Sunday, July 31, 2016

La sustancia del vapor

Homilía: 18º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo C
          Mi mamá estaba aquí el pasado fin de semana con mi hermana y sus hijos, mi sobrina y sobrino. Mientras estaban aquí, mi madre me hizo saber que ella y mi padre tenía una cita con un abogado en la próxima semana para compensar su "testamento" y que ella y mi padre quería saber si o no me gustaría tener uno de carros viejos de mi papá después de su muerte. Por el momento yo no había pensado mucho acerca de él, así que no sabía qué decirle. Me hizo pensar, sin embargo, sobre la recogida de carros de mi papa.
          Mi papá encanta los carros y así, de crecer, siempre había carros viejos de los años 60 en el garaje. En el momento en que me gradué de la escuela secundaria, mi papá se había asentado en un par de carros: uno que, en su mayor parte, siempre estaba corriendo y que podía conducir o llevar al hipódromo cuando quería y uno para la cual tenía un proyecto más grande planeado. Pronto, este se expandió a un tercer carro: y dijo que era un carro mejor base para su proyecto más grande. Lo que pasa es que nunca vendió el segundo carro después de haber comprado el tercero. Y luego, en lo que sólo puede ser descrito como una "compra impulsiva", se compró un cuarto carro (o, más bien, la cáscara de un cuarto carro) y me explicó el extremadamente amplio proyecto que había planeado para él.
          Mi padre tiene casi 74 años y todavía trabaja a tiempo completo. Él es un excelente abuelo y les ayuda a mis hermanas mucho. Dicho esto, yo probablemente no necesito decir que esos proyectos para los que compraron esos otros carros no han comenzado. De hecho, hace mas de diez años que no he visto esos dos últimos carros de proyectos: mi padre está tan lejos de estar listo para comenzar a aquellos proyectos que necesitaba encontrar otros lugares para embodegarlos hasta que esté listo para ellos. Sigo preguntándole cuándo va a jubilarse para que pueda empezar a realizar algunos de estos proyectos y él me dice que no piensa que puede permitirse el lujo, de momento.
          La pregunta de mi madre, por lo tanto, provocó un momento de miedo en mi corazón: "Oh, Dios mío, mi papá va a morir y ¡él va a deshacerse de todos esos carros sobre mí! ¿Qué voy a hacer con ellos?" Pero también me hizo pensar de nuevo en el que he pensado a menudo cada vez que le pido a mi padre en jubilarse: "Qué triste que ha preocupado tanto tiempo de haber ahorrado lo suficiente a jubilarse que probablemente nunca se tiene la oportunidad de completar cualquiera de estos proyectos; y todo lo que ha estado ahorrando para disfrutar, en última instancia, pasará a manos de otra persona.
          Por lo tanto, cuando escucho las palabras de la primera lectura de hoy del libro de Eclesiastés—"Todas las cosas, absolutamente todas, son vana ilusión. Hay quien se agota trabajando y pone en ello todo su talento, su ciencia y su habilidad, y tiene que dejárselo todo a otro que no lo trabajó."—o las palabras de la parábola de Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy—“¡Insensato! Esta misma noche vas a morir. ¿Para quién serán todos tus bienes?”—no puedo evitar pensar en mi padre y sus carros y me preocupa que, después de todo su trabajo y el esfuerzo, nunca tendrá la oportunidad de disfrutar de sus frutos.
          Pero este es el relato de nuestra vida moderna, ¿verdad? ¿Quién de nosotros no se le dijo cuando éramos jóvenes: "Trabaja duro, conseguir una educación, conseguir un buen trabajo, comience a invertir, casarse y criar a sus hijos y, con suerte, para cuando tiene 65 años, puede jubilarse; y entonces tu puedes comenzar a disfrutar de tu vida." ¿Por qué si hemos dado en llamar a los años posteriores a la jubilación "los años dorados", excepto que creemos que no podemos vivir de verdad hasta que hayamos hecho todas esas otras cosas? Pero, ¿no es este exactamente la situación sobre la que Jesús nos advierte en la lectura del Evangelio de hoy?
