Homily for December 28, 2014 (Feast of the Holy Family)

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

“Father, will you see your family on Christmas?”

“Yes I will.  I am celebrating three Masses on Christmas Eve and three Masses on Christmas Day.”

“No, Father.  I am asking if you will see your family on Christmas.”

“Yes I will.  I am celebrating three Masses on Christmas Eve and three Masses on Christmas Day.”

“Father, you do not seem to understand my question.  I am asking if you will see your family on Christmas.”

“My dear child, you do not seem to understand my answer.  Of course I will see my family on Christmas.  I will spend most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the family that God has entrusted to my care.  I will see my family on Christmas.”

My dear brothers and sisters, I imagine that I thoroughly confused the seven year old with whom I had that conversation.  But you are not confused.  We know that in the mercy of God and by our baptism into Christ Jesus we have become part of the Holy Family.  We know that when the Church gathers for the celebration of the Eucharist that we are at the table of the Holy Family.  The Eucharist is always the celebration of the Holy Family, whether we gather in celebration, in sorrow, with joy or with gratitude.  This is the celebration of the Holy Family.  This is the place where we know the protection of St. Joseph and the love of the Virgin Mary.  This is the place where we hear Simeon and Anna sing the praises of God because God has kept his promise.  This is the place where the angels greet the shepherds and shepherds meet the Son of God.  This is the place and this is the time when the Holy Family gathers.  This is our home and this is our family.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

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

Homily for Christmas 2014

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

Do not be afraid.  Those were the words of the Angel: Do not be afraid.  People had been afraid of God for generations.  They had been afraid of justice.  They had been afraid of punishment.  They had been afraid even, that the reality of the living God would call them to a life that was greater than they could imagine.  Do not be afraid, said the Angel, Do not be afraid.

He did not come to us in power.  It was not a violent conquest.  He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.  He appeared, and he took possession of his creation.  The Word of the Father, through whom all things were created, comes to us in utter humility.  Not in strength do we meet him, but in weakness.  Not in power do we see him, but held in the arms of his mother.  There is no need to be afraid.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is a baby.  We cannot fear him.  We can only fall in love with him.

It is the love of God the Father and the loving response of the Virgin Mother that brings the Lord Jesus to us.  He is the child that was promised and the Redeemer that will save us.  He will reveal to us the eternal will of the Eternal God and he will teach us what it means to truly love.  He will invite us to the Kingdom of his Father, to the table with his apostles, to the mountain for his teaching, and tonight he invites us to the manger where he was born.  We meet this baby and we are conquered by love.  In the captivating face of this baby, we gaze upon the face of the invisible God.  In the captivating face of this baby, we gaze upon the face of him in whose image we were created.  In the captivating face of this baby, we fall passionately in love with the God who is passionately in love with us.  There is no need to be afraid.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is a baby.  We cannot fear him.  We can only fall in love with him.

And this baby will make room in our hearts, just as he made room in the manger.  There was no room in the inn for him to be born.  Yet after the birth of the Lord Jesus there was room for the shepherds.  In the mystery of divine love, at an inn that was overcrowded, the whole world now comes to worship.  The Lord Jesus brought the love of heaven to earth and made room on earth for the love of heaven.  He made room in the manger.  He can make room in our hearts.  There is no need to be afraid.  O Come let us adore him.  Amen 

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

Homily for December 21, 2014 (4th Advent B)

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

In the season of Advent we keep watch for the one who keeps his promise.  We prepare the way of the Lord and we rejoice because the promise made to our fathers, the promise made to Abraham and to his children forever, is being fulfilled.  The promise is being fulfilled, and Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth, believes the promise.  In the name of all creation, Mary believes the promise.

It was not the word of a prophet that Mary believed.  It was not the voice crying out in the wilderness.  It was the voice of the angel Gabriel, sent from heaven with the message of salvation.  The angel Gabriel approached the holy Virgin with reverence and revealed the invitation of the Most High God.  The angel Gabriel revealed that the promise of the Redeemer was being fulfilled.  And Mary believed the promise.  She believed the promise of God made in the Garden of Eden.  She believed in the promise of God made to the House of David.  She believed in the promise of God that brings liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and comfort to the broken-hearted.  She believed in the promise that will set us free and that will make us whole.

