Be ready to go at a moment's notice (Sunday homily)

If there are a phrase that summarizes our readings, it might be, 
“Be sober and alert.” 
Neither the letter from Saint Paul, nor the Lord himself, 
says it quite that way – but that’s the message.

“Strengthen your hearts,” Saint Paul says. 
Don’t become “drowsy” from “carousing and drunkenness,” 
Jesus says – “be vigilant.”

There are two good reasons that people need to remain sober: 
first, so they can act quickly; 
and second, so they make good judgments.

If you are an airline pilot, or a fire fighter, or a doctor, 
and you are on call, you are required to remain sober, 
for obvious reasons. 
You have to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. 
Not in six hours, but right now.

And, of course, when we’ve had something to drink, 
even if we’re not intoxicated, it will still affect us. 
That’s why people like to drink: it’s relaxing, 
and it can add to good cheer. 
And there’s nothing wrong with any of that. 
Jesus blessed a newly married couple and their guests 
with a very large quantity of very fine wine at their wedding in Cana.

If we do like to have a drink of beer or whisky or wine, 
we learn soon enough that there is a line. 

Beyond that line, and we aren’t just merry; we become stupid. 
Enough bad things happen when adults shoot past that line; 
when kids do it, it is often catastrophic. 
That is why adults don’t want kids drinking. 
Not to keep you from sharing the fun, but to keep you from disaster.

As I say, most of us learn to respect that line, 
and to avoid getting too close to it.

The sobriety Jesus talks about in the Gospel 
is about more than drinking. 

Every few weeks or months, I think about quitting Facebook. 
If I am not careful, I get drawn into some really dumb things. 
Maybe it’s harmless fun; maybe it’s an argument. 
It’s all a huge time-waster; yet it’s strangely attractive. 
Same with the Internet in general.

I have a theory. And I have absolutely zero proof for this theory. 
But here it is. When the Lord comes at the end of time, 
it won’t happen on the Internet. 
While Jesus is coming in the clouds, 
millions of people will be glued to the Internet, unaware, 
as they argue over whose kitten video is better!

Stay sober and alert, Jesus tells us.

This isn’t just about the final coming of Jesus at the end of time. 
The same advice applies to whether we are vigilant 
for the moments of truth that come in our lives all the time.

When my father was alive, there were many nights 
we watched TV together. Nothing wrong with that. 

But if I could go back in time, do you know what I’d do? 
I’d turn off the TV, and ask my dad questions 
it’s too late for me to ask now, because he’s gone.

Be vigilant: life is happening now. God’s grace is happening now. 
Are you awake to it?

If God is acting, if God is talking, how do we know? 
How do we see it, or hear it?

Well, for one, don’t let the TV, the Internet, video games, 
and all the small stuff become too important. 

God IS talking to us; but usually in a quiet voice. 
It takes turning things off, 
and sitting or walking in the silence, to hear him.

And, if you’re wondering where to look for God, 
consider what Jesus told us to do so many times. 
What did he hope to find us doing, when he returned? 
Feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and the forgotten. 

There are families in our community 
who have suffered painful losses recently. Reach out to them. 

There are soup kitchens in Sidney and Piqua 
that would love to have some additional volunteers. 
Would you like to serve Jesus a meal? 
You will find him at those soup kitchens.

In our Symbolon series of videos we’re looking at together, 
this week we’re looking at the story of salvation. 
God created us, humanity was wrecked by sin, and God acts to save us. 
That work of salvation happened at the Cross, 
and it will be completed at the end of time. 
But what happens in the meantime? 
God is working every day for the salvation of souls: 
mine, ours, and those of everyone we know.

And he is asking each of us to do our part. 
Like participants in a battle, 
we seldom see how our own part even matters. 
So much of what’s going on around us is confusing and disheartening. 
Most of our tasks are unglamorous and tedious.

Last week, I heard second-hand 
about someone I’ve known a long time who was in the hospital. 
That person and I had been close, but we’d been at odds many times. 
There was a lot of hurt – and I wasn’t sure if I would go visit. 
I told myself, maybe it wouldn’t even be welcome. 
I can always go later.

But I knew that was wrong. I did go. In fact, my visit was welcome. 
There were apologies and tears. I am glad I went. 

Did it change the big picture? I cannot know that. 
But one thing I do know is that Jesus wanted me to make that visit. 
And that’s not a special communication just for me; 
it’s what he told every one of us to do. 
Reach out to the lost; forgive, not seven times, 
but seventy times seven times. 

Be vigilant. Be ready. If we’re not too caught up in our own stuff, 
our own issues, our own hurt and doubts and agendas, 
we will be ready to go and do what the Lord asks, at a moment’s notice.

What did Father make for Thanksgiving?

I enjoyed Thanksgiving at my cousin's house, with some of his family and mine. With his and my parents gone, our siblings are scattered over half the country, and we do not often get together. My cousin has lost two of his brothers; I am blessed to say all my siblings are still on their earthly journey.

At any rate, my cousin suggested I bring a side dish and something to drink. So I brought along two bottles of wine (one white, one red), and for a side dish, I paid an homage to my dear, late aunt -- my cousin's mother. She always made green bean casserole -- you know, the kind with cream of mushroom soup and fried onion rings? While I have nothing against doing it that way, I wanted to do it somewhat differently. (I worked from a recipe on Allrecipes, but I can't find it just now, sorry.)

So, I started with water, heated to boiling, for the fresh green beans. I used a two-pound package.

Here are all the other ingredients, spread out.

OK, you can probably figure out what's happening here...

This is both bacon fat, as well as some butter, melting in the pan. The bacon fat was poured off the "baconator" (a plastic rack for cooking bacon in the microwave). Sorry I didn't get a picture of that. I cooked up about 20 slices of bacon, as called for.

In go the sliced mushrooms. Not all of them, however. I was following the recipe; in retrospect, I might easily have doubled, or tripled, the amount of mushrooms.

The recipe didn't call for it, but I wanted onions. So I sliced one up, and sauteed it in butter. Again, in retrospect, I might easily have doubled the quantity.

The mushrooms cooked up nicely, especially with much added garlic powder. FYI, this is a nice way to cook mushrooms: just butter (or oil or fat), salt, pepper, and LOTS of garlic powder, especially toward the end. The garlic coats the mushrooms. I like to make mushrooms that way as a side dish to a steak. Here, I added nearly a pint of heavy cream (I say "nearly," because I'd used some of it for something else, I don't recall what. I figured it would be enough).

Here are the beans, out of the water, into the baking pan. No, it's not a very pretty pan. I tend to cook my vegetables a little firmer. That's how I like them.

Here are the onions, just about to go on the beans. By the way, this is also a very nice way to cook onions as a side dish. Just add salt and pepper.

I like the onions with a bit of browning like this.

The recipe called for thickening the cream. I don't think I thickened it enough, but I was getting impatient to get on the road. If I do this again, I'll cook it longer.

