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!

A Brief Tutorial

 

Understanding “gird your loins” and “light your lamps”

10/21/2025

Luke 12:35-38 Jesus said to his disciples: "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants."

Whenever I preside at funeral Masses, I give a brief tutorial before we pray the Our Father, focusing on the words, “Thy kingdom come.” I say to the family and friends of the deceased: “At this point in the funeral we pray the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. And there are 7 things we ask for in the Lord’s Prayer, seven petitions. In one petition we say, ‘Thy kingdom come.’ What does that mean, ‘Thy kingdom come’?”

I continue: “It means we want Jesus to come back at the end of time and establish his kingdom definitively. And the sooner the better: Thy kingdom come!” Then I conclude: “Well, the kingdom has come in a very personal and permanent way for our loved one who has died. And we pray he stands before the King of kings today. That we, too, may be in that kingdom, we pray as our Lord taught us.”

That brief tutorial helps people to pray with more attention and hopefully more anticipation. That is, the end of the world is not something we should dread but something we should desire. Why? Well, because it announces the second coming of Christ, the Parousia, the Eschaton, the Consummation of the world.

Or, as the Book of Revelation 19:9 describes it: “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” In other words, we should anxiously await the end of the world like we look forward to a wedding: with desire, not dread.

In the gospel today Jesus uses wedding imagery to talk about his second coming. He tells his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.”

This wedding image in Luke 12:35-38 bears a striking resemblance to the parable of the ten virgins in Mt 25:1-13.

You recall the five wise virgins who kept their lamps lit with ample oil until the bridegroom (Jesus) were to return. Again, virgins know how to gird their loins and are awaiting the bridegroom from a wedding. Let me suggest two interpretations of the phrases, “gird your loins” and “light your lamps.”

First “gird your loins” refers to sexual restraint and virtue, that is, chastity. I tell young engaged couples that one of the best ways to prepare for their wedding day is to refrain from sexual intimacy. Why? If they have been engaging in sexual relations the whole time then their honeymoon night will feel like just another night. And if their sex life has become routine and even a little bit boring, they may look at it more with dread then with desire.

Incidentally, this phrase gird your loins is also why the Church recommends married couples practice Natural Family Planning, or periodic abstinence, instead of contraception. Why? So married people can also gird their loins and practice self-control, the self-mastery of chastity. Then after they have fasted for a time from sexual intimacy, they will look forward to the feast of sexual intimacy with more desire than dread.

Second, the phrase “light your lamps” – and especially Matthew 25’s mention of keeping the lamps lit – suggests our baptism, when we received the light of Christ as we lit our baptismal candles from the Easter Candle, the Christ Candle. By the way, how do our baptismal candles become extinguished and in need of re-lighting?

That occurs every time we commit sins, especially mortal sins. And then how do we re-light our baptismal candle? We go to confession. This is why in the early Church the sacrament of confession was frequently referred to as “a second baptism.” When Jesus says “light your lamps” and keeping your lamps lit he is talking about the sacraments of baptism and confession.

In sum, using two key images, “gird your loins” and “light your lamps”, Jesus teaches the ideal way to prepare for the end of the world. First, practice chastity, and second, go frequently to confession. And when we are thus prepared we can pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father with great confidence and even joyful expectation. Because when we say “Thy kingdom come” we will desire the end of the world, not dread it.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

You Can Take It with You

 

Making the poor our priority like Jesus did

10/20/2025

Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"' But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

I recently opened a small investment account with Fidelity. Priests, as you may know, can retire at the age of 75, so in case I live that long, I figured I should save a little money for my golden years. When I open my account now-a-days, a screen pops up that asks: “Would you like to designate a beneficiary?” That means: in case I die, who should all my millions of dollars go to?

They offer plenty of options, such as my spouse, my children, other relatives, or a charity. But I always skip that option because I designated a beneficiary for my millions 29 years ago when I was ordained a priest in 1996. Dc. Bo McAllister, an attorney for the diocese, helped me fill out my Last Will and Testament shortly after I was ordained. And he asked me back then what Fidelity asks me today: “Would you like to designate a beneficiary when you die?”

I think I laughed out loud when Dc. Bo asked me that question because I was 26 years old, fit as a fiddle, and fully felt like I would life forever. In case you are wondering: I designated the Diocese of Little Rock as my beneficiary. Why? Because a priest is married to the Church, and so I am leaning all my millions to you, my spouse, the Diocese of Little Rock.

In the gospel today Jesus helps someone to manage their Fidelity account and helps them to designate a beneficiary. A man asks Jesus: “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” And our Lord tells the parable of a man who kept skipping that question about designating a beneficiary and simply lived for the moment.

Like me at 26 and in the prime of life, the foolish man thought he would never die and have to designate a beneficiary. And Jesus concludes: “Be rich in what matters to God.” And by the way, what matters most to God? Well, if you have been paying close attention in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is primarily worried about the poor, the foreigner, and women.

