Funeral Homily

Funeral Homily

St. Patrick Catholic Church

September 16, 2022

As most of you know, I am Deacon Bob Yerhot, and John and Betty are parishioners of St. Patrick’s. About six or seven years ago, I was assigned to St. Patrick’s and one of the privileges I have had was getting to know them. In fact, last week I shared a meal with them at Saxon Hall. It will be a lasting memory.

I was there at their home shortly after his death. I saw their love and affection for John. I saw their faith. I listened to Betty and their children describe John. I heard things like: happy, family leader, story-teller, honest and forthright, grandpa, dad, wonderful husband, a man of faith, fiercely Irish, prayer leader, a man who insisted the family attending Mass, and getting lost in Savannah, Georgia, trying to get his family to a Catholic church on Sunday. I understand he had an Irish buckle that had some mysterious powers! Certainly, my own experience of John confirms his strong Catholic faith. He inspired me to a deeper faith in God and greater service to St. Patrick’s parish.

Here is how I, in a spiritual sense, experienced John: he was a gift-giver. He gave gifts to others and then supported those to whom he had given the gifts.  He willed the good of others, which is the real definition of love. Once John gave a gift, he never took it back, but nourished it as best he could. He sustained the lives of his wife and their children. He knew God had given them life, and he sustained it.  He was like God in that way.

The gift of life, once given by God, is not taken back. God is not the author of death. He transforms death into life. Indeed, though it may seem absent to us, snatched from our very midst, taken from us someday, and taken from those whom we love and admire, we believe that the mortality of human flesh in this world is only a veil, a portal, through which we must pass. Death is only the onset of renewed life in heaven for those who remain faithful to the Lord’s call, accepting of his grace, and attentive to his presence in the world.

God never takes back his gifts or his call. He does not take our lives for once given, God makes permanent the life he wills and gives. God’s call and his gifts are irrevocable. Not only irrevocable, but he sustains those gifts, especially the gift of life. He always, without ceasing, holds our lives in his hands, conceiving us over and over again by his will, over and over again saying, “I give you life. I give you my Spirit. I desire you.  I will you to live. I will you into life.” Over and over again, without ceasing. This is God’s plan, his ultimate desire for us, i.e., for us to live with him, be in relationship with him, see him. God wills it.

Yes, the effects of sin and the deception of Satan undoubtedly have brought sickness and death into our world and into our lives. It is a stain on God’s original plan, and this stain’s effects are experienced by each of us, all of humanity, indeed the whole of creation, but God has broken the back of Satan, shattered his chains, the chains of death, and destroyed the grip of evil. God says to Satan and death, “You will never have the last word, for I have given all men and women the freedom to choose, to speak, and to live. They have the last say. I offer them life and happiness and peace, I offer them joy. You, O Death, offer only darkness, despair, loneliness, selfishness, and separation.”

We struggle with the mystery of life and death at times like today, when someone deeply loved by us suffers and dies. We struggle to understand, we ask, “Why? Why does a good man die?” Without our faith, we could easily conclude that it is all just terribly unfair, that death has the last word and is the final destination for all.

Yet, we experience life! We know that we live. We know that from nothing we became living breathing human beings. We witness the death of others but we live and experience life directly. We cannot deny our lives, which life is ours and we cannot deny the lives of others. This is a great temptation in our world today, i.e., to take life from people rather than giving and sustaining life in them.

The choice is ours when faced with the mystery. God gives us life and he will not take it from us even when we experience the mortality of our human flesh in this world.

Bill chose well, and may God in his mercy bless him abundantly.

My friends, today is a day when our faith in the resurrection and our hope for eternal life become so important. Of one thing I am completely persuaded, and to which I testify — Death never has the last say, for Jesus has conquered all things, even death, and his victory will be experienced by us also if we remain faithful. I am convinced that new life has been promised and will be given to all the hopeful.

We have every reason to believe that God’s love and mercy has been richly poured out on John. We have every reason to hope that with an equal abundance of divine mercy and love poured into our lives, we will one day see John again. That day we will be in communion with all the saints of heaven in adoration of God. We believe and we hope for that day of resurrection, eternal life, and the communion of saints.

This is the Christian message. We all long to hear it, to believe it, to hope for it. Life is eternal, death is momentary; sin is forgiven with repentance, and life in relationship with God and each other is stronger than any suffering or illness. God’s love is limitless and eternal.

Although I only knew John partially in this life, I believe I will know him fully in the life to come. I have hope in the resurrection and its glory. I think you do also.

I would like to close by praying with you the closing verses of Psalm 16.

I bless the Lord who counsels me;

Even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices

My body too abides in confidence;

Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

Nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

You will show me the path to life,

Fullness of joys in your presence

The delights at your right hand forever.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Tuesday, 23rd Week of Ordinary Time 2022

All of us, I am sure, know someone in our family or in our close friendship network who has left the practice of the faith. It hurts us. We feel pain when we see this happen. All too often, in our pain, we try to numb it by telling ourselves such things as “At least they believe in God.” At times we cheapen the gift that had been that has been given by saying things such as “There really is no big difference between religions.”

Saint Paul was not like this. He was a man very zealous for the faith. We hear this in today’s first reading. He had gone to Corinth, a city that was a seaport, and in that city formed and established a church. As most seaports are, it was a mixture of many faiths, traditions, and standards of conduct. From those people he preached the gospel and they were baptized and began to follow Jesus Christ. He left that church in good hands and went on to other cities to preach the gospel and establish more churches. Word got back to him that the dear people of Corinth had begun to fall from the practice of the faith. They began even to sue one another in civil courts. They began to go back to practices of sexual immorality and other sinful ways of life. Paul was very hurt and upset and writes the letter that we hear today. He was zealous for the faith because he knew that a great gift that had been given to them in baptism. He pleaded with them to return to the faith and the unity of the church.

We too, like Paul, with zeal and enthusiasm, we can call back to the practice of the faith and unity of the church all those who have left. There are so many in our immediate communities! We too can make a priority in our lives a new evangelization of the people who once heard the gospel message and have left us. We too, each day in some way can do this. We too with zeal like Paul can call back to the faith all those who have strayed. What would the church look like in one year if every deacon, priest, and bishop of the church would make it a priority each time they preach to in someway call back to the faith those who have strayed? What would the church look like in one year if you the laity in some concerted way on a regular basis would do similarly?

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Pope John Paul I Beatified

(Two days ago, Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, was beatified by Pope Francis. As many know, he is my favorite pope. Sadly, few know of him now. Back in1978, nearly everyone did know him, and loved him. I had a unique encounter, I believe, with his holiness. The story below was written by me a number of years ago, and I would like to share it with all you.)

I have never written about my experience with Pope John Paul I, and my special devotion to him. I have though told the story in conversation with family and friends numerous times.

I was in Oslo, Norway when I saw a newspaper with Pope Paul VI’s picture on the front page. The Norwegian word for “dead” was printed next to it.  I asked a passerby what it said, and he told me the pope had died.  So rather than going to Bergen and seeing the fiords as I had planned, I hopped the next train to Rome.  It was a long ride, much of it on my feet or sleeping on the floors and the train was very crowded. 

As the conclave of August, 1978 began, I was back in my room on the Janiculum Hill only about a 15 minute walk from St. Peter’s. I knew that there would probably be a couple of votes that first day, and I was able to surmise fairly accurately when the smoke would come billowing out of the makeshift chimney on the Sistine Chapel.  So I imposed upon the “Suore tedesche” (the German Sisters) who lived literally a stone’s throw from St. Peter’s to allow me to sit on the roof of their home, drinking limonata and having a clear view of the piazza below. None of us really expected the conclave to end the first day, but I was wary enough not to be absent from anything going on at the time. The smoke was an unusual color the times we saw it, so I wasn’t sure whether I should run to the piazza or not, but I did. There really weren’t all that many people in the piazza that day. When the loggia doors opened and the tapestry was unfurled over the balcony, we finally  knew a new pope had been elected. He was announced to be Albino Luciani, who was an unknown to me at that moment.  His name of Giovanni Paolo Primo was a complete surprise too. Yes, it was announced as Ioannes Paulus Primus, so I am pretty sure that was the exact name he had chosen for himself, not simply Giovanni Paolo.

