Miserando atque Eligendo... the Lord, looking upon us with mercy, calls us!

+ J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

I hope some of you may have had a chance to read the big interview with Pope Francis that I distributed after Masses some weeks ago, there are still copies by the doors if you didn’t get one yet. The very first question that the Fr. Spadaro, asked the pope was a deceptively simple one, “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” Having used the pope’s baptismal name, he describes Pope Francis pausing, thinking, and saying, “I do not know what might be the most fitting description…I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” “I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon…I am one who is looked upon by the Lord.” Then the Pope referred to his papal motto, Miserando atque Eligendo. This Latin phrase is taken from a commentary written by St. Bede the Venerable in the early 700’s, where St. Bede says, “Jesus saw Matthew, and since he looked at him with feelings of love and chose him, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” Miserando atque Eligendo refers to Jesus looking upon Pope Francis with mercy, aware of the pope’s need for love and mercy, and choosing him, calling him, even as Jesus offers him mercy. In mercy the Lord called the Pope, offering him healing grace in the midst of his call to serve. In mercy the Lord looks upon you and me, offering us healing mercy, in the midst of His call to us, a call to serve. Pope Francis with great humility and great clarity pierces through the murk that often surround our identities: we focus on our weakness, and end up discouraged. We focus on our strengths and accomplishments, and we get puffed with false pride. Like St. Matthew whom Jesus called from the midst of his sinful life as a dishonest tax collector, Pope Francis is able to see his need for God’s mercy while also seeing God’s loving call.

As the days shorten, and the temperature plummets, as snow piles up and green plants wither, we too might be tempted to discouragement in the face of nature’s death. On the other hand, we might look at our nicely stacked woodpile, or our full freezer, or our savings account, and count ourselves well prepared for whatever storms may come. We might be afraid, or complacent, and in either case we would be noticing only part of the truth. At this season of the year that the Church calls our attention to the last things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The two beautiful and compelling feasts this coming week draw these to our attention. This coming Friday, we celebrate All Souls’ Day, and we praise and thank God for the shining example of His many saints, both the formally canonized and the anonymous. The veil is pulled back a little between heaven and earth. Halloween may have become commercialized in recent decades, but the feast itself, the Eve of the celebration of all the Hallowed, all the Saints, has deep Christian roots. Even the ghosts and the ghouls point to the closeness of death and judgment as nature dies the death of fall. Ghosts and ghouls are scary, and should be scary… they remind us not to toy with sin, not to toy with the Enemy, whose true face is hideous and fearsome.

Having joyfully thanked God for holiness, the holy lives of the saints that show us the way, on Saturday we remember All the Faithful Departed, All Soul’s Day. Traditionally we think of the Church in three parts: The Church Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant. We are the Church Militant: those alive upon this green earth who are engaged in the daily battle to choose good and reject evil, the daily struggle to Love God and Neighbor, the daily choice to follow Christ or to turn away. We, the Church Militant, celebrate our deep connection in faith and love to the Church Triumphant on All Saints’ Day, asking for the saints’ intercession. Then on All Souls’ Day we in turn intercede for the Church Suffering, all those who are in the midst of the loving and yet painful purification of Purgatory. Every soul in Purgatory is going to heaven, and knows it. The suffering of Purgatory is filled with hope and gratitude, and yet its not fun! Because we are connected in faith and in hope to every member of the Church, living and dead, we can assist those in Purgatory with our prayers, and so we pray for all the dead.

As the natural world grows cold and brown, the Church wants us to honestly and hopefully remember the truth of death, the passingness of this mortal world, and the great promise of eternal life that we are offered by Jesus Christ. Our two feasts, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, help us to remember.

In our Gospel, Jesus commends not the apparently virtuous Pharisee who is consumed with his own virtue and accomplishment, but rather the despised tax collector who knows both essential facts: his own sinfulness, and God’s mercy. The tax collector pierces through the murk of both despair and arrogance, and chooses contrition and hope. As he is living in touch with reality, he is able to touch and taste the most fundamental reality, God’s love.

Are we living in reality? Are we able to look in the mirror, to look within, and be honestly aware of our own sinfulness and weakness? As we see our great need for help, perhaps we taste the temptation to despair. Are we able to look within, and to look up, and to gaze upon the beauty of God’s face, His perfect and steadfast love for us, the mercy He is always ready to give us if we will but ask for that gift? God through His Church invites us to pull back the veil, to pierce the murk of confusion, and to see ourselves and Him, embracing contrition and hope, rejecting arrogance and despair.

