Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Deacon Bob

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

October 5/6, 2024

Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

    It was April of 1977, and I was sitting at the reception desk at Kelly Hall at what was then St. Mary’s College, my alma mater. I was pouring over my notes on metaphysics, which was an upper level philosophy course I had been taking. Metaphysics deals with the first principles of things, being, substance, cause, and space. It is very abstract. An elderly priest approached me and asked what I was studying. “Metaphysics,” I told him. He then looked at me and said, “Young man, remember one thing. Do not let anything or anyone confuse you about this. What is, is, and what is not, is not.” Yes, what is, exists, and what is not, doesn’t exist. I have never forgotten the face of that priest, and I never have forgotten his simple wisdom. It has served me well in life.

    Today’s readings are all about marriage. In some ways, I may not be very credible when it comes to marriage, but I did spend 38 years as a marriage therapist, during which time I heard it all. I was married for 42 years. I experienced the highs and lows of married life. I experienced how much God loves marriage and how He blesses it in every way possible.  I also experienced how Satan hates marriage and those in it, and how he attacks it viciously.  Now, I am just a celibate deacon and will remain so the rest of my life, seeking new ways of living and loving and serving God’s people. When I was ordained in 2009, Holy Orders and Matrimony became for me a fully integrated vocation. They were distinct, yet inseparably united. They were two lungs breathing life into me. For me, there was no confusion. Both were the answer to the questions, “Who am I? and, “What am I to do?” There was no division between the two sacraments. I had no need to rewrite the truth of Marriage or Holy Orders. I accepted them both as they are.

    My friends, more and more people are confused about marriage, and, frankly, about Holy Orders, but I will talk only about marriage today. The reason, I think, for the confusion is people are confused about themselves. They are unsure who they are and what they are to do in life which spills over into uncertainty about marriage. They are unsure of themselves and so they live in a great and painful uncertainty. This is causing so much division, so much division, in the world, in the Church, in our families, and yes within each of us, so much so that many are thinking they need to redefine what marriage is.

    What is, is, and what is not, is not. What is marriage? God’s Word, which we have just heard, is clear. It is the indissoluble union of one man and one women who freely and totally vow to give themselves to each other until death. It is the union of two bodies, the union of two hearts, and the union of two minds. It is the sharing of a home and children. Marriage is the primordial sacrament. It existed from the time of Adam in the beginning, before the fall, before the seven sacraments we now know. It is rooted in our very nature as men and as women. It exists by God’s design, not ours, and it is expressed in human nature. Marriage is not what it cannot be, such as the union of two men or two women or a relationship of a human and something else in creation. Such relationships do exist, as is so evident in our society now, but those relationships are something other than marriage, and cannot be marriage, no matter how much we may want them to be. Those in such relationships are searching for a way of understanding themselves and the world, and they take what is known to them (marriage) and lay claim to it and apply it to their situation, doing themselves great harm, rather than undertaking what is of vital importance to them, and what would be of great service to us all if it were undertaken, i.e., to better understand who they are, what is their vocation, and the meaning in their lives in the light of God’s design for them and the world. Rather than take what is (their relationship) and try to make it what it is not (marriage) if  they would only ask the deeper questions about God, themselves, and the importance of their lives and their God-given vocation.

    I don’t think anyone needs to ask these deeper question alone. There are resources and people available to assist them. I heartily recommend Courage as one of those resources. It is a solidly Catholic apostolate available to anyone willing to undertake those deeper questions.  If you want to know more about it, talk to me.

    You know, back in April of 1977, I went in for that metaphysics final examination. I aced it. I got my degree in philosophy. Although I cannot credit that elderly priest for my degree, I do credit him with giving me needed and helpful advice that cut through not only the speculation of metaphysics, but also the uncertainties of life.

    May we all grow into a deeper understanding of ourselves, our lives, and marriage. For all of you who are called to the vocation of marriage, may you experience its joys and many blessings. For all called to other vocations, know that God loves you, and the life He has given you is an expression of that love, and He has a beautiful plan for you.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2004

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for the weekend. God bless all!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37

September 7/8, 2024

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing…. be strong, fear not!

What are the impediments in your life? What are the things that keep you from hearing and seeing and speaking about your faith?

Have you ever heard God say to you, Ephphath, be healed? Believe me, God wants you to hear it now. Will you hear him? What blinds you? What keeps you from speaking boldly about your experience with Jesus, like the man in the Gospel did?

The answer, I believe, is we are sorely wounded and have not yet been healed. I have come to believe that we are impeded by our wounds, and we think it’s normal. We have become silent and incoherent, and we have been okay with that.

We must change. We must be healed. We will only be healed if we have a direct experience of the Incarnate God, i.e., Jesus, like the man in the Gospel.

We need to understand what it is that has hurt us so much that we fail to speak out about our faith, we fail the poor, the elderly, the sick, and the “worthless” in our society, like St. James warns us in the second reading.

We need to figure out what it is, what deep wounds we are carrying around inside us, as individuals and as a nation, that make us hate — I use that word deliberately — hate ourselves so much that we accept the violence toward our unborn children, we are increasingly accepting euthanasia of our elderly and those considered useless, and think these crimes are acts of love. The pro-life battles we have been fighting are never going to end until we figure out what it is within us that we dislike so much that we accept abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and the indirect killing of the poor through our neglect of them.

The problem is in us. We are the problem. We have to start with ourselves. We need to be healed so we can hear better, see better, and speak boldly about what is the truth.

What I just tried to say in a psychological way (thank you Dr. Freud), I’ll now try to say in a theological manner. Satan has entered our lives and his work is evident. He is the father of lies and hatred. Satan plants hatred in anyone who listens to him. Satan wants so much for us to hate— especially when we don’t even know we are doing it. He works undercover and disguises hate as something good. He couples his hate with his lies. Satan wants us to think that hate is good, so we will choose to do it thinking we are loving someone. That is the great lie of Satan, i.e., that to hate is good.

What lies, have we accepted? How deeply have I been wounded in this way?

Healing and truth are found only in an encounter with the Incarnate God, who is Jesus. How will you encounter him and be healed? When will you hear him say to you, Ephphatha? It is not that difficult to hear him. 

Jesus is the Incarnate God now ascended into heaven, but He lives yet in his people. How then will you encounter him and be healed? Look at the crucifix! Who and what do you see there? Jesus, yes, but look deeply. Who is there with him on that cross?

I see an unborn child in danger of abortion. Mary’s pregnancy would be considered a “problem pregnancy” nowadays. Think of it. A fourteen year old girl, pregnant, and Joseph was not the father. Can you imagine the scuttlebutt, the questions about her character? Nowadays, Mary would probably be counseled to have an abortion.

I see a terminally ill man. Jesus was dying on that cross. What did the people do? They wanted him to be put out of his misery before sundown so they could get on with the Sabbath. So, I see every terminally ill person in danger of physician-assisted suicide.

I see an unjustly condemned man. On the crucifix, I see every man on death row.

