Homily for March 31, 2013 (Easter Sunday)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

The tomb is empty.  For several weeks we have journeyed to Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus.  We traveled with him and we saw his power of healing.  We listened carefully to him and we heard of his great mercy.  We heard the promise of the Lord Jesus that he would conquer death.  We heard the promise that the tomb would not hold him bound.  We joined with the large crowds and acclaimed him as the triumphant king when he entered Jerusalem.  We joined the small group of disciples at the table with their master.  We joined with Mary and with John and with Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross.  And we accompanied the body of the Lord Jesus to the tomb in the garden.  And now, the tomb is empty.  With Peter, and with John, and with Mary Magdalene, we are witnesses of these things. Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for the Easter Vigil (March 30, 2013)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

The Easter Vigil is a liturgy of great anticipation.  Begun in darkness, and then only lit by the divided flame of the paschal candle, the Church keeps solemn vigil in anticipation of the glory to be revealed.  Just as during the season of Lent, we have made the journey with the Lord Jesus to Jerusalem, so on this most holy night, we make the journey of the people of God from the dawn of creation to the Exodus, to the law and the prophets, and finally to the empty tomb.  We have kept watch and we have listened with anticipation. 

And yet, on this night, we do not encounter the Risen Lord in the Gospel.  We do not hear the words of the Risen Lord Jesus announced in the Gospel.  We do not see him appearing to his disciples.  We hear the announcement of the empty tomb.  We do not, this evening, experience a personal encounter with the Risen Lord in the Scriptures, because on this most holy night, in particular, we will encounter him in the Sacraments.

Every sacrament is a personal encounter with the Risen Lord.  From the earliest days of the Church, on this night the Sacrament of Baptism has been celebrated.  In the Sacrament of Divine Adoption, with the washing of water and the proclamation of the Word, the life of the Most High God, takes up his place of dwelling in the souls of the baptized.  Through the anointing with Sacred Chrism, the grace of baptism is sealed and strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  These two sacraments are truly conferred only once in this life, yet we are daily offered this personal encounter with the Risen Lord in Holy Communion.  We meet him, face to face, and person to person, in water, in sacred oil, and the breaking of the bread.

Let us joyfully and faithfully receive him, as he comes to meet us.  Amen.

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for Good Friday (March 29, 2013)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

Even from the cross, the Lord Jesus bestowed gifts upon his people. After he had been beaten, crowned with thorns, lead through the streets, and nailed to the cross, the Lord Jesus still bestowed gifts upon his people.

Behold your son.  At the foot of the cross, the Lord Jesus entrusted his Beloved Disciple to his Blessed Mother.  We were all given to her as her beloved children.  The Lord Jesus has shared with us his relationship with God the Father.  Now he shares with us his relationship with his mother as well.

Behold your Mother.  At the foot of the cross, the Lord Jesus entrusted his Blessed Mother to his Beloved Disciple.  She was given to all of us as our loving Mother.  Our cares are now her cares.  Our prayers are now her prayers.  Now we turn to her, so that she will teach us how to love Him.

I thirst.  From the cross, the Lord Jesus shares with us his own need.  He invites his disciples to care for him and quench his thirst.  He has given to us the opportunity to care for him as he has cared for us.  When we care for the poor and the suffering, we quench the thirst of the Suffering Savior.

It is finished.  From the cross the Lord Jesus pours forth his spirit.  He poured out his spirit on Mary and John.  He poured out his spirit on the Church.  He gave to us the gift of a share in his sufferings and in his life.

And blood and water flowed from his side.  From the pierced side of the Savior flowed the streams of eternal life.  In the waters of Baptism and the Blood of the Eucharist, the Lord Jesus has given to us everything.

Even from the cross, the Lord Jesus bestowed gifts upon his people.  Come, let us adore.  Amen.

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for Holy Thursday (March 28, 2013)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

Tonight we gather on this Holy Thursday, on the eve of the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.  During his ministry he had changed many things.  Tonight, the Lord Jesus is going to change everything.

