On This Rock

 

Deacon Dave · Upon This Rock

Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Aug, 27, 2023. Readings: Isaiah 22:19-23; Gospel of St. Matthew 16:13-20. Theme: On This Rock 

If someone asked you, “How is the faith of Catholics distinctive from other Christians?” How would you reply? Chances are that you might respond with something like, "We believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist." Or perhaps, "We honor the Blessed Mother and the saints." And while those are good answers, they are not the right ones because the Eastern Orthodox Church and some of the Anglican and Lutheran bodies also believe and do the same. So, what is it then that clearly sets us apart from other Christian churches? 

Well, what makes us Catholics distinctive is the office and ministry of our Holy Father, the pope. The New Testament clearly documents that Jesus personally and intentionally established His Church with a tier of leadership. For example, Christ had countless followers but He chose only 12 of them to be His Apostles to whom He gave specialized training and authority to preach and teach in His Name. Then, from among those 12 He appointed one to be the leader of them all. And that makes sense because once Jesus was risen and gone there had to be someone specially called, chosen and gifted by God to call the shots, so to speak, and lead the Christian community. That's what we are hearing about in today’s Gospel. 

Jesus starts out by asking his Apostles who they think He is. And it was Simon who gave the correct and supernaturally enlightened reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” In response, Jesus said to him in effect, “Now let me tell you who you are Simon…You are now Peter the Rock and on this rock I will build my church.” And from that moment on, the Scriptures often refer to Simon by this alternative name. This clearly shows us that the leadership ministry of the pope, of whom Peter would be counted as the first, was established by Christ Himself. 

 Jesus then went on to say that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against this Church built upon a rock foundation. In biblical language, the phrase “gates of the netherworld” meant destruction and death. Jesus was saying that the community of the Church would not be destroyed nor pass away. And when we look at history we see that no other institution still exists that is as ancient as the Catholic Church. Kingdoms, governments, dynasties and empires have all risen and fallen over the centuries, but the gates of the netherworld have not prevailed against the Church of Christ. And they never will. It has not only remained intact, despite the attempts of enemies from both within and without, but has grown and spread throughout the world. 

At the end of today’s Gospel Jesus declared to Peter, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom…” Now, to properly understand what this means we need to go back to the first reading from Isaiah which mentions the office of steward. A steward in ancient Israel was second in command after the King. He acted in place of the king in many situations and was given the keys to the kingdom as a sign of this authority. And so, we can see what Jesus was doing here and what He was referring to in the Hebrew tradition of leadership. He intentionally appointed Peter as His steward in governing the Church. This tells us that the office of pope is a kind of proxy in which the Holy Father is the visible steward of our invisible King and this is why popes are often called the Vicars (Representatives) of Christ. And in exercising this stewardship the Holy Father has the responsibility to enlighten us, to ignite us and to unite us as the Mystical Body of Christ on planet Earth. 

First, the pope enlightens us about the teachings of Christ. Our secularized world often misleads us with superficial values and harmful ideologies and agendas. There are so many voices clamoring for our allegiance and so we need to be able to hear the voice of Christ clearly in the midst of all the noise. The pope does not and cannot invent new doctrines, but guided by the Holy Spirit as Christ promised, he faithfully applies Gospel teachings to the various issues and needs of the times in which we live. By listening to him we can walk by the light of Christ through the darkness and confusion that often surrounds us. 

Second, the pope strives to ignite us, that is, to set our hearts on fire for Christ. By his encouraging words and hopefully equally encouraging example, the Holy Father calls us to grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus through prayer, the Sacraments, reading the Gospels and giving service to the needy, to the suffering, and to the outcast. He cheers us on, so to speak, to never give up on trying to become more like Jesus. He encourages us to allow Christ to touch every aspect of our lives - personal, social, economic and political - so that the Gospel can be an influence for good, promoting peace and justice in the world through us. 

Thirdly, the office of pope is meant to unite us. He is the spiritual father of a worldwide Church of over one billion persons and as such he has the task of keeping us united as one spiritual family, one Body of Christ. The papal office is meant to remind us that we are not isolated individuals, we are not competitive parishes, we are not autonomous dioceses. We are one Church, gathered around one Lord, professing one Faith, and led by one earthly shepherd. And this is why at every Mass celebrated throughout the world, we Catholics always pray for the pope and for our unity with him right after the consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. For it is the one Eucharist we all share that is the real source and bond of our unity. 

You know, I’m an avid student of Church history and right now I am in the midst of a 36 week course on the history of the papacy. And I have to say that the more I learn about the vast array of sinners as well as saints who have been elected pope, the more convinced I am that the Church is truly founded upon a solid foundation and that its gates have indeed been shut tight against the netherworld. And I truly praise God for the gift of the papacy that began on that world-changing day at Caesarea Philippi 2,000 years ago when Simon the Fisherman became Peter the Rock.

