Planting seeds that will grow, Homily for 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B

  

This is the time of the year that many of us our celebrating the joy of seeing our children or grandchildren graduate from school.

 

It may be a first step of going from preschool to kindergarten.

 

Or it could be finishing high school and entering college, a trade school, or the military.

 

It might even be receiving a degree to become a teacher, nurse, or engineer or finishing an apprenticeship to becoming a journey electrician.

 

These accomplishments are something that started out small with hopes and dreams of each of these children when they were little infants. 

 

Through the love and nurturing we all provide it help them grow.

 

It began with the trust that God put in us by provide us the gift of a child.

 

Putting our trust in God we had our children baptized so they could grow as a child of God.

 

Like the mustard seed we heard about today, these children have grown and are now producing fruit in God’s kingdom.

 

 

Jesus came to bring about the Kingdom of God.  

 

His parables give us insight on how the Kingdom comes about.  

 

Jesus ushered in this Kingdom by becoming man and living among us. 

 

He showed us how to bring the Kingdom about, through self-sacrificial love.   

 

We are now in Ordinary time and many of the Gospel stories we hear about during this time are about making God’s Kingdom present by loving God and neighbor.  

 

Christ began the work.  

 

It’s now our job as the Body of Christ, His hands and feet, to carry out his mission.  

 

How do we accomplish this mission?  

 

We don’t do it on our own.  

 

It’s all dependent on God.  

 

He provides the seed of faith.  

 

He also makes possible the soil to grow through our family and Church. 

 

Today’s parable gives us some insight.   

 

The seed sown represents God’s work in us through our faith.   

 

It starts out small with the seed of faith being planted in us at baptism. 

 

Most of us were baptized as infants and given that gift of faith through our parents. 

 

That faith is then nurtured through our families and faith community creating the soil for the seed to grow.  

 

The sacraments of initiation, first communion and confirmation, gives us the grace to grow in our faith.  

 

The Word of God we study and hear at Mass, strengthens our faith so we learn to be disciples of Jesus and spread the Kingdom of God.   

 

 

As we grow in our faith, we begin to branch out and serve others by showing our love of neighbor.  

 

It may start through small acts of kindness among our families & faith community.  

 

It may be as simple as a little child bringing in a can of soup for our food pantry.  

 

But it can then grow into a family bringing a bag of groceries.  

 

This grows into hundreds of families donating their food and time to serve the hundreds of families at our food pantry each year.  

 

All of this made possible from the gift of faith from Jesus and establishing his Church to help us love God and our neighbor.  

 

Something very small, an infant being baptized, 

 

like a mustard seed, turns into something large, 

 

a whole community of faith,

 

feeding hundreds of families every year, 

 

like the mustard plant with large branches for many birds to dwell in. 

 

 

We have a good reminder of God’s work in our lives each time we pray the our Father.

 

We may not recognize it because we pray it so often and may not pay attention.

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Each time we pray the Our Father we are calling upon God to bring about heaven here on earth.

 

We are subjects of his Kingdom and our given the grace to help bring about heaven on earth.

 

Of course, God has the power to bring about the peace of His heavenly Kingdom through divine intervention.

 

But God loves us so much he provides us the opportunity to be active participants in making his heaven here on earth.

 

So, as you go about your daily lives plant those seeds of faith, hope, and love with those in your family, friends, and community to show God’s love.

 

You’ll never know how those seeds will grow.

 

It may take years, or even decades to see the fruit, but eventually it will grow into something that you could never have imagined.

 

As we continue with our Mass, may the Eucharist we receive, 

 

provide the grace to help us grow in our faith, 

 

to help make the God’s Kingdom present through each of us, 

 

as members of the Body of Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

What brings you joy? Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter - cycle B

 What brings you the greatest joy in your life?

 

A few things that bring me joy are:

 

Being with my wife, children, grandchildren, and family.

 

Watching a beautiful sunset on the beach.

 

Playing a round of golf with friends and maybe even scoring well.

 

Eating my favorite food at my favorite restaurant, Linda’s kitchen.

 

I’m sure that you can think of many other things that bring you joy.

