JESUS-EMMANUEL: Mary's Christmas Gift to Us

 

Deacon Dave · Jesus-Emmanuel

Catholic Homily for the Octave Day of Christmas, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, Jan 1, 2023. The Gospel of Luke 2:16-21. Theme: Jesus-Emmanuel, Mary's Christmas Gift to us

January 1 is a spiritually rich multi-themed day in the Catholic Church. First, it is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. We celebrate the unique vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called to give flesh and blood to the Incarnate Son of God. Her virginal motherhood proclaims the mystery of who Jesus is: God comes as one of us, fully human yet also fully divine. This is so important that our celebration is called a "Solemnity" and is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. 

January 1 is also the Octave Day of Christmas. Many Jewish celebrations were highlighted for 8 days to show their importance. One of these was the circumcision and name-giving of boys on the 8th day after their birth. Through this ritual they entered into Israel’s Covenant with God. It would be rather comparable to Baptism for us Christans. And so in today’s liturgy we celebrate the 8th or Octave Day of the Lord’s Nativity as we commemorate the circumcision and naming of Jesus. 

Choosing a name for a child is a big part of getting ready for its birth, but God himself selected Jesus’ name and revealed it to Mary and Joseph in the beginning of her pregnancy. An angel said to both of them at different times, “His name will be JESUS.” Actually, he would have been called Yeshua in their native language and that's how Mary & Joseph would have addressed him. We would call him Joshua in modern English, however, Christians long ago chose to use the Latin form of his name in Greek (Ieosus) in order to preserve and proclaim his utter uniqueness. But in any case and in every language the name means “God saves” and that was and still is that Holy Child's mission on planet Earth as the angels first said to the shepherds: “the Savior has been born for you.” 

However, the Scriptures also give us what we might call Jesus' nickname. As we all know, a nickname typically expresses some characteristic that really stands out in a person and Jesus' nickname was EMMANUEL which means, "God is with us". That is what makes him most unique, and when we put the two names together we get the full picture of who he is and why he came among us. When we put those two names together we arrive at the true sacred mystery of Christmas: the birth of Jesus-Emmanuel or in English, of the God who saves, the God who has come to be with us as one of us. 

It is precisely through this union of the human and the divine in Jesus that God embraces and kisses our human nature, so to speak, and transforms us from the inside out. By the Savior being both human and divine he elevates our dignity and status from being simply creatures of God to that of adoption as the very children of God and heirs of Heaven. Through his total sharing of our humanity with us he injects into it the supernatural power of grace which enables us to rise above our selfishness and sinfulness. This power of grace resides in us through the indwelling of the Spirit and is increased within us by prayer, acts of mercy, and reception of the sacraments. And it is Mary’s motherhood that has made all of this possible, which is why it is so fitting that we celebrate both of these mysteries on the same day. 

But we need to remember that transformation is a partnership that doesn’t happen automatically. Jesus never violates our freedom by forcing himself upon us because the decision to reach out to him as Savior and begin being transformed rests upon our free choice. And again, Mary as the Blessed Mother comes into the picture for us, showing us how to use our freedom as she did, surrendering herself to God so that he could bring about her unique intimate relationship with Jesus her Son. 

In today’s Gospel Mary teaches us to ponder who Jesus is and reflect on what he wants to be for us. Pope Francis repeats over and over again that it is extremely necessary for us to read and meditate on Jesus in the gospels and reflect on these things in our hearts like Mary . The gospels hand on to us what Jesus the Savior really did and said when he lived on earth, so there can be no such thing as truly knowing and becoming familiar with him without turning to these Scriptures. 

Today’s Gospel also shows us that Mary was open and welcoming to the shepherds, thus allowing them to personally encounter Jesus. The Blessed Mother prays for us and wants us to draw spiritually and personally close to her Son as well. We can do this by spending time with Jesus in the interpersonal conversation that we call prayer. Prayer is simply speaking with him heart to heart about our day, our fears, our hopes, our dreams. 

Finally, just as it was only through Mary that the Savior became flesh in Bethlehem, so it is only through the Mass that He becomes flesh for us today. He comes as heavenly food for our spiritual hunger and makes his dwelling within us through the Holy Communion. No other spiritual exercise or devotion can take the place of our personal attendance at Mass because it is at the Eucharist that we can most wonderfully receive and enjoy Mary’s Christmas Gift to us, the gift of her Son Jesus the Savior, who through this blessed sacrament forever remains Emmanuel, God-with-us.

They Need to Know and We Need to Remember

 

Deacon Dave · Why We Celebrate Christmas

Christmas Homily for December 25, 2022. Gospel of Luke 2:1-20. Theme: They Need to Know and We Need to Remember 

In celebrating Christmas, we Christians bow down in adoration before a manger- an animal’s feedbox - which God chose as his crib when he first came to live among us. The humility of God in coming to earth overwhelms us and the condescension of God in becoming human humbles us every time we look at that Baby in the manger. However, many people don’t experience this sense of religious awe and spiritual wonder. Instead, they try to find some meaning in the trappings of Christmas: the gifts and parties, the sights and sounds of the season. Perhaps they were never told - or maybe they’ve just forgotten - what that Baby in the manger means and the three main reasons why we celebrate Christmas? 

The first reason is because Christmas is the celebration of God sending us a Savior. The very first thing that the Christmas angels revealed to the shepherds of Bethlehem was that the Newborn Child was their Long-Awaited Savior! This was the very first clue given to the world as to who that Baby in a manger really was. The word Savior means Healer. Jesus heals the spiritual wound of sin that resides deep within us and he bestows upon those who trust in him the precious gift of reconciliation with God and one another. The word Savior also means Rescuer. We need him to liberate us from our destructive behaviors and selfish tendencies, to transform us day by day, bit by bit, from the inside out. Everytime we celebrate Christmas we are reminded that the Baby in the manger is our Savior and Deliverer, whose healing touch and rescuing grace brings wholeness and healing into our lives. 

Secondly, we celebrate Christmas because it holds out the hope of peace to the world. When the angels announced the Savior's birth to the shepherds, they also proclaimed a promise of peace, something that the world desperately needed then and needs even more so today. They spoke of peace for those upon whom God’s favor rests, which means upon those who open their hearts to God and accept the Gift of his Messiah, his only Son. This Son taught us that the way to world peace is to first of all begin with peace in our own hearts by being reconciled with God because we cannot give what we do not have. Then, by God’s grace we can radiate peace by intentionally living as instruments of love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light and joy. By doing this we can start a ripple effect of peace in our surroundings that will eventually reach out to encompass the whole world. The message of Christmas, then, teaches us that peace on earth begins with our personal decision to open our hearts to the Baby in the manger and to follow him who is called the Prince of Peace. 

