Heartbeat of Heaven

Hearing Jesus’ heartbeat and finding peace

12/27/2021

Jn 20:1a and 2-8 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

I love to celebrate baptisms, but invariably the baby bursts out crying. I cannot imagine why. A friend showed me how to hold the baby so that it stops crying almost instantly. You allow the baby to face forward, put your left hand under his bottom, wrap your right hand around his chest, and hold him close to your own chest. Almost always the baby becomes calm and stops crying. I suspect that position makes the baby feel like it’s back in the womb of the mother, where he can feel her heartbeat, he can hear her voice over his head, and he can sense everything and everyone, even if his eyes are closed.

But I believe it’s mainly the heartbeat – rhythmic, slow, steady and soft, that pacifies the baby and he knows everything is going to be okay. I am safe in the womb, or in my mother’s arms. Next time you are dealing with a fussy baby, test my theory, and let him or her hear your heartbeat, and see if pacifies them and gives them peace, and it might give you some peace, too!

Today is the feast day of St. John of Evangelist, another one of my patron saints. I love today’s gospel passage from Jn 21 where the younger John outruns the older Peter to the tomb. There is much to meditate on there. But if I were picking the gospel passage for today’s Mass, I would have chosen Jn 13:21-27, where John leans on Jesus’ breast during the Last Supper. Jesus has just announced that one of his disciples would betray him: “So Simon Peter nodded to [John] to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, ‘Master, who is it?’” And of course, we know how Jesus gives a morsel of bread to Judas, who betrays our Lord.

Why would I have picked that peculiar passage? Because I am struck by the poignant scene of the beloved disciple John leaning on Jesus’ chest. Here you have Jesus’ apostles, who are very much like his babies, anxious and afraid, perhaps even crying. And how does he calm them down and make them stop crying? He holds them close to his chest so they can hear his holy heartbeat, so they can hear his divine voice, so they can see what he sees and they are pacified and feel peace.

Just like holding a crying baby at a baptism calms him, so holding his disciples, especially John, close to his heart, calmed him and the others. John could hear the heartbeat of heaven, so he was not troubled by things on earth. Indeed, that is how John could contemplate the chaotic and cataclysmic images of the Book of Revelation (which he wrote), and still feel peace. He could hear the heartbeat of heaven while all hell was breaking loose on earth.

My friends, what are the troubling and tragic things that cause you to cry? Maybe it is the loss of a loved one to death. We have had a lot of funerals this past year and I have watched tears flow down lots of faces. Christmas is especially hard for them. Are there anxieties in your family: bickering between spouses, teenage troubles and tantrums? Maybe you are wracked by fears about the COVID virus or fears fanned by conspiracy theories that there is no virus? Maybe you mourn the loss of your youth, or the agitations and aggravations of old age. Or maybe you are worried about the whole world and the wars and famines and global warming.

When any and all of these things cause you to cry, I suggest you follow St. John’s example and lean on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper. How? Well, come to Mass and let Jesus hold you like I hold crying babies at a baptism. At Mass we are like little babies who can hear Jesus’ heartbeat, we can listen to his soothing voice in the gospel, and through the eyes of faith we suddenly see everyone and everything, even if our eyes are closed. And we feel peace. Indeed, like St. John, we can even behold the apocalypse and still smile because we know we are carried in Jesus’ arms, and held close to his heart.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

God Became a Baby

Coming to Mass in order to see a Baby

12/25/2021

Lk 2:15-20 When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

You will never guess who the newest employee is at Immaculate Conception Church. It is a baby! Actually it’s the baby of Cecilia Garcia, one of our church staff members. Every day we hope she brings little Juan Antonio to the office. Do you know how to translate “Juan Antonio” into English? It is “John Antony”! That’s my baby! We all love to take turns holding the baby because it feels like all our stress pours out of us while we are holding him. Some people have a “therapy dog,” well, we have a “therapy baby.” I’m sorry, that’s probably not an appropriate way to talk about a baby. Why not?

Well, because the proper human reaction to a little baby is one of love, care, tenderness, and protection. That is, when we see a baby, we forget about ourselves and focus entirely on the needs of the baby. We want to feed the baby, we want to caress the baby, we want to speak and sing to the baby, we want to play peek-a-boo with the baby. We do all that in the hopes of seeing a small smile on his chubby face. That angelic smile is more than ample reward for our countless sacrifices and silliness.

In other words, babies bring out the best in us because we stop thinking about our own happiness and are fully focused on the baby’s happiness. One friend of mine likes to say that having a baby is “induced maturity.” That is, babies make us better people almost overnight. We become more hard working and self-sacrificing and get up for midnight feedings and work two jobs and give up what we want to do: everything for the baby and nothing for us. You see, a mature person lives for others, not for himself.

Today we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, as a Baby born in Bethlehem. In a sense, Jesus is another Baby who is coming to work, the newest employee on Earth. But this baby is not working in the Church, but he is working to establish the Church. In the year 1098, St. Anselm wrote a famous book called, in Latin, “Cur Deus Homo,” which means, “Why Did God Become Man?” But I believe a better title – and a better book – would have been the question: “Why Did God Become a Baby?”

And I am convinced that he became a baby for the same reason he did everything else: not for his sake but for ours. That is, God knows better than anyone how people tend to react in the presence of a baby: we experience that “induced maturity.” In other words, we grow up. Instead of being selfish, we become self-sacrificing. Indeed, most people would die in order to save the life of a baby. That is why God became a Baby: to teach us what St. Paul said in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

My friends, I believe Christmas is the one day out of the whole year – maybe the only day – when we finally come to Mass for the right reason. What do I mean? Well, today we come to church to give something rather than to get something, because we come here to see a Baby. I’ll never forget Fr. George Tribou, the principal at Catholic High School, told us boys one day: “You don’t come to Mass to get something. You come to Mass to give something: to give an hour of your time, to give a little of your love, to offer some of your attention.” That totally changed the way I look at the Mass.

What is our attitude when we come to Mass the rest of the year? Well, we tend to complain: “I didn’t get anything out of the Mass! I didn’t hear inspiring music. The homily was long and boring. I couldn’t understand the priest who spoke with a foreign accent. The guy next to me was snoring,” etc. etc. But today at least for one Mass, and maybe for the only Mass out of the whole year, none of that matters. And we come to church in order to give something rather than to get something. Why?

Because there is a Baby here, and deep down we know when you are dealing with a baby, the proper human response is to give it some of your of care, and some of your love, and some of your tenderness, some of your protection, in a word, some of your sacrifice. It would be silly to come and demand something from a Baby.

And that is why God did not just become a Man, he became a Baby, in order that we might experience “induced Christian maturity.” But, as C. S. Lewis said, “tomorrow is a Monday morning” and we will all go back to business as usual. But at least for one day out of the year, we might actually have come to Mass for the right reason.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Crime and Punishment

Seeing how our penances correspond to our sins

12/23/2021

Lk 1:57-66 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

One of the best books I have ever read – after the Bible, of course – was in high school and it was called “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoyevsky, the Russian novelist. That book taught me that the punishment always “fits” the crime, like a hand in a glove. There is an intimate correlation between crime and its punishment, like between a cause and its effect: one inexorably follows the other. I often wondered: what heinous crime did I commit to be punished with reading this long book with unpronounceable Russians names?

