Post Roe: Let us 'bind up the nation's wounds.' (Sunday homily)

 In these readings, we hear about being called – and not turning back. 

We have the Lord Jesus setting the apostles straight 

about the right way to carry out his call. 

And we have St. Paul, right in the middle, talking about “freedom.”

That’s a word we love, especially as Americans. 

Unfortunately, what it means politically, and what it means in the Bible, 

are far from the same.

Our social and political version of “freedom” is, 

I want to do what I want. “The American Dream.”

Leave me alone, Big Government! 

Don’t track me online, Big Tech!

St. Paul reminds us why God gives us freedom:

So that you and I can become who we are meant to be.

To be our “best version of ourselves” as someone else said.

This disagreement about what true freedom means 

is at the heart of so much that divides us as Americans.

Look at what happened on Friday.

June 24 must go down in history as a great day, 

because the U.S. Supreme Court 

corrected a terrible error from 50 years ago. 

In overturning Roe v. Wade,

the court stopped being a roadblock to protecting unborn children.

But notice how much rage is being generated, along with anxiety.

And I am not making light of anyone’s feelings here.

But notice what people are angry about: 

to their view, they lost a “freedom.”

Freedom to do what? 

Well, there’s no nice way to say it: to take a human life.

And that’s why so many of us are celebrating: 

because now, the unborn can regain their freedom simply to live.

With God’s help you and I must be messengers 

for this true freedom, again, not just license to do as we please, 

but to be truly and fully human as God created us to be, 

and to allow every child of God that freedom, 

including his smallest children.

Answering anger with anger won’t help.

Responding to anxiety and fear with love and patience will heal.

For example, Archbishop Schnurr sent out an email yesterday,  

encouraging all of us to keep supporting efforts to help women 

and families facing difficult circumstances around a pregnancy.

There are wonderful efforts already happening in this community, 

and if you never got involved before, now is a great time to start.

I will mention four organizations right around us:

Rustic Hope, Elizabeth New Life Center, 

New Choices shelter for those facing domestic violence, 

and Shelby County Right to Life.

This is a good time to mention Project Rachel, 

which seeks to offering reconciliation, healing, and peace 

for those involved in an abortion. 

This truly is a moment to celebrate and give thanks to God.

That’s why we’re using a Mass of Thanksgiving today, 

as the Archbishop suggested, 

instead of the usual prayers for this Sunday.

There seemed to be no right place to say the following, 

so I’ll say it right now.

This is my last weekend with you as your pastor.

No words are adequate. My heart is full. Thank you so very much.

Enough about me; let’s get back to God’s work.

There are some powerful lessons to take from these amazing events.

One: never give up! I am 60, and it took most of my life 

to get to this point, and I truly wondered if I’d live long enough. 

Two: this is a work of Divine Providence.

This isn’t just about politics. Pause to notice God’s hand at work.

As Christians, helping people see that is also our task.

Yes, laws must change. So must hearts.

Three: you and I must get right back to work on this.

Not everyone understands what happened Friday.

The Supreme Court did not outlaw anything.

It decided to overturn prior rulings 

that blocked laws protecting the unborn. 

So now you and I as citizens must tell our governor and our legislators 

to do their jobs and protect unborn children. 

All these years, candidates like our governor, 

senators, congressmen, and state officials told us: 

they would protect the unborn from the moment of conception. 

But the courts were blocking them, 

and they couldn’t do more than half-measures.

God has removed those roadblocks!

Now, you and I must respectfully, but vigorously, tell the politicians: 

Do what you always said you’d do when the time came.

The time has finally come! Thank God!

Finally, as we celebrate and give thanks,

we might take inspiration from the words of Abraham Lincoln  

in his second inaugural address, 

as the Civil War was, thankfully, near its end:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, 

with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, 

let us strive on to finish the work we are in, 

to bind up the nation's wounds 

[and] to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace.

That sounds like an excellent plan.

Don't be afraid to be used up for the Kingdom (Pentecost)

 The readings for Pentecost are different for the Vigil and the Day. 

At the vigil, we hear from Genesis about how 

people tried to make a name for themselves 

by building the city of Babel. 

They aren’t interested in God.

This is the same city later called Babylon – 

which becomes, in Scripture, 

a symbol of all in the world that demands our loyalty other than God. 

You will remember how King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue, 

and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to worship it, 

and they were thrown into the fiery furnace. 

Babylon always opposes God directly. 

Babylon lives on in our culture and government.

On the day of Pentecost, we hear 

how the Apostles and the other first Christians, 

including Mary, are praying for the Holy Spirit. 

See the contrast? 

A city that worships itself, Babylon, and the City of God.

Recall what we talked about last week:

Jesus ascending to heaven is not about him going away,

But rather, about him reorienting all Creation around him.

Jesus is in the process of bringing heaven and earth together.

So, pouring the Holy Spirit into Creation – “baptizing” it as it were –

is the necessary next step of bringing us earthly creatures to heaven, 

and “heavenizing” – to make up a term – this world.

If you have ever been unclear about what your task is as a Christian, there it is: 

let God “heavenize” you, 

which is a necessary part of you helping heavenize this world.

It may occur to you to ask: 

if God is heavenizing the world, why are so many things so bad?

I would remind you that you and I cannot know 

what this world would be like without God’s grace now at work.

We live in a pretty nice corner of the world.

The land is fruitful, and this time of year is especially nice.

But what if all the water, all the rain, went away?

It would all be a lifeless desert as dead as the moon.

Now, I want to call attention to something 

you’ve observed over the past seven weeks: this candle. 

It was so tall when we first lit it at Easter! 

Why does that crazy Father Fox let it burn down like that? 

It’s not very pretty anymore. 

A candle has but one purpose: to give light. 

As it burns, it is used up.

The Easter Candle stands for Christ. 

Remember: Jesus came into the world to be spent—

To be used up—for the salvation of souls.

And that’s what our lives are for. 

You and I are only going to get so many years in this life. 

When our time ends, will we want to say to Jesus: 

look, I didn't burn my candle, I kept it pretty, see?

Light that candle, keep it burning! Burn with the fire of God! 

This is what the Church of God is. This is what you are, O Christian! 

Lift up that light! Lift it up! Let it shine!

Ascension - Mass - Heaven (Sunday homily)

 The feast of the Ascension is NOT about Jesus leaving us. 

Rather, it’s about where Jesus wants to take us: 

he goes ahead and, as he said, he prepares a place for us.

The Ascension is about heaven; Jesus wants to take us to heaven.

It’s the exact same thing with Holy Mass.

It is about getting us to heaven.

Not everyone really gets this. 

For one, way too many people take heaven for granted.

And if you do that, Mass doesn’t really make much sense.

It would be like going into court, facing a trial, 

but there’s no chance of a guilty verdict. 

Then there’s no meaning. You could sleep through the whole case.

So it is for many people coming to Mass.

Since heaven is certain, Mass is a big bore.

Or we come expecting to hear something inspiring.

Or our goal is to reflect a little. Or to see friends.

A lot of people expect Mass to lift their mood.

