Quote for the Day

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“This heart of mine is yours…. my Jesus, so take this heart of mine, fill it with your love and then order me to do whatever you wish.” – St. Pio of Pietrelcina, OFM Cap.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for the weekend. I had to divide the audio in two segments because of the size of the file.

God bless all of you!

Audio: Part One: 10 Sunday of Ordinary TIme – Cycle C

Part Two: 10 Sunday of Ordinary TIme – Cycle C; Part 2

Text:


10th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C

June 8/9, 2013

1Kings 17: 17-24; Gal 1: 11-19; Lk 7: 11-17

We have this wonderful first reading today about the great prophet Elijah who was staying in a woman’s house whose son was really sick and eventually dies. The woman, as was the custom of the time, thought her son’s death was punishment for her sins, and she was deathly afraid because she was dependent on her son to provide for her in her old age. Without a son or a husband, she would be reduced to begging. Elijah, seeing this and knowing this, had compassion for her, interceded for her, and he brought her son back to life, giving him back to his mother.

Then in our Gospel we have two great crowds of people approaching each other. The first is the funeral crowd. They are processing out of the city, wailing and lamenting the death of the young man and aware of the hard fate that awaited his mother for she too would be left begging for food and money since she had no son or husband to provide for her.

The second is a large crowd that is following Jesus and going toward the city. They aren’t lamenting or mourning. They are excited, but confused. “Who is this Jesus? What might he mean for us? Let’s follow him a while and see what happens,” they are thinking to themselves. They are excited because they have heard Jesus say a lot of things and may have even seen a miracle or two performed. So, they are following him to see what happens next, but they aren’t sure what to make of him.

The two crowds meet one another, what happens? What does Jesus do? Jesus walks up to the funeral procession. He has compassion on the woman, and he raises the young man up, gives him life, and he gives him back to his mother.

What do we learn from these readings today? We learn that both Elijah and Jesus had compassion for women by giving life to their sons. We learn that both were moved to pity for widows.

We learn that compassion is life-giving, not life-taking. We learn that to be compassionate to others is to renew their lives, and give them hope.

Yes, Jesus pities the woman and resurrects a young man! He commands life and death! Yes, the people rejoice, but they are divided in their opinions about him. They think, “He did what Elijah did. Has Elijah returned from the dead? Is Jesus a prophet and a miracle worker? Or is he God?”

Some concluded, as the Gospel tells us, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst!” Others said, “God had visited his people!”

Are not these the same questions people ask today? Are these not the same conclusions people conclude about him even now?

Who do you say Jesus is? Who, really, if you look at your heart, if you look at how you live your lives, are you saying he is? Be careful how you answer because it has implications for your life.

What do you think? Is Jesus about dying or about living? Is he about condemnation, as the widow in the first reading feared, or is he about compassion?

If you say Jesus is a great prophet and a holy man who taught many good things, and that is all he is, if you say that either with words or by the way you live your life, well, then, his words are just human words. If he is just a prophet, then what he said pertained to his people 2000 years ago, not necessarily to us in 2013.

On the other hand, if you say Jesus is God, then his words are eternal and always can be applied, for all times and places, and in every aspect of our lives right here and now.

Many in our world today want to “massage” the words of Jesus to make them mean what they want them to mean. Many today really do see Jesus as just a great man and a prophet. So they try to manipulate Jesus’ words in order to excuse themselves and their behavior. Many want to take his teachings and make them fit what the common culture teaches, to relativize them you might say, so as to not offend anyone and to be able to live as they want to live and not as God would have us live.

It is true, isn’t it? Our culture today would say that abortion, war, same-sex marriage and euthanasia are all justifiable, and the Bible and the 2000 year history of the Church’s teachings about these matters are not to be thought of as binding on us anymore. Euthanasia: we don’t like to use that word do we, but believe me the elderly are being encouraged in many ways to die rather than to live.

Jesus is a great man, a prophet and a teacher and so what he taught, he did teach to a people 2000 years ago, but he is much more than that. He is the Son of God, so what he said is said to us also!