Expanding Your Heart!

 

Deacon Dave · Expanding Your heart!

Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug 20, 2023 Readings: Isaiah 56:1-7; Romans 11:13-32; Gospel of St. Matthew 15: 21-28. Theme: Expanding your Heart! 

In the Scriptures of today’s liturgy we hear God speaking to us about our human tendency to be exclusive and judgmental towards others. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, He calls Israel to expand their hearts and minds in order to welcome others into their worship. You see, they had developed the erroneous idea that only the Chosen People of Israel were worthy to worship the one true God. No one else was considered spiritually clean enough to enter into the Lord’s House of Prayer. But the Lord tells them that their most sacred place or worship, the Jerusalem Temple, was indeed to become a “house of prayer for all peoples.” 

They had become so exclusive that they wouldn’t even touch anything that had been contaminated by a non-Jew. And if they did so, even accidentally, they would themselves be denied access to the temple because they would be marked as unclean in God’s sight. A large segment of the more strict among them came to be called Pharisees (which in Hebrew means “those who are separated”) whom we know from the Gospels formed Our Lord’s primary opposition. Their narrow-mindedness became so blinding that they couldn’t even recognize the Messiah when He came among them in the flesh as Jesus from Nazareth. Why? Because He didn’t have the right credentials (in their eyes) to be the Messiah. He was a humble laborer-turned-preacher from a good-for-nothing small backwoods village, who was too friendly with unobservant Jews and Gentile outcasts. Therefore, in their closed minds, God could not possibly be working in and through Him. 

In our second reading, St. Paul also comments on the need to expand hearts and minds so as to see God working in the lives of others. He reminded the Jews that once they were “nobodies” among the nations of the world and that only by God's grace were they able to become “somebody”, that is, to be counted among the Chosen People. And he is telling Christians to get off their “high horse” and never forget that the only reason they came to know Christ was because the Jewish people made it possible. Paul is basically telling both groups to “remember who you really are and where you came from” as we sometimes say. And to welcome all who turn to God in sincere faith, no matter who or what they are, for everyone can be brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Today’s Gospel also carries this same theme of expanding hearts and minds. Our story brings us to a day when Jesus and his disciples are being pestered by a Gentile woman from Cana. The disciples are begging Jesus to get her off their backs and their judgmental attitude is showing itself. First, she was a pagan and thus in their minds unpleasing to God. And secondly, she was a woman, and thus they thought that she had no business whatsoever speaking publicly and directly to a rabbi such as Jesus. However, she ignores their rebukes and persists in her plea. Like any devoted mother she would not take “no” for an answer when it came to her sick child. 

Even though Christ tells her that He was sent first of all for the Jews, she responds in a clever and respectful way. If you will allow me to paraphrase her, she is basically saying to Jesus: “Expand your heart, Lord, and expand your mission for the sake of my daughter!” And He did! The Heart of Jesus expands to grant her request and heal her daughter. The Heart of Jesus expands to teach His disciples that all people are welcome to come to Him. The Heart of Jesus expands to embrace all who seek Him no matter who they are, where they have come from, or what they have done. This expansion of heart and mind is at the very core of the Gospel message, of what it means for us to live and think and act as Christians. We are to accept others as God accepts them. We are to forgive others as God forgives them. And we are to love others as God loves them. We receive clear insight into how to do this by looking at the words and example of Jesus, Who is God-come-in-the-flesh. 

But Jesus never asks the impossible of us. He knows we cannot love as he loved all on our own. And so He gave us supernatural power to accept and to forgive and to love by means of the Eucharist. His True Presence that we receive within us at Holy Communion can expand our own hearts and make them more like His if we allow it to do so. The Eucharist can rid us of the habit of looking at others with an attitude of exclusivity and superiority and enable us to see the reflective image of God even in those whom we do not naturally like. 

The Eucharist can give us the grace to not be like the Jews who restricted access to the templed to those whom they deemed unfit. The Eucharist can enable us to not be like the disciples who tried to block access to Jesus by those whom they considered unworthy. Instead, it can move us to welcome into our churches and into our lives those whom we would be tempted to classify as sinners or unworthy. The frequent and intentional reception of Jesus in Holy Communion can transform us and re-make us to be more like Him so that we accept those whom God accepts; so that we forgive those whomGod forgives, and so that we love those whom God loves. And that, my friends, is everyone.

