Two Signatures

Sharing power between the clergy and the laity

08/29/2018

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18 We instruct you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who walks in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. This greeting is in my own hand, Paul's. This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

At some point early in life – usually when we have to sign our driver’s license – we discover that our signature has some value. And that value is two-fold: a signature is personal and also powerful. A signature conveys something very personal because it is very unique like a fingerprint, but also something very powerful, like when we sign a contract or a check. Or, just think about how an NBA jersey grows in value if it is signed by LaBron James, or an MLB cap is signed by Aaron Judge, the fastest player to reach 60 homeruns, ever. Whenever President Donald Trump signs a bill into law, he holds up the document so everyone can see his signature. The signature seals the deal. Even though some people’s signatures are hardly legible, they never cease to be very personal and very powerful.

At the end of St. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, he adds an odd remark, but an incredibly important one about his signature. He writes: “This greeting is in my own hand, Paul’s. This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.” In other words, if there were any controversy over the authenticity of a letter from St. Paul – and in the early Church there was plenty – his signature would resolve the dispute. Again, Paul’s signature was both personal – easy to recognize but hard to repeat – and also powerful – it gave immense value to a piece of plain parchment. St. Paul’s signature on paper would be worth far more than the King’s or the Judge’s on a jersey.

In this context the value of signatures, I hope you will not mind if I mention again the clergy abuse scandal. I believe this crisis has the potential to create a new dynamic in the way Catholic priests and Catholic people will wield power. When I say power, though, I do not mean “sacra potestas” or sacred power. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in no. 1538 that this sacra potestas is conferred by the Holy Spirit only in the sacrament of Holy Orders, which allows a man to celebrate the sacraments. Sacred power is for a spiritual purpose. Nevertheless, there is another power, a real power, called the “power of governance,” that lay people will begin to wield more and more. If you are curious, check out the Code of Canon Law, canons 129-144. Think of it like this: some checks written above a certain amount need two signatures. Here at Immaculate Conception that amount is $500 and both Cindy and I must sign them. In other words, a priest’s signature is not enough to authorize a check above $500, a lay person’s signature is required, too. Cindy has as much power as a priest in signing checks! In a sense, the clergy abuse crisis will reduce the authority of the clergy while simultaneously increase the authority of the laity. And that, I think, is a good thing, and for three good reasons.

First, when priests perceive they possess all power in the church, they can be tempted to abuse that power, or believe they are above the law, or permit themselves illicit privileges and prerogatives. As the clergy scandal has shown shamefully, the clergy need to pay close attention to Lord Acton’s admonition: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When the clergy have to share the power with the laity, however, they will be better able to resist the temptation to abuse power. Why? There will simply be less power to abuse because we priests will need a co-signer – a lay person – on all major checks we write, by that I mean every time we exercise the power of governance.

The second reason is because lay persons will be given authority over the clergy when a credible accusation of abuse is reported. The president of the United States bishops’ conference, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, recently stated: “On August 16th, I called for an Apostolic Visitation – that is a Vatican probe – working in concert with a national lay commission granted independent authority, to seek the truth.” That is, lay persons will have authority – the power of governance – over priests and bishops and hold them accountable. When it comes to the matter of clergy sexual abuse, the signature of a lay person will be more powerful than that of a priest or archbishop. That is real power.

And third, on Sunday I met with the catechists who will teach religious education classes this year to thank them and encourage them. I told them they can do something that I as a priest today can no longer do, namely, teach with credibility and conviction. Now some people look at priests with suspicion and mistrust. But if a lay Catholic stands up tall and proud and propounds his or her faith, that’s powerful. Why? Well because people will be perplexed why you do not abandon the apparently corrupt Catholic Church. The fact that you stay Catholic, and even more astonishing, that you love the church even more now than ever before leaves a loud and lingering message in people’s ears and hearts. That is a powerful way to evangelize. Lay Catholics can bear witness to their faith in a way that clergy are incapable of today. When it comes to evangelization, your signature matters more than mine. And that is real power.

I believe we stand at a crossroads in the long journey of the Catholic Church, and part of choosing the right road at this juncture requires understanding power and who will – and how to – wield it. But whichever way we turn and travel, I am not worried in the least, because the Holy Spirit is still driving the bus, especially the “church bus.” The Spirit is the source of all power, and the co-signer on every check.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Hierarchical History

Seeing the behavior of bishops as human in the course of history

08/27/2018

Matthew 23:13-22 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

One of the more discouraging aspects of this clergy abuse scandal is the in-fighting among bishops and now even embroiling the pope. Last week the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, published an open letter, titled “Testimony,” calling for all bishops who knew about the cover-up of abusers, and even the pope, to resign immediately. He wrote: “Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them.” It breaks my heart to see bishops fighting and arguing among themselves, but while it saddens me, it should not surprise me. Indeed, the first pope (Peter) was corrected by the most prominent bishop (Paul) in the early church in another public letter. We read in Paul’s letter to the Galatians 2:11, “And when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.” A bishop corrected a pope! My point is not to politicize this scandal but rather to humanize it. In other words, the hierarchy is human, too, no matter how much we may wish they would rise above their humanity frailties in this case.

Let me hit a few highlights of the history of the hierarchy – actually they are probably better described as “low lights” because they are not very flattering – in order to put the present problem in proper perspective. I’ll just bring up four cases in which the behavior of bishops was far less than becoming. First was the failure of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus upbraids them mincing no words, saying the gospel today: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.” Why was Jesus so merciless toward them? Well, you have to understand that the Jewish leaders should have been the first to follow Jesus, indeed, they should have become his first bishops. That was the point of the preparation provided by the whole Old Testament: to prepare a people ready to welcome the Messiah, especially those who assiduously studied the Old Testament. That was the first failure of the hierarchy, those would-be bishops: crucifying Christ.

The second occurred in the 5th century with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bishop Nestorius. He held a heresy asserting that Jesus’ human nature and divine nature were separate. Another prominent bishop stood up to Nestorius, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and I’m sure he published open letters, too, and “opposed Nestorius to his face” like Paul had done with Peter.

A third instance was the tragic tale of St. Joan of Arc in the 15th century. By the way, Mark Twain wrote a lovely little biography of the “Maid of Orleans,” Joan’s moniker. Joan was put on trial by the bishop of Beauvais, Pierre Cauchon, who ultimately found her guilty only of wearing men’s clothing in prison, and ordered her burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. It would not be until 1920 that Joan of Arc was canonized a saint.

A fourth and final instance occurred in the 17th century with Bishop Jansenius of Ypres, France. Jansenius proposed a strict view of predestination, that God only desires some to be saved.  Jansenism was vigorously opposed by the Jesuits, who were preaching on God’s mercy and insisted that God desired that all be saved. We still see Jesuits preaching about mercy, namely, Pope Francis.