Third and finally, we celebrate Christmas because Jesus is Emmanuel, which in Hebrew means “God-with-us.” We rejoice over Christ’s birth because he is a God who did not want to remain far apart from us in Heaven, but was not afraid to roll up his sleeves, so to speak, and get dirty in the messiness and busy-ness of being human. He desired to live like us and be like us in every way except for sin. And so he came into this world as we all do, from a woman, a mother, born into a family. Whether people realize it or not, this is precisely why Christmas has always held such an honored place among all of our holidays. We magnify its celebration precisely because the human heart cannot ignore an almighty God who has chosen to give up power and glory to become a newborn baby lying helpless and vulnerable in a manger. Who among us, no matter how far we might be from God, could refuse to reach out to such an inviting non-threatening Savior? Every year, Christmas calls us to draw near to the Baby in the manger to see flesh and bone proof of how much God loves us. This is why Jesus became Emmanuel, God-with-us. 

So, you see, we just have to share the Good News of why we celebrate Christmas and who that Baby in the manger really was with those who do not know or who may have forgotten. The need to hear that the Baby in the manger is the Savior who wants to heal their wounds and rescue them from living in hopelessness. That the Baby in the manger is the Prince of Peace who wants to bring serenity to their hearts and families and through them to the whole world. That the Baby in the manger is God come in the flesh who understands what it's like to be human and who wants to walk with them through the ups and downs of daily life. They need to know - and we need to remember - that the Baby in the manger is God’s Christmas Gift to each one of us, the gift of his only Son, sent into the world so that those who trust in him may not perish but have eternal life. 

Joseph's Angel Dream

 

Deacon Dave · Joseph's Angel Dreams

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent, Dec. 22, 2019. Gospel of St. Matthew 2:18-24. Theme: Joseph’s Angel Dream 

Many people find today’s passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel a bit confusing. Since it clearly states that Mary is Joseph’s wife they wonder why her pregnancy would be an issue with the townsfolk of Nazareth? Why would Josep[h have to divorce her quietly so that she avoids shame? To really grasp what’s really going on here we need to know a bit about Jewish marriage customs of the time. 

Ancient Hebrew marriage had two parts: Betrothal and Wedding. A couple became "betrothed" (a much different and stronger bond than our engagement) and the marriage contract was signed. They were committed to one another with no way out except for a few very serious exceptions. But they did not live together until the groom completed the necessary preparations to bring his wife into his home. And so the actual Wedding proper was also called the "Home-Taking". 

Between betrothal and wedding they were morally obligated to not engage in sexual relations. So, when Mary was discovered to be pregnant, she was in a very precarious situation. And so, of course, was Joseph. For a woman to become pregnant before the actual “Home-Taking” meant one of two things for her: at best, she would be shunned by family and villagers and at worst, she could be stoned to death. 

And thus, we arrive at poor Joseph’s dilemma. For him, it meant trusting Mary’s word and believing the unbelievable. For the people, it meant that Mary was unfaithful and should be publicly rejected by Joseph to preserve his own dignity and reputation. But Joseph knew Mary better than anyone. He knew her virtue, her integrity, her goodness and obedience to God’s Law. It just could not be possible that she had either been unfaithful or that she had lied to him. There had to be another answer. We can imagine the tossing and turning, the sweating and kicking of blankets that accompanied his fits of sleep that night! 

But then God, through the angel dream, came to the rescue and showed Joseph a third way. A way that saved Mary from gossip or death, but would instead cast a dark shadow upon his own goodness, virtue and reputation. But not only is he to take Mary as his wife, but he is to publicly declare himself to be the legal father of her Child, the Messiah, the Savior. You see, in ancient Hebrew culture, if an adoptive father was the one to ceremonially name the child then he was publicly declaring that child to legally be his own son. 

However, if he did this without public explanation, then people would assume that he, Joseph, was the one at fault, and not Mary. They would assume that he was the one who could not wait until the “Home Taking”, but had jumped the gun with Mary, so to speak, with disregard for Jewish custom. They would assume him to be the father of the child. And Mary would remain innocent, and would even be pitied instead of shunned, for the villagers would see her as simply one more espoused girl who had been coerced into pre-marital intimacy. 

 It was Joseph’s perfect solution. Or rather, it was God’s perfect solution! Joseph awoke with a new way of thinking, a new way of embracing the situation as God’s will for his life, ready and eager to take Mary into his home as his wife and be father to her holy Child. This message from God was indeed, as one of our popular Christmas carols puts it, tidings of comfort and joy for St. Joseph! 

This Gospel shows us that Joseph was a man who lived for others more than himself. He sacrificed himself for Mary and Jesus right from the beginning. He is such an example of a love so unselfish, so great and deep, that it is willing and able to take the fall for the sake of the one he loves. This is why I think the story of Joseph’s Angel Dream gives us the best example of how we should live, not just now in Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Mary’s Child, but every day as Christians.

The One-Who-Is-To-Come Has Come!

 

Deacon Dave · The "One Who Is To Come" Has Come!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 11, 2022. Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Gospel of St. Matthew 11:2-11. Theme: The One Who Is To Come Has Come! 

For over a thousand years before the birth of Christ, God’s people awaited the arrival of the Messiah. The prophets foretold that this “One-Who-Is-To-Come” would work great signs and wonders to show that God’s Kingdom was breaking into human history. We heard one of these prophecies in our first reading today from the Book of Isaiah. This is why in response to the question put to him by St. John the Baptist’s disciples, Jesus simply handed them his resume, so to speak. And this resume contained the unmistakable signs of God’s presence and power: the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead are restored to life. 

But you know, these amazing deeds of the One-Who-Is-To-Come have never stopped. Every year, literally hundreds of miracles are reported that confound science and astonish medicine. The Vatican has experts who study these phenomena and they say that these miracles go way beyond natural explanation. But we who believe know the reason why even today the blind see, the crippled walk and the dead are restored to life. We know it is because the One-Who-Is-To-Come has come, and he gives proof that he has never left us! 