I remember being somewhat disappointed. The names we were bantering about in the days previous were other names. Then the new pope came out and gave his first blessing. His voice was so weak, fragile, almost feminine.Again, I was disappointed. I was actually afraid. I thought, “We need a strong man!” The final disappointment that afternoon was that he didn’t address us in the crowd. He just smiled and waved stiffly. He appeared so fragile, retreating back into the basilica.

I lingered in the piazza afterward, not really knowing if something more would happen. Sure enough, it wasn’t long and a couple of paperboys walked in, carrying bundles of Extra editions of the Osservatore Romano with Luciani’s face on the front page.  The cost was to have been 200 lire, but those poor boys were literally engulfed by people, reaching and grabbing for a copy.  The boys dropped their loads and ran away, and I had a free copy. (I still have it in storage to this day.) It is obvious the publisher did not anticipate a Luciani election. The eight to ten pages of the edition contains only a few columns about Luciani; the rest is general stuff about the papacy.

I went back to my room, knowing I was privileged to have been in a witness to all of this, but strangely disappointed too. The piazza hadn’t been filled; the pope’s voice was fragile; he was an unknown to most of us; the smoke was deceptive; and the conclave was so short.

Little did I know what was to come.

The day after Luciani’s election was a Sunday, so as was my custom, I hiked down to St. Peter’s for the noon Angelus and to hear the new pope speak.  I was standing in the crowd as he began that famous, and it would seem, extemporaneous discourse which began, “Ieri mattina, io sono andato alla Sistina a votare, tranquillamente. Mai avrei imaginato che cose stava per succedere!” For the first time, I was anything but disappointed in our new Holy Father. You couldn’t help but like him. He spoke like a father to his children. He spoke simply, honestly, and personally. Anyone who knew Italian, regardless of age, could understand him and we got a glimpse into his heart. And his voice….. still rather high in pitch, but with a strength not heard before. Whereas the day before he seemed deferential to Msgr. Noe on others around him in the loggia, that day he was asserting himself. (Watch the video of this talk, and how he was focused on the crowd, not the men around him.)

I was happy. He conveyed happiness.

The next few days were busy getting ready to go to Mannheim, Germany and the U.S. Army base there. I had made a commitment to Lt. Colonel Joseph Graves, who was the post chaplain, that I would assist him throughout the month of  September. I was to report by September 1, and had every intention to do so.

Our house received a message from Msgr. Virgilio Noe, the master of ceremonies for papal events. He wanted four Americans to serve as acolytes for what at the time we thought would be the Mass in which Luciani would be enthroned and given the tiara. Other colleges throughout the city were being asked to volunteer a man or two also. This caused quite a stir among us. Who would go? We eventually put our names in a hat and drew out 4 slips of paper. My name was on one of them.

The date for the Mass was September 3rd. I knew I was going to be late for the Army. I called Fr. Graves and told him I wouldn’t be showing up until September 5. He was not pleased. You don’t not show up on time for an Army assignment. It is called being AWOL if you are an enlisted man. I wasn’t though, so I pled my case knowing that regardless of his reaction, I was going to serve this pope’s Mass. I more or less told him so, and he agreed to pick me up at the train station on the 5th. He never brought it up to me again.

I had to go out and buy a black clerical shirt. In the 70s, seminarians seldom wore the collar until ordination to the diaconate. It is different now, as it seems to be the house dress at the North American College. But I knew that if I were to have anything to do with a Vatican ceremony, the Roman collar is needed. It gets you into the confines of the Vatican walls.  The Swiss Guards will salute as you enter, not stop and question you. And I wanted to make a good impression on Msgr. Noe, who was clearly in charge of the arrangements for the Mass.

The day for rehearsal came. The four of us Americans hustled on down to St. Peter’s and reported to the location to which we were instructed to present ourselves. Msgr. Noe took us out to the front of the basilica, off to the right as you face the entrance. I was surprised at the informality of the practice.  Noe was not the most affable man, at least not outwardly. He first asked if we spoke Italian, to which we all responded emphatically, “Si!” Then he sized us up from head to toe, silently. He then walked up to me and said, “Padre, Lei e’ il piu alto. Allora, portera’ la croce.” (You are the tallest; you will bear the cross.) “Carry the cross?” I thought. “My God, I am going to be next to him, the Pope, as he is crowned,” because we still assumed that John Paul would accept the papal tiara and it was the custom in previous enthronements for the acolyte bearing the cross to accompany the pope during that segment of the ceremony. It was, I was told, done from the main loggia of the basilica, right above the main doors.

Noe then took us into the basilica and we walked through the entrance procession that was to occur. I would lead the entire column of priests, bishops, cardinals and finally the Pope. I was to be the first out of the basilica and into the light of the outdoor Mass. 

Noe showed me my route.  “Walk slowly, make good angled turns, process directly to the altar constructed out from the main doors, place the cross in the base located at the left side of the altar, then descend down the steps to the far end of the first row of chairs and walk slowly between the first and second rows which will be empty as the bishops will follow later and occupy them. Don’t pay obvious attention to the heads of state that would be seated to the right in front of you.  You will be walking within inches of their faces. When you get to the end of the row, nearest the basilica, proceed across the back of the altar and occupy your chair to the right. All of this was will occur before the bishops descend to reverence the altar; the priests will precede them and be moving to the right to take their seats.”

“Easy enough”, I thought. “But what about the tiara?” 

It dawned on me something different was going to happen. He never mentioned the tiara.

When I got back to my room, I was told that the new Pope had elected to not be crowned or enthroned.

He was to be installed.

September 3, 1978 arrived. I went again to St. Peter’s and entered through the main doors. Back then, there was no visible security save a few Swiss Guards standing around. 

Inside the basilica that day were tables set up with vestments arranged for all the clergy who were to participate in the Pope’s installation. Men from all over the world were milling about. Short men, tall men, men from Africa, men from Europe, men from the Mideast and the Far East. I had already met the American cardinals and bishops present in Rome for the event, as they were roomed at the North American College and had given a press conference on our front lawn. The one person that still stands out in my memory, and I can still see him clearly in my mind’s eye, was the archbishop of Hanoi, North Vietnam. I believe his name was Archbishop Joseph Marie Trinh-nhu-Khuê. He was short of stature; perhaps 4 foot 10 inches tall. I had to ask who he was and was told he somehow was given permission from the Communist government to attend. He was very old, and he had a priest attending him. I couldn’t help but be struck by the universality of the Church so evidently displayed that day in that place.

I vested and was shown the processional cross. It was heavy. It also was old and the cross and corpus were loose. It tended to wiggle back and forth when I walked with it. “Can’t the Vatican afford a better one?” I thought. I don’t recall seeing Msgr. Noe that day; at least he paid no attention to me if he were there. There were several other men who were directing everyone, eventually forming a semblance of a double line. The basilica was rather dark; the light dim.

I stood at the head of the line, not being able to forget about how loose the cross felt attached to the pole on which it sat. “I hope it doesn’t fall off,” I thought.  After a considerable length of time, I was told it was time to start.

The doors opened onto the piazza. I stood there momentarily, stunned by the sight. Thousands of people in the piazza. The sun shining  brightly in the sky. The light was almost was blinding at first as my eyes struggled to adjust to the difference. I collected myself and began to walk into the light, just as I had practiced.

The cross held up. So did I.

I approached the altar, made a sharp left turn and placed the cross in the base. I made a decision on the spot to turn the cross slightly so the Pope would be able to see the corpus fully as he said Mass. Thus, it was put at a 45 degree angle. I descended the steps, went to the end of the empty chairs and began to walk between the first and second rows. To my immediate right were the King and Queen of Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark too I believe. Various other heads of state. I tried to not pay obvious attention, but I couldn’t help but realize that I would never again have a chance to be with so many so close to me.

