Share the triumph by entering the battle

 Homily: 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

         In late July, I was blessed to be able to participate in the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.  Did anyone else here participate in it?  Of course, we all know that, for the last two years, we have been participating in a National Eucharistic Revival, in which we are all being called to revive our faith, specifically through our devotion to the Mass—which is the “source and summit” of our faith—as well as our belief in and devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  The National Congress was meant to be the “capstone” of the first two years of the revival, directed towards reviving faith in our parishes and across our dioceses.

         Now, in this third year, we are sent out as missionary apostles; and the particular call for each of us is an initiative called “Walk with One”, in which we are each called to identify one person in our lives whom God is calling us to befriend in a deeper way and to walk with that person in order to help him/her to discover (or rediscover) God’s offer of friendship and communion in the Church, especially through the Eucharist.  During the Congress, we were reminded that there are 70 million Catholics in the United States.  Realistically, many of that number are in need of someone to walk with them back to the Eucharist.  But just imagine if, at the end of this year, each of those 70 million “walked with one”… Catholics worshiping God in the Eucharist and serving Him through good works in their families and communities would be nearly half of the U.S.’s population!  All it will take is each of us choosing to walk with one over this next year…

         Okay, that’s not exactly what I was called to talk to you about today, but I’m so excited that our nation’s bishops are united around this initiative and about the revival that it can bring about that I want to make sure everyone hears about it!  Since a good majority of you were not able to participate in the Congress, I wanted to share with you some of my experience, because I believe it connects with our readings from scripture today. ///

         In the days/weeks leading up to the Congress, I didn’t know what to expect.  How would the days go?  What would the “vibe” be like?  Would it just feel like a convention, or would there be a true spiritual aspect to it?  When I arrived in downtown Indianapolis the first afternoon, I was immediately blown away.  It was immediately obvious that the organizers went “all out” for this event.  Outside of the convention center were huge signs and window wraps that everyone could see from the street with phrases like, “Revival Begins Here” and “As in Heaven, so in Indy”.  Inside the convention center, the huge meeting halls were converted into spaces where Mass would be celebrated, confessions would be heard, and presentations would bring insight and renewal to the nearly 60 thousand people who would attend.  And I hadn’t even been next door to the Lucas Oil Stadium (where the Indianapolis Colts play), which had also been converted into a sanctuary for Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each morning and night.

         Immediately, the vibe was a spiritual one and one of communion.  People stood in line for two plus hours just to check in for the congress and receive their credentials, yet NO ONE was complaining!  As I walked along the line, I continually encountered people I knew and quickly realized that this was like one big Catholic family reunion.  It was amazing!  Each day, as the Congress progressed—with Masses, conferences, social time, and the plenary sessions of adoration and reflection in the big stadium each night—this feeling of communion only grew.  I was definitely being “revived”.

         The two most impressive moments for me, however (and, I’d argue, for anyone who was there), was the Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Indianapolis on Saturday and the concluding Mass on Sunday.  I want to highlight my impression of the procession for you today.

         Eucharistic processions, if you didn’t know, have regulations about how you “line up” for the procession, and it is this: Acolytes (i.e. altar servers, in this case the seminarians) are first, followed by the professed religious, then deacons, then priests, then bishops, then the Blessed Sacrament, which is followed by the laity.  The procession would follow a one mile route from the convention center to a park north of downtown.  I mention that because, when all of the persons whom I listed as lining up before the Blessed Sacrament were in line and ready to begin, we were already nearly a quarter mile along the route, and the Blessed Sacrament hadn’t moved yet!  And we weren’t “single-file”: we were eight across!  There were thousands of seminarians, religious, deacons, priests, and bishops!

         And so the laity could celebrate the procession, they were invited to line the streets along the route and then join the procession after it passed by.  Therefore, as we began our procession, there were thousands of people on both sides of the street… and even up in the upper levels of parking garages and the overhead crosswalks along the way… all pouring out their love to us and ready to greet our Lord and Savior in the Blessed Sacrament when he passed by.  It was truly a Palm Sunday moment!

         Then, when we arrived at the park for adoration and benediction, I looked around and could see residents in the apartment buildings on either side looking out their windows at the spectacle that we were.  It was all an ongoing experience of communion as the Body of Christ and, quite frankly, an experience of the triumphal victory of Christ over the world.  (Please look up “Eucharistic Procession at National Eucharistic Congress” on YouTube and watch some of the videos.  You’ll be amazed!)

         After the concluding Mass, in which we were all sent to “Walk with One” in the next year, we joyfully dispersed to our homes.  What did we find?  That all of the magic, joy, and communion that we experienced at the Congress did not change one thing about our daily lives.  We were changed, sure.  But we all returned to the daily work in our families and communities, just as we left them before coming to the Congress.  Why do I mention that?  Well, because I think that this points to Jesus’ teaching in Gospel today.

