The Charlie Kirk Effect

 

Purifying our motivations for following Jesus

11/05/2025

Luke 14:25-33 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.' Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."

I will never forget the day I put my faith above my family. I was a junior in high school and had decided to go into seminary to become a priest. I wanted to share my decision with my family and chose dinner time when everyone was together. It felt like dating someone and finally bringing the girl home to meet your family.

I was more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. That dinner took place almost 40 years ago but I still remember it like yesterday. I can still see where everyone sat at the table and how each person reacted to the news. My mom broke down in tears, my father stayed stoic and furrowed his brow in thought.

But my brother blurted out, “Oh, John, you’ll change your mind after a year in college.” You know, there were many hard days in seminary but I remembered my brother’s lack of confidence, and I stuck it out just to spite him. So, I can confidently say I am a priest today thanks to my brother.

Now, in the gospel today when Jesus says: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26), he was not talking about how angrily I reacted to my brother’s comments at that fateful dinner.

Rather, our Lord’s larger point is about purifying our motives for following him. Obviously, Jesus has no desire to contradict the fourth commandment of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments): “Honor your father and mother.” I needed to purify my reasons to be a priest and not to stick it out in seminary just to spite my brother.

Let me give you some examples of needing to scrutinize and purify our reasons for following Jesus. We have seen an up-tick in people coming to Mass, and even joining the OCIA classes to become Catholic. Last night I celebrated the Rite of Welcome for Robert Cloninger, a Methodist minister who will become Catholic. This year may be our biggest OCIA class ever, and people are still joining the class.

I have seen many new faces at Mass on Sundays. Have you? Some people have commented that this influx is “the Charlie Kirk effect.” That is, many people, especially young men, inspired by Charlie Kirk’s example and eloquence are exploring Catholicism. Others argue that when our culture is growing more anti-Christian, it’s hard to embrace both worlds, and so people are choosing the Catholic faith in a more intentional and life-changing way.

Now, we always happily welcome people to Mass, and to join the OCIA classes and learn about Catholicism. But we caution them that they should not become Catholic because “everyone is doing it.” The faith cannot become a fad. You know what “fad” stands for? The three letters stand for “for a day.”

Or, as Archbishop Fulton Sheen memorably put it, “If you marry this age, you become a widow in the next.” Everyone interested in Catholicism today, therefore, needs to purify their motives and not pursue the faith just because it’s trendy or “going viral” as they say.

My friends, purifying our motives for following Jesus does not occur instantly or in one dramatic decision, but rather entails a life-long process of refinement, like purifying gold from all its impurities and alloys. I was ordained a priest at the age of 26 and I am now 56 – so next May will be my 30 anniversary of ordination.

And yet I am still daily discovering less than ideal motives in my heart: laziness, choosing the path of least resistance, job security, instant respect when I don the priestly collar, etc. Perhaps married couples must find new and more genuine reasons to stay married after 10, 20, 30 years of being together.

The booster rockets of initial love will burn off before you get into the deep space of marriage and children, wrinkles and retirement. In other words, we cannot follow Jesus as a Catholic, or choose the priesthood, or enter the covenant of marriage, as a fad (for a day), but must constantly purify our motivations.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Shoe on the Wrong Paw

 

Understanding the connection between Baptisms and funerals

11/02/2025

Romans 6:3-9 Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who are baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that,  just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

Have you ever heard people say, “Catholics do funerals right”? That sounds pretty bizarre, so what does it mean? People who attend a funeral Mass often leave feeling more peace, closer to Christ, and a renewed hope in the resurrection and reunion with their deceased loved ones.

You see, it is the familiarity and routine of the Mass – all the smells and the bells – spiritually wrap around us like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. At a funeral Mass I inject a little color commentary about these smells and bells. I explain to the congregation: “We begin this funeral Mass with signs of baptism. We sprinkle the casket with holy water, we place a white pall (cloth) over it, and we lead it to the burning Easter Candle.

"All three of those symbols were present when you and I were baptized: we were immersed in water, we were clothed in white, and there was a candle there to symbolize Jesus, the light of the world.” Then I ask: “Why do we think about baptism on the day of a funeral? Because St. Paul taught the Romans in chapter 6 of his great letter that those who are baptized into Christ will rise with him.

"Those who experience a spiritual death with the Lord will also experience his resurrection. In other words, Baptism throws open the doors of Paradise for us.” If were to put it grammatically, we would say that Baptism transforms death from a period at the end of the sentence of life, into a comma.

Today is All Souls’ Day and we pray for our loved ones who have died. By the way, did you catch our second reading today?  What a shocker, it’s taken straight from Romans 6. There we read: “Brothers and sisters, are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?...

"For if we have grown in union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” That is, St. Paul was the first to speak grammatically, and say that Baptism changes death from a period to a comma at the end of the sentence of life.

Every year on All Souls Day we have adopted the Hispanic custom of erecting an All Souls Altar. We place pictures of our loved ones who have died and pray for them during a novena (9 days) of Masses. Incidentally, sometimes you also see the altar decorated with skulls or funny faces.

Why? Because Jesus’ resurrection has defeated death so decisively that death is just a joke, and we can laugh at it. Again, the sentencing-ending period of death is now just a cute little comma. But did you also notice where the All Souls Altar is located in our church? It sits directly in front of the baptismal font, where we baptize little babies.

Why put it there? Well, why not put it there? It’s not there just because it’s convenient and so everyone can see it. It’s there to make a theologically point, namely, to remind us about Romans 6. In other words, Baptism has everything to do with an All Souls Altar for the dead, because Baptism throws open the gates of Paradise for them. All the souls in purgatory are learning a little grammar right now: how the period of death has become a comma.