We see this very clearly modeled for us by St. Paul in our 2nd reading. He knows that he is being marched towards his own martyrdom and death, using a vivid image from the pagan world, “I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The pagans poured part of their wine on the ground as a sacrifice to the capricious gods, and Paul purifies this image… he has freely chosen to pour out his own life, offering it to God and man for the spread of the Gospel, whatever the cost. In his trial Paul knows where strength comes from, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” In God’s strength he is able face martyrdom and death with calm hope.

This world is passing, even as it is full of beauty, and all that we have is a gift from God. At my retreat this past week, one of the priests gave a very beautiful homily. He told us of visiting his sister’s house, and seeing her confront her little adopted son who had been selfishly clinging to a toy. She bent down and looked into little Peter’s eyes and said, “Oh, Peter, you must have forgot, you don’t own anything.”  Can we hear God speaking those words to us today, with gentle love? We are not to despair because of our sins, nor be complacent because of our possessions, but rather to hope in God who has given us all as a gift.

+ A. M. D. G. +

St. Paul’s trustworthy saying and Winston Churchill… huh?

+ J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Our 2nd reading concludes with these pithy words:

This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

There is a great deal offered to us here, a great deal to think about, a great deal to put into practice!

First… “if we have died with him, we shall also live with him.” This is the Paschal Mystery at the heart of Christian Faith: Jesus Christ died and rose, He conquered death by death. Normally a hero succeeds by avoiding death and defeat, but Jesus definitively emptied death and defeat of their power over us by walking straight into the bloody maw of death and conquering it from within. We are invited to follow in His footsteps. Indeed, unless we follow in His footsteps, we are not able to enter into His victory. We must die with Christ so as to live with Him now and in eternity. For this reason we keep the Crucifix always before our eyes, reminding us that in all distress and pain, Jesus is at our side!

This mystery is present in God’s healing in our 1st reading and Gospel. Naaman the Syrian had been suddenly afflicted with leprosy just as he had risen to worldly power, but one of his servants was an Israelite, and she suggested he seek out the Prophet Elisha. At first Naaman had resisted Elisha’s instructions out of arrogance, but persuaded by his servants, he finally agreed to follow the prophet’s instruction, to bathe in the waters of the Jordan. He was instantly healed of his leprosy, that dread disease. It seems that he was also healed of a far more dangerous illness, arrogance and pride, because he admits his folly to Elisha, and he makes an act of faith in God, who Elisha serves. In sickness and folly, God offered Naaman healing and faith. He worked through the lowly, and yet offered Himself even to the rich and haughty!

Similarly, in our Gospel, we have this healing of the ten lepers. Like Naaman, but perhaps with greater humility, they seek Jesus out, and following the law that prevented them from approaching anyone healthy, they cried out from a distance, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” They do not have to be cajoled or convinced, they immediately follow Jesus’ instructions, going off to show themselves to the priests who by law must declare them clean and healed, free of leprosy, before they can enter back into the life of the community. That act of obedience opens them up to God’s blessing, and while they are en route, they are healed!

Naaman had to die to himself, swallow his pride, and follow the advice of a foreign prophet. In that act of humility, he was opened up to God’s healing. The ten lepers cried out in their need, much more open to God than the wealthy and powerful Naaman, and when Jesus gave them instructions, they immediately carried them out. By this obedience, they were opened up to God’s healing. God does not save and heal us without our choice, without our consent, without our response. If we will choose to die with him, we will live.

In our daily lives the choice to follow Christ, to obey Him, to imitate Him, often involves many daily choices, rather than one dramatic moment. St. Paul’s saying continues, “if we persevere we shall also reign with him.” An authentic following of Christ, an authentic Catholic life, will necessarily involve a great deal of perseverance. We keep going to Mass, even if the priest or the choir or our fellow parishioners aren’t always at the top of their game! We keep praying, even as we struggle with distraction or experience a time of dryness. We keep going to confession and receiving God’s mercy even though we often continue to struggle with the same sins. We keep responding to those around us with patience and generosity, with kindness, even if they don’t always, or perhaps often, respond in kind. We keep choosing to forgive, even as we are close to drowning under waves of bitterness, anger, hatred, or numbness. Jesus fell three times, and he kept getting up. The saints are men, women, and children like us, weak, sinful, and yet they kept getting up, they kept crying out for healing, they kept trusting God’s mercy.

