Homilies

On my recent trip to San Diego, I was grateful for one certain app on my cell phone: Mapquest. That app showed me what route to take and also told me how to get to my destination by means of public transit. I didn’t get lost once. Having the right directions certainly made for an easier journey.

Life itself is a journey and Jesus has come to give us directions to make our journey through life easier. “Repent and believe in the gospel,” he proclaims at the start of his ministry; they are the first words he spoke in Mark’s gospel. Clearly this urgent message was important to him.

Two thousand years later, those six words continue to turn the world upside down. Repentance is something we should do whenever the need arises but what is it? It is not merely saying, “I’m sorry.” To be truly repentant, one must be willing to change one’s life. Now you may be thinking that I am out of season since repentance is the message we usually hear throughout Lent, which is weeks away, but repentance isn’t just a Lenten activity.

Think back to the first reading, which comes from one of the shortest books in the Bible. The book of Jonah can be read in minutes. You would think that this little book would be as obscure as the other less known books of the Bible yet Jonah’s story captures our imagination.

At the beginning of this book, God told Jonah, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city and proclaim judgment upon it; for their wickedness comes before me.” But Jonah chose not to, fleeing instead in the opposite direction. He boards a ship, finds himself in a storm and blaming him for their plight, the crew throws him over board. The sea then calms down. Jonah spends three days in the belly of a big fish, a vision that foreshadowed Christ’s three days in the tomb.
He is then spewed upon the shore. From there he goes to Nineveh and proclaims God’s message of repentance to its residents. Much to his dismay, (after all, they are pagans) the citizens of Nineveh recognized their wrong-doing, repent, change their ways, and are spared by God.

Jonah delivered a timeless message. He has awakened countless listeners to the fact that morality is the one quality God seeks in us humans. God doesn’t care about our status in life, or where we live, or the color of our skin, or our past. What God desires is that we conduct ourselves in a moral manner in the present moment. Fortunately for us, God forgets the sin, but not the repentant sinner.

One could view Jonah’s ultimatum as a threat. “Do this or else, God will punish you!” That was a message we often heard while growing up from our parents and teachers. We are still told to do certain things or face the consequences if we don’t, such as observing the speed limit. Go too fast and you are apt to get a speeding ticket or cause an accident that could put a hefty dent in your wallet. When we act immorally, the pleasure is likely to be fleeting but the consequences could be long lasting. No wonder, Jonah’s message is well known: change directions or else!

Paul also cautions his listeners of their need to repent, telling them that life is fleeting. “I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.” They need to embrace the Gospel and repent before it is too late. Paul then tells them that their world is passing away. The kingdom of God will render pointless all of the world’s false values and goals.

Unlike Jonah, Jesus didn’t march on the scene as a prophet of gloom and doom. Instead, He is telling us, “Something great is happening! Change direction and follow me or lose out!” There is more to life than simply avoiding sin. His call to repentance is an invitation to see life as God does: our path to heaven. Jesus has come to offer us the blueprint for building the Kingdom of God in our lifetime.

As followers of Christ, we should be the happiest people on earth. We know where we are going and we know how to get there. Along the way, there will be trials and tribulations to disrupt our journey. There are weaknesses in our human nature that often lead us astray, but then God knows we cannot make this trip alone. That is why Jesus is on the scene to give us directions. It comes down to you and me, today, hearing his call and responding as though our lives depend on it.

We can be the happiest people on earth if we accept Jesus’ invitation to follow him like the apostles did. They put aside everything and gave Jesus their undivided attention to learn his message of hope and salvation. His message impressed them so much that, unlike reluctant Jonah, they went forth with great enthusiasm and shared Jesus’ directions with anyone who would listen.

Today’s Gospel summarizes Jesus’ teaching. His message is simple: repent and believe in the Gospel, the Good News. The Good News is that happiness and peace are offered to us if we are willing to fight against evil and turn to the Lord. The Good News is that nothing can take Christ away from us. No one, no situation in life, nothing can destroy the joy that we have in being united to the Lord.

My friends, these readings extend the invitation for us to repent and believe that what Jesus has to say will make a difference in your life journey and mine, providing us with the best directions for living life fully and reaching heaven.

In the first reading, we heard Samuel responding, “Here I am,” whenever he heard the voice of God. In the responsorial, we all responded, ”Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.” The question every one of us should ponder is, “What is God calling me to do?”

Unlike phones in the past, telephones now come equipped with caller ID and voice mail. We are now able to screen our calls and decide if we want to respond or not. I confess that if I don’t recognize the number or name, I am not likely to answer. Instead I will wait and see if the caller leaves a message on voice mail.

