Why Coronavirus Came

Seeing our sins as the cause of suffering

03/17/2020

Daniel 3:25, 34-43 Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud: “For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, To whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea. For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins. We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

As soon as a child begins to wonder about the world, he or she inevitably utters the question, “Why?” There is probably not a single human being on earth today who has not uttered that same question in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Why has this coronavirus reached pandemic proportions? The question “How?” can be answered by scientists and doctors; but the question “Why?” can only be answered by philosophers and theologians.

Close on the heels of the question “Why?” comes the correlative question “Who’s to blame for this mess?” Some people are quick to blame the Chinese or at least their government. Others want to blame the president and what he did or did not do. Others may even blame millennials who do not want to stay indoors but keep congregating in bars and restaurants. And still many people of faith place the blame at the feet of the devil. We feel that if we find a scapegoat for our sufferings, we will somehow discover some peace, or at least a little perspective for why our world has turned upside down.

The first reading for today’s Mass is taken from Daniel 3, the famous scene of the three young Hebrews in the fiery furnace in Babylon. This passage is only a portion of the longer prayer that Azariah – whose Hebrew name was originally Abednego before it was changed by the royal official (Dan. 1:7) – offered in the midst of the flames. Undoubtedly, Azariah and his companions also pondered and wondered “Why?” They, too, had plenty of people they could blame for their miseries: the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, the corrupt Jewish leaders who allowed the people to be led into exile, or even the prophets who were more worried about personal profits rather than precise prophecies. And let’s not forget to blame the devil.

But who did Azariah see as the scapegoat who really was responsible: the Jewish people themselves. We read in Daniel 3:37: “For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins.” Did you catch that last line – “because of our sins”? In other words, even though all these other forces in the world – Nebuchadnezzar, Jewish leaders, the poor prophets, even the devil – were the instruments of their woes (the how?), the ultimate cause of their crisis was their own sins (the why?). At the root of all sin is a refusal to trust God as a loving Father, and instead we put our faith in other things, in other persons, or even in ourselves. At the end of the day, the Babylonian Exile was caused by personal sin, and that is likewise the cause of all human misery.

Perhaps we can perceive the hand of Providence in the fact that this crisis has reached a pandemic point during the holy season of Lent. Every Lent the Church invites us to make a moral inventory, acknowledge our sins, and do penance. Put differently, Lent is a time to stop casting blame and aspersions on others for our problems – this year we can add the coronavirus to our list of woes – and accept personal responsibility. Again the underlying question every Lent is not “How do we have so many problems and pains?” That is a question for doctors and scientists to answer; the question of “instrumental causality.” Rather, Lent, like the fiery furnace of Babylon, invites us to answer the burning question, “Why has this crisis happened?” That is a question for philosophers and theologians; the question of “efficient causality.” Azariah was one of those ancient theologians and, knowing well the answer to why there’s human misery, he prayed: “We have been brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins.” At root, personal sin is the ultimate cause of the coronavirus.

My friends, the Lent of 2020 will be a Lent we will never forget. And that is a good thing. Why? Our Lord is teaching us that the ultimate answer to the ultimate question “Why?” – especially when we struggle to make sense of suffering – is our own sins. Sin is the cause of suffering. That is a question and an answer we should never forget.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

COVID Contemplation

Discovering the value of silence and solitude in this crisis

03/18/2020

Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24A Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

Do you know what the whole world has suddenly transformed into? A huge Carmelite monastery! These “extraordinary times” you and I are experiencing are but the very “ordinary times” of a Carmelite friar or nun in their cloister. Like consecrated Carmelites, we unconsecrated Christians try to limit social interaction to spend time in our hermitages at home, so-called social distancing. We are increasingly being asked to avoid the public square, such as restaurants and bars, malls and movie theaters, and even our spiritual public squares called churches. You don’t see Carmelites hanging out at Corky’s BBQ. Social distancing may be “new” to many of us, but it has been very “old” to the great Carmelite contemplatives of the past and present, like the prophet Elijah, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (better known as Edith Stein).

For the Carmelite saints, social distancing was not intended to avoid a COVID-19 infection; quite the contrary, it was in order to be infected by the love of Christ. Increasingly, the Carmelites retreated toward “nothing” in order to gain “everything,” namely, Jesus. This Carmelite way of holiness reached one of its highest and most sublime expressions in the poetry of St. John of the Cross. In the Ascent of Mt. Carmel, we read: “To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing.” This poem encapsulated John’s famous spirituality called “the nada doctrine.” “Nada” is Spanish for “nothing.” The sooner the saints embraced nothing, the faster they felt they could embrace everything, that is, Jesus. Empty arms give the best hugs.

