Arrows in His Quiver

 

Welcoming Deacon Quinton Thomas to I.C. Church

11/17/2025

Luke 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.

In my homily this past Sunday I mentioned one of our seminarians named Joshua Osborne. Today I want to mention another seminarian, namely, Deacon Quinton Thomas. A couple of weeks ago, Bishop Anthony Taylor announced that Deacon Thomas would be assigned to our parish for his final phase of formation, called “Vocational Synthesis.”

That is, for his final six months as a seminarian he will live at the rectory and participate in the life of Immaculate Conception Church as a deacon, and "synthesize" his vocation as a priest. And I must admit I am very happy to have Deacon Thomas here next Spring. He will be here from January 2 till June 30, when he will be assigned as an associate pastor to some fortunate Arkansas parish.

We are his last stop before priestly ordination. So, if you have ever wondered in frustration: “Why don’t they teach priests certain things in the seminary?!”, well, here is your chance to have a hand in the training of a future priest. So, stop complaining. One arrow in Quinton’s rather full quiver of talents is his gift and penchant for languages.

In an interview with the Arkansas Catholic, he said: “I would say that my Spanish and French are proficient. We just got to go to Italy, so that was my first time to actually try Italian, to try really using it….I can get by in Italian pretty decently well.” So, Quinton has already mastered four languages: English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

But it gets better, Quinton continued: “I was at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock…and a friend paid for Vietnamese lessons for me. I took a semester of Vietnamese through an online school in Saigon. And then I do classical languages – my Latin and Hebrew are OK.” I wish my Latin and Hebrew were “OK”. In other words, Deacon Quinton will be a priestly polyglot: someone who knows and uses several languages.

Quinton was born and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas at Blessed Sacrament Church. Quinton has wanted to be a priest as long as he can remember. He wrote in an article on his vocation: “Asking why I wanted to be a priest would probably have been just as nonsensical a question as why I liked ice cream or the color red.” That is, diocesan priesthood is part of Quinton’s DNA.

And so he entered seminary right out of high school. That is another arrow in Quint’s quiver. How so? Well, in seminary we called such guys “lifers” because seminary and priesthood is all they have ever done in life. More men these days, however, are going into seminary after having lived a little, and seen what life is all about.

One benefit of being a lifer is that Quinton will be ordained at the age of 26 or 27, and be able to give his youth to the people he serves as a priest. How wonderful to have a young, energetic, intelligent priest to engage with young Catholics. I am a lifer, too, and was ordained at 26. For a long time as a pastor I was younger than most of my congregation. That is not the case anymore.

Yet another arrow in Quinton’s quiver is a joyful faith. He remembers his first Holy Communion with humor. He reminisced: “I remember from the steps of the altar back to my pew I felt an overwhelming and physical joy, an uncontrollable smile that I was embarrassed of because no one else seemed to be reacting that way. So I put my hand over my face so only God could see it.”

You might remember in Exodus 34:35 that Moses covered his face with a veil after speaking face to Face with God. That still happens today, 3,500 years later. In the gospel today we see another disciple with a joyful faith, like Dc. Quinton’s. A blind man is healed by Jesus. And how does he react? We read: “He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God.”

The blind man, however, did not cover his face with his hands but let everyone see his joyful faith. And how did the people react? Again we read: “When they saw all this, all the people gave praise to God.” In other words, joy is contagious. I suspect that is how I.C. parishioners will feel next Spring as we see the mighty works God in Dc. Quinton, and we witness his “uncontrollable smile.”

On a more practical note, Dc. Quinton will be able to preach homilies at Sunday and weekday Masses – you’ll get a break from me! – in both English and Spanish. As a deacon, he will preside at funerals and weddings outside Mass. He will be able to bless your homes and your rosaries and your cars and your cats.

I have no doubt he will be a delightful dinner guest. And you can practice your English, Spanish, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Latin and Hebrew when he comes over for dinner. And maybe he can even teach you some archery, because after all, Dc. Quinton has a lot of arrows in his quiver.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Mouths of Men and Machines

 

Choosing to follow Jesus and ignoring other voices

11/16/2025

Luke 21:5-19 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony."

Sometimes people’s words can leave a deep impact on us, even if they are just joking. I will never forget how several years ago I bought a new Chevy Impala. I ran into Jeff Meares and wanted to show off my new car. He asked: “What are you a nun or something?” Have you noticed how monastery parking lots are full of Chevy Impalas? I never noticed that till he said it.

Another friend had a really rich response when I got inexpensive (cheap) new tires for my Nissan Rogue. She remarked: “Hey, awesome, you got girl tires. At Christmas I’ll buy you some real tires.” We like to think, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” And that is true for jokes.

