'The answer to darkness is not more darkness' (Holy Cross homily)

 Last weekend and this, I am giving a financial report at all Masses, 

in order to be transparent and accountable.

But the readings and the events of the past week also need attention, 

so I will circle back to that in a moment.

(Here I repeated the financial report from last week; 

I couldn't be present at all eight Masses on one weekend.)

Now, let me pivot to that first reading which is very strange.

Why would God tell Moses to make a bronze serpent?

For that matter, why did God send serpents 

among the people in the first place?

The key is to recall both the serpent in the Garden: 

who was, more than an enemy of God, an enemy of humanity.

But here’s another detail many miss: 

the serpent was also one of the false gods of Egypt.

In short, God was reminding his people of their choice:

Go back to being slaves of evil in Egypt or go forward to a life of faith.

That’s why the serpent was nailed to the pole:

The healing they needed was to cast away the false god.

Destroy it and accept that it was destroyed.

Perhaps you wonder why our Lord Jesus 

would connect that episode to his own saving death on the Cross.

He is telling us that, like the Israelites, 

You and I must crucify all our false hopes and false gods.

And the number one false god each of us worships is ourselves.

Our own greed, lust, wrath and pride.

This past week brought a sad remembrance of 9/11, 

and shocking assassination of a political activist in Utah.

I remember the anger unleashed by those attacks 24 years ago:

I felt it myself at the time!

And there is a rage beginning to boil in our present day.

I’ve seen people say online, we have to “hate” those 

who commit these acts of violence, and those who justify it.

To which I say, I hope you say: 

NO! Nail that hatred to the Cross!

Crucify the false god of wrath and violence.

The answer to darkness is not more darkness.

You and I, as the St. John Paul II Parish Family, 

are called to be joyful Catholics sharing Christ with everyone. 

Our work is never done—and with your engagement and support, 

there is no telling how far we can go.  

Let’s dream big. Let’s do more. And let’s keep building a parish 

that draws others from darkness to the light of Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Good Hope (Sunday homily)

This weekend, we do something special 

for Our Lady of Good Hope Church. 

We celebrate the patronal feast of this church!

When I arrived, we tried this in January, 

but further research reveals that this title comes from Dijon, France – 

where they have tasty mustard, too! – in the 1000s. 

There’s a great deal more in this weekend’s bulletin.

One detail that jumps out at me 

from the history of the devotion to Our Lady of Good Hope 

is the times when people were facing challenges – 

far worse than any we face. 

They responded by crying out to Mary, 

and through her intercession, they prevailed. 

Moreover, they didn’t just stay inside the church, waiting. 

They took the image of Our Lady to the streets, 

recalling David’s actions in the first reading, 

and how we brought our Lord Jesus to the streets of Miamisburg 

the past three summers.

Also this weekend, I am once again providing you a financial report 

to be transparent and accountable. 

In this weekend’s bulletin, you’ll find a summary 

of the fiscal year that ended June 30, 

as well as the budget for the current fiscal year. 

Our finance committee helps prepare the budgets and track spending. 

Our pastoral council weighs in on major spending decisions and planning. 

Your parish staff and I have been careful stewards 

of what you have entrusted to us. 

And I am grateful for so much commitment and wisdom. 

For all activities last year, we spent about $7 million, 

with almost half of that in Bishop Leibold School. 

Remember, nearly 50% of our income 

also comes from Bishop Leibold tuition. 

The good news is this: together, we are maintaining stability. 

We continue to pay our bills, 

You and I sustain many activities and apostolates, 

and we educate more than 380 students 

in a Christ-centered environment at Bishop Leibold School. 

We have almost as many involved in our Parish School of Religion, 

high school programs and special sacramental preparation. 

Two-thirds of every dollar goes directly to people—

our teachers, our parish staff—and the rest to the programs 

that bring faith alive for parishioners of all ages. 

A year ago, I presented a budget planning to spend about $3.5 million on non-school activities; 

we ended up spending about $3.2 million. 

So, you can see, we are trying to squeeze every dollar! 

For this current year, the budget is virtually flat, 

and even then, there’s a small deficit of $3,000. 

But here is the more important issue: what could we do with more?

