| Father David's Homilies
April 2005
April 1, 2005—8am
Octave of Easter—Friday
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
tucked in his garment and jumped into the sea.
At this point in Peter’s life it must have been
pure love that moved him to react so enthusiastically to the Lord.
He must surely have gotten the idea that a military victory over the
Romans was not in Christ’s plan. But what he did know is that Jesus
loved him and that he rose from the dead.
In our efforts to evangelize and bring other
people to participate in the Mass, wouldn’t it be great if all we
had to do is say like St. John, it is the Lord and people drop what
they are doing and jump into the sea after Jesus like Peter did. I
mean why don’t we have 10,000 people coming to Eucharistic adoration
on First Friday. That’s only a third of Glen Ellyn, a modest goal
if you ask me.
Let us pray evermore fervently that everyone
will come to know the love of Christ as deeply as Simon Peter knew
it. Let us implore the Holy Spirit that their hearts be filled with
Peter’s enthusiasm and that they will respond to the Lord.
April 2, 2005—8am
Octave of Easter—Saturday
As the risen Jesus today appears to the Eleven
apostles, he tells them to go into the whole world and proclaim the
Gospel to every creature. And we know that after the coming of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles did just that.
But in a way that is certainly more expansive
due to modern technology of communication and transportation, our
Holy Father Pope John Paul II has followed this command of our Lord
and has had a great impact on us. He is very much in our hearts and
in our prayers, and as we (prepare to) mourn his death, our hearts
are filled with gratitude to the Lord for giving us such a great
shepherd and worthy successor to the apostles.
April 3, 2005—10am
Octave of Easter—Divine Mercy Sunday
The news of the death of Pope John Paul II has
covered the whole world with a sorrowful tone. From the false
report on Friday to the official report on Saturday afternoon, a
range of emotions has been stirred in the hearts of billions of
people.
For me I fortunately took the false report with
a grain of salt. And then even with the official report I reacted
at first very rationally with a sort of angelic concern. What do we
need to do? Talking to the press, making sure the bunting is on the
Church doors, planning the additional mass schedule, and all the
ministerial details.
But it wasn’t until the tolling of the Church
bells that I shed a tear. The bells resounding in a low tone
sounded like the cry of the Church, the weeping of the Bride of
Christ. She has lost her spouse on earth, the Vicar of Christ. And
I recalled the words of Jesus himself, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep
not for me but for yourselves and your children.”
Indeed for John Paul II his death must have
been a moment of great joy. Having been born again through faith
and the sacraments and purified by his own suffering we are
confident that he is in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity, that
he is immersed in infinite mercy and happiness.
But for us and the whole church we have lost a
good shepherd and a worthy successor to the apostle Peter. He was a
gift from God. Indeed the whole world has suffered the
extinguishing of a great light in our midst. So we weep not for him
but for ourselves and all the children that will not be able to know
him like we did.
When St. Thomas the apostle first heard the
news of Jesus’ resurrection, he didn’t believe it. It didn’t sink
into his heart until he saw the risen Lord with his own eyes. It
took a lot to move his heart into the realm of faith. But in God’s
infinite mercy he does reach out to us and moves our hearts to trust
in him.
April 3, 2005—2:30pm
Divine Mercy Holy Hour
Gospel—Proper of Day
The feast of Divine Mercy which we celebrate
today has been a long time in coming. St. Faustina Kowalska
inspired by the Lord began asking for this feast back in the 1930s.
She knew through prayer that it was the Lord’s will that this feast
be celebrated in order to give more glory to his Divine Mercy. It
is very salutary for us and indeed even necessary for our modern
world so bereft of true mercy.
We also know that this feast was made official
for the entire Roman Catholic Church only recently in the year
2000. It was nearly seventy years in the making. And undoubtedly a
big part of the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this feast
was our Pope John Paul II. He had great regard for the sanctity of
Faustina Kowalska and even more recently canonized her. But since
the beginning of his Pontificate, our Holy Father planted seeds of
this devotion. On November 30, 1980, Pope John Paul II issued an
inspiring encyclical letter on the richness of God’s mercy. So
deeply aware of God’s mercy in his own life, our Pope has been an
apostle of the Divine Mercy.
