Give me this water! (Sunday homily on justification)

 The second reading mentions “justification” – 

we don’t talk about this often, 

so you might wonder just what that is.

From the Council of Trent and the Catechism we learn that 

"Justification is not only the remission of sins, 

but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.” 

In other words, justification not only forgives us, but changes us.

And if we don’t change, what good is forgiveness?

The life of God is poured into our hearts and our lives.

In a word, we become saints. This happens in baptism.

Baptism! Ah, now you know why we heard the first reading 

and the Gospel, all about water. 

Of course, Jesus wasn’t just talking about ordinary water, 

but the water of the Holy Spirit.

And you and I receive this water first in baptism.

Remember, there are friends and family members in our parish family

who have been drawn here by that same grace of God.

They are preparing to be born again in baptism in a few weeks.

What drew them was the grace of your baptism, your witness.

So this is even more a good time to talk about baptism.

In baptism you and I are justified; we become saints.

This coincides with something else baptism does: 

it creates a new reality both in ourselves 

and in our relationship with God.

A moment ago, I said that in baptism,

the life of God enters us; you can also turn that around:

In baptism, you and I enter the inner life of God!

When we sign ourselves, notice: “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”

That signifies that you or I are “surrounded” by the Blessed Trinity!

Baptism is the moment we fully and truly become children of God.

Now, the mystery to all this is the working out of grace in our lives.

A true revolution happens in us at the moment of baptism:

total forgiveness, total adoption, total sanctification.

And yet, this explosion of grace in each of us 

doesn’t usually bring an instant change.

More often, each of us still has a zig-zaggy path to heaven.

The thing is, justification makes us truly free – free to say yes to God; 

how it plays out is that our lives are a long chain 

of daily, even hourly, yeses, mixed with nos. 

Thank God, when you or I betray our baptism in mortal sin,

our baptism is renewed in the sacrament of confession.

St. Therese, the Little Flower, got frustrated 

that she confessed the same sins over and over; 

until she realized that if she won that battle too quickly, 

she would fall prey to spiritual pride!

St. Therese’s example is a reminder to us: 

Holiness isn’t one-and-done, but lifelong; 

and not one, but all the sacraments sustain the life of God in us.

Notice something else striking: Jesus himself thirsted!

This is the amazing thing that is absolutely certain:

God thirsts infinitely for souls, 

and whatever path to sanctity each of us treads, long or short, 

straight or twisty, easy or rough – 

God’s unwavering purpose is that each of us will be glorious saints!

Saint Augustine said that the justification of sinners 

“is a greater work than the creation of heaven and earth," 

because "heaven and earth will pass away 

but the salvation and justification of the elect . . . will not pass away."

Some of us look ahead to baptism; others of us are invited 

to wake up again to that glorious gift we may have taken for granted.

This time of Lent is when, despite all our busyness,

you and I sit at the well again and say, 

Lord, give me this water always!

Jesus is the only way (Sunday homily)

 In the first reading, God says to Abram, get up and go. 

Go where? That’s a little vague. But the key word is “go.” 

In the Gospel, it is almost the opposite. 

God is saying, “Here”—this is my Son. 

In other words, Jesus is the destination, 

the “where” Abram was ultimately sent.

This season of Lent originated as the last weeks of prayer and fasting 

for people who are seeking to become Catholics at the Easter Vigil. 

They realized the day of their baptism, 

confirmation and first Communion 

would be the most important day of their lives.

The beginning of eternal life!

They also knew that being baptized 

was putting their neck on the chopping block. 

This is happening right now in Nigeria, among many other places.

Therefore, if you and I are going to risk our lives, 

we have to know: is Jesus the real deal? 

Is faith in Jesus truly necessary? 

This was the Apostles’ quandary as well.

That raises a thorny question: Is Jesus the only way to salvation? 

It’s a huge question and a brief answer isn’t enough. 

So, please realize I can’t address every nuance here.

That said—yes, Jesus is absolutely necessary for salvation. 

That’s why he is the Savior. That’s why he went to the Cross. 

None of it would make any sense if there was no real need,

if any god or path would do.

Why would God tell Abram to abandon everything familiar to him, 

if praying to the gods of Baal and Aphrodite would work as well? 

Well, then, that makes us wonder,

what about people who don’t believe in God? Don’t believe in Jesus? 

Don’t belong to the Catholic Church? Are they lost?

Again, here’s a short answer where a much fuller one is needed. 

Everyone – I mean, everyone – who ultimately is saved, 

will be in the Kingdom of Jesus, and because of Jesus. 

Jesus died for them, and his grace is what will bring them safely home.  

That doesn’t mean it is automatic, but it means:

Yes, Jesus is the one and only Savior of humanity.

Now: many of those folks may be surprised when they get there, 

to learn that it was Jesus all along. But they will make it.