That is, these categories of people are invariably the heroes in Jesus’ parables and teachings. Like the foreign Good Samaritan in Luke 10, the poor man Lazarus in Luke 16, the widow of Nain in Luke 7. In other words, if you want to know who Jesus would designate as a beneficiary for his millions, it would be the poor, the stranger, and the widows. Why?

Well, because they are the object of his special solicitude and care. They are the object of his love; they are his Church, and his Bride. Put differently, when you leave your inheritance to church or charity, you are effectively leaving it to the same category of people. Church and charity are synonymous, at least for Jesus. In a sense, the poor are the first-class citizens of the kingdom of God.

By the way, have you read Pope Leo XIV’s first document called Dilexi Te (I have loved you)? He continues Pope Francis’ profound priority of loving the poor. Leo writes: “I share the desire of my predecessor [Pope Francis] that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor” (no. 3).

In other words, Jesus’ love for the poor is so intense and unconditional because the poor are his Church, his Bride, who he came to die for and to save. Hence the document is title, “Dilexi te” “I have loved you, that is, Jesus is saying, “I have loved the poor.”

It is often said in estate planning that “you can’t take it with you.” Well, I rather disagree with that and feel confident you can take it with you. How so? Well, everything we donate freely and joyfully to the poor we will get back in heaven and with interest. But even more than simply an ROI (return on the investment), our gifts to the poor are actually helping the citizenry of God’s kingdom on earth.

In other words, giving to church or charity are two ways of saying the same thing, provided the church makes the poor her priority, like Pope Leo XIV is teaching us. When we designate our beneficiary as the poor, we are essentially taking it with us because it will be waiting for us in heaven. And we are making earth a little more heavenly for them.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Keep You Out of Trouble

 

Making our prayers habitual, humble, and hopeful

10/19/2025

Luke 18:1-8 Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Have you heard the joke about when to pray and when not to pray? A young priest asked his bishop: “May I smoke while praying?” The bishop emphatically replied: “No, absolutely not!” Later the young priest saw an older clergyman puffing on a cigarette while praying. The younger priest scolded him, saying: “You shouldn’t be smoking while praying! I asked the bishop and he said I couldn’t do that!”

“That’s odd,” the old priest responded. “I asked the bishop if I could pray while I was smoking and he told me that would be a very holy thing to do.” You know I used to walk Apollo and pray the rosary at the same time. Now, it would be very unholy to walk your dog while praying, but it would be very holy to pray while walking your dog.

In other words, any activity accompanied by prayer in a sense elevates that behavior to God and thereby becomes a prayer itself. Prayer transforms earthly activity into heavenly ones, like the Eucharistic Prayer at the Mass transforms earthly bread and wine into Jesus’ glorified Body and Blood. Prayer raises earth to heaven and brings heaven to earth, especially the most perfect prayer of all, the Mass.

In the gospel today, Jesus encourages his disciples to persevere in prayer. He holds up the example of a relentless widow who will not take no for an answer until an unjust judge renders a verdict in her case. Jesus’ point is that if this determined widow can persuade an unjust judge, then God the just Judge does not need us to batter the doors of heaven with our petitions. Indeed, God knows what we need long before we even ask.

Let me suggest the three “H’s” of prayer which might help us to persevere in our own prayer, namely, prayer should be habitual, humble, and hopeful. First, prayer should be “habitual.” Now, sometimes, our Protestants friends complain that Catholics only know routine prayers – the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be – and we do not know how to pray spontaneously.

But have you noticed how most of our life is filled with routine but important activities? We brush our teeth in the morning, we make our bed, we eat our meals, we drink coffee, we kiss our spouse, we go to work or school, etc. It is precisely the routine that makes the spontaneous feel so special.

Instead, prayer should be habitually woven into the fabric of your day. When I was a small boy my family always prayed every morning before we left for school, and every night before going to bed: one Our Father, 5 Hail Mary’s, and one Glory Be. And we kissed our parents after we prayed. At the church office, as the spiritual father, I taught the staff to pray the Angelus together at noon when the church bells ring. Don’t worry, we skip the kissing part.

Second, pray should be humble. Archbishop Fulton Sheen memorably described the difference between the prayer of humility and the prayer of hubris (pride, arrogance). In 1 Samuel 3 God calls young Samuel three times at night. And Eli instructs him, “Next time the Lord calls, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening’” (1 Sm 3:9).

But Sheen joked: “Most of us when we go to pray, we come with a long list of demands and say, ‘Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking.’” Rather we should persevere in prayer by humbly acknowledging that God knows better than we do what we truly need.

How delightful if a child went to his mother or father and said: “Mom and dad, I would really like to have a puppy. But I trust you to give me what I really need to be happy.” In other words, when we pray humbly like trusting little children, we say in effect: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,” instead of: “Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking.”

And third, prayer should be hopeful. How so? Because prayer opens our eyes to see God’s grace at work in every situation, no matter how desperate or dire it seems. Perhaps the best known model of praying with hope is St. Monica who prayed for 30 years for her wayward son, Augustine, who had immersed himself in wine, women, and song.

