Deacon Ron's Homily - Ascension of Jesus: Opening the doorway to heaven

“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”     

If I were one of the apostles I’d surely think this was a silly question.   I would have been

totally dumbfounded staring up at the sky as well, thinking what in the world just happened here?  My response to the men would be, “Didn’t you see what just happened here?   Jesus, who had risen from the dead just 40 days ago, after being crucified, has now been taken up out of site into the clouds.  I’m scared, confused, and really don’t know what’s going on.”

 Now fast forward to 2014 and just try to imagine that you are at our fall festival and you see one of your friends talking to Father Vince, and all of the sudden Fr. Vince is lifted up in the clouds and taken from your sight? What would think?   Wouldn’t you be staring up at the sky in the same way thinking? “wow, that must be the new festival ride everyone is talking about.   How do I get signed up for that?”   Just kidding.

Now seriously, you’d probably be just as scared and confused as the apostles were at seeing Jesus taken up in the clouds to heaven.  But these men who spoke were angels sent by God to give the apostles some hope of what was to come. Jesus who was taken up in the clouds would return in the same way as they saw him going into heaven.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.   This is a dogma of our faith that we recite weekly in the Nicene Creed,  “He Ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”   What did this mean to the disciples and what does it mean to us today?

Jesus had endured his suffering on the cross, rising from the dead, and had been with the disciples for forty days.   He had appeared showing many time after enduring his suffering and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God.   But the apostles were still focused on the issue of day: to restore the kingdom of Israel.  But Jesus had a greater plan in mind for them.   They were going to be his witness to the ends of the earth about Jesus and coming of the God’s Kingdom.

How was this going to happen:  Through the power of the Holy Spirit.   In order for the Jesus to fully accomplish his plan he had to leave and ascend to the Father in order to send the Holy Spirit.    The apostles had been following Jesus the past three years, but they now had other work to do to spread the Gospel.    If Jesus were still physically present they’d be reliant totally on him.  But by ascending to heaven they’d be given the power to accomplish great things through the Holy Spirit.  

Jesus in his humanity in ascending into heaven also accomplished something else: He opened up the doorway for of heaven to the rest of humanity.   Jesus now is seated at the right hand of the Father, and is a powerful intercessor for humanity to reconcile us with God.   By Jesus opening up this doorway he’s bridging the gap between heaven and earth.   Where do we find that bridge in the world: in the Church.

By Jesus’ ascending the Holy Spirit would be sent to the apostles so they could spread the good news to accomplish his plan: the birth of the Church.  In the book of Acts we hear about the apostles witness about Jesus in their travels far and wide.   They face many trials and tribulations in their travels and even have to flee from one town to another to escape from being killed.   But this again is part of the plan to spread the Gospel and for the Church to grow.  How do they do all this?   Through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is mentioned over 80 times in the book of Acts.  The Holy Spirit enabled the growth of the Church and gave the apostles the power to do great things.

St. Paul tells us that the Father put Jesus above every principality, authority, and dominion and he also gave him the Church as head over all things on the earth.    The Church is Christ’s body and where heaven meets the earth.  What and who is the Church?  It’s each and every one of us, as the body of Christ, trying to do our own part in making heaven and earth meet.  

And how do we do this?  By our actions with others to announce the good news and be Christ like to them.   To strengthen us in this mission we come together as we are today to receive the grace of the Eucharist, hear the Gospel proclaimed, and listen to Holy Spirit inspired preaching.   We also need to take time every day to pray. We have a reminder of this in the prayer of the Our Father when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.    We are hopefully bringing about the kingdom of God to make heaven on earth by our actions inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

  

The world today certainly struggles with a lack of heaven on earth.  There is lack of respect for life and dignity of the human person, threats to our religious liberty, and a culture that seems to be turning away from God.  By living out the commission we hear at the end of Mass: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord, we can bring a little heaven to earth. Each of us, with the power of the Holy Spirit, can do our part through the people we encounter in our daily lives and by supporting the Church’s ministries.   We can say a kind word to the person who rubs us the wrong way at home or work. Invite a classmate at school to play to that we normally don’t include.  Volunteer our time to go on a mission trip or sacrifice financially to support ministries in our parish, archdiocese, and the global church to care for those who are the most vulnerable. 