As we mourn the death of our Holy Father, let
us immerse ourselves in the ocean of God’s mercy which we are
confident the Pope is enjoying to its fullest now in the heavenly
embrace.
April 4, 2005—8am
Solemnity of the Annunciation
For those of us who at times are tempted to
despair about the human race, especially with the recent tragedy
surrounding Terri Shiavo’s starvation, seeing the human race as
hopelessly violent and trapped in selfishness, it is good for us to
consider today’s feast of the Annunciation a bit more deeply. It is
truly a great wonder that God so trusted a single human being, Mary,
as to become totally dependent on her. And I mean totally.
At the Annunciation, the angel waited for her
consent and then after her great Fiat, the Son of God became her
little single cell child in her womb. He grew there for nine months
relying completely on her for oxygen, nutrition and hydration, for
shelter and for warmth. And then we know how naturally dependent on
her God was for years and years in Bethlehem, in Egypt and in
Nazareth.
Pope John Paul II seeing in Mary a model of
human responsibility and faithfulness to God, he declared the theme
of his ministry to be Totus Tuus. Totally yours. He became
dependent on her for his every move as shepherd of souls. And in
this dependence on her, he found an ever-new hope for the human
race. The only thing that is wanting for any of us to gain access
to the holy presence of God with us is a simple Fiat, a “Yes” to the
Lord and giver of life.
April 5, 2005—8am
Tuesday Easter I
One of the big modern roadblocks to embracing
the Christian faith is what some theologians have called the scandal
of particularity. It is the challenging idea that almighty God, the
creator of the whole universe, really became one man at one point in
history and won salvation for everybody at that particular time.
Modern intellectuals, secular deists, agnostics, and even Muslims
have a real hard time with this intrinsic part of our Christian
faith. And even some Christian theologians perceiving their
difficulty have jettisoned the idea in order to make it easier to be
a Christian.
But we cannot do that without compromising the
core of our Christian faith. We firmly believe that in Jesus Christ
who lived and died 2000 years ago, God did become flesh, shed his
blood for our sakes and rose again from the dead. Once in all of
history, and it is enough. And it is to this one particular event
that the apostles and other disciples bore witness so faithfully.
And this likewise allowed them to achieve real
unity in the early Church. In the first line of our first reading
this morning we heard that the community of believers was of one
heart and mind.
Today as we all embrace and celebrate the
resurrection of the one Lord Jesus Christ, this unity becomes
possible in him. We are not hopelessly divided by our own limited
perspectives in space and time, but in him we too male and female,
rich and poor, white and black can all become one in heart and
mind. Let us pray and work for this unity.
April 8, 2005—7:30pm
Mass for the Dead—For Pope John Paul II
On the day of Funeral and Burial
Acts 10:34-43, Phil 3:20-21, John 21:15-19
Fortunately for me and for you, the homily at a
Mass for the Dead is not supposed to be a eulogy. Otherwise, you
would be here all night with me trying to adequately capture in
words all the good that Pope John Paul II brought us. Fortunately
too, you can read his impressive biographical and autobiographical
works at home.
But the fact that you are here suggests that
you already recognize the greatness of this man. So, here at the
Mass we join with all of the angels and saints, and all of our
brothers and sisters throughout the world and we commend Pope John
Paul II into God’s hands and give thanks to God for his life and
ministry. We do this by celebrating the Eucharist.
Indeed the only adequate conclusion to such a
great life is the Mass where we become present to Jesus Christ’s
death on the Cross and the gates of eternal life are opened up to
us. Here the glorious resurrected body of Jesus Christ is given to
us as our heavenly food and drink and a pledge of our future glory.
And I believe that if the Pope heard us focusing on him instead of
Christ he would be greatly dismayed. But I also think he would
humbly allow us to claim that we can see Christ in him. Pope John
Paul II followed Christ faithfully, he fed his flock and he even
glorified God in his suffering and death like St. Peter himself. He
was another Christ and so revealed to us how God continues to love
and care for his people. He became another Christ however not by
his own genius and effort but by entrusting himself to the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
She, who formed Jesus from the first moment of
conception in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, has left an
indelible mark on Pope John Paul II and his life. May we trust Mary
and the Holy Spirit today to bring John Paul into perfect conformity
with Christ in heavenly glory.
