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!

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

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 11^th 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

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

Homily for Christmas 2015

Homily for Our Lady of Guadalupe 2015 (December 12, 2015)

Last Summer I went to see our Mother. I went to Guadalupe to see the Mother of the Lord Jesus and our Mother. I went to Guadalupe to pray for you. I went to Guadalupe to pray for me and for my priesthood. I went to pray at Guadalupe because I knew in the early days of June that our beloved Bishop was entrusting to me and to our parish a new priest. I went to Guadalupe to pray for you, and for him, and for me. Last Summer I went see our Mother at Guadalupe.

Today, we come to see our Mother. We come to our parish Church where Christ is preached and the Sacraments are celebrated. We come to this holy ground on this holy day to honor our Holy Mother. We come to celebrate her for every generation calls her blessed. We come to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Mother of Jesus Christ, because through her we meet Him. Through the Virgin Mother Mary, we receive the Lord Jesus. Through the Virgin Mother the Church, we receive the gift of the Lord Jesus. We receive his Word. We receive his Body and Blood. We receive the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of the All Powerful Father. We receive Mercy.

The Virgin of Guadalupe looked upon Juan Diego with the eyes of mercy. She loved and honored him, even though the world did not love and honor him. She embraced and celebrated his culture, even though the world did not. The Virgin of Guadalupe welcomed Juan Diego onto the land where she stood. She looked upon him with eyes of mercy.

And she spoke words of mercy. The Virgin of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego with the invitation of mercy. She asked for a chapel to be built. The Virgin of Guadalupe asked for a place where mercy could be announced. In a land where violence had prevailed, the Virgin wanted mercy to be proclaimed. She looked at Juan Diego with eyes of mercy. She spoke to Juan Diego with words of mercy.

And the Virgin of Guadalupe opened the Door of Mercy. With the flowers that she gave to Juan Diego and her own image, the Virgin of Guadalupe opened the door of Mercy for the heart of the bishop. When the bishop saw the image, he knew the message was true. When the bishop saw the image, his heart was opened in love for his people. When the bishop saw the image, he received the gift of mercy.

Today we come to see the Virgin and she looks at us with eyes of mercy. She looks at each of us with the tender compassion of a mother. She looks at each of us and wants to bring us closer to her. She looks at each of us with the eyes of mercy. She speaks to each of us the word of mercy. She tells us that we are loved. She tells us that we are welcomed. She recognizes each of us as her beloved child and calls each of us by name.

The Virgin of Guadalupe opens the door of mercy for us. She invites us to worship her Son. She invites us to seek his mercy. The Virgin of Guadalupe opens the door of mercy for each of us so that each of us can know the mercy of God.

The Virgin of Guadalupe of looks at us with eyes of mercy. She speaks to us the words of mercy. She opens for us the door of mercy. My brothers and sisters, let us go and see our Mother.

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

Homily for Christmas (December 24-25, 2012)

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

In the season of Advent we have been preparing to welcome Jesus Christ.  Tonight, Jesus Christ welcomes us.  We have been preparing to welcome the Lord Jesus as this fulfillment of the promise made to the prophets, as the Savior who has come to redeem us, and as the one who will reveal to us the face of God.  Tonight, Jesus Christ welcomes us to the celebration of his birth.

I was born nine days before Christmas, though ten days earlier than expected.  Normally ten days on the calendar do not make that great of a difference.  However, being born on the sixteenth of December, rather than on the twenty-sixth meant that I was entitled to a Christmas present that year.  My younger sister is certain that the additional Christmas present is the reason that I was born early.  Within the day after I was born, my father asked my mother, “What do you think he will want for Christmas?”  My mother, knowing her new-born son as only a mother can, informed my father that there was a Christmas ornament, a small wooden train, which would be the perfect gift.  My father was sent from the hospital to obtain the small and precious ornament.  This year that ornament is hanging on the Christmas tree in the home of my parents.  Next year the train is moving to Monroe!

“What do you think he will want for Christmas?”  What, my dear brothers and sisters, is the appropriate gift for the Son of God, as we celebrate his birth and Christmas day?  The scriptures reveal to us again and again that the desire of the Lord is that we should live justly, that we should love mercy, and that we should walk humbly with our God.  Those, however, are the gifts that we are called to offer to God every day.  On this special day, on this day when we celebrate his humble birth of the humble Virgin, there must be some small and precious gift that we can give to the Lord Jesus.

“What do you think he will want?”  The animals shared their home, and the angels shared their song.  The shepherds came in haste because a new shepherd had been born.  On this most holy night, the Lord Jesus welcomes us to his cradle, as we have prepared to welcome him.  The gift that the Lord Jesus desires for his birthday, the gift that is so very precious that He would come down from heaven in the silent watches of the night, is us.  All that the Lord Jesus wants is for us to join him at the manger.  The precious gift, desired and treasured by the Lord of heaven and earth, is you and me.  My dear brother and sisters, Jesus wants each of us as his gift for Christmas.  Amen.

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