I’ve been reading a biography about Winston Churchill, and the part I’m reading now describes the long political exile he experienced during the most of the years between WWI and WWII. He was on the outs for years, unable to exercise the high office he had reached as a very young man. He was blamed as incompetent for decisions that history has shown were right on target. As the Nazi menace grew from the early 1930’s on, he kept crying out in the wilderness that the world and Great Britain must be willing to stop Hitler. Almost nobody listened, and Churchill was often dismissed, ignored, ridiculed or insulted in the House of Parliament and in the press. Hitler gobbled up the Rhineland, and no one did anything; Hitler gobbled up Austria, and no one did anything; Hitler gobbled up Czechoslovakia, and no one did anything. Churchill was in the midst of despair and sadness as no one in power was willing to respond to the rapidly growing danger. In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland, and finally, as if waking up out of a drugged stupor, the world realized it was in big trouble, and suddenly England turned to Churchill. In short order he was Prime Minister, fighting for survival in terrible circumstances that he had tried to address constantly for 10 years prior. What would have happened if he had given up? What would have happened if he had simply backed away from the struggle, from the battle, and devoted himself to writing and painting? It is not easy to imagine someone else leading England through the bitter years that followed, and we might well be speaking German here if Churchill hadn’t stayed the course!




The principal applies to our daily lives! “If we persevere with him, we shall also reign with him.” Is it a persistent sin or vice that causes you discouragement or shame? Keep seeking God’s mercy in confession! Is it a wound or sin from the past that keeps dragging you down? Keep renewing your trust and faith in God! Is it the need to forgive some hurt that seems beyond your strength to forgive? Keep surrendering it to the Lord! Does God seem far away, does your life seem disconnected from God and His Church? Keep opening the door, keep crying out, keep seeking the Lord? Do some of the people you love seem to be far from God and running farther away as fast as they can? Keep praying for them, loving them, and seeking to be more converted to the Lord yourself! Only by refusing to seek the Lord, only by refusing to ask for His mercy, only by denying Him do we shut the door. And yet, even then, as St. Paul tells us, “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” Jesus is for us, and when we seek God’s mercy, His answer is always, “Yes!”

St. Paul’s words are short and to the point, let’s listen to them once more as we prepare to approach this altar, where we will receive Jesus Christ, who is always faithful to us:

If we have died with him we shall also live with him;
if we persevere we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

Asking God for the gift of faith, the gift of perseverance, the gift of hope, we prepare our hearts, we open the door, to God who gives us Himself.

+ A. M. D. G. +

Iron Man vs. the Holy Spirit

+ J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Jesus speaks in our Gospel of faith the size of a mustard seed, and the power and impact even this tiny kernel can have. It is important for us to be reminded of this in the midst of the storms and opportunities of our daily life! God has given us precious gifts… do we recognize them, do we use them?

This same theme is very beautifully echoed in our 2nd reading, from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. Paul wants to encourage and empower this young bishop to serve, and to serve well. He says to him:

Beloved: I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.

Through the imposition of Paul’s hands Timothy received the gift of Holy Orders… St. Paul called down the Holy Spirit upon him. The fire and power of Love, the Holy Spirit nestled into his heart and soul at this minute. This verse is particularly close to my own heart because I used it on my ordination prayer card, desiring that God would help me to remember the gift I received when I was ordained a priest, so I would not forget what was given to me.  This doesn't only apply to those who are ordained, but also to every baptized and confirmed person… in those essential sacraments we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spark and fire of love, the Spirit of Truth. That spark burns in our hearts and souls, even if at times it burns very faintly. We are reminded, we are exhorted, we are invited, to fan that little spark into a flame, even into a raging fire of love!

This is what happens in the lives of the saints… by God’s grace the recognize the gift of life, the gift of new life in Christ, the gift of each day, minute, and hour, the gift of each person in their lives. Recognizing those gifts, they begin to cherish them, to give thanks… as they give thanks, their hearts open wider and wider still to the fire of God’s love. God’s love begins to purify and burn away their sin and fear. God’s love begins to draw them to service, and love, and truth. Other people begin to notice the warmth and light that flow from the saints words and deeds. Have you ever been warmed by the charity, the kindness, the encouragement of a friend? That spark in you and in them flared up!