But sometimes words can do far more damage, and then it is no joke. A few weeks ago one of our seminarians, Joshua Osborne, called to interview me for a discussion about polarization in society and in the church. How words are deeply dividing our country and our congregation. He asked how I handled hot-button topics like the Charlie Kirk assassination and the mass deportation of immigrants?

I admitted that it was indeed very hard to express the teachings of the Church accurately in today’s culture. Why? Well, because many people have already made up their minds as to their beliefs and don’t need me to teach them. They are either “conservatives” or “liberals”. They happily agree with some things I say, “Yay!” or angrily dismiss other things I say, “Boo!”

Joshua explained to me that today people tend to align themselves with “mega-groups”, that is, categories or labels that encompass one’s entire social identity and value system.” That is, the words of podcasters and politicians shape some Catholics' beliefs and behaviors more than the words of the Church.

This past week the United States bishops met in Baltimore. The out-going president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, shared this comment: “In October I mentioned to Pope Leo XIV that some of our faithful listen more readily to sound bytes, the sirens of political discourse, or whatever confirms their conclusions and partisan leanings instead of hearing their pastors and us [bishops].” That is, the words of sound bytes do a lot of damage when they distort the true Christian faith.

In the gospel today, Jesus warns his followers whose words they should carefully avoid. He urges: “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them.” You see, in every age words from conservatives or liberals, traditionalists or progressives try to usurp the place of Jesus and his Church. They pretend to be more important than what the gospel teaches.

I was visiting some very devout elderly Catholics recently. And after dinner we were watching TV. The elderly man suddenly remarked: “You know, President Trump doesn’t like Pope Leo. I don’t think he’s a very good pope either.” You see, the words of a mere man mean more to some Catholics than the words of the Vicar of Christ.

My friends, we live in the Information Age, the Age of Words. Anything we wish to know is immediately at our command through the words of Alexa or Siri or ChatGPT. We swim in an infinite sea of words and endless data that can in effect drown us so we no longer hear the imperative words of the gospel and the Church.

But even all the millions of words of men put together will not finally bring us the peace, joy, and truth we seek. Only the Word of God, Jesus Christ can do that. And that Word of God abides in the Scriptures and the sacraments faithfully proclaimed up and down the ages by the Church. In other words, the words of men can indeed harm us when they attempt to replace the Word of God.

Can I give you some very serious and rather hard homework today? When you go home, for an hour, turn off your television and radio; unplug your computer; switch off your phone (not just to vibrate mode either); remove your apple watch; take your air pods out of your ears; and unplug Alexa, Siri, or Gemini. For one solid uninterrupted hour shut the mouths of men and machines, and do not let them utter one word.

Then in that golden silence, open your Bible and turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and read the unfiltered Word of God. Only in the Word of God, Jesus Christ, will you find the peace, joy, truth and eternal life you are looking for. And then you may also discover the infinite difference between sound bytes and Scripture, and know which one you should follow.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

No Kings March

 

Seeing how Christianity is counter-cultural to democracy

11/11/2025

Luke 17:7-10 Jesus said to the Apostles: "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.'"

The Christian faith is deeply counter-cultural, and this contrast with contemporary culture has been highlighted by the recent No Kings Marches around the country. Now my purpose is not to score any political points but rather to make a theological one. Ever since the American Revolution of 1776, when we threw off the yoke of tyrannous King George III, Americans have championed democracy, or rule by the people.

We have fought wars in defense of democracy; we have supported economic policies in favor of democracy; and have helped overthrow despotic governments to promote democracy. And so the No Kings March follows in the same vein, regardless of whether you personally feel it is right or wrong-headed. Democracy is the irresistible cultural current in which we American fish swim.

But democracy is exactly the wrong lens through which to understand Christianity. A better lens is hierarchy, which flies in the face of the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal.” I tried to explain this underlying hierarchy in creation to a Bible study group who called me from Florida with some questions about the angels.

I said that God created the cosmos with natural superiors and inferiors. At the top of the hierarchical ladder stands God, below him on the next rung are the angels, below the angels are humans, and below man are animals, and below them are plants, and finally at the bottom are the rocks and other inanimate matter. Inanimate literally means “without souls.”

The harmony, happiness, and holiness of the entire cosmos require every inferior to obey and submit to its natural superior. And that hierarchical harmony is precisely what the angels disrupted and tried to destroy when they rebelled against God, and fought their Revolutionary War.

Revelation 12 describes this angelic rebellion when Satan, the first fallen angel, swept a third of the stars – meaning 1/3 of the angels – from the sky. We might say Satan led the very first No Kings March to overthrow the reign of God as their king. Incidentally, you might enjoy reading C. S. Lewis’ book A Preface to Paradise Lost, and the chapter simply called “Hierarchy” if you want a deep dive into this topic of hierarchy versus democracy.