For example… Gemma Di Giorgi was born in Sicily. A beautiful baby girl. But minutes after her birth her mother noticed that something just didn’t look right…indeed, Gemma had been born without pupils in her eyes. She had been born blind. When she was 7 her grandmother took her to be prayed over by a holy priest named Padre Pio. He asked the Risen Lord Jesus to give little Gemma the gift of sight. And that’s exactly what happened even though to the astonishment of science and medicine, she still lacked pupils! How could this be? Because The One Who Is To Come has come and so the blind can see! 

Serge Francoise recently completed a 1,000-mile walk, a pilgrimage along the famous Camino of St. James in Compostela, Spain. Now, there’s nothing unusual about making that pilgrimage as thousands do so every year. But, before this trek Serge had been confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed and unable to walk. But one day while at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Serge attended Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Right when he was being blessed with Jesus truly present in the Consecrated Host, he felt heat enter into his pelvis and fire radiate down his legs and out through his toes. Suddenly, he felt compelled to stand up and leave the wheelchair behind. His 1,000-mile walk was a pilgrimage of thanksgiving to the Messiah who set him free! How could this be? Because The One Who Is To Come has come and so the lame can walk! 

In Peoria, a mother was in labor and although the pregnancy had been perfectly normal, the child was stillborn. No pulse. No respiration. No movement at all. Imagine that shock and the grief! The doctors and nurses tried frantically to force life into the child by all known medical means. The boy’s dad, who was very devoted to the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, began to storm heaven with prayers. He begged Archbishop Sheen to ask the Risen Lord to give life to his lifeless son. After an hour had passed the attending physician told the parents that he had to call it quits and officially declare the baby’s death. Just as he began to fill out the death certificate little James Engstrom, stillborn 61 minutes earlier with absolutely no medically detectable signs of life, began to cry and kick and scream! Today he is a perfectly fine and normal little boy. How could this be? Because The One Who Is To Come has come and so even today the dead are restored to life! 

Even with such miracles and countless more all around us, there are still those who live and think and act as if the One-Who-Is-To-Come never came. Perhaps instead of seeing and hearing what the Messiah has done, they choose to remain blind and deaf because they know that believing will lead to changing. And change can be a very scary thing for many people, including we who already believe. But Advent is a good time to identify whatever in ourselves needs to experience the transforming power of the Messiah. His miracles are signs of the greater wonders he wants to work within us so that he can bring healing to the wounds of our hearts and restore life to the dead places of our souls. 

The Good News that the Church proclaims in today's liturgy of Joyful Sunday is that the One-Who-Is-To-Come has indeed come, and is still among us, especially in the Eucharist. He is ready and willing and able to reach out and touch those who trust in him; who are honest enough to open their minds to the truth about WHO he really is; who are sincere enough to open their eyes to the evidence of WHAT he can do; and who are brave enough to welcome his powerful Presence into their lives.

More Than Just a Name

 

Deacon Dave · More Than Just a Name

Homily for the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2022. Gospel of St. Luke 1:26-38. Theme: More Than Just a Name 

On February 11, 1858 a 14 year old uneducated girl in a small French town was gathering firewood along a river when she saw a bright light shining out of a rocky cave. Intrigued, she drew closer and beheld the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, dressed in dazzling white with a blue sash belt and a gold rosary in her hands. The Lady would appear to her 17 more times and on one occasion when asked who she was, she replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” 

That teenage visionary is now known as St. Bernadette. The small French town has been transformed into the international Marian shrine of Lourdes with its miraculous healing water. And the Lady was, of course, the Blessed Mother. But isn’t it interesting that when asked who she was, she didn’t use her name of Mary? Instead, she identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, meaning she was untouched by sin from the very first moment of life in her mother’s womb. 

And I find it very interesting that in today’s Gospel the angel Gabriel didn’t address Mary by her first name, either. Instead, he called her, “Full of Grace”, which is another way of saying, “Immaculate Conception”. It just approaches it from a different angle. You see, Immaculate Conception means both realities: that Mary is free from sin as well as filled with God’s grace. It’s really just two sides of the same spiritual coin. And that made me think that there must be something more to the words “Immaculate Conception” than simply a name or title. 

I thought a lot about this and found an answer in the words of Pope Francis. He says that the Immaculate Conception is indeed more than just a name. It proclaims a gift specially given to Mary and a promise made specially to each one of us. He follows the ancient Christian tradition which says that what Mary is, we her children and disciples of her Son are called to become. The gift that God gave to Mary was freedom from sin and total holiness because she was to become the Mother of his Son. And the promise he makes to us is that we, too, can become like “spiritual immaculate conceptions” because by Baptism we are set free from original sin and filled with grace. 

Although Mary’s gift and ours are not exactly the same in degree, they are nevertheless very much connected. Pope Francis says that the path for becoming more and more “holy and immaculate” like Mary is found in developing the discipline to say 'no' to evil and 'yes' to God. It means we follow Mary’s total openness to grace and place our freedom in the service of God and others. To succeed in this endeavor he tells us to turn to Mary Immaculate, to learn from her example and lean on her spiritual support. I think that this insight can help us expand the Immaculate Conception from being just a holy day on the Church calendar and apply it as something that has a real meaning in our lives. 

This was the precisely the teaching of one of our great modern saints, Maximilian Kolbe, who died as a martyr at the hands of the Nazis. He dedicated his entire priestly ministry to promoting this link that we have with Mary, the Immaculate Conception. He saw the spiritual connection that we have with Mary as the way for us to most quickly grow in love for God and neighbor and to reach great depths of holiness. And so everywhere he went throughout the world he called Christians to honor Mary as the Immaculate One and to place themselves into her spiritual care, to learn from her example, and trust in her maternal intercession. He called this relationship with the Immaculate Conception “consecration”.

Inspired by St. Maximilian’s insight and devotion, I would like to close with a prayer from Pope Francis about living out our relationship with Mary, the Immaculate Conception: “Take me by the hand, Mother, guide me: with you I will have more strength in the battle against evil; with you I will rediscover my original beauty. Mary, I entrust my life to you, I entrust my family, my work; I entrust my heart and my struggles. I consecrate everything of myself to you”. Amen.

