'Lessons in Prayer' (Sunday homily)

If you’re looking for some thread 
that links all of today’s readings together, 
may I suggest it is “Lessons on Prayer.” 
Let’s see what they tell us.

The first lesson – from the first reading – 
is that if you want God to hear you, then hear the cry of the poor. 
Scripture couldn’t be clearer: 
if we stop our ears to those in need around us, 
God will stop his ears to us.

Some practical applications: if you’re in school, 
chances are there is someone who is smaller, 
who might be new, who doesn’t fit in. 
Will you stand up for that boy or girl?

As a society, there are lots of ways we hear the cry of the poor. 
Our St. Vincent de Paul group is doing a great job 
organizing efforts to feed the hungry. 
Today you can pick up casserole pans after Mass, 
and bring back home-cooked food to go to area soup kitchens. 
I took four pans; it’s not that hard; 
who else can make four casseroles for the hungry?

But beyond charity are issues of justice. 
No one in our society is more poor and abandoned 
than the unborn child. 

So it’s critical that you and I never stop working 
in every way to help them, 
by helping their mothers who face terrible difficulties, 
by bearing witness, and by working for laws to protect the unborn. 

So, again, let me highlight some ways you can help. 
Rustic Hope is gathering diapers for mothers, 
and on Tuesday, many of us – including me – 
will go down to Kettering to bear witness at the abortion facility there. 
And in a few weeks, we’ll cast votes 
for who will serve in many public offices. 
Will the people we elect hear the cry of the weak, 
the left out and the forgotten?

The second lesson we can learn about prayer comes from Saint Paul. 
And that is to realize that prayer 
isn’t about our telling God what to do; 
but rather, it’s about us opening our hearts to God’s voice. 

I’m not saying you and I shouldn’t pour out our hearts to God.
Look at Paul: he must have prayed for many things 
while facing prison and trial and execution. 
I imagine he prayed fervently for God to save him from death.
Yet that prayer wasn’t granted. 

On the other hand, Paul also prayed 
to be a faithful and powerful witness for Jesus Christ. 
And that prayer was answered abundantly!

There’s a good reason why the Our Father says, “thy will be done.” 
Isn’t that what Jesus said on the night before the Cross: 
“not my will, Father, but thine”? 
Or, to put it another way, 
we recall the beautiful words of the poet Dante: 
“In your will is our peace.”

The third lesson we can learn is from the Gospel. 
Do we come to God in humility? Do we recognize our true need? 
The Pharisee did a good job saying thank you, and that’s good, 
but did you notice, he didn’t ask for anything?

Saint Augustine once said that God longs to give us good gifts, 
but sometimes, our hands are full, and we aren’t ready to accept them; 
we need to lose the things we’re holding onto, 
before we can accept what he offers. 

When things are going well, it is tempting to forget how needy we are.

If you and I lived in that time, 
and we met both the Pharisee and the tax collector, 
most of us, I think, would be more comfortable with the Pharisee. 
He was respectable, lived an upright life, he followed the rules; 
he was a good neighbor. He had it all together.

The tax collector, on the other hand, was a cheat, a thief, 
someone who took sides with the Roman oppressors. 
He might have had money and power, but he couldn’t be trusted.

These two men couldn’t be more different, 
and yet they were equal in having access to God. 
They were both able to come into God’s presence and pray.

So why did one go away justified, as Jesus said, and the other did not? 
Because one came in humility, in need, and asked for something: 
“have mercy!” The Pharisee could have done the same, but did not.

If we want our prayer to be heard, try starting with those words: 
“have mercy on me, a sinner.” 
And it’s not just words, but a profound recognition: I am a sinner. 
I need God in the most fundamental way. 
It’s not just that I need this or that thing from God, 
and then I’m done; but that I need GOD. I need MERCY.

So, practical advice: 
we might find our prayer gets deeper and more real 
if we make regular visits to confession; and face our real needs. 
Not avoid them; face them. “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”

One final lesson on prayer, 
and it comes from the backstory of today’s Gospel. 
Did you realize that we’ve heard 
Jesus teaching about prayer and perseverance 
over the last four Sundays? 

These episodes come from the journey Jesus was making, 
with the apostles, to Jerusalem. 
And along the way, he kept teaching them about prayer. 
Why might he have done that?

He knows what lies ahead in Jerusalem: his suffering and death! 
He’d told the Apostles, yet they didn’t understand.

But Jesus did. He was preparing them.

Well, Jesus is preparing us, too!
You and I don’t know what crises lie ahead, 
whether for ourselves, our community, our country, or our Church. 
But lots of storms are brewing. 
What can help us weather the storm? 

Pray: pray admitting we need God. 
Pray not to tell God what to do, but to hear God’s will, 
and to accept it. 
And remember the poor and needy who pray beside you; 
God wants you to be their answer.

'No, bishop, that's quite wrong...'

Just now I saw this headline at Crux: "Pope in Sweden could break ground on inter-communion, bishop says." Of course I clicked on it.

Sigh.

Here are some gems:

I think it’s very important that people know that the Reformation was a great misunderstanding, we all got it wrong, on both sides, and we’ve lifted excommunications and condemnations and apologized. So we can all be friends.

No, bishop; it's true that the Reformation involved a great deal of misunderstanding, but there was a lot more than that. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and Menno -- the big four of the Reformation -- all not only dissented dramatically from the Catholic Faith, they went to war with each other, quite literally, eventually. It wasn't just "misunderstanding." They came to believe very different things.

On the Eucharist, Lutherans have more or less the same doctrine as we have.

No bishop, that's quite wrong. Catholics believe the priesthood is sacramental; there is an ontological change in the man ordained, and he is configured to Christ the High Priest in a true and unique way. Lutherans deny this. Accordingly, they deny the Holy Mass is a true sacrifice, as opposed to a remembrance only. And without a true priesthood, there can't be a true sacrifice.

Actually, it's quite easy to see the difference between what Catholics believe about the Eucharist, and what is taught by Protestant bodies. Catholics adore the Eucharist: that is, we give the Eucharist that worship proper only to God. Is that what the Lutheran Church teaches? Get back to me on that.

There's more, but this is enough to call into question the merits of the rest of the article. In charity, I must allow that perhaps the errors are not the bishop's, but the author of the article; in any case, they each have their agendas.

Yes, Donald Trump's approach to women is repulsive

There are a lot of things to consider in the upcoming election. Not all issues are of the same moral gravity.

But a lot of folks seem to be saying that the only thing that matters is where the candidates stand on abortion. Is that true?

Does nothing else matter? Including when one candidate treats women like dirt?

Don't believe it? Check this out: 51 things Donald Trump has said about women. Then feel free to come back and defend this behavior, if you care to.

This is just one of many reasons I maintain that while Secretary Clinton is awful, so is Mr. Trump.

Who do I vote for this year?

I was preparing my column for the parish bulletin yesterday, and was writing about our miserable choices in the presidential election. Like many people, I find the two party candidates morally unacceptable, and I have decided I will not vote for either. But what are the alternatives?

My original plan was to write a summary of each candidate; then I remembered the Archbishop really doesn't like any sort of "voter guides" provided in our parishes, and whatever my intention, it might have seemed to be that. So, I cut all that out, and pasted it here. This is my personal blog. So here is the information I gathered:

Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is aggressively pro-abortion, even favoring tax funding for abortion. She has made clear she will appoint justices to the U.S. Supreme Court that will sustain abortion on demand, as well as maintain the Obergefell decision that redefined marriage. She has voiced support for policies and decisions under President Obama that are harmful to religious freedom. I found conflicting responses on torture. Her website doesn’t address euthanasia, but I found a comment online endorsing it. She endorses limiting, but not ending, the death penalty.