But after years of tears and ceaseless prayers, Augustine not only converted back to the faith, but blossomed into a bishop and even a doctor of the church. He would pen these sublime words in his book Confessions, “Late have I loved Thee, Beauty ever ancient, ever new.” Monica’s long-suffering prayers were full of hope for her son, and she was not disappointed, like the widow in the gospel today.

My friends, don’t do anything without prayer to accompany it, not smoking or walking your dog, or anything else. And pray habitually, humbly, and hopefully. When I was ordained my mom told me: “Son, always wear your Roman collar. It will keep you out of trouble. And if you cannot go somewhere with your collar on, maybe you shouldn’t go there.” Moms know their sons well.

Keep my mom’s advice in mind when it comes to prayer: if you can’t do something while praying, you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Prayer, like my Roman collar, will keep you out of trouble. And even more, it will raise earth to heaven and bring heaven down to earth.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Sifting Wheat from Chaff

 

Seeing how death can clarify our priorities

10/14/2025

Luke 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you."

You have probably heard the old adage, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” That means keep your heart and your head preoccupied with important and truly urgent matters rather than drown in the noise of daily details. But how can you tell the difference between the big stuff and the small stuff?

They often look similar, and sometimes, the small stuff looks even bigger. One way to distinguish the significant from the small is to reflect on what we want people to remember us for after we die. Death has a way of sifting the wheat from the chaff. This past Saturday I presided at a funeral for Dr. Jim Post, who was 101 years old.

His grandchildren delivered eloquent eulogies about how he attended their recitals, taught them about flowers and vegetables in his garden, how he saved children’s lives as a pediatrician, and what a devout Catholic he was. For example, there were four priests present for his funeral.

Even though Jim Post did a lot of things in over a century of life, he did not let the small stuff get bigger than the big stuff, namely, faith, family, and flowers. Last night at dinner Pat Nolte mentioned the difference in how we remember the Roman Emperors and the early Christians, remarking: “We name our sons Peter and Paul, and we name our dogs Nero and Caesar.” No offense to dogs! Peter and Paul didn't sweat the small stuff, but Nero and Caesar did.

In the gospel today, Jesus tries to teach a Pharisee how not to sweat the small stuff. When Jesus ignores the dietary details of washing before the meal, the Pharisee is shocked and scandalized. But Jesus reprimands him: “You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish [but] inside you are filled with plunder and evil.” Jesus is warning him in effect: “If you don’t differentiate between the what truly significant and what’s merely small, people will name their dogs for you and not their sons.

Today we celebrate the Optional Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, martyr. Before he became pope he cared for a cemetery on the famous Appian Way, which stretches from Rome to the southern tip of Italy. Hence, he is the patron saint of cemetery workers.

He served as pope from 217 to 222, and was the 16th pope, like Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. He was martyred in 222 during a popular uprising by being thrown down a well.

Pope Callistus is another example of not sweating the small stuff. Perhaps by caring for the cemetery and reflecting on the lives of the dead he learned that people remember us for the significant matters in life. His life motto changed from, “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die,” to “Pray, sacrifice, and love your neighbor for tomorrow we die.” Only after death will we be able to accurately appraise what was significant from what was small.’

My friends, take a minute to reflect on your own life. Are you sweating the small stuff? Another way to ask that questions is: “How will people remember you after you die?” One way to do that is follow the example of Pope St. Callistus I: meditate on the lives of loved ones who have passed and see what they are remembered for, like Dr. Jim Post’s legacy of faith, family and flowers.

Every October, my father reminds me to pray for our deceased family members. Do not forget the dead. At the beginning of November, on Nov 2nd, we commemorate All Souls Day. We pray for our beloved dead that they will soon complete purgatory and enter Paradise. And by the way, why are our family and friends in purgatory in the first place? I’ll give you one guess.

They were sweating the small stuff instead of focusing on the significant stuff. Like Jesus said: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold everything will be made clean” that is, pure, purged, purgatory. In other words, our priority should be the poor. When we care for the needy on earth, they will be the ones who open the doors of heaven for us. Death has a way of sifting the wheat from the chaff.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Magnum Opus

Seeing children as our greatest achievements

10/13/2025

Luke 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Every great artist, composer, inventor, genius produces a magnum opus. That is, a work that is his or her highest achievement. That for which he was put here on earth. Most classical music critics would say Beethoven’s magnum opus was his 9th symphony, in which he combined both symphonic music with sung poetry. He believed that orchestral music alone could not express all he wanted to convey.

Joseph Krips, the leading Austrian conductor of the 20th century, summed up his personal vision of the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony observing: “For me, the Choral finale simply does not take place here on earth…In my mind’s eye I see quite clearly the instant in which Beethoven enters Heaven. The finale tells us of his arrival, and how all of Heavens stands still in his presence.” In other words, true genius moves not only earth but heaven. In a word, it is timeless.

This morning we hear the beginning of St. Paul’s magnum opus, his Letter to the Romans, our first reading. St. Paul wrote 13 letters in the New Testament: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

And as Sacred Scripture, each letter is inspired by the Holy Spirit, but Paul’s Letter to the Romans is a little more inspired than all the rest. That is, not only is the Holy Spirit at work, but he has harnessed all the human genius of his earthly counterpart, St. Paul. In the words of Joseph Krips, in his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul makes “all of Heaven stand still.”