          Allí un hombre de la multitud que está preocupado por su fondo de jubilación se adelanta y le exige que Jesús, un maestro que enseña con autoridad, resuelva su disputa con su hermano por lo que él va a recibir su parte de la herencia y así solidificar su plan de jubilación. Y Jesús le advierte con la parábola: no seas tan obsesionado con su plan de jubilación—es decir, con sus planes de cómo se va a vivir en el futuro—tanto así que se olvida de vivir hoy; debido a que su vida va a desaparecer como el humo cuando menos te lo esperas. De hecho, toda la vida es el humo… vapor… vanidad, dice Cohélet, el Maestro, en el libro de Eclesiastés, un "persiguiendo el viento". Se puede imaginar lo que sería como para perseguir a viento y así se puede ver que sería un ejercicio sin sentido. Esto, dice Cohélet, es la vida: un ejercicio sin sentido. Sin sentido, es decir, si la vida se compone sólo de las posesiones y nuestra capacidad para disfrutar de ellos.
          Por lo tanto, el llamado claro de Jesús: no convierte su vida en un "persiguiendo el viento" por hacerlo solo sobre cómo obtener y disfrutar de las posesiones. Más bien, se centran en las cosas de Dios, porque es él solo quien da sentido y sustancia a la vida; mientras que las posesiones, como todo lo demás en el universo creado, no añaden nada a ella; porque ellos, también, un día desaparecerán como el humo.
          Mis hermanos y hermanas, permítanme hacerles esta pregunta: ¿Qué proyecto para la edificación del reino de Dios aquí en la tierra ha puesto Dios en su corazón sólo para encontrar que lo empuje en un garaje a distancia hasta que el resto de su vida se asienta y tiene el "tiempo libre" para tomarla, finalmente? En otras palabras, ¿alguna vez has oído a sí mismo diciendo cosas como "Un día quiero empezar una despensa de comida aquí en la parroquia, o un estudio de la Biblia, o para ser parte de la misión de Haití, o para trabajar con el grupo de jóvenes, pero sólo tengo demasiado que hacer en este momento. Una vez que los niños están fuera de escuela, o me jubilo, o la casa se paga, entonces seré capaz de hacerlo"?  Si es así, entonces cualquier cosa que es es la respuesta a mi pregunta: es el trabajo que Dios le ha dado que usted ha puesto en el almacenamiento hasta que se sienta bastante cómodo para "jubilarse" y finalmente tomarla.
          Ya sabes, no puedo evitar pensar que esta actitud es como la de mi padre hacia sus carros de proyectos. Cuando su vida se convierte en polvo, estas ideas van a desaparecer como el vapor y todo lo que tenía la esperanza de lograr por trabajar otro año más habrán sido en vano, porque no habrá nada que mostrar por ello. "Lo mismo le pasa” Jesús nos advierte “al que amontona riquezas para sí mismo y no se hace rico de lo que vale ante Dios". Mis hermanos y hermanas, todos vamos a salir de esta vida pobre en las cosas materiales, porque, como hemos todos saben, "no se puede llevarlo con usted". Si somos ricos en lo que vale ante Dios entonces vamos a ser ricos en la próxima vida, porque esas cosas vayan con nosotros.
          ¡Y esto es una buena noticia!—la buena noticia de que Cohélet no había oído—que cuando nos centramos en las cosas que vale ante Dios, Dios, la fuente de toda la existencia, da sustancia y sentido a nuestras vidas para que, cuando desaparecen como el humo, habrá algo que permanece—algo que dure—que irá con nosotros a la otra vida, lo que demuestra que esta vida no era toda vanidad, sino que tenía un valor: el valor obtenido para nosotros por medio de Jesús en su pasión , muerte y resurrección.
          Y así, mientras nos ocupamos ahora de presentar de nuevo al Padre ese perfecto sacrificio de su Hijo, oremos por la gracia para asumir los proyectos que ha puesto en nuestros corazones para que podamos aumentar nuestra riqueza en las cosas que vale ante él: la riqueza que aporta sustancia real al vapor de nuestras vidas y por lo tanto nos prepara para el eterno peso de gloria que disfrutaremos en el cielo.
Dado en la parroquia de Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