He is a God of life, not death! He is a God of freedom, not slavery! Our God is not some fussy, competitive god trying to get our attention by binding us up with burdensome obligations and teachings. No! He is a God who frees us – always frees us – from death, from sin, from slavery to the world! Think of what he did for the young man and the woman: He freed them from death and slavery to the world. He relieved them of their burdens. He gave them life! He gave them hope!

We don’t own Jesus. We don’t own the faith. We don’t own grace. We don’t own God’s Word. We cannot manipulate the Word of God who is Jesus Christ. We cannot take what is eternal truth and try to limit it. We must follow it, accept it, and live it if we are to be truly free.

Yes, our God is a God of freedom. If you have a hard time believing that, then I challenge you to live for just three months as Jesus taught us to live and find out for yourselves whether you are freer in the end.

My friends, ask God the big question:  “What do you want me to do? How do you want me to live?” We have nothing to fear in asking these questions.

If we ask with an open heart, God will raise us up to new life in abundance! He will give will give us freedom!

Let us now, in this Eucharist, give him thanks for his abundant love!

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“If we want to profit by our reading about God and the saints we must read with reverence. We must appreciate.” — Venerable Solanus Casey, OFM Cap.

Posted in Spirituality | 2 Comments

Why marriage can never be gay :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Here is a link to an article written by  Jenny Uebbing over at Catholic News Agency describing why marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

It is worth your time to read.

Why marriage can never be gay :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

I would just add that I find it unfortunate that in contemporary society we want to categorize people all the time. We are either Republican or Democrat, pro this or anti that. We do this partially for political purposes, so we can further polarization and conflict. I am talking about categorization, not making distinctions. There is a difference, the nuances of which I do not have the time to go into in this post.

We categorize people in their sexuality also. We call people either heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. I think this is a grave error and an opportunity for us to reject and denigrate others, and enter into fruitless political arguments.

What I say is we are all human beings. We are either men or women. Some human beings have same-sex attractions at various levels of intensity or persistence. For that reason, I refuse to all people with same-sex attraction homosexuals because that word categorizes them with something that doesn’t exist really. All the men and women I know who have same-sex attractions are men or they are women who have had or continue to have erotic passions for individuals of the same sex and these passions have had differing levels of intensity and longevity. 

It is our moral obligation to welcome and love men and women with same-sex attractions, and it is the moral obligation of all men and women to live out fully the Christian moral standards for sexual activity. What is that moral standard? Sexual activity is reserved only to those who are in a sacramental marriage (the definition of sacramental marriage is something to be described in another post). Sexual activity is not to be enjoyed outside of the marital relationship, and this applies to everyone regardless of the object of our sexual attractions. The reason for this very restrictive moral teaching in Christianity is because the sexual union is to be a physical, emotional and spiritual union that makes possible the good to the partners and the procreation and rearing of children. Thus, the sexual union is to be fruitful, permanent and faithful. This is not only God’s plan, it is a plan obvious with only quick glance at the physiology of the human person.

Categorizing people only demeans them, brings us into needless conflict and misunderstanding, and politicizes what must remain issues of love and respect.

 

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Through the Eyes of a Deacon

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Accepting is one thing, embracing is another. In order for a deacon to thrive in ministry and in life, he needs not only to be accepted but also embraced in his ministries.

What I often hear from brother deacons is there is a growing acceptance of the presence of deacons in parishes and in most dioceses in the United States (there remain just a handful of dioceses who have not established the permanent diaconate) but there frequently is not an embracing of deacons and their respective ministries. Perhaps tolerance is experienced, but not an enthusiastic embrace.

I am truly puzzled by this. My sense is there is an unfounded fear among other clerics that some type of challenge is presented by deacons. Maybe a certain fear that permanent deacons detract from vocations to the priesthood (something, if my information is correct, is absolutely unfounded because in dioceses where the diaconate flourishes, vocations to the priesthood are strong also). I have heard from some priests that deacons are  “priest wannabees.” Again, I really don’t think this is anywhere near true because I don’t know any deacons in my diocese that would want to be a priest even if it were a possibility. We all know they are two different vocations, although intimately tied to each other because we share in the same sacrament of Holy Orders.