St. Paul continues… we are to stir up this flame, this gift. How does the Holy Spirit go to work in our lives, what is this gift like?

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.

The Power and Fire of the Holy Spirit leads us to love, and to self-control. It leads us to virtue and discipline, and to charity and the gift of self. We are empowered, strengthened, equipped, and moved to serve the Lord and our neighbor.

Perhaps many of you have seen the Iron Man movies, where Robert Downey, Jr. plays Tony Stark. Through a series of highly improbable but entertaining events, he ends up with this throbbing energy source plugged into his heart, an energy source which powers his carefully engineered Iron Man suits. Maybe the Holy Spirit
is a little like this… only MUCH more powerful! Think of Mother Teresa impacting the lives of 100s of thousands of people, and calling thousands of women around the world to follow her. Right now, on every continent, they are caring for the least among us, for the hungry, for those dying from AIDS, for those most in need. Think of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII who will be canonized saints this spring, and how they touched and enlivened so many lives. Think of Venerable Frederic Baraga who set our diocese on fire in the midst of such hardship. Think of St. Therese of Lisieux who feast we celebrated this past week, with her little way of great love. She lived a hidden and cloistered life of prayer and died in her 20's... and yet she is known and beloved around the world.  Think of the Blessed Mother, whose simple yes to the Angel unleashed the entire mystery of salvation!

All of these saints, and especially our Lord Jesus Himself, show us the way to be set on fire, they show us the rich fruits of allowing ourselves to be set on fire! We will face obstacles, challenges, failures… and St. Paul acknowledges as much as he encourages St. Timothy:

So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

Each of us carries our share of hardship… our share of sin, our wounds caused by our own choices and by others. But in God we can bear them with strength that He promises us and gives. Each one of us here at Mass today carries some portion of grief or sorrow or frustration or boredom or anger. We encounter obstacles to living our faith and sharing our faith. Let us not be ashamed to come before the Lord, whatever we carry, let us not be ashamed to beg him for the strength that we need!

In the midst of national struggles, and personal struggles, God calls you and me to move forward with courage, never forgetting the gifts of faith we have received. St. Paul continues:

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

We have heard the word of God, we have been entrusted with the fullness of Christ’s teaching in the Church. May we cherish this, may we allow it to penetrate our hearts and lives, a glowing coal of love and truth that will warm us, and all those around us. If you gather several glowing coals together, they may even burst into flame… as we are gathered here in this church, before this altar, the Holy Spirit wants to set our love ablaze.

We prepare to approach this altar now, to receive the Fire of God’s Love made Flesh, the glowing coal of the Eucharist, a spark that can set us ablaze. May we lay all our fears and burdens at the foot of this altar, and receive the power and grace that we need. May we bring this fire of love with us as we venture forth from this church today.

+ A. M. D. G. +

Frank Sinatra and the very small cramped life of Dives

+ J. M. J. +

Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Our readings today present us with a rather unflattering portrait of the soul uninterested, unconcerned with God. In our first reading, the words of the Prophet Amos are directed against leaders of his time who would not listen to God’s word. They are:

… complacent…. Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches…. Improvising to the music of the harp, like David, they devise their own accompaniment. They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils.

None of these things are inherently sinful… to rest, to play music, to drink wine, to use fine oil… but with an attitude of complacency, self-absorption, self-satisfaction, such a life can lead one to live in very small quarters, in the cramped space of one’s own pleasure and comfort. These leaders of Israel should have been the first to hear God’s word, the first to seek virtue and faith, the first to provide witness to the truth. Can we hold up this mirror to our own minds and hearts? Can we recognize that we too might well fall prey to such a cramped and self-focused existence?


We see this expanded in our dramatic Gospel of the rich man and Lazarus. One word for rich in Latin is dives, and so often the rich man is given this word as a name, Dives, Rich. Notice that he is not described as a hardened public sinner. In other places Jesus speaks very strongly against overt sin, but that is not His principle concern in telling this parable. We don’t know how Dives acquired his wealth… perhaps he worked long and hard. We are not told that he mistreated and abused other people harshly. What we are told is that he lived very well, very comfortably, that he dined well, sumptuously, and that even the scraps from his table were rich and nourishing. Notice that we’re not even told that he ever mistreated Lazarus If Lazarus was there at the door, perhaps he even received a handout from time to time. I honestly wonder if Dives even know Lazarus was there. It seems that with his fine clothes and his fine food he had plenty to occupy his attention.

