Sunrise on Keweenaw Bay

Sunrise on Keweenaw Bay

Sunday, October 2, 2011

La viña de mi corazón, la viña del mundo


  +  J. M. J.   +

Homily Outline for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - St. Frances of Rome Parish, Cicero, IL


Hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, otra vez les quiero decir que es un gran placer poder estar aquí con ustedes para celebrar esta misa... de vez en cuando nos vamos a ver en los meses que vienen mientras que estoy estudiando en Mundelein. ¡Ojalá que nos entendemos en mi segunda lengua!

Hoy la Palabra de Dios nos presenta con un imagen muy bello y fuerte tanto en el Antiguo Testamento que en el nuevo... Es una viña... el dueño lo ha preparado con mucho cuidado, limpiándola, preparando la tierra, abonándola... tal vez algunos de ustedes han sembrado una milpa, o un frijolar. Yo viví durante tres años en El Salvador antes de entrar al seminario, trabajando como un voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz... en el cantón rural andaba muchas veces sembrando, chapodando, tapiscando... allí hablan de un terreno como un guatal... “Vamos al guatal a chapodar y a picar leña.” Si has sembrado así, con las manos, se sabe que es un gran trabajo... uno conoce cada pedacito de tierra. Tanto más con una viña... las matas de uva viven muchos años, puede producir durante más que un siglo... prepararlo, poner una buena cerca.... bien se sabe como el dueño quiere a su guatal, como está de esperanzoso por la primera cosecha!

Bien... pero la Biblia no nos está dando consejos sobre nuestros jardines! La primera lectura nos da la clave para interpretar este imagen: “Pues bien, la viña del Señor de los ejércitos es la casa de Israel, y los hombres de Judá son su plantación preferida.”

Con tanto más amor, el Señor llamó a Abrahan, Isaac, y Jacobo, llamado Israel... durante largos siglos los siguió llamando, a pesar de su infidelidad y idolatría... sembró amor, y cosechó uvas agrias... sembró la verdad, se reveló ante ellos, y cosechó infidelidad, idolatría, injusticia, odio. El profeta quiere despertar a su gente... imagínese sus sentimientos, su rabia, su rencor contra un terreno que le dio nada de cosecha, a pesar de su inversión de sudor y cuidado, a pesar de su ternura y esperanza.

Con lo que trata del Pueblo de Israel, sabemos que una manera fértil de interpretarlo es aplicarlo a la Iglesia... el nuevo Pueblo de Israel es la Iglesia... más bien, el llamado del Señor se amplificó y se abrió a todas las naciones a través de los apóstoles... En este nuevo Pueblo ha pasado lo mismo... el Señor nos ha bendecido con salvación en Jesucristo, con la inmensa bondad de los sacramentos, con su Palabra Viva... y desde el más poderoso al más humilde, como comunidades, como parroquias, como familias... hemos devuelto al Señor nada más amargura por su inversión. Tal vez parece materialista hablar de inversión, pero de cierto modo es así... el Señor no nos ofrece incluso a si mismo, Cuerpo, Sangre, Alma, y Divinidad, no nos ofrece todo su amor y perdón, para nada. El nos da su amor perfecta para cada uno de nosotros y quiere ver crecimiento, buenos frutos, en nuestras vidas.... Bien, podemos ver a nuestros corazones como viñas también, pero a veces viñas estériles, viñas amargadas, viñas que más bien dan vinagre que vino.

Hoy es el Domingo Respetemos la Vida y en todo nuestro país observamos a este mes de octubre como el mes Respetemos la Vida. Sabemos que es muy necesario poner atención al llamado de nuestra Iglesia. Hoy más que nunca se ve un ataque pleno en contra de la dignidad humana, y en contra de nuestra libertad religiosa. En la viña del Señor, su pueblo todavía hace falta luchar unidamente por el buen fruto de la dignidad humana. Entre muchos ataques a la dignidad humana, el más básico es el aborto, el matar a un niño antes de que nazca.  En nuestro país hay un promedio de 3300 abortos todos los días. Ayer... hoy... mañana... Más niños y niñas matadas que todos los que estamos aquí para la Misa... Es una estadística terrible, dificil de entender... Y para cada aborto, una madre... a veces, un padre que sabe lo que ha pasado... una persona, dos personas que lleven esta culpa, este peso...

No hablo fuertemente de esta realidad para condenar los que han cometido este pecado... Dios sabe las circunstancias tremendas que muchas madres, y padres, encuentran. Su misericordia es eterna y infinita... pero para recibir el perdón del Señor, el primer paso es el arrepentimiento. Si hay alguien aquí que ha llevado esta tristeza en silencio, no quede lejos del confesionario ni un día más... allí el camino que te llevará a paz y sanación comienza... el Señor quiere hacer de tu corazón, de tu alma, una viña fértil, una viña bella, una viña llena de su gracia y perdón. Esta situación, esta tentación no se puede encontrar uno por uno: todos tenemos que examinar nuestras consciencias... si hay madres y padres jóvenes que se encuentran sin apoyo, aparentemente sin salida, somos nosotros, la Viña del Señor, somos nosotros, los bautizados, somos nosotros, el Cuerpo de Cristo... somos nosotros los que tememos que estar listos a echar la mano, listos a ayudar, listos a perdonar, tanto a nosotros mismos que a los demás. Tenemos un deber sagrado transformar nuestro mundo, nuestro país, nuestra ciudad... pero si la viña de nuestras almas es llena de maleza y fruto amargo, de ningún modo podemos ser buenos.

Las palabras de la segunda lectura nos ofrecen una visión bella y llena de luz; encontrando la dura realidad cultural en lo cual estamos, escuchémoslas: “No se inquieten por nada; más bien presenten en toda ocasión sus peticiones a Dios en la oración y la súplica, llenos de gratitud. Y que la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa toda inteligencia, custodie sus corazones y sus pensamientos en Cristo Jesús.”

Hermanos y hermanas en Cristo... en pocos momentos el Señor nos ofrecerá su Cuerpo, Sangre, Alma, y Divinidad, el mayor don, el mayor abono, la gracia más bella y eficaz que existe. Así Dios trabaja en la viña de nuestros almas. Preparemos, pues, nuestro corazones para recibir humildemente y con amor a Jesús mismo. Así estaremos listos seguir luchando por conversión personal, y la conversión de nuestro mundo entero.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

4 days until we leave for World Youth Day!