In the gospel today we see that God the Father also had a magnum opus, namely, his Son, Jesus Christ. Our Lord himself acknowledges his supreme status in Luke 11: “There is something greater than Solomon here…There is something greater than Jonah here.” And if Jesus wanted to include the New Testament, he might have also added: “There is something greater than Romans here.”

In other words, Jesus is the magnum opus that puts all other magnum opuses to shame. Why? Well because saying “all Heaven stands still” is a little hyperbolic for human genius, but it is simply cold hard fact for divine genius. That is, Jesus could rightly assert, “There is something greater than Beethoven’s 9th symphony here.” Indeed, Jesus is greater than all human genius combined, even human genius inspired by the Holy Spirit, like Sacred Scripture. You see, he is the Word of God in no way limited by human deficiencies or imperfections.

My friends, what would you consider your magnum opus? Since we have been created in the image and likeness of God, we are destined to be creators. We cannot be otherwise. God creates because his knowledge, power, and love cannot be contained.

So, too, we create in our own human fashion because knowledge, power, and love overflow in us. We may have a signature recipe: no one makes coconut crème pie like Laverne Neihouse. No one can preach a homily like Archbishop Fulton Sheen. And no one can play tennis as elegantly as Roger Federer.

But by far our magnum opus is when we become co-creators, or better procreators, with God’s help, that is, when we bring a child into this world. Why is a child your magnum opus? Well, because while mom and dad provide the genetic material for a human being, 23 chromosomes, only God can supply the soul.

In other words, every child is a masterpiece because it is not the achievement of what two people can do but the result of God’s grace. This is the deepest meaning of the scriptural phrase in Mt 19, “What God has joined together, man must not divide.” That is, God does not just join together a man and a woman in marriage, he later joins them together inseparably and eternally – through their intimate love in using their chromosomes – in a new human being.

And when that miracle of life occurs in a woman’s womb, the words of Joseph Krips comes true: “All of Heaven stands still.” My friends, you and I are also God’s masterpiece, not on the scale of his magnum opus, Jesus, but he delights in us like Beethoven delighted in all his symphonies. Every time parents bring a child into the world, they have created someone timeless, their magnum opus.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Riding a Drunken Camel

 

Learning how relationships need to be two-way streets

10/12/2025

Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

I have lived in Fort Smith for 12 years now and I still have not gotten used to the crazy street configurations. Have you noticed this as you drive around? It is often said that the streets of Fort Smith were laid out by a man riding on the back of a drunken camel. I’m sure the man was drunk, too, to get on the camel.

But the hardest part of our beloved city’s traffic pattern is where two-way streets suddenly become one-way streets. A couple of times I found myself driving the wrong way into one-way traffic. And I felt like I was on the back of that drunken camel, who didn’t know which way he should go.

In the gospel today we see how one-way traffic can also afflict us in the spiritual life, and why two-way traffic is better. Jesus is traveling through Samaria where he meets 10 lepers. They beg for healing: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And Jesus heals all 10, but only one comes back to say “Thank you.” Jesus asks: “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

You see, Jesus’ healing power had sort of traveled from him to the 10 lepers, but at that point it was all one-way traffic. And 9 of the lepers happily jumped on their drunken camels and headed home. But one leper, a Samaritan, returns – returns in the opposite direction – to thank Jesus.

If you were to look upon that scene through the eyes of faith, you would behold bustling two-way traffic. The gift of healing was going one way and the feeling of gratitude of heart was going in the other direction. In other words, the City of God, like the city of Fort Smith, functions best when there is busy two-way traffic.

Let me apply this two-way traffic to our own lives. The most famous citizen of Fort Smith is Judge Isaac Parker, the “Hanging Judge.” When he read his sentence of death, he said: “May God whose laws you have broken, and before whose tribunal you must appear, have mercy on your soul.” For 21 years Judge Parker, like a judicial traffic cop, directed one-way traffic sending men to the gallows.

But before his own death on November 17, 1896, Judge Parker discovered the wisdom of two-way traffic. What do I mean? Well, lying on his deathbed, Parker gasped to his wife, Mary O’Toole, a devout Catholic: “Mary, call the priest!” And Fr. Lawrence Smyth, pastor of I.C. ran down Garrison Avenue – a two-way street in more than one sense that day – to baptize Parker before he died. The most famous Fort Smithian died a Roman Catholic.

As he was dying, Parker was traveling a one-way road toward divine justice but Fr. Smyth came running to meet him with divine mercy, and effectively made it a two-way road. By the way, this is why the Catholic Church stands firmly against the death penalty. Why? Because we oppose sending anyone to the gallows before they can cry out for mercy to God, like Parker did. We all desire busy two-way traffic before we die.