I also didn't show you the process of turning the crispy slices of bacon into bacon bits. This is where my food processor proved very useful. I did the task in two batches, no problems. What's more, there was an added bonus:

BACON DUST!

All around the inside of the bowl of the food processor was a light dusting of fine grains of bacon. Pixie dust is imaginary; bacon dust, I am pleased to inform you, is real! And delicious! Magically delicious! If I could have gotten my head inside that bowl, to lick it out, I would have.

At any rate, here's the bacon on top of the casserole. I actually only used about half of it.

You'll also notice some parmesan cheese, which I put on first. In fact, this is where I cleverly used a leftover. The other day, I made some fish, and that recipe called for coating the fish in a mixture of parmesan cheese and ground almonds. I had a good quantity of that mixture left over, and this seemed a perfect use for it. Almond go nicely with green beans.

So I took the unbaked casserole to Cincinnati and my cousin's girlfriend put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Verdict?

Everyone seemed to like it, but honestly, I missed the dish my loving aunt would have made. The cream sauce, being thinner, tended to stay to the bottom of the pan. Perhaps had I mixed it with the cheese beforehand? Or else cooked it down further.

Christ the King of our world; and of me (Sunday homily)

This feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. 
It wasn’t an idea that just came out of the blue. 
The Holy Father was reflecting deeply on the trends of his time. 

This was the time in which communism had taken power in Russia 
and was threatening Europe; 
Mussolini and his Fascist party had been in power in Italy 
for several years; and two years before, 
Hitler had tried the first time to seize power in Germany, 
and had published his manifesto for Nazism. 

The pope knew the times, and knew that the world 
needed to be reminded: Jesus Christ is the only rightful king!

Pope Pius said the following when he declared this feast: 

…manifold evils in the world 
were due to the fact that the majority of men 
had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; 
that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: 
and…as long as individuals and states refused to submit 
to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect 
of a lasting peace among nations. 
Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.

It’s just as true today as nearly 100 years ago.

Now, let’s think about what it means to proclaim 
Jesus Christ the sole, rightful king of this world. 
Again, Pope Pius said that this concerns the spiritual life. 

But his authority is not limited to that. Let’s be very clear: 
every government, every official, every society, without exception,
 is subject to the reign of Jesus Christ! 

We can understand political figures, who are not Christian, 
not recognizing this. 

They do not realize Jesus is the Lord and we pray that, 
through our faithful and loving witness, 
they will come to know Jesus is Lord.

But then we have people who profess to be Christians, 
who seek public authority, who seek to exercise power, 
and yet they claim that they will not let 
Jesus Christ and his teaching influence them. 

Pope Pius taught that they are in “grave error” 
to think that “Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs.”

Let’s take this another step, however. 

In our country, the real rulers 
aren’t the President and Congress, governor and legislators and judges; 
“we the people” are sovereign. 

We choose who makes the laws, and we can replace them. 

So Pope Pius’ words are really directed to us. 
And that means, it seems to me, that each and every Catholic 
has a grave duty—a grave duty, I repeat—to do the following things:

1) To be well informed as we reasonably can, as citizens.
2) To be registered to vote, and to then to cast our votes at every election.
And, also,
3) To cast our votes at all times in a way consistent with Christ’s Law.

We will often complain about 
how our judges and elected officials do not protect the unborn, 
and do not stand up for true marriage—
meaning between a man and a woman. 

But who gave them the power? 
President Obama is militantly pro-legal abortion – 
yet he was elected with the help of millions of Catholics. 

And, lest you think I am being partisan, let me point out: 
the last time the Supreme Court upheld abortion-on-demand, in 1992, 
the five justices who did that were all Republican appointees. 

And in the upcoming election, there are candidates 
who say they are willing to use torture, 
and to treat some groups as second-class citizens. 
Let us be very careful not to give our endorsement 
to any of these grave offenses to human dignity.

When Catholics leave their faith outside the voting booth, 
they are pushing King Jesus outside the voting booth!

Some will say, but look what Jesus said to Pilate: 
“my kingdom is not of this world.” 
That’s true: his kingdom does not originate in this world, 
because it originates in heaven. 

No one makes Jesus king; he is God.

But if he did not seek to bring his Kingdom into this world, 
for what reason did he even come? 

When people say that Jesus’ kingship is only about heaven, be careful – 
what you are saying, without realizing it, 
is that we don’t have any reason to seek justice or compassion 
in this world, but only in the world to come! 

But we know Jesus himself said no such thing. 
On the contrary: when we stand before him, 
on the Last Day, he will separate to both sides of him, 
those who showed mercy, and worked for justice, 
and those who did not.

When his Kingdom will come is up to him; 
our part is to be faithful messengers and citizens of his kingdom, 
each day of our lives.

We might ask: even if Jesus is not allowed to be king of our country, 
then where do you and I allow him to be king?

Do I let him reign over my thoughts? 
Or, do I let bigotry and vengeance find place in my mind and heart?
For that matter, if Jesus is king in our hearts, 
how can worry and fear find a place there?

Does Jesus govern my hands? Or do they sometimes strike in anger? 
Does Jesus control my tongue? Lord, have mercy!

Is Jesus king over our computers and our TVs? 
Or are there places we go online that dishonor him and his creation?
If we claim Jesus is king over our lives, 
one proof of that is how willing we are to bring our lives to him 
in the sacrament of confession.

You and I cannot make our society recognize Jesus as king, 
but what about our own homes and our families? 
What about the priorities of our time and money? 
These things we can surrender to Jesus Christ, our sovereign king.

And to quote Pope Pius a final time: 
“When once [we] recognize, both in private and in public life, 
that Christ is King, society will at last receive 
the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, 
peace and harmony.”

Refugees? A cautious yes

In the wake of the terror attacks in Beirut and Paris last week has come a wave of politicians and others calling for refugees from the Middle East not to be settled in Europe and the U.S. As typically happens, the strength of emotions voiced in this protest -- directed, in this country, against President Obama and his administration -- is matched by an equally emotional response: people who object to admitting refugees are stupid (one Facebook commenter kept calling everyone who disagreed with admitting refugees "a**hat"), not very Christian (so says Mark Shea), cowardly (so said the great uniter, President Obama); well, you get the idea.

Well, it's not an obvious call.

So said, of all people, far-left Mother Jones: Liberals Should Knock Off the Mockery Over Calls to Limit Syrian Refugees.

In the Mother Jones article cited above, you'll see reference to screening of refugees, which "is already pretty tight." If so, this is good to know. So says Mr. Shea, in one of his less bombastic moments. He provides these links about that screening, which I pass along to you. (Full disclosure: I comment periodically on Mr. Shea's blog, but not under my own name.) Let us note, for example, that the proposal is to admit 10,000 refugees from Syria; and if the NPR report cited above is correct, "half of those who have been admitted are children and about a quarter of them are adults over 60. Officials say 2 percent are single males of combat age."