+ J M J +
 
The pilgrimage group from the Diocese of Marquette will be heading for World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain this Sunday, August 14th... we'll be joining hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world, and the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we will also be praying for you!

We will be posting updates and hopefully pictures on the UP Catholic FaceBook page... you don't need a FB account to view it, so follow us there!  Also, the Vatican webpage has information here.


God Bless,
Fr. Ben Hasse

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Do we receive the gift?

+ J M J +

Homily Outline for the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Apostle Paul longs for his own people to receive the Gospel, “I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people.” Nearly all the first disciples were Jewish, but many Jews did not receive the Gospel in any full way. Having been a zealous Jew himself, Paul knew the rich gifts given to his people: the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises, the patriarchs. In light of such gifts, it is heartbreaking for St. Paul to see so many of the Jewish people walk away from Christ. They should have been the first to recognize and welcome Him. Paul speaks with great emotion – he could even wish to be himself cut off, if that would bring his people to Christ.

What might Paul say to us in Kingsford today? As Catholics, we too are heirs to a rich heritage of faith. Our Church, made up of imperfect people like us, people in need of redemption, has nonetheless received and preserved all the gifts Christ intended for His Church for 2000 years! We have the inspired Word of God, along with the living Apostolic Tradition. We have the great wealth of the 7 Sacraments, the principal means by which God offers us grace, healing, and life; and with them, the beautiful Liturgy of the Church, with finds its source and summit in the very Eucharist we are now celebrating. We have the successors to the Apostles, the bishops, who guide us in union with the successor of St. Peter, the Pope. We have the rich treasury of the saints, each one of them a living example of holiness and obedience to God. We have the cultural and artistic riches of Catholicism, even this very building built for us by our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents in faith. Like Paul’s Jewish brothers and sisters, we have received a fruitful, and rich patrimony, and we are part of an enormous family of faith, over 1.2 billion Catholics throughout the world.

Not unlike the Jewish people, we haven’t always received our rich heritage joyfully. Our Church faces attacks and enormous challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the drifting away of very many of our own people. Sadly every one of us here could make a long list of family members and friends who have ceased practicing their faith… perhaps some of us here right now have experienced this drifting away. Even more than outside attack, we have fallen victim to a slow erosion of faith. Even as the Jewish people had been given so much by God and yet did not always accept Christ, we too have been given rich gifts. God in His mercy does not force these rich graces upon us. He doesn’t barge into our lives like a SWAT team; he gently knocks at the door. Will we receive this reich heritage… will we receive Him?

We see this Divine Gentleness in our first reading. Elijah has encountered violent opposition; fleeing, God has led him to the desert, and to a cave. Notice well… God does not come to Elijah in crashing wind, nor in the ground-shattering earthquake, nor in the raging fire… but in the tiny whispering sound. Where is God whispering to your heart? Have family duties, work, the buzz of music, text messages, and TV kept you from hearing His voice? It is a DAILY challenge for me to quiet my heart and listen, and I suspect it may be for you too. But, if we will stop and listen, Jesus WILL speak to us as He did to Peter out in the midst of the sea and storm, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” He will call us out of the boat of our comfort and routine, and invite us to walk on water, to serve Him, maybe even in unexpected ways. “Come,” He said to Peter, and while Peter’s eyes were fixed on the Lord, he strode over the waves. “Come,” He says also to you and to me.

The Lord continues to speak in our time! I was on the Steubenville trip last weekend with 300 young people from our diocese. All told, there were over 2000 high-schoolers in that gym in St. Paul, and the Eucharistic Lord was present in our midst, and our hearts were opened to Him. I heard dozens of heartfelt confessions, and saw the Lord’s mercy. I saw many young people realize that they are not alone: Jesus Himself is with them, and He is with them in their many brothers and sisters, with them in the Church.

Our youth LONG for the Lord; LONG for the Truth; LONG for the Body and Blood of Christ. Their hearts will only be satisfied by the rich tradition of our faith… Indeed, we ALL long for Christ! Will we respond? If our practice of the Faith is sporadic, will we make God our first priority? Without the Sunday Eucharist and regular confession, we die inside, starving and drowning under the burden of our sins and boredom. If we are regular in our practice, do we have the courage to go deeper… to make time each day for silence with the Lord? God will call each one of us, will we listen? He speaks to us: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.” We have been offered a vibrant heritage of faith, a precious gift – may we receive it with joy. May we now draw near to this altar to receive that MOST precious gift, Jesus Himself, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity… having received Him, may we follow Him wherever He may lead.

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Recent Journeys!

 + J M J +

By God's manifold and abundant grace, I've had the joy of making two pilgrimages, the first to the 2011 Steubenville North Youth Conference on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the second our Third Annual Bishop Baraga March!  In both cases, the Lord's generous work in the hearts of our young people was quite evident.  Can you see that grace in their faces... check out the pictures!

Steubenville North Trip

The Return Journey Rochambeau Tourney

Baraga March 2011

God Bless,
Fr. Ben

The Baraga March 2011 Crew outside Bishop Baraga's Tomb

A Shrewd Merchant's Final Purchase

+ J M J +


Homily Outline:
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

What desires bounce around in our hearts? What do we desire, what do we seek? There are so many levels to this question… I want a new bike, I want a hamburger, I want to rest, I want a cold drink of water… I want a friend, I want to be happy, I want meaning in my life, I want love. From superficial physical needs to the deepest spiritual hunger, we are never fully content. Often we think we know what we want, while at other times we are a mystery even to ourselves. What will bring peace and satisfaction to our divided hearts? Only God who comes to us in the person of His Son, Jesus, Himself fully human and fully divine, only Jesus, sometimes given the title “Desire of the Everlasting Hills,” Jesus Christ alone can satisfy the eternal and infinite longing of our hearts.

This is what the image of the merchant is meant to help us realize: this merchant is searching for fine pearls, presumably to sell again later at a profit. A good and shrewd merchant, he is looking for a deal, a bargain. He is looking for quality, beauty, and marketability. And, he is ready to strike… when he finds a pearl of great price, he does not hesitate… he knows value when he sees it, and he acts decisively. He sells all that he has and buys this one superior pearl. Interestingly enough, there seems to be no mention of resale… to have acquired this pearl is sufficient, it is enough, it is the end of his seeking, his buying and selling, his shrewd deals and careful planning.

