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[Hey, Church fans! It was a great time fishing in western Alaska at our family’s fish camp. I landed the biggest red (sockeye) in my life on the third day. While we are fishing for meat, and size is not really a priority, it was something to pull in a 15.2 pound (6.9kg) sockeye salmon. At 29.5 inches, (75cm) he was a fat one. Here’s the pic:

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Deacon John Ostrom gave the homily this weekend, so there is no vid, but here my column for the week. Enjoy.

     So, first things first. The fishing was great. I had a great time. I have a bunch of reds in the freezer. The trip was shorter due to iffy weather that delayed my departure by several days.

    Just as there are not atheists in foxholes, I doubt there are any of us who fly small airplanes in the mountains who have not raised up a prayer or two to the Almighty  either in thanksgiving for the joy of flight or pleading for better weather. It’s a similar thing to what is going on in the readings the Church gives us this week for our contemplation. Even a quick study of them reveals that the prayer of the Christian should have certain qualities.

First, our prayer should be persistent. This is not so much because it changes God’s heart or mind on the matter at hand. God is crazy in love with us. God knows what we need and wants to give us what will lead to our ultimate happiness. However, persistence in prayer does change our hearts and minds to be in conformity with the heart and mind of God. All too often we pray, “My will be done!” not “THY will be done.” Persistence in prayer helps us see the bigger picture beyond our immediate needs.

Second, every one of our prayers should include some form or adoration, contrition, thanksgiving , and supplication. (The acronym “ACTS” helps us to remember this.)  Posture is important too. When we bow our heads or kneel or prostrate before the Lord, we acknowledge that God is the Supreme Being, not us. He alone is worthy of adoration. In the Lucan version of the Lord’s Prayer, a primary emphasis is on contrition for sins and plea for the grace to forgive others. We also need to acknowledge that all we have and are is a gift from God. This is the heart of our stewardship of such gifts for the good of the Church and the world. Finally, we need to make supplication to the Lord for ourselves and especially for others.  I’m struck at how Abraham intercedes for Sodom, asking God to spare it even if there are only ten good people. Our Lord also gives a great  example of persistent prayer in the context of sacred hospitality.

God wants us to ask. As Our Lord points out, if we know how to give good things to others, how much more so will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Therein lies the rub. All too often we set our sights too low. We ask for those things which we could readily get on our own through persistence and hard work. How much better to ask big! How much more beautiful to ask for the things that only Almighty God can provide—to feel God’s presence, to know God’s will, to receive God’s Holy Spirit. So ask, seek and knock! Keeping in mind that God has three ways of answering our prayers.

1) “Yes.” 

2) “Not yet.” and

3) “I have something better in mind for you.”           

Have a great week!

     On January 22, 1973, I was a little over eight years old. I was not old enough to understand the social upheavals of the day or the issues involved in the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on demand in the United States. But I do remember that the following weekend, Fr. Tom Connery stood in the pulpit at Holy Family exclaiming loudly, “Abortion is murder!” several times. I didn’t know what abortion was at that time or why it was murder. That horrible understanding came later.

Now, after almost 50 years, that decision which resulted in the deaths of over 50 million infants in the womb has been reversed and the issue has been remanded back to the individual states. While there is cause for rejoicing that an eclipse of reason resulting in a grave injustice has been ended, we must not gloat. If we are to heal the polarization that has characterized the tenor of public discourse in recent decades, now is a time for the exercise of charity more than ever. We must choose our words charitably and wisely. Furthermore, we must be able to articulate what it means to support and defend human life in all of its stages from conception to natural death if we are to grow a culture of that chooses life within our great society. 

One of the most compelling and succinct such articulations was formulated by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago. It is not enough to be anti-abortion. What we need, the Cardinal said, is a consistent ethic of life, “a seamless garment.”

Briefly stated the consistent life ethic is this. Life is sacred and social. Because it is sacred, its dignity must be defended and upheld at all times and in all circumstances from conception to natural death.  Because it is social, society has a duty to defend and uphold it at all times and in all circumstances. 