I have heard from many “non-deacons” that deacons are not well trained. I again find this difficult to understand. Deacons in our diocese go through a total of seven years of formation…. yes, seven years, i.e., two years of the Institute of Lay Ministry, one year of aspirancy, and four years of candidacy. Most of the men who enter formation have already obtained Bachelor degrees or higher. Many are highly trained with licenses in many fields and proven success in various careers. I dare say deacons are highly educated men, and have a long proven history of service to the Church.

I have heard some say that deacons are only part-time. This is incredible. The deacons that I know realize they are full-time deacons. We often exercise our ministries at our places of employment 40-60 hours a week, then give our parish assignments 10-15 hours of service a week on top of our ministries to our families (hours untold). This, of course doesn’t include the time spent in prayer and study which tallies up to at least 2 hours a day for most of us. Deacons are not part-time…. they are ministering at least 80 hours a week.

I have heard that the diaconate is a “Vatican II thing” which apparently is meant to say it is not legitimate in some manner. Yes, it is true that the Council Fathers picked up where the Council of Trent in the 1500s left off when it called for the reestablishment of the diaconate as a permanent order in the Church just as it had been at the very beginning of the Church as attested to by the Scriptures themselves. No, the diaconate is an apostolic thing, the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not a “Vatican II thing.”

I think the acceptance sans embrace of the diaconate comes from a fear of numbers, a fear that there may be in the future in some local Churches, i.e., dioceses, more deacons than priests. I also think that if we continue to make those kind of comparisons… priest vis a vis deacon…. then we weaken both the priesthood and the diaconate. There will never be too many deacons because the Holy Spirit decides how many are needed and ensures the numbers are sufficient, not excessive. As long as there are the poor and marginalized, there will be the need for deacons. Here in the United States the diaconate has flourished in terms of numbers because, I believe, the Holy Spirit has willed it so because we have so many poor in our midst, especially the spiritually poor who need to be catechized and hear God’s Word preached to them. Should there be twice the number of deacons to priests someday, what harm will be done? Only good will be done.

Finally, I wonder if part of the resistance to embrace deacons comes from a sort of unknown realization that the diaconate is in a healthier state than the presbytery. We can speculate as to the reasons, if what I suggest is true.

May God richly bless all deacons and their families, and may He bless abundantly all those thousands of faithful priests who labor to bring us the Body and Blood of Jesus each day, and who offer us His forgiveness over and over again.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“Live always in the truth, that you may die in obedience.” –St. Francis of Assisi

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Do Not Place Obstacles To The Faith

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Pope Francis in his daily homily today once again has some wonderfully simple and incisive words regarding opening the doors to the faith rather than putting obstacles to it.

Here is Radio Vatican’s recounting of the Holy Father’s homily.