The only thing that will settle our hearts in peace is the kingdom heaven, Jesus Himself… can we learn from this merchant? Are we willing to look into the depths of our hearts, passing through the surface buzz of little desires, and moving into the deep currents of desire within, with God? To be a good Christian, to follow Christ, this does not mean simply to ignore our desires. We are not just to keep a firm grip on ourselves and pretend that the molten current of hunger and need is not there… in any case, this doesn’t work. If we ignore our desires, they tend to burst out, often in destructive ways. Neither is the Christian path one of simply giving in, acting on each passing whim, obeying each fleeting lust or pull. God will search us and know us, and help us to know ourselves, if we will venture within.

And this deepest desire of our hearts admits no half measures, no convenient compromises! Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean, formulated by him more than 300 years before Christ, is often summarized “moderation in all things.” For some reason my Mom has OFTEN quoted this phrase to me, I’m not sure why… but this maxim has its limits. We are to exercise no moderation in our love for God, no holding back in our surrender into the Father’s hands. We do not abandon prudence in answering this call, but there is no prudence in loving half-heartedly. In loving God we are to take up our crosses and follow Jesus who gave Himself to us beyond all measure, beyond calculation, even unto death, death on a cross.

Your patron here, St. Gregory of Nazienzus, often called St. Gregory Nazienzen, is a beautiful example of
St. Gregory Nazianzen
this. Some 700 years after Aristotle taught moderation, he followed Christ with generosity. As a young man he showed great promise as a student of rhetoric, and was given the rich opportunity of studying in Athens with the very best teachers. While studying, he became friends with St. Basil the Great, and St. Basil’s brother St. Gregory of Nyssa. Later the three became known as the Cappadocian Fathers, from the region where they served in what is now Turkey. A lucrative career lay before St. Gregory, but he heard God’s call and sought a life of monastic prayer and study. That is where the Church found him, and he was ordained a priest and set to serve the Church in the midst of difficult pastoral circumstances, becoming a bishop and struggling to navigate the tumultuous currents of heresy and politics. He faced even physical danger preaching the truth in Constantinople, but did not back down. Having found the kingdom of heaven, he gave all he had and all he was for it.

So, where does God find us? Most of us will not be called to some historic endeavor, although perhaps some of us will be. Paul tells us that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” All things includes, especially, all the mundane details and small challenges of each day, along with the big events, both blessings and struggles. We are to surrender ALL of this, every last bit, into the Father’s hands. Will we, with Solomon, ask God for an understanding heart, for the wisdom to love God and to love our brothers and sisters?

Let me offer you a very modest and concrete proposal on how to acquire the Pearl of Great Price, the Kingdom of Heaven. Begin, today, to speak to the Lord of the desires of your heart and to offer them to Him. As you go out of Church you will find a stack of simple prayers called a “morning offering.” This prayer simply speaks of giving the Lord our whole day in advance, and uniting that offering to Jesus’ self-offering in the Eucharist. I try to make this prayer my first conscious act each day, rolling out of bed and kneeling next to it to pray. This is not a sufficient discipline of prayer for any Christian, but it is a good beginning. To give all we are to God is a lifelong endeavor, and to offer God our first waking moment is a good beginning each day. Please take one of these prayers with you… if you are willing to offer God that first moment, I suspect you will be surprised by how much He offers you in return! We see His Divine Generosity in the Eucharist He is about to give us. May we today receive the Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity with joy, and respond by offering Him all that we are.

Link to some Morning Offering Prayers.

Link to the Apostleship of Prayer, who promote this devotion and praying with the Holy Father's monthly prayer intentions.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Baraga March 2011 is coming!

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Baraga March 2011 is coming, 
the 3rd Annual!




We're up on the diocesan website: http://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/peacepizza.asp

If you're interested, contact me ASAP!  benjhasse at yahoo dot com

It's going to be huge!

Last years pictures to whet your appetite: Baraga March 2011 pics on Facebook

God Bless,
Fr. Ben

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Just AND Merciful... or, Don't Pull Out The Beans!

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Homily Outline for the 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Year A

We are in the midst of Ordinary Time. It has this name not because any lack of special grace, but because the Sundays are named with “ordinal” numbers… hence “Ordinary Time.” The color is green for growth. The 33 or 34 weeks of the year devoted to Ordinary Time are weeks devoted to our growth in grace, our growth and putting into practice of the mysteries celebrated during the special seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.

It is particularly appropriate, then, that we hear today of the planting, growing, and harvesting of a crop. I hope your gardens are growing… I have only a couple rows of sugar-snap peas back at St. Michael’s, but they’re flourishing. I suspect many of you have gardening on your minds in July. What does our parable tell us today about gardening, and life? There WILL BE a harvest, and the crop will be examined… God is just. And, God is patient and merciful… He has given us our entire lives to prepare and make ready for that harvest. He doesn’t strike preemptively… He harvests only in the fullness of time.

It is easy to come down hard on one side or the other of this question… to cry out, “Repent, judgment is near,” or to say, “no need to fear, God is merciful.” To take either piece by itself is to fall into error, because both are true! The opposition of God’s justice and mercy is a false dichotomy. The truth is often found in the dynamic tension between two claims that appear to be mutually exclusive: God is one and three, Jesus is fully human and fully divine, the Sacred Scriptures are God’s Word in human words, the Mary is both virgin and mother, and the Church is a human institution, but also divine, enlivened by the Holy Spirit. In each case, to resolutely affirm one thing seems to rule out the other, but the truth involves both together. God is bigger than our human categories, but works through them.

Our parable today imagines God as a gardener.  Growing up, I was always the lieutenant gardener, and my mom was the commander-in-chief. One time I received orders to weed out our beans. We normally planted long rows that we would eat fresh as well as freezing. There’s NOTHING as rich and good as freshly picked green beans! I yanked out the weeds with great vigor and enthusiasm. By the time I was done, not a weed was left. However, I’d nearly uprooted all the bean plants. My mom thought they were all going to die, but eventually, after several weeks of extra tender care, many of them survived! I had exercised more justice than mercy!

God does not make this mistake. We hear in the first reading that God has perfect and complete power, and so is full of lenience. Jesus explains the parable and makes clear that God sows only good seed, but the evil one, our adversary, attacks and distorts. God wills only good, but the abuse of our freedom in sin has distorted us and damaged the entire created world. Whatever water has passed under our bridges, we are to repent of our sins and hope in God’s mercy. We will each encounter God face to face, whether at our death or at the end of time, whichever comes first. Our time now, today, is to prepare.