Meanwhile, businessman Donald Trump has given much more positive answers on abortion – although he supports abortion in the case of rape and incest; he has said he will appoint judges that are pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. It should be mentioned that he is a recent convert to these positions. He has said conflicting things about religious freedom. Mr. Trump strongly supports the death penalty; he has called for increased use of torture, and endorsed targeting and killing non-combatant family members of terrorists.

Notably, his website doesn’t address any of these issues; these positions can be found elsewhere. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has become known for a long string of outrageous and offensive statements, including about women, illegal immigrants, a Muslim family whose son died in the service of our country, a U.S. born judge of Mexican descent, and former POW and current Senator John McCain, just to cite a few examples.

Obviously there are many more issues of concern than what I’ve highlighted, but not all issues are of equal gravity, and I’ve tried to call attention to those that matter most. Some people have decided they will support one of these candidates as the “lesser of two evils.” That is a morally acceptable approach, but I think we need to be clear-eyed about the reality of the candidate we end up voting for.

But what about an alternative? No one is obligated to vote for either the Democrat or Republican, especially if you have serious reservations, as many have. I took some time this week looking up the five most prominent “third party” candidates; here’s my summary, with links to their websites so you can make your own judgments.

Darrell Castle, Constitution Party. He is 100% prolife and pro-traditional marriage. His party is against euthanasia, but supports the death penalty. He is strong on religious freedom. I could not find something explicit on torture. His party is fairly conservative, although it does oppose “interventionism” in foreign policy. Website here.

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party. He describes himself as personally opposed to abortion but doesn’t support any change of laws to protect the unborn. He is in favor of so-called “same sex marriage” and is unclear on protecting religious freedom. He is against torture. I couldn’t find his position on euthanasia or the death penalty. The Libertarian Party tends to be very anti-government, often going so far as to advocate legalizing prostitution and drugs, and making drastic reductions in the powers and expenditures of the federal government. Website here.

Michael Maturen, American Solidarity Party. He is a Catholic, and his party is an attempt to develop a consistently Catholic approach on all federal issues. He is 100% prolife and pro-traditional marriage. He is against torture and the death penalty. In questions of economics and foreign policy, his approach includes ideas from both left and right.

Evan McMullin, Independent. His platform is much briefer than the others. His website gives a strong statement in defense of the sanctity of life and religious freedom, but isn’t as specific as many would like. He opposes tax funding for abortion and says he would appoint judges that would overturn Roe v. Wade (which imposed abortion-on-demand). He specifically distances himself from torture and targeting non-combatants in war. I couldn’t find his position on euthanasia or the death penalty. His website doesn’t address marriage, but elsewhere I found an interview in which he said he wouldn’t seek to overturn the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling imposing “same sex marriage” on all 50 states.

Jill Stein, Green Party. She is strongly pro-legal abortion and supports redefining marriage to include same sex “marriage.” Her party’s positions on these issues suggest she won’t be friendly to religious freedom concerns. She is against torture and the death penalty. I couldn’t find her position on euthanasia. Her platform overall is pretty left wing, favoring drastic reductions in defense spending, and significant increases in government spending and involvement in the economy.

Prayer can change history, so maybe it'll change this election! (Sunday homily)

The readings obviously focus on prayer – 
specifically, on persevering in prayer, which is the real trick, isn’t it? 
Everyone believes in prayer; and everyone prays. 
The really hard thing is to stick with it and see it through.

So my homily today will be about habits, 
and specifically, the habit of prayer.

When our boys and girls groups meet each month, 
one of the things our leaders and I teach our children is about virtue. 
And the key thing about virtue is that it is a habit. 

God designed us so that we operate according to habit. 
When I get up in the morning, I have certain habits and so do you. 
We don’t have to think too much about brushing our teeth, 
getting the shower going, and so forth. That’s how habit works.

When habit works for us, it’s great. 
And when it works against us – that’s what we call vices – 
that’s a problem. 
Habits, both good and bad, are a kind of auto-pilot. 
Before we know it, we’re unconsciously lighting a cigarette 
or clicking on a questionable website.

So how do we break bad habits? There are lots of things people do, 
but they all aim at turning off the auto-pilot, 
and making us more aware.

For example, do you know what a “curse jar” is? 
It works like this: every time you take God’s name, or use a four-letter word, 
a dollar goes in the jar. And then you have to give that money away! 

It also helps to replace a bad habit with something better. 
Say you go to a party, and you are resolved not to drink too much. 
If all you do is stand around, wishing you had another beer, 
guess what’s going to happen? 
But if instead you focus on something else that’s fun, 
chances are a lot better you’ll have a great time and not get snockered. 
Keep doing it, and in time, you replace a bad habit with a better one.

Let’s drill in on the habit of prayer. 
And let’s first ask, Why do we need prayer?

We need prayer the same way an airplane needs a guidance system, 
so it doesn’t get off course. 
Prayer is our guidance system 
so we keep focused on what really matters.

Also, notice what happened in the first reading. 
The success of God’s People on the battlefield 
depended on Moses persevering in prayer. Why should that be? 
God didn’t need Moses at all – God could do whatever he wanted. 

In fact, God chooses to include us in his plans. 
He came to Mary and asked her to be the mother of Jesus. 
Jesus, in turn, chose to build his Church upon the Apostles.

So prayer is important because God is counting on it. 
Have you considered the possibility that your prayer – my prayer – 
may be the key ingredient in changing someone’s life, 
in changing the course of world events? In fact, we know this is true!

Ninety-nine years ago, Mary the Mother of God 
appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal. 
Mary showed the children a vision of hell, 
and she told them about events that would come to pass. 
No doubt you’ve heard of this. 

But here’s something I never noticed until very recently. 
Let me read you the words of Sister Lucia, one of those three children. 
This is what she said Mary told her and the other two children:

You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go.
To save them, God wishes to establish in the world
devotion to my Immaculate Heart.
If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved
and there will be peace.
The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God,
a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI.

Did you hear that? “If what I say to you is done…
there will be peace…but if people do not cease offending God, 
a worse one will break out”!

If we had listened to the Blessed Mother, 
we might have prevented World War II! 

And, in fact, the pope and God’s people did finally listen, 
and Pope John Paul II consecrated Russia 
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1985…
and there was no World War III!

So yes, it’s essential to develop a habit of prayer; 
to be trained in spiritual combat. Yes, we all get busy, 
but I doubt few of us get so busy 
we don’t take a shower and put on clean clothes day after day. 

I saw an article online that I want to share with you. 
I put together a handout that summarizes it, 
which the ushers will have at the end of Mass. 
It is by Father John McCloskey, and it’s called, 
“The Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People.” 
Here’s what Father suggests:

1. The morning offering – which is a prayer prayed first thing 
in the morning, consecrating the entire day.
It’s also a way to see your day, and all that comes, 
through the lens of faith.
2. At least 15 minutes of silent prayer – 
this is when we share our needs with God, 
and listen to him speaking to us.
3. Fifteen minutes of spiritual reading. 
4. Participation in daily Mass 
and receiving communion in a state of grace. 
Obviously this is the most difficult for many.
5. Praying the Angelus at noon each day. 
It just takes about 3 minutes, but it’s a great break 
and reminder of what matters most.
6. Praying the Rosary each day. 
This was the prayer that Mary recommended, at Fatima, 
to change the world – that could have averted World War II, 
and did, in fact, avert World War III.
7. A brief examination of our conscience, and our day, 
at the end of each day.