At Catholic High School I not only read about crime and punishment, I witnessed it in how our principal disciplined us boys. One day a student was having fun slamming doors. When he entered a room, he would slam the door. When he exited a room, he slammed the door. The teachers could not get him to stop, so they sent him to the principal’s office. Fr. Tribou read him his sentence: “So, you like doors? Your punishment is to take one of the doors off the hinges and carry it with you everywhere you go for a week.” That poor kid lugged that big door under his arm to the cafeteria, to the gym, to his classes, and even to the chapel for Mass. He never slammed a door again. Crime and punishment.

In the gospel today, God also follows this “inner logic” of crime and punishment in the case of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. What was Zechariah’s crime? Well, he did not slam classroom doors, but he did “slam the door shut” in the face of the archangel Gabriel when the heavenly messenger announced the birth of John. That is, Zechariah used his speech poorly, to doubt God and his plan.

What was Zechariah’s punishment, therefore? He lost his precious gift of speech, and was struck dumb, unable to talk. Today his speech is restored because he accepts God’s will and declares that his son’s name will be “John” (a great name!). In other words, there is an inner logic, an intimate connection, between a crime and its punishment. They fit together like a hand in a glove, or follow infallibly like the day follows the dawn. You cannot stop them.

Did you know that every time we go to confession, we too experience a moment of crime and punishment? That is, our sins are the crimes we commit against God, against others, against creation, and even against ourselves. And the “penance” the priest assigns you is the “temporal punishment” for those sins. I have always wished someone would confess the sin of slamming doors so I could give them the penance of carrying a door everywhere for a week. But I am still waiting.

The penance I always give, however, is “one Our Father.” Why? Well, because I know for sure they will complete that penance before they receive Holy Communion next time. How so? Well, the next time they go to Mass, they will pray the Our Father before going up for Holy Communion, and complete their penance. Even if they forget their penance, they will still complete their one Our Father before receiving Communion. That is my own interpretation of the inner logic of “crime and punishment,” one follows the other like a headache follows heavy drinking, whether you remember your penance or not.

But I also feel I am doing a disservice to all those who go to confession to me because their real penance is waiting for them in purgatory. In the end, purgatory is only the necessary punishment for the crimes and sins we commit in this life. And the punishment will correspond exactly to the crime. If we slammed doors on earth, we will carry doors in purgatory, until we no longer desire to slam doors. If you want to avoid purgatory, the solution is simple: confess your sins and do your penance now. And if you cannot think of a good penance, perhaps you should read Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Guns, Girls and Gold

Seeing what life is about with hindsight

12/21/2021

Lk 1:39-45 Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Have you heard the old adage that “hindsight is twenty-twenty”? It means that the further down you get on the road of life and look back, the more clearly you see what life is all about and what you should have done with your life. For example, I look back on my high school days and wish I had played football for Catholic High School. During my four years we won the state football championship an unprecedented two times, one year beating Northside in Fort Smith – sorry, Grizzlies fans! Instead of football, though, I played soccer, a safer sport. In one game, where I was playing defense, I tried to kick the ball away from our goal and the ball actually curved so much it went backward into our own goal. I scored for the opposing team. I bet Beckham never bent it like that!

There is a phenomenon these days of grandparents raising their grandchildren. Have you noticed this? For a whole host of reasons, millennials have abdicated their role of parenting and left their children literally in their grandparents’ laps. And grandparents are rising to meet that responsibility in heroic ways. Why? Well, because grandparents have the benefit of “hindsight,” and can see that life is about more than “guns, girls and gold,” as C. S. Lewis colorfully put it. That is, life is about more than money, sex and power, and playing video games all day. Because they are further down the road of life, they see clearly that life is really about family, friends, and faith. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

In the gospel today, we meet another set of elderly people who could have been grandparents, who will be raising a child, namely, the elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth, who will raise John the Baptist. Of course, John was their own son, not a grandson. Nevertheless, their advanced age afforded them a certain “clarity of vision” to see God’s plan unfolding. If you closely study their names, you discover the depth of their faith life. The name “Zechariah” comes from two Hebrew words, “zachar” and “yah” (Yahweh), meaning, “God remembers.” And “Elizabeth” is a compound of “El” and “sheva” which means “God of the covenant.”

In other words, both names together mean that “God remembers his covenant,” which is exactly what Zechariah and Elizabeth bore witness to. God was faithful and remembered his covenant by sending John to announce the coming of Christ. In other words, elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth knew life was about a lot more than guns, girls and gold; it is about family, friends and faith. And that is how they raised St. John the Baptist, who lived out in the desert, eating wild locust and honey, dressed in camel’s hair, and where there are no guns, girls or gold.

My friends, soon many of us will spend some time with our grandparents for Christmas. I hope you will make the most of that precious time and not squander or waste it. Why? Well, often we focus on all their limitations and struggles, their weaknesses and inabilities. They are not always adept at the latest technology. They move slow with walkers and canes, and they drive slower than they walk! Their minds may not be as sharp as before and forget what they had for breakfast or who is president.

But instead of focusing or fussing about that – which is really unimportant anyway – ask them to share the one thing you don’t have, namely, the clarity of vision that comes from hindsight. In other words, invite them to share their experiences and adventures and life lessons. Ask them: “After 80 years of kicking up dust on this planet, what have you learned? What is truly important and worth living for? And if you had a chance to live your life again, would you play football in high school?”

I bet every elderly person will have slightly different answers. But all truly thoughtful answers will be a variation of this theme, namely, life is ultimately not about guns, girls and gold, but about family, friends and faith. How you would answer those questions indicates how far you have gotten down the road of life. Why? Because hindsight is twenty-twenty.

                                                            Praised be Jesus Christ! 

Dirty Pictures

Understanding the perpetual virginity of Mary

12/20/2021

Lk 1:26-38 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

One of the most controversial teachings of the Catholic Church is the perpetual virginity of Mary. Are you aware of that doctrine, that Mary was perpetually virgin her whole life? That is, Mary did not have other children besides Jesus, and more to the point, she never had sexual relations with St. Joseph. Now I say that teaching is “controversial’ because it is flatly denied by most Protestants, and it even surprises some Catholics who should be more familiar with their faith.

The Protestant position is based on those passages in Matthew 13 and Mark 6 that refer to the “brothers” (and even some sisters) of Jesus. Hence, they argue that Jesus could not have had “brothers” if Mary and Joseph did not have marital relations and thereby produce other offspring.

The Catholic Church’s answer can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 500. It states strongly: “The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact, James and Joseph, ‘brothers of Jesus,’ are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls, ‘the other Mary.’ They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.” So, we have our ways of explaining these problematic passages.

Our Scriptures today also support the virginity of Mother Mary. In the 8th century B.C. Isaiah prophesied: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel.” And in today’s gospel from Luke, we read: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” In other words, both Isaiah and Luke explicitly affirm Mary’s virginity, at least prior to the birth of Jesus.