History, Mystery & Majesty

 

Deacon Dave · History, Mystery & Majesty

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 4, 2022. Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12. Theme: History, Mystery & Majesty 

In today’s Gospel St. John the Baptist tells us to avoid thinking that we’re all fine with God simply because we observe the external rituals of religion. It’s pretty easy - and I think even kind of common - for us Catholics to fall into this kind of spiritual trap. We might be tempted to think, “I‘m baptized and confirmed. I go to Mass regularly and say my prayers. It’s all good. I’m home free.” But St. John is saying that the solid proof of real religion is not found in the rituals we carry out but shown in the way we think, the way we act and the way we live. He says that the evidence of interior conversion is found in changed exterior behavior. 

This call to interior conversion is a fundamental message of Advent. We prepare for the Savior by doing some personal remodeling of the inner room of our heart. And for me one of the most cherished holiday stories that dramatically illustrates this is the classic work by Charles Dickens entitled, A Christmas Carol. I am sure you are all familiar with the tale of how on bleak and cold Christmas eve, the greedy miser Scrooge is converted into a generous Christian man by means of the three visitations he experiences from the Ghosts of Christmas-Past, Christmas-Present and Christmas-to-Come. 

Well, you know, it wasn’t by accident that Dickens thought up this plot. He lived at a time that Christianity permeated culture and was borrowing the threefold meaning of Advent as the basis for his story: Advent-Past when Jesus was born in history; Advent-Present where he comes to us in mystery; and Advent-to-Come when we will meet Jesus in his majesty. If we learn from this triple meaning of Advent and put its lessons into practice, we can hope to experience what Ebenezer Scrooge experienced come Christmas Day: a genuine conversion of heart which shows itself in a generosity to others. 

Advent-Past is when we recall how Jesus burst into human history, giving up his divine power in taking up our weak human nature. He did this to share our lives, to live as we live, and even to suffer and die as we do. This amazing truth of God-come-in-the-flesh was documented for us by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And so we embrace and live Advent-Past by reading and reflecting upon the Gospels they wrote where we find Christ’s teachings and follow his example. Encountering Jesus in the Gospels frequently is how Advent-Past can help us work towards conversion of heart. 

Secondly, we have Advent-Present, when Jesus comes to us in Mystery. The Lord comes to us here and now, through our conscious contact with him present in the Eucharist and in the persons of the needy poor. We cannot understand how this happens and so we call it a “mystery”. We profess our belief in this reality of Advent-Present at every Holy Mass when we proclaim “the Mystery of faith” to Christ present among us in the Eucharist. We honor Christ’s presence in the suffering persons of the poor when we minister to their needs with compassionate mercy. Seeing and serving Jesus in both the Eucharist and the poor is how Advent-Present can lead us to conversion of heart. 

Finally, we have the third meaning of Advent, Advent-to-Come. This was the most effective part for old Mr. Scrooge’s conversion and perhaps it will be most effective for ours as well. Advent-to-Come makes us face the fact that life is both short and temporary; that our time on planet Earth will end but our existence will not end. And then what will happen to us when we come before Christ in his glorious majesty? Where will we go to spend our eternity? Keeping alive within us this awareness of our mortality and our eternal destiny is how Advent-to-Come helps us move towards conversion of heart. 

So this year let's try to live Advent to its fullest, Past, Present and To-Come. Let’s keep in mind the history, mystery and majesty of Christ and observe Advent to the best of our ability. And let’s pray that Christmas will find us as changed and transformed as was old Mr. Scrooge, who found such joy in his new way of thinking, his new way of looking at life and his new way of living.

Learning God's Story from the Advent Wreath

 

Deacon Dave · Learning God’s Story From the Advent Wreath

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2022. Gospel of St. Matthew 24:37-44. Theme: Learning God’s Story From the Advent Wreath 

Well, here we are at Advent once again, ushering in the Christmas holiday season that is always so special in everyone’s heart. You know, so many of our holiday customs like Christmas trees, lights and carols began centuries ago when the vast majority of people were illiterate. And so creative ways of passing on the story of the coming of Christ were designed that made it easy for people to remember. 

Among the most common of these is the Advent Wreath which can be found in churches and homes throughout the world at this time of year. Its evergreen branches symbolize eternal life while its circular shape proclaims the awesome mystery of God who has no beginning or end. The candles speak to us of the passing of time because each one of them represents a particular phase in the history of the world. They are intentionally lit gradually, week-by-week, so as to visually emphasize that God's revelation of himself and intervention into our world was an unfolding process. Even the colors of the candles deliver a message. Purple is the liturgy’s color of preparation, while pink is its color of rejoicing. So, the Wreath tells us that we are preparing for something that will bring us tidings of comfort and joy. 

The first purple candle represents the genesis of humanity which began with the Creation of Adam and Eve. When we light it we call to mind the promise God made to them in the Garden of Eden. After having turned away from their Creator by disobedience, they repented and in turn God promised to send a Redeemer who would undo what they had done. Through perfect love and obedience, this Savior, called the Messiah (in Hebrew) or the Christ (in Greek), would lead the human race back to God. And so, this first candle of the Wreath invites us to become part of the solution to sin by preparing our hearts and lives to welcome and follow Jesus, the Promised One. 

The second candle represents the next phase of salvation history that we call the Old Testament. During this 4,000-year period, God built up and guided his people Israel through such leaders as Abraham, Moses and King David. He sent prophets who kept the promise of a Messiah alive in the minds and hearts of the people especially when they were going through difficulties and suffering. This candle calls us to never forget that, no matter how things may seem in our lives, God is a Father who always keeps His promises and who often delivers even more than we can hope for or imagine. 

The third candle stands out from among the rest. Its pink color symbolizes joy and since we light it on the Third Sunday of Advent, we call that day, “Gaudete” or “Rejoicing” Sunday. It proclaims the fulfillment of God’s promise and represents the era of the New Testament that began with the Blessed Virgin Mary’s “yes” to God’s invitation to become the Mother of his Son. This third candle invites us to turn to Our Lady whom we call “Cause of our Joy”, asking her to bring us to Jesus and to help us prepare our hearts for his coming into our lives. 

Finally, we come to the fourth candle and we return to the color purple. This last candle symbolizes the final era of humanity, from the present day until that time when Jesus returns in glory to planet Earth. It calls us to look forward to that Last Day when good will triumph over evil forever, once and for all. It will usher in an eternity in which there will be no more suffering, no more struggles and no more tears among God’s people. 

So, as we can see, every year the Advent Wreath invites us to become part of God’s story of salvation. As the days of Advent lead us to Christmas, we are called to take a good honest look at ourselves - at who we are and at how we are living - and open our hearts to the transforming presence of the Messiah, the Promised One, the Prince of Peace who comes to give deep meaning and purpose to each one of our lives.

