MASS HOMILIES FOR
CYCLE A
BY DEACON JOSEPH
PASQUELLA
Deacon Joseph
Pasquella is an
Affiliate of
the
Confraternity of Penitents
Click on the blue
links to access the homilies.
Trinity Sunday, Cycle A
Pentecost, Cycle A
Short Homily for May 8,
2008
Seventh Sunday of Easter,
Cycle A
Sixth Sunday of Easter,
Cycle A
Fifth Sunday of Easter,
Cycle A
Fourth Sunday of Easter,
Cycle A
Third Sunday of Easter,
Cycle A
Divine Mercy
Sunday, Cycle A
Easter Sunday, Cycle A
Palm Sunday, Cycle A
Fifth Sunday of Lent,
Cycle A
Fourth Sunday of Lent,
Cycle A
Third Sunday of Lent,
Cycle A
Second Sunday of Lent,
Cycle A
First Sunday of Lent,
Cycle A
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary
Time, Cycle A
Third Sunday of Ordinary
Time, Cycle A
Second Sunday of Ordinary
Time, Cycle A
Baptism of the Lord, Cycle
A
Epiphany, Cycle A
Feast of the Holy Family,
Cycle A
Christmas, Cycle A
Fourth Sunday of Advent,
Cycle A
Third Sunday of Advent,
Cycle A
Second Sunday of Advent,
Cycle A
First Sunday of Advent, Cycle A
HOMILIES
MOST
HOLY TRINITY (Cycle “A”)
May 18,
2008
All Theology is centered around the Most Holy
Trinity. I have taken many classes during my
seminary training regarding the Holy Trinity.
Stacks of papers I had to read besides many
books of dogmatic theology. At the very end of
the class on "Trinitarian Theology of the
Church", after all of us had passed the class
the professor said, "In the end, the Holy
Trinity cannot truly be explained. It is a
mystery of the Church of Christ, and must be
taken by faith in
Him.” The Scriptures were written for people of
faith, people who believe, and the Holy Spirit
speaks to the hearts of those that seek God and
wish to know Him more fully. He reveals Himself
to the Church and personally to the
individual seeker.
God reveals himself as Creator, One True God,
Shepherd, Healer, Protector, Defender,
and Father in the
Old Testament and New...but the
Fullness of Who God is, was reveled in Jesus the
Christ. Jesus taught that He was God. Jesus
taught that the Spirit is God, the Holy Spirit,
"Penuma Hagion"(in
Greek). We baptise in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit--one God, three Persons.
Jesus is the key to entering into Mystery of the
Holy Trinity.
Have you seen football games with “John 3:16”
cards held aloft — so often that the passage is
losing meaning for you? That can happen to us
many times when we take things like this verse
for granted. It is a temptation for us, when we
see and hear the same messages, to pay no
attention to them; some may even get bored by
the message because, in our modern culture, we
are exposed to so many stimuli. How many times
do we pray one of the most ancient prayers of
the Church--the blessing of ourselves in
the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Do we always give due attention
to this prayer? It is our theology of God in a
nut shell.
To bring the message of John 3:16 back to life,
today try focusing on just one “key” word:
gave.
God loved the world so much that He didn't just
“send” His Son; He gave His Son! He was given as
a gift to us. This gift is so incredible and
wonderful that all we need to do is accept the
gift, which means to believe in Him.
There is more. That precious gift of Jesus
Christ has a purpose. If we truly believe in
Him, then the consequence of that gift is our
salvation. If we refuse to believe in Him, we
have chosen to reject this gift. Such a choice,
to reject Jesus, is to condemn ourselves.
How can this possibly be, you ask? How can we
condemn ourselves? Again, we need to look at the
consequences of our choices. To ‘believe’ in
Jesus is to follow Him, to become his disciple,
and to live the moral life of unselfish love
that He exemplified. Our good deeds flow from
our discipleship, which in turn flows from
“believing.” The Most Holy Trinity comes to
dwell within us and strengthen us through the
Sacraments instituted by Christ; most especially
by Baptism and Confirmation.
One who chooses to ‘reject’ Jesus, on the other
hand, will not have the benefit of the
indwelling Spirit to help him and may not be
challenged to live a morally sound life. Thus,
by choosing independence from Jesus, he has
chosen a path strewn with obstacles that might
become insurmountable. A life that begins with
sanctifying grace (baptism) is not an option for
such an individual because of his fundamental
choice to be a disciple of some thing or someone
other than Jesus.
God gave; will you accept the gift and follow
the example of Jesus?
The most precious gift that God could give to us
is his only Son (CCC #219). Jesus came so that
the world might know God’s love for us (CCC
#458).
PENTECOST SUNDAY (Cycle “A”)
May 11, 2008
How can we learn to appreciate the overwhelming
Pentecost event and apply it to our daily lives?
This is one of those Sundays where a person
tends to hear the readings and look “out there,”
not realizing that the message is also meant to
be “in here” for us today. We can’t seem to get
our arms around such awesome happenings, things
like “tongues of fire” on everyone present,
Jesus’ surprise appearance through locked doors,
and then a “now it’s your turn” mandate to carry
on His mission.
Anytime we are reading about or experiencing
supernatural events, we find ourselves in the
presence of “mystery.” It is not for us to
understand the “how”; rather, it is for us to
believe that all of this fits into God’s plan of
salvation. That means that we simply trust him,
listen to him, and follow his commands.
John’s gospel (Jn
20:19-23) packs a powerful
punch in only a few words. We could paraphrase
them like this: “I give you Peace; I give you
the Holy Spirit; I send you to do my work; You
will be forgiving and compassionate like me.”
All of that sounds like a “graduation” speech
for a small bunch of folks behind locked doors,
probably scared out of their wits that they
might receive the same treatment as Jesus and
not knowing what to do next.
The beauty of
Pentecost is the reminder that we
have the Holy Spirit within us, as a very
precious gift of God. Baptism and Confirmation
empowers us with a fullness of the Spirit that
is sufficient to carry out our part in God’s
plan of salvation. That is all we need to know;
trusting in that fact, we can avoid the
paralysis of fear when confronting our sick
culture. Jesus confronted his sick culture also,
in a teachable, non-threatening way. He dwells
within us by the power of the Holy Spirit; all
we need do is try to imitate his gentleness and
courage, challenging and encouraging those we
meet to reach for higher values.
Apostolic succession began when the Risen Jesus
imparted his power of sanctifying to the
Apostles, who in turn entrusted that power to
their successors, the bishops (CCC #1087).
The Sacrament of Confirmation in a certain way
perpetuates the grace of
Pentecost in the Church (CCC
#1288).
Short
Homily for May 8, 2008
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole
Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand
before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some
Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of
Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of
the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and
Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no
resurrection or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by
them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul
from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and
said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause
in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.” (Acts
22:30, 23: 6-11)
“Divide and Conquer”
St. Paul was a really brilliant evangelist.