 

While these things bring joy, that joy may only endure for a limited amount of time.

 

The challenges we all go through in life can take away the joy we experience in our lives.

 

If we really want to experience joy all the time, listen to the words of Jesus.

 

 

In today’s Gospel Jesus is addressing his disciples just before the crucifixion.

 

He’s giving his farewell address to them to encourage them before they encounter many trials.

 

He tells the disciples that they are his friends.

 

A good relationship with a friend is a self-giving to one another.

 

It’s not like the relationship of a master and slave that is one way, where the slave obeys the masters command out of fear of punishment.

 

Jesus also tells his disciples that he chose them first.   

 

Jesus, who is God, chose to love them.

 

Why did Jesus, choose to love them? 

 

Because he is God and God IS love.

 

 

Jesus told his disciples they are his friends.

 

Friends do things for each other out of their love for each other.

 

When we are friends with someone, we do things to show them our, such as spending time with them or doing things they like. 

 

Have you ever had a friend where it felt like a one-way relationship where you were the only giving but nothing was coming in return? 

 

Did that relationship last?

 

Friendships need both parties to be giving of each other to sustain.

 

Do we choose to love God, as he loves us?

 

 

The good news for us is that God is love and chooses to always love us.

 

We are forever in his friendship.

 

It is up to us to remain in love with him.

 

If we remain in the love of God what’s the benefit?

 

Jesus tells us, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy might be complete.”

 

We get glimpses of joy in our life as I mentioned earlier.

 

Imagine what it would be like to have the joy of Jesus in us all the time.

 

 

So, how do we remain in Jesus’ love so we can experience His joy all the time?

 

Again, Jesus tells us, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.”

 

That commandment is: “Love one another as I love you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

 

Jesus tells his friends, the disciples this, just prior to his crucifixion.  

 

They probably heard his words but did not really fathom what he was telling them.

 

Jesus, gave his friends the ultimate gift of love, sacrificing his life for them, so they could have eternal life, living in joy in the presence of God.

 

 

Loving one another sounds so easy, but we all know how hard it is to do. 

 

We are all human and know we will fail in always loving one another.  

 

But we can do our best by remaining in the love of Jesus, by remembering one simple word, Joy, and what each of the letters stands for.

 

J is for Jesus.  

 

O is for others.

 

Y is for yourself.

 

If we keep the priority of our love for Jesus and others, before ourselves, we can remain in Jesus’ love.

 

How can we show our love for Jesus?

 

Praying daily, receiving the sacraments, spending time with Him in adoration, and keeping his commandment of loving one another.  

 

By receiving the Eucharist, we keep in communion with Jesus.

 

He becomes part of us, and we become His Body.

 

When we fail to love, his forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation helps restore our friendship with him, so we can continue to love our neighbor.

 

If we keep His commandment out of love, rather than obligation, we will be able to remain joyful.

 

Strengthened by the grace of his commands we can love one another.

 

How can we show our love for others?

 

By living the Beatitudes.

 

The Beatitude are the attitudes of being a disciple of Jesus.

 

In the Beatitudes Jesus tells us we are blessed.   

 

Another word for blessed is happy and happiness done in the name of Jesus leads to joy.

 

We are so very blessed to be able to show are love for others in many ways such as:

 

Supporting pregnant moms in need through the Gabriel project.

 

Donating groceries to support the Harvest food pantry.

 

Being present to console a family or friend who has lost a loved one to death.

 

Helping an elderly neighbor with their yard work.

 

Providing a listening ear to someone experiencing a loss of a relationship with their spouse.

 

These are just few ways we can follow the commandment of loving others.

 

By giving of ourselves in love to others the joy of Jesus can be within us and we can follow the Jesus’ commandment remain His love.

Divine Mercy: The Infinite Mercy of our Lord Jesus - Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday

 Jesus gives his disciples another beatitude in today’s Gospel: Blessed are those who have not seen and believed.  Who here is blessed? We are all blessed for believing in the Risen Lord. Today we conclude the Octave of Easter with Divine Mercy Sunday. Last week on Easter Sunday, we heard about the empty tomb. Today Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection.

