A pure wonder

Homily: 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

          Perhaps we all remember that famous passage in the Gospel when Jesus says, "Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of God".  What Jesus means by this seems obvious, right?: that salvation involves a return to a state of moral innocence, like children.

          But I think this begs the question a little.  I mean, are children really as innocent as their reputation makes them?  Let’s think about this for a moment.  Infants are some of the most selfish and self-centered people I know!  They will cry and fuss until they get what they want, completely without regard to how their attitude affects others.  And what about toddlers?  Don't toddlers give their parents constant headaches as they stubbornly assert themselves against their parents’ wills (I mean, we don’t call it the “terrible twos” for nothing, right)?  Then, as they get to kindergarten and beyond, they augment their stubborn defiance and begin lying to their parents, don’t they?; and add to it an unrelenting torment of their siblings!  No, I’m not convinced that children are really as innocent as the “media” makes them out to be.

          Perhaps, however, Jesus was referring to a different kind of innocence when he made that statement: not a moral innocence, but an innocence marked by a purity of wonder.  You know, for healthy children, the world is a wonder-filled place.  Sea shells and starlight are both magically mysterious to them; and grasshoppers and green mountains equally inspire fascination and excitement.  And isn't that way it should be?  I mean, isn't that the way that Adam and Eve would have seen the world before original sin: as an inspiring collection of magnificent treasures given to them by their Creator?  I think so, because that's what creation is: a fabulous gift from an all-powerful God who is a wise and loving Father and who wants his children to share in his delight in his creation.

          An attitude of wonder and awe towards God’s gift of life and the created universe is something that has been shared by all the saints.  And it applies not only to natural gifts, but even more to the supernatural gifts of salvation and redemption.  This is why Saint Paul, after spending three chapters of his Letter to the Romans analyzing and explaining the complex twists and turns of salvation history, breaks out into a hymn of wonder and awe: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!"  My friends, this is the cry of a childlike, grace-filled heart.  In other words, it is the cry of one who carries a healthy Christian heart.

          In his spontaneous hymn of praise, Saint Paul tells us that God's judgments are "inscrutable" and his ways are "unsearchable."  Now, he doesn’t mean this in a negative sense, but rather in a “wonder-filled” sense as he acknowledges how God was using a creative, unexpected way to bring about the salvation of the Israelite people.  As it turns out, God is always using creative ways to bring about his magnificent plan of salvation.  One of those particularly creative ways is the papacy.

          In today's Gospel passage, Jesus explains that the papacy is the indestructible foundation of his Church.  To emphasize the point, he gives his disciple Simon a new name that symbolizes his ministry as the first pope: "Peter," which is derived from the Greek word petrus, meaning "rock".  As interesting as that is, the setting in which this is taking place only amplifies the situation.  You see, this conversation took place just outside the city of Caesarea Philippi, which was a glorious city that was constructed on the top of a huge hill, one side of which was a towering, bare rock cliff.  This gave the city an appearance both of invincibility and magnificence.  Precisely there, standing near that imposing cliff, Jesus explains that his Church will also be invincible, because it too will be founded on rock: the rock of Peter, the first Pope.  Jesus promised that his Church will be indestructible; and that the "gates of the netherworld" will not prevail against it.  And we see that his promise has come true.

          For the last 20 centuries, we see that the papacy has continued intact.  Even secular encyclopedias (who look at facts, not religious tradition) can trace an unbroken line of succession from Saint Peter, the first pope, up to Francis, our current pope.  At times, we must admit, there have been corrupt, greedy, and weak men occupying the “chair of Peter”, and many emperors, kings, and generals have tried to disrupt the papacy by having popes kidnapped, murdered, and exiled on numerous occasions.  Nonetheless, no pope in history has spoiled the purity of the Gospel or interrupted the flow of God's grace through the sacraments.  Thus we see, that the rock that Jesus established has stood the test of time; and not because of the popes' human qualities, but rather because of the "riches and wisdom and knowledge" of God's divine and truly wonder-filled providential care.  It was an odd plan, to be sure; but our hearts should be filled with wonder for God’s wisdom, because it has worked and will continue to work until the end of time.

          My brothers and sisters, when was the last time that we found ourselves echoing Saint Paul's hymn in our own hearts, being filled with wonder and awe at the thought of God's goodness, wisdom and power?  If it was recently, then that's a good sign.  Evidence of wonder and awe in our hearts is a key vital sign for the healthy Christian soul.

          If your soul is a bit short on wonder and awe, however, it may be a warning sign.  Of course, some people tend to be a bit pessimistic by temperament: it's part of their personality and so external signs of wonder and awe are just “not their thing”.  That's different, however, than the kind of worldly (and sometimes diabolically encouraged) cynicism and skepticism that actually extinguishes the Christian fire in our hearts.  You see, the cynic only laughs at irony and sarcasm and the skeptic only smiles at the failings of his neighbor; but for the healthy Christian, life itself is a source of joy and satisfaction.  In other words, even with all its suffering, life, for the healthy Christian, is a wonder-filled, awe-inspiring thing, because it shows forth the unfathomable "riches and wisdom and knowledge of God" and it reminds us that "from him and through him and for him are all things".  And so, if you don’t have this, perhaps it’s an indicator that you need to return to the basics of the Christian spiritual life: prayer and the sacraments, most especially the sacrament of reconciliation.