Understanding the breadth of the implications of a consistent ethic of life is important. If we are to defend and uphold the dignity of life in all stages and all circumstances, that will certainly mean at its beginning. But it also means that we must support and defend those things which support the dignity of human persons throughout their lives. As the U.S. Bishops have exhorted us, it means walking with women in crisis pregnancies so that they may have the material, psychological and spiritual resources available to choose life. It also includes things like affordable housing, education, a just wage, affordable child care, and affordable health care. It also causes us to reexamine closely the morality and practicality of the death penalty. Finally, it involves end of life issues such as palliative care and related issues. And the list goes on.

It is a time for rejoicing but not in the sense of winners and losers. Not it is about moving deeper into the truth and walking with others in that truth with love. Our greatest work is still ahead of us.

Well, Church fans, for some reason Facebook has changed their protocols and I can no longer download videos or upload them to YouTube. I’ll see what I can do, but in the meantime, here is the text. The homily can be viewed as part of the Mass in the following video link.

https://fb.watch/dsJXk5-lNs/

Sorry to make your scroll through. Leave it to the good folks at Facebook to screw up a good thing.

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Happy Pentecost! This weekend we also celebrate the closing of the Archdiocesan phase of the Synod. It is fitting that we do so. 

    Looking over the scriptures given to us this weekend, it’s striking how the Spirit is made manifest. First, by a sound like a driving wind, then tongues of flame, then the proclamation of the Gospel in all the known languages of the day.

       You know, the whole speaking in different tongues thing reminds me of a story. 

       A man walks into a diner with his dog and asks for a sandwich for himself and three strips of bacon for his dog. The manager says, “Hey, we don’t allow pets in here.”

       The man says, “No you don’t understand, this is a talking dog?”

       “Really,” the manager says, “Show me.”

       So the man says, “Hey, Rex, what’s on top of a house?”

       The dog wags his tail and replies, “Roof!”

       The manager is not impressed and again threatens to throw them out. 

       “No, no,” he can do more says the man, “Hey, Rex, what is sandpaper like?”

       The dogs says, “Ruff!”

       The manager starts to push them towards the door.

       “No wait!” the man says, “Rex, who is the best baseball player of all time?”

       The dog belts out, “Ruth!”

       The manager throws them out.

       As they are sitting dejected, the dog looks up quizzically at the man and says, “DiMaggio?”

I.

       No surprise about the noise like a driving wind. As I’ve mentioned before, the Hebrew word for spirit, ruách (רוח), is the same word for breath and wind. This is the same word that was used to describe God breathing life into the first humans in the Book of Genesis. In a similar way, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Father breathed life into the Church at Pentecost. This is why Pentecost is often referred to as “the Birthday of the Church.” The same is true for each of us at our baptism. God breathes new life into us through the same Spirit that was given to the apostles and the Blessed Mother in the Upper Room.

       The challenge for us is to be life giving for those around us. Our homes, our neighborhoods, our town, our state, our country, the world should be very different because we Christians are present.

       As the Spirit breathes life into us, so let us breathe life into world around us. 

       Be that family that prays without apology

       Say grace in restaurants.

       Be that home in the neighborhood where everyone is welcome and at ease. Where everybody else’s kids want to hang out.

       Go to the Northeast Community Council meetings. Even better, sit on the community council itself and change the tone of the conversation by your very presence.

       (Their next meeting is June 16, BTW)

       Our job as a parish is to become so much a part of our local community that they cannot imagine life without us.

       So go!  Be a life-giving force in the world…or at least that little part or the world in which God has placed you.

II.

       The tongues of flame are intriguing. This can symbolize many things.  Certainly, it can refer to the enlightenment bestowed on the apostles and Mary, as they receive all the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.)  But fire also reminds of the power of the love of God alive in the heart of the believer. The disciples on the road to Emmaus exclaimed, “Were not our hearts on fire within us…” as they conversed with Lord. (Acts 24:32) The Holy Spirit is not timid. Rather it bestows on us Christians the power to live the life to which we have been called.

