A community of persons we were made to enter

 Homily: The Most Holy Trinity – Cycle C

In my last semester of high school at JCA, I started to hang out with a classmate of mine named Bill Schmitz.  Bill was an eccentric guy.  He had a great sense of humor, but was very intense.  It was either “off” or “on” with him, never in between.  This made him a lot of fun to hang around with because where my own inhibitions might keep me from expressing something as strongly as I might want, Bill would just let it fly!  Through our hanging out, Bill introduced me to one of his friends, Trisha, who proved also to be a lot of fun to hang out with.  Over a series of weeks leading up to our graduation—a couple of months perhaps—we spent a lot of time together: hanging out, joking, and enjoying each other’s company.

On one evening during this time, the three of us were at another acquaintance's house, hanging out.  Bill started talking about how cool he thought it was that the three of us were becoming something of an inseparable trio.  Then, in true Bill fashion, he took it to the next level, saying that we needed a name by which we would identify ourselves.  Of course, Bill had a name picked out.  He said, “We’re like a triangle.  We should call ourselves ‘The Triangle’”.  (As I said, Bill was intense... not the most creative, but intense.)  Being teenagers still and, therefore, still akin to lunging at silly things, I remember Trisha and I both agreeing to the name that night.  As the days and weeks went on, we had a lot of fun as “The Triangle”.

Soon, though, high school graduation came and went.  I would soon leave for Michigan to pursue my degree in engineering, Bill would begin his apprenticeship as a plumber, and Trisha had one more year of high school yet before she would graduate.  I’m guessing that it would surprise no one here if I told them that, as the members of “The Triangle” started down these different paths, this once-unified group of persons quickly dissolved into nothing.  30 years later, I don’t think I’ve run into or spoken with either Bill or Trisha.

So, why this story at the beginning of the homily on Trinity Sunday?  Well, because I think that Bill tapped into something fundamental when he recognized the bond, fragile as it was, that had grown between himself, Trisha, and I.  In calling us the “triangle”, he was recognizing what he thought was a completeness in us, just like a triangle is complete, in itself.  As the three points in the triangle, we had bonds of good will that, for a time, kept us together.  Those bonds proved to be somewhat superficial, however, and so they quickly dissolved once distance made it hard to stay connected.  Nonetheless, in recognizing the “community of persons” that these bonds created, Bill was projecting (somewhat unwittingly, I’m sure) an innate sense that, having been created in God’s image, we are meant to form these kinds of communities of persons: especially ones that are bonded together in deep ways.

Hopefully, at this point, you’re seeing where I’m going with this, because what I’m describing here is a faint reflection of what it is that we celebrate this Sunday: that God, himself, is a community of persons, who nonetheless remains singular in his being.  Just as the three points, bonded together by the lines that connect them, make the triangle; and just as the triangle dissolves into nothing if one of those points or bonds is removed; so God is whole and complete in himself as this community of persons, united in the bonds of their eternal outpouring of love.  If any one of these points is removed, or if the bond of love between them ceases to be, then God is no longer who he has revealed himself to be.  In fact, I’d be so bold to say that he would no longer be God, at all!

Having been created in God’s image and likeness, we are created to be a community of persons, inseparably united by the bonds of love.  This, in fact, is the reason for which we were created: to be one with God in the community of persons that he is in himself.  As little children use play to enter into the lives of the adults around them, acting as parents in make-believe homes and as professionals in make-believe offices, farm fields, and factories—instinctively knowing that they are destined to enter into that world someday—so we human beings know instinctively that we are meant to enter into that perfect community of persons in eternal life and, thus, strive to create that in this world by entering into exclusive unions with one another.  In naming our little trio, Bill was formalizing what we had done instinctively: formed a small community of persons.

Just as a child’s play in the world of adults quickly dissolves when it becomes work or simply uninteresting, so do many of these communities of persons into which we enter dissolve if there isn’t something substantial to hold them together.  “The Triangle” quickly dissolved because our bonds were our mutual enjoyment of each other’s company.  We didn’t know each other very deeply; and so, when distance meant that we could no longer enjoy each other’s company easily (that is, when it became work), we became disinterested and lost contact.

The three Persons of the Holy Trinity, however, are bonded by infinitely perfect bonds: the Father knows the Son infinitely and the Son knows the Father infinitely; and their infinite outpouring of love to each other bursts forth as a third Person, the Holy Spirit (who, himself, is infinitely known and loved by the Father and the Son and who infinitely knows and loves them each in return).  This Holy Spirit bursts forth so that the infinite love of these persons can be known and shared by all.

This last part—that who God is in himself allows that we could know and share in who he is as a community of persons—is our reason to celebrate and give thanks this day.  Every community of persons, even the community of persons that most closely resembles the Holy Trinity—that of the human family—is still, because of our limitedness as human persons, lacking the completeness that God is in himself.  Nonetheless, we instinctively recognize that we are made for that completeness.  If we could never achieve that completeness, however, then our lives would be a total frustration.  But God has made it so that we could enter into that completeness—a completeness that we lost in the Garden of Eden, but then was restored in Jesus Christ—and so, we can rejoice that the hope that we have instinctively of experiencing that completeness will not disappoint, as Saint Paul reminded us in our second reading, and thus worship God here with joy, in spite of whatever difficulties we may be facing in our lives.