Ah, but this comes from the Obama Administration. Do we have reason to be skeptical? Yes, I think we do. The Obama Administration has tied itself into pretzels trying to be politically correct about all this, with only grudging acknowledgement of the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, avoiding any reference to the obvious fact of so much of this terror being rooted in an extreme expression of Islam -- not to mention this administration's choice to be a hand-wringing, impotent observer during the tragedy of the Syrian Civil War.

A cartoon I saw recently aptly illustrates the President's strange approach to all this:

So, do Americans have reason to be distrustful of President Obama, given his record? Sorry to say, but yes, I think we do.

And yet, with all that, I think there is no question that we -- we who are Catholics, we who are Christians, we Americans who want to be true to our national values -- ought to accept refugees.

No, this isn't like the decision to turn away Jews fleeing Europe in the World War II years. The analogy is false every which way. To refer back to the Mother Jones article, above: the reason people are voicing alarm is rooted precisely in the problem of would-be terrorists entering in the same wave. I defy anyone to show where there was any serious concern, in the '30s and '40s, that there were terrorists or saboteurs among the Jewish refugees. If President Obama -- instead of aggravating the situation with his taunting -- were to announce that 100% of the refugees we accept will be Christians, or non-Muslim minorities, or else only women, elderly and children, I predict the opposition would evaporate.

It's also outrageous to indict the American character, which is what the President's "progressive" allies do reflexively. No nation on earth is more open to refugees, to immigrants, and to diverse cultures. And it is precisely because of this openness that there is a real vulnerability.

By the way, one of the points being made against resettling refugees here is that they have found refuge elsewhere. And that's true. However, let's note that three countries in particular are harboring vast numbers of refugees: Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. I listed them in order of their stability, because this is a major concern. There is a very good argument to be made that alleviating the destabilization of these countries -- on the frontline of the area where ISIS is operating -- is most definitely in our national interest, as well as a manifest humanitarian interest. If you do a little searching online, you'll discover that millions of refugees are living in these areas. Perhaps these three countries can handle it; but if not, is that really hard to believe?

It also occurs to me that helping Turkey with its refugee problem may well be a price to be paid for them to acquiesce in the U.S. helping the Kurds fight ISIS. As it stands, the Kurds seem to be our most reliable allies on the ground, shooting back at the ISIS. It seems obvious to me that the best course of action for the U.S. is to partner with the Kurds; but Iraq, Iran and Turkey all have reason to oppose any such move, because it threatens the creation of an independent Kurdistan, or something short of it. While the U.S. can reasonably get away with ignoring Iranian and Iraqi objections, ignoring Turkish complaints is not so easy.

Now, I have no idea is this is, indeed, what the administration is doing, it's just possible; I saw recently that we are doing more to help the Kurds. If so, good for the President. But the question remains, how are we keeping the Turks happy? Accepting refugees may be part of it.

I am not ignoring the danger of would-be jihadis entering along with these refugees. I have three thoughts about that.

First, if indeed, only 2 percent of the refugees we are accepting are males of military age, then it wouldn't be so hard, would it, either to refuse that 2 percent?

Second, the reality is that our borders are fairly porous -- and not only because of insufficient immigration policies, especially regarding our southern border. We have problems with unaccounted immigrants, not to mention home-grown jihadis, because ours is an open society. Aside from the many millions who come here illegally, our nation admits millions of people legally -- and a good number of them stay longer than they should. This is very hard for a free society to prevent.

My sense is this -- and I say this without bombast or chest-thumping moral superiority -- that refusing to help these refugees isn't going to make much difference, if any, regarding the real threat of jihadis entering our nation. If, indeed, the refugees are carefully screened, my guess is the bomb-throwers will seek other ways in.

Further, being compassionate toward these refugees doesn't mean we have to give them the run of the place. We're admitting them so they can be fed, housed and live in a decent fashion. There's nothing uncompassionate about this being temporary -- i.e., until such time as they can return home safely. That is to say, admitting refugees isn't the same as granting them permanent residence or citizenship.

Finally, as Christians, obeying the Lord's commands are not conditional on risk. Following Jesus means risking ridicule and opposition, giving up everything for him, and finally embracing the cross. At some point, we have to place some trust in God that when we do what honors him, he will respond generously.

Please let me know what you think.

The Four Last Things (Sunday homily)

Sorry for the delay in reporting on my homily. I was traveling most of last week, so I didn't really have much time to write out my homily. Then, Sunday afternoon, I drove over to Columbus to take our parish seminarians out to dinner; so I didn't take time to write a post Sunday or Monday.

All I can do at this point is summarize my homily:

- I explained what the "four last things are": death, judgment, heaven and hell, and why they are associated with this time of year (the end of the liturgical year; moving from fall to winter in northern hemisphere, the readings).

- We all die; but we often imagine death is far away. Referring to my recent travel, I said that being in an airplane -- a tube of metal, 30,000 feet high, with nothing but air beneath me -- has a way of making death a little more real. I described my own practice of an act of contrition and the St. Michael prayer on take-off, and a Glory Be and Hail Mary on a safe landing; and lots more prayers if we hit a rough patch! And, I said that being on a plane, knowing I wasn't in a state of grace, isn't fun. Better to go to confession!

- I talked about Father Tom Grilliot, who in his last several years, spoke candidly about his mortality because of his cancer. It's important to talk about death, not avoid talking about it.

- There are two judgments: our particular judgment when we die, and the general judgment when Jesus brings things to a close. We are judged on our faith and works; but we can't do works to make up for lack of faith. No one can impress God with his or her good deeds. Faith -- love of God -- is necessary; but works must follow. As Saint James said, faith without works is dead. We also have a choice: we can be judged strictly or with mercy: recall Jesus said, by the measure you measure, so shall it be measured out to you. If we are harsh, the standard applied to us will be as well.

- I talked a bit about both heaven and hell. We can't expect to enter heaven without friendship with God; because, what would we do in heaven if we don't want to be with God? It would be like being in a Baskin Robbins store for eternity, but not liking ice cream.

- I talked more about the resurrection, which comes at the Last Day. We get our bodies back, yet new and improved. Our bodies aren't shells; we don't wear them, and then discard them. We are body-spirit; that's how God created us and that wholeness will be restored. This has implications. First, that our bodies matter, and what we do in the body matters. Second, Creation matters. I mentioned Laudato Si in reference to respect for creation as reflecting God's glory.

- I cited something St. Augustine said (although I rephrased it): if we are friends with God, why are we afraid to meet him?

Jesus calls you. What will you answer? (Sunday homily)

The Gospel we just heard poses a very simple question, 
but it cuts deep, right to our very core: 
how much are you and I willing to give to Jesus Christ?

It’s not necessarily a matter of money. 
The widow in the Gospel didn’t just give a donation. 
As Jesus said, she gave everything she had to live on. 
She put everything on the line.

How much will we put on the line?

Blessed John Newman, the great English protestant 
who became Catholic, gave a sermon one time 
in which he posed a similar question. 
He asked whether we are really putting anything at risk for our faith. 
And he made the point that quite a lot of us 
probably would make most of the same decisions, 
whether we believe in Jesus Christ or not. 
We would probably have the same job, the same life, and so forth.