We discover a different kind of two-way traffic in spousal communication. Some married couples’ daily dialogue consists only one-way traffic of criticisms and complaints: “You don’t help with the kids.” “You work too much.” “You spend too much money.” “You don’t make any time for me.” Think of the comic strip The Lockhorns.

But a much healthier traffic pattern of talking would be the two-way traffic not only of complaints but also of compliments. “You hit a homerun with dinner tonight.” “You must be the hardest-working employee!” “You look smashing in that dress.” “I can’t wait to spend eternity with you!” In other words, the one-way traffic of complaining must frequently – indeed always should – yield to the two-way traffic of complimenting.

A third example of two-way traffic can be seen in coming to Mass every Sunday. That is, we should not come only to hear uplifting music or a soul-stirring sermon or even to receive Communion. That is all one-way traffic: God gives and we receive. How often people complain: “I don’t get anything out of the Mass!”

I’ll never forget how our high school principal, Fr. George Tribou, would often tell us students: “You don’t come to Mass just to get something. You come to give something: to give some of your time, to give some of your attention, to give some of your love.” We come to say like the leper in the gospel, “Thank you Lord for all you’ve given me.” In other words, at Mass we should travel a busy holy, two-way highway of receiving God’s gifts and giving our gratitude.

My friends, be very careful as you drive home today from church. Fort Smith is infamous for its crazy one-way streets. But be even more careful about the same traffic patterns in life. The best roads in our relationships are busy two-way traffic of justice and mercy, and criticisms and compliments, and gifts and gratitude. Fort Smith’s streets may have been designed by a guy on a drunken camel, but our lives better not be.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom

 

Understanding the inestimable value of the Holy Rosary

10/07/2025

Luke 1:26-38 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."

Someone sent me a little picture – a meme – recently with the title “The First Rosary.” It depicted a cartoon image of Mary and next to her, holding her dress, was a cartoon figure of a toddler Jesus. And above Jesus’ head was a word bubble filled with the words, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.” That’s like how we pray “Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary” in reciting the rosary. Jesus prayed the first rosary.

It’s humorous to think of Jesus praying to Mary because after all he is God and the only One he needed to or wanted to pray to was God the Father. And yet, because we believe Jesus was fully human, we must also acknowledge that Jesus often sought, indeed he even needed, the help of his mother Mary. How could Jesus possibly need Mary?

Well, for the first nine months of Jesus’ human life he was in Mary’s womb, an embryo entirely dependent on her to sustain his life. He was literally inseparable from her. Then, of course, for the first two years presumably Mary nursed Jesus. Hence, a woman exclaimed in Lk 11:27, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.”

And Jesus’ worry for the well-being of his mother would be on full display as he hung dying on the Cross. There he said to his beloved disciple, John (speaking about Mary): “Behold your mother.” And we read in that same verse from John 19:27, “And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

In a sense, just as Jesus had prayed, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom,” as an infant at Mary’s breast, so all Jesus beloved disciples – meaning me and you – should do the same. In other words, John 19:27 is the solid scriptural basis for our relationship with Mary as our mother, and further why one of the most beautiful expressions of that mother-child relationship is embodied in the rosary, where we say in effect, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.”

In the gospel today we discover that when we pray the rosary we not only imitate Jesus who prayed “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom,” we also imitate the angels. When the Archangel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary to announce – that’s where we get the word “Annunciation” – the Incarnation of God becoming Man, he says “Hail Mary, full of grace.”

In Greek, the three words “full of grace” is captured by one word, “kecharitomene”, which means jam-packed to overflowing with grace.” That is, you could not put one more iota of grace into Mary. The Annunciation, as you know, is the first mystery of the rosary. But do you recall the last mystery of the rosary? It is the Coronation of Mary as Queen of heaven and earth.

That means Mary is also the Queen of angels, like the Archangel Gabriel. To get the true picture of the exchange between Gabriel and Mary in Luke 1, we need to understand that Gabriel is not speak to Mary as if she were his inferior but rather as his superior. My nephew Isaac, a 1st Lieutenant in the Army, would say Gabriel addressing Mary is equivalent to a major addressing a general.

And if we translate Luke 1 into family terminology – which is always the most accurate way to understand the reality of all relationships – we would say Mary is not only the Queen of the Angels, but their Mother as well. In a true sense, therefore, Gabriel is saying like the Infant Jesus, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.”

Indeed, those words of tender trust and endearment is what the whole universe utters as it beholds the magnificent miracle of Jesus' grace at work in his masterpiece, his prodigy: the sinless, ever-Virgin, Blessed Mary. Mary is the mother of all creation, heaven and earth. That is what we meditate on in the Most Holy Rosary.

Yesterday, a wonderful parishioner named Corinne Rose came to see me. She wanted to give me a rosary she had hand-made and it was stunningly beautiful, with lovely opague green beads and gold chain links between the beads. I was stunned at the elegance of her gift. And I mentioned how appropriate the gift was because yesterday was the day before the feast of the Most Holy Rosary.