In the disciples first encounter with Jesus after the resurrection, they were together on Sunday locked away in hiding.   They just experienced the death of Jesus and were in fear for their own lives.  When Jesus appears to them, they were probably scared to death. Seeing someone risen from the dead was probably a shock to them. All of them except John, had abandoned Jesus and must have felt guilt for his death. They probably expected Jesus to be angry at them. But Jesus is not angry.   In fact, he greets them in an unexpected way: “Peace be with you”. What a tremendous gift! He greets them as friends embracing them with forgiveness and love, which is what they really needed to hear. 

            Jesus then does something amazing. He breathes on them saying: “Who sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained”.  

He sends his disciples to do His work of extending mercy through forgiveness of sins.    Where else do we hear about God’s breath?  In the second creation story in Genesis where God breathes life into the man formed out of clay.  Jesus gives His disciples the power to breathe life into those who are deadened by sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this encounter Jesus offers peace to those who have offended him and then sends them on a mission to offer His peace to others by forgiving sins.

The disciple Thomas wasn’t at the first appearance of Jesus and refused to believe unless he could touch Jesus’ wounds himself.   Thomas is very much like people in our own culture who must experience something before they believe.  When Jesus appears a second time, he offers Thomas to see and touch his wounds.  We don’t know if he did, but we hear him proclaims his belief: “My Lord and My God”.   Jesus came to Thomas, so he’d experience his presence to help him believe.

Jesus comes to us as well and is present in so many ways. One of the most healing ways we encounter Jesus is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The priest in the person of Christ extends His Mercy to us by saying, “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Go in Peace.”  Whenever I hear these words of the priest I feel renewed and burden free.   My relationship with God has been restored and I’m embraced in his peace. It’s very healing.   It’s good to know that I can receive it again because I’m a sinner.   I do my best to keep from sinning but being a fallen human being, I’m going to sin again.   

It’s fitting that on Divine Mercy Sunday we hear about Jesus giving his disciples the power to extend His mercy.    Saint John Paul II decreed in May of 2000 that the Second Sunday of Easter be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.  

He was very familiar with the message of Divine Mercy from St. Faustina, a native of his homeland of Poland.    During the early part of the 20^th century there were many evils going on through expansion of Nazism, communism, and a deep disrespect for the dignity of life.  In the 1930s, Jesus chose a humble Polish nun, St. Faustina, to receive private revelations about Divine Mercy. In these private revelations Jesus requested that Divine Mercy Sunday be observed.   As recorded in St. Faustina’s Diary Jesus tell her:

 

“The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain 

 

complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. … Let no soul fear to draw near to 

 

Me. … It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after 

 

Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary, no. 699)

Jesus also appeared to St. Faustina in a vision with his right hand raised in a blessing and his left touching his garment above his heart.  Red and white rays emanate from his heart, 

symbolizing the blood and water that was poured out for our salvation.   The Lord requested the words, “Jesus, I trust in You”, be inscribed under his image, and that it be venerated around the world. 

Jesus said about this image: 

 

“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish” (Diary, no. 48).

 

The Divine Mercy image is located in front of the altar is usually located in the confessional.
  

Our Lord also gave a prayer, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to St. Faustina with this promise: 

 

 “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. … Even if 

 

there was a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, 

 

he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world 

 

know My infinite mercy” (Diary, no. 687). 

 

We’ll pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the Church today at 10 am.  You’re invited to join, but if you’re not able please pick up a Divine Mercy Prayer card after Mass.   It’s easy to pray using a rosary.   The traditional time to pray the chaplet is 3 pm if possible, the hour of our Lord’s death, but you can pray it any time.  Please pray this often, especially for someone who is physically, mentally, or spiritually sick or in the process or dying. 

We may know someone whose been away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a long time.  They may feel that a sin they have committed is not able to be forgiven and are afraid to ask for Jesus’ mercy. This is a lie and what the devil wants them to think.  That’s why we pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for them to ask for God’s mercy. These unforgiven sins are wounds on their heart that need healing and God’s mercy heals. Jesus knows all our sins and took them on so we can be forgiven, but we have to ask for forgiveness. The wounds in his hands and feet are a sign of His love that he wants to forgive us. If you know someone who thinks their sins can’t be forgiven, please invite them to receive Jesus’ infinite mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, share the Divine Mercy message, and pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for them.