Why am I sharing with you this brief biography of bishops? Well, because even a hurried glance at the history of the hierarchy reveals they are only too human. Even among bishops, the successors of the apostles, who were themselves successors of the Jewish leaders, we find plenty of personalities and politics, prejudices and proclivities that are not very befitting of a bishop. I say none of this to excuse their immoral behavior. But I do bring it up so you will not be so surprised by what’s happening today. And also so that your prayers for the Church may be pronounced with l little more peace.

Let me conclude with a very insightful little excerpt from Romano Guardini’s book The Lord, where he describes the Church made of up a very human hierarchy. The good monsignor writes: “When we speak of the Church we cannot ignore the fact of Christ’s rejection (by Jewish leaders), which never should have been. We cannot ignore the terrible means by which we came to salvation (his crucifixion); the consequences have penetrated deep into existence….Nevertheless, she is and remains the mystery of the new creation, Mother constantly bearing and rebearing heavenly life. Between Christ and herself flows the mystery of love. She is his Bride.” Then he concludes: “All this exists, and with them the flaws and abuses, the rigors. We have no choice but to accept the whole as it is. The Church is a mystery of faith and can be experienced only in love.” When you pray for the Church today undergoing all her trials and tribulations, keep that in mind.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Three Storms

Asking what God wants us to do in the midst of storms

08/26/2018

John 6:60-69 Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

In seminary I discovered that discerning a priestly vocation has far more to do with asking the right question than it does with finding the right answer. I had already been in seminary for three years and up until then I was asking myself whether I wanted to be a priest. That is not a bad question, but it is not the best question. Then for the first time I asked another question: Does God want me to be a priest? Can you catch the difference between the two questions? It is like the difference between building a house on sand (doing my will which shifts) and building one on rock (doing God’s will which is solid). Once I understood that God wanted me to be a priest, instead of just something I wanted, I found myself standing on the rock of my vocation. Henceforth, nothing could change my decision or my destiny because that would require God to change his mind. And God has not done that yet, nor is he likely to.

The reason we build on rock is because sooner or later storms will buffet our house. Let me describe three big spiritual storms that I believe we all experience in every Christian vocation. By the way, each starts with the letter “b” so they are easy to remember:  they are boredom, betrayal and bewilderment. I am convinced we will weather these spiritual storms if we ask the right question, namely, what does God want me to do?

The first storm is boredom. If I had a dollar for every time someone complained: “I am bored at Mass!” we would never need another collection in church! When buffeted by boredom some Catholics conveniently convert to other churches hoping to find engagement and entertainment. I do not mean to criticize the worship services of other churches, but I do want to invite Catholics to ask themselves a question before they jump ship, out of the Bark of St. Peter, the Catholic Church: What does God want me to do?

Sometimes, God wants us to be a little bored with the Lord. What do I mean? In a society that incessantly seeks stimulation – phones, video games, social media – the prospect of peaceful and quiet reflection seems almost scary. Psalm 46:10 gently suggests: “Be still and know that I am God.” When we would rather be stimulated than be still we forget who is God – we begin to think we are God – and we substitute our will for his. Frankly I have a hard time believing God tells any Catholic to leave the Church because it is boring. We can withstand the buffeting of boredom by asking a question: What does God want me to do?

The second storm is betrayal. I believe we all feel deeply betrayed by the priests who perpetrated the unspeakable crime of child sexual abuse. Please know that we Catholic priests are just as appalled as everyone else, although some people may not believe that. A priest friend of mine was in a grocery store in Pennsylvania and a lady saw him in his priest-collar and yelled, “You child rapist!” In some people’s minds all Catholic priests are now guilty until proven innocent, the opposite of the basic assumption of a just society, that someone is “innocent until proven guilty.” Of course, we priests and bishops have been our own worst enemies by both perpetrating the crime and then covering it up. That is why justice must be taken out of our hands. Our current diocesan policy states that anyone who has a reasonable suspicion of child abuse should report that to local law enforcement authorities, not to the pastor or the bishop. Betrayal by the clergy is the biggest storm brewing in the Catholic Church today.

The storm of betrayal has caused a lot of damage. Some Catholics have left the Church, some refuse to support the church financially, and some parents will never let their sons step foot in a seminary, the eye of the storm. Such choices are understandable and I sympathize with them. But I also invite you to ask yourself: what does God want me to do in the midst of this storm? I have seen many Catholics actually dig deeper in their faith and realize they stand on the rock of Jesus Christ. Faithful Catholics rally and respond when the Church is attacked – this time attacked by her own priests – to defend her because she is the beautiful Bride of Christ, and she is the stalwart ship, the Bark of St. Peter. That ship will never sink, and God is not asking any Catholic to abandon ship.

The third storm is bewilderment. I don’t know about you but many mysteries of faith baffle and bewilder me, such as monogamous marriage (no wonder I never got married), baptism of babies, the most Holy Trinity, how mere men can forgive sins, the audacious authority of the pope, and maybe the most marvelous mystery of all is the Mass, the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ under the appearances of mere bread and wine. What do we do when we behold all these beautiful and blinding facets of our faith and struggle and stammer to accept and articulate them? We do what St. Peter did in the gospel: he asked a question. Jesus explained the Eucharist in John 6, and Peter, clearly bewildered by it all like everyone else, asked: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In other words, Peter did not rely on his own wisdom or seek his own will, but only God’s. He was among the few who were faithful because he asked a question not because he had all the answers. Christians struggling to stay afloat in a storm at sea need to be buoyed by the life-raft of a question rather than weighed down by the heavy anchors of more answers.

I know this was a somewhat somber and serious sermon – sorry, no jokes today! But I have not felt like laughing a lot lately. Christians surrounded by spiritual storms need to remember what I learned in the seminary: one question is worth more than a hundred answers, namely, what does God want me to do? That question becomes like a compass that can chart a course through the storms of life and at last land us on the shores of Paradise.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Invocation at Naturalization Ceremony

Judge Isaac C. Parker Courthouse, Fort Smith, Arkansas, August 24, 2018

I am grateful to Judge Ben Berry and to each of our new Americans for the privilege to pray with you today. When I was fifteen years told, I stood where you did and made this same Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America, so I know exactly how proud and blessed you feel right now. When my family first arrived in New York, my father started driving and had a remarkable experience. When he drove at night, he noticed that there were lights on the road that lit up when the car approached. When he looked in the rear-view mirror, he saw the lights had surprisingly turned off. He believed there were small light bulbs in the road for miles and miles, and thought, “What an amazing country this is that can afford so many light bulbs!” In case you don’t know, those were reflectors on the road, not light bulbs.