Friends, this joy that we celebrate here today because of who God is in himself is the joy that we must take with us as we enter back into this Ordinary Time.  This is because, as missionary disciples of God, we must make this good news known to all: that God, perfect in himself, allows and deeply desires that we, his creatures, could know him and enter into his divine life and, thus, find our fulfillment.  And so, as we give thanks to him today in this Eucharist—itself a taste of this perfect communion with him—let us ask for the grace to make this good news known in our lives and thus make this earth a foreshadowing of the perfect community of persons we will enjoy in eternal life.

Given at Saint Mary Nativity Parish: Joliet, IN – June 15^th, 2025

Pentecost and the New Evangelization

 Homily: Pentecost – Cycle C

A couple of years ago, at our biennial priest convocation, our speaker was Dr. Ralph Martin, an author and professor of theology at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit.  I remember that Dr. Martin’s presentations were quite refreshing.  He shared with us his story of how he became an author and seminary professor and I was edified that his path began in relatively normal circumstances.  For example, the Holy Spirit first touched his heart when he participated in a Cursillo weekend.  All of you who are Cursillistas, or who have been through other retreats like it, have had very similar experiences to the one that opened Dr. Martin’s heart to the grace of a spiritual awakening.  He spoke very plainly and humbly, and he was a great witness to us.  And, after sharing his witness, he spoke to us about the New Evangelization.

The “New Evangelization”, if you’ve never heard of it before (or, if you have, but don’t understand what it is), is something for which our Popes have been calling for the last 45 years or so.  If you think that it has something to do with going out and finding people who have never heard of Jesus to tell them about Jesus and the saving news of the Gospel, then you will have thought well, but you will have thought wrong.  The New Evangelization is not about evangelizing those who have never heard of Jesus Christ (though that work is still necessary), but rather about evangelizing those who are already in the Church.  Perhaps this sounds strange, but here’s what it means:

Since the Second Vatican Council, it seems, there has been a disconnect between the initiation of men and women to the faith and their evangelization.  In other words, we’ve sacramentalized millions of people (meaning, we’ve given them the sacraments), but we’ve done a poor job of introducing them to the person of Jesus (that is, the person for whom and through whom they have been sacramentalized).  In the past, this didn’t seem to be so big of a problem, since the surrounding culture supported and encouraged men and women to continue the practice of the faith, even if they didn’t always have an understanding of the relationship with God that their practice maintained.  Today, the cultural support for religious practice has disappeared (in fact, it has become hostile to it); and so, those who have been sacramentalized but not evangelized fall away from the faith since they see no underlying reasons to continue to practice it.  The New Evangelization calls us to take up the task of evangelizing the baptized so that the sacramental grace that they have received may become active in their lives and draw them back into the practice of the faith.

Perhaps some of you are thinking to yourselves, “surely it is not I, Father, who hasn’t been evangelized?”  Well, chances are that a number of you sitting here this morning do fall into this category.  If so, don’t worry.  It is not a sin to be sacramentalized and not evangelized, if it happened due to no fault of your own.  And most of the people who fall into this category have already left the practice of the faith, anyway, so they wouldn’t be here.  Regardless of whether you’d count yourselves among the evangelized or the merely sacramentalized, there is a message for us here today.  That message is the connection between Pentecost and the New Evangelization. ///

Dr. Martin, echoing the Popes since Pope John XXIII, said that the New Evangelization demands a new Pentecost.  Just as the first evangelization began when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in the Upper Room, so too will the New Evangelization take flight when the Church, on a large scale, calls for the Holy Spirit to descend upon her again.  This has already begun in a smaller scale as Ecclesial Movements like the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Cursillo (and all its permutations), and the Neo-Catechumenal Way have found a footing in the Church and are evangelizing the baptized: that is, helping men and women—long since baptized—to find and establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We have these movements here in the Midwest—some right here in our diocese—and so if something is stirring in you right now as you hear about these evangelizing groups, let us know and we’ll be more than happy to connect you to them.  All of these groups rely heavily on calling on the Holy Spirit to enlighten them, to guide them, and to strengthen them in their efforts to evangelize.

Nonetheless, you do not have to be a part of an ecclesial movement to participate in the New Evangelization; our scriptures show us that.  In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says, “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit”.  Did you hear that?  He said, “to each individual...”  That means that each and every one of you here—if you have been baptized—has been given a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  And so, there’s no one here (again, if you’ve been baptized) who can say, “Oh, that Holy Spirit stuff is for other folks, not me.”  Each of us has been given a manifestation of the Spirit, “for some benefit”.  If we don’t know what those spiritual gift or gifts might be, then our task is to call on the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to those gifts so that we can begin to manifest them for the benefit of the kingdom of God, which has, at its root, the evangelization of peoples.  If we remember the Gospel parable of the talents, we remember that the master did not look kindly on the one who hid his talent instead of trading with it so as to multiply it.  So, too, it will be with us who have been given a manifestation of the Spirit for some benefit, but then failed to discern that gift and to apply it for the building of the kingdom. ///

And so, how do we come to know those spiritual gifts?  Well, the simple way is to call on the Holy Spirit regularly!  “Come, Holy Spirit” is a great prayer to the Holy Spirit that anyone can pray.  In our Gospel today, however, Jesus shows us another way to open ourselves to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  He says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always...  The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”  In other words, if we love Jesus and keep his commandments, then Jesus himself will take care of sending the Spirit to us.  I like this method, because it keeps us focused on fostering our own relationship with Jesus, which will be essential in any evangelizing work that we are given.  It also reminds us, however, that we cannot expect to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit if we refuse to turn away from our sins: that is, if we fail to keep the commandments of the Lord.  Thus, it is a constant urging to turn away from sin and be cleansed of it (especially in Confession) so as to remove all barriers to the Spirit’s manifestation in us.  Thus prayer, in which we communicate with Jesus daily, and frequent reception of the sacraments, are keys to unlocking the outpouring of the Spirit in us. ///

