December 28, 2009. Homily, January 2, 2010.

John 1: 19-28.

This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?" he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am the not the Christ." So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" He answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for your self?" He said:

"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

'Make straight the way of the Lord,'

as Isaiah the prophet said." Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water, but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Gospel of the Lord.

What did John the Baptist preach?

"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," — that is, the time was drawing near when the long awaited Saviour would appear. John required that the repentance be sincere and be accompanied by good works.

December 28, 2009. Homily, December 29, 2009.

Luke 2:22-35.

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every male that opens the word shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying.

"Lord, now let your servant go in peace,

your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation/

which you prepared in the sight of every people,

a light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people Israel."

The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

"Behold this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel,

and to be a sign that will be contradicted

(and you yourself a sword will pierce)

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The Gospel of the Lord.

1 Cor. 13: 1 [Paul's song of love:] If I speak in human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. * * * * [ 9] For we know partially and prophesy partially, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. [12] At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then [when the perfect comes] face to face. I know partially but then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. [13] So faith, hope, love remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

and you yourself a sword will pierce. I know partially. The Blessed Mother will know anguish (the Passion and Death) but then I shall know fully as I am fully known (in the end great joy (the Resurrection).).

December 24, 2009. Homily, December 27, 2009.

Feast of the Holy Family.

Luke 2:41-52.

Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

The Gospel of the Lord.

The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and to receive love.

The family is the intermediate institution between individuals and society.

The family is a great and lifelong treasure for couples.

The family is a school.

The Holy Family is a model for the family.

- Pope Benedict XVI.

A gospel of Luke. Dear and Glorious Physician, the title of the book on the life of Luke by Taylor Caldwell. At the cross, Jesus committed the care of his mother to the apostle John, the apostle that Jesus loved, and said to Mary, "Woman, behold your son" and to John, "Behold your mother." And John immediately took Mary into his home.

At the end of their days, John and Mary lived in Ephesus, then a commercial metropolis on a harbor of the Mediterranean, over time the entrance to the harbor silted up, and Ephesus was abandoned. Now, ancient Ephesus is a valley leading down to the Sea, some two miles away, and the sides of the valley have been dug away revealing houses along both sides of the valley. The floor of the valley is a stream with a bed made of marble, and street lights with the reflecting surfaces made of sheets of marble. There is a Library and an ancient toilet facility. The recovery effort is perhaps half completed. The tradition is that Luke would visit Mary where she was living with John and that Mary told Luke stories of the childhood of Jesus. This gospel is one of those stories. Also, Luke drew a portrait of Mary, which we call the Signpost; the original was destroyed but a copy remains which is the picture we know and distribute here in our parish as prayer cards with the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

When we read this gospel, it says that Jesus was 12 years old. Every year a faithful Jew must travel to the Temple to worship. Jesus and his family were on that pilgrimage and his parents lost him, and went back looking for him. "They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers." So Jesus was 12 in the midst of the the teachers "listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers." We can compute his IQ from these facts. IQ or Intelligence Quotient is your score on a test at a given age as compared with the average score of a person who is 16. If you score the same as a person of 16, you IQ is 100, if your score 50% higher your IQ is 150. 150 is the score of very intelligent persons; 200 is the theoretical top score. If we assume that the IQ of the teachers in the temple were 150, then their mental ages were 16 plus 50% of 16 or 24. Then if the if the understanding and answers of the child Jesus at 12 "astounded" the teachers, he at 12 was at a higher level than them; if their IQ's were 150, or a mental age of 24, then the mental age of the 12 year old Jesus was higher than 24, so that his IQ was higher than 200.

When his parents saw him, they were astonished and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" We have two uses of the term, "Father" one by Mary, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." That "father' being Joseph. and the second by Jesus, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Or in other words, Why did you find it so hard to locate me, did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? That "Father" being God, the temple where they found Jesus being the house of God.

And they (Jesus and Mary) did not understand "and his mother kept all these things in her heart."

He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. And Jesus lived with his parents until He was 30 years of age and began his public life.

December 22, 2009. Homily, December 26, 2009.

26 December [St Stephen] Mt 10:17-22

Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. It was no perfect world that Jesus was born into, but a harsh brutal place where violence is loved more than peace. “I love war...” said General Patton, “peace is going to be hell on me.” And we make war in order to be able to make more war. Simone Weil wrote, “What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it to make war. Gasoline is much more likely than wheat to be a cause of international conflict.” Into this terrible world Jesus was born. He was the Prince of Peace in the kingdom of violence, and refused to live according to its logic, so he had to die. After him, Stephen was the first Christian martyr, the first of many. We could easily become sentimental about the birth of a child; but this feast of the first Christian martyr is a reminder of reality. The Word made flesh will submit himself to the worst that our world can do. In the very act of doing that he will be giving witness to the truth. All true disciples of his will be ‘martyrs’ in the original meaning of that word: marturein in Greek means ‘to bear witness’; a martyr is a witness to Christ.

December 21, 2009. Homily, December 22, 2009

22 December Lk 1:46-56

Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home. The magnificat and nunc dimmitis and the 23rd psalm are to be memorized for the comfort they give. Mary’s Magnificat has been called the most revolutionary document in the world. Notice, however, that she did not say, “Let’s bring down the powerful…” but “God has brought down the powerful….” She is already celebrating the topsy-turvy logic of the Gospel. She is an image of the new community, the Church. That is a community where the logic of the Gospel is intended to hold sway: the first is the last, the weak is the strong, the greatest is the least, the poorest is the richest, the lowest is the highest.... But when we look at the Church – at ourselves – sadly, we see that we live mostly by straightforward logic: power and privilege, palaces, badges and titles of honour.... And if I wear such a badge or carry the title of Christian, it doesn't guarantee that it stands for anything in the reality of my life. Mary, the greatest revolutionary figure, still has many revolutions to accomplish.

December 13, 2009. Homily, December 15, 2009.

Matthew 21:28-32.

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' The son said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him, but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."

This is a gospel of Matthew and Matthew was a tax collector.

Mary Magdalene, the herald to the Resurrection, was a prostitute.

This is the shortest parable in the Gospels.

It was directed at the chief priests and the elders who were likened to the second son.

December 10, 2009. Homily, December 12, 2009

[The same Gospel as December 8, 2009 and:]

Luke 1:39-47

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my soul rejoices in God, my savior."

["My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God, my savior."]

The Gospel of the Lord.

"The Lord is with thee" meaning the God of her fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Joseph, of David is with her. She must respond to Gabriel, the able-bodied one, the hero of God, the angel who stands before God. She is alone in her response, And her only support is the narrow will of God, and her readiness to believe, and her readiness to obey.

December 12 is the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Mary appeared to Juan Diego, Cuauhtlatoattzin [quat-la-toe-at-zin], "Speaking Eagle", on Tepacac Hill near Mexico City, this day in 1531.

Her appearance inscribed on Juan Diego's tilma, made of yucca plant leaves and still fresh and bright today, almost 500 years later, is my "My Lord and My God" moment. From John 20:24-29, where Jesus, after the Resurrection, appeared a second time to the apostles and a first time to St. Thomas. "Thomas, put your fingers into the marks of the nails and your hand into my side and do not be disbelieving, but be believing." And Thomas replied, "My Lord and My God".

December 4, 2009, Homily, Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Luke, 1:26-28:

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Gabriel: God's able-bodied one, or hero of God.

David was the ancestor of Joseph. David was also the ancestor of Mary.

Mary said "Yes" overturning the sin of Eve, who on the Devil's urging disobeyed God the Father and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - original sin.

There have been many aberrations of Marian piety, and we need to stay close to the authentic tradition. St Ambrose gave it luminous expression in his comment on this passage. "Every soul who has believed both conceives and generates the Word of God and recognises his works. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."

Compare Mary's visit from the angel Gabriel with Zechariah's visit from the same angel Gabriel [My name is Gabriel. I stand before God.] Mary a humble your virgin in her home. Zechariah a priest of the Jewish faith in the Temple charges with responsibility for the holy of holies, the sanctuary, the Tabernacle. While Mary believes while Zechariah doubts, and is stuck dumb for his impertinence.

November 29, 2009. Homily. December 1, 2009.

Luke 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have kept these things hidden from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Jesus is exultant on the successful return of the seventy who had been sent out two by two as missionaries. They were sent out as emissaries of the Lord, to witness to the Lord, to cure the sick, to be worthy of their role, and to preach what John the Baptist had preached - repent and repentance. Later, after the Passion, death and resurrection of the Lord, they will preach His way and anchor their preaching with the fact, that He had died for our sins and then rose again and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father as mediator for us.

I am reminded of my own ordination as deacon when Cardinal Egan sent me and the other ordinandi, my class-mates, out with the words, "Read the Gospel, believe what you read, preach what you believe, and practice what you preach."

And the instruction of St. Francis Assisi on how to preach. Preach the Gospel. Use words only if necessary.

November 25, 2009. Homily, Saturday. November 28, 2009.

Luke 21:34-36.

Jesus said to His disciples: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Only two things are certain: death and taxes.

And we also know, or think we know, that no one gets off this earth alive.

What is our response to agnostics (do not know if there is a God or is not); atheists (deny that God exists)? Well, for atheists, there is no hope.

How does one comment on this Gospel? Jesus was talking at end of days, before His Passion, death and resurrection. Before that time, before the resurrection, there is no hope. Where do we look for hope? Let us look back at the readings of Thanksgiving. Paul to the Corinthians. Paul 's version of Jesus is all after the Resurrection, so that Paul's writings are all of hope: Paul says in Romans, If there is no Resurrection, then our all our preaching is in vain. We preach the Resurrection so that we can say, "O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?"

Paul, 1 Cor. 1:3-9.

Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you await for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The word of the Lord.

November 21, 2009. Homily, November 25, 2009.

Luke 21:12-19.

Jesus said to the crowd, "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself will give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria. 18 year old Egyptian virgin and brilliant scholar, who in the course of her studies, discovered Christianity, was converted by a vision of the Madonna, in 305. The Emperor Maximinius was persecuting Christians. Catherine went to him to plead on their behalf and the Emperor sent his chief pagan priests to argue with her and to bring her to her senses but instead Catherine converted the priests. The converted priests were martyred. The Empress went to see the girl. The Empress listened and was converted, and then the chief of her guard. Each was martyred. Maximinius in a rage sought to have St. Catherine scourged on what became known as St. Catherine's wheel. But at her touch the wheel was destroyed. The Emperor Maximinius had St. Catherine beheaded. The legend is that angels then carried her body to the top of Mt. Sinai.

November 21, 2009. Homily, November 24, 2009.

Luke 21:5-11.

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here -- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

The Gospel of the Lord.

This is the last week of the Liturgical Year. In this last week we contemplate the end of things. This Gospel has Jesus teaching on the destruction of the Temple. There was but one Temple for the Jews. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. It has never been rebuilt. To destroy the Temple was to destroy the identity of the Jewish people.

Father Dowling teaches, "To the ancient Jewish mind, time was divided into two ages, the present age and the age to come. They regarded the present age as so evil and corrupt due to human sinfulness and intransigence that it was beyond the pale of human rectification or divine redemption. God's only option, they concluded, was to destroy the present age and to start all over from scratch. The age to come they pictured as an idyllic time in which God's rule would reign supreme and Jewish nationalism would finally triumph. The transition between the two ages, however, would involve a frightful period called the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord would entail unimaginable personal suffering throughout the world and widespread destruction of nature and property on an epic scale. It would mark the death throes of the present age and the labor pangs of the age to come."

The reading is from the the Book of the Prophet Daniel where Daniel interprets the dream of Nebuchadnezzar who dreamt the collapse of a mighty statute made of precious metals, with the head of gold, the chests and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, the legs of iron, the feet of iron and tile. The statute was struck by a mighty stone, the statute crumbled, and the stone expanded to become a mountain and then to fill the earth. The interpretation was that the gold, silver, bronze parts of the statute represented kingdoms to follow Nebuchadezzar until God would set up a kingdom that would last forever.

We are reminded of the words of Percy Bysshe Shelley:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away".

November 15, 2009. Homily, November 17, 2009.

Luke: 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short of stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I hall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today, salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Zacchaeus was the principal tax collector for Jericho. Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. In the time of Zacchaeus it was situated on the main trade route between the East and Egypt, at a ford in the Jordan River used for crossing over from Egypt into Israel on the way to Jerusalem. Jericho was also a resort city where the rich spent the winters, and it had an abundant supply of water. As the chief tax collector for Jericho, Zacchaeus took a part of every business transaction that touched Jericho; he was sitting on a gold mine. Today, Jericho is one of the territories governed by the Palestinians, and is a dry dusty waste of a city with but one comparatively wealthy resident, a Jewish lady doctor who tends the people.

A "descendant of Abraham" is one who puts one's faith completely in God.

What is the opposite of "love"? Is it "hate"? No, it is "selfishness". Those who love others are generous to those others.

The word "house" is an oft-used by Luke, important to Luke, and thus also important to Jesus.

Zacchaeus was lost and was found by Jesus.

November 11, 2009. Homily, November 14, 2009.

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his Disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "there was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just verdict for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just verdict for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The Gospel of the Lord.

We start with the question is, who is asking whom for justice. Is it us asking God for justice? Whatever we ask of God, it is the same, that we know God and have the strength to follow His way.

Or is it God asking us to recognize Him and follow Him. Is it us bothering God or is it God bothering us? Is it us calling out to God Day and night? Or is it God calling out to us day and night. For God knows what we need from Him, what we ask of Him as we need it and before we ask it. If we are asking of God day and night, is it now that we are unable to see what God has given us and what God asks us to do with his gifts to us?

November 8, 2009. Homily, November 10, 2009.

Saint Leo the Great, Pope, 440-461. He pushed back or at least softened the onrush of the barbarians.

Luke 17:7-10.

Jesus said to the Apostles: "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field. 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he rather say to him, 'Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. Yu may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

The Gospel of the Lord.

We are reminded of the story in the synagogue. The rabbi comes into synagogue, kneels down, places his head on the floor, and says, "O God, forgive me for I am an unprofitable servant." Then the cantor, sees this, kneels down, places his head on the floor, and says, "O God, forgive me for I am an unprofitable servant." Then the elected head of the congregation sees the other two, kneels down, places his head on the floor, and says, "O God, forgive me, for I am an unprofitable servant." And the janitor standing in the back, seeing the three, kneels down, places his head on the floor, and says, "O God, forgive me, for I am an unprofitable servant." And the rabbi looks up and addresses his friends, "Look who is calling himself an unprofitable servant."

This parable makes clear: even if we live our lives perfectly from a human perspective, still we have no claim on God for the reward of heaven. Salvation comes from God not from humankind. It is God who saves us not we who save ourselves. Salvation is a gift freely bestowed on mankind because of God's great love for us.

My son got a job for Morgan Stanley Assets Management. Every night he would come home late, 8 PM, 9 PM, 11 PM, and every night I would be happy for I knew that the later they would have him work, the more they appreciated his work at the firm and that he would be rewarded. It was when, or if, he came home at 4 PM or 5 PM that I would worry.

October 30, 2009, Homily, November 3, 2009.

Luke 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, 'Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchase a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them :I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.' The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.' The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my house may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

The Gospel of the Lord.

If you really want to do something, you always find time and opportunity to do it. If you don't want to do it, one excuse is as good as another. To excuse yourself is to accuse yourself, say the French: qui s’excuse s’accuse. Some of us spend a great part of the day making excuses. We even make excuses to ourselves, incredibly expecting ourselves to believe them. It would be interesting to study them as a kind of literary genre. They are a catalogue of dishonesty. An honest failure is a fine thing, but dishonesty has nothing to be said for it. So in Jesus’ story, the master sent out for some honest failures: “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” When there was still room, he sent out for more – from the highways and the byways.

October 26, 2009. Homily October 27, 2009.

Luke 13:18-21

Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches."

Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."

The Gospel of the Lord.

At the time of Jesus, people expected that the messianic kingdom would be established with great fanfare and triumph. There would be a lot to see and hear.

The ego always looks for a big deal: this is its trademark. When you hear intense people talking big, with phrases like “I strongly believe,” or “I'm deeply convinced,” you can be pretty sure that they mean just the opposite. The strength of the conviction shows the strength of the doubt.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".

Percy Byshe Shelly

October 20, 2009. Homily October 24, 2009.

Luke 13: 1-9.

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they ere greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you that if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"

And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in this orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, "For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?" He said to him in reply, "Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it my bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down."

The Gospel of the Lord.

This is about untimely death. My class-mate Don Pillsbury on our 50th anniversary class masthead even though he is deceased six months. We know his death was untimely because he was in my college class.

The genesis of these stories in the first part of this Gospel seems to be that Pilate wanted to build an aqueduct to bolster Jerusalem's inadequate water supply and to finance the project from monies taken from the Temple treasury. The Jews gathered to demonstrate and to protest; Pilate's soldiers mingled with the protestors. When the protestors grew unruly, the soldiers sought to put down the unruliness; violence ensued, and some of the protestors were killed and more injured.

Pilate pressed ahead with his aqueduct; one of the towers collapsed and eighteen workers were killed.

To become a deacon one goes through formation. As part of formation, each of the persons studying to be a deacon is to write an autobiography explaining the genesis of his desire to become a deacon. My submission started with the words of the parable from this Gospel:

There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in this orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, "For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?" He said to him in reply, "Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it my bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down."

I then continued. I am that fig tree. And continued, that I had been exposed to the Church from my grandmother, my mother, my uncle the priest and my aunt, the nun. Each had pressed me to follow in the way but I had refused. I kept refusing until finally I decided that the Church needed me, I would accept, and then let the administration of the Church reject me. But God interfered to protect me and to encourage me through the 58 years before I applied, my acceptance, the four years of formation, the class work, the administration of the Diaconate, and on to my ordination. I am that fig tree, the ground around me cultivated, fertilized, until I bore fruit to follow in the way of the Lord. I am that fig tree.

October 18, 2009. Homily October 20, 2009.

Luke 12: 35-38

Jesus said to His disciples" "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Optional memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists.

In the day time, the "second watch" is 9 AM to Noon; and the "third watch" is Noon to 3 PM. In the night-time, the "second watch" is 9 PM to Mid-Night and the "third watch" is Mid-Night to 3 AM.

Jesus often cautioned his disciples, and thus us, to be ready. For, we know neither the day nor the hour.

The people of ancient Palestine wore loose flowing gowns because of the heat and would adjust the gowns by pulling material up over their belts: ankle length for walking, knee length for work in the fields, thigh length for dragging in the nets.

We are all stewards and servants of the Lord.

October 15, 2009. Homily, October 17, 2009

Luke 12:8-12:

Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say, For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a bishop of the Church, martyred in 107, in his 80's, paraded before his churches on the way to Rome to be executed, and as such a martyr (witness), to Jesus Christ. He was executed in the Roman Coliseum; his form of execution was to be torn apart by wild animals. In his words, "I am God's wheat and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” On his travel to Rome, he wrote seven letters that are part of the Scripture of the Church. Ignatius of Antioch is one of the ancient fathers of the Church.

Our entrance antiphon this morning: "With Christ I am nailed to the cross. I live now not with my own life, but Christ lives within me. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for me."

October 11, 2009. Homily, October 13, 2009

Luke 11:37-41

After Jesus has spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh, you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Those who sincerely serve God must be pure and clean - not only outside but within as well.

Cardinal Carl Wotyla was entering the Sistine Chapel for the consistory that would choose the successor to John Paul I, Cardinal Wotyla was carrying Mao's little red book, the book of sayings. A fellow Cardinal observed this and upbraided the Cardinal for reading a communist work. Cardinal Wotyla responded, "My conscience is clear."

Santo Subito. That was the consistory which made him Pope John Paul II.

Mt. 5:17-18:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophet. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments ill be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The dietary laws of the Old Testament make sense today: wash your hands before eating (dirty hands carry disease), do not eat pork (the meat of animals with cloven hoofs, includes venison; trichinosis), do not eat shellfish (spoil readily).

October 6, 2009. Homily, October 10, 2009.

10 October Lk 11:27-28

While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’ The human being is both flesh and spirit. When the woman in today's Gospel called out to Jesus "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you", she was emphasizing the physical aspect of the human being. The word "Hebrew" as in "the Hebrew people" is derived from the Hebrew word "hebiru" meaning "wind" or "spirit". Jesus in responding to His Hebrew audience "Blessed rather are the those who hear the word of God and obey it", emphasizes the spiritual aspect of the human being. Jesus came to heal the sinful, nourish the spirit, and show the way to eternal life. His Passion was His crucifixion, death and resurrection. He stayed on earth after His Resurrection for forty days and then ascended into Heaven. His Ascension made room for the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit who came and abides with us to help us understand that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus shows us the way to eternal life.

Homily, October 6, 2009

Luke 10: 38-42 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." The Gospel of the Lord. These past four days my wife Deann and I have been babysitting our four grandchildren in New Jersey. The youngest is our grandson Tucker fie years old. Tucker asked Deann, "Grandma Dee, why am I a boy?" Deann just looked at him speechless, and Tucker added, "I know that you are going to tell me that 'I am a boy, because God decided to make me a boy.' But why does God make all the big decisions?" This Gospel answers that question. Martha asks, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?" And Jesus by His answer show that He does care. First, He addresses her by her name "Martha" and again "Martha". To address a person by their name show that one cares. And then Jesus shows that He has observed Martha: "you are anxious and worried about many things". And to observe a person shows that one cares. Then Jesus says, "There is need of only one thing." What is that "one thing". the lead-in to the Gospel says "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." That suggests the answer. Then Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her. "[t]the "better part of what"? "[T]he better part of what [whole}." The whole is to hear the word of God and to observe it. When we hear the Word of God we inhale, and when we observe the Word we exhale. We inhale the Word and exhale the works. Benedict's "Laborare es orare". Work is prayer.

September 28, 2009. Homily, September 29, 2009

John 1-47-51:

Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathaniel said to him, "How do you know me?" Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathaniel answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater thing than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

The Gospel of the Lord.

This is the Memorial feast day of the Archangels Michael ("Who is like God"), Gabriel ("God's strength") and Raphael ("God's remedy"). Michael is the patron of security forces and of the sick. Gabriel is the patron of telecommunications and the postal service. Raphael is the patron of travelers and the blind.

"Nathaniel" means "God's gift", "God is giving."

The word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger’ (Greek, aggelos). In the Old Testament the Hebrew word mal’ak was applied to both human and divine messengers. The more remote God seemed, the greater became the need for intermediaries. Certain mighty figures, later known as archangels, appear in the Book of Daniel, and the process of naming angels began. A confusing variety of functions and names is found, probably because angels were important in popular devotion. All these names have meanings, of course. Michael means ‘one who is like God’, Gabriel means ‘God is strong’, Raphael means ‘God heals’, Daniel means ‘God judges’, Elizabeth means ‘God is fullness’, and so on. The archangel Michael was thought to have a special responsibility as the guardian angel of Israel (Dan 12:1). Early Christianity inherited Jewish beliefs about angels, but the interest is much diminished. The angel of the Annunciation has a permanent place in Christian spirituality, but the New Testament tends if anything to put angels in their place. So in Hebrews 1, angels are inferior to the Son; in 1 Cor 13:1 the eloquence of angels takes second place to love; and in 1 Pet 1:12 the angels are seen as envying the Christian.

September 21, 2009. Homily September 22, 2009

22 September
Lk 8:19-21

Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ But he said to them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’

Mark has this incident in his gospel but inserts the question of Jesus: "Who is my mother, who are my brothers?" and the answer where He gestures to the listening disciples and says, "whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." While Luke inserts the conclusion of Jesus gently after the parable of the sower and its explanation to top off his discourse on hearing the Word. A point of this exchange is to underscore in a society of tribes and clans that the community of Christ is more to be pursued than the accident of birth. Mark the harsh young man plunges to the point with the abrupt confidence of youth while Luke the good and gentle physician deftly inserts that point with the loving experience of a doctor. Here in Calvary we join together as a family with Luke, "Our mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Monday, July 20, 2009

July 20, 2008. Homily, July 21, 2009.

Matthew 12:46-50.

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you." But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Take that.

A parable of Jesus is a container made of words. We pour into it what we know from our life experiences and we pour our of it what we need. So here, we have our own experience of our mother and our brothers and our sisters and of those times when they have disturbed us at our work and our reactions to that. But this is Jesus and the mother of Jesus and the reaction of Jesus to His mother, and we know that the mother of Jesus is the perfect vessel of the will of God, for when God through the archangel Gabriel asked for her obedience she said "Yes". And we know that Jesus loved His mother and that His mother's life was to do the will of God. We saw that at the wedding feast of Cana, when she asked the help of Jesus, and Jesus said, "Woman, my time has not yet come" and Mary said to the servants, "Do whatever he asks." And Jesus asked the servant to fill the water vessels and then performed the miracle of water into wine. And so here, Jesus answers the messenger by elevating the disciples of Jesus, us, to the status of brother of Jesus, sister of Jesus, and even mother of Jesus.

Posted by Daniel Murphy at 3:37 PM 0 comments

September 12, 2009. Homily, Tuesday, September 15, 2009.

Our Lady of Sorrows.

John: 19:25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

John's account of the crucifixion is remarkably short, and focuses more on the bystanders than on Jesus himself. Having described the soldiers and the other enemies of Jesus, he now shows us his friends, focusing on two: Mary and John. But strangely, these are not named; they remain “his mother” and “the disciple whom he loved.” The Mother and the Beloved Disciple are not just two individuals; they are symbolic examples of true discipleship, figures or types of the new community of love. With his dying words Jesus commits them into each other’s care. Love does not live in isolation; it implies community

September 10, 2009. Homily, Saturday, September 12, 2009.

Luke 6:43-49:

Jesus said to his disciples: "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundations on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like one who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed."

The Gospel of the Lord.

This is the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. And in the Gospel we hear the words of Jesus: "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit." Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. We have on December 8th the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Church dogma that conception of the Virgin Mary was without any stain ("macula" in Latin is "stain") of sin, solemnly defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854 (Our Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Hope, was built on the 100th anniversary of that declaration by the Pope and declared ex cathedra, under the Pope's doctrine of infallibility in 1950, the only exercise of the infallibility power.

Jesus was a carpenter, a builder, so that we should pay especial attention to the images Jesus uses from construction of edifices. Sirach says that we know a person, judge his character, by what he reveals about himself through his speech, but Jesus says that the better criterion is that we know a person, judge her character, by what she reveals about herself through her acts, her deeds. The lazy way to judge is through one's words, but the thorough way to judge is through a careful examination of one's deeds. If we lay a firm foundation upon rock, our judgment will be proof against the storm surges of life. And our Christian life based on baptism, the teachings of the Church given to us by our parents and then CCD, and then confirmation, and a life of grace.