Father also makes the point that we shouldn’t expect 
to put all these into practice all at once. 
Instead, add a habit one by one. 
And he is right when he promises this won’t take time away; 
it’ll add time to your day, 
because you’ll have a better day with these habits.

Maybe you’re thinking, prayer is great, but what’s the urgency.
Have you paid any attention to this election?
We have two awful candidates! We’d better get praying!

Now, there might be someone here who can say, 
“Well, my spiritual life is right on target.” 
Then you don’t need this. 
But for the rest of us, please feel free 
to ask for one of these handouts from the ushers. 

What do we see? (Closing of 40 Hours)

When we bow down, kneel down, before the Eucharist, 
what we are worshipping?

God, of course! Jesus, our Lord and Savior. And of course that’s true.

But let’s recall what we believe about the Eucharist: 
in the Holy Mass, Christ himself acts, 
and the Sacrifice of Calvary becomes present 
under the signs and actions of the Mass. 
And in particular, the bread and wine 
become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Three of those words denote humanity.
We remember that in the Incarnation – 
in that moment when Mary said yes to God the Father, 
speaking through the angel,
and the God the Holy Spirit overshadowed her – 
God the Son was united with a human nature in that instant. 
That’s what we celebrate on March 25, 
nine months before Jesus birth on Christmas.

So of course Jesus is both human and divine, 
and this remains true to this moment. 
He is on the throne of heaven as a man and as God. 
And when the miracle of the sacrifice of the Mass happens, 
the Victim on the altar is truly Jesus, 
which means, his divinity and his humanity.



So let’s reflect a little more on this, 
particularly the humanity of Jesus in the Eucharist. 
What does this mean to us?

Remember that when we see the humanity of Jesus, 
it isn’t just his humanity; it’s our humanity. That was the whole point. 
As we say in the Creed: “For us men and for our salvation, 
he came down from heaven; 
and by the power of the Holy Spirit, was incarnate – 
that is, made flesh – by the Virgin Mary, and became man.” 
On Christmas, we genuflect at those words, 
because what we profess is so wonderful! 
He became what we are, for us, for our salvation. 
He shares our same human nature.

Now, there’s an objection: his human nature is different, 
because he has no sin. Yes, it’s true he has no sin; 
but it’s a misunderstanding to say that his human nature isn’t ours. 
I have two legs. If one is broken, does that mean it’s not my leg? 
Our human nature is wounded by sin; 
but in Jesus, our brother, 
we see what it looks like without any wound of sin. 

Jesus took our nature. He became one of our family.

Now, the other thing about this to notice is that 
when we behold the Eucharist, we are seeing God, 
but not a God who is distant. 
Rather, God who comes close, so close he became one of us. 

So, as shocking as it may be to say, 
when we see the Eucharist, we see one of us! 
We see Jesus-God, but also, Jesus-man. 
His humanity is our humanity. That is our hope!

And to take it another step. 
What’s wonderful about God becoming man, 
is that in doing so, he doesn’t become just another human being; 
he joins himself to every one of us. 

Every man, woman and child, past, present and future. 
When we worship the Eucharist, we don’t see his wounds, 
his suffering, and his death, 
which we heard described by the Apostle John, but they are all there – 
along with his birth, his upbringing, his life with his family, 
his poverty, his work; his weariness, his joys and trials. 
In short, everything that the human family experiences, 
he took to himself. 

When we behold the Eucharist, 
we behold God in solidarity with the entire human race!

This is a wonder, because it means that nothing 
in our human experience is rejected or left out. 
Even, in a particular way, our sinfulness! 
No, God does not accept our sins, 
but he accepts us even while we are sinners. 
He forgives us and he gives us his life, through the sacraments, 
to be transformed and healed. 

But remember, when Jesus rose from the dead, 
and when he ascended to the throne of Heaven, 
he still bore his wounds. They didn’t disappear. 
That is a sign for us: whatever trials we have, 
including our battle with sin, is not nothing to him. 
He joined himself to humanity in our struggle, 
to fight with us and for us, to win for us!

And we might recall the shocking words of Saint Paul, who said, 
“He who knew no sin became sin for us”! 
Jesus’ solidarity with humanity 
went to the absolute furthest point it possibly could. 
Jesus never committed sin, he was never corrupted by it;
And yet it would seem he came as close as possible.

It’s awful and wonderful. 
He took all sin upon himself, 
and in the ugliness of what was done to him, 
we know the horror of sin, 
the horror of what man becomes without grace – 
the horror of what we are saved from.

Jesus gave us the Eucharist, we know, 
that we would not only adore his Body and Blood, 
but above all, to receive him in communion. 
As the word “communion” makes clear, 
the point is both simple and impossible to grasp: 
we are united with God! 

This is why it is so terrible to approach the Eucharist 
when in mortal sin – our heart is not ready, our action is not true. 

On the other hand, when we come with readiness – 
limited as our capacity is – we have a foretaste of heaven, 
when we will really know what true communion is.

Heaven! That is what we see when we behold the Eucharist! 
Heaven, where God and humanity are united forever. 
Heaven, where the slain Lamb, the risen Lamb, is at the center…

Except that isn’t somewhere else. Jesus is here! Heaven is here! 
Praise God! 

Gratitude and respect at Holy Mass (Sunday homily)

The readings are obviously about gratitude. 
They are also about worship. 

In the first reading, Naaman, who has leprosy, 
is so grateful for being healed 
that he is moved to worship the true God.

And then, in the Gospel, the same thing happens. 
The one grateful leper who returns, falls at the feet of Jesus. 
He is worshipping him. 
Gratitude and worship go together.

Our late auxiliary bishop, Carl Moeddel, 
used to say that if you don’t want to come to Sunday Mass, 
you don’t have to! 
That is, if you can say that you have absolutely nothing 
for which to be grateful. And who can say that?

Did you know that the word, Eucharist 
comes from Greek word for giving thanks? 
Now, we don’t want to reduce the Mass only to this dimension. 
The Mass is primarily an act of intercession. 
Jesus offers himself – on the Cross and on the altar, 
they are one and the same! 

And then, the Mass is also our prayer, begging God – through Jesus – 
for forgiveness, and transformation, for the salvation of our family, 
our friends, and our world, and for everything else we need.


But the thing is, once we fully appreciate the reality of the Mass, 
and our participation in it, 
then of course our response is like Naaman’s and the Samaritan leper: 
we are overwhelmed with gratitude.

Despite what it seems, this is not just something we human beings do. 
Yes, that’s what we see: the ushers, the priest, 
the servers, we hear the musicians, we see everyone else at Mass; 
so it’s a human activity. But that’s not the primary reality. 
Rather, the Mass is first an action of God, in which we take part. 
God is the primary actor in the Holy Mass. 
God speaks in the readings and in the prayers, especially at the altar. 
Jesus Christ himself is at the altar! He offers himself. 
We hear his words, and he, Jesus Christ, 
changes bread and wine into his own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

God is the one who acts; we cooperate. 
God comes down, into our midst, and makes present for us 
what first happened on the Cross. 
The whole drama of God seeking out his children to bring them home 
is real to us here. 
The peril of human sinfulness and the hope of heaven are all here! 

If we were really good, really tuned in, 
maybe we’d only need it one time. 
But…that’s not how must of us are! 
So, God in his goodness and wisdom, does it over and over and over. 
It’s a commandment to come to Mass 
each Sunday and holy day of obligation, 
because God knows what we need for our salvation.

In the vein of gratitude, 
I’d like to talk about some very practical things related to Mass. 
Specifically, how we come to communion. 
Many of us receive in the hand; 
many of us keep the time-honored practice of receiving on the tongue. 
There’s a lot to be said for receiving on the tongue, 
which – by the way – is the norm everywhere outside this country. 