C.S. Lewis
This mystery of God's perfect justice AND perfect mercy is beautifully captured by C.S. Lewis.  I’m a BIG fan of his… he has a marvelous ability to explain the truth with great clarity. One of his best books is very short, I recommend it to you, The Great Divorce. Despite the title, it’s not about marriage, but about eternity. In that book he explains judgment with great lucidity,

“Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell . No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”

The Lord, as it were, puts this ball very much in our court, that is the significance of the imperfect but real freedom that we are given: will we choose love, will we choose truth? To choose that which is good, true, and beautiful, to choose God and His will, that is the only real freedom.  Any parable or image fails to capture every detail... in this parable, a weed cannot become a bean plant.  We, however, are not stuck being thistles, even if we have planted many bad seeds ourselves, we can choose to repent and be healed, we can choose joy. The Holy Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness, helps us to pray and to open ourselves to God’s grace.

Our Mother the Church gives us not just the liturgical seasons, but also the individual feasts... July 16th, is the memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patronal feast of the Carmelites.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
We remember in a special way the cloistered Carmelite nuns who give their lives in hidden prayer for us! They imitate Mary's surrender in a special way and become vessels of intercession and grace for the whole world. The Carmelite monasteries of our country are mostly full! There are over 20 women in Iron Mountain, my home area, and regular new vocations there. Mary models for us in a particular way this trust in God’s mercy… she says, “Be it done unto me according to thy will.” The devotion to our Lady of Mount Carmel is accessible to anyone through the wearing of the brown scapular, given to St. Simon Stock in England on this day in 1251… the scapular is a sign of devotion to Mary and her protection, a sign of the desire to imitate her surrender to God’s will. I have worn one since high school, perhaps some of you also wear one. The scapular is not magic, it is not a charm or an amulet, but it can be a symbol and reminder to the one who bears it of devotion to Mary, and of the intention to stay close to her in prayer. It can be like a good yeast rising in our lives, a mustard seed reminder of God’s call to us.

God is perfectly just, AND full of patient mercy. Let us respond to both truths with joy, repenting of our sins and opening our hearts and lives to God’s grace. At this very altar God offers us not just truth, but the power to live in Him. We will receive Jesus Himself, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Let us ask God for the grace and strength offer to Him the harvest of our lives.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A rather unusual gardener

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Planting corn in El Salvador
Homily Outline for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

On this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear a parable that presents us with a vivid image of the gospel… the sower and the seed. I suspect most of you have planted a garden at one time or another… a show of hands, how many have gardened or farmed? Drawing on that experience then, let’s look more closely at this parable, starting right at the beginning… There is something strange here that it might be easy to miss! When I have helped my mom plant a garden, and more recently when I’ve planted my own garden, a great deal of effort precedes the actual sowing of the seed! There’s the spreading of manure or compost in the fall, the roto-tilling or spading in the spring, the careful laying out of rows and raking the soil to break up large clumps. Finally the holes or furrows are made to accept the seeds… No gardener I know throws seeds on sidewalks or roads, or in the midst of rocks, or in the midst of a thicket of thistles! But God does!

What kind of gardener is God? Think about that… these seeds, representing “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” are strewn about all over the place, almost indiscriminately. Not surprisingly, they suffer a variety of fates.

Although surprising, this is good news for us today. My heart is not always rich, deep, fertile soil, free of weeds and rocks… very often my heart is hardened or choked with busyness, and I suspect your hearts are often like that also. And yet, in Divine Generosity, God sows the seed of grace and life nonetheless, and entrusts the fruitfulness of that seed to our free response.

The 120 Chinese Martyrs
Today, July 9th, is actually the feastday of a new saint in the Church, St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions… this feast celebrates 120 Chinese Martyrs who were killed for the faith between 1648 and 1930. St. Augustine was a Chinese soldier who converted and became a priest. In 1815 he was imprisoned, tortured, and died rather than reject Jesus Christ. Catholic and other Christian missionaries have tried for centuries to bring the Gospel to China, but until recently, with little success. The seeds of truth and conversion did not appear to find fertile soil. However, in the last 50 years, in the midst of much persecution, the Gospel has begun to spread. Now perhaps 10%, or roughly 130 million people, are Christians, and about 1% or 13 million are Catholics. This may be a small percentage, but it is nearly half as many Christians as here in the United States! Humanly, it seemed that the seeds of faith found only rock and thorn, but in God’s time these seeds now seem to be bearing fruit! As God tells us through
St. Augustine Zhao Rong
the prophet, “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

When we look into our hearts and lives it is easy to be scandalized by our own weakness, our sins, our failures. It is easy to say to ourselves, “Well, I hope someone else will be faithful and good, because I’m just not cut out for it.” Or, perhaps, we might say to ourselves, “Well, I’m good enough… plenty of people are worse than me… no need to really do anything radical.” Both mistakes cut us off from the grace and life God wants to offer us. God in His generosity offers not just to plant the good seed of faith in our hearts, but also to till the soil there, to break up the big clods of unforgiveness, to throw out the hard rocks of bitterness, to pull up the weeds of sin and temptation. Will we cooperate; will we participate in this good work? Will we respond to this precious gift with the same courage that lead those Chinese martyrs… men, women, and children, young and old, priests, sisters, mothers and fathers… the same courage that led them to give up their lives rather than surrender or abandon their faith?

Make no mistake… the same spiritual combat that lead to their martyrdom is very much at work in our society, albeit in less obvious ways. As our second reading says, “All creation groans in labor pains even until now… we also groan within ourselves.” To allow this seed of faith to grow in our hearts, we are called to choose the good and reject evil. We are called to forgive our enemies, help the poor, to share all that we have been given. We are called to put God and family before career and pleasure. We are called to defend the dignity of every human person from conception to natural death. We are called to defend marriage between man and woman, to fight for the unborn, to fight for our own families and children against the attacks of pornography, addiction, and selfishness.

God will do this in us if we will open the door, if we will permit the seed of faith to be sown. His grace, His strength, His wisdom will work in us if we will allow it. At this very Mass we will draw near this altar to receive the Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This food of life, this good seed, will be offered to us, planted in us as it were. God offers us this not because we’re such fertile soil, but because He is good and loving! Will we respond to love with love? Will we respond to God’s giving of Himself by giving Him ourselves? No other response is fitting… may we receive infinite love from this altar, and offer all that we are in return.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Bishop Baraga March is less than a month away!