Like those early leaders who ignored the Prophet Amos, Dives is self-absorbed, self-satisfied. It is not so much that he has consciously chosen to reject God, or God’s law, or God’s poor. It is not so much that he has even consciously chosen to neglect Lazarus. Rather, he marches to the beat of his own drum, his own comfort, his own convenience. Again, can we hold this up as a mirror? Can we see ourselves in Dives? Can we recognize how little energy and attention we often give to God, how negligible our openness to God may be? Inasmuch as we live in a world obsessed with comfort and health and possessions, perhaps we are in even greater danger! Maybe Dives doesn’t hold a candle to our own vulnerability to the trap of self-absorption! If I look within mine own heart I recognize how often this description fits my own thoughts and actions, and maybe you can recognize yourself there to!

The people hearing Jesus may well have been shocked at Dives’ fate… he finds himself in torment, in the land of the dead. Jewish understanding tended to see wealth as a clear sign of blessing from God, and yet this rich man has ended up cut off, in torment.  This is where a lust for comfort leads… this is where placing things at the center of our lives will take us… to the land of the dead, to emptiness, even to misery. The land of the dead that Jesus describes is not quite Hell… and we don’t actually know exactly why Dives is there. But if God had come knocking before Dives died, he probably wouldn’t even have answered the door!

It is hard for us to hear this challenge, and yet God calls. Do we seek our own comfort, our own way, our own schedule and plans above all else? Perhaps you’ve heard it said before, (one popular preacher, maybe the first, Fr. Larry Richards in his book) but Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way,” is a pretty good guess at the theme song of hell! The leaders of Israel did it their way, and all Israel was taken captive into exile. Dives lived life his way, and ended up in torment. If we lead our lives by our own measure, rather than by God’s, we face the very real possibility of bitter emptiness both in this life and the next.




 (The man has an amazing voice, I don't know much about his personal life, but the lyrics lead straight away from God!)

In the parable, Dives cries out on behalf of himself, as well as his five brothers. In the face of his own death, he realizes how empty his life had been. Dives cries out for at least a messenger to be sent. But Abraham, representing the just, those who heard God’s voice and responded, Abraham tells us exactly what happened when God came Himself, when Jesus came:

If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.

So, we who have gathered here for Mass hear this challenge, this invitation, to look in the mirror. If we recognize this trap of self-absorption, of self-sufficiency, we are invited to choose a different path… to choose God, to choose God’s truth, God’s law, God’s path. This involves listening, this involves waiting upon the Lord, this involves walking paths at times that we might never have imagined. However much sacrifice may be involved, though, choosing God’s way means choosing joy, and peace, and truth, even in the midst of struggle.

Whereas the 1st Reading and Gospel clearly reject the false path of self-absorption, in our 2nd Reading, St. Paul advises St. Timothy, a young bishop, of the path he should walk, and it is good advice for us… it is a path very different from the one rejected by Amos and by Christ:

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

This is a very different path… not a path focused on comfort and complacency, but a path oriented toward God, and open to His grace. It is a difficult path. It is often an unpopular path. It is often a surprising path… but it is the way of Christ, the way of God, the way of peace.




Jesus Himself models this for us perfectly, entrusting Himself into the Father’s hands… entrusting Himself into our hands. He shows us the way, gives us the example, and offers us the grace to follow. May we receive our Lord Jesus now with joy, with hope, willing to follow Him wherever He leads.

+ A. M. D. G. +

Is Jesus at the center, or is that center empty? (Or, why you should read the Pope's interview!)

 + J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

In our second reading, St. Paul continues to give clear instructions and words of encouragement to Timothy, a young bishop who is taking on new challenges and new responsibilities. He asks for prayers for everyone, especially for those in authority. He continues, drawing Timothy attention right to the heart of the Gospel:

This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.

At the heart of St. Timothy’s ministry, at the heart of Paul’s words to him, at the heart of our own Christian faith are these convictions, these truths:

1. God is our Savior, and He desires that everyone be saved, that every single person would come to know the fullness of truth.
2. What is that truth? There is one God, and there is one mediator, Jesus Christ, who died for all.