I confessed to Corinne that I am hard on rosaries, and they usually don’t last long in my hands because the links inevitably break. She answered with a smile: “Don’t worry, Fr. John, this one can handle your prayers, no matter how hard they are.” She was absolutely right: Mary’s rosary can handle our prayers, just like she could handle the Infant Jesus’ prayers when he said to her, holding her robes: “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Four Can Openers

Identifying which are the best Bibles

10/06/2025

Luke 10:25-37 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is: What is the best Bible to read? Have you ever struggled with which Bible to buy? I always answer: “A Bible in the hand is worth two on the shelf.” That is, whatever Bible you will actually pick up and read is better than the most expensive leather-bound Bible that just sits on the shelf collecting dust.

Bibles are not meant to be museum pieces that should be admired from a distance and never touched. Instead, they should actually look well-worn: underlined, dog-eared, with notes in the margins. A friend of mine once wisely told me: “A Bible that is falling apart is usually read by a person that is not.” So the best Bible is one that you actually read, and even wear out.

Now, I just gave you a subjective answer, so let me also provide you with an objective answer to the question about the best Bible. Bibles are differentiated by the commentary that they supply to explain the Word of God. That is, Bibles invariably contain both the inspired Word of God, but also the insightful words of men, Scripture scholars. The Sacred Scriptures is not a self-interpreting book.

If the Bible is a can, the commentaries, the footnotes, the explanations are the can openers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches there are basically four can openers we can use to open the inspired can of the Bible. We read in no. 115: “One can distinguish between two senses of Scriptures: the literal sense and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical.”

It goes on: “The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of the Scriptures in the Church.” In other words, the best Bibles will provide the best commentaries – can openers – that explain the four dimensions of the Word of God. Let me explain.

First, the literal sense or dimension is the author’s reason for writing, how he aims human history at a theological target. Second, the allegorical sense or dimension is the symbolic reading of the Bible. For example, how Moses leading people out of Egyptian slavery symbolizes Jesus who frees us from slavery to sin.

Third, the moral sense or dimension gives us a compass to guide our steps on earth to avoid sin. And fourth, the anagogical or heavenly sense or dimension helps us to keep our eyes on the prize, our heavenly destiny. The best Bibles, therefore, always give you the four can openers in their commentary, so we can relish every sense of Sacred Scripture.

Every morning when I read the Scripture readings for Mass, I consult the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website. It gives you exactly the readings for the daily Mass and you can easily click on the commentary, the footnotes, for unfamiliar or confusing passages. While it is convenient, though, I find it rather limited. How so?

Well, it usually only gives you one of the four can openers to break open the Word of God. That is, it does a great job with the literal sense – the author’s reason for writing – but almost entirely ignores the other three senses. Put differently, the USCCB commentary tends to be one-dimensional, where it should be four-dimensional.

And that brings me to the Bible I like best, namely, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. The general editors are Curtis Mitch and Scott Hahn, and they have taken great care to provide readers with all four can openers to break open the Word, so we can behold and benefit from all four dimensions of the Sacred Scriptures. Now, one small drawback is that their English translation is not the one we use at Mass. But their commentaries and footnotes are exceptional.

For example, they explain the allegorical (symbolic) sense of today’s gospel of the Good Samaritan. They write: “The parable signifies Christ’s restoration of mankind. Adam is the man attacked by Satan and his legions; he is stripped of his immortality and left dead in sin. The priest and the Levite represent the Old Covenant and its inability to restore man to new life.”

Now comes the good part: “Jesus Christ comes as the Good Samaritan to rescue man from death and brings him to the inn of the Church for refreshment and healing through the sacraments” (p. 1854). That refreshment and healing is symbolized by the “oil and wine” which we use in the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick and Mass.

Can you see how the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible presents the Scriptures in all its richness? That is, using all four can openers we can behold the banquet of all four dimensions of the Word of God. And then we can sit down to this feast of faith called the Sacred Scriptures and not go home hungry.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

My Orlando Vacation

Understanding the interplay of faith, works, and grace

10/05/2025

Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Last weekend I went to visit my sister, Mary, in Orlando for a little vacation. But instead of getting a selfie with Mickey Mouse or working on my tan sipping on a Pina Colada on Daytona Beach, Mary put me to work. First, she asked me to give a presentation to her OCIA class, then she wanted me to speak to her Marriage Mentor group, and finally she scheduled me to celebrate two Masses on Sunday. Let me tell you, an Orlando vacation is way overrated.

At the end of my presentation to the OCIA class, though, one participant raised her hand to ask: “So, why do Catholics say we are saved by works but Protestants put more weight on faith?” I answered: “I would say it’s not mainly about faith or works, but much more about grace. In other words, we are saved by grace." Then I shared this illustration with the OCIA class which I have shared with you before.

One day Scott Hahn was jogging around his neighborhood and noticed a man trying to move his front yard. But his small toddler son kept crossing in front of him with his toy mower, imitating his dad. The man was getting visibly frustrated, so Scott Hahn decided to make another loop around the block to see how the father would resolve his 4-year-old dilemma.