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2nd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

“What happens in Bethlehem doesn’t stay in Bethlehem. It goes home with pilgrims. That was certainly true of the Holy Family. “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart”.” This was a quote from the book by Scott Hahn, “Joy to the World”, the gift given to us from the Parish.

What do we do when we leave this church every Sunday? What do we take with us? Do we have the Epiphany that this simple bread and wine has now become Jesus’ body and blood? Like the wise men who had the Epiphany that revealed to them who Jesus is do we take Jesus with us as we leave through those doors to share with others?
The Magi receive the revelation that Jesus is the King of the Jews. So they come to pay homage. They have an Epiphany-they know that Jesus is now manifested, that Jesus is now revealed and is the son of God who has come to save the world.

Epiphany means a showing, a manifestation. In our case today, through the visit of the wise men, the manifestation of Jesus as the savior of the world was made known to all. The wise men know this. They had their Epiphany. And what was shown to us is that Jesus, the one who came to save us, was revealed to all, Jew and Gentile alike. After all, the wise men were Gentile scholars in astrology and seeing this star, they knew someone had come into world who was very special indeed and after finding Jesus had an Epiphany that this child was sent by God to save the world.

There are many epiphanies we experience every day. But do we have the Epiphany that shows us Jesus in our daily lives, Jesus who is present in our lives, this Jesus who loves us so much to give his life for us? Or are we so caught up in this world’s stuff that we are clouded by it, keeping us from seeing him, seeing his relevance in our lives and that of the whole world?

I know that this happens to me from time to time especially in those times that I get impatient waiting for some sign that he is there when all I have to do is clear my mind, heart and soul from all the stuff around me. Then I realize, I have an Epiphany that He is right next to me guiding me and walking with me through my life’s journey. Has that happened to you? I bet it has.

Keeping my mind, heart and soul clear allows me to realize the epiphanies that happen on a daily basis. It is not just once. Through these daily Epiphanies, Jesus shows me who he wants me to be and I can realize who He really is, my God and my King, my Savior, my merciful and loving friend!

In our gospel today, God chose an insignificant people, the Jews and Jerusalem and from among them God chose an insignificant Jewish virgin, Mary. Through them, God chose to reveal the mystery of his plan beyond the Jews to the world. We hear in the psalm: “The king of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts. The king of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute, all kings shall pay homage, all nations shall serve him.”
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul exalts that the mystery of salvation, treasured by the Jewish people as their exclusive possession, is also intended by God for the salvation of the Gentiles, the world beyond the Jews. This in itself is an Epiphany. Jesus is revealed to be the savior of all people on earth.

Epiphanies are mental moments spurred by visible or verbal moments in our lives where we gain instant clarity, where we gain truth, where we gain wisdom by the power of the Spirit. These times can turn into motivation to change and charge forward. But not all epiphanies are created equally.

Some demand a deep inward search and you’ll be stuck asking the tough questions to see what you are made of! Other times they fly in and out of your life swiftly, silently, almost unseen but they do reach deep within us. It is great to have epiphanies in our lives but what we do with them, this new revelation, this new truth, this new clarity, is what really matters.

Most of our habits are so ingrained in our lives that changing behavior causes recourse in life. Most epiphanies force us to see situations and to see ourselves in a new light. But what do we do with this new light, this new revelation this change in our behavior?

As Catholic Christians we are charged to be evangelizers of our faith. The Epiphany does not stop at the crib. It continues throughout time and space to share this light, this revelation of who Jesus is. This faith of ours should be very important in our lives. This love shared by God through his Son Jesus, should be the most important in our lives. There is this game I play only once in a while. It goes like this; I tell some people that I love someone more than my own family, more than my own wife. Then I hesitate and remain silent for 10-15 seconds. I get the strangest looks and some tha could even kill.

I can only imagine what is going through their minds. Then I let them off the hook and say; “I love God more than anyone or anything.” It is like I lifted a great weight off their shoulders. The Epiphany of Jesus as savior of the world is hard to comprehend for some but it does not diminish that Jesus, in fact, came to save us all.

Jesus came to take on our burdens, to lighten our load, to take the weight of our sins off our shoulders. That in itself, is an Epiphany of who Jesus is, this Jesus lying in a manger in a stall, who became one of us taking humanity upon himself, putting himself in our shoes, revealing to us that he is here with us, and to be with us as we journey to holiness, as we journey in his truth.