I see a homeless man. Jesus had nowhere to lay his head. On that cross I see the homeless of today.

I see a foreigner. Mary and Joseph took Jesus across international boundaries to save his life. So, I see all those foreigners seeking the same in our country.

I see what Mother Teresa would call “the poorest of the poor.” Jesus owned nothing except the tunic on his back.

My point is we can and will encounter the Incarnate God in all these people of our day. If we encounter them, and not turn away from them, we will be healed. We can encounter all of them by gazing on the crucifix. Satan does not want us to gaze on the crucifix because he knows it is the sign truth which defeats him.

If you want to encounter Jesus and be healed, here is my challenge. It is both easy and difficult. For 15 minutes a day, every day for 90 days, gaze on the crucifix in this church. If you simply cannot get to church every day, then gaze on the crucifix in your home. If you don’t have one, buy one. I believe your hearts and minds will be changed if you do this.

I challenge you to do this. I challenge you to be healed. Get rid of your impediments. Do it, then come and tell me what happened.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle Bob

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Deacon Bob

Here’s my homily for this week. God bless you all!

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35

August 3-4, 2024

Have you ever had to walk a long way without food or water? Perhaps some of you who have served in the armed forces remember those marches in boot camp. Maybe others here have been lost for a day or two in the wilderness and had to find your way without food or water. I recall my earlier years as a long distance runner and struggling through ultra-marathons – over 30 miles.

To have to travel long distances without food and water is not only very difficult, it is extremely dangerous, without being prepared.  You soon will collapse and be unable to continue the journey. Yet, we regain our strength quickly after eating and drinking. We are quick to recover.

What would you say if someone were to tell you “Prepare yourself to eat this once a week and drink this once a week, every week and you will live forever, but if you are unprepared to eat and drink, you will die!”? What would you think? What if an angel poked you in the ribs when you were exhausted and down and out from the demands of daily life – work, family, community –  and what if that angel were to tell you that if you eat this and drink that you will be able to go a long way?

The question is, “What is it that sustains you in your life, especially when life may seem dry and exhausting? To whom or to what do you turn? What is the source of your strength?”

We hear in the first reading today that God’s people grumbled against God and Moses because they were hungry and thirsty. They were unprepared for the long journey.  We hear how God prepared them, told them what they needed to do so as to eat the manna he would give them and the flesh that would sustain them on their long, 40 year journey through the desert. God said He would test them to see whether they would follow His instructions.

The older I get, the more I can identify with the weariness of the Hebrew people in the desert. The older I get, the more I realize how little I need to grumble and complain and how much I need to be fed and refreshed frequently. The older I get, the more I realize in other words, how much I need the Bread of Life that sustains me and the Word of God that refreshes my soul.

My friends, we as Catholics know that we cannot spiritually live without the Mass, without the Eucharist, without receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is the source and summit of our lives.  It is the source of our strength. It is the source of our lives as Christians! We are to be fed by his Body and strengthened by his Blood. 

In this week’s first reading from the book of Exodus the Hebrew people became hungry and thirsty when they left Egypt and traveled in the desert, and they began to murmur against God and Moses. Even though they were being fed with manna – bread sent from heaven – even though they drank from the spring of water gushing from the rock, they grumbled. 

In today’s Gospel we hear how Jesus Himself says that He is the Bread of Life. He Himself will sustain us with His very Body and Blood. If we eat His Body and drink His blood, we will have eternal life.  He gives us Himself so we can live, now on this earth, and forever in eternity. If we worthily receive Him, we will be refreshed and strengthened to live the lives we are to live, even if our lives are lived in a desert, so to speak.

So, we can ask ourselves, do we grumble about our lives? Do we grumble against God and his Church, even though each day we can be fed with the Body of Christ and refreshed with his Blood? Why do we murmur and grumble? Is it because we don’t listen to the Truth?

Somewhere it is written, Truth stands alone, but error requires the grumbling of many people.  God’s Word is truth. The Body and Blood of Jesus is the Truth. Truth is powerful; grumbling and murmuring are weak.

If we don’t listen to God’s word of truth then we will not believe.  We will lack faith. Faith comes from hearing God’s word spoken and proclaimed by his sacred ministers – the bishops, priests and deacons. Faith comes from acknowledging the truth of the Word of God. Faith comes from meeting Jesus Christ. If we listen to truth, then we will have faith and our hearts will be open to receive Jesus’ Real Presence and to the graces given to us in the Eucharist. If we do not listen and do not believe, then we turn away from our nourishment, we turn away from the Eucharist, we turn away from Jesus himself.

We all need to stop grumbling against God and the Church and start listening and believing!

God draws us and lifts us up with the Body and Blood of Jesus.  Jesus takes us who have been called and raises us up to new life by our partaking of his Body and Blood which is a sharing in his life, death and resurrection. This is such a mystery! It is called the Paschal Mystery! It is a gift to which we must respond with faith, acceptance and gratitude, not with idle murmuring and disbelief.

Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist which sustains us on our journeys of faith.

My friends, God wants to feed you. God has sent his Son Jesus to accomplish this. Jesus gives us living bread from heaven. That bread is Jesus himself. We must come to believe in him and eat his Body and drink his Blood in order to have life. The bread that Jesus gives is in fact his flesh and blood.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2024

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Deacon Bob

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Gen 3:9-15; 2 Cor 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

June 8/9, 2024

I’d like to speak about the danger of divisions. This is something I think Jesus is addressing in the Gospel today, something about which He had some rather strong words, so much so that people thought he had lost his mind. (I hope you don’t think I have gone crazy at the end of this homily and call my family to come and cart me away like they did with Jesus!) Division is something about which I am very concerned, because I see it everywhere, and I know the damage it is doing to not only to the world in a general sense, but also to the lives of individuals in a particular sense.

I think that divisions are evil and the work of the Evil One. Mind you, I said divisions, not diversity or distinctions or differences. Diversity and distinction and differences can be very good things. They can help us understand things and in the long run bring about unity, not division. For instance, it is impossible to know wrong unless you know right. We cannot really know man unless you know woman. You cannot know hard unless you know soft, and so on. Diversity and distinction and differences can unify us if we embrace them in faith, and not despise and misuse them in faithlessness.

No, Jesus today is talking about divisions AND he is talking about what unifies us. Let’s look first at how divisions have infected our lives, and then look at what unifies us.

What are some of the divisions?

Social: There is no need or desire to delve into all this. Suffice it to say, we all know well the reality of divisions in our country and the level of violence it has created. What used to be political and social diversity and distinctions and differences that led to increased understanding of the issues at hand, and resolution of those issues, nowadays has become a divisive stalemate, and incapacity of resolving pressing issues. This is the work of the Evil One, I believe.

Religious: How tired I am of being confronted over and over again with the divisions within the Church. “Traditional” against “progressive” as one example. Renegade priests against their bishops. Liturgical rigidity and liturgical laxity. We are all Catholics! There is only one body of Christ. Enough, I say, to all this! I find it scandalous.