I brought my naturalization certificate along, and you’ll have to take my word that I am the same person as that bright-eyed boy in the photo. Even though I was naturalized an American many years ago, I have not forgotten the feeling that I had stepped into a new world of endless possibilities.  I hope you will not be offended or turned off by my priestly collar that I wear as a Catholic priest. We are all creatures, and even children, of the same Creator, however we choose to acknowledge him, or choose not to. Perhaps the principal privilege of being an American is our freedom of religion, and maybe some would add, our freedom from religion. If you feel so inclined, please pray for a moment with me.

“Loving Creator and God, who made everything out of nothing, turn toward us and bless us. You who made the mountains and the rivers, also made us men and women. You invite us to come together in community, to foster new friendships, and to forge new nations. Bless these newly naturalized citizens of the United States of America. We are profoundly aware of all the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Help us to use them wisely and well for the blessing of each and the betterment of all. Amen.”

Secret Names

Learning others’ names and loving neighbor and God

08/24/2018

John 1:45-51 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."Nathanael 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 things 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."

There is a peculiar power in a person’s name, and let me give you some examples to illustrate this. Some names evoke the emotion of love and affection, like your child’s name or your beloved’s name. Our hearts skip a beat when we hear others talk about them by name. Other names bring out anger and aversion to those of a political persuasion, like “Trump” or “Obama.” Grrrr! Still other names are synonymous with an organization, like a church. Many years ago when someone uttered the name “Msgr. Galvin,” people thought of Immaculate Conception Church, and when someone said, I.C. they immediately intimated “Msgr. Galvin.” Now, when people say “I.C.” they just think of a priest look for a free meal.  Some people are so prominent they give their name to a political movement like “Marxism” named for the German philosopher Karl Marx. Or Buddha, whose name and life inspired the philosophical religion of Buddhism.

C. S. Lewis explained our true name will only be fully revealed in heaven, when God tells us what it is. He wrote: “But it is also said, ‘To him that overcometh I will give a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Lewis continued: “What can be more a man’s own than this new name which even in eternity remains a secret between God and him? And what shall we take this secrecy to mean? Surely, that each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise some one aspect of the Divine beauty better than any other creature can” (The Problem of Pain, 154). In other words, the peculiar power of a person’s name rests in its ability to reveal something about God himself. When you know a person’s name, you know God a little better.

August 24 is the annual feast of St. Bartholomew and I want to tell you three things about his name and his fame. And I believe knowing that name more intimately you may love God more intensely. First of all Bartholomew is one of two names ascribed to the same saint. He is also known as “Nathaniel.” Hence, the gospel passage for this feast is taken from John 1, the calling of Nathaniel. Many of the apostles enjoyed two names, a Hebrew one and a Latin one, like “Cephas / Peter,” and “Levi / Matthew” - two names referring to the same apostle. The power and prestige of an apostle’s name is such that it is able to reveal two aspects of God’s beauty, not just one like me and you.

Secondly, St. Bartholomew / Nathaniel is purported to have sailed to India in the year 50 A.D. So, India boasts the distinction of being evangelized by two apostles, both St. Bartholomew and St. Thomas. Bartholomew landed near the region of Bombay, while Thomas went farther south to my home state of Kerala. And how did we Indians say “thank you” to these two great apostles of the Lamb? We martyred them. St. Bartholomew was skinned alive and beheaded. Michaelangelo’s famous fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel depicts St. Bartholomew with a knife in one hand and his skin in the other. That may seem macabre to us, but it was marvelous to Bartholomew, who gladly gave his life for the Lord whom he loved more than life itself. His name and his fame show forth more of the Divine Beauty.

And the third thing is a little Catholic humor (at least I think it’s funny). Do you know what profession claims St. Bartholomew for its patron saint? Tanners, believe it or not. Those who tan the skins of animals can look to St. Bartholomew for intercession and inspiration as they go about their work each day. Maybe a tanner or two, while holding a knife in one hand and a pelt in the other hand, feels as famous as a fresco in a Michaelangelo painting!

Today as you learned a little more about the life and legacy of Nathaniel / Bartholomew, I hope you also felt a little more love for God and his beauty shining through this singular saint. Names help us fulfill the fundamental, two-fold commandments of love of God and love of neighbor. And that is the peculiar power of a person’s name.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Famished for the Feast

Staying hungry for our faith by the example of newcomers

08/23/2018

Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my alves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.

A few years ago I read an impressive little book on immigration by President John F. Kennedy called A Nation of Immigrants. He recounts the history of the waves of immigrants who injected new enthusiasm into the American enterprise, namely, to start a new life and to discover the American dream. Sadly, for long-time Americans that dream had dimmed or even eroded into a nightmare. Our nation has always struggled between entitlement and entrepreneurship, and new immigrants always prefer a hand up instead of a hand out. I do not need to look any further than my own family where my parents worked tirelessly so their three children every night could slip into slumber with the American dream dancing in their heads.

John K. Kennedy was a Roman Catholic, so it is no surprise he speaks so eloquently about immigrants who were Irish and Italians and Hispanics. Listen to what Kennedy, an Irishman, said about American sentiment towards his own kinsmen. The thirty-fifth president wrote: “The Irish are perhaps the only people in our history with the distinction of having a political party, the Know-Nothings, formed against them…[and later] the Ku Klux Klan. The Irish found many doors closed to them, both socially and economically. Advertisements for jobs specified, ‘No Irish Need Apply.’ But there was manual labor to be done, and the Irish were ready to do it” (Nation, 17-18). In other words, immigrants always arrive on American shores with a huge hunger for the riches of the land symbolized by the cornucopia of plenty. But those who have been here a while seem to have lost their appetite for such blessings.

This is the same problem for the people in the parable that Jesus tells today. A king gives a wedding banquet for his son and wants to fill his banquet hall with guests. Those who are invited guests were the one closest to the king – family and friends who had already tasted everything at his table. They did not want to feed on his favors, so blithely ignored the blessing of this banquet. What, then, does the king do? He commands his servants: “Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” And “the servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, and the hall was filled with guests.” What an apt allegory for America today. Many of the invited – Americans who have been here for decades – ignore the blessings and bounty of this country. Those in “the streets,” the foreigner immigrants, however, cannot wait to find a seat at the table.