31 de julio, 2016


The substance of vapor

Homily: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
          My mom was here last weekend with my sister, Deb, and her children, Rachel and Luke, my niece and nephew.  While they were here, my mom paused to ask me what sounded like a random question.  She let me know that her and my dad had an appointment with a lawyer in the next week to make up their “last will and testament” and that she and my dad wanted to know whether or not I would want one of dad’s old cars after he was gone.  At the moment I hadn’t really thought that much about it so I didn’t know what to tell her.  It gave me pause, however, to think about dad’s car collection.
          My dad is a “car guy” and so, growing up, there were always old cars from the 60’s in the garage.  By the time I graduated from high school, dad had settled in on a couple of cars: one that, for the most part, was always running and that he could drive or take to the track when he wanted and one for which he had a bigger project planned.  Soon, this expanded to a third car: which he said was a better “base” car for his bigger project.  The thing is, he never sold the second car after he bought the third one.  And then, in what can only be described as an “impulse buy”, he bought a fourth car (or, rather, the shell of a fourth car) and explained to me the extremely extensive project that he planned for it.
          My dad is nearly 74 years old and still works full time.  He’s a great grandpa and helps my sisters a lot.  That being said, I probably don’t need to tell you that those projects for which he bought those other cars haven’t begun.  In fact, I haven’t seen those last two project cars for over ten years: my dad is so far from being ready to begin those projects that he needed to find places to store them until he is ready for them.  I keep asking him when he is going to retire so that he can start realizing some of these projects and he keeps telling me that he doesn’t think that he can afford to, yet.
          My mom’s question, therefore, sparked a moment of fear in my heart: “Oh my gosh, dad’s gonna die and he’s gonna dump all of those cars on me!  What, in the world, will I do when them?”  But it also made me think again what I have often thought about every time that I ask my dad about retiring: “How sad that he has worried so long about having enough saved up to retire that he’ll probably never get the chance to complete any of these projects; and all that he has been saving up to enjoy will ultimately pass into another person’s hands.
          Thus, when I hear the words of our first reading today from the book of Ecclesiastes—“Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property.”—or the words from Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel reading—“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”—I can’t help but think of my dad and his cars and I worry that, after all his toil and labor, he will never have the chance to enjoy its fruits.
          But this is the narrative of our modern lives, isn’t it?  Who of us wasn’t told when we were young: “Work hard, go to college, get a good job, start investing, get married and raise your kids and hopefully, by the time you reach 65, you can retire; and then you can start to enjoy your life.”  Why else have we taken to calling those post-retirement years the “golden years” except that we believe that we can’t really live until we’ve done all of those other things?  But isn’t this exactly the situation that Jesus warns about in the Gospel reading today?
          There a man from the crowd who is worried about his 401k comes forward and he demands that Jesus—a teacher who teaches with authority—resolve his dispute with his brother so that he’ll receive his share of the inheritance and thus solidify his retirement plan.  And Jesus warns him with the parable: don’t be so obsessed with your retirement plan—that is, with your plans for how you’re going to live in the future—so much so that you forget to live today; because your life will disappear like smoke when you least expect it.  In fact, all life is smoke… vapor… vanity… says Qoheleth, the Teacher, in the book of Ecclesiastes, a “chasing after wind”.  You can imagine what it would be like to chase after wind and so you can see that it would be a meaningless exercise.  This, says Qoheleth, is life: a meaningless exercise.  Meaningless, that is, if life consists only of possessions and our capacity to enjoy them.
          Thus, Jesus’ clarion call: don’t turn your life into a chasing after wind by making it only about obtaining and enjoying possessions.  Rather, focus on the things of God, because it is he alone who gives your life meaning and substance; while possessions, just like everything else in the created universe, add nothing to it; because they, too, will one day vanish like smoke.
          My brothers and sisters, let me ask you this question: What project for the building up of God’s kingdom here on earth has God placed on your heart only to have you store it in a remote garage or shed until the rest of your life settles out and you have the “leisure” to finally take it up?  In other words, have you ever heard yourself saying things like “One day I want to start a food pantry here at the parish, or a bible study, or to be a part of the Haiti mission, or to work with the youth group, but I just have too much going on right now. Once the kids are out of school, or I retire, or the house is paid off, then I’ll be able to do it”?  If you have, then whatever that is is the answer to my question: it is the work that God has given you that you have put in storage until you feel comfortable enough to “retire” and finally take it up.
          You know, I can’t help but think that this attitude is like my dad’s toward his project cars.  When his life turns to dust, those ideas will disappear like vapor and all he had hoped to accomplish by working another year longer will have been in vain, because there will be nothing to show for it.  “Thus will it be” Jesus warns us “for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”  My brothers and sisters, all of us will leave this life poor in material things, because, as we all know, “you can’t take it with you”.  If we are rich in what matters to God then we will be rich in the next life, because those things go with us.
          And this is good news!—the good news that Qoheleth hadn’t heard—that when we focus on the things that matter to God, God, the source of all existence, gives substance and meaning to our lives so that, when they disappear like smoke, there will be something that remains—something that lasts—that will go with us into the next life, proving that this life wasn’t all vanity, but rather that it had value: value earned for us through Jesus in his passion, death, and resurrection.  And so, as we turn now to re-present to the Father that perfect sacrifice of his Son, let us pray for the grace to take up the projects that he has placed on our hearts so that we might increase our wealth in the things that matter to him: wealth that adds real substance to the vapor of our lives and thus prepares us for the eternal weight of glory that we will enjoy in heaven.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – July 31st, 2016