Don’t just stand there looking up at the sky.   Take some action to spread the Gospel in word and deed inspired by the Holy Spirit to help carry our Jesus’ plan to bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.  May God bless you!

Homily, third week of Easter - God always walks with us

About 11 years ago I had the opportunity to go through a Christ Renews His Parish retreat.  I was at a point in my life that I really needed some peace.   I was in a high-pressure job that was totally consuming my life.  I was thinking about my job almost every waking moment and had very little peace.  The only time I found peace was for about 15 minutes during the Sunday Mass when I received the Eucharist.  I wanted that peace to last longer, but just didn’t know how to get there.  I was invited to attend a CRHP retreat several times, but didn’t see how I could fit it in with my work and family responsibility.  After a third personal invitation I finally decided to go on the retreat, reluctantly.  When the day came to go the retreat I did attend, but I had already made up my mind to leave early.  I felt that I just couldn’t afford to commit the time.  Before it started I was already planning my own my own walk to Emmaus alone.

In the Gospel today we hear about the disciples on their way to Emmaus.     Where was Emmaus and why were they going there?   The exact location of Emmaus is unknown, but scholars have several ideas of where it was.  One of them is that it was a Roman garrison town outside Jerusalem.  This was the home base for Roman soldiers who were in control of Jerusalem.  Why would they be going there? They were grieving the loss of their dear friend Jesus who they believed to be the messiah.   Jesus was going to rescue them from the Roman occupiers, but he had been killed. They were leaving Jerusalem because they associated it with the cross and wanted to get as far away as they could, as it was a place of suffering. Their hope was gone.  So with hope lost, they walked away from Jerusalem, the center of their faith, and turned toward the forces of world.

Even though the disciples were walking the wrong way, Jesus comes to them.   God doesn’t abandon us. He seeks us out.  Jesus draws near the disciples and walks with them.  But the disciples weren’t able to recognize him, as their eyes prevented them.  Their troubles skewed their ability to clearly see Jesus was with them.  But Jesus wanted them to see so he asks, “what were you were discussing as you walked along the way”?  At this point they did something significant: They stopped to engage with Jesus.   How often do we get going in the wrong direction and continue the wrong way because we won’t engage with Jesus in our struggles?

So the disciples tell Jesus all the events that happened: that the messiah they hoped to redeem Israel was condemned to death and crucified.  Now after three days some woman reported that Jesus’ body was gone from the tomb and an angel told them he was alive. The disciples were probably confused, fearful, and did not know what to believe.

Jesus desired to open their eyes, so he interpreted the Scriptures of the Old Testament to show them where the prophets referred to him and that he must suffer to

enter into his glory.    The disciples knew the scriptures, but they did not look at them through the lens of Jesus’ suffering.   They were expecting a messiah who would triumph using the power of the world.  But the way of the world was not Jesus’ way.  He fulfilled the prophecies through suffering love.  But what really opened up the disciple’s eyes was Jesus taking the bread, blessing it, and giving it to them.   They recognized Jesus’ presence in Eucharist. After receiving it they set out “at once” to return to Jerusalem to share the good news. They returned to their faith in God, a newfound faith of hope and joy in the risen Christ.

Some of us may have our own troubles that cause us to travel in the wrong direction, away from God.  We may be suffering due to a broken relationship, job loss, a serious illness, or loss of a loved one.  These issues may cause us to turn to the world for pleasure and entertainment to distract us from our own suffering.  But this worldly pleasure also distracts us from seeing Jesus in the midst of our suffering.