Family: Divorce, aborting children, estrangement one from another, unhealed hurts and wounds, abandonment of our elderly, and euthanasia. These divisions are perhaps the worst evils we face.

Personal: Is your heart divided? Are you living in doubt and fear?

Satan wanted Adam and Eve to be divided from God. He wants the same for us. Satan knows so much depends on the family, so he attacks the family. Satan wants to divide in the Church, so he attacks the Church. Satan wants to create division in our hearts, so he attacks with doubts and anxiety. Satan so much wants to divide that he causes his own downfall, as Jesus tells us. He is addicted to sinful divisions.

Here is the good news. Jesus said, “[If] Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.” (Mark 3:26) The good news is Satan is so intent on creating divisions and evil that he defeats himself. He’s like someone who is so compulsive that despite all its negative consequences, that person simply cannot quit doing whatever it is he is compelled to do even if it kills him. 

Here is more good news. Jesus himself said today that there is unity among those who do the will of God, and all who do his will are his one family. Divisions come from faithlessness; unity from faithful obedience to God’s will.

More good news: St. Paul said today that we all have the same spirit of faith and we know that the One who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us also. Grace is bestowed in abundance on more and more people and this glorifies God, so we should never be discouraged. That even if our earthly dwelling should be destroyed, we have a building from God that is indestructible. Jesus Christ is victorious and heals divisions, removes sin, cast out the Evil One, and brings about unity.

Each time we are tempted to do or say something that divides, let us take heed and be cautious.

I would close with a quote from today’s responsorial psalm, which says, “I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in his word. More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is kindness and with him plenteous redemption; and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

Amen!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Deacon Bob

6th Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35,44-48; 1John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17

May 4/5, 2024

I have chosen you. I have loved you. Remain in my love. These, I think, are at the core of what Jesus is saying to us today in the Gospel. It can be quite daunting to think about obeying the first and the greatest of all the commandments — Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself — unless you begin to understand and accept that God has chosen you, and has loved you, and he wants you to remain in his love. So, let’s try to begin today.

We must start with our goodness and God’s desire for us. God has chosen you! He wants you because he created you good. He has a plan for you. He thinks about you all the time. He desires you. He wills you into life every second of every day. You exist only because God chooses you. He recognizes that you were created good and God wants what is good, so he chooses you. In his perfect freedom he chooses you. This is almost incomprehensible. Why would God want you? Why would he want someone so frail, sinful, broken, confused, and afraid? Why? He chooses  you because you were created good, and God wanted for all eternity in your goodness.  He is willing you into life, so you may be with him for all eternity. You are individually desired and chosen by God.

We have to wrap our mind around the reality that God has not only chosen you but he has loved you. That is the second piece. God wants what is good for you. He wants what is really good, the best of all goods, not some lesser good. In other words, God wants you to have him because God is the best of all goods. He loves you so much that he wants to give Himself to you personally. He loves you so much that he became the Son of Man so you may be united to him. God wants you to be able to obtain him, to obtain God for all eternity. He wants you to choose him, and he enables you to do this through the Church, the sacraments, and the infusion of grace and the Holy Spirit into your life. He has given you all you need. In other words, you are loved by God through the Church, the sacraments, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Did you ever think of that?

Finally, we must remain in God’s love. We must stay in love with him just as he is in love with us. We must want to give God our best.  If we accept our chosenness, our belovedness, then we can be in love. We can relax and live in love. That’s why Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden light. Anyone man has fallen in love with a woman — or woman with a man — has experienced this on a human level. “This man/woman has chosen me and loves me! I live constantly in love,” we think. No matter what may be happening in life, especially when times are tough, if we are convinced that we are chosen and loved, then we will be able to stay in love. Stay in love through it all. I often have thought about this in my own life. On a spiritual level, whatever happens around me or in me, I can remain at peace and in love because God has chosen me from all eternity, and he loves me. 

All of us have experienced the opposite of all this in our lives. We all have experienced rejection (the opposite of being chosen) and being unwanted (the opposite of being seen as good). Anyone who has been the victim of divorce knows what I mean, i.e., being “not chosen” and “not loved” by your spouse. So, too, anyone who has been abused and then thrown away understands. When these experiences arise, it is very difficult to remain in love, is it not? It is impossible, save for God’s grace. It is difficult to love the person who has done this to you. It even can be difficult to love God. Yet, while this may be someone’s the earthly reality, the spiritual reality can and must be an unshakeable conviction that God has chosen us, and God has loved us, so even when we are rejected and unloved, we can remain in love knowing God has chosen and loved us. We can continue to be in love, not only with God, but even with the person who has rejected us. This is why the saints could forgive those who persecuted them. This is why Jesus could forgive his executioners from the Cross…. Because he knew he was chosen by the Father, loved by the Father, and he remained in love even for his persecutors.

We may object and say, “But I am not a saint! I am not Jesus! I am a sinner and only human!” I think that is a cop out because every saint that lived could have said the same. We all can be saints. Jesus lives within us. We all can remain in love, live in love, in God’s love, if we have first come to know God has chosen us and loved us.

Undoubtedly, this is a great challenge for us. I know from my own life of 68 years. Yet, I will attest, it is possible by accepting God’s love for us and his desire for us. “Remain in my love,” Jesus says.” I call you friends. I chose you. This I command I now give you: remain in my love.”

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Deacon Bob

Divine Mercy Sunday

April 6/7, 2024

Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31

When I was growing up in the fifties and sixties, almost every Catholic home prominently displayed a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a crucifix somewhere on wall. Nowadays, this praiseworthy tradition has fallen by the wayside. How much I wish it were to return! I would encourage all of you to get a crucifix and a painting of the Sacred Heart and hang them on a wall of your home. Look at them often, because they will help you answer two important questions. The first is, “Who am I?” and the second is, “What am I to do?” These are questions about your identity and your mission.

While it is true that each of us has a unique identity and a unique mission in life, and that God created us for that reason, it I is also true that we all have a common identity and a common mission. What are they?

I believe our common identity and mission can be found meditating on the crucifix and the Divine Mercy flowing from the Sacred Heart. We are to be men and women of mercy. How necessary mercy is in our world today!

In your heart must beat the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Yes, the Sacred Heart of Jesus within you! St Paul said, “It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) How can this happen in us? Where must we go?

We must go to the sources o f m mercy here on earth. We must go where Jesus’ mercy are most abundantly found. We must go to the Eucharist and to Confession. The merciful, Sacred Heart of Jesus beats in the Eucharist and in the confession of sins, filling us with His mercy! He has a merciful heart, a living heart, a forgiving heart, and He pours His mercy into our hearts at each Mass and each time we confess our sins. We must come to the Eucharist and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, if we are to live lives of mercy. We must not stay away. We must come to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. We must come to the Sacrament of Penance where we will encounter Divine Mercy. We all n need forgiveness and mercy to deeply penetrate our souls if we are to be men   and women of mercy. The Sacred Heart beats in the confessional. God is always ready to remove any sin. That is why we must confess any mortal sins as soon as possible, and to regularly confess even venial sins.