I think that is more true than it is comfortable to admit.

At the end of Mass, you’re going to hear a few words 
from Marty Arlinghaus, who is a seminarian 
for our Archdiocese from Clifton, in Cincinnati. 
He’s putting his life on the line. 
If he becomes a priest, his life will be rather different 
from what otherwise it might have.

He wouldn’t be doing that if he didn’t believe in Jesus Christ. 
I wouldn’t have done it.

And I know many of our parents 
have rejected contraception, 
and made sacrifices in welcoming more children 
because they want to share the life of Christ, 
eternal life, with their children. 
They are thinking not only of this world, but the world to come.

I am confident there are a lot of stories that could be told – 
but we don’t tell the stories – 
about making a sacrifice, forgiving a wrong, taking the harder path, 
because of the words of Christ and for love of him.

Still, there’s that widow. Not a rich person. A poor widow. 
She gave not just something, but everything she had.

At this moment, I really think I’m in the way; 
I’m in the middle of a conversation 
which is really between each of us, and Jesus himself. 
He’s the one who makes the invitation.
He is the one who calls us: 
come, follow me – and Peter and Andrew, James and John 
left their nets; their livelihood; everything they had.

Jesus calls you. 
Your Creator and Redeemer speaks to you as only he can. 
He has prepared your life and given you your gifts. 
What will you answer?

What will heaven be like? (Sunday homily)

A few years ago, there was a book and a movie 
about a boy who died for several hours 
and when he came back to life, he said he’d been in heaven. 
It’s not the only book that’s been written about heaven. 
A lot of us wonder: what might heaven be like?

Well, let’s look at what the Scriptures we heard have to say.

First, Heaven will be full of people. 

Notice what the Apostle John said in the first reading:
I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, 
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.

That is hopeful; and hope is something we need; 
especially when our business isn’t going well, 
or we’re out of work, or we have problems at home. 

Second, Heaven is full of holiness – and, therefore, joy.

The psalm we prayed tells us, to be in heaven is to have 
Hands that are sinless and a clean heart.
To be in heaven is to be pure, “as God is pure.”

How is this possible? 

We think of sin as something we have: 
we have greed, we have wrath, 
we have lust, we have bad habits.

But it would be truer to understand sin as being about what we lack. 
We lack the fullness of purity; of peace; of contentment; of truth.
We lack the fullness, finally, of God. 

Sin happens in our lives not because of what we have, 
but because of what we think we don’t have. 
Isn’t that what envy is? 
If I like my house, my car, my life – 
I have no reason to envy my neighbor.

Anger becomes sinful when we are not content 
to let someone else be the judge of things; 
and, ultimately, the final judge is God. 
The sin of wrath comes in when we don’t think 
God is doing a good job as the final judge of things. 

Heaven is free of sin, precisely because it’s full of God.
Which leads to my third point:

Just because heaven is full, don’t assume heaven is easy.

The standard way of thinking today 
is that pretty much everyone goes to heaven. 
Only really bad people, like Stalin and Hitler, go to hell.

Well, that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said a lot about hell. 
He kept warning people about how likely it was they would go there.

If heaven were more or less automatic – 
the way lots of people think – 
there would be no point for the Bible 
to be more than five or ten pages long.
We wouldn’t need ten commandments, only one:
“Thou shalt not be really mean – like Hitler.”

And, more than that, Jesus would never have died on the cross.
Remember, he agonized about it the night before.
If heaven was easy, he could have told his Father:
“It’s not like they need this, Father – 
they’re all coming to heaven anyway.”

So am I now contradicting my claim, earlier, about hope?
Not at all. But what I am saying – 
and which it’s critical for each of us to understand – 
is that we will make it to heaven 
only because we surrender ourselves to the grace of God.

We profess that Mary, the Mother of God, is “full of grace”—
which is the same thing as saying, she is without sin.

But here’s the part we miss: what Mary received early, 
every one of us is destined to receive.
Every one of us is destined to be full of grace.

In other words, every single one of us is meant to be a saint.

Let me make the point even more strongly.

If you and I don’t make as saints?
Then we will be in hell.

There is no middle option.

No, not Purgatory. Purgatory isn’t a destination; 
it’s the last stop before heaven. 
And everyone who makes to Purgatory will be a saint.
Purgatory is the finishing school for saints.

So, unless you want to go to hell – 
and I don’t know anyone who really wants that – 
then you and I had better get serious about being saints.

This is a good time to highlight the cards in the pews. 
If someone on the ends can pass both 
the white and blue cards down the aisle.
If you were here last week, 
you heard me talk about the Symbolon program, 
which we have available to everyone, for free.

This is a high quality series of videos, accessible online; 
And my proposal to you is that together, as a parish,
We watch the first part of the Symbolon series.

Now, if you look at this card, you can see there are ten topics, 
and they are good topics: about who God is, what he has for us; 
about the Bible, how we got in the mess we’re in; 
who Jesus is and what he does for us.

If you look at Week 4, you’ll see a discussion of the Holy Spirit, 
and the Church and the sacraments – 
there’s where we’ll talk about how we get to heaven.

So if you want to commit yourself to this project, 
fill out the blue card. Go ahead and do it now. 
You can just check the first one, 
committing to watching the video series.

But, if you would like to be part of a weekly discussion group, 
check the second one.

Now, don’t agonize over this; it’s not a contract or anything.
This isn’t a class; no tests, no grades! 
If you’re not sure you can attend all the sessions, don’t worry about it. 

This is an invitation and an opportunity. 

And here’s another idea: 
maybe you want to form your own discussion group, 
with your family or with some friends. That’s fine! 
Just note that on the card as well.

When the collection comes around, you can put the blue card in today; 
or next week, if you prefer. 
Or you can drop it off at the office.
The white card is for you to take home. 
On the back side are the instructions you need 
for finding the materials online.

I looked at the first video, and it was beautifully done. 
It was very moving, actually. And I was so proud 
to see something so high-quality being available.
And I am excited to think about people coming to know who Jesus is, 
and giving their lives to Jesus, as a result of this program.

Because that’s what heaven is. Heaven is giving our lives to Jesus, 
who responds by giving his life to us.

Heaven will be full of joy – and as saints in heaven, 
We will be full of joy – because we will be full 
of the presence and knowledge, 
the love and the life, of Jesus Christ.

You and I – along with countless others – will be those saints, 
whose lives are washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.

Lots cookin' today...

Can you figure out what I'm preparing here?

How about now?

Another hint...

Why yes, it does smell good...

Figured it out yet? (By the way, there are hints of later things in this picture. I cooked more than one thing today...)

Wait, what?

This couldn't all be the same thing, could it?

Yes, this is definitely a second thing...

So what did I make?

1) I made some Neopolitan Ragu (that was the first five pictures).

2) Then I made six chicken-noodle casseroles; four for St. Vincent de Paul, the remainder for me. (That was the last few pictures.)