We might think of this as God providing an ordinary path,

which is faith in Jesus, and the fullness of that is the Catholic Faith.

And, without trying to hit this too hard, 

that necessarily means that when we don’t have 

the fullness of the sacraments, that’s a real disadvantage.

That’s not about being arrogant but acknowledging God’s Plan.

Still, Jesus has ways of working in people’s lives 

that go beyond what we might call the “ordinary,” the primary, path. 

You and I, like Jesus, point out this primary path, 

but we don’t forget that God’s ways go beyond what you and I can see.

For example, suppose you oversleep and you don’t show up 

for a big test; if you don’t pass that test, you flunk.  

You might gain mercy, and your teacher might give you a make-up.

Or, she might not. You can’t assume that, 

but such “Plan Bs” do happen in life. 

And they happen in the spiritual life. 

The mystery of how God works in each human heart 

cannot be reduced to a formula. 

It is wrong to say that if you aren’t baptized, you have no hope.

Likewise, it is wrong to say none of this really matters—

that everyone makes it to heaven.

So, that’s my too-brief explanation.

There remains the invitation of God: do we say yes or no? 

We have many people around the world and in our parishes,

who are preparing now for baptism at Easter. 

Encourage them, pray for them, 

as they weigh the greatest question of all, a question for each of us: 

Who is Jesus? Will I seek him, and give him my all? 

Lighting candles (Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent)

 If there’s a theme to this homily,

it is the quotation associated with a group called “The Christophers”: 

It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

First, let me make sure you know that 

this weekend we are hosting Fr. Anaclet Mukendi Mpunga, 

pastor of St. Peter and Paul Parish in Haiti. 

He was here with us last evening at 5 pm,

and is getting to as many of the Masses as possible. 

But it’s practically impossible 

to go from the 9 am, 10 am, 10:30 am, and 11 am Masses. 

I know: I tried it, just once.

But we are having an information night tomorrow, 

Monday, at 6 pm in the school cafeteria at St. Henry. 

I hope you will go and meet him.

So, for this Mass, pretend I’m Father Anaclet! 

He is reporting back to us the work he’s doing,

with the help of many of our parishioners,

with the St. Jude Clinic that he oversees in Haiti.

This started as a project at St. Henry in 1988.

About a year ago, we started including an envelope for this project 

in the giving envelopes mailed out to everyone, 

with the promise of hosting an evening for parishioners to know more – 

and as mentioned, that’s tomorrow night.

In the meantime, here are a few details.

Haiti is a small country in the Caribbean.

It is desperately poor. The government is consistently corrupt. 

Disease and poverty are everywhere. Very limited schooling. 

In recent years, criminal gangs have had the run of the country. 

Someone shot at Father Anaclet; 

the bishop shut down the parish and clinic for two years. 

Things have gotten slightly less bad in the past two years: 

the parish and clinic reopened in 2024. 

At Father Anaclet’s recommendation, we stopped sending money

from the Haiti fund at St. Henry for a while, 

but we resumed it when Father Anaclet gave us a green light,

and we boosted for a short time what we sent to catch up. 

We’re not talking about the hospitals and urgent-care facilities 

we all take for granted here. 

The building that folks here helped build is simple,

but provides basic care with two doctors, 

a pharmacy and a clean place for medical tests and treatment, 

including for mothers to give birth.

Now, we might recall the point today’s readings make bluntly: 

the foundational, most structural problem the world faces 

isn’t medical or political, it is spiritual. 

That problem is evil, which is a result of sin.

Why is Haiti such a mess? It isn’t lack of money or stuff. 

It’s the problem of violence and greed and I think,

the power of spiritual darkness associated with Voodoo. 

And so, what you and I do in Haiti is lighting candles amidst darkness.

The same fundamental problem – spiritual darkness – afflicts us, too.

Our country has no lack of resources. 

Consider what two of our biggest health problems are?

Too much food, and too little exercise. Those are spiritual problems!

Our society can be measured by statistics; 

and it can also be measured by how well or badly we do 

with the seven deadly sins: 

greed, wrath, gluttony, lust, pride, sloth and envy.

Lent is a time of amplified focus on battling these sins, 

and lighting the candle of faith and conversion.

So, there’s one more thing happening this morning:

you and I welcome a group of spiritual pilgrims:

Men and women who, by divine providence, have found their way 

to our St. John Paul Parish Family.

It bears some reflection: what led them here, to us?

One way or the other, they saw the light of Christ in our midst.

And, in seven weeks, they’ll be back in this church, 

at the Easter Vigil: some to receive the sacrament of baptism, 

all to receive confirmation and Holy Communion.

They are on a pilgrimage this Lent; so are all of us.

Some to be enlightened by Christ; some to have that light renewed.

Whoever you are, of any age or condition, as we begin Lent,

I challenge you: be a light-bearer. 