Viva Cristo Rey! Christ the King Lives!

 

Deacon Dave · Viva Cristo Rey! Christ the King Lives!

Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Nov. 20, 2022. Gospel of Luke 23:35-43. Theme: Viva Cristo Rey! Christ the King Lives! 

At 10 a.m. on Nov. 23, 1927, a 36-year old Jesuit priest, who was among the most wanted men in Mexico, was taken from his death-row cell and marched across the prison yard. As he walked he held a crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other. One of the guards approached him and with tears in his eyes begged forgiveness for what was about to happen. Upon arrival at the wall of execution, the priest asked permission to pray. Kneeling before the wall that was stained with blood and riddled with bullet holes from previous executions, he asked God for the grace to remain faithful to the end. Then, he stood up, extended his arms in the form of a cross and, facing the firing squad, exclaimed in a loud and steady voice: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King Lives!” Shots rang out and the priest fell to the ground. 

I am sure he was welcomed by Jesus with the very same words we heard said to the thief on the cross in today’s gospel: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” To the surprise and humiliation of the government authorities - and despite the danger to themselves by forming an illegal assembly - 60,000 Catholics attended the heroic priest’s funeral in Mexico City. And throughout the ceremony the defiant but prayerful last words of the martyr were repeatedly shouted by the crowd: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King Lives!” 

That priest was Father Miguel Pro, whom we now honor as a martyr and saint and his feast day is rightfully celebrated this week very close to the Solemnity of Christ the King. Born and raised during the bloody religious persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920’s, he actually lived for a short time not too far from here down in Los Gatos. He had become the most wanted man in Mexico precisely because he believed with all his heart what we are celebrating in today liturgy: that Christ the King is Lord of all peoples and all things including politics and public social life, and that no earthly government has the authority to deny people their religious liberty or eject God and his ways from civic life. 

Blessed Miquel bravely and unselfishly ministered in a nation whose anti-freedom laws forbid people to express and display their faith in public. In order to evade the police he became a master of disguises, continually avoiding capture and persistently bringing the Gospel and the Sacraments to the Catholics of Mexico City. He preached by his life and testified by his death that a person’s faith-relationship in Jesus Christ is not simply a private matter. It is not something to be reserved just for Sundays, or confined to the walls of a church, or kept politely within the parameters of personal life. The light of Christ the King is meant to shine on everything, to shine on everyone! It is meant to transform people and thus also transform society. 

And it is by the grace of our Baptism and Confirmation that we Christians are supposed to be the ones who help to make this happen. We are called to be like “living candles” whose flame of faith enlightens those with whom we live, work and socialize. This means that our decisions and behavior must reflect our relationship with Jesus in all that we are and do, in private and in public, at home and at work, in all aspects of our lives no matter what that might be. This is how we do our part to enable the kingship of Christ to have a real influence in our families, our workplaces, our laws and society in general. 

This social reign of Christ the King is truly the only sure solution to the rampant violence, drug deaths, confusion and division that plagues our nation. Many people think that the answer to our social troubles lies in education and politics, but these things are not the final answer because they are utterly powerless to bring about real change by transforming the human person. You see, society is simply the reflection of those who compose it and so the only way to renew and change it is to renew and change us, the people. And this can only happen by the grace and power of God when he is enthroned in the human heart and begins changing us from the inside out. 

We celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King to remind us that it’s only through his reign of love and justice that people can have the hope of living in peace and freedom. And this brings me right back to where I started with the story of Blessed Miguel Pro, who could not be stopped from spreading the Faith and who would not be silenced even to his dying words, from proclaiming in public that Christ the King Lives! Viva Cristo Rey!

The End is the Beginning!

 

Deacon Dave · The End is Really the Beginning!

Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Nov. 17, 2019. Gospel of Luke 21:5-19. Theme: The End is Really the Beginning!

When will the end of the world happen? That's what the people were asking Jesus in today’s Gospel and it’s what many have been trying to figure out ever since. The confusion, violence and destruction that Jesus describes as being associated with the end has always been present in human history. They are part and parcel of the kind of world that the human race has built through our corporate rebellion against God. And so in every era people experience this global upheaval and think that the end must be near! Pope Sylvester II thought it would happen in the year 1000 AD, to coincide with the close of the first thousand years of Christianity. Martin Luther said the end would come no later than 1600 AD, and his theological descendant, the world-famous Billy Graham, preached that it would happen in the 1950’s. 22 years ago everyone thought that the Y2K bug would bring about the end of the world as we know it, while others looked at the ancient Mayan calendar insisting that it predicted the end on Dec. 21, 2012. 

We Catholics have several other names for it besides “end of the world”. We call it the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of the Dead, the Final Judgment, or simply, the Last Day. And ever since Jesus’ ascension into Heaven people have been trying to figure out the time of his return. But the bottom is that we really don’t know! The only thing we do know is that it will surely come because Jesus has promised it. But no matter what it’s called, it was never something that the early Christians feared. Rather, it was something that they eagerly prayed for! They longed and yearned for the end, knowing that it would really be a beginning because it would bring about a new world rooted in peace, justice and love. They knew it would be the glorious conclusion to Jesus’ mission of establishing the Kingdom of God among us, and that all remnants of evil and sin would be destroyed once and for all. So, you see, the early Christians could not wait until the Risen Lord returned! 

Along with the end of the world, Jesus informs us that we will be persecuted just as he was. He warns us about this because he wants us to be prepared and persevere in our relationship with him. He doesn’t want us to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to live forever with God in a real world, a new world, where there will be no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more death. He doesn’t want to hide this difficult truth from us but assures us that he will be with us through it all, encouraging us to not give up. He promises the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit who will give us the strength we need to keep on keeping on even when the going gets tough and others stand up against us. 

But if we do not have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus NOW or we will not be strong enough to remain faithful THEN. Simply put, we will not be able to withstand persecution of whatever kind that will come our way. And so, we must consciously grow every day in our friendship with Jesus through personal prayer from the heart, through receiving and adoring his Eucharistic Real Presence, and by reading and reflecting on him in the Gospels. These things must become so much a part of us that when people interact with us, they can be positively influenced by our relationship with Jesus and desire to learn more about him. 

