April 24th Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass at 5:30 PM and 11:00 AM on Sunday

What has God Done with You lately?

There are many reality TV programs on nowadays.  Many of them are competitions between contestants that are chefs, or furniture designers, or business entrepeneurs.  In all of these the contestants are presented with some "stuff" (either food, wood, metal, money) and they are challenged to "turn it into something" desireable.

In the first reading from this Sunday's Mass, the Acts of the Apostles says that Paul and Barnabas "called the church together and reported what God had done with them."  I couldn't help but notice this use of a phrase.  Paul and Barnabas are clearly being presented in the story as "instruments in the hand of God."  The verse prior to this "done with them" comment the bible says "in Antioch... where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished."  So, in the hand of God, operating under the grace of God a great deal can be "done with us".

I often speak to engaged couples is this way in order to express what the purpose of the sacrament of matrimony is all about.  I remind them that God has called them "for" each other so that through the joys and vicissitudes of married life, they might be turned into a greater image of Christ.  The spouses are instruments of God's grace for each other.  The number one job of a spouse is to get their spouse to the holiness of heaven.

Often at a funeral mass I will be impressed with what God "has done with one simple life".  When we live life or view life through the lens of this "instrumentality" we can see very clear expamples of God's power and grace working through simple human living.  The practice of "daily examen" might be recommended for all of us.  At the end of the day we take a moment to have our eyes opened to where and how God has used our daily journey for the building up of the Kingdom.  We, like Paul and Barnabas can be impressed with what "God has done with us."

Do you think most people see themselves as instruments in the hand of God?  Or do we too often think of our time and talent, our relationships and accomplishments as our tools for self-fulfillment, success, etc?

April 17 Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass at 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM on Sunday


Rich Little It

When I was a kid Rich Little was the greatest impersonator in the world. He could make himself sound like anybody and everybody. I think he could even sing like famous people. I think the invitation on this good Shepherd Sunday is to make our voices sound like Jesus. I think Jesus is voice sounds like mercy. i'm thinking about calling it "rich little it".

Fr. John, Fr. Joe and I are all talking about the same thing this week. We stole the idea from Fr. John. He is talking about my dog buddy and how Buddy responds to the sound of my voice whenever I walk in the rectory. Fr. Joe desperately wants to make friends with Buddy and saw he has resorted to "imitating" my voice when he comes in to the Rectory to try and fool body into responding. So Fr. Joe has taken to impersonating me so that he can get a rise out of body.

I'm sure you can imagine how funny this is especially with father Joe's very distinctive voice. Fr. Joe thinks that he is able to fake out the dog. He says when he imitates me the dog will lift up his head with interest and then when he catches a glimpse that it is really Fr. Joe and not me the dog puts his head back down and goes to sleep.

 What is funny about this whole thing to me is that I don't think Fr. Joe's impersonation of me is credible at all even to the dog. He of course doesn't agree. And Fr. John has had to observe all of this. Fr. Joe and I also do other impersonations. For example, Fr. Joe's best impersonation is of Austin Carr commentating on the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball games when a three-pointer is made and Austin screams "downtown".

 Anyway, all of this has prompted the three of us to hear the words of John's Gospel today about the sound of one's voice. I am thinking that we might hear the call to be mercy as an invitation to impersonate the Lord Jesus in his voice,  in what he has spoken to the human family on behalf of God.

How might we make our lives a more credible impersonation of Jesus the good shepherd? Maybe the priesthood and ministry is an excellent example of impersonating the Lord Jesus.  Let's pray for all the ministers of the church and for vocations to ministry.

April 10 Homily Prep

-Last  Sunday's homily is available by email

-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org

-check out this weeks LinCletter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com

-I will be celebrating mass 4:00 PM on Saturday, 8:00, 11:00AM and 6:00PM on Sunday

Come, follow me

Divine Mercy Sunday family prep

ast Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass 5:30 PM on Saturday, 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM on Sunday

Easter Sunday Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this Easter Sunday at 9:30am in the hall and 11:00am in the church

Jesus Embraced Violence and Death so that Reconciliation and Peace might Live

The effect of the sin of Adam and Eve was isolating violence among God and God's creatures.  Cain and Abel are the next generation and they manifest the isolated violence of envy and mistrust that results in death.