When Hahn came back by the same house, he noticed the father had picked up his son and was carrying him in one arm. With the other arm he was steering his mower. Meanwhile the little boy had both his hands on the real mower, and a huge smile on his face. I’ll give you one guess why he was smiling from ear to ear. The boy thought he was moving the yard with his dad’s mower. That image illustrates how we are saved by grace. How?

Well, you and I are the little boy being carried in God the Father’s arms and anything we think we do by our “works” is entirely sustained by his loving grace. We read a succinct summary of salvation in Deut 1:31, “The Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all along your way.” You see, faith opens our eyes to see how God’s grace saves us, from beginning to end. We might say our only contribution is to not jump out of the Father’s arms.

The gospel today juxtaposes, side by side, two apparently unrelated topics, but they are in fact, inseparably connected. In Luke 17:5-6 the apostles request: “Increase our faith.” Then in verses 7-10, Jesus speaks about the attitude of a useless servant, saying: “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do’.”

What does increasing of faith (on the one hand) have to do with being unprofitable servants (on the other)? I believe the story of the father and son mowing the yard can help us here. First, as the faith of the apostles increases, they more they see reality as it is: how the Father’s love sustain all creation and every person by carrying everything in his arms.

Nothing (and no one) budges without his providence guiding it or his permission allowing it. Notice this spiritual fulcrum at work: the more faith we have, the less credit we feel we can take. John the Baptist said it best: “He must increase and I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Faith sees how grace does it all. And we are but "unprofitable servants.”

Let me draw out three implications of this interplay between faith, works, and grace. First, faith is a gift from God. Thus, we cannot increase it by ourselves, for example, watching Youtube videos on faith, or listening to the Bible in a Year, or reading thousands theology books. All these things are good, but they do not change the fact that God gives the gift of faith as he pleases.

All we can do is pray for faith and open our hands to receive. We are like those people standing on the street corner with signs asking for assistance. They need financial help because they are materially poor. We need faith help because we are spiritually poor. We are all beggars before God when it comes to faith.

Second, we can understand sin more accurately in light of faith, works, and grace. How so? Well, if faith helps us to see that anything good we do is simply cooperating with God’s grace – sitting put in God’s arms – then sin is simply not cooperating with God’s grace. Put differently, sin is jumping out of the Father’s arms and foolishly trying to mow the yard with our toy mower. In a word, every sin is silly, unnecessary and slows down God’s work of salvation.

And third, faith, works, and grace teach us the meaning of humility. When we grasp we are all just the little boy carried in the Father’s strong arms, what can we possibly boast or brag about? Our higher education degrees are God’s work. Our brilliant inventions and bright insights are his work. The money we earn, the milestones we reach, the families we raise, the churches we pastor, the businesses we build – everything we lift a finger to do – is always his work first and foremost.

If we take any satisfaction or pride, or gloat in anything we achieve or how hard we work, we are imitating that little boy who smiled from ear to ear thinking he was mowing the yard. Instead, we should humbly conclude: “We are unprofitable servants.” And perhaps that’s a better way to think about what I did last weekend: as a little boy carried in his father’s arms. So maybe last weekend really was a pretty good Orlando vacation, where fathers carry their children in their arms through the Magic Kingdom.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

A Hotel not a Home

Seeing how God sends us on a missionary journey

09/24/2025

Luke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

People often ask me why I got a dog in the first place. I guess they are surprised by my decision, and to be honest, I was rather surprised, too. But I felt something fundamental had changed in my time here as pastor. For the first 26 years as a priest, I had been transferred from one parish to another quite frequently. I never stayed in one parish more than 5 years.

People must have thought I couldn’t hold down a steady job. But in 2022, I realized I had stayed at I.C. for 9 years and I felt the bishop most likely was not going to move me again. I would leave this parish “feet first”, carried out in a casket. Msgr. William Galvin had served as pastor of I.C. for 30 years, from 1966 to 1996. And maybe I will be here 30 years, too, which would be till 2043.

And so in order to see this parish as more a “home” and not as a “hotel” I decided to get a dog, settle down, and raise a family. In other words, the basic posture of a diocesan priest is that of an itinerant preacher who is constantly moving from place to place. And our itinerary is set by the bishop, who sends us to each parish with a mission.

Now, however, perhaps my life has changed from being an itinerant to be an institution, and Apollo symbolized my settling down. But Apollo’s unexpected and sudden passing has reminded me that our whole life is a mission. How so? Well, whether we are here for 30 years like Galvin or only 3 years like Apollo, our true mission mandate is bestowed on us by God.

When he creates us, God sends us on a mission, not just to a particular parish but to this particular planet, to share his goodness, grace, and glory with others. That is, being a “missionary disciple” – as Pope Francis often characterized Christianity – is not only a priestly posture, but the fundamental Christian posture.

Indeed, being a missionary is the overarching posture of all creation. God never intended anyone or anything to be institutions but always itinerants. This world was not meant to be our home but only a hotel. Can you catch the irony in my getting a dog? I got Apollo because I though I was finally settling down. But God sent Apollo to me to remind me, we are not here to settle down.

