The surprising littleness of the Kingdom (Sunday homily)

 You may be surprised to learn who Jesus is referring to when he says, “these little ones.” 

He’s talking about his apostles!

Yet that fits everything else Jesus taught them. 

Recall that when the disciples asked who was the greatest,

the Lord put a child in their midst and said, 

“Unless you become like children, 

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Another time he told them, 

“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

And then there’s the Last Supper. 

It is very likely that Peter — the one Jesus named as their leader — 

was seated at the far end of the table, where the servant sat. 

That same night, the Lord of the universe 

wrapped a towel around his waist and washed their feet. 

The Suffering Servant of Isaiah became their servant.

This is how Jesus’ kingdom works. 

We can imagine the apostles being startled — even offended — by it.

In calling them “little ones,” Jesus conveys two important realities. 

First, lowly status in the eyes of the world. 

Second, radical dependence on God. 

As children, you and I strain each day to become less dependent:

“I can do it myself!” 

Later in life, we learn humility on the installment plan 

as we slowly become more dependent again.

So, how does this apply to us?

It means our bishops, the successors of the apostles, 

are called to be shepherds who smell like their sheep, 

as Pope Francis said. 

There was a time when bishops were treated like princes. 

That honor was meant to point to Christ the King, 

but it also fed arrogance. 

We’ve tried to move away from that. 

When St. John the Baptist Church burned down in Mercer County, 

Archbishop Casey was in Maria Stein that next Sunday. 

The same lesson applies to priests. 

We receive a lot of deference — sometimes in unhealthy ways. 

No normal person likes being told, “that’s a bad idea!”

But it’s important that pastors have folks around them to do that. 

Our finance committee, school committee and pastoral council, 

our staff, our priests and deacons, provide that help. I’m glad they do. 

Even better is that we have so many people in our parish

who aren’t just naysayers, but problem-solvers. 

This truth reaches far beyond the clergy. 

It is a powerful thing when parents – or anyone in authority – 

is prepared to say, 

“I was wrong. I showed anger, I wasn’t patient. Please forgive me.” 

In fact, that boils down to six of the most powerful words 

any of us can speak: six words that – it is not an exaggeration to say – 

can change the world. Those six words are: “I was wrong. I am sorry.” 

Then, add two more: “Help me.”

There are a lot of employers who need to say these words 

to their coworkers. Husbands and wives, to each other. 

Jesus never had to say, “I was wrong.” He never sinned. 

And yet the eternal Son of God became a baby in a stable, 

dependent on others for food, warmth, and shelter. 

The Lord stood mute when, through Pilate, 

his creatures put him on trial, convicted and executed him. 

Not for any crime of his, but for the sins – and the reconciliation – 

of the world.

Our God who needs nothing still says to us, 

“Come to me… I thirst… Help me carry this cross.”

The Apostles may have been irked that Jesus called them “little ones.” 

They would each, in turn, be embarrassed 

when they experienced their own weaknesses. 

They became giants as they yielded to the truth 

of Paul’s words in their lives: 

it isn’t me, but Christ in me, that is powerful!

How about you? Maybe you think, I don’t need this pep-talk. 

This is for someone else. Hmm. Maybe.

Or, perhaps you think, no, I really am helpless, 

And God should call someone else! Maybe.

The thread of grace (11th OT Sunday homily)

 If you are wondering what thread binds all these readings together, 

I will tell you what I see. That thread is grace.

What is grace? Here’s a short answer:

Grace is God’s love and life, acting in our lives, to make us like God.

First God nudges and prompts us, and even blocks our way, 

all to steer us away from spiritual danger and toward life.

Those helps, nudges, prompts – which can come in our conscience, 

or from our guardian angel, or from other people – 

comprise what we call “actual grace.” 

What we also call grace is that infusion of God’s own life into our lives.

That is “sanctifying grace,” because it makes us holy. 

This grace forgives us and changes us to become heavenly.

To become like God. To be united to God!

Jesus gave us the sacraments as certain sources of sanctifying grace.

He chose and transformed the Apostles to bring the sacraments, 

to give us visible, tangible assurance of his grace.

Here’s an analogy.

A friend looks at you says, “You don’t look well. 

You need to go to the doctor.”

So, you go to the doctor, she says “Yes, you are very sick”;

but she gives you medicine, and you get better.

