1/15/2012 – Homily - Second Sunday ordinary time - Cycle B – John 1:35-42 (Lectionary 65)

       Today is the second Sunday in ordinary time, the first Sunday that we are celebrating mass together after our observance of the Christmas season.  We are going to hear two conversion stories in a row on these next two Sundays in ordinary time, hearing about how Jesus calls us to discipleship in different ways.  Today, we hear about how two of the disciples of John the Baptist are intrigued by Jesus and his identity, how they are called to become followers of Jesus when they see him walking by.  Next Sunday, we will hear about four men who are called to leave their work as fishermen in order to follow Jesus. 

         “Come and see” – this is what Jesus invites these men to do in today’s Gospel.   Since the days of those first disciples, the followers of Jesus have been witnessing to their faith and have been inviting others to come join them.  We see John the Baptist himself witnessing to two of his own disciples, calling Jesus “the Lamb of God”.  By doing so, John expands their view of who Jesus really is.  In fact, near the end of the Gospel of John, the author of this Gospel states that this witness and these signs have been recorded here in the Gospel in order that we may come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God, and through this belief, that we might come to have new life in him.  “Come and see” is the invitation we also receive.  Like this invitation that Jesus extends, we as believers are called to witness and invite others to the faith, too. This act of witnessing and inviting is exemplified by Andrew’s actions in today’s Gospel.  He hears the witness of John the Baptist, he then goes with Jesus to where he is staying, and he stays with Jesus that day.  Andrew searches out his brother, Simon Peter, telling him with great excitement – “We have found the Messiah!”  Andrew brings his brother to Jesus.  He is so excited about sharing his new found faith with others.

         As we hear about the conversion stories of these first disciples, perhaps we are thinking, “Well, today’s Gospel story really doesn’t pertain to me.  I’m already a follower of Jesus. It’s not like I don’t know him or don’t already practice my faith in my own way.  But perhaps we are called to look at our faith today and see how we can strengthen it, how we can live it out more fully, how our faith can serve as a witness to others. All of us in the modern world today need to look at the different ways in which we are called to conversion. Perhaps we are the believer who is entrenched in a kind of religious legalism, in which we look at our faith as a check list of rules and commandments, expecting ourselves and all Christians to follow all of these rules to the letter of the law, in a very legalistic, rigid way.  Or, to the other extreme, perhaps we think that since we believe in God, since we’re baptized and a part of his Church, that we can sort of do whatever we want to do and still be saved.  Or perhaps we just go through the motions of our faith without taking any risks or chances, without really trying to discern God’s specific will for us in our lives, without going out on a limb and really allowing our faith to have a true impact in our own life and in the lives of others.  Maybe one of these descriptions is the type of conversion we need today.

         If you look at modern America, most people in our society think of themselves as rather spiritual in their approach to life.  Search the books that are found in our bookstores and libraries today; there are literally hundreds of books written about spirituality and self-help, about 12-step programs and improving our lives.  Yet, there are so many people out there who are afraid to make a spiritual commitment, who see religion as irrelevant to our lives.  Even as a priest, I have people tell me that they want to practice Christianity in isolation, that they don’t need the Church, that they can do it on their own.  But, from the very beginning, when Jesus called those men to be his disciples, he shows us how our faith is to be lived in community, how it is not just “me and God,” but all of us as Christ’s disciples on our journey of redemption and salvation together.  And as the Church, we are the body of Christ here on earth.  So, perhaps what we as a society in America need is not individual conversions to Jesus, but rather conversion to the Church, to the communion of Christ, to a deeper understanding of the Church and our faith and in our participation in the Body of Christ. 

         You know, pretty regularly now, we have been going out to the Green House to have mass each Friday afternoon, and we have been going out to the Blake assisted living home in Ridgeland every couple of months to have mass out there as well.  We go beyond the boundaries of our physical church buildings here in Yazoo City to celebrate mass with our brothers and sisters who cannot come to mass here with us on Sunday mornings, to show our love and care for them, to show that we are all in this together.  And I go to out to celebrate mass or to have Bible studies with the prisoners in our area on a regular basis as well, because many of them are searching for God and we in the Catholic Church are one of the few places that are reaching out to them.  To me, these are examples of what it means to live out the Body of Christ, to witness our faith with others.

         So, as we enter ordinary time once again in the liturgical year, marking an end to the Christmas season, as we hear about those first disciples who chose to follow Jesus, may we look at our own lives and at the journey of faith we are all on.  Jesus asked these men to come and see for themselves.  What do we need to look for, what type of conversion do we need, and how do we need to witness to others as we continue on our own journey of faith?  

1/12/2012 – Homily for Thursday of first week of ordinary time – Mark 1:40-45

         We hear of the healing of the leper in today’s Gospel.  I just read the book In the Sanctuary of the Outcasts by Neil White, a man who currently lives in Oxford who spent some time in Carville, Louisiana at the leper colony there.  He felt as much as an outcast as the lepers did during his time there, since he was spending his time there incarcerated as a federal prisoner after living a very lavish lifestyle as a businessman and after having robbed a lot of people of the money they invested with him.  He came to that federal prison very arrogant and very full of himself, yet he learned a lot about life, about himself, and about God through his interaction with the lepers who lived there.

