Why Advent? Why Creation? Why me? (1st Advent Homily)

 A lot of people don’t quite “get” Advent. 

And I suspect they may not want to admit that.

Let me confess, for a long time, that included me, too!

What do I mean, we don’t quite grasp Advent?

First, Advent comes and goes pretty quickly; 

we barely have time to focus before it’s over.

Second, the prayers and readings 

seem to pull us in different directions. 

We start out talking about the end of the world;

and we end focusing on the birth of Jesus. 

Am I the only one who finds that confusing? 

It took me a lot of years to reach an insight that has helped me, 

and so, I share it with you.

“Advent” means coming; and it is first about the approach of Eternity. 

Only then, within that frame, is it about Christmas.

Because, when you think about it, 

What is Christmas really about?

Far more than the birth of a baby.

Christmas is the birth of hope;

about Eternity becoming something concrete and present in our midst.

A frequent Advent refrain – we just heard it – is, “Be prepared.”

Yes, there will be an end to history.

Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.”

Along the way, each of our own lives on earth will end.

At certain moments, both young and old, 

You and I have moments where we ask ourselves: 

what do I want my life to be about?

It can be a powerful thing to challenge yourself to live each day, 

not on a kind of auto-pilot, but with a view to the far horizon.

It is deeply satisfying to know my life is for something larger.

So that “being prepared” isn’t just for the last day, but each day.

To be a Christian is to believe that something larger is Jesus, 

and the redemption and hope he brings.

The word “Gospel” means “Good News.” 

But precisely why is it Good News?

The answer is that humanity has a deep problem 

that Jesus came to address. 

The answer is that you and I have an incredible destiny – 

and Jesus is the way there.

During this Advent, as a parish family we’re going to focus together

on this reality, both our need and His remedy.

Our patron St. John Paul II wrote that when people 

hear the story of both humanity’s spiritual poverty, 

and also the eternal riches Jesus offers,

"they are one day overwhelmed" 

and moved by grace to surrender their lives to Christ in faith. 

Have you been overwhelmed by the Gospel?

That’s our shared project for this Advent.

To be overwhelmed by Eternity, and by Jesus.

Here’s our tool: the other deacons, priests and I 

invite you to read this book (hold up book), 

Rescued, by Father John Riccardo. 

How you can obtain the book is on our website and in the bulletin.

There’s also a daily devotional booklet that you can download for FREE; 

and we do have some printed copies available as well.

Drawing from this book, we have four big questions,

Which we’ll dig into on the four Sundays of Advent.

They are: 

(1) Why is there something rather than nothing?

(2) Why is everything so obviously messed up?

(3) What, if anything, has God done about it?

(4) If God has done something, how should I respond?

Let’s start with that first question:

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Or more personally, “Why am I here?”

One of the first “overwhelmed” moments many of us have 

comes when we consider the Creation we belong to.

Who could fail to be dazzled by the night sky?

Parents: how did you react at the first glimpse of your child?

And if I’m not going too deep, we might further ask,

why do we even ask why?

Do dogs or even dolphins ask why?

This is where reason becomes the precipice for faith.

Does not all this around us – and we ourselves –

point to an act of Creation? An act of love?

If the answer is no, then why not be content to be animals?

No need to pray: “Help us, O God!” 

We can just prey, like wolves among sheep?

The Book of Genesis makes a startling claim, 

which most world religions don’t address, and some actively reject:

Humanity, male and female, is made in the image and likeness of God.

And this makes sense:

After all, as splendid as the Cosmos is,

There is no relationship with stars and comets and galaxies.

Only man can respond when the Creator asks, “where are you?”

The reason God created was to begin this great Romance:

To call each of us into relationship, unto Eternity.

In St. Paul’s words, that’s worth waking up for.

In Isaiah’s vision, that’s a mountain full of life.

And this is why Jesus himself sounds the alarm: 

It’s not automatic. It’s a choice. Prepare. 

Why is the King on the Cross? (Christ the King homily)

 Since today is the Feast of Christ the King, 

we might wonder why these readings are chosen for this feast.

Or, to put it more plainly:

Why is our King on a Cross?

