LIBRARY OF HOMILIES
FROM
FATHER CHRIS
AUGUST 2000
August 6th - Feast of the Transfiguration (English)
August 6th - Fiesta de la Transfiguración (Spanish)
August 13th - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (English)
August 14th - Feast of the Assumption (English)
August 20th - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (English)(Father Chris was away this weekend)
August 27th - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(English)
The writer Miguel de Cervantes created a novel from which the
play Man of La Mancha was derived. In that play, Don Quixote is an
aging man who no longer has all of his senses about him. He believes
himself to be a knight-errant destined to slay dragons, rescue damsels
in distress, and be courageous in the face of trial.
One of the most memorable characters in the story is Aldonza.
She is a village prostitute. But when Don Quixote sees her he calls
her his Dulcinea. He sees beauty and purity in her. She initially
thinks Quixote is just a foolish old man. But his love for her transforms
her. By the end of the movie she comforts the dying Quixote by echoing
the words he sang, “The Impossible Dream.” In a sense, this song
becomes her theme because Don Quixote’s love for her had made the impossible
possible.
The story of transformation always excites us. The Man
of La Mancha was such a successful play for that reason. Likewise
many movies and songs are made about people who are transformed by the
love, forgiveness, or courage of another. In a real way, that is
the story that we hear of today.
Jesus takes his disciples to a mountain. On that mountain
the divine presence is seen in a cloud and a voice from heaven. Jesus
is transformed by this power. With him are Moses and Elijah, the
two great witnesses of Israel’s past.
Peter, James, and John are witnesses of this transformation.
They don’t know what to make of it. They only want it to last.
Peter suggests building a tent or tabernacle for the three of them.
Jesus brushes off that suggestion reminding the apostles that the glory
and joy they witnessed would be necessary for the days ahead. Moses
had to leave the mountain where the Lord conversed with him to return to
the people only to find them worshipping a golden calf. Elijah met
the Lord in a tiny whispering voice on the mountain only to be told to
go back to Jerusalem and face Queen Jezebel, who wanted to kill him.
Jesus too reminds the apostles that their mission will take them to another
hill, Calvary. It will be there that this glory will be understood.
The apostles have come to see Jesus as more than a man.
He is a teacher, a rabbi, and a prophet. He heals the sick and raises
the dead. He can control the winds and the sea. Now they experience
this transfiguration. Soon they will realize that the powers of sin
and death will try to destroy Jesus on the cross. This experience
is to remind them not to fear that power of sin and death for it cannot
triumph over the Son of Man who comes on the clouds.
Both the experience of the transfiguration and the experience
of Calvary are an encounter of the divine in the human. The divine
presence is to be found not by escaping from the world of space and time
but by embracing it. Jesus allowed his disciples to experience times
of great joy and celebration. I am sure they had many times together
that are not written in the scriptures apart from the many great times
that are listed. Likewise, Jesus taught his disciples that one must
embrace the pain and suffering that comes from life and from doing the
will of God.
The balance between finding God in happy times and finding
Him in pain is not one that is easy for us. I would imagine that
if you were asked where do you find the Lord you might respond that I have
found Christ in the Eucharist or at prayer. I have found the presence
of God in a beautiful sunrise or in the birth of a child. We could
easily feel close to God in times of celebration. But how many people
would say they see God in the death of a loved one? Could you see
God in the gray days or the storm clouds as well as in the peaceful breeze
on a sunny day? The more that we can experience God in both joy and
sorrow do we grasp the mystery of God.
God has chosen to dwell with us. In the Eucharist, which
we reflect on this month, we know that Christ is truly present. In
the music and celebration of Liturgy, Christ is present. Christ is
also present in your struggles, pain, disappointments, and suffering.
You are never alone. The disciples learned this on two mountains.
We will discover it on the mountains of our lives; in the good times and
the bad. Hopefully we will be transformed or transfigured by that
experience and grow in closeness to our God.
El escritor
Miguel Cervantes creó una novela de donde se deriva el Hombre de
la Mancha. En esta obra, Don Quijote es un hombre envejeciente que
ya no está bien de la cabeza. El se cree un Caballero-errante
destinado a matar dragones, rescatar jovenes en peligro, ser valiente frente
a la tribulación.