If you receive in the hand, you need to be able to present two hands. 
Sometimes someone has a cast, or is carrying a child, 
or for whatever reason, cannot present two hands. 
In those cases, I will say, very softly, “I’ll put it on your tongue.” 

And I do that because it’s not really reverent 
to try to receive Holy Communion with one hand. 
Let me demonstrate; this is a quarter I’m using. 
(Demonstrate moves with quarter.) 
This is not reverent.

Why make it hard? If you don’t have two free hands, 
I’ll put the Sacred Host on your tongue. 
And I ask our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion 
to do the same.

Also, if you receive in the hand, please do several things. 
First, be sure to put one hand on top of the other, like this. 
Sometimes people will put their hands side-by-side; 
leaving me to guess: which hand does he want me to put the host in? 

If I guess wrong, I’ve seen people be sort of awkward, 
flipping the Sacred Host from one hand to the other. 
Again, that’s not reverent.

If you’re left-handed – as I am – that’s no problem; 
put your right hand on top, 
and then use your left hand to take the Body of Christ 
from your hand to your mouth. Vice-versa if right-handed.

The other thing I ask is that you lift up your hands high. 
(Have a server come and help demonstrate.) 
Which one really is more reverent? 
And, this makes it easier for the person distributing communion.

And if you receive in the hand, 
please check your hand to see if there are particles of the Eucharist. 
And if all this seems like too much trouble, 
well, there’s always receiving on the tongue!
Now, let’s talk about that. 
To put it very plainly, you have to stick out your tongue! 

I know that some of us aren’t fully steady on our feet. 
If that’s you, how about stopping right by the front pew, 
and then you can hold onto that; and I’ll come to you. 
And if you stay in your pew, just tell someone near you, 
and I’ll come back to you.

Let me also recall that when we receive the Eucharist, 
we first make sign of reverence. 
Many choose to kneel or genuflect, which is commendable. 
But a bow is also appropriate. 
That said, I think some are forgetting that.

Someone might say, all this is being picky, who cares? 
But I would point out that when we gather for a meal, 
even an informal one, 
there are still rules about how we handle ourselves,
that are really about respect.

How we handle ourselves at Holy Mass communicates our respect 
for the reality of what happens here. 
This is far more than an informal meal. 
We come here to meet God.

Persevere like the mustard seed (Sunday homily)

When you hear the term “faith” in this Gospel, 
realize that it’s talking about something more than just belief. 
Perhaps better would be, faithfulness. Fidelity. 
Something we used to call “Stick-to-it-tive-ness.”

A lot of people hear this Gospel, 
and they think it’s talking about 
what some Protestants refer to as “name-it-and-claim it” theology. 
You’ve seen them on TV: preachers who will tell you 
that if only you believe hard enough, you can whatever you want.

This is not what Jesus is saying.

Remember, Jesus is the one who said, 
“If you want to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me.”
Take up your cross, not, your new car!
Healings and prosperity are great if they come, 
but they aren’t what Jesus came to give us.

Jesus came to give us a new life of holiness. He came to give us heaven. 
In a word, he came to give us himself.

So the measure of a faithful disciple is fairly simple: 
is that enough for me? Is it enough for you?

In the first reading, the Prophet Habakkuk 
is wrestling with a big question, which many of us wrestle with: 
when, O God, will you keep your promises? 
When will evil be defeated? When will the truth prevail? 

And God tells Habakkuk what he tells us: 
wait for it – the vision will have its time.

The prophet’s concern was the imminent threat of invasion, 
perhaps by Assyria, or Egypt, or Bablyon. 
God’s People were surrounded on all sides 
by powerful enemies who worshipped false Gods. 
Meanwhile, the Jewish people were ignoring God and lax in their faith. 
So Habakkuk saw both crisis from without, and from within.

Sound familiar?

A lot of us are pretty anxious about the state of things, 
and for good reason. 
Today is Respect Life Sunday, 
and we know just how bad things are with assaults on human life. 

There is a huge push on to legitimize and normalize euthanasia – 
that is, killing people who are sick or depressed or in pain. 
It’s being called “assisted suicide,” but don’t be fooled;
It’s not just about people in extreme circumstances.
In places where it’s been legal, especially in Europe, 
it involves children too. 
It involves people who are simply depressed. Or disabled. 

And it isn’t about “choice.” Once euthanasia takes root,
it isn’t long before people are “helped” against their will.

In Canada, this was imposed on the entire country 
by their Supreme Court? Sound familiar? 
And now the push is on to force all hospitals, 
Force doctors and nurses to participate! 
Stay tuned; we’re next.

And I could detail other reasons for concern, 
But I don’t want to discourage you. Many of us are already discouraged. 

But let’s listen to what God told Habakkuk 
and what Jesus told his disciples: persevere! 
Especially, persevere in prayer.

Next weekend we will have our annual Forty Hours, 
and the timing couldn’t be better.

Do you know the origin of Forty Hours? It began in the 1500s, in Italy. 
The way they did it was to have each parish take turns 
with 40 hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament;
when one finished, another would begin, 
so that there was never-ending prayer 
in the presence of Jesus on the altar.

But do you know why they did it? 
It wasn’t primarily to grow in devotion, or to pray for their own needs. 
They were begging God to avert disaster. 

Here’s what Pope Paul III said, commending, quote, 
“the prayer of the inhabitants of the said city, 
in order to appease the anger of God, provoked by the offences of Christians, 

and in order to bring to nought the efforts and machinations 
of the Turks who are pressing forward 
to the destruction of Christendom.”

I’m sorry, but if you think our situation isn’t that dire, 
you aren’t paying attention!

In our time, we could cite many offenses of Christians, 
and our own country, that are a stench before God.
We, today, are likewise beset with enemies seeking our destruction, 
but we’re doing a good job all by ourselves, without help from ISIS.

Jesus referred to the faith the size of a “mustard seed.” 
But there’s something else about a mustard seed: 
it doesn’t do anything but be a mustard seed. 

It doesn’t say, “well, I think I can squeeze in 
being a mustard seed sometime today…
I’ll do my seed-job while I’m driving home…
This has been a tough day, I won’t get to my mustard-seeding today.” 

No, every day, every hour, that mustard seed 
does whatever a seed does to turn into a tree. 
It perseveres. And that is what Jesus calls faith.

Are there miracles you want to see? 
Do you want some of our politicians, and our judges, converted? 
Do you have family members and friends who need conversion? 
How much do you want it? How much will you pray for it?

We might think of Forty Hours as an opportunity, 
and a blessing – and it is. 

But I submit to you that first of all, it is our duty.
You and I are God’s servants; this is what we do! 
This parish exists to bring God’s holiness into this place, 
and into the lives of the people here. 
And to pray, with the whole Body of Christ, throughout the world, 
in Purgatory and Heaven, for mercy and conversion in our world.

Please sign up for Forty Hours. 
The bonus is that we get to spend this time with Jesus, 
right here with us! 

And I’ll mention something else. 
Forty Hours is a great, and easy, way to share our faith with others. 
Why not invite someone to come along? 
“Let’s just pay a visit.” You may want to explain, 
if your friend isn’t Catholic, 
that we know by faith Jesus is in that monstrance, 
the King is on the altar before us.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to come.

Lazaruses all around us. Ignore them and go to hell (Sunday homily)

This Gospel is pretty clear in what it tells us about 
God’s expectations about how we respond to the needs 
of those who are poor and suffering.

The question of how we care for the poorest and neediest – 
for all the Lazaruses around us – has a pretty wide application. 