Friends, on this holy day—and at the end of this holy season—let us be bold in asking for a New Pentecost so that the work of the New Evangelization might be accomplished through us: the work of bringing our brothers and sisters to (or back to) the practice of the faith through a personal relationship with Jesus.  For it is this work that will make us saints; and it is this work that will usher in the day when Christ will return, in all his glory, to take us home to himself.  Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN – June 8^th, 2025

El Pentecostes y la Nueva Evangelizacion

 Homilía: Pentecostés – Ciclo C

          Hace un par de años, en nuestra reunión anual de sacerdotes, nuestro orador fue el Dr. Ralph Martin, autor y profesor de teología en el Seminario del Sagrado Corazón de Detroit. Recuerdo que sus presentaciones fueron muy inspiradoras. Compartió con nosotros su historia de cómo se convirtió en autor y profesor de seminario, y me llenó de alegría saber que su camino comenzó en circunstancias relativamente normales. Por ejemplo, el Espíritu Santo tocó su corazón por primera vez cuando participó en un Cursillo. Todos ustedes que son Cursillistas, o que han pasado por otros retiros similares, han tenido experiencias muy similares a aquella que abrió el corazón del Dr. Martín a la gracia de un despertar espiritual. Habló con mucha franqueza y humildad, y fue un gran testigo para nosotros. Y, después de compartir su testimonio, nos habló de la Nueva Evangelización.

          La “Nueva Evangelización”, si nunca has oído hablar de ella (o si la has oído, pero no entiendes qué es), es algo a lo que nuestros Papas han estado llamando durante los últimos 45 años. Si piensas que se trata de salir a buscar a personas que nunca han oído hablar de Jesús para hablarles de Él y de la buena nueva del Evangelio, habrás pensado bien, pero te habrás equivocado. La Nueva Evangelización no se trata de evangelizar a quienes nunca han oído hablar de Jesucristo (aunque esa labor sigue siendo necesaria), sino de evangelizar a quienes ya están en la Iglesia. Quizás suene raro, pero esto es lo que significa:

          Desde el Concilio Vaticano II, parece que ha habido una desconexión entre la iniciación de hombres y mujeres en la fe y su evangelización. En otras palabras, hemos sacramentalizado a millones de personas (es decir, les hemos administrado los sacramentos), pero hemos hecho un trabajo deficiente al presentarles a la persona de Jesús (es decir, la persona por quien y a través de quien han sido sacramentalizados). En el pasado, esto no parecía ser un problema tan grave, ya que la cultura circundante apoyaba y animaba a hombres y mujeres a continuar la práctica de la fe, incluso si no siempre comprendían la relación con Dios que su práctica mantenía. Hoy, el apoyo cultural a la práctica religiosa ha desaparecido (de hecho, se ha vuelto hostil a ella); y así, quienes han sido sacramentalizados pero no evangelizados se alejan de la fe al no ver razones subyacentes para continuar practicándola. La Nueva Evangelización nos llama a asumir la tarea de evangelizar a los bautizados para que la gracia sacramental que han recibido se haga activa en sus vidas y los lleve de nuevo a la práctica de la fe.

          Quizás algunos de ustedes estén pensando: “¿Seguramente no soy yo, Padre, quien no ha sido evangelizado?". Bueno, es probable que varios de los que están sentados aquí esta mañana se encuentren en esta categoría. Si es así, no se preocupen. No es pecado ser sacramentalizado y no evangelizado, si no es culpa suya. Y la mayoría de quienes se encuentran en esta categoría ya han abandonado la práctica de la fe, así que no estarían aquí. Independientemente de si se consideran evangelizados o simplemente sacramentalizados, hay un mensaje para nosotros hoy. Ese mensaje es la conexión entre Pentecostés y la Nueva Evangelización. ///

          El Dr. Martin, haciéndose eco de los Papas desde Juan XXIII, afirmó que la Nueva Evangelización exige un nuevo Pentecostés. Así como la primera evangelización comenzó cuando el Espíritu Santo descendió sobre los discípulos en el Cenáculo, también la Nueva Evangelización tomará vuelo cuando la Iglesia, a gran escala, invoque al Espíritu Santo para que descienda de nuevo sobre ella. Esto ya ha comenzado a menor escala, ya que Movimientos Eclesiales como la Renovación Carismática Católica, el Cursillo (y todas sus variantes) y el Camino Neocatecumenal han encontrado un lugar en la Iglesia y están evangelizando a los bautizados: es decir, ayudando a hombres y mujeres—bautizados desde hace mucho tiempo—a encontrar y establecer una relación personal con Jesucristo. Tenemos estos movimientos aquí en el Medio Oeste—algunos aquí mismo en nuestra diócesis—así que, si algo le despierta ahora mismo al enterarse de estos grupos evangelizadores, háganoslo saber y con gusto lo conectaremos con ellos. Todos estos grupos dependen en gran medida de invocar al Espíritu Santo para que los ilumine, los guíe, y los fortalezca en sus esfuerzos por evangelizar.