Uno
de sus mas memorables personajes en la historia es Aldonza. Ella
es la prostituta del pueblo. Pero cuando Don Quijote la vé
la llama su Dulcinea. El ve belleza y pureza en ella. Inicialmente
ella cree que Don Quijote es un viejo tonto. Pero su amor por ella
la transforma. Ya para el final de la pelicula ella consuela
al moribundo Quijote haciendo eco a las palabras que el cantaba,
“El Sueño Imposible.” En cierto sentido, ésta canción
se hace el tema porque el amor de Don Quijote por ella a hecho de lo imposible
lo posible.
La historia de transformación
siempre nos entusiasma. El Hombre de la Mancha era una exitosa
obra por esa razón. De la misma forma muchas peliculas y canciones
son hechas sobre personas que han sido transformadas por el amor, perdon,
o valentia de otro.
En una forma real, esa es la historia que escuchamos hoy.
Jesus lleva a sus discipulos
a la montaña. En esa montaña la divina presencia es
vista en la nube y la voz del cielo. Jesus es transformado por este
poder. Con el estan Moises y Elias, los dos grandes testigos del
pasado de Israel.
Pedro, Santiago y Juan
son testigos de ésta transformación. Ellos no saben
que hacer de aquello. Solo quieren que dure mas. Pedro sugiere
hacer unas casetas o tabernaculos para los tres. Jesus deshace la
sugerencia recordandoles a los apostoles que la gloria y alegria que han
experimentado sera necesaria para lo que les espera mas adelante.
Moises tuvo que dejar la montaña donde el Señor conversó
con el para regresar a su gente y solo encontrarlos adorando un becerro
de oro. Elias conoció al Señor en una vocesita susurrante
en la montaña solo para decirle que volviera a Jerusalen y se enfrentara
a la Reina Jezebel, quien queria matarlo. Jesus le recuerda a los
apostoles que su mision les llevará a otra montaña, Calvario.
Seria alli que ésta gloria se entenderia.
Los apostoles habian
llegado a ver a Jesus como más de un simple hombre. El era
un maestro, un rabino, y un profeta. El sanaba al enfermo y resucitaba
al muerto. El podia controlar el viento y la mar. Ahora ellos
experimentaban la transfiguración. Pronto se darian cuenta
que el poder del pecado y muerte destruiria a Jesus en la cruz. Esta
experiencia es para recordarles que no teman ese poder de pecado y muerte
porque no puede triunfar sobre el Hijo del Hombre quien viene sobre
las nubes.
Ambas experiencias de
la transfiguración y la experiencia del Calvario son el encuentro
de lo divino en lo humano. La divina presencia se encuentra no escapando
del mundo de tiempo y espacio pero abrazandolo. Estoy seguro que
tuvieron muchos otros ratos juntos que no estan escritos en las escrituras
fuera de los grandes momentos que aparecen. Igualmente, Jesus
les enseñó a los discipulos que se deve abrazar el dolor
y el sufrimiento que viene de la vida y haciendo la voluntad de Dios.
El balance entre encontrar
a Dios en tiempos alegres y encontrarlo en el dolor no es cosa facil para
nosotros. Yo pienso que si les preguntaran donde encontrarian al Señor
quizás responderian que he encontrado a Dios en la Eucaristia o
en la oración. Yo he encontrado la presencia de Dios en un
bello amanecer o en el nacimiento de un niño. Podemos facilmente
sentir a Dios bien cerca en tiempo de celebración. ¿Pero
cuantas personas diran que ven a Dios en la muerte de un ser querido?
¿Puedes ver a Dios en los dias grises o las nubes tormentosas como
en un dia soleado de suave brisa? Mientras mas podamos experimentar
a Dios en ambas alegria y pena podemos comprender el misterio de Dios.
Dios ha escogido habitar
entre nosotros. En la Eucaristia, en la cual refleccionamos en este mes,
nosotros sabemos que Cristo verdaderamente está presente.
En la música y celebración de la liturgia, Cristo está
presente. Cristo tambien está presente en las luchas, dolor,
decepciones, y sufrimiento. Nunca estas solo. Los discipulos
aprendieron ésto en dos montañas. Nosotros lo descubriremos
el la montaña de nuestras vidas; en los buenos tiempos y en los
malos. Esperamos que seamos transformados o transfigurados por esa experiencia
y creciendo nos acerquemos a nuestro Dios.