What God did in Jesus is to extend Himself to the most violent and hateful experience of human dying precisely so he could reveal so humanity that God is even there.  He liberates humanity from their addiction to self and to violent and separating imposition of self upon others.  Jesus' disciples, according to the broken human system, deserved the wrath of Jesus upon his resurrected return.  But he offers them peace.

His message and power is the liberation from our slavery to self and our "againstness" toward God and others.  We didn't know we could survive by loving as God loves.  We thought we were doomed to violtent, isolating, competition, envy, rivalry, resentment, dog-eat-dog survival.  God created us "for others"  - we broke it by being "against" everyone but ourselves.  Yuk.

Can we accept the liberation from the slavery of "againstness" and be seet free to be for God and others?  That is the resurrection.

How can I say that to C&E christians?  Any examples?

March 20 Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 4:00pm, 9:30am and 6:00pm

Enter in...

March 13 Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 8:00am and 11:00am

The Misapplication of Faith

The Pharisees, who are the teachers of the Law are not the least bit concerned about this incident of the sin of adultery in their community.  The Pharisees, who are the public keepers of the Law, are not at all concerned about ridding their community of such adulterous people. The Pharisees are not using their religious faith and authority to grow and protect their flock from the wolves of sin and error.

What the Pharisees are doing is using their considerable religious knowledge and their authority as teachers of the faith to destroy their brother rabbi, Jesus', credibility among their people.

The question for all of us who believe may be: are we misusing our religious faith in an effort to protect ourselves from something that is threatening our position, our standing, our comfort in the world?

What do you think?

March 6th Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 5:30pm, 12:30pm

Which Son Was Not Living at Home?

This famous and beautiful story of the Prodigal son has always focused upon the runaway son and the merciful father, and rightly so.  Few of us have committed such a hideous abandonment of our elder's love and trust.  However, the figure of the older brother and his relationship to the father's love is classic and repeated in all of our lives to a certain extent.  We have been so busy avoiding the behavior of the younger son that we may have missed the imitation of the older brother.

What exactly is the older brother guilty of?  Not living our lives.  While he "apparently" remained faithful and hardworking on his father's plantation, the older son was not really alive to his father's loving embrace, he never really lived the life of a son.  Although he was giving the impression of a faithful son, his heart was hardened against his father and his brother.  He never felt appreciated by his dad.  He was not living on the land as if it all belonged to him.  Which it did.

Aren't many of us living a life of hardened hearts.  Suffering from the imperfect parenting, sibling rivalries, wounded egos, disappointed dreams.  We are just living lives of quiet desperation with no real meaning or blessing in our lives.

Let's wake up.  Let's recognize that our lives are not about us.  Let's receive the gift of life as from the merciful Father's hand.  Then we can really live life as IT is rather than as WE are.  Who in your family is really not living at home (although they are occupying the property)?

February 28 Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 5:30pm, 11:00am and 6:00pm

Got mercy?

 A living tree without fruit is not alive!

 I am reading the parable of the fig tree in a different way than I ever have before. Jesus' point, it seems, in describing this fruitless figtree is to point out that the tree has no value except  in its fruit. The gardener, in contrast, seems to think that the tree is a living and valuable thing regardless of no fruit.

 I cannot help but think of all of those people in the world that I encounter who claim to "love God" but have no association with God's values, God's son and God's church. I guess it's like the passage from St. James, "Faith without works is dead".  The office it is an interesting thing to consider "good works without faith are valuable". At least those good works contribute to the benefit and the blessing of community.

 I think in this year of mercy we might apply this teaching to the two features of God's mercy. One who relies upon  and claims to have received the mercy of God for his sins and healing but does not show Mercy to others may very well have not authentically experienced the mercy of God in his heart.  This would be the point underlying the Lords prayer "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others."  So that if I am not forgiving others in my life I cannot claim and am not experiencing true forgiveness of God for my sins.