          Sin embargo, no es necesario formar parte de un movimiento eclesial para participar en la Nueva Evangelización; las Escrituras nos lo muestran. En su Primera Carta a los Corintios, San Pablo dice: “En cada uno se manifiesta el Espíritu para el bien común.” ¿Lo oyeron? Dijo: “En cada uno...”. Esto significa que todos y cada uno de ustedes—si han sido bautizados—han recibido una manifestación del Espíritu Santo. Por lo tanto, nadie aquí (repito, si han sido bautizados) puede decir: “Ah, eso del Espíritu Santo es para otros, no para mí”. Cada uno de nosotros ha recibido una manifestación del Espíritu, “para el bien común”. Si desconocemos cuáles son esos dones espirituales, nuestra tarea es invocar al Espíritu Santo para que nos ilumine sobre ellos y podamos empezar a manifestarlos para el bien del reino de Dios, cuya raíz es la evangelización de los pueblos. Si recordamos la parábola evangélica de los talentos, recordamos que el amo no vio con buenos ojos a quien escondió su talento en lugar de negociar con él para multiplicarlo. Así también nos sucederá a nosotros, quienes recibimos una manifestación del Espíritu para el bien común, pero luego no supimos discernir ese don ni aplicarlo a la edificación del reino. ///

          Entonces, ¿cómo llegamos a conocer esos dones espirituales? Bueno, ¡la manera sencilla es invocar al Espíritu Santo con regularidad! “Ven, Espíritu Santo” es una gran oración al Espíritu Santo que cualquiera puede hacer. Sin embargo, en nuestro Evangelio de hoy, Jesús nos muestra otra manera de abrirnos a la efusión del Espíritu Santo. Dice: “Si me aman, cumplirán mis mandamientos; yo le rogaré al Padre y él les dará otro Paráclito para que esté siempre con ustedes... el Paráclito, el Espíritu Santo que mi Padre les enviará en mi nombre, les enseñará todas las cosas y les recordará todo cuanto yo les he dicho". En otras palabras, si amamos a Jesús y cumplimos sus mandamientos, entonces Jesús mismo se encargará de enviarnos el Espíritu. Me gusta este método porque nos mantiene enfocados en cultivar nuestra propia relación con Jesús, lo cual será esencial en cualquier labor evangelizadora que se nos encomiende. Sin embargo, también nos recuerda que no podemos esperar recibir el don del Espíritu Santo si nos negamos a apartarnos de nuestros pecados; es decir, si no cumplimos los mandamientos del Señor. Por lo tanto, es un impulso constante a apartarnos del pecado y purificarnos de él (especialmente en la Confesión) para eliminar todas las barreras a la manifestación del Espíritu en nosotros. Por lo tanto, la oración, en la que nos comunicamos con Jesús a diario, y la recepción frecuente de los sacramentos, son claves para que el Espíritu se derrame en nosotros.

          Hermanos, en este día santo—y al final de este tiempo santo—seamos valientes al pedir un Nuevo Pentecostés para que la obra de la Nueva Evangelización se realice a través de nosotros: la obra de llevar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas a (o de regreso a) la práctica de la fe mediante una relación personal con Jesús. Porque es esta obra la que nos hará santos; y es esta obra la que marcará el comienzo del día en que Cristo regresará, en toda su gloria, para llevarnos a casa con él. ¡Ven, Espíritu Santo, ven!

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 8 de junio, 2025

Las vocaciones florecen cuando somos fieles a la gracia de Dios.

 Homilía: 4º Domingo de Pascua – Ciclo C

Hermanos, este fin de semana celebramos varias cosas maravillosas: a saber, nuestro nuevo Santo Padre, el Papa León XIV, la Jornada Mundial de las Vocaciones y el Día de la Madre. ¡Es un día emocionante! También lo llamamos a este día "Domingo del Buen Pastor", ya que la lectura del Evangelio de hoy, independientemente del año del ciclo trienal de lecturas en el que nos encontremos, está tomada del discurso del "Buen Pastor" del Evangelio según san Juan. Ciertamente, hay muchas cosas valiosas que predicar hoy, pero me centraré en una frase de nuestra primera lectura que, espero, nos inspire para reflexionar y trabajar esta semana.

En la lectura de los Hechos de los Apóstoles, leemos que Pablo y Bernabé se dirigieron a Antioquía para proclamar la Buena Nueva de Jesucristo a la comunidad. Como eran judíos, fueron directamente a la sinagoga a anunciar al pueblo elegido de Dios que había llegado el Mesías tan esperado: Jesús de Nazaret, quien fue perseguido y condenado a muerte, pero resucitó al tercer día y ahora vive, sentado a la diestra de Dios en el cielo. Vinieron a proclamar a los judíos de Antioquía que solo en el nombre de Jesús pueden encontrar la salvación. Por lo que se dice, tuvieron una buena acogida ese primer sábado, ya que muchos de los que estaban allí comenzaron a seguirlos.

Pablo y Bernabé hablaron a quienes comenzaban a seguirlos y los instaron a "permanecer fieles a la gracia de Dios". Esta frase—permanecer fieles a la gracia de Dios—me pareció importante. De todas las cosas que Pablo y Bernabé podrían haberles dicho a quienes comenzaban a seguirlos—por ejemplo, "vayan a aprender a orar", "vayan a estudiar las Escrituras" o "vayan a servir a los pobres"—eligieron instarlos a "permanecer fieles a la gracia de Dios". Creo que este es un gran mensaje de Pascua para todos nosotros y es un tema que conecta con las otras lecturas de hoy.