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If you'd like a further meditation on this topic, check out this video from The Liturgists:



Monday, July 18, 2016

De hospedar angeles


Homilía: 16º Domingo en Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo C
          Escritor, editor y reformador social Dorotea Day nació el 8 de noviembre de 1897, en la ciudad de Nueva York. Era el tercero de los cinco hijos de sus padres, Gracia y Juan. Su padre trabajaba como periodista. Debido a esto, la familia se trasladó a California cuando Dorotea tenía seis años. Más tarde, sin embargo, que vivirían en Chicago.
          Un estudiante inteligente, Dorotea fue aceptado en la Universidad de Illinois. Ella estaba inscrito desde 1914 hasta 1916, pero abandonó sus estudios para trasladarse a la ciudad de Nueva York. Allí, ella se involucró con un grupo literario y liberal. Ella trabajó como periodista, escribiendo para varias publicaciones socialistas y progresistas de la décadas de 1910 y 20. Socialmente y políticamente activa, Dorotea fue detenida en varias ocasiones por su participación en las protestas. En 1917 se inició una huelga de hambre después de haber sido encarcelado por protestar frente a la Casa Blanca como parte de un esfuerzo por asegurar el derecho al voto para las mujeres.
          En su vida personal, Dorotea experimentó turbulencias. Después de un par de relaciones fallidas, una de las cuales la llevó a procurar un aborto, ella entró en una unión de hecho con Forster Batterham, un biólogo y un anarquista. Se dio a luz a una hija llamada Tamar Teresa, pero la decisión de Dorotea de bautizar la niña en la iglesia católica causó a su marido anarquista para salir de ella. Fue esta decisión, sin embargo, que la inició en el camino a su despertamiento espiritual; y, a finales de 1927, se convirtió al catolicismo.
          En 1932, Dorotea conoció a Pedro Maurin, un inmigrante francés y ex Hermano de La Salle. Al año siguiente, fundaron el Trabajador Católico, un periódico que promueve las enseñanzas católicas y examinó las cuestiones sociales. La publicación se convirtió en un gran éxito y dio lugar al Movimiento del Trabajador Católico, con arreglo a sus principios religiosos para abordar los problemas de la justicia social. Como parte de la creencia del movimiento en la hospitalidad radical, Dorotea ayudó a establecer casas especiales para ayudar a los necesitados. La influencia de Pedro Maurin es evidente en este caso ya que a menudo se cita la carta a los Hebreos, capítulo trece, versículo dos, que dice: "No se olviden de mostrar hospitalidad, porque por ella algunos, sin saberlo, hospedaron ángeles."
          Dorotea se encendería hacer muchas más cosas en su vida, pero, a pesar de todo, su insistencia en la conformidad radical al Evangelio—no sólo en palabras, sino en acciones concretas, también—era una constante. Por lo tanto, su causa de canonización ha sido aceptada por el Vaticano y que ha recibido el título de "Siervo de Dios".