When I arrived at the end of the row, I wanted to cross over to the opposite side of the altar to take my assigned seat, about 15 feet from the Pope’s chair. When I got to the end of the row, though, the bishops and others were steadily streaming toward the altar. “How am I to cross to the other side?” I wondered. I stood there paralyzed, knowing that cameras were rolling from all over filming this and I didn’t want to look as foolish as I was feeling at the moment.  I must have stood there 2 minutes when I heard an Italian whisper, “Che cosa stai facendo?” I noticed one of the men in cassock and surplus had leaned his head over next to mine.  I leaned my head over to his and said, “Devo andare lá” (I have to go over there.) gesturing ever so slightly with my head to my seat on the other side of the altar. “Non puoi farlo. Va dentro la basilica, vi passa, e poi prendi il tuo posto.” (You can’t do that. Go inside the basilica, pass through it and then take you place on the other side.)

And thus I did. I am convinced today that God wanted me to be in that predicament, for he was about to give me a papal experience I would never have had, should I have been able to follow the previous plan. An experience which I cannot forget.

I as inconspicuously as possible turned to my right and made a fairly large loop around the Swiss Guard, the cameramen and various others who were standing to the right of the basilica. I was able to enter into the section of St. Peter’s that precedes the Porta Sancta and wanted to speed into the beginnings of the interior of the basilica. After having escaped any area that I knew would be televised or filmed, I was intent on running, if necessary to the far door, out the other end of St. Peter’s and somehow get by the Swiss Guard and the scores of vested priests now seated in their places, and take up my post.

When, though, I entered the first area, before the Porta Sancta, I suddenly stopped. There was the pope. With mitre and crosier, he too had stopped. I could have run into him. 

He was smiling. There was a light all of a sudden, a bright light. In the darkness of the basilica, a light was penetrating the darkness and shining on the pope. The light came from the outside, from the crowd, from the Church gathered, waiting for him. It engulfed him. It was as if a spotlight had suddenly been switched on. He, again, was smiling, but the smile seemed one of acceptance if not reluctance…. perhaps not joy. After a minute or so, he bowed his head, moved his crosier forward one length and took a step toward the people assembled and waiting for him.

I was stunned and motionless. I suppose many will give a rational explanation, but I believe God was allowing me to see something no one else that day saw. It was just me, and him. No one else was there, save the two cardinals flanking him who were outside of the light.

I do not recall exactly what happened next.  I do remember him going out, giving me the opportunity of move across and eventually getting my chair.

The Mass of Installation began. My memory of all the rest is incomplete. I do recall Papa Luciani beginning his homily in Latin. I thought, “Will he take the Church back to the Latin?” His mitre was very tall and ornate, I remember, which reinforced in my mind that maybe Luciani would be a conservative pope. After a couple of minutes though, he switched to Italian, which I could understand for the most part. I sat there, looking and watching. Bishop after bishop, cardinal after cardinal came up, knelt before him and kissed his ring. It took a very long time, yet he seemed genuinely happy to see them. The choir kept up the refrain, “Tu es Petrus, et superam petram aedificabo, ecclesiam meam!” Over and over again. I recall the deacon for the Mass too.  A bearded man of an Eastern Rite Church, bringing the Book of the Gospels after proclaiming it to the people to the pope for him to reverence.  The deacon kissed the pope’s hands as he gave him the Gospels, and Luciani blessed us with it.

As the Mass continued, the light began to diminish. It was getting dark. Those in charge switched on the spotlights ringing the piazza, but it was still rather dim. Those spotlights were not even a tenth of the brilliance of the light that I had seen surround the pope before he exited the basilica. It was getting difficult to see. I remember thinking, “How strange. Has the Mass gone longer than they anticipated? Had no one thought ahead about adequate illumination? Surely, they were aware of the time of sunset.”

At the end of the Mass, after processing out, I and many others were told to gather around for the pope would come to greet us. He did just that. He stood in the midst of us, obviously tired, exhausted looking actually, but smiling, and gave us his blessing. We applauded him warmly.  He quickly exited. That was to be the last time I saw him alive. (If you go to the Vatican’s website, click on Pope John Paul I’s history and then go to the page of photographs of him, you will find a picture of him blessing us after the Mass. A few weeks after his death, I went from photography shop to photography shop in Rome, sorting through loose photos they had taken that day.  I found two that I bought. One is of me, standing at the end of the row of empty chairs with my head cocked toward the priest who had his head leaned over to mine and saying, “What are you doing?” The photo was taken at that moment. The second is of me and other sitting in our chairs during the Mass.)

Finally, as a token of thanks from Msgr. Noe, we were allowed to enter behind the protective glass surrounding the Pietá and touch Mary’s hand and the body of Jesus. 

I went home that night, very tired and knowing I had to jump a train early the next day to Germany and the US Army.  Little did I know that within a month, I would be coming back for Luciani’s funeral.

My time as a civilian employee of the US Army was uneventful. I was stationed at the base at Wiesbaden and worked with the local Catholic chaplain there. I gave my first homily there, and my last in Wiesbaden was about Papa Luciani. I spoke of my having seen his election and installation.

One of the local American families telephoned me early on September 28, to inform me Luciani had died. As so many others, it was a complete surprise. Luckily, my time with the Army was only two days from completion, and the trip back to Rome was only a day’s travel by train, so I knew I was able to get back for his funeral. I had already seen Pope Paul VI lay in state at St. Peter’s and attended his funeral Mass, so I knew what it would all entail.

No irreverance is meant by this, but whoever prepared Paul VI’s body did a terrible job. His death occurred in August which meant his body lay in state for mourners during the hottest days of the year in Rome, days in which most citizens escaped the city for the cool of the mountains or the ocean. As I and others filed by Paul VI’s body, we could scarcely endure the stench. His body had changed to an ugly greenish color. I have no idea how the Swiss Guard were able to stand at attention for hours at length. I know at least one of them had to leave to keep from fainting. There were big fans blowing, trying to cool things a bit and disperse the stench.

As I was anticipating Papa Luciani’s funeral rites, I hoped things would be different. They were in fact better. He looked like Pope John Paul I.

I attended his funeral, this time in the crowd with the people. If I recall correctly, the weather wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best either. The Mass was held in the Piazza di San Pietro, and well attended.

When I returned to my dorm, I remember Fr. Enrico Garzelli walking in to the refectory and making a simple comment on how our pope had been like a bright star in the sky that cheered us ever so briefly. I was later amazed when I read Cardinal John Wright’s eulogy of Luciani, and his use of the image of a comet shooting through the sky which stuns and amazes us for a brief period of time. I sometimes wonder if Cardinal Wright didn’t get his image from Garzelli’s comment that day. I believe Garzelli quickly wrote a song about Luciani which included this image, although I do not have a copy of it. We sang it at the college at Mass soon after, if my memory serves me right.

Since those days, Papa Luciani has been for me a saint whom I was privileged to have encountered. The only other one is Mother Teresa, whom I met twice in the early 1970s. Perhaps John Paul II will also someday be declared a saint. It is my fervent hope that Papa Luciani cause for canonization will quickly be concluded and his name added to the official roster of canonized saints of the Church.

Papa Luciani, pray for us.

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Deacon Bob’s homily for 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Wisdom 9:13-28b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33

September 3-4, 2022

If I were to give a title to my homily today, I guess it would be Cheap Faith. This is an adaptation of the phrase cheap grace, coined by Dietrich Bonheoffer, a Lutheran minister who was killed by the Nazis for opposing Hitler during World War II.

I especially direct my remarks to all the young people. I am thinking about all of you who are in your twenties and thirties. I am now in my late sixties. I have never lost his faith in God or in the Church, but for decades I settled for cheap faith, and I would like to spare you all those years of mediocrity before beginning to live a costly faith and meaningful lives. It took me until I was about 55 years old to do so.

For those of you older, like me, it is never too late to start.

Imagine three young men standing before God. All three are good men. All three have faith. They believe in God and want to live a good life and go to heaven after death. Each of them is blessed. They have good wives and children. They live in a free country. They enjoy fairly good health. They have decent incomes, and so on. But each feels a certain burden on his shoulders. Each feels a responsibility for all those people and to make good use of their gifts. Each realizes that in order to leave this world in peace and enter heaven in glory, he has to leave everything behind someday and this bothers him because he is attached to all his blessings and gifts. So each makes a decision, but each man responds differently.