This doesn’t mean that all of our conversations are about the Lord for such a thing can easily turn people away. But what it does mean is that people will notice that we are somehow different from the inside out in how we speak and act and often they will ask why this is so. It’s at such a point that we can witness to our faith and introduce them to the difference that Jesus makes in our lives. This is what Pope Francis means when he repeatedly calls us to be “missionary disciples” who witness to Jesus in every aspect of our lives. The last words we hear and say at Mass are reminders of our calling to live as missionary disciples. The words that the deacon says at the end of Mass such as “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your lives” are not simply polite ways to dismiss people. They are words of mission, words of being officially sent forth to go out among others to witness to Christ and spread his Kingdom.

We are sent out from the Mass to invite others to share in this kind of relationship we have with Christ that is nourished by his Word and Sacrament. So, let’s ask the Lord to make us truly committed missionary disciples among those with whom we live, work and socialize. We love them and so we want them to share with us the joy and fulfillment of the life to come when Jesus returns in glory and finally brings about the promised Last Day.

Our Sure and Certain Hope!

 

Deacon Dave · Our Sure & Certain Hope!

Homily for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Nov. 6, 2022. Readings: 2 Maccabees 7:1-14; Gospel of Luke 20:27-38. Theme: Our Sure and Certain Hope! 

Just a few years ago, we were horrified to see an Islamic-terrorist propaganda video showing 21 Christian men in orange jumpsuits kneeling on a beach in Libya. One by one they were asked to deny Christ to embrace Islam, and one by one to a man, they refused. Instead they began praying aloud, praising Christ and encouraging one another. Their executioners carried out their bloody evil deed and the 21 men received the glorious crown of martyrdom. What enabled these men to remain faithful to Christ and face death with such serenity as can be seen on their faces in the video? 

The Gospel of Jesus we heard today and the words of faith spoken by the seven brothers in our first reading, answers this question for us. Both remind us that the immortality of our souls and the future resurrection of our bodies from the grave are not a “maybe” or an “I hope so”. These things are neither fantasy nor wishful thinking. Rather, they are a sure and certain hope for us Christians. Those 21 men professed their faith in the reality of this truth while kneeling on that beach. And we profess it as a reality every Sunday when we stand to recite the Creed, saying, “I believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” 

These things call our attention to a topic that is very much avoided by our modern day culture: death and what happens to us afterwards. Actually, maybe I am wrong in saying that we avoid this topic. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that we go to great lengths to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Our secular materialistic culture encourages us to try and hide our true age, to masquerade our maturing looks, and to spend great amounts of money to avoid facing the truth that we are all on a trajectory that will bring our lives to their natural end on planet Earth. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look our best, to be fit and healthy, and make the most out of the gift of life. But we need to do so with a realistic outlook and a firm grasp on our dignity as the children of God. And as Christians, a healthy realistic outlook includes the sure and certain hope that physical death is not the end to our existence, but rather, the beginning of its fullness. It’s the conviction that when our time on planet Earth has come to its natural conclusion, we move on to a new mode of living, a new way of being, which is really just a change of address, so to speak. As our Catholic funeral liturgy puts it: “in death life is changed, not ended.” 

Those 21 men trusted in their hearts and proclaimed with their lives that Christ destroyed the sting and the power of death by his Cross and Resurrection. And they believed firmly that he gives this very same victory over death to all who are united with him by baptism. They knew that because of our baptismal relationship, a Christian does not merely die. A Christian dies in Christ. And those two words, “in Christ” make all the difference in the world! They mean that we do not belong to death; we belong to Christ who is the Resurrection and the Life! 

So, for those who live and die in Christ, who strive to remain faithful to their baptismal relationship, death is no longer a black-hole of nothingness. It is instead a doorway to a fuller experience of life. And this fuller life will include not just our immortal souls but, at the Second Coming of Christ, also our glorified risen bodies! This is what the seven brothers of Maccabees in our first reading were proclaiming as they refused to deny their covenant with God. They trusted that he would give back to them what was being taken away. Like them, we trust that God who is all-powerful will raise us up from the dead to enjoy forever a very real life in a very real place which the Bible calls “a new heaven and a new earth”. 

And so, we Christians need not be confused or silent in the face of death, as are those who do not have faith. We must speak out with our voices and with the witness of our lives that we believe in the resurrection of the dead. We believe in the life of the world to come. For we know that whatever we may have to endure for the sake of our fidelity to Jesus in this world, is nothing compared to the glory, the joy and the total fulfillment awaiting us in the next. It’s our sure and certain hope!

The 21 Martyrs on the Libyan beach refusing to deny Christ!

The Faces of the 21 Martyrs who have been declared Saints.  

They were just ordinary men, workers with families, hope and dreams. 

They have reached the ultimate success of human life: eternal union with God!

The Joy of the Gospel!

 

Deacon Dave · The Joy of the Gospel!

Homily for the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 30, 2022. Gospel of St. Luke 19:1-10. Theme: The Joy of the Gospel! 

The Name Jesus means “Savior” and its related word “salvation” means “healing”. The mission and message of Christ the Healing Savior is that he came to repair the spiritual rupture between the human person and God. And a by-product of this healing is the possibility of reconnection with others. Pope Francis calls this healing and reconnection the “joy of the Gospel’. He never tires of reminding us that Jesus showed by words and behavior that no one, no matter who they are or what their situation in life might be, is excluded from this reconnection. No one. 

St. Luke never tires of trying to get this message across to us. In today’s passage, he introduces us to a tax collector who was in desperate need of this reconnection with God and others. To better appreciate why we need to remember that the Roman oppressors levied unbearable taxes on the people they conquered. And in order to collect this money they hired Jewish locals to do their dirty work. In addition to the taxes for Rome, these scoundrels added a hefty commission for themselves. This left the people with very little on which to live until the next tax-day which was never far away. These hired men were greedy scoundrels who cared more about money than the good of their nation or their neighbors. 

Zacchaeus was one of those guys. Actually he was worse than just being one of those guys because he was the chief tax collector for the region. He had extreme wealth that was built upon the suffering of others. But that’s all that he had. His greed had disconnected him from God and from his neighbors. He was ostracized, lonely, and despised by the Jews of Jericho. It’s no wonder that the people were puzzled and upset when Jesus chose to spend the evening as the guest of such a notorious public sinner! 

