God created all of mankind in His image, and He loves every single one us including those who are poor, rich, weak, strong; homely, beautiful, Christian and non-Christian. Because we were created in His image, how can we not see the face of Christ in everyone we meet? How can we claim to love God if we do not love those whom He loves?
John 4:20-21
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Loving those who love us or who appreciate our work is easy. Loving everyone else can be difficult, since the face of Christ is also there in those who are hateful, violent, greedy, arrogant, and bitter. In Matthew 25:45-46, Christ said to the apostles: “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me. And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.’
The ability to show this kind of love requires a conversion of the heart and a strong faith. Saint Therese of Lisieux had such a conversion of the heart. Every day, she showered love on those she was not fond of and endured suffering without complaint. These daily sacrifices were her gifts to God and inspired many Catholics to lead holy lives by making their own sacrifices for Him.
You may not be thanked for sharing God’s love…you may even be rebuffed, scorned or cursed. You may never see the results of your love, or receive public accolades, but that’s not what is important. By helping others, by showing your love, you are doing His Will. You, in return, will receive much more than you could ever possibly give in the form of inner peace and joy.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you endeavor to see the face of Christ in everyone you meet? Will you treat people as you would Christ by showering them with love even though you may not be fond of some? Do you need a conversion of the heart and a strengthening of your faith?
It is with a heart full of sadness that I stand before you to talk about the unspeakable crimes of child abuse that occurred over the past 70 years and that were recently discovered in Pennsylvania. The heart of Jesus is breaking, because the stench of satan has entered His Church, and the damage done is untold. As a hospital chaplain, I have seen a lot of “yuck,” but these crimes are sickening on a whole new level and like nothing else.
Please pray for those who are victims. Also, pray for the bishops who are culpably ignorant, complacent, and moral weaklings. Excessive ambition led to their failure to protect the most innocent among their parishioners. There’s an old saying that applies here: You gain esteem by doing esteemable acts.
I recently met an older priest for breakfast. He served at West Point during the Vietnam War and buried many of his cadets. He felt compelled to join the military and later served in Vietnam. Why? It was the right thing to do and it is a fine example of an esteemable act.
In contrast, there are overly ambitious bishops scrambling right now to cover their asses. They have lost sight of their true calling.
Bishops:
• Have you been to hospice to comfort the dying?
• Have you had to tell a family that their loved one has died?
• Have you visited the sick and cared for their souls?
I think we know the answers to these questions; and that is why the most honored title in the Catholic Church is “Father.” You see Christ in us as we serve His Church.
In 1977, when I entered the seminary in Boston and studied for the diocese, it was at St. John’s and not at St. Mary’s which was known as the “Pink Parish.” St. Mary’s was also known for its granola or fruits and flakes even though every seminarian had to take and pass a psychiatric exam.
Some priests are innocent of the charges, and some cannot defend themselves because they have died. Those who are guilty of these horrific crimes should never see the light of day even though the Statute of Limitations has passed.
In reparation, let us pray for the victims. We also need to pray for the Bishops who failed to do the right thing. Finally, we should pray for those guilty of abusing the most innocent among us.
What we cannot do is to let this shake our faith. Remember, the only face of Christ your neighbor may ever see is in you.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Solemnity of the Church and the Ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Our Lord used the body and human nature that He took from the Blessed Virgin Mary to teach, console, heal, suffer and redeem us. He had two natures in one… a divine nature and a human nature. Two “Whats” and one “Who.” His body was united and assumed into His divine nature. He took the body He redeemed us with to heaven. That’s your theology lesson for the day. What does the body that He suffered and died with actually do in heaven? He uses it to intercede for us. How does He do that? He shows the Father His sacred wounds. So the body with all the marks of love on it…the five sacred wounds…the marks of divine love….was offered to the Father on our behalf…His way of pleading for us. We should take great comfort in that…not assumption, but comfort. Always pray for intercession. Remember, the sixth word from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That is our only excuse for sin.
He said “I shall come back and take you with Me.” Indeed, He teaches us exactly how to gain salvation. He shows us the way by leading and asking us to follow Him. “Take up your cross and follow Me.” We follow Him to the cross…carrying whatever crosses we have and those that await us. From that cross, we will die, rise, and be with Him. I will come back to take you with Me whether from this world or at the end of time. He will come back to take us with Him…those who love Him. That’s good news…we get to be with the One we should love above all things. We get to go to heaven, and He has shown us the way there. We know that Heaven is a place, because the body cannot exist without a place. But, what is Heaven? Theology 101: It is the presence of God. So, we will dwell with Him. Remember the transfiguration? We will have a human body once it is perfected after we die. Our body, when resurrected, on the last day will be like His.