But was that enough? Oh no!

3) I decided to bake a cake. (Hints in pictures above.)

4) And now I have dinner to make. I got some tuna steaks from Krogers I'm going to grill in about an hour. They are marinating in olive oil at the moment. (I've never cooked these, so I'm using this recipe. We'll see what comes of it!)

5 (Oh, and I forgot...there was chicken broth left over from cooking the noodles; so I had some frozen chicken innards and leftover bones in the freezer, so I threw them into a pot with the leftover broth, and cooked that a couple of hours. That's now in the freezer.

If I feel up to it, I'll snap a picture of the sauce when I go into pull the cake out of the oven. Stay tuned...

Do you want to see? 'Get up, Jesus is calling you' (Sunday homily)

Just now, our Lord Jesus asked a question: 
“What do you want me to do for you?” 
And the man answered: “I want to see.”

It’s a question for us: do we want to see? 
that is, more than we’re seeing now.

Do we want to see…the needs of others? 

You and I know they exist—but do we want to see them, 
so they become our concern? 

Are we willing to deal with others’ hunger and poverty? 
A lot of us are pretty insulated from these things. 
If we really want to see these things, 
we can do as some of our students did on Friday, 
and visit a soup kitchen in Troy. 

If we ask the Lord, he’ll show us ways to do it. 
For example, there are pans for casseroles in the vestibule. 
Last time, I think I made four casseroles—it wasn’t hard. 
Let’s make an abundance of good, home-cooked food 
for people who are hungry.

My point is, there are things for us to see, 
if we want to see them; and if we don’t, we won’t.

If we don’t want to see our lives as any different 
tomorrow from today…we won’t.

That blind man Bartimaeus began “to see” long before he met Jesus. 
He “saw” that Jesus could change things – 
so he waited, and he prayed, 
and when Jesus drew near, he called out. 
So much so that he became a nuisance to others, 
and they tried to shame him into silence.

That happens to us. 
You and I start to make a change, 
and someone will often laugh at our ambition, 
or try to talk us out of it. 
We stir things up, and someone will say, 
look, it’s always been that way, don’t rock the boat. 
Sit down, be quiet – let things go along just the way they were.

If you and I want to see a change in ourselves, 
how badly do we want it? What will we do for it?

One of the easiest steps to changing 
somehow ends up being the hardest for many of us – 
and that is praying for it.

If we want something to change, 
mentioning it in prayer now and again isn’t going to get it done. 
The thing about prayer: as C.S. Lewis said, 
prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us. 

And as we all know, we don’t usually change very fast. 
Most of us change slow. 
So if we’re going to pray for something, 
and if we expect anything to change, 
we’re going to have to be like Bartimaeus, 
and cry out, “Jesus, Jesus!” over and over. 
And when our laziness or distractions seek to silence our praying, 
cry out all the louder!

Here’s something a lot of us want to see change in ourselves: 
what we know about our Faith. 
So many of us want to learn more, and be able to teach our children. 
But that can be hard, 
because we can’t go when the things are scheduled; 
we have work, or soccer practice, or children at home – 
How many of you have said, Gee, if only what they were offering 
were on days or at times that worked for my schedule!

Well, I have good news for you: your prayer has been heard!
An opportunity has – almost literally – fallen in your lap!

You’re going to see on the cover of today’s bulletin 
a program called “Symbolon” – 
it’s a series of video presentations 
about the basics of our Catholic Faith; it’s very good, 
and it’s available online—
that is, over your computer or iPads or even your phone.

Because our parish has a subscription to this program, 
every one of us has access to this for FREE. 
Anytime, day or night, you can view these quality teaching materials.

And it’s not just one program. 
When you sign on, you’ll access a library of choices, 
about all the topics we all are interested in. 
The saints; the history of the Church; tough moral dilemmas; 
the sacraments; the Holy Mass. 

There are topics aimed at married couples, at singles, 
at teens and younger children.  

It’s all yours, it’s all available to you, right now. 
Well, not right now; you have to wait till Mass is over!

Here’s what I want to propose to you. 
And – by the way, this was an idea our parish staff came up with. 

The idea is this: in the weeks before Christmas, 
as our Advent preparation, 
let’s all look at this Symbolon series together. 
Now, there are actually 20 videos in the Symbolon series – 
so we’d just be using the first half for our Advent preparation.

With the information in today’s bulletin, 
each of us can go ahead and watch this material.
But we also thought many would like the opportunity 
to be part of a discussion group. 

This serves several purposes: 
first, talking about it can help us make more sense of the material. 
Second, it can be a way to get out and meet friends.
Third, if you have someone in your circle who is sort of “wandering,” 
this is a friendly way to draw them back. 
And, finally, having a meeting each week 
keeps us accountable so we actually watch the videos!

By the way, this invitation isn’t just for whoever shows up at Mass. 
Everyone in our parish boundaries, Catholic or not, 
is invited to take part. 

For that reason, we sent out a flyer 
to every household in Russia and Houston. 
We want everyone to know who Jesus is, his forgiveness, 
and the life he offers in the Holy Spirit. 
So, you’ll get a flyer too, but don’t worry – 
it’s super-cheap and actually easier to do it that way 
than to try to send it only to non-parishioners. 

So: do we want to see…more people around us share our Faith? 
This is a way to draw them. Let’s pray that new faces will show up 
at our discussion groups, and let’s make them welcome.

Over the next two weeks, you’ll be asked at Mass 
to make a commitment: first, to watching the video series, 
and second, whether you’ll attend a discussion group.

There’s no cost involved; we’re not recruiting anyone for anything. 
We’re just trying to share the Good News Jesus has brought us.

I’m proud of our staff who came up with this idea. 
And I’m excited, 
because this is what a Catholic parish is supposed to do: 
to be a house of light and hope in Jesus Christ, 
drawing everyone to its open doors. 

And, if you will permit me to be very blunt: 
for anyone who ever said, in the past, 
it was too hard to take part in a faith-building program…

We’ve made this about as EASY as we can. 

If you’ve been telling yourself, 
I need to get moving, I need to grow, here it is. 
As we heard in the Gospel: 
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

The Cross is the right place for us (Sunday homily)

Let me give you a little background 
on the passage from the Gospel we just heard. 
Jesus and the Apostles are on their way to Jerusalem. 
As they are going, Jesus tells them 
he’s going to be betrayed and killed. 

Remember? When Jesus said it the first time, 
Peter said, “Oh no, not you, Lord!” 
And Jesus rebuked him for thinking as human beings do, 
not as God does.

This conversation is now the third time 
Jesus tells them about his coming death.

What’s more, this conversation comes just before 
they arrive in Jerusalem. Think about that. 
Do you see why this was so important?

We can see what was on James and John’s minds. 
They were thinking about glory and power. 
If Jesus hadn’t warned them, set them straight, 
just picture how they would have reacted 
when – a few days later – they saw everyone 
throwing palm branches down before Jesus, 
and crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

So one thing we might consider is that in his response, 
Jesus isn’t just knocking them down a peg; 
he may well have saved their souls. 
Who knows but they might have lost faith as Judas Iscariot did, 
and as Peter almost did.