 

If you would like to explore more about Divine Mercy, I’d recommend looking into the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Divine Mercy web site.  If you want to pray the Divine Mercy devotion, take it with you on the go and download an app to you Smartphone. 

 

            

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Relationship with Jesus in the New Covenant gives us Eternal life - Homily, 5th Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

 

 In Today’s first reading the prophet Jeremiah tells the people of Israel of a New Covenant.  They had been suffering for many years away from their homes exiled to Babylon. Their misfortune was due to breaking the covenant that God had made with them through the Law of the Ten Commandments given to Moses.

What is a covenant?   A covenant is a relationship entered into between persons who make a promise to each other.   It’s not like a contract where two parties make commitments in exchange for goods and services.  A marriage between a husband and wife is an example of a lifelong covenant to each other.

The covenant God made with the Jewish people was kept by God, but not by them. They did not understand the Law of the Ten Commandments as a relationship with God, but only a set of rules to be followed.

The New Covenant the Lord prophecies through Jeremiah is: “I will place my law within them and write it in their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people. All, from the least to the greatest, shall now me, say the Lord, for I will forgive their evil doing and remember their sin no more”. This was a prophecy of God’s mercy they had longed for.

How does this New Covenant come about? Through person of Jesus! Today’s Gospel tells us the time for New Covenant has come.Some of the Greeks had come to seek out Jesus having heard of the miraculous healings he had done.

Jesus tells them: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” The hour Jesus spoke of means that that now is the time for the New Covenant. He uses a familiar farming analogy of how this will come about: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”. This is a sign predicting his death. The New Covenant will come about by Jesus loving self-sacrifice of dying for us to conquer sin and resurrection to new life, so we may have eternal life.       

Was this a struggle for Jesus? It was, as he tells us, “I am troubled now.” Jesus in his human nature had the same struggles we do in fearing death. He sympathizes with own struggle with death. But in his divinity, he is obedient to the Father and made perfect by his dying and rising, so we can live eternally if we believe in him and obey him.

How do we enter into this New Covenant where the law will be written in our own hearts? By being in relationship with the person of Jesus, believing in him, and living our life as his disciple loving God and neighbor. We participate in this New Covenant each time we come to Mass and hear the priest speak the words of Jesus.

 

“TAKE THIS ALL OF YOU AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,  THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME”

 

Jesus gave us the New Covenant, to conquer death cause by sin so we could live eternally. When we receive the Eucharist, Jesus becomes part of us.  His Body and Blood nourishes us to grow in faith and virtue. By growing in virtue, we can overcome sin. The one who is God and gave use the law, now writes it in our hearts when we receive him.   In receiving Jesus, we enter into a deep relationship with him that helps us to live as his disciple being obedient to love God and neighbor.

How do we live as a disciple of Jesus? By spending time each day with Jesus in prayer talking and listening to him. By the sacrifices we make as parents, working to provide food and homes for our children, and educating them in the faith of our Lord. By giving of our time caring for family, friends, and neighbors who are lonely, ill, or of old age. By denying ourselves of favorite foods or activities so we can donate our resources to the Harvest Food Pantry, Johnson County Senior services,  and Catholic Relief Services. 

As we enter these last few weeks of Lent, lets us ask the Lord for the grace to live our lives as his disciple in gratitude for Christ’s New Covenant. These Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us to be in relationship with Jesus, so his law is written in our hearts. If it’s been a struggle keeping your Lenten promises don’t give up.    I’ve struggled myself. It’s hard to do it all on our own. Ask Jesus for help in prayer, calling on the Holy Spirit to give you a steadfast and willing spirit. Make the time each week to receive the Eucharist and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Both will help us grow in virtue so we can be of humble service to each other.

            Dear Jesus, please help us accompany you on your journey to the Cross by writing your law in our hearts, so we can conquer sin and live lives of service as your disciples. 