The Mother & Son Connection

Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 2023. The Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-56. Theme: The Mother & Son Connection

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven is tied intimately to the fact that when the Word (Son) of God became flesh as St John tells us in his Gospel, it was Mary’s ”yes” to God that made this event possible.  She was totally free to say “no” to God’s plan as revealed to her by an angel at the Annunciation. But she didn’t and we are infinitely better off because of it!  Since she carried the Lord of the universe within her womb, nursed Him at her breast, and formed Him as He grew, we reason that it makes sense that she should be raised up body and soul into heaven.  And we can see how it makes sense that her resurrection from the dead should happen ahead of our own, for she was the first and all-holy disciple of her Son.

But now science offers us the opportunity to take a new look at the maternal reason we give for Mary’s Assumption. Did you know that scientific research done in 2012 has shown that mother and child share each other’s cells from the first days of life in the womb?  As early as the second week of pregnancy there is a two-way flow of cells and DNA between the child and the mother.  But here’s the newly discovered and amazing part: a good number of the baby’s cells persist, thrive, and actually become a permanent part of the mother. This throws a whole new light on the maternal relationship.  It shows us that a woman is so much more than simply a carrier or a vehicle for a baby.  So it’s fair to say that, in a certain sense, a mother carries her children within her for a lifetime and not just for 9 months!

Now, let’s apply that scientific finding to the relationship between Mary and Jesus. It means that the Blessed Mother didn’t just carry Jesus within her womb for 9 months, but she continued to carry and have Jesus truly physically present within her by means of the cells of his Divine Humanity for her entire life! Mary was literally a living  Tabernacle of the Lord’s Body and Blood. Now, it seems to me that since Jesus did not remain in the grave and undergo corruption, but was raised up at the Resurrection and returned to Heaven at the Ascension, so it also makes sense that Mary, having the Presence of her Divine Son always within her at the cellular level, should also be raised up body and soul and experience her Assumption. It’s Jesus-living-in-her that makes this wondrous event possible!

And as I see it,  this leads to an awesome conclusion for each one of us. Through our faithful and intentional reception of the Eucharist we, too, become one with the Risen Lord Jesus. By means of this holy Sacrament, his Body and Blood enter into us and thus become part of us.  And like Mary, this will lead us to our own resurrection from the dead as we profess in the Creed each Sunday. Jesus himself told us about the connection between Eucharist and Resurrection in the 6th chapter of St John’s Gospel: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” (Jn 6:53-54)

So you see, the Assumption of Mary can speak to us about the rest of our own story on planet Earth. It reminds us that there is a seed of immortality growing within us planted by the Eucharist and waiting to blossom at the proper time. The Assumption assures us that this immortality is not a ghostly life where we exist as  spirits floating around for eternity. But it’s actually a glorious life in a real place called Heaven where we will live forever, in body and soul, with Jesus, Mary and all our loved ones who have gone before us marked with the Sign of Faith.

In Silence & In Storms

 

Deacon Dave · In Silence & In Storms

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 13, 2023. Readings: 1 Kings 19:9-13, Gospel of St. Matthew 14:22-33. Theme: In Silence & In Storms 

Have no fear…Do not be afraid! Did you know that those words form the most common phrase in the entire Bible? The God who created us, the God who became one of us, knows that fear, born out of a sense of powerlessness over things we simply cannot control lies in the deepest recesses of our hearts. In today’s readings God reminds us that in times of experiencing powerlessness, we can reach out to Him for courage and strength. 

In our first reading we hear about the great prophet Elijah, who lived 900 years before Christ. But we need to know why Elijah was seeking refuge in that cave on Mount Horeb in the first place. You see, he had been on a prophetic crusade of preaching against the idolatrous deeds of the Israelite King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel. They were worshiping false idols and turning the people away from the One True God of Israel. Elijah’s ministry got his name put on the royal death list and so he fled into the wilderness. He hid in a cave and began to pray that the Lord would take his life before Jezebel’s men could do so. This is where we enter his story. 

Elijah sank into a deep depression and asked God to let him die. God took pity on His prophet and gave him the strength and encouragement he needed through an intimate encounter with the Divine Presence. It was in the quiet stillness, a biblical symbol of prayer and meditation, that God made himself known to Elijah and came to his rescue. Because he sensed the special presence of God, Elijah immediately humbled himself by hiding his face in his cloak. And that is where today's story ends…but what happened afterwards? God refreshed and reconfirmed Elijah as his prophet. Through his encounter with the gentle Presence of God in the cave, Elijah was renewed from the inside out and got up to conclude his mission. 