A good leader goes out before everyone else and shows them the precise way. One thing I was praised for in my Officer Basic Course was my willingness to help other officer candidates. I was pretty fast back then and a lot younger too. After I finished my run, I would go back to help others finish the course. If you didn’t pass, you failed the course, and you didn’t receive a commission. So, you helped anyone who was struggling by picking them up and dragging them across the finish line if necessary. Our Lord does that. After all, we are not orphans. As Pope Leo the Great said, we see His physical presence in the teachings of the Church. He is still teaching us the way to salvation. We see Him in the most Blessed Sacrament. He is present in all seven of the Sacraments. He is present and active among us. We will get more in to that next week when we talk about Pentecost.
We hear His voice how? We hear His voice in the teachings of the Church that tell us about the divine truth….the revelation of His great love and mercy. He is still here; we can see Him, and we can feel Him. If we look, we can see Him right now. I bet Mass won’t be over long before an ambulance flies down the highway. Who is treating that person on the way to the hospital? My brother did it for a living. God used my brother’s human nature to provide healing and to keep that person alive long enough to get to the hospital and the doctors. That is God’s healing power. The nurses in Hospice when they were able to…not anymore…hold a man’s hand as he is dying because his wife isn’t there anymore and the memories come back. Now they have to wear PPE and latex gloves. Nothing like the feeling of latex on the hand.
The love of God’s presence is with you. He is in heaven, but He is also everywhere else. He said, “I am with you always until the end of time.” And that’s true. He is always there. The apostles had trouble seeing Him even after three years of observing miracles…and right up until the end those who had doubts bowed in homage. We, too, have trouble seeing Him, although some days are better than others. That’s why He said “blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.”
How will you apply this message to your life? Can you see Him? Hear Him? No? Perhaps you need to visit the Sacraments.
Do I have talent? No. I got the good looks, and my twin brother got all of the talent. He could do everything. We are sort of unequal in talent. Someone asked me, “Do you like mincemeat pie?” It’s from New England and one of my favorites. In the old days, it was made of meat; now it’s made with fruit. They said, “You can make it, Father. You take a jar of mincemeat and a pie crust.” I tried, and it did not turn out so well. Cooking is not one of my talents. Singing is not one of my talents. Language is not one of my talents. I can speak a number of languages all at the same time!
God has given people different talents, some more, some less. It seems unfair. I mean, how could all these good looks have no talent! Come on! However, it seems that God’s little talent fairy gives everybody different talents, and it doesn’t seem right. Maybe. But, not really. We all have one purpose, and that is to build up the Kingdom of God. There is one talent He gave to us equally…we all have equal shares in this talent. It’s language. Now, you may be thinking, “Father, we’ve been here for 15 years for the Spanish Mass…you do not have a talent for language.” Well, maybe not for the languages we can hear. This is a language that can reach all men. If I speak Spanish, I won’t reach much of the world. If I speak French, I won’t reach much of the world. If I speak Latin, I’ll reach even less of the world. I am not fluent in other languages, except one. And that’s the language of the mighty Will of God. With that language, you can reach everyone, because it reaches people without them hearing.
One day while I was making my rounds at Hospice in the Veterans Administration Hospital, paramedics brought in a new patient, and they put him in Room 3. The nurses were busy with other patients, so I went to that room and helped the paramedics get the patient in to bed. Afterward, I washed my hands, because I had touched him…and this was before Covid too. One of the paramedics, who had not greeted me during this time, walked over to me and said “Thank you, Father.” This is how you reach people with your faith. Remember what Saint Francis said, “Teach the gospel continually; use words if necessary.” This is the universal language we have been given.
Beginning at Baptism, we were given the virtue of faith which was infused in us. Faith, hope, and charity… three infused divine virtues…were given first at Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Communion, and the other Sacraments. We have that gift…we have that ability…to teach others about Christ. This is how we evangelize. Not my becoming whatever or learning every language under creation. That’s not going to happen. I’m too old for that. I’m old enough now to eat dessert first, because I can’t trust anything else. Teach people the language of love. I don’t know if you will appreciate this, but even during my work in Hospice, I can teach the language of love. Impressing medical people is really hard. I’m not there often and for only a few hours a week. However, I have been asked to sign every death notification before the official record is closed. That was a “thank you”, from the medical staff, because somehow they were impressed with my work. But, it wasn’t my work, it was God’s work…I was just the village idiot doing what God told me to do. This is how we can reach out and touch people.