April 9, 2005—10am
Memorial Mass for Elizabeth “Betty” Chladek
E4,5,1
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather
this morning to celebrate this Holy Mass in memory of our beloved
Betty our hearts are touched with grief at her loss. She brought a
lot of good to us and she herself was a gift to us, but now that she
has died we feel the sting of her loss. And we allow ourselves to
feel this sadness as we take time to remember Betty.
But our Eucharistic celebration this morning is
not only about remembering, it is also an opportunity for us to
exercise our faith in God’s love right now. In the midst of our
sorrow, God speaks to us today in the Sacred Scriptures of his
abiding presence. No thing, not even death can separate us from the
love that has come to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God in the
flesh, embraced our poverty and hunger and suffering and mourning
and every aspect of our lives to bring God to us. He so greatly
desired to dwell with us that he shed his blood on the Cross to take
away our sins and he left us the gift of himself in the Eucharist.
As we contemplate these great mysteries of
God’s presence in the Church, we can also feel closer to our beloved
Betty who although she has died is not so far away from us here.
10 de Abril, 2005—6pm @San
Mateo
Tercer Domingo de Pascua—Año A
Hermanos y hermanas aquí
estamos caminando en el sendero de la vida. A veces este sendero
parece muy ordinario; no hay milagros extravagantes para llamar la
atención. Pero hermanos y hermanas este es el camino que nuestro
Señor Jesucristo nos enseñó. Es un camino no muy lejos de nuestros
hogares pero es un camino donde Jesús está presente.
Después de la resurrección de
Jesucristo, los discípulos eran lentos para creer en el Evangelio y
disfrutar la vida nueva. Pero ellos se esforzaron a estudiar las
Sagradas Escrituras y celebrar la Eucaristía. Y a través de estas
prácticas ellos descubrieron a Jesús quien estaba presente todo el
tiempo.
Ahora mismo, Jesucristo está
presente con nosotros y aquí en la santa misa, él ilumina para
nosotros las Sagradas Escrituras y nos da su cuerpo y sangre en la
Eucaristía para quedarse con nosotros. Jesucristo quiere estar con
nosotros todos los días en todos nuestros caminos. Cuando vivimos
nuestras vidas diarias en acuerdo con las enseñanzas de las
Escrituras y cuando ofrecemos todos los frutos de nuestros afanes en
la santa misa cada Domingo, Jesús está siempre presente con
nosotros.
Y cuando Jesús está presente en
los senderos de nuestras vidas, él los convierte en senderos de
vida. Son caminos hacía la gloria eterna. Con Jesús como nuestra
guía diaria tenemos confianza de que vamos a alcanzar el descanso
celestial y la vida abundante de la Santísima Trinidad. Por eso
nosotros celebramos en este camino. Jesús está presente aunque
nosotros a veces no lo conocemos claramente.
April 11, 2005—8am
Monday Easter III+St. Stanislaus
Both Jesus and St. Stephen and even St.
Stanislaus whom we remember this morning all suffered
misunderstandings. And each of us endures this pain from time to
time as well. It seems that the people around us just don’t get it,
they misinterpret our actions and sometimes it backfires on us
violently. Stephen in our first reading was working marvels and
preaching the gospel and when challenged by the synagogue officials
they falsely accused him of trying to destroy the holy places and
the law of Moses. Jesus suffered misunderstanding frequently by his
own disciples and today we can see them pandering after free bread
when Jesus was rather trying to elicit their faith. And finally St.
Stanislaus tried to correct the behavior of the lustful prince
Boleslaus II so that he could inherit the kingdom of God but
Boleslaus took it as malice and had Stanislaus killed.
In all three of these examples of
misunderstandings, Jesus, St. Stephen and St. Stanislaus never lost
their peace of heart and mind. Indeed our first reading said that
Stephen’s face looked like that of an angel as they accused him. My
brothers and sisters may we gain confidence from the Risen Christ to
face all of our misunderstandings with courage and peace.