This weekend at the Saturday 5 p.m. Mass Bishop Taylor came to celebrate a Jubilee Mass for our parish. You may recall the bishop designated I.C. and four other churches in the state as “Jubilee Churches”. Pope Francis declared that during the Jubilee year we could visit a Jubilee Church and receive a plenary indulgence to remit the punishments we deserve for our sins in purgatory.

In a sense, a plenary indulgence functions like special Baptism because it throws open the gates of Paradise for us. It has the power to change a period into a comma. I have a little confession to make. I was temped to put a picture of my dog Apollo on the All Souls’ Altar. But I realized that I did not need to. Why not?

It’s not because I don’t love him. Rather it’s because he doesn’t need our prayers, like the people do who have died. Now think about this. Apollo never committed any real sins that need to be forgive, although he did destroy some pretty nice pillows. You can train an animal’s instincts to sit, and to heel, and to shake hands.

But you cannot form an animal’s conscience to choose between right and wrong moral options. And because Apollo did not have a moral conscience, and therefore, never committed a mortal sin, he doesn’t need our prayers. And so I did not his picture on the All Souls Altar. Some people ask, “Do dogs go to heaven?” That’s a silly question because of course all dogs go to heaven.

The real question people should ask is: “Do all human beings go to heaven?” And the answer to that all-important question depends on a whole host of circumstances and our moral choices, like Baptism, and following your conscience, and loving your neighbor, especially the poor, and forgiving those who hurt you, and treating your body like a temple of the Holy Spirit, and a million other critical factors.

In other words, my dog Apollo did not need to be Baptized and Apollo did not need a plenary indulgence because he never committed any sins, and therefore the gates of Paradise were already and always wide open for him. When we ask, “Do all dogs go to heaven?” the shoe is on the wrong paw.

That is, the reason you and I need the sacrament of Baptism and papal plenary indulgences – unlike Apollo – is because the gates of Paradise are not already and always open for us. When we do NOT do funeral Masses for our dogs, that is another reason Catholics do funerals right.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Seven Meals a Day

 

Seeing how to get things done supernaturally

10/28/2025

Luke 6:12-16 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Conventional wisdom says: If you want to get something done, give it to someone who’s busy. Why? Well, the reason they are busy is because they are getting things done. So give them some more. By contrast, Christian wisdom says: If you want to get something done, give it to someone humble. Why? Well, because the devil won’t see humility coming, and further, he won't be able to stop someone humble. If the devil has a kind of kryptonite, an Achilles’ heel, a fatal flaw, it is a humble Christian.

Are you familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional masterpiece called The Lord of the Rings? Our Tuesday 12 noon Bible study group has been studying the genius of Tolkien’s writings: how he translated the faith into fiction. Gandalf, a good and wise wizard, needs to destroy an evil ring of power. And who does he find to carry out this extraordinary task: someone busy? No, someone humble, a small and seemingly inconsequential hobbit.

All the other members of the small expedition to Mt. Doom to destroy the ring have remarkable powers: Stryder with his sword, the Elf and the Dwarf. But Bilbo and Frodo, the humble hobbits' only claim to fame is they like to eat 7 meals a day: breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. But it is precisely because the hobbits fly below the Dark Lord’s radar of power and prestige that they can complete their clandestine mission to destroy the ring. The hubris of Evil can only be vanquished by the humility of a Christian.

Today we celebrate the feast of two rather small and inconsequential apostles: Sts. Simon and Jude. If the 12 apostles were compared to the small band in the Lord of the Rings, Simon and Jude would be the two humble hobbits. Obviously, Peter, James, John, and Matthew, have great gifts and talents, and are indispensable for Jesus’ mission to create his Church and spread his gospel of peace.

But after spending an entire night in prayer, Jesus becomes acutely aware that some of the most critical tasks of evangelization and conversion can only be completed by the most humble, which is the very heart of holiness. Maybe Simon and Jude’s only claim to fame was they loved their 7 meals a day, too.

Does it come as any surprise, then, that the greatest human achievement in all history was accomplished by an unknown adolescent girl in an obscure Galillean town called Nazareth, who answered an angel humbly: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). In other words, the hubris of Evil can only be vanquished by the humility of a Christian. If you want to get something supernatural done, give it to someone humble.

My friends, one of the chief benefits of sustained prayer – like Jesus spent the entire night absorbed in contemplation – is to open our eyes to see how things operate on the supernatural plane. On that invisible level you get things done not necessarily by giving the job to the best and the brightest and the most beautiful. But rather by employing the humble, the holy, the poor, the small and insignificant.

Therefore, it should not shock or surprise us that vocations to the priesthood and religious life are thriving in third world countries while they falter in first world countries. Last week I talked to a parishioner about the shortage of priests and getting more priests from other countries. He asked me why we don’t have more U.S. priests, and I answered, because priesthood involves life-long sacrifice and we Americans don’t like to sacrifice.

But sacrifice and suffering are normal in poor countries and so the priesthood seems normal to them. But then I asked him what he thought would be a good solution to the problem, and he said the Church needed to modernize the priesthood, and allow priests to marry and ordain women as priests. That solution, of course, has been tried in other Christian denominations and it didn’t solve the shortage.

But did you catch how our conversation was happening on two different levels? One person was on the natural level and suggested natural solutions, like you would address a problem at work. Fewer priests? Let them marry and allow women to become priests. The other person was on the supernatural level and seeking supernatural solutions: suffering, humility and poverty. What’s the difference?

The natural level does not recognize the enemy is the devil and cannot see how humility is the only way to defeat him. Whereas on the supernatural level – which we only can perceive thanks to prayer – we discover how God operates. Divine wisdom teaches: If you want to get something done supernaturally, give it to someone humble, holy, and poor. That is, after they have their seven meals a day.

Praised be Jesus Christ!