This is the core of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, the core of the Gospel, the core of the truth that we are called to live and speak and teach. If this is true, it must be the foundation of our lives. If this is true, it is not the case that worldly success or worldly possessions, or the good opinion of others are the most important, even as they are not necessarily bad. Because God desires that every person be saved, because He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to accomplish this work, everything else changes before this awesome truth!

Many of you have heard accounts and discussions of Pope Francis’ recent interview. In August he worked with a journalist in Rome, Fr. Antonio Spadaro. Fr. Spadaro is a Jesuit priest, and the editor of an important Jesuit journal. This interview has now been released simultaneously around the world in many different languages, and it hit the press this past week. It is about 14 pages long, and Pope Francis addresses many different topics. From this long discussion, the media has extracted any number of short sound bites, drawing all kinds of exciting conclusions, some of them bizarre, some of them confusing. And yet, in God’s providence, it seems to me that the core of Pope Francis’ message is very much related to St. Paul’s message to St. Timothy.

At the very beginning of the interview, Fr. Spadaro asks Pope Francis, “Who is Jorge Maria Bergoglio?”, using the Pope’s baptismal name. After thinking about it, the Pope answered very simply, “I am a sinner.” Like St. Paul, Pope Francis is acutely aware of his own need for a Savior, for help in the midst of his own weakness.

The interview ranges on over many topics, and then Pope Francis speaks of the Church as a “field hospital after battle,” a place where each person’s mortal wounds must be healed. With deep feeling he speaks of the wounds that the Gospel can heal, and the way that each of us is called to be healed, and to help heal others. He speaks of the great grace of confession as part of this process. He says, “We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing, even with our preaching, every kind of disease and wound.” He goes on later, “The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences flow.”

Much of the reporting has launched off Pope Francis’ call to put the preaching of Christ first, before the Church’s moral teaching. It is from Jesus that the power and grace to live rightly comes. It is from Jesus that healing and help comes to each one of us in our own sins, in our own wounds, whatever they may be. Pope Francis affirms, clearly, the Church’s moral teaching, but he reminds us that this challenging way of life laid out by Christ and communicated to us by the Church is only possible with Christ. Jesus Himself speaks this clearly time and time again, "I came not to abolish but to fulfill the law," "Keep the commandments."  And yet, it is possible for the moral law to become separated from the proclamation of Jesus Christ.  It is possible for people to hear the dos and don'ts, but not to hear of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  And this is where the Pope's invitation and challenge comes in.  With Christ, holiness is possible. Without Christ, it is not.

Our first reading and Gospel today call us to make good use of our worldly possessions, our money, our time, our talents. We must place them at the service of God rather than worshiping them. We must chose God rather than mammon. There are many kinds of poverty around us, material, physical, spiritual. Every kind of poverty can only be resolved in a full and lasting way by the proclamation of God who came to save us, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Our Holy Father is calling us to hear this call, to receive this truth, and to bring it to others.

As at each Mass, having heard of Jesus Christ, having heard His teaching, we come now to encounter Him on this altar. May we receive the Lord’s body and blood now and thus be empowered, healed, and invigorated to proclaim Him to our wounded world.

+  +  +   +  +  +  +

PLEASE read the full interview if you're interested!  PLEASE read the full interview before opining enthusiastically, in whatever direction, about what the Pope is saying!

A Big Heart Open to God: the exclusive interview with Pope Francis

+ A. M. D. G. +

May we not have come to God's House in vain!

+ J. M. J. +

Homily for the 100th Anniversary of the Consecration of Immaculate Conception Church
(Readings from the Common for the Dedication of a Church: 

Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 122; 1 Corinthians 3: 9c-11, 16-17; Luke 19:1-10)

Original St. Joseph Church

“Wonderful are you, O God in your holy place.” With these words of the Entrance Antiphon we began our Mass today. It is wonderful to be here with all of you in this holy place of God, our Immaculate Conception Church. 100 years ago to the day, on Sept. 1, 1913, Bishop Eis, the fourth bishop of our diocese, consecrated this new church to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Masses had been celebrated in Wakefield for some 25

St. Joseph Church after the 1909 fire

years or more before that day, and the previous parish church dedicated to St. Joseph had served for 18 years before it burned in 1909. For four years the parish labored to rebuild, and 100 years ago today their efforts were consecrated and blessed! For 100 years this building has been a house of God, a school of prayer, and the beating heart of the Catholic community in Wakefield.