         When we hear the word “leper” in our modern world, we immediately think of an outcast, of someone who is feared and condemned by the rest of society.  The name “leper” certainly has a stigma connected to it.  Yet, Jesus allows the leper to approach him, and he makes the leper clean due to the great faith and confidence he has in Jesus.

         We may want healing and miracles in our own lives, but perhaps God is enacting that healing and those miracles in ways that are different from our expectations.  We may come to God arrogantly and full of ourselves just as Neil White did when he entered that leper colony in Louisiana.  However, may we approach the Lord with the humility and confidence of the leper that we hear about today.  May we always have faith in our Lord.  

1/14/2012 – Homily for Saturday of the first week of ordinary time - 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

         The elders and the people of Israel had approached Samuel, the judge of Israel chosen by God, demanding a king like all the nations around them.  Both Samuel and God knew that the people were demanding this not out of their faith & obedience to God, but rather in rejecting God and turning once again to the worship of idols, this time an idol in the form of a king.  God instructed Samuel to warn the people of the high cost of a king, but the people were oblivious to his warnings & to the seriousness of their sin.  The people were ecstatic in anticipation of this new king for their nation.  Since even the people knew that the king must be of God's choosing, it fell upon Samuel as God's judge to choose a king.  The events that we hear in today's first reading bring Saul into contact with Samuel in a way that makes the prophet certain that Saul is God’s choice for Israel’s king.

         Recently, we have made a concerted effort in our parishes and in our diocese to promote vocation awareness in our Church. We have had families praying for vocations and we have been handing out a chalice and a book of prayers at our masses in our to raise awareness and to pray for vocations.  As we hear in today's first reading, God chooses specific individuals for certain ministries & leadership roles.  It is up to us to discern God's will and to follow his calling. 

         As we hear how God chose a king for his people, may we be aware of the different ways God is calling us in our lives, how we all have vocations as followers of Christ.  May we thank God for the vocations that we have, and pray for the courage and fortitude to follow his will for us in our lives.

1/13/2012 – Friday of first week of ordinary time - 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a

       For many generations, the people of ancient Israel had been led by a confederation of tribes, but God brought forth leaders, priests, and prophets throughout Israel's history to lead his people. The tribes were supposed to help and protect each other, but often times they were too weak or too disorganized to be very effective. Many of the books of the Old Testament show the failures that happened to the people of Israel because of their lack of true unity.

         In our first reading today, the people approach Samuel, wanting a king for their nation after seeing the other nations around them prosper and gain military victories through the leadership of kings.  However, Samuel responds to the people that they already have a king, that they simply need to be more faithful to the king that they already have. But, to the people, having God as their king is not good enough; they want more, they want what their neighbors have. 

         Isn't that so much a part of our human nature today as well? Often, what we have isn't good enough for us.  So many in our society and in our world today envy the prosperity, success, and material goods of their neighbors.  Samuel tells the people of Israel what it will cost them when they make things other than God their king.  The same is true for us today.  The people of Israel refuse to listen to Samuel.  And what about us?  Are we listening?

         The psalmist tells us that we are blessed if we walk in the light of the Lord, if we rejoice in God's name & exalt in his justice.  May we truly follow in our hearts this road of faith that the Lord has put before us.  

1/10/12 – Homily for Tuesday of first week in ordinary time – 1 Samuel 1:9-20 -

       We begin ordinary time today right after our Christmas season by hearing the wonderful story of the prophet Samuel in our first reading.  There is so much we can take away from the story of Hanna & the birth of Samuel.  Hanna shows a great deal of self-reflection & self-knowledge.  She is unafraid to share her true feelings with God, praying & weeping in her bitterness.  Hanna tells the priest Eli very frankly: “I am an unhappy woman.”  Hanna feels that she will live a more complete & fulfilled life with the gift of a son whom she can raise to be a religious leader & prophet for Israel. Hanna tells Eli: “Do not think your handmaid is a ne’er-do-well; my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”  Are we willing to be as honest & frank as Hanna is with God, to trust Him with our true feelings & emotions, to let him know when we are angry or jealous?  God listens to Hanna's prayers & she conceives a son, Samuel, whom she nurtures and guides in order to serve God & the community. 

         I remember that when I was serving as St Richard as the associate pastor, a group of us were talking about getting a young religious sister who works in northeast Mississippi to come to speak to our youth & to our adult Sunday school group on a Sunday morning.  When I mentioned her to this Sunday school group, some of our parishioners were astounded that there are still young religious sisters around today.  Just a generation or two ago, any Catholic family would have seen a son or daughter dedicating themselves to the priesthood or to the religious life as one of the greatest blessings from God, similar to the way Hanna willingly offers her son to the service of God & his people.  What has happened to our society when such vocations are considered rare & cutting edge, rather than something each Catholic family tries to foster in its children?