Of course, Jesus is not really referring to the situation in the United States, but to the Kingdom of God on earth, namely, the Catholic Church. How many “cradle Catholics” have abandoned the blessings of their birthright and no longer attend Mass? But what an inspiration to see new converts to Catholicism, like immigrants arriving on the shores of a new and wondrous land, eager to eat of its bounty. Something similar could be said of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Some churchmen have succumbed to an entitlement mentality and instead of give to build up the Body of Christ, seek to take for their selfish pleasure. But new seminarians and priests feel righteous revulsion at such reprehensible behavior and approach the priesthood as a sacred trust and never to be taken for granted. Many younger Catholics are discovering the joy of discipleship as they watch Pope Francis model a new way to follow Jesus in humility, in poverty, in care for creation, and may I add, in welcome to the stranger on our shores, the immigrants? In a sense, these young Catholics, like the Irish fleeing the potato famine, are landing on the shores of the Church famished and ready for the feast.

My friends, let us never take our great and glorious faith for granted. Everyone is invited to eat of this feast of faith. Don’t be too busy for such blessings.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

From Paranoia to Pride

Dealing with the clergy abuse scandal as a Catholic school

08/22/2018

Ezekiel 34:1-11 The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, in these words prophesy to them to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep? You have fed off their milk, worn their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings, but the sheep you have not pastured. You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured. Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: I will claim my sheep from them and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep so that they may no longer pasture themselves. I will save my sheep,that they may no longer be food for their mouths. For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.

This morning I need to address a subject that I feel a little nervous about. The reason I feel nervous is because I do not want to say too much, but I also want to avoid saying too little. The subject is the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal, and some of you know a lot about it, while others are scratching their heads wondering what’s going on. Here’s the funny thing about what people know. Usually, young people know a lot more than adults think they know, and adults know a lot more than young people think they do. So, I am going to assume most of you know more about this than I wish you did, and I apologize to those of you for whom this is breaking news, the first you are hearing of it.

First let me share with you a few facts about what happened. On Tuesday, August 13 – which was two days before school started – a grand jury in Pennsylvania issued a report stating that over a period of 70 years 300 priests had sexually abused over 1,000 minors. “Minors” means someone younger than eighteen. As I hope you know by now, sexual intercourse is reserved for marriage, even though people treat sex casually and carelessly in our modern culture. Modern Americans may laugh at us Christians, but we believe sex is sacred. That is one reason why priests – who should be the sworn guardians of the sacred – sexually abusing children is a sin and a scandal of the most notorious nature. You should also know – if you don’t already know – that this was not something new because in 2002 in the Archdiocese of Boston, a culture of cover-up of priests who had abused minors came to light. The Catholic Church in the United States has been vigorously fighting this clergy abuse scandal ever since. And we will not stop fighting it. Nevertheless, the Catholic Church has also been reeling from these revelations, and the faith of many Catholics has been faltering. Maybe as you hear this today, you are beginning to wonder about your faith and your Church, and you may not know what to do. That’s why I am talking about this.

Our first concern, however, should not be about ourselves, but about the victims of this abuse, the minors and young adults who have been hurt in a way that will leave a life-long wound. As hard as this story is for us to hear, it is still a story. But for the victims, it is not a story in a newspaper that they can fold up and throw away, and go back to business as before. This is the story of their life; and their life-story reads like a tragedy. Pope Francis issued a “Letter to the People of God” on this sad subject on Sunday, August 20 (two days ago). He spoke of the shattered lives of the victims and our solidarity with them, that we should stand with them. Pope Francis wrote: “The pain of victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that once more we reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.” In other words, we can never forget the victims; they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, our spiritual family. We should feel like this scandal has hurt one of our own family members. We will pray for the victims at the petitions during Mass today. And we should pray for them every day.

Why am I telling you this as we are about to embark on a new school year, with so many wonderful things happening at Trinity? Why can’t we just talk about cheer and dance, tennis and fall football and how hard Mr. Bruce’s class will be? Some may say: let’s just talk about the good stuff. But I need to tell you this for two reasons. First, in junior high you are beginning to see the world as it really is, and it is not always very pretty. To be sure there is a lot of breath-taking beauty all around us, but sadly there is also a ton of heart-stopping evil all around us. In elementary school we sought to protect you but in junior high we seek to prepare you. And you cannot be prepared for what you do not know. To be ignorant of what is happening is to leave you powerless to protect yourself. So, our first job is to tell you the truth, and as Jesus promised in John 8:32: “The truth will set you free.” You need to know the truth about what is happening in the Church today, and tragically that truth is terribly ugly. There used to be a cartoon on television called “G.I. Joe” and at the end of every episode, G.I. Joe would teach a safety lesson. He would conclude by saying: “Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.”

The second reason I want to tell you about this scandal has to do with the “other half of the battle,” namely, how to win the battle. Our mission as a Catholic school is to help you succeed in life, so we need to give you the tools of the trade of life. What are those tools? First and foremost, we introduce you to Jesus. The more you know Jesus, the happier you will be. That’s a fact. But we also give you intelligence for your brain, we teach you to care for each other and for the poor, we want you to love God’s creation and the environment. In other words, we do not just want you to do well at Northside and Southside, at Subiaco and at Future School; we want you to do well your whole life. This is the reason your teachers jump out of bed every morning and drive to Trinity: to help you hit a homerun in the baseball game of life. And this homily is also to help you hit a homerun, and so you won’t strike out staring at this scandal.

Boys and girls your generation is growing up fast – faster than we wanted – and you are facing a brave new world. Your generation must shoulder this scandal in a way that my generation and your parents’ generation did not have to. But don’t feel sorry for yourselves, because this is not the first time Americans have risen to a challenge and faced overwhelming odds. The Americans who grew up in the 1930’s and 1940’s were called “the Greatest Generation” because they faced the daunting Great Depression in the 1930’s and they fought fearlessly in World War II in the 1940’s. In your own way, you will be a great generation depending on how you stand up and shoulder this great scandal. As I look into your eyes, I gotta tell you: I feel a lot of confidence in the future of this country and in the future of Christianity. You guys are ready for this challenge.

Let me conclude with how I am personally dealing with this scandal, and maybe it will help you. I wear my priest-collar everywhere I go. So when people see me, they see a priest, and maybe they think about God. And I wear that collar with pride. What a privilege it is to be a Catholic priest! But lately, I have been feeling more paranoia than pride. What do I mean? Well, I feel paranoid because I wonder if people look at me now and think, “There goes one of those priests we saw on the news.” I gotta tell you, it is hard, but I am not going to hide my vocation or my love for Jesus. You know, I did not think this would be my cross, but it is. You don’t get to choose your cross; your cross chooses you.