 So the Christian who is not demonstrating the works of mercy in their life may very likely be considered a barren tree. In fact, we might be able to say that the faith  of such a fruitless or merciless person has no value before God or within the Church. Such a one is dead. Remember the parable of the final judgment in Matthew 25, those who have not shown mercy to the least of my brothers and sisters will go off to eternal punishment.

Got mercy?

What do you think?

February 21 Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 4:00pm, 8:00am and 12:30pm

Do We Really Need a Change?

 The experience of the transfiguration, the biblical story for this Sunday's mass, raises the question more than once as to whether or not we believe that this change about which Jesus is speaking ( repentance) is really necessary. Jesus of course announces his program/mission as "repent, the kingdom of God is near".  But we must acknowledge and submit to his changing grace in our lives.

This word repent  could be defined as "changing the direction in which you are looking for happiness". The fundamental word in that definition is "change". The Pharisees, the disciples, and we, the contemporary followers of Jesus, cannot believe that change is really  necessary.

This lack of "repentance" ( The conviction and the affection for change) ties into the great year of mercy.  We cannot experience the mercy of God until and unless we acknowledge our need of mercy. Do we really need to change?

In our parish vision for "every one add one" the first step of accomplishing that vision is "renew". Do  we see the need to be renewed in our faith? To change or grow the way that we find fulfillment and happiness in our faith as Christians and Catholics in our parish life and communion of St. Albert the great

 This idea of "repentance" or as we might say "change" or as Jesus discusses in the Gospel today transfiguration - changing in the shape of our appearance as the children of God-  is at the heart of our ability to change. If we do not see the need to change ( repentance) we can  not respond to God's call to change.  God and God's grace does the changing but our acknowledgment/repentance is necessary for God to accomplish this change.

 I know God is all-powerful however he will not change us without our inviting that change in our lives

Feb 14th Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 11:00am and 6:00pm

Got Mercy? Need Mercy?

This lent we are attempting to walk the "way of Mercy".  This Lent is the annual check up on the quality of our believing.  Faith in our good God can be (and has been described by Jesus) as "loving God and our neighbor as our self."  I am suggesting that we examine our love of God and our love of neighbor against the measurement of mercy.

As Jesus was tested by Satan in the desert, so we might test our relationship with God.  Is there any mercy in God's love for us?  Do we need his mercy?  Do we recognize our need for mercy?  If not, let's start.

Secondly, in our love of neighbor (and I presume we are all loving some neighbors) is this quality called mercy present and active?  Isn't it possible that we have been "loving" someone(s) for a long time (at least we thought we were loving) but we have no mercy on them, for them?  So much of our loving is "tough love" as they called it in the 90's.  No tenderness, no kindness, no empathy - just the hard true love(this is going to hurt me more than you....type).

So, is there any mercy in there?  That's what I'm thinking about this Lent.

February 7th Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 9:30am and 12:30pm

What's Your Fishing Boat?

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus gets in or better, invades not just Peter's fishing boat - but his very livelihood. Uninvited, Jesus asserts himself into Peter's world, his stuff, his expertise, his space and he takes over.  And Peter lets him.

That "invasion and surrender" is what the Lord wants to do in all our lives.  So, two questions!  What is your fishing boat?  Will your surrender?

What is your livelihood, your life's work, your expertise, your realm in which you operate and lead in life?  Maybe we each have more than one.  Do you know that Jesus wants to get in there?  Are you prepared tto surrender to him there?

Some of these boats are great things like work, art, athletics, exercise, parenting, relationships, etc. some of these are less good - leisure time, sexuality, entertainment, alcohol, etc.  Yes, Jesus is invading there too.

In as much as we perceive his invasion and surrender to his values, friendship, guidance, insertion, grace - to that extent the real living in freedom can begin.

I think most of us stubbornly and jealously hold onto control of our boat.  Not even Jesus can insert himself in that realm of our lives. We prefer that Jesus stay in church and let us worry about life.

Homily Prep January 31

-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at wwwusccb.org/readings
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 5:30, 8:00am and 6:00pm

Loss is Life in Christ, or vice Versa!

I am thinking that the Nazarenes are rejecting the truth that "loss is a part of life with God". I struggle with that same truth. How many people have turned against the church because our church preaches Jesus crucified?  How many Catholics have been lost to God because the church DIDNT preach "loss is the path of Christian life"?
Wadayathink?