En la segunda lectura, continuamos escuchando las visiones de Juan, registradas en el libro del Apocalipsis. En esta visión, vemos una gran multitud, incontable, identificada como “los que han pasado por la gran persecución y han lavado y blanqueado su túnica con la sangre del Cordero”. Esta descripción, en el Nuevo Testamento, se refiere a los mártires: aquellos que derramaron su sangre por Cristo. ¿Y qué significa “haber pasado por la gran persecución”, sino que “permanecieron fieles a la gracia de Dios”? Estos, identificados como mártires—y quienes, por lo tanto, se encuentran ante el trono de Dios (es decir, en el cielo)—, son quienes permanecieron fieles a la gracia de Dios y, por lo tanto, disfrutan de la recompensa por su fidelidad.

En el Evangelio, escuchamos a Jesús decir: “Mis ovejas escuchan mi voz; yo las conozco y ellas me siguen. Yo les doy la vida eterna y no perecerán jamás”. Continúa diciendo: “nadie las arrebatará de mi mano”. Esta es una hermosa verdad sobre Jesús como el verdadero Buen Pastor. Sin embargo, lo que no se revela aquí es que, si bien nadie puede arrebatarle una de sus ovejas, sus ovejas, sin embargo, pueden marcharse por sí solas. La promesa de Jesús es asombrosa y debería dar esperanza a todo aquel que se acerca a él; pero también debería despertar en nosotros el deseo de “permanecer fieles a la gracia de Dios”, para que, al convertirnos en miembros del rebaño de Jesús, no nos encontremos alejados de él y sin poder escuchar su voz. Porque cuando ya no podemos escuchar su voz—es decir, cuando no hemos sido fieles a la gracia de Dios—entonces ya no estamos protegidos por su promesa.

Hermanos, este es realmente el mensaje constante de esta Pascua. Tras haber disfrutado de la alegría de la resurrección de Jesús, quizás nos encontremos como aquellos primeros seguidores de Pablo y Bernabé en Antioquía: emocionados, pero sin saber qué hacer. A nosotros se nos da la misma instrucción: “Permanezcan fieles a la gracia de Dios”. ¿Qué significa esto para nosotros?

Seguramente significa “No vuelvas a tu vida de pecado”. El pecado es incompatible con la gracia de Dios, y por lo tanto, volver al pecado, que nos esforzamos por dejar atrás durante la Cuaresma, sería una infidelidad a la gracia que Dios nos dio (la cual, de hecho, nos ayudó a liberarnos de ese pecado en primer lugar). /// Diría que también significa ser dóciles al Espíritu Santo.

La gracia de Dios, que recibimos en el bautismo, es la morada del Espíritu Santo. Este Espíritu mora en nosotros para guiarnos y señalarnos la voluntad de Dios para nuestras vidas. Sin embargo, él no nos obliga. Podemos optar por no escuchar los impulsos del Espíritu Santo y seguir nuestra propia voluntad: en ese caso nos alejamos de Jesús, el Buen Pastor, y nos hacemos vulnerables a ser vencidos por el Maligno, que pretende separarnos eternamente de Dios. Sin embargo, si nos hacemos dóciles al Espíritu, permanecemos fieles a la gracia de Dios y, así, cerca de la mano protectora de Jesús, lo que nos permite caminar con más confianza, listos para compartir la Buena Nueva de Jesucristo con quien quiera escuchar. ///

Finalmente, quisiera añadir, en esta Jornada Mundial de las Vocaciones, que “permanecer fieles a la gracia de Dios” es también la manera de conocer y seguir nuestra vocación: ya sea al sacerdocio o al diaconado, a la vida religiosa consagrada, al matrimonio o a la vida consagrada de soltero. No podemos esperar conocer la voluntad de Dios, que se nos da a conocer por gracia, a menos que permanezcamos fieles a ella a lo largo de nuestra vida. /// Oh, y por cierto, ¡las vocaciones santas fomentan otras vocaciones santas! Por lo tanto, si quieren promover vocaciones al sacerdocio, ¡sean fieles a la gracia de Dios en su propia vocación! Cuando los jóvenes vean a otros vivir vidas llenas de alegría siguiendo la voluntad de Dios, les inspirará el deseo de experimentar esa misma alegría en sus propias vidas y ellos también comenzarán a discernir la llamada de Dios.

Por lo tanto, hermanos, dediquemos un tiempo esta semana a reflexionar sobre si hemos permanecido fieles a la gracia de Dios; y, si no lo hemos hecho, a comprometernos de nuevo a hacerlo. Así, nos mantendremos en sintonía con la voz de Jesús, nuestro Buen Pastor, que nos conduce a la vida eterna, y seremos también grandes testigos—es decir, mártires—de la alegría de una vida unida a Cristo, que conducirá a otros a él, para que realmente haya un solo rebaño y un solo pastor en todo el mundo. Que Dios nos bendiga a todos en esta buena obra.