Jesus is always there in our suffering, and stays with us even when we are traveling in the wrong direction.  He is always right there for us, just like was for his disciples.   He is ready to bear the cross with us, because he knows that there’s redemption in suffering.   His own suffering through love brought resurrection and new life.  How can we see through our own troubles and recognize Jesus when we are downcast?  By stopping on our own journey to Emmaus to encounter Jesus so we can return to Jerusalem.  We do this by turning to the Church. We may be just like the disciples and unable to see Jesus, but even if we don’t recognize him right away it’s ok. At least we are traveling in the right direction.    Through the Church we can encounter Christ who will be there to walk with us on the journey.  We can do so at Mass we’ll hear the scriptures, have them interpreted to us, and feed on Jesus’ body and blood.  Jesus is truly present to us in the Eucharist in a most profound way. We also have the body of Christ in the church to rely on who will walk with when we’re troubled. Our priests, deacons, and lay ministers will listen and provide spiritual support.  We have many support groups in the parish and diocese, such as our food pantry, emergency crisis support, counseling services, bereavement ministry, caregiver and divorce support groups, which can provide ongoing help. But most of all have help through our brothers and sisters in Christ at the parish to help support us.  We just need to let them know we need help. 

Well, I didn’t leave the Chris Renews His Parish retreat early.   I stayed for the entire retreat.   One of the highlights was my own walk to Emmaus, but it wasn’t alone as I planned.  I shared my troubles with another brother in Christ who helped me see that Christ and his Church were here for me. It opened up my eyes to recognize Jesus presence in my faith community here at Ss. Francs and Clare to walk with me on my journey through life.  Through this experience it helped me build a personal relationship with men who are like brothers to me that I can rely on for help and see the Church is there for me when I am in need.

Our troubles may still be with us just like the disciples, but we’ll be renewed in hope of resurrection that Christ gives us by sharing our suffering with him.    Through Christ’s presence in the Church through the Eucharist and faith community we have someone to walk with us. God bless you.

Deacon Steve's Homily, Lent Week 5 - Cycle A - Untie the Knots

When my boys were younger we were involved in boy scouts. One of the things that all the scouts need to do is to learn how to tie knots. Knot tying is really useful, especially when you’re camping or boating. Pitching a tent, tying up a boat, or tying an anchor to a boat. A properly tied knot will serve its purpose and hold or bind something in place.  Learning to tie those knots requires some patience and lots of practice.  Even I managed to master a few knots, however, sometimes I had problems untying some knots. It was then that I had to ask for help to untie the knot.

I thought about tying and untying knots when I read today’s Gospel about Lazarus. We just heard from John the following:

The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.” 

Lazarus was literally bound and tied up and Jesus told some onlookers to untie him.  

My friends, how many times do we become ‘tied up’? Maybe not physically but spiritually?  How many things are in our lives that ‘tie us up’ and prevent us from being in right relationship with God?  Perhaps we have some bad habits or ‘sins’ that we just can’t seem to get rid of.   When we think we’ve eliminated them, they keep coming back and ‘tie us up’ again.  We seem to repeat the cycle over and over again.  Just as Lazarus was bound in the burial cloths of death, we become bound in ‘sin’ which can lead to a spiritual death.

As we continue our Lenten journey, this gospel reading again reminds us that Jesus is in control.  In our gospel reading from 2 weeks ago Jesus tells the Samaritan ‘woman at the well’ all about her life.  She became a believer because of this encounter with Jesus, whom she called a prophet. In last week’s gospel, Jesus gives sight to the blind man. We were reminded that Jesus has the power to heal the body.   We were also reminded of spiritual blindness and the need for spiritual healing.   The blind man, too, became a believer and called Jesus a prophet.

In this week’s gospel, Jesus raises Lazurus from the dead. Imagine the scene – imagine being there and witnessing this miracle. A dead man raised to life. The people must have been amazed! Jesus has control over time, over knowledge, over the body, and over death.

Following Jesus, my friends, keeps us in right relationship with God. Right relationship means, true happiness, true peace, and true joy. Isn’t that something that we all want? Sometimes, though, we are unwilling to do what is necessary to improve our relationship with God because we don’t think that we deserve God’s love. The reality is that each of us is a child of God. And God loves each of us so much that he will do anything for us including forgiving all of our sins.

As we prepare to celebrate the Easter season, we need to look inward and identify those things, those sins that have us bound and in knots. Once we’ve done that, we need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. God’s forgiveness will loosen the knots and remove the bindings of sin in our lives. Sometimes, though, God uses people to help others untie the knots of sin in their lives. Jesus told the onlookers to untie Lazarus and let him go, didn’t he?