When he found himself in the middle of an
antagonistic and hostile group, he would get
them to fight each other, rather than take them
on all at once. It’s called “Divide and
Conquer” — a well-known strategy to break down
opposition into manageable pieces. Politicians
learn that quickly. Armies have strategies
designed for that specific goal.
On the home front, every kid learns, sooner or
later, that one of the easiest ways to get what
you want — or at least a “sometimes” successful
way — is to get your parents on oOpposite sides
of an issue. “Mom, can I go to the movies?” –
“NO.” So you go to Dad privately, “Hey, Dad, I
hope you like the wash and polish job I did on
your car. By the way, can I go to the movies?” –
“YES, sounds okay, son…” So you go back to Mom,
and the debate is on, most likely ending in your
favor.
This is exactly what St. Paul was doing in
today’s first reading – pitting the Sadducees
against the Pharisees over the issue of
Resurrection of the Dead. It got him out of a
hot spot, temporarily at least. But it also gave
Paul an opportunity to preach about the core of
Christian belief: that Jesus rose from the dead.
Only God can do that. So our entire faith hangs
on that Truth, and we proclaim it as the center
of our Gospel. As we respond to our call to
holiness, we need to be alert for subtle attacks
from others who try to divide and conquer
Catholics by under-mining our beliefs. If they
can make even one inroad and weaken our values,
or our courage to stand up for those values,
then they are on their way to winning a victory
for the Evil One. You will find these little
attacks quite common during an election year, as
candidates try to get you to “water down” the
Gospel truth. So, pray that the Spirit of Truth
protect you, and give you courage to stand up
for truth at all times!
Seventh Sunday of Easter (Cycle “A”)
May 4, 2008
We might imagine that the time immediately after
the Ascension must have been a fearful time for
the disciples, knowing that Jesus was no longer
going to be with them.
The answer is undoubtedly “yes and no.” Being a
true disciple requires at least three things.
The first two are transparent: courage and using
one’s gifts. However, the third and most
important ingredient is the power and action of
the Holy Spirit. So far the Spirit had not yet
fallen on the disciples gathered in the Upper
Room. The crucial day of Pentecost was just
around the corner. Initially, then, the
disciples must have been fearful, because they
were behind locked doors when Jesus first
appeared to them (John 20:19). Without the Holy
Spirit, and in the absence of Jesus (his
ascension), it is quite probable that this fear
of the Jewish leaders continued.
Nevertheless, there must also have been a sense
of peace because they were in the midst of a
novena of prayer, with the Blessed Virgin Mary
at the center. They would have recalled Jesus’
words at the Last Supper just a few nights
earlier, when he spoke of the glory he desired
and the glory he gave to his Father (John
17:1-11a). When the evangelist John speaks of
“glory,” he is talking about revelation. Jesus
had given his Father glory – that is, he had
revealed to his disciples the Father’s love and
plan of salvation. On the night before he died,
he had also revealed his own desire to be
glorified – that is, for his true identity to be
revealed to the world, his identity as the Son
of God!
But without the Holy Spirit, that is a lot of
revelation for the disciples to absorb and
understand! So we also hear the consolation that
comes from Jesus’ prayer in today’s gospel –
somehow, Jesus has been “glorified” in them!
Yes, very soon the Holy Spirit will make it
clear that when you see the disciples acting in
the power of the Holy Spirit, you are seeing
Jesus at work in them. Jesus has indeed been
revealed or “glorified”!
The event of the Cross and Resurrection
transcends time and constantly draws everything
toward life (CCC #1085). Jesus prays for us. Our
High Priest who prays for us is both the one who
prays in us and the one who hears our prayer (CCC
#2749).
Sixth Sunday of Easter (Cycle “A”)
What does Jesus mean, “I will not leave you
orphans”?
April 27 2008
What consoling and comforting words we hear in
the Gospel today (John
14:15-21)!
Jesus is about to ascend back to his Father in
heaven. So Jesus tells his friends – and
therefore you and me – “Don’t worry. You won’t
be orphans. I will be back in a little while.
Trust in that. In the ‘between time,’ the
Father will send you another Advocate who will
be with you always.”
What do you think occasioned those words from
Jesus? Well, obviously the Apostles were a bit
on the scared side! They probably were feeling
exactly like teenagers going off to college –
scared to death, going off on their own for the
first time, and fearing the unknown. So they
receive the consolation and affirmation and
support of their parents. Jesus is saying that,
as long as you have the Holy Spirit with you,
you will have absolutely nothing to fear. So
get out there and spread the Good News.
Deacon Philip worked mighty wonders (First
Reading : Acts 8), but only because he was
filled with the same Holy Spirit. In fact, his
work of evangelization and healing was with the
hated Samaritans, and the power of the Holy
Spirit produced its results. Nevertheless, the
bishops (the Apostles) had to come and “lay
hands” upon these new Christians so that they
could also receive the Holy Spirit.
That is the message for us today. Never forget
that the Holy Spirit dwells within you, not far
away in some cosmic location! Baptism and
Confirmation bring the fullness of the Holy
Spirit into your life – the same effect as if
Jesus were walking with you and living in your
house! That is a tremendous consolation,
knowing we can call upon the Spirit of God
within us in our time of need – which is every
day of our lives.
The Father sends us the Holy Spirit because
Jesus asks Him to do so; this Spirit is the
Advocate – “he who is called to one’s side” –
always there to lead us to all Truth (CCC
#692). The gift of the Spirit imparted by the
Sacrament of Confirmation perpetuates the
grace of
Pentecost
in the Church (CCC #1288).
Fifth Sunday of Easter (Cycle “A”)
April 20, 2008
How does one, like Philip or me, “see Jesus” and
thereby “see the Father”? How can one do
“greater” works that Jesus? (Jn 14:1-12)
These verses mark the beginning of Jesus’
“farewell discourse” in John’s Gospel. He is
going away, but he will “come back.” It is this
time “in-between,” as scholars call it, that
Jesus is talking about.
The foundational point is whether or not one
believes in Jesus, believes in his “name,”
in who he truly is – the divine Son of God.
Such a belief opens one’s eyes to see that the
Father and the Son are One. Jesus even uses
“imperative” verbs to make his point – and an
imperative verb means it is a command.
“Don’t be troubled”; “believe”; “have faith in
me”; etc.
Once that belief becomes a reality in one’s
heart, a true relationship is established
between the believer and Jesus. Now one can
approach Jesus in faith, and not demand a sign.
Now all that remains is to carry on the work of
Jesus, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, not
our own power. Precisely what is it that makes
a believer’s works “greater” than those of
Jesus? As Fr. Francis Mooney says, the
greatness comes from the very fact of his
absence! Jesus is still present – in his
absence! And as the number of members of the
believing Body of Christ increase, the works of
Jesus increase proportionately, because now he
can spread his word and works of love through
millions of believers!