The human nature our Good Lord took from the Blessed Mother is the one that He suffered and redeemed us with, cried over our sins with, healed us with, and consoled us with. Now, it is in heaven with the Blessed Mother. But, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, which He gives us in the Holy Sacraments, He takes our human natures and makes Himself present. So, when you console somebody, you are Christ consoling them. You are Christ helping them. You are Christ healing them. Help others without being asked. When your neighbor has problems, help them. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. People see the love of Christ in that. The acts of love and the sufferings of love are the universal language that can lead to Salvation. For example, if someone is sick, take over a casserole or nachos, and leave it on the porch. Contactless delivery. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Did anyone see you do it? No. But, you may get extra credit. Still, it’s the right thing to do. You are showing God’s love. Will they ever know it was you? Maybe…maybe not, unless you left your name on the plate so they could return it. This is how we evangelize. This is how we teach. God is using your human nature. It’s true. Jesus said it. When you help others, Christ is using your human nature. He said it in the Book of Acts. When Paul was persecuting the Church, Christ came down in a vision and said, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?” He didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting My church.” You cannot separate Christ from the Church. When you are separated from your body, you are usually dead. I didn’t go to medical school, but I’m pretty sure that’s what happens. When you do that, you are doing God’s work. What you “did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
You want to be great evangelizers? Wonderful. You have that gift in you. You don’t need to go to a special course, you don’t need to pay money for a program, or go to Charlotte…please stay out of Charlotte. You don’t need to pay any money. You don’t need to buy books. You don’t need to do a lot of things that “they” tell you to do. What you do need to do is grow in God’s love, and then you cannot help but to bring that love to other people.
How will you apply this message to your life? Use your talent to help people so that they can see the love of God.
It is said that tough times do not make character, but reveals it. And that’s true. We are all going through the pandemic. These are tough times. But, is not going to a high school or college graduation going to scar someone for life? Well, I think sometimes deprivation is a good thing. You should be thankful for deprivation. “Father….you are stranger than normal. What do you mean?” Well, I’m glad you asked. You aren’t getting the same graduation that I got or that my brother got. We got a draft card. We got a letter from the President offering us a federal job. Then we got an opportunity to travel and meet new, exciting people and kill them. So, just think about that. Myrtle Beach is a lot nicer than Fort Bragg, Paris Island, South East Asia, or any other hole the government could send you to. The other night I was talking to a veteran who reminded me of a gentlemen I knew. It was 76 years ago that he got an all-expense paid trip to Normandy in Great Britain. He said, “You know, Father, when I got off the landing craft, the water was still red, and I had to step over the bodies to get to my unit.” We forget. The average age of the soldiers who stormed Normandy was 19. There were bomber pilots who were 20 years old. Don’t get me wrong. I feel bad for those who will miss out on their graduation ceremony, but this isn’t the worst thing that will happen to them in life. It’s time to grow up. Yeah, times are tough, but we’ve been in a lot tougher situations. Put it in to perspective. This is not the worst thing that will happen to them. If it is, they’ve had a very blessed life. Yeah, mourn a little bit, but then come down from the cross…we need the wood.
Now, all of us have probably said at one time or another “They made me mad” or “If they hadn’t done that I wouldn’t be upset and I would not have done this.“ “You made me do that.” No. We think that’s a fair explanation for our poor conduct. Right? That’s true. However, Saint Dorotheus reminds us gently that person only brought out what was already inside us. That anger. That evil. The malevolence was already present. The other person only revealed it. And, if it hadn’t been that person it would have been someone or something else like soup boiling over on the stove – or whatever – it would have come out. As Jesus said, evil comes from inside us…not from outside. Evil is not a “what”. It’s a “who.” Evil is possession of the soul by something that was never meant to be there. Nobody can say, “They made me do it.” That’s not true. We are living through a terrible time of violence, but, where does it come from? It comes from the demonic. Violence is evil and is from satan. It isn’t from poverty, a lack of goods, or anything else. Otherwise we’d all be felons.
We have to change the heart. That’s what our Lord taught. Otherwise, we are doing nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Evil exists in an evil soul. Buying a new computer or stealing one…”Oh, we’re all better now. We are just fine.” No, they are not going to be fine. You would think that in prison where I go sometimes… but they let me out, I’m only a temporary visitor to the state’s gated community…that would be the perfect place for them. Why? They have everything they need. They have free medical care up to the point of transplants. They have television, a weight room, and three hots which aren’t so hot. But, all of their needs are met. Free clothes. Everything is free. Yet…it’s not so nice in there. There is a lot of violence…but, they have everything they want…all their needs are supplied. Again, we are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s a struggle of the heart…a struggle of the soul.
None of us grew up with a silver spoon in our mouths. I was telling some people last night that my mother dropped out of high school at age 16 to become a live-in maid. Her family was poor. My father helped his uncle deliver milk. He taught me a great lesson in humility. He said, “I did what the horse told me to do.” The horse knew what he was doing. Just follow the horse…the horse made the stops and knew when it was time to go home. Listen to what the horse has to say. But, it’s malevolent people…it’s violence. Remember what Jesus said to Saint Dorotheus… the first sign of evil is violence. That’s why I love watching police shows. A 160 pound guy thinks he is going to take on five heavily armed officers. Really? That’s not going to be a good outcome for you. Evil tries to ensnare you with the three temptations of Christ from the cross. The first is to try to scare you. For example, they are saying, “this is systemic racism.” In Philosophy 101, you learn on the first day that this phrase is a word salad. It has absolutely no meaning. For something to be evil, it can be objective evil but not culpable. For culpable evil, it has to be performed by a moral agent. What is a moral agent? It’s a person. How many types of persons are there? Three. Divine, angelic, and human. To be culpable evil, you must have knowledge and full consent of the will. So, systemic racism does not pass the philosophy test.