We, too, are called by Jesus to help others untie their spiritual knots. We can do that through prayer and through encouragement. You know, my friends, today we have some wonderful support groups that are available to people who are bound and tied spiritually. There are groups for people who have problems with gambling, with drug and alcohol dependencies, and with sexual addictions to name a few.  Most of these people feel trapped and they want to be freed. When they finally realized that they needed help, they joined a support group. By joining and participating in support groups, people not only find the support they need but they also provide support to the others in the group as well. Support groups can help untie the knots that are binding people spiritually.

Did you know that there is a Marian devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots? The theology of Mary undoing or untying knots goes back to the second century. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

wrote “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.  For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.” 

Pope Francis has a special devotion to Our Lady Untier of Knots. Last year he had this to say:

“But we know one thing: nothing is impossible for God’s mercy! Even the most tangled knots are loosened by his grace. And Mary, whose "yes" opened the door for God to undo the knot of the ancient disobedience, is the Mother who patiently and lovingly brings us to God, so that he can untangle the knots of our soul by his fatherly mercy. We all have some of these knots and we can ask in our heart of hearts: What are the knots in my life? (we may say)"Father, my knots cannot be undone!" It is a mistake to say anything of the sort! All the knots of our heart, every knot of our conscience, can be undone.”
 

My sisters and brothers, as we approach Holy Week, we are reminded in these readings that God loves us beyond our comprehension and that he wants us to have a right relationship with him.  And being in right relationship leads to new life. Let’s ask God to shower us with his abundant graces so we can examine our lives, seek his forgiveness, and untie the knots of sin. Let’s ask God, too, to make us his instruments so we can help untie the knots that others around us may carry. The next time you tie or untie a knot, think about Lazarus, think about new life in Jesus. God bless!

Deacon Ron's homily, Fifth Sunday of Lent, cycle A - Untie the burial cloths binding you and have life in Jesus!

Today’s Gospel brought back memories of someone very dear to me, my Aunt Helen.    She was more like a grandma to me than an aunt.   Aunt Helen was not able to have any children, but she had many nieces and nephews and treated us like her own.   She would always welcome us to stay overnight and my parents would often get a break by having us stay with her. She’d always have a special treat for us when we got to her house, and a bag of treats or toys to take home. After my wife and I had our own kids she was just as eager to have our kids stay with her.  She treated them just the same and they were just as endeared to her.

Aunt Helen was widowed very early in life and lived alone.  She was always a joy to visit and lived very simply. She grew up in a poor family and was content with what she had. We lived several hours away so we would call her often and visit when we could.   As years progressed her health declined, but she wouldn’t see a doctor.  She blamed it on the cost, but it was really out of fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness.  She had many friends who had died from cancer and was afraid it would happen to her.  She eventually had a stroke and also was diagnosed with cancer.  When we heard this we wanted to be with her right away, but were unable to do so due to work and school schedules.  But we were able to go there in a few days.

In today’s Gospel we hear the main purpose of why Jesus came into the world.   Some very dear friends of Jesus, Martha and Mary, come to tell Jesus their brother, Lazarus, was ill.  They were very close to Jesus and He loved them. When we hear Lazarus was ill, we expect Jesus to heal him. But instead Jesus stays for two days. Why would Jesus do this? You’d think He’d go right away if he loved him.   We know Jesus has the power, having healed a blind man who did not even know him.  Surely he’d heal Lazarus. But the story turns for the worse: Lazarus dies.

When Jesus arrives Martha meets him and says: “Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died”. Martha’s grief causes Jesus to be perturbed and deeply troubled. But why did Jesus let Martha experience this grief when he could have healed Lazarus? Early on Jesus tells Martha and Mary that Lazarus illness was for God’s glory.  Even though Martha grieves at the loss of Lazarus, she still has faith in Jesus telling him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus then reveals his mission: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus came to give us life! Martha has faith, but she does not fully understand Jesus’ power over death.  So He asks Martha to get Mary.  Mary comes and falls at the feet of Jesus saying: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”.  In seeing her weeping Jesus shows his human nature: Jesus wept. 