There’s nothing wrong with any of these objectives; 

but none of these is the point of Mass.

Which means, by the way: if these goals don’t happen –

if you aren’t inspired, if you can’t have quiet reflection, 

if you don’t see any friendly faces, 

and you don’t come out of church feeling bubbly –

that doesn’t mean you, quote, “didn’t get anything out of Mass.”

It means, rather, you misunderstood what Mass is actually about.

The Mass is about getting us to heaven.

And that, in turn, means you and I must change; 

and that means, probably – Ha! Almost certainly – 

changing in a major way!

See? That’s why people prefer to think heaven is a lock.

Because then they don’t need to face the need to change.

What Holy Mass does, just like the Cross, is to confront us.

It is like a mirror, showing us our desperate need.

And only then is Jesus’ offering on the Cross good news!

You’re drowning! I’m here to save you! Good news!

But not if I say, “Who’s drowning? I’m not drowning! Cough! Cough!”

The point I’m trying to make here is this:

There is something powerful, electric, going on.

Something more dramatic than anything you and I can imagine.

We might think of a frightening thunderstorm, rocking the house.

Or the cascade of shocking news, hour upon hour on TV.

Or the real suffering of people in our own lives.

Still, beyond all these very real, very human trials,

is the greatest drama of all, which is no less real, 

despite being mostly invisible to us.

That is the fate of my soul, and yours, and the souls of humanity.

If you’ve ever been bored at Mass – I’ll confess and raise my hand!

Then I’m offering you a remedy.

Remind yourself what is at stake, what is actually happening, 

even though it is, as I said, not visible to us.

You can’t see him on the Cross. You can’t see him rising from death.

You can’t see him returning to his throne at the center of all things.

But let me point out what you do see, and hear, and say:

You hear Jesus say, “this is my body, given up for you.”

“This is the chalice of my blood, a new and eternal covenant.”

“This is for you,” he says.

In time, he then went to the Cross and offered himself.

And in mystical realm that embraces all time, 

this offering is not merely past; 

it’s past, and yet we’re present to it; it’s still active.

Holy Mass is our portal into this reality beyond time.

What you see, at Mass, is the priest raise up the Body and the Blood.

Very important: no longer merely bread or wine, but the Son of God! 

And the priest, and, in a way, the Son himself, and in a way, we – say,

“Through him, with him, in him”: this is the offering to the Father.

This is what gives us salvation! This is the entirety of our hope!

Again, this is hope for us if we will let God change us.

This is why receiving Holy Communion 

without repenting and confessing our mortal sins is so awful. 

It’s a sacrilege against this salvation, because we’re saying, in effect: 

I don’t need to change. God must change.

Now, we know all that happens at Mass. It’s so familiar.

But what if we didn’t?

What if you and I could hear and witness this as if for the first time,

as if we didn’t know what the outcome would be?

Ask God for that grace.

And as we recall his Ascension, this is not a “going away” party.

Rather, the Great High Priest is bringing the drama of salvation 

to the next chapter. 

This isn’t about him going from “here” to “there.”

Jesus hasn’t, really, gone anywhere.

It’s about him reorienting everything toward heaven.

Here’s there; he’s here. 

And right now is that phase of history 

in which “here” and “there” slowly become one.

That conversion of all things is what you and I must be part of.

Thank God, the Holy Spirit is poured into our lives to make it happen!

Our task – simple yet big enough – is to accept that help.

Then you and I we’ll be part of that glorious future. That’s heaven. 

The City of God (Sunday homily)

 In the second reading we have the new Jerusalem, 

the city of God.

The thing about a city – or, even a rural area like ours –

is there is a lot of interdependence.

When I got up this morning, I wanted water, I turned the knob.

Food for lunch in the fridge. A/C hummed all night.

But all those wonderful things only happen 

because of those who run the water plant, 

maintain the electric lines, and who bring food to the store.  

The City of God works the same way. We belong together.

Our American way of thinking emphasizes individualism.

We like being free to do as we wish.

So a lot of Catholics tend to think about faith 

as being an individual thing.

And when we, or our bishops, talk about the obligations 

of being a Catholic, it doesn’t always register.

I think this explains why so many don’t go to confession.

Why can’t we just tell God? 

And the answer is because our sins don’t just involve God, 

they involve his Body, the Church.

And so, also, our reconciliation is in and through the Church.

Most of us were born American citizens,

but if you talk to people who are naturalized, 

they’ll tell you about the many steps they took, 

and they’ll talk about how powerful it was 

to swear their allegiance and become a citizen.

Well, it’s even more true with baptism. 

That’s why we renew our baptismal vows at Easter, 

and why we profess our Creed each Sunday. 

And being a citizen in God’s City, the Church,

Means we live our lives in our Faith and by our Faith.

When you think of it that way, 

how can we have a part of our lives we live outside the City?

And yet, that’s where a lot of Catholics are. 

Go on the Internet--get outside; 

how we run our business, or treat other people, 

how we shop or how we vote: we go outside the City.

And this is why we come here every Lord’s Day.

This is where the city we are not yet--

but which God is fashioning us to be--is made present.

This city doesn’t have a mayor; we have a King.

And the King is here! Of course, we come!

If you read further in the book of Revelation, 

you’ll see that in the center of that City is a Tree, 

“the Tree of Life” – and it gives fruit 

“for the nations 12 months a year.”

That Tree is the Cross. 

That Tree, the Cross, is made present at every Mass on the altar.

The fruit of that tree is the Most Holy Eucharist!

This church, right here: we’re in the City of God right now!

Of course, we come!

Let Mary be your companion (May Crowning)

 We honor Mary, which is quite right to do, 

because of her amazing generosity: she said yes to God. 

We honor her because she acted at the great fulcrum of history: 

everything that matters for us hinged on her yes to heaven. 

So, we have St. Bernard, who wrote a moving appeal 

to the Blessed Mother, as if he – and all humanity – 

were watching in the wings as Gabriel came to her. 

He says, answer boldly, don’t be afraid to answer, we all beg it of you!

Or, we have a Protestant poet, Wordsworth, 

who described Mary as our “tainted nature’s solitary boast,” 

and I confess those words bring tears to my eyes 

every time I call them to mind.

My point being to describe – and defend – 

our extravagant honors to Mary.

I might add, in passing here, that sometimes our friends and family 

who are not Catholic do not understand this. 

They think it goes too far and they suggest we are worshipping Mary 

in a way that only God is to be worshipped.

I want to answer those objections, as someone who – 

when I was in my 20s – would have made those very same arguments! 

Because in my 20s, I was away from the Church 

and bought into many of those ideas.

Let me point out, first, that if you understand clearly 

what IS Catholic worship, 

you will realize how wrong it is to say we worship Mary.

What, after all, is the heart and center of Catholic worship? 

What are we all commanded to do at least on Sundays, 

but attend Holy Mass? And Holy Mass is offered every single day. 

Here is something you will never see; indeed, it makes me shudder 

to think of it: you will never, not ever, see a Catholic Mass 

offered TO Mary. 