          La hospitalidad era un valor importante entre la gente del Medio Oriente Antiguo y en nuestras lecturas de la Escritura de hoy vemos la verdad de lo que el autor de la Carta a los Hebreos estaba hablando. En la lectura del libro de Génesis que describe cómo el Señor se apareció a Abraham como tres hombres que parecen estar en un viaje. Aparecieron en la parte más caliente del día, cuando el viaje del día sería más difícil. Al verlos, Abraham salta a la acción: no sólo les ofrece algo de alivio al calor del día, pero en lugar insistiendo con ellos que le permiten mostrarles este acto de hospitalidad. No les conocía, y su primera reacción no fue sospecha, sino más bien generosa hospitalidad. Como resultado, era hospedando ángeles: los verdaderos mensajeros del Señor, que luego le dio una buena noticia; que su esposa, Sara, a quien todos habían pensado que era estéril debido a su avanzada edad, daría a luz a un hijo dentro de un año.
          En nuestra lectura del Evangelio, leemos que Jesús, al entrar en un pueblo, fue recibido por Marta. No dice que Marta fue la primera en ofrecer hospitalidad, pero supongo que podríamos asumir este puesto que las reglas de etiqueta requieren que se acepta la primera oferta que se nos da. Allí, al igual que Abraham hizo por los mensajeros del Señor, Marta se ocupó de preparar los alimentos y refrescos para Jesús y sus discípulos. Pensando que era grosero que su hermana María no estaba tan ocupada con tratar de servir a sus invitados, le pide a Jesús que reprochar ella para que dé vergüenza y empezar a ayudar con el servicio. Jesús, sin embargo, le recuerda a Marta que, aunque que sirve es una buena cosa, no es tan importante como reconocer quién es el que está en medio de ti, porque cuando lo hace, es posible que encontrará que usted era hospedando a los ángeles (o, en este caso, el Hijo de Dios) y que esos ángeles pueden estar preparados para aportar una buena noticia.
          Mis hermanos y hermanas, al reflexionar sobre los actos de alto perfil de violencia que se han ido sucediendo, más recientemente, el horrible ataque contra la vida inocente que pasó en Niza, Francia, el jueves pasado, estoy convencido de que una de las causas fundamentales de este violencia es una pérdida de este valor de la hospitalidad. Esto se debe a que, al ser radicalmente hospitalario, uno tiene que reconocer la dignidad y el valor inherente de cada persona, independientemente de si son o no son conocidos por ti. Cuando miramos a los demás con la sospecha, en lugar de correr a su servicio, como Abraham y Marta hizo, y al igual que Dorotea Day hizo, que nos pone a pensar que se trata de "nosotros contra ellos"; y si se trata de "nosotros contra ellos", entonces sus vidas se convierten automáticamente en menos valioso para nosotros; que a su vez hace que sea posible hacerles daño para nuestra ventaja, en lugar de servir a ellos para la suya.
          Amigos, si queremos ver un cambio real en este mundo, entonces tenemos que empezar aquí en nuestras familias y en nuestra comunidad, cambiando la mentalidad dominante de "nosotros contra ellos" a "nosotros para ellos". Debemos comenzar, sin embargo, donde María, la hermana de Marta, hizo—sentado a los pies de Jesús escuchando hablar a él—porque él será nuestra roca sólida que nos apoyan mientras servimos y el ángel cuyo rostro veremos en los rostros de aquellos a quien servimos. Por lo tanto, hagamos eso nuestra tarea esta semana a abrir el corazón un poco más a Jesús, dándole más tiempo a la oración y nuestras vidas a él mediante la práctica de una mayor hospitalidad a todos los que nos encontramos. Porque al hacerlo, podemos encontrar que nosotros, también, "sin saberlo, hospedamos ángeles".
Dado en la parroquia de Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