          Nevertheless, my brothers and sisters, today, whether our sense of wonder is rickety or robust, let's stir it up during the miracle of this Mass, so as to give God pleasure by enjoying his gifts and to make our Christian hearts healthy so that we might carry this joy into the world around us.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – August 27^th, 2017

Be like the shepherds for a better 2016

Homily: The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – Cycle C

          For those of you who know me a little, you’ll know that I’m not necessarily a fan of all of the Christmas hype that leads up to Christmas.  As Catholics, our pattern is always “fast” before “feast” and every year our society hijacks Christmas and makes it “feast” and then “feast”.  It’s exhausting work trying to resist all of that pre-Christmas, Christmas feasting and, to be honest, it took me until a couple of days ago before I could step back and really delight in the fact that it was Christmas.  What a good thing, then, that, for Catholics, Christmas Day extends eight whole days!  That’s right, I said that Christmas Day, itself, is celebrated for eight days.  While the rest of the world has been regretting their bloated stomachs after having feasted on Christmas for over a month, we are joyfully concluding our celebration of the Octave of Christmas.  Thus, while the rest of the world is putting away Christmas, we are here, singing “Glory to God in the highest” as if it was still Christmas morning.

          Now, the fact that there are significantly less people here today than there were on Christmas morning indicates to me that we have some work to do in educating our brothers and sisters about how Catholics celebrate the great feasts of Our Lord.  Perhaps, however, we can see in ourselves those poor shepherds to whom the birth of Christ was proclaimed in the middle of that first Christmas night: as if we have been entrusted with a message that others had not received; and, as we have gathered today, perhaps we can look to them for how to use this celebration as a way to launch us into 2016 towards becoming better disciples of Jesus.

          Saint Luke paints a beautiful picture of those poor, hardworking shepherds making their way to the stable cave in Bethlehem; but, it begs the question: Where did Saint Luke find out about this encounter?  Remember, he wasn't there.  There were no newspapers to cover the story and there weren’t any Apostles yet who could have witnessed it.  So, how did he find out?  Perhaps he heard it second-hand from Jesus through one of the Apostles.  Given the amount of detail included, however, it seems more likely that an eyewitness told him about it.  Given that Joseph was deceased before Jesus had manifested himself publicly and that we have no Scriptural record of any of the shepherds or magi reappearing later as Jesus’ disciples, it’s probably safe to bet that Mary was that eyewitness that shared these stories with Luke.  And we see that, when she told him, she chose her words carefully in order to make the full meaning of these events come out.  Thus, the three “verbs” that describe the actions taken by the shepherds are not mere coincidence; rather, they are the inspired message that reveals a pattern of how each of us can better live our discipleship of Jesus and proclaim the message of Christmas.

          First, Saint Luke tells us that the shepherds "went in haste" to find the child about whom the angel spoke.  Amazed as they were by what they had seen, they were even more eager to meet this newborn Savior, and, perhaps, somehow, to receive his blessing.  The history of humanity is the history of a people lost in darkness and searching for meaning, purpose, and light.  God's promise of blessing, redemption and everlasting life—in other words, the fulfillment of all that we are searching for—is what Christ came to give us and it is the message that we receive at Christmas; which is why we, like the shepherds, should be eager to go and look for the Christ—that is, to "make haste" to find him—each and every day through prayer, reading the Bible, and celebrating the sacraments.

          Second, Saint Luke tells us that the shepherds “made known the message” that had been told them.  The news the angel announced to them was too good for them to keep to themselves and so they felt a need to share it—that is, to tell others about the Savior—which, it can be said, is always a sign of an authentic encounter with God.  I mean, when we have or discover something wonderful, we don’t hold it back, do we?  No, we share it!  (…on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)  Thus, when we truly experience Christ, even just a little bit, something similar happens. Our hearts automatically overflow with a desire to share that experience.  And if we don't feel that desire, it probably means that our friendship with Christ could use a little maintenance.  What better reason, then, to "make haste" to Bethlehem to have a fresh encounter with our Savior so as to become eager once again to “make known the message” of our redemption.

          Third, Saint Luke tells us that, after the shepherds made haste to come and see Jesus, and after they told their amazing story to everyone who would listen, they "returned glorifying and praising God."  And so we see that, when we seek Christ and share this Good News, he fills our hearts with a deep, inner joy that overflows in words of glory and praise to God.  The shepherds were so full of this joy that they couldn't hold it in.  And so the same can be true for us: if we follow in the shepherds' footsteps this year—actively seeking Christ in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments, as well as bringing Christ's grace and presence to those around us—everything in our lives will be infused with the joy of Christmas and we, too, will go forth from here, glorifying and praising God for his incredible mercy.

          Nevertheless, we know that life for the shepherds didn't end on Christmas.  Rather, they had to return to the “humdrum” of their daily lives.  And after our holiday breaks, each of us will return to the “humdrum” of our daily lives, too.  And so, how can we keep the meaning and lessons of Christmas shining in our hearts even after we take down the Christmas lights?  For this we look to Mary, whose divine motherhood we remember in a special way today.

          Mary didn't let the hustle and bustle of daily life drown out the beauty and wonder of Christmas.  Rather, as Saint Luke records for us, "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."  In other words, she pondered deeply these great mysteries that she was experiencing so as to keep the joy that filled her at Christmas fresh and full in her heart.  This is a pattern for all of us: to keep the great mysteries that we have celebrated here at Christmas close in our hearts so that the joy of receiving the Christ child will remain fresh and full in our hearts throughout this new year.

          My brothers and sisters, today in Holy Communion we will receive the Body of Christ, which was formed in the womb of Mary.  When we do, let's ask our spiritual Mother, the Mother of God and of all Christians, to teach us how to take care of the precious faith we have received and renewed during these days, just as she took care of the baby Jesus.  Then we will be ready to go forth from here, glorifying and praising God, as we make haste to share this good news—that the Christ of God has come to us and that he has saved us.  Halleluiah!  Let me say it again: the Christ of God has come to us and he has saved us!

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – January 1^st, 2016