In the gospel this morning we hear the first of two missionary journeys in Luke. First, in chapter 9, Jesus sends out his 12 apostles to preach, teach, to heal the sick, and to expel demons. Then in chapter 10, Jesus sends out 72 disciples on a similar missionary journey to preach, teach, heal, and drive out demons.

And you know that Pope St. John Paul II, who added the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary, titled the 3rd mystery: “The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God.” In other words, just as Jesus is sent from God the Father to live on earth as a hotel not as a home, so his Church, from top to bottom, from apostle to disciple, from pastor to pet, must maintain a missionary posture.

Sometimes people build their “forever home,” like I want to look at I.C. as my “forever parish.” But that would be a big blunder. Today’s gospel and the 3rd Luminous Mystery remind the Church the same lesson that Apollo taught me: we are not long for this world. God did not send any of us here to settle down, but to preach and teach, to heal the sick, and to expel demons.

I remember when I adopted Apollo from the shelter. The lady asked me with a very serious look on her face: “Are you ready to accept the responsibility of this dog for the next 13-15 years?” And I answered, “Sure, how hard can this be?” Famous last words, “Sure, how hard can this be?” That’s probably what a lot of newly wed couples say, too.

But whether we have our own dogs for 13 years or only 3 years, we eventually have to say goodbye to them as they return their forever home in heaven. Their mission has been accomplished, which was to remind us that we are on a mission, too. That is, we are living in a hotel, not our forever home.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

We Do Live in Arkansas

Understanding literal and symbolic meaning in the Bible

09/23/2025

Luke 8:19-21 The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

Now, I don’t plan to mention Apollo in every homily going forward, but you might hear about him for a little while. Sorry about that – not really. But one way people describe the closeness between a person and a pet is by using familial language. Have you noticed that? For example, people sometimes referred to Apollo as “my son.” And in turn they would call me “Apollo’s dad.”

Those descriptors are terms of endearment to express the ties of emotional love between a person and a pet. Hopefully people know enough biology that they do not take those terms literally and think I gave birth to Apollo. In other words, we can use language with a literal meaning , but also a symbolic meaning. But if you do not carefully distinguish, you might be carelessly duped.

In the gospel today we see a similar symbolic use of familial terms that, at least for us Catholic Christians, helps us to understand the meaning more accurately. We read: “The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd.” Now, if you take that passage literally, you might think that Jesus had biological siblings, and therefore Mary and Joseph had other offspring.

And I believe many Protestants interpret that passage literally. Roman Catholics, on the other hand, understand those familial terms symbolically, that is, kind of like how people refer to me and Apollo as “father” and “son.” Why those different interpretation? Well, there are two basic reasons. First, in other cultures, like in first century Judaism, familial terms like brother and sister were applied to people who were not biologically your siblings.

That is, they could be used to mean your cousins. Family members were not defined and distinguished as tightly and cleanly as we tend do to in modern American culture with our nuclear families. In my home country of India, and other cultures, multiple families often live and grow up in the same house. So, grandparents, children and their spouses, and their children were technically cousins but practically practically siblings.

So, we Indians use terms like “cousin-brother” or in Spanish they say “primo-hermano” to talk about relatives who were biologically “cousins” but symbolically called “brothers.” Maybe the American equivalent to symbolic language would be “kissing cousins,” meaning cousins you know so well you greet them with a kiss. Or, here in Arkansas you might marry them!

You know, when I prepare couples for marriage, one of the questions I ask is: “Are you related to each other?” And then we laugh, but I add, “Well, we do live here in Arkansas.” Language in different cultures often carries this dual meaning, and if you don’t carefully distinguish you might be carelessly duped into marrying your cousin.

The second reason Catholics interpret this passage symbolically rather than literally is because of the Church’s faith in the perpetual virginity of Mary. Now, the perpetual virginity of Mary sometimes even surprises Catholics who do not know our faith as well as we should. Put simply, Mary was always (perpetually) a virgin.

To be more blunt: she never had sexual relations with St. Joseph, and therefore she never bore any other children besides Jesus. Jesus is not only God’s only-begotten Son; he is Mary’s only-begotten Son. Mary’s perpetual virginity also highlights a key difference between most Protestants and Catholics. How so?

Catholics want to maximize Mary’s importance salvation history and we feel her perpetual virginity reinforces that theological point. Being a virgin makes Mary special. Protestants, by contrast, seek to minimize Mary’s place and see her as a mother with children besides Jesus (and having sexual relations with St. Joseph), which serves the Protestant narrative. Having sex makes Mary ordinary.

People interpret Scripture not only by what it says, but also according to what they want it to say. Protestants interpret “Jesus’ brothers” literally because of their belief about Mary being like other women. And we Catholics understand “Jesus’ brothers” symbolically because of what we believe about Mary, being like no woman (or man) who's ever lived.

And by the way, those divergent interpretations also subtly say something about sex and virginity – that is, which is more important. Did you catch that? When you sit down to read the Bible, if you don’t make careful distinctions, you might be carelessly duped, like kissing cousins who end up marrying each other. I mean, we do live in Arkansas.

Praised be Jesus Christ!