When the priest lifts up the Body and Blood, what does he say: 

“Through him, with him, in him, O God almighty Father, 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is YOURS, 

forever and ever.”

There it is: the Mass is offered TO THE FATHER, 

through JESUS, “in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Never, not ever, will you hear a priest say these words to MARY. 

Likewise, we believe that as the consummation of Mass – 

if we are in a state of grace, we receive the Eucharist – 

which is Jesus of course. 

But here’s a great way to explain our devotion to Mary. 

We worship Jesus – particularly in the Eucharist. 

But we know that without Mary, there would be no Eucharist. 

She gave us his Body and Blood, when she conceived him in her womb! 

So while we ADORE Jesus, we are GRATEFUL to Mary.

The other point I want to make is this. 

In a prayer of dedication used at baptisms, it says, “our love for you” – 

that is, Mary – “is only a participation in the love of Jesus for you.” There it is.

Who can doubt that Jesus’ own love for his mother 

must be more intense than a thousand suns? 

Each of us feels such great gratitude and love for our own parents, 

who can ever imagine Jesus feeling any less? 

Indeed, it surely must be far, far MORE than our love can ever be.

So I will just say that if you think Catholics get silly 

in our love for Mary, 

all you really have to do is think long and hard 

about how much Jesus must love his own mother. 

She who, after all, was mocked by people who ridiculed her claim 

that the Holy Spirit caused her pregnancy. 

She who suffered in so many ways 

as a result of being the mother of the Messiah, 

and the worst of it, of course, 

was seeing her son tortured and murdered. 

Who could ever bear such a thing?

And what son could see his mother so tormented, 

and not feel a gratitude and love beyond all description? 

If you think Jesus could behold that 

and not love Mary beyond all words, you are basically saying 

he had no human heart at all, but was some sort of emotionless robot.

So, our friends who mean well when they say we overdo it, 

while intending only to honor Jesus, actually end up – 

again, unintentionally – diminishing him. 

But back to the main point which is this.

Yes, we honor Mary, we thank her, we love her. 

But do not make the mistake of thinking she is unapproachable. 

That she is simply to be admired. That would, indeed, go too far.

Mary is a companion, as are all the saints. 

As we are called to be to each other. 

The Scriptures always show her companionship. 

Immediately, she went to visit Elizabeth and Zachariah, 

no doubt because she learned her relative was six months pregnant. 

She accompanied Joseph and Jesus to Egypt 

and to Jerusalem for Passover. 

She and Joseph searched for Jesus when he was missing. 

After Joseph died, 

Mary was with her son and his companions constantly, 

right up until the day he died. 

She was with the apostles, praying for the Holy Spirit, 

in the days after Jesus ascended into heaven. 

And remember, Jesus gave Mary to the Apostle John to care for, 

and tradition tells us that is what he did, 

until her life on earth ended and her body was taken to heaven.

Surely she, too, cared for John?

What I invite you to do is remember this prayer book in the pews – 

on page XX you will find a litany to Mary. 

Some of the titles are obscure – 

although you can look them up online if you like – 

but many are perfectly understandable. 

They are invitations for you 

to see her as a companion in your own troubles:

“Mother most amiable” – that means friendly

“Mother of good counsel” – she will always give you good advice

“Mother of mercy” – 

she will always welcome you and help you seek out her son for forgiveness.

“Mother most prudent” – 

no one has a more level head and calm disposition. 

She’s been through a lot!

“Virgin most powerful” – her Son is God and he’s always listens to her!

She is a companion when you are sick, when you are afraid, 

and when you have lost your way. 

She knows what sorrow is, what missing someone you love feels like, 

and she knows the heartache of losing someone you love. 

She was there when Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, 

she helped take care of Zachariah, she cared for Joseph until he died,

 and she stood at the foot of the Cross. 

There is no trial, no fear, no pain, she doesn’t know.

Let her be your companion.

What should Peter say to a transgender sanhedrin? (Sunday homily)

When we hear in the first reading, 

the Apostles saying what the Lord sent them to say, 

and they are met with hostility...

Let’s hit the obvious point: 2,000 years and nothing has changed.

You and I face the same choice as Peter: Do we obey God or men?

An urgent case right now is what’s happening in the medical field.

There are powerful forces, including in the federal government, 

who believe doctors, nurses, pharmacists, 

and others in the health profession, 

must not be allowed to refuse to take part in an abortion, 

or in a suicide, 

or in providing drugs or surgery that facilitate someone to say, 

I’m not a girl anymore, I’m a boy, or vice-versa.

I’m going to take a couple of minutes on the transgender question, 

because this is still pretty new, it’s confusing, 

and people don’t know how to respond.

A great deal of what you hear on transgender issues 

is propaganda and outright lies.

They refer to so-called “transgender medicine.”

No! It’s not medicine, it’s abuse, it’s quackery, it’s magical thinking.

I’m now going to state, not theology or faith, but biological fact; 

as much a fact as that this planet is round, and we circle the sun:

human beings are either a boy or a girl.  

In extremely rare situations there can be some physical ambiguity, 

but the fundamental male or female identity is still there.

And there are all manner of ways people’s thinking or self-perception 

can be out of sync with themselves or the world around them.

So, people feeling at odds with their physical bodies is not fake.

It’s not a joke. This a difficult trial deserving real help.

Even so, whether you are male or female is not a choice or a mindset.

And no surgery, no drug, nothing can undo the basic biological fact.

By the way, this isn’t the only way this happens in life, 

that we long to change something about ourselves, but we cannot.

Some things we can change. Others are beyond our control.

If the latter, it becomes a matter of better or worse ways 

to carry our cross and make peace with the hand we’ve been dealt.

One more key detail: this whole thing is largely aimed at children.

Again, children. Not just under 18, but pre-puberty.

And you should know that counselors and psychologists 

and other medical personnel are being told, 

that if a child comes to you, you must – MUST – “affirm only.”

What does that mean?

It means you are not allowed to assist that child 

to get back to a place of self-acceptance. 

Instead, you can only say, OK, you are now a boy, 

here’s a drug, here’s a surgery, your life is altered forever.

All before you hit 15 years old.

All that is only one way you and I must be Peter today,

and obey God rather than men. 

There are lots of other hard things our Lord had to say: 

about money, about possessions, about the poor,

about clearing my own eye before dealing with your flaws.

And sooner or later, you and I aren’t actually Peter being brave.

We’re the Sanhedrin saying, I don’t want to hear that!

Notice Jesus asked Peter about his love three times.

They were using two different words translated as “love.”

Jesus was asking, Do you love me with a go-to-the-cross love?

Peter comes back with a, yeah-you’re-kind-of-cool “love.”

Peter’s love was weak, but Jesus built on that, 

and Peter ultimately did go to the cross.

Give Jesus your little bit of love and he will get you there.

When you and I face our Sanhedrin, our “stop saying that” moments, 

there is no excuse to forget that we want the good, 

including the final good of heaven, for each person we disagree with. 

The Mercy, Resurrection, Eucharist Junction (Sunday homily)

 So, this Sunday we focus on three things.