April 12, 2005—6:15am
Tuesday Easter III
As St. Stephen was being stoned to death and
cried out for forgiveness for his persecutors, the Sacred Scriptures
said that Stephen fell asleep. Now obviously it wasn’t like it was
boring and he just nodded off. No, he was being killed and gave up
his spirit into the hands of God. But this way of referring to real
death in the sacred scriptures has something to teach us.
It is not a denial of the seriousness of death,
but it does keep one eye open to the reality of the Resurrection.
To call death a sleep can be a profoundly Christian way of referring
to death, it is even called that in the Roman Canon, our first
Eucharistic Prayer. The resurrection of the dead at the end of time
will be as simple for God to do as it is for us to wake up a
sleeping person. The soul already purified for heaven or already
suffering the torment of eternal alienation reanimates the body and
brings a fuller dimension to the person’s eternal reward. It is as
if God awakens the body to join the soul in its final destiny.
So my brothers and sisters as we face the
reality of death among our family and friends and even of our Holy
Father, let us keep before us the lively awareness of Christ’s
resurrection and let us share with others our illumined view of the
faithful departed.
April 13, 2005—6:15am
Wednesday Easter III+Pope St. Martin I
In our gospel reading for this morning as Jesus
teaches us about the bread of life, we also see the delicate
interplay between divine and human freedom. God certainly desires
everyone to be saved, but we have to correspond to his saving will
by believing in him and coming to him. And that makes salvation a
real drama. There is and always will be a certain tension so long
as human freedom exists. Hans Urs von Balthasar, a theologian of
the early twentieth century who is growing in popularity, wrote
about this extensively in his works entitled the Theodrama.
For those who don’t like a drama, there is a
persistent temptation to oversimplify our Christian religion. Some
will tend to make salvation depend only on God and this leads to
apokatastasis or double predestination theories. And on the other
hand making salvation dependent only on us leads to Pelagianism and
other sorts of humanistic philosophies, like communist atheism.
Back in the mid 600s, this kind of
oversimplification took the form of monothelitism, a belief that
Jesus Christ himself had only one will and not a dramatic interplay
of two wills. Recognizing the error of monothelitism, our saint for
today, Pope Martin I rigorously combated it. But due to the
unfavorable opposition of the Emperor, he was exiled and starved to
death. Pope Martin I was the last of the popes to be martyred in
the drama of salvation history.
April 23, 2005—8am
Saturday Easter IV+St. George
With the great amount of attention that Paul
and Barnabas received from the crowds, some of the Jews were filled
with jealousy. Jealousy, like envy is sadness at the good fortune
of another. And at its heart is a competitive and fractured view of
the world.
The jealous Jews in this morning’s first
reading saw the popularity of Paul and Barnabas as a threat to their
own good standing, whereas Paul and Barnabas had no intention of
putting down the Jews, they were simply sharing the good news of
Jesus, of which there is plenty to go around.
In today’s Gospel, Philip said to Jesus, show
us the Father. But that question following on the heels of Jesus’
statement you have seen the Father, shows that Philip too is stuck
in a fractured worldview. How can I have seen the Father when all I
have seen is Jesus?
Well the oneness of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit for that matter is so deep that its revelation heals
the world. When we see and understand that the three eternal divine
persons are one in being with each other, we are delivered from
jealousies of all sorts.
April 23, 2005—12:30pm Mass
Marriage of Nicholas Goins and Jamie Sheridan
B2d5f1
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather
this afternoon for the marriage of our friends Nick and Jamie, our
hearts are filled with excitement because we know that this is an
extremely important occasion. All of the beautiful flowers and
garments and music heighten our awareness of the dignity of today’s
celebration.
But what makes today’s celebration truly noble
is not all of the fanfare but rather the divine power that is at
work here in a quiet way. From the beginning of time God made man
and woman to be one in a complete union of body and soul. But we
also know that it didn’t take long before sin entered into the
picture and corrupted God’s plan. Adam and Eve caved in to the
deceits of the devil and then started pointing fingers. Their
communion was corrupted. And their kids started killing each
other. And the rest is history. You can watch the evening news for
the latest chapter.
