The Heart of the Matter

High Anxiety - Homily for February 1, 2009

Anxiety.  Who among us has not become at least somewhat anxious as the economy seems to be in a state of freefall?  Yet Paul says, “I should like you to be free from all anxieties.”

            Notice where Paul first goes to address anxiety: married life.  It’s as if Paul were saying, “If you are married well, with husband focusing on pleasing his wife, and wife focusing on pleasing her husband, then all will be well.”

            How wonderful it is to see a husband and wife say, even in the threat of losing a job, “We’ll be alright because we’ll face it together.”

            How different that is from one spouse’s blaming the other, or one spouse’s reaction causing great anxiety in the other.

            “I should like you to be free from all anxieties,” Paul says.  He goes on the recommend celibacy as a way to pour your energy into pleasing the Lord.  However the Lord shows you a route to live without anxiety, you can be sure that freedom from anxiety comes from living within the will of God.

            When we’re outside the will of God is when we get anxious.

            Be aware, though, that there are many unclean spirits running around, seeking to ruin our peace.  Scripture calls unclean spirits what we today might call illness, addictions or disorders.  These too can rob our peace and drive us into anxiety.  

An evil spirit that is especially adept at stealing our peace is deceit.  I often advise this to kids in confession when they have confessed telling lies:  be careful because if lying becomes a habit, we eventually lose the ability to tell the difference between a lie and the truth.  Then when some difficult truth comes along, we tell more and more lies, and eventually we anesthetize ourselves from some painful truth by some addiction.

Even if we don’t get into some addictive behavior, the father of lies can steal our peace and leave us anxious.  For instance, in these uncertain times, we can get into this line of thought:  “I’m going to lose my job.”  Which can lead to: “I won’t find another job.”  Which leads to catastrophizing: “We’ll lose our home and won’t be able to provide for our family.”  As these thoughts increase the anxiety increases.  That’s when we make bad decisions and that makes our anxieties even worse.  Gone is our inner peace and gone is a couple’s ability to handle this together.

Jesus did say, you know, “When you come to know the truth, the truth will set you free.”  

And what is that truth?  That: you are a beloved child of God and that “not a hair of your head goes uncounted” by your loving Father.  “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.”  This truth is the most constant refrain in all 4 gospels: “Be not afraid.”

            So, yes, Paul says it very, very well:  “I should like you to be free from all anxieties.”

A little known fact about President Obama

During Catholic Schools Week it is worth noting a little known fact about our new president: that he attended a Catholic school for several years when he was a child in Indonesia.  The Wall Street Journal makes note of it in an article in today's paper, January 17, 2009.

Speaking of Catholic schools, did you know this, as the article will tell you: that a "New York University study of the city's schools showed that Catholic school children do better on tests -- and the longer they spend in Catholic school, the more they out-achieve their public school counterparts."

So, in the words of our marketing theme:  "Catholic Schools: Take another look!"

Homily for the Conversion of St. Paul (1/25/09)

Before Saint Paul’s conversion he thought he was a very good man.  He thought he did everything very, very well.  He was full of zeal, convinced of the direction he was taking in life, and was very successful within the scope of the people who mattered to him.

            He had no idea that he was very misguided.  Then the Lord entered his life, shook him up, blinded him, threw him to the ground and left him confused and unnerved for three days.

            Having encountered the Risen Lord he was transformed.  He re-evaluated everything in his life and became the most impacting force in the Church other than Jesus Himself.  Paul translated the experience of Jesus not only from Aramaic into Greek, but from an Asian mentality to a European mentality.  He became the greatest missionary the Church as seen, establishing churches that survive even to this day, and he wrote two thirds of the New Testament.

            Paul’s conversion not only changed him; it changed the world.

            This brings us to this feast’s application to us.  God is calling some people here present to undergo a major change in the way they are living their lives.  All of us, in fact, are being invited by the Lord to undergo some kind of transformation, some form of conversion, some new way of believing and thinking.  Wouldn’t you agree that all of us have some kind of obstacle to our following Christ more closely?  And wouldn’t we all agree that the mother of all vices if pride?  So as we celebrate Paul’s conversion let us take as look at the virtue that conquers pride:  humility.  

There are 3 different degrees of humility.