December 13 Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 4:00pm and 11:00am

 Look me in the eye…

 The official logo for the Jubilee year of mercy is a Christ figure, the good shepherd with humanity straddled on his shoulders. Uniquely, while there are two faces there are only three eyes.  The designer of the image as presented these two faces with a shared eye in the center to indicate the need for Christians to see one's neighbor as Christ.  That means we are to see our neighbor as the way Christ sees them and that we ought to see the neighbor as Christ to us.

 You know doubt recall the last judgment of Matthews gospel chapter 25 in which the Lord says, "when you have done these things to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done them to me." John the Baptist's prophetic teaching to various groups in the society is the advent call to be merciful. The last judgment of Matthew 25 and John the Baptist today in this year of mercy call us to  The concrete expressions of mercy which we traditionally know as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

 Do the corporal and spiritual works of mercy challenge you in your daily life? How many of these "works" do you practice on a weekly basis, for example?

 Let's make this year of mercy and this adventure time of Christian charity concrete-let's look at our neighbor especially the suffering one (remember Misericordiae) "in the eye" and with the "eyes of Christ".

Advent I - Nov 29 Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 4:00pm, 8:00am and 6:00pm

Walking the Line, standing on the threshold

The meaning of the word Advent (appearance) has special significance this Advent because of the Jubilee of Mercy that will begin on Dec. 8th.  What it is that is appearing every year in Advent, of course, is the reign of God.  The jubilee image of the Holy Door seems to me to be a great place for us to look to find the reign of God appearing.

You remember the tent or dwelling place that Moses built was a series of partitioned "areas" divided by curtains.  No one could enter the holy of holies and visit with the Lord but Moses.  The temple in Jerusalem was built on this pattern, a set of concentric rooms, separated by gates, doors, curtains.  God's presence was veiled. 

You recall when Jesus was crucified, the veil in the temple was torn in two.  Also, recall the the Lord himself says that I stand at the door and knock. As if your heart and mine is the holy of holies separated from the Lord, on the other side of the door.

I think we are called to live in this era as if the door has been remove and the "opening" the threshold is before us.  In faith we are called to see that the dividing wall between heaven and earth has been destroyed and heaven is right at the threshold, the reign of God is just at hand and we are to live and move in contact with God's Kingdom.

 Is that how your faith operates?  Standing on the threshold of the reign of God.

Nov 22 Christ the King Homily Prep

-Last Sunday's homily is available Click Here: S
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at USCCB.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 11:00am and 12:30pm

One in Truth

I am remembering Jesus words "You call me Lord, Lord but I say to you, I don't know you".  So there is something greater about Jesus' kingdom than Jesus' name, claiming to be a friend of Jesus. It's deeper than that.

How about the teaching that "there is no other name than that of Jesus" or "no one can come to the Father but through me". The Kingdom of Jesus has got to bigger than our speech, our name, his name. Jesus even said "righteous Father, I made known to them your name"  Using the name of Jesus or claiming to be his disciple as a Christian, making the sign of the cross on oneself or NOT cannot be what it means to belong to Christ's Kingdom. Is bigger than that.

To belong to the Kingdom of Christ our King must mean that one "belongs to the Truth" as he says in the gospel today.

The "coin of the realm" of Christ the King is Truth. That's capital T Truth, as in an objective reality out there that we know is THE Truth! Recall that Jesus promised his followers the Spirit of Truth "who will remind you everything that I taught you".  And again, "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth" (not to Jesus?????)

 With all the hate, violence, terror, in the name of religion going on in the world today it is impossible by listening to people's words to identify those who are of the kingdom of God. One must really put on the "ears of the Spirit" and look for the truth. 

All who belong to the TRUTH listen to Jesus.  In fact all who belong to the TRUTH belong to Jesus. 

Are you of the Kingdom of Christ our King? Do you belong to the TRUTH? How can the world tell?

November 15 Homily Prep

This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinCLetter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend on Saturday at 5:30pm and 11:00am on Sunday

Ready, set.....