Mary is the believer of the promise and Mary is the bearer of the promise.  Within her, the promise of the Most High God dwells in hidden silence.  Within her, the union of God and man is present to the world and yet veiled from sight.  Within her, the power that all creation cannot contain resides in an unborn child.  Mary is the bearer of the promise.  Mary is the Ark of the Covenant.  King David did not build the house for the Ark of God.  God himself built the Ark of the new Covenant in Mary.  She is the bearer of the promise of God.  She is the Ark of the New Covenant.  Mary is the first tabernacle and the first Church.  Consecrated at her conception, within Mary dwells the God who is worthy of our worship, the High Priest who offers the acceptable sacrifice, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  She is the bearer of the promise.

And so are we.  We have heard the promise.  We have prepared the way of the Lord and we have rejoiced in the salvation announced by our God.  We are believers in the promise made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.  From generation to generation we have kept watch and we have believed the promise.  From generation to generation, we have been made sharers in the promise.  We are bearers of the promise of salvation because the Lord has chosen to dwell within us.  He has claimed his place.  He has consecrated his temple.  Now, dear brothers and sisters, we await the fulfillment of the promise.  Amen.

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

Homily for December 14, 2014 (3rd Advent B)

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

In the season of Advent we keep watch for the one who keeps his promise. In the season of Advent we prepare the way of the Lord. And in the season of Advent we are invited to rejoice as we prepare to meet the Lord.

It is not with fear and trembling that we wait to meet the Lord. We do not wait for the violent invasion of a conquering foe. It is not an enemy who approaches us in the silence of the night. We await the arrival of the one on whom the Spirit of the Lord dwells in resplendent fullness. We await the one who will bring glad tidings to the poor and liberty to the captives. We await the one who will declare the year of favor and the vindication of the Lord our God. We await the one who will set us free.

And as we wait, we rejoice. We do not wait in sorrow or in sadness. We rejoice heartily in the Lord who is the joy of our souls. We rejoice in the Lord who is faithful and who has called us to himself. We rejoice in the promise of the one who keeps his promise. We rejoice in the good news that has been announced to us. We rejoice in the glory that shall be revealed to us.

Isaiah announced the promise and the glory. Paul announced the promise and the glory. And John the Baptist looked upon the face of him who is the promise and the glory. John the Baptist only invited the people to follow him so that he could lead them to the Savior. John knew that his life was a reflection of the glory of the Lord. He was not the glory. He was not the light. John the Baptist rejoiced that he was privileged to testify to the light. He was privileged to show the way. He was privileged to proclaim the coming of the Lord in power and in majesty, in humility and in simplicity. John the Baptist was privileged to show the way to Jesus.

And that, my dear brothers and sisters, is our privilege too. We have heard the promise made to the prophets. We have heard the proclamation of Paul. And we have joined with John the Baptist in preparing the way of the Lord. We are privileged to hear the promise. We are privileged to testify to the light. We are privileged to show the way to Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice.  Amen.

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

Homily for Our Lady of Guadalupe 2014 (December 12,2014)

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

The voice of the Virgin calls us! The voice of the Virgin of Guadalupe calls us here this evening for the celebration of her feast. The voice of the Virgin calls us!

The voice of the Virgin called Juan Diego. Juan Diego was humble and he heard her voice. Juan Diego was obedient and faithful and he heard her voice. Juan Diego was going to participate in divine worship and he heard her voice. He heard her voice.  He heard the voice of the Mother of God. He heard her voice and he obeyed.

The voice of the Virgin calls us and we want to hear her voice. I want to hear the voice of the Virgin, because she will tell me about the Lord Jesus. The voice of the Virgin of Guadalupe will tell us about the Lord Jesus. We want to hear her voice because we want to know the Lord Jesus. We want to know him, because the prophets promised him. We want to know him, because in him alone we will find salvation. In him alone we will know the love that the Father has for us. In him alone, our prayers and our lives will be accepted in the presence of the Father.