       The challenge for the Christian is to be open to receiving these gifts and perhaps more importantly to recognize them in others.

       True leadership, true discipleship means recognizing one’s own gifts and offering them for the good of the community, but it also means recognizing those gifts in others and calling them forth.

       Being small helps no one.  Part of being a family of faith is to celebrate the gifts in others, encouraging others to develop them and offer them to the service of Christ and his Church.

I will say this now without apology. In the years that I served as Vocations Director for the Archdiocese, I learned that there is no shortage of vocations to the priesthood or any other vocation in the local Church.

However, what I did find was decided lack of trust in the Lord. 

I’ve said it before, every member of the parish family has a critical role and a sacred obligation to call forth those whom the Spirit dedicates.

If you see someone who you discern has the gifts needed, you take that person aside and tell them,

“Hey, I see in you the gifts that would make a good

Priest, a good deacon, a good Director of Catechetical Ministries, a good catechist, a good lector, a good choir member…

       Would you please consider it and I’m going to be praying for you.”

III.

       Finally, nowhere is this more evident than in the proclamation of the Gospel in every known language at the time.  I always sympathize with the lector this weekend as he or she is confronted with the litany of the languages of the known world. Not unlike our own time, the world in which the Church was born was a divided and confusing place. The multiplicity of languages was a part of that. This reminds of us of the confusion caused by humanity’s pride at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9).  But with the gift of the Spirit, what was once confused is now clear. The Church and the Gospel message are truly universal in scope. Indeed, today the Church exists in every language and culture and the Good News is proclaimed in every corner of the world.

       The challenge for us is to boldly proclaim that same Gospel message clearly so that it may as easily understood in this time and in this place. 

       To do so, your need to learn basics of our faith certainly, but more importantly, you need to be able to express to people why and how it makes a difference in your life.

       There is a great temptation when someone asks about the Church, or challenges us about the Church her teachings, to try to defend the entire Church universal and all her doctrines.

       That’s fine, if you can do so. But the best answer you can give them is to tell them about why YOU are Catholic and what your faith means to YOU.

       It’s easy to criticize and dismiss a faceless, monolithic institution.  Even we Catholics have a tendency to institutionalize our own Church.  Often we find ourselves saying, “The Church should do this…or…The parish should do that.

       But the Church is not institutional.  It is personal. The Church has a face. Not surprisingly, it looks a like your face and mine. 

       Let me close with this one story.

       A long time ago, in a parish far, far away, I was approached by a very faithful, well-meaning parishioner.

       “Hey, Father,” he said, “There is this elderly woman named Mary who lives in the house next door to us.  She’s getting on in years and she’s developed that macular degeneration. So she can’t drive any more.  As a result, it’s tough for her to get to Mass.  And I know she’s not the only one is a situation like this.  I have an idea…

       …do you see where this is going…

“The parish should buy a van so that we can pick up people like her and others.” 

       I looked him right in the eye and I said to him, “She lives right next door to you?”

       “Oh yeah.” 

       “Why don’t you give her a ride?”

He looked at me dumbfounded for about three seconds.  Then a light came on and said, “You know, the idea and never crossed my mind.  Yeah! I’m going to do exactly that!”

       And he did!  And right up until they day she died, they would pick up Mary every Sunday morning and come to Mass together.  The added bonus was that their daughter grew up with an extra grandmother who was as wise as she was generous. 

       THAT is what I’m talking about.

       Pentecost is at once a commemoration and a challenge. We rejoice in the gift of the Spirit in the Upper Room. Now it is our task to continue the saving mission of Christ in our part of the world. This is our call. This is our sacred vocation.

[This week we hear the Golden Rule in the second part of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s gospel. But did you know there is a Bronze Rule and Silver Rule as well? Check it out. As always, you can watch the video by clicking here. ]

       A young priest was in the bishop’s office pouring out his heart.

       “I can’t seem to get the people’s attention in my homilies,” he said. “What can I do?”