Boys and girls, people may look at you funny when they see your Trinity uniform or know you go to a Catholic school. Catholics are on everyone’s brains these days, and they don’t think highly of us. That reputation may make you feel like hiding your Trinity identity, or concealing your Catholicism. But don’t run and hide from this challenge. Rather be the next greatest generation and shoulder your cross and stare down this scandal. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the only One who can truly make you happy. If you do that, I promise you that you will start to feel a lot less paranoia, and a little more pride in who you are.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Created Twice

Following through on the inspirations of the Holy Spirit

08/20/2018

Matthew 19:16-22 A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Everyone has had at one time or another bold intentions or big ideas that they sadly never followed through on. Maybe as a child you dreamed of being a scientist who cured cancer, or the first astronaut to walk on Mars, or maybe even thought about being a priest or a nun. But as we grew up and reality reared its ugly head, those daring dreams dissipated. Nolan Bushnell famously observed: “Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.” The years of our youth are exhilarating like a shower, with ideas crowding into our craniums, but adulthood is like stepping out of the shower and drying off and going back to work. Reality rears up.

Stephen Covey insists that “All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.” Then he offers a homely example in the construction of a home. He explains in his gentle soothing style: “You create [a home] in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. You try to get a very clear sense of what kind of house you want…Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. All of this is done before the earth is touched” (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 99). In other words, the blueprint is the first creation and the finished house is the second creation. Both are critical to any successful construction, especially the construction of one’s life, but sadly so many people have brilliant ideas that never materialize because they fail to follow through on them. Perhaps the cure for cancer sits on the scrap heap of first creations because its discoverer got out of the shower, dried off and did nothing about it. It was not “created twice.”

Jesus meets a young man who has a bright idea but fails to follow through on it. Even though the young man does not say so in so many words, Jesus helps him articulate his daring dream, namely, he wishes to be perfect. That desire to be perfect was the young man’s first creation; it was a clear concept in his mind. Then Jesus assumes the role of architect and helps him create a blueprint for perfection, which includes embracing evangelical poverty, so that the young man’s treasure would be in heaven. But that is the point where the young man steps out of the shower and allows reality to ruin his hopes and dreams. “He went away sad, for he had many possessions.” In short, his dream of being perfect, which is another way of saying being conformed completely to Christ in every possible way, was not “created twice.” It remained on the scrap heap of first creations, all those daily discarded blueprints that never built anything. Every idea and intention must be created twice, especially the desire for discipleship.

My friends, have you ever had big and bold spiritual ideas or intentions but struggled to follow through because reality intimidated you? Maybe you thought about going on a mission trip to a foreign country, or even here in the United States, but never signed up. You could have contemplated reading the Bible from cover to cover, but got lost in Leviticus! It could be a plan to pray the rosary daily, or work in the soup kitchen. Perhaps you thought about a liturgical role as lector or Eucharistic minister but chickened out worrying about being in front of people. In other words, the Spirit spoke to you in the shower but you got out, dried off and did nothing about it. The all-important second creation was sort of aborted and never saw the light of day.

Today pray for the grace not to allow reality to ruin the intentions inspired by the Holy Spirit in your heart to be a better disciple. Remember: anything that is not “created twice” is never really created at all; even discipleship must be created twice.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Seven Points of Light

Navigating the clergy sexual abuse crisis with the light of faith

08/19/2018

Ephesians 5:15-20 Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.  And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Every Sunday when we come to Mass we not only want spiritual food to sustain us for the journey (so we will not faint), we also long for the light of faith to guide our footsteps (so we will not fall). And our need for light grows in inverse proportion to the darkness of this dreary world. The darker outside, the more we need light inside. Pope Francis wrote an entire encyclical on the light of faith, called “Lumen fidei.” The pope begins his reflections saying: “In John’s Gospel, Christ says of himself: ‘I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness’ (John 12:46)” (Lumen fidei, 1). The Catholic Church is facing some intensely dark days in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, with recent revelations from a Pennsylvania grand jury. The news has brought the ugly truth to light, but it has plunged many Catholics into the darkness of doubt and discouragement. We need the light of faith to shine now more brightly than ever.

Today’s homily will be a little different than the usual one. Instead of focusing exclusively on a single Scripture, I want to shed the light of faith on the clergy scandal. How should we wrestle with this as a people of faith? In particular I want to offer you seven points of light so that your faith might not be diminished but rather burn more brightly for the whole world to see. There’s no need to enumerate the details of the abuse scandal because the news coverage has been ubiquitous and unrelenting. Besides, it makes me physically sick to think about it; therefore, let’s focus on the light, not the darkness.

The first point of light is to face our feelings and validate them. We will never get to deeper faith without first facing our feelings, no matter how raw. It’s okay to feel angry, to express frustration, to be sad or even cry. We may pound our fist in rage, or want to blame someone, or demand justice and punishment for the perpetrators. Or, we may just feel numb, and nothing at all. I urge you to talk to a trusted friend or even a counselor to get your feelings out on the table, verbalize them and don’t keep them inside and allow them to fester like a wound turning gangrene. These feelings are natural because the Church as a community is grieving a loss; Catholics have lost implicit trust in church authority. From now on the laity and the clergy will relate to each other on new and different terms, and they will be better terms. Trust will have to be earned instead of expected. And that is a point of light.

The second point of light is our love for the Church, and a desire to defend her. Too often we conflate and confuse priests and the Church, as if they were interchangeable. But the Church is much larger than the clergy alone. There was a tendency in the past to put priests on a pedestal and see them as super-Catholics, while lay people were sort of second-class Catholics. But that is an unhealthy perspective and even an erroneous one. What makes someone a first-class Catholic in the Church is baptism; priesthood is a ministry of service to the whole Church. Priests are supposed to serve the laity; not the other way around. Simply being ordained a priest does not make a man more holy and the recent scandals have made that abundantly and embarrassingly obvious. But we do love and defend the Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ, for she is bigger and more beautiful than the clergy alone. You can still love Christ’s Church, and defend her, even if you are no longer enamored of Christ’s clergy, or feel you can defend them. And that is a point of light.

The third point of light is that every priest’s vocation is rooted in an irrevocable call from Christ. And Jesus does not make mistakes. Bishop Taylor points out in his pastoral letter that Jesus called Judas as one of the twelve apostles, even though Judas turned traitor. The failure of an apostle (or bishop) should not make us question or doubt the wisdom and love of the Lord who called him. Don’t misunderstand: Christ’s call grants no one blanket permission to practice ministry, and accused and convicted clergy should be removed immediately from active ministry. Nevertheless, it is going too far to say a particular priest should never have been called or that his ministry was absolutely fruitless. An ancient Latin maxim protects the people of God and ensures they receive the sacraments even at the hands of unworthy apostles, ex opere operato. That literally means “from the work worked,” put differently, the efficacy of the sacraments - their ability to give you grace - does not depend on the holiness of the priest, but rests entirely on the holiness of Christ. The Good Shepherd never ceases to feed, protect and enlighten his sheep. And that is a point of light.