Once again that puts the burden of
responsibility on the believer. Are you in fact
carrying on the mission of Jesus, by spreading
his words and actions of love? Your answer
determines whether or not you are in the proper
relationship with Jesus. Because our journey is
a pilgrim’s progress, we can always make
improvements in our relationships, can we not?
For a Christian, believing in God cannot be
separated from believing in the One he sent, his
“beloved Son” – the One to whom we are commanded
to “listen” (CCC #151). Jesus is our
model of holiness; he is the Way, the Truth
and the Life (CCC #459).
Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle “A”)
April 13, 2008
3,000 new members in one day (Acts 2:36-41)?
Why don’t we see that happening in our Church
now? There is not enough space to respond
adequately! However, let me ask you: how often
do you hear a preacher give a homily that calls
you to repent? I suspect that most people
overlook that last line in Peter’s message
today: “Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation.” Yes, this is indeed a corrupt
generation today, in the year 2008 – probably
worse than in Peter’s time, because we have no
excuse. Immorality, violence, baby-killing,
political and commercial chicanery at its worst,
total disregard for both the natural law of God
as well as the scriptural revelations about
right living - - the list of corruption is
endless!
You know, the clergy need to hear more than
“that was a nice homily, Father/Deacon.” They
need to be held accountable for proclaiming the
Good News; but that proclamation also needs to
include the challenge that the Gospel message
always places in front of us. The challenge is
to change, or using Peter’s language, to
“repent,” and then to actively respond to our
environment. We need to confront this “corrupt
generation” with the truth, and help each other
in waging that deadly combat that determines the
final resting place of our soul and the souls of
our brothers and sisters.
It is not just the person in the pew who must
change and engage in spiritual warfare. Your
help is needed in reminding the preachers about
our nation’s apparent loss of a sense of sin,
and the dangers that poses to our families. We
need to hear about “sin” as well as God’s grace,
to help people recognize and cope with it since
they encounter it every day. Remind your
priests and deacons about that! I suspect that
if we returned to meaningful preaching
(including paranesis or moral exhortation) in
today’s environment, then perhaps the pews would
fill up again as the Truth is recognized…to say
nothing about the confession lines…
Sin is present in human history – and that
includes today; any attempt to ignore it or joke
about that dark reality is both futile and
deadly (see CCC #386). God’s grace is freely
given to us to overcome all evil, and also to
enable us to collaborate in the salvation of
others and in the growth of the Body of Christ,
the Church (CCC #2003).
Third Sunday of Easter (Cycle “A”)
April 6, 2008
This is an admonishing Gospel story today! It
is confrontational because it might lead you to
discover that your faith is missing two terribly
important elements. Those two elements are a
real encounter with Christ, and secondly, the
demands which that encounter makes upon our
daily lives.
Did you notice that it was not until
the “breaking of the bread” that the two
disciples from Emmaus were able to recognize
Jesus? The scriptures were a help; they
provided intellectual support from God’s
inspired word for the truth that Jesus fulfilled
the Old Covenant scriptures. In fact, in
hindsight the two disciples remembered that
their “hearts were burning” as the scriptures
were unfolded for them by Jesus on that long
walk.
Nevertheless, the real encounter
took place only at the breaking, blessing and
distribution of the bread. At that precise
point, they recognized Jesus. Even when he
“vanished” they knew beyond any doubt that he
had been present to them in that Eucharistic
action. Their “blindness” was removed; now they
could “see,” even though Jesus was no longer
present to their human eyes!
The second element is the demand
that such an encounter makes on us. The Gospel
is not just a “nice” story to remember. It is
also a call to participate in the mission of
Jesus.
Also, Jesus is present with us in the Holy
Scriptures, in the preaching of the Homily by
the deacon, priest or bishop. Such preaching of
the Gospel makes known to us the written Word of
God, which in turn makes known the Risen Living
Word, Jesus Christ.
But who is it that interprets the Words of
God…is it the priest or deacon or bishop? No.
Not individually. It is our Mother the Church
through the Official Magisterial Authority given
her. Jesus did not leave us forsaken. Jesus
still guides the Church. Jesus gave us the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost with the promise
that He would lead and guide the Church into all
truth. Jesus established the Apostles to be the
first Bishops and High Priests and Peter as the
first Vicar of Christ. The Pope is the Vicar of
St. Peter, and therefore of Christ. He is the
Living Representative and rules the Church with
the bishops in Communion with him. Peter and the
Church can not err in matters of faith and
Morals. So we are safe if we follow the
teachings of the Church, and I exhort all to
have and study the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, and the writings of the Holy Father and
of Pope John Paul II
the Great ( of blessed memory).
Now Christ our God wants you to continue to
spread the Good News of God’s love, and to
invite your friends to “come home” to the Church
that Jesus established. It is only in the
“breaking of the bread” that blindness is
removed, and people can truly “see.”
So unless you are ready for “danger”
– i.e., getting involved in the mission of
Jesus, having some successes and many rejections
– then you want to avoid the truth of this
Gospel! This is a story of true faith in the
Risen Jesus and his sacramental presence in the
Eucharist! Tell others what your Eucharistic
faith means to you.
Read your CATECHISM!
The breaking of the bread at the Last Supper was
an action which the disciples would soon
recognize again after his Resurrection (CCC
#1329). The Eucharistic table is the table both
of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord,
so admirably illustrated in the Emmaus story (CCC
#1346-47). Jesus explained the meaning of his
life and death in the light of God’s suffering
Servant (as prophesied by Isaiah), and this was
his specific interpretation of the Scriptures to
the disciples at Emmaus, and later to the
Apostles (CCC #601).
Gospel
Reflection
Second Sunday
of Easter (Cycle “C”) – “Divine Mercy”
Sunday
April 30,
2008
Today is
Divine Mercy Sunday. This special day
following
Easter Sunday, was requested by the
Lord to honor His Divine Mercy. Mercy
includes the true notion of some sin or
wrong doing having taken place, and the one
offended forgives and does not deal out the
just retribution for the sins / wrongdoings.
Because mankind could not and cannot on his
own merits or good works earn God's
forgiveness, and make things right before
God's Justice, Mercy is needed for all of
mankind. God is Mercy personified. And while
teaching on earth, Jesus said, "Blessed are
the merciful, they shall obtain mercy".
This is a
powerful gospel reading today, full of Good
News (John
20:19-31). It speaks of being “sent”
to spread the Good News; of the transferred
power to forgive sins; of the difficulty
some have in believing other witnesses
without “proof” (e.g., Thomas); and the
centrality of “faith” in this
post-resurrection era. All four things are
closely related.
One can
approach this Gospel in several ways. The
easiest is to think of it in “common sense”
terms from a 21st century
viewpoint. We are Catholics who truly
believe that Jesus is risen and is the Son
of God (God the Son). We do not need to see
this with our own eyes; we simply accept the
witness of the apostles and believe – thanks
to the gift of faith! It is this very
belief that automatically transforms us into
a forgiving people – we are called to
imitate the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus
Christ. As a believing and forgiving
people, we are then sent to spread this Good
News of the risen Christ and the divine
mercy of our God. Some are called to do
this vocally; everyone is called to do this
by the way we live our lives.