In our Holy Mother the Church, we will hear the voice of the Virgin. Everywhere we can see her image. Every home has the image of the Virgin. She has given her image to the whole world. But only in the Church will we hear the voice of the Virgin. Only in the Church will we hear the voice of the Virgin telling us about her Son. We must come to the Church, each and every Sunday to hear the voice of the Virgin Mary. We must come to the Church, each and every Sunday to hear the words of the Lord Jesus. We must come to the Church, each and every Sunday to give praise to the Father through his Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The voice of the Virgin calls us here.

If we want to hear the voice of the Virgin, we must listen like Juan Diego. We must be humble. Those who are proud cannot hear the voice of the Virgin. If we want to hear the voice of the Virgin, we must be faithful and obedient. We must be faithful to our God and to our families. We must be obedient to the will of the Father and to our Mother the Church. If we want to hear the voice of the Virgin, we must join in the worship of her Son. We must offer our sacrifice of praise to the Father each day, and not just flowers to our mother on this day.

The voice of the Virgin calls us.  The voice of the Virgin calls us to the Church.  The voice of the Virgin tells us about the Lord Jesus and invites us to worship. If we listen to the voice of the Virgin, she will lead us to the Kingdom of her Son.  Viva la Virgin! Amen.

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

Homily for the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2014)

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

In the second chapter of the book of Genesis, the Lord God created the Garden of Eden.  It was pristine, perfect, and immaculate.  The Lord God carefully prepared the Garden.  The Lord God lovingly cared for the Garden.  The Garden was pristine, pure, perfect and immaculate.  Only when the Garden was completely and perfectly prepared did the Lord God create man.  The first man, Adam, was created only after the Garden was prepared.  The Garden was pristine, pure, perfect and immaculate.

Mary is the Garden that was prepared to receive the Lord Jesus.  She is pristine, perfect, pure, and immaculate.  From the very first moment of her life in the womb of St. Anne, Mary is pristine, pure, perfect and immaculate.  She is perfectly prepared to be the Mother of Jesus Christ.

We want our souls to be like Mary.  We want to be prepared to receive the Lord Jesus.  May the Immaculate Mother of God pray for us so that we will be prepared to receive her Son. Amen.

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

Homily for December 7, 2014 (2nd Advent B)

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

In the season of Advent we keep watch for the one who keeps his promise.  We keep watch for the dawn from on high which shall break upon us.  We keep watch for the coming of the Savior, and we prepare the way of the Lord.

Isaiah the prophet has invited us.  John the Baptist has invited us.  Holy Mother Church invites us.  Prepare the way of the Lord.  Make straight the highways and fill in the valleys.  Prepare a highway for our God because the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.  Announce the good news from the mountain tops and bring the glad tidings of great joy to the holy city of Jerusalem.  The Lord Most High shall come to his people.  The Good Shepherd shall gather his flock and lead them with care.  This is the promise of the prophets.  This is the promise made to you and to me.  The Lord shall come to us.  The visitation of the Savior is near.  Prepare the way of the Lord.

There are valleys in darkness that need the light.  There are roads that are blocked that need to be cleared.  There are tombs that are sealed that need to be opened by the word of life and the light of glory.  But they are not outside of us.  These places are within us.  Within us there are the shadows of darkness that need light.  Within us there are roads that are blocked that need to be cleared.  Within us there are tombs that need to be opened by the word of life and the light of glory.

And Christ our Savior, the Light of the world that no darkness can overcome, shall clear the highways and speak the word.  John the Baptist preached repentance and wore a cloak of camel hair.  People came from all over the countryside of Judea to receive a baptism of repentance as they acknowledged their sins.  At the invitation of the prophet, they sought to prepare the way of the Lord.

The preacher of repentance has given up the cloak of camel hair and taken up the purple stole.  No longer shall we go to the side of the river in the Judean countryside, but to the parish church.  No longer do we seek the water that flows from the spring, but from the chair of the prophet we shall seek the mercy that flows from the heart of Christ.  In the sacrament of reconciliation we prepare the way of the Lord.  In that place where we fear to find a judge, we find the welcome of the Savior.  In that place where we fear to receive the punishment of justice, we receive the abundance of mercy.  Do not fear his mercy.  Prepare the way of the Lord.  Amen.

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