The 1^st degree of humility is necessary for salvation.  It’s having enough humility to stop justifying mortal sin in our lives.  It’s the humility needed to recognize that I have this major obstacle in my life, some major sin, that keeps me at a distance from God.  And it’s having enough humility to recognize that so far I have been unwilling to do what I need to do to remove this obstacle from my life.  Without this 1^st degree of humility I make the decision to live with my sin, even to justify it.  The 1^st degree of humility leads us to say to the Lord, “Not for all the riches in the world would I ever commit a mortal sin.”

            The second degree of humility is a move towards holiness.  In this state of relationship with the Lord, He, the Lord, has become so important to me that I don’t want to do the least little thing against the Lord.  This is not scrupulosity but rather a desire to be one with Christ, to see Him in all things, to encounter him in all the people and events in our lives, a desire to rise above my mediocrity, and not settle for a half-hearted response to the call of Christ.  And now we don’t want even venial sins to stand in our way, preventing a clear sight of the Lord who loves us so. This is the state of no longer wanting to disagree with, for instance, the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of life and settle for some compromise between good and evil.  This second degree of humility leads us to say, “Not for all the money in the world would I ever want to commit even a venial sin.”

            The third degree of humility is a move into true sanctity.  In this degree of humility I see myself as part and parcel of all of sinful humanity and I see my call to be among those who are despised, rejected, ostracized, spat upon, and facing extreme oppression, because thus was treated my Lord and Savior.  This is the degree of humility that hears the teaching of our Church as the voice of Jesus and embraces it, especially on such tough subjects as there being a need for a redistribution of wealth so there is a greater bond between the rich and the poor.  A person who abides in this 3^rd degree of humility not only understands, but lives, the Church teaching that says, “No one may appropriate surplus goods solely for his own private use when others lack the bare necessities of life.”  (Populorum Progressio, 23)

            Oh, how far away from this degree of humility we all are!  But now we can see what is the trajectory of holiness the Lord is calling us to.  Let us on this feast of Paul’s conversion let us ask the Lord to help us grow in holiness.

A miraculous week

Think of what has been happening all within one week:

• A jetliner lands on water (the Hudson River) and stays afloat long enough for rescuers to arrive and get the 150 people to safety.  A little dip of the wing and the balancing act would have sunk the landing plane.  Miraculous!

• A most momentous holiday celebrating this history:  45 years ago a black reverend led a revolution with a dream - a dream that segregation, prejudice and racial hostility could be overcome - someday.  His was a dream that a subjugated people who had endured centuries of enslavement in this "land of the free" could take their rightful place as equals along side the descendants of their former slave masters.  And the most miraculous element of this dream being that all of this could be accomplished nonviolently. 

• The inauguration of the man whose election most fully represents the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream.  No wonder the air is thick with the thrill of it all, the joy of such a milestone for our nation, and a growing sense of solidarity with one another in our nation. 

It is truly a miraculous time!

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (1 Cor. 6)

Today’s Scriptures teach us how to evangelize, how to play a part in helping other people come to know the Lord directly.  Let’s look and see what this process is like.     Both our Old Testament reading and our Gospel reading show us the importance of entering into a relationship with God. Unless we are in a relationship with God, we will see the Church, and the teachings of the Church, as burdensome human inventions that can easily be dispensed with.

To better understand our reading from Chapter 3 of the First Book of Samuel we should understand that Samuel’s mother had dedicated her son to the Lord and sent him to get his education, as it were, at a boarding school, under the tutelage of Eli, the priest at the Shrine of Shiloh.  Right before today’s selection from Chapter 3, the Scripture says, During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli, a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.  In other words, it was a laidback time, lots of bad things were happening, religious observance was lax.  In some ways it was a time like our own.  Could we not say that in our day that the ways of the Lord are unfamiliar to many, many souls?

            The text also shows us that “young Samuel was not yet familiar with the Lord because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.”  So Samuel did not realize that the Lord was calling him until he had a guide who finally recognized the movement of the Lord in Samuel’s soul.  It became clear to young Samuel that he was being called into a deep relationship with the Lord.  Life, therefore, changed for Samuel and God worked with him and through him to achieve God’s marvelous ways.

            Likewise in today’s Gospel, the guide, John the Baptist points to Jesus as the One to follow.  Two of John’s disciples start following Jesus who asks, “What are you seeking?”  Then comes from the Lord the invitation to “come and see.”  In the developing relationship that comes from this encounter what takes place is the gathering of the apostles and the start of the transformation of the world which is still being carried out today through these successive generations of the Church to achieve God’s marvelous ways down through the centuries.