Jesus can
transform all of our doubts into true
belief, if we will let him. We must invite
him into our lives, and ask him to “increase
our faith.” The desire itself is the first
step to being open to receive the gift of
faith. The next step is to make that “leap”
of trust, giving up our habit of trying to
control the way things happen and simply
depending on Jesus alone. Faith is an
adventure which unfolds before us for the
rest of our life – but now a life in his
name!
The
risen Lord told Saint Faustina, “When you
approach the confessional, know this, that I
Myself am waiting there for you. I am only
hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in
your soul. Here the misery of the soul
meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that
from this fount of mercy souls draw graces
solely with the vessel of trust. If their
trust is great, there is no limit to My
generosity." Pope
John Paul II designated today ‘Divine
Mercy Sunday’ on the occasion of Faustina’s
canonization on April 30, 2000. Through the
Sacrament of Confession, we are reconciled
with God and the Body of Christ (CCC #1444).
Christ still bears the traces of his passion
(nail marks), even though it is now a
glorious body (CCC #645). Pray the Chaplet
of Divine Mercy daily, for the Lord promised
us (through St. Faustina) everything we ask
that is compatible with His will (her Diary
#1731; see also #1541).
Your servant
in Christ,
Deacon Joseph Pasquella
St. Lawrence Church
Diocese of Buffalo, NY, USA
EASTER
SUNDAY (Cycle “A”)
March 23, 2008
"Let the Heavens rejoice and the earth be
glad..for the Lord had done a mighty act with
His Own Arm..He has trampled down death by
death, and hath become the first born of the
dead, He has delivered us from depths of Hades,
granting to the world His great mercy. (Troparion
of the Resurrection tone 5 of the Divine Liturgy
of St. John Chrysostom )
Christ is truly risen from the dead, my brother
and sisters in Christ. But we have not seen with
our own eyes this historic and spiritual Truth.
It comes to us by faith, believing what has been
handed down to us from Jesus and His Apostles by
the Church.
Faith is a gift from God; and the Gospel tells
us that one person saw the empty tomb and
believed (John 20:8); this was “the
disciple that Jesus loved.” But it isn’t the
disappearance of the body – the empty tomb –
that moved the other disciples to believe in
Jesus’ resurrection. I’m sure that Mary
Magdalene and Peter had more questions than ever
before, when they saw that empty tomb. It was
only when they and many other disciples actually
saw the Risen Christ that they were moved to
true belief.
So initially their earliest preaching was in the
form of “kerygma,” a simple proclamation
of the essential elements of their belief.
Those elements were the fact that they were
indeed witnesses – they had actually seen Jesus
die, and also had seen the Risen Jesus; he is
the long-awaited Messiah; in fact, this Messiah
fulfilled the words of the prophets; and he
calls us all to believe, repent, and receive
forgiveness of our sins. One of the earliest
examples of this early kerygma or basic
preaching is found in the First Reading today
(Acts 10:34a, 37-43). All of these elements
of kerygma are found in that
proclamation.
Christian faith in the resurrection has always
been a stumbling block for non-believers. Greek
and Roman philosophy (and other oriental
religions) accepted some form of spirit
life after death, but never did they expect to
hear lots of people claiming to have witnessed a
resurrected body (for an example of
this, remember St. Paul’s experiences in Athens,
Acts 17:32). To believe in the resurrection
of Jesus means that we also believe in our own
resurrection – just as Jesus promised us.
In death, which is the separation of the soul
from the body, the human body decays and the
soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its
reunion with its glorified body (CCC #997).
“How” this comes about exceeds our imagination
and understanding; it is accessible only to
faith (CCC #1000).
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (Cycle A)
March 16, 2008
The suffering servant in the First Reading
(Isaiah 50:4-9) gets beat up and spit upon, and
just sits there and takes it without
retaliation. How can that relate to me today?
The key to reading this passage is found in the
opening verses. The first priority of this
Servant is to listen to the Lord every morning.
How can we know what the Lord wants to say to us
today unless we read and meditate (listen) to
his inspired word in Holy Scripture?
The second thing we learn from the Servant is
that meditating on God’s inspired word every
morning will empower us to offer a word of hope
to others who need to hear good news! This is
always the mission of every baptized
Catholic--to participate in the mission of Jesus
by spreading the good news of his presence,
compassion, and unconditional love.
Now comes the hard part. A lot of people don’t
want to hear the truth, the good news that Jesus
Christ brought to us. So when you attempt to
pass on the gospel truth, you may encounter
strong resistance. Perhaps you will suffer no
physical abuse; but you will certainly be
persecuted in other ways for your stand against
the evils of our culture of death--evils such as
abortion, contraception, indifference to the
poor, attacks on marriage and family,
pick-and-choose Christianity, and so on. Are
you willing to be shunned, banned, ignored,
slandered, and misrepresented--all because you
choose to stand up for the Truth? If you say
yes, then you are truly following in the
footsteps of Jesus, exactly what a disciple is
expected to do, all with the Lord God as your
help.
Holy Scripture has always been the source of
nourishment and the guiding light of our
Christian life (CCC #141). Non-violent
resistance is more powerful than violence,
demonstrated by the Suffering Servant Jesus
Christ (CCC #601).
Fifth Sunday of
Lent
(Cycle “A”)
March 9, 2008
What a powerful miracle, the raising of Lazarus
from the dead (John 11)! But how does it
possibly relate to me today?
Let me suggest three things for you to look for
in this wonderful story. First, Jesus was in
command at all times. He knew Lazarus was about
to die, when the sisters sent word to him that
he was ill. He also knew what he intended to do,
as we see from the text itself.
Secondly, although he had the power to do so,
Jesus did not remove the stone from the grave,
nor did he remove the body wrappings. Instead,
he asks those present to do these things. Jesus
always asks for our cooperation in his works of
mercy – both before and after. In fact, it is
our participation (or lack thereof) that
determines whether mercy will be manifested or
not.
Finally, and most important of all, Jesus gives
us the promise of eternal life with him, if we
only believe that he is the Christ, the Son of
God. Such belief will gain us eternal life and
will enable us to “see the glory of God.” He
provides a glimpse of that glory, as he raises
Lazarus from the dead and restores him to life.
It is a great and wonderful paradox: “even if we
die, we will live”! Only one who holds power
over death can make such a promise! But clearly,
part of the equation is our participation in the
mission of Christ. He wants to use our hands and
our hearts to transform the world, with his own
divine power working in us through our love and
compassion. We cannot stop with simple “belief”;
our faith must lead us to action – works of
charity and actions to achieve justice in the
world and restore dignity to every single person
from the womb to the tomb.
