Sunday, February 21, 2016

Homily for February 21, 2016 (2nd Sunday of Lent C)







Early on Thursday morning I was sitting in the Chapel in the rectory. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was one of those rare moments in prayer when I felt like my capacity to be present to the Lord, to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally present before the Lord who made me, met the unending and passionate desire of the Lord to be present to me. It was one of those rare moments in the silence and the stillness and the quiet when we know that we are in the presence of the Holy One. And I wanted to stay there. I wanted to stay there in the presence of the Lord. I wanted to stay there in the peaceful silence of that peaceful moment of prayer. I wanted to stay there. But there was work to be done. There was holy work to be done. There was the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to be done. And so I left the silence and the stillness and quiet of the rectory chapel.



We treasure those moments, those rare moments, in the silence and the stillness and the quiet of prayer. These moments are not our normal experience of prayer each day. Much of our time in prayer can seem more like days in the parched land of the desert than moments on the mountaintop. But in the desert or on the mountaintop God is praised. In the desert or on the mountaintop we meet the Lord who has come to meet us. We like to stay on the mountaintop, though, because on the mountaintop, we catch a glimpse of glory.


It was that way for the apostles too.  Most of their days were spent in the hard work of preaching the kingdom, caring for the sick, going on long journeys, and listening to the Master. Most of their days were not spent in the silence and the stillness and the quiet. They were spent on the sea, in the cities, and among the noise of the world. But one day, Peter, James and John went with Jesus to the mountaintop. And there they caught a glimpse of his glory. They saw on the mountaintop the glory of the only Son of the Father shining through the face and the body of Jesus Christ. They saw his glory, and they wanted to stay there. They wanted to stay there because they knew that they were in the presence of the Holy One.


They wanted to stay there because they caught a glimpse of his glory. They wanted to stay there because they heard the voice of the Father. They wanted to stay there because in the presence of the glory of the Most High God, they recognized what Paul would later write. Our citizenship is in heaven. We have been invited and claimed by Jesus Christ to join him in his glory. Our true homeland is the mountaintop. Our destiny is in the glory of heaven.


But there is work to be done in the land of exile. There is work to be done as we make our pilgrimage to the land of glory. In the waters of Baptism, Jesus Christ claimed us and named us as citizens of heaven. But for this time, we are called to live on earth as citizens of heaven. Here we will live the life of Jesus Christ. Here we will live as children of God reflecting the glory of the Holy One. Or here we will renounce the light of our heavenly citizenship and embrace the darkness of sin to live forever in the land of exile. That is the reward of sin. In sin, we choose exile over glory.


But God has chosen us for glory. God has invited us to the mountaintop even as we make our pilgrimage through the desert. He has given us a glimpse of his glory to light our way to our true homeland. He has given us light, but not only has he given us light. In the waters of our baptism and in the nourishment of the Eucharist, Jesus Christ makes each of us a glimpse of his glory. Jesus Christ makes you and me into a glimpse of his glory so that we will be a light on the way to the kingdom where he lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.


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

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Pilgrimage for the Canonization of Mother Teresa

Travel with Fr. Benjamin Roberts, Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC on our
 

Canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta - Italy Regular trip
 

Where: Rome, Assisi, Tuscany, Florence, Venice
Trip Dates: Sep 01-09, 2016
Cost: $3,900.00 Airfare and ALL-Included.
To register, please contact (855) 842-8001 or (508) 340-9370. You can also register online at www.proximotravel.com.
 

Please tell them you heard about this pilgrimage from Father Benjamin!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Homily for February 17, 2013 (1st Lent C)


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

During this season of Lent, which we began on Ash Wednesday, we travel with the Lord Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem.  Today we encounter the Lord Jesus during his time of temptation in the desert.  Today our readings and our prayers focus on the confession of faith in God and the confession of faith in the power of God.

In our reading from the book of Deuteronomy, we hear the instruction of Moses to the people of Israel.  He is instructing them on how they are to offer the first fruits of the harvest to God.  It is a ritual that is both simple and profound.  The offering of the first fruits are placed in a basket and then placed in the hands of the priest of God who sets the offering before the Altar of God.  What follows is a beautiful profession of faith in the goodness of God and a sacred recounting of the sacred history of the people of Israel.  The one who brings the offering to the Lord confesses his faith in the goodness of God and confesses his confidence in the power of God.  Having been led from slavery to freedom, the appropriate response is worship and adoration.

In our reading today from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, we hear the instruction of Paul to the early Christian community about the confession of faith that leads to salvation.  The confession of faith that Jesus is Lord, and the confession of faith in the power of God who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, is the door to salvation.  The confession of faith follows from a conviction of the heart.  The heart of the message of St. Paul does not include the sacred recounting of the sacred history of the people of Israel.  Moses spoke to the people of Israel; St. Paul invites all of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles, to call upon the Lord Jesus, who is Lord of all.  The message of salvation and the invitation to respond in worship are given to the whole world.