After this Jesus shows his divine nature and power by glorifying God in raising Lazarus from the dead. We’ve heard of some other miraculous stories of Jesus raising the dead, but in

these other stories the people were not yet in the tomb.  Lazarus had been in the tomb four days and his body was surely beyond saving.  As the stone is rolled away we hear a sign that death has come, “surely there will be a stench”.   But Jesus prays to the Father demonstrating his power over death and commands in a loud voice “Lazarus come out!”  Lazarus emerges wrapped in burial cloths and Jesus responds, “Untie him and let him go”.  Many of the witnesses came to believe in Jesus at the seeing Lazarus being raised. 

Today we live in world does not want us to believe that Jesus gives life.  The forces of the world desire to keep us wrapped in our own burial cloths and kept in a tomb.   We are constantly distracted away from the life giving power of Jesus by placing too much importance on entertainment, improving our appearance, climbing the success ladder, or seeking approval of others just to name a few.  These are ok if we keep the perspective that they don’t give us life.  But if we are totally wrapped up in them we won’t be able to obtain what really gives us life: Jesus.

We can have the gift of life through the Church and Lenten Season helps to restore our life.  By unwrapping the burial cloths of sin Christ can restore us to life through prayer and the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation.   Just this past week over 100 people had their life restored through the sacrament reconciliation. It’s a life giving experience if you have been away for a while.    There are still more opportunities to do so before Easter.  

Returning to my Aunt Helen, we drove up Northwest Indiana to visit after few days.  I knew the hospital would bring her a lot of anxiety.   I really didn’t know what so say or do for her, but I wanted to let her know things would be ok. It had been many years since she had been to church.  I really wanted give her some sign that Christ was with her.   I found a small cross in the gift shop and decided to give it to her at the right time.  She looked very confused and afraid when we first saw her.   She couldn’t talk, but she could understand us.   After we had visited with her a while she became more of her old self, so I gave her the cross and told her our Lord would be with her. She clutched it tightly and shed a few tears.  Even though she had not been to church in years I think the cross gave her comfort and reminded her of the life Christ gives.  She had a look of peace in her eyes that only Christ could give. I told her we would be back in a few days to visit.   We did return, but it was for her funeral, to return her to God.  I do believe that she had Christ was with her, weeping for her and welcoming her to new life.

My dear brothers and sisters, Christ gives us life, if we believe in Jesus and live as his disciples.  He tells us that, whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.  He can give us life now by unwrapping the burial cloths in our own lives that keep us away from him.  I pray that the rest of your Lent be a life giving time. God bless you.

Lent, Week 2, Cycle A - A Mountaintop experience

Who hear has ever enjoyed the experience of being high up on a mountain?  I’ve always been attracted to mountains. I grew up in the flat lands of Northern Indiana and always wanted to spend some time in the beautiful mountain ranges we have in this country.  My wife and I lived in South Carolina when we first got married and lived in South Carolina, just south of the Appalachian Mountains.   It was quite a change in scenery from Indiana.  As I went work every morning I could see the mountains every day as I turned off the exit of the interstate.   Living in the SC you would think that the beaches would be an attraction, but every opportunity I had our family would go to the mountains. 

There would be many weekends I would pack up a picnic basket and take my two young daughters there by myself while my wife worked.  One of our favorite stops would be the Mount Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge parkway.   They had a restaurant perched on the edge of mountain & their entire dining was surround by huge windows that overlooked the vista over Blue Ridge mountains a mile high.    Being high up in the mountains always was very peaceful, away, from the noise & bustle of the city.   It gave a sense of peace and being close to God, which most likely what attracted me. 

Today we hear about a mountaintop experience thatthe apostles experienced with Jesus.   It’s quite common in the Bible to hear about people going up mountains to encounter God.   One thing that comes to mind was Moses’ encounter with God at Mount Sinai where his face became white from encountering God in the burning bush.  I’m sure most of you have the image in our minds of Charlton Heston as Moses in the Ten Commandments and the image of His encounter with God in the burning bush. 