First Sunday of Lent: Somewhere over the rainbow and the Kingdom of God

 Have you ever longed to be somewhere else to take you away from your cares and troubles?  With pandemic going on and all the cold and snow this may be something we are all hoping for. The rainbow in today’s first reading reminded me of favorite childhood movie, The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy longed to be taken away from her cares at the end of the rainbow.  Dorothy longed to be in a perfect land beyond the horizon.  She got her wish by being taken to the land of Oz. But Dorothy soon found out that her troubles only got worse in the land of Oz.  

We may yearn to escape and be taken somewhere else, but the rainbow is a reminder

that God is the one to rely on when we have troubles. In today’s first reading God makes a covenant with Noah to never again destroy all the men and creatures of the earth through a flood. God’s reminder of this covenant is the rainbow. It’s fulfilled through Jesus who brings about the Kingdom of God.  

Today’s Gospel is brief but has a powerful message.  In the first part we hear about Jesus overcoming the temptation by Satan in the desert.  There aren’t a lot of details about this encounter, but it gives us great hope.  We’re told: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert”.  Just prior to this John had just baptized Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had descended upon him.  Jesus’ immediate action after the baptism by John is to battle Satan for forty days in the desert.   Jesus resists the devil’s temptations to sin.  Jesus’ victory of the devil begins the process to reverse the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin, which brought about death. Jesus wasn’t in need of baptism as he is without sin, but by being baptized and tested in the desert, he united himself with our struggles to overcome sin.   His obedience in following God’s will triumphs over Satan and is also triumph for us.   This is Good News!

In the second part of the Gospel Jesus proclaims:  “Now is the time of fulfillment.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The Kingdom of God is a prominent theme of Jesus’ ministry.  In proclaiming the Kingdom He’s announces that God’s reign has come through himself.   The people of Israel had longed for God’s reign to come in a Messiah who would overcome the political powers to restore a rightful ruler to Israel. But Jesus was not the mighty ruler they were expecting.  He is a humble servant, who not only came for the people of Israel, but for everyone. 

Jesus continues John’s ministry of calling to repentance and baptism but adds a new dimension.  Jesus proclaims to “Repent AND believe in the Gospel.”  

Another word for Gospel is good news.  What is the good news:  The new covenant established by Jesus in his sacrifice in dying for us so we can have eternal life.  This new covenant makes salvation and eternal life for us by having faith in Jesus. This indeed is good news!

 

The season of Lent is an annual call to conversion to become more Christ like so we can bring about the Kingdom of God. Lent can be a challenging time for us   It’s a time that we deny ourselves through daily sacrifice.   It’s a time set apart by the Church to repent through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  These practices are meant to lead us to conversion to become for Christ like so we can help bring about the Kingdom of God and celebrate the Easter Joy of the Risen Lord.   If we keep this destination in mind and unite our sufferings with Jesus it can make the time of Lent one of joyful anticipation.  

We don’t need to go it alone during Lent. Through our baptism we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to bring about the virtues to help us in our journey.   We can call on our guardian angel to help fight the temptations the devil puts in our way.  We also have our families and faith community who can support us.  But even with this help we may fail in keeping our Lenten observances and yield to our temptations. Don’t get discouraged by these failures.  These failures may not be all that bad, as they help us to realize our need a savior.  When we struggle with our temptations, we can recall that Jesus faced some of the same temptations and is united with us in our struggles.  He understands what we’re going through and has compassion for us.  If we fail in our Lenten disciplines or fall into sin don’t give up.  Ask Jesus for help and start over.  If you need to go to confession, there are plenty of times to receive Jesus’ forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation.