Holiness is at the core of our faith and the Christian life. Jesus didn’t come into the world just to forgive sins. He came through this Epiphany, to make us into a new creation. He came so that He could give us the power to live in the holiness, peace and purity that he demonstrated. He brought us a way of life that would insure our entrance into the heavenly kingdom forever! What an Epiphany!

You know, having worshiped Christ, the Magi returned to their own country by a different route. This suggests not just a new geographical route, but a new mentality, a new truth. Having met Christ and hearing his gospel, we too will travel through life by a different route. We will have different attitudes, different values, different goals. It is impossible to encounter Christ without it affecting the way we live our lives.

Our coming here to mass is a journey to see Jesus, to get the fullest truth of who he is in our lives. We come here to give Him , in the presence of his body and blood, a place in our minds, hearts, and souls, to journey with us to the Father. This is the Epiphany.

This is the meaning and the joy of the Epiphany. May all of us experience the joy of showing Jesus to others. May we ask God to guide us with the light of Jesus Christ and to fully recognize the Epiphany of Jesus in the Eucharist and to welcome him with love!

Christmas is a special time to be with family. Ideally, it is also a special time for evaluating the life of your family for most likely, no other group of people shaped you more than the family in which you grew up. This is also a time for parents to examine their need for more and deeper wisdom.

We are grateful when family life is an actual picture of comfort and joy. When households are at their best, family life is holy. The peace and grace lived out among family members reveal the peace and grace of God. Alas, not every family brings joy to the world or knows the peace of silent night.

For some, the family is the setting in which the most cruel and unloving things occur. Even in families where there is a measure of warmth and affection, some members begin to take each other for granted. Sometimes the words, “I love you,” spoken by a spouse, can mean, “I want to exploit you, I want to use you.” Sometimes the words, “I love you,” spoken by a parent to a child, can mean, “I want you to do as I say so you won’t embarrass me.” And, we know that sometimes when a child says, “I love you” to a parent, it can mean, “I want something.”

The story in today’s gospel is one of the few episodes in the Bible in which Jesus, Mary and Joseph are seen together as a family. Mary and Joseph are following the prescribed religious ritual of presenting their Child, Jesus, at the Temple and offering sacrifice to God. And in this context of family togetherness, Luke concludes the story with these words:

“When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

Today’s feast reminds us that God works through created things to convey divine love and challenges us to seek God’s love anew through our loved ones. Such is the advice that we hear from both Sirach and Paul. If you do good, then good things happen to you; if you do evil, then evil befalls you. We know that isn’t always the outcome. Even though Mary and Joseph did good things, their family still experienced pain and suffering; they were refugees for a while in Egypt but that did not stop them from living as a respecting, encouraging, affirming and loving family. As Paul points out, love desires good for others, just as God does for us.

Blood ties alone do not create the family. What transforms a group of people into a family is love, the virtue that binds the other virtues listed by Paul such as compassion, kindness, humility and patience together. In a truly holy family all members are respected and cherished, nurtured and supported, united to one another through the bond of love.

Family life never runs smoothly all the time and today it is more difficult and trying than ever before. For a family to thrive and become holy, it needs a Christian home. So what makes a Christian home? I hope you agree that…

It is a place of love, consideration and understanding. It is a place where they pray for the homeless. It is a place of family fun and enjoyment. It is a place where children are welcome. It is a place of hospitality. It is not just a home for family.

It is a place where the stranger can feel at home. It is a place where God is given thanks for all things. It is a place where the family can bring their friends. It is a place where parents pray for their family. It is a place where children learn to pray.

It is not just a clean respectable house. It is a place where Jesus would feel at ease; a place where Jesus lives. And callers who come with doubts, fears, and sorrows will meet him. There they will find faith, hope, love, company and understanding.

A family, like any garden, needs time, attention and cultivation if it is to thrive; the sunshine of laughter and affirmation; the rains of difficulties, tense moments of anxieties along with serious discussions on critical matters. It needs areas of hardness, like bitterness, envy, anger, or unforgiven hurts to be turned over. As any green thumb knows, if a garden is not maintained, weeds flourish so as we enter into a new year, resolve to plant in your family garden, these17 rows:

5 rows of P’s: perseverance, politeness, praise, peace making and prayer

4 rows of “let us”: Let us be faithful in word and deed; let us be unselfish with our resources; let us be loyal; let us love one another.

3 rows of squash: squash gossip, squash criticism, and squash indifference.

5 rows of “turn ups”: Turn up on time for school events, turn up for family gatherings, turn up with a better attitude, turn up with new ideas and the determination to carry them out and turn up with a smile.

