Listen to the homily here.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
"The Beauty of the Word" with Catholic Education: Monday, October 29th, 2018
Listen to the homily here.
How should we cry out for God/Jesus?: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
I think that our readings are connected with an interesting action
· Here it is:
o Jeremiah as a prophet: “Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.”
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.”
o Mark as an evangelist: “As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out…”
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out…”
· Here is a nuance connection with this one descriptive action: “shout” with joy for Jacob and Bartimaeus, “he began to cryout”
And these are like the ice cap of an iceberg that goes very deep in our history
· In the first passage, shows a macro moment—God’s called people
o At this point in history, God’s people divided itself with the Israelites and the Judaist
o Eventually, both groups were defeated by the Babylonians and the Assyrians into destruction, taking away from their homes and culture
o And we heard Jeremiah proclaim, ““The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.”
o God brings His people back together
· In the passage in Mark shoes a micro moment—one person, Bartimaeus
o “On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,[Bartimaeus] began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
o And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
o “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."” And he could, thanks to Jesus Christ
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."” And he could, thanks to Jesus Christ
Now, with these two passages, I believe that these clearly speak to us today
· We are polarized in our country, our communities and possibly even our familes
· People are shouting or crying
o But what are they shouting or crying for believing whether change or tradition, anger, fighting on both sides between different camps at the human level
· But I think that we as Catholics and Christians, must go beyond ideas, policies, etc.
· We must cry, we must shout, for Jesus Christ
Parish Bulletin Article: "One of the Seven Coporal Mercy-Visit the Sick and Beyond": 10-28-18
This weekend I would like to ask you to consider one of the seven corporal mercies: (to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to the stranger, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead).
I mention this because one of my favorite saints, St. Teresa of Calcutta, continues to prick my conscience with one of her favorite passages in Matthew 25: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35, 40).
So today, my question to you is this: could you visit the sick? And, within a more extensive section in God’s Kingdom, could you visit our brothers and sisters who live in a nursing home, assistant housing, homebound or those who are lonely?
Like earlier this week, our Pastoral Council was speaking about how important it is to serve our parishioners who cannot make it to Mass. A straightforward gift that you can give them is to visit them. You may not only make their day, but you may also make your day, too, as these individuals may share their wisdom, missions in their lives, support to our parishes and school, and listen to some fantastic stories.
I would also like to add another portion of this work of mercy: to bring the Eucharist so they may receive Jesus’ Body and Blood as they cannot make it to Mass. Thank you to our parishioners who serve in this way already, and consider doing the same as we always need more Eucharistic Ministers. (Please call our office or speak to me to learn how to offer this vital mission).
Finally, we are working for a document so that we may organize better to serve you, or your loved one. The best way we can do so is only to share your name, location and phone number as we can then quickly profoundly connect you to our family, God’s family.
Please pray and discern if you can offer the corporal work of mercy to your brother and sister.
God Bless!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Clergy Conference with new, and renewed in my vocation to serve you: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Clergy Conference
· Patristics: Patriarchs for the first seven centuries
· As we learned about what the Eucharist, Christ, culture, Scriptures, were with that optics, that age, within different places without email, phones, or social media
· And the same bishops and priests would preach about the same readings that we listened today
Our Clergy Conference who taught us again, gave us a vital moment in his life as a rector of a seminary
· He was led and taught his seminarians with practicing their homilies using the same readings
· And what was he surprised about? Every homily was different!
· And today, I’ll check in with my brothers what they preached about…and similarly, each is different
If a Bishop, Priest or deacon opens their hearts to the Holy Spirit, they can then proclaim—not their own agenda—but God’s Word…and I hope that I never use my opinion or agenda, but God’s Word
So let’s discern about what pricked my conscience to preach, and hopefully help you
· First, as a priest to preach to you, I must do so to serve you
o My job is not to better than you
o I loved what Jesus told his apostles, “…whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
o So as I try to follow this teaching, do you in your life? Your position? Your leadership? Your job? Your vocation?
· Second, there is one golden thread of how Jesus Christ served us!
o Stop for a moment there…Jesus came to us and served us
§ Washing of the feet
§ Feeding thousands
§ Forgiving, saving, showing miraculous gifts…and all were free
§ And so we should do the same
o “For the Son of Man did not come to be servedbut to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
§ He even gave his life for us
o “If he gives his life as an offering for sin,he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.”