March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary, the Foster-Father of Jesus. I believe St. Joseph embodies many of the spiritual characteristics of the Carmelites, without officially being one. Above all, he is silent. Not once do the sacred scriptures record St. Joseph opening his mouth to speak. Joseph beholds, he listens, and he obeys, without a word. Mark Gungor, a comedian, once said all men have a “nothing box” where we retreat and think about nothing, and feel undisturbed by the world. The nothing box is a man’s happy place.

It might be said that the nothing box was St. Joseph’s favorite box in his brain, a sort of cerebral Carmelite cloister, from where he quietly contemplated the Christ-Child and his marvelous Mother, and the rest of the world. But it should also be added that Joseph did not flee to his nothing box, his nada box, to escape from the worries of the world. Rather from that strategic vantage, almost like a pillbox on the front lines of a war, he engaged the enemy more fully and fiercely by obeying God’s will more unreservedly. Like a true Carmelite, Joseph did not ultimately seek “nothing,” but rather everything. That everything we Christians call “Jesus Christ.”

My friends, what lessons are you learning during this recess from life, an opportune moment for retreat and reflection? Certainly there are lots of lessons to be learned in terms of healthy habits and communal coexistence. Facebook is full of them, and they are indeed valuable. Have we, however, also culled any specifically Christian and spiritual lessons from this crisis? One such spiritual lesson may be the inestimable value of silence, and its necessary correlative solitude, or as we say today, social distancing.

I mentioned to Fr. Martin, our associate here at I.C., that our brother priests were live-streaming daily Masses on social media. He dismissively waved his hand and said, “Yeah, that’s enough.” He was half joking. But he was also half serious. Chaucer reminded us: “Be n't angry with this fellow, I protest / That many a true word hath been spoke in jest.” Of course, harnessing the power of technology to spread the gospel is good and necessary. In fact, we will live-stream our Sunday Masses here at I.C. each weekend. Have we, however, unintentionally perhaps, merely replaced our everyday busy lives on the street with another equally busy life on social media?

Maybe St. Joseph today can suggest another path, that is, the way of quiet contemplation. Indeed, this silent saint invites us to spend time in our nothing box, and experience more fully the nada doctrine of the great Carmelite contemplatives, who assured us: “To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing.” Put in layman's terms, empty arms give the best hugs.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

This Long Lent

Deepening Eucharistic faith during the corona crisis

03/15/2020

John 4:5-15, 19b-26 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Last week I started reading a new book by Brant Petri called Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. The Introduction recounts the story of Brant and his fiancée, Elizabeth, visiting her Protestant pastor, whose permission they needed to get married in her church. They thought it would be a polite ten-minute exchange of pleasantries, but it turned out to be a three-hour inquisition of Brant’s boyhood Catholic beliefs. At the height of the examination, the minister asked menacingly: “And what about the Lord’s Supper? How can you Catholics teach that bread and wine actually become Jesus’ body and blood? It’s ridiculous!” The pastor persisted: “Don’t you understand that if the Lord’s Supper were really Jesus’ body and blood, then you would be eating Jesus. That’s cannibalism!” He finally concluded: “Don’t you realize that if you were really able to eat Jesus, you would become Jesus? Do you really believe that?” Ironically, the pastor’s protests demonstrated he understood Eucharistic theology far better than most Catholics do!

All Brant could blurt out was “Of course I believe that. The Eucharist it the most important thing in my life.” By the way, he said that with his fiancée sitting right next to him. Brant Petri was caught off guard that day, and felt completely unprepared for that confrontational conversation. But that was not all bad. Why? He explains a little later: “It was a major turning point for me…In effect, my exchange with that pastor poured gasoline on the fire of my interest in Scripture.” Brant would actually change majors in college from English literature to religious studies and eventually earn a Ph.D. in the New Testament from Notre Dame. In other words, adverse conditions can have astonishing consequences, especially when it comes to growth in faith.

In the fourth chapter of John a Samaritan woman also experiences a major turning point when she is outmatched in her conversation with Christ. But that was not all bad either. Jesus tries to deepen the woman’s faith by challenging her religious assumptions, and even pointing out her failed love-life with five husbands. She learns she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places; looking for love in too many face. She finally discovers that only Jesus can quench her thirst for love. Her controversial conversation with Christ had poured gasoline on the fire of her faith.

My friends, the whole world is experiencing very adverse conditions these days due to the coronavirus. Even Catholics are about to feel a major disruption in our sacramental life. In the bulletin this weekend I have published the changes Bishop Taylor has mandated for our diocese, and consequent changes for our parish. Please take it home and read it. The biggest change will be no more Sunday Masses until the end of April. That period of time includes Palm Sunday and even the glorious feast of Easter. Think about it: this weekend will be the last public Mass here at Immaculate Conception for a month and a half. Since this is the last homily you’ll have to hear in a long time, I’m going to make it really long!