The friend’s nudge was actual grace;

what the doctor gives – to heal you – is sanctifying grace.

Although sorting grace in this way is helpful, 

ultimately grace boils down to one reality: 

God, who is mercy and life; who is holy, who is love.

As you and I encounter God, either we are drawn in, 

and transformed, into God – this we call purgatory and heaven –

Or else we resist and reject his life.

It is sobering to realize, that if we isolate ourselves from God,

the word for that self-chosen isolation? Is hell.

Notice what God told the people in the first reading:

I carried you. And what Paul said: that we were “helpless.”

And what Jesus said: what you receive, you received “without cost.”

So here are two key points I urge you to reflect on deeply. 

First: Grace – God’s love, God’s mercy – is all a GIFT.

No one earns heaven; no one pays for his or her sins.

It is not necessary; it is not possible.

The only response that is possible is to accept God’s love, 

and be transformed into love! Or else, to refuse it.

The idea that you or I could offer any “payment”

is equal parts offensive and laughable.

Second point: God’s grace always is ahead of you.

You may think it was your idea to turn back to God, to put things right; 

but in fact, it was God’s idea first. 

His grace nudges you; supports you, draws you, 

assists you all the way to the destination, which is Himself.

The only thing you and I can contribute is “yes.”

Once given, that “yes” becomes something astonishing.

Think of our Blessed Mother: what came from her simple “yes.”

This is the mystery of it all: 

Even the breath to speak that yes is itself God’s grace!

But it is still ours, enabled by him to be freely given.

If it sounds like I’m saying that it is all God, and none of ourselves, 

I am not quite saying that. This is the jaw-dropper:

A finite creature – us – 

is drawn up into the Infinite Love of God. 

We are both overwhelmed, and by that overwhelming, 

at last we become truly human.

The one right and necessary response is openness and gratitude. 

Because of our own narrowness, these are lifetime tasks.

This is the rationale to prayer, penance, acts of self-denial,

Mass each Sunday, and regular confession.

It’s not about paying God or impressing him – good luck!

No! These are time-tested tools to help us cooperate with God.

When I was a boy, my parents provided everything for me.

But like all the rest of us, at times my father and mother said,

Get off the couch, come help.

My “help” wasn’t that much help; sometimes it was a distraction.

But my folks knew that my response and participation

was going to help me become less selfish, more generous – more human.

Has it occurred to you what is happening right now?

By God’s grace you are here. Right now he is giving you life.  

Receive it without cost—so that you may share it without cost. 

Like the Apostles, you and I are sent.

Not as experts with all the answers, 

but as people so full of wonder that others cannot help but ask: 

“What happened to you?”

Three Words for Corpus Christi (Sunday homily)

 Pope Francis often created a homily 

around three words from the readings; 

that’s what I am going to do today.

The three words are “Remember,” “Participation” and “True.”

Let’s start with Moses telling God’s People to “remember.” 

“Remember how God directed your journey,” he said.

That was the point of the Passover, with the sacrificed lamb: 

to remember God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

But for Moses and the people, 

that remembering didn’t just involve a thought process. 

By sharing the sacrificial meal together, 

they went back in time in a sense, truly reliving the saving events.

And that is what happens in Holy Mass. 

You and I are, in a real sense, present at Calvary.

Present at the empty tomb. 

Present at the eternal supper of the Lamb.

Even though those are events either in the past, or ahead of us,

Nevertheless, God makes all these things present:

That’s what “remembering” means to God;

Because, realize, there is no past or future for God;

He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Now let’s add in St. Paul’s word: “participation.”

A lot of people misunderstand what it means to “participate” in Mass.

While it’s good to give the responses, or to sing, 

or perhaps to help as a reader or usher 

or some other role at Mass,

these are not the primary way you or I “participate” in Mass.

So, someone might say, the Mass is in Spanish, so I can’t participate.

I can’t see, or I can’t hear, so I can’t participate.

These are legitimate concerns, but stop and think:

Do we really mean to say that folks with bad eyesight, 

or bad hearing, are unable to “participate”? 

That can’t be the right answer.

No, even if you don’t understand the language, you still participate.

The fundamental way we participate is by our intention:

We join our prayers and faith with those of God’s People, 

and above all, with Jesus himself, who is the true priest,

who really is the one offering the Mass.