It's almost time for the 3rd Annual Baraga March, a bike pilgrimage from the shores of Indian Lake near Manistique, where Bishop Baraga first celebrated Mass in the UP, to his tomb at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.

There's a simple announcement up here: http://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/peacepizza.asp

The dates: Wednesday, August 3rd, starting with Mass at 10 am at the Baraga Park where the Indian River flows out of Indian Lake, to Friday, August 5th, when we'll close with Mass in the Baraga Crypt about midday.

Email me ASAP if you want to come!  benjhasse@yahoo.com

God Bless,
Fr. Ben

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Finally... some pictures from my recent trip to El Salvador and Nicaragua

Here are links to some pictures from my recent trip with my sister Libby to El Salvador and Nicaragua:

El Salvador

Nicaragua

It was a great trip!

Planting corn with my good friend Franklin, he's the one plowing!

Highlights of Two Years at St. Michael Parish and Catholic Campus Ministry

Here is the text of the letter I wrote for the bulletin insert this weekend:


“Rejoice always.  Pray without ceasing.  In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dear St. Michael Parish,

On my last weekend of service here at St. Michael’s, my heart is heavy at the thought of leaving, but also excited at the adventures that lie ahead.  Above all, my heart is full of praise and thanksgiving for the rich gifts given to me here by our gracious and loving Father through each one of you.

My first thanks go without question to Father Larry Van Damme, our pastor.  He has been a friend and mentor to me since he was appointed to St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish in Iron Mountain as a newly ordained priest in 1993, my home parish.  To have his example, friendship, encouragement, and guidance during my first two years of priesthood has been a rare and precious blessing.  Only a very few times have I been in the chapel to pray before him.  He has had to live with me in the rectory, no small penance!  Neither my room, my office, nor my schedule have been models of tidiness and order, but he has borne with me very patiently.  We have celebrated Mass together, sat in adjacent confessionals, paddled our kayaks, and sat up for many long hours talking of life and ministry and God’s mercy.  I forgive him for eating all my leftovers!  I know I have learned a great deal and am a better man and a better priest because of his generous friendship.

After Father Larry, I have probably spent the most time working with Catherine Hardenbergh, our pastoral and campus minister.  Cat also grew up in Iron Mountain, and we already knew each other from the Youth Encounter Movement.  We have spent long hours late into the night with the NMU students.  Cat has generously shown me the ropes and taught me out of her years of campus ministry experience, along with helping me navigate the many details of parish life.  I admire her commitment and generous love for the students and parish, as well as her courageous balancing of family and ministry.

It has been a pleasure, too, to work and pray with Deacon Dennis Maki.  He and Father Larry and I all share the same birthday!  Deacon Dennis has been consistent in generosity and fidelity.  I have been particularly struck by his devotion to the inmates of Marquette Branch Prison, and it has been inspiring to collaborate with him there.

Serving at St. Michael’s, Catholic Campus Ministry, and Fr. Marquette School means being part of a very large team of staff and volunteers, and a member of a large and varied parish family, far too many good and loving people and groups to list in any adequate way here.  It is only the lack of space that keeps me from continuing this list for dozens of pages.  You welcomed me, taught me, and were patient and forgiving.  I have seen you offer generous and loving service without counting the cost.  It is with you that I have experienced my first weeks and months of joy at celebrating the Eucharist, of awe at God’s infinite mercy in the Sacrament of Penance, of humility in the Anointing of the Sick.  It is with you that I have discovered the enormous variety of needs in a parish, God’s generous grace, and the challenge of navigating such bountiful opportunities with wisdom and discernment.

Some of my greatest joy and fun has been with the youth of the parish and Catholic Campus Ministry.   With the school, the middle school youth group, the Scouts, CCM, the Frassati Society, and in other ways I have had the privilege of praying, laughing, eating, and learning with you young men and women.  Whether in Mass, retreats, trips, or on snowshoes, I see great hope for our Church in you.  God is calling you to holiness and joy in His Church… do not be afraid!

To each and every member of this parish I offer my deepest and heartfelt thanks.  It is hard to believe that two years have already passed by, yet they have been so very full.  We will never outdo the Lord in generosity… but let’s keep trying!  Know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers; please keep me in yours.

God Bless,


Father Ben Hasse
benjhasse@yahoo.com

Along with this letter, I included a number of photos highlighting the many blessings of these past years... this link will take you to those photos and quite a few more in a Facebook album (no need to have an account to view these photos): Highlight Photos on Facebook                                                                                                              

Corpus Christi: Will we receive the nourishment we need?

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Homily Outline for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Corpus Christi
26 June 2011

It is a joy to be preaching to you on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi. By God’s generosity, yesterday was my 33rd birthday. Sometimes people get stressed out around their birthdays’, but I just like to think of it like a caveman… another year without getting eaten!

In these days after Pentecost, the Church puts before us a number of the key mysteries, the deepest and most beautiful truths of our faith…last Sunday, the Most Holy Trinity, and now, the Eucharist. This series will conclude with the celebrations of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Saturday. They are connected: out of the dynamic and infinite and perfect love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, God’s grace overflows and He sends Jesus to save us through Mary’s self-surrender. From Jesus’ pierced side flowed out blood and water and the Church was born. From the Church we continue to receive the Eucharist, Jesus Himself, and we are drawn into the love of the Trinity. These feasts map out for us the very life of grace!

You very likely have heard the phrase before, but it bears repeating. The Second Vatican Council calls the Eucharist the very “source and summit” of our faith… the font from which all grace flows and the goal and peak towards which we bring everything in our hearts and lives. The Eucharist is to be our life and our joy. As we hear in the first reading, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God… in the Eucharist real bread becomes the WORD MADE FLESH, Jesus, the Word of the Father. God in His mighty humility comes to us under the appearance of simple food and drink, and the spiritual nourishment He gives us is JUST as necessary as physical nourishment.

In our wealth and comfort, I think some of these images begin to loose their edge. When we hear of the Israelites hungry and thirsty in the desert, most of us have little context to understand this! When I returned to El Salvador recently, everyone commented appreciatively on my round belly, some even patted it proprietarily! The folks there are close enough to knowing real hunger to see my belly as a sign of regular meals! To say “¡Mira, que gordo!”, “Look at how fat you are!” isn’t meant to be derogatory… in a sense, it’s admiration!