Like for Brant Petri and for the woman at the well, though, I would suggest to you that this time of adversity is not all bad for us either. How so? Well, we read in James 1:3, “For you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Being tested in faith is a good thing. Or, as Brant Petri discovered, adversity can “pour gasoline on the fire of our faith” so that it blazes out of control. May I offer three things you can do during this long Lent without the Lord in the Eucharist? Perhaps these adverse conditions will produce astonishing consequences of growth in our faith.

First of all, pray together as a family at home every night, but especially on Sunday. That is, make your home into a “domestic church.” When I visit my parents in Little Rock, every evening around 6 p.m. my mother lights two candles on the mantle above their fireplace. On the fireplace stand statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and various other saints they love. It’s their home altar, at the center of their house and their hearts, where my dad serves as the high priest and my mom is the mother superior. I’ll give you one guess who is in charge of that domestic church! My father never tires of telling us: “The family that prays together, stays together.” Even if your family cannot pray together here at church, at least pray together at home, and stay together.

Secondly, Sunday mornings you could watch Mass on television and make a “spiritual communion.” Have you ever heard of that ancient practice? St. Teresa of Avila described the value of a spiritual communion saying: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed upon you.” That is, when the people on television receive Communion, close your eyes, and ask Jesus to come into your heart spiritually, even if he cannot sacramentally. Ask Jesus to help you love him like he taught the woman at the well to thirst for his love. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and makes faith firmer.

And thirdly, spend some time in serious study about the Eucharist. And I urge you to do your spiritual reading in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle here in the church. Archbishop Fulton Sheen spent a “holy hour” every day of his priesthood in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He wrote: “The Holy Hour…kept my feet from wandering too far (that is, it kept him from leaving the priesthood). Being tethered to a tabernacle, one’s rope for finding other pastures is not so long…I had the sensation of being at least like a dog at the master’s door, ready in case he called me.” For the next month and a half every Catholic should feel “tethered to the tabernacle.” Come sit in this silent church, read, pray and wait. And maybe once in a while, God will yank your chain.

Folks, how do you feel about this month or more without Mass? Some may feel like rejoicing, “Yay! We get a vacation from our vocation!” Some priests may feel that way, too. But is that how we should feel? No. We should feel more like Brant Petri who said: “The Eucharist is the most important thing in my life.” And we should feel that way no matter who we’re sitting next to.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Marrying a Lemon

Understanding our marriage covenant with God

03/10/2020

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

Once a month I travel to Little Rock to work in the marriage tribunal and handle annulments. As you know, someone who’s divorced can only remarry in the Catholic Church if they obtain an annulment for the first marriage. It is the hardest ministry I have because the situations are always sad and sometimes even tragic. But I call annulment ministry “making lemonade.” When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade! Some people feel like they married a lemon. I try to see annulment ministry as an opportunity to heal broken hearts and mend torn lives so that people can love again, and enjoy a successful second marriage. Like all other ministries and apostolates of the Church, the tribunal’s task is helping people heal and ultimately helping people find happiness.

People are often surprised that the annulment process is a very legal procedure. For example, there is a judge, or sometimes three judges, and witnesses are called upon to testify, and a final verdict or binding sentence is published settling the dispute between two parties. It may seem strange to deal with marriage and divorce as a legal lawsuit, but it shouldn’t be. The bible often depicts the disputes between God and Israel in terms of a “covenant lawsuit,” or in Hebrew a “riv.” In other words, God takes Israel to court and sues them, not for a breach of a mere contract, but the far more egregious breach of a marital covenant.

What is the difference between a contract and a covenant? It is as dramatic as the difference between prostitution and marriage. A contract concerns the exchange of goods and services; a covenant deal with an exchange of persons. A covenant is like a marriage because the parties declare: “I give you myself, and you give my yourself.” God takes Israel to court in a covenant lawsuit because he feels he has married a lemon.

Today’s first reading, from the opening chapter of Isaiah, invokes the language of a covenant lawsuit. We read: “Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah!” In other words, God is comparing the infidelity of Israel to the wicked sins of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, which was destroyed by fire falling from heaven. The legal language continues a little later where Isaiah says: “Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.” That is, God does not want an annulment for his marriage covenant with Israel, but he does want their wrongs redressed. He wants Israel to repent and return to being faithful to their marriage with Yahweh.