First, the Mercy of God since this is Divine Mercy Sunday. 

Second, the Resurrection. 

And third, about the Holy Eucharist, because our second graders are making their first Holy Communion.

Let’s start with God’s mercy, because that’s what it’s all about.

Why did God do any of the things he did for us? 

Come to earth, take up the cross, give us the sacraments?

It’s all mercy, it’s all about saving us, changing us, making us saints.

So, what I’m going to say next is just for some people here, 

because some good folks, who are trying SO hard, 

need to stop and, if you will, press their nose to that image of MERCY. 

Let me explain it this way: we humans have a NEED:

we are alienated from God. 

God responds with a GIFT: that is, his Mercy. 

So, again, NEED and GIFT.

Some folks don’t really take their need seriously. 

As a result, they undervalue the gift.  

So, if you think pretty much EVERYONE goes to heaven, 

then where’s the urgent need?

Meanwhile, there are others, some of whom are here;

And you focus so intensely on your NEED – 

“I am so sinful, I am so, so far from what God wants!” – 

that you don’t focus enough on the GIFT.

Remember what St. Faustina said: “Jesus I TRUST in you!”

Take an example from the Apostle Thomas. 

He started out looking at his doubts and fears; i.e., at himself.

Jesus tells him, don’t look at yourself, look at ME: 

see my wounds, touch them. Believe in ME. 

When you and I get overly anxious about our sins, it’s the same.

Yes: take a few minutes to examine yourself. But then stop! 

Shift your gaze from your own failings, 

from your impossibility and look at JESUS: “Jesus, I trust in you!”

This is where his Resurrection is so important. 

Jesus rising from the dead proves everything he said was true. 

Every word.

No wonder Thomas fell to his knees and said: “my Lord and my God”!

Second, when he shows us his resurrected body, 

Jesus isn’t just “showing off”: “Look at what I have!”

He’s showing what is, and will be, OURS.

Lots of Christians are mixed up on this point. 

They think our goal is to ESCAPE this life.

So, they think the body doesn’t matter after they die.

No, no! Jesus did not come to lead an escape from this world,

But rather, to lead the REDEMPTION and healing of this world.

So, even after death our body is sacred. 

And we will have it back, new and improved: what Jesus shows us.

Now we come to the Most Holy Eucharist. 

We talked about mercy, 

and we talked about sharing Jesus’ resurrected life. 

This – and more – is what the Most Holy Eucharist is.

Don’t miss the connection: 

On the first Easter, Jesus SHOWS us his risen, live-forever-body. 

Then at each Mass he GIVES us his flesh and his blood, his very self.

The connection is absolutely necessary.

Very important: what he GIVES us is identical to what he SHOWS us. 

What lies ahead for Jesus’ disciples is far more than we may realize.

I wonder if many imagine, in the New Creation, Jesus is on the throne, 

and we’re like his pets, gathered at his feet.

No! Jesus told the Apostles that they would sit on thrones beside him. 

Everything Jesus has, everything Jesus IS, he GIVES, he SHARES,

and in giving us himself, he changes us to become ONE with him. 

This is why there can be no question 

that the Eucharist is more than mere bread and wine. 

It is not merely a symbol or a reminder. 

The Eucharist is precisely what Jesus said, what Saint Paul said, 

what the first Christians all said and believed: 

the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. 

Very simply, the Eucharist IS Jesus. 

Yes, it keeps the appearance of bread and wine 

because isn’t that more approachable than the alternative?

If the Eucharist is not Jesus, then what does he give us?

Bread? If I eat too much bread, I get fat. 

Too much wine, I get sleepy and then a headache.

These cannot save me. I need Jesus and nothing else will do.

Jesus gives us HIMSELF, and his TOTAL self. 

That’s what the Eucharist is. You don’t have to see it. 

And you don’t have to take my word for it. 

Believe the one who came to earth to take up the Cross,

who came back from the dead, all for you, all for me.

Believe him when he says, “This is my Body…This is my Blood.”

What will you choose to live for? (Easter homily)

 All over the world, Catholics and other Christians 

are marking this night, this day, the day that the Lord has made. 

The day Jesus came back from the dead, 

conquering sin and defeating death, 

and opening the path for us to heaven. 

That is why Alleluia belongs to this day: praise the Lord! 

This is the day of victory!

But what victory, exactly? What is this triumph? 

Are we claiming that we will not die? We know that we will. 

Our victory is that we know what lies ahead for us: 

not a grave, but heaven!

And what do we mean by this defeat of sin? 

I still struggle with sin. I’m guessing you do, too. 

But we have seen God weigh into the battle – for us and with us. 

All our sins have been nailed to the cross – 

and when Jesus died on that cross, 

so did our sins and all our condemnation! 

So remember: when you go to confession, and the priest gives you absolution, 

all that power of Jesus’ blood is poured out for you.

Never doubt, never waver: all your sins are forgiven forever: 

Gone, gone, gone!

No one else can take away sin but Jesus. 

As we say at each Mass: 

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 

This is that day!

Not everyone celebrates this victory tonight. 

Lots of people in our world either do not know what Jesus did, 

or they do not care. They do not believe. 

Many in our own country have only a passing awareness. 

The story of who Jesus is and what he did 

has become a steady, background buzz in their ears. 

Perhaps they were raised as Christians, but they have turned away, 

or tuned out. Maybe someone hurt them.

They may take more notice of the wrongs of Christians, 

And the saving work of Christ is a little distant.  

Some just sort of drifted and haven’t found their way back.

What can we say?

Each of us must choose what we will believe, what we will live for. 

Lots of people live for enjoyment, for fulfillment, for pleasure. 

This sounds worse than it is. 

God created us, and pleasure, 

a desire for the new and exciting, is built into us. 

But these are blessings of a good life; 

they aren’t enough to be the focus of life. 

There comes a point when we realize: 

I can live for me, or I can live for others. 

Those who choose self, who live for themselves, 

that’s all they have in the end: themselves, and nothing else.

Many people give everything to their careers, to sports, to causes. 

Then there are those who devote everything to their family or country. 

Even then, there remains a question.

In loving our country, or loving our family, what do we want for them? 

Obviously, the kind of country America is, the things we stand for, matters most, doesn’t it?

Likewise, far more important than our children’s physical health or material success,

 is the state of their soul, and what they value most?

Brothers and sisters, we have completed our time of penance. 

You and I have faced the reality of our own sinfulness 

and, even more than that, our own radical dependence. 

You and I cannot live a day, not an hour, without God’s help and grace. 

This is the day you and I renew our decision for Jesus Christ.

And maybe you’re thinking, when did I ever make that decision? 

It was made for me when I was baptized. I’ve sort of tagged along.

Then, today is your day to speak for yourself: I choose Christ!

That’s what we do each year when we renew our baptismal vows.

But do not be too quick to answer. 

In many places in the world, to be a Christian can cost you your life.

In our country, it may cost you a friendship or a promotion. 

More and more men and women faithful to Christ 

are being shut out of the medical and health professions. 