Sometimes people won’t bring their children to Mass, saying, 

“Oh, they’re too young to get anything out of it.”

My answer is: What about grace? They get grace! Isn’t that the key?

We don’t come to Mass to get a bulletin or a homily or — 

sorry to shock you — even to get Holy Communion.

You and I are drawn here to be united with Jesus in his suffering, death, and resurrection. 

That’s the heart of what we come to “do” and what we come to “get.”

Of course, Holy Communion is the most profound gift — 

the summit of that union.

But if we reduce participation in the Mass to doing certain things, 

or to a certain level of understanding, 

or even simply to receiving Communion, 

we are missing the deeper reality.

The central reason we are here is because Jesus chooses — 

in the Mass — to offer himself in the fullest possible way. 

Yes, most of the Apostles weren’t at the Cross — only John was — 

but they should have been! Mary was there!

And let me explain that the reason 

some people shouldn’t receive the Eucharist is not about “worthiness” – 

because no one is ever worthy – but about “readiness.”

Not everyone is ready for that most intimate form of participation.

Some are too young – First Communion comes usually in second grade.

Some are wrestling with mortal sins and need confession.

Still others haven’t decided what they believe;

Or whether they really want to commit themselves.

Because we all agree that Holy Communion is supremely important,

Then, being ready in all these ways seems obvious.

Now let’s look at the third word, from the Gospel: “True.”

Jesus – who is the Truth – tells us, 

“My Body is true food. My blood is true drink.”

Through history, divisions have sadly arisen among Christians, 

As a result, we don’t all share the same understanding.

We Catholics must bear witness to what Jesus himself says:

Holy Communion isn’t bread and wine, it isn’t merely a symbol.

The Mass truly is a sacrifice, of Jesus’ true Body and Blood.

You and I cannot be smug or superior.

Yet: this Gift of the True Sacrifice and True Presence is here!

Ask the Holy Spirit for words of grace and love, to tell others!

Invite people to come and pray in our church.

Explain: that’s the altar; that’s the tabernacle. 

Welcome people to discover Jesus in our midst.

The Holy Trinity is the 'why' of Christ's mission (Holy Trinity homily)

 Since I don’t have a screen up here, use your imagination with me:

Picture an adult walking with children behind, 

all of them holding onto a rope, the end of which mom or dad is holding. 

I’ve actually seen this in action. 

It’s a simple but effective way for a parent, teacher, or scout leader 

to keep the children close — and that can be really important. 

I hope this image helps us keep today’s feast of the Holy Trinity 

closely linked to Easter and Pentecost. 

This feast emphasizes the “why” behind 

Jesus giving us the Holy Spirit: 

to bring us into the very life of the Holy Trinity.

Jesus’ whole mission — becoming human, dying on the Cross, 

rising from the dead, and sending the Holy Spirit — 

is to bring us into relationship with God. 

Today we focus on who that God is.

Some people say, “Who cares if God is a Trinity? 

I just believe in God — that’s enough.”

But think about it: the Romans called Julius Caesar a god. 

Is that the God you believe in? Not mine. 

A god is not the same as the God. 

And since God himself tells us who He is, 

wouldn’t it be rude to reply, “Oh, I don’t care”?

The reason we profess God as Trinity 

is because Jesus himself revealed it. He didn’t use the word “Trinity,” 

but He commanded us to baptize 

“in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

But let me illustrate why clarity matters. 

I have a friend who I hadn’t seen for many years; 

and we got talking and he caught me up. 

He’d gotten married, and it turned out, his wife was Muslim. 

Then he told me, he became a Muslim; he renounced Jesus!

And he tried to say, oh, it’s all the same.

My heart broke when I heard this!

No disrespect to our Muslim neighbors, but it’s not the same — 

and Muslims would be the first to tell you so. 

They do not accept that Jesus is God the Son, 

or that the Father sends the Holy Spirit through Jesus.

This goes to the heart of Christianity: 

God is not a solitary “other,”

but a relationship of Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The whole mission of Jesus

is to draw us into that relationship, that divine Life.

Of course we ask: How can I possibly “relate” to God? 

Without grace, it’s impossible — no more than a gnat can relate to us. 

Yet this is the point:

God descends, down, down, down, way, way down, to our level.

But not to say “hi” and leave; but to take us with him, back …

Up, up, up, in, deeper, deeper, all the way into the heart of God!