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.”
· Third, take some time to learn
o History, morality, Jesus Christ, Saints, sacraments
I hope that this homily could help you to pray, to serve, to learn and to follow with our pilgrimage to heaven to follow our Savior
Parish Bulletin Article: "God, Family, Friends and Brothers": 10-22-18
As I love taking some vacation time in the fall, as well as enjoying our Clergy Conference this past week, some of my most essential moments occur with my family, friends, and brothers.
I thank God for a large “net” that continues to support my life. In the center is God and Mother Mary, then my family, best friends, brothers in the priesthood and different levels of buddies, and of course our family at St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Columban and St. Thomas Aquinas School.
Have you ever read the book “The Five Love Language” by Gary Chapman? This is a great book to read, especially you couples who can learn and relearn the types of love languages to grow closer to each other. There are also books like this with different relationships (ex. “The Five Love Language of Children,” “The Five Love Language of Men,” “The Five Love Languages Single Edition,” etc.).
I have indeed realized that I learned that my best love language (within the book as a single man!) is just time—simply being with my friends, with my family, with my fraternity, with people.
As I was writing this article, I also remembered a couple of verses that help me reminisce how vital these individuals and groups are essential in my life:
· Jesus Christ: John 15:12-17: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.”
· Friends: Sirach 6:14:16: “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him.”
· Parents: Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”
· Brothers: Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
I hope and pray that each of you has the same gifts with these four significant levels in your life: your family, your friends, and your brothers and sisters.
God Bless!
Stewardship--Time, Talent and Treasure--honed into Wisdom which is under Talent: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
Rake-A-Thon
· What a powerful service to those who asked for some help
· Weather
· Worked for them
Stewardship
· Time, talent and treasure
Wisdom
· Wisdom = the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Each of you probably have some wisdom
· For instance
o You parents have grown with wisdom: raising up your children
§ Crazy times, then learning how to do it better and better with an art, not a science
o Or wisdom with your job: teachers, carpenters, mechanics, sports
And here is a good question today as we are in God’s house
· How do we grow in wisdom within our life with faith?
o Think, think, think! Winnie the Poo
· Our first reading is from the book of Wisdom
o “I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.”
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.”
· Proverbs 9:10: “The beginning of wisdomis the fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
o We must grow with wisdom as God is the most truth in our universe
· Pray, read, think
In our second reading in Hebrews:
· “Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”
· One way to grow with wisdom is to listen and read the Scriptures as this library truly has the most powerful wisdom
Finally, when we go to Mass, don’t be passive, be active! Our goal at Mass is to receive Jesus’ Body and Blood, to listen to the scriptures and to take a nugget to bring into your prayer to learn and grow
Marriage: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
Thank you for all of you who are married
· In a special way, we heard about marriage in the Scriptures today
Genesis 2—a soaked fill spirituality, theology and one of the original stories about marriage in the Bible
· “The LORD God said: ‘It is not good for the man [Adam] to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.’”
· “So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,and while he was asleep,he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the ribthat he had taken from the man.”
· "This one, at last, is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;this one shall be called 'woman, 'for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."
Then we have a tough, but a truth teaching about marriage from Jesus Christ himself
· The Pharisees, who were following the Old Testament Law, asked Jesus about divorce
· “They were testing him.”
o They didn’t really care about divorce, but trying to trap Jesus
· But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your heartshe wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.
"Because of the hardness of your heartshe wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.
· Then Jesus said: “He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries anothercommits adultery against her;and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
she commits adultery."
o This is a tough one, even for me
o In our country divorce is 50% of marriages and this is a serious conversation around our Catholics in our country
o And what do we do within our Catholic Church?
The challenge for thinking within the eyes for the Scriptures is that Jesus clearly stated what he said
So two things today
· First, praise God for marriage, an honor that you are witnesses to our culture, and an honor in my life as a celibate priest
o Thank you for your children!
· Second, pray, pray, pray if you have been divorced
o Please know of my prayers, God’s love, compassion and mercy
o And know that I would love to support and listen to your situation as life is neither a cakewalk, nor perfect and hopefully conversations would only support your life
o And praise God for your children!
o Divorce is tough, for yourself, your kids, your family
o And Jesus Christ is here for each of us
Wherever you are within marriage, know that God loves you, married or divorced and remarried, more than you can even love Him
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