Or you may face derision and embarrassment. 

The question is before you.  

We will live our lives for something – what will you choose?

The deep meaning of our Christian Passover (Holy Thursday homily)

It is necessary to peel back the layers of tradition 

to reveal the full meaning of what we do tonight.*

The first reading describes the Passover, 

celebrated by the Jewish People. 

It speaks of the “the fourteenth day of the month” – 

that is, fourteen days after a new moon, which means, a full moon. 

The moon will be full this weekend.

The lamb was one year old and “without blemish”; 

it was obtained several days before and lived with the family.  

Why is this important? 

This points to Jesus, who became a member of the Jewish household, 

a member of the human family.

Then, with the whole assembly present, the lamb was slaughtered. 

When we come to church tomorrow, what do we recall?

Jesus is crucified with the whole assembly present.

The blood of the lamb is then spread over the doorposts.

This is protection from divine judgment. 

By the way: when you and I are baptized, 

that’s when the blood of the Lamb covers us! 

When we fall back into mortal sin, confession renews it.

And then after the lamb is sacrificed, its flesh was eaten. 

This was necessary to complete the sacrifice.

But only those who were members of the household could eat the lamb.

This is why only those baptized and in a state of grace 

receive Holy Communion at Mass. 

Now, let’s drill into the details of the Last Supper, 

which was Jesus’ Passover with his chosen twelve apostles. 

He’s acting as the head of a family. 

I already pointed out how central the lamb is to the Passover.

But the accounts of Jesus’ Last Supper never mention a lamb.

Instead, he takes the bread, and says, 

“this is my body, given up for you.” 

And of course, there was a cup of wine.

In fact, there were four cups of wine.

The first cup that was prepared with water added. 

Ring a bell? You’ve seen me do that.

This was called the “cup of sanctification,” 

and the father began the meal with a prayer, over this cup, 

and the food is brought to the table.

The second was the cup of “proclamation” – 

it was prepared, but not drunk right away; 

because while the food was on the table,

the father would tell the account of what God did 

for his people in Egypt, in the exodus.

By the way, when these events were “remembered,”

the understanding was that in remembering, you were present!

You were actually brought there spiritually, through the meal.

So, when Jesus says to the Apostles, “do this in memory of me,”

two things:

First, he knows that all of us would be coming after in years to come.

He made a plan for each of us to be part of his Passover.

That means Jesus planned for what we call Holy Mass,

and for priests to offer this sacrifice.

And second, our “remembering” here, not quite 2,000 years later,

likewise makes you and me truly present: 

in the Upper Room, at Calvary, at the empty tomb.

Now, back to the Passover.

After everyone ate, the father would share the third cup, 

called the “cup of blessing.” 

And Saint Paul just told us that this was the cup Jesus took up, 

and said, “This is my Blood.”

I said earlier there were four, where’s the last one?

Tomorrow, you and I will hear these words in the Gospel of John:

After this…Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine….

They put a sponge soaked in wine…up to his mouth. 

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” 

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

So we don’t finish this Mass tonight. No final blessing.

We do go on a procession – to the side altar – recalling the Garden.

Oh, I meant to give you one more detail. 

In Jesus’ time, when the lamb was prepared for the meal, 

in order to roast it, do you know how they did it? 

They took two skewers, made of wood. 

One was speared through the torso, from head to tail. 

The other was speared through both shoulders. A cross.

Tomorrow we will worship the Cross on which our Savior, 

our Lamb of God, was slain. This is our Passover. It begins tonight. 

* All these details come from Scripture scholar Brant Pitre.

Make the most of Holy Week (Palm Sunday homily)

 Every year on Palm Sunday, part of me – and maybe you, too – 

has so much to say in response. 

But another part of me responds: What is there to say?

There is only silence before the Son of God on the Cross.

But real, true, extended silence? That is hard to do, 

with family and work and sports and farms and businesses to tend to.

All I can do is to challenge you to TRY.

Kids? Spouses? Parents? Maybe you can help.

This might be a good time to say, “I’ll leave them alone this week.”

Let’s give each other the gift of silence and peace, if we can.

Maybe your Lent has been good, or maybe not so good.

But every day, every breath, is another opportunity.

This Holy Week is such a gift.

The church is open from 5 am to 9:30 pm every day.

We will have confessions 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 

see the bulletin for the times.

I invite you to be part of Holy Thursday, 

Good Friday and Holy Saturday evening.

These days take us deep into the pulsing heart of our Faith.

Look forward like God (Sunday homily)

 Do you know what one of the biggest differences 

between us and God is? (Changed after 5 pm Mass.)

There are a lot of ways we are different from God.

One of them is that…

You and I look backward. God looks forward.

For us, only what has already taken place, is real.

The future is guesswork. It hasn’t happened yet.

And when we set our highest dreams against bitter experience,

hope seems a slender thread indeed.

But God knows the future – because he is already there. 

God looks forward, and over and over again, 

he tries to get you and me to do the same. 

What did you just hear?

“Remember not the events of the past,” God says in the first reading.

“I am doing something new!”

Saint Paul tells us he counts everything as “rubbish”

and forgets “what lies behind,” because Jesus Christ is his prize!

The pharisees say, “look what this sinner did!”

Jesus says, “start new.”

At the risk of being tedious, I’m inviting you again to confession.

Maybe someone needs just one more nudge.

The truth is, I can’t change the world. 

Maybe I can help you change you. 

You can’t change the world. 

But there’s one little chunk of this world 

that you and I have supreme power over. 

And that is our soul! Our choices!

That’s why we go to confession. 

I can’t speak about anyone else, but about myself I say this:

If I didn’t go to confession regularly, I believe I would go to hell.

I would lose my way, little by little.

You’ve heard of the “invisible fence”: to keep your dog in the yard?

You know how it works: there’s a wire underground,

and if the poor dog crosses the wire and ZZZZZT! 

That’s what my conscience does for me, and yours for you!

Confession keeps my conscience alive and reasonably healthy.

You want to make the world better? You want to bring peace?

Start with your own soul. It’ll radiate to your family.

Broccoli Omelette

I didn't intend to do a post about today's lunch, but I had some time to kill, so here I am!

(Sorry no pictures...)

So, it's a Friday in Lent, what shall I have for lunch? Also, I'm trying to cut back on carbs (because I'm carrying around enough for a small village), so...

I remember I have some frozen broccoli, and of course, eggs. And I remember the late Father Angelo Caserta whipping up amazing omelettes when he would invite me over for dinner back in my days in Piqua.

So, here's what I did:

1. Start heating a pan well coated with olive oil. Don't skimp on the oil unless you don't like olive oil; in that case, use whatever fat you prefer. You could even make it without fat, if that's your jam.

2. Once the oil is good and hot, toss in a good handful of broccoli florets. I didn't bother to cut them down, because I was going to cook them till tender. But if you prefer, you can certainly do that. If I had been working with fresh broccoli, I might blanche them first, or else still sautee them, only longer. In any case, the goal here is to get the broccoli both hot and soft, but not mushy. I cooked the broccoli on around medium.