And the two thousand year tradition of the Church is emphatic about her perpetual virginity after the birth of Jesus. Why? Well, because our Christian faith not only sheds light on how we should live on earth, but also how we will live in heaven. And in heaven we will all be “virgins” in the sense of not being married. But don’t take my word for it, listen to the words from the lips of Jesus in Mt 22:30: “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.” And Mary is the model of both earthly life and heavenly glory, and that is why the Church teaches she was a perpetual virgin.

But the real reason, I believe, that this teaching of Mary’s perpetual virginity is so controversial has little to do with the biblical evidence, but rather it is based on our society’s obsession with sex. We cannot imagine life without sex and so we cannot imagine someone who could be a perpetual virgin. It’s like that joke about the guy who goes to see a psychologist. He says, “Doc, I got a real problem. I can’t stop thinking about sex.” The doctor says, “Well, let’s see about that.” He takes out a series of cards with ink blots.

He shows the man the first picture and asks, “What is this a picture of?” The man looks intently and answers, “That is a man and woman in bed making love.” The psychologist shows him the next picture and asks, “Now what do you see?” The man stares for a moment and says: “It’s a man and woman making love.” The psychologist presents a third ink blot and asks the man’s opinion. He answers: “That is a man and a woman making love.” The psychologist concludes: “Yes, you do seem to be obsessed with sex.” The man exclaims: “Me!? You are the one who keeps showing me the dirty pictures!”

And that is why we find it so hard to accept the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Because everywhere our sex-saturated society looks all we can see is “a man and a woman making love,” even when we look at the Sacred Scriptures, even when we look at Mary and Joseph. But the Catholic faith, instructed by the inspired Word and taught by Tradition, shows us how to live and be happy not only in this life but also in the next life, where we “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” And Mother Mary is the model of both worlds. Why? Because she was Jesus’ first and best disciple, who learned his lessons both perfectly and perpetually.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Home for the Holidays

Seeing the Church as the true Bethlehem

12/19/2021

Mi 5:1-4a Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.

This year my father turned 87 years old, and do you know what his only wish is? He wants to go back to India, his home, where he grew up, where he spent his youth, where he met our mother, and they got married, and where he raised his children. But it is getting harder and harder for my father to travel, so I am not sure how we will get him home again anytime soon. The last several times we have returned to India, he always says, “You know, this is probably the last time I will get to go to India, so we better go.” He has said that like ten times, and I fall for it every time!

Saturday morning we had the funeral for Dr. Morris Richardson, who was also 87 years old like my dad. He grew up here at I.C. and attended grade school here, but he spent the better part of his life in Houston. After retiring from family practice medicine, he moved back to his parents’ home in Muldrow, OK, and spent his golden years back in his boyhood home. It’s funny how as young people we cannot wait to leave home, but the older we get we cannot wait to come back home. Why? Well, because home is where the heart is.

Today’s first reading is taken from the prophet Micah, who predicts the future Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. Why would Jesus be born in Bethlehem? Well, because that is the ancestral home of his family and he is a descendant of the royal family of King David. Bethlehem was David’s home. But did you know that Bethlehem was important even before David? It was the home of David’s great grandmother, Ruth.

By the way, whenever I pray the third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, I always meditate on the book of Ruth and this prophecy of Micah. All that Bible backdrop is sort of like scriptural wrapping paper that covers the secret beauty of Bethlehem, like shining wrapping paper covers the gifts of Christmas. And that’s why the Messiah would call it his home. And home is where Jesus’ heart is, that is, with the people, the places and the prophecies of the Old Testament.

But just like it is getting harder for my father to go back home to India, so Jesus did not return to Bethlehem. But in a sense, he did not need to go back to that “little town of Bethlehem.” Why not? Well, because I am convinced that Jesus actually “became Bethlehem” wherever he was. What does that mean? Well, the two words, “Beth” and “Lehem” literally mean “house of bread.” And Jesus is the true “Bread of Life” as he declared in Jn 6:51. In other words, Bethlehem is not so much a city in Israel, but rather Jesus himself, the true house of Bread, and Bethlehem is wherever Jesus is present.

It’s kind of like that joke about where the CEO sat. A CEO was running late to a board meeting. When he entered the room, he took a seat closest to the door, so as not to interrupt the meeting. A younger assistant objected and said, “Sir, please come sit at the head of the table.” The CEO smiled and answered: “Son, wherever I sit is the head of the table.” So, too, wherever Jesus is present, there we find the real “House of Bread,” there we find Bethlehem, not only in Israel.

My friends, we cannot always return to our family roots, like my father cannot travel easily back to India. But we can always return to our spiritual home, the “House of Bread,” the true Bethlehem, that is the Catholic Church. Only in the Church do we enjoy the Eucharist, the living Bread that is Jesus himself. Many people come home for the holidays, packing the pews at Christmas Masses. I hope you all feel like you are spiritually back home in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, when you come home to I.C., especially those who have been away for a while.

Sometimes young people return to their home church to get married. They want to go home. Often people start to feel they need a “spiritual home” when they baptize their children. But it is usually when their children are in grade school and make their first Holy Communion that it really starts to hit home for the parents. Their children innocently ask: “Mom and dad, why don’t we go to Mass and receive Holy Communion every Sunday?” The children can clearly see the Church as Bethlehem, as the house of living Bread, and slowly help their parents to open their eyes of faith and see that as well. Home is where the heart is, and our hearts should be where we break Bread together, and where Jesus always sits at the head of the table.

Young people cannot wait to leave home, and older people cannot wait to return home. And that is why we love to come “home for the holidays.” But one day we will all return home for the holidays permanently, that is when we return home to heaven. And we will all be able to go to that eternal home, no matter how hard it is for us to travel, even for my dad.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Longest River in Egypt

Overcoming our doubts and denials with faith

12/15/2021

Lk 7:18b-23 At that time, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” When the men came to the Lord, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

Do you have doubts or do you suffer from denial? And by “denial” I am not talking about the longest river in Egypt (the Nile), but rather a flat and firm rejection of something or someone. For instance, a young girl may doubt her boyfriend loves her. So, she picks up a flower and pulls off its petals one by one, saying, “He loves me; he loves me not; he loves me; he loves me not.” And she hopes to overcome her doubt by pulling the last petal on the words, “He loves me!” Here’s another example of doubt. I doubt that I will ever beat Fr. Daniel in a game of tennis. Yesterday, we played a tie-breaker to ten points, and he beat me soundly 10 to 1. Heaven for me will be beating Fr. Daniel in tennis, when I will finally overcome that doubt.

On the other hand, much of modern science is based on a flat denial of the existence of God. Indeed, it seems almost a hallmark of educated people that the halls of higher education be filled with those who deny God exists. God is reduced to a fairy tale for innocent and ignorant little children. When do most young Catholic’s doubts about God become full-blown denials? When they go away to college, where, in a sense, they become too smart for their own good. We can overcome our doubts, but our denials often overcome us.

In the gospel today, we see John the Baptist struggling with doubts about Jesus being the Messiah. We read: “At that time, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” And by the way, the reason John sent two disciples is because he wanted the certainty of a legally binding testimony. Two eyewitnesses are the equivalent to a signed document. John had serious doubts.