So that gives us some context. So does the first reading, 
which is from Isaiah, and is one of several passages 
that foreshadow a “suffering servant,” who – 
in light of what happened to Jesus – 
we realize were prophecies of the Messiah.

We remember that Jesus’ suffering 
wasn’t just something that happened to him. 
As Fulton Sheen said, Jesus is the one man who was born to die. 
God planned for this – for our sake.

Now, it’s important to be clear on what that means. 
A lot of our fellow Christians, and our fellow Catholics, 
get this mixed up. 

Sometimes you’ll hear people talk about Jesus death on the Cross 
as if God the Father demanded it. 
The theory goes like this: someone “had to die,” 
so Jesus took the penalty in our place.

Here’s what’s wrong with that approach. 
It suggests God the Father is bloodthirsty, 
demanding someone’s death.

So let’s be very clear. 
God did not have to save us in this fashion. 
You’ll see in Scripture where Jesus himself 
refers to the “necessity” of the Cross, 
but it’s a “necessity” God imposed on himself. 
No one forced this plan on God. God chose this path. 

The only sense in which it is “necessary” is that God understood 
it was the best path for our sake. 
As we say in our Creed each Sunday: 
“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven…”

This is all background to this conversation with James and John, 
and it’s important; because every single one of us 
faces the same temptation as they did.

Let’s not misunderstand what they were angling for. 
This wasn’t about them living the high life. 
Notice what they asked for: 
“Grant that in your glory we may sit 
one at your right and the other at your left.” 
They were asking to be closely associated with Jesus’ kingdom. 
They were on fire for God’s work. 
Remember, these were the same two who wanted to call down fire 
on some Samaritans who treated Jesus with disrespect.

Can any of us see this in ourselves? 
We get fired up with zeal for God’s name, for the truth. 
We see things in our culture that treat Jesus with disrespect, 
and we have that same righteous anger the Apostles did. 
We want to see Jesus’ kingdom come; we are anxious to see it happen. 
That’s what these Apostles wanted. 

And they weren’t wrong!

Their only mistake was in not realizing how Christ’s glory would come. 
It wouldn’t come on Palm Sunday when everyone was crying “Hosanna.” 
It would come on Good Friday when they called out, “crucify him!”

This is what we call the “mystery of the Cross” – 
and we can’t get past it. 
Jesus put the Cross at the center of his life, his message…
In fact, Jesus put the Cross at the center of human history.

(At the Masses today, I inserted a paragraph here about two reasons for the Cross -- as opposed to any other plan: first because our pride and arrogance need to be crucified; and second, and more importantly, because by doing it this way, God is in solidarity with human suffering, not aloof from it.)

It’s the center of everything. It changes everything…

Including what “success” is.

This time of year, the ushers count the attendance at Mass, 
and we report that to Cincinnati. All the parishes do that. 
And you know what I’ve been doing? I’ve been looking at those numbers. 
Would they go up? Or down? 
And if they go down, what does that mean? 
If the collection goes up or down, what does that mean?
I’m thinking about “success” in the same way James and John were.

We remind ourselves that if the Son of God 
ended up being crucified by his hearers,
you and I should not expect any different for ourselves.

Our Church is being crucified in many ways right now. 
In the terrible persecution 
happening in the Middle East and Africa and elsewhere. 

In the rejection by our culture of the words of Jesus, 
about human life and dignity, 
about the beauty of how God designed humanity – 
because we would rather throw away his design 
and replace it with our own. 

And, as we know, there are tensions within the Church as well, 
because some say we should conform the Gospel 
to the values of our world -- because it’s just too much to ask 
the world to conform to the Gospel.

These are all crucifixions; and it is painful to witness this.
And we are tempted to think, all is lost.

If you are ever tempted to give up, 
put yourselves in the place of Jesus’ followers, 
standing in the streets of Jerusalem on Good Friday: 
watching the Savior being beaten and led to Calvary.

Notice that Jesus did not refuse James and John’s request. 
All he said was, they wouldn’t be at his “right and left.” 
But they would share his chalice and his baptism – 
meaning his suffering and his redemption. 

Jesus told them, and he tells us: The Plan will work. 
God’s kingdom will come. 
And we can take solace in knowing, 
that even if we are a little dim and confused – 
the Apostles sure were! – nevertheless, with God’s help, 
you and I will be part of helping the Kingdom come.

But it won’t be the way we think. 
We are going to have to trust that wherever he leads us, 
whatever happens, it’s the right place.

Dinner report: Meat Loaf

Sorry I didn't get pictures while preparing it, but here's the finished product fresh from the oven:

I used the same recipe as the last time, although I modified it, partly for preference, and also because I didn't have all the ingredients. This time I didn't have mushrooms, and I only noticed this time that it also called for green peppers! I learned my lesson this time, and chopped the carrots in the food processor separately from the other items. That worked well. To compensate for the vegetables I didn't have, I used more carrots and onion. I always like onion in meat loaf. As before, I left out the sugar. Instead of cayenne pepper, I used Franks. I also improvised on the "Italian herbs," because...why not?

Here's dinner on the plate:

I had a potato in the cupboard, and nuked it, and mashed it with butter and cream; and the peas came out of the freezer. Nothing extravagant -- well, there is one thing. When I fished some packages of ground beef out of the freezer, I found a packet of ground sirloin (I think I bought it for burgers last summer). So this had a little better meat than usual.

The Verdict:

Quite good!

This called for a fair amount of garlic; I think it could take more. Also, more onion, and the mushrooms would have been nice. I may try the peppers, but I can take or leave those. More basil and oregano wouldn't hurt. This time, I pulled it out of the oven on time, so that helps a lot.

I'll definitely make this again. Meat loaf is a great thing: I can easily get several meals out of this; it's easy to reheat in the microwave; and if I want, I can make a meat loaf sandwich just by frying some of it in a pan, and slap it between two slices of bread. It would have been easy to make two at the same time, and freeze one of them, which I've done on occasion.

Maybe next time, I'll cook it just a little less, and see if I can get a bit of pink? Wouldn't that be nice?

Here's one more picture:

California legalizes 'assisted suicide.' Why this is wrong.

(The first part of this appeared in the October 11 St. Remy Bulletin; the second half will appear next weekend.)

Thanks to the votes of many Catholic legislators, and the signature of a Catholic governor, it will now be legal, in California, for doctors to prescribe drugs to patients with the purpose and intention of killing themselves with these same drugs. I am not familiar with the details of the legislation, but there are no details that can make this something any Catholic can approve of.

Why is this wrong? There are several reasons:

(1) It is always gravely wrong to kill someone, including oneself.

To kill oneself is gravely sinful*; to help someone else kill him/herself is equally as wrong. Suicide is really self-murder; and to help someone commit suicide is to help commit a murder.