Immaculate Conception Church, consecrated 1913

The Anniversary of the Dedication of a Church is always a solemn feast day for a parish community, all the more when it is the centennial. The Church gives us special readings and prayers for our feast, and the Church considers this annual celebration so important that it actually takes the place of our normal Sunday readings and prayers when it falls on Sunday. We express our joy and gratitude in our use of all liturgical solemnity and beauty!

In our first reading the prophet Ezekiel has a beautiful vision

Bishop Eis

of the temple in Jerusalem… sweet fresh water is flowing from the temple into the desert land. Wherever that good water flows it brings health, fruitfulness, healing, and abundant harvests. Even the Dead See is made fresh and filled with life. The people of Israel went up the Jerusalem Temple because within was found the Ark of the Covenant which contained the tablets upon which God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Even more important, they went up to the temple because they knew that God was present there in a special way!

In our Gospel, God comes to dwell in another house… not the temple this time, but the house of a rich man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and so he was hated. Zacchaeus was a very short man, and so he was mocked. Nonetheless, in his heart their burned a desire to see Jesus, a curiousity about this man of whom he had heard so much. So he takes the rather unusual step of climbing a tree to see over the crowd! Jesus sees him there, and even more importantly, he sees the desire and openness in Zacchaeus’ heart. Jesus sees that Zacchaeus is ready to receive him, to welcome him, to hear his voice. With Jesus in his home, Zacchaeus commits himself to a whole new way of life, to healing and reconciliation.

For the Jews there was one temple, but for us a Christians there are many! Jesus dwells in each heart where He is welcomed, and He dwells in each family home where He is honored. Jesus comes to stay with us Eucharistically in every consecrated church and chapel. When our parish church here was consecrated 100 years ago by the bishop, a successor to the apostles, it was set aside and dedicated for holy purposes alone. The church is not an all purpose room, it is not simply a community hall… it is the dwelling place of God in our midst. There is a steeple pointing to heaven, there is a cross reminding us of Calvary, there is a bell which calls us to prayer. As we enter, we bless ourselves with the holy water that reminds us of our baptism. When we enter our pew, we genuflect as we recognize and honor Jesus present in the tabernacle. Our vigil lamp burns brightly day and night as a sign of that presence. All of these signs teach us and help us to remember that God is uniquely present here, under the appearance of bread, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Our parish church, then, is a holy place, a godly place, a place of grace, a place of conversion. However… the church building, with all of its dignity and worth, is not an end in itself. Jesus didn’t come to build churches, but He did come to build the Church. We are the living stones, laid upon the foundation of Christ and His apostles. We are the living stones, held in place by Christ who is the cornerstone, the capstone, the keystone. This building is of no avail if we do not enter. Christ is present here, but He will be present in our community, in our homes, in our offices, and in our hearts if we welcome Him, and if we bring Him with us. St. Paul tells us, “Brothers and sisters: You are God’s building…. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” We come to this temple to be renewed as God’s dwelling places. We receive the Lord’s Body and Blood, and Christ dwells in us. There is always the temptation to compartmentalize our lives and our hearts… one attitude, one way of being and speaking at church, and another at home, another at the office, and so forth. It is always good to come to church, in our weakness, in our brokenness. It is truly a hospital for sinners, and I am with you in need of God’s tender care. We are always welcome here whatever we have done. But we must not come here merely as custom, we must not leave here as we have come. Jesus goes to Zacchaeus house, and people are surprised because Zacchaeus is a sinner. But notice that once Jesus has arrived, things begin to change!

I began with Ezekiel’s image of the water flowing out from the temple… this is an image of God’s grace, an image of God’s people. If we are to truly appreciate the gift of our parish church, we must respond to the grace we are offered here, we must struggle with God’s help to receive the healing and conversion He desires for us. We must imitate Zacchaeus’ zeal, and joy, and urgency to receive the Lord and to act on His word. Without this the gift of God is offered, but it is not received.

On this great feast of the dedication of our church, our hearts are filled with joy, and gratitude, and many holy memories. We have come rejoicing to the house of God, and rightly so. May we not have come in vain today, may we leave here once again changed and empowered and more converted to Christ. May we not leave here empty-handed… may we not leave here leaving Jesus behind in the tabernacle, rather may we leave here with Jesus in our hearts, and in our minds, and on our lips, in everything that we do, and in everything that we say. In this temple of God, may we become temples of God, and may God dwell in us, and may we become holy!