John the Evangelist recounts for us the last gathering of the Lord Jesus with his apostles.  In an upper room, the Lord Jesus gathered those twelve men who were closest to him.  They had spent three years together travelling and preaching, healing and teaching.  The Lord Jesus always loved those who were his own in the world and he loved them to the end.  Tonight the Lord Jesus would change everything.  While they were at supper, the Lord Jesus rose and he took off his outer garment. He tied a towel around his waist and he poured water into a basin.  Then the Lord Jesus washed the feet of the twelve.  This was the menial task of a lowly servant.  It was not the role of the host of the banquet.  Yet for the twelve, who were both disciples who followed and apostles who were sent forth, the Lord Jesus provided the model for serving in his name.  Tonight the Lord Jesus would change what both discipleship and apostleship would mean.  Whatever power or authority was needed for the accomplishment of the mission and the shepherding of the flock would always be subject to the rule of humble service.

From the apostle Paul, we hear of one of the central events of the Last Supper.  Saint Paul tells us that what he received from the Lord he now hands on to the Christian community at Corinth.  In the midst of the Sacred Liturgy, we are mystically united to the Church of all times and places, and therefore Saint Paul says to us as well, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was handed over, took bread and after he had given thanks, broke it and said “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way also the cup after supper saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  The Lord Jesus had changed the ritual of the Passover meal.  He had changed bread and wine into his body and blood.  And now, by his command to Do this in memory of me, the Lord Jesus changed his disciples.

On this night, the Church celebrates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the institution of the Holy Priesthood.  Their institution is celebrated together because in reality they can never be apart.  There is no Eucharist without the priesthood and there can be no priesthood that is not for the Eucharist.  Until the Last Supper, the apostles had acted in the name of the Lord Jesus.  In his holy name they had cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead, and proclaimed the kingdom of God.  Now, by the command of the Lord, they would act in his person.  For in the days to come, when the apostles would take bread, give thanks, break it and say, “This is my Body” the Lord Jesus himself would act.  The Lord Jesus had changed them.  He had changed everything.

And by the laying on of hands from the days of the apostles to our own, the apostolic ministry has been present and active in every generation through the ministry of priests.  Chosen from among men, unworthy and broken, yet called and consecrated just the same, we priests make present the Lord’s body and blood, soul and divinity in the celebration of the Eucharist.  Through our ministry and our voice, the Lord Jesus daily changes bread and wine into himself.  Through the anointing with oil and the laying on of priestly hands, the Lord Jesus transforms sickness into the way of sanctification.  Through the prayer of the priest, sharing in the power of Christ, the priest raises to life those who are dead in their sins and restores them to the life of grace.  Christ Jesus changed everything on the eve of his passion and death.  He changed the meaning and use of authority. He changed bread and wine from common things to Holy Things.  He changed his apostles, and eventually, at an hour of his own choosing, and because of his great mercy, he changed me.

In these holy days, these three days when we celebrate the passion, death, and eventually the resurrection of Jesus Christ, may He change you that you may love Him to the end to the praise and glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for March 24, 2013 (Palm Sunday C)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

We have arrived in Jerusalem.  We have joined with the cheering crowds who welcomed the Lord Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem.  We received him with joy as the King of Peace.  The crowds acclaimed him.

This week we will be invited to the upper room, and we will be invited to join the Lord Jesus at table, because we are among those whom he loves.  This week we will be invited to the garden of Gethsemane, and perhaps we will watch and pray for an hour with the Lord.  This week we will travel with the Lord Jesus from the table to the garden, and from the garden to the trial.  We will travel from the trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate and Herod to the scourging at the pillar.  The same crowd that acclaimed him as king now desires to have him crucified as a criminal.  The larger crowd rejects the Lord Jesus.  They want to have him killed because he taught them how to love as the Father has loved him.  The smaller crowd remains with the Lord Jesus on the way of the Cross. 