(2) This law is wrong because it draws doctors and pharmacists into this sordid business.

Doctors are supposed to be life-givers and healers. It is a very dangerous business of turning doctors into death-dealers; because it invites them to play God. Inviting humans to play God always leads to disaster!

(3) Watch and see what happens next: because this becomes a “right,” it will, before long, become a “duty” for doctors, pharmacists, and even the public to support this right.

How long before this “right” is paid for by health care? How long before pharmacists and doctors are forced to provide this “assistance,” or else lose their jobs? As it is, many medical schools will compel those preparing to be doctors to learn how to commit abortions, their consciences notwithstanding. Inevitably, the same thing will happen here.

(4) This will bring pressure to bear on people with disabilities, as well as people who are aged and ill, to hurry up and “take the pill” and make things easy for everyone else.

What started as a “choice” will become an expectation, and eventually, we’ll see people pushed into death. In Belgium and Netherlands, where “voluntary” euthanasia was legalized over ten years ago, there are well documented cases of doctors “choosing” for the patients.

Here’s what the Catechism says:

Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible….[A]n act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator….

Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected. 

Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged (CCC, 2276-9).

But what about ‘choice’?

Our society exalts ‘choice’ as if it’s the highest value, but of course that’s not true. Some choices are terrible and destructive, both to oneself and others. A choice like suicide affects far more than just the person who takes his/her own life. And this law isn’t just about people being able to take their own lives, but also expecting a doctor to assist them.

Devaluing human experience. Part of what’s terrible about legalizing “assisted suicide” is that it effectively says that human life doesn’t count for much when there is suffering or illness or disability. Only when we’re healthy and “on top” does our life count.

What about people being in pain? Everyone who is suffering has the right to have medical care that relieves their pain; and despite what politicians say, there are ample pain-relief options available for nearly all medical situations. One reason many people suffer is because federal drug regulations can be very restrictive, and create legal problems for doctors if they prescribe certain drugs too often. But these regulations can be fixed to ensure that patients in pain have the care they need.

‘Helping to die’ versus accepting death. While our Faith is emphatically against suicide, or anyone being “helped to die” (which is just a euphemism for killing someone), that doesn’t mean people who are facing a terminal condition are forced to undergo burdensome treatments that offer uncertain hope. When someone is near death, it’s not sinful to refuse extraordinary care and intervention. For example, many elderly people have told their loved ones and their doctors that if their heart stops, “don’t revive me.” People who have terminal cancer are not doing wrong if they refuse another round of chemo. This is not sinful; because there is a world of difference between accepting death (when the time comes) and hastening death.

Don’t be complacent!

We may think, well, that’s crazy California; but there are three other states where it’s legal; and sooner or later, someone will advance this in Ohio. Further, we can expect an attempt to impose this through the courts, just as redefining marriage was forced on the country by the U.S. Supreme Court. There are powerful forces at work here. A lot of money stands to be made, and saved, if sick people can be gotten rid of with a couple of pills.

To be crystal-clear: no Catholic can give approval to this – it is a grave sin against the 5th Commandment. Never can this be moral. Never can any Catholic cooperate with it – which means, to vote for it, to endorse it, or to participate in any way.

*The question always comes up: does this mean people who commit suicide go to hell. There is certainly the danger of going to hell, but it’s not certain, for two reasons. First, many people who take their own lives are not in their right mind; and second, people can repent, even in a moment. Therefore, we cannot make any assumptions about the fate of those who take their lives, and we pray very earnestly for them for that reason.

Why do we give things up? (Sunday homily)

As faithful Catholics, you and I know how important it is 
to go to confession regularly. 

But let’s be clear why. Yes, it’s good to have a clear conscience.
When I was a boy, there was a game called “Hot Potato.” 
We’d use a ball or something, 
and toss it quickly from one person to the next. 
If you got stuck with it, you were out of the game.

Sometimes I suspect we think about confession that way:
Mortal sin is the “hot potato,” and we don’t want to be caught with it.

That’s true, but it’s not enough.

Our goal is a lot more than that: not only to be forgiven of our sins, 
but to be set free from our sins.

The grace of a good confession is not only to get us “off the hook,” 
But even more, to turn us from the wrong path, to the path of life.

There’s a knock on the Catholic Faith that people bring up, 
maybe you’ve heard it. It goes like this:

“You Catholics believe that you can sin your whole life long, 
and then you can go to confession right before you die, 
and then you’re home-free!”

And you know what? That’s correct. We do believe that!

It is true that someone can sin his or her entire life, 
and with one confession, wipe it all away. 

That is true!

But there are two problems with that scenario. 

The obvious one is, 
who says you’ll have a priest conveniently available 
in your last 5 minutes of life? 
Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. 

But there’s a much greater danger. 
Let’s say you actually have a priest there, right at the end. 
He’s ready to hear your confession – 
and wipe away a lifetime of sin.

That assumes something: that you’ll want to go to confession. 
Why do you assume that? 
After a lifetime of not wanting to repent, 
What makes you so sure you’ll suddenly want to, at the end?

I can tell you, I’ve been at those bedsides, in just that situation. 
I’ve offered to hear people’s confessions. 
And they’ve said, no thanks.

Sin isn’t just a stain on our clothes. 
Clean clothes, dirty clothes, we’re the same person. 
No, sin is something that changes me. 
One lie, two lies, three, four, ten—at some point, 
it’s not a thing I do, but it’s who I am. I’ve become a liar. 
We become our choices; 
and that’s ultimately what heaven and hell are. 

What I’m going to say is easy to misunderstand. Listen closely, please.
We don’t go to heaven because we’re good. I’ll say it again: 
You and I do NOT go to heaven because we’re good. 
It’s the other way around. We’re good because we’re going to heaven!
With each step, and each choice that is guided by heaven, 
we are changed, and shaped—we become good; 
until one day, we arrive at the place where we are truly at home.

This is where purgatory fits in. 
We say it’s about punishment, 
but it’s clearer if we see it as being about change. 
Purgatory is for all of us whose hearts are heaven-bound, 
but our lives still show the effects of our sinful choices. 
Purgatory probably won’t be fun, 
but we will be grateful.

Likewise, we don’t go to hell because we’re bad.
It’s the other way around.
We’re bad to the extent we are influenced by hell.
And that’s what sin is: a choice guided by hell, not heaven.

Notice this man in the Gospel. 
Jesus was able to look right into his heart. 
He saw what that man needed. 
And notice what happened: “he went away sad.” 
He wanted to love God; on some level, he did. 
But not quite as much as he loved his possessions.

For us who live with so much abundance and convenience, 
this should trouble us. 
I’m not saying it’s sinful to have a good job,
money in the bank, and nice things, because it’s not. 
But many of us have learned this lesson: 
the things we own, own us. 

This helps us understand the value of priests not getting married. 

Those of you who have a spouse and children, 
you can’t just “walk away”; but I can. 

If the Archbishop needs me to pick up and go 100 miles away, I can go. 
Celibacy brings freedom. 