And Jesus helps John overcome his doubts by pointing to his miracles which fulfilled the ancient prophecies. Jesus said: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” In other words, overcome your doubts by your faith in the miracles you see, and do not let your doubts turn into denial, which will overcome you. Hence, John is able to be beheaded in prison, and die in peace knowing the Lord loves him.

My friends, tragically, we live in a society in which many truths are being held hostage by denial. And social media and talk shows have contributed to changing our doubts into denials, and sometimes with deadly consequences. For example, some people flatly deny the seriousness and sickness of the COVID virus and refuse to be vaccinated or take other precautions. We search for the information we want to hear and then create an “echo chamber” where we reinforce that view until we believe it as gospel truth. Doubt becomes denial.

A similar scenario is unfolding with climate change. Some people’s doubts have become full-blown denials about the reality of how the earth is eroding under our feet. The same is true for abortion. The simple and plain fact of the matter is we are killing upwards of a million babies a year. How can you debate that? And yet there is no shortage of naysayers who doubt that fact and even deny that the baby in the womb is a real human being. Doubts can be remedied, but denials are always deadly.

It is natural and normal to feel doubts. We can doubt whether someone loves us; we doubt we will ever beat Fr. Daniel in tennis. But we need to be very careful rowing our boat down the longest river in Egypt, “Denial.” Doubts can be overcome, but denials often overcome us. We pray that “faith” will be the last petal we pluck off the flower of life and say when we die, like St. John the Baptist: “God loves me!”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Two Electricians

Understanding the purpose and power of prayer

12/14/2021

Mt 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Today, December 14, is the feast of St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite doctor of the church and mystic of prayer. Did I ever describe to you why I wanted to become a Carmelite several years ago? The bishop graciously allowed me a three-month sabbatical to explore this "vocation within a vocation," to discern if God was calling me to be a Carmelite. I would like to share a little of that “phone call from God” with you.

Most people, including Catholics, do not know what Carmelites are or what they do, so here is how I explain it, with an analogy to electricians. You know what an electrician is, right? Imagine you come home one day and flip the light switch but nothing happens. Your lights at home do not turn on. What would you do? You may check the light bulbs to see if one had burned out, or perhaps even the breaker box to see if it was a simple fix.

But if that didn’t work, who would you call? Most likely you would call an electrician. He or she would come to your home, evaluate the situation and suggest a solution. Maybe a wire had short-circuited or some other more serious issue was the culprit. He would fix the problem, you would pay him, and your lights would work perfectly again. Everyone is happy. End of story.

But did you ever wonder where the electricity comes from that feeds the power lines in your house? Often that source is a hydroelectric plant hidden far away in a river that most people never give a second thought to. But day after day, there are electricians and engineers who faithfully go to work at that hydroelectric plant and do their job to provide electricity.

And here is the big difference between the two types of electricians. The fellow at the hydroelectric plant provides electricity not for one home, but for thousands of home, indeed for hundreds of thousands of homes. Do you see the difference? The first electrician helps one family at a time; he helped you when your light switch didn’t work. The second electrician helps thousands of families at a time.

That is the fundamental difference between a diocesan priest and a Carmelite friar. Your parish priest baptizes your baby, he blesses your new home, he solemnizes your children’s marriages, he hears your confession, he anoints you in the hospital, and he presides over your parents’ funerals. You have a spiritual need, you call him, and he provides s sacramental service, by giving you God’s grace. Everyone is happy. End of story. Right? Wrong.

Did you ever wonder where that grace, like the electricity, comes from? That is, is there a sort of “spiritual hydroelectric plant” that provides God’s grace to everyone and not just one family at a time? Yes there is, and they are called Carmelites, who spend hours in prayer each day called contemplation. Contemplative prayer is as close as you can get to the source of all life, light and grace.

Notice, too, that just like the anonymous worker at the hydroelectric plant, most people never give a second thought to these men and women hidden and working in obscurity and silence. In other words, it’s not as sexy as being an electrician who comes to your home, whom you can see and thank. The reason I felt a call to be a Carmelite was based on how many people you can help: do you want to help people one at a time, or millions at a time?

Perhaps another analogy may hit closer to home for you. The difference between being a diocesan priest and a Carmelite friar is like the difference between being a parent and a grandparent. When you are a parent, you focus all your love and energy, time and talent on your own children. When you become a grandparent, you experience a new level of love that can be focused on as many grandchildren as you can get.

When my father had grandbaby number 9, his only comment was: “Keep them coming!” One new grandmother happily observed: “I never thought I could love anyone more than my own children…and then I had grandchildren.” In other words, she felt a new level of love, a greater love, a love that was getting closer to God’s own love. Grandparents, like Carmelites, are stepping closer to the source of all life, light, love and grace. But it's hard to explain that to parents.

Robert Frost wrote a famous poem called “The Road Not Taken.” Here are a few lines: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I would not travel both. And be one traveler long I stood, And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth.” Then Frost finishes: “I should be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by; And it has made all the difference.” Well, I did not take the road less traveled by and become a Carmelite. But maybe now you can understand why someone would.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Go to the Movies

Seeing how everyone has superpowers

12/13/2021

Mt 21:23-27 When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

One of my favorite ways to relax and kick back is by watching movies, and my favorite movies are action, superhero movies, like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. See, I do more than just sit around and read the Bible all day! Recently, I saw, probably for the fifth time, the movie “Justice League,” which featured not one superhero, but six: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and even Cyborg.

Each superhero has a unique “superpower.” My favorite character is Flash, who can run really, really fast. When I was a little kid I even named my bike “Flash” because it was really, really fast. In the movie, Justice League, the various heroes are getting to know each other and Flash asks Batman, “So, what’s your superpower?” And Batman answers coldly: “I am rich.” But Batman used his wealth to help the poor and persecuted in Gotham City.

In the gospel Jesus identifies John the Baptist’s superpowers, namely, baptizing and prophesying. Jesus ask the chief priests and elders of the people: “Where was John’s baptism from?” In other words, do they recognize John had superpowers that came from heaven, a gift of God? But sadly, they answered: “We do not know.” The chief priests should have watched more superhero movies and they could have identified a superpower when they saw one!

In a sense, Jesus had put together his own “Justice League,” comprised of heroic characters like John the Baptist, Peter, James, Mother Mary, Bartholomew, and Jude Thaddeus. Indeed, all the saints are part of Jesus’ “Justice League,” because each with his or her own unique gifts and abilities, is trying to bring God’s justice and mercy to the world.

December 13th is the feast of St. Lucy, who also had a very unique superpower. She is patron saint of people who have eye problems. But before she was famous for curing vision issues, she was from a very wealthy Roman family. And at a very young age, she wanted to give her money away to help the poor. She could say like Batman that her superpower was “I am rich.” But according to tradition, a Roman nobleman wanted to marry Lucy, but she wanted to be completely committed to Christ.

He tried to flatter her by telling her how beautiful her eyes were, so she actually gauged out her eyes and gave them to him since that is what he loved so much about her! The family was astounded, though, when they prepared her body for burial, and found both her eyes were perfectly and beautifully restored. Hence, she is patron saint of people with eye disorders. That is her real superpower, besides being “really rich.” St. Lucy was part of Jesus’ “Justice League” and brought God’s justice and mercy to the world.