            Today’s problem is that many people do not see the Church as inviting people into an ever deepening relationship with Christ, but as some big bully saying “no” to this and “no” to that, almost as a power play to make people obey a human authority. 

            That’s the kind of reaction someone will make when they have not yet experienced the Lord.  There are many, many people who are like young Samuel, who are “not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to [them] as yet.”

            Take for instance our second reading’s focus on sexual immorality.  This particular teaching is often derided as out of step with the times, as antiquated and as impossible to live up to, so therefore people will say, “I disagree with the teaching of the Church on this matter.” 

Now tell me, has it ever occurred to you that when people object to a teaching of the Church like this, they are actually objecting to the teaching of the Lord Himself?  The need to justify oneself is what drives the sinner into wanting society to accept this behavior.  Yet, the inner soul, in all honesty, knows when some sexual misdeeds have violated a person’s truest self.   

            Oddly enough, this teaching on sexual immorality is often the doorway for someone to enter into a relationship with the Lord.  It’s called a conversion of heart, repentance, a desire to conform one’s life with what one knows in the deepest recesses of his heart as true, as the way to be in union with God.  When we have such a relationship with the Lord that we know that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, we do not want to do anything impure, we don not want to violate that very extraordinary relationship with the All Holy One.  This does not mean that we deny our sexuality, but that we use it rightly, in marriage, always as a gift from God to express spousal love and bring forth human life as co-creators with God.

So, when someone objects to the Church’s teaching, be the guide who can guide them gently to find God in this very struggle.

Lessons on priesthood - Lesson One

This coming year I will mark 35 years as a priest and 30 years as a pastor.  To mark the occasion I want to begin a series of thoughts about lessons I have learned over those years about priestly ministry, particularly from the perspective of being a pastor of a parish.  It is fitting that I begin this series during Vocations Awareness Week as an ongoing encouragement to anyone considering the priesthood.

Lesson Number One:  I never cease to be surprised by how patient God is.  Human nature is what it is.  Yet, we, the baptized, are gifted with supernatural grace which enables us to rise again and again from the ashes of our mistakes.  Our fallen human nature seems to tackle us from advancing in God's grace by sin, by foolishness, by "not getting it", and by one mistake after another.  But God's grace can take the fallen person we are and by the process of a conversion of heart transform us into vessels of remarkable resilience in cooperating in God's plan, which always seems to adjust to our new circumstances. 

One of the most extraordinary elements of being a priest, and particularly a pastor, is that of being a confessor.  After so many years in a parish a pastor knows the inner life of his parishioners: what their common struggles are, what the unique person's unique struggle is, and by hearing their confessions year after year a pastor is able to see how God works with people, how patiently He regards us, how kindly He guides us to conquer our sins and find new ways to be live so as to walk in His ways.

What a joy it is for me to be a part of someone's recognizing how God is calling him or her to an increasingly closer walk with the Lord.  Think of the silent celebration a pastor knows, and cannot speak about, when a sinner finally conquers, or make great progess in conquering, a long habit of sin, or a longstanding resentment!  Think of what joy a pastor feels when an errant sojourner finally comes home to receive the sacraments after years and years of spiritual desolation!  Think of what it's like to see the light of an "aha" come to a person who finally sees what has been robbing his or her heart of joy!  Oh, how good God is!  Oh, how kind God is!  And oh, how very patient God is - with all of us!

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord (January 11, 2009)

Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus, as the Incarnate God, had no need of baptism?  So, have you ever wondered, why did He do it?  

            In Matthew’s rendition of the Baptism of the Lord, John the Baptist says to Jesus: “You come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you!”  Then Jesus responds mysteriously, “Give in for now because we must fulfill all righteousness.”  What’s going on here?

            By Jesus being baptized He was identifying Himself with all of sinful humanity.  Think of it this way:  it’s as if we, left to our own devices, are all filthy dirty in need of a bath.  That dirtiness is called original sin.  All of us are born into a human condition that eventually wants to move us away from God and away from goodness.

But in baptism, all of the sinners take a bath in the same water.  By Jesus entering into the very same bath water as the rest of us, He, who is goodness Itself, is stating powerfully that He is in complete solidarity with all of us, with all the sinners of the world, and He comes out of the water covered in the guilt of our sins.  Eventually He will take that guilt to the cross and will make amends for all the wrong everyone of us has done.  