       This bishop replied, “Why don’t you try saying something shocking at the beginning. Then once you have their attention, they will listen to the rest of what you have to say.”

       “How do you mean?” asked the priest.

       “Well,” said the bishop, “For example, I started my homily last week like by saying, ‘I’m in love with a woman…She’s married…Her name is Mary.’ Do you see how that works?  Try it.”

       Next week the priest is in the pulpit, still very nervous and begins, “THE BISHOP IS IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN!  She’s married…I can’t remember her name!”

       Today’s gospel gives us the second part of the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke’s gospel. It starts off with the shocking statement, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” We Christians are quite familiar with these statements, but they would have been shocking to his audience. The expected Messiah was supposed to destroy the enemies of Judah. Primarily the Romans. Jesus is saying they have to love the Romans! What’s up with that?! 

       However, a previous ‘messiah’, King David, shows us just how it is done when he declines the opportunity to kill Saul, who is trying to hunt him down and kill him. In one sense, Jesus is simply asking his disciples to embrace the best of their heritage. He is inviting them, and us, to rise above the limited standards of the worldly and instead embrace the Kingdom of God. This requires a fundamental shift in the way we think, feel and act, especially towards those who do not embrace the Kingdom.

It is matter of rising from good to great, from justice to love.

       Most people remember the Sermon on the Plain for it’s articulation of  the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” which summarizes his many instructions. But did you know that there is a Bronze Rule and a Silver

Rule which preceded it? 

       In the Books of Leviticus (24:19–21) and Deuteronomy (19:21), as well as the legal codes of other cultures, we see the Bronze Rule, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It was an important law that kept limited retaliation for an injury to the level at which it occurred. It ensured that justice was served while preventing escalation of the situation.

       Cultures develop over time. At a certain point people look to how to avoid such conflicts rather than just react to them. Centuries later, we see the Silver Rule, “Do to no one what you yourself dislike.” It also makes sense. If you don’t want to be injured. Don’t injure others.” 

       Still, this is a rather passive way of acting. Jesus takes it a step further. The Kingdom is not just about how to avoid doing the wrong thing. It is about doing the loving thing. Thus, “do unto others…” In this way, we move from the good to the great, from the moral to the magnanimous, from justice to love.

       I’m reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s reply to a woman who asked him how he thought he could win the Civil War if he did not destroy his enemy. Looking at her, he said, “My dear lady, I do not destroy my enemy when I make him my friend.”

[What does it mean to be the People of God in the Age of Fulfillment? What difference does it make? What difference should it make? Watch the video here. The text is below. ]

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    Much to the consternation of stage hands and techies everywhere in show business, the “Mic Drop” enjoys widespread popularity. For those of you who are not up to speed, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the mic drop as, (n.) an instance of deliberately dropping or tossing aside one’s microphone at the end of a performance or speech one considers to have been particularly impressive. They go on to say that it is “used to emphasize that a discussion is at an end after a definitive or particularly impressive point has been made, as in: ‘Nuff said. Mic drop!’”

       At the RCIA this week, this is exactly how one of the catechumens described what was going on in the synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus said, “Today, this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

       I think he was on to something, especially when we remember that Jesus just did not pick this particular passage from Isaiah at random. It is one of the passages that heralded the coming of the Messiah and what it would look like. If you stop to think about it, the things described in the passage were exactly the kinds of things that Jesus has been doing before he stopped in at Nazareth and the kinds of things he would continue to do right up to his passion, death and resurrection. He is pointing out to them that the time of fulfillment is at hand.

       Indeed, the Church is very clear that just like all Old Testament sacrifices, all Old Testament prophecies were perfected and brought to fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.

       (So, if you run across a preacher who is saying that O.T. prophecies are coming true in the present day, please charitably remind him of this reality.)

       It is a heady thing to live in the time of fulfillment, but that is exactly what we are doing. Christ fulfilled the prophecies and ushered in the new age of grace.  The present age will last until he comes in glory with salvation for his people.

       So, how do we live as the People of God in the age of fulfillment? 

       How are our lives different than those around us? Here’s a quick little quiz to help us out. 