Folks, I would suggest to you that it is not only superheroes who have superpowers, but so does each and every person God has made. Every human being, created in God’s image and likeness (Gn 1:27), is endowed with some gift and ability. Maybe you are gifted in music and can play an instrument easily. Perhaps reading and writing are your forte. Maybe languages come easily to you and you can “habla espanol” and “parle francias.”

You may find technology your trick, or you are a magician with math. Your superpower could be cooking and I would love for you to test your superpower on me! Others can draw and design, paint and do pottery and write poetry – that is, they are creative. Or, maybe your superpower is like Batman’s and St. Lucy’s and your answer is “I am rich.” Instead of looking for people’s super-weaknesses (which we all find easy to do), look for their superpowers instead.

In other words, watching superhero movies helps me to see other people not as “ordinary” but as “extraordinary” and I love to ask, like Flash asked Batman, “So, what’s your superpower?” Let me leave you with possibly my all-time favorite quotation from C. S. Lewis. He wrote: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal and their life is to ours like the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” Oh, by the way, there is a new superhero movie out now called “The Immortals.” Anyone want to go the movies with me?

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Leave a Little

Leaving behind this world for the next

12/11/2021

Mt 17:9a, 10-13 As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

I have a curious custom whenever I sit down to eat a meal, and some people have started to notice it. I never completely finish my dessert. And by the way, I love dessert, so leaving a little is not easy for me to do! Sometimes people ask me why I do that, and I explain, “I am leaving a little for Elijah.” That answer, of course, only prompts more questions, like, “Why leave a little for Elijah?” Then I say: “I was hoping you would ask!” Leaving a little dessert is really “bait on the hook” to catch people’s attention and start a spiritual conversation.

My custom of leaving a little dessert for Elijah harkens back to the Jewish tradition of pouring a “fifth cup of wine” at the Seder meal of the Passover for Elijah. Pious Jews believed that Elijah, the great Old Testament prophet, would miraculously return at the Passover supper to announce the coming of the future Messiah. The Jews wanted Elijah to know they were ready and waiting for his return so they had the fifth cup full and left it untouched.

The Seder supper also sparked the question of curious children, like, “Why does this night differ from all others nights?”  Just like leaving a little “morsel of marshmallow pie” prompted a question to deepen faith, so leaving the fifth cup for Elijah caused questions to arise that deepened faith. In other words, whenever we “leave a little” of this world behind, our faith helps us to focus on the next world.

In the gospel today, the disciples also ask Jesus a question about Elijah. They inquire: “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” The disciples were referring, of course, to the Seder Meal’s tradition of leaving the fifth cup of wine for Elijah, the precursor to the coming of Christ. Jesus answers that Elijah has already come, and he came in the person of St. John the Baptist. In other words, Elijah’s job was completed by John, who had announced the coming of Jesus, the future Messiah.

And just like the untouched fifth cup of Elijah meant leaving something behind when the Messiah comes, so the disciples would have to leave behind the Jewish world to embrace the Christian faith. The Old Testament ends with Elijah, embodied in the person of St. John the Baptist, and the old must be left behind to enter the New Testament of Jesus Christ. We leave behind a little in this world in order to gain a lot in the next world.

But someone might also ask me: “Fr. John, why do you leave a little morsel of marshmallow pie for Elijah if he has already come in John and announced the coming of Christ 2000 years ago? Fr. John, did you miss the boat of Christianity and are still stuck on the shore of the Old Testament waiting for the Messiah? I don’t think so, and here are two reasons why. First, leaving a little for Elijah is a great way to prepare for Christmas, and the birthday of our Savior.

Every Advent we reenact those dramatic days leading up to the coming of Christ born in Bethlehem, and no one can help us better prepare than Elijah and John the Baptist: two men on the same mission. Every Advent and Christmas, therefore, we should leave behind a little of this world, by helping the poor, sacrificing our own selfish desires, spending more time in prayer, at Mass, at Adoration, fingering the Rosary.

The second reason to leave a little behind is because Jesus will also come again at the end of time “to judge the living and the dead” as we profess in the Creed. And guess who will show up right before Jesus returns not as a Baby in Bethlehem, but as a King on the clouds? That’s right: my buddy Elijah. It says in Rv 11:6 about a witness who has “the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying.”

That is what Elijah did in 1 Kgs 17. So, too, Elijah, along with Moses the other "witness," will return to announce the end of the world and the judgment of the nations. And a great way to prepare for that terrible day would be to leave a little behind for Elijah. That is, to show we are not too attached to this world and are ready to be more attached to the next world.

That is why I leave a little behind for Elijah, to prepare for Christmas and to prepare for the coming of Christ at the close of the age. Now, let me leave you with a little quote from C. S. Lewis’s book “The Great Divorce,” where he wrote something strikingly similar. He said: “You cannot take all luggage with you on all journeys, on one journey, even your right hand and your right eye may be among the things you have to leave behind.” Quite frankly, I would rather leave a little dessert.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Have Some Honey

Honoring the life and legacy of St. Ambrose

12/07/2021

Eph 3:8-12 Brothers and sisters: To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

The month of December is especially productive in the liturgical calendar for its plethora of saints and scholars, its mystics and martyrs. Just like a garden displays its greenest growth closer to the source of water, so the garden of Christian holiness displays some of the most delicate flowers of Christ’s saints the closer we get to the Birthday of he who is “living water” as he told the Samaritan woman in Jn 4. For example, on Dec. 3 we celebrated the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier, who traveled “all the way to India” to evangelize.

Today, on Dec. 7 we admire St. Ambrose, a brilliant doctor of the Church. On Dec. 14 we contemplate the spiritual giant St. John of the Cross. On Dec. 26 we stand in awe of the first martyr, St. Stephen, the deacon. And on Dec. 27, we praise the Lord for the Holy Innocents who died in Christ’s place to appease the hatred of Herod. And I didn’t even mention two favorite feasts of Mother Mary, her Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8 and Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12. As the King enters his court of creation, his saintly subjects rise to greet him, clothed in grace and glory, twinkling like colorful Christmas lights awaiting the coming of the Light of the world.

Today, let’s take a closer look at one of the finest flowers on display in December, namely, St. Ambrose of Milan. He lived a relatively short life, only 57 years, from 340 to 397, but he did more with the little time he had than many of us do with our abundance of time. Let me point out just three petals on this flower of faith. First, St. Ambrose is the patron saint of beekeepers, a practice which is swarming in popularity these days.

According to tradition, a swarm of bees settled on his face while a baby lying in his crib, leaving behind a drop of honey. Ambrose’ father believed that was s sign of the saint’s future wisdom and eloquence, he would be “honey-tongued.” Indeed, Ambrose is listed next to the legends like Augustine, Jerome and Gregory the Great as one of the four doctors of the Western Church. So, you should eat a little local honey today in honor of St. Ambrose.

The second petal we can examine is Ambrose’s famous dictum: “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” Have you ever heard that phrase or used it yourself? It was the sage advice Ambrose gave to his student, St. Augustine, about how to be flexible in liturgical matters like the Mass. In the fourth century, different areas of the Roman empire had slightly different ways of saying Mass, but the basics were always the same.