Dado en la parroquia de San José: Rochester, IN y en la parroquia de San Agustín: Rensselaer, IN – 11 de mayo, 2025

Vocations blossom when we faithful to the grace of God

 Homily: 4^th Sunday in Easter – Cycle C

Friends, this weekend we are celebrating a number of wonderful things: namely, our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the World Day for Vocations, and Mother’s Day.  It’s an exciting day!  We also call today “Good Shepherd Sunday”, since the Gospel reading for the day, regardless of which year in the three-year cycle of readings we are in, is taken from the “Good Shepherd” discourse in John’s Gospel.  Certainly, there are many great things to preach on today, but I am going to focus in on a phrase from our first reading that, hopefully, will give us something to take home with us to ponder and to work on this week.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of Paul and Barnabas making their way to Antioch to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community there.  Being Jews, they went straight to the synagogue to proclaim to God’s chosen people that the long-awaited Messiah had come: Jesus of Nazareth, who was persecuted and put to death, but rose from the dead on the third day and now lives, having taken his place at the right hand of God in heaven.  They came to proclaim to the Jews in Antioch that it is only in the name of Jesus that they can find salvation.  From the sound of it, they found a positive reception that first sabbath day as it says that many who were there began to follow them.

Paul and Barnabas spoke to those who began to follow them and urged them to “remain faithful to the grace of God.”  This phrase—remain faithful to the grace of God—struck me as important.  Of all of the things that Paul and Barnabas could have told the ones who were beginning to follow them—for example, “go learn to pray”, or “go study the scriptures”, or “go serve the poor”—they chose to urge them to “remain faithful to the grace of God”.  I think that this is a great Easter message for all of us and it’s a theme that connects with our other readings today.

In the second reading, we continue to hear of John’s visions, recorded for us in the book of Revelation.  In this vision, we see a great multitude of people, too many to count, who are identified as “the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.  This description is “New Testament speak” for the martyrs: those who have shed their blood for Christ.  And what does “having survived the time of great distress” mean, except that they “remained faithful to the grace of God”?  These who are identified as martyrs—and who, therefore, stand before the throne of God (that is, who stand in heaven)—are the ones who have remained faithful to the grace of God and, therefore, enjoy the reward for their faithfulness.

In the Gospel reading, we hear Jesus say, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish”.  He continues to say, “No one can take them out of my hand.”  This is a beautiful truth about Jesus as the true Good Shepherd.  What isn’t revealed here, however, is that, while no one can take one of Jesus’ sheep from him, his sheep, nonetheless, can wander away on their own.  Jesus’ promise is amazing and should give hope to everyone who comes to him; but it should also stir in us a desire to “remain faithful to the grace of God”, so that, having become a member of Jesus’ flock, we don’t find ourselves having drifted away from him and no longer able to hear his voice.  For when we can no longer hear his voice—that is, when we have failed to remain faithful to God’s grace—then we are no longer protected by his promise.

Friends, this really is the ongoing message of this Easter season.  Having feasted on the joy of Jesus’ resurrection, we perhaps find ourselves like those first followers of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch: excited but not quite sure what to do next.  To us the same instruction is given: “remain faithful to the grace of God”.  What does this mean for us?

Surely it means “Do not return to your life of sin”.  Sin is incompatible with the grace of God and so for us to return to the sin that we strove to leave behind during Lent would be an infidelity to the grace given to us by God (which, in point of fact, helped us to break free from that sin in the first place).  I would say that it also means to be docile to the Holy Spirit.

The grace of God, which we received at baptism, is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit dwells in us to guide us and point us to God’s will for our lives.  He is not forceful, however.  We may choose not to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, but rather choose to follow our own will: in which case we stray from Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and make ourselves vulnerable to being overcome by the Evil One who seeks to separate us eternally from God.  If we make ourselves docile to the Spirit, however, we remain faithful to the grace of God and, thus, close to the protecting hand of Jesus—enabling us to walk more confidently: ready to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen.

Finally, I might also add, on this World Day for Vocations, that “remaining faithful to the grace of God” is also the way that we come to know and follow our vocation: whether that be to the priesthood or the diaconate, to the consecrated religious life, to marriage, or to the consecrated single life.  We cannot expect to know God’s will, which is made known to us through grace, unless we remain faithful to God’s grace throughout our lives. /// Oh, and by the way, holy vocations foster other holy vocations!  Therefore, if you want to promote vocations to the priesthood, then remain faithful to the grace of God in your own vocation!  When young people see others leading joy-filled lives while following God’s will, it will inspire in them a desire to know that same joy in their own lives and they, too, will begin to discern God’s call.

Therefore, friends, let us spend some time this week reflecting on whether we have “remained faithful to the grace of God”; and, if we haven’t, to commit once again to do so.  In this way, we will stay attuned to the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd who leads us to eternal life, and we will also be great witnesses—that is, martyrs—to the joy of a life united to Christ, which will lead others to him, so that there may truly be “one flock” and “one shepherd” throughout the world.  May God bless us all in this good work.

Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN and St. Augustine Parish: Rensselaer, IN – May 11^th, 2025

A garden ready to bloom

 Homily: 3^rd Sunday of Easter – Cycle C

          Many of you may know that I speak Spanish.  (Well, “ecclesiastical Spanish”, anyway.  I know a lot of “church” Spanish, but still get lost with “everyday” Spanish… but anyway.)  When I was first starting out as a priest, even my church Spanish was rough.  Thus, my merciful first pastor suggested that, after my first six months in the parish, I go take a three-week “refresher” in the same place where I first studied Spanish as a seminarian (in Antigua, Guatemala).  I thought it was a great idea and so jumped on it.

Now, I feel like I can sum up my “refresher” experience in a few words that another student at the school where I was studying had said to me after I told him how long I would be there (three weeks).  He said, “Oh, three weeks is the perfect amount of time to forget both how to speak Spanish and English!”  Certainly, he wasn’t completely right.  Nevertheless, there was a lot of truth to what he said.