Gentleman number one can’t seem to let go. He intends to build that tower someday. He intends to fight that battle. He just doesn’t get around to it. It is a rather daunting idea, and it seems like something difficult. Isn’t on the priority list. He has a lot of other things to do with life and responsibilities. He holds on to wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life… all the good gifts given to him. “They are mine after all. I possess them,” he thinks. “Maybe someday I will have to let them go, but not now.”  This man has Cheap Faith.

Gentleman number two does get around to it, he thinks. He puts a plan together. He sees in those gifts a call to advance the Gospel and God’s glory. He realizes those gifts are meant to give honor and glory to God by improving humanity. So he makes a blueprint to build his tower; he draws up a battle plan to fight the battle. His plan!  He is going to implement his blueprint and his battle plan and he expects God to approve his plan. This man builds and fights in an admirable way, but in a way which enables him to retain control of the blessings and gifts that have been given to him. He wants to manage his wife and his family, his home and his assets. “They are mine after all. I possess them. I have worked hard for them” he thinks. “God will certainly approve of my admirable plans.” This man too has Cheap Faith.

Gentleman number three recognizes all the blessings and good things that have been given to him are meant to bring God greater honor and glory, and he is grateful for them. He realizes they were given to him to be enjoyed in this life, and to be relinquished, if necessary, to bring about God’s greater honor and glory. So he decides he will give them all up, or he will retain them, whatever God wants; whichever way brings about greater honor and glory to God. Keeping or letting go are both fine as long as it is fine with God. He is willing to keep them or let them go, whatever is necessary to bring about God’s plan for him, and them, and for the world. So he asks God to show him the blueprints for the tower, to show him the battle plan God has in mind. His plan will be God’s plan. All this man wants to know is the plan. He knows that in this way, he and his wife and children, his parents and relatives will share in God’s glory and honor when they entered eternal life. He does not cling to his blessings and gifts. He is a free man. He does whatever God wants. He even carries a cross. This man has Costly Faith.

Which of these three men are you? Which will you become? Which approach are you taking in your life? Do you have cheap faith or costly faith? How is your tower to be built and battle fought? We want to fight the battle or build the tower —we are good people and well-intentioned after all— but are we too attached to our gifts? Sometimes we even reject and abuse the gifts given to us. We don’t want to carry a cross. We want cheap faith.  We try to get God and others to agree with our construction plan or battle strategy that will allow us to hang on to what we have, telling God and others to make the investment for us so we can control our assets. We want a cheap faith, not a costly faith. We think we possess our wives, children, and parents rather than seeing them as God’s people and we mere custodians.

The point is we must come to where we let go and let God. The point is not to give away everything we have in some rash plan; rather it is to follow God’s plan for our lives and the people He has put into our lives. We let go when we must, and retain when asked. We need to let God be in charge. We need to be willing to let everything be in God’s hands. In that way we need to pay the high price of faith and live in gratitude.

We can have a sort of holy indifference if we believe in God. It doesn’t mean we don’t care about our families or responsibilities. It means we realize we don’t own them and we can see in our wives and families the glory of God in this life. Guys, have you ever looked at your wives and families that way? We don’t own our wives or our children. Ultimately, all that is good is God’s, gifts from God. Our blueprints and our battle plans and those of God must be in alignment. We must let go and let God.

In the very end, cheap faith will cost us everything, only in ways we do not want. Costly faith will give us everything. Choose costly faith now. Do not wait. Trust in God. Enjoy what God has given to you, but be ready to let go when He asks.

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19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C, 2022

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

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C

Wis 18: 6-9; Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19; Lk 12: 32-48

August 6/7, 2022

You know, I am feeling a little like Lazarus in recent days. You know about Lazarus, the friend of Jesus who died and Jesus didn’t make the funeral. He came four days late, and he wept. Then he called out rather forcefully, “Lazarus! Come out!” He raised him from the dead. Lazarus was all bound up though. Burial clothes. I can imagine Lazarus hearing the voice of his friend, waking up and trying to “come forth” only to stumble around because he was bound. “Here I come. Can’t move though. Burial clothes binding me.” “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus repeated. “I’m trying! But I am bound up. Pretty scary in this tomb and not being able to get out.” “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus says a third time. Now Lazarus is scared. Can’t move. Can’t respond. Then he hears Jesus say the words he needs. “Get rid of that stone that blocks his way. Unbind him and set him free!”

We too get all anxious and scared when we cannot move freely. We get scared when we hear God calling us and we can’t seem to get off first base.

That is why today’s Gospel is so important, I think. Jesus says to us today: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.”

Similar words were proclaimed that day in October, 1978 by now St. John Paul II in his homily for his Installation Mass. I know. I was there. I heard it with my own ears. He said, in Italian, “Non avete paura! Spalancate le porte a Cristo!” which in English means, “Do not fear! Open wide the doors to Christ!”  He implied what Jesus said, i.e., “Come out of the tomb. Get rid of the stone door. Unbind him. Set him free!”

These are words our world desperately needs to hear, a world so bound up by fear. God is telling us not to fear any longer what we have feared for so long, because He is giving us his Kingdom, no less!

What role does fear play in your life? Some say it is fear that binds us and keeps us from the Kingdom. For example: Some say that fear activates all the vices and sins in life. We fear getting caught, therefore we lie. We fear not having something, so we steal it. We fear loneliness, so we commit adultery. We fear the future, so we become stingy and lacking in charity. We fear what people have done to us and others in the past, so we lose hope in humankind. And on and on…

One thing is for sure: Fear binds us, and Jesus frees us!

Jesus tells us in the Gospel that we have no need to fear, that he will provide all we need if we trust him. In fact, he will wait on us in our need! He is reminding us that whereas fear gives rise to sin —as we hear in the last verses of today’s Gospel— faith gives rise to all virtues —as we hear in the first verses.

For example: We speak the truth because we believe truth is from God. We love because we have faith in love’s power to redeem. We are generous with others because we have faith in God’s providence, in his care for us. We are patient with others because we believe all things work together in God’s will. We have hope because we trust God’s promises.

It is faith which unbinds us and overcomes our fear.  It is only when we banish fear from our lives can we with hopeful, faithful expectation be prepared to immediately open the doors of our lives and come forth when He calls us. When we are rid of the fear that binds us we will be able to avoid the sins that fear generates in our lives, sins against God’s will that are described in today’s Gospel.

So I ask you, do you believe? Do you have faith, or are you bound up with fear? Do you truly believe that God loves you so much that He has given you his Kingdom, and nothing less? 

What is God’s Kingdom? God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of peace. It is a kingdom of justice. It is a kingdom where there is Jew and Greek, slave and free. It is a kingdom where all are one and share in the same Holy Spirit. It is a kingdom of joy, a kingdom of love, a kingdom of hope. It is an everlasting kingdom.

Where is God’s kingdom? Gods’ kingdom is here and now. It is present on earth and in heaven. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It is present everywhere where God’s will is done. It is present deep within you if you are in a state of grace. It is present in sacramental marriages, in your families, in this parish, in our diocese, indeed in our Church.

Who is God’s Kingdom? God’s Kingdom is Jesus. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Kingdom, the full revelation of the Father on earth. He is the full expression of God’s will, the full expression of God’s love for each and every one of us. When we listen to and see Jesus, we listen to and see everything that God the Father wishes to reveal to us this side of heaven. Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is the way to heaven where we will see God face to face in all his glory and splendor, in an unveiled manner, in a brilliant and unimaginable way. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is the Kingdom of God now present to us, given us by God the Father for our salvation.
Do you believe this?

Only with faith will we be free to, as the Gospel tells us we must do, place our real treasure in heaven and not in things of this world. Only if we come to believe that the Kingdom of God is among us and is immensely richer than anything we now have, will we be prepared to do his will and act with mercy toward others, especially those who are most difficult to love. Only if we believe that it is in Jesus Christ and in his Church that we find grace, mercy and salvation, will we dispel all our fears. Only if we come to know that Jesus is the Christ and the Church is his faithful true witness will we find peace.