Some bishops demanded strict uniformity but Ambrose advocated flexibility, as long as the liturgy promoted the love of Christ. Ambrose’s advice is good for us to keep in mind when the Mass does not go exactly as we like. We like some priests who celebrate the Mass they “should,” while we disagree with and dislike others. Warm flexibility signals faith better than frozen rigidity to rules.

And a third petal in Ambrose’s flower is his prized pupil, St. Augustine. Led by the eloquence and example of St. Ambrose, Augustine was brought back from paganism to the practice of the faith, and the holy bishop of Milan is mentioned affectionately in Augustine’s autobiography, “The Confessions.” The best measure of a teacher is the caliber of his or her students.

If we judge the tree of a teacher by the fruits, then St. Ambrose rightly towers above other teachers for his influence on St. Augustine. Our greatest legacy will not be our personal accolades and awards and achievements, but rather the lives of those we touch and leave behind. And Ambrose left a great legacy in Augustine, who was known as the “Doctor of Grace.”

My friends, as we wind our way through the liturgical garden of December, be sure to stop and smell the roses of the saints. They give off the sweet fragrance of Christ, as St. Paul wrote in 2 Co 2:15, “For we are the aroma of Christ for God, among those who are being saved.” May St. Ambrose bless all beekeepers, may he help us to be more flexible in our faith life, and finally may we leave behind a legacy of lives that we brought a little closer to Christ.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Boss Baby

Seeing why abortion is wrong and letting babies be boss

12/05/2021

Lk 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Have you ever noticed how babies barge into our lives and pretty much take over our lives? It is said that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." But the crying baby really rules the hand that rocks the cradle, so who really rules the world? The baby is the boss. When babies barge into our lives most parents feel they are overwhelmed and underpaid.

I will never forget how my brother Paul reacted when his first baby boy was born. He gently held the little brown bundle with big dark eyes in his hands. Paul could barely see the baby because of the tears in my brother’s own eyes. My brother felt overcome with joy, but an instant later he felt overwhelmed by terror. Why? Well, he had no idea how to care for a baby. Who really does? When we hold our baby in our hands, we quickly realize our life is out of our hands. In other words, babies barge into our lives and turn them upside down, and they really take control.

In the gospel of Luke, John the Baptist announces the coming of Christ. Thirty years earlier angels announced the coming of Christ as a Baby in Bethlehem. And this heavenly Baby would barge into the lives of everyone in first century Palestine, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and underpaid. Just like the birth of his firstborn son overwhelmed my brother, so the birth and coming of Christ overwhelmed everyone, especially the rulers of the world. That is why Luke mentions them by name: Caesar, Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias, Annas and Caiaphas. Their hands may have ruled the world, but one day this Baby would rule them. Indeed, they were so bothered by the Baby of Bethlehem, they wanted to kill him. Every baby, especially the Baby of Bethlehem, turns our lives upside down, and really takes control.

It is in this context I would like to say a few words about the Supreme Court and the Mississippi abortion case. Did you hear about that? Last week the nine justices of the high court heard oral arguments for and against the state of Mississippi that wants to ban abortions after 15 weeks. The landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, basically banned abortions after 24-26 weeks. This new decision, therefore, has the potential to essentially overturn the old decision.

I do not know what will happen if the high court changes the current abortion law and potentially protects the lives of millions of American babies. There could be significant civil unrest, with riots, protests and violence. It is possible new abortion laws may be enacted by individual states, to protect or abort babies. Or, maybe the U.S. Congress will legislate federal laws for the whole land and take matters out of the hands of the Supreme Court. But speculating on such scenarios is above my paygrade so I’ll leave it to smarter people.

But I do know this much: it is always hard to have a baby! Why? Well, no matter how much we plan and prepare, attend Lamaze classes and pick the right color for the baby’s room, eat right and avoid alcohol, babies burst into our lives and upset the apple-cart of normalcy, and nothing is the same anymore. Like my brother felt, so, too, everyone who brings a baby into the world feels a jolt of joy but also a touch of terror. Why? Well, parents want their hands to rule at least their own little worlds, but babies barge in and really rule them.

And that is the root reason why we have abortions. People may argue that abortion is about “reproductive rights,” but that is just a fancy way of saying we want to be our own boss rather than having a “boss baby” ruling us like in the animated movie, “The Boss Baby.” In other words, what Roe v. Wade decided almost 50 years ago is exactly what the rulers of Palestine decided 2000 years ago: we would rather kill babies than let them turn our lives upside down.

My friends, every Advent we prepare for the birth of a Baby who barged into the lives of Mary and Joseph, and the Holy Couple humbly let him be their Boss, and let him rule their lives. That is the same invitation the Baby of Bethlehem makes to each of us, and indeed to the whole world, and in a unique way even to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, they will be a lot like Mary and Joseph and let all babies barge into our lives. Who will be the boss of our lives: the hand that rocks the cradle, or the crying baby that rules that hand?

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Time of Testing

Building our nation of the rock of Christ

12/01/2021

Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Today’s sermon is about a very serious subject, namely, abortion. So, buckle up. Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court signaled its willingness to uphold a ban on abortions in Mississippi. Did you hear about that? This would be a significant reversal of the Supreme Court decision “Roe v. Wade” in 1973 that allowed all abortions up to the point of viability. Because of the presence of more conservative judges on the highest court, there is an openness to overturning the 1973 landmark decision. But I am convinced it will not be easy. Why not?

Well, because many people – some polls put the number at almost 50% - of Americans believe abortion is really about “reproductive rights.” That is, just like a government has no place to tell people whether or not to use contraception – indeed, some insist the government should pay for contraceptives – so, the government cannot tell someone not to get an abortion. In other words, access to abortion is based on the same argument as access to artificial contraceptives. It is a “right,” a reproductive right.

According to abortion advocates, therefore, what the Supreme Court is considering is repealing reproductive rights, and that is not going to go over well, because we Americans revere our rights. In 1861 our nation fought the Civil War over whether people had the “right” to own and sell slaves. I would not be surprised if another war is on the horizon if we as a nation decide to restrict reproductive rights in 2021 like we restricted slavery rights in 1861.

But I believe the battle line is drawn a lot deeper than in the Supreme Court chamber; it is drawn at the very foundations of our country. Both the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute annually report abortion statistics, but the reports vary considerably. If you average their reports from 1973 to 2021, we have aborted approximately 33,600,000 babies over 48 years. In other words, the foundations of the freedoms we enjoy, such as "reproductive rights," has cost the lives of over 33 million Americans. That is far worse than slavery, and why a war may be brewing if the Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi abortion ban.

In the gospel today, Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew with the parable of the two foundations. One man builds his house on rock and another builds his house on sand. You do not need to be an engineer to explain what happens when, as Jesus said, “The rain fells, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.” In other words, foundations will be tested to see if they are strong and secure.

And the most firm foundation will be Jesus’ Word and the dignity of the human person, even the virtually invisible little person in a mother’s womb. What will happen if we build our house – and a nation can be a “house” as well – on a foundation of sand? Jesus answers: “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Folks, would you like to learn how other nations have fared when their foundations were tested? You should read St. Augustine’s “City of God” about the fall of Rome, and Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” about the fall of the French monarchy. In both cases, the winds and rains and floods of war and revolution tested what kind of foundation those great civilizations were built on. And in both cases they collapsed and crumbled. Why? Just like Jesus said: they did not build on rock, the firm foundation of his Word, but on the sands of human sentiment.