Our parish St. Vincent de Paul group 
is sponsoring a food drive, for example. Obvious application.

And in terms of those who are poor and abandoned, 
how can anyone with a conscience 
not see how this applies in the case of legal abortion? 
Of course I mean the unborn child, 
who is completely abandoned. 
So many treat the unborn child 
the way the rich man treated Lazarus – 
as if he didn’t even exist. 

But I also mean the women and others involved. 
Last week, I attended an annual luncheon 
to benefit the Elizabeth New Life Center, in Sidney, 
and heard the stories of those women 
who are so often exploited by the abortion industry. 
It’s a cruel joke to use the term “choice,” 
because so often, women and girls are pressured, 
and threatened, and manipulated, into getting abortions. 

Thank God for the work the New Life Center, 
and other crisis pregnancy centers nationwide, 
do to help women make the choice for life, 
and then support those women along the way! 

This ministry is the exact opposite of what the Gospel describes. 
They are seeking out all the Lazaruses as they can, 
and binding up their wounds, and getting them back on their feet. 

But let me offer another application. Let’s talk about immigration. 
This is a big subject, 
and I’m not going to get into the details of public policy. 

Rather, I just want to raise the question 
of how this passage applies to this situation. 
The bishops have said, repeatedly, 
that it’s absolutely legitimate for countries 
to control their borders and for people to obey the law. 
But what’s also important is to have compassion 
and to respect every person’s dignity, 
including people who are illegal immigrants, who have broken the law.

So, for example, the bishops have pointed out 
how much of this problem is driven by poverty,
and that is the root cause that needs to be addressed. 
And they’ve pointed out that as legitimate 
as the goal of controlling our borders is, 
nonetheless, sometimes the remedies can be cruel – 
breaking up families, for example – and excessive. 

For example, one proposal has been to make any kind of assistance 
to illegal immigrants a crime, even providing food and shelter.

You and I as citizens have a voice; 
as Catholics, our duty is to raise our voice for all the Lazaruses: 
the unborn, the unwelcome, those trapped in poverty, 
and all those we might rather forget about.

In the prayer I offered near the beginning of Mass, we heard: 
“O God, who manifest your almighty power 
above all by pardoning and showing mercy, 
bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us 
and make those hastening to attain your promises 
heirs to the treasures of heaven.”

Notice that: God wants to give us the “treasures of heaven” – 
it is for that reason that he pardons us and shows us mercy, 
and pours his grace -- his power to transform us – 
“abundantly upon us.” So far, so good.

But, here’s the “but”: 
God sees how generous you and I are – or are not.
He sees whether we go out of our way to bring others 
to share in his treasures. 
And if we don’t, we will share the fate of the rich man in the Gospel, 
who is not waiting to enter into life, 
but is waiting to enter into hell.

The good news is, it’s not hard. If you want mercy, show mercy.
Especially to the poorest.

Use stuff to gain people (Sunday homily)

The parable Jesus told is confusing in some ways. 
But here's the key point: Jesus is telling us to have the right approach 
to money, and stuff, and material success.

Let's compare the worldly way with God's way:
The worldly way is to use people to gain success and money;
God's way is to use money and position to gain people -- that is, for the Kingdom.

One of the principles our Church teaches in the category of social justice 
is "the universal destination of goods." What does that mean?

It means that while we may own this or that thing, ultimately, everything belongs to God; 
and God gave everything in Creation for all his children to enjoy.

Think of a family. Dad passes out slices of pizza to everyone. He intends everyone to get some. 
What happens when he looks up and sees one child has three slices, and two have none?

God doesn't intervene the way my father, or yours, would. 
But he sees, and he will hold us accountable.

Now, the point is not socialism, 
because that just lets someone in government play god, 
and they make a mess of it. 

Rather, the point is that you and I seek to ensure 
every one of God's children gets a fair chance. 
And if no one forces us to share, that doesn't mean 
we can't and shouldn't do it ourselves.

My pizza analogy can be misunderstood, 
because there is only going to be a certain amount of pizza on the table;
but that doesn't mean there isn't an abundance of resources in our world.

It has been fashionable for years to claim that our world is resource-poor,
and that we have too many people. 
I'm sorry, but that is the devil talking!
God never says, "I have too many children."

It is a worldly mindset that says, "too many people."
Remember the disciples in the Gospel, 
when they had all those people listening to Jesus, and they were hungry? 
What did the disciples say? "Send them away."
But Jesus said, "you feed them yourselves." 
The disciples said, we can't do that! 
But when they did it God's way, they had more than enough, 
and twelve baskets of leftovers besides. 

Let's get back to how we approach our stuff and our plans for our lives. 
There is a place for budgets, for ambition, for savings and security.
But the key question we might ask is...

What is it all for?
What will I do with my success, 
my advancement in my career, and whatever stuff I acquire?

Jesus praised the dishonest steward for being prudent -- he used stuff to gain people.
And his point is not to favor dishonesty, but to say, would that the children of light
were doing the same, that is, to gain people for the Kingdom.

If you have a house, you can welcome people.
If you have a car, you can give rides.
If you have money and stuff, you can give some of it away.
Our St. Vincent de Paul group is organizing another food drive, 
which you can read about in the bulletin. 
They want to raise enough to donate over 5,000 items of food to the hungry. 
We did it before and we can do it again.

When I was a new priest, I would give a penance to children, 
who said they were greedy, to go home and give something away. 
But then I realized, they might give away something they shouldn't, so I stopped that. 

Still, I think it's never too early to learn the lesson of letting go of possessions.

If we reach heaven, you and I won't see any of our possessions there. 
None of our money, or stuff, will be there. 
But what we will see is people. And won't it be wonderful 
to see all the people we helped get there, with our stuff?

God's Mercy is shockingly generous, but... (Sunday homily)

The readings are all about God’s mercy. Let me make three points.

First: God’s mercy is shockingly generous.
Second: God’s mercy requires a response.
Third: That response is both hard – and easy.

In the Gospel, we heard three parables, each about something lost: 
a lost sheep, a lost coin, and most precious, a lost son. 
Scripture scholar Brant Pitre points out something 
about the parables of Jesus that we may not realize: 
that they often contain a twist or a surprise that we may miss, 
because they are so familiar. So let’s take a look.

In the first parable, Jesus says, 
“what man…would not leave the ninety-nine…
and go after the lost one until he finds it?” 
And the answer is, no one would do that! 
If you leave 99 sheep unguarded, what is likely to happen? 
You’ll lose a lot more. 

It’s the same in the second parable. Who would throw a party 
to celebrate finding a penny? Has anyone here ever done that?

Now we come to the third parable. The son’s sinfulness is extreme. 
He wants his father dead; 
he cruelly leaves and completely separates himself from his family. 

But the twist is in the response of the Father. 
He sees the son coming from “a long way off.” 
In other words, he was watching intently for him, day and night. 
Second, the Father runs—runs!—to his son. 
And, above all, the Father is extremely generous. 
Had he said, I’m glad you’re home, we’ll clean you up, 
but you have to prove yourself, wouldn’t that have been generous? 

When God gives, he always gives super-abundantly. 
Manna in the desert. Wine at Cana. Dying on the Cross. 
And so it is here.

So listen up: if you find yourself doubting God’s mercy, 
if you wonder if God can or will forgive you, 
or whether he has forgiven you, stop it! 
I realize sometimes we have feelings we can’t control, 
but be clear on this: if we ask for God’s mercy, he will give it. 

One drop of Jesus’ blood can wash away all sin, 
and when you receive absolution in confession, 
you are bathed in God’s mercy. 
It’s not because we deserve it, or work for it, 
or are in any way worthy of it. 