Incidentally, do you know what my particular part is in the annulment process? I am known as the “defensor vinculi” or “the defender of the bond.” My job, therefore, is to speak on behalf of the marriage itself, and marshal all the reasons why an annulment should not be granted, and the marriage preserved. Now, some people see me as the devil’s advocate, but in reality I am the Lord’s advocate. How so? Well, that is the role of Jesus in our marriage covenant with God. Our Lord suffered and shed his Blood on the Cross to defend the bond of our marriage with God. When we have breached the terms of the covenant, when our sins are scarlet and crimson red, his Blood makes them white as wool or snow. Jesus’ job is to keep us from getting a divorce from God. In this context we can see how what sounded like legalese turns into the language of love, and that is the whole point of annulment ministry.

May I add one further point? Every time we go to confession, we conduct a sort of covenant lawsuit against ourselves. How so? Well, we sort of take ourselves to court, where we are our own judge, jury and executioner. But in confession we will meet again that great and immortal Defensor Vinculi, the eternal Defender of the Bond, whose crimson Blood will turn our sins white as snow. And there in confession we will feel again how what sounded like legalese becomes the beautiful language of love.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Reading, Writing and Religion

Appreciating our Catholic school education

03/08/2020

Matthew 17:1-9 Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

I read in the newspaper last week that Pope Francis received a phone call from heaven. Did you hear that? God called up the Pope and said, "I've got some good news, and some bad news." The pope asked: “Okay, what’s the good news?” God answered, "I've decided that there should be only one church, and one religion. No more confusion." The Pope said, "That's wonderful news." God continued: "But the bad news is: I'm calling from Salt Lake City." Well, that would be good news for the Mormons! Still, wouldn’t it be “good news” indeed if God decided to have only one church and somehow eliminate all the others? And that one church being the Catholic Church, of course.

The reality, however, is that we live in a world – and it’s especially true in this country – where there is not just a plurality of religions, but a veritable smorgasbord of spiritualities that you can select from. As a result what happens, more and more young people are turning away from the Church, and turning to atheism or agnosticism for guidance in this life and in the next. Some folks are sick of dueling denominations, so they prefer to attend non-denominational churches. You see them all over Fort Smith. Islam is on the rise, even in America. In 2015, the Pew Research Center predicted that by the end of the century (by the year 2,100) Muslims would outnumber Christians in the world. Even by the year 2050 (only 30 years away), both Christianity and Islam would claim about 30% of the world’s population as their practioners, each with about 2.9 billion faithful. I would be willing to bet every family here today either has a family member or close friend who grew up Catholic but has since left the Church.

It is in this context of competing religions that I want to talk about the value of education in a Catholic school, and attending Trinity Junior High and Immaculate Conception School. I am convinced the greatest value we possess is religious education, also called “faith formation.” Roman Catholicism is actually a “subject” we study five days a week in Catholic schools, along with the so-called “three R’s” of reading, writing and arithmetic. In other words, Catholic schools present religion as a “truth” that the mind can know, just like math and microbiology, science and social studies are true. But religion is even truer than other subjects. How so?

Well, people of faith know that religion really is not a “what” but a “Who,” not a “something” but a “Someone,” not an “object” to observe with our eyes but a “Subject” to whom we surrender our souls. Ultimately, at the root of our religion lies a relationship – indeed, the greatest love story ever told! – that we pray penetrates deep into every student’s heart and transforms their lives. That relationship with the Lord should be more real than any other subject they study.

Today’s gospel presents the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Tabor before the amazed eyes of Peter, James and John. Every Catholic school teacher’s ultimate goal is to present the Transfigured Christ before the eyes of his or her students, so that they declare like Peter did in the gospel, “Lord it is good that we are here!” We want our students to exclaim: “Lord, it is good we are at Trinity!” “Lord, it is good we are at Immaculate Conception!” We want to graduate not only scholars but saints. Why? Because only a saint can confront the cacophony of religions running all over the world today and not feel intimidated or indifferent or intolerant.

They can take the best of other religions and know that Catholicism offers them better. One theologian described the difference between religions with this stark image. Imagine all whole world in a swimming competition on open water. Everyone is swimming as hard as they can, but the Catholics are in a speedboat. I hope you don’t hear that as a point of pride, but rather of profound humility. Faith has little to do with us and a lot to do with God. Faith should not be a cause of pride.

May I share with you some of the exciting things happening at Trinity Junior High recently besides religion? Dr. Karen Hollenbeck, our principal, announced that tuition rates for the upcoming school year will remain the same as last year. I really commend her for that. Not raising tuition is very hard to do when we see expenses climbing higher every year. But we want to make Trinity as affordable as possible to everyone. We are also very happy to announce that Coach Ronnie Williams will be re-joining the Trinity staff to be the head boys’ basketball coach for 7th-9th grades. Coach Williams was instrumental in beginning the athletics programs at Trinity and we are very pleased to have him back! Many of our adult parishioners were athletes trained by Coach Williams, and so I hope you send your kids to Trinity to get the same treatment.