            Notice in the creed we will recite in a few moments: “We believe in one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”  We have believed this since the days of the apostles who were asked by the vast crowd gathered on the first Pentecost, “Brothers, what must we do to be saved?”  Peter answered and said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

            This is the key doctrine of our faith.  In fact, our Church teaches that salvation is available only through Baptism, baptism by water, or baptism by blood, or baptism of desire.

            In medieval times members of the Church were wondering what happened to babies who, through no fault of their own, died before baptism.  A theological opinion, not a doctrine of the Church, said that such persons would only experience natural happiness in a place called Limbo.  But that was never a doctrine of the Church.  It was just an idea to deal with the ramifications of our belief in the absolute centrality of Jesus Christ and the ultimate importance of baptism for salvation. 

      Now skip ahead to our own time.  Let me ask you: do you think we today grasp the power, and the extreme importance of Baptism?  I don’t.  How many of us have family and friends whose children have not been baptized?  I think we have settled for some lame excuse for a belief, some warm fuzzy of an idea that baptism doesn’t really matter as long as a person tries to be a good, decent honorable person.  That, my friends, is not the teaching of the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated in our own lifetime, totally up to date, teaches this doctrine this way:

Baptism is like a sickly person receiving an infusion of good blood, like a pouring into the one baptized a capacity to believe in God, a power to abide in hope, and an ability to love God, which is the greatest of all romances.  Baptism gives us the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, instead of simply being led by our own lights or simply allowing the general feeling of the times to guide us.  And baptism gives us the desire for, and the grace to grow in, goodness and living out the moral virtues.

When a family has their baby baptized, they are asking the Lord to pour into their baby these desires, these abilities, these powers, these graces. And just as parents will decide on what the best education would be for their child, and the act accordingly, so the parents have their child baptized so that, with proper nurturing, the child will grow into a person who wants to believe, who has the power to be hopeful, who has the capacity to grow into a loving child of God, who is able to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit and know the difference when an evil spirit is attempting to give guidance, and who grows into someone who truly wants to grow in goodness and virtue.  That’s why baptism is so important.

Tips on navigating the loss of a job

A faithful reader of this blog suggested doing a similar blog as the one on Tips for Grieving Well, only this one should be on coping with the another kind of grief: losing a job. So here goes Tips on Navigating the Loss of a Job:

• Whether being outright fired, or losing a job because of a "reduction in the work force," or losing a job for whatever reason: be honest with yourself.  What exactly was the real reason for losing the job?  Sometimes we can kid ourselves into thinking there were other reasons than the real reason.  There's much to learn from knowing the real reason.  Perhaps there is something to learn, like certain behaviors or job performance need to be purged from our character.  At other times, we need to be consoled that the matter was out of our control completely and we need not castigate ourselves for it.
• Either way, don't dump on yourself.  If there was something to learn, learn it, and move on.  If you are simply a victim of circumstance, don't let yourself go into a narcissistic tide of self-loathing.  Get over it and move on.
• Get creative!  Think of wild possibilities for a new way to earn your living and provide for your family.  Make lists of possibilities you'd not otherwise have the time to think about.  The more wild the list, the more likely you'll find an option that fits you just right, but probably not on the far outside of the possibilities.  (The crazy options just open your mind to think more creatively.)
• Pray like you've never prayed before.  God knows exactly what would be your best fit.  So, ask Him!  And pay attention to how He might give you clues on what He is calling you to.  Many people do not think that God has a perfect plan for our lives, so they don't ask Him to show the way.  Ask the Lord to get your ego out of the way so He can guide you. 
• In medieval times, when jobs were scarce, there was a widespread custom of "going on pilgrimage" to some distant spot known as a holy place (like the Holy Land or a saints shrine) to beg the Lord for whatever favor the pilgrim needed.  It was also a time to get some space from the immediate surroundings and circumstances.  In that mental and physical break from the routine and from the worry, the person could regain some confidence and some freedom to be more open to God's will.  Try it!  In Colorado there is the Saint Frances Cabrini shrine in Golden. 

Tips on grieving well

Since my little parish in the mountains is deep in grief over the deaths of two key players, here are some tips on how to grieve well.  I hope they help.