This apocalyptic scriptures call our attention to how things are going to "end for us". The typical question in this regard is "If you were informed that you had a definite time of life left on this earth, what would you do differently?".  St Thomas Aquinas is quoted to have answered "I'd finish this billiard game?"  In other words, those who live life in obedience to God's will don't need to amend anything.

St Pope John XXIII is famous for some very funny remarks. One was in response to the receptionist calling and saying, "there is a man here who claims to be the Lord Jesus Christ, what shall we do?"  Supposedly the Holy Father answered "look busy."

Our patronal feast day of St. Albert might encourage us to answer this question as a parish?  If the Lord was arriving this afternoon, what would we do differently to improve the Lord's encounter with us?  "Every One Add One" of course comes to my mind.

How might we start living our parish life more closely in line with the way we want the Lord to "catch us"? Live "ready"!

Nov 8 Homily Prep

-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinCLetter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend on Saturday at 4:00pm, and 8:00am (12:15 at Cathedral) and 6:00pm on Sunday

Those Pharisees!

 So often the widow's mite gospel text that we have this weekend is the opportunity to talk about the sacrificial nature of our lives. We church people especially like to reflect on tithing or financial support of the church. I don't know if I would do that though.

 Back in the 1980s a scripture scholar put this story of the widow's mite into the context of the previous episodes in Marks Gospel when Jesus was being critical of the Pharisees. From that perspective the widow's mite is not recommended practice for Christians but rather a critique of the Pharisees who are willing to put heavy burdens on other people's backs without lifting a finger  to help them.

 You recall Jesus is criticism of the "marketplace mentality" of the temple life. He was upset with the "quid pro quo" of buying and selling in the relationship with God.  Why would we have a situation in which everyone "must" make an offering at the temple into the treasury if they don't have anything to live on? I'm wondering how are we carrying out this "marketplace mentality" in our practice of  catholicism.

 I'm thinking particularly of the difficult responsibility of Christian parenting where in some cases parents put the obligation and expectation, for example,  upon their children of receiving first holy Communion and Confirmation while not  living a life in communion with the church or under the influence of the Holy Spirit in their very homes.  Children often feel the burden of having to be a better catholic then their parents are willing to be.

 In what ways do we fall under this criticism by Jesus of pharisaicalism? It is the "hyper legalistic self-centered marketplace"approach to life with God in religion?

October 18 Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email request
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinCLetter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 4:00pm, 9:30am and 12:30pm on Sunday

There is something I want God to do for me!

The approach of the disciples to Jesus in this Sunday's Gospel does, oddly, sound like a lot of my prayers and maybe yours.  In fact, I'm afraid for many people this petition or request or intercession is the only way that God is addressed.

I know that this doesn't sound that strange to a lot of parents.  In fact I often hear folks say, "the only time that kid calls me is when he needs something."  This "need-fulfillment" basis for a relationship is one that raises some serious questions about our prayer life.

I recently was asked by someone, "how do I know that God is talking to me?"  After making sure the person wasn't hearing voices, I clarified the question and realized that what was really being asked is "how do I listen to God?"  That is a refreshing approach to prayer - listening to God.

In last week's homily I was speaking about our attachment to the survival mode of living that makes it difficult to choose real life.  Someone asked me during the week "how do I get out of the rat race and start living life?"  My answer is this homily today.  Being free from the survival mode of existence begins with our re-imagining who God is.  And our prayer habits are the quickest way to understand who God is for us.

Like the disciples, the way we address God reveals what we think of God.  I'm wondering if you would be able to create a "profile" of your God based upon your habit of praying.  You say, "I don't pray at all outside of Mass"?  That is certainly an understanding of God that says you don't need God in your life.

So, what is your habit of praying?  What does that tell you about who God is in your world?  Let's look at the prayer that Jesus taught us.  What does that prayer tell us about who God was for Jesus?  Could our God start to look more like Jesus' God?  I bet we're all going to have to change the way we pray.

October 11 Homily Prep

Last Sunday's homily is available by email request
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 11:00am and 6:00pm on Sunday

Freedom for Life

The young man in the gospel is not free to accept the gift of eternal life. To what is your heart attached so much so that you would choose it over the offer of real life?