1.  How do you organize you time?

• Is prayer your first priority of the day, or is it just something that you fit in when you can on the side? 
• Do you get your ten minutes of prayer a day? If not, why not?  
• If you are not getting at least ten minutes a day of quiet private prayer with God, your life is out of control and you need to make adjustments.  No excuses.
• Does all those in the home gather for prayer at a certain time of the day for prayer.

       And I don’t mean grace before meals.

Some folks might say, “Oh but Fr. Leo, life is busy with work and school and hockey and dance and whatnot.

       If you find yourself thinking this way, then the Evil One is already dominating your lives. 

       What I have described to you is the MINIMUM.

Remember, if I am the Evil One, I am going to fill your life with so many GOOD things, that you will not have time for your relationship with Christ.

       To whom do you give your time? Your life?

       To Christ?  Or to all these other…things

2.  How deliberately do you share your talents?

       What ministries are you involved in here at the parish?

       What organizations do you volunteer for in the community? 

       You don’t have to do everything, but you should do something.

       In the parish, I always advise folks to commit to one liturgical ministry and one ministry of service to the parish.

       In addition to volunteer for one organization in the community.  Somewhere that needs your gifts. 

3. Finally, how deliberate are you with your stewardship of treasure?

       On what kinds of things are you spending your money?

       How deliberate are you about distinguishing between needs and wants?

       How deliberate are you about giving a planned, proportionate amount to your income to the parish, to the Archdiocese? To other worthy causes both in the Church and in the larger community? 

       Let me tell you how I came to be deliberate about my stewardship of Treasure to the Lord.

A couple years after I was ordained, the Archdiocese made a commitment to implement the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral letter on Stewardship.

       It is a powerful document, which is far more about how to be a Christian than anything else.

       Shortly thereafter at a meeting of the priests, Fr. Moore, the Vicar General introduced the new priests’ remuneration package.

       As he was talking about the amount of the monthly stipend, he added, “And of course, this is based on the assumption that all priests are tithing to their parish.”

       And there was a little twitter of laughter.

And in that moment something inside of me snapped. 

I said to myself, “This is so wrong.  How dare we ask our people do to something we are not willing to do ourselves?” 

       So like St. Peter, I went over the rail and into the deep.  That night in prayer I committed to the Lord that I would give the first 10% of my stipend to the parish, and any Mass stipends or other gifts would be tithed for other charities and the special collections.

       I should have done the math first.

       In those days, the priests stipend was $440/month.  Between my car payment, my student loan payment, one other monthly expense and the tithe, I started every month $49.73 in the whole.

       But, I had made a private vow to the Lord.

              So there could be no excuses. I had to live it out and trust that he would take care of me.

       I think it was in that moment that I made the transition from consumer of religious goods and services to disciple of Jesus Christ. I had to trust him with my finances…
That was hard.

       But you know, I never missed a payment,

       I found that I became incredibly grateful for all the little blessings in life.

       I learned the difference between a want and a need.

And surprisingly, I found that I had much more money at the end of each month than I really needed. 

       I realized then that Jesus meant what he said,

And also that you cannot outdo the generosity of God.

       I’ve never looked back since. 

Now, you may or may not be able to make such a leap all at once, but you can take a step.

       My advice is to work yourself up to it. 

       Sit down. Look at your household finances, pray hard, and decide.

       Maybe you start by committing 1% to the Church and 1% to other charities this year. Then next year, do the same assessment and work yourself up to 2% and 2%.  And then the same thing the next year and so on and so on. 

       For many of us, this is the most uncomfortable part of our life as a disciple, but for me, I found it was the most necessary. For me, I found that if I do not trust Christ with every part of my life, including my finances, then I am not loving him with all my heart and all my strength and all my soul. 

       I like what Bishop Gerber had to say about discerning one’s commitment of treasure.  He said:

• “After prayerful thought about the size of our gift;
• When we do not find ourselves making excuses for its size;
• When we know in our hearts it is sacrificial;
• When we are completely honest with God and with ourselves;
• Then we know our gift is the correct amount.”                     