• Keep talking about the deceased loved one/s.  The tendency is to stop talking about the deceased loved one because "it's too painful."  That just bottles up the grief and the healing slows down. 
• Don't overdo the talking about the deceased loved one/s!  An entirely different dynamic than mentioned above is the possibility of obsessing about the departed.  That kind of obsession leads to a dead end and you stop living among the living.
• Take care of yourself.  Certain times can be especially vulnerable times to sink into melancholy.  For instance, if you live alone and the deceased loved one was the one whom you had meals with, then try going to an inexpensive restaurant where you won't feel odd to be dining alone, bring a book or a newspaper and read your way through the meal.  Or if you stay home for your meal, turn on the television and let your mind be occupied with some show or movie.
• Bedtime.  Very problematic if the deceased one was your spouse.  Put a TV in your bedroom, if there isn't one there already, and watch something until you fall asleep.  Use the TV function that will turn off the TV after so many minutes.
• Pray.  Learn to pray like you never have before.  Only the Lord can heal the pain and doubt and darkness that come from grief.  The crucifix can become a powerful aid in your grief-filled prayer.  The sooner you learn how to unite your sufferings with the sufferings of Christ, the sooner you'll become free from debilitating grief and more open to a newness in your vitality.
• Realize that grief is an act of love.  You wouldn't be in a state of grief if you didn't love the deceased.  And realize that the way out of grief, by prayer, is to realize that the Lord will call you to a new manner of loving.  That is God's way to fill the void left by the departed loved one.  Indeed He may call you to fall in love with Him!

Epiphany for my mountain parish in a state of grief

Joan Fiore.

Brian Mahon.

May they rest in peace.

Have we not received 2 horrific body blows these past few weeks?  How shall our tiny little parish cope with the loss of 2 very significant faithful members of St. Rita’s?  It has been wrenching, exhausting and oh, so sad.  How shall we cope?

            I have a suggestion.  This Solemnity of the Epiphany gives us an insight for us to regain our footing and become even better than we have been as a people who are defined in today’s second reading as “copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,” and as a people who are called to abide in a state of faith, hope and love.

            Both of our friends Joan and Brian were 49 years old.  Way too young to die.  Both were very important to all of us and were loved by all of us.  Both were dedicated to serving the Lord as they served you.  Both served on our parish council; and both made very significant contributions to the life and wellbeing of our parish.  Both were well know in town as people who “gave back.”  But above all, both were known as devout Catholics.  And who will ever forget Brian’s last words:  “I am a Catholic”?

            They both had an unabashed willingness to practice their faith, our faith, and not shy away from being known as people who took their faith, our faith, very seriously.  They did not push our Catholic ways on anyone; but they both did not fail to do what was right.  They led by their example, not by trying to convince others to change their ways to our ways.  

            Like the Magi in search of the newborn King of the Jews, both Joan and Brian were led by a light.  Not by the light of a star, but by the light of their faith, our faith.

            Our contemporary society would have us keep our religious sentiments to ourselves; and many of us have been cowered into silence when we have been questioned about our Catholic faith, when people have wanted to ridicule our Catholic Church, when people have wanted us to buy into their secular worldview, where anything goes, where goodness is mocked, where virtue is passé, where God is not to be mentioned, where prayer is unheard of, and where the goal in life is a shallow passing state of fun, instead of life on high with Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Yes, we need to be braver.  We do not need to go out and convert the world, but when opportunities present themselves we need to be brave, intelligent, and bear witness to Christ by whatever words the Lord may give us in that hour.  For instance, when faced with a comment that is a putdown to what we hold as precious and dear, it may be as simple as saying, “Oh, my friend, you are crossing a boundary and traipsing on something very sacred to me.”  That’s simple and powerful and not at all insulting.

The Magi traveled in their search over field and fountain, moor and mountain, searching, searching for who knew what, and who knew where they’d find it.  We would do very well to see all of the people in our lives as Magi, as wise - to some degree, but as searchers who do not know exactly what they are searching for.  All around us people are engaged in this search by their pursuit of happiness, by their pursuit of material wellbeing, they search for love, they search for that un-nameable “something more” that they have not yet found. 

 That un-nameable “something more” is Jesus Christ and you and I know that.  In fact, we have staked our lives on that.  It is He who invites us here each Sunday to be fed by Him and to be guided by Him so that we may be with Him forever in heaven.

We cannot be shy about this.  We cannot be embarrassed by this.  And we cannot let opportunities go by without letting the Lord speak through us as eloquently as in Brian Mahon’s last words, words he died for:  “I am a Catholic.”