          In particular, I remember feeling very frustrated during my last few days there.  When I arrived in Guatemala, I thought that I had already been speaking Spanish pretty well and that this time was just going to reinforce what I had already been doing.  What I found, however, was that I had been hacking things up pretty bad and, thus, I spent much of my time in lessons being corrected by my teacher.  After a couple of weeks, this began to wear on me.  By the third week, I began to feel like I never really knew how to speak Spanish in the first place and that I certainly didn’t know how to speak Spanish anymore.

          One evening, however, as I was trying to process this frustration, I realized something.  It wasn’t that I hadn’t been speaking Spanish; but rather that I had been speaking it poorly and so I had developed some bad habits.  What I came up with that night was the image of a garden that isn’t tended through a summer.  Now many of you are gardeners and so you know that if you don’t tend to a garden throughout a whole summer what you’ll end up with is mostly weeds.  Thus, if the garden was my ability to speak Spanish, then by the time I went back to Guatemala it had been completely overgrown with weeds: the bad habits I developed trying to speak it without practicing the proper form.  Thus, the hard work of receiving correction was the hard work of weeding out that garden.  In the end, it didn’t look like I had much to show for it.  In reality, however, what I had was a garden that was weeded and cultivated and thus ready to produce more fruit, even though it looked like just an empty space of dirt.

          This is not unlike the seasons of Lent and Easter for all of us.  As you all well know, Lent is a time of penance: of prayer, fasting, and giving alms—and the goal of those works is never penance itself, but rather the weeding out of sin from the gardens of our souls, thus preparing them to bear fruit once again.  Just like my work in Guatemala, Lent is a lot of hard work and at the end it doesn’t seem to result in very much: just an empty space of dirt.  The first part of Easter, then, is about planting the seeds of new life—the life of the Resurrection—so as to cultivate the beginnings of new growth.  If we are doing this, then by Pentecost our garden should be ready to burst forth with flowers or vegetables… the fruit of the Resurrection that has been planted in us.

          This is the work that we see both beginning in and being completed by Peter and the disciples in the readings today.  In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the disciples after Pentecost, reaping the fruit of the Holy Spirit that was planted within them.  They were out in the streets and in the temple area teaching about Jesus, healing in his name, and calling all persons to be saved by his name through baptism and many persons were quickly joining the Church.  These disciples were making such a stir that the religious authorities questioned them and ordered them to stand down, but they wouldn’t.  The power of the Resurrected Jesus had blossomed in their souls and it could not be contained.

          In the Gospel reading, however, we see them just days after Easter.  They had been following Jesus for about three years, leaving off everything from their past: that is, rooting out every weed that had grown up in the garden of their souls and kept them from being committed disciples of Jesus.  But Jesus’ death had shaken their faith.  The news of Easter Sunday, however, had amazed them and already Jesus had appeared twice before them.  In spite of this, they were still unsure of what to do with this incredible news.  In other words, the ground of their souls had been prepared and the seed—which is the joy of the encounter with the Resurrected Christ—had been planted, but it hadn’t yet begun to sprout.

          The ever-impulsive Peter gives in to his need to do something and tries to go back to what he did before—fishing—and the other disciples join him.  What they find, however, is that there’s nothing in that: they spend all night casting their nets in darkness and come up with nothing.  Then Jesus breaks into the scene to begin to show them what his Resurrection means for them.  He shows them—and Peter in particular—that they will continue to be his followers, but now is the time when they will begin to lead others to him.  And in the days and weeks that followed this, Jesus continued to appear to them so as to complete these preparations for the work that he was going to send them forth to do.

          So it is with us.  After our forty days of Lent—that is, after these forty days of clearing out our gardens from all of the weeds of sin—we now find ourselves in Easter, ready to cultivate the seed of new life within us.  It may look right now that there isn’t a whole lot to show for it and, like Peter, we may be tempted to go back to what we were doing before.  To do so, however, would be fruitless.  The fruit of the Easter season comes, rather, from our continued encounters with the Risen Christ who comes to us to show us what it is that he is calling us to do now that we are ready to bear fruit.  And all of this is so that on Pentecost we will be ready to receive the Holy Spirit anew and to be sent forth into the world to pour out the fruit of what has been planted in us.

          My brothers and sisters, this means that we still have work to do.  Just as much as I have to continue to work on the fundamentals of Spanish to keep the garden that I had cleared out in Guatemala free from the weeds of bad habits and poor speaking, so do each one of us need to continue to work on the fundamentals of faith—prayer, good works, and active participation in the sacramental life of the Church—if we want to see the gardens of our souls bear the fruit of Easter within us and around us.

          Let us take up, then, this good work of building virtue and fighting off vice (which, by the way, is a work that knows no age limits) so that God’s Spirit will be able to produce its fruit within us: the fruit of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—the very signs of the inbreaking of God’s Kingdom!—and let us never fail to trust in the Risen Christ, who waits to meet us in the darkness so as to bring forth light and who invites us ever anew with those same words he said to Saint Peter… follow me.

Given at St. Joan of Arc Parish: Kokomo, IN – May 3^rd, 2025

A merciful encounter with Jesus

 Homily: 2^nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) – Cycle C

         Friends, today we have gathered to celebrate the conclusion of the great Octave of Easter.  Throughout these eight days, we have been celebrating the fulfillment of our salvation in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  At the same time, we have been rejoicing in the renewal that the Lord has worked in us through our Lenten disciplines and the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday.  Today, as we draw this Octave celebration to a close, we are invited to celebrate the mercy of God—that is, the Divine Mercy—that has made all of this possible.  In doing so, the liturgy reminds us of one of the most important characteristics of the Divine Mercy: that is, that it involves a loving encounter with Christ.