Nurture these values in your family garden and you will bring about a bountiful harvest of a real family where everyone is respected, encouraged, affirmed, and loved, thus a holy family, bringing forth a harvest of an abundant family life.

Some folks yearn for rather extravagant gifts on Christmas day or at least companies like Lexus and Toyota think so with ads that show their SUV’s sitting in a driveway with a nice red bow ribbon. Perhaps that is what prompted one wife to say to her husband, “On Christmas day there had better be something in the driveway that goes from zero to 200 in ten seconds flat.” That morning, she found a small package in the driveway. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. By the way, funeral arrangements for the husband have been set for next Saturday.

Much has happened since that first Christmas in Bethlehem so long ago. In the past century, we have commercialized this feast and sanitized it. The typical Christmas card image of the nativity often depicts a scene of angelic choirs, a babe in a manger, Mary and Joseph in clean clothes, humble shepherds with well-behaved sheep nearby or three kings presenting fabulous gifts. I venture to say that what we often imagine is not an accurate portrayal of the first Christmas.

Consider the shepherds. They were the dregs of the earth, men who couldn’t find a better job. Many were conniving thieves, much like our own proverbial used car salesmen. They were considered irreligious by the self-righteous because they did not participate in regular worship.

Mary and Joseph were not physical models of perfection either. Remember, they were poor peasants, clad in travel-worn, dusty, dirty clothes. They had traveled 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a scruffy village south of Jerusalem. Unable to find a place to stay, they were lodged amid livestock. The stable animals were no different than what you would find in a local barn. And the manger? We aren’t talking about a nice crib from Babies R Us, but a feeding trough for animals, likely dripping with slop. By creating a scene to look like one from a Hollywood set, we miss the point of this feast, namely the incarnation of God’s son.

God came into human existence with all its limitations and flaws. God desired then and there to embrace us in spite of our brokenness. From the very start, his son mingled with the poorest of the poor among people like the shepherds and poor peasant parents. He came into our lives to nourish our brokenness too and feed our hungry souls.

That child, born in a manger, grew up and didn’t change one bit. He was later criticized for socializing with the outcasts of society; tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the marginalized. He broke bread to feed sinners, telling his critics, “I come to call sinners, not the just.” In due time, he died between two thieves, who had likely been shepherds. From the cradle to the grave, Jesus, the Son of God and the son of Mary, dwelt among us, reaching out to anyone and everyone.

The big question for Christmas that we often overlook is why don’t we pay attention to all this? Instead, we allow ourselves to fall for the commercial sentimentality of this season and be smitten by whatever gifts we find or don’t find under the tree. By becoming incarnate in his son, Jesus, God echoes the reality that love is a harsh and dreadful thing. Harsh is being born among the scum of the earth, and dreadful is dying naked on a cross with holes in your body.

What we too easily overlook is that God lives every day among us. In practice, we ignore that. We think that we are beyond his concern, his care, his love. We portray Jesus in royal trappings and place him beyond our reach, much like a resident in England would place the queen. Consequently, we don’t experience his care and embrace. How can we think this about a God who aches so badly to be among us?

Christmas isn’t a day; it’s a season. I suggest that the only way we will find the true meaning of Christmas is to discard the pretty Christmas card images of the birth of Jesus and rediscover that Christ is here where he has always wanted to be: among the small and ordinary folks, like you and me. That is why of all places, he chose to be born in such a lowly setting. The Son of God became flesh so that he could be close to us and empathize with our personal struggles.

If he had no reservations to mingle among the dregs of biblical society so long ago in a dank, smelly cave, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger, then be assured that he has no qualms being welcomed into your life, however you judge yourself to be in his sight. Jesus wants to be close to you; bringing his love into your lives.

Love is what the stable scene is all about, what Christmas is all about. But to hear that message, we have to get close and find our place among the shepherds, the wise men, the animals, and all the other outcasts Jesus came to save. We have to go to the trough, to the feeding station.

It comes down to this: if you look to the media and to popular culture, there is no way that you will find anything other than a tinseled image of the first Christmas. But gathered in a faith community where Jesus still humbly comes in the spoken word and in a small piece of bread, we know he is here for the shepherds, the outcasts, the downtrodden. In Christmas he has fulfilled his desire to be with us, offering us the most precious present we could yearn for, himself.

Remember, Christmas isn’t a display in a store window. Christmas is the celebration of the Son of God coming into our lives, not just to celebrate his birth, but also to celebrate love in the midst of our broken lives.