do they feel like they may have a place here?

Are our hearts burning within us as the scriptures are proclaimed and explained?

       If not, then how can we expect their hearts to be burning within them?

       Finally, is he recognizable in the breaking of bread?

       And can they recognize him, the Risen Christ, as we do so? 

       I pray that it is so.

       At one time or another at Mass and in life, I think we are all like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Sometimes we get so wrapped up with our own situation that we miss what’s really going on.

       I pray that we are a parish family whose hearts are so on fire with the love of God that those encounter us

       Whether within these walls

              Or in our schools or in our neighborhoods

              Or in our places work, or in the public square

                      or in our homes…

       I pray that they would recognize him

The two disciples show us that what we experience here cannot, must not be contained within these walls.

       The dismissal is one of the most essential parts of the Mass,

       That’s why it is so short:

       “The Lord be with you.

       And with your spirit.

              May almighty God bless you…NOW GO! 

Grab a donut and go into that part of the world where God needs you most right now!

       Proclaim the Good News of the resurrection of Christ and the forgiveness of sins.

       May your every word and action echo those of those two disciples, saying in ways small or profound,  

       ‘WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD!!!

       And how he was made known to you

              In the breaking of the bread.    

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From Darkness to Light

Gosh, it’s been a while. I recently served three terms on a grand jury. That was quite an experience, but it took all my time! So, I’m back. Here’s the latest. Also as a bonus I’ll post our parishes rendition of the Lorica (Breastplate of St. Patrick in a subsequent post.

https://youtu.be/SqBwdz5KTK8

     I hate daylight savings time. One would have to search high and low to find a more absurd and universal way of disturbing everyone’s life. It is especially absurd in subarctic latitudes such as our own where the sun shines 20 hours in the summer and 4 hours in the winter.

       Reminds of that trial they were having in Utgiavik, (Barrow).  The lawyer looked at the defendant and said, “So, where were YOU on the night of November through March?!”

     Then again, the Good Lord seems to make a habit of bringing blessings out of absurdity. Perhaps it is our extreme daylight shifts that make us more receptive to what the Gospel has to say about moving from darkness into light, especially when we understand it as moving from the darkness of sin into the light of grace.

     Take a good look at the whole of John’s gospel and you will see how the themes of darkness and light are everywhere. Today’s story about the man born blind is one such passage. It’s of special note that the man is not named. This is a common literary device used in scripture. The reader is invited to place themselves in the role of the unnamed character.

       In ancient Palestine, blindness was seen as a curse resulting from sin, either by oneself or one’s near ancestor. That is why the man was held in contempt by the elders and considered steeped in sin from his birth.

       In a way, each of us is very much like the blind man. We were all subject to the effects of original sin and the curse which came with that, which is death. But thanks be to God that Christ redeemed us by paying the penalty for our sin by his own death on the Cross. In baptism, we enter into the light of grace won for us in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

       The final irony of the story is that the elders who think they are the ones who are in the light, show by their obstinance that they really are not. They see Jesus as a threat to the status quo and to their power base. In rejecting Christ, they reject the light.

       Christ has said that we are the light of the world. This Laetare Sunday, let us shine with the light and the joy of the gospel to all those we will meet this week.

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I’m Back.

Hey, Church fans! Sorry for the long break. Two things at play. First, in the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category, Microsoft in their wisdom has decided to take a very simple process of trimming a video and make it exceedingly difficult and time consuming. Second, I have been pretty busy on Sundays between Masses when these things usually get done.

That said, I’m not preaching this weekend, but here is my column for the week. You can always get them on the parish website: https://www.st.patsak.org or our parish Facebook page: stpatsak .

Primed and Ready.

 When I was Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese, I was always fascinated by the story of the call of the first disciples as depicted in the second part of today’s gospel reading. On the one hand, you have to admire the faith of the first disciples leaving everything to follow Jesus.  At the same time, it does seem a little quick. In the real world, successful business owners like Peter, Andrew, James, and John do not simply just get up and leave everything, no matter how attractive or compelling this Jesus was.  Also, we can read of several others (the rich young man, for example) who received the same invitation as they did and yet did NOT leave everything to follow him.  There has to be more to the story.

Our insight comes from the Gospel of John (1:35). Here we see that Peter, James, John and Andrew were not just quietly going about their business before Jesus showed up in their lives. Rather, reading John it becomes clear that they were very active in their faith.  They were expecting the Messiah and were anticipating his manifestation.  They were waiting for him.

Their faith made them ready. So when Jesus does show up, they could respond in faith. I suspect that they had already said “yes” in their hearts. Only this interior disposition would make possible such a whole—hearted response. 

The lesson for us is clear. We all want to be like Peter, James, John and Andrew.  The key is to prepare ourselves interiorly so that when, through the Holy Spirit, Christ does call us to some work for the Church, either big or small, we can respond with all our heart, soul, and strength. Daily prayer is an essential element of this spirituality of vigilance. Only then can we “await the joyful hope and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Welcome Fr. Bill Hanrahan and Fr. Scott Garrett! Fr. Bill will be covering for me while I am out of town getting a little post-Christmas R&R. Fr. Scott will be sharing with us how we can support his mission to bring the gospel to the far western reaches of the Archdiocese. See you in February!