But God was not content to let his plan go down
the tubes so quickly. In the fullness of time he sent his eternal
Son, Jesus Christ to save us from sin and be the revelation of true
love, love which is patient and kind, love which indeed bears all
things. Even the agony of the Cross. In Jesus Christ, God restored
marriage to its original dignity and beyond. Marriage is now a
sacrament of God’s own everlasting love. Just as Jesus Christ laid
down his life on the Cross for his bride the Church, so too are
Jamie and Nick laying down their lives today in their marriage
commitment. In their marriage vows, God’s power is at work creating
a new covenant between Nick and Jamie and is restoring the original
unity of man and woman according to God’s plan. It is a marvel for
us to behold this and truly it is a cause for celebration.
But in spite of all of the splendor of this
day, we know that it is not a piece of cake to live the sacrament of
marriage since the devil is still prowling around to destroy what he
can. Therefore it is crucial for Jamie and Nick to constantly
reconnect with the power of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. At the
Mass we become one with him who is the infinite source of love.
Here God’s plan is fulfilled and we find that blessedness to which
Jesus invites all of his disciples. Amen.
April 24, 2005—11:30am
Fifth Sunday of Easter—Year A
Sometimes you wonder if Jesus’ apostles were
just outright deaf. In today’s gospel both St. Thomas and St.
Philip show an incredible deficiency in their ability to listen.
First Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling
places and I am going to prepare a place for you.” Then Thomas
says, “We do not know where you are going.” Duh.
Then Jesus goes on to say, “From now on you
know the Father and have seen him.” And Philip replies, “Master
show us the Father.” Double duh.
I’m sure that each of you has experiences like
this. Maybe it’s with your kids or a coworker or classmate who
doesn’t seem to be on the same planet with you. For example, you
tell your third grade son, don’t stick your fork in the toaster.
And five minutes later he comes crying to you because he burned his
hand doing what, Sticking his fork in the toaster. You wonder if
the kid understands English.
In today’s first reading well after the
resurrection and Pentecost, the apostles show that they’ve got it.
They recognize the essential importance of prayer and the ministry
of the word, it comes even before eating and drinking. They choose
seven men to be deacons and lay their hands on them so that the
apostles will not neglect prayer and the ministry of the word. The
business of proclaiming the Gospel and showing people the way and
the truth and the life is a full time calling. It takes work to
deliver the word effectively.
Look at Jesus again in the gospel reading.
When Thomas and Philip show their abysmal misunderstanding, Jesus
does not slam them or walk away. Hello you got any brains in
there? No, Jesus remains patient and gentle and tries to teach them
another way. He finds new words to illuminate their minds. It
takes work.
Similarly I think that this will be one of the
treats that we are in for with our new Pope Benedict XVI. Joseph
Cardinal Ratzinger is a man of deep faith and an excellent teacher.
He has worked hard at bringing the Gospel message to people of today
and now as Pope he will probably work even harder at it. For years
Cardinal Ratzinger has been a bright light among European
theologians casting away the shadows of modern skepticism and
practical atheism. If you ever want to get a good stretch of your
mind to let in more of the light of our faith, I strongly recommend
reading his “Introduction to Christianity.” Which he wrote decades
ago. It is a commentary on the Apostle’s Creed in the context of
modern unbelief. It’s not an easy read, but definitely worthwhile.
Anyway, as we look our Lord Jesus’ patience in
instructing his apostles, we too need to exert the same patience in
bringing the light of the Lord to those whom we love. Are we truly
ministers of truth and life each time we open our mouths? Let us
pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us in the Way of the Lord just
as he did the Apostles and their successors.
April 25, 2005—8am
Feast of St. Mark
As we celebrate the feast of St. Mark this
morning, we recall that one of the unique characteristics of St.
Mark’s gospel is what is known as the Messianic Secret. Frequently
throughout his gospel St. Mark refers to Jesus hiding his identity
by silencing demons and telling others not to mention his miracles.