In the end, it’s all about gratitude.  As the Psalmist says, “How shall I make a return to the Lord, for all the good he has done for me…(Psalm 116).

In short, when we understand what we have been given

       When we understand what we have been FORgiven

Then the only response that is possible. 

       And the only one that is necessary is gratitude.

Then the only question becomes what tangible expression will my gratitude take?

       On what and with whom do you spend your time?

       On what and with whom do you share your talent?

       On what and with whom do you spend your treasure?

To put it more glibly,

       Show me your calendar

       Show me your bank statement

       And I’ll tell you what your priorities are. 

Much of what I have just said is already known and lived by many of you. You’ve already made the time and the effort to be in this church or watch online.

But it is good once in awhile to sit back and take inventory. To look at one’s life and make an honest self-evaluation how we spend our time, talent and treasure.

       To put the “discipline” in “disciple”

To be deliberate in how we express our gratitude to Almighty God as people of the new covenant,

       Proclaiming the joy of the gospel

       In all that we say

       But more importantly, in all that we do.

So that those around us may come to know their Savior.

This week we move into Ordinary time and our gospel brings us to the Wedding at Cana. Check out the video here.

It was the great social philosopher Groucho Marx who once said:  “Marriage is a wonderful institution…

    But who wants to live in an institution?”

Did you hear about the two florists that  got married?

          It was an arranged marriage.

Ten years ago, the invisible man married the invisible woman.

          Yeah, their kids are nothing to look at either.

Two spiders got married.

          They met on the web.

Two antennas got married.

          The ceremony wasn’t much but the reception was excellent.

    There are many things we could talk about regarding the wedding at Cana in this week’s gospel. Personally, I am greatly edified that Our Lord’s first miracle was to make a party a success. As tempting as it might be to go down that rabbit hole, instead I’d like to talk about the role of the Blessed Mother.

    Much like today, wedding feasts were a big deal in first century Palestine.  But unlike today, they were public, not private events. Days before, the groom had left with his entourage to retrieve his bride from her village. Travel being what it was in those days, he could show up at any time, day or night. Once the bridegroom and his bride arrived there was a festive procession from the gates of town to the bridegroom’s household. The whole village was involved. Since there were no newspapers or Facebook or any other type of media to publicize the event, this is how they did it. The typical wedding feast went on for a week or more. Many scholars comment that this particular wedding feast had probably been going on for at least three days by the time the wine ran out. How embarrassing! 

    Enter the Mother of Jesus. Seeing the awkward situation of the host family, she approaches her Son. We may be a bit perplexed at Jesus’ response, “My hour has not yet come.”  I’m not sure what his plans were, but whatever they had been, the intervention of his mother seems to change all that. And then, perhaps even to his own embarrassment, she turns to the steward and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”  I my own mind, I can hear Jesus mutter to himself, “Oh, Mom!”

    Then, the miracle happens. 

    The implication of the story is clear. Jesus works the miracle because of the intercession of the Blessed Mother on behalf of the bride and groom. It is a powerful lesson and a strong example for all of us. There are three things we should take away from this encounter.

    First, Mary is the first disciple and the model for all the rest of us disciples. As she was not shy about asking Jesus to work the miracle for her friends, neither should we be in asking Jesus to help ours.      

     Second, like the bride and groom, we should not be shy about making our needs know to the Blessed Mother so that she may intercede on our behalf.

    Finally, once we have, we would do well to heed her advice to the stewards: “Do whatever he tells you.”               

There are many things we can contemplate about the wedding at Cana, but it behooves us to look very closely at the role of the Blessed Mother.

    In how we pray

    What and for whom we pray

    What we should do with the fruits of that prayer.

Howdy, Church fans! Here is the latest from your one-stop salvation shop! Authority in the Church is not exercised like authority in secular politics. To be credible, it must be done as service, not just power. Check out the video on our YouTube channel by clicking here. The whole Mass can be found by clicking here.

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    I’ve always been impressed with the leadership style of Pope St. John XXIII.