Our Lord said you will know them by their fruits. We are supposed to have a Justice and Peace committee in the Parish. There is one in the Diocese. Justice and peace. No justice, no peace. That’s not true either. What kind of justice is in Heaven? The Honor Code? The Muslin Code? Every Friday at noon, hands, heads, and whatever get chopped off. What kind of justice is that? Did our Lord preach that? That didn’t come about until around 40-50 years ago. Nowhere does Jesus Christ say to be just. He said to be holy, and all things will be given to you, and you will have a peace that nobody can take from you. He didn’t say get more stuff and you will have peace that no one can take from you. He said to be holy. I studied the writings of the Church Fathers for a couple years…I really did. I may not remember much, but I know this…they never mention justice…none of them. The writings of the scholastics like Saint Thomas Acquinas are used as a standard at seminary. Nowhere in the angelic doctrine or any other doctrine of the Church does it say justice equals peace. In none of the writings by the Doctors of the Church like Saints Therese de Lisieux and Teresa of Avila, do they ever say that justice equals peace. They didn’t say it. And, my final proof that this is all evil and satanic is based on the demographics of those in military service. Of the 22 veterans who kill themselves every day, at least four of those veterans are black. I haven’t seen anyone take a knee for them.
How will you apply this message to your life? Do you need a change of heart?
On Saturday afternoon, I was on my way to make a house call to an 88 year-old man who has cancer. So, I’m driving out in the country, and I see a hearse coming the other way. Hmmm…maybe I should have called first. He is fine.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Every priest and bishop in the world has heard, “Father, the Church has too many rules; why can’t it get rid of some of them?” You know, that’s a fair question, and it could be true; however, it comes to mind that Jesus gave us a few rules too and so did the apostles. We are just following what they taught. “But, why do we have to follow all these rules?” First of all, if you don’t, I’ll break your knee caps…that’s from the Italian School of Instruction. Boom! What are rules? Rules are the teachings of the Church. What is the purpose of these rules? They are designed to focus our attention on the core of our faith…that Christ is physically present in the Most Blessed Sacrament and that He offers Himself to us…the most precious body and blood at Holy Communion. The mystery of transubstantiation is the same one as in the Upper Room. We are fed by the hand of the bishop or priest the same Holy Communion, body, blood, soul, and divinity, as the apostles. There is no difference. The sacrifice that He offers us from the cross before the Father is given everyday by every priest throughout the world. This is the central mystery of our faith.
You see references to John 3:16 a lot around the county. If they read further in the gospel, they would know that our Lord said, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. …” (John 6:53). “Well, they meant something else.” But, that’s not what the original version says. It uses the word “masticate” which means we must chew and take it inside ourselves. That’s the meaning of the original Greek word. That’s what we do, and that is the mystery of our faith. When the apostles received Holy Communion, did they taste the flesh and blood? No, and neither do we. I don’t taste the drugs when I take my meds. Do you? All these rules are there to guide us and remind us of the central mystery of our faith. They help us focus on the truth.
The rules the Church teaches were not made up out of thin air. Rules about showing respect when you enter the church include genuflecting, no eating or drinking one hour before Mass, no gum chewing, this is not a cafeteria, no cell phone use, and being quiet in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. You’ve heard me say “Shhhh” a few times. What is the purpose of showing respect? It points to the central mystery of our faith. The most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity is here in the Real Presence of our dear Lord. Every rule we have focuses on that central mystery of our faith. The sacrifice of our Lord comes down to us, is given to us and is present for us in the most Blessed Sacrament. This is the central mystery of our faith. Everything in the Church points to that. “Well, Father, why can’t other people, non-Catholics and those not practicing the faith, receive Holy Communion…It’s the most loving thing to do.” Saint Paul says we aren’t supposed to do that. Now, if you think you are greater than Saint Paul, be my guest. However, I’m going with what Saint Paul said.
We follow and profess the Real Presence and have since the beginning. This is the true body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Unless you eat and drink from it, you may not have eternal life. We have believed this from the beginning. Christ Himself, the apostles, and the Doctors of the Church down through time have remained unchanged. This is our faith. You know, I took four vows: Poverty, Chastity, Obedience, and a vow to protect the Blessed Sacrament with my life. This is why I don’t let lay people give communion. “I’m a Eucharistic Minister…I want to take communion home to my wife.” Uh, no. I’m going to hurt your feelings real quick. No. Are you a priest? “No.” Then, too bad. We practice what we believe. All of our so called “rules” point to the one central mystery. Do you think I like going “Shhh” to people? Well, yeah, I do, but besides that….I’m trying to do better…but besides that…Everything we do here points to our Good Lord. The beauty of our church, the beauty of the vestments, and the beauty of the sacramentals all point to what we believe. This is the central mystery of our faith. So, all of those rules that you see being taught…I know, like you, I don’t like to be taught, because I think I know everything…they all point to the central mystery of our faith. The mystery of our faith is what? Well, I’ll give you credit, because the question is unfair. You get extra credit if you realized that. The mystery of our faith is a “Who.” It is Jesus Christ, and it is He who has given us the divine nature and appearance of the most precious body and blood for centuries. People say they want to receive Holy Communion like it’s an “it.” Holy Communion is not an it. Holy Communion is a “Who.”