In more sports news, Mr. Manuel Ordonez will be expanding our 7th and 8th grade soccer program to include games with local schools and clubs. Did you know that Trinity is the only junior high with a soccer program? And Fr. Martin will be the assistant coach – Messi from Barcelona was not available. As the priest-administrator of Trinity, I am especially happy to share that during the season of Lent, the students and faculty will all be on a journey of faith. We will be abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and also on Fridays. Our Religion Department will lead Stations of the Cross in various formats and we will also participate in a penitential service. All the students go to confession, and some non-Catholics even come for a blessing. I love seeing the Catholic faith woven seamlessly into the fabric of student life. I just pray that fabric of faith is not torn to shreds when the winds of the world begin to blow.

It was during my Catholic school years that the seeds of my priestly vocation were planted and nurtured in my heart. The priests and nuns who taught me were instruments in God’s hands helping me to see there’s more to life than what meets the eyes. They taught me that religion is a relationship, a love story more powerful and priceless than the movie “The Princess Bride.” Now, I want to do the same for others. Let me invite you to support Immaculate Conception and Trinity by sending your children to school there. Our goal is to graduate not only little scholars, but also little saints, who won’t lose sleep worrying about God calling them from Salt Lake City.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Corona Controversy

Appreciating and implementing bishop’s changes

03/06/2020

Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

This morning I want to reiterate and reflect on Bishop Taylor’s new rules at Mass during this season of infectious diseases, like the flu and coronavirus. You should know that this has caused no little controversy. Some people think the bishop’s changes make perfect sense and are just common sense; others maintain they are perfect nonsense and just unnecessary. I hope this reflection not only helps us understand the rules better, but also helps us understand ourselves better; this is, we may discover why we react so strongly to change. I am convinced that self-awareness is critical to spiritual growth. Why? Every time we learn something new about ourselves, we usually learn we are not as saintly as we think we are. Only that humility can lead to true holiness.

What are the bishop’s four changes specifically? First, reception of the Eucharist at Mass in the hand rather than on the tongue except in the Latin Mass, for whom reception on the hand is not an option. Second, temporarily discontinuing the distribution of the Precious Blood at Mass. Third, foregoing the holding of hands during the Our Father. And fourth, a bow for the Sign of Peace in place of handshaking. Those are the bishop’s changes. Here at Immaculate Conception, in addition we have removed the holy water from the fonts. In many places removing holy water is a common practice during Lent as we await the newly blessed water at Easter, another symbol of the new life that Jesus’ death and resurrection brings. Let me say three things about understanding these new (albeit temporary) changes in the liturgy.

First, they are not intended to diminish anyone’s devotion at Mass, although it may feel like it. Some people feel their hands are not holy enough for the Eucharist, and a priest’s consecrated hands should touch the Body of Christ. They are not alone. St. Thomas Aquinas would agree with them and felt the same way. The Angelic Doctor wrote in the Tertia Pars (the third part) of his Summa Theologica this: “Out of reverence towards this Sacrament, nothing touches it, but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest’s hands, for touching this Sacrament.” But then Aquinas adds wisely: “Hence, it is not lawful for anyone else to touch it except from necessity, for instance, if it were to fall upon the ground, or else in some other case of emergency” (Summa, III, 82, 3). Clearly, today we are experiencing that “other case of emergency” that justifies lay people receiving Communion on the hand. St. Thomas is also called the Common Doctor because he sprinkles so much common sense over his spirituality.

Secondly, the bishop’s changes are a practical application of the fundamental commandment to love your neighbor. I would certainly feel like you love me if you kept the flu and coronavirus to yourself and not give it to me! Indeed, we read in 1 John 4:20, that in a certain sense, love of neighbor supersedes the love of God. The Beloved Disciple wrote: “For whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” And our Lord himself teaches in today’s gospel from Matthew 5, “Go first to be reconciled with your brother, and then come offer your gift [at the altar].” In other words, what is first in the order of intention – love of God – is frequently last in the order of execution, that is, what we do. We must first love our neighbor in order to show we truly love God. That practical consideration also lies behind the bishop’s changes.