Jesus’ prayer to his Father teaches us how to
ask: with thanksgiving before the gift is given
(CCC #2604), an attitude of confident trust that
our Father hears all of our prayers. All of the
dead will be raised on the last day, to either
the resurrection of life or judgment (CCC #998).
Fourth
Sunday of Lent, Cycle A
March 2, 2008
These readings are great lessons about who can
really “see,” and how each one of us must trust
in the light of Christ as we make our pilgrim’s
progress back to our heavenly Father. We tend to
judge others based on exterior qualities; but
God looks into the heart of every person and
knows the “real” identity of everyone.
The Prophet Samuel (1st Reading: 1 Samuel 16)
makes that lesson explicit when he points to
David, the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, and
identifies him as God’s choice to be king of
Israel. “Primogeniture” was a legal concept in
Old Testament law that gave privileged
inheritance rights to the eldest son. But God is
not bound by man’s way of looking at things. One
might be the strongest, or the smartest, or the
oldest, or the richest sibling. But those things
don’t matter to God; he looks into our hearts,
and “sees” our basic disposition and attitude
towards both God and others. Only those
qualities of love and justice matter in the eyes
of God.
In the Gospel (John 9), it is the man who
was blind from birth who is able to “see.” The
leaders of the Pharisees, on the other hand, who
knew the man had been blind but could now see,
were unable to “see” the power of God at work in
Jesus. So it was really those leaders who were
“blind” all the time. But the formerly-blind man
is now brought to belief in Jesus by stages, as
he opens his heart to permit God to work his
transforming power in his life. Is this not the
story of our own lives?
There are two levels of “seeing” – the physical
level and the spiritual level. Only the person
whose heart is open to God can see the deeper
meaning of his miracles and parables.
Jesus was very clear: those who pretend not to
need salvation are blind to their own sinfulness
(CCC #588). Jesus worked this miracle on
the Sabbath, the “day of the Lord of mercies”
(CCC #2173). Jesus is God’s “anointed” in a
way quite unique from that of David, since Jesus
was anointed to be “Messiah” – God’s anointed
(CCC #695).
Third Sunday of Lent (Cycle “A”)
February 24, 2008
“Thirst” is a basic dynamic of every human life.
We need water to survive, to replace the water
that we lose through normal physical processes.
Chemists tell us that our muscle tissues contain
75% water; our blood contains 83% water; body
fat and bones are almost ¼ water. But there is
another “water” that we need even more to
survive. This is the “living water” that is
Jesus Christ, the Son of God – the source of
living water for eternal life.
Israel failed their test in the desert and
grumbled about God’s apparent absence. The
Israelites, on their desert journey away from
slavery in Egypt, had their physical thirst
satisfied by God, who provided water for them to
survive. This was a “type” of the living water
that would be provided later by the Messiah. We
must learn from their mistakes; recognize our
dependence on Jesus, on his indwelling Spirit;
and live by the truth that he is indeed the
Savior of the world and is always present to us.
Today’s gospel (John 4:5-42) is a
magnificent mirror of the spiritual journey that
each of us makes – and, to the benefit of our
RCIA catechumens and candidates, it illustrates
the stages of that journey. We come to
enlightenment slowly, as God reveals himself to
us in response to our search for Him. Only
gradually did the woman at the well come to
understand that Jesus was the promised Messiah;
and at that point she became a disciple and led
many other Samaritans to share in her
“discovery.” Clearly, only Jesus can satisfy our
hunger and thirst for happiness. This calls for
humble trust, surrender and transformation on
our part. He is the “living water” that wells up
to eternal life.
The Book of Revelation at the
end of the Bible presents “the river of the
water of life…flowing from the throne of God and
of the Lamb,” one of the most beautiful symbols
of the Holy Spirit (CCC #1137). Water
signifies the Holy Spirit’s action in Baptism,
welling up in us to eternal life
(CCC #694).
Second Sunday of Lent (Cycle “A”)
February 17, 2008
The Transfiguration (Matthew
17:1-9). How can that awesome event apply to
me?
There is one thing about God: the Holy
Trinity is indeed a profound mystery! Our human
minds simply cannot comprehend the divine
essence. So just like Abraham, we simply trust
in God and step out in faith (Gen. 12:1-4a).
Abraham did not even know where his journey
would end; he was simply told to “head out
that-a-way” and he would be led to the land
where God’s promises would be fulfilled.
When it comes to great mysteries like the
Transfiguration, we really have only one
response – and that is the response of Abraham.
We are given a little “glimpse” of what the
divine glory could be like – a radiant
brilliance of pure light where darkness cannot
exist. But there is only one way to have that
mountaintop experience. You must first let Jesus
lead you up the mountain! The message will
always be the same, from his Father: “Listen
to him!” It is in these moments of silent or
communal prayer and Scripture reflection that we
realize that Jesus is not only human but also
has a divine nature.
Like Abraham, when our God talks, we listen –
and we believe. Jesus said, “This is my body…
this is my blood…do this in memory of me.”
We are given a glimpse of the divine, now in
sacramental form, when we celebrate Eucharist
every Sunday. We believe in the divine promises:
“I am the living bread that came down from
heaven; whoever eats this bread will live
forever; and the bread that I will give is my
flesh for the life of the world.” We rest in
the mystery; we listen to him; we believe; we
are nourished by this living bread; we are
transformed; and we are thereby enabled (and
called) to become a light for the world.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that the
Transfiguration points to our own resurrection
and Christ’s glorious coming (CCC #556).
He also says that the certainty provided by
faith is greater than what we receive from
natural reason (CCC #157). Pray for an
increase in faith!
First
Sunday of Lent
(Cycle “A”)
February 10, 2008
The “temptations” that Jesus experienced
(Matt 4:1-11) seem to parallel those of the
Israelites when they were journeying in the
desert. How does that affect “me”?
It’s the age-old story: we always encounter
temptation in its three major forms. Those are
the “three P’s” - the categories of power,
prestige, and prosperity (one can also come
up with different ‘labels’). You might even
substitute two qualifying terms: “more” and
“control.” The selfish person is never
satisfied; he always wants “more” of everything.
Above all, he wants to “control” his destiny,
feeling that only he knows what is best for
himself. There is no room for unselfishness in
that picture. But now Jesus shows us the way out
of that self-destructive behavior. He turns to
prayer, fasting and Scripture to sustain him,
showing that he represents the “true Israel” who
is always faithful to the covenant.
A friend of mine, also a deacon, finished a
presentation to a Bible study class in which he
stressed the importance of “grace” in our lives.
All is grace. The foundation, the center, and
the direction of our lives must always be
focused on our dependence upon God. It is our
loving relationship with God that needs the most
attention, because it will always lead us to a
loving relationship with others. The Evil One,
of course, will try to lead us away from that;
and in our pride we sometimes don’t even need
his help in leading ourselves away from that
loving relationship.