How will you apply this message to your life? Do you follow the rules of the Church?
You may have heard the following advice: “to graduate, you have to cooperate” or “to get along, you have to go along.” And, that is true in a lot of situations. It is great guidance for life, because often we get into discussions that end up in arguments, especially on social media. By the way, addiction to social media is a disease. People get into huge fights over nothing. It’s what I like to call pole vaulting over mouse droppings. They get into arguments over the strangest stuff, and that’s sad. Patriots! Green Bay! Panthers! Who the heck cares…they’re all millionaires! Are they going to share their millions with me? No. Were they in Iraq with me? No. So, I don’t care! I really don’t care! “This is so-and-so.” Whoopee! When I call 911, is so-and-so going to come out and save my keester? No. Are they going to ride with me in the “meat wagon” and keep me alive so that the doctors at the hospital can save me? No. Well then, call me, and we’ll do lunch. People get into fights over the stupidest things, and they won’t back down. So, the fight escalates and escalates. There is no need for that. But, we keep going back, because we want to get along, and that’s good, because we need each other…we were made for each other.
People sometimes ask, “What do you think about our president?” I don’t discuss politics. “Well, what do you think about this?” I don’t discuss that either. They are looking for a fight, not for a discussion. You know, I just let it go. I’m an expert on one thing, and I’ll talk about that, but I won’t talk about anything else in which I’m not an expert. I’m an expert at being a former soldier; I’ve got that part nailed down really well. Once a month, Uncle Sam sends me a check, because he tried hard to kill me. He tried really hard, so he gave me a pension. I mean, he tried, really, really hard to kill me…but I made it out alive…ha-ha. It wasn’t personal…just business. Anyway, we want to get along, because we are afraid we won’t be included, and we all want to be included. We are afraid of being cut-off…of being isolated. That is so sad. Now, it is true there are some things in which we can compromise. We can compromise on a lot of things like sports, the best restaurants, or the kind of guacamole you like…whatever. We can compromise on a lot of things, but the one thing we cannot compromise on is the Faith, because there is no part of the Faith that is not Christ.
We have all heard, many times, people say, “I’m a Catholic but…” That sentence is so wrong. Grammatically, as the sisters taught us, it is correct. What is incorrect is the noun and the conjunction. Catholic means universal, and the word “but” is a qualifier. You cannot qualify a universal with a particular. Either it is or it isn’t. We learned that in Philosophy 101 on the first day of class. “I’m a Catholic, but I don’t go to Mass.” Well, I’m a Marine, but I didn’t go to Paris Island…does that qualify me too? “I’m a Catholic, but I don’t believe in this.” Then you are not Catholic. Catholicism is not a smorgasbord that you can pick and choose from. Now, you can debate whether the Mass should be in English or Latin…I prefer Latin. That’s a fair debate. However, the rest of it is not up for debate, since everything after that crosses the line. Because, if you are wanting to go along to get along, you are selling our Lord out for something. Judas sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. So, what is your price? How much did you sell Jesus out for? “I am a Catholic, but…”
People say, “I used to be Catholic.” Well, I still am…what’s your problem? I don’t say, “Oh, that’s nice…at least you go to church somewhere. Now let me see, which church? Oh yeah, they all commit abortion…aren’t you special!” I have to throw the Barbara Streisand flag on that one. Are you kidding me? It’s abortion! It’s murder of an innocent life! We hung Nazis for that. There are YouTube videos and movies about it. We hung them or we shot them, either or. There were trials of doctors in Nuremberg who took a long fall on a short rope. So, what are you going to get for selling out Christ? “Well, I’m going to try to save my relationship.” Dude, if you’re selling out our Lord over a relationship, that’s not a relationship. Alright? Forget it. Pack it in. Get over it, go cry in your beer, and start over somewhere else. When you qualify your faith, how much are you willing to sell our Lord out for? Just what are you afraid of? As they say in counselling, fear is false expectations approaching reality. Fear paralyzes us; however, most of what we fear will never happen. If we act out of fear, we will lose everything. We will lose our good Lord. The most common phrase in scripture is “do not be afraid.” Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” So, don’t be afraid. The only thing we need to fear is losing our salvation. Proclaim the truth. How would you feel if someone said, “I do not know you”? Do not be afraid. When we proclaim God’s truth, we are planting seeds wisely even though sometimes we would like to use a sledgehammer.