But despite the fact that Zacchaeus was both a traitor and a swindler – or maybe precisely because of it – Jesus’ merciful heart went out to him. And this love, expressed by Jesus in treating Zacchaeus as a person worth spending time with, deeply touched his hardened heart. Can you imagine what he must have felt when Jesus selected him from among all others in the crowd? St. Luke tells us that he was overjoyed, deeply touched, transformed to his very core. He was converted on the spot! After years of rejection he had found reconnection. After years of exclusion, he had found inclusion which brought him hope for a new life, for a new beginning. I think that the story of Zaccheus can teach us a few important things about reconnection with God and others. 

First of all, we see that connection with God has to be something we truly desire from deep within us. By climbing up that sycamore tree, Zacchaeus showed his desire and used all his energy to encounter Jesus and connect with him. In return, Jesus responded and did even more than Zaccheus imagined. God never forces himself into anyone’s life. He awaits an invitation from us, an opening no matter how small, to enter in and reconnect. And once he has it, he doesn’t miss the opportunity but rushes right in! 

Secondly, we must be willing to do whatever it takes to make room for God in our lives. I am sure that Zacchaeus had to ignore the taunts and laughter of the crowd, who were most likely ridiculing him as he scurried up the sycamore tree. Seeing and knowing Jesus were more important to him at that moment than what others thought of him. That was the beginning of the Kingdom of God breaking into Zacchaeus’ heart and making a difference. He did whatever it took to facilitate his reconnection with God. We must do the same no matter what others might say or think. 

Lastly, our reconnection with God must show itself in our willingness to be reconnected with others. Zacchaeus goes above and beyond what either Roman or Jewish law required of him regarding restitution for the money he had extorted over the years. And he seems to have a real delight in wanting to make these amends to others, to reconnect with them in a positive way. Zaccheus shows us that once we taste the sweetness of reconnection with God it will move us to search our hearts to see if there is anyone we need to forgive or with whom we need to make amends. 

So, perhaps today’s Gospel of Zacchaeus can inspire us to examine our relationships with God and others honestly. His story shows us that we must open our hearts up to Christ so that he can reconnect us and restore what has been lost. The Good News of Jesus is that God is always ready and willing to reach out to us, to heal our inner wounds and accompany us in life. Because you see, no one is too dirty for God to cleanse, no one is too broken for God to fix. No one is too far for God to reach and no one, absolutely no one, is too worthless for God to love. That is the “joy of the Gospel”.

Sincerity & Truth

 

Deacon Dave · Sincerity & Truth

Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 23, 2022. Luke 18:9-14. Theme: Sincerity & Truth 

As the father of 6, grandfather of 6 and uncle to somewhere over 40 and counting, I have had the privilege of watching an array of human beings grow from infants into children and then young adults. What a joyful marvel it is to see such a mix of personalities, each one uniquely created by God. And yet, there can be a bit of sadness mixed into it every so often, when I see one or the other of them trying to re-invent themselves into someone whom they are not but whom they think others want them to be. I suppose there’s that temptation within all of us no matter who we are or what our age in life might be. We often seem to spend so much time and energy putting forth a false self to others, reimagining ourselves into what we think will make us more pleasing, or more lovable, or more admired. 

We see this happening in today’s gospel when both the Pharisee and the tax collector go to the Temple to pray. One stands proudly and presents his falsely-imagined self before God, while the bows his true-self down before the Lord in sincerity and truth. The Pharisee speaks of himself and his religious achievements, pretending to be someone who is a perfect and devout believer in every way. He thinks he can refashion himself even in God’s eyes in order to make himself look better than he really is!  

On the other hand, the tax collector goes to the temple and prays honestly. Unlike the Pharisee, he does not try to conceal who he really is or put on a mask to hide his real self from God. He is able to see and accept himself clearly. The Tax Collector is not trying to fool God or put on false airs. We see his sincerity and self-awareness in his prayer, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Therefore, God meets him where he is and lifts him up. Jesus says that the Tax Collector goes home justified while the Pharisee returns home still bound by his sins and hiding behind his masquerade. 

The story begins with the word “righteousness” and ends with the word “justified”, two important religious terms that actually mean the same thing. And they are the fundamental lesson of this parable. To be justified means that we have been freed from the guilt of our sins and have been put into a right relationship with God. To be righteous means that we have come to realize that yes, we are sinners, but we are loved-sinners who reflect the goodness of God.  And this points us to the big difference between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. 

The Pharisee lives life with God as an obligation. To him, religion was a labor to always do the right thing so as not have the wrath of God fall down upon him because of his sins. This idea rests upon an image of God as a just and angry judge who controls people through fear. The Tax Collector, on the other hand, sees life with God as a relationship of creature to Creator, of servant to Lord, of sinner to Savior. And so he humbly bows down in a true admission of who and what he is in God’s sight. His prayer expresses trust in a God who is merciful and whose love overrides his own sins. It is the polar opposite of “religion as rules”. 

I think that Jesus is saying to us in this parable that we have nothing to fear in approaching God just as we are, in all sincerity and truth. In fact, this is the correct way to approach the Lord. Otherwise we block him out from our lives because we are so full of ourselves that there is no room for him! Like the Tax Collector we have to humbly admit our own nothingness and spiritual emptiness before God. When we do this and fully admit who and what we are, we can then begin to realize that yes, we are sinners, but we are each loved-sinners, and that love makes all the difference in the world! It leads us to a path of freedom and to conversion of heart, inviting us to really embrace a true and full relationship with God both in this world and in the next.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray!

 

Deacon Dave · Lord, Teach Me to Pray!

Homily for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 16, 2022. Book of Exodus 17:8-13; Gospel of St. Luke 18:1-8. Theme: Lord, Teach Me to Pray! 

Today’s liturgy directs our thoughts to the vital role that prayer must have in our lives. You can find articles and podcasts and all kinds of “how to” books about prayer but really it’s quite simple and uncomplicated. Prayer has been most simply defined as having an honest conversation with God. And like all conversations it must be a two-way street, which means that along with speaking we make time for listening so that we can hear what God is saying to us. And of course for this to be most fruitful we have to make time for silence and solitude in our lives. 

In today’s first reading we see Moses giving all he’s got to the task of praying. His prayer is so intense that it begins to wear him out and he seeks the help of others in order to persevere. And in the gospel Jesus uses the example of a persistent widow as an example for our praying. She keeps coming back to the judge, constantly in his face, demanding what is rightfully hers. The point of this parable is not that our prayer wears God out, because it doesn’t. Rather, it teaches us that perseverance reveals the intensity and sincerity of our prayer which somehow touches God’s heart. 

