The truth about Hallowe'en & All Saints (homily)

 

Apologies to Harold Ramis, his great cast and fun film

Let’s spell out a few key points about this feast.

First. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about Hallowe’en, 

which is part of this feast. Hallowe’en means the eve, 

or “e’en” of All Hallows, which is just another way of saying, All Saints. 

So maybe you saw someone claim that we Catholics 

dressed up a pagan holiday and turned it into this feast. 

Not true. 

The fact that a pagan holiday was on or around Nov. 1 is meaningless.

If you do more research, 

you’ll discover there were pagan holidays all year long! 

You can’t pick a day that doesn’t have some pagan association.

That’s why, therefore, you see the same claim made 

about Easter, Christmas, Candlemas, Assumption, 

and lots of saints days as well.

So, the pagan holiday associated with Oct. 31? It was in Ireland.

The first celebration of All Saints on November 1? 

That was in Rome, when Pope Gregory III 

dedicated a chapel to All Saints.

Why’d he pick Nov. 1? Maybe because that’s when it was finished?

But no, he wasn’t thinking about pagans in Ireland!

Let’s stop being on the defensive about Hallowe’en and All Saints.

There’s nothing wrong with wholesome fun. 

But the main point was and is the saints.

That is my second point: Halllowe’en and All Saints are about grace.

Grace is God’s own life and love, poured into our lives, 

to make us like God.

All Saints – including the eve, Hallowe’en – 

exists to celebrate God’s success stories.

What would it say about Jesus’ plan to become human, go to the Cross, found the Church on the apostles 

and send them out in the power of the Holy Spirit, 

and 2,000 years later, and there wasn’t much success?

Like, we maybe got one saint a century, we’re up to 20! Woo hoo!

No! We have in the shared memory of our Church, 

the names of tens of thousands of saints. 

We don’t even know for sure, because so much information was lost.

We have stories about many of them,

But for others, we have but a name and the barest details,

Such as Saint Christopher and St. George.

With Saints Valentine and Cecilia, 

we may have multiple saints jumbled together.

But that makes sense: a boy in the 3rd century 

was named for a saint from the second century, 

and the boy becomes a saint too!

Isn’t that why you name a child after a saint?

There are places named for saints because there was a church, 

but now that’s just a pile of stones. No one knows any more about it.

All that is left is the memory, but what a memory!

They remembered God’s grace and that memory lives on.

Of course, there are vastly more saints 

who we will not know about until we, ourselves, 

become saints and join them.

Just a note here about All Souls, which comes on November 2.

That is the day for the “faithful departed,” meaning: 

for those who weren’t necessarily finished products, 

as it were, in this life, but who have certain hope – 

I repeat, certain hope – of victory.

If you didn’t know this before, hear me: 

everyone who enters Purgatory will be a saint. Without exception.

Purgatory is the saint-finishing school, and our prayers help.

Now, a final point, about the way this day of grace is being falsified.

Surely you notice that lots of celebration of Hallowe’en 

isn’t about good, but about evil. 

Not about the saints, but devils and other ominous things.

It’s not about heaven, but about hell.

So much so, that many people avoid Hallowe’en.

And that’s a shame because, again, it’s about Heaven, not hell.

Don’t be fooled. 

Of course, the devil would want to change the subject to himself! 

Every time God fills another human being with light, forever, 

is a scalding defeat for the enemy. He hates it!

God wants friendship and love, the devil wants fear and pain.

I am asking all of us to work together to change the subject back:

Hallowe’en and All Saints are about God’s grace changing us.

There’s nothing wrong with having fun with scary stories,

But just remember, to be a friend of Jesus – to be a saint – 

is to have nothing at all to be afraid of.

Our Patron, John Paul II (Sunday homily)

 This weekend you and I do what we always do: we gather for Mass.

We’ll have about 2,500 people in our eight Masses, 

and we’ll have more who will observe via the Internet.

And yet, there’s something we’re doing for the very first time:

All three parishes together 

are observing the solemnity of St. John Paul II.

Today is a good time to reflect on what it means 

that God gave us Pope John Paul II 

as the patron of our three parishes coming together.

“JPII” had an unparalleled devotion to our Lady;

He must love being a protector of two churches dedicated to her!

St. Henry was a king who preferred peace to war;

John Paul helped peacefully win the Cold War.

What St. John Paul might best be known for is that all his life, 

right until his last breath, was about pointing to Jesus.

There is a phrase he often used, which I’d like to propose 

you and I adopt as our inspiration: “Open wide the doors to Christ!”*

He looked ahead to the 3rd Millenium 

and foresaw reimagining parish life, to reorient familiar things.

That’s what you and I have been doing, and there’s more to do.