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The Faith of Joseph

[The deacon was preaching this week, so no vid. Here are my thoughts on this week’s gospel. I’ll be in Girdwood at Our Lady of the Snows this evening for the 6:00 Mass if you are in the neighborhood.]

       If there is any time in society when we needed strong dads, it is now. Of course, it was not all that different in the days of Jesus either. God knew the times and he knew the situation into which the Word would be made flesh. He knew that Jesus would need a strong dad.  He found such a dad in Joseph. 

       We don’t know much about Joseph’s personality from the scriptures, but we can learn a lot about him from his actions. 

       I’ve often preached that “Life is messy, and God is faithful.” Nowhere is this more true than how Jesus came into the world. It could have been neat and tidy.  He could have waited until after Mary and Joseph were married.  But he didn’t. He showed up early. That was messy! The precept of the law that is often referred to in this situation is Deuteronomy 22:16-22. Although it is unclear if or how this could be enforced, this precept says that the woman was to be dragged before her father’s house and stoned to death. Regardless, we know that Joseph was kind because he did not wish to expose her to shame.

       But like dreams of Joseph the Patriarch, the dream of Joseph assures him that this is the Lord’s doing, that God’s plan is unfolding in his midst, and he has an essential part to play in that plan. He acts in faith. There is a Yiddish expression that says, “Man makes plans…God laughs!” It was certainly true for Joseph, and it is true for each of us. How many times have we thought we had it all figured out only to have our plans change in ways that we could not imagine. Often it is only in looking back in reflection that we see how the hand of God was guiding not to where we wanted to be, but rather to where we needed to be. 

       We need the faith of Joseph in our world today. This is the faith that prayerfully perceives the plan of God unfolding in our lives and realizes that we each have a part to play in that plan. I want that kind of faith.  I want the faith of Joseph.

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Gaudete Sunday – He Who is to Come

Hey, it’s Gaudete Sunday, where we take a break from the penance of the season and put on the ROSE (not pink) vestments.

    It reminds me of that fellow who was chatting with his neighbor.  He was saying that he was worried that he was getting forgetful, so he was taking a memory course.

    “That’s very interesting,” his friend says, “What kind of course is it?”

    “It’s associative,” he replies. “If I want to remember something I associate it with something else. That way I don’t forget it.”

    “That’s very interesting,” his neighbor says, “What’s the course called?”

    He stops for a moment and says, “I knew you were going to ask me that. Hold on, it’s like a flower, long stem, thorns, and a bud on the end.”

    “You mean a rose?”

    “Yeah…hey, Rose! What’s the name of that course I’m taking?”

    You laugh, but I’ve got my 40th high school class reunion coming up this summer…right in the middle of fishing season!

    But reunions are a great way to get reconnected with old classmates. 

    How many times has this happened to you?  It’s a few years out of school, and you run into someone from high school. You recognize each other. But the conversation goes like this…

    “So…it’s great to see you!  How are you doing? Yeah, I’m great.  Are you living around here?  Great….great…yeah, me too….yeah, great.

    And you keep stalling because you just can’t remember their name!!!

    It looks like John the Baptist is having a senior moment . In Chapter 3, at the Baptism of Jesus, there is the voice from the cloud that said, “This is my beloved Son…”  Now, here in Chapter 11, he doesn’t even seem to know who Jesus is. “Are you ‘he who is to come?’”  What’s up with that?

     Our clue, of course, is in Jesus’ reply to John’s messengers. The blind regaining their sight, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised, the poor having the good news proclaimed to them…all these are definitive signs of the Messiah.  Jesus could simply answer them, “Yep, I’m the guy.”  Instead, he lets his actions do the talking.

     Just this past week I got a good lesson in the old adage: “People will seldom remember what you say, but they will never forget what you did and how you made them feel.”  So it was with Jesus.  So it should be for us.

    In the second part of today’s gospel passage there is a line that just leaps out at me, “…among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

    Sometimes we might feel like we are the least in the Kingdom.  It amazes me that Jesus would say that even at times like that, folks like us are greater than John the Baptist was at that time. 

    Still, it makes sense when you think about it for awhile. The Church firmly believes that all old testament prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.  John was the last and greatest prophet of the old covenant. He even preached its fulfillment in the person of Jesus and got to see Jesus with his own eyes. Even so, the new covenant of grace is of such a higher order that even the least of those of us who are baptized into Christ would be considered greater than John the Baptist.  Mind blown! 

    Gaudete Sunday is a day to rejoice. John saw the fulfillment of his hope in the person of Jesus and he leapt in the womb for joy. Advent calls us to rejoice that the fulfillment of our hope is near as we await the coming of the Lord in glory at the end of the age.