The psalm we prayed was written by King David, 
after he committed rape, and adultery, and murder,
and betrayal of a loyal servant, and lies to cover it all up. 
And God forgave him.

God’s mercy is so generous that it’s shocking.

Now, second: God’s mercy requires a response. 
This is where so many misunderstand what mercy is. 
Some people have a fantasy image of Jesus, 
that he doesn’t care about rules, he just talked about love. 

Actually, he talked about hell a lot, 
and if you want to boil his teaching down to one commandment, 
it was, take up your cross. Die to ego, die to money, 
die to family attachment, die to sex, die to ambition, die to self. 
The younger son had to die to all his dreams and ego, come home. 
Or else, he’d have died in his sins.

Part of our response is to pray mercy for others. 
This is really what the first reading is about. 
The point here is not that Moses has changed God’s mind, 
but rather, God is helping Moses himself to grow in mercy. 
God wanted Moses himself to say, oh no, God, please have mercy! 

A lot of us can see ourselves in the younger son – 
we’ve done things of which we are deeply ashamed, 
and it can be hard to believe God loves us. 

On the other hand, many of us are more like the older son. 
We’ve been faithful and we’re shocked by the evil things 
others have done. Your job is to intercede, as Moses was called to do. 
The older son said he was devoted; 
but had he prayed, every day, for the return of his lost brother? 

Finally, the response that mercy demands is both hard and easy. 
The sins we have in our lives: what keeps us from leaving them behind?
If we’re out drinking too much, 
or visiting the dark places on the Internet, 
or inflicting anger on others around us, 
or making a god of money or work, 
why don’t we give these things up? 
Some say, it’s impossible, I just can’t. And that’s true for some. 
That’s why Alcoholics Anonymous exists for example. 
If you feel powerless, come and see me, and I’ll help you all I can.

But for most of us, we just don’t want to give them up. 

The son didn’t come home until he became desperate. 
Sometimes the change we need to make is costly; 
sometimes it’s frightening or humiliating. 
But mercy requires a response.

It may seem hard in one sense, 
but in another it’s the easiest thing in the world. 
Go to the Father! Go to confession! 

Confession can be hard in some ways, 
and yet, it’s the easiest thing in the world. 
The priest will walk you through it, 
and no matter what else the priest might say – 
he might talk too long – still, if you tell your sins and are sorry, 
he has to give you absolution! Every single time!

God is ready to forgive. He waits for your response.

An not-costly way to be Christ's ambassador (Sunday homily)

I want to welcome everyone here, 
especially anyone who is visiting 
and perhaps is not familiar with our parish. 
If you’ve never been inside St. Remy Church, 
please come back another time for Mass, and we’ll be inside the church. 
Our church doors are open every day, from very early to late, 
and they are open for you.

As many of you know, I’ve been talking a lot about 
the importance of each of us sharing our faith. 
It may seem odd, when over 90 percent of our community is Catholic; 
but there are still a lot of folks who need the hope of Jesus Christ, 
and it’s our task to share it. 
When we stand before the Lord, and we say, well, 
I thought 92% would be good enough, we better hope he agrees!

But what you may not know is that for the past year or so, 
I’ve been working with the Pastoral Council, and our parish staff, 
to develop a plan for how we, as a parish, 
can be better oriented toward sharing our hope in Jesus Christ, 
and drawing others to him. 
And then, I listened to that bit in the first reading, 
where it says that the plans of mortals are uncertain, 
and I thought, uh-oh! 
But then I noticed the promise that when the Holy Spirit is involved, 
we have sure wisdom.

Now, I want to give everyone here a task. 
I assume you will be at our picnic today or tomorrow; 
so I ask that you will be Christ’s ambassador 
at our festival this weekend. 
When you are in line, in what you say to others, 
in what you spend your money on, and in how you handle yourself, 
will you be Christ to the others who are here today and tomorrow?

Of course our festival is a fundraiser, 
and it has been very successful in years’ past. 
And as a result, we are able to do a lot of good 
with the money we raise. 
In addition to helping to keep these grounds in top shape, 
these funds help share the faith 
with our children in religious education. 

They help the parish reach out to the homebound, 
the elderly and the needy in our community. 
And we are able to give directly to many worthy causes. 
So each of us has reason to be grateful for our volunteers, 
our festival leadership and for everyone who will take part.

Still, as important as this is as a fundraiser, 
that’s not the only, or even the main, reason we have this picnic. 
Lots of parishes have festivals because they feel they have to; 
but I think it’s different here. 
We could raise the money in other ways if we needed to. 

There are more important reasons for our picnic, 
which is why we call it our “homecoming.” 
This is a time to come together as a family, 
and it is a time to welcome people to our parish. 
Those are the more important reasons to have our annual picnic.

So that is why I’m asking you to be Christ at our picnic, 
so that everyone who is here, 
can come away from this visit with the sense, 
“I’ve been somewhere special; I’ve met some special people today.”

I hope our beer booth folks won’t mind, 
but we don’t want anyone to drink too much beer. 
We don’t want anyone to bet or spend money they can’t afford to lose. 
As you enjoy yourself, and you help others enjoy themselves, 
please be a good neighbor to anyone else who’s here.

Jesus told us to “count the cost” of being his disciple. 
Well, he’s given us perfect weather.
We are blessed to gather with our family and friends, 
we have good planning and preparation. This is about as good as it gets. 
Being his messenger, his welcome, this weekend – not very costly.

What Jeremiah can teach us about this election

In comments on a prior post, I suggested a reader -- who claims I am a bad priest because I won't support a particular political candidate as the blocking maneuver against another candidate -- read the Book of Jeremiah. Another reader asked what I meant. Here's what I had in mind.

Jeremiah was called to his prophetic ministry in a time of great peril for the Kingdom of Judah. After the invasion of Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 B.C., Judah is hemmed in by contending great powers. Now the threat comes from Babylon.

But Jeremiah's message to the people, the king and the priests is that the nation's true problem is apostasy from God; and God's judgment will take the form of Babylon's coming destruction of the temple and the city they have defiled by injustice, immorality and false worship.

In this crisis, many say that the answer to the peril of Babylon is to seek the help of Egypt; but through Jeremiah, God warns against that expediency:

And now, why go to Egypt,

to drink the waters of the Nile?

Why go to Assyria,

to drink the waters of the River? (2:18)

How frivolous you have become

in changing your course!

By Egypt you will be shamed,

just as you were shamed by Assyria (2:36).

Now, it's important to understand how the sacred texts present the nations surrounding Israel. They are presented not merely as places to go, and political powers that interacted with Israel; they are also presented as expressive of worldly values that compete with the covenant with God. Thus when the children of Israel end up in Egypt, during the famine described in Genesis, Jacob (i.e., Israel) makes his son, Joseph swear that he won't bury Jacob in Egypt: When the time approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him: 

“If it pleases you, put your hand under my thigh as a sign of your enduring fidelity to me; do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my ancestors, take me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”

“I will do as you say,” (Joseph) replied. 

But his father demanded, “Swear it to me!” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed (Genesis 47:29-31).

So what does all this have to do with our upcoming election?

Lots of good folks are rightly anxious about the peril represented by one candidate winning -- and so argue that this means all good people must -- must -- cast their lot with the other candidate. Because I think they are both too flawed, and therefore, I won't vote for either, I was told I'm a shepherd who "cops out on his sheep and leaves them to be ravaged by wolves, or by satan in a pants suit." Take a look at Jeremiah to see what people said about him when he counseled not to rely on Egypt, but to trust in the Almighty.