“Fear not little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.”
Yes, with faith we cast out all our fears and we grow in virtue. Without faith, without virtue, without Jesus, without the Church we succumb to sin.

Do not fear. Live in the presence of God all the days of your lives, and in peace confidently look to the future when we hope to be in the presence of God and all his angels and saints in heaven.

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Deacon Bob’s Introduction Homily

Here is my introduction homily to the people of St. Mary Church, Caledonia

 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Introduction Homily

July 2022

I am Deacon Bob Yerhot, and Bishop Quinn has sent me to St. Mary’s and to St. Patrick’s. What an honor for me to be among all of you!  St. Paul’s words to the people of Thessalonica echo in my ears today, “Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1Th 5:16-18) I have been rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks ever since I first heard I would be coming to you as your deacon. Actually, this is not my first connection with St. Mary’s. Back in 1985, I worked for Catholic Charities and I staffed an office one day a week here at the parish. Father Kunz let me use his office, and Mrs. Mabel Gullien fixed my lunch when I was here. I have very fond memories of those days! I was shown such hospitality! The desserts from the Caledonia bakery were unforgettable!

I am sure there are many questions you have about me, so here is a short autobiography:

I grew up the oldest of seven in Waseca County in south central Minnesota on a farm where I learned at an early age the importance of manual labor, hard work, and the care of animals and the fields.  After I graduated from High School, I studied at St. Mary’s College in Winona and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. I then worked for several years at a printing company, and was married. I became the father of two great kids, John and Rebecca, and I have four grandchildren.  I knew I wanted to work with people, so I left printing and went to the University of Minnesota for a graduate degree and became a psychotherapist at Gundersen Clinic where I retired in 2015 after 34 years practicing psychotherapy. I have lived in Dakota since 1986. I felt the call to the diaconate in 2005, and was ordained 13 years ago and have been active in ministry all those years at Crucifixion Parish La Crescent, and for about 5 years at St. Patrick’s in Brownsville.  I was the assistant director of the diaconate for the diocese for a number of years. I write and publish articles on diaconal spirituality, am a columnist for the magazine The Deacon, and I work with deacons and theologians across the country in developing an Institute for Diaconal Renewal at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I give deacon retreats and am in training to become a spiritual director. Yes, I am a busy man, but I love it all! I love being a deacon, a dad, a grandpa, and the son of a farmer! (The people with whom I am most comfortable are farmers.)

I am sure you have a lot of questions about deacons in general.  I know Father Wagner printed a series of great explanations in your bulletin. The first question people always ask is, “What can deacons do?”

Here is the list of things we can do: deacons assist at Mass, proclaim the Gospel, preach homilies, baptize children, witness marriages, bury the dead, bring Holy Communion to the sick and dying, preside at adoration and benediction, and bless rosaries, medals, homes, and people.

Here is a list of things deacons cannot do: “Say Mass” meaning consecrate the bread and wine, absolve people of their sins, anoint the sick, be the pastor of a parish.

Here is the more important question, “Who are deacons?” The Scriptures give us a couple of deacon images that may help answer the question.

We heard in the Gospel today: “At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit…. Whatever town you enter… eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.” (Lk 10:1, 9-10) What a great description of deacons!

Deacons are sent by the bishop to places he intends to go. The bishop ordains us and sends us, just like Jesus sent the seventy-two, to be his envoy, to be his ambassador, to preach in his absence the Kingdom of God. Deacons are obedient sons of the bishop and we go where the he sends us and we preach the Gospel there, and in that way “cure” the sick by strengthening their faith or connecting them to the Church. When we are ordained, the bishop literally tells us that we are heralds of the Gospel which we must read, believe, and teach. He sends us to do just that.

Deacons must always give witness to — speak about and be willing to die for— Jesus. Deacons must tell everyone about Him. Deacons are to tell those who are in doubt that Jesus died and rose for them and He is alive and present. Deacons are sacramental heralds of the Good News. So, one thing you will probably notice about me is I will be talking a lot about Jesus and the Gospel!

There is another great image of who deacons are in Scripture.

We read about the day Jesus died. We hear about him carrying the Cross all the way to Golgotha. Jesus bore the Cross. He carried the wood of the Cross and the weight of our sins. He gave Himself as a ransom for our sins and gave us eternal life. But in the Gospels, we find another man that day: Simon of Cyrene. You know the story. Simon carried that same wooden cross with Jesus. Simon carried that same cross so close to Jesus that he had to have smelled and tasted Jesus’ sweat and blood as it splashed against his own face that day. Simon heard the same sounds that Jesus heard. Simon heard Jesus groan in agony. Simon felt the same whip. He saw the same crowds. He heard the same words coming from the people. Simon carried the Cross cheek to cheek, side by side with our Lord. Jesus and Simon were so close that day that they labored as one man under the Cross. Here was the difference between them: Simon did not offer the sacrifice (Jesus did), nor was he the victim of the sacrifice (Jesus was), but he assisted in that sacrifice and did it at the risk of his own life and reputation. Then after the sacrifice was made, Simon bore witness to it all. Ancient tradition tells us that Simon of Cyrene preached the Gospel. He proclaimed to the world what he experienced that day with Jesus. Simon is an image of who a deacon should be.

So, in some way, I must imitate Simon. In some way, Father Wagner and I must carry the Cross together, I as deacon and he as priest. I hope you see in Father and me a priest and a deacon carrying the Cross for you.  I must be like Simon of Cyrene, and Father must be like Jesus! What a great honor it is to carry the Cross with Father, to assist at the sacrifice of the Mass, and then to preach to you what God has done in Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, one of the worst things a deacon can do is preach himself, his own gospel, in order to make himself look good or acceptable. One of the worst things a preacher can do is advance himself. I pray that as I begin my ministry with you, I never do such a thing. I pray that when I stand at this ambo to proclaim the Kingdom of God I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not my own gospel. I pray that when I stand at this altar I always do so in humility.

So now, I begin my ministry among you.  Pray for me, as I will for you every day. May God bless you all!

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Church of the Week

St. Clare Catholic Church, Greenleaf, Wisconsin (Photo: R. Yerhot)
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Deacon Bob’s Farewell Homily

Here is my farewell homily to the people of Crucifixion Parish. Thank you, and God bless each of you!

 

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Farewell Homily

1Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Gal 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62

June 25/26, 2022

 

Taking leave, moving on, being guided by and following the Holy Spirit, loving your neighbor … these seem to be the themes in today’s scriptures. I don’t think there could be more fitting readings for me upon which to reflect today, as I take leave of all of you and move on to a new parish, new people, and new ministry.

I am “resolutely determined” as St Luke said (Luke 9:51) to journey on to proclaim as best I can the kingdom of God in Brownsville and Caledonia where my bishop has sent me.

I am struck today by our Lord’s words. He said we should look ahead to the future, and not to the past. There is a part of me that protests. I say, “Lord, let me take my leave of the parish I have served for 13 years.” Gratefully, He is giving me that opportunity today, but He reminds with insistence, “Go! Proclaim the Kingdom of God in Caledonia and Brownsville.”

Thirteen years ago, I stood here at this ambo for the first time to proclaim God’s Kingdom to you. I remember that day distinctly. Today, I am doing so for the final time. I truly hope that when I have stood here over the years I have indeed preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not my own gospel. I pray that I have gotten out of the way of God doing His work through me. One of the worst things a preacher can do is proclaim himself, advance himself and his own agenda so as to make himself look good and likeable at the expense of the Truth Who is Jesus Christ Crucified. I pray I have not done such a thing, and ask forgiveness if I have. I hope I have been humble. I pray that in some way my presence and my preaching have given you a glimpse of Jesus Christ our Lord in your midst.

You have given me much. Standing at the foot of the altar on Good Fridays and holding the Cross for you to venerate, I have seen expressions of faith witnessed by me and unseen to you. I have given you the Body and Blood of Jesus and seen how you have yearned for Him. I have baptized your children, married some of you, and buried family members. I have shared your meals. I have been welcomed by you. In these ways, you have solidified my faith, renewed my hope, and given me examples of how to live in love. I thank you!