Today we are part of the crowd that acclaims Christ as King.  For the remainder of this week, and for the remainder of our lives, we must make our choice.  Will we watch and pray or will we walk away?

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Lenten Liturgy Lesson 4

Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Just before the distribution of Holy Communion in the celebration of the Mass, the priest, elevating the Sacred Host and Chalice, announces in the words of John the Baptist: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.  The response that you make, actually the response that we make, because this is one of the few times that you and I respond together, is simple.  Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.  These are the very words of the centurion in the gospel.  The centurion had come to Jesus asking that a servant be healed.  He was a just man, but not a member of the chosen people.  Yet he comes to the Lord Jesus and recognizes his power to heal.  The centurion comes with humility before the Lord.  He approaches the Lord Jesus with faith in his love and mercy and reverence for the divine and holy presence that the Lord Jesus is.  The Lord Jesus responds to the request of the centurion by offering to go to the servant.  The centurion responds: Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my servant shall be healed.  In response to this statement, the Lord Jesus said he had not seen such great faith in all of Israel.  As we prepare to receive the gift of the Lord in Holy Communion, let us imitate the faith, humility and reverence of the centurion as we make his words our own and say: Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Presented at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for March 17, 2013 (5th Lent C)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

We are nearing the end of our journey to Jerusalem.  We have received the invitation to repent and believe in the Gospel.  We have made our confession of faith in the goodness of God and our confession of confidence in the power of God.  We have joined the Lord Jesus and the three disciples on the mountain of the Transfiguration and we have heard the promise of God proclaimed to us.  Called to join in the work of God we have experienced the gift of divine patience.  Last Sunday we heard of the great gift of the share in divine relationship that is our true inheritance.  We heard of the loving and forgiving father who desires to welcome our return to his house.  In this Lenten season, we have witnessed the divine power, we have heard the divine promise, we have experienced the divine patience and we have rejoiced in our divine relationship.  Today, in the words and actions of the Lord Jesus, we behold the divine mercy.  In three weeks we will celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy.  That will be the proclamation of the mercy of God following the glorious resurrection of the Lord which will enable us to join him in heaven.  Today we hear of the mercy of God as seen in the ministry of Jesus in anticipation of his suffering, and that will enable us to join him in Jerusalem and at Calvary.  This is the encounter with the mercy of God that strengthens us for the journey.

In our first reading today from the book of the prophet Isaiah, we hear the announcement that the Lord God is doing a new thing.  The past events of disobedience are forgiven.  The chosen people of God are given a river of water to refresh them so that they can announce the praise of the Lord.  They are strengthened for the journey.

In our reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians, we hear of the precious value of the mercy of God.  Everything else in this world is counted as a loss when compared with the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and the power of his resurrection.  Accepted in faith and purified in suffering, the experience of the mercy of God enabled Saint Paul and enables us to pursue the great goal of union with Christ Jesus.

Today in our reading from the Gospel, we behold the mercy of the Lord Jesus.  While he was teaching in the Temple area, the Pharisees and the scribes of the law brought a woman caught in adultery before him.  There is no doubt about her guilt.  Her past is clear.  The only question that remains as she stands before the Lord Jesus is her future.  The scribes and the Pharisees wanted to use this woman, as she has been used by others, and put the Lord Jesus to the test.  The Lord Jesus, however, writes something on the ground with his finger, and invites any of the accusers who are without sin to cast the first stone.  He then wrote again on the ground.  As the accusers walked away, the Lord Jesus helped the woman stand again, and commanded her not to sin anymore.  He had shown mercy in the face of guilt.  He had raised her from sin just as he would raise Lazarus from the tomb.  She was condemned to death by the law, and he gave her life and freedom in his mercy.  She was a new creation because she had faced death and encountered life in the face of Jesus Christ.  She was strengthened for the journey and everything else in her life would be counted as loss compared with her encounter with the mercy of God.