The parallel is inexact; I do not claim it is sinful to vote for one of these terrible candidates. The bishops have said, in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, that it is licit to vote for the lesser of two evils; but it is also acceptable to refuse to vote for any such candidate. Here are the relevant paragraphs, with key sections in bold:

34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases, a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.

35. There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act may reasonably decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.

36. When all candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods.

37. In making these decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.

There's a lot more to be said about all this, but here's my point. Given a choice between the hammer and the anvil, I think the best answer is to do as Jeremiah kept begging God's People to do: return to the Lord:

Call to me, and I will answer you...

I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel, and rebuild them as they were in the beginning. 

I will purify them of all the guilt they incurred by sinning against me; 

I will forgive all their offenses by which they sinned and rebelled against me. 

Then this city shall become joy for me, a name of praise and pride, before all the nations of the earth, as they hear of all the good I am doing for them. 

They shall fear and tremble because of all the prosperity I give it (33:3, 7-9).

Approaching Holy Mass with humility (Sunday homily)

Let me begin by pointing out something you may have noticed: 
the second reading today was also the second reading last Sunday! 
You may be wondering, how that happened. 
It happened this way: 
while the readings most weeks are assigned, last week’s were special, 
for the anniversary of this church being consecrated, 
and they were chosen by…me. I didn’t notice the coincidence.

In any case, it gives us a chance to really reflect on that reading, 
which is really about the Holy Mass. 
It describes us approaching the heavenly Jerusalem, 
where the angels and saints gather 
in celebration of the salvation won by the blood of Jesus.

So what that describes is heaven – but how do we approach that? 
We do so in the Holy Mass.

Meanwhile, the first reading and the Gospel say a lot about humility. 
And let me point out, in passing, what humility is, and is not. 
Humility is not allowing yourself to be a doormat; 
nor is it denying that you have gifts. 

To be humble is to be at peace with who you and I are, 
with the gifts God gave us. 
The more you and I realize what it means to be a child of God, 
the easier it is to have that genuine humility. 

If I need to build myself up, 
then rushing to get the place of honor makes sense. 

But if I know, deep in my heart and being, that God loves me, 
that I am destined for heaven, 
then who cares where I sit around the table? 

So how does humility come into our approach to Holy Mass?

Here’s one thing that comes to mind: 
sharing your talents generously and without false modesty. 
I didn’t ask Carla if she wants new members of the choir, 
and new singers to help at Mass, but I’m guessing she’d love that. 
Being generous with your gifts, for the benefit of others, 
is true humility. 
If you’d like to share the gift of your voice, let Carla know!

Let me thank you, parents, for the efforts you make 
to bring your families to Mass. 
I am sure there are times when you are frustrated, 
when you feel you cannot enter into prayer during Mass, 
and you wonder if it even “counts.” Be assured, it does. 

Let me highlight another way humility is at work in the Mass – 
and that is in how those, who have particular roles in Mass, 
approach their tasks. The readers come up here, 
not to put themselves forward, but God’s Word. 

The altar servers are like the seraphim and cherubim in heaven, 
who attend to the Lord’s needs, and bow down before him. 
The musicians are here to let the light of Christ 
shine through their voices and talents. 

And the priest is here, not to put himself forward, 
but to surrender 
so that Christ is clearly the priest, the prophet, and the king. 

So that’s why, for example, many – 
such as Pope Benedict and Cardinal Sarah and others – 
have recommended a recovery of the practice 
of the priest and people facing the same way, 
when the priest is offering the Sacrifice at the altar. 

As you know, I’ve been celebrating Mass this way on Saturday mornings
 and I’ve started doing the same on Tuesdays. 
I’m not claiming there are no merits to the priest 
facing the people at the altar – which is how it will happen at this Mass, 
and how you’re used to seeing it happen. 
And I understand everyone has different preferences, 
and I respect that.

But when the priest and the people face in the same direction, 
it helps emphasize where our focus is – on the Lord. 
And I can tell you, for many priests, 
we are tempted to ego and to draw attention to ourselves, 
and we need help being humble before the Lord.

Finally, take note of what Jesus said in the Gospel, 
about inviting those who are poor, or blind, or disabled. 
This applies to Mass. 

If you know someone who has difficulty getting to Mass, 
what can you do, what can I do, to help them get here? 
Does someone need a ride? 
Or, do you know those who want communion brought to them at home? 
Let me know, please. 

But this also applies to anyone who thinks, oh, I’m not worthy. 
Or, I don’t have the right clothes. Or who feels out of place. 
Everyone here is unworthy. 
Clothes aren’t that important; we do what we can. 
If you know folks who haven’t been here, 
don’t beat them over the head about it, but do check in with them. 
Be a friend, including a spiritual friend, to them.

Something awesome happens at this and every Mass. Let’s share it. 

Clinton and Trump: both evil. One may be worse than the other.

I've got a lot I could say -- and have said, elsewhere -- about this election, but I'm going to save my fingers. Both Secretary Hilary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump endorse grave moral evil. Both of them. If you want to argue one endorses more than the other, I won't dispute it. But first, let's be crystal clear: they both endorse grave moral evil.

Both support abortion -- one supports some abortions (rape and incest), the other supports abortion pretty much all the time, and with your tax money to pay for it. Mr. Trump supports blurring -- if not erasing -- the distinction between combatants and non-combatants, and deliberately killing terrorist's wives, parents, siblings and children. Mr. Trump supports the use of torture -- "worse than waterboarding," he has repeatedly said. Both of them support a war on terror that isn't too particular about the Constitution.

"But there's more," I hear you saying. Oh, I agree, there's a lot more, but my fingers can't type that much. The bottom line is, they both support grave moral evil.

Now, if you choose to vote for one of them, because you think that's the only way to stop the grave evil proposed by the other, I understand. I will not condemn you. But please don't let's have any pretense about it. You're voting for a lesser evil -- and a lesser evil is still...you know how that sentence ends.

This is a dismal choice. I can't remember such a wretched pair of candidates. It hit me this morning: this is divine judgment. Secretary Clinton's nomination is a judgment on the Democrats, and Mr. Trump's, a judgment on the Republicans.

Dedication of St. Remy Church (Sunday homily)

Today we are celebrating the anniversary of the consecration of this church. Now, to be precise, we don't actually know the date when this church, the third St. Remy's, was consecrated. However, we do know that the first St. Remy's was consecrated on August 18, 1852; and last year, I wrote the Archbishop, and asked permission to celebrate the consecration of our church on that date. And, since August 18 fell on Thursday, we are able to move it to the weekend for everyone's benefit. So that's what we're doing today.

But why? Why is it important to mark this anniversary. As you know, last year we put new doors on the front of the church; and Father Amberger had written above them the words, Domus Dei et Porta Coeli, which is Latin, and means, "House of God and Gate of Heaven." Some years ago, there was a movie, and then a TV show, called "Stargate." The idea was that these folks found a device that, if you turned it on, and stepped through it, you would be transported many thousands of light-years to another world. 

Now, wouldn't that be sensational if there really were such a thing? But there is: this church is a gate...to heaven!

This is why we do this.

Now, let me share a little history about our parish and our church. The first settler in this area was James Thatcher and his family, in 1805, about a mile and a half north of here. The first French Catholic families arrived in the 1830s. In September, 1839, Archbishop John Purcell sent the first priest here, Father Louis Navarron, who was given responsibility for Frenchtown, Versailles and Russia. The first church for this area was St. Valbert's, where the cemetery is now; but in those days, it wasn't easy getting there, through the forest -- so Father Navarron took up residence in Russia, and set up a chapel about a mile southeast of here, on a farm then owned by the DeBrosse family. By my calculuation, it's about where Versailles and Miller Road meet, or a little south of there. That's where Mass was first offered in Russia, and there was a cemetery there.