The reason I am going to all the trouble to explain the difference between democracy and hierarchy is not only because it makes Christianity hard to understand, but it makes the Bible opaque as well. For example, in today’s gospel Jesus speaks about masters and servants.

And those categories immediately sound like nails on a chalkboard to the ears of people who walk in a No Kings March, that is, to modern American saturated in democracy. Indeed, Jesus’ take-home message will sound utterly nonsensical, even offensive, to democratic Americans: “When you have done all you have been commanded say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do’.”

In other words, Jesus calls Christians to be like salmon and swim upstream against the modern democratic cultural current. As C. S. Lewis puts it: “The goodness, happiness, and dignity of every being consists in obeying its natural superior and ruling its natural inferior” (92). The Bible makes more sense the more we think hierarchically and the less we think democratically.

We find the same hierarchical principle operative in the Church and in the liturgy. The priesthood is ordered in a hierarchy of authority: deacons at the bottom, then priests, bishops, cardinals, and the pope at the top. The harmony of the Church depends on the inferior obeying the superior. Can you imagine the chaos that would be unleashed if the deacons organized a No Kings March in Rome protesting the prerogatives of the pope?

The movements of the liturgy, at Mass, all the kneeling, sitting, standing reflect the hierarchy of the human priest and the divine Priest, Jesus. That is why we genuflect on one knee when we come into church and enter our pew. That is why deacons bow before the priest and ask his blessing before reading the gospel. That is why altar servers are called “servers.” And they should leave Mass repeating what Jesus said in the gospel, “We have done what we were obliged to do.”

My friends, the moment we step out of our cars and into a Catholic church, we step into a very undemocratic world. The flood waters of modern democracy that have washed over the entire world ever since the American Revolution may splash against the doors of the Church, but do not dare to enter. And if you have been imbibing that cultural Kool-Aid, then when you walk into Mass, you will feel very much like a fish out of water.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Detachment from Doomscrolling

 

Understanding the 5th condition for a plenary indulgence

11/10/2025

Luke 17:1-6 Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of thes
e little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him." And 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."

Recently I had a lively discussion – actually it was more of a heated disagreement – with three brother priests over the meaning of one condition for a plenary indulgence.  Let me describe the debate and see whose side you would land on. Since I.C. is a Jubilee Church many “pilgrims of hope” have traveled from all parts of western Arkansas to obtain a plenary indulgence.

The four straight-forward conditions for a Jubilee indulgence are: (1) make a sincere confession, (2) receive Holy Communion in the state of grace, (3) pray for the intentions of the pope, and (4) visit a Jubilee church. Easy-peasy. But the discussion arose when I texted some priest-friends about the meaning of the fifth condition: total detachment from both mortal and venial sins.

My argument was that last condition constituted the hardest – almost impossible – of the 5 requirements. Why? Because a Christian should be entirely detached, that is, not even desire, to commit not only mortal sins, but also venial sins, like gossip, telling white lies, procrastinating, eating too much, or drinking to excess, or doomscrolling on social media, harboring grudges, lustful thoughts, etc.

I argued that seemed a very high bar for moral behavior. By the way, every Sunday morning about 9:30 a.m. my Iphone tells me I averaged around 4 hours and 29 minutes on my phone per day in the previous week. The average daily screen time for most Americans is 5 to 6 hours per day. How about you? We Americans do a lot of doomscrolling.

But one priest-friend insisted that the 5th condition was essentially the same as the intention everyone makes at the end of a confession, when they say: “I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.” I countered his argument by saying: “But we already formulate that intention in going to confession as one of the four conditions, so why add an entirely distinct fifth condition?”

In other words, what is the difference between the penitent’s firm purpose of amendment in confession and total detachment from mortal and venial sins? If they are essentially the same, then there are really only 4 conditions for a plenary indulgence, and the 5th condition is superfluous. Now, who would you side with in that discussion?

In the gospel today, Jesus seems to weigh in on the discussion about the 5th condition for an indulgence, and adds “avoiding scandal” to the list of mortal and venial sins we must be detached from. Jesus states in no uncertain terms: “It would be better for [someone] if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”

Now, Jesus is not talking directly about the conditions for a plenary indulgence. Nonetheless, he is taking a very hardline stance on the seriousness of sin – especially causing scandal which causes others to sin – and the need to avoid it at all costs. In other words, Jesus would agree there is a need for a distinct fifth condition of total detachment from mortal and venial sin that is more than the simple “firm purpose of amendment” that we all make when we go to confession.