All the staff at Crucifixion has been a great support to me. The teachers at the school have been all smiles and welcoming. The musicians have inspired me. My brother Knights have become men of increasing importance, and I desire to remain active in the local Council.

I am especially appreciative of the two pastors with whom I have served. Fathers Havel and Evans are brothers to me. We share the same Sacrament of Holy Orders and we have together worked collaboratively. Both of them have supported my diaconal ministry. Thank you, Fathers!

Yes, I am leaving you now in order to follow the path God has marked out for me. I am moving on to be hopefully guided by the Holy Spirit and by a love for others.

As the Scriptures remind me:

I cannot put my hand to the plow without faith. I pray for such faith.

I cannot resolutely move forward in life without hope. I pray for such hope.

I cannot follow the Lord and be guided by the Holy Spirit without love. I pray for such love.

I ask for your prayers. Pray for me! I need your prayers.

I urge you to “stand firm in your faith!” (Gal 5:1) Do not go back to the slavery of sin and infidelity! Love one another! Live in unity by accepting the Holy Spirit!

Finally, I echo St. Paul’s words. “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Th 5: 16-18).

AMEN!

 

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

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

5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

May 14/15, 2022

Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5a; John 13:31-33a, 34-35

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Acts 14:22

“Behold! I make all things new. The old order has passed away.” Rev 21:4-5

“I give you a new commandment: love one another.” John 13:34

How many of us have tried to make a change in our lives? Maybe it was to lose weight and take up regular exercise to improve our health. Maybe it was to become more patient with someone. Maybe, it was to try to root out of our lives a bad habit, or a particular sin. Have you ever tried to change a sinful lifestyle or relationship?

It is hard to change, especially if we have a lot invested in some old way of living. We know how hard it is to change who we are, whether it is to lose weight, change our lifestyle if we are caught up in a sinful life, to rid ourselves of our habits of sin, to become more loving and patient…. The examples are numerous. We come up with all sorts of rationalizations, all sorts of reasons not to change, and the devil loves it when we do. We all know how familiar the “old order” is and how hard it is to become a “new man or woman.” The old is familiar, the new is uncomfortable. On our own, we will end up choosing the familiar old ways, even if they are not good.

Only by God’s grace are we made into new creatures… only through the grace of our baptisms, and faith in that grace.

Yes, the enormity of our baptism! We forget its importance. We forget its implications. We forget how necessary it is that we be converted to God and live in freedom through the doors of hardship and struggle.

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”

We are baptized! We are no longer who we once were! We are new creatures and this newness matures only after we undergo many hardships in life.

People of God, the fullness of the Gospel includes the Cross, the passage from death to life, the willingness to face hardships  and remain faithful, and to come out the other side of the struggle as a new man, a new woman. This is what the sacrament of baptism is all about, and this is what our lives must be about. For all of us!

No one who has ever embraced the Cross, who has embraced the hardships of life with faith, has ever remained the same person. No one. Such a person has always emerged as a new man, a new woman. The old man is gone.

“Behold, I make all things new!”

Of course, facing the Cross without faith only hardens us. It only embitters us. We all know this. We all have met such people. We all have met that person in ourselves sometimes. Faith in the midst of hardship is vital. It is what our world lacks today. Our world is filled with hardships and is weak in faith. We must be different.

I, and all other who have the burden of preaching the Gospel, must preach the whole Gospel, not just the parts that sound sweet and “tickles your ears.” It is too important to neglect the harder parts, and to settle for half-truths.

Should we be surprised at life’s hardships? Should we avoid them at all costs? Should we whimper and whine when our faith demands something difficult, when it demands a change of life, when it insists on a conversion and letting go of our favorite sins? When it tells us we must give up a sinful lifestyle? The answer must be “No!” to those questions.

We must see conversion as the road God lays out for us to arrive at glory. We must see the many hardships, the daily difficulties in living out our faith, the very difficult decisions to amend our ways and change basic things in our lives, as the way to newness of life, to glory, to fulfillment, to heaven itself.

For some of us this will require great sacrifices, big changes and giving up a lot. Accepting the truth and rejecting the lies that are circulating in our society today will be a struggle.

“I give you a new commandment: love one another.”

This is the great commandment to which we are bound. We must not reduce “love” to “being nice.” Being nice can be a part of love, but it doesn’t define it. To love is a decision to choose what is good for someone, i.e., to desire the good for a person. That which is good may not be easy for us to offer or for someone to accept, but we must want it for them anyway. We must tell them that we love them by showing them what is good, by speaking the truth, by never lying.

“Love, as I have loved you,” says Jesus. He loved us so much that he accepted the Cross. He loved us so much that he spoke the truth and told us we must change. He told us we must be converted, we must stop sinning, we must believe, and that we must come to experience his infinite mercy by changing our lives.

Love one another! We can and will do that if we have first loved God, and out of that love, love each other.

“Behold, I make all things new!”

 

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Ash Wednesday 2022

Here is my homily for today. May all of you have a holy Lent!

Ash Wednesday, Cycle C

Joel 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5: 20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

March 2, 2022

God asks us to pray, fast, and give alms. He wants us to give him our hearts and our lives, not because he needs anything from us, but because he wants us to know who he is and how to speak about him.

A student in Rome was standing before the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica and the tomb of the Apostle, taking in the splendor and wonder of the building and all the pilgrims passing through it. A man came up to him from the Far East, and was thumbing through his tour guide in his native language. He turned to the student and asked, “What is this?” “It is St. Peter’s Basilica. Right down there is the tomb of Peter,” responded the student. The pilgrim started thumbing again through his tour book, and asked the student, “And who is this Peter?” The student explained that he was an apostle of Jesus. The pilgrim thumbed again through his book, and anxiously turned to the student once more and asked, “And who is this Jesus?” The student was stunned, and didn’t know what to say, never anticipating such a question. And who is this Jesus? Can you speak of him this Lent? Will you?

This may be the beginning of our story of Lent 2021. We often begin Lent not really knowing what to say about Jesus. We may be sleeping through our spiritual lives. When Easter comes we hopefully will understand better who Jesus is and what he has done for us; but between now to then, we need to clean our houses. We must be purified from all that keeps us tongue-tied or sleepy, and sacrifice some tightly-held, precious attitudes about ourselves and Jesus.

Jesus reveals himself to us during Lent, in whatever way he chooses. When he does, will we know what to say?

“Who do people say I am?” Jesus asks. Some say a great prophet. Others say a wise teacher. More and more people are saying he is a religious fiction. Jesus is asking us, “Who do you say that I am?” Do we know what to say, how to answer?

When Jesus reveals himself to you this Lent, he will smile and say, “Come, follow me. Come and see.” Follow him wherever he leads you. He may lead you up a beautiful high mountain, or he may lead you down into a dark valley like the Garden of Gethsemane, but wherever it will be, follow him. He is the way. If you follow him, you will know how to live; you will know how to love; you will know how to tell others about him.

Perhaps we need to remember what the Apostles preached. Jesus is the Son of God who was born among us, died for us, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and remains with us

always until the end of time.

As Pope St. Paul VI said years ago:

“I am bound to proclaim that Jesus … the Son of the living God. Because of him we come to know the God that we cannot see. He was born for us, died for us, and for us he rose from the dead…. a man of sorrow and hope, he know 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; …. he will be the complete fulfillment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity. …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… 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… [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 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

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

 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Cor 15:45-49; Lk 6:27-38

February 19/20, 2022

Jesus seems to be really trying to drive home some challenging demands today. Notice He doesn’t suggest, He is saying straight out what we are to do and not do.

Perhaps it is helpful to focus on the three summary statements He makes, the three sentences that pull it all together for us.

Do to others what you would have done to you.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

There is something inside us that explains why we treat others in the ways we do. There is something within us that reflects how we treat each other.

If we struggle to show mercy to others, we usually first struggle to accept mercy in our lives.

If we struggle to forgive, we usually struggle to ask for and accept forgiveness for our sins.

If we struggle to be fair to others, we usually struggle to be fair to ourselves.

Look within for the answers! Don’t accuse and blame others and the world.