Your heart will beat with mercy if y you soak in the mercy of God. To the extent you accept mercy into your life is the extent to which your heart will be capable of showing mercy to others. Accept God’s mercy, and then show mercy to others.

Do we do this? Do we allow the mercy of God to penetrate our hearts? Will the Sacred Heart of Jesus beat in our hearts for our husbands, wives, children, parents, neighbors, fellow parishioners, and yes, even for our enemies? Will we be merciful to those who do not deserve it? If we are going to be capable of this, then we must be connected to the sources of Divine Mercy that God has provided for us. Mercy and forgiveness are at the center of the Eucharist and at the center or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Jesus had mercy on the repentant thief.  Will we? Jesus was merciful to the woman caught in adultery. Will we? When Peter denied Jesus three times, He did not ask, “Why did you do that?” but three times he did ask, “Do you love me?” How are we when someone denies us?

Will we have mercy on the man on death row, or will we seek vengeance? Will we wage war or seek peace?  Will we love those who hate us, o r will we hate in return?  These are serious questions. The answers we give will determine our eternal destinies.

To be merciful to those most difficult to forgive, those most difficult to love, we must have a deep faith, and pray, “Jesus, I trust in you.”  If we find it difficult to show mercy, maybe we should look at how open we are to God’s mercy in our lives, how often we really pray the Mass, how often we sincerely repent of our sins in Confession.

If we neglect the Eucharist and Confession, our spiritual lives will dry up and die.  Our   faith will weaken, if we don’t come to these sources of mercy. I dare say we will be unable to show mercy to others.

Jesus, I trust in you! This is our constant prayer. Jesus, make my heart like yours, we beg. Make my heart beat with the mercy you have shown me. Jesus, I trust in you! Amen!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Deacon Bob

3rd Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

March 2/3, 2024

Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Cor 1:22-25; John 2:13-25

How zealous are you? In other words, how much zeal do you have for your souls, and for the souls of others?

Jesus was zealous, we hear today, for His Father’s house, the temple of God’s presence, and he cleansed it of all that would profane it, from all that would diminish it. Jesus is zealous, also, to cleanse our souls from all the sins, distractions, and obstacles keeping us from holiness.

So, maybe a question we all should be asking ourselves this Lent is, if Jesus is zealous for our souls, how zealous are we? How zealous are we for our salvation? How zealous are we for the salvation of others? How zealous are we to rid our souls of all the clutter, all the sins, all the false idols, all the “money tables” and any other obstacle that keep us from holiness? How zealous are we in seeking out the sacraments, giving Jesus an open door into our lives? How zealous are we come to Mass and go to Confession? How zealous are we to we pray and to give alms? Is Confession, and Mass, and prayer, and almsgiving a part of our Lenten practice this year?

Jesus teaches us today by His example that zeal must consume us! Zeal! We must be not merely curious and obedient students of a wise teacher seeking signs or looking for some new teaching from Him; no we must be, as St. Paul wrote, zealous to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ, Who is very power and wisdom of God. Our salvation and the salvation of the world are found in the person of Jesus Christ, not in some new interesting teaching that someone offers.

We look for signs, do we not? We look for some wisdom to teach us what to do, don’t we? We want Father and Deacon to give great homilies so that we will learn something. But, remember, Jesus did not come into this world primarily as a wise teacher or a moralist, or some sage, like so many who came before him and after him. If we think of Him in that way, we are in trouble. If Jesus is only a wise teacher, he is only another Confucius or Buddha or Mohammed or some other wise man in history. Christianity, our faith, is built, not on a set of precepts or teachings, but on a Person, the person of Jesus, the Son of Mary and the Son of God.  Jesus came into our world as a divine Person to be our Savior, not a just a wise teacher, and zeal filled him to the brim to do just that! Jesus came as the only Son of God to be given in sacrifice so we may have eternal life in Him, and only in Him.

Jesus did not say, “My teachings will raise you up!” What He said was He would raise us up. He, Jesus, will do this. The repentant thief at Golgotha, I dare say, probably knew little of Jesus’ teachings or his wisdom, but he knew who Jesus was, that He was Savior, and he turned to Him, and was raised up that very day.

Yes, Jesus was wise. His teachings were profound. We will do well to know them. If we know the truths of the faith, we must obey those truths. But if our salvation rested on the teachings alone, all infants would never be admitted to heaven, and all death bed conversions would be of no value. What is most important is that we make that profession of faith that Peter made, “To whom else shall we turn? You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

To what or whom will you turn? For what or whom will you be zealous, zealous enough to overturn the money tables cluttering your soul, getting rid of whatever it is that obstructs your relationship with Jesus who alone saves us and the world from sin? Do not turn to the author on the New York Times best seller list. Do not turn to a popular political leader. Do not turn to radio talk show hosts. Do not turn to paganism that is being renewed in our society today. Turn to Jesus. Be zealous for Jesus. Be close to Jesus. He alone will save and raise you up. He alone is your Savior. In Him and through Him, is the salvation of our souls.

Be zealous for Jesus!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for this weekend. God bless all of you!

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

February 3/4, 2024

Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Cor. 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39

The title for today is Job’s Reality is Ours. My homily may not necessarily put a smile on your faces, but maybe it will bring you some peace and hope to those of us most in need.

In this first reading, we hear about an experience Job had in his life, something so many people have endured in their lives. Hundreds of patients at Gundersen Clinic came to me with this story over the years. Broken-hearted people, broken by the world, feeling alone…. perhaps you have felt this way. Few of us who live long enough will escape it… broken and wounded by unfortunate tragedies and events in life.

I call it the reality of Job is our reality.   It seems to me that if we understand Job, we begin to make sense of our own lives because so often his reality is our reality. To understand this first reading, we must understand the bigger story, the complete story of Job. To understand ourselves we must know our complete story, which is a story of how God is working in our lives over a long period of time.

You see, today’s reading is only the middle of Job’s life. The beginning is a story of riches and blessings, and the end a story of a great restoration and promise.

The beginning, the middle and the end must be taken together if we are to understand Job and what God was doing in his life. One without the others is not enough. The whole story, stitched together as it were, must be grasped. God stitched it together in Job’s life. God will stitch it together in our lives too.

What is that story? In the beginning, Job was a man greatly blessed by God. He had a large family, lots of land, many cattle, sheep, and animals. He lived in a very nice home, had many servants, and was well-regarded by all. He was a man who did not seriously sin. He was a friend of God, you might say. He was also man Satan chose to test, and God permitted the test for reasons Job and others didn’t understand at the time. The worst of evils befell him. His life became miserable. His health, his family, and his possessions were all suddenly taken away from him. He lost everything, except his unwavering faith in God and a conviction of his sinlessness before God. After severe testing, God restored him to his former glory; indeed, God gave back what Job had lost, and even greater things. Yes, Job was restored. His life renewed.

What is the reality of Job in your life? What are the beginning, middle and end of your story? Remember, your beginning, middle, and end must all be taken into account if you are going to make sense of it. They must be seen as a whole. To focus only on one and not on the others is a mistake. How has God stitched your life together for you?