Let me conclude with a few lines from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, when our nation’s foundation was tested by Civil War. Lincoln echoed Jesus’ warning about building on a firm foundation, when he said: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The sixteenth president continued: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing” – testing! – “whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” In other words, a new time of testing may soon be upon us and we will learn what kind of foundation we stand upon.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The War Within

Finding peace on the inside and outside

11/29/2021

Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: "Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!

Have you ever wondered why there are wars? I mean why can’t we end all wars once and for all? Isn’t that what all beauty pageant contestants wish for: world peace? I am convinced there are wars on the outside (in the world) because first there are wars on the inside (in our hearts). We are not at peace in the world because we are not at peace within ourselves. We raise the sword to kill others when we should raise the sword to kill our own sins and selfishness. Perhaps a simple illustration will help.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln would visit the wounded soldiers in make-shift hospitals on the battlefield. In those days, people often did not know what the president looked like because photographic images were not as ubiquitous as they are today. As Lincoln was entering one such hospital, an orderly was running out in the opposite direction. The two men crashed into each other and went sprawling to the ground. The orderly, not recognizing his president, exclaimed: “Why don’t you look where you’re going, you lanky, long-legged buffoon!?” Lincoln stood up, dusted himself off, and asked the orderly: “Son, what’s bothering you on the inside?”

Lincoln knew where wars begin. The young orderly was ready to raise the sword on the outside (even against his own president) than wage war against his troubles on the inside – the worries, the fears, the sorrows, the anxieties in his own heart. Indeed, Lincoln likewise understood why we were waging the Civil War, brother against brother, because we had not waged the war against the sin of slavery on the inside, in our country’s soul. In other words, there will always be wars on the outside because first there is not peace on the inside.

Quickly becoming one of my favorite books of the Old Testament is Isaiah. Its sixty-six chapters can feel intimidating, but I find real “gold in them thar 66 hills” like in today’s first reading from Isaiah 2. We read about the prophet’s prospects for peace in the famous lines: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Isaiah goes on: “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”

But notice what has to happen before there is peace on the outside: there must be peace on the inside. That is, all the nations must listen to the voice of God in their hearts – that’s another name for conscience – and repent of their idolatry, sins and selfishness. Isaiah asks the nations like Lincoln asked the orderly: “What’s bothering you on the inside?” In other words, if there is not peace within the soul of each nation, there will never be peace among nations.

My friends, Advent is the period of preparation for the birthday of the Prince of Peace. How shall we prepare for peace? One way might be to ask like Isaiah: why are there wars among the nations? Another way might be to ask like Lincoln: what’s bothering you on the inside? For the next four weeks take serious time to ask yourself: what is robbing me of peace on the inside? And be careful not to blame other people for your lack of peace: your spouse, your neighbor, your president. That is the easy way out and does not lead to lasting peace.

The first step of peace is to turn the sword of war against ourselves: our sins, our selfishness, our ego, our pride, our laziness, our envy and jealousy, in a word, our disordered self-love. Once you have identified the cause of the war within, go to confession, and make your peace with God and with your conscience. And you will feel profound sense of peace.

Whenever someone gets really upset with me and blows up because I make some mistake, I wonder: “What’s bothering them on the inside?” And whenever I explode over some small error someone else makes, I ask myself: “What’s bothering me on the inside?” We will never find world peace until we have find peace for the war within.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Breakfast for Jesus

Christianity as commitment not contribution

11/27/2021

Lk 21:25-28, 34-36 Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

A priest-friend of mine, Fr. Erik Pohlmeier, pastor of Christ the King, likes to say that breakfast is the most important meal of the morning. Did you hear about how the chicken and pig prepared breakfast one morning for the farmer and learned how important breakfast is? One day the chicken approached the pig and said, “I have a great idea for something we can do for the farmer! I think the farmer would be very happy if we made him breakfast.” The pig was intrigued, so he asked, “What do you suggest we make?”

The chicken knew he had little to offer, so he said, “I could provide some eggs.” The pig knew the farmer might want more for a meal, so he asked: “That’s a fine start. What else shall we make?” The chicken thought for a moment and answered: “Ham? The farmer loves eggs and ham!” The pig knew what that meant, and said: “Wait a minute! While you’re making a contribution, I am making a total commitment!” In other words, the pig could feel the level of importance of breakfast in the level of his commitment.

Today’s gospel is taken from Luke 21, a section called “The Olivet Discourse.” This is the spectacular speech that Jesus gives his apostles while they spend the night on Mt. Olivet and look across the Kidron Valley at the opposing hill toward Jerusalem, and Jesus foretells its destruction. Jesus describes his second-coming as a cataclysmic and even cosmic event: “People will die of fright of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

And how are the apostles to prepare? Jesus does not ask them for a mere “contribution” but rather a total “commitment.” In other words, preparing for the Parousia (Jesus’ second-coming) is a lot like making breakfast for the farmer. You can be like the chicken and contribute some eggs, or you can be like the pig and sacrifice everything. And how exactly did the apostles make the supreme sacrifice? They gave up their former way of life in Judaism to embrace a new way of life in Christianity.

You see, Jerusalem, especially the towering Temple at the heart of the city, symbolized the whole world for the Jews. It stood at the center of their cultural universe like the sun in the center of our solar system keeps everything in its orbit. Its total destruction, therefore, which would occur 40 years after Jesus’ prediction, felt like the end of the world to all devout Jews. That was the total sacrifice and commitment Christ was calling the apostles to accept. That is what it means to make breakfast for Jesus; it is not a little contribution of an hour for Mass on Sunday, but a total sacrifice of your whole former way of life, the end of your former universe and the dawn of a new and better universe.

My friends, this Sunday we begin the season of Advent and the Church asks us to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. The four weeks of Advent are supposed to symbolize our whole life of faith, a waiting and watching for Jesus’ return not only at Christmas but at the end of time. And I would invite you to look at Advent and our Christian life in terms of preparing breakfast for Jesus. How so?

Well, we often begin our journey with Jesus like the chicken, trying to make a small contribution. We ask: what is the least I have to give of myself and still make it to heaven? But as we progress in faith we start to feel a desire to give more and more of ourselves to Christ, until he becomes the Lord and Ruler over every inch of our existence. Indeed, we feel like the saints and martyrs, like the pig, eager to lay down our life for our Lord.

Here are a few practical suggestions this Advent to move slowly from being a chicken to being a pig in preparing breakfast for Jesus. First, think of how much money you spend on gifts for family and friends, and try to give at least that much to church and charity. I start saving my stipends in October from baptisms, weddings and funerals to have some funds for Christmas presents. But I try to split that savings between my loved ones and the poor. I’m moving from contribution to commitment in my Christianity.

Another practical preparation is to spend as much time in prayer as you do at parties. Try to attend one daily Mass for each Christmas party you go to this season. If you go to five Christmas parties, then attend five additional daily Masses. The Mass is where the real party is going on. And third, when you watch the Razorbacks, or your favorite team, give up drinking your favorite adult beverage during the game. You may remember more of the game and yell less at the refs. Less contribution and more commitment.