Listen, then, to what Jesus says about His Body and Blood in the 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.” Let that sink into your heart… The Eucharist is not a nice fringe benefit of the Gospel… it is not a nice ceremony to fill out the preaching… it is not merely a symbol of something that happened long ago. Somehow so many of our separated brothers and sisters miss this passage as they study the Bible with so much real love and zeal. The Eucharist is the essential Spiritual Food without which we starve to death. “Amen Amen…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you DO NOT have life within you.” These are very strong words… do we take them seriously? Do we approach this altar with reverence, hungry to receive the grace we need? Do we prepare our hearts with prayer? Do we examine our hearts to see if we are disposed to receive communion? Do we attend Mass to receive the Eucharist only when it’s convenient? If we face life’s frequent trials and difficulties without the Eucharist, it’s as if we’re trying to run a marathon on an empty stomach… it DOESN’T work!

As I complete two years of service among you this week, I am full of gratitude for the gift of priesthood, and the great gift of beginning my priesthood here with you. I have tried to serve you generously, and I have received far more than I have given. First and foremost, a priest is ordained to provide the People of God with that which is not possible without him… the Eucharist, and the forgiveness of sins. It is an enormously humbling thing to speak the words of Christ, “This is my body,” and to know that Christ works through me to bring us His Body and Blood. It is an enormously humbling thing to hear a person confess their sins and to say those words, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” To serve in God’s name is a joy, and a constant invitation to gratitude and humility. God’s grace makes me very aware of how little I am before the Lord and how much I need Him.

Perhaps my greatest daily sorrow is to see so many people who do not receive - who do not seek - the enormous grace that God longs to give them in Confession and in the Eucharist. St. Paul tells us clearly what is offered to us… a participation in the body of Christ, in His Blood, and then unity with each other in Him. This is what our hearts most long for, God, and we are offered it at every Mass. Do we pause, do we wonder, do we grasp what we are offered! God HIMSELF! As I prepare, now, to celebrate this Sunday Eucharist for the last time among you, this then is my plea to you… do not receive these gifts in vain… do not approach this altar merely out of habit, do not approach without examining and opening your hearts to the healing and mercy that we ALL need. Do not take for granted the Bread from Heaven that comes to you now. God HAS NOT ABANDONED US in our distress, but we have OFTEN abandoned Him. We have chosen to be here and yet our openness can become deeper, wider, and more complete. Then we can bring this gift to the whole world. Jesus offers us infinite grace, if we will but receive it with open hearts. Listen again to Jesus’ beautiful promise, “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Sunday, May 29, 2011

A stiff challenge... and the FIRE to live it.

+ J.M.J. +

Homily Outline for the 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

Our Gospel today on this 6th Sunday of Easter puts before us a simple and very difficult challenge, but it also speaks of the means by which we can respond to this challenge with courage and hope. The challenge is in the very first line: “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” That is one tough line… it is easy to say that we love Jesus, and I suspect that most of us experience that movement in our hearts, at least from time to time… after all, he gave EVERYTHING for us on the Cross, and rose in victory of over sin and death. He will come to us at this very Mass Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity, under the humble appearance of bread and wine. What’s not to love! Jesus is a good, true, and beautiful Savior.

Very quickly, though, we are invited to reflect on what love really is…it is certainly not simple admiration or appreciation from a distance. What does loving Jesus look like? We will keep His commandments. He made the 10 commandments His own, but then He went farther… He upped the ante, ruling out not just murder but even hatred, ruling out not just adultery, but the lust of the heart, calling us to forgive 70 times 7 times, and even to love our enemies. These commandments are straightforward, easy to understand, but very difficult to live. Jesus did not say, “If you love me, keep some of my commandments…” He did not say, “If you love me, keep the commandments that come naturally, and you can fudge the rest of them.” He said it very simply, “Keep my commandments.” On this basis, it would be easy to get very discouraged. A careful examination of our hearts will indicate that in one way or another we have fallen short of this standard, casting the reality and authenticity of our love for Jesus, who loved us perfectly unto the Cross, very much in doubt.

That’s not the end of what Jesus tells us today, praise God! There’s more: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth… I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” Jesus knows perfectly how much we struggle to be faithful, even how much we struggle to desire faithfulness. He does not expect us to fly solo on this mission. He has sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit of Love, Power, and Self Control, the Consoler and Fire of the Love between Father and Son. This Holy Spirit is sent to help and sustain us in the midst of this daunting invitation to love Jesus, and so to keep His commandments.

We see one aspect of this promise in our first reading. Philip is one of the first 7 deacons, and he was driven from Jerusalem with the other followers of Christ after his brother deacon Stephen was stoned to death for preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He came to Samaria, a region north of Jerusalem and proclaimed Christ. The Lord worked miracles through him, casting out unclean spirits and healing many sick people. Hearing of this missionary fruit, the apostles sent Peter and John, and they laid hands on these newly baptized Christians, who then received the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit came down precisely through the intercession of the apostles, Peter and John. The Holy Spirit is the soul of Christ’s Body, the Church. Now, as then, this gift comes to us through human instruments, the apostles and their successors, the bishops. The full gift of the Holy Spirit is ordinarily given at confirmation by the bishop, who stands in an unbroken line with the Twelve. The power and courage to keep Jesus’ commandments doesn’t ordinarily come to individuals in isolation, but in and through the Body of Christ, the Church.

We see this call to be filled with the Holy Spirit made even more clearly in the 2nd reading. Peter says this to us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence…” Do we live in such a fashion that people see hope evident in our lives and ask us about it? Are we ready to explain the essential role that Faith plays in our hearts and lives? This is the challenge! On our own, we cannot do it! Enlivened by the Holy Spirit, we can transform the world.

In the years ahead, as in years and centuries gone by, our fidelity to Christ and His Church will be tested… what choice will we make? Will we call upon the Spirit’s aid and stand firm with the Gospel, with the Church, with the Truth, even when it’s inconvenient, even when it’s unpopular? Are we willing to suffer and lay down our lives for Jesus Christ, who suffered and laid down His life for us? Will we walk the broad easy downward road, going with the flow, following the teachings that are comfortable, and ignoring the rest? To walk against that current has never been easy, but we are not alone! The Gospel is bigger than our preferences and tastes, it is bigger than our strength… The Holy Spirit is fire, wind, breath, power, and life that God will pour into our hearts and lives and word and struggles. Do you love Jesus Christ who loved you unto death? Keep, then, His commandments by the power of the Holy Spirit poured out upon us through His Body the Church. Receive today His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, and be filled with fire, with love, and with truth. 