Jesus fasted and prayed in our Gospel story. In
fasting we sacrifice our love of “Self” so that
we can become free to love God and others. In
prayer we sacrifice our love of “time” to make
time for the love of God. In almsgiving we
sacrifice our love of “stuff” to make room for
the love of others. With these three, we fulfill
the Great Commandment. More importantly, without
these three penitential actions operative in our
lives, we will not be able to resist temptation.
Think about that!
The evil one is a lying seducer who tries to
lead humanity into disobeying God (CCC #394).
God will never let you be tested beyond your
strength, and will show you a way out (CCC
#2848). Pray for the gift of discernment,
which unmasks the lie of temptation
(CCC #2847).
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle “A”)
February 3, 2008
Our first reading
(Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13) speaks of both anger
and peace as situations that will befall the
Israelites. The prophets had been silent for 70
years before Zephaniah spoke. During that time,
immoral leadership on the part of Judah’s kings
and temple priesthood led the country back into
apostasy, superstition, idolatry, and even child
sacrifice. Then good King Josiah began to reign,
and the prophets began to speak again. This time
they spoke of impending doom. Even Jerusalem was
going to be destroyed, because God’s judgment,
“the Day of the Lord,” would soon be
experienced. It came to happen: in 587 BC,
Jerusalem was leveled and burned, and the
Israelites were taken into captivity to Babylon.
The prophet Zephaniah held out God’s promise, a
ray of hope to cling to. A “remnant” would be
left. These would be the people who remained
faithful to the covenant, especially the humble
and those seeking justice at all levels.
Restoration would indeed take place through this
remnant; peace would be the ultimate conclusion
to the journey of salvation history.
It is very dangerous to your eternal health to
pretend that God’s word applied “only to them”
several centuries ago. Many self-proclaimed
“Christians” contribute to the immoral
leadership in our country. They do this by
voting for public officials who approve the
child sacrifice called “abortion”; who see
nothing wrong with same-sex marriage; who see
nothing wrong with sexual relations outside of
marriage; who do not seek justice for the poor
and migratory workers; who perpetuate racial
tensions through loose talk; and so on. The
danger is in ignoring the “Day of the Lord” –
you cannot mock the Lord’s will and escape
judgment.
The “remnant” will escape the “Day of the Lord”
by acting humbly and seeking justice in all
things. In this way we become a people prepared
for the Lord by the Holy Spirit (CCC #716),
whose transforming grace is manifested through
our actions that promote morality.
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Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle “A”)
January 27, 2008
Both the first
reading (Is 8:23-9:3) and Gospel (Matt 4:12-23)
make a point of referring to the old tribes of
Zebulun and Naphtali. What is going on here?
Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman invaders always
came from “the north” – meaning they followed
the trade routes and river routes. Two of
Jacob’s sons, Zebulun and Naphtali, were
apportioned territory west and north of the Sea
of Galilee. Therefore, they would be the first
to feel the brunt of an attack from an invading
force. In fact, when Assyria destroyed the
kingdom of Northern Israel around 720 BC,
Zebulun and Naphtali were the first tribal lands
to fall into the hands of the enemy. Later the
Roman army would occupy the territory. Note that
this area would include the towns of Nazareth
and Capernaum.
But Isaiah prophesies that the “darkness” of
oppression would be dispelled by a new “light”;
God would deliver his people and remove the
“yoke” of the taskmaster from them. Once again
there would be joy and rejoicing.
Matthew’s Gospel shows that this prophecy was
fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The evangelist makes
a deliberate connection between the ministry of
Jesus and the old prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus
shows that he is the “light” of hope, evident to
all through his deeds of power (healing),
preaching the Good News (about the arrival of
the kingdom of heaven), and calling his first
disciples (the apostles). His message is very
clear and has two main elements: Repent because
the kingdom is at hand, and Follow him to learn
how to spread the Good News and live this new
life of love and service. That is the same
message for us today, a timeless message that
calls for immediate action. The first work of
the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion,
which is in accordance with Jesus’ first
proclamation of the Good News (CCC #1989). Each
one of us is called personally to follow him (CCC
#878) and share in his mission.
-------
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle “A”)
January 20, 2008
Isaiah is talking about Jesus, the Suffering
Servant, in today’s first reading (Is 49:3,5-6);
how does it impact on my own life?
The first thing that jumps to mind is that we
are true disciples--therefore we are called to
imitate Jesus. So what do we find to imitate in
these verses?
As usual, a wonderful verse is “skipped” in our
first reading, verse 4. That verse notes that
all of the Servant’s efforts seemed to be
useless, since he could see no results;
nevertheless, he trusts in the Lord. What
happens when you trust like that? The Lord will
use you even more! The Servant in this Isaiah
passage was working within his own family and
religious group. The Lord says that isn’t
enough! Even though you see no results, and are
discouraged because of that, he’s going to
expand your ministry, and send you to those
outside of your closed circle!
But the message remains the same: we are called
to spread the reality of Jesus the Messiah, and
his message of love and mercy. Not just within
our family circle, but in every forum that
presents itself to us. Like John the Baptist in
today’s Gospel (Jn 1:29-34), we “testify” to
what we have seen and experienced. We become
“God’s flashlights,” reflecting his light to
every dark corner we encounter in life. We
become “a light to the nations,” pointing the
way to Jesus the Savior. This is how his
salvation reaches every nook and cranny of our
world. This is how disciples “imitate” Jesus –
even in his suffering if that happens – by
continuing to trust in the Lord, even though we
see no results from our labors. Perhaps a loved
one is not responding to the Lord’s call. Here
is where you really learn to trust the Lord.
Continue being that “reflected light” of
Christ’s love and forgiveness, and trust that
the Lord will bring good out of your efforts –
on his own timetable, not yours.
It is God’s strength, communicated to us by
his Spirit of life, that enables us to
“shine his light” to others (CCC #713). He
needs each one of us to spread his truth
about the “radical redemption” offered to
all who believe and hope in him (CCC #64).
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Cycle “A”)
January 13, 2008
Since Jesus was sinless and John’s baptism was
for ‘repentance, why would Jesus submit to
baptism by John?
We always have to keep in mind that Jesus was
fully human, like us in all things except sin.
Therefore, as a fully human being, he
experienced everything that you and I
experience, other than sin. Jesus himself tells
us that his baptism was not for the forgiveness
of sin, but “to fulfill all righteousness” – in
other words, to fulfill the Father’s plan. For
this reason, he told John to “allow it for now.”
By submitting to John’s baptism, the humanity of
Jesus is being proclaimed, his identification
with all humankind – even though he is sinless.
Then his divinity is proclaimed by the voice
from heaven which identifies him clearly: “This
is my Beloved Son. My favor rests on him.” For
the first time, we see both the divinity and
humanity of Jesus proclaimed to the world. The
Incarnation remains a “mystery” – but now the
true identity of Jesus is revealed, and we
proclaim our belief in that identity every
Sunday when we profess our faith in the Creed:
“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only
Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from
true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with
the Father.”