       You know, he almost did not become pope.  There was a much more qualified Italian cardinal by the name of Massimo Sicola. However, the other cardinals decided against him in the end because they could not bring themselves to elect someone who would be known as “Pope Sicola”.

       Pope St. John XXIII is often seen as the Pope for the common person, but his genius was not so much that he brought the papacy down to the level of the people, but that he brought the people up to the level of the papacy.  Without giving up a single trapping of the office, he exercised his authority in such a way that everyone could identify with Good Pope John. The secret as to how he pulled this off lies in this week’s gospel. There are three parts to this passage and each one deserves some reflection.

       In the first part, Jesus is introducing the disciples to the notion that the Messiah will suffer and die and be raised on the third day. In doing so, he is identifying with the image of the Suffering Servant described in the first reading from Wisdom. He does this very deliberately.  He doesn’t mince words. 

       But this is not what the disciples had in mind at all. Like everyone at that time, they were looking for the Messiah to be a powerful priest-king who would kick out the Romans and establish the Kingdom of Israel where true worship of God could happen in peace. Accordingly, they were arguing about which cabinet positions they would hold in the new power structure.

       Jesus sets them straight. Authority in the Kingdom of God is not exercised like authority in secular politics. True and lasting authority which comes from God is exercised as service to the common good. “If anyone wishes to be the first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all. (Mk 9:35) To be credible and effective, it cannot be any other way.        Good leaders don’t tower over others; they raise others up to a higher dignity. This was the genius of Christ, the genius of Good Pope John, and a challenge for us. Let us lead by service in our families for the good of our neighborhoods, in our parish for the good of our local community, in our Archdiocese for the good of our State, and in the Church Universal for good of the world.

Hey, Church fans! I’m back from the wilds of Alaska and in the pulpit once again. Here’s this week’s offering. Catch the video of the homily on our YouTube channel by clicking here. The whole Mass is on our parish Facebook page. Click here for that.

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     Every one of us has a pet peeve or two.  I like to think my pet peeves are simple. I get irritated with mechanical things that are cheaply made and break down easily. I have little patience for laziness (which must be distinguished from legitimate leisure). And I don’t like the word ‘Catholicism.” 

     Call me persnickety, but it’s just not a good description of who we are. We are not an ‘ism.’  We are no some disembodied set of principles or a philosophical or anthropological method of self-actualization.  We are very corporeal. The fact that we call ourselves, “The Body of Christ” and “The People of God.” is no accident. 

     Prevailing secular culture would like to reduce us to an ‘ism.’  This is because ‘isms’—disembodied principles—are easily dismissed in a world where truth is relative and ‘my truth’ is as credible as ‘your truth.’  The idea that there might actually be something as objective as “The Truth” is very irksome to some people.

      We should not let ourselves be reduced to an ‘ism’.  Anyone can dismiss an ‘ism’.  It is much more difficult to dismiss a person, and impossible to ignore an assembly of persons.

     The Catholic Church is exceedingly incarnational.  The thing that distinguishes us, and all Christians, is how we answer the question: ‘Who is Jesus of Nazareth?”

In fact, that is the very point of this week’s readings.  It helps to remember that while gospels are quite historical, they were not written as histories.  Rather, they are theological statements that answer the question: “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” 

       The  reading from the prophet Isaiah states what the Messiah would do, making the blind see, the deaf hear, and the mute speak.  In relating the healing of the deaf man with the speech impediment, the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus doing just that.  The message is clear: “This is the guy!  This is the Messiah!”

       In the Church, we state unequivocally that he is the Incarnate Word of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and rose on the third day. He is not just a sensitive, new-age guy who taught us all how to get along by loving our neighbor.  Christ is not an ‘ism’ and neither are we.

     The Church has a face. Surprisingly, this face looks a lot like yours and mine. As the Body of Christ, we are in a true sense, the sacrament of Christ, the true presence of Christ in the world. We should never let ourselves be reduced to any thing else. 

     Teresa of Avila said it well: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.”