The fourth point of light is that history is on the side of the Catholic Church. Jesus promised in Mt. 16:18 that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church. And they have not. And they will not. When we focus too narrowly on the sex abuse scandal alone – forgetting the past two thousand years – we may think this is the end and we will never recover from this. And to be sure, this scandal is horrible! But that attitude would make us guilty of a sort of prejudice of the present. To think that no other time has been as good as the present, or to conclude that no other period has been as bad as the present is chronological snobbery. The truth is we are on a continuum of time, and God holds all time – past, present and future – in his loving hand. God has seen this scandal coming and he has also seen to its solution. The Church will survive long after this scandal has subsided. Jesus said so. And that is a point of light.

The fifth point of light is one of my absolute favorite Scripture passages, Romans 5:20. St. Paul – who caused plenty of scandal himself – said, “Where sin abounds there grace abounds all the more.” Have you experienced this? I have. When I commit some serious sin, I feel horrible. But when I go to confession, I feel twice as good! Salvation is always bigger than sin. In other words, sin and scandal, evil and error will never be the last words. Rather, love and mercy, justice and peace will be the last words, and they will be the loudest and loveliest words. Grace will always out-smart sin. And that is a point of light.

The sixth point of light is to ask what we can do to respond to this scandal. Today’s second reading gives a great answer: “Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil.” You cannot control what priests and bishops do, but you can control what you do. And you can try to be a saint every day. More saints is what the Church needs in 2018 and what she needs in every age. Scott Hahn wrote: “The crisis of the Church is not reducible to the lack of good catechists, liturgies, theologians and so forth. It’s a crisis of saints…So, with Pope John Paul II, I urge you, ‘Make yourselves saints, and do so quickly’” (A Father Who Keeps His Promises, 262). And a saint is a point of light.

And the seventh point of light is Randy Travis’ song simply called “Point of Light.” One verse is especially apropos to this scandal: “There is a darkness that everyone must face, / It wants to take what’s good and fair, / And lay it all to waste. / And that darkness / Covers everything in sight / Until it meets a single point of light.” That single point of light is ultimately Jesus Christ, and all the other points of light converge back into Christ, and find in him their source and summit. If you walk by the light of faith in the Savior, you will not stumble in the darkness in this scandal.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

First Paradigm

Seeing our human family of origin rooted in God’s Family

08/18/2018

Matthew 19:13-15 Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

The family we come from determines to a significant extend the struggles and success we will face in life. This is called one’s family of origin. For example, a well-trained school teacher can tell in ten minutes what kind of a family a certain student comes from based on their behavior in class. A student’s academic performance closely correlates to his or her parents’ involvement and encouragement, their home life. As I drive around Fort Smith and see people holding signs saying they will work for food or accept any charity, I wonder why I did not end up on a street corner but rather the pastor of the greatest parish in the world? It doesn’t take me long to realize I was very blessed in my family of origin: the love that surrounded me at home with my parents and siblings. You may have your personal opinions about the politics of the separation of children from parents at the southern U.S. border, but I can’t help but wonder what traumas take place when a child’s family of origin is torn apart. In other words, how a person perceives the world, and their place in that world, is shaped significantly by values taught in their family of origin. Our parents provide our first paradigm, our world-view, and in a sense, we never stop operating out of it.

Today’s gospel pericope shows Jesus scolding the disciples for preventing the little children from coming to Christ. Our Lord loves the little children, he embraces them, and he blesses them. But if we step back from these verses and glance at chapter 19 as a whole, we see Matthew touching the topic of the family of origin. There are three sections of the chapter: the first on marriage and divorce, the second (today’s gospel) on children coming to Christ, and the third part on the rich young man. The particular problem for the rich young man is not his wealth, but that he came from a family of origin that taught him money was everything, so he couldn’t relinquish it to follow Jesus. It was due to his family of origin that he went away sad.

Today’s gospel holds a warning to all ministers of grace not to prevent children from knowing and loving Christ. I am disheartened and dismayed by the recent revelations of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania that’s all over the news. Modern day disciples are preventing children from coming closer to Christ in the most reprehensible ways, and thereby shattering there spiritual family of origin, the Church. St. Matthew states in the strongest possible terms in chapter 19 that our family of origin provides our first paradigm telling us what life is all about, and it is a paradigm that perdures.

If you want to learn more about the remarkable role of our family of origin in our lives, I highly recommend Pope Francis’ document called “Amoris laetitia” or “Joy of Love.” The pope is not only pastorally astute, he is also psychologically insightful. He argues how attacks on the family of origin have ripple effects reaching far and wide: damaging marriages, impairing infants’ development, distracting young people’s discernment of a vocation, and even tugging at the social fabric, all the way to the hem of history.

But perhaps the most compelling reason to protect the family of origin rests in its relation to the Family of God, the Holy Trinity. When we weaken our family of origin, we cut our ties to where all family life originates, namely, in the triune Family of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Father explains: [A] couples’ fruitful relationship becomes an image of understanding and describing the mystery of God himself, for in the Christian vision of the Trinity, God is contemplated as Father, Son and Spirit of love. The triune God is a communion of love, and the family is its living reflection” (Amoris laetitia, 11). In other words, if you damage the family of origin, you derail our most direct way to know and love God, and experience his love for us.

Today, ask God, the origin of all family life, to heal all hurts in your own family of origin. Sadly, those wounds are many and multiform. May God’s grace restore to resplendent beauty our first paradigm, so that we may find our home in heaven, and sit at the table of the Trinity, our last paradigm.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Job of Marriage

Learning the lessons of love in Christian marriage

08/17/2018

Matthew 19:3-12 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?" He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate." They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." His disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." He answered, "Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

Being Catholic is certainly not the “easy way” of being a Christian; it’s hard to be a Catholic. And the reason it’s hard is because we have some tough teachings. Catholics are not supposed to use contraception. Pope Francis recently said the death penalty is “unacceptable in all circumstances.” Catholics must be concerned for the immigrant and welcome refugees. We honor and venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary. We believe the pope is infallible. The Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus. Oh, and did I mention that priests cannot get married? Sometimes so-called cradle Catholics take these tough teachings for granted – or we blithely ignore them – but every year in RCIA I discover their difficulty as new Catholics try to understand and embrace them.

But I believe the toughest of all teachings is on marriage. Catholics believe that you should be married to only one person until death do you part, until you are proverbially six feet under pushing up daisies. And if you don’t believe me, just as the sixty percent of people who divorce if marriage is not daunting and difficult. Part of what makes marriage so challenging is that the joy of marriage can make you overlook the job of marriage. Marriage was intended for your happiness but also for your holiness, to make you more like Jesus Christ. And what precisely is the job of marriage? The ultimate task of a husband or wife is to get their spouse to heaven. And the only way to enter the gates of heaven is if you have learned to love like Jesus, so eventually you can love Jesus himself. In other words, marriage was made to teach us not only how to love our spouse, but in the end to love Jesus.