The day’s Gospel tells us that Jesus rebukes the disciples who seek to remove children that people bring to the Lord to bless. “Jesus embraces them, kisses them, touches them, all of them. It tires Jesus and his disciples “want it to stop”. Jesus is indignant: “Jesus got angry, sometimes.” And he says: “Let them come to me, do not hinder them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” “The faith of the People of God is a simple faith, a faith that is perhaps without much theology, but it has an inward theology that is not wrong, because the Spirit is behind it…..the holy people of God … cannot err in matters of belief” (Lumen Gentium)…… If you want to know who Mary is go to the theologian and he will tell you exactly who Mary is. But if you want to know how to love Mary go to the People of God who teach it better…. The people of God are always asking for something closer to Jesus, they are sometimes a bit ‘insistent in this. But it is the insistence of those who believe…..I remember once, coming out of the city of Salta, on the patronal feast, there was a humble lady who asked for a priest’s blessing. The priest said, ‘All right, but you were at the Mass’ and explained the whole theology of blessing in the church. You did well: ‘Ah, thank you father, yes father,’ said the woman. When the priest had gone, the woman turned to another priest: ‘Give me your blessing!’. All these words did not register with her, because she had another necessity: the need to be touched by the Lord. That is the faith that we always look for , this is the faith that brings the Holy Spirit. We must facilitate it, make it grow, help it grow. “The Pope also mentioned the story of the blind man of Jericho, who was rebuked by the disciples because he cried to the Lord, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!””The Gospel says that they didn’t want him to shout, they wanted him not to shout but he wanted to shout more, why? Because he had faith in Jesus! The Holy Spirit had put faith in his heart. And they said, ‘No, you cannot do this! You don’t shout to the Lord. Protocol does not allow it. And ‘the second Person of the Trinity! Look what you do… ‘as if they were saying that, right? “.And think about the attitude of many Christians:”Think of the good Christians, with good will, we think about the parish secretary, a secretary of the parish … ‘Good evening, good morning, the two of us – boyfriend and girlfriend – we want to get married’. And instead of saying, ‘That’s great!’. They say, ‘Oh, well, have a seat. If you want the Mass, it costs a lot … ‘. This, instead of receiving a good welcome- It is a good thing to get married! ‘- But instead they get this response:’ Do you have the certificate of baptism, all right … ‘. And they find a closed door. When this Christian and that Christian has the ability to open a door, thanking God for this fact of a new marriage … We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith of the people. “And ‘there is always a temptation – said the Pope – “try and take possession of the Lord….Think about a single mother who goes to church, in the parish and to the secretary she says: ‘I want my child baptized’. And then this Christian, this Christian says: ‘No, you cannot because you’re not married!’. But look, this girl who had the courage to carry her pregnancy and not to return her son to the sender, what is it? A closed door! This is not zeal! It is far from the Lord! It does not open doors! And so when we are on this street, have this attitude, we do not do good to people, the people, the People of God, but Jesus instituted the seven sacraments with this attitude and we are establishing the eighth: the sacrament of pastoral customs! “.”Jesus is indignant when he sees these things because those who suffer are “his faithful people, the people that he loves so much””We think today of Jesus, who always wants us all to be closer to Him, we think of the Holy People of God, a simple people, who want to get closer to Jesus and we think of so many Christians of goodwill who are wrong and that instead of opening a door they close the door of goodwill … So we ask the Lord that all those who come to the Church find the doors open, find the doors open, open to meet this love of Jesus. We ask this grace. “

Here is the source: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/25/pope:_open_the_door_to_faith/en1-695466

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Thoughts About Recent Events and Career

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

I haven’t been blogging much at all in the past few weeks. Frankly, I have had too much on my plate and am now just catching my breath.

I have been the Assistant Director of the Diaconate for the Diocese of Winona this past year, and my term is wrapping up at the end of the month. Since January, I have been pouring over application materials that men and their wives have sent to chancery, each of them hoping Bishop Quinn will call them to an aspirant year of discernment for the permanent diaconate. Thirty-two men voiced interest, 30 requested applications, and 26 returned them. This resulted in around 2000 pages of documents I read, word by word. Last week, I and the rest of the Diaconate Review Board finished the last step in the application process: we interviewed the men and their wives, made our recommendations to the bishop who will now pray about this and make his decisions.

On top of that, work at the clinic has been going gang-busters. Parish and family life is alive.

There seems to be so many things changing in our American society in recent years with the continual push to redefine marriage (here in Minnesota the legislature and the governor just enacted into law “same-sex marriage”) and more and more people either unaware or unaccepting of the nature of the human person. I am glad that I am in the later stages of my career as a psychotherapist and a marriage and family therapist. Within a few years it will be next to impossible to practice this profession and remain true to the Catholic faith and a clear understanding of the human person. Therapists who attempt to do so will find themselves maligned and discredited. Mark my words on that….

I continually go to the phrase “muddy thinking” in these matters. There is a real inability in many people to think critically. The disciplines of philosophy and logic are not widely taught in schools anymore, and people seldom question their assumptions or even aware of them. This “muddy thinking” has certainly had its way in the political arguments when it comes to redefining marriage, homosexuality, transgender issues, and the breakdown of family life. I could go on for many pages about this inability and unwillingness to use critical thinking by so many, but I have neither the time or energy tonight to do so.