         There, Jesus puts his closest disciples to a test and Peter famously passes it.  “Who do people say that I am?”  “Who do you say that I am?”  “You are the Christ…” Peter says.  Good job, Peter!  Then, Peter seems to fall flat on his face when he rebukes Jesus for saying that he will be arrested and killed by the authorities.  “You are the Messiah, the King!  We will not allow such a thing to happen!”  Peter was thinking only of the triumph, but ignoring the path to it.  He wanted to stay on the mountain of Transfiguration without climbing the path to get there.

         Jesus’ rebuke of Peter’s rebuke teaches the important lesson: that the way to triumph is not to ride on the coattails of Jesus, who handles all of the suffering for us; but rather to follow Jesus in the way of battle against the forces of this world—that is, suffering difficulty for the sake of what is good and Godly in this world, otherwise known as “the cross”—so that we might become sharers in his triumph.  In my case (and the case of all those who participated in the Congress), I cannot exalt that I am a participant in the triumph of the Eucharistic Procession and then ignore the fact that I must still take up the daily work I have been given to build God’s kingdom here by living my vocation to its fullest: enduring especially all of the sufferings that inevitably come with it.

         To put it simply, Jesus’ triumph does not free us from the hard work and inevitable sufferings of discipleship in our daily lives.  Rather, it gives us power to endure faithfully (and even joyfully!) the hardships that come with it.  What Jesus showed in submitting himself to his Passion and Death, was the confidence in the Father’s providential care that Isaiah showed in our first reading: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.  The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced… See, the Lord God is my help…”  This is the same confidence that Jesus’ triumphal resurrection should inspire in us: that we can take up our crosses and follow him, because “the Lord God will be our help”, too. ///

         My brothers and sisters, each and every time we come here to celebrate Mass, we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal resurrection from the dead and the joyful fact that we are partakers in that victory by our baptism.  Let us allow that joy to permeate us today with confidence—confidence in the Father and his care for us—so that we are strengthened to live as disciples and to embrace the work we have been given to build God’s kingdom here: in particular, remembering to “Walk with One” as we celebrate this revival.  In doing so, we will be prepared for the unending joy that awaits us when Jesus returns to take us home to himself.

Given at St. Mary Nativity Parish: Joliet, IL – September 15^th, 2024

Cada Domingo es un Dia del Trabajo

 Homilía: 22º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo B

         Mañana celebramos el Día del Trabajo aquí en los Estados Unidos. Si no saben de esta festividad, les aseguro que no es un día para trabajar, sino para descansar del trabajo. Es un día importante para los ciudadanos de este país porque es el día en que reconocemos colectivamente las contribuciones que hicieron los trabajadores para construir nuestro país. De particular importancia, aquí en el Medio Oeste, es el reconocimiento de que la mayoría de esos trabajadores eran inmigrantes: nuestros abuelos y bisabuelos que vinieron de países de Europa occidental para establecerse aquí y construyeron estos pueblos donde sus familias vivirían por generaciones futuras. Por lo tanto, también es un día para que reconozcamos las contribuciones de la ola moderna de inmigrantes de México, América Central y Asia cuyo trabajo, en parte, continúa sosteniendo y haciendo crecer estos pueblos, aquí y en todo el país. Sí, este fin de semana, nos tomamos un día de descanso para celebrar la prosperidad que es fruto de nuestro trabajo. ///

         Mientras pensaba en lo que el Día del Trabajo significaba para todos nosotros, también se me ocurrió que la idea de “un día libre de trabajo” es también una idea muy católica. Como católicos, honramos el trabajo como una actividad humana que añade dignidad a la persona humana. A través de nuestro trabajo, damos testimonio de la verdad de que fuimos creados a “imagen de Dios” al participar de la creatividad de Dios: cosechando los frutos de la tierra y proporcionando los bienes y servicios que promueven el florecimiento humano. Al hacerlo, alabamos a Dios por producir mucho fruto de los dones que Él nos ha dado.

         Como católicos, también reconocemos nuestra necesidad de buscar descanso de nuestro trabajo. Dios mismo nos dio el ejemplo del descanso que debemos buscar cuando descansó el séptimo día después de completar la obra de la creación. Y así, este ritmo de trabajo y descanso se convirtió en una parte integral de la experiencia humana. Este descanso “sabático”, como se lo llama en la Sagrada Escritura, tiene múltiples propósitos: porque no solo es una oportunidad para brindar descanso a nuestros cuerpos, sino que también es 1) un recordatorio del descanso original que disfrutaron nuestros primeros padres en el jardín del Edén, así como 2) un anticipo del descanso eterno que esperamos disfrutar en el reino de Dios.