         Today, in our Gospel reading, we meet once again this great story of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the day of resurrection.  In John’s Gospel, the detail that “Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came” is included.  We heard again the familiar story that, when the others told Thomas that they had seen the Risen Lord, Thomas refused to believe that Jesus had risen and declared that, unless he see Jesus for himself, he would not believe.  We, of course, have hindsight and so can be quick to deride Thomas for his lack of initial belief.  However, if we look at this from the perspective of the theme of encounter with Christ, we can see how even this was part of God’s plan to reveal himself and to strengthen the faith of his believers.

         In fact, throughout John’s Gospel, the theme of a merciful encounter with Christ is prominent.  Jesus’ encounters with the Samaritan woman at the well, the blind man in Jerusalem, and with Martha and Mary after the death of their brother Lazarus were all opportunities for Jesus to reveal himself more completely and to strengthen the faith of his believers.  Let’s take a brief look at them again so that they might help us to understand more deeply Thomas’ encounter with Christ. ///

         The Samaritan woman, who was avoiding the townspeople because of the shame she felt for her multiple failed marriages, unexpectedly encountered Christ, who revealed himself to her.  She, in turn, converted and became a great witness to the people of her town: the very people she had been trying to avoid!  The woman’s shame for her multiple failed marriages, as painful as it was to her, became the means by which she had a merciful encounter with Christ and thus became a witness to him, inspiring faith in the hundreds of townspeople who came to Jesus because of her.

         The man born blind suffered many years in his blindness and was reduced to begging for sustenance.  When he is encountered by Jesus, Jesus heals him and quickly the man becomes a witness to Jesus before the Pharisees.  When, in another encounter, Jesus later reveals himself fully to him, he bows in adoration of him.  In the Gospel, we do not hear more about what happened to this man, but surely he continued to tell others his story: “I was blind and now I see.  Jesus the Nazorean encountered me and healed me.  He is the Christ, the one sent by God.”

         Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, sent word to Jesus that their brother, Jesus’ friend, was deathly ill so that he might come and heal him.  Jesus delayed, however, and Lazarus died.  When he arrived, both Martha and Mary said, “Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.”  In this encounter, Jesus assured them that, if they had faith, they would see their brother rise.  They believe, and Jesus reveals himself more profoundly when he shows himself not only to have power to prevent death, but also to reverse death completely.  This encounter with Christ and his power, the Scriptures tell us, led many of the Jews to believe in him.  Again, the Scriptures do not tell us this, but certainly these persons witnessed to what they had seen and heard before many others.

         And so we come to Thomas and his initial incredulity in the resurrection.  Jesus, in his perfect knowledge, knew that Thomas would not be with the other disciples when he appeared to them that day, and that Thomas would be incredulous when they told him.  Nonetheless, he allowed it.  And why?  So that, through his merciful encounter with Thomas eight days later, he might reveal himself more fully and strengthen the faith of all believers. ///

         As with the other encounters, Jesus uses this encounter to reveal his unfathomable Divine Mercy.  In this case, his merciful condescension to Thomas in his doubts becomes a rallying point of faith for all who encounter questions within themselves.  “Put your finger here and see my hands,” Jesus says to Thomas, “and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”  Thomas, as we know, expresses his belief.  Then Jesus says something even more merciful: “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

         Thomas, of course, would go on to be a great Apostle, sharing this story of his encounter with Christ and his mercy everywhere he went.  Moreover, the disciples of the early Church would find great strength from the testimony of these words of Jesus: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  All of this showing the same thing that we saw in the three other encounters from John’s Gospel: that an encounter with Christ leads to testimony, and testimony leads to faith. ///

         Friends, these are exactly the kinds of encounters with the Divine Mercy that await us in the sacrament of reconciliation.  Whether you are shameful because of your sins, lost and unable to see clearly so as to find your way, hurt and reluctant to believe, or full of doubt because you have not yet seen, the sacrament of Reconciliation is the place where you can encounter Jesus, the fount of Divine Mercy, to free you from your shame, to open your eyes to see, to be healed and so believe, and to remove all doubt.  Fr. Bennett is in the confessional right now and so if you are feeling moved to seek an encounter with Jesus in the sacrament—to confess what is on your heart—please feel free to go now to the confessional or throughout the rest of the Mass.  Jesus awaits to encounter you. ///

         In spring of 2003, I was in a bad place, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I was dissatisfied with my job, I just had an ugly breakup with my girlfriend of nearly three years, and I was feeling quite lost in regards to faith.  I took a chance to attend a parish mission and there had a personal encounter with Jesus, really present in the Blessed Sacrament.  The next night I made a confession for the first time in over twelve years.  That merciful encounter with Jesus in his sacramental presence and in the sacrament, changed the course of my life forever as I immediately started to pray about what God wanted me to do with my life.  That led me here, to the priesthood, and now here, to this parish church on this Sunday, to preach the good news of God’s Divine Mercy to you.  Brothers and sisters, the same merciful encounter is available to each of you when you go to the sacrament and make yourself available to be encountered by him. ///

         Whether you do so today or sometime in the future, let us all give thanks in this Mass for the fact that this encounter is even possible.  And as we go forth from here, let us be ready to share the good news of Divine Mercy with all those around us.

Given at Sacred Heart Parish: Remington, IN – April 27^th, 2025