Many of my colleagues, even the most “liberal” ones on the political spectrum, are admitting that the absence of either a father or a mother in a child’s development  harms that child’s maturation and security. With so many orphans (i.e., fatherless children) nowadays, the result is often is psychological and social dysfunction.

So, I can only pray and continue to faithfully serve the needs of those before me. I can try to educate and elucidate when the opportunity arises. Then I have to trust that God has a plan and his will will come to pass.

Hope to write a few more posts in the next week. Stay tuned.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“We have nothing to fear when we can say resolutely, even without feelings: Long live Jesus!” — St. Padre Pio, OFM Cap.

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Another Wonderful Homily by Pope Francis

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Here is Pope Francis’ homily for Pentecost. Another wonderful homily by our Holy Father, which I will leave without comment!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we contemplate and re-live in the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the risen Christ upon his Church; an event of grace which filled the Upper Room in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world.

But what happened on that day, so distant from us and yet so close as to touch the very depths of our hearts? Luke gives us the answer in the passage of the Acts of the Apostles which we have heard (2:1-11). The evangelist brings us back to Jerusalem, to the Upper Room where the apostles were gathered. The first element which draws our attention is the sound which suddenly came from heaven “like the rush of a violent wind”, and filled the house; then the “tongues as of fire” which divided and came to rest on each of the apostles. Sound and tongues of fire: these are clear, concrete signs which touch the apostles not only from without but also within: deep in their minds and hearts. As a result, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit”, who unleashed his irresistible power with amazing consequences: they all “began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”. A completely unexpected scene opens up before our eyes: a great crowd gathers, astonished because each one heard the apostles speaking in his own language. They all experience something new, something which had never happened before: “We hear them, each of us, speaking our own language”. And what is it that they are they speaking about? “God’s deeds of power”.

In the light of this passage from Acts, I would like to reflect on three words linked to the working of the Holy Spirit: newness, harmony and mission.

1. Newness always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more secure if we have everything under control, if we are the ones who build, programme and plan our lives in accordance with our own ideas, our own comfort, our own preferences. This is also the case when it comes to God. Often we follow him, we accept him, but only up to a certain point. It is hard to abandon ourselves to him with complete trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to be the soul and guide of our lives in our every decision. We fear that God may force us to strike out on new paths and leave behind our all too narrow, closed and selfish horizons in order to become open to his own. Yet throughout the history of salvation, whenever God reveals himself, he brings newness – God always brings newness -, and demands our complete trust: Noah, mocked by all, builds an ark and is saved; Abram leaves his land with only a promise in hand; Moses stands up to the might of Pharaoh and leads his people to freedom; the apostles, huddled fearfully in the Upper Room, go forth with courage to proclaim the Gospel. This is not a question of novelty for novelty’s sake, the search for something new to relieve our boredom, as is so often the case in our own day. The newness which God brings into our life is something that actually brings fulfilment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us and desires only our good. Let us ask ourselves today: Are we open to “God’s surprises”? Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit? Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new? We would do well to ask ourselves these questions all through the day.

2. A second thought: the Holy Spirit would appear to create disorder in the Church, since he brings the diversity of charisms and gifts; yet all this, by his working, is a great source of wealth, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity, which does not mean uniformity, but which leads everything back toharmony. In the Church, it is the Holy Spirit who creates harmony. One of Fathers of the Church has an expression which I love: the Holy Spirit himself is harmony – “Ipse harmonia est”. He is indeed harmony. Only the Spirit can awaken diversity, plurality and multiplicity, while at the same time building unity. Here too, when we are the ones who try to create diversity and close ourselves up in what makes us different and other, we bring division. When we are the ones who want to build unity in accordance with our human plans, we end up creating uniformity, standardization. But if instead we let ourselves be guided by the Spirit, richness, variety and diversity never become a source of conflict, because he impels us to experience variety within the communion of the Church. Journeying together in the Church, under the guidance of her pastors who possess a special charism and ministry, is a sign of the working of the Holy Spirit. Having a sense of the Church is something fundamental for every Christian, every community and every movement. It is the Church which brings Christ to me, and me to Christ; parallel journeys are very dangerous! When we venture beyond (proagon) the Church’s teaching and community – the Apostle John tells us in his Second Letter – and do not remain in them, we are not one with the God of Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Jn v. 9). So let us ask ourselves: Am I open to the harmony of the Holy Spirit, overcoming every form of exclusivity? Do I let myself be guided by him, living in the Church and with the Church?