17 de julio, 2016

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"La fuerza de un Angel" es una buena pelicula sobre Dorotea Day.


Entertaining Angels


Homily: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
          Writer, editor and social reformer Dorothy Day was born on November 8, 1897, in New York City. She was the third of five children born to her parents, Grace and John.  Her father worked as a journalist.  Because of this, the family moved to California when Dorothy was six years old.  Later, however, they would live in Chicago.
          A bright student, Day was accepted to the University of Illinois. She was enrolled there from 1914 to 1916, but she abandoned her studies to move to New York City. There, she became involved with a literary and liberal crowd in the city's Greenwich Village neighborhood. She worked as a journalist, writing for several socialist and progressive publications in the 1910s and '20s.  Socially and politically active, Day was arrested several times for her involvement in protests.  In 1917 she went on a hunger strike after being jailed for protesting in front of the White House as part of an effort to secure the right to vote for women.
          In her personal life, Day experienced turmoil. After a couple of failed relationships, one of which led to her procuring an abortion, she entered a common-law marriage with Forster Batterham, a biologist and an anarchist.  They gave birth to a daughter named Tamar Teresa, but Day’s choice to have the child baptized at a Catholic church caused her anarchist husband to leave her.  It was this decision, however, that started her on the path to her spiritual awakening; and, in late 1927, she converted to Catholicism.
          In 1932, Day met Peter Maurin, a French immigrant and former Christian Brother. The following year, they founded The Catholic Worker, a newspaper that promoted Catholic teachings and examined societal issues. The publication became very successful and spawned the Catholic Worker Movement, which followed its religious principles to tackle issues of social justice. As part of the movement’s belief in radical hospitality, Day helped establish special homes to help those in need. Peter Maurin’s influence is evident here as he often quoted Hebrews chapter thirteen, verse two, which says: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”
          Day would go on to do many more things in her life, but through it all her insistence on radical conformity to the Gospel, not just in words, but in concrete action, was a constant.  Thus, her cause for canonization has been accepted by the Vatican and she has received the title “Servant of God”.
          Hospitality was an important value among the people of the Ancient Near East and in our Scripture readings today we see the truth of what the author to the Letter to the Hebrews was talking about.  In the reading from the book of Genesis it describes how the Lord appeared to Abraham as three men on a journey.  They appeared at the hot part of the day, when the day’s journey would be most difficult.  Upon seeing them, Abraham jumps to action: not just offering them some relief from the heat of the day, but rather insisting with them that they allow him to show them this act of hospitality.  He did not know them, and his first reaction wasn’t suspicion, but rather generous hospitality.  As it turns out, he was entertaining angels: true messengers of the Lord who then gave him good news; that his wife, Sarah, whom all thought was barren due to her old age, would give birth to a son within a year.
          In our Gospel reading, we read that Jesus, upon entering a village, was welcomed by Martha.  It doesn’t say that Martha was the first to offer him hospitality, but I suppose that we might assume as much since the rules of etiquette require that we accept the first offer we are given.  There, much like Abraham did for the Lord’s messengers, Martha busied herself with preparing food and refreshments for Jesus and his disciples.  Thinking it rude that her sister Mary was not as occupied with trying to serve their guests, she asks Jesus to reproach her so that she might be embarrassed and begin to help with the serving.  Jesus, however, reminds Martha that, while serving is a good thing, it is not as important as recognizing who it is that is in your midst: for when you do, you may just find that you’ve been entertaining angels (or, in this case, the Son of God) and that those angels may be ready to bring you good news.
          My brothers and sisters, as I reflect on the high-profile acts of violence that have been happening, most recently the horrific attack on innocent life that happened in Nice, France, last Thursday, I am convinced that one of the root causes of this violence is a loss of this value of hospitality.  This is because to be radically hospitable one has to acknowledge the inherent dignity and value of every person, regardless of whether or not they are known to you.  When we look at others with suspicion, instead of rushing to serve them, like Abraham and Martha did, and like Dorothy Day did, that sets us up to believe that it’s “us versus them”; and if it’s “us versus them” then their lives automatically become less valuable to us; which then makes it possible to harm them for our advantage, instead of to serve them for theirs.
          Friends, if we want to see a real change in this world, then we must start right here in our own families and in our community, changing the prevailing mentality from “us versus them” to “us for them”.  We must begin, however, where Martha’s sister Mary did—sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him speak—because he will be our solid rock supporting us as we serve and the angel whose face we will see in the faces of those whom we serve.  Therefore, let us make it our task this week to open our hearts a little more to Jesus by giving him more time in prayer and our lives to him by practicing greater hospitality to all whom we meet.  Because in doing so, we may find that we, too, “unknowingly entertained angels”.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – July 17th, 2016

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"Entertaining Angels" is a good film on the life of Dorothy Day.
See a trailer here.


Sunday, July 10, 2016

Mercy demands "applied Christianity"