The first St. Remy's was consecrated August 18, 1852, and Archbishop Purcell came up from Cincinnati for that. Today that's a two hour drive; in those days, it might have taken a couple of days.

That first church, built of logs, proved to be too small, so in the 1860s, a second church was built of bricks, right around the first church -- then, the log church was dismantled and taken out the front doors! Then, in 1890, the pastor had to tell everyone that they'd built their 30-year-old church the wrong way, so they had to do it over! Imagine having to make that announcement! But they did build the third -- the present -- St. Remy's. As mentioned, we don't know the date it was consecrated, but they laid the cornerstone August 17, 1890; and it was probably dedicated in 1891. So that makes this church 125 years old this year. And, since then, of course, there have been additions and improvements.

Now, this is a good time to ask: why is this parish here? What is our purpose? As the first reading makes clear, God wishes this to be a "house of prayer for all people." I had a conversation with someone in the community recently, who is not Catholic, and she said she didn't realize she could come here, she thought it was only for Catholics. May I suggest we all make it our task, in the coming year, to communicate to everyone in our community, Catholic or not, that this is a house of prayer for all people?

But I want to return to an earlier point. I mentioned that fanciful "gate" to another world. It would be impressive -- but it's only impressive if people believe it's real. Likewise, folks will only be impressed by this place, this Porta Coeli, if they have reason to believe it's real.

So do people see in me -- in you -- some evidence that this place changes us, because we come here? 

Let me suggest some "markers" that might serve to convey this to others:

- First, when we come here, one of the things we can do is go to confession. There are many benefits, but let me highlight one in particular: it will make us humble. Nothing is more humbling than to kneel down, in the presence of another fallen human being, and confess your sins. And if we are humble, rather than arrogant, that will impress people.

- Knowing our faith and sharing it is great; but what impresses people is when they see that we live it, in how we live and how we treat others.

- Another marker is how we stand apart from worldliness. This is delicate, because I'm not saying we should shun people when they are drinking and smoking pot, and looking at trash on the Internet, taking God's name in vain, and all the rest; but what is important is that we communicate, in the right way, that we're not part of that.

- Finally, are we peaceful? Both in how we deal with others, and in our own lives? So many people these days are worked up about politics, about the situation in the world, about other things -- what does that communicate? If we're angry and fearful, does that suggest we've just been to heaven? 

These are some ways people will see this Gate of Heaven is real -- because it changes us. And that will draw people to this House of God.

Division and peace (Sunday homily)

(Sorry it took me awhile to post this. I had incomplete notes, and I just didn't get around to posting them. I think I'm leaving things out, that weren't written down. This is what I can reconstruct from my notes. I actually posted this 8/25, but I'm back-dating it for the Sunday it corresponds to.)

In the readings, Jesus talks about both division and peace. So I'll talk about division first, then peace.

Jesus brings division, not because it's what he wants, but because the truth divides: between those who accept it, and those who do not. Our world is divided over truth. It has always been thus, especially over who Jesus is. There has always been resistance to him. So, understand: facing opposition because you are a Christian is normal! I repeat: it's the normal state for a Christian. So: if you haven't experienced any, why might that be?

In our time, you and I face an unusual situation. In times past, the division was over doctrine: who Jesus is, whether God is a trinity, over the Eucharist, or the priesthood, and so forth. But in our time, the battle lines are over objective truth, the truth of who humanity is: male and female, and male made for female and vice-versa.

That a male is male, and a female is female, not as a social construct but as a biological fact, isn't a dogma -- it's objective truth. And now, for me to state that, is deemed bigotry. It's important for you and me to realize what we're up against. 

I realize we don't like having this discussion, and you're right to dislike it, but there's no avoiding it. This is Jesus' point: "don't think I'm bringing peace..." as in, no conflict.

You and I are those people described in the second reading. This world isn't our home, our destination. We are bound for a city where Christ is king. So, may I suggest that we avoid being drawn into conflicts over things that don't matter for eternity? Whether politics, or sports, or whatever? The only really good reason to ever be in conflict, is over faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus does, indeed, bring peace: but only when he is Lord -- over every heart and every nation. So, if you want that peace, start surrendering your own heart to him.

Is this your last day? (Sunday homily)

This Gospel is read as part of the vigil prayers, for a funeral, 
which usually takes place at the funeral home. 
It’s easy to see why, because it offers us such an assurance: 
if we are ready for Jesus when he comes to us, 
he will not only take us to heaven, 
but he, the Lord, will actually wait on us! 
As I often say after I read this, at the funeral home, 
if you hadn’t heard me just read that from the Gospel, 
you might not believe God had made such a promise. But there it is.

So, these readings invite us to think about being ready – 
ready for God to call us. 
And it calls to mind what we used to call “a happy death” – 
that is, a well-provided-for death. 
So let’s talk about what that is.

A well-provided-for death means 
we have the chance to go to confession, 
and to receive the sacrament of anointing, 
and above all, to receive the Holy Eucharist. 

A well-provided-for death means 
we can make our peace with others 
and face eternity with a clean conscience. 
An especially beautiful way this happens 
is when family are gathered with the person who is dying, 
and they are praying together. 
If the priest is called – not necessarily at the exact moment, 
but in the last few weeks or days – 
then he can help the family with all this.

When this happens, it is a beautiful thing, 
not only for the one who is facing eternity, but for everyone. 

Now, here’s the thing. We don’t always get a warning. What then?

Well, then it comes down to how we live our daily lives, doesn’t it? 
My grandmother had a saying: “being a Catholic can be a hard life – 
but an easy death.” By that, she meant a faithful, practicing Catholic.

What’s “hard” about it?

Forgiving is hard. Keeping custody of the eyes is hard. 
Being honest and guarding our tongues is hard. 
Putting God first can be hard.

But, in another sense, it’s not hard at all. 
How to be faithful isn’t a secret. And we have a lot of help. 
That’s what the Church, the Body of Christ, is for. 
If you’re trying to live a Christian life, don’t try to do it alone. 
That makes it harder. 

Instead, seek out other practicing Catholics, and support one another. 
If you’re running with folks who are out late drinking and partying, 
guess what you’re probably going to end up doing? 

This is why God gave us each other, and above all, 
it’s why he gave us the saints, especially Mary, the Mother of God. 
If you ever think, I don’t know how to be a good Catholic, 
then take a long, hard look at the saints. 

Pick one. Who is your own patron saint? Don’t know? You can find out. 
Ask your parents if they had a saint in mind when they named you. 
If not, then look up your own name, 
and find out what saints had that name. 

And if that doesn’t work, then you can just pick a saint, 
and make him or her your patron saint. 
Patron saints are not like girlfriends or boyfriends – 
you can have as many as you want, and they don’t get jealous!

The thing about heaven, we’re not going to end up there by surprise. 
And we won’t get there by being kidnapped. If we get to heaven, 
it will be because we aimed to get there; we wanted to be there; 
because that’s the treasure we wanted most of all.

So, you and I can take our chances 
and hope we’ll get a chance to go to confession in your final hour; 
or, we can get to confession every month. 
You can hope that you’ll have a priest bring you holy communion 
at the end; or, you can receive Jesus’ Body and Blood each Sunday, 
or even daily, if you want. 
We can hope we’ll make peace with others, someday, or…

Well, you get the idea.

Is today my last day? Is it yours? We can’t know. But we can be ready.