Third, we should not forget that the Mass is an act of the public worship of the Church, not an expression of private devotion. As such (as an act of public worship), it is up to the chief legislator in a diocese to make modifications to the liturgy because it affects the common good. The care of the common good is entrusted into the hands of the bishop, and not into our own individual hands. Otherwise, we would have the inmates running the asylum. These small changes can be a healthy and holy reminder that we belong to a Church that is bigger than any individual. Indeed, it is a worldwide church which means it is a Catholic church. Don’t let American individualism trump your Catholic universalism.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Pater Noster

Learning and loving the Lord’s Prayer

03/03/2020

Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Today’s gospel reading from Matthew 6 presents us with the perfect prayer, also known as the Our Father, or Pater Noster in Latin, based on the first two words of the prayer. By the way, that is usually how prayers and even major papal documents are identified in Latin: Ave Maria for Hail Mary, Salve Regina for Hail, Holy Queen, Humanae vitae for Paul VI’s encyclical On Human Life and Dominium et Vivificantem, the title of John Paul II’s letter on the Holy Spirit. It is also often called the Lord’s Prayer” because Jesus teaches it to his disciples in Matthew 6 as the core of the Sermon on the Mount and in Luke 11 when Jesus answers his disciples’ request to teach them how to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers how to pray.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says simply: “The Lord’s Prayer is truly a summary of the whole gospel” (Catechism, 2761). In other words, the Pater Noster is an excellent summation of the entire sacred scriptures. The Catechism a little later quotes St. Augustine, the doctor of grace, who wrote beautifully: “Run through all the words of the holy prayers [in Scripture], and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.” Basically, if you memorize and meditate on the Our Father, you will understand the whole message of the Bible. The fourth part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is devoted to “Christian Prayer,” and most of that provides an excellent explanation of the Lord’s Prayer. Today, you should take time to read the Catechism nn. 2759-2865, which concludes the Catechism.

Let me mention one of the many riches our Church offers us in this perfect prayer. Traditionally, the prayer has been recognized to contain seven petitions. The first three refer directly to our relationship with God – hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. The last four petitions deal with life on earth and love of our brothers and sisters. In that way it is analogous to the Ten Commandments. How so? Well, the first three commandments concern how we should love God, and the remaining seven commandments have to do with loving our neighbor. In other words, the Lord’s Prayer, like the Ten Commandments, helps us fulfill the two-fold and basic law of love of God and love of neighbor.

And by the way, that two-fold commandment of love of God and love of neighbor is also “a summary of the whole gospel.” Hence, Jesus declared in Matthew 22:4, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Last night during our bible study class, I tried to demonstrate how that phrase “the law and the prophets” was a catch-phrase that referred to the whole Old Testament, all 46 books, not merely the Pentateuch and the prophets. Again, we see how the Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the gospel when we see how the seven petitions teach us to love God and our neighbor. The Lord’s Prayer fulfills the Law and the Prophets.

Now, I would like to do something a little fun. As you probably know, the 27 New Testament books were not originally written in English. I say that with great respect to some Protestants who rashly claim: “If the King James Bible was good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!” Well, the KJV was not published until 1611 by King James I, so I doubt that’s what Jesus was reading. The New Testament was originally written n Greek, and therefore the biblical version of the Lord’s Prayer was originally in Greek. Now, bear in mind, Jesus and his apostles spoke Aramaic, not Greek. But I would like to read the Lord’s Prayer to you in Greek, so you can how Matthew actually wrote it.

“Pater hēmōn ho en tois ouranois, hagiasthētō to onoma sou elthetō hē basileia sou, genēthētō to thelēma sou hōs en ouranō(i) kai epi gēs, ton arton hēmōn ton epiousion dos hēmin sēmeron, kai aphes hēmin ta opheilēmata hēmōn hōs, kai hēmeis aphēkamen tois opheiletais hēmōn, kai mē eisenegkēs hēmas eis peirasmon alla rhusai hēmas apo tou ponērou. Amen.”

Now if someone asks you what did Fr. John talk about in the homily today, you can answer honestly: “I don’t have any idea; it was all Greek to me.” That’s probably how most people feel after listening to one of my homilies. And please forgive me if I screwed up in pronouncing the perfect prayer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Stiff Competition

Fostering competition in loving our neighbor

03/02/2020

Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Yesterday evening I decided I better see what the competition is up to, so I visited one of the other bible study groups meeting here at I.C. And I gotta tell ya, the competition is stiff! It was a group of about 12 people studying The Bible Timeline with Jeff Cavins, and it was really great. Last night they were reading and reflecting on Luke chapters 9 and 10, and the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the hour-long video, Jeff Cavins was describing how love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of the same coin. That is, the way we prove we love God is by loving our neighbor.

We all know this every time we read 1 John 4:20, which says: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” I’ll never forget Scott Hahn saying once that if anyone wants to show their love for him, the best way would be to be kind to one of his six children. All parents get this instinctively: love my children and you show me love. Catching the love of parents and children immediately helped me to see the connection between love of God (the Father) and love of neighbor (God’s children).