The disciples had a similar experience with Jesus, with a little different twist.   They not only

heard God, but also saw Jesus literally in new light as the Son of God.  Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.   They also saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus.   The apostles knew well the story of Moses & his encounter with God, receiving the law on the stone tablets.   They also knew Elijah as was one of the great prophets who was to return. Scripture told them as well prophet like Moses was to return as well.   Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies.

But Jesus was more than a prophet, he was the Son of God.  God spoke from a bright cloud: ”This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.  Listen to him”.  These were the same words spoken at the Baptism of Jesus by John, but the disciples were not there.  The disciples only knew Jesus as a man, walking, working, eating, and resting with them.   They did see him doing miraculous things, but they fully didn’t understand his divinity.   Just prior to this event Peter declares for the first time: “You are Christ, the Son of the living God”, but he and the disciples probably did not totally understood who Jesus was.  The transfiguration reveals to them the divinity of Jesus.   Jesus revealed this to His disciples to help them prepare for his suffering, death, and resurrection.   By showing his divinity as the Son of God at this time, it would help them to understand it was his free will to undergo his suffering and death for the salvation of man later on.

In fear the disciples fall prostrate in hearing God.     They fall face down on the ground afraid of what was happening.  When you’re face down your sense of hearing takes over.   This was a proper response to God’s command: “Listen to him”.   Jesus senses their fear and tells them, “Rise, and do not be afraid”.    When they rose they saw no one but Jesus.    Jesus in his humanity wanted to assure them he was there and they need not be fear. 

These words of God and Jesus, “Listen to him” and “be not afraid”, are good thoughts to put into practice this Lent.  During Lent we are called to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.    Prayer is one of the disciplines that can be the hardest to do in our busy world.   I’ve struggled with this already early in Lent myself.    Listening to Jesus in prayer is one of the ways we can truly follow him as a disciple. But we need some quiet time away from the distractions of the world. A good way to do this is to plan some specific time in our calendars to be with Jesus. We do this for everything else in our lives. Why not schedule time with Jesus as well.

It would be nice to go away to a mountain to be close to God, but there are not too many of them here in Indiana.   The chapel in the parish is a good place to get away to do this and have our own mountaintop experience with Jesus reserved in his Eucharistic presence in the tabernacle.  In order to quiet down to listen to Jesus we are blessed with prayer devotions of the Rosary or Stations of the Cross to help us. Once you’ve had some time to quiet down you can kneel next to the tabernacle and listen to Jesus with you heart. If you can’t make it to church, you can do this at home in a quiet place, to pray and listen to Jesus. He’ll really give you some peace and help you with the challenges you’ve been struggling with.

Once you’ve listened to Jesus in prayer, “Rise, do not be afraid”. Jesus does not want us to be afraid.  Fear is not something from God, but its part of the human condition we struggle with in the world that tries to keep us from God.  With Jesus we will still have our struggles to deal with, but we don’t have to struggle alone.  We have Jesus present to be with us in our struggles, through the Church, and the body of Christ, our family in faith.  I pray that you will plan some time in prayer listen to Jesus to help overcome your fears relying on Jesus, the Son of God, to carry you through.  May God bless you.

Homily for March 2: Don't be consumed by posessions or worry - Trust in God

Last week I drove down to Vincennes, IN to meet with one my customers.   It was the day after the big snow melt so I was a little worried.  Flood watches were in force through out most of the entire drive.  I arrived in Vincennes without any trouble and even had some time for a side trip after my meeting.  I went to the Old Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier.  The Venerable Bishop Simon Brute’, the first bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes, whose cause for sainthood is underway, is buried there.  I often pray for his intercession for people who are ill and wanted to pray at his tomb.   Bishop Brute’ was responsible for requesting the help of nuns from France to come to Indiana to care for and educate the poor, one of whom is Indiana’s first saint, St. Mother Theodore Guerin. 