Jesus was empowered for his public ministry,
after this baptism, when the Holy Spirit
descended upon him “like a dove.” It is
important to note that Jesus waited for this
“commissioning” from his Father in heaven,
before he embarked upon his ministry of
teaching, preaching and healing. There is also a
strong message for us in his “waiting.” Each of
us must go through the process of discernment
(regarding a vocation or a ministry), seeking
the Father’s will and blessing, rather than
arrogating unto ourselves that which can only be
received as Gift from God.
The prophets had announced that the Spirit of
the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for
his saving mission; the descent of the Spirit on
Jesus at his baptism was the sign of fulfillment
of those prophecies (CCC #1286). The “yes” of
Jesus to this “baptism of death” commenced his
public ministry of salvation for all (CCC #536).
----------------
Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (Cycle “A”)
January 6, 2008
When we think about the Epiphany we must
remember it is a Theophany of God; God revealing
Himself to mankind as God. In the Eastern
Churches, this Feast is what we call the Feast
of The Baptism of the Lord, in the River Jordan.
At one time in Church history both the Visiting
by the Wise men and the Baptism of the Lord were
both celebrated together. Then they became
separated. Both show a manifestation, or
Theophany.
The people of Israel had suffered
a lot because of their selfish government
“leaders,” and after a military defeat and the
destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, they were
taken into exile to Babylon. After many years in
exile, the prophet Isaiah shares with the people
his revelation of a renewal of old blessings,
and above all a renewal in spirit. Israel will
once again be restored, if its people learn
their lessons from the failures of the past. If
they really rededicate themselves to serving
God, then the potential that is available to
them can become a reality.
Spiritual darkness once was a reality for
Israel, when they relied on leaders who were
immoral and unjust, rather than relying on God.
Peace and security is only fleeting, as we
discover, whenever we ignore the parent-child
relationship of dependence that always exists
between us and God.
Isaiah foresaw the restoration of Jerusalem as
the center of worship for all the
nations, not just Israel. His prophecy was
fulfilled in Jesus Christ. HE is the light that
guides all nations to the Truth. HE is the hope
of not only Israel, but the entire world. The
Gospel (Matthew 2) shows us the first
Gentiles coming to Jesus, who is the guiding
light. They bring gifts fit for such a king, and
worship him as the prophets foresaw. Evil,
immoral, and unjust government leadership
continued, in the person of King Herod back in
the days of the three wise men, and today it
continues under different names. But the guiding
light that Isaiah prophesied now lives among us
forever, always present to us in the Sacraments
and always dwelling within us as a result of our
Baptism.
The Blessed Virgin Mary makes the Son of
God manifest to the first representatives of the
Gentiles (CCC #724). This Feast of the
Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by
these Gentiles from the East, who are the
first-fruits of “the nations”
(CCC #528).
Feast of the Holy Family (Cycle “A”)
December
30, 2007
What do all the
stories about St. Joseph and his many dreams
(Matt. 2:13-15, 19-23) have to do with me today?
Here we are, just five days after the birth of
Jesus, and already his parents are worried about
his safety. They had their own “early warning
system” – Joseph was now an expert in listening
and responding to his special dreams. He had
been warned by God several months earlier not to
abandon a pregnant Mary. Now in three additional
dreams he receives more divine directions.
First he hears, “Save the child; flee to Egypt.”
Matthew is always taking pains to show that
Jesus is the new Moses who “saves,” and also
that Joseph has his own archetype in the
Patriarch Jacob’s son Joseph, who “saved” Israel
in its time of need. Next comes “Go back to
Israel.” Matthew even reinterprets the prophet
Hosea’s message to accommodate his purpose of
showing fulfillment of a “new Exodus” (Hosea
11). Finally, Joseph hears the message “Avoid
Judea,” because there is another “pharaoh” there
(King Archelaus) who is as deadly as his father,
the deceased King Herod.
There are many lessons from today’s readings,
but very prominent among them is the lesson we
learn from St. Joseph about “listening.” There
are many competing voices “out there” that are
persistent in getting our attention. Some voices
insistently urge us to violate God’s natural law
and join them in supporting abortion,
contraception, euthanasia, same-sex
relationships, sex before marriage, and other
similar vices. Other voices, such as the Roman
Catholic Church, teach us the Truth and oppose
those vices, identifying them as crimes against
God and the dignity of the human person. You are
being called today to identify with St. Joseph
and, like him, listen to the voice of Truth – it
will always uphold virtue and faithfully adhere
to the teachings of the apostles and their
successors, the Catholic bishops.
Many stories in
Holy Scripture show us the opposition of
Darkness to Truth, including our gospel stories
today (CCC # 530). That opposition will
culminate at the Cross on Calvary. Infidelity to
God and his Truth lead to death (CCC #710). You
have been given free will to choose either good
or evil – and their consequences.
Christmas 2007.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ:
Greetings to you in the
Name of the God-Child, Jesus, Emmanuel! Christ
is born! Glorify Him!
What is the True Spirit of
Christmas? Why did God become man?
Throughout the world on this holy
day, Christians and some non-Christians alike
celebrate or in some way honor this day every
year. Hopefully for the Christians, they do so
with full understanding.
The true meaning of Christmas,
and why did God become man, are really one in
the same. St. Augustine said, "God became man so
that man could become God." This is the true
meaning and reason for the Season. It is for
sure a great Mystery. During every Divine
Liturgy, during the offertory, the deacon (or
priest if there is no deacon present), adds some
water to the cup of wine which will become the
Blood of Christ and says, "through the mingling
of this water and wine, may we come to share in
the divinity of Christ, Who humbled Himself to
share in our humanity" Wow!
Jesus, Whose name means “God
Saves,” Jesus Who was announced to be born of
the Virgin Mary, Whom the Angel said, "His name
shall be Emmanuel- meaning God is with us, among
us"--this Jesus was born, but not in a pristine
castle surrounded by midwifes and servants to
wait upon His Mother and Himself as would befit
His Royal Self and Godhead. No, He was born in
the poorest of conditions. He emptied Himself of
His former manifested Eternal Glory and became a
man, yet didn't give up His divinity.
Jesus was born to save us from
our sins. Jesus was born to manifest God to the
People of God and to the whole world. Jesus, who
is the Logos, the Eternal Word that is God, that
is the Father’s Eternally Only Begotten Son,
became man not only to teach us the Way to God,
but also to die upon a Cross.
How wonderful is our God! Jesus
came with a mission! He is the agent of our
salvation sent by the Father to suffer upon the
Cross for our Salvation, to reunite lost mankind
to God by dying a most awful and ignominious
death.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
which means "House of Bread". He was laid in a
feeding troth filled with hay, and it was made
of wood. The Bread of Life lay upon the first
paten, not of gold, but of wood, like the wood
upon the Cross.