Two weeks ago we began a reflection on the Eucharist as the
Bread of Life which is found in John’s Gospel. I suggested then that
this mystery which we celebrate each time we come together for Liturgy
is so powerful and profound that we need to pause every so often and reflect
more deeply. That Sunday we heard of the miracle of the loaves and
fishes. This miracle satisfied the physical hunger of the crowds
who had come to listen to Jesus. This miracle of feeding could have
been so ordinary that hardly anyone noticed what occurred. Very much
like the Eucharist that is a quiet miracle that can go unnoticed so too
the miracle on the hillside. When we gather for Eucharist we are
in the midst of our God who works a wonderful miracle in transforming ordinary
bread, made by human hands, into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Another miracle occurred on the hillside. That miracle
was of unity. Jesus united people of different social classes, men
and women, children and the elderly in the bond of a meal. No longer
could anyone in that crowd contend that they were free from the concerns
of others. They were being united into a body by being bound to Christ.
That too is a miracle that occurs in our midst every time we celebrate
Mass.
Today I would like to reflect on how we should respond to
these miracles. The crowds had the choice of accepting what they
heard from Jesus. They were invited to experience true unity from
the Lord. What would be their response?
Sadly we heard how the crowds responded. They saw Jesus
as too ordinary. How could he claim to come from God? We know
his mother and father. We know where he came from. We saw him
grow up here. They were unwilling to see the holy in the midst of
the ordinary. They were unwilling to imagine that God was doing something
profound in their midst. By and large they rejected Jesus and the
power of God flowing from him.
How do we respond to the Eucharist and to the power of Christ
in the Eucharist? Do we take an attitude towards the Eucharist that
it’s just bread? Do we think, it’s too ordinary? Nothing special
here! There are two ways that we can grow in respect and holiness
for Christ. One is external. The other is internal. The
externals around the Eucharist are important. Our Church suggests
ways to show our reverence to the Lord in the Eucharist. When you
grew up you were taught to genuflect when you entered a Catholic Church.
Why? This was done because the Eucharist was reserved in the tabernacle
that usually sat in the center of the sanctuary. The genuflection
is still a powerful symbol of humility and loyalty to Christ. I have
encouraged our children who must use the Chapel of Reposition for their
FREE class to remember they are in the presence of Jesus. I have
taught them that they should genuflect when they enter or leave the presence
of Christ. Although our tabernacle is in the Chapel, if you choose
to turn toward the chapel when you come in and genuflect, that would be
appropriate. Otherwise, a profound bow to the altar, the place where
Christ touches us, is another gesture of respect and reverence.
At Mass, during the consecration in our parish we stand.
Most parishes in the USA kneel. Our standing is not less reverence
than kneeling, but a different kind of reverence. When you are standing
for the Gospel or during the Eucharist Prayer you should be standing at
attention. Have you ever seen a soldier stand at attention?
You know how the guards at Buckingham Palace stand guard and are not daunted
by tourists who come by to take their picture or ask questions. Your
gaze and your attention should be focused on the words of the prayer.
I encourage you to make a profound bow when I do after the words of consecration.
Our parish community will be united in its respect for the Eucharist.
When you come to receive communion you should be properly
disposed. Say a prayer before receiving. Perhaps making a sign
of the cross, bowing of your head before receiving or simply asking for
an open heart from the Lord would be a way to prepare for reception of
Communion. If you intend to receive in the hand place one hand under
the other and make a throne for the Lord. If you prefer to receive
on the tongue, open your mouth and stick out your tongue. The Precious
Blood should be received too as a fuller sign of the Eucharist. When
you receive from the cup the minister will say, “The Blood of Christ.”
Take the chalice and consume a small amount. Then return it to the
minister. When you receive the Body or the Blood of the Lord it is
appropriate to respond, “Amen.” This ancient response means, “I believe.”
Those are the external signs. The internal respect we
show for the Eucharist should follow from our external observance.
Our heart should be open to hear the Lord tell us to love our neighbor,
to forgive the wrong someone has done to us, to assist the poor, and to
do justice. An interior openness to Christ and His Eucharist allows
us to become what we profess, the Body of Christ. St. Paul reminded
us today that to belong to the Body of Christ means that we should put
on the mind and heart of Christ.
In two weeks I will share how the Eucharist should affect
our lives and how we “put on the mind of Christ.” Continue to praise
Christ for this great and awesome miracle of grace in our midst.
Amen.
Recently a friend told me that the well she has was pulling
up sand. She had sand in her toilets and sinks. Whatever the
ultimate reason for the problem, it’s going to mean some money going out.
At the same time she was having car problems. The time involved and
the possible expense with that was annoying. On top of all those
things her health was not the greatest. Sound familiar? Maybe
you would have your own woes. It could be a major appliance that
goes unexpectedly. You might have job problems or relationship problems.