That’s the whole point.

Jesus on the Journey with us (Baptism of the Lord homily)

 This Sunday’s feast is a liturgical pivot: 

it is the last Sunday of Christmas, 

and tomorrow begins what is called “Ordinary Time.”

That name, “Ordinary Time,” is a little misleading.

We hear “ordinary,” and we think, “routine,” or “same old, same old.”

If ever anyone in Rome calls me for advice – haha!

I would suggest they rename this as “Counted Time.”

That’s what it really means: we count the weeks; 

there are 34 weeks of “counted time” 

until we come back to Advent at the end of the year.

We count the years too, right? 

This is Anno Domini – the year of our Lord – 2026. 

We’ve been counting the years since Jesus was born.

This act of counting time is, 

when you think about it, an expression of our faith.

How so? Well, because it reflects our confidence 

that we are making progress on a journey. 

We’re not going in circles; and we’re not staying put.

Some world religions believe that you and I go through 

many life-cycles – this is sometimes called “reincarnation.” 

But everything in our Christian faith teaches us

that each person is unique and has an eternal destiny.

That destiny, that promise, is astonishing:

It is no less than to be lifted up into God’s own life.

This is what many of the prayers of Christmas call the “holy exchange.” 

God became human so that human beings can become divine.

When we festoon our buildings and trees and bushes with lights, 

it is not only cheerful, it serves to represent this reality:

that everything of this world is destined for transformation.

Well, as I said, this is the last Sunday of Christmas;

So I guess I’ll have to stop wishing you Merry Christmas today!

Still, if what you and I celebrate is real,

Then Christmas never ended! Jesus didn’t stop being one of us!

Our destiny still is ahead of us, and we count the weeks and years!

Now, there is a special focus in today’s Gospel, 

and it is on Jesus choosing to have his cousin John baptize him.

Remember, John was calling people to be baptized as repentance.

The equivalent for us is the sacrament of confession.

When the other priests and I invite you – or we invite each other – 

to come to confession, we’re doing what John the Baptist did:

Challenging people to repent and convert.

Starting in February, we’ll all do this collectively and intensely, in Lent.

So, to appreciate more fully what Jesus did – in being baptized – 

imagine he came into church and got in line for confession!

Let me tell you: if I’m hearing confessions, and the Lord comes in, 

I’m falling to my knees and confessing to him!

Surely that’s how John the Baptist felt, don’t you think?

When Jesus does this, he is demonstrating his solidarity with us. 

Every single one of us. 

There might have been some unsavory or disreputable people 

waiting on the riverbank, that Jesus came and stood with that day.

So, don’t worry about whether he will stand with you.

This again emphasizes the hope drawing us forward.

It is not merely an individual journey: we go forward together.

Since Jesus chose to be in solidarity with us – even the “worst” of us – 

then none of us, here, can dare to say, “but not those people.”

There is absolutely no one that Jesus does not invite to heaven!

You and I, therefore, are sent by him to relay that invitation!

Remember, this is the key point of the “Beacons of Light” project.

Reorganizing ourselves to be inviting, welcoming, evangelizing.

We had a good “problem” on Christmas, which we’ll try to address:

Some of our Masses were overly full!

No, we’d rather not have the stress involved, and yet:

Don’t we really want to face this “problem” on more and more Sundays?

If you and I are living our faith and sharing it, that’s what we hope for!

As you and I go forward in this year of our Lord,

We are looking for Jesus to meet us at journey’s end;

And at the same time, we know he keeps his promise:

He is with us, along the journey, all the way.

Don't miss your sign (Epiphany homily)

 Today we celebrate the Epiphany. 

What is an “epiphany”?

If you or I have a sudden moment of clarity, 

we’ll call it an “epiphany,” or an “‘aha!’ moment.”

So, it works like this:

Christmas is when God is born a human being. 

But only a few learn of it.

January 1 is the eighth day; that’s when a newborn boy is circumcised,

and when his name is given publicly for the first time.

Today, Epiphany: now the child is revealed to the nations.

He’s not just a Messiah for the Jewish people, 

but as Isaiah said in the first reading, light for the nations.

And that’s where the Magi come in: they are a symbol of the nations.

Their arrival is the beginning of the world having it’s “aha” moment.

So, who are these “Magi”? 

Magi were sort of like priest-philosophers

of the religion of Zoroastrianism.

And one of the things they did was to study the stars, 

expecting them to give signs and meaning. 

Now, as we know, sometimes the stars and planets 

do line up in curious ways, 

and you can have several seem to “meet” in the sky, 

making for an unusual light, which because it might happen so rarely,

no one alive had ever seen before. 

Nowadays, we have so much artificial light in the sky that we miss a lot.

But in those days, everyone saw a night sky full of light; 

and if you watched the sky, you saw lots of interesting things.