Jeff Cavins told a compelling story of a Dominican priest who was giving a retreat to Mother Teresa’s nuns in Calcutta many years ago, while Mother Teresa was still alive. After a long hot day of teaching and preaching, he went to his room exhausted. As he sat on his bed, feeling pretty content and satisfied with his day’s labor, he became aware of a strong stench coming from the open window. Unable to stand the smell, he got up to close the window. He looked down and saw a naked man lying on the street below with a huge open and festering wound covering his torso. He closed the window and sat on his bed, but immediately started to feel guilty.

Just then he heard two women outside the window arguing. A younger woman’s voice said: “I’ll take care of him.” An older woman insisted, “No, I’ll take care of him.” The priest ran back to the window, opened it, and saw Mother Teresa had picked up the man and was hugging him close to her chest, and saying: “My sweet Jesus, I love you!” The Dominican went back to sit on his bed – and now he was really feeling guilty – when a knock came on his door. He opened it to see Mother Teresa standing there with the dying man in her arms. She asked, “Father, will you give this man a blessing before he dies?” The Dominican answered in a small voice: “Yes, Mother.” Then he took the man into his own arms, hugged him, prayed and blessed him. Mother Teresa taught in five minutes what the erudition of the Dominican priest stammered to teach in an entire day of lecturing. We cannot love the God whom we cannot see if we ignore or turn our back on the needy neighbor whom we can see. This is the real competition we should be engaged in: to show who loves their neighbor more, and that competition should be stiff.

Both scripture readings today hammer home the same lesson Mother Teresa modeled by her whole life: love your neighbor to show you love God. The two commandments are inextricably intertwined. Leviticus 19 is the core of the Holiness Code of the Old Testament. How do you know who is holy? We find the answer in Lev. 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Holiness, therefore, is defined by love of neighbor. In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches that loving the least neighbor is really loving him. He explains: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” As you know, Matthew 25 depicts the final judgement scene; consequently, Jesus’ teaching on loving our least neighbor has eternal consequences; it determines our eternal destiny.

Folks, as we settle into the first full week of Lent and our Lenten observances of prayer, penance and almsgiving, we should have a strong spirit of competition with each other. Not competition among who’s got the more popular bible study, but rather about who loves their neighbor more. And I am happy to report that competition is very stiff around here as I see week after week how generously I.C. parishioners respond to the needs of our neighbors not only around town but around the whole world. On behalf of Jesus’ least brothers and sisters, let me say “Thank you!”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Let It Go

Seeing how interior change leads to exterior action

03/01/2020

Matthew 4:1-11 At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”

Today I would like to share a few thoughts about being good stewards, and I hope you have received my letter asking your prayerful consideration of your financial support of the parish. I would like to start with a little joke. A Buddhist monk stroke into a Zen pizza parlor, and said, “Make me one with everything.” – Get it: a Buddhist says “make me one with everything.” When he got his order, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill, which the guy pocketed. “Hey,” asked the irritated monk, “where’s my change?” The man replied inscrutably: “Change must come from within.” That reminds me of one Mass where a man stopped the usher who was taking up the collection. The man had dropped a $50 bill in the basket and then he started fishing for change in the basket. All ushers hereby have my permission to tell such people: “Change must come from within,” don’t look for change in the basket.

This joke illustrates the fact that without inner change, a transformation of the heart by faith, we will not understand exterior change, like giving to church or charity. Indeed, we will not understand Christianity itself. Instead of seeing God’s commands (like tithing) as a blessing, we believe it is only as a burden. The great Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, famously declared: “Every Christian undergoes three successive conversions: first, the conversion of the heart, second, the conversion of the mind, and third, the conversion of the checkbook.” Notice how there must first be “change from within” (in our hearts and minds, in our feelings and thoughts) before there is a “change from without,” that is, in our outward behavior like writing a check for the church. Let me suggest three ways we might start making this “change from within.”

First of all, when we are “changed from within” we feel God’s grace and power to overcome the temptations of the devil, especially temptations to greed. In the gospel today, Jesus confronts Satan’s three temptations in the desert, and he rebuffs all three, including possessing all the kingdoms of the earth in their magnificence, a temptation to greed. How did our Lord do it? If we take a step back from today’s gospel text, we discover that this episode of the temptation in Matthew 4 was immediately preceded by Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3. Baptism creates a profound “change from within,” and we become children of God. Secondly, notice our Lord’s fluency with scripture, which was also a great ally in the spiritual battle. In other words, both baptism and the bible create that “change from within” that helps us decisively defeat the devil. We put into practice what Paul taught in 1 Tim. 6:10 that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Interior change leads to a more authentic exterior Christianity.