The story of Elijah encourages me to make time every day to find a place of silence so that I can open myself up to conscious contact with God by prayer and meditation. Personally, I think of prayer as speaking with God and meditation as listening to Him speaking back. This “me-and-God time” must have the highest priority in our daily schedule. For it to be most beneficial, we must find a place of solitude and quiet, a “cave” so to speak that can be our refuge in the midst of our busy day. This can be any place that allows us to be undistracted by all of our devices and duties, as well as by others while we pray. Without this time alone with the Lord we become vulnerable and more easily give into the fear and discouragement. 

And let's look next at our Gospel reading. The storm can symbolize for us our personal issues as well as the turmoil and confusion going on all around us in our church and society today. We are so easily tossed about by the various experiences and circumstances of life. These are so often caused by the choices of others in our lives and as such surround us with winds and waves that we cannot control. We feel powerless and so fears naturally arise. But we must take courage and realize that though we may be powerless in such situations, we are not helpless. We have the anchor of Christ our Hope and our Strength, Who is only a whisper and a prayer away. 

Like those disciples in the boat, we may have to look hard to see Him in the midst of our fears but He is, indeed, there. And once we catch sight of Him we must call out to Christ with the faith of Peter. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus he was fine, but whenever he concentrated on the storm around him, he began to sink and his fear turned into panic. And so, like Peter, we have to keep our focus on Jesus, not on our fears or the troubles around us, and take that first step out of the boat in trust. 

And you know, I think that’s a good image for us to keep in mind as we approach the Lord to receive Him in Holy Communion. When we are standing in the Communion line we carry with us all the issues, turmoil and fears of our lives. Let’s bring these things to Jesus and reach out our hands in faith to Him in the Eucharist. And then as we receive the Sacred Host of His Body and Blood, let’s say to Him with trust what St. Peter cried out in his own predicament, “Lord, save me!” And then we can be confident that Jesus will pull us safely to His side as He did for Peter and in time the winds will die down, the waves will stop crashing around us, and the storms in our lives will soon enough calm down and be still.

Listen to Him!

 

Deacon Dave · Listen to Him!

Homily for the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 17:1-9. Theme: Listen to Him! 

The Transfiguration of Jesus was a “game-changing” experience for the three disciples who formed His inner circle - Peter, James the Greater and his brother, John. Up until that day they had only seen Jesus of Nazareth as an ordinary looking Israelite man like them. But on that mountain top they were privileged to catch a glimpse of Jesus in his full identity as Son of God: dazzling, glorious, majestic. They were overwhelmed by brilliant beams of light, coming from within their Lord, that radiated from every fiber of his being, transforming His humanity by revealing His divinity. 

And at the same time they heard God the Father's voice proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him." They realized then and there that Jesus was so much more than just a great teacher; so much more than a charismatic personality; so much more than simply a prophet and a healer. The words of the Father confirmed for them that Jesus’ teaching was God’s teaching; that Jesus’ outlook on life was God’s outlook; and that Jesus’ forgiveness was God’s forgiveness. This is why John, who was one of those three disciples on the mountain that day - along with his fellow disciples Matthew, Mark, and Luke - were so careful to preserve in their Gospels the words and actions of Jesus precisely as they and others had recalled and remembered them. 

And so, we can say with confidence that the four Gospels which we possess today faithfully hand onto us what Jesus said and did when He lived on planet Earth. This is why the Book of the Gospels is held up high for all to see at Mass; this is why we stand out of respect and in reverence for its reading; and this is why the deacon kisses the Book of the Gospels upon finishing the re-telling of the words and actions of Christ. We cherish and treasure these Gospels because they contain the definitive and trustworthy message of God through Christ leading us to the joyful hope of eternal life. 

And the words and actions of Jesus that they record are meant every bit as much for us as they were for those who first heard and witnessed them. This means that what Jesus said to His disciples about how to follow Him is also directed to us. What Jesus said to the Pharisees about placing the needs of the human person above the strict letter of the law is also applicable to us. And most consoling of all is that what Jesus said to sinners, to tax collectors, prostitutes and others who sought spiritual healing and peace of heart is also meant for us! So, when we hear the Gospel we are not just listening to a transcript of what happened in history. No, we are receiving the message of God to us today because what the Father said at the Transfiguration was said for the sake of all people of all time, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him." 

And so the Transfiguration gives us great reason for joyful hope as we look to our individual futures. Because at the resurrection of the dead we, too, shall shine with glory like Christ transfigured. The holiness and radiance of God’s Presence will burst forth from within us. All the limitations we suffered in this life will be gone for good. All the misunderstandings will be left behind. All the burdens of sickness, of aging, of weakening bodies and darkening minds will be gone and behind us as the glory of Christ lies wide open before us. The Transfiguration, then, is another way Jesus assures us that our future is not a grave, but is instead eternal life as long as we are faithful and listen to Him.