I’ll tell you one story before we get on with Mass. Many years ago, I belonged to an organization called the Downtown Albemarle Ministerial Association (DAMA). Pastors who were members would meet and discuss stuff. One day, there was a discussion about abortion. Uh-uh…I don’t play. This one Methodist minister, who is no longer here, got so angry that he almost came over the table yelling at me. I can guarantee you that it would not have been a healthy move for him. I was in much better shape back then. “It’s all about abortion for you Catholics!” I really wanted to go charismatic and lay hands on him. Instead, I looked at him and said, Reverend, (dripping with sarcasm of course), on which moral hill are you willing to die? No other church has a higher moral code than the Catholic Church. If you are willing to sacrifice a baby in the womb, there is no moral equivalent to that. Everything else is okay. Just say you love Jesus, and everything will be alright. But, if you look in scripture, especially in Matthew 25 and John 6, you will find that the final exam is much more than that.”
We do things that are contrary to Church law, because we are afraid that we won’t fit in. This results in politics, even in the Church. Many suck up to those in power. There are cliques in the Church Priesthood worse than those in a girls’ school, and these are grown men! They are grown men. But, it is fear. We will sell out Christ for a job or a relationship. “Oh, I can’t live without him!” Really? You are trading Christ for someone or something else. “They may unfriend me on Facebook.” Really? Boy, I’m so sorry. I almost teared up. You don’t need friends like that. If they are asking you to compromise yourself, you don’t need them. If they ask you to deny Christ, to deny your faith or any part of your faith which is the whole faith, you are better off without them.
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you going along to get along? If so, has it caused you to compromise your faith? What was the price for selling out Christ?
Our Lord says unless you take up your cross every day, you cannot follow Me. “Cross” means all those trials He has given us. Now, crosses can come from a lot of places. Some come from heredity…from our families. My family gave me, and many of its members, an incredibly heavy cross. Each day, I have to deal with it, and each day, I cry about it. It’s a curse. The good Lord gave my family incredible good looks and no money. It’s a heavy cross to carry and one that has greatly troubled me for the past 67 years. What a horrible curse! But, we all have crosses, and some of them are of our own making like overindulging and smoking. And, even though we stop those bad habits, remnants of them remain. We all have fallen short. We get crosses from our families through genetics. We also get crosses from our family’s dysfunction, and some are more dysfunctional than others. The word “dysfunction” means not perfect. By definition you are a fallen human being if you are not in the Garden of Eden. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, so we are all a bit dysfunctional. Some families seem to be over-achievers in this area for one reason or another. However, it may not be our parents’ fault, but their parents’ fault as they were growing up. We just don’t know. Unfortunately, that dysfunction gets passed down to their children. I was blessed with great parents, and the only crosses they gave me were my two idiot brothers. Some crosses are imposed on us by others. These are the crosses we carry. Our Lord allows the crosses we get from the living, but some of our crosses come from our own sin and excesses in life. Our crosses can be physical, internal, or external. External ones are those you can see. As you get older, you will probably get more external crosses. They affect us all. Our Lord allows us to carry these crosses, but He also gives us the means to bear them by offering us Himself.
We can effectively whine to our good lord. We are men not angels, and our crosses may really feel too heavy for us. Saint Teresa of Avila said, “If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few.” Saint Paul whined, cried, and complained. The Lord said, “My grace and my power will never leave you. The purpose of this cross is so that you can unite your suffering with Christ.” We make this our prayer; to unite our suffering with His. We bear in our body our own crosses and the crosses of others. In doing so, we are imitating Him. But, He also gives us the means to carry those crosses. Ask anyone who has been successful in a 12-step program. They say it’s an easy 12 steps. Complete the 12 steps, and you won’t need the drugs anymore. “No! Anything but that!” They aren’t ready to surrender. After they’ve been in the program for a while they say, “Why did I wait so long!” Life is much better, because they are not plagued with temptations.
God holds out His palms to us; He says come to Me; lay down all your sins; give them to Me. He also offers His most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity to give us the strength to carry our crosses and those of others. Some people are ambitious for holiness, and they take on the crosses of others because of their great love for God. However, that can become irritating after a while, because we feel put upon. Or, we may be a good parent and willing to take on the crosses of our children by giving them bail money. We take care of our relatives, but sometimes it may be a friend or somebody we don’t even know. Be very careful when taking on someone’s cross. One of my friends had the flu. Hey, I’m a soldier, I can handle this…I wear a 101st patch. So, my friend’s cross was transferred to me. The next day I was sick as a dog! So, be careful when asking to carry someone else’s cross, because you don’t know what you’re going to get. Our good Lord says that is our love being purified.
We cry and moan about our crosses; I cry about mine but, in reality, they are just right. In life, our crosses come and go, and we get other ones. Hopefully, the drama of the teenage years has passed for you. But, you will get new crosses tomorrow. Saint Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church, complained to the Lord about her cross; and she was quite adamant about it. “Please, anything but this cross! I know better than you, Lord.” Okay, fine. You want it? You got it. So, He took that cross away from her and gave her another one. Real bad move. She told the Lord; “Yeah, you were right.” You know better than God? Okay! We have to be humble with our crosses. These are the ones that will get us to heaven.
Yes, most people’s crosses are painful. Mine are also painful, and I’ve spent a lot of time crying about them. Everybody’s crosses are painful; so let’s just end that argument. “Father, you don’t know the trouble I’ve seen.” I’ve got my own troubles, okay? But, the question is, do we use the means available to us to carry them and to strengthen our souls? The Lord says of our crosses, “I will help you.” He never gives us a task or offers us an opportunity without giving us the means to accomplish it. We come to Him, weak, weary, and burdened. We all are, otherwise you wouldn’t be here – you don’t have to be here – on a Sunday during COVID. You don’t have to be at Mass, but you come for Christ’s love. You get the strength to carry your crosses through the Sacrament of Penance. We say a prayer, and we open our hearts to the good Lord. By the way…it’s okay to complain about your crosses. You know why? Because when you do, you are practicing the three theological virtues…faith, hope, and charity. Because you know that someone is listening and that you aren’t just talking to the wall…that’s an act of faith. Because you believe in God and that He will give you a good hearing…that’s hope. Because of His nature which is love, He will grant what you ask from Him….that’s charity. You believe He will help you, not because of your merits, but because of your love (prayer). I could never ask for anything based on my merit; that’s not a good negotiating tool for me. Instead, He does it out of charity. “I love you so much that I sent my only son so that you could have eternal life. I will help you, because I love you.”
How will you apply this message to your life? If your burdens heavy are heavy, ask for God’s help. He is waiting….
I hear a lot of complaints from people about all the things they cannot do during this pandemic. Well, I’m a law breaker, actually, because at Harris Teeter, I intentionally went up the wrong aisle. I fought for my country, so I’m going this way! I hear people complain about this and that…but, all of those are inconveniences at best. When we don’t get what we want when we want it, we think that’s an inconvenience. When I go to the VA Hospital, I visit patients in their rooms. So, I get all masked up and go in like Darth Vader. Everyone has to do that, because we cannot touch the patients. All of those old veterans are in solitary confinement…they cannot leave the unit; they are trapped in there. But, even in prison, inmates in solitary confinement get recreation time every so often. The patients at the VA don’t get that, because they are sick and feeble. This quarantine is so hard on them, and you can see their cognitive, spiritual, emotional, and physical capacities decline. So, these are the people who are truly suffering. I am not allowed to go in to Spring Arbor or Taylor House. Sometimes, I‘ll call and I’m told, “Oh, they’re gone.” Oh, okay. Feel sorry for these people. You have to go and get take-out food…oh, my heart bleeds for you…really! That’s a wealth problem. You have money to order take-out. Maybe, you need to expand your mind…consider it a picnic. Go to the lake or somewhere to have fun. You have to make your own fun. My goodness! Everything we have is convenient. But, that’s not true for everyone. It’s not true for those people who are trapped in nursing homes and hospitals. So, pray for them.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
In the old Rite of Baptism, parents would bring their children to church, and the priest would ask them, “What do you ask of the Church?” The parents would say “faith.” That is the correct answer, because you are asking for a gift from God. God gives us the gift of faith in the Sacraments. In the Sacrament of Baptism, He infuses the three theological virtues into our soul: faith, hope, and charity. It’s a free gift from God based on a request by the parents. God wants everyone to come to Him, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him in the next. He gives us this gift, and He offers to us freely the way in which to increase the virtues of faith, hope and charity…by reception of the Sacraments. The beauty of that gift is that it never goes away. God gives us many gifts, but time, nature, and our inattention can destroy them. If we have a talent for sports, it’s going to fade away if not practiced. God gives us muscles that, if not exercised, will atrophy. However, the gift of faith never will. Many people have tried to rid themselves of faith. They’ve left the church, and they’ve sinned greatly. We have all sinned greatly…let’s be honest. But the gift of faith is always there. It gets beaten up a bit, but it never goes away. It’s always there saying to us, “life is tough; it’s tougher when you’re stupid… had enough?” I run in to people who ask if I’m a Catholic priest, and I say yes. They’ll say, “I used to be Catholic.” Okay, I still am, so what happened to you? I always ask them that question, and they don’t like it. But, that’s their faith speaking to them…sort of an internal conference. ”Well, I used to be Catholic.” Sounds like you are really happy about that. Their infused faith is always prompting them to come back to the Church. One day, I was doing my visitation at the hospital. I walked up to a patient and introduced myself as the Catholic chaplain for the Medical Center. This patient said, “Whoa…whoa…whoa! I used to be Catholic. I’m not Catholic anymore.” Okay. Most people just say “Hello, Chaplain or Father.” But if you want to be a real jerk, go ahead. I almost told that veteran my first name, by the way, is “Major.” Lose the attitude, dude. What’s wrong with you! You’d think they would be grateful for a visitor stopping in and breaking up the day. But, what happened is that I touched his gift of faith. That’s Christ in me, because I’m a priest. You neglected it, you turned away, and you beat it up, but is your faith dead? No. Your faith is still alive. During the early 1900’s, Saint Therese de Lisieux had been praying right up to the end for a convict who had received the death penalty in France. Just before the guillotine fell, he screamed “The cross..the cross!”