When you are in that middle part of the story, where suffering is all around, maybe remembering today’s Gospel is needed. Imagine Jesus entering the house of your heart. It is in your heart where the meaning of your suffering will be found. Imagine Jesus seeing your pain, your inner sickness, the very stuff you hide from others, things that  bother you so much that you lock it up inside, even if it gives you a “high fever”, so to speak. Imagine all this sickness came into your life after having once been happy and content.  Imagine Jesus approaching you, grasping your hand, and helping you up out of the pain. Imagine your fever, your inner pain, your concerns, worries and problems vanishing!  Not only your problems vanishing, but God restoring you and blessing you in ways that are lavish. How would you feel? What would you do?

My friends, this can happen for you. The beginning is not the end, and the middle is not the end. The beginning and the middle are what leads to a great restoration and blessing for you.

It describes the life of the Son of God who became man for us all, who came to us from the glories of heaven (the beginning), who suffered, died for us (the middle), and then rose and ascended to heaven in the greatest of glory (the end). It describes the life of each of us who follow Jesus. Actually, it is the life of every faithful Christian.

For those of you who are living in the first part, never having experienced significant pain and loss, remember it all can be taken from you in a moment’s time. To those of you who may be living in that middle part of the story, the part of loss and suffering, remember it’s not the end of the story.  For all who are living in the third part and have experienced a healing and restoration, live in gratitude. May God bless you all!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Epiphany

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for the weekend. God bless all of you!

Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1-6; Eph 3: 2-3a; Mt 2: 1-12

January 6/7, 2024

The Epiphany is the revelation to the entire world that the Christ child is God of all nations. The Epiphany is the revelation that Jesus is Lord of every nation on earth, every person, and indeed, Lord of the universe. He came to save everyone, however similar to or different from ourselves, and to make all one in Him.

Jesus, who was first revealed on Christmas morning to a familiar people, the Jewish nation, is now revealed to the entire world with the coming of the Magi. Today, a great light shines, as the Gospel says, piercing the darkness of the whole world. There is not a single corner of our lives or our world that is not illuminated by the light of Christ!

How will Epiphany affect you? What impact will it have on your life? Finally, how does God want to make you an epiphany in today’s world? 

We have a beautiful manger scene set up in our church. Take a look. What do we see? Yes, we see the baby Jesus in a manger with Mary and Joseph, along with the shepherds, animals, and angels. We see approaching Jesus three wise men from foreign countries, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts are given to kings, priests, and those preparing a body for burial. Now, try to imagine you are that child lying in the manger. Or try imagining you are Joseph or Mary seeing strangers suddenly coming, strangers attracted by a beautiful light, a star that shines. How do you feel?

Meditate on this thought: What happened that day two thousand years ago with those Magi is meant to happen today through your life. How, you may ask? Imagine this: You must look like Jesus. You must look like him so much that people see him in you and come from afar, attracted to you. How comfortable are you thinking you are like Jesus?  Are you ready to become a light in our world?

I think what happened to these Wise Men can and should happen to the world today in some manner. I think God is telling us who are Christians that our spiritual job is to be so much like Jesus that we become an “epiphany”. No, we are not God; yet, we are made in his image. God took on our humanity, took on our nature, and looked like us, and so we can grow more and more in holiness, and look like him and live like him. People should see Jesus in us. So many people search for God, like those Magi did, so will they find Him in us? Are we shining like the star in this world’s darkness? Will we be an epiphany? Will we reveal God to others by how we live? Are we enough like Jesus that people are drawn to us, to our light? The first Christians did and they changed the world. Why don’t we?

Perhaps the great epiphany this year for us is realizing that we are to become an epiphany in our world today. We must reveal to the world who God is by how we live. We must be so like Jesus that people come to us.  Maybe the epiphany for us is that God wants us to be a light to the nations, to shine on all people, yes, even foreigners.

My friends, my point is this: everyday needs to be an epiphany. We are facing important problems today in the world and even in our Church that threaten to deface Jesus, disfigure his face. The Evil One wants to keep him hidden.  Will we have the courage to resemble Jesus enough to reveal him? Do we really believe what we say we believe? If we have been begotten of God, as St John says in his writings, then we have the very life of God within us and this life can and must shine from within us to the world. Satan very much wants to dim that light, that life in us.

Will we resemble Jesus, reveal him, so much so that yes, many will come from far and away to be with us in our parish and diocese and our country? Will they see Jesus in us?

The answer must be “Yes!” For our sakes, for the sake of the Church, for the sake of the world.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for 1st Sunday of Advent 2023

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Deacon Bob

First Sunday of Advent

Cycle B

Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19, 64:2-7; 1Cor 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

December 2/3, 2023

There are so many attractive distractions it would seem, especially with technology and devices. Over twenty years ago, in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, we were very concerned about the impact screen time and cell phones would have upon young people’s brain development and their social adjustment. Our concerns have been proven well-founded. Despite the promise of a greater global unity through internet connectivity and the sharing of information, there has only been increased disconnection among the human family. There are so many divided hearts among us now, and so many divided lives! Jesus tells us we must watch with undivided attention, undivided hearts, and undivided lives. This kind of watching and unity will not come from social media.

Who or what do you most deeply desire in your life? For whom do you watch? Who will unite your life into a satisfying whole? Jesus alone will ultimately unite us and satisfy our deepest desires.

Watch! Look for Jesus! Look for the one you most desire!

Advent is a time to watch for the fulfillment of our heart’s desire. It is a time to reorient our lives. It is a time of anticipation. It is a time to end the divisiveness of our lives, divisiveness with God and with each other. It is a time of repentance.

Jesus came two millennia ago as a mere baby. He will come again in power and glory that last day. Jesus truly comes now, right now, here in this church and on this altar. Do you recognize him? Do you watch for him, or do you live distracted, divided lives, glued to your phones, and addicted to a constant flow of data? Jesus is here, right here. He is among us; he is within us at this moment; and he will come soon on this altar. Can we remain focused on him?

“Why do you let us wander, O Lord? Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” says Isaiah. Do we pray in the same way, with the same intensity, with the same undivided anticipation? Or, do we distract ourselves from what never ultimately satisfies us?

Jesus has come down from the heavens as a child centuries ago. He comes down today at this Eucharist. At the end of time he will come again in power and majesty. We remember his first coming; we anticipate his future coming; and we must recognize his coming today.

Advent is a time to watch, to anticipate, and remember, and recognize. Advent is a time to ask ourselves who or what we most deeply desire. Is it Jesus? Is it God’s only begotten Son? Do we love him enough, long for him enough, and watch enough for him with undivided hearts? Are we eager for his coming into our lives?

Men, you who have loved a woman know exactly what I am talking about. Women, you who have loved a man know exactly what I am describing. Love unites. Love conquers all distractions. Are we so in love with Jesus that our hearts ache for his presence, for his coming into our lives and our world? Do our hearts long for him so much that we rush to him in the Eucharist?