Think about it this way: you only have to do the minimum to receive the sacraments because we want everyone to receive them. But you have to do the maximum to receive a plenary indulgence because not everyone can easily receive them. Why? Well, because the sacraments are sufficient to get into Purgatory; whereas a plenary indulgence is sufficient to get into Paradise. You can be imperfect for Purgatory, but you have to be perfect for Paradise, which requires total detachment from doomscrolling and scandal.

Let me add a personal caveat for my argument for the fifth condition for a plenary indulgence. If I had created Christianity and written the rules and by-laws for this religion, I would let everyone into Paradise with no questions asked, and dispensed with Purgatory all together.

But when we are dealing with the rules and regulations of authentic Christianity – or “mere Christianity” as C. S. Lewis puts it – then we have to consult with the One who established it, namely, Jesus. And at least in my reading of Luke 17, our gospel this morning, Jesus seems to set the bar rather high for entry into heaven, indeed, the bar is perfection.

That is, we have to avoid sin ourselves, but also take great care not to cause others to sin. In other words, we are not just trying to get ourselves into heaven, but as many others along with us. Or, at least get them into Purgatory. Why? Because there will be total detachment from doomscrolling in Paradise.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Shredding Your Muscles

 

Understanding the bodybuilding of the resurrection

11/09/2025

John 2:13-22 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

Did you know I used to be into bodybuilding? I mean, just look at me. Now, I don’t mean building bulging muscles like Hans and Franz had on the old Saturday Night Live, who said: “We want to pump, you up!”  Rather, I built my muscles to run marathons. They were not for size and show but for stamina and speed. Back in my forties, I ran four marathons and one half marathon to raise money for Catholic schools. I even ran the True Grit here in Fort Smith.

Now, the irony of all good bodybuilding is that first you must tear down the muscle before you can build it up. One technique we used for tearing down muscles for marathons was hill sprints. You would sprint up a hill as fast as you could run and then slowly jog back down. And you repeated that several times until you finally threw up. Why?

Well, throwing up meant that you had pushed your body beyond the breaking point, the point where the muscles were truly torn down. Trainers call this “shredding your muscles.” In other words, only if you first tear down the body can you later build up the body so that it becomes better, stronger, faster.

In the gospel today Jesus applies this irony of bodybuilding – tearing down to build up – by comparing his sacred Body and to a sacred building, namely, the Jerusalem Temple. Jesus declares that the Temple is heading for destruction, but in three days he would build it back up. The Jews are confused, and so John in his gospel clarifies: “But [Jesus] was speaking about the temple of his body.”

That is, our Lord’s precious Body would be torn down (shredded) through the brutal scrouging, crowning with thorns, carrying the cross, crucifixion and death. Why? So that three days later it could be built up eternally strong and infinitely glorious. In other words, Jesus introduces a new kind of bodybuilding that Hans and Franz could never have imagined: the body is torn down in death but built up in the resurrection.

This weekend we celebrate the feast day of a building, namely, the Basilica of St. John Lateran. And the Church invites us to compare and contrast our bodies to church buildings like Jesus did in the gospel. How so? Well, first we can compare our bodies to churches because we go to great lengths to beautify both.

You know, it is impossible to calculate the time, talent and treasure it took to build and now to maintain this Gothic church of the Immaculate Conception. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful churches in Arkansas. Similarly, we should take great care of our bodies, not just physically, but especially sacramentally.

Have you noticed how we bathe the body in Baptism, we anoint the body in Confirmation, we place rings on the bodies of bride and groom in Holy Matrimony, we nourish the body with Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Eucharist, and we incense the body at a funeral. Folks, this is sacramental bodybuilding: beautifying our bodies like we beautify our churches because God dwells in both.

But we should also contrast our bodies to church buildings. Why? Because even though our bodies eventually crumble and fall (like buildings) they will not remain forever in the grave. I visit my parents in Springdale every Friday. And even though their bodies are aging, they are still living in their own home, taking care of themselves, and enjoying a very high quality of life.

My mom is a registered nurse and so she basically acts like Hans and Franz to my dad pushing him to exercise, saying, “I want to pump you up!” And my dad really loves that. That is, they are not running hill sprints anymore, but their heart muscles have been shredded by a life-time of loving God, and their neighbor and each other. But those muscles that have been torn down in love will be built up again in glory.

My friends, you may not be into bodybuilding like Hans and Franz and want bulging muscles. And you may never run a marathon for Catholic schools like I did. Nonetheless, your muscles and your entire body will one day be pushed beyond the breaking point, namely, the point at which you die. No one is getting out of here alive.

But here is the good news: people of faith know the great irony of all good bodybuilding: first you must tear down in order to build up. In other words, at the resurrection on the last day, Jesus will raise our bodies from the grave, and say to us in effect: “I want to pump you up!” And then he will give us an eternally glorious and infinitely beautiful body, that would make even Hans and Franz jealous.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

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!