We are one week from Jerusalem and two weeks from the empty tomb.  During this Lenten season we have sought to hold nothing more precious than our relationship with Christ.  We have sought to be faithful, but our past is clear and we cannot doubt our guilt.  The law will likely condemn us, but the mercy of God will set us free.

As we gather before the Altar to participate in the mystery of our redemption, we are face to face with the Son of God.  We confess our guilt and admit our need for his mercy.  And we beg him to help us stand again, and live in the light of his mercy.  Amen.    

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for March 10, 2013 (4th Lent C)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

It has been nearly four weeks since we began our Lenten journey.  It has been nearly four weeks since we received the ashes on our foreheads and the invitation to repent and believe in the Gospel.  We have made our confession of faith in the goodness of God and our confession of confidence in the power of God.  We have heard the divine promise and we have joined the Lord Jesus and the three disciples on the mountain of the Transfiguration.  We have experienced divine patience as we take our part in the work that God is doing.  Last Sunday we were invited to share in the work of God.  On this Sunday we are offered something far more precious: we are offered a share in the very life of God.  Our focus is drawn today to the gift of divine relationship.

In our reading today from the book of Joshua, we hear of the entry of the chosen people into the Promised Land.  Having celebrated the Passover of the Lord for the final time in the desert, the chosen people of God now received the land promised to their father Abraham.  After their days of disobedience in the desert, at the word of the Lord, they were restored in their relationship and enjoyed the fruits of the harvest.

In our reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we hear of the new creation in Christ that we are, and the gift of reconciliation that we have received.  The old order has passed away and new things have come to be in the reconciliation that has been won for us through the cross of Christ.  In his great mercy, the Lord has offered us his forgiveness when what we deserved was his justice.

And it was the justice of the father that the younger son deserved to receive in our reading from the Gospel.  Having asked for his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive, in essence regarding the goods of the father as more precious than the life of the father, the younger son left his home and family to set off for a far country.  This was not like the journey of Abraham to the land of promise.  This was not like the people of Israel leaving the slavery of Egypt.  This was a journey from freedom to the slavery of the senses.  And when the younger son recognized his slavery, he sought to return to the house of the father, not as a son, but as a servant.

More important than the conversion of the younger son, and more important than the jealously of the older brother, is the compassion of the father.  When the younger son approached with contrition in his heart and confession on his lips, he was received into the embrace of the father.  Reciting his well rehearsed confession, the younger son admitted: Father I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.  And the father stopped him.  It was not the gravity of the sins, but the denial of his sonship, that broke the father’s heart.  Quickly, the father said to the servants, quickly bring the finest robe and put the ring on his finger.  These were the signs, dear brothers and sisters, that the younger son was indeed a son and not a servant in the house of his father.  What was so damaging was not what the younger son had done, but that he had forgotten who he was.  The robe and the ring were the reminders of his identity.  They were signs of his relationship.

We have been offered, dear brothers and sisters, a share in the very life of God.  Claimed in the waters of baptism, too often we have sought our satisfaction in slavery.  This Lenten season, the Lord Jesus appeals to you through the unworthy ambassador of his mercy.  Come to his mercy and he will restore your relationship.  Bring to me, dear brothers and sisters . . . bring to me, dear flock entrusted to my care, your contrition and your confession, and by the power of Christ’s blood, I will restore to you your robe and your ring. Amen.

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Lenten Liturgy Lesson 3

When we celebrate the Sacred Liturgy we are joining in the celebration that is occurring in eternity.  We participate in that celebration at a particular moment in time.  There are one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week.  With a few exceptions, the Lord only requires us to devote one hour each week to worship.  Only one hour out of the one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week is required; it is far less than one percent.