Our hearts ought to burn with anticipation as we watch. Our lives ought to ache for his presence. Always watching and waiting need we to be. At this moment, at this hour, in this church, are we burning in anticipation of what will happen at this altar in just a few minutes? The heavens themselves will be opened and God will come down to be with us, Jesus himself. Or, will we divide our hearts and distract our lives?

Isaiah felt the “burn” and the desire. Do we? Isaiah could only anticipate. We can see!…. Soon right here on this altar.

We have all heard stories like the one I am about to tell you, I know, but this one is true and personal for it has to do with my grandmother. Nearly 85 years ago, grandma longed for the one she loved in the Eucharist. She longed enough to literally walk from the farm north of town every Sunday, year around, about an eight mile round trip, to attend Mass. Nothing kept her away until she died at an early age by a sudden illness. I never met grandma, but this image of her remains with me and strengthens my desire for Jesus in the Eucharist.

Our hearts and lives are too distracted, too divided; we have lost our sight, our conviction, our love for Jesus and his true presence, his body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. We have fallen to the idol gods of technology. We must repent, and we can this Advent. Our hearts and souls must ache and burn for Jesus’ real presence and to be with the one we most deeply desire in life.

My challenge to each of you this Advent is to repent, go to confession, put down your cell phones and pick up Jesus. Watch for him…watch with eager anticipation for his coming. Just as sure as he was born in Bethlehem, and just as certainly he will come someday in glory, he comes today, at this hour, in this place, on this altar. “What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37)

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for this weekend. God bless you all!

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10; 1Thes 2:7b-9,13; Matt 23:1-12

November 4/5, 2023

Both our first reading and Gospel today are all about humility and the dangers of pride. We hear a lot about pride and humility from the pulpit, don’t we, and we read a lot about it in the books, pamphlets, and devotions from the Church. Yet, there still is a lot of pride, or lack of humility, in our world and within the Church. Pride is something we all dislike in another person but seem to dismiss in ourselves and humility something we esteem in others, but find difficult in our own lives. I think Jesus knew this tendency, and so he talked about it a lot in the Gospels. If humility is so important, and pride so dangerous if we wish to get to heaven, then how do we go about developing the one and getting rid of the other?

Perhaps it is important to start here. The big saints in the Church have consistently said that the remedy for pride comes from two things:  Knowing yourself really well, especially your limits, the ways you have been hurt in life, and your sins; Knowing God really well, his love and his mercy.

Knowing both is necessary. Knowing only one without the other is disastrous.

What is humility? The saints say that humility is knowing the difference between us and God. So, who are you and who is God?

Do you remember what Pope Francis said right after he was elected pope, when someone asked him, “Who are you?” He said (I am paraphrasing a little), “I am a sinner in need of God’s mercy.”  Then he went on and gave us the Year of Mercy, time to get to know God as merciful.

What did our Blessed Mother say? “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you will.” Yes, even Mary, immaculate though she is, was humble before God, knowing herself well, and she knew God too, the God who was to show mercy to the whole world in her Son.

Yes, to know ourselves is to realize how, left to ourselves, we are so far from the ideal, from the goal, from being the person we were created to be. (O, the depths to which we have fallen and the heights to which we are called in Christ Jesus, as one of my deacon friends reminded me.)  Jesus spoke of this in the Gospels. We are pretty much helpless if we see only our failures, weaknesses, hurts and injuries and if we rely only on our own resources and strength to try to overcome them. The idea that I can get to heaven on my own without the help of God and the Church leads us away from humility and into pride. It was the sin of Adam and Eve, and the sin of the fallen angels. Knowing ourselves is admitting we are sinners and that we are not God, but we really and truly need him.

Knowing God is to know his mercy, as Pope Francis said. If you want to know God, just go and ask him for mercy. Knowing God means knowing that he loves us for who we are then raises us up out of ourselves and our pride through his mercy. To know God is to know you have been redeemed, your wounds and sins have been purchased at a great price, and your have been lifted out of it all and into God. To know God is to know how God sees us, that we are his sons and daughters.

We have to know both. Knowing only one is trouble. If we know only our brokenness and sinfulness it will lead to despair, not humility. It happened to Judas. On the other hand, just praying a lot, doing a lot of religious things, learning a lot about God and ignore our brokenness, our sins, our limitations, that will lead to the spiritual pride and presumption that Jesus preaches against in today’s Gospel. Too many of us presume God’s mercy but deny the seriousness of our need for it, and we will become full of pride.

Yes, God is all merciful. No sin is too big for him to forgive. If we don’t know our need for that mercy, we shut it out. We become prideful. On the other hand, if we see only our sins, our failures, our wounds in life and don’t know how much God loves us, we will despair.

So, when we know ourselves well and we know God well, then we are humble, like Jesus so often tells us we must become. We become like Mary Magdalene, like Peter, like Paul, like the Saints Bernard, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and so many more.

Yes, God wants you to become a saint. The more you know God and yourself, the closer you are.

So, who are you? Who is God?

What is your answer? How do you respond?

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Deacon Bob’s Homily 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for the weekend. God bless all of you!

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A

September 30/October 1, 2023

Ezekiel 18: 25-28; Phil 2: 1-11; Matthew 21: 28-32

Today’s Gospel parable should evoke a deep response in us. Jesus is saying “prostitutes and tax collectors” are entering the Kingdom of God! People we place at the bottom of our social ladders are getting to heaven before us. Maybe this should make us stop and think.

Our eternal life is all about divine mercy and our freedom to accept or reject it at any moment.

Divine Mercy, the image of which is right here, below this ambo, the image St. Faustina saw, mercy being poured out into the world, into our hearts, and offered to all.

All those we put on the margins of society and Church, all those on the peripheries (to use the word Pope Francis uses), all those we tend to condemn, they may by entering the Kingdom of God before you and me because of God’s mercy.

God has a deep love for the wayward in his kingdom. He has a heart for the man or woman on the fringes. He desires to be reunited with the one who is lost and confused. He wants us, we who now are trying to follow God’s will, to go out to them and bring them back. Salvation is available to the lost right up to the last moment, and our freedom to accept or reject it remains until our last breath. God is fully aware of our constant need for his mercy and how frail we are without it. He tells those away from him “Come home! Mercy is given to you!”

God also deeply loves his followers, you and me.  He says to us who are close to him, “I will be with you until the last moment. Accept my grace and mercy up to the very end. Be on guard! Don’t be complacent. Be vigilant and at every moment accept the mercy I give to you. Do not to falter in the end.”

The feelings we have in hearing this can be strong and deep. We all too easily reject God’s mercy and we underestimate our freedom to accept or reject it.

God extends his mercy to each of us. It is offered. What do you say when confronted by God’s mercy, mercy for you, and mercy for others?

Those we condemn might finally end up obeying God’s will, receiving forgiveness, and enjoying eternal happiness in heaven. Likewise, any of us, who right now are doing God’s will, might, finally end up rejecting God’s will and be deprived of heaven. It is possible.