Homily: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
          In the world of advanced studies, there are generally two categories of persons: those who generate knowledge and those who apply that knowledge.  If you look at the degree offerings of major colleges and universities, you’ll often find degrees both in “mathematics” and “applied mathematics”, “physics” and “applied physics”, “chemistry” and “applied chemistry”.  This is evidence of what I am saying: that in the world of advanced studies, there are two categories of persons, those who are concerned just with knowing things, and getting to know more about those things, and those who are concerned with applying this knowledge of things for some purpose.
          And both of these are necessary, right?  Certainly there is value in knowing things—such as the principle of gravity—because it increases our awe and appreciation of a world that has been so wonderfully made and simply helps us to exist in it.  But what if that’s all we had?  Just knowledge of the fact that gravity exists (and perhaps why it exists)?  A whole world of technology wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t tried to apply that knowledge towards some purpose.  Almost any mode of transportation that we use today fundamentally relies on an understanding of the principle of gravity for it to work.  Knowledge, therefore, is necessary!  But knowledge without application—that is, without action—tends to be something lifeless.
          This principle of applying our knowledge to purposeful action is something fundamental to the Christian life and our readings today reinforce this.  In the reading from the book of Deuteronomy Moses is giving his last instructions to the people whom he has led through the desert for 40 years.  He will die soon and he wants these people to remember the most important things.  So he tells them, “If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law… [which are] not too mysterious and remote for you … No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”  In other words, he’s saying: “You already know what God demands of you, but it isn’t enough just to know it!  You must also apply it to your lives and live by it.”
          This is also the lesson that emerges from the episode that we recounted today from Luke’s Gospel.  There, Jesus was confronted by a “scholar of the law”—in other words, someone focused on “knowing things”—who wanted to test Jesus on his knowledge of the Law.  Deftly, Jesus doesn’t engage his debate, but in turn tests the scholar on his knowledge of the Law.  The scholar having answered rightly, Jesus agrees with him; thus demonstrating both Jesus’ knowledge of the law and that he does not see himself or his teaching as being above the law.  The scholar was not satisfied, though, so he asks a follow-up question: “But who is my neighbor?”  At this point, Jesus decides not to give him a “book” answer, but rather to enlighten the answer with an application: the parable of the Good Samaritan.
          Notice in this that only implicitly did Jesus answer the scholar’s question: “Who is my neighbor?”  The robbers’ victim—the person in need of mercy—is implicitly identified as every man’s “neighbor” when Jesus asks the scholar “Which one of these was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” and the scholar replies “The one who treated him with mercy.”  In doing this, Jesus did two things: 1) he identified as our neighbor anyone whom we find in need of mercy and 2) he demonstrated that knowledge of who our neighbor is and what our neighbor demands of us is not enough, but rather that we must also apply that knowledge in action if that knowledge is going to be worth something.  The robbers’ victim was neighbor to both the priest and the Levite, but only the Samaritan was neighbor to the victim because he not only acknowledged him as his neighbor but then acted on that acknowledgement.
          Let me restate this once again, lest it get lost: knowledge is necessary!  First we have to acknowledge what is true and which truth demands the most of us.  For the believer it is that God is supreme and therefore we must love him with our whole selves.  Then, that Man is made in the image of God and therefore is due great honor, that all men are created equal and therefore demand equal treatment, and, thus, that we must love our fellow man as we love ourselves.  Then, however, we have to act on that knowledge.  "See how one acts towards his neighbor?", Jesus asks, "Go and do likewise … and you will live."
          My brothers and sisters, this is not complicated.  Remember what Moses said: "It is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."  But it isn’t necessarily easy, is it?  If it was easy there wouldn't be any of the violence that plagues our world, right?  Because of sin, however, that which, by nature, should be easy for us has become difficult to practice.  Thus, we have to work hard to love both ourselves and then our neighbor.
          Now, so we don’t forget that first part, let me say a word about loving ourselves.  We love ourselves when we do what's truly best for ourselves: purging sin from our lives, building disciplined lives of prayer, pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty, and taking care of our relationships.  Notice that “loving ourselves” doesn’t mean “do what is most pleasurable for ourselves” (though the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty ought to be pleasurable), but rather “do what is best for ourselves”, disciplining our bodies when necessary in order to ensure that our hearts remain pure.  Loving our neighbor, then, requires that we do what is truly best for them, too: helping them in their need and supporting them as they also strive to love themselves.  The prayer service for fighting the drug epidemic in our community was a great example of putting aside our projects and desires to do something for our neighbors in this community who are suffering because of drug use and abuse.
          My brothers and sisters, in giving us this year of mercy, Pope Francis hopes to do what Jesus did for that law scholar that day: he hopes to remind us of who our neighbor is (that is, anyone in need of mercy) and he hopes to move us to be neighbor to them by "treating them with mercy", which is the same Mercy that God has already shown to us: who, seeing us assaulted by Satan to the point that we were left for dead, did not pass on the other side, but came close to us, sending us Jesus to dress our wounds and to take us to a place (that is, the Church) where we could be healed and recover.  We must, therefore, go and do likewise.  This is the great "missa"—or "sending"—that we receive at the end every Mass.
          Thus, the question we must confront today is this: Will we allow our lives to be interrupted to care for others?  Like it or not, “yes” is the answer that Jesus expects of us.  Our work this week, therefore, will be to become more aware of and, thus, to respond to the opportunities to give mercy that God's providence places in front of us.  My brothers and sisters, through this Eucharist, the love and mercy of God—Jesus, himself—comes to us and dwells in us.  May our knowledge of this inspire us to open our hearts to others so that his love and mercy might spread and grow among us.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – July 9th & 10th, 2016

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Reflections on my Pilgrimage to Poland

         Although I didn't advertise it much, I recently made a pilgrimage to Poland with a small group of young adults from the Frassati Society of Young Adult Catholics.  I was the spiritual director for the trip which was based in Krakow, the same place where World Youth Day will be held later this month.  One week ago today we returned to the States.  With a week to recover from jet lag and to reflect on my experience, I thought I'd try to share some of the highlights with you who read my blog.

         First, I was very blessed to be the spiritual guide of a beautiful group of young women who impressed me with their enthusiasm, reverence, love for God and overall joie de vivre.  Although I joked about how difficult it would be for me, a man, to spend nine emotional days with nine women, I cannot help but sing their praises, as the strong witness to faith that they showed deeply bolstered my own.  (There were, of course, plenty of times that I wished there were guys on the trip, but the ladies truly gave me very little to complain about.)