            Thank you God for Hanna, for all the parents who nurture their children for their true vocations in life, whatever those vocations may be.  May we continue to foster vocations in our families & in our community of faith.  

1/8/2012 – Homilia - La Epifanía del Señor - Los Tres Reyes Magos – Mateo 2, 1-12 –

         Hoy es el último domingo de Navidad. Escuchamos sobre la visita de los tres reyes magos al niño Jesús en el pesebre en Belén.   En muchos sentidos, esta visita de los magos es un catequesis sobre Jesús y su misión para nosotros.  El mensaje de la visita de los magos es que Jesús está enviado por la parte de Dios Padre para ofrecer la salvación de Dios a todos los hombres de la tierra.  Es interesante que los magos son reyes del oriente, que son paganos, no son judíos.  Ellos vienen a Belén para adorar al niño Jesús, mientras Herodes y los sacerdotes queden en Jerusalén.  Herodes está perturbado y enojado cuando se da cuenta sobre el nacimiento del niño divino.  Herodes no quiere visitarlo; él quiere planear su muerte.  Herodes no tiene alegría en su corazón cuando él recibe esta noticia, pero los magos están gozosos porque ellos lo reconocen como el salvador del mundo. 

         A veces, nosotros también no pueden reconocer las maravillas de nuestra fe que están en frente de nosotros.  Jesús está rechazado por su pueblo, por la gente que espera el Mesías, pero los extranjeros reconocen su identidad verdadera.   Cuando yo estaba trabajando en las selvas de Ecuador como misionero católico, yo tenía mucho para enseñar la gente, pero, también, yo tenía mucho para aprender.  Todos los hombres del mundo forman el nuevo pueblo de Dios.   Su salvación es para todo el mundo.  Tenemos la libertad, la voluntad, para aceptarlo o para rechazarlo.  Nosotros tenemos señales para encontrar a Jesús como los magos tenían esta estrella muy especial.  Como esta estrella tenía una luz muy brillante, Jesús es la luz mas brillante en las tinieblas de nuestro mundo.   Es una cosa para conocer los mandamientos de Dios y sus Escrituras, pero es otra cosa para seguir la Luz de Jesucristo y para caminar en esta luz en nuestro viaje de fe. 

         Me gusta el cuento de los tres reyes magos muchísimo.  La verdad que existe en su viaje a través el desierto para llegar a este pesebre en Belén es un verdad para nosotros hoy día.  Su camino como discípulos es un ejemplo para nosotros.  

1/9/2012 – Homily - Baptism of the Lord – Mark 1:7-11

        Today, with our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, we close our celebration of the Christmas season & get ready to enter ordinary time again.  Through Jesus' baptism in the waters of the River Jordan, he is named God's beloved Son with whom he is pleased, and Jesus' identity as the Messiah becomes more fully revealed to both himself and to the world.  But the celebration of Jesus' baptism today does more than bring a close to our Christmas season.  In many ways, we can say that Jesus' baptism assists Jesus in his self-understand of what his calling is here on earth, the fulfillment of his vocation. As we recognize Jesus' baptism and vocation, all of us are called to remember our own baptism and our vocations as disciples of Jesus.  
         We can understand the ways God calls us to vocation by seeing the way that he calls Jesus to his vocation at the time of his baptism.  At his baptism, Jesus did not have any sign to show the Jewish people that they would recognize as an expected characteristic of the Messiah.  Jesus had no money, no power, no influence, no followers, and no army.  Jesus was not the kind of Savior that the Jewish people expected.  He was not to save the world by establishing a political empire of riches & prosperity.  He was not to defeat his opponents by a military might that was enhanced by God's supporting power.  In fact, Jesus was not going to triumph over his enemies in any recognizable way during his lifetime.  Instead of strength, weapons, or political power, Jesus would use words and actions to express love, healing, and truth. Since Jesus would die at the hands of his opposition, it appeared to the people of ancient Israel that God was doing nothing to help him.  All of this was contrary to what everyone expected, but these were the real signs that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.  Often God is not always what we expect.  God is not always predictable.  In Jesus' baptism, not only do we remember an important event in his life in a special way, but we are reminded of how we are called to be in relationship with God, of how Jesus ultimately fulfilled his vocation.  Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan as a 30-year old carpenter.  But after he rises up from the waters, he is different.  
       We probably all long to hear God say, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.”  I truly believe that this longing to please God, this desire to have a connection with the divine in our lives, is something that is innately part of our human nature.  And today's Gospel gives us a hint of how we begin to please God and connect more closely to the divine in our lives.  To please God, we begin by accepting his love, by accepting our baptismal call.  In the waters of baptism, in the embrace of God's love, Jesus hears in a new way that he is God's son.  Jesus accepts his call.  It is after this baptism & the acceptance of his call that Jesus begins his earthly ministry and the proclamation of God's kingdom.    
       As we now move from the Christmas season and into ordinary time, but the celebration of the Baptism of our Lord today give us a sign of hope and encouragement as we continue along our journey.