It would have blown his plan of revelation which culminated in the
Eucharist and on the cross, not in his walking on water and so on.
And so an appropriate and well-kept secret can definitely be a part
of God’s plan.
Now this is no excuse for criminal cover-ups or
letting people persist in errors. But some secrets are good and
healthy. Letting too much be revealed or letting out good
information at the wrong time are really just food for the Devil who
is prowling like a roaring lion. Two examples.
First modesty is a kind of secret and revealing
too much skin at the wrong times is a fuel for lust and all sorts of
sexual sin. Violation of modesty can even occur under the guise of
sex education for children who are not ready for such information.
But keeping modesty intact is a great aid to helping children live
the virtue of chastity.
Second example is the recent conclave. You
could sense the frustration of reporters around the world who were
prohibited from seeing the inner workings of the conclave. All that
the world really needs to know is who the Cardinals and the Holy
Spirit of God picked for the next pope. And that we do know. Any
more information is really just food for the devil again. Gossip
about who got second place, resentment envy jealousy, who voted for
who, factions and so on. It serves no good whatsoever.
So today even as we hear Jesus telling the
apostles to proclaim the Gospel to every creature like St. Mark did,
let us not upset the process of evangelization by denying good
secrets.
April 26, 2005—6:15am
Tuesday Easter V
Jesus in today’s gospel insists that the world
must know he loves the Father. And it’s an interesting thing that
Jesus insists on this. On the surface it seems to be not such a big
deal that the Son loves the Father, I mean it’s kind of obvious.
But the importance of this is that the love of the Son for the
Father expressed in human flesh in the life of Christ on earth is
our source of peace. The peace that the world cannot give.
St. Paul certainly had this otherworldly peace
as we see his actions in today’s first reading. After preaching a
while, Paul was stoned by some of the Jews and dragged out of the
city and left for dead. But when Paul revives, what does he do? He
goes back into the city. Obviously he has been delivered from fear
by God and obviously he is not going back for vengeance, rather it
seems that he simply goes back to be with the people, especially
Barnabas and perhaps to wrap up some unfinished business.
All that after being stoned nearly to death and
dragged out of the city. Such peace and fortitude are only possible
to those who know Christ’s love.
April 27, 2005—8am
Wednesday Easter V
With the image of the vine and the branches,
Jesus this morning gives us an illustration of the principle of the
organic life and growth of the Church. Those who are connected with
the vine through its unity of faith, practice and governance are
parts of the Church.
And as we see as Jesus expands the image of the
vine and branches, he talks about growth and bearing fruit and
pruning. The vine changes, it goes through different phases as
would any living thing, but it remains the same vine with the same
essential nature. So too with the Church. Even as it changes and
adapts through the ages and different cultures it retains a vital
sap and essential identity that does not change.
Knowing the difference between what is
extraneous and what is essential in the church then is of crucial
importance and yet it requires great wisdom. Ultimately it requires
God’s own wisdom, because as Jesus said his Father is the vine
grower—not us. He does the pruning—not us. But this divine wisdom
is not entirely beyond us. Much has been revealed in the Sacred
Scriptures about the nature of the Church and the Holy Spirit even
to this day continues to guide it to further growth and greater
fruitfulness throughout the world. Let us thank God today at this
Mass for making us parts of such a wonderful Church.
April 28, 2005—4pm @Outdoor
Education(George Williams college)
Easter Thursday V
In our first reading this afternoon we heard
about the apostles debating on the salvation of the gentiles. The
first followers of Jesus who were for the most part good Jews
sometimes found it confusing to hear about non-Jewish people
becoming Christians. They thought that Jesus came to save the Jews,
the people with whom God made the covenant in Abraham and Moses.
But St. Peter the first pope spoke up very
clearly in the assembly and said that, “We are saved, through the
grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” And the whole
assembly fell silent.
(Pause)
Peter put the truth so clearly that Jesus came
to save the whole world including the Gentiles and the Jews whose
law was inadequate for salvation. And everybody recognized the
truth of what Peter said.
The death and Resurrection of Jesus brings
saving grace to the whole world: Jews and Gentiles, and dogs and
cats and rocks and plants. In Jesus the whole world finds a new
future.