He’s not on the throne, dispensing wisdom and justice.

He’s not being received with joy as he enters his city.

He was, on Palm Sunday, several days before.

But now he’s on the Cross. Why?

There are a lot of reasons, but one is, 

because the people who ought to have welcomed him did not. 

Instead, they beat him and nailed him to the Cross.

There’s a very simple, but very important point from this.

Lots of people don’t like Jesus Christ.

We have these debates: 

oh, if only the Church would say this, 

or stop talking about that. 

Everything would be so wonderful.

Or you’ll hear, it was so wonderful when John XXIII was pope.

Or when Father Friendly was pastor.

But notice: it isn’t lazy bishops, or mean priests, 

or the Church’s teaching on contraception 

or anything or anyone else that was nailed to the Cross;

But Jesus Christ himself. 

Which is what Jesus told us:

This world does not want him as King.

“If they hate me,” he said, “they will hate you.”

This is a valuable lesson to learn when we’re kids:

Sooner or later, if you and I take a stand,

Someone’s going to hit back and try to silence us.

It happened to Jesus; it will happen to you and me.

When Christ speaks of “the world” that hates him,

He doesn’t mean the beautiful world 

that he himself created, and all that’s good about it.

He means the sinful way this world operates.

The values of our world: we sometimes call it the kingdom of this world.

This may shock you, but: if Jesus had come in our time,

The outcome would have been the same.

The world that rejects Jesus is driven by 

greed, by lust, by wrath, by pride, and by grasping for power.

A few years ago, I saw a powerful movie called, “Twelve Years a Slave.” 

It tells the story about Solomon Northup, a real person, 

a free black man who lived in New York State in the 1840s, 

who was kidnapped and taken to Louisiana to be a slave.

After 12 years, friends found him and set him free.

Now the shocking thing, to me, 

wasn’t the violence or cruelty, 

but the thought of so many people who took part;

and even more, who shrugged and looked away.

And they were almost all Christians.

It reminds me of what Dr. Martin Luther King said, 

a century later, when the issue was segregation:

“History will have to record 

that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition 

was not the strident clamor of the bad people, 

but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Now, our response is to say, oh, that was then; we’re different.

Sometimes, but not always. 

Things have certainly changed 

in so many ways for the better--

thanks to Dr. King and others 

who didn’t remain silent or indifferent.

But there are other injustices crying out to heaven.

And still, good people remain silent.

The injustice of destroying unborn children goes on.

Many people don’t realize how this connects to medical research.

We’re turning human life into a mere commodity.

And so many good people remain silent.

The truth is, I could cite many examples. 

My point isn’t to say how terrible the world is.

This is a good world, but it needs to be converted.

It needs Jesus.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving.

But if we’re not careful, 

it becomes more about gluttony than prayer.

Soon it will be Christmas: 

will it be about the Savior? Or the stuff?

I asked earlier, why is our King on the Cross, and not on the throne.

Well, the first throne we can offer him is our own hearts:

Is he on that throne?

Our King is on the Cross 

because that’s where this sinful world puts him.

Our task--his invitation to us--is to join him 

in confronting the injustices that govern so much of our world.

First, king in our hearts. Our families. Our Church.

Together we invite the world.

If a building...(St. John Lateran homily)

 This feast – which occurs on a Sunday 

infrequently; the last time was 2014! – may seem odd to us. 

It celebrates a building. Why would we do that?

Well, if you go to Philadelphia, you can visit Independence Hall, 

where our founding fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence. 

We commemorate a building where something important happens.

A Catholic church is where the most important thing ever, happens: 

where heaven and earth meet in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 

What Jesus did for us on the cross, 2,000 years ago, 

is made present to us at this and every altar in the world. 

This raises a point. A lot of folks wonder 

why the bishops teach that it’s a mortal sin 

to miss Mass on Sundays or holy days, without a good reason. 

(And a mortal sin means, you have to go to confession.) 

People wonder, what’s the big deal?

Well, suppose one of the Apostles didn’t show up for the Last Supper? 

Would that be a big deal?