Back in the 1970s, when I was studying theology in Rome at the Gregorian University, there was an idea swirling around, and actually taught by one professor, called the “fundamental moral option” which taught that what really mattered at the end of life is the overall direction of your life had taken.  If your life was mainly being a good person, then you were going to get to heaven, regardless of how things were between you and God at the end of life. If you lived most of your life moving away from God, then that’s what counted, even if you repented at the last moment.

This teaching is and was an error. A big one. It made no room for God’s mercy, or for our freedom to reject or accept God’s mercy at any time in our lives.

Two examples come to mind. The first is the Good Thief, a man who was on the road to hell, but repented at the last hour and was admitted to heaven. The other is Judas Iscariot, a man on the road to heaven, but rejected God’s mercy and love in the last hour. Both men’s destinies were decided in the last hour.

So will ours.

I’m not saying our life direction is unimportant. I’m not saying sin now and ask forgiveness later. I am saying we all are dependent on God’s mercy each and every moment of life, especially at the moment of death. I am saying we need to remain faithful at the end.

This should not scare us. But it should make us think.  Over and over again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you!’ Over and over again, Jesus said he came into the world not to condemn us, but to save us. So, no need to fear!

So, what is my fundamental direction in life? Is it toward God and away from sin? If it is, good! If not, how can I turn around?  Secondly, all life is a grace from God, so do I really understand how much I need God’s grace every moment to make good decisions and remain with him until the end? Thirdly, what is my attitude toward others and their lives?

I ask each of you today to spend at least a minute after Mass gazing on this image of Divine Mercy, begging God for the grace to accept it, and reminding yourselves of how dependent we are on it.

May we live in gratitude. May we reach out to others and not condemn them for they might enter heaven before us.  Let us stay awake and rely on God’s mercy to make good decisions right up to the moment of death, so that at that last hour of life (which may be this very hour) we may be at peace knowing we have remained faithful to the end.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for this weekend. God bless all of you!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20

August 26/27, 2023

To St. Stephen Parish, Bentonville, Arkansas

But who do you say that I am? This question, the “Jesus Question”, was one that was put to the Apostles some two thousand years ago. It is a question that is being put to us today, here in Bentonville. We would do well to answer it honestly.

Who is Jesus to you? What do you say?

The world today is much like the world two thousand years ago, at the time of Christ. They said he was a prophet, a wise man, and a good teacher, just like so many would say of him now…. but certainly not someone to worship with a holy fear! Certainly not the divine Son of the living God, for to acknowledge him in that way would require obedience and a certain holy fear, and we can’t have that in our lives! O no! If we did, we all would have to fall on our knees on this church’s floor in adoration and submission! We couldn’t have that!

So, we live in mediocrity, and see him as a wise man who counseled us well. We settle for a shallow faith. It seems easier that way. No kneeling necessary….

It takes a Peter, of course, for us to get it right. Peter who said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!

It is difficult for us to comprehend the depth of Peter’s faith — which was a gift given to him by God so he could confirm the faith of all of us, a gift we can access if we really are open to it and approach it with humility. It takes Peter’s faith to get it right in our own lives. Peter was given that gift of faith and upon it the Church is built and survives. All the Peters that have succeeded that first one, that is all the popes up to and including Pope Francis, have that same inerrant faith to proclaim Jesus. If we lean on the faith of Peter, if we sustain ourselves on the faith of Peter, if we remain united to him, then we too will answer the “Jesus Question” correctly.

A priest friend of mine who studied in Rome a number of years after I and Msgr Marczuk studied there, told me of an experience he had that goes to the point of this homily. My friend, Father Bill, was standing at the foot of the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. If you have ever been there, you know the location well. He was taking in the beauty of the altar and its environs. Unexpectedly, an Chinese man scurried up next to him holding a Chinese tourist guide. The man turned to Bill and said to him in broken English, “What is this?” Bill said that it was St. Peters’ Basilica. The man began flipping pages in the tourist guide, and then again looked up at Bill and asked, “And who is this St. Peter?” Bill explained that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ and his tomb was right down there, pointing to the space under the altar. The man again started flipping pages and with a puzzled look, asked Bill one more question, “And who is this Jesus?”  Bill was stunned, speechless, for he never imagined anyone would asked him such a question in St. Peter’s Basilica.

.

My friends, every day of your life, someone in one way or another will come to you ask you that question, whether or not you realize they are doing so. How will you answer? Are you prepared?

Who is this Jesus?

Sometimes we lack the honesty that Chinese man had. Sometimes we pretend to know Jesus, but really we really don’t. The tourist guides of the world do not provide us the real answer. Certainly, our favorite political leaders and celebrities, even our favorite theologians and authors do not get it right. Forget all of them!  Look to Peter!

We all need a rock upon which we build our lives. We need the faith of Peter. We need the faith of the Church. We must never, under any circumstances, separate ourselves from the Church built on Peter’s confession of faith. We must never come to know Jesus by our politics or by those who entertain us.

Look to Peter and his successors. Look to the faith of the Church. There you will find the answer, like the other apostles did when they heard Peter’s faith in Jesus the Son of the living God.

So, in conclusion, I go to Peter’s successor to give you the answer to the “Jesus Question”. No one can answer any more clearly or eloquently.

Pope St. Paul VI said this on November 29, 1970, at Manila in the Philippines:

“I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of him we come to know the God that we cannot see. He is the firstborn of all creation; in him all things find their being… he was born for us, died for us, and for us he rose from the dead…. A man of sorrow and hope, he knows us and loves us. As our friend he stays by us throughout our lives; at the end of time he will come to be our judge; but we also know that he will be the complete fulfillment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity.

I can never cease to speak of Christ for he is our truth and our light; he is the way, the truth and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother.

He is like us but more perfectly human, simple, poor, humble, and yet, while burdened with work, he is more patient. He spoke on our behalf; he worked miracles; and he founded a new kingdom: in it the poor are happy; peace is the foundation of a life in common; where the pure of heart and those who mourn are uplifted and comforted; the hungry find justice; sinners are forgiven; and all discover that they are brothers.

So once again I repeat his name to you…. and I proclaim to all men: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, Lord of a new universe, the great hidden key to human history and the part we play in it. He is the mediator… Above all he is the Son of man, more perfect than any man, being also the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary….

Remember: [it] is Jesus Christ I preach day in and day out. His name I would see echo and reecho for all time even to the ends of the earth.” Amen!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Transfiguration Sunday, Cycle A

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Deacon Bob

Transfiguration Sunday, Cycle A

August 5/6, 2023

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9

What glory there is in our hope! Hope will bring us to future glory. Our hope is in the cross of Christ.

In today’s Gospel, we hear of Christ’s glory as he is transfigured before the apostles Peter, John and James giving them a glimpse of what lay on the other side of the Cross, giving them hope, a hope that would sustain them when confronted with the suffering of Christ on his Cross on Good Friday.