3. A final point. The older theologians used to say that the soul is a kind of sailboat, the Holy Spirit is the wind which fills its sails and drives it forward, and the gusts of wind are the gifts of the Spirit. Lacking his impulse and his grace, we do not go forward. The Holy Spirit draws us into the mystery of the living God and saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself; he impels us to open the doors and go forth to proclaim and bear witness to the good news of the Gospel, to communicate the joy of faith, the encounter with Christ. The Holy Spirit is the soul of mission. The events that took place in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago are not something far removed from us; they are events which affect us and become a lived experience in each of us. The Pentecost of the Upper Room in Jerusalem is the beginning, a beginning which endures. The Holy Spirit is the supreme gift of the risen Christ to his apostles, yet he wants that gift to reach everyone. As we heard in the Gospel, Jesus says: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to remain with you forever” (Jn 14:16). It is the Paraclete Spirit, the “Comforter”, who grants us the courage to take to the streets of the world, bringing the Gospel! The Holy Spirit makes us look to the horizon and drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ. Let us ask ourselves: do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, on our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission? Today let us remember these three words: newness, harmony and mission.

Today’s liturgy is a great prayer which the Church, in union with Jesus, raises up to the Father, asking him to renew the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May each of us, and every group and movement, in the harmony of the Church, cry out to the Father and implore this gift. Today too, as at her origins, the Church, in union with Mary, cries out: “Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love!” Amen.

 

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Quote for the Day

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Today is the feast day of St. Bernadine of Sienna, and so here is a quote from him.

“When we have been enlightened, and in that same light behold the light of heaven, rightly may the apostle Paul say to us: ‘Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.'” — St. Bernadine of Sienna, OFM

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Quote for the Day

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“What brings true followers of Christ today to put aside comfort, to abandon pleasures, to undertake what is hard and endure what demands sacrifice? It is living faith that expresses itself through love.” — St. Fidelis, OFM Cap.

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for the Ascension, Cycle C

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Here is my homily for this weekend. Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!

Audio: Ascension, Cycle C, 2013

 

                                           The Ascension of the Lord – Cycle C

May 11/12, 2013

Acts 1: 1-11; Eph 1: 17-23; Lk 24: 46-53

We celebrate today the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, 40 days after the Resurrection. Jesus Christ ascends into heaven today, taking with him his glorified body, taking with him his human nature which is now forever united with his divine nature. He is seated, both human and divine, at the right hand of the Father. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, has taken our humanity back to heaven.  That is our faith.

As we heard in the second reading, “The surpassing greatness of his power raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand far above every power and authority not only in this age but in the age to come.”

And as we prayed in the responsorial psalm, “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; a blare of trumpets for the Lord!”

What began at the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary and said, “You will become the Mother of God” and the Word of God became flesh, incarnate, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, what began then is now brought to completion by the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Yes, today is the fulfillment of the Incarnation!

The Incarnation, God becoming man, assuming human nature, was not a temporary thing. Jesus brought humanity with him to heaven in the Ascension. Jesus’ death and resurrection opened for us the gates of heaven, which were closed to us after Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. By his Incarnation, Jesus is both human and divine; our humanity is united to Jesus’ divinity forever, and we are changed forever for we are now taken up with his divinity in the Ascension.

Jesus didn’t leave human nature, his body, behind on the earth; he didn’t undo the Incarnation when he ascended into heaven, and he didn’t leave us behind. He took us into himself and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. That is our hope. That is our faith.

We hopefully will also individually ascend someday, body and soul, into heaven. Our bodies too will be glorified in our ascension, if we unite ourselves with Jesus.