What if you didn’t show up for your own wedding, or that of a friend?

The point is, for things that matter, it matters if we show up.

Of course, when we’re ill, at work or caring for others, we’re excused; 

When the roads are nasty, we’re excused.

But Sunday Mass is the most important thing that ever happens.

If we believe that, then reason to be there is clear.

Jesus is on the cross. Not “again” – 

the Mass brings us, across time and space, to Calvary. 

That’s what Mass is.

This is the heart of the heart of the Faith.

This is why the priesthood matters. 

This is why we pray for more priests.

And, this is why we treat our churches with reverence, 

not only when we’re praying, but at all times. 

In some traditions, it’s normal to bring coffee and snacks into church.

I’m not criticizing: it’s a different mindset.

Because of the Incarnation – God becoming human –

we Catholics believe that “stuff,” like medals and rosaries, 

and yes, buildings, can be consecrated and made truly sacred.

This is a Biblical idea: God told Moses, at the Burning Bush, 

“This is holy ground.” That’s what a church is, too.

I might add: you and I believe that God is here – in this church – 

in a unique and supreme way. I mean in the Holy Eucharist.

I don’t mean in the general, “God is everywhere” sense.

But even after all that, there is still another reason

we maintain this place with a sense of quiet and calm.

This is where you and I can meet God. 

It isn’t God who needs a sacred place; we humans do.

Back to today’s feast. 

Why celebrate the cathedral of Rome?

A cathedral is “home base” for the bishop. 

The “cathedra” is his chair, as a teacher.

Have you ever noticed, the pope almost always sits when he teaches?

This occasion links us to the bishop of Rome—

that is, Pope Leo, who succeeds Peter, Jesus’ chosen leader.

This is a tangible reminder that you and I 

are part of something bigger than ourselves. 

None of us arrives in this world alone, and we don’t live on our own. 

We belong to a family, our family shapes who we are, 

and we owe something in return. 

The same is true of our community, our nation—and our Church.

What’s more, if we can grasp 

that a building can be a sacred place, where God dwells, 

how much more that human beings are sacred places—

again, where God dwells.

Every person you ever meet can be a cathedral.

You want a practical application of this point? 

Think of all the conversations you had during the last 24 hours. 

All the interactions online. How you behaved while driving. 

Were all those people truly sacred to you?

Today we celebrate a sacred place central to our history, 

linking us to the worldwide Body of Christ.

Seated around you and me, and outside these walls, 

are many more walking, talking “cathedrals”

for each of us to treat as sacred.

Live ready, die ready, be at peace! (All Souls homily)

 Every five or six years, All Souls Day comes on a Sunday. 

I don’t want to shock you, but: this day is about death.

In ancient Rome, when a victorious general would be honored 

with a triumphant parade, surrounded by cheering throngs,

with even the Emperor paying tribute, 

there would be a servant beside him in the chariot,

whispering in his ear: “Remember that you are mortal.”

“Remember that you are mortal.” 

Does death scare you?

I remember a night, years back, 

when I was driving home, lost in thought. 

To my sudden horror, I realized—I’d just gone through a stop sign. 

I thanked God all the way home that he’d preserved me. 

Yes, that scared me.

Still, you and I don’t have to be scared about death. Be ready!

It’s not hard to be ready.

Stay close to Jesus. That’s it.

You and I stay close to Jesus by living as he commands. 

We are close to the Lord 

when we care for the least of his brothers and sisters. 

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, embrace the outcast.

If we are close to Jesus, we are listening to him—learning from him. 

And we are talking to him—we are praying.

And if we’ve neglected or disobeyed the Lord, we go to confession. 

Why mess around? Just go!

Getting sick or dying is not the worst thing that can happen to us.

The worst thing is a death for which we are not prepared.

Live ready. Die ready. Nothing to be afraid of!

As you can imagine, 

I get called to visit people when they are near death. 

This is one the best parts of being a priest:

Being able to pray with people 

as they approached the threshold of eternity.

What can be sad is when I visit people, 

And they really aren’t facing the situation.

I’ve been turned away, as if there was no urgency –

But there was.