Marriage expands our hearts – and our patience and humility and compassion – until our heart is as big as Jesus’ heart. You might say every earthly marriage is merely preparation for our heavenly marriage to Christ. The whole story of Sacred Scripture starts with a marriage – Adam and Eve in Genesis – and ends with a marriage – the Bride and the Lamb in Revelation: an earthly marriage ends in a heavenly marriage. And all the failures and faux pas along the way are all a lack of love. The whole point of the Bible, and the whole point of Christian marriage, is a pedagogy in love, otherwise we will feel like strangers in heaven, like we do not belong. That is the job of marriage you sign up for when you stand at the altar and say “I do.” Don’t let the joy cause you to forget the job.

This may shed some light on our Lord’s uncompromising words about marriage in Matthew 19. The Pharisees ask Jesus why Moses allowed divorce. And Jesus answers: “Because of the hardness of your heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” Notice how Jesus reaches all the way back to the beginning of the Bible to explain the purpose of marriage: it is a pedagogy, an education, in love, so that we can love like Jesus, so that one day in heaven we can love Jesus himself. Our earthly marriage to Joe Shmoe or to Susie Q is intended to prepare us for the heavenly marriage to Jesus Christ.

This is how I understand my grueling work in the marriage tribunal with annulment ministry. The agonizing annulment process causes a lot of people to leave the Catholic Church because marriage is hard. But I try to gently remind them that maybe the joy of marriage made them momentarily lose sight of the job of marriage. On your wedding day you signed up for the hardest job in the world: trying to get your spouse to heaven, and in the bargain get yourself to heaven. In a sense, marriage is “Catholic cardiology” – heart surgery – so that our hearts are as big and beautiful as Jesus’ heart, or at least so they won’t be hard hearts like in the gospel.

Here’s another way to look at love in marriage. You know there are seven sacraments. But did you know they are traditionally divided into three categories or buckets? First the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation and Communion. Second, the sacraments of healing – confession and anointing of the sick. And third, the sacraments of holy orders and marriage. When you marry someone you sign up for a service to your spouse and to the greater community. It is the service – the job – to get your spouse to heaven. In that sense, both priesthood and marriage provide the same service: getting people to heaven. But the only way to get into heaven is with a heart that loves like Jesus, not a hard heart.

The toughest teaching of Catholicism is contained in Matthew 19: monogamous, life-long marriage. And it’s tough precisely because even if you lose the joy, that does not mean you have lost your job.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Beauty Queens

Learning the meaning of beauty from Mother Mary

08/15/2018

Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

 The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.

 R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

 Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,

 forget your people and your father's house.

 R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

 So shall the king desire your beauty;

 for he is your lord.

 R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

 They are borne in with gladness and joy;

 they enter the palace of the king.

 R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Let me share with you the story of two stunningly beautiful women, but who have one decisive difference. One knows she’s gorgeous but the other does not. The humble woman’s praises are sung by Sammy Kershaw in his hit song, “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.” Here are a few lines: “We go out to a party somewhere / The moment we walk in the door / People stop and everybody stares / She don’t know what they’re staring for.” You might remember the refrain: “She don’t know she’s beautiful (never crossed her mind) / She don’t know she’s beautiful (no she’s not that kind) / She don’t know she’s beautiful / Though time and time I’ve told her so.” The beauty of a humble woman is not skin-deep but sinks deep into her soul and from there radiates out to the world. Her beauty is spiritual as well was physical.

The second woman could also be a supermodel, but unfortunately, she’s fully aware of it, and even needs others to know it, too. We find this femme fatale in the story of Snow White, personified in the Evil Queen. Every morning she inquires of the Magic Mirror, who by the way cannot tell a lie, “Magic Mirror in my hand, who’s the fairest in the land?” Undoubtedly the Evil Queen is ravishingly beautiful and the Magic Mirror must admit it. But not only is the Evil Queen vain, she’s also jealous and will kill the competition. When the Magic Mirror later answers that Snow White is the fairest in the land, the Evil Queen becomes bent on her destruction. In other words, such beauty does not stay simply skin-deep but devolves and deteriorates into a disguise for evil. Imagine a wolf in sheep’s clothing; or as Sarah Palin put it more colorfully: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” That is where the shallow beauty of the Evil Queen eventually ends: as lipstick on a pig.

The Scriptures today speak about the first kind of beauty queen, the Queen Mother, Mary. All the passages of our Scriptures are closely related and well worth our careful study, but let me just say a word on Psalm 45, a coronation psalm. We repeatedly said: “The queen stands at your right hand arrayed in gold.” Before we can determine who the queen is, though, we must ask: who is the king in question? Scripture scholars overwhelmingly agree that Psalm 45 is a prophesy about the Messiah, the future Davidic king of Israel, namely, Jesus. If Jesus is the king, who then is the queen? In this case it would not be the king’s wife, but rather the king’s mother, the queen-mother, an ancient institution called the “gebhirah.” Think about it: in a culture where you had polygamy, more than one wife, it’s a lot safer to seat the king’s mother next to him than choose one of the wives. The one who “sits are the right of the king arrayed in gold” is the queen-mother.

Now, fast forward to Jesus and the episode in Mark 10 when James and John ask ambitiously to sit on the Lord’s left and on his right. (They sounded suspiciously like the Evil Queen: vain and competitive.) Our Lord explained to the Sons of Thunder: “to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And we might wonder for whom specifically has it been prepared? From the time of King Solomon and his Queen-Mother, Bathsheba, the seat on the king’s right was reserved for the gebhirah, the queen mother, and in the case of Christ, that seat was made for Mary. And what distinguishes Queen-Mother Mary from all the other women (and men and even apostles) in the world? Simple: her humility. Every Christian could sing like Sammy Kershaw: “She don’t know she’s beautiful, though time and time I’ve told her so.” Indeed, “all generations will call Mary blessed,” but “a girl like her she just can’t see / What the fuss is all about.”  Mary’s sublime beauty is surpassed only by her genuine humility. Humility is the heart of her beauty.

My friends, the annual feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven is all about a beauty queen, but it also holds a hidden lesson on humility for each of us. That is, real beauty – beauty applauded also by the angels – is never merely skin-deep (like the egotistical Evil Queen), but goes to the depths of a heart that is humble (like the sincerity and simplicity of Snow White). If we hope to be loyal subjects of the gebhirah, our Queen Mother Mary, humility must be the cornerstone of our holiness. We have to stop staring in the magic mirror and asking who’s the fairest in the land. Only those who are oblivious to their own beauty can become eternally beautiful.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Book Victim

Reading the Good Book and sharing what we read

08/14/2018

Ezekiel 2:8—3:4 The Lord GOD said to me: As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you: be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you. It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was:  Lamentation and wailing and woe! He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.