These examples of prayer that we find in today’s readings all depend upon faith, which means trust. And as we all know trust is born out of repeated experiences in a relationship. Genuine faith in God, the kind of faith that heals and transforms lives, is also only born out of a personal relationship. And the way we grow in this kind of personal relationship with God is through prayer; through making and spending time with the Lord in our daily lives. So I think it's pretty easy to see that prayer, that is, having regular conscious communication with God, must be a non-negotiable component in our lives. And like all relationships, we will only get out of it what we put into it. 

Think about a relationship in your life that is very important to you. Now imagine for a moment what that relationship would be like if you never gave attention to that person; if you never phoned or texted with them; if you never made time to be with them in person and share what’s happening in your life. How long do you think that relationship would last? How deeply significant would it remain in your life? I think we all know that under such circumstances it would surely wither and eventually die. 

And the same is true about our faith-relationship with God. If we don’t give it the attention it needs; if we don’t take time to nurture and deepen it, it will surely wither and eventually die.  We call this sad experience “losing the gift of faith”. We hear Jesus referring to this tragedy in the last verse of today’s gospel, asking if when he returns to earth he will find any faith left in people’s hearts? I think this serious question is specially addressed to us today because Our Lord knew what the culture we are now living in would be like. He knew that the commercial secularism and militant relativism of our times would seek to distract us from belief in the Divine. He knew that the truth of his Word and the Voice of his Church would be ridiculed and rejected by many who follow the ways of the world and abandon their Christianity. His heart was surely broken over the foreknowledge that so many who were brought to Him as infants in baptism would grow up to not know Him nor the depths of His love for them. 

But I wonder if these wandering sheep ever really knew Christ in the first place? What I mean is, did their parents and teachers who taught them to develop their minds and their talents, also teach them to develop a personal relationship with God by daily prayer? And I don’t mean just reciting memorized prayers or routinely repeating the responses at Mass, as important as these can be. But did they learn how to speak with God from the heart as with a Real Person? As a Father who created and cares for them? As Lord and Savior who freely suffered and died for them? As the Spirit of Love who comes to dwell within their hearts? Or were they left to flounder on their own, formed primarily by the media that cares only about their money and the allegiance of their minds and not a thing about their spiritual well-being and the salvation of their eternal souls? 

But there’s still hope for them and there’s still hope for us who may not have been all that devoted to prayer. Because in Christ bad news can always be transformed into good news and so it’s never too late to renew an old friendship with God or begin a new one for the first time. And this hope of a new beginning is only a whisper and a breath away from those who want to claim it because the Risen Christ is always present and waiting for an invitation into our lives. All we have to do is turn to him in our hearts and say, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

The Persistent Widow & the Unjust Judge

Seven Washings, seven Sacraments

 

Deacon Dave · Seven Washings, Seven Sacraments

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 13, 2019. 2 Kings 5:14-17 (for the full story read 5:1-19). Theme: Seven Washings, Seven Sacraments 

Today’s reading from the Old Testament about Naaman the Syrian took place around 850 years before the birth of Christ and it is one of my favorites. But unfortunately for some reason our liturgy has us dropping into the story almost at the end. If we don’t read it all then we’ll miss out on some extremely important details that enable us to better appreciate Naaman’s cure and his coming to faith in God. And by extension we miss out on how we can come to a deeper experience of God in our lives. So, allow me to quickly fill in the back-story of what is missing. 

Naaman was the prestigious commander of the great Syrian army. In one of his many raids upon Israel, he had captured a young girl as a slave for his wife. After he contracted leprosy, this slave-girl told him about Elisha, a powerful prophet of the True God back in her homeland. She assured him that through this holy man he could be healed. So, Naaman set off seeking the cure. Being a pagan who is used to a lot of fanfare and frenzy in his religious practices, Naaman expected that the God of Israel would manifest himself by means of some awesome dazzling displays of power. However, no such spiritual fireworks were connected with his cure. Elisha simply told Naaman to immerse himself seven times in the Jordan River if he wished to be healed. Naaman was insulted and grew furious! He felt like he'd been treated disrespectfully and made to look like a fool. In his wounded pride, he refused the offer, packed up and intended to head back to Syria. However, 

Naaman’s servants convince him to at least give it a try. They reason that if Elisha had told him to do some bizarre things, such as jumping up and down and chanting magic incantations, he would have surely done so. Then why not do as the prophet said and wash seven times in the Jordan River? They encourage him to at least give it a try and to see what happens. It’s at this point that we enter the story in our reading. And as we now know Naaman was indeed healed of leprosy and through this miracle was converted to faith in the One True God. 

This story speaks to me very clearly about the Seven Sacraments through which we encounter God’s presence and power in our own lives today. Our sacred rituals are so much like what we see in Naaman’s experience of God because they make use of ordinary things to bring the extraordinary into our lives. And like Naaman, I think that it’s so easy for us to at times doubt that the presence and power of God can indeed come to us through these simple rituals. We can find it hard to believe that God’s healing and grace truly comes to us and changes us through such things as the water of baptism, the oils of Confirmation and Anointing, the bread and wine of the Eucharist, the laying on of hands at Ordination, or the vows of Matrimony. 

I mean who could imagine that simply through the pouring of water in baptism, we are healed of our spiritual emptiness and put into a right relationship with God? And how incredible does it sound that ordinary bread and wine at the Eucharist are truly transformed into the Body and Blood of the Risen Lord Jesus? Or that through our simple expression of sorrow in Confession our deepest sins are completely erased and our dark past is utterly obliterated by the mercy of God? And yet this is precisely what happens to us and for us through the Sacraments. 

But let’s not forget that Naaman wasn’t cured simply by going through the action of washing in the Jordan River. More importantly, he was healed because along with “the doing” he had “the believing”. Naaman trusted in the promise and power of God even if he didn’t understand how it would work. And so should it be for each one of us in regards to the Sacraments. You see, they are not magic rituals. Their spiritual power doesn’t depend solely upon saying the right words or doing the right actions. If that is how we view them then we have a pagan approach to religious ceremony just as Naaman did in the beginning. On the contrary, we must come to the Sacraments with faith in the Risen Christ in our hearts, trusting that he will reach out to us and touch us through the ministry of his Church, just as God once reached out to Naaman and healed him through the ministry of Elisha.