When both my mother and father, in their turn, 

were approaching death, they were open about it.

They talked about what they wanted. It was a great help.

We often use the term, “Last Rites” – what does it really mean?

Well, I’ll explain.

There are several prayers it can include –

And it’s important to mention, none of which need to be “last” – 

meaning, you don’t have to wait till your last breath! 

Better NOT to wait!

First comes the sacrament of confession. 

This is not frightening: this is our opportunity 

to make peace and to have peace.

Then the priest can give the “apostolic blessing,” 

which the Holy Father allows priests to grant to us 

when we’re in a serious place, including near death. 

It is a remission of all time in purgatory. 

Pretty good!

Speaking of purgatory, this might properly be called, 

“The saints’ finishing school.” 

The point of purgatory is to complete the work of God’s grace,

And make us truly heavenly.

We enter purgatory from earth; we exit to heaven!

It’s customary to renew ones baptismal promises 

and to use holy water, reminding us of baptism.

Next is the anointing of the sick. 

Again, the movies always make it seem you do this at the very end,

but the anointing can be given anytime we face a serious illness, 

and we can receive it more than once. 

The most important sacrament to receive 

in such a situation is the Eucharist: 

called “viaticum,” which means, “food for the journey.” 

Sometimes people have swallowing issues.

All I can say is, please talk to the priest about this, 

and we can usually overcome this problem.

There’s one more part of Last Rites that isn’t as important, 

But it helps us see what’s really happening at that moment. 

And that is when the priest leads everyone in a Litany of the Saints.

Remember: the same litany was prayed at your baptism!

Baptism is when you became a saint;

And the whole goal of everything we do is to 

“be in that number when the saints go marching in!”

And then he offers a prayer of commendation, 

which really gives our loved one directly to God.

One of those prayers begins,

“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world…”

The other includes these words:

“May Christ who died for you admit you to his garden of paradise.”

I love praying these prayers with people – 

but not if folks aren’t ready to face the real situation.

All I can do is encourage you again:

Don’t be afraid; live ready, die ready, be at peace!

There’s a lovely tradition of family gathering

When someone is near the end, and praying together,

Along with the priest.

I so strongly encourage you, don’t wait till the last minute,

Call the priest and perhaps the family can be part of the prayers.

Lots of people are afraid of death; 

but Christians should not be among them. 

Our Savior, our Jesus, suffered, died, and came back from the dead! 

Surrounded by the other saints, he will welcoming us home.

An All Saints Experiment (All Saints homily)

 Let’s spell out a few key points about this feast.

First. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about Hallowe’en, 

which is part of this feast. Hallowe’en means the eve, 

or “e’en” of All Hallows, which is just another way of saying, All Saints. 

So maybe you saw someone claim that we Catholics 

dressed up a pagan holiday and turned it into this feast. 

Not true. 

People will say, Oh, but there was a pagan holiday…

Let me tell you: if you look it up,

You’ll find there are pagan holidays all year long.

You just about cannot pick a day without some pagan connection.

Which is why you hear the same thing about 

Easter, Christmas, The Presentation, Assumption, 

and lots of saints days as well.

Hallowe’en is fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But it isn’t about demons or ghouls. It’s not about evil.

Hallowe’en is about the saints.

It’s about grace.

Grace is God’s own life and love, poured into our lives, 

to make us like God.

All Saints – including the eve, Hallowe’en – 

exists to celebrate God’s success stories.

So, it seems funny that some Christians 

don’t want to talk about saints; 

it’s as if we’re saying, 2,000 years later,

And Jesus hasn’t had many successes!

But of course he has!

That’s what the saints are, and what we celebrate today.

Now, this year we did a little experiment; let me explain.

When All Saints falls on a Saturday (or Monday), 

it isn’t an obligatory holy day.

And because we don’t have a Saturday morning Mass,

The only way we could commemorate All Saints – 

as opposed to skipping it, which parishes are allowed to do –  

was to do it at one of our Saturday evening Masses.

I thought it was a shame to skip it, so we’re doing it tonight.

Don’t worry, this Mass still “counts” for Sunday.

And if you want, you can be part of All Souls at Mass tomorrow.