For God so loved the World (the
greatest number), that He gave His only Begotten
Son sacrifice), that whosoever believes in Him
(the greatest invitation) shall not perish (the
greatest deliverance), but have everlasting life
(the greatest gift). Man was dead in trespasses
and sins, without God and without hope. Jesus
came to give us life and hope and to teach us
about God and how to live our lives. By his
death He destroyed death and opened for all the
way to God and to life eternal.
This is the true meaning of
Christmas. This is why we give thanks to God and
celebrate his birth above all others, because,
through Him, we came have a new birth by faith
and baptism. By sharing in our humanity, He
makes a way for us to share in His divinity. God
became man so that man could become God (to
share in God's own nature, His divinity)!
May the Lord Jesus be praised and
his name magnified! Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Love always in Christ,
Deacon Joseph Pasquella
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Cycle “A”)
December 23, 2007
If St. Joseph was
ready to divorce his fiancee, then it would seem
that divorce must be permissible? Is that on of
the messages in today’s gospel (Matthew
1:18-24)?
We need to remember not to confuse the separate
issues of “legality” and “morality.” Not all
biblical teachings in the Old Testament, such as
the permission given by Moses for men to divorce
their wives, are meant to be binding forever;
several were abolished by Jesus. For example,
the practice of divorce in St. Joseph’s day, an
accommodation that had slipped into the old Law,
was later flatly prohibited by Jesus (e.g., Mark
10:2-12; see CCC #2382). His new ban was an
entirely new idea not found in the Old Testament
or even the rabbinical literature. Just like the
crime of abortion, divorce from a sacramental
marriage has come to be “accepted” by
non-Catholics in our culture simply because it
is “legal” – even though it is “immoral.”
Divorce is a civil matter, not a religious
event. If the Church investigates and concludes
that a marriage was, in fact, not sacramental,
then an annulment can be granted – which simply
states that no sacramental marriage existed in
the first place.
That most awesome event that we celebrate each
year, the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, is
only two days away! Just think about what is
going on here. For centuries the Jewish people
had been expecting a Messiah, the One the
prophets had announced would be coming to save
them. And then the Messiah came! He became
incarnate – our divine God took on our human
flesh! That is the “awesome” part (human words
fail to describe this great mystery) – so
overwhelming that every Sunday when we pray our
Creed, each of us bows our head as we say, “by
the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the
Virgin Mary, and became man!” That is all a
human believer can do: simply bow our heads in
awe and adoration and such a remarkable event in
history!
So today let’s focus on God’s intervention in
our human history, the mystery of the
Incarnation. Also, let’s remember to trust in
God’s word, as St. Joseph trusted in God’s word
given to him by an angel.
Today’s scripture stories about divine
intervention – the Holy Spirit’s work in the
lives of Mary and Joseph – is seen as the
fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy to King Ahab in
the First Reading (CCC #497). On the cultural
scene, if civil divorce is the only way of
ensuring certain legal rights, it can be
tolerated, and for that reason does not
constitute a moral offense (CCC #2383).
Third Sunday of Advent (Cycle “A”)
December 16, 2007
Today we hear a
lot about “expectations.” How can we translate
that into an active participation in life today?
Today’s readings remind me of that old hit song
from the 1956 musical, Carousel: “June is
busting out all over!’ All is the occasion for
joy; all is total exuberance and excitement, as
the actors celebrate all that is good in life.
In the First Reading (Is 35:1-6a,10), that is
exactly what the prophet Isaiah is prophesying:
God is coming in visible form to save his
people! Even the dry desert will rejoice, as it
blooms with flowers. But there is more, Isaiah
says: when God comes in this special way,
impossible healings will take place. The blind
will see, the deaf will hear, and those with
voice impediments will sing! All of those things
are clear signs that anyone can see and
recognize, behind the signs, the divine power of
God intervening in life.
In our Second Reading (James 5:7-10), St. James
encourages everyone to be patient; in a little
while the harvest will come and yield its
bounty. Then in the Gospel (Matt 11:2-11), St.
John the Baptist – perhaps a wee bit impatient –
just has to find out if it is harvest time. He
sends word to Jesus, asking if he is “the One
who is to come.” Jesus tells him to “look at the
signs.” What is happening to the blind, the
cripples, the lepers, and the deaf? What signs
do you see? No one could mistake the fulfillment
of Isaiah’s prophecy in the actions and person
of Jesus Christ.
What about us? Can we see the obvious signs of
God’s presence in our daily lives? Can we see
the “reflection” of God in his creation? Can we
see Christ in every person we meet? Do we hear
Christ in the official pronouncements of our
Magisterium? If not, what do we need to change,
in order to see the God that is really here, and
wants us to live accordingly?
Despite the obvious “signs” and miracles, some
people still rejected Jesus (CCC #548). Each of
us must strive to interpret the “signs of the
times,” and accept the help of the Church and
the Holy Spirit (CCC #1788).
Second Sunday of Advent (Cycle “A”)
December 9, 2007
Would you want
to listen to a preacher who is a bug-eater, and
dressed in the clothes of a caveman (Gospel:
Matthew 3:1-12)? Wouldn't he “turn off” his
listeners?
One must be careful not to mistake the messenger
for the message. We must never judge a message
by the appearance of the messenger; let the
message speak for itself.
The message of John the Baptist is two-fold.
First, repent! That message is for all times,
for all generations – it is aimed at you and me.
We are all sinners; we all need to repent,
confess our sins, and then change our life
patterns that led to those habitual sins.
Secondly, we need to hope! John reminds us that
someone else will very soon follow him. That
someone, Jesus Christ will bring the promised
love and justice. Love, because he showed us how
to love and even gave us a wonderful present:
his Holy Spirit to dwell within us! Justice,
because he cannot overlook an obstinate refusal
to repent and change our ways.
God has provided a sacramental way for us to
receive his mercy. However, an “unused”
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is like
a Christmas present that for many people sits
“unopened” on the shelf. God’s mercy and love is
given freely, and is waiting for each and every
person to receive freely. All they need to do is
recognize and admit their sinfulness, confess
their sins, and promise to amend their lives.
This is done in God’s chosen way: through the
confessional method in the presence of an
ordained Catholic priest.
Either way, we must accept the consequences. If
we confess our sins, we are set free from the
bondage of Satan and our consequences become the
heavenly kingdom. If we do not confess our sins,
then our consequences become the eternal kingdom
of darkness. To quote Pope Benedict XVI: “Jesus
came to tell us…that hell is eternal for those
who close their hearts to his love” (March 26,
2007 homily).
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) was
the first gift given to the Apostles after the
Resurrection: “Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them…” (John 20:23; see CCC #1441,
1087). John’s warning to repent is the
“prologue” or “inaugural address” to the entire
Gospel (CCC #523). We must act on God’s message.
First Sunday of Advent (Cycle “A”)
December 2, 2007
When
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