Our pilgrim group after landing in Poland

         Next, my reflections.  As I've been reflecting on my experience, I found that there were so many things that impacted me.  I don't know that I can share them all, however, so I thought I'd try to boil them down into some highlights that might summarize my experience.

1. Saint John Paul II

Without doubt, the face that dominated this pilgrimage was the face of Saint John Paul II.  This makes sense, of course, since we were staying in Krakow, which many have called "the city of John Paul II".  As the first Polish Pope and a canonized saint, it's no wonder that his face dominated our journey.  The Polish people are rightly proud of their saintly son and it certainly showed in every place that we visited.

I myself had to admit that I didn't know St. JPII very well before setting off on this journey.  I knew of him and some of the highlights of his life, but I didn't really know him.  I got to know him both in preparation for this trip and during the trip in a very special way.  He was a very special man who suffered greatly in his life, but who God had obviously destined for great things and who, through faith, achieved them.  Somehow, through all of the darkness he experienced, he continued to live with positivity.  He believed, even through the darkness, that Jesus had overcome it and that all we had to do was to continue to live with this confidence and share it with others to see the victory of Christ realized.  He truly was, as his biographer George Weigel called him, a "Witness to Hope".

From the Saint John Paul II Shrine, just outside of Krakow
Now that I know him better, I feel and understand the powerful devotion that so many people have to him.  I will now look to him as both an example and an intercessor as I strive to become a pastor after the heart of the Good Shepherd.

2. Devotion to Mary

In an article that I read on the way back to the States, it said that St. JPII was greatly responsible for restoring devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary after it had become something "passe" after the Second Vatican Council.  Although I know that Vatican II never downplayed who Mary is and her role in the life of the Church, I read those words and felt a sense that there truly has been a loss of devotion to Mary in many parts of the Church.

This pilgrimage, however, awakened in me my own devotion to Mary.  Our Lady of Czestochowa is a national icon in Poland and I cannot think of one church in which this icon wasn't found.  Poles definitely see her as their mother and John Paul II was no exception.  After his mother died at a young age, his father took him into the parish church in Wadowice where they knelt before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  His father pointed to the image and said to young Karol, "She is your mother now." Praying before that very same image was powerful for me as I've had a particular devotion to Mary under the that same title.  Seeing that image along with visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa were powerful reminders to me both of Mary's maternal love for me and of her powerful presence in the Church.

Miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Minor Basilica of the Presentation of Mary in Wadowice, Poland, the childhood home of Pope Saint John Paul II
If all this wasn't enough, there was a museum right next door to our hotel in which an exhibit featuring different images of Mary under the title "Mother of Mercy" was opening while we visited.  Mary was a big part of our pilgrimage experience.

3. Merciful Love

We, of course, are in the middle of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.  No pilgrimage to Poland would be complete without a visit to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, where Saint Faustina Kowalska received her mystical visions of Jesus who asked her to reignite devotion to his Divine Mercy in the world.  To prepare ourselves for our visit to this shrine, we completed Fr. Michael Gaitley's "33 Days to Merciful Love" as a preparation to consecrate ourselves to Jesus' merciful love.  God's providence could not have been better as our consecration day fell on a Friday, which was the solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, and in which we could pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with St. Faustina's sisters at the hour of mercy (3:00 p.m.) in the chapel in which St. Faustina is buried!  The day was overflowing with God's mercy as we (unintentionally) received Benediction from the Blessed Sacrament THREE TIMES that day: once after praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and then, after returning to Krakow, two more times in two different churches that we visited!


Image of Divine Mercy in the Lower Church of the Sanctuary where we made our consecration to Merciful Love.

Convent and chapel where St. Faustina is buried.
Our hearts were definitely full of God's Mercy on this day and since then.  This is the time of Mercy and I myself know that it is now my task to share both what I've received (an outpouring of God's Mercy) and this devotion with everyone I encounter.

          Wrapping up this reflection, all I can say is how grateful I am to have been invited to be a part of this trip.  The Frassati Society was a big part of what re-integrated me into the Church and led to my discerning a vocation to the priesthood.  Being up in Logansport, I've felt somewhat separated from that group and so being able to be a part of this pilgrimage was a great gift to me.  That, coupled with the chance to celebrate Mass in these holy places did this priest's heart much good.

         My brothers and sisters, this is the time of Mercy!  We must proclaim it from the rooftops that darkness is not the end, but rather that God's goodness and mercy overcomes all.  May Mary, the Mother of Mercy, keep us in her heart and the heart of her Son, Jesus, so that we might have the courage live this message in our lives.

Verso l'alto!