So, we pause to consider: 

what do you and I want that reimagined life of our parishes, 

the re-ignited spreading of our Faith to those around us, to look like?

Today, I’m giving you an invitation

to play an essential part in making that new reality happen.

That is the objective of our “Open Wide the Doors” campaign, 

which you may have heard about already, 

and you will hear more about, in the days ahead.

Consider the journey we’ve been on.

We could go all the way back to 1852, 

when Our Lady of Good Hope was founded, under another name; 

or to 1867, the beginning of St. Mary in Franklin; 

or to the beginning of St. Henry in 1960.

Lots of challenges and surprises 

and lots of people full of faith ready for them,

including our recent journey bringing us together.

Thank you for already opening wide your hearts to this journey, 

and to the future that remains hidden;

but which will be far brighter faced with faith and not fear. 

You and I, in turn, owe thanks to all who brought us thus far, 

on whose work you and I will continue to build.

It has always required more than the ministry of our priests, 

the instruction of teachers and catechists 

and the labors of staff and volunteers, all so valuable.

No, you and I got here together; it requires all of us.

So, at this moment, I’m asking everyone to pause and consider:

What will be your part, my part of the story 

as we write this next chapter?

You’ve certainly noticed new faces: mine! 

Also our safety volunteers, and new staff members.

You have read about things we’re organizing in some different ways,

Both to get more value for your dollars and to serve people better.

We’ve opened wide the doors of our three campuses.

More people are enjoying the PAC at St. Henry.

You’ve seen improvements 

at Our Lady of Good Hope and St. Mary, long needed.

These things all cost money.

You may not realize it, but I’ve been meeting quietly with folks 

who have responded generously thus far with about $340,000 pledged 

toward these efforts to make our shared homes more welcoming.

But the financial backbone of our parishes is your weekly offerings.

In the next few days, you’ll receive a letter inviting you to consider: what am I willing to offer to help open even wider the doors 

of all three of our churches and all we can offer?

By “wider,” I mean this:

There are 130,000 people who live in our combined parish boundaries.

A lot of them are fellow Catholics who we haven’t met yet.

There are so many ways you and I can welcome them, 

but our present resources are limited.

As you saw in my report a few weeks ago, 

two of our parishes have a deficit, 

almost all due to the maintenance needs we are catching up on. 

We’re spending more because we’re doing more.

You and I can balance our budgets tomorrow by simply deciding:

we won’t be ambitious. We will stand pat.

But that’s not Opening Wide the Doors; that’s shutting them!

And our parishes will not thrive if you and I don’t step out in faith.

When you receive the mailing I mentioned, 

please consider how you can help our parishes take these steps.

There will be a commitment card 

and I ask you to pray about what you will do, 

and bring your commitment to church next weekend. 

And just to make clear: when you check that commitment card, 

you decide what to offer and how it will be used. 

One of our goals is to give you maximum flexibility

in being able to direct your donations where you want them;

and to enable you to contribute safely online or with an envelope.

We can’t do any of this without you!

St. John Paul II had another phrase he was famous for,

Which was, of course, Jesus’ own words:

“Be not afraid”!

Together, you and I can offer ourselves 

and the treasures of our parishes, our shared home, 

to welcoming more, to help others share our faith, 

and as a result, we build the St. John Paul II Family.

It’s in our own hands. Be not afraid!

* After the first Mass, I was reminded by a reading in the breviary that Pope St. John Paul II said these words in his first homily as pope.

The gold of heaven (Sunday homily)

 This meeting between Jesus and the rich young man 

reminds us that there is only one form of wealth 

that we can take with us after we die.

It is not money; we will leave it all behind. 

The only wealth you and I can take with us is other people.

That’s why the most beautiful work any person can accomplish 

is to be a parent, to bring new life into the world. 

We do this both in the natural sense, and in the spiritual sense.

Notice Jesus talks about those who give up family and children 

will “receive a hundred times more.” 

If I had raised a family, it would not have been easy 

to match my parents’ achievement of seven children.

But as a priest, I have baptized hundreds of babies, 

And witnessed hundreds of weddings.

I’ve heard thousands of confessions.

With our Parish School of Religion and Bishop Leibold School, 

we have over 600 children we share our faith with each week.

Parents, you know how beautiful it is to cooperate with God 

and bring new life into the world;

and you grasp better than any others the even more urgent task 

of bringing them into the next world, into God’s Kingdom.

This you promised when you brought them to be baptized.

Recall that we name the family “the domestic church.”

And this a good time to remember that the family – 

not the parish and our many activities, not our school, but the family – is where the faith is first nurtured and best nurtured.

 

As much as we need priests and deacon and vowed religious – 

and you can make such a difference saying yes to that call! –

it is the task of every single Christian 

to beget spiritual life in ourselves and others.