Several years ago I had the privilege and pleasure to talk to one of my favorite professors from the University of Dallas, where I studied philosophy, Dr. Janet Smith. She is a widely respected expert on moral theology, particularly on the touchy of topic of contraception and the papal teaching contained in Humanae vitae, by Pope Paul VI. In our brief conversation I remarked how much I enjoyed reading her popular book called Humanae vitae: A Generation Later, and she said something I will never forget. She smiled self-effacingly and said: “We are all victims of the last book we read.” That is so true! How many times have you read an especially engaging book or author and run out to tell your friends, or bought the book for Christmas presents? And then you read another compelling book and did that again. You were the victim of the last book you read.

Perhaps the classic example of being the victim of a book was St. Augustine, in his Confessions, a book which has claimed a lot of victims, too! The Confessions is the most widely read book in history, second only to the Bible itself. For 33 years, St. Augustine led a life of debauchery and deviancy, but all that changed when he read a certain book. We read in Confessions, Books VIII, Augustine says: “And look! – from the house next door I hear a voice – I don’t know whether it is a boy or a girl – singing some words over and over: ‘Pick it up and read it, pick, it up and read it’.” In the original Latin Augustine wrote: “Tolle et lege, tolle et lege.” St. Augustine read Romans 13:13-14, where St. Paul advised: “Not in partying and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and shamelessness, not in fighting and jealousy, but clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh concerning its physical desires.” And from that point on Augustine was a changed man because he became the victim of the last book he read, the Bible. By the way, that’s the best kind of book victim you can be.

We hear the story of another victim of a book in the second chapter of Ezekiel. The great prophet has a vision and says: “It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was written a scroll which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was: ‘Lamentation and wailing and woe!” And what was Ezekiel supposed to do after eating this book/scroll? God commands him: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.” In other words, like Dr. Janet Smith had predicted: “Ezekiel too would be the victim of the last book he read and tell others all about it. It is always best to be a book victim of the Bible because there you read the words of God translated into the words of men.

Even a moment’s reflection will reveal that we, too, are always victims of the last book we read. So may I suggest to you that the Bible should be the book you read frequently and faithfully? We are so blessed with numerous Bible study opportunities here at Immaculate Conception, and you should plug yourself into one of those. Obey the words of that small child in the garden who whispered to Augustine: “Tolle et lege, tolle et lege,” take and read, take and read. I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if the great atheistic thinkers of the past – Fredrick Neitzsche, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, and more recently, Stephen Hawking (who died this year) – had seriously studied the Bible. Perhaps now in the light of eternity they, too, wish that they would have “tolle et lege,” and instead of writing books excoriating religion would rather have extolled it. St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite mystic as he lay dying in his monastic cell asked his friar brothers to read to him the Song of Songs, the Old Testament erotic love poetry between God and humanity. He wanted to die hearing the words of Sacred Scripture, God’s loving words, and thereby literally be the victim of the last book he read.

What are you reading these days? Whose words and wisdom is shaping your mind and heart, and guiding your actions and attitudes? Make no mistake about it: you will be the victim of the last book you read. Make it a good book; maybe even The Good Book.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Trash and Taxes

Suffering with death and taxes because of our sins

08/13/2018

Matthew 17:22-27 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes," he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up.  Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."

Benjamin Franklin famously made a remark about death and taxes in a letter to a friend dated 1789. Poor Richard wrote: “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency, but in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Franklin was suggesting that death and taxes were not only “certain” but also in a sense necessary evils, that is, if possible it would be wonderful if we could avoid them but we can’t. But death became necessary due to the original sin of our first parents. If they hadn’t sinned, we would not have had to die. In Romans 5:12 St. Paul makes this connection between sin and death explicit, saying: “Therefore, just as through one person (Adam) sin entered the world and through sin, death, and thus death came to all.” We sinners cannot avoid death.

But taxes are also necessary evils because taxes provide for the good of the community. Sadly, human beings tend to take care of themselves rather than think of their neighbors, so we have to be coerced into caring for the community by paying taxes. It would be so nice if people didn’t throw trash out their car windows on the highway, but they do. People don’t naturally do what we are supposed to do – we are weak and sinful – so we have necessary evils like death and taxes to make us do what we should. Death and taxes are certain because sin and selfishness is certain.

If there was one person in the history of humanity who could contradict Benjamin Franklin’s statement, it would be Jesus Christ. Why? Well because Jesus is the only sinless One, and therefore, he is not subject to death or taxes. Jesus did not need to die, and Jesus did not need to pay taxes because of the simple fact that he committed no sins. He was not subject to the original death penalty imposed on Adam and Eve, and Jesus would not throw trash out his car window onto the highway. But because he made himself a human being, he willingly, voluntarily, without coercion or compulsion, made himself subject to both death and taxes: not because he had to because he wanted to out of love. So when asked about paying taxes in the gospel today, Jesus instructs Peter: “That we may not offend…go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up.  Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” In other words, even though Jesus could claim an exemption from paying the tax, he does not insist on his divine prerogatives. Moved by humility and love, the two things (death and taxes) that were not certain for him, because he had not sinned, became certain for him because of his love.

Let me invite you to be careful about claiming a Christian exemption to the necessary evils of the world, like death and taxes. What do I mean? Well, avoid treating death too lightly because we know that for a believer a brighter and better future lies in store. But death is devastating and we should mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep. Remember how Jesus wept when Lazarus died? We can’t say: “I am a Christian and I am exempt from the devastation and depression of death.” Rather, humility and love move me to sympathize with those who suffer such a loss. You may know churches in the United States enjoy a non-profit status that exempts us from paying income taxes. But I sometimes wonder if trying to preserve that exemption ties our hands and zips our lips when we should speak out on issues affecting our community and our country. Maybe it would be wiser to pay the tax and proclaim the gospel “in season and out of season,” when convenient and inconvenient. Did you know we pay a sort of tax to operate the offices of the diocese called a cathedraticum? That comes from the word “cathedra,” or chair of the bishop. The bishop’s chair or cathedra is the seat of his authority to teach but also to tax. And we should pay that cathedraticum not because of coercion or compulsion but out of love and humility.

Old Benjamin Franklin was right that nothing is as certain as death and taxes. But they are only certain because we sin and do not behave as we should. Since Christians live in this world and we are still sinners, we too are subject to both death and taxes. Only in heaven will we finally be free of these two necessary evils when we will not need their help to be holy.

Praised be Jesus Christ!