*** At 11 am only ***

At this Mass, we have a young man 

who is making his profession of faith as a Catholic, 

receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation and his first Holy Communion.

____, you entered this Divine Life through baptism.

Through confession and Holy Communion, 

God will nourish this life in you. 

Maybe right now, you’re thinking, “oh I’m so nervous!

I don’t know what’s happening!” That’s okay!

God himself, with our help, is doing all the work for you.

In confirmation – and you’ll hear this in the prayer in a moment –

He “seals” you with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God wants to “seal” that Divine Life in you, and you, in Him!

Thank you for being here, today,

so the rest of us can see God’s Plan unfolding before our very eyes.

***

Saint Paul said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 

what God has prepared for those who love him.”

That “what” is nothing less than sharing in the life of the Holy Trinity.

Jesus came to show us the Father. He and the Father are one. 

Through Him the Father gives us the Holy Spirit. 

He is the Vine, we are the branches — sharing His very Life.

Not two different forms of life: one Divine Life.

You might say, wow, how then do I receive this Life?

God gives it to us through baptism, confirmation, 

the Holy Eucharist, and all the sacraments.

We repair the damage from sin, through confession and conversion.

We share this Life together as Christians, nourishing each other.

This is who we are as Catholics! We share this Divine Life.

And we tell others in our own words what we have been given, 

and what we are eager to share.

So, short answer: why do we believe God is a Trinity?

Two reasons: because Jesus told us so.

And because that Trinitarian life is where Jesus is leading us.

Farewell, 8th Graders! (Graduation Mass)

 Do you realize that in both the first reading and the Gospel today, 

we hear St. Peter speaking? That doesn’t happen very often.

You may also not realize how much time passed 

between those two moments.

When Peter says to Jesus in the Gospel, 

“We have given up everything and followed you,” 

he’s probably around 25-30 years old. 

When he writes the words we hear in the first reading, 

it’s roughly 30 years later. 

He’s now an older man, near the end of his life.

In the Gospel, when Peter says they’ve given up everything, 

he’s not speaking as someone who had nothing to lose. 

He was married; Jesus healed his mother-in-law. 

He had a thriving fishing business on the Sea of Galilee. 

Following Jesus meant leaving a lot behind.

Then, about 30 years later, we hear from Peter again. 

By now he has traveled thousands of miles from Galilee. 

He has faced shipwrecks, beatings and prison.

When he writes this letter, he is in Rome, 

very aware of the threat of persecution. 

He was martyred there around the year 64, 

probably not long after writing this letter. 

In other words, he’s given up, 

or is about to give up, everything for Jesus.

Eighth graders, you are at an exciting—

and maybe a little anxious—moment. 

Next year you won’t all be together anymore. 

You’ll head off to different high schools. That’s bittersweet. 

But I was impressed this morning 

when Mrs. Kondritz read some of your hopes and dreams 

as your diplomas were presented. 

Many of you said you’re eager for the challenges ahead. You should be!

High school was where I really started figuring out who I was 

and what I cared about. 

I’ve come a long way since then—

as all the adults here would say as well.

But in many ways, the person I am today 

began taking shape in high school.

Of course, like Peter, you cannot begin to imagine what you’ll be like, 

or what the world will look like, in thirty years. 

When I started high school, 

we were getting ready for America’s 200th birthday. 

There was no Internet, no cell phones, no personal computers. 

I typed everything on a typewriter 

and made copies with carbon paper. 

It sounds crazy now, doesn’t it?

In thirty years, you’ll be in your forties—

older than many of your teachers are right now. 

Many of you will be married with children of your own. 

And like St. Peter, you will have a lot to give up for Christ.

Listen again to what Peter says near the end of his earthly life. 

He tells us that what Jesus Christ has done for us is so wonderful 

that even the angels in heaven marvel at it. 

He’s talking about Jesus’ death and resurrection, 

and the new life and the future world that still await us. 

That’s why he urges us to be “sober”—serious, clear-headed, 

and ready for whatever Jesus has in store.

My hope for you is that the seeds 

that were planted in you, here, at Bishop Leibold—

seeds of faith, virtue, courage, and love—

will keep sprouting and growing stronger.

May they you, like Peter, 

to give yourself to something greater than yourself.

That most important “something” is really a Someone:

Jesus Christ, who gave everything for us.