One of the great gifts we have in our parish family 

is the staff leadership that helps me not get bogged down, 

so we can all keep a view to the far horizon. 

Dr. Wallace, who served our school so faithfully, 

is now meeting one-on-one with parishioners, listening to your hopes, 

and helping us strengthen the financial future of our parish family. 

I’ve also asked our parish directors: 

if you had more resources, what would you do? 

Their responses are inspiring. 

You’ve heard about them over the last several weeks 

in what we have published in our bulletin. Allow me to highlight a few. 

• Faith Formation: hiring deeply needed staff members 

to support our continuing growth, 

to include adding another night of junior high youth ministry, 

walking more closely with the 40+ adults 

on their way to becoming Catholic and their sponsors, 

and enhancing the skills of our catechetical leaders 

to serve our entire parish family in every season of life.

 

• Outreach & Care: Creating a greater presence in Franklin, 

West Carrollton and Moraine, 

to help meet material and spiritual needs.

• School Ministry: Enhanced technology and classroom support, professional development, 

and competitive salaries to recruit and retain excellent teachers.

This is part of what more looks like. 

This is what your generosity can make possible. 

I said it last year and I will say it again. 

If all we want is a balanced budget, that’s easy: 

we can balance lower, lower, less, less. But don’t we want to do more? 

Reach further? Sow more seeds of faith? Help more in need? 

Change more lives?

In the pews, you’ll find pledge cards, 

which will mark the end of our Open Wide the Doors program for 2025. 

I’m asking you to prayerfully consider three things:

1. Share a prayer request. We will bring your intentions to prayer as priests and deacons.

2. Offer your time. Volunteer opportunities abound, 

and your involvement makes our parish more alive.

3. Increase your offering. If you already give regularly, 

consider an increase. If you don’t yet give regularly,

perhaps today is the day to start—

even a small commitment makes a difference.

Many parishioners find electronic giving 

to be the most reliable and secure option. 

If you’d like help setting that up, our staff is ready to assist you.

You and I, as the St. John Paul II Parish Family, are called to be 

joyful Catholics sharing Christ with everyone we encounter. 

Our work is never done—and with your engagement and support, 

there is no telling how far we can go. 

The name of this church is not, Our Lady of Standing Pat!

Let’s dream big. Let’s do more. And let’s keep building a parish 

that draws others to know Jesus Christ.

Note: I gave this homily also at St. Mary of the Assumption, leaving out the information about the title of "Our Lady of Good Hope," as we only observed that in Our Lady of Good Hope Church.

The best seat in the house (22nd OT Sunday homily)

When we are children, we all have those moments 

when we are trying to get mom or dad’s attention. 

Look, mom! Look! Look! LOOK!!

Of course, our parents want to look and see what we’re doing;

But they might be driving, or fixing dinner, 

or getting other work done, and they can’t always look. 

They might even get irritated.

But let me tell you something, 

and this is true no matter how young, or how old, you are: 

parents never stop wanting to look at their children. Never.

Whenever I have a baptism, afterward, I ask to hold the baby.

You know what happens: if the baby is peaceful and content 

in her mother or father’s embrace, once she’s in my arms, 

she getting agitated and cries. 

Then, when I give the baby back, he’s calm again.

That infant recognizes his parents but doesn’t recognize me.

That connection literally begins with conception, 

and is cultivated in a thousand ways from that point on.

That complex reality of love and trust and interdependence

is absolutely necessary for each of us to be healthy and balanced.

Not just as children but throughout our lives.

On the other hand, some children do not experience this, early in life, 

and that can leave a wound that can take a long time to heal.

All this came to mind because of what happens in the Gospel:

People jostling for the best seats; 

not because they are most comfortable, 

but because they gain the attention of the host.

They want to impress or push some agenda.

But consider: if you have a solid relationship with the host, 

why do you need any of that?

This is the key to true humility: knowing who you are; 

having that peaceful, confident relationship with God.

What passes for humility – downing myself, denying our gifts – 

is actually false humility.

Accepting mistreatment, being a doormat – 

is not only false humility, it is a destructive distortion. 

And so, let me state this clearly:

Never does God expect any of us to endure abuse or degradation!

If you’re being mistreated, at work or at home, that’s never OK.