There are three theological virtues given to us by God at baptism: Faith, hope, and love. Allow me to use an image to describe them, i.e., a ship on an open stormy sea. Faith is the ship. It is what protects us, and gives us shape and buoyancy. As long as we have faith, we won’t sink. Love is the destination. Hope is the driving force, the wind in our sails propelling us through the rough waters and the deep seas of life. We are carried by hope toward the glory of Jesus’ resurrection which we too will share.

Pope John Paul I, the Pope who reigned for only 33 days in 1978 and with whom we who lived in Rome during those days, and were able to speak to him, fondly called Papa Luciani, once wrote in his book Illustrissimi that “We are the amazement of God”.  He noted that some have said that God is not amazed by our faith because God has left so many signs of his presence even in the natural world let alone in our hearts and in the history of mankind that any reasonable person cannot help but believe; nor is God amazed by our love, for he has given us. All of us, hearts of flesh, not of stone, and so are made out of love and for love, so we cannot help but love. But hope, John Paul I said, God is amazed by our hope. We are the amazement of God because of our hope.

The medieval poet Dante said that hope is “a waiting with certitude.”  Hope is waiting, rooted in the goodness of God, and in the certitude of future glory.

Any of us who have live for a length of time have seen the face of death.  We have seen the Cross. We have had our bumps and bruises and injuries.  We’ve been through many difficult times; we know life is at times quite ugly.  Suffering comes with the territory. What sustains us and drives us through the storms, the setbacks, the sufferings, and the ugliness of life?

Jesus gave Peter, James, and John the gift of hope when he was transfigured before them on Mount Tabor, when he revealed to them his divinity. He did it so their faith would not waiver, their love for him not falter, and the hope of the resurrection would not be extinguished when they would see him crucified, dead on the Cross, and placed in the tomb. Jesus gives us the same faith, love, and yes hope, when we read of the Transfiguration. It is the hope of a future transfiguration for us all that drives us forward toward our destination, the “New Jerusalem” as the Scriptures say, toward heaven, toward glory with Jesus and all the saints, toward a future resurrection, and toward Divine Love for all eternity.

Our First Reading today describes God’s power to transform all things in Jesus Christ. It gives us hope that even when life seems more like Calvary than Easter, Jesus conquers all things and his glory will be ours someday if we remain faithful in love.

St. Peter in today’s Second Reading tells us our hope is founded on eyewitnesses to the Transfiguration of Jesus, to his majesty, honor and glory. He reminds us to do well by being attentive to what he himself witnessed.

In our Gospel, Jesus clearly shows us that like him, we too will someday be transfigured and he strengthens us to see in the Cross the hope of future glory so we do not become discouraged.

The Transfiguration gives us hope, even today, that our bodies will be transfigured also. That through our crosses we will enter into glory.

Do you know what the difference between Judas Iscariot and Peter was? Peter had hope.  Judas despaired. Peter lived.  Judas ended his life. Let us be like Peter.  Let us live in hope, not despair. Let us choose life not death.

When life gets tough, cling to hope. When you struggle in life, live in hope. When looking at the Cross, see there the hope of all mankind!

Jesus knew there was no detour around the Cross – for him or for us. He knew that the Cross was the only route to our destination, that it was the bridge to glory.

Hope is what drives us down that road and across the sea toward:

The glory that will be ours. The glory of the Resurrection. The glory of the Transfiguration. What glory there is in our hope!  We are the amazement of God!

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Deacon Bob

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

1Kings 3:5, 7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52

July 29/30, 2023

What is your greatest treasure? What is your pearl of great price? Perhaps the best way for us to answer those questions is to look at our lives. On what do we spend most of our time? On what do we spend most of our money? What preoccupies us? Who or what do we fear losing more than anything else?  What choices are we making?

Let’s look what three men, Solomon, Paul, and Jesus have to say about this.

Solomon chose wisdom. He chose wisdom over long life and riches. Long life and riches are things we value very highly in our world. We are strongly attached to them. Society tells us they are necessary and important. We spend a lot of time and energy trying to get and hold on to them. Solomon would be considered foolish in our modern world. To Solomon, a wise, understanding heart had great value, and he was willing to sacrifice riches and life in order to be wise and understanding with others, in order to be able to discern, to know, as God knows and understands.

What about Saint Paul? What did he think? He tells us that above all is the theological virtue of love. Saint Paul makes a bold, almost incredible statement!  All things will work for good if we love God. He tells us, in effect, that our greatest treasure is rooted in the First Commandment, i.e., to love God with all our hearts, souls, and strength. Love: knowing what is truly good and choosing what is good. Wisdom is grounded in love. O how misunderstood love is today!  

What about Jesus? He is quite clear with us. He asks us if we really understand “all these things.” He says that life with God and with each other in the Kingdom of God is more important that riches and health. We will fully experience the Kingdom of God if and when we get to heaven, and but we partially experience it now in the life of the Church. The Church, even with its struggles, is the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus says God’s kingdom is a great treasure available to us, a great gift given to us, for in it is the very life of God. In the Church we find the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and all the other sacraments through which we receive divine life. Jesus says we should be willing to give all to remain in that grace-filled divine life, that kingdom. We must never separate ourselves from God’s kingdom. Never!

In the Gospel today, Jesus also tells us of the importance of wisdom rooted in love, the kind of wisdom Solomon chose and St. Paul spoke. Not the wisdom of the world, but the ability to know what is of God and what is not, to know what is better and what is the best. Wisdom, to know as God knows and to understand as God understands and to choose as God would have us choose. Jesus says that in God’s kingdom there are fish of every kind and all of them will be hauled ashore someday and be sorted out. He says that in God’s kingdom there is a wisdom that sorts out the good from the bad. So, Jesus also underscores the importance of wisdom in our lives, to be able to know good from evil, to discern God’s will for us in the here and now, and to reject what comes from the Evil One. Such discernment and knowledge is found in God’s Church through the Holy Spirit.

O how our world needs to understand these things! How we need to beg for wisdom in discerning, knowing, and choosing what is good and rejecting what is evil. How much we all need to avoid being deceived by things that pass, and seek out that which endures. Remember, heaven is for eternity. How much we all need to love God more, to obey that First Commandment faithfully, and wisely choose!

All things work for good for those who love God. All things lead us to heaven, to God’s Kingdom, if we love God, a love which renders us wise in knowing as God knows and understanding as God understands and choosing as God would have us choose.

Lest you be thinking that such wisdom is reserved for the educated, the elderly, or Church leaders only, let me reassure you I have found such wisdom, such love… as basic as it may be for them… in mere children, children who have not yet been affected by the false wisdom of our world, children who love and choose wisely because on a basic level, they know what is truly good and valuable in life.

My prayer for all of us today is the prayer of the psalmist in today’s responsorial psalm:

May the law of your mouth, O Lord, be more precious to us that thousands of pieces of gold and silver. Let your kindness comfort us according to your promises. In your compassion, let us live and delight. May we love your commands more than the finest gold… for your decrees reveal, shed light on all things, giving wise understanding even to the simple. Amen!

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