3. While the broccoli cooks -- keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn -- crack three eggs into a small bowl (I use a coffee cup). Add a generous pinch of salt (don't be scared of it). You can add a little water if you like, I did not. Mix these well, so that the yolks and whites are well blended. Or not, if you don't care about that.

4. When the broccoli is cooked as you like, pour the eggs over the broccoli. Check your heat; the temp in the pan will go down, but come up fast -- too fast -- if the fire is too high. You don't want to cook your eggs too fast, and I prefer my omelettes not to have any brown.

5. Stir the eggs, until they are still a little wet but fairly well set. Again, this is how I like an omelette. Remember, the eggs will continue cooking even after you turn off the fire. So when the eggs are close, I turn off the fire and let the residual heat do the rest. That's environmentally conscious, isn't it? I added a good grind of black pepper here, as well as a bit of cayenne pepper. Then I sprinkled some grated "Parmesan" cheese right out of the jar; real Parmesano or Pecorino would be worlds better, but I used what I had.

6. Now you roll it, and this intimidates people. The key here is not to overload it, or it won't fold over very well. And if that happens, who cares? As long as you don't over (or under) cook, it will be delicious. But the way I do it is to fold over a third of it, then...well, this is hard to explain, but Youtube videos aplenty show you how to do it. The point is that you end up with an omelette either with two folds (my preference) or one. If you fold twice and don't overcook it, you can further shape it on the plate.

7. At this point, I put just bit of butter on it, and sprinkled a little more black and red pepper. You could put parseley on it if you want, or paprika.

My omelette was very tasty, although I ought to have let the broccoli cook a bit more. No, not as tasty as I remember Father Caserta's, but still a lovely meal. And it only took a few minutes, and if you think about it, pretty cheap to make. 

Confession: your sins are goney-gone-gone! (Sunday homily)

 If you have ever wondered what God is like, really like,   

this parable is where you must begin and end. 

Which of these two children do you want to be?

Would you like high adventure on the road – or stay close to home?

Do you think it would be fun to go on a spending spree?

Or do you find satisfaction in a good day’s work?

Do you want to end up with nothing, envying the pigs for their slop?

Or would you rather be convinced you’ve never done anything wrong –

and you can’t think of any gift your Father ever gave you?

Can you imagine your Father running toward you, overjoyed to see you?

Hugging you, crying from pent-up sorrow but also swelling with joy?

Well…are you prepared 

to abandon pride and self-regard and simply admit being wrong?

Or can you not think of any reason to go to confession?

As I’ve said before, Lent is all about conversion. 

If you and I aren’t thinking about, praying about, 

working toward our own conversion, 

we are missing entirely what Lent is.

Confession is one of the best helps God gives us, 

but this tool doesn’t do us much good if we leave it in the drawer.

 

I want to commend many of our parishioners: 

you work at developing the habit of regular confession, 

and that’s a really good move, 

and a powerful example to your kids and others.

Let me stress, especially to our kids: 

if you only go to confession once or twice a year, 

you’re not getting anything like the benefit from it you could be.

Why do I say that?

If, starting from your first confession in 2nd grade, you go once a year, 

by the time you’ve done it ten times, you’re in college!

At that pace, I bet you feel awkward every time, 

because you can’t quite remember what you’re supposed to do, 

and that makes all the easier to put it off. 

If the only time you go is right before Easter or Christmas – 

when lots of people are going, and there’s a long line – 

guess what happens?

You’re a little nervous, Father Fox is kind of hurrying things along – 

so, you shrug and think, what’s the point?

Let me introduce you to other possibilities.

Instead of once a year, go once a month. 

This morning, from 9 to 10, it was quiet in the confessional, 

I dozed a little!

And I had plenty of time for those who came. 

Like almost anything, if you keep at it, it gets more familiar,

and, instead of investing all that mental energy around the “how-to,” 

you can actually focus on the meat of it:

being truly honest with God and your own need to change.

Going frequently to confession will enable you to SEE yourself – 

without flinching, without excuses, and without being ashamed.

To be able to admit, “I am a sinner, I failed,” 

without being wrecked by that recognition, is powerful;

because then you and I realize our sense of worth and self-respect 

doesn’t come from some false image:

“I can do it myself” or “I’m really a good person!”

God doesn’t love us because we’re so capable, or so impressive; 

there are no “becauses” with God’s love. He loves us, PERIOD.

As I’ve heard Father Vonderhaar say many times: 

God loves us AS we are, 

but he loves us too much to leave us WHERE we are.

And I want to pause here and make one point in bold, capital letters, 

and I am begging you to believe me when I say: 

When you go to confession, and the priest gives absolution, 

your sins are gone. 

Gone, gone, gone-issimus gone; as gone as gone can be!

And, that includes ALL OF THEM. “But I forgot one!” 

It’s INCLUDED! It, too, is GONE!

In the first reading, Joshua and God’s People crossed the Jordan 

and left Egypt behind, forever.

That is a sign of what God’s absolution in confession means to us:

You and I leave those sins behind forever.

True, like the Children of Israel, we often want to go back.

You and I are unsteady. But God is not unsteady. 

The Father is a Rock. He never wavers.  

Catholic progressives: Ukraine should be happy to lay down and die

 The thing about "progressive" crazy is that no matter how out there they are, there is always a further move to make.

So the National Catholic Reporter took this particular moment to argue that Ukraine is evil to fight the Russian invaders. Not because the invaders aren't also evil; but because fighting back is evil. You think I exaggerate? Read the headline for yourself (and click on it if you want to see more):

Ukraine shows we must reject the possibility that war can be just

The article really is as inane as you can imagine. To combat Russian bombs and bullets, "we need a paradigm shift." Putin is blowing up your apartment building? Try "music and art"!

No doubt Ms. Marie Dennis, author of this article, would offer Ukrainians the advice Gandhi gave the Jews during the Holocaust: you should happily leap into the gas chambers, that'll show Hitler! (Oh yes, he really did give that advice.)

I am trying to unravel this madness, but then these words ring in my head: "Forget it Jake; it's Progressive-town."

Heaven -- God's invitation -- and hell -- our refusal (Sunday homily)

 In a way, these readings are about heaven and hell.

Let’s start with heaven.

In the first reading, Moses asks to know God’s Name. 

He wants to draw closer to God. 

After all, Moses and God’s People had been in slavery 

for over 400 years. 

The stories of what God did in Abraham’s life, 

in the lives of Isaac and Jacob and Joseph, were all distant memories. 

Perhaps even God himself seemed very distant. 

In Hebrew, names are more than just what someone is called.

They express the essence of who someone is.

When God tells Moses he is “I AM WHO AM,” 

he is revealing his true nature, 

that he is the One who truly and fully exists.

By responding this way, God is being very intimate with Moses,

And encouraging Moses’ desire for that intimacy.

Notice that: God WANTS US to know him this way!

This intimate union with God is heaven.

Remember, always remember: God wants this for us.

Some people seem to think God’s salvation is grudging. NO!

The problem is never God’s want-to, but ours.