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Sunday, May 22, 2011

¿Cómo participar?

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Esbozo de una homilia para la Quinta Semana de Pascua, Año A


Durante estas semanas de la Pascua, seguimos celebrando la victoria de Cristo en la cruz. Esta victoria tan grande no se celebra adecuadamente en un día, ni en una semana… se celebra durante 50 días… poco a poco nuestra Madre la Iglesia nos invita a comprender ¡qué grande es el Señor! El venció a la muerte y el pecado a través de la muerte. Muriendo, derrotó a la muerte definitivamente y nos trajo la vida.

Nos juntamos aquí en esta bella iglesia para celebrar la Eucaristía, la fuente y culmen de nuestra vida católica. A la Santa Misa llevamos todo lo que somos, todo lo que experimentamos, tanto malo que bueno… llevamos todo a este altar. De la santa Misa fluye todo la gracia que el Señor nos ofrece… no es decir que el Señor no puede trabajar de otra manera, pero es precisamente por el sacrificio de Cristo que él eligió actuar. La puerta por lo cual entramos a este sacramento es el bautismo.

Hoy, en nuestra segunda lectura, San Pedro está enseñando sobre nuestra identidad en Cristo, la identidad que viene del bautismo. A pesar de nuestra debilidad, a pesar de nuestros pecados, a pesar de nuestra ignorancia, el Señor nos ha escogido y nos ame con perfecta fieldad. Según San Pedro, pues, ¿Quién somos? “Ustedes también son piedras vivas, que van entrando en la edificación del templo espiritual, para formar un sacerdocio santo, destinado a ofrecer sacrificios espirituales, agradables a Dios, por medio de Jesucristo.” A través del bautismo, somos configurados hijos e hijas del Padre, y somos sacerdote, profeta, y rey. Esta dignidad no pertenece a un grupo contadito, a unos cuantos los líderes, ni tampoco pertenece sólo a los hombres llamados al orden sacerdotal… esta dignidad viene con el bautismo. Cada persona bautizada ha sido transformada en sacerdote, profeta, y rey. Es precisamente por haber recibido este don del bautismo que pueden entrar a esta iglesia hoy. No vienen a observar algo, no vienen como espectadores, de ningún modo! Vienen a participar, a celebrar en raíz a su sacerdocio bautismal. Atiende otra vez a San Pedro, “Ustedes, por el contrario, son estirpe elegida, sacerdocio real, nación consagrada a Dios y pueblo de su propiedad…” San Pedro está hablando a todos nosotros, cada uno… escucharemos a su voz?

¿Cómo participarán? Por cantar? Por leer? Por escuchar? Si, en todas aquellas maneras, pero no es allí donde se encuentra su participación, su celebración, fundamental. Poder participar plenamente, poder celebrar plenamente en la Eucaristía no depende principalmente de tener algún trabajo… ni tampoco depende de poder hacer algo exterior. Una persona muda, una persona sorda, una persona coja… esta persona podría participar profundamente igual a cualquier otra persona… ¿Cómo? ¿De qué manera? San Pedro lo dijo: “…un sacerdocio santo, destinado a ofrecer sacrificios espirituales…” El corazón de la Misa es el sacrificio de Jesucristo, ofrecido a través del sacerdote. En raíz a su ordinación, un don que viene encima de su bautismo, el actúa en la persona de Cristo. El sacerdote es Cristo, el sacrificio es Cristo, y la congregación es Cristo. Tu participación se hace verdadera en el momento que te ofreces completamente en el altar con el pan y el vino. Cuando el sacerdote dice “Este es mi cuerpo,” no se habla principalmente por sí mismo, pero habla por Cristo. Más bien, Cristo habla por el! Además, habla de ofrecer a su propio cuerpo y vida. En este momento, los bautizados deben ofrecerse a sí mismo también. Ésta oferta deber alcanzar al lecho de su alma, su corazón, su vida. Debe alcanzar su gozo, su agradecimiento, su alabanza, pero también su dolor, su angustia, su ansiedad, sus dudas, cualquier dificultad. En la Misa no contamos al Señor lo que creemos que él quiere escuchar…. No es mantener la apariencia que todo está perfecto en nuestras vidas. Si acerquémonos al Señor de esta manera, prácticamente cerramos la puerta al Señor. Celebramos la Misa profundamente en el momento que llegamos honestamente al Señor con todo lo que somos, confiados de que El nos ame de verdad, así como somos.

Termino con las palabras tan bellas del Evangelio… Escuchan otra vez, “Jesús dijo a sus discípulos, “No pierdan la paz. Si creen en Dios, crean también en mí…. Yo soy el camino, la verdad, y la vida. Nadie va al Padre si no es por mí. Si ustedes me conocen a mí, conocen también a mi Padre.” Jesús nos mostró el camino cuando se ofreció completamente por nosotros en la cruz, y resucitó en el tercer día… Jesús nos enseñó la verdad y lo sigue enseñando a través de su cuerpo, La Iglesia… Jesús nos da vida, él mismo es la vida que nos da. Esta vida, gracia, fuerza y perdón nos llega especialmente en cada Misa, nos llega del altar… la mera vida de Dios, su gracia, su cuerpo, y sangre. Acerquémonos hoy conscientes del don del bautismo… acerquémonos conscientes de nuestro profundo hambre y necesidad por Dios, acerquémonos al altar ofreciendo al Padre todo lo que somos, dispuestos a recibir a Dios mismo, todo lo que El es, a Jesucristo nuestro Señor.

Heart's longing for the Father's Love



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Homily Outline for the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A

Who are we in Christ? Each one of us in different ways is busy and does many things, but this is not who we are. We are not our jobs, we are not a bundle of tasks accomplished… St. Peter addresses this central and heartfelt question in our 2nd Reading, listen again to his answer: “…like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. …You are a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” In Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, we are God’s people, created by Him in love, redeemed by Him in love, and called to be a royal priesthood. The Father desires to build us into a body, a spiritual house, each of us living stones, the holy edifice of the Church, the Body of Christ. God’s love, Jesus’ perfect sacrifice becomes concrete in us as we are enlivened by the Holy Spirit.

If we are to embrace this true identity offered to us in Christ, we must turn to the Father with love and confidence, allowing Him to shape and mold us. This is fearful and challenging… sin calls us to shape and mold ourselves, to be the tyrants and masters of our own destiny, to take the rudder of our lives and steer capriciously wherever our whims take us. To truly embrace our identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father, we must walk the same path that Jesus walked, dying to self and placing ourselves into the Father’s hands.