If you haven’t chosen what to do for the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving yet, I’d like to offer some for consideration.   The first is to slowly pray the Our Father daily and pick one section of the prayer to focus on.  Meditate on how you’re living out this prayer in your daily life.   Really focus is on, “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.  Think about how you are bringing about the Kingdom of God to those close to you and also to those most in need.  A great way to bring about the Kingdom of God is to actively practice almsgiving and fasting.  Consider whatever you give up and dedicating time or money to support the Lenten ministries of the Outreach or Johnson County Senior services that the parish is supporting this year.  A final suggestion is to read an entire Gospel from start to finish.   The shortest Gospel is Mark and is being read during this year for the Sunday readings.  One of the best ways to come to know the good news of Jesus is to read the story about him.    If you finish before the end of Lent is over, start another Gospel.  These practices will help you “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

So, as we being this Lent remember the sign of rainbow of God’s covenant with us and set your sights on the Kingdom of God.   The new covenant of Jesus promises us eternal life if we have faith in him. Through God’s love the waters of baptism bring us new life in Christ.  Our baptism provides the  grace of the Holy Spirit to live a virtuous life and resist temptations to sin.  It also helps to make the Kingdom of God present to those around us through our acts of service to others.   As we prepare to receive the Eucharist let us all thank God for the Holy Spirit and his angels who help us on our Lenten journey.  

Homily: Third Sunday of Ordinary Time: The call of the fishermen to become fishers of men:

         Today we hear about the beginning of Jesus public ministry in the Gospel of Mark. He

proclaims: This is the time of fulfillment.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.  Mark’s Gospel moves swiftly with Jesus inviting fisherman to help in his mission of proclaiming this message. I really like Jesus’ choice of fishermen to help with catching people for His Kingdom.

    Fishing is something I realy enjoy. When you go fishing the right equipment is needed to catch the fish: poles, bait, hooks, lures, and nets. The main goal is to attract the fish so you can catch them. When you’re fishing you also need to go out to find them.   You don’t just wait on the shore for them to come to you. You need to know go out in order to catch them.    This may be going out in deep waters in the middle of a stormy night or to hidden coves amongst the brush early in the morning.  Fishing can be disappointing when you don’t catch any, but when you do it brings great joy. It takes perseverance and hard work to be a good fisherman. I think these qualities is what Jesus was looking for when he called Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him in his mission.

How were the apostles supposed to catch people? By following the lead of Jesus in proclaiming the Good News to those who were most in need. The coming of the Kingdom of God gave hope to the Jewish people. It meant liberation from oppression by the Romans. But the Kingdom of God that Jesus was preaching meant something more: the joy of eternal life in the presence of the Lord.

How did Jesus show the apostles how to catch people for this Kingdom? By their actions of going out to show love for their neighbor, healing and restoring those who were isolated from the community.   This type of love is known as Agape. I read a quote this past week by Martin Luther King Jr that made this point very well: Agape is something of the understanding, creative redemptive goodwill for all men.   When you rise to love on this level, you begin to love men, no because they are likable, but because God loves them.   You look at every man, and you love him because you know God loves him. This type of love is something we really need in our world today given all the violence and division we’ve recently experienced in our nation.

The twofold proclamation of Jesus was to repent and believe in the Gospel. This repentance came about through an encounter with Jesus.  Jesus reached out to those who were isolated from the community due to an illness, possession, or a different culture. These people were isolated because it was thought that their affliction was due to their sins, and were excluded from being able to worship with their community. Jesus went out to encounter these people in their own environment, listening to them, and healing them so they could return to their community.  Through this encounter a conversion came about that led them to become his disciples.The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is a good example of an encounter with Jesus that led to repentance and becoming a disciple of Jesus.

We all know many people who are in need of conversion. Some have never encountered Jesus or heard the Good news in a positive way. They may have only heard of eternal punishment that would come their way if they didn’t make a change in their life.  A negative message like this is not the way to attract people to become a disciple of Jesus. If you want to catch people for Jesus it must be done with love. We can follow this same example of Jesus of encountering others to listen to their needs with love, and not judging or condemning them.    This is something we really need to bring about conversion in our world today.

We are all called to repentance as well so we can enter the Kingdom of God.  Each week we have an opportunity to do so for ourselves and also as a community when we come together at Mass. We join together in the penitential rite recalling our own sins as a worshipping community.   In the penitential rite the priest asks God for his mercy on us, that He forgive our sins and bring us to everlasting life.  Through the Mass we receive the mercy of God in the Eucharist. This is the Good news that we all hope for!