In our reading from the Gospel today, we join Christ in the desert.  The Lord Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit, and after his days of fasting, he is tempted by the devil.  The three temptations that the Lord Jesus faces are opportunities to use his divine power.  However, they are not opportunities for the Lord Jesus to use his divine power for a divine purpose.  The devil questions the Lord Jesus about his identity as the Son of God.  The devil invites the Lord Jesus, who is hungry, to turn stones into bread.  The devil invites the Lord Jesus, who is weary, to reject the Kingdom of the Father and embrace in worship the kingdom of the devil and the treasures of earth.  The devil invites the Lord Jesus, who will suffer, to tempt God and prove that the angels will prevent his suffering.  The Lord Jesus, however, quoting the ancient Scriptures, rejects the invitation of the devil and embraces the will of the Father.  The Lord Jesus will not use his power to bring comfort to himself.  Bread and treasure and the opportunity to avoid suffering are as nothing compared with the food and treasure of accomplishing the will of the Father.  Divine power will only be used in fulfillment of the Divine purpose.  The confession of faith in divine goodness and the confession of confidence in divine power lead to worship, to salvation, and conquers the power of the devil.

As we now enter into the mystery of the suffering and death of the Lord, as we offer the first fruits of our Lenten penance, let us recount the goodness of God to his people.  Let us renew our confession of faith in the Lord Jesus and the power of his resurrection.  And let us ask for the grace to reject every invitation of the evil one, so that we can embrace the divine will and the divine power of the Holy One of God.  Amen.

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

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Homily for Our Lady of Lourdes







She was on a mission for her mother. The little girl from the little village of Lourdes was sent by her mother to gather wood for the fire. It was cold in their home. It was cold in the converted jail cell that was the family home in the little village in France. And Bernadette was sent by her mother to gather wood for the fire. Sent by her mother on earth, in a grotto near a stream, Bernadette met the Mother of God. On the 11th of February in 1858, the little girl from Lourdes met Our Lady of Lourdes.


The little Bernadette seems to be an unusual choice for such a great honor. She was from a very poor family. She was not a good student on those rare occasions when she was able to go to school. She was often very sick with asthma. And in her own opinion, Bernadette was useless. But in the eyes of Mary, she was precious. She was valued. She was loved. And to the little Bernadette, Mary entrusted her message to world.


It was a message of conversion. It was invitation to prayer and to penance for sinners. It was an announcement of healing for the sick in soul and the sick in body. Our Lady of Lourdes entrusted to the little girl from Lourdes the message of mercy and abundant healing love that is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mary shares the good news with Bernadette so that Bernadette might share the good news.


And the humble little girl from the little village of Lourdes joins with all the holy women whose praises are sung in the scriptures. She joins in the laughter of Sarah and the prayer of Hannah. She joins in the joyful proclamation of Elizabeth and the apostolic announcement of Mary Magdalene that “The Lord is risen and he will meet you in Galilee.” In the humble voice of Bernadette, there is an echo of the voice of the Mother of God who says “Let it be done unto me according to thy word,” and “Son, they have no wine.” This little girl from Lourdes, in whom the world saw no promise, announced the promises of heaven to the people of the world.


We came here today at the invitation of our Mother, the Church. We have come to gather wood for the fire of faith and hope and love that burns in our souls. That fire that was set when Christ claimed us through the washing of water and the Holy Spirit is sustained and strengthened and burns ever brighter when we draw close to the altar of God. We may not be important in the eyes of the world. We might not be good students. We might be weakened by illness in soul or illness in body. The world may not see our value, but we are precious in the eyes of Mary. We are valued. We are loved. Like the little child from Lourdes in France, the children of God from Lourdes in Monroe have come here to meet the Mother of God. And she will bring us to her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with Father and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.


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

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Homily for Ash Wednesday (February 10, 2016)





Today is Ash Wednesday, and in most places, today is busier than Christmas. There is no Ash Wednesday eve, there is no vigil Mass. Everything about today is celebrated today.

And people come from everywhere on Ash Wednesday. People who almost never come to Church will come to church on this day. On this day they will come to the Church. They will come to receive the mark of ashes on their foreheads.  They will hear the words of invitation, the words of instruction, and the appeal to reconciliation from the ambassadors of Christ.
So what is different about today? Each Sunday and each day in the celebration of the Eucharist we hear words of invitation and instruction and an appeal to reconciliation with God from the ambassadors of Christ Jesus. 

So what is different about today?

It’s the imposition and reception of the ashes. But it’s more than that. When Jesus started his ministry of preaching, he echoed the words of John the Baptist, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” And we’ve all heard that. We’ve all heard the words of the Lord Jesus, “Repent and believe in the gospel” We’ve all heard it.

On Ash Wednesday, we each hear it. On Ash Wednesday through the words and the hands of the Ambassadors of Christ, the Lord Jesus says to each person, Repent and believe in the Gospel. The invitation to life in Christ Jesus that is given to all of us, on Ash Wednesday is given to each of us.

Repent and believe in the Gospel. Amen.

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