I had a simple experience some days ago that makes this concrete. I was sitting out on the couch there in the Gathering Space talking to a family, and one of their little girls came flying up onto the couch next to me and immediately nestled herself up against my side, under the crook of my arm. She settled there and gazed up at me with a big smile! Now, some children find my beard frightening, and some want to use it as a rope swing! This little girl has always sought me out, and apparently sometimes refers to me as “her Father Ben!”

You can imagine that the trust and affection in this child’s face touched my heart. The heart of a priest is a heart called to spiritual fatherhood, to give life to many spiritual children, and sometimes that becomes very concrete. Some time after this experience though, I was struck by another angle… Do I approach our Heavenly Father with such confidence and affection? God who created and redeemed us is PERFECTLY worthy of our love and trust, but it is so easy not to approach Him in this fashion, but rather to keep our distance, to approach Him guardedly, to bargain with Him, or even to ignore Him in our daily lives. Do you approach God in prayer, in worship, with deep affection and trust? This is how God the Father wants you to approach, to open your heart to being chosen by Him, to being part of His royal priesthood, a member of His holy nation, a living member of His Body, the Church.

This intimate communion with the Father is exactly what Jesus invites us to in the Gospel… “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” There is no competition for God’s love, His heart is infinite, there is a place for each one of us. Whatever brokenness has affected our human relationships, whether that is with parents, with spouses, with children, we must open ourselves up to confidence in God, whose love is perfect.

How do we draw near to the Father? Listen again to Jesus, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” We draw near to our Loving Father through Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus models for us the way, He Himself IS the Way, the Truth, the Life. Jesus emptied Himself on the Cross completely for us, broke down the barrier of sin and death, and opened up the way to the Father. Will we open our hearts to that love, to that way, to that truth, to that life? It is offered to us freely, abundantly, generously.

Close your eyes for just one moment, and picture yourself nestled against the Father’s loving chest, hearing the beat of His heart which beats with love for you. Pour out to the Father all that is in your heart. Hear of His love and His mercy.

This intimate communion with the Father through His Son and in the Holy Spirit is offered to us most perfectly at this altar. As we prepare to enter into the deep and perfect mystery of the Eucharist, let us turn away from suspicion and fear, and open our hearts to the Father’s perfect love, which will transform us, and through us the whole world.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

How can we hear the Shepherd's voice?

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Homily Outline for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A


“When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.” Jesus is revealed most perfectly as our Shepherd in the Paschal Mystery, the Mystery of Easter: His Suffering, Death, and Resurrection. As we begin this Fourth Week of Easter, our Mother the Church wants to direct our attention to our Risen Lord as our Shepherd. We hear from St. Peter twice today, and in the 2nd reading He says this about Jesus: “When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” On the Cross Jesus is the Lamb of God, He is both Priest and Victim, and He is most perfectly our Shepherd.

Peter speaks of returning to the Shepherd… Where and how do we hear the voice of the Shepherd? If we desire to follow Him, to return to Him, we must listen for His voice, we must recognize His voice… How do we do that? There are three principal places where we can hear the Good Shepherd’s voice, and thus be lead to green pastures, out of danger, into peace. Christ the Good Shepherd speaks in our consciences, in the Living and Efficacious Word of God, the Bible, and in His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which is His Body.

Let me begin with our consciences. The Lord has written His Law on our hearts… but to hear His voice speaking to us there, we must enter into the silence of our hearts, we must pause and listen. It takes courage and discipline to go within and so to encounter the Good Shepherd. How often do we have an inkling what our conscience might tell us if we were to listen! We can storm on at top speed, we can keep the music turned up, but if we want to hear the Shepherd’s voice, we must listen. Of course this happens principally in prayer… speaking to the Lord, but also listening. The day has 3 simple natural times built into it for prayer… when we rise, when we eat, when we lie down again. Do you keep these times for prayer? However brief or simple it might be, there is nothing more tranformative you can do than to begin to speak to the Lord, and if you already speak to Him, to do so with greater frequency. And not only to speak, but also to listen.

Our consciences are not always perfectly formed, and sometimes we can get confused. We need to be taught, we need to learn, our consciences and hearts need to be shepherded. God speaks to us powerfully and intimately in His Sacred Scripture. The Catholic Church gave us the Bible, discerning and collecting the inspired writings of the Apostles and their disciples… and yet, unfortunately, we Catholics have often become known for our ignorance of the very book that our mothers and fathers in faith handed down to us at such a great price! A short passage read in quiet and pondered, this is the way to begin. Two concrete suggestions… begin now to read the first Gospel, the Gospel of Matthew. Read a chapter or less a day, and allow God’s Word to soak into you. Alternatively, read the daily Mass readings each day, or just the passage of the Gospel assigned for each day. It’s listed ever week in our bulletin, it’s very easy to find online. God’s word can and will transform you if you open your life to it. The Good Shepherd will teach and guide your mind and heart, if you will listen.

Finally, whenever doubts and confusion afflict us, when we don’t understand how to apply the word of God, when we need guidance of any sort, especially to respond to the many contemporary challenges we face each day, we must turn to the living voice of the Shepherd, His Body, the Church. The Church gave us the Scriptures, and has handed them down to us. The Church teaches us today what it taught in the first century. As Peter proclaimed Jesus Christ and Him crucified, as we heard in the first reading, the Church proclaims Him still today. Without the Church, directly, or indirectly, none of us could have heard of Christ, His Good News, nor could we encounter Him in the sacraments. In our own time many people sneer at organized religion and walk away…. is disorganized religion is any better! Without the Church to teach and guide us, we so often follow our own preferences, our own convenience. We pick and choose the parts of the Gospel that are comfortable… but that is not the Gospel! The Sheepfold of Christ is His Body the Church. If we want to be part of His flock, we are called to listen to His Voice, to be conformed to His Sacred Heart, to be configured to His Passion, His Death, but also His Resurrection! Jesus speaks to us precisely through His Church, guided by the successor of Peter, the Pope.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord is very near to us, and wishes to shepherd and guide us to green pastures, flowing waters, and into the light of hope. He tells us in the gospel that He came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly…May we listen to Him in our hearts, seek Him in His word, and may we listen to His voice, especially as it speaks to us through His Body, the Church!