        The Eucharist along with the Sacrament of Reconciliation continually helps us repent so that we can be disciples of Jesus and enter his Kingdom. As you leave Mass today remember to persevere in loving others, even those you may not like, so you can help Jesus catch people for the Kingdom of God.

Homily, Fourth Sunday of Advent: Listening and saying yes to God

         Today starts the fourth week of Advent. We’ve all been preparing for the Lord’s coming at Christmas. We may have been busy getting ready for Christmas putting up decorations, buying presents, and figuring out how to celebrate the holiday safely. Some of us have had to cut back this year and won’t be able to be with our loved ones. Christmas this year seems a bit different from the past and may be a bit challenging.   With all the challenges we’ve gone through this year, it may be good to reflect on why God sent his Son to be with us, pondering in our hearts like Mary did. 

        In today’s Gospel the angel Gabriel is sent by God, to announce to Mary that she would

conceive a child.  The angels greeting, “Hail, full of Grace.  The Lord is with you.”, is troubling for Mary. This usual Hebrew greeting would be, shalom, meaning, “peace be with you”.    The greeting she hears, Hail, is in Greek and means rejoice or Joy.    The second part of the greeting: “full of grace!” is also related to joy.  Why would Gabriel use this greeting?  Because joy and grace belong together announcing the good news of the Gospel.  Mary ponders this greeting, reflecting on it in her heart on what it means.

The angel then tells her, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus” and “The Lord will give him the throne of David his father,  and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of this kingdom there will be no end”.  The angel is rejoicing in the gift of the Holy Spirit that brings about the conception of Jesus, a name that means: GOD SAVES.  This greeting is a sign that salvation is coming for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.  THIS is truly GOOD NEWS.  

Mary reflects in her heart on the angel’s greeting and seeks to understand what it means.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a step on the way to marriage. Having a child before marriage was definitely not in her plans. This could jeopardize her marriage plans and even be a threat to her own life. This would be troubling for Mary.  Gabriel consoles her by saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”.   

Mary’s pondering leads to a question.   She’s in dialogue with God’s messenger and listening to him. This is a good model for us to follow, in our prayer life. Prayer is dialogue with God.  It’s not just about asking God for something, but also having a conversation and listening to God. We can learn from Mary to reflect in prayer when faced with troubling situations, and to try understanding them in God’s overall plan. 

Mary seeks to understand how it’s possible for her to conceive a child without being with a man.  The angel answers Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.   Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”.  To reassure Mary the angel tells of her cousin, Elizabeth, who was childless, beyond childbearing age, and now is six months pregnant. He finishes with “nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary pondered and chose to say YES: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word”.   Mary was free to say yes or no, just like we are.    It’s amazing that exalted God, who created humanity, would rely on a humble young woman’s response to restore humanity.   This yes set-in motion the reversal of Adam and Eve’s no to God and brought about the salvation of humanity through the birth of Jesus. 

It’s said that Mary’s yes to God allowed her to conceive through her ears.   What seemed to be a troubling situation for Mary, turned into the most joyful event for all of humanity. By pondering in her heart in dialogue with God she came to understand God’s will for her.

This year with the pandemic we’ve all had plans that did not turn out as expected. We all know people who have gotten sick or have died, many have lost jobs, and significant events in our lives have been canceled or postponed.   We’ve all struggled with isolation and being away from loved ones.     We definitely did not plan what we’re going through, and it’s been troubling for all of us. In this time of trouble, have we pondered in our hearts like Mary asking God what this all means? It may be a call for us to be in relationship with God listening his will for us, to be saved by his Son Jesus.  We will soon be celebrating the birth of our savior, Jesus, whose name means “God Saves”. The exalted God chose to be born humble that he might disclose majesty through this very humility.  He chose to be born as a baby to live among our imperfect humanity in order to save the world.

Let’s use the last few days of Advent to ponder in our hearts and have a dialogue with God just as Mary did. May we be open to God’s will and grace for each of us, especially to be saved by his Son. St. Augustine said that Mary first conceived Christ in her heart by faith before she conceived him in her womb.   As we approach the birth of Christ, may we seek to have this same faith and to say yes to follow God’s will.   May the Eucharist we are about to receive gives us the strength us to respond as Mary did.