         Pero, quizás de manera más inmediata, es un recordatorio de nuestra necesidad de hacer una pausa en nuestros esfuerzos humanos para reconocer a Dios, por quien todo nuestro trabajo es posible, y así darle gracias. En el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica se afirma: “Durante el domingo y las otras fiestas de precepto, los fieles se abstendrán de entregarse a trabajos o actividades que impidan el culto debido a Dios, la alegría propia del día del Señor, la práctica de las obras de misericordia, el descanso necesario del espíritu y del cuerpo” (CIC 2185). También nos recuerda que “Los cristianos que disponen de tiempo de descanso deben acordarse de sus hermanos que tienen las mismas necesidades y los mismos derechos y no pueden descansar a causa de la pobreza y la miseria” (CIC 2186), que es la situación que deben soportar muchos que viven en los pueblos de este condado. Finalmente, se afirma que “Las necesidades familiares o una gran utilidad social constituyen excusas legítimas respecto al precepto del descanso dominical”, pero que “los fieles deben cuidar de que legítimas excusas no introduzcan hábitos perjudiciales a la religión, a la vida de familia y a la salud” (CIC 2185). Y todo esto es para recordarnos, como Cristo nos ha dicho en otros lugares de los Evangelios, que “el sábado fue hecho para el hombre, no el hombre para el sábado”. ///

         En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús amonesta a los fariseos por olvidar este principio. Habían olvidado que “la Ley fue creada para el hombre y no el hombre para la Ley”. Hay que reconocer que los fariseos se esforzaban por lograr la autenticidad en su práctica religiosa (una virtud que describí en la homilía de la semana pasada). Habían escuchado bien las palabras de Moisés cuando dijo: “observar cuidadosamente lo que estoy enseñando a observar”. Sin embargo, al centrarse en los preceptos de la Ley, perdieron de vista el verdadero propósito de la Ley: que era ayudarlos a crecer en sabiduría y virtud, y recordarles el favor que Dios les había mostrado. La Ley, por lo tanto, no se ocupaba de mantener limpios los vasos, sino más bien de mantener limpios a quienes los usaban. La purificación de los vasos debía ser un símbolo—un signo visible de una realidad invisible—de la purificación del corazón que uno deseaba obtener. Esto es lo que Jesús les recuerda: que de nada sirve la purificación de los vasos y el lavado de las manos si en su corazón albergan malos pensamientos, odios, celos, malicia y engaño. Dios dio la Ley a los israelitas para invitarlos a vivir como hijos de Dios y para enseñarles cómo hacerlo. Lamentablemente, muchos de ellos se dejaron convertir en siervos de la Ley en lugar de hijos e hijas de Dios.

         Por supuesto, esta misma lección se aplica a nosotros. En verdad, el trabajo pesado es el resultado del pecado. Cuando nuestros primeros padres, Adán y Eva, fueron expulsados ​​del Jardín del Edén, Dios les prometió que cosecharían el fruto de la tierra con “el sudor de su frente”, es decir, con su pesado trabajo. Pero incluso este efecto negativo del pecado fue redimido por Cristo. Y ahora podemos decir que “el trabajo fue creado para nosotros”, es decir, para nuestro beneficio, y que “no fuimos creados para el trabajo”. Por lo tanto, es bueno que reservemos un día para despedirnos de nuestras labores y disfrutar de sus frutos. Sin embargo, para los creyentes, esto debería ser más que un solo día al año. Más bien, deberíamos considerar cada domingo como “día del trabajo” y así dejar de lado nuestro pesado trabajo para estar libres para dar la alabanza a Dios que le debemos, para conectarnos intencionalmente con nuestras familias y otros seres queridos, y para servir a los necesitados que nos rodean.

         Y es precisamente con este fin que nos reunimos en esta Eucaristía: porque aquí damos gloria a Dios por nuestra perseverancia en su gracia y también recordamos y renovamos nuestra comunión con él y con los demás, especialmente los más vulnerables entre nosotros, mientras esperamos el día en que él regresará para llevarnos a nuestro descanso eterno: a esa “día de trabajo” que nunca termina. ///

         Que el descanso que disfrutemos este fin de semana sea un recordatorio del descanso que anhelamos en el cielo, donde disfrutaremos los frutos no de nuestro trabajo, sino del de Cristo. Para aquellos que no podrán disfrutar del descanso este Día del Trabajo: que ustedes sientan el consuelo de nuestras oraciones y se fortalezcan en la esperanza de que ustedes también algún día conocerán el descanso perfecto de Dios.