You and I never have to change God’s mind. 

It is our mind, our lives, that need to change, 

and God is always at the door our heart, 

you and I only need to invite him in.

At the beginning, I mentioned hell. Where does that fit in?

Well, that’s what Jesus is warning against in the Gospel. 

Unless you and I repent, he says, we will all likewise perish.

He doesn’t mean natural death, but spiritual death.

As we all know, a terrible war is raging in Ukraine.

The thing about war is that it, too, is about both hell – and heaven.

The hell part is obvious. But notice the grace that is at work.

It was C.S. Lewis – in his book, Screwtape Letters – 

who noted that war strips away, better than almost anything, 

the illusion that death is far away. 

Amid the horror, acts of courage and generosity take our breath away.

As people worldwide unite in a common purpose and pray together, 

our hearts lift with hope. 

Let me call to your attention Pope Francis’ plan 

to consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

People are asking, is this about Fatima?

Honestly, I will let other people deal with that.

I know that Sister Lucy, one of the Fatima visionaries, 

said that Pope John Paul properly consecrated Russia to Mary in 1985.

I’m not interested in getting into the weeds on that. 

Pope Francis wants to renew that consecration. I’m 100% in favor.

This will happen on Friday, at noon our time. 

Meanwhile, Archbishop Schnurr has asked us all 

to pray a novena of Rosaries for Ukraine, 

so I invite you to pray a Rosary every day through Friday.

Maybe people would like to gather at St. Remy, on Friday, at noon?

'Brace for Impact' (Sunday homily)

 Every Lent we hear this Gospel describing Jesus’ “transfiguration.” 

The question we might ask is, why did this happen 

and what does it mean?

The meaning is this: Jesus knows the Cross is coming.

He has already warned the Apostles, but they don’t grasp it.

This experience – this revelation of his true glory as God – 

is meant to inoculate the apostles in advance 

for the crisis of the Cross.

He knows that the Cross will shake them to the core.

Even after this experience, Peter and James 

will be missing in action on Good Friday. 

Only John stays with Jesus to the end.

What would have happened to them 

without this strengthening experience?

Now, let’s bring this forward to our situation.

You and I don’t usually have a crisis of faith when all is well.

Actually, maybe we do, but we don’t realize it.

When everything is on the upswing, 

we don’t notice how rickety our faith may be:

that it’s shallow and we’re just going with the flow.

Then when the you-know-what hits the fan, we’re a mess, 

just like happened to the Apostles.

So, consider our situation: we get two years of Covid, 

and just as it seems like that is behind us…

Wham, supply-chain problems! Wham, inflation!

And I’m sorry, but let’s be candid: 

our political leaders do not inspire confidence in most of us.

Now we have a war in Europe, and it only requires a little slip

for this to become our war – another world war.

How’s that for our own shaken-to-the-core crisis?

Like the Apostles faced.

What the apostles needed to face their crisis is what you and I need:

To see the glory of Jesus. To remember who he is. 

If recent events are too much for you, turn off the TV and radio. 

Fix your eyes on Jesus. If you can, come here to St. Remy.

If you can, come on Thursday when we have exposition.

This church is open every day at 5 am, until 9:30 pm.

Anyone who wants access earlier or later, please let me know?

That can easily be arranged. 

And remember what an advantage you and I have over the Apostles.

When they saw everything fall apart on Good Friday, 

Easter hadn’t happened yet. 

They hadn’t had Jesus come back from the dead.

They hadn’t yet been given the Holy Spirit.

They didn’t know yet the power of the Holy Mass!

They didn’t yet realize that Jesus would always be present with them, 

above all in the Eucharist.

So: brace for impact. But remember, when the Cross came, 

Jesus was not alarmed, and he was not shaken.

Whatever may lie ahead, it will not surprise Jesus 

and will not be too big for him.

Today's Mass & homily...

 https://youtu.be/YKCtfFMLF10

The alarm clock (Sunday homily)

 In my first assignment as a priest, the other priest with me 

would often refer to this as the “baptismal” season of Lent. 

At first, I found this confusing, 

but as I listened to him and reflected on his point, I understood.

Lent is about baptism: what does that mean?

Well, that’s how Lent originated. In the beginning of Christianity, 

people would prepare very seriously for their baptism, 

for their confirmation 

and for the first reception of the Body and Blood of Jesus.

They would prepare for months or years – 

and the last six weeks would be especially intense. 

They would fast every single day.

After all, they were entering an entirely new life. 

They would receive a new name. 

And they knew they might lose their life; they might be martyred.

For pretty much all of us, of course, we’ve already been baptized, 

and that happened when we were a few months old. 

No drama, no peril; we may have literally slept through our baptism.

For us, Lent is our invitation to go back and make it all personal. 

That’s what the sacrament of confession is all about.

We go back to the font of baptism.

Now, for our kids in 2nd grade, preparing for your First Communion?

For our older kids, maybe in your teenage years, 

and you’re starting to put it all together? 

I’m talking to YOU right now.

Sometimes there isn’t any special moment; 

we just sort of grow into our own faith. 

But there can come a moment, when the lights go on; 

it all comes together, and you realize:

This isn’t about my parents or my family, but it’s ME:

It’s MY relationship with God. Who is Jesus TO ME?

For me, it was when I was 19, in my first year of college.

I had an encounter with our Lord, very personal, very intense.

It’s hard to describe, but I knew, down to my bones, 

that he was calling me to follow him. 

That moment changed everything.

Later I figured out that in that moment, 

the reality of my baptism, and my confirmation, came alive.

I woke up.

To be clear, that’s not when I heard the call to be a priest; 

that was when I heard the invitation to be a disciple.

This is what Lent is for: to wake us up.

Right now, I’m the alarm clock: RING, RING, RING!!!

Some here are already awake. You’re out of bed, getting to it.

So maybe you’re trying to turn me off! That’s OK.

The alarm is ringing for those who haven’t woken up yet.

Or think of this as the alarm on your phone, reminding you of a task.

Just now, I spoke to the kids; so, let me say something 

to those at the other end of the journey.

As you and I get older, we get set in our ways.

I’m 60 and it’s true for me. 

You start saying, “No, not trying that.”

I used to go camping, sleep on the ground – but now, no!

The danger is when that mindset comes into your spiritual life:

“Nah, I don’t need that! That’s for somebody else!”

Once again, I’m your alarm clock.

Jesus is speaking to every single one of us when he says, CHANGE.

And if you say, “Well, I don’t know how!”

Jesus does! Ask him. Open your heart.

As I said, many of us are awake, so just…keep going! 

God’s grace is at work in your life, trust that, give thanks for that.

And, for some here, the truth is, 

you’re not only awake, you’re TOO awake!

You’re charged up on “spiritual caffeine.” You’ve got spiritual jitters.

That part before wasn’t for you! It was for the sleepy, OK?

You’re earnest, you’re intense, that’s good! 

And I’m not trying to discourage fervor.

What I want to say to you in particular:

Remember God’s grace. It’s not all on you. 

God’s part is 99.999999999%; our contribution is a speck.