I want to speak to you today about the time that we give for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  The moment in time when the celebration of Mass begins is not a surprise.  We have a schedule, and it does not change very often.  To be present at the beginning of the Mass means that you are in the Church and in place to worship before the priest and the ministers of the altar enter the Church.  If you arrive after that moment, you are late.  Arriving late for Mass on a rare occasion can occur for any number of unforeseen circumstances.  Consistently arriving late for the celebration of the Mass, however, is a choice.  And that choice demonstrates a number of things.  Consistently arriving late for Mass demonstrates a lack of love for the Lord.  It demonstrates a lack of respect for the people of God, and a lack of respect for the priest.  Our actions are a demonstration of our values.  If a person arrives early for a soccer game, and late for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, then that person has demonstrated what he believes to be truly important in this life.

To leave Mass early, which means to leave the Church before the priest leaves, is also a choice.  After the distribution of Holy Communion, there is the prayer after Communion, through which we give thanks to God, a few announcements for the good of the parish, and the blessing and dismissal.  When a person leaves after receiving Holy Communion, then that person fails to give thanks to God for so great a gift.  The person who leaves early rejects the blessing of God that will be given at the end of the Mass.  It is not simply a lack of presence to God, but a choice to reject God and his blessing.

It will only cost a person a few extra minutes of doing something that is far less important, to be present for the entire celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  That is far less of a cost than the cost paid by the Lord Jesus to be present at the celebration of the Eucharist.

Presented at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC

Homily for March 3, 2013 (3rd Lent C)

May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.

We are now two and a half weeks into our Lenten journey.  We have received the call to repentance and the call to faith in the gospel.  We have joined in the confession of faith in the goodness of God and our confession of confidence in the power of God.  We have heard of the promise of God and we have joined the Lord Jesus and the three disciples on the holy mountain.  Today as we continue our Lenten journey and as we join the Lord Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem, we learn of the patience of God.

In our reading from the book of Exodus, we hear of the call of Moses on the mountain of God.  Long before he would go up the mountain to receive the law of God, Moses was summoned to climb the holy mountain to hear the voice of God and to receive the name of God.  The Lord God called Moses to lead the chosen people out of the bondage of Egypt.  Because he was standing on holy ground, Moses was instructed to remove his shoes.  In the presence of the One who is the end of the journey, Moses had no need for shoes to help him walk.  When the encounter on the holy mountain had ended, Moses put on his shoes again to begin the journey to pharaoh and to freedom.

In our reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, we hear of the journey of the people of Israel during the time of Moses.  Saint Paul recounts for the people of his time, and for the people of our time, the many ways that the Lord God provided for his people and the many ways that the people rejected the Lord.  Saint Paul provides us with a warning.  The Lord Jesus provides us with a promise.

In our reading from the Gospel today, we hear the urgent call of the Lord Jesus to repentance.  We hear the invitation of the Lord that repentance leads to life.  Today, however, we also hear the parable of the fig tree.  As presented by the Lord Jesus, the owner of an orchard had a fig tree that had produced no fruit.  The owner intended to remove the unproductive tree from the garden.  The gardener, however, interceded with the owner to allow the fig tree one more season to grow.  The gardener asked the owner to show patience.  The promise of the Lord Jesus is the promise of patience with his disciples.

The Lord God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, has invited us to be part of the work that He is doing.  On the holy mountain, the Lord appeared to Moses and invited him to be part of bringing the people of God to freedom.  On the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul and invited him to be part of bringing all of the people of the world to faith and to salvation.  The Lord Jesus chose twelve disciples to proclaim his word, to share in his work, and to act in his name.  The Lord has chosen the weak and the broken to manifest His strength and His holiness.  What God could have done without Moses, and without Paul, and without us, He has chosen to do through Moses, and through Paul, and through us.  We have received a share in His work from His Divine Goodness, and we are allowed to continue His work because of His Divine Patience.  The Lord has given us another season of growth this Lent, so that we can bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

As we celebrate this Eucharist today, we give thanks to the Lord for the invitation to gather on this holy ground.  We give thanks for the love that the Lord has for us, and for the patience that He shows toward us.  And we ask for the grace, in this season of growth, to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.  Amen.

Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC