Happy Name Day, Happy Feast Day to All!

This Sunday we celebrate all of our name days as it is the Solemnity of All Saints.  We will also be celebrating Confirmation today and are always blessed to have Bishop Sullivan here celebrating with us.  I can remember my own Confirmation which was just a couple of years ago, just kidding; it’s been more like thirty years ago.  I remember two things very vividly and distinctly.  That was in the name I chose and also what it felt like to get Confirmed.

I chose the name Paul because I was very moved by John Paul II, it was 1982 and he had been Pope for about three years and already he left a mark on me a thirteen year old kid from Jersey.  So, I chose the name so that my full name would be exactly like his, John Paul.  He was obviously not a canonized saint at that point, but a saint he already was as we can all attest to.

I did not want to just choose any old name, I wanted one that had meaning to me, yes I would have the same name but it was Pope John Paul’s ability to relate to the young, how he was gentle with the old, how he was able to forgive the man who shot him, how he could walk into Madison Square Garden and receive a louder cheer and applause than any performing act could.  But it was also his depth of holiness; you could see it emanating from him in the way he spoke, the way he celebrated mass, in the way he prayed.

I also remember the way I felt the day I received Confirmation.  I could remember not wanting to be there originally.  Just another long day of doing things, sitting around, standing around, waiting, etc., typical thirteen year old with no patience and no awareness of the moment.

Yet, when I finally went up to be Confirmed and the Bishop placed the sacred chrism on my forehead I felt the presence of the Lord, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I felt him all around me as soon as the Bishop placed the oil on my forehead.  I felt warmth and unbelievable peace through my whole being.  As I walked back to my pew I felt as though I was walking on air.  It had nothing to do with me in the sense that I prayed for it, it came out of left field, if you will.  Yet, there was no mistaking it, it was God touching my life even with all the teenage baggage I brought with me to the Altar, it was a feeling of love that could not be mistaken.  It moved me for some time and kept me asking God, “What do you want of me?”  That question would be answered in my entering Seminary to study for the priesthood.

This leads me to a third point, this week also begins Vocations Awareness Week, a week in which we discuss vocations to the priesthood, but also encourage young men to consider that vocation.  Next week Fr. Alfred and I will preach on our own vocations and what it means to be a priest.

You can see that the Saints help us in our lives, they pray for us.  I had a bunch of them praying for me without even knowing it and most of all Saint John Paul II who prays for me now.  All Saints is a celebration of their lives, those canonized saints, but it is also a celebration of family, for we believe that the Church is a family and those who have gone before us continue to look out for us, just in different ways.  So, again I wish you all a happy name and happy feast day, God bless all Saints!

For Grace Moves in Mysterious Ways

In today’s Gospel we hear the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, whom Jesus heals.  Just a little over a week ago we had the double blessing of having a Diocesan Healing Mass here at Holy Family which was celebrated by Bishop Sullivan.  Bishop Sullivan spoke to us about the difficulties of suffering and all that sickness and entails, but he also left us with a great message of hope which I wish to share with you today.

Bartimaeus, a blind man upon hearing that Jesus was close cried out to him, “Have pity on me!”  Many rebuked him, but he shouted out the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”  None of us knew Bartimaeus, but even though we did not know him personally all of us could understand his shouting out and trying to get the attention of Jesus.

No matter what the sickness or suffering it becomes hard on people.  When we are sick or suffering it affects our physical bodies, but it also effects our inner disposition, it can take a toll on us and even those around us.  When we are sick or suffering something is missing, i.e. the wholeness of what we were meant to be.  Suffering and sickness is what happens to us all simply because of whom we are, we are human beings and it is part of nature after the fall, but what it never is – is punishment, when we suffer or if we are sick God is not inflicting us with sickness.  Yet, we may ask God why or even blame him for what has happened to us, both legitimate and very human responses.  God can handle it.

Knowing this we can take ourselves back and understand Bartimaeus’ plea, for he too was tired and worn out and knew that something important was missing, namely his eye sight.  He did not want this opportunity to pass and he was determined to speak with Jesus.

Jesus eventually called him and the first words he said to him, was not that your eyesight be restored but rather, “Go your way: your faith has saved you!”  Then, immediately after these words his eye sight was restored and he followed Jesus on the way.  What a powerful and moving scene.  Go your way, Jesus telling him to follow a life of faith, one he was probably already on.  But to hear the words from the Messiah’s lips, “Your faith has saved you,” I am sure must have been very moving words for Bartimaeus. They were healing words, both of his physical suffering and the longing he had for God in his heart.

Jesus desires that no one suffers, some are granted miracles and have their sight restored, and others are not.  This does not mean that God loves us less, for grace moves in mysterious ways (different ways) and I believe there is still much we do not understand or fully grasp, for no suffering, whether one is healed or not is in vain.  All of it had redemptive value, if not then Jesus’ suffering on the Cross would have been in vain, for no one’s story only ends with the Cross, each and every one of us, our stories will end in the Resurrection.  Remember to pray for those who are sick and or suffering in any way, and pray for their loved ones and all those who take care of them.  Especially pray to the Lord for faith, like Bartimaeus, so that we too will hear, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.”

For Love's Sake

When I began to study theology in Seminary naturally I would begin to ask questions.  One of those questions was, did God punish Jesus?  I asked that question because in Scripture it states and as we heard read today, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53:5)  And in another place, “He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt. 2:24)  This led me to ask questions such as, “if Jesus was punished for our sins then he was unfairly treated, justice became injustice because God should not punish the innocent, since Jesus was innocent why would he have to be punished?”  Also, if Jesus was punished for every sin I committed would that then give me license to sin?  Allow me to show you two major concepts on this topic, one being the Reformed position and the other being that of Catholics.

There are two major thoughts in theology which consider what Christ’s atonement means.  In Reformed theology (Protestant, but not all Protestants) it means, “… at Christ’s Passion and death, God the Father transferred all the sins (past, present, and future) of all the elect onto His Son. Then God the Father hated, cursed and damned His Son, who was evil in the Father’s sight on account of all the sins of the elect being concentrated in the Son. (R.C. Sproul says that) In doing so, God the Father punished Christ for all the sins of the elect of all time. Because the sins of the elect are now paid for, through Christ’s having already been punished for them, the elect can never be punished for any sin they might ever commit, because every sin they might ever commit has already been punished. (c.f. http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/04/catholic-and-reformed-conceptions-of-the-atonement/)

The other thought being the Catholic understanding is that, “The Catholic conception of Christ’s Passion and Atonement is that Christ offered Himself up in self-sacrificial love to the Father, obedient even unto death, for the sins of all men. In His human will He offered to God a sacrifice of love that was more pleasing to the Father than the combined sins of all men of all time are displeasing to Him, and thus made satisfaction for our sins. The Father was never angry with Christ. Nor did the Father pour out His wrath on the Son. The Passion is Christ’s greatest act of love, the greatest revelation of the heart of God, and the glory of Christ.  So when Christ was on the cross, God the Father was not pouring out His wrath on His Son; in Christ’s act of self-sacrifice in loving obedience to the Father, Christ was most lovable in the eyes of the Father.” (c.f. http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/04/catholic-and-reformed-conceptions-of-the-atonement/)

God asked Jesus to be obedient in love.  That obedience meant that he would reverse the penalty of sin, the penalty being separation from God; we were now given back life.  Yes, Jesus did die for our sins, for every one of them, which was done in his sacrificial offering on the Cross.  His sacrifice was necessary since there was no act we could do to turn back what had already be done, i.e. The Fall of man.  We tried with all kinds of things, animal sacrifices, fasting, dust and ashes, and all sorts of atonements; we did these naturally because we felt the pain of our sin and were always trying to make up for it and yet none of these could be eternally sufficient, the sacrifices themselves were not pure because we were not pure, we were always a little tainted, i.e. sin.  Yet, when Jesus offered Himself, that sacrifice was pure, for He had no sin and His act of love (atonement) was sufficient, but that act was not punishment in the sense that He had to pay for our sins, because if that was the case the punishment would mean eternal damnation and Jesus was not damned.  He was punished in the sense that He did not deserve to die because He was innocent, He was punished, if you will, in the sense that He had to pay our penalty (meaning He was the One who had to be the sacrifice not the one who would be eternally damned).  It can get confusing, simply stated the punishment was the sacrifice of love and not the punishment of separation from God.

What is incredible is that Jesus would have done this for us.  We were a people who had gone astray and were continuing to walk away from God and we were in dire straits if we were to continue in that route.  To turn us around God became man and would offer a sacrifice of love that would not only take away sins, but keep us walking in a path towards Him, even if we sometimes stray away from the path, the Good Shepherd comes to find us again.  Remember, God is not a God of punishment, but God is love.  Jesus died for love’s sake not for punishment’s sake!

Living and Effective

In today’s 2^nd reading from the letter to the Hebrews, we heard read to us, “Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.  No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.”

I both love these words and at the same time cringe from them as I know that I will have to render my account to the Lord on my priesthood and my life of faith.  I love these words because they motivate me and I am reminded that God knows me inside and out.  I cringe from them at times because I do not like the feeling of being brought into the Truth when I live in my own lies, i.e. my sins, when they come to light as the passage in Hebrews says; it is then that we are, “naked and exposed to him . . .”

Recently I began teaching the Deacon Candidates for our Diocese and part of my instruction to them in the study of Christology is that we wrestle with God, both in understanding His Word as we read it in Scripture and that we also wrestle with Him in life, a tugging, a pulling back and forth with His Will and our will, that tugging and pulling occurs when we face our Lord in the reading of His Word and when we allow that Word to enter in.

That Word is described as sharper than any two-edged sword.  What does a two edge sword do when it pierces flesh; it cuts both on the way in and on the way out.  That sword penetrates into and between joints and marrows and even into the spirit as well.  Wow!  I know that would hurt and it does, that hurting is the Word cutting us to the quick.  That Word reminds us when we sin, especially those sins in which we hurt others.  Sometimes it’s good to be corrected, sometimes it’s good to feel a little embarrassed, and sometimes it is even good to feel some pain which C.S. Lewis referred to as God’s megaphone shouting out to a deaf world.  Yet, we live in a world today that does everything to protect people, especially the young from feeling anything uncomfortable.  Heaven forbid they are ever humbled by a coach, a teacher, a mentor or that they have to suffer embarrassment and admit that they cheated on a test or were at fault for something of significance.  We too are guilty from this from time to time, we run away from that sword out of fear.  Fear of being exposed only has to do with sin and not virtue. 

I want that Word to always be living and effective within me so that it does not cut but that it heals and binds up and makes me stronger so that when the light shines on me that only virtue is reflecting off of me.  I have a ways to go and I imagine we all do, together praying for one another we can become perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  Instead of cringing from these words let us love them only so as to always remain motivated and faithful, God bless you, Fr. John

The Pope in the USA: Mighty Deeds

In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us, “There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.  For whoever is not against us is for us.  Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

Pope Francis has arrived some days ago in the United States and today he will be celebrating Mass in Philadelphia.  Pope Francis’ words and actions embody Jesus’ call of performing mighty deeds.

          

Yet, what does one think of when Jesus says mighty deeds?  One may think of Moses parting the Red Sea, or King David slaying Goliath, or Daniel being unharmed when thrown into the Lion’s Den.  Surely those are all miraculous and divinely assisted events.  They were indeed mighty deeds.  However, Jesus refers to mighty deeds as giving someone a cup of water to drink.

This cup of water is both literal, yes we should give someone a cup of water who is in need of drink, but it is also symbolic, i.e. all are in need, be it physical, emotional or spiritual need and in those times where I had the opportunity did I perform a mighty deed?

Pope Francis has been reminding us since the beginning of his Pontificate that mighty deeds are yes, moments such as Moses parting the Red Sea, but they are also in moments in which I help the poor, the destitute as well as helping others who are in emotional crisis or at a spiritual crossroads.  Opportunities to perform mighty deeds are placed before us each day.  Pope Francis has been preaching on the simplicity of the Gospel message since day one, a practical approach to Christian living.  Some like to see the Pope as “The Defender of the Faith,” and see him only as a sturdy theological guru, but that is not the office of Pope or at least not in its essence as St. Peter himself said, “So I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.  Tend the flock of God in your midst, [overseeing] not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.  Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock.   And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:1-4)  Pope Francis has led by being an example first.  His example has been one of humility, i.e. driving around in a Ford Focus, riding the bus to work while he was Cardinal, keeping to simple vestments.  But more importantly tending to the poor, the outcast, and the down trodden.

If we take anything away from the Holy Father’s visit is that we too are now enlivened – encouraged, and stirred to assisting all in need, be it feeding the poor to actually sitting down with a friend who needs to unload the world on our shoulders for a few moments for some relief, am I willing to help and carry the load?  Evangelization, fellowship, and good works all go hand in hand.  The Lord has given us life giving waters he now demands and requires that we share that life giving water with all and to never count the cost.  Pope Francis from day one as Pontiff right up to his visit with us has continually reminded us of sharing that water with others.  My prayer is that we continue to do so, God bless our Holy Father Francis and strengthen his vocation as our Chief Shepherd.  

Ambition: Directed Towards Serving or Self?

I really love this reading today from James in which he reminds us, “Beloved: Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.   But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

Jealousy and selfish ambition is the stuff that creates tyrants, not just the tyrant that sits on a throne dictating his presence among his subjects, but to anyone in any walk of life can become a tyrant.  For instance the teacher who loves to listen to themselves and never hears the students, to the coach who coaches with an iron fist, to the priest, dare I say it who has already purchased his Monsignor cassock only to now sell it since Pope Francis has done away with careerist ambitions, to the police officer who is a bully because of his badge and gun, and to any person in any walk of life who seeks glory, honor, and praise for the wrong reasons becomes a tyrant and tyrants are full of every foul practice.  Please do not misunderstand me; all of us are guilty of selfish ambition, to greater and lesser degrees because of our human weakness, as the fathers would call it, “concupiscence.” 

However, as Jesus points out to the Apostles, that the least among them and those willing to serve are the ones who are the greatest, not the one who has achieved rank, dignity or class necessarily, because though one could be both, of high rank and also very good man, though such a person is rare, a person Aristotle would refer to as, “The Virtuous Man.”

Even amongst the clergy, this sense of selfish ambition exists.  St. Augustine would often be very hard on himself because he knew he spoke well and through his gift of public speaking and the art of persuasion or better put, the art of argument/debate, he knew no real equal in his time.  He had to balance the fact that he knew he was good but also at the same time understanding that it was God speaking through him, so in reality the credit belonged to God.  He had this fear of giving too much credit to himself.  Maybe he was too hard on himself, but his motivation was not to build up a cult of personality around himself, since he knew Jesus was the center and that he was just the messenger.

Selfish ambition does not only plague or tempt clergy, but all peoples in every walk of life.  It is more noticeable among those in the public domain, i.e. politicians, clergy, entertainers, athletes, etc.  Nevertheless it is a temptation which none are exempt.

When ambition is based on bettering oneself and based on service then that is healthy and virtuous ambition.   God gave us ambition so that we could use it towards virtue – to become holy and to help others do so.  God is and never will be against someone becoming the best that they can be at no matter what it is they do, be it the person who cleans up schools at night as a janitor to the person who makes executive decisions as our President, each has been given drive and motivation to be the best they can be.

A reflection for us is, how has my ambition served God and others or has my ambition only served me?  Why do I desire to be the best, is it to give praise and glory to God or for my own pat on the back?  If our ambition is based on Jesus then it will be as James said, “(it will be) first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.”  Amen!  FJ

The image above is that of Jesus rebuking James and his brother John for trying to lobby for a position of prestige, to sit at Jesus left and right.

True Food and True Drink

What did Jesus mean when he said, “you must eat my flesh and drink my blood?”  Did he mean this in a super literal sense as in being cannibals?  That is what some of the audience who was listening to Jesus thought.  “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”  They thought that Jesus was asking them to break the law, i.e. to become cannibals.  Jesus tries to explain himself one last time before some depart, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”

So what is it that we actually receive in the Eucharist?  Do we receive true flesh and true blood or some spiritual aspect of that, or a symbol, or sign of Jesus rather than actual flesh and blood?  Here is what we do not receive.  When we celebrate Mass the actual earthly Jesus does not come down from heaven and place himself on the altar and then give us parts of himself to consume, that would be cannibalism and we would be breaking God’s law.  Rather, we receive Jesus through sacramental signs – the signs being bread and wine but in some spiritual way they become truly, fully, and completely the entire person of Jesus, so that when we do receive we truly receive the Lord and become one with him.  We receive in a supernatural or miraculous way.

We do not receive half of Jesus or some symbolic aspect of him; we truly receive him, just not in a cannibalistic fashion.  That being said, think of how awesome and wonderful that is, that we truly become one with our Lord in our receiving of the Eucharist.  Marriage language is a way of describing this wonderful reception.  In a marriage two people give themselves freely to one another.  They exchange vows and then later the marriage is brought to completion through consummation and in both instances the two truly become one flesh.  We also when approaching Jesus exchange vows, when the priest says, “The Body of Christ,” we respond and say, “Amen.”  In some way we are exchanging vows, promises, or saying yes to one another, Jesus to us, and we to him.  In our actual receiving him the act is consummated, the two become one as St. Paul says so beautifully, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

Today’s 2^nd reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians also uses marriage language to describe our relationship to Christ, which is the entire Church to its head, our Lord and Savior.  Jesus even became obedient to us in and that he offered himself without resistance, so too then should we be ever so obedient to him, especially in receiving him in the Eucharist, for we become one with our Lord, he in us and we in him.

The beauty and magnificence of the Eucharist knows no equal, in all that we can do as Christians nothing compares to what we receive in Holy Communion.  Jesus himself said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”  The words were that his flesh is true food and that his blood is true drink.  We are called to this and very soon.  As you approach today remember that you will exchange words with Jesus when you say, Amen, but you will also exchange your very lives as he gives himself to you and you to him.  God bless you, Fr. John