We have all been given the nature of faith. All of us, by our sins, have neglected and beaten it up a bit. But, that’s why we are at church. You demonstrate your faith by coming here. We increase our faith by receiving the Sacraments. Living the faith doesn’t increase it; instead, it is purified. Our faith is tested by all of our temptations, sufferings, and inconveniences like COVID. Although our faith is constantly being tested, we can increase it by reception of the Sacraments. Faith is not a virtue we get by doing it…that’s a habitual virtue. A habitual virtue is gotten through practice. For example, if we pray, “Lord, please increase my patience.” Pray that, and I guarantee when you walk out that door, you will get behind every blue haired driver in Stanly County on a 2-lane road, driving 15 mph under the speed limit, and have no way to pass. I did once and …well, that doesn’t matter! So, you get better at a habitual virtue by doing it. How do you get better at baking? By doing it. Baking is not an infused virtue. You get better at baking by doing it. Faith is an infused virtue that grows through our increased reception of the Sacraments. You have faith, because you are here. You are purifying it by wondering if Father is ever going to stop preaching!! That’s faith, hope, and charity. You increase your faith through the Sacraments. As a priest told me at my first Mass, “Spend less time on your toes and more time on your knees.” Lord, increase our faith.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you increase your faith by receiving the Sacraments as often as possible?
Last week, I was talking to you about faith. Faith is a gift asked for by our parents, given to us by the Almighty God at our Baptism, and increased by reception of the Sacraments. He gives us the gift of faith as well as the various talents we all have. Now, in this parish we are blessed with abundantly talented people…far more than other parishes in the diocese. To do what? To make us feel good? No. If they make you feel good, that’s a side effect. Your gifts are meant to be used to witness to the world and to bring people to the light of truth and the light of love…to make His presence and His love known. The talents and abilities God has given you, no matter how insignificant or small, no matter the field, whether it’s like Frankie with music, law enforcement, or Felix with drugs (he’s a pharmacist…he really is) are to be used to manifest His love. You may be thinking, “Well, Father, you have an important job.” But, this is what God assigned me to do. Whatever your field, bring that message to people by using your talents. Why? The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy come to mind. God gives us faith, because He wants us to come to His salvation. But, He also wants us to cooperate with Him and work for salvation of the world. If we have faith, it must be brought forth in works to testify about His glory and the love that God has for us. If you look in the Epistle of St. James, he says “show me your faith without works, and I will show my faith to you from works.” You may be thinking, “But Father, you’re a priest, it’s easy for you to do that.” No…sometimes, I don’t feel like doing it…I’ll tell you the truth. But, whatever talents you have… whatever vocation God has assigned to you…whatever your stage of life…whether you are a brain surgeon or street sweeper; husband or wife; mother or father, elderly or young, bring your love and let it manifest. Even the suffering and inconveniences we have can be offered up for the salvation of souls. Because of her gift of faith, Saint Theresa de Lisieux was able to do the smallest actions with great love.
There will be an accounting of how we used our gifts. Look at Matthew 25:35-36 for the final exam. What does it say? “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Well, good news – you’re not in prison or they just haven’t caught you yet. Being in prison means you didn’t have a good lawyer or you did something incredibly stupid. But, you have the gift of freedom. So, go visit someone…not now while we’re in this hotbed of COVID…but after. If you are healthy, that is a gift from God, so there should be some gratitude on your part. How is gratitude best demonstrated? By visiting the sick. If you have extra clothing, that means you have a job and an income, so give to someone who doesn’t. This is how you will be judged…by sharing the love that He has given you. God gave us the gift of faith for a reason. He wants us to bestow that gift of faith, to manifest it, by using whatever vocation or talents we have. Use them prudently, spend a lot of time in prayer, and receive the Sacraments frequently. This is how we will be judged…by the gifts we received and how we used those gifts. This is how we show our Faith.
I broke the law the other day. As I was walking through the Geriatric Unit at the VA Hospital, I recognized a patient who had been a Navy nurse in Vietnam. She’s in solitary confinement. That’s real suffering, especially during this time when solitary confinement means total lockdown. I said, “How are you, sweetheart!” She had this beautiful smile, so I looked both ways and gave her a kiss on top of her head through my mask (a COVID kiss). She just smiled, and when I told her that this never happened, she laughed. This is how we show our faith and share His love. It’s also how we will be judged. God will say, “I gave you this great gift. I gave you the gift of Myself. I gave you the gift of My love. I asked you to share My Love with other people so that their souls might be saved. So, what have you done with this great gift I gave you?”
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use your faith and talents to help others in need? Will you show them His love?