Just a note here about All Souls, which comes on November 2.

That is the day for the “faithful departed,” meaning: 

for those who weren’t necessarily finished products, 

as it were, in this life, but who have certain hope – 

I repeat, certain hope – of victory.

If you didn’t know this before, hear me: 

everyone who enters Purgatory will be a saint. Without exception.

Purgatory is the saint-finishing school, and our prayers help.

Now, let me point out something extra special we did at this Mass.

At the beginning of Mass, 

we welcomed a group of our friends and neighbors, 

some of them are relatives, who want to become Catholic.

This prayer of welcome could have happened outside of Mass,

But this day seemed very fitting to do it with you;

Because you and me are the one welcoming them.

We represent, if you will, all the 2 billion Christians worldwide,

And the untold numbers of the faithful ahead of us,

Who welcome them into the destiny of being a saint!

So often people ask:

Why do we have baptism and confession and the sacraments?

Why do we pray and do penance?

Why do we go to Mass? Every week!

What is this all for?

It’s basically like the first of the 12 Steps:

“We admitted to ourselves that we are not heavenly.”

Only God’s grace can make us so.

The Catholic Faith, all of it, every bit, is about becoming a saint.

No one gets left behind (Sunday homily)

 These readings cast light on the broader idea of justice

as the Bible talks about justice. 

We also sometimes call this “social justice.”

Now, the core principle of justice is, 

as St. Thomas Aquinas said, 

based on Aristotle: “To each his or her due.”

But there is another value that intersects with this:

And that is the principle of solidarity.

To state that simply: that means, we are all in this together.

Let me illustrate with a story from when I was a seminarian.

I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana for the summer, 

taking part in a program in the inner-city, 

organizing a “day camp” for children 

in the roughest neighborhoods of the city. 

Three Lutheran churches were providing a place 

for these children to get out of the house and off the streets.

So, we had various activities and sometimes an outing – 

Including, one day, to a park that was about ½ mile away.

We had about 30 children from 6 to 13 years old.

There were several adult leaders,

One was a college student named Ann.

She was in a wheelchair.

She managed fine on her own, 

except where there wasn’t a ramp cut into the curb.

And you know what happened with the children:

Some were racing ahead far ahead, 

and that meant we adults had to put the brakes on.

And we told them: “we’re going to the park, but we’re going together. 

We don’t leave anyone behind.”

That’s the principle of solidarity.

Now, there are some obvious applications.

Some people have physical or other disabilities.

Those of us who don’t need walkers or wheelchairs 

may not even realize how much of a barrier a step or a curb can be.

Some of our facilities are more accessible than others;

And some of the fixes are easier than others.

I am aware, for example, of the need 

for auto-open buttons at our entrances, 

and for wider doors in some places.

Yes, these ideas have lots of applications, including in public policy. 

My task here is not to recommend any particular proposal;

Only to invite you to ask yourself: how do we apply this?

Because the real insight I had 

when I was with those children in Fort Wayne was this: 

they weren’t even noticing that Ann, in her wheelchair, 

and other, smaller children, were being left behind.

That’s the first conversion moment: 

look around, see who’s being left behind!

In this Gospel passage, our Lord Jesus adds another layer.

The question of what do people deserve?

The Pharisee was convinced he deserved God’s favor.

And: he really may have been more moral than the tax collector.

Think about that: what if, instead of “Pharisee and tax collector,” 

we were talking about, “Prayerful Grandma and a pornographer”?

And now, I’ve made every grandma mad at me!

The point is, for each and every one of us, it is God’s gift!

If Mother Theresa were here, and we’d say, wow, Mother Theresa!

She’s a saint! Right: and you know what she’d say:

I didn’t deserve anything. I became a saint because of God’s gifts!

Back to the Pharisee. 

Let’s suppose he really was more holy, more virtuous. 

He’s probably who we’d rather have living next door!

But how do you think Jesus would have reacted 

had the Pharisee said this in his prayer:

“Oh God, thank you for the graces you gave me.

This tax collector is my brother. What can I do for him?

I don’t want to leave him behind”?