Look within! There you will find two things:

  1. The presence of God (if you are in a state of grace) or a horrible darkness (if you have sinned seriously).
  2. Places that need to be healed, forgiven, soothed with mercy, places to which God is reaching out.

Allow Jesus to heal you, to draw you close to Himself, to sustain you.

There is too much hurt out there and in here! Too many of us don’t appreciate just how much we have been wounded by life and others. All we have to do is look at our society, current events, and the impact all this technology are having on our hearts and our relationships with others. We minimize the impact. We pretend to be okay, and then wonder why we treat each other poorly, why we struggle to show mercy, why we hold grudges and feelings of anger and resentment.

There is too much of that out there and in here!

We must learn to pull back from always looking “out there” for the problems, and begin to look to God for the answers and ask Him to heal us.

Healed people heal others!

Wounded people wound others!

Jesus says give your cloak and your tunic if asked. We won’t do that if we have not been clothed in Christ.

Jesus says love those who hurt you. We will not do that if we have not let Jesus love us out of our sin.

Jesus says stop judging and condemning. We cannot do that if we don’t believe that we have a merciful judge in Christ.

Jesus says give abundantly. We cannot do that if we shut the door and not allow God’s grace to fill us.

Allow yourself forgiveness, mercy, and healing. Believe in the power of Jesus Christ and His grace. Come to the sources of forgiveness, mercy, and healing that Jesus gave us. I am referring to the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. These are powerful sources of healing. These are the sacraments that forgive sin, extend mercy, and can heal us.

Use them and be healed! You will be able to extend to others what you have received, what you have been given and accepted. You will begin to do what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel.

Do to others what you would have done to you.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

 

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

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

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Jer 17; 5-8; 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20; Lk 6:17, 20-26

February 12/13, 2022

 

Tap into your imagination for a few minutes. Imagine yourself being present that day in the Gospel.

Imagine Jesus walking onto a large flat area. (We all have an image of Jesus. Long brown hair parted down the middle; thin, narrow nose; sandals and brown tunic.) Now, imagine a great crowd of people who following him from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon.

See that large group. Eighty-five percent are ordinary people, the hoi polloi, people you can barely tell apart, the poor and oppressed, Jewish folk but also many foreigners from Tyre and Sidon, all people without any real social value. Imagine the other 15% who came from Jerusalem, the important people, those society valued, no doubt quite remarkable.

What do you hear Jesus say? He blesses the common ones and he woes the important.

Imagine the looks on the faces of the people when they heard this.

Imagine hearing Jesus telling the insignificant people they are blessed when hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced. He tells those who are thrown away by society that they are blessed. He tells them to “rejoice and leap for joy!” They are perplexed because people rejoice in things that have value; they dance for joy only in good times. They wonder to themselves, “Do we have value? Are we good?”

Now imagine hearing Jesus telling the important people they that they should beware. They are perplexed. Why should they be concerned? They have good fortune, security, and their satisfaction in life?

Okay, now you can stop imagining. With which group of people did you identify? Did you feel blessed or woed?

The Beatitudes are a basis for the moral life, that is, how we are to live. What do we learn today?

If Jesus blesses the insignificant, the poor, the foreigner, and the oppressed, then so must we. If that is true, then who are those people we are to bless? Let me offer suggestions.  

The unborn. Many of us who say we are pro-life but are we willing to take in an unwanted child?

The terminally ill. How many of us want to be around someone who is dying?

The handicapped. How many of us see them as people with dignity, or do we only see their handicap?

The homeless. How many of us ignore them and their existence in our neighborhoods?

The migrant. How many of us deny them their human dignity?

Those who have injured us. How many of us demand revenge and repayment?

The mentally ill. How many of us pity them, but not love them?

Radical stuff…. stuff upon which we will be judged someday.

Now, I ask you to look at the crucifix. It is the last part of this homily. Who do you see?  Jesus, yes. Look deeper. Who do you see in Him?

Jesus was a “questionable pregnancy.” His mother Mary, about 14 years old, was found pregnant and the father was not Joseph. Can you imagine the scuttlebutt that went around? Questions about Mary’s character; questions about paternity. People thinking it was an unwanted pregnancy. How quickly we judge the circumstances of pregnant women and their children.

Jesus was a “terminal case” as he hung on the cross. He was dying. In fact, people wanted to hurry his death along. Be done with it before sundown. Put him out of his misery. People fled the scene rather than be around a dying man… everyone except Mary, John, and a few faithful women.

Jesus was a homeless man. He had nowhere to lay his head.

Jesus was a migrant. He had been a foreigner. He fled to Egypt for a better life. Just like migrants in our day.

Jesus was someone the Pharisees thought harmed them. They demanded vengeance… “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Show no mercy!”

Jesus was considered mentally ill by many who knew him, especially those from his home town we are told.

Yes, the crucifix is an explanation and meditation on the Beatitudes. It is a guide for the moral life. Put a crucifix in your home and look at it.

Do you now see why Jesus blessed all those common, insignificant people?

Do you see now why he woed the 15% who were the uncommon ones, the ones of high value in society?

Blessed is this parish!  A common but blessed parish!  Blessed are we who are hungry for the Eucharist!  Blessed are we who weep for our losses!  Blessed are we when we are excluded because we believe! We are worth more than we can possibly imagine! Blessed are we indeed.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for The Baptism of the Lord 2022

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

Baptism of the Lord 2022

Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38;Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22

January 8/9, 2022

 

In the early years of the Church, whenever they spoke about Epiphany they were referring to three great events in the life of Jesus, not just the coming of the Magi. Yes, the three Magi saw God in a poor baby in a manger in Bethlehem and it was a great Epiphany.  But the early Church also said that when the newlyweds and guests at the wedding feast of Cana saw the Son of God in Jesus when he turned water into wine, it too was a great Epiphany. They also said that today’s feast was a great Epiphany.

When the people in Judea saw both God and Man in Jesus as He was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist and the Father spoke out loud that day, “You are my beloved son!” It was a great Epiphany.

Epiphanies are eye-opening events, a “wow” moments, times of clarity and recognition of the Truth, times of “Now I see, even though it is a mystery!”

The wise men, the wedding feast at Cana, and today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord are all epiphanies.

When Jesus was baptized, it was not to receive forgiveness for He was sinless. He was baptized to reveal to us who He is — God and man — and to show us how much God the Father loves us.

Yes, it was a great consolation that day when Jesus revealed to us who he is and who we are by God’s grace and will.

The Magi, the Baptism of the Lord, and the wedding feast of Cana, and even the Transfiguration were all great epiphanies major revelations and consolations to us because epiphanies are moments of consolation in knowing that God is with us!

The “great epiphanies” may be over, but we need our own “minor epiphanies.” God knows this and so He gives them to us.

Let me describe to you one epiphany that frequently happens in this church: baptisms of children. Baptisms are epiphanies, stunning revelations of God’s power, love, and presence. God says to each child baptized, “You are my beloved child! With you I am well-pleased.” The Holy Spirit descends that child and he or she is completely spiritually transformed into a pure, brilliant, holy light. Baptism is spiritually so stunningly beautiful that if we could see the beauty with our physical eyes, it would be like looking into the sun. The beauty would be so overwhelming that we couldn’t take it all in because it is the beauty of God Himself. In baptism God the Father makes each child an epiphany. He wants to reveal himself to the world in the child who bears his image and will grown into his likeness. God says to the child, “I give you new eyes — the eyes of faith — I give you new ears — ears open to my words —so you may see me in all things and hear me speak to you. I show myself to you! Now, go and reveal me to others.”

It is difficult to really understand and accept how loved you are by God. Words cannot fully describe it. It is easy to understand how much God loves an innocent child, but harder to understand the same for us as adults. So, sometimes God gives us a personal “epiphany” moment when we just know God loves us. We “feel” it in a sense. These are moments of consolation, of peace, of assurance. These are moments when we understand God is real and love. Invariably, moments of desolation follow, when we seem distant from God and all alone, but these moments of desolations happen so that we may better appreciate the consolations when they return.