Jesus’ life gives us hope!

His death justifies us, i.e., put us into a right relationship with God.His resurrection sanctifies us, i.e., makes us holy.His ascension glorifies us, i.e., takes us to the heights of heaven itself!

Yes, Jesus gives us hope! He justifies us! He sanctifies us! And then he glorifies us!

It is easy to think of Jesus’ life as being different than ours (in a sense it was!) but everything that happened to Jesus in his life will happen to us. Where Jesus has gone, we too will go if we follow him.

Jesus showed us the way to the Father. We must pattern our lives on his life. Jesus was conceived, he was born and he grew in age, wisdom, and strength. He experienced a real death and then he truly rose from the dead. He finally ascended into heaven forever joined to us in his human nature which is now joined to his divine nature.

His path is our path. We too were conceived. We too were born and have grown in age, strength and wisdom. We too will experience a real death, and we will rise again to new life. Yes, we will also ascend into heaven someday to live forever with God in glory, if we unite ourselves with the Lord Jesus.

You are already experiencing this in your life, aren’t you?  You have already begun the journey of following Jesus back to the Father a journey that will one day result in your ascension into heaven for all eternity.

In a sense, our lives are all about Jesus, and if we live united to him then his life becomes about us. Jesus is our center. He is our guide. He is our constant companion. He is the light that shows us the way. He is our beacon of hope. With Jesus all things are knowable, understandable, even the things that happen after death. With him our hope is restored, our fear of the unknown dissipates, and despair is vanquished.

But without Jesus we are lost and we become confused.

Follow Jesus. Pattern your life after his. Remember, he did not leave us behind. That is why we, like the Apostles in today’s Gospel, can be filled with “great joy” because the Ascension does not point to Jesus’ absence, but rather tells us he is alive in our midst in a new way, along with the Holy Spirit, in the Church which he established. He promised to remain with us in his Church. As Pope Francis recently said, Jesus and the Church are inseparable. We cannot really find Jesus elsewhere, so we must cling to the Church. Cling to the sacraments. Cling to the teachings of the Church. Cling to the Church as you would cling to Jesus himself.

We are never alone. We always have Jesus who is our Advocate, who awaits us, who defends us, who guides us, who pleads for us before God’s throne.

Posted in homilies | Comments Off on Deacon Bob’s Homily for the Ascension, Cycle C

Quote for the Day

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Posted in Saints and Prophets | Comments Off on Quote for the Day

Covert Euthanasia

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Deacon Bob

The manner in which we care for our elderly, especially in health care, is something about which I get rather passionate. Most of my extended family have heard me go on a heated monologue about the manner in which the medical profession seems to be conversing about providing health care to our oldest citizens. The word “euthanasia” is rarely if ever spoken in medical conferences that I have attended, but the concept is being actively discussed in veiled terms under the guise of health care reform and allocation of resources.

It really burns me because what is at stake here is a major ethical change in doctor-patient ethics and the devaluation of human life at its later stages.

Mark my words, before this decade is out, the elderly will be actively encouraged to die rather than be treated for their conditions. Subtle incentives will be offered to family members to facilitate this.

Pope Francis said in 2010 while still archbishop of Buenos Aires,

“I believe that today there is covert euthanasia: Our social security pays up until a certain amount of treatment and then says ‘May God help you.'”

 

My sentiments exactly.

My question is, “What are we Catholics willing to do to stop this?”

Another question I have is, “Why do we buy into the deception that there isn’t enough money to pay for health care to our elderly?”

Think about it. How much have the last two wars cost us? Not having fought just one of them would have saved us enough money to pay for health care for our seniors for decades. There is more than enough money; we just spend it on war.

Last question directed at deacons, because this is an obvious area fitting squarely into diaconal ministry: “Are you willing to preach and teach and live out Catholic Social Doctrine in this area? Are you willing to speak publicly (and outside the parish setting) advocating justice for our seniors?”

Posted in Deacons, Ethics and Morality, Health Care, Pope Francis, Social Doctrine of the Church | Comments Off on Covert Euthanasia