Likewise, our possessions, if we’re not careful, 
can take that freedom away – 
because the more we have to lose, 
the more afraid we can be to put it on the line.

Or as that great theologian Janis Joplin said, 
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."

The advice Jesus gave to that man in the Gospel wasn’t for everyone. 
He saw what that man most needed to surrender. 
For each of us, it is likely to be different. 

And this, by the way, is why we do penance, 
especially during Lent, but not only then. 
When we give up beer or candy, 
it isn’t because they’re bad; but because we love them too much. 
It’s the same question as is posed by the Gospel: 
is there anything in our lives we love so much, 
that if Jesus said, give it up, 
we’re not sure what we’d do?

Imagine Jesus said to you, today:
You are lacking in one thing.
Go, and give up…now fill in the blank.
Go and give up pictures on the Internet.
Go and give up alcohol.
Give up getting married. 
Go and give up sports.

What would we do?

Our joy in Christ is the answer to the crisis of our times (Sunday homily)

As we know, in Rome, a group of bishops from around the world 
are gathering right now with the Holy Father, 
to discuss the challenges of marriage and family 
in these difficult times. 

How appropriate that these very readings 
will be heard by those bishops 
as they have Mass together with Pope Francis, 
as they begin their work!

We’re all aware of the deep confusion in our society 
about even these words, “marriage,” “family.” 
But the problem runs far deeper.

What I want to talk about today is the true nature of this problem; 
and the way you and I are called to respond.

There’s a growing trend to say 
that the identity of “male” and “female” 
are not really fixed, unchanging facts; 
but instead, are subject to change. 
It’s celebrated; we know what’s happening: 
folks in the politics and in entertainment 
are seeking to impose a new “normal.”

Something happened last week that shows the issue runs deeper.
This is a bizarre, sad story. 
A woman in North Carolina convinced herself 
that she was meant to be blind. 
She went to a psychologist; he agreed with her, 
and then helped her put poison in her eyes, making her blind.

Now, the common reaction was to say, “how terrible!”
But how is this really different from a man saying he’s a woman?
It’s not; it’s just the next stage of the confusion.

See, the real confusion is not what marriage is; 
but who we are: What does it mean to be human?

The first reading gives our answer: we are defined by our Creator: 
we have dignity and worth from God. 

But our society increasingly answers: we define our own existence. 
We aren’t created; we self-create.

This may seem abstract, but it’s not. 
You see, what makes a community a community 
is not that everyone agrees on everything, 
but that we agree on the essential things.
And when that consensus breaks down?
Then people who live side-by-side become strangers.
That’s where we are, and it is going to get worse.

Rebelling against God’s design for our lives isn’t new. 

In the Gospel, when the Pharisees ask Jesus about divorce, 
they wanted to settle a debate: 
could a man divorce his wife for any reason at all, 
or for only some reasons?
They were not prepared for the Lord’s answer: 
There are no excuses for ending a marriage. 
“What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 

Now, I must pause to explain that when the Bible talks about “divorce,” 
it doesn’t make the distinctions we make today. 


Today, we use the term “divorce” solely as a question of civil law, 
and we say, OK, what happened at the courthouse 
doesn’t affect the true reality. 

It can be confusing, but there’s a good reason for this distinction. 
Sometimes a married couple has so many difficulties, 
A legal separation can become necessary.
And as strong as the Church is in favoring marriage, 
In those terrible situations, the Church will give permission 
for such a legal separation.

Still, a legal separation, a civil divorce decree, 
does not change whether a couple is married in the eyes of God.

So I’ve sketched the problem. How do we respond?

Pope Francis said something during his trip that is right on. 
He told the bishops, we can’t just look back at how things used to be. 
He’s right. We can’t just be sad. And we sure can’t be complacent.

So: what do we do?

You and I bear witness. 
And I don’t mean in a business-as-usual way. 
I mean that the moment has arrived for Catholics to be fired up, 
full-time, all-in followers and messengers of Jesus Christ. 

It isn’t easy anymore. Too bad. We can’t just look back.
In this new situation, you and I are going to have to tell people, 
patiently and repeatedly explaining what we believe and why. 
These readings are perfect for this task.

Why do we matter? Why does God care about our choices in life? 
Because we are made in his image. 

How do we know marriage is man and woman? 
Because man and woman fit together in a unique way. 
Only a man-plus-woman is “one flesh” – meaning it brings new life. 

And let me say, when people began to separate 
this one-flesh union from procreation, 
that’s when the confusion about marriage started. 
It didn’t just happen in the last few years.

This passage from Genesis was the springboard 
for Pope St. John Paul’s theology of the body. 
He taught that when a man and a woman come together, 
that union is an icon of the Trinity. 

The deacon who visited last week said it well: 
notice how love, by its very nature, 
breaks out of itself, and give life. 
The love of the Father and the Son calls forth the Holy Spirit; 
the love of a husband and wife calls forth children.

And who can fail to notice that in this Gospel passage, 
right after our Lord teaches about marriage, 
he says, “welcome children”?

As I said, we bear witness. But in a time of growing skepticism 
and even hostility toward our message, words aren’t enough. 

Our witness must be in how we live these truths; 
and not as a burden, but as a joy. 

Is that too much to ask? 
When people are facing suffering and pain, 
especially in their family life, 
how do they bear witness with joy?

We do it by realizing that our joy is not in our circumstances; 
but rather in who is with us in those circumstances!

Yes, we face crosses in our lives.
But we know that a life without the cross is a life without sacrifice; 
and a life without sacrifice is a life without love. 

Now here’s a hopeful thing: 
What I just said is everyone can understand, 
and see borne out in ordinary life. 
But do you see what God did? 
His plan – for our creation and our redemption – 
finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ! 

When Jesus came, and embraced the Cross, 
he took what was already the common destiny of all people, 
and placed at the center, as the means of our salvation. 

This is why, as Fulton Sheen said so well, 
You and I will never get anywhere 
talking about Christ without the Cross. 
But when we embrace the Cross, and live it:
That is something people will come to. 
What did Jesus say? If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me!

Our witness cannot be angry. 
I confess I feel anger about the times we live in; 
I’m sure many of us do. 

There is a place for what is called “righteous anger,” 
but the truth is, most of the time, it’s not righteous—it’s just anger. 
When’s the last time you met someone who was angry, 
and you said, “I want to be just like that person”?

Our joy comes from our faith being founded the right way: 
not on what we’re against, or even on what we believe. 
It’s important to know what we believe; 
but joy comes from knowing who we believe in. 
Knowing Jesus is real, he is our God, he is our brother, 
he is close to us, forgiving us, leading us, every day. 
That will fill us with joy and drive out anger and fear.

And here’s something else that is hopeful. 
When you and I meet people who have hope, and joy,
and fullness of life, those are people we want to be with; 
and when we are with them, we can’t help becoming more like them. 

Do you see? 

That’s how we witness. We live our joy. As Jesus said:
If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.