A second way we must “change from within” is going from being “takers” to becoming “givers.” Have you noticed these two qualities in other people? More importantly, have you noticed them in yourself? It’s always easier to see other people’s faults and failings (the splinter in our neighbor’s eye) than our own planks protruding from our eyes. I am convinced there really are only two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. For example, Jesus was a “giver,” and therefore he gave his life for the salvation of the world. On the other hand, Satan was a “taker,” who eagerly took our Lord’s life. Being either a giver or a taker constitute the cornerstone in each person’s character. When you’re fundamental inner orientation is that of a “giver” like Jesus, then giving to church or charity makes all the sense in the world.

And thirdly, when we experience “change from within” we overcome fear and find true freedom. And now I have a big confession to make: I have never seen the Walt Disney movie called “Frozen.” I am probably the only person on earth with that dubious distinction. But I did read the Wikipedia plot summary of the movie, so that’s pretty much the same thing. The whole movie revolves around one song, “Let it go.” Elsa sings it to symbolize how she will not hoard her magical powers like a hermit but rather “let it go” and use it for others. Let me play a small segment of that song that every child knows. Elsa’s inner awakening to “let it go” is an analogy for how we sometimes treat our money. That is, we can hoard our wealth as a hermit and keep it only for ourselves. Or, we can experience a “change from within” like Elsa did, and overcome our fears about finances. We can do magical things with our money when we just “let it go” into the collection plate!

Let me give you a one-sentence summary of this whole homily. Change from within (in our hearts) leads to a further change from without (in our actions) which finally leads to a change for the whole world (in building up the Kingdom of God).

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Exorcism Explained

Overcoming the Evil One with God’s grace

02/24/2020

Mark 9:14-29 Immediately on seeing Jesus, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

There’s a meme floating around these days that is both funny and frightening. It reads: “Everyone makes fun of the Catholic Church until they have a demon in their house.” Whenever there is supernatural or paranormal activity in your basement or attic, you don’t call the fire department, you call Fr. John. In 2018 the Vatican actually called for more training of exorcists to meet a growing demand to help with alleged demonic possessions. Fr. Benigno Palilla, a Sicilian priest and exorcist, said there are half a million cases of possessions reported annually in Italy alone. Even if only a small fraction of those cases were legitimate, the numbers are alarming.

When people come to me about possible demonic issues, my answer is to use the spiritual nuclear weapons of the sacraments: baptism, confession and Communion. The devil doesn’t stand a chance against divine grace. Most people, however, are disappointed by that advice and want to hear me say things like they need to wash their clothes in holy water, burn incense in all the corners of their house, and eat only sushi for 10 days. This was the advice for exorcists that Jesus gives in Mark 9 today, when the disciples ask they could not expel a demon. Our Lord replied: “This kind can only come out through prayer.” In other words, a life of assiduous prayer is the prescription for paranormal activity, but most people are not interested in something so simply or sane.

If you are truly curious about how the devil works, I urge you to read C. S. Lewis’ classic book called “The Screwtape Letters.” Lewis was not a priest or an exorcist, but I believe he gives the best advice about how to defeat the devil, besides prayer, of course. The book is a collection of letters in hell from a senior devil (Screwtape) to a junior devil (Wormwood) on how to lead human beings to hell. That is the devil’s real end-game. Satan is not interested in starring in Hollywood movies. In his “Preface” Lewis gives his readers this warning: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Lewis continues: “They themselves (the devils, that is) are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist (those who don’t believe in devils) or a magician (those who do believe in devils) with the same delight.” The remainder of Lewis’ book of letters between devils will serve you better than a room full of exorcists if you really want to repel or resist the Evil One.

If you prefer a more scriptural antidote to Satanism, I suggest you read Exodus 32, and the tragic episode of the worshipping the Golden Calf. There at the foot of Mt. Sinai as the people grow impatient waiting for Moses to return with the Ten Commandments, the devil’s strategy is on full display. Aaron the high priest is persuaded to build a Golden Calf so the people could worship it. Why a Golden Calf? That symbolized one of the highest gods of Egypt, Apis, the bull god, known for three things. In exchange for worshipping him, he would give you wealth, women and weapons, that is, money, sex and power. A golden bull embodies all three values.

Indeed, the Israelites’ fall from grace in that moment was so tragic it has been called “a second fall,” similar to “the first fall” of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God’s original plans for the people after leading them out of slavery in Egypt changed drastically after Exodus 32, much like God’s original plan for Adam and Eve changed after Genesis 3, and eating the forbidden fruit. From the beginning of human history down to our own day, the devil has been tempting us with those 3 sins: money, sex and power. In that sense, maybe that Sicilian priest’s estimate of possessions was not wide of the mark.

When it comes to how the devil enters and takes possessin of our lives, Ecclesiastes 1:9 was spot on, saying: “What has been, that will be, what has been done, that will be done. There is nothing new under the sun!” And now would everyone stop making fun of the Catholic Church!

Praised be Jesus Christ!