Remember how Jesus answered Peter when he said, 

“We have given up everything for you”? 

Jesus promised, “You will receive a hundred times more.” 

There’s a famous story from near the end of Peter’s life. 

As persecution raged in Rome, 

Peter lost his nerve and started to flee the city. 

On the road out of Rome, he met Jesus carrying a cross. 

“Where are you going, Lord?” Peter asked. 

Jesus replied, “To Rome, to be crucified again.” 

Peter found his courage and returned to Rome.

And was himself crucified.

Whether that exact meeting happened, the story reveals a truth:

Peter had moments of weakness, as we all do.

One way or the other, he remembered 

why he had given up everything for Jesus.

Your parents, your teachers, and I are all praying 

that when you look back on your years at Bishop Leibold, 

you will remember that we helped you meet Jesus here—

and that you decided He is worth everything.

'The End of the Beginning.' (Pentecost homily)

 At one point in the dark hours of the Second World War,

the Allies had a rare victory in North Africa,

and Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain,

described it this way:

“This is not the end;

it is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

That is a good way to describe this feast of Pentecost—

yes, it is the end of the Easter Season,

but far more, it is the “end of the beginning.”

The beginning of what?

The beginning of the final salvation Jesus has for us.

It helps to recall the meaning of Lent and Easter:

In Lent we acknowledge, we need a Savior.

In Holy Week we see what it took: his suffering and death.

Easter Day: He rose from the dead!

For 40 days after: He finished preparing the Apostles.

Ascension: He took his seat on the throne of heaven!

So, when we come to Pentecost, everything is ready:

Ready for the Holy Spirit to be the spark of life.

Years ago, Pope Benedict made the point 

that when our Lord ascended into heaven,

that wasn’t him leaving.

We often refer to when Jesus “comes back,” but that’s a misnomer. 

He never left!

Instead, Jesus remains here,

and his presence is growing in the world all the time—

the “final coming” is when his presence here is complete:

that’s the real “end” of this world of pain,

and the real beginning of the New Creation.

This is what Saint Paul refers to, in his letter to the Romans,

when he says “all creation groans.”

Paul is talking about “labor pains”:

something beautiful is about to happen,

yet it comes with pain and stress.

This image helps us understand

why things are the way they are.

Why isn’t the world a better place?

We have such abundance, yet so many are in want.

So many people, at every stage of life, are treated as a burden.

Why is there no peace in the world…

In our homes? In our hearts?

You and I are the New Creation being born.

The groaning, the struggle, that our world goes through—

it happens in our lives and in the Church.

We realize we, ourselves, hardly measure up yet

to being the full Body of Christ.

We have so far to go!

There are so many others yet to be invited,

Yet to be drawn into the Life of Christ.

Well, next week brings an opportunity to bear witness – 

and in doing so, invite people to draw closer to Jesus. 

After the 10 am Mass at Our Lady of Good Hope,

We’ll have a procession with the Eucharist

Through the streets of Miamisburg.

What inspires us? The Holy Spirit!

What will we pray for?

“‘Lord, send out your Spirit,

and renew the face of the earth’—

starting here, in our parish!”

Of all the mysteries of our Faith,

the Eucharist sums up all that we believe

and all that we hope to be.

The Eucharist starts as ordinary bread and wine.

You and I are that bread and wine.

But Christ is not content with that.

He takes us in his hands,

He lifts us up to the Father,

And calls down the Holy Spirit on us,

that we may become…the Body and Blood of Christ!

When Father Chris, our deacons, and I,

carry the Eucharist through the streets –

as we’ve done this, we’ve had people react with awe and prayer, 

and others who were simply puzzled – 

realize: that’s the pattern for each of our lives: 

each of us is a “monstrance,” 

that is, the vessel that carries Jesus Christ,

and shows him to the world!

As each of us brings Jesus into our daily lives,

Seeking – at work or school or at home – to keep him close,

Some will simply be puzzled by our choice not to gossip or cheat.

Others will be awed by, and drawn to, 

by our prayerful, peaceful example.

When Jesus is on the altar, we kneel in adoration;

rightly so, for this is Jesus, our Savior.

But also see in the Eucharist what he has destined for us:

we become his Body, our lives are caught up in his;

we are the New Creation, united with Christ forever!

It seems so far away.

But we are only at the end of the beginning.