As I was preparing for the homily this week trust in God’s Providence was the theme that came to mind.   I knew a little about St. Mother Theodore, recalling a quote to “put yourself in God’s Providence”, so I decided to do a little research. One thing I found out was that my worry about the flooding was nothing compared to what St. Mother Theodore had to endure.   On her trip from France she there were many trials including hurricanes, floods, being thrown from a carriage, hunger, no guide to meet them upon her arrival, and being unable to understand or speak English. When the nuns finally arrived months later in Indiana the stagecoach driver dropped them off in the middle of a dark forest with nothing around.   St. Mother Theodore and the nuns surely had to trust in God’s Providence.

They eventually found their way to a small farmhouse and log cabin chapel and set up residence there.  They had to endure the blazing heat and mosquitoes of summer and the bitter cold and snow of the winter while ministering to care and educate the poor.   When money ran out they went hungry for days and appealed to a new bishop who refused to support them.  He suggested that St. Mother Theodore go back to France to appeal for more funds.   In order to endure the struggle during the cold winter months, St. Mother Theodore set up a chapel on the porch of the house and brought in the Blessed Sacrament for the nuns to pray and adore. She told them, “With Jesus, what will we fear”?

         In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus teaching his disciples about the dilemma of trying to serve two masters: God or mammon.  Mammon is a word that means wealth or

possessions, and also, “that in which one places trust”.    Jesus uses strong words saying they’ll either hate one or love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.   Our wealth and possessions can become our masters and be so consuming that we exclude God.   But our wealth and possessions are things that are passing.   God is eternal and the ultimate source that provides everything we need. God needs to be our master, not our possessions.

The disciples were also told not to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear. These are basic needs that people were genuinely concerned about.  Most of them were poor and lived hand to mouth, just trying to survive another day. They didn’t know when or where their next meal would be. Of course they were going to be worried about such things. But Jesus tells them that worrying would not add a single moment to their lives. Worry can be all consuming and become our master as well.   Jesus tells them they need to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things would be given you besides. Don’t worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself”.  He tells the to focus on the eternal and not the passing.  If they trust God, He will take care of them.  

         We spend a lot of time with the same concerns as the disciples worrying about what to eat, drink, or wear.   But our concerns are more about whether we going to eat at home, or eat out at a restaurant.  Now some of us definitely have more serious worries.   We may be concerned about finding a job, whether the food will last through payday, or whether the results of medical tests will indicate a serious illness.  These worries can be overwhelming if we focus on them alone.   But through all these struggles we need to keep up our relationship with God, because God never forgets us.  God’s love is enduring, surpassing even the tender loving care of a mother for her child as the prophet Isaiah told us in the first reading.  

         God provided for St. Mother Theodore Guerin’s needs. She went back to France and received enough money to continue her ministry back in Indiana.  When she returned the non-supportive bishop eventually resigned and the new bishop provided her the much need support for her ministry.  He gave the sisters housing and land so they could found a school. This eventually become St. Mary of the Woods College.  The sisters’ ministry in education grew to establish schools in 10 other cities throughout Indiana educating 1200 children.  The ministry of St. Mother Theodore and the Sisters of Providence were instrumental in the growth of Catholic schools throughout Indiana.  Today we’re still seeing the fruits of Saint Mother Theodore’s efforts through one of the newest Catholic high schools, Providence Cristo Rey.   This school is a private college prep high school in the inner city of downtown Indianapolis, but it’s only open to those who cannot pay to attend a private Catholic high school.  The fruit of St. Theodore’s efforts were due to her complete trust in God, which is summed up by this passage from a letter she wrote:

“You will not be offended, and you will allow me to say, and repeat, that you ought not to give way to uneasiness about the future. Put yourself gently into the hands of Providence. Trusting all your affairs to Him and putting them also under the protection of Mary and Joseph, you will see that all will be well.”

—Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

         As we enter the season of Lent it’s a good time to ask ourselves whether our relationship with God is first in our lives and that we trust in His Providence.  Maybe mammon or worry is getting all of our attention.  If so, it may be a good time to get a companion to help us on our Lenten journey by choosing one of saints.  Many of the saints had tremendous challenges and struggles in their lives, but they also put their trust in God who helped them to do great things.  The book on St. Mother Theodore Guerin’s journals and letters may be an excellent selection to read during Lent.   Or you may want to pick up The Little Way of Lent, with St. Therese’ of Lisieux.   I am going to be reading 15 days of prayer with St. Catherine of Siena.  Saints are great models for us as they have struggled with sin, personal trials, and persecutions, but overcame them and lived lives of Holiness by putting their complete trust in God.   I hope and pray your journey this Lent will be well spent in making a relationship with God first in your life.   May God bless you.

Deacon Ron's Homily for the Feast of the the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2014

Normally today would be the fourth Sunday of Ordinary time, but since February 2^nd is a feast of the Lord, we celebrate it instead.  Today’s feast is the Presentation of the Lord, which comes 40 days after Christmas. This feast has a tie to the Christmas season.   So if you still have your decorations up don’t feel so bad.  This feast is midway between Christmas and Lent, so it this may be a good time to start thinking of how we can observe the Lenten season.  

As I was preparing this homily the opening prayer really struck me.  I’d like to read a portion of it again:

Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure.

The specific words that really caught my attention was, “by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure”.    This made me think of when most of were first presented to God to receive our baptism, as precious little infants.  An infant is one you would certainly think of as having a mind made pure.   To help keep our mind to stay pure throughout our lives we need some help.  At Baptism we are given God’s grace to help us in our daily walk struggling with the temptations of the world.  Grace helps us to be obedient to the Lord’s command to love our God and neighbor.

Today we hear about some models of faith and obedience to God’s laws.   Joseph and Mary were obediently following the law in waiting 40 days for purification of Mary before entering the temple, offering two turtledoves, and then presenting Jesus for consecration.  They were devout and obedient in practicing their faith.  Mary and Joseph are models for us as parents on how to live in obedience to our faith.

Simeon is another model of faith. A sign of his faith was the presence of the Holy Spirit, mentioned three times in the Gospel  Simeon is righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit revealed he would not see death until the coming of the Messiah.  He was probably old and ready to go home to the Lord.  Simeon came into the temple in the Spirit, and when Mary and Joseph entered he took Jesus in his arms announcing:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Through Simeon’s devout faith he recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the light for all people, even as a little infant.  The power of the Holy Sprit revealed this to Simeon.  Simeon’s reward for this was “to go in peace”.  What will the Lord reveal to us if we are obedient to him?

        

Now another model of faith & obedience was Anna.  She was a prophetess and widow who is always in the temple praying and fasting.   As a widow, Anna, totally relied on God.    She was rewarded for her faith by hearing Simeon’s announcement of the Messiah.    Anna’s response to this good news was thanksgiving and to tell all about the child that he would redeem Israel.  Do we respond in thanksgiving and announce the good news when we encounter Jesus like Anna did?

In reflecting on the Presentation there is another time that comes to mind when we are presented to the Lord: at confirmation. We have quite of few young adults who will soon be confirmed this coming March.  Many of us have been confirmed as well.  Confirmation is the sacrament that strengthens us to fully participate as adults in Christ’s ministry in word and action. When we are presented in Confirmation we are given an increase and deepening of our Baptismal grace.   This increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We heard today how the Holy Spirit helped Simeon to recognize and announce the Messiah.  Has this strength we’ve received enabled us to recognize and announce Jesus to others?

        

Joseph, Mary, Simeon, and Anna demonstrate how faith and obedience to God can reveal that Jesus Christ is the light of the world and salvation for all.   How can we follow God in obedience and faith?  It can be a challenge sometimes, but the Grace of our Baptism helps us to do so.  We can be strengthened in faith by being fed weekly through His Word and Body at Mass.  Receiving the Eucharist helps to renew the Grace we’ve received at Baptism.    By attending Mass weekly we are being faithful and obedient as Joseph, Mary, Simeon, and Anna were.  

We are also growing in love of God and neighbor as we strengthen our faith.   I pray that our Blessed Mother present each of us to the Lord so that we be faithful and obedient to God, and that the grace we’ve received keep our mind pure so we can share the light of Christ with others in our life by our words and actions.    

May God bless you all!