You and I cooperate with grace, but we don’t replace it. 

And we certainly cannot earn it.

You don’t have to fast on crackers and water. 

If you want to, that’s fine, but your family doesn’t have to.

Remember: when you were baptized, you didn’t do a THING.

Even now, no matter how old you and I are, 

each of us is still that baby that really doesn’t understand. 

God carries us. And that’s how we’ll get to heaven.

And some of us, hearing that, you think, “OK I can go back to sleep!”

No…that was for the already awake, the maybe “too awake.”

For every one of us, this is our time to come back to font, 

to the place of our new birth, to our baptism.

Preparing for Lent (Sunday homily)

  The first reading said, 

“When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear.”

That’s a good image for what we want to do with Lent.

We want to get those unsavory parts of our lives up on the surface – 

and, of course, get them out.

If you are thinking about Lent as something to be “got through” – 

just grit your teeth and march through to Easter – 

then you’re not going to gain much of anything from Lent.

The whole point of Lent is conversion. We all know that Jesus said: 

“Repent and believe in the Gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

All Christians know that. 

But what we as Catholics do – that not all Christians do – 

is give ourselves six weeks of focusing on that repentance, 

that turning back to God, that getting ready for the Kingdom.

Now, you and I can shake the sieve,

But truly, the conversion – the change – only happens with God’s help.

With the help of his supernatural grace, 

that is, his divine life poured into our lives.

So please do not reduce this to ritual or rules.

Those exist in service to something far more important, which is – 

to repeat myself – our conversion. Our becoming heavenly.

One day every one of us will leave this life, we know not when.

When you depart this life, where will you go?

Do you want to go to heaven? Of course, you do.

Do you take this for granted? 

What exactly in the words of Jesus lets you think so?

Jesus keeps saying, wake up! Get ready! Change your life!

Why would he do that if we could just cruise on autopilot 

straight through the Pearly Gates? 

Here’s a lesson that each of us can – and will learn – during Lent:

Change is hard. Conversion is hard.

Talk is cheap. Six straight weeks is something else.

One reason to give something up is precisely to humble ourselves, 

and to face the reality of our weakness and our spiritual flabbiness.

And I say it again: me too.

In the second reading, St. Paul talked about resurrection.

When the discipline of Lent becomes a real drag, 

remind yourself of what lies ahead. 

By the calendar, Lent leads to Holy Week and then to Easter:

The way of the Cross to Calvary, to the grave and then to new life.

For us that means taking up the Cross here and now.

Embrace purgatory, here and ahead.

One day it will be heaven and resurrection.

That means having our bodies back, new and improved.

What is mortal and frail will clothe itself with immortality.

That’s what Jesus told us to get ready for. 

The classic tools of this conversion are fasting, prayer and giving alms.

Each of us can offer more prayer, give up things we like, 

and give things away to help others. 

I repeat, everyone can do this, at any age.

I’m speaking right now to our children.

Talk to mom and dad about what you can do without or give away, 

about learning new prayers this Lent. 

And if you really want to make a good Lent, 

think about how you can make things easier for mom and dad. 

I especially want to highlight some opportunities for prayer 

you may not realize.

Daily Mass will be at 7 am, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

If you come about 20 minutes before, we pray Morning Prayer.

You can come to adoration anytime from about 8 am to about 8:30 pm. 

We’ll have Stations of the Cross every Thursday evening at 7 pm.

All the many opportunities for confession are available.

It’s game-time, let’s go! Let’s you and I make this our best Lent ever.

I’m praying that this will be a time of conversion:

For myself, for you, and for our parish.

Will you join me in that prayer, and in making that happen?

Which Adam will you be? (Sunday homily)

 What Jesus asks in this Gospel seems impossible.

And, at a certain level, it IS impossible.

The wrong someone causes you can be devastating.

Blackening your good name.

Betraying trust.

Damaging your relationships with others.

Causing you to lose your job.

The other day I saw a story about a man 

released from prison after many years. 

He’d been convicted of murder, 

but eventually the truth came out that his brother had done it. 

Imagine that: your own brother lets that happen to you.

You and I can also be in situations – like David’s in the first reading – 

where the right thing to do seems utterly inexplicable to everyone. 

As his right-hand man said, 

“God has delivered your enemy into your grasp!”

But what David understood was that 

this wasn’t primarily his fight, but God’s. 

The King was the Lord’s anointed; David left Saul to God.

How could David do this? The people around him, following him, 

not only found it confusing; they may have found it threatening, 

because their lives were in danger from Saul as well. 

So, I reiterate what I just said: at a certain level, this is impossible. 

How do you and I find the grace to do this?

Here’s where the second reading fits in.

This ability to forgive, this calm in the midst of a storm – 

both from your enemies, but also from your friends who are baffled –

Can only come from the Lord.

When Paul talks about two Adams, 

he means Adam at the beginning of the human race, 

and the second Adam is Jesus.

What he’s also saying to the Corinthians is:

Which Adam will you be?

The one who said, I don’t know if God is there or not. I’m on my own.

Or the one who said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

When you and I become a Christian, when we live as Christians, 

it means choosing that second Adam.

And when it seems especially difficult, 

ask yourself whether you’re acting more out of that first Adam 

point of view: I’m on my own.

If David had thought that way, he’d have killed King Saul.

This last week I was on retreat, 

and we were looking at the life and teachings 

of St. John Henry Newman.

Newman made a point about faith:

That, contrary to how people describe it, faith is NOT blind.

There can be times of darkness, but it’s not about being blind.

Rather, what faith does is enable you and me to see more fully.

If I take off my glasses, everything is fuzzier, 

especially way back there!

I put my glasses back on, and the weakness of my vision is corrected. Things are now clear. 

That’s what faith does.

One way to deal with people who have harmed you, and are harming you, 

is to follow David’s example.

David was not passive when King Saul was unjust and threatened him. 

David acted to protect himself and to escape danger.

Yet at a certain point he said, Saul is God’s problem.

So, whoever that is in your life, acting like Saul to you,

you can protect yourself and others.

But, if you have a chance to strike out, but maybe you don’t have to?

That’s what Jesus means by saying, “turn the other cheek.”

This person, this situation, is God’s problem. God’s battle.

Look at David’s life. 

He wasn’t off somewhere, away from the action – 

he was in the thick of battle, 

he’s living off the land, he’s on the run from danger.

But with all that, he’s talking to God. 

We have his psalms in the Bible:

“I was in battle, and you saved my life.”

“Wild animals were all around me, and you, God delivered me.”

“My sins are so loathsome, yet you forgive me!”

David would have loved being out in the woods in camo, hunting deer.

And he would have loved the sacrament of confession.

So, what St. Paul said to the Corinthians, he says to us:

Which Adam will you and I be? 

The worldly Adam who says, I’m alone, I don’t know where God is?

Or the Spirit-filled Adam who will be at the altar in a few minutes, 

offering himself to the Father for us, 

to give us his Body and Blood, cleansing us of sins, 

giving us eternal life, and making us life for others?

Which Adam?