Advent is a season of intense preparation for Christ’s coming not only at Christmas as a Baby, but also in glory at the end of time as a King. While we wait we have work to do: abandoning the attitude of the chicken who tries to get by with a small contribution and adopting the attitude of the pig who wants to give everything, even our own life, out of love for the Lord. This Advent try to be less like the chicken and more like the pig in preparing breakfast for Jesus when he returns in glory. Then, you, too, might start feeling why breakfast is the most important meal of the morning.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Holy Stupid Question

Learning from the dumb questions we ask

11/15/2021

Lk 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

Are there any such things as “stupid questions”? Some people argue the only dumb question is the one you did not ask. But I disagree. I have asked lots of stupid questions over the years. My life motto is now: “Keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid, rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.” So, now I let other people ask the stupid questions.

I will never forget one teacher I had at the University of Dallas who asked all the stupid questions and took that pressure off us students. He taught us Russian Literature and almost his entire class was him asking us questions. For instance: Why did Raskolnikov kill his landlady? What made him fall in love with Sonia, a prostitute? Why did he finally kneel in the middle of a busy intersection and confess his crime to the world? I remember feeling so frustrated and wanting to ask: “Why don’t you just tell us the answers so we can move on to the next novel with unpronounceable names?”

Our professor, though, was actually teaching us more than Russian literature. He was demonstrating the “Socratic method” of education. That is, he was teaching by asking questions, and yes, sometimes even stupid questions. In the end, he was teaching us to be critical thinkers. Now, when I read a book, or the morning paper, or listen to a speaker, I ask in my mind: Why does he say that? What is his real message? Who is he trying to convince? My professor’s stupid questions taught his students how to think. In other words, stupid questions are the beginning of great wisdom.

I say the following with great reverence, but in the gospel today Jesus seems to be asking a stupid-sounding question. Just think about the scene. A blind beggar is brought before our Lord, and clearly Jesus can see his ailment. And yet Jesus has the audacity to ask: “What do you want me to do for you?” I mean if Robin had been standing nearby, he might have said: “Holy stupid question, Batman!” Does Jesus not know that this poor blind beggar would love to see?

But like my college professor, and the Greek philosopher Socrates, Jesus asked the apparently dumb question not for his own understanding, but for ours. That is, he has come to restore sight to the blind, but not just the physically blind, but more importantly, the spiritually blind, that is, those who walk in the dark without the light of faith. In other words, his supposedly stupid question was how Jesus solicited from the man an act of faith, which our Lord then rewarded with the miracle of physical sight. The far greater miracle of spiritual sight, though, had also occurred. The man could see physically and spiritually, and that is why he followed Jesus down the road.

Folks, have you ever asked a stupid question and wished you had kept your mouth shut? But I would invite you to be unafraid of asking all kinds of questions: those that make you look smart and those that make you look stupid. And I would really encourage you to ask questions in matters of faith: about Scripture, regarding prayer, about the Church, whether non-Christians will be saved, etc. One of the things I am proudest of here at I.C. is all the different groups that gather to do Bible study or just to talk about their faith.

If you do not belong to such a group, start your own. On our church website, you will find 4 on-line Bible study videos I produced during the pandemic. They cover the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Book of Revelation. Each session of the study ends with a list of 10 questions. In other words, don't worry, I will ask all the stupid questions, so you can stop stumbling around in the dark.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Forever 21

Preparing students for Heaven and Harvard

11/14/2021

Mk 13:24-32 Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not  ass away. "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

One of our mottos at Trinity Catholic School is, “We educate our students to get into Harvard and Heaven.” Now, of those two great destinations, which do you think it is harder to prepare students for? You might think it’s harder to get them into Harvard than to get into Heaven – Heaven should be easy, right? – but not necessarily. Why not? Well, because young people, especially teenagers, think they will never die, so it is not necessary to think about getting into Heaven because they will live forever. That is why they love to shop at stores called “Forever 21.”

Recently, I was preparing for Mass and the altar servers were putting on their vestments as well. I had celebrated my 52nd birthday and was feeling a little old. So, I asked one of the servers: “Do you think 52 is very old?” The server was trying to be diplomatic so he answered, “Not at all, 52 is not old.” Then I asked him, “Do you think you will ever be 52?” Without hesitation, he shot back, “No way!”

That answer was a little less diplomatic but a much more honest. It also revealed his real thinking about being 52: it was old, and by contrast he would stay young forever. If you will be “Forever 21” you want to get into Harvard, but if you are “Forever 21” you have no need for Heaven. And that is why it is harder to prepare students for Heaven than for Harvard.

In the gospel today, Jesus is also trying to prepare his apostles for Heaven more than for Harvard, because that is the harder lesson to learn. Our Lord uses some rather dramatic language to make his point. He says: “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” In a sense, Jesus was trying to scare the hell out of them so he could scare the Heaven into them. Just like I was trying to help my little altar server see he would not always stay young, so Jesus was helping his little altar servers (also known as apostles) to realize both they and the world they inhabit would end one day.

And therefore, they should prepare for a better world, namely, Heaven. But Jesus had his work cut out for him because the Jews of the first century – like the Americans of the 21st century – were more interested in an earthly paradise rather than a heavenly one. In every age, therefore, people work a lot harder to go to Harvard then to go to Heaven. Jesus was the Headmaster and Teacher of the first Catholic school, where his apostles were the students, and his goal was exactly the same as that of Trinity Catholic School: to prepare his students for Harvard and Heaven, but more so for Heaven.

My friends, thank you for the opportunity to celebrate Masses here at Sacred Heart and share with you what a treasure we have in Trinity Catholic School, as well as at Christ the King and Immaculate Conception. Of course, our students have high achievements in academics, and I love to watch them in Quiz Bowl and Spelling Bee competitions. But other schools have smart students, too. And naturally, we emphasize being kind and loving your neighbor and doing community service. But other school love their neighbors and care about their community, too.

And we encourage our students to explore extracurricular activities like band and cheer and dance and choir and drama. Recently, Trinity students participated in a entrepreneur’s competition at UAFS, and Fr. Daniel, who has an MBA, helped interview and prepare them. I think they were more scared of Fr. Daniel than UAFS professors! But other schools have extracurricular activities, too.

But just as Jesus worried more about his apostles getting into Heaven than into Harvard, so, too, Trinity helps her students to prepare for Heaven even more than for Harvard. How so? Well, the students attend weekly Mass and receive Holy Communion. They go to confession at least twice a year in Advent and again in Lent. Fr. Daniel is available for confessions every week on Thursdays, and believe it or not, he gets some customers in the confessional! And once a year, they make a spiritual retreat, which your parish of Sacred Heart is hosting this year. Thank you so much!

My friends, my point in this sermon is pretty simple, namely, the spiritual side of the education of the whole child is what makes Trinity and other Catholic schools so unique but also so necessary. Otherwise, we leave our precious children only preparing for Harvard and never preparing for Heaven. Worse still, we leave them lumbering under the illusion that they will be “Forever 21” and will never turn 52.

Praised be Jesus Christ!