As in family life, this goes beyond what we learn and know;

it is fundamentally about the witness of daily perseverance.

And, to state the obvious: you and I can’t give what we don’t have.

True for money; true for faith. 

People around us, our kids, our coworkers, see what our priority is.

As they see you and me put Jesus at the center, that’s how we do it. 

And anyone can do that, any age or situation. 

Everyone can do this!

By the way: people say, what will revive our parishes?

What’s the secret? This is it!

Jesus at the center, in our lives; people will see it.

And over time, they’ll decide you’re for real, and they’ll respond.

The book of Revelation says the heavenly Jerusalem is a city of gold.

But what is gold to God is not a rock in the ground, but people!

God can have all the gold and diamonds he wants, just by wishing it. 

But God the Son came to earth, 

and shed his blood, for people. He thirsts for souls.

You and I are the treasure God values above all. 

This is one reason you and I as Catholics push back 

on the claim that there are “too many people.” 

God never says that. 

We human beings, who sometimes mismanage 

the resources of this abundant world, are the ones who say that.

Human beings, the image of God, are his greatest treasure.

So, I’d say to our children, in your day-to-day experience at school, 

it is pretty common for students to treat each other badly.

When I was a boy, there were some who bullied me.

And there were times I joined in insults, 

or remained silent when I ought to have spoken up.

Don’t wait to be a friend and to be bold standing up for what is right.

The ability to make a difference in someone’s life starts early.

Saturday I got together with a friend I’ve known since Kindergarten!

We’ve been a good influence on each other. I hope I see him in heaven!

Think about that.

You and I are hoping to make it to the Kingdom.

Think about what it will be like to get there, and look around,

and see all the people you helped get there, or who helped you.

That is the only way to be truly rich.

Be part of the flood (St. Henry Dedication homily)

 Today we celebrate a special occasion just for St. Henry. 

That’s why the readings and the Mass prayers were different.

We recall when this church was consecrated 

by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk on October 3, 1982.

Here we are, 40 years later. 

And this is a glass-half-full-or-half-empty kind of situation.

The constant of our times is constant change. 

You and I experience it in this parish – 

but that reflects the larger society.

That said, I bet many of wish we could find, here, 

a refuge from that constant froth.

May I point out that when this church was built, 

it was a deliberate expression of change?

This design departs notably from the old, familiar style.

Maybe you like that, or you don’t, but it wasn’t an accident.

The hope was to express openness.

And the point I’m making is that a certain amount of flux 

was baked into this parish’s DNA right from the beginning.

And I think that “openness” this church building tries to model 

is at work in this community.

If you drive past St. Henry, early, mid-day or evening, 

have you noticed? There’s always some cars, always some activity.

Our fields and our Parish Activity Center are busy!

In the midst of the change with our three parishes becoming one,

That activity level is increasing. That’s openness in action.

Every week I sign paperwork approving expenditures 

and big numbers make my eyes pop: one was $21,000!

Then I saw what it was: it was your gifts to St. Vincent de Paul.

That’s openness.

Thank you for that openness.

It is disorienting and tiring to experience change;

At the same time, your openness is a healthy thing.

The task ahead for all Catholics in our country – 

not just this parish –

is to rethink and reorient how open we are, 

how engaging we are, in sharing our faith.

For the longest time, we Catholics were so low-key about that.

This is a culture shift and it won’t be easy.

Forgive me for reminding you: when you and I met two years ago, 

and I listened to the questions and observations of our parishioners,

a frequent yearning was to revive the practice of our Faith, 

to bring people back in these doors, and to bring new people, if we can.

If we’re going to do anything with that desire, we can’t sit still.

I agree with those who’d like a little rest from change!

But we don’t want to get stiff and stuck.

This church was designed to challenge us to action. 

Surely you noticed, the light comes in and changes through the day.

We need a refuge, but we don’t want to close ourselves off.

Indeed, you and I must be willing to be that water that flows out, 

as we heard described in the first reading. 

If you noticed, it starts as a trickle – 

that’s a symbol of each of us individually; 

but all those trickles become a flood, giving life.

That flood happens as each of us shares our hope with others.

Invites others to pray in this church, 

to join our men’s and women’s retreats, 

to help assemble blessings in a bag 

or to walk with women facing challenging pregnancies.

Our Bishop Leibold School, which is growing 

and continues to win awards, is another channel of this life.

Let me be candid: there are some who are more salty than fresh water!

There’s always something to find wrong if you look.

And that’s OK, because finding leads to fixing. 

Keep me in the loop.

But I don’t buy that there’s not a great deal more 

good to celebrate and life to share. 

Be part of that flood!