So, while the sign they saw might have been a miracle, 

it also might have been one of the delightful surprises 

that happen in the long course of the ages, planned by God.

Whatever the sign was, it stirred up the magi to make a journey;

and it alarmed Herod and the whole city.

Now, here’s where I give you something to ponder.

They only saw that star because they were paying attention;

What signs might you have missed, because you weren’t looking?

Or maybe you only “sort of saw,” but,

because you didn’t want to deal with it, you pretended not to see?

Sometimes we find the message troubling; but it doesn’t have to be. 

Herod could have welcomed Jesus – 

imagine how well that could have gone!

So many people find the sacrament of confession troubling.

They come in afraid and anxious,

but they leave so very, VERY happy:

because they didn’t ignore the prompting of their conscience.

I meet couples frequently who are preparing for marriage.

They are always glad they didn’t ignore 

the signs and promptings that led them to each other.

And I tell you right now, I am not sorry 

I followed the star that led me to be a priest.

But what if at the end of my life on earth, 

I had discovered that I missed it?

Then I would have been sorry.

Finally, we are sometimes tempted to think 

that our particular role isn’t important. 

But great things almost always start with tiny beginnings.

A baby is born. Far away visitors come to see.

But little by little, the message spread; 

until the year of our Lord 2026 

when a third of the world are Christians.

There are still Herods, striking out in violence.

Even so, the light keeps spreading. 

The word of Isaiah is being fulfilled.

Today you are the Magi who came to visit.

What have you seen? What will you lay at his feet?

And what will you tell others that you saw?

The Mirror (Mother of God homily)

 In considering how to summarize this holy day of obligation,

I decided the concept I want to give you is “mirror.”

Think of a mirror. Now let’s apply it to this day.

First, we have the title: Mary, Mother of God.

We are happy to honor Mary—and Jesus is happy that we honor her—

but this title is not primarily focused on her.

Rather, it makes a powerful statement about who Jesus is:

He is God; therefore, Mary is the Mother of… whom?

See how that works?

And now it does indeed become about Mary.

Mary is the mirror: everything for her is about reflecting her Son.

Recall what we celebrated on December 8:

how, from the first moment of her conception,

she was preserved from sin.

Why? Because the Savior deserved an immaculate mirror.

Now consider another aspect in today’s observance:

Jesus is circumcised on the eighth day, which falls today.

This small detail reminds us of so much.

Mary’s Son, who is God, is also completely human.

He entered not only the human family but the Jewish family.

Let’s recall the calling of the Jewish people.

It began with Abraham, who was told that in his descendant—singular—

all nations would be blessed.

It continued with the children of Israel,

whom God delivered from slavery in Egypt

and with whom he formed a covenant at Mount Sinai.

Most of our Bible is about God’s work among this people.

They were chosen to be a mirror; to reflect God’s glory to the world.

That his people so often proved poor mirrors

actually makes the story more powerful,

because it shows that God’s purpose always prevails 

despite human failure.

The plan was that this Chosen People would give the world a Messiah.

I emphasize, a choice God made.

Let me pause here to notice something disturbing in our time.

There is a revival of an ancient darkness called anti-Semitism.

Some of it takes the form of violence and harassment,

including that terrible attack in Australia recently;

and we have seen violence in our own country as well.

There is also a slicker form online:

popular personalities who deny the Holocaust

and peddle crackpot race theories,

all with a smile, promising the “inside story.”

I do not want this to be my main point, but I must say it clearly:

this hostility toward the Jews is crackpot and Satanic.

Remember: God chose a Jewish mother for himself,

and chose to become a Jew himself.

As Saint Paul says in Romans,

“The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”

Now, returning to the meaning of this day,

something else happens: the Messiah is given his name.

This connects beautifully to the first reading,

where Aaron blesses the people with the Name of God.

Allow me a short detour into history.

God revealed his Name to Moses in the burning bush: “I AM WHO AM.”

So great was the reverence for this Name that, over time,

it was almost never pronounced aloud.

Yet on the annual Day of Atonement,

the high priest would speak the Divine Name,

And the people fell on their faces.

Picture that scene.

Now return to the Gospel:

the baby Jesus is circumcised and named.

This involves shedding a small amount of blood.

Even as we celebrate Christmas, 

the shadow of the Cross falls across the crib.

Still, the point remains that, on this occasion,

the Divine Name is spoken, a new Divine Name:

Jesus, which means “God saves.”

So, we come to the first, the last, and the best mirror: Jesus himself.

Scripture often speaks of the “face of God,”

emphasizing that to see His Face was impossible, even deadly.

But with Jesus’ birth, God now truly has a human face.

Mary gives us this Gift;

God, through the Jewish people, gives us this Gift. 

Will you be a mirror?

Saint Paul reminds us 

that you and I have been adopted into this family.

Isn’t this our calling—to be his mirror?