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 1 de septiembre, 2024

Every Sunday is Labor Day

 Homily: 22^nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B

         Tomorrow, we celebrate Labor Day here in the United States.  If you somehow don’t know about this holiday, let me assure you that it is not a day for labor, but rather it is a day to rest from labor.  It is a day important to citizens of this country because it is the day that we collectively acknowledge the contributions made by laborers in building up our country.  Of particular importance, here in the Midwest, is the acknowledgement that most of those laborers were immigrants: our grandparents and great-grandparents who came from western European countries to settle here and who built these towns where their families would live for generations to come.  It is also a day, therefore, for us to acknowledge the contributions of the modern wave of immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and Asia whose labor, in part, continues to sustain and grow these towns, here and throughout the country.  Yes, this weekend, we take a day of rest to celebrate the prosperity that is the fruit of our labor. ///

         As I was thinking about what Labor Day meant for all of us, it also occurred to me that the idea of “a day free from labor” is also a very Catholic idea.  As Catholics, we honor labor as a human activity that adds dignity to the human person.  Through our labor, we bear witness to the truth that we were created in “the image of God” as we share in God’s creativity: harvesting the fruits of the earth and providing those goods and services that advance human flourishing.  In doing so, we give praise to God by producing much fruit from the gifts he has given us.

         As Catholics, we also acknowledge our necessity to seek rest from our labor.  God himself modeled for us the rest we should seek as he rested on the seventh day after completing the work of creation.  And so this rhythm of work and rest became an integral part of the human experience.  This “Sabbath” rest, as it is called in Sacred Scripture, has multiple purposes: for it is not only an opportunity to provide rest for our bodies, but it is also 1) a reminder of the original rest that our first parents enjoyed in the garden of Eden as well as 2) a foretaste of the eternal rest that we hope to enjoy in God’s kingdom.

         Perhaps more immediately, however, it is a reminder of our need to take a break from our human endeavors to acknowledge God, through whom all of our labor is made possible, and thus to give him thanks.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it states: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.” (CCC 1285)  It also reminds us that “those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery” (CCC 1286), which is the situation that many who live in this area must endure.  Finally, it states that “family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest” but that “the faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.” (CCC 1285)  And all of this is to remind us, as Christ has told us elsewhere in the Gospels, that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” ///

         In the Gospel reading today, Jesus admonishes the Pharisees for forgetting this principle.  They had forgotten that “the Law was created for man and not man for the Law.”  To their credit, the Pharisees were striving for authenticity in their religious practice (a virtue that I described in last week’s homily).  They had heard well the words of Moses when he said, “observe carefully what I am teaching you to observe.”  In focusing on the precepts of the Law, however, they lost sight of the Law’s true purpose: which was to help them to grow in wisdom and virtue, and to remind them of the favor God had shown to them.  The Law, therefore, was not concerned with keeping vessels clean, but rather with keeping those who used them clean.  The purifying of vessels was meant to be a symbol—a visible sign of an invisible reality—of the purification of heart that one wished to obtain.  This is what Jesus reminds them of: that the purification of vessels and washing of hands is of no gain if you harbor evil thoughts, hatred, jealousy, malice, and deceit in your hearts.  God gave the Israelites the Law to invite them to live as children of God and to teach them how to do it.  Unfortunately, many of them let themselves become servants of the Law instead of sons and daughters of God.

         Of course, this same lesson applies to us.  In truth, labor that is burdensome is the result of sin.  When our first parents, Adam and Eve, were driven from the Garden of Eden, God promised them that they would reap the fruit of the ground by “the sweat of their brow,” that is, by their burdensome labor.  But even this negative effect of sin was redeemed by Christ.  And so now we can say that “labor was created for us,” that is, for our benefit, and that “we were not created for labor.”  Thus, it is good that we reserve a day to take leave of our labors and relish in their fruits.  For believers, however, this should be more than just one day every year.  Rather, we ought to consider every Sunday as “labor day” and so leave off our burdensome work so as to be free to give the praise to God that we owe him, to connect intentionally with our families and other loved ones, and to serve those in need around us.

         And it is exactly towards this end that we gather in this Eucharist: for here we give praise to God for our perseverance in his grace and we also remember and renew our communion with him and with others, especially the most vulnerable among us, as we await the day that he will return to bring us to our eternal rest: to that “labor day” that never ends. ///

         May the rest we enjoy this weekend be a reminder of the rest we long for in heaven, where we will enjoy the fruits not of our labor, but that of Christ’s.  For those who will not enjoy rest this Labor Day: may you feel the consolation of our prayers and be strengthened in the hope that you, too, will one day know God’s perfect rest.

Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN – September 1^st, 2024