Think of the people in your own lives that were epiphanies of God’s love. Think of the common man and woman who in some way reminded you that God exists, that God loves you, that God is around you and in you, that he never leaves you alone to face life by yourself. Think of someone that told you that God chose to get involved in your life to console and support you. Think of those people today who were epiphanies of God in times of desolation. Common men and women who were great lights. They may not have turned water into wine, or ever were visited by wise men from the East, and they didn’t hear a voice boom over them the day they were baptized, but they were people God chose to reveal to you that God among us!

Our world today is in great desolation. It seems left to its own devices and far from God’s ways. It is blind to the minor epiphanies of God. But after this time of worldly desolation there will come a time of great consolation, a time of awareness that God is among us. It will be God’s gift. It will come when He wishes to give it. We do not know the time or the hour. This is the hope all Christians have. We must tell others what we believe and hope.  We must take up the mission God gives us  in our own baptisms. God wants us to be an epiphany to someone someday. This is what our parish mission statement tells us: We are to be spirit-filled disciples bringing others to Christ through God’s love. Let is do so consoled always be the faith that God is with us!

 

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Deacon Bob‘s homily for the Solemnity of the Holy Family

Solemnity of the Holy Family
December 26, 2021

Many beautiful and holy things are said of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They were a family no doubt unique in human history. A perfect mother, a perfect son, and a husband and stepfather who was truly saintly. Perfect harmony, perfect love, …. thoroughly holy…. the Holy Family.

Indeed we need to have such a family to which to turn to assist us, we who live in an imperfect world. We who are fathers and husbands, mothers and wives, sons and daughters, need a vision of what God meant families to be in His original plan when He created the first human family back in the time of Adam and Eve, a plan that never came to fulfillment until the Holy Family because of Adam’s sin, yet a plan that was never completely lost.

My family and yours have been created in the image of God‘s original plan. Although we have the image, we must grow into the likeness of what God intended and finally fulfilled in the Holy Family. We are not completely like them now; it is something for which we must continually strive to become.

All of us grew up in some sort of family,  some good and some not so good. We are an imperfect people, living in an imperfect world, using imperfect means to get through life, so none of our families are perfect. Some are far from it. Some are even harmful. We all know that when we begin our families we carry into it both the good and the bad of our own families. But along with all our baggage and fallen human nature, God has given us the Holy Family as a model of His plan for us, a plan for which we must strive to live as Jesus Mary and Joseph lived.

How diligent are we in becoming like the Holy Family?

To grow into the likeness of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and God’s plan for families, we must believe in each other and believe that we can become more and more like the Holy Family. It requires patience, love, compassion, kindness, gentleness,  forgiveness, and so much more, at Saint Paul tells us in the reading today.

Saint Joseph was an exemplary stepfather and husband. He protected Mary from shame and death by taking her into his home as his wife even though he knew he had not father the child in her womb. He later discovered an external danger to his family, and in the middle of the night took Mary and Jesus on a long journey to Egypt to protect them from King Herod. We who are fathers and husbands, how well do we protect our families and lead them to places of safety away from the destructive influences of the world? To do this may require an act of heroism on our part. Fathers must read the world around them and move to safeguard their families, regardless of the cost.

Mary was a perfect mother. She nourished and fed Jesus. She no doubt caressed Him and sustained Him in His humanity and she stood by Him during His passion and death. She never abandoned Him. Her heart and His heart were united throughout His passion and death. The bond between Mary and Jesus has never been severed, not even now in heaven. The cumulative knowledge of the ages has taught us that a mother’s strong bond prevents a multitude of problems in the life of her child. Moms, remain connected to your children from the moment of conception until natural death. Moms, you are the spiritual guides of your families. You know our hearts.You read them. You guard our souls. You are gifted with an intuitive knowledge of what will nourish our hearts and what will harm them. You know what is necessary for your children to become parents of their own future family. You give your lives for your children, and you stand by your husbands in defending them from harm. We who are fathers and husbands may be the outer guards of the family but you are the inner guards.

Jesus was a perfect son. He was obedient and respectful, grateful and reverent towards Joseph and Mary. One of the last things He did before He died on the cross was care for His mother’s needs. We who are children, do we express our gratitude, obedience, and reverence to our parents? Do we pray for them? Are we sincerely thankful for all our parents have done for us?

Remember, none of our families are perfect but we are made in the image of the Holy Family, and it is our job to slowly grow into the likeness of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. God provides us the Holy Family as a model of His plan for all of us, and He gives us what we need to live out our vocations. I have seen many examples of heroism in family life. At times being a husband and father, or a wife and mother, will require heroic things. Every good parent is a hero in the eyes of their children. Children on some level understand that God gives them heroes as parents.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother and the Saint Joseph, may all our families experience the peace and security we so very much want for them in this world.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Thanksgiving 2021

Here is my homily for Thanksgiving Day. Blessed are you!

Thanksgiving Homily, 2021
Sir 50: 20-24; 1 Cor 1: 3-9; Lk 21: 20-28

For what am I most grateful? Health? Life itself? Good fortune? My wife and family? The gift of Holy Orders into which I have been ordained? The Eucharist? My parents and siblings? My country? I could go on.

Yes, I am deeply grateful for all those things. I am the luckiest of all men, for I have been given much. Yet, I am most grateful for something else. I am grateful for the gift of faith which allows me to see God’s presence even in the darkest of times. With faith, I will get to heaven. Without it, I will be tormented. As we heard in the Gospel today, gratitude linked with faith brings salvation.

My health will someday leave me. My life on earth will someday end. My good fortune may take a turn for the worse. Without faith, my ministry will dry up, my reverence for the Eucharist will vanish, my pride in my country will erode, my family relationships will suffer without faith.

On a natural level, we want to be thankful for the good things of life. We know it’s only fair to be grateful for those things and people. St. Thomas Aquinas said that the virtue of gratitude is an extension of the cardinal virtue of justice and it is part of the natural law in every human being born into the world. It is part of our human nature to show such gratitude because it keeps us in harmony with others. Gratitude is an expression of basic human justice and it is an antidote to conflict and division among us. To be grateful is simply doing the right thing, the moral thing.

It is almost instinctual for humans to be grateful for the good things of life and to those who provide these good things to us. A grateful person, generally speaking, is a healthy person. A grateful person is usually at greater peace with himself and others than someone who is ungrateful. It is easy to like someone who is grateful for life and for the good things he enjoys. It is easy to give thanks for the good things of life, the pleasant and the beautiful things that are given to us, the things that give us comfort and security in life. It is natural to be grateful for these things.

So, if you want to be a better human being, practice gratitude. If you want a happier family life, practice gratitude. If you want peace in your relationships with neighbors and friends, practice gratitude because it will make you a more just person and others will respond favorably to you.

I know there are many people who seem to have little for which to be grateful, whose lives are truly painful, challenging, filled with problems and difficulties. It is their reality and they didn’t choose it. Thanksgiving day may be one more difficulty you face, not having family to be with, or peace in your life, or good things to enjoy. So I address you also.

Have faith! Yes, I know that is easy to say, and difficult to live. But have faith! It is difficult is to be grateful for the unpleasant, the difficult, the pain, the problems. It takes real faith to be grateful for the struggles, the challenges, the setbacks, the illnesses, and other naturally unpleasant and difficult things of life. It takes faith to see the presence of God working a miracle in you, desiring to make something beautiful out of it.

Remember, God doesn’t created bad things or desire your pain in life, but he allows it to be so he can transform it into a time of grace. God wants to give you life and love when you are distressed. Nothing is impossible for God, so he allows those difficult times in life, those setbacks, problems, illnesses into your life so he can take and transform them into something very beautiful, very grace-filled, something that will make you more life him — in other words — holy. In this way, if you have faith, faith which illuminates the hand of God at work in our lives, you can truly say you are grateful for those difficult times and events in our lives. I know I am asking something that seems unnatural and very difficult, but we have Jesus himself to show us how to do it, and many saints also.

No problem, no difficulty, no darkness that may come upon you can overcome the light of faith and the love of God for you. No matter how dark or bleak things may be, as long there is the light of faith, that faith will be a light that will mark the presence of God and allow him to take that darkness and turn it into light. For this kind of faith, I am most grateful.

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