You see when God became human and died to take
away our sins, he didn’t do that just to save our souls. He didn’t
just die and leave his body behind to rot in the tomb. No, Jesus
rose again from the dead and ascended to heaven forty days later
with a human body made of water and blood and skin and hair and so
on. God’s saving grace affects all of creation. And that’s part of
the reason why we consecrate altars with holy chrism and build
churches dedicated in the name of Jesus. It shows that Jesus makes
creation holy and gives it a new destiny when it stays connected
with him. But apart from Jesus nothing will be saved. So we come
to Jesus at this Mass with gratitude for giving grace to each of us,
for touching our lives in Holy Communion and for making our joy
complete in his never ending love.
April 29, 2005—10am
Funeral for Joseph Haczek
E4.12.17
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather
this morning for the funeral of our beloved Joseph our hearts are
touched with sorrow. And this grief is not so much for him but for
ourselves for we recognize that we have suffered a great loss.
Joseph is no longer with us in this life as he was for a good many
years. And that loss is accentuated when we remember all the good
things that Joseph brought to us in his life.
But as St. Paul said in our second reading this
morning, we as Christians ought not to grieve like the rest who have
no hope. Our grief is different and far less bitter. It is a
sadness pierced with a bright ray of hope.
We believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
and through our discipleship and our sharing in his life through the
sacraments, we share in his victory over death. Joseph’s death is
not the end of his life, it is more like a sleep as his soul goes
into the hands of God and his body awaits the general resurrection
at the end of time.
The separation we experience from Joseph now is
only temporary, and it is our firm hope in Christ that we will see
him again in the heavenly Jerusalem. In that holy city, God makes
all things new, even our bodies, and he wipes away every tear from
our eyes. My brothers and sisters, let us console one another with
this hope as we lay our brother to rest in the peace of Christ
today.
April 30, 2005—Noon
First Holy Communion (Corpus Christi prayers)
1Cor12:12-13, Gal 3:26-28, Mark 10:13-16
My brothers and sisters in Christ, it looks
like we have a lot of people who are happy to be here today. How
many of you have been really looking forward to this day?
Great!
You see each of our hearts is restless and has
a very deep longing for God and we are not happy until we come to
him like you are today in your first Holy Communion. That longing
in our hearts has different ways of expressing itself in our lives
but they are all satisfied here in the celebration of the Eucharist
and the reception of Holy Communion. Here is the high point of
Christian initiation and the source and summit of our life as
Christians.
One of the ways our hearts long for God is a
desire for union. We want to be one with him and no longer separate
from him. And in the Sacrament of Holy Communion when received with
faith and hope and love does make us one with him. He is not just a
companion any more. He doesn’t just look over us from heaven or
walk beside us on the road, no he lives in us. And we are one with
him. We experience an intimacy with God in this sacrament that goes
beyond our imaginations.
A second way that our hearts long for God is a
desire for fruitfulness and effectiveness. We want to make a
difference and make the world a better place. And this sacrament
which you are receiving for the first time today does this in two
ways. First of all, we bring today and every week, the fruits of
all of our labors. They are represented in the bread and wine.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of the priest,
these fruits of our work become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
and are offered to our Heavenly Father in a perfect act of
thanksgiving. So here Jesus makes up for the inadequacy of our
works. He changes humble bread and wine into glorious food for
everlasting life. Say I got only a C+ on my test or I didn’t make
any goals in my soccer game. Well if we come here with a clean
heart and offer our best efforts to Jesus he makes them acceptable
to God the Father and that matters more than anything else. It
makes all the difference in the world. Then when we receive this
sacrament of Jesus body and blood he sends us forth with new
strength and energy to be more effective and fruitful next week. In
the words of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, those who receive the Eucharist
worthily become fire-breathing lions that terrify the Devil. With
the strength of this sacrament we can make a difference in the world
that will last unto eternity. We can become victors over sin and
death like the saints who have received this sacrament before us.
So all together we have the greatest reasons to
be happy today because here Jesus is satisfying the deepest desires
of our hearts.
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