Holy Name event, 1940

Fr. Bracket on the day of his first Mass, with Fr. Drengacz

Fr. Bracket's First Mass

The interior of I.C. before more recent renovations

+ A. M. D. G. +

How to get some glory... (I reveal my Olympic aspirations!)

+ J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time,Year C

In our Gospel, at first glance Jesus seems to be giving some canny advice on how to get ahead… if you choose a lower spot than you may well deserve, the host may bring you up higher, increasing your honor. This is clearly better than being pushed lower by over-reaching. It is pleasant to be honored, especially when there is an audience. It is unpleasant to be demoted, especially in front of a crowd.

One place in our world where we see a lot of glory, but also the public consequences of failure, is in sports. When I was in middle-school and high-school, I remember watching the summer and winter Olympic Games with considerable interest. I liked to see who got the most medals; I liked to follow U.S. athletes in various events. I’m not sure exactly how old I was, but there was even a period where I imagined myself as an Olympic athlete! I had a plan…even though I was in a lot better shape back then, it wasn’t because I thought I had enormous athletic gifts! I noticed there were some events that weren’t enormously popular, and where the competitors were essentially unknown. I noticed that in some of these events the U.S. competitors often seemed to be weak, rarely winning medals. Here was my big chance! I imagined that if I mastered one of these lesser known sports, there would be less competition, and I could go to the Olympic games, even if no fame resulted! That was my big plan… to be on the U.S. fencing team, or the horse-jumping team, or the badminton team! I’m not saying any of these are easy… but I thought I might have a shot! Perhaps each of us here has at one time or another imagined acquiring glory or fame, the admiration of our peers. Perhaps some of you have experienced this! Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell His listeners to eschew or reject honor… quite the contrary, He’s giving them a strategy to acquire it! The same pattern is present in our first reading from the Book of Sirach… we are invited to live humbly, but also told that this will result in being loved and finding favor with God.

The problem with our hearts is not that we desire glory and honor and love! This is the Buddhist analysis of the world’s brokenness… suffering is caused by desire, and so by eliminating desire, suffering too must end. This is not at all the teaching of Christ… much suffering results when we attempt to fulfill our desire in false ways, but Christ is not the end of all desire, but the fulfillment of all that our hearts long for!

In our psalm we see the fruit of encountering God… the just rejoice and exult, they sing. God gives us a home, He leads us from imprisonment to prosperity, and we are filled and restored with a bountiful inheritance.

The glory that God desires to give us is beautiful and mysteriously depicted in our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews:

…you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

We are called to glory, and this gift is offered to us in Christ. We are called to be instruments of God’s grace so that all whom we meet might also be called to glory! While it is true that we seek glory in false ways, I also think that very often we settle for much less than God offers us, very often we resign ourselves to far, far less than we are promised. C.S. Lewis has a beautiful essay titled “The Weight of Glory,” and as I have read and reread it over the years, one of his final statements always strikes me to the heart:

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

There are no mere mortals…each of us is created by God for eternal glory. With each choice we make we cooperate with that infinite gift, or we move closer to rejecting it definitively.

In this light, we see the true value of humility. The gift we are offered by God, the gift that corresponds to the desires of our hearts, indeed the only gift that will truly satisfy us, is eternal life, to be with God in perfect joy and beauty. As long as we are trying to grasp for ourselves the things that we think will satisfy us, we are unable to receive this gift. We are like guests at a party trying to finagle a higher place, and finding that our efforts have brought us to shame. If we try to grasp what is too sublime for us, that which is beyond our own all-too-limited strength, we end up empty-handed. But if we acknowledge our weakness and need, if we wait upon the Lord, if we respond to His will and promptings, then we begin to walk to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven. There is that within us which points beyond us… the desires of our hearts point beyond the things of this mortal world to eternal life. God longs to give us this gift and to fill us beyond our full imagining. May we humble ourselves and thus be exalted!

We prepare now to receive this foretaste of heaven, these firstfruits of Christ’s victory on Calvary. In a few minutes, as we all together gaze upon the Lord’s Body and Bood, we will say with one voice, “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” None of us earns the gift of God Himself, nor can we earn eternal glory. But God offers us these gifts. May we approach this altar now with humble hearts, may we open the door of our hearts to receive that which we could never acquire on our own.

+ A. M. D. G. +