Get help. Don’t wait. Ask someone you trust. You can talk to me.

True humility comes from having that good relationship with God, 

and therefore, having security and confidence. 

That enables you and me to acknowledge our gifts 

and accept our weaknesses. We know who we are in God.

Then there’s no need to impress anyone.

So, the natural next question is, how do I get to that place?

Just as baptized child needs to be in his or her parents’ arms,

So you and I need to have a strong relationship with God.

Without that, we have a spiritual wound, an insecurity.

We don’t fully know who we are.

That friendship with God requires more than an hour a week.

It needs periodic apologies and patching things up;

In spiritual terms: a regular examination of ourselves,

And frequent use of the sacrament of confession.

And, let me explain something a lot of people miss.

The real success of a fruitful confession is less about 

what happens in the “box,” in the confession room, 

and far more about what happens in the 30 minutes beforehand.

I mean, specifically, the way we examine ourselves spiritually.

There are many guides available, just look online 

for “Catholic examination of conscience.” 

It’s always a series of questions, based on Scripture, 

to help us see what we need to see, and then, confess.

That helps us overcome fear and grow in holiness.

Today is a good day to ask: do I have that friendship with God?

And to do the work to build that friendship.

Then any seat in the house is the best seat.

Many or few? (21st OT Sunday homily)

 Perhaps you have noticed there are times when 

someone asks Jesus something, 

but his response doesn’t really answer the question!

Rather, Jesus answers the question that should have been asked.

So, today, “Someone asked him, Lord, will only a few be saved?”

Pay attention to how Jesus responds.

He refers to a narrow gate—so that sounds like “few,” right?

But, later, he refers to people coming from east and west, 

north and south—that sounds like a lot.

So the question Jesus actually answered was, 

not “how many” are saved; but simply, how to be saved.

And that is by striving to enter the “narrow gate.”

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the gate, 

and whoever enters through Me will be saved.”

So, why is the gate is “narrow”? That sounds bad.

But remember why cities had gates: 

because they also had walls, to keep out threats.

A narrow gate means you can see clearly who comes and goes.

That is perfectly apt for Judgment Day:

no one will slip anonymously into the Kingdom. 

One by one, you and I will meet the gaze of Jesus our King, 

and either he knows us, or not.

A narrow gate doesn’t mean only few enter; 

it means you have to be patient and wait your turn.

It also means that while you might squeeze in,

Nothing you bring with you, will.

Not bad habits and attachments to food or booze or the Internet.

Nor the baggage of unforgiveness and recrimination.

All that must be left outside, or else we are left outside.

Notice also what our Lord said:

“Many will attempt to enter, but won’t be strong enough.”

In fact, none of us is “strong enough”! No one!

You and I have got to drive out of our minds  

every last trace of the idea that anyone 

gets to heaven because we’re good enough!

No one can be “good enough”; no one can be strong enough.

You and I get there by grace, which makes us fit for heaven.

Remember the lost sheep – how did it get back home?

The Lord puts it on his shoulders.

Only Jesus is “strong enough”—and he will carry us through!

Till now, there’s a word I haven’t uttered: hell.

Is hell real? Jesus knows that it is. He talks about it a LOT.

In the Gospel, Jesus says that people will be cast out, 

because he never knew them.

That means there was never a true friendship.

What’s more, when you and I arrive at the narrow gate, 

will we actually be willing to leave behind whatever we brought along? 

People assume that there will always be a chance to repent, later.

But let’s be candid: as the years go by, 

we not only get hardening of arteries;

even more, you and I also get hardening of habits and attitudes.

“Later, later, later” pretty easily turns into “never.”

Assuming you can always repent later is called “presumption.”

And it leads to a hardness of heart.

So, what about hell?

The conclusion I reach is this:

No one is “sent to hell” so much as people turn away from heaven.

We “refuse” heaven by refusing the graces God gives us.

The most dangerous spiritual place to be 

is not being constantly in line for confession, 

having failed over and over, and feeling as weak as a kitten.

No, the dangerous frame of mind is to think, 

I don’t need conversion. I’m just fine.

But the good news, which Jesus puts right in front of us, is:

There is a way to heaven; it’s narrow, but wide enough for two; 

Jesus, carrying you.