Doesn’t it always seem that just when you think everything is set something
goes wrong? How frustrating life can be!
I suppose if I didn’t have any faith I might argue that life
is too hard. Why are we put on earth to struggle with so many things?
It might seem that the most logical answer would be to end this life.
But we do believe. We do trust in the Lord. How do we make
sense of the difficulties and impossibilities of life?
There is only one way that I know. Live life to the
fullest, but know that it will always be incomplete. Know that no
matter how good it gets or how wonderful things are, eventually they will
wear out or disappoint. So, while life is meant to be lived, it is
also temporary. Our ultimate happiness and satisfaction will only
be found in the world to come. I believe that is what today’s feast
is all about.
When we think of Mary we can recall the great joys she had.
She never knew the stain and guilt of sin. She was asked to be the
mother of the savior. She gave birth to Jesus and was able to nurture
and love him into adulthood. She saw Jesus become teacher, prophet,
healer, and Messiah. She knew that God was working powerfully in
her life and in the life of her son.
Those were the positives. She also experienced poverty.
She was forced to leave her own country because Herod was pursuing her.
She was widowed at a young age and saw her son die a horrible death on
the cross. She was no stranger to pain and difficulty. Here
is the Mother of God, the most favored Lady of our race and yet she endured
much difficulty in life.
She knew that the Lord was with her. In her Magnificat
she proclaims that there will be a reversal of fortune. The poor
will be lifted up and the rich will be turned away empty. Where is
that fulfilled? Not too often on this earth. She knew that
only God could bring about true justice. Only He can fulfill all
of our hopes and dreams. We will never find ultimate happiness on
this earth.
Her longing was rewarded in being assumed body and soul into
heaven. For the Lord did fulfill his promise to her. He showed
her that this life is valuable, but that there is one even more glorious
to come. We only get glimpses of that here. Mary has experienced
the fullness of it.
So on this feast day we are reminded to enjoy this life.
God has blessed human life. He became one of us in the womb of Mary.
He said it is so good that he allowed Mary’s body to be assumed into heaven.
Yet, despite how good this world is, it is only a shadow compared to the
glory that is yet to be revealed. Know that disappointments will
come. Know also that what we await is the completion and fulfillment
of all our unfulfilled desires. That hope keeps us going when wells
run dry, cars stop running, and friends walk out of our life. Amen.
20 August 2000 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“To him who lacks understanding, I say, Come, eat of my food,
and drink of the wine I have mixed!”
Our faith seeks to understand what it believes. This is the way God made us. As Aristotle put it: “All men by nature desire to know.” But the great gift of reason does not dictate to faith what is true; rather, reason, which believes God because He is God, seeks to understand what it knows by faith is true. Unfortunately, as rational yet fallen people we don’t always get this order right.
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can He give us His flesh to eat?” Like us, they wanted to know the “how” of Jesus’ incredible claims. Jesus doesn’t answer their “how” question. However, He does solemnly assure them again of the truth: they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. In fact, He repeats this necessity three times to emphasize its seriousness. Now, for us on the other side of the Resurrection accustomed to receiving Jesus in the holy Eucharist, His speaking of His flesh and His blood being received as separated from each other, being “eaten” and “drunk” have more sense to them! But what about those inquirers that day? “How can He give us His flesh to eat?” they demand. Their faith was not yet in Jesus who revealed, but in their own ability to understand “how”.
They were sure of the “wisdom” they already had. They had come to see if Jesus could indeed multiply bread, or even give them the sign of manna, the greatest bread-from-heaven miracle they had heard of. But He offered them a third feeding miracle which went beyond their accepted wisdom. He was even willing to insult their standard of “the best” by pointing out Your ancestors ate and died nonetheless. Jesus made an unbelievable promise—“the man who feeds on this bread shall live forever”-on top of an unbelievable claim—“I Myself am the living bread come down from heaven “-and an unbelievable condition—“You must feed on My flesh and drink My blood.”
What did these people want? They wanted what we want. They wanted answers! Just like we do, they said to Jesus: “You don’t fit what our wisdom understood! You don’t promise what our wisdom expected! Now tell us how!” But God’s wisdom doesn’t have to answer any human being, and so Jesus doesn’t answer.
Christ is not opposed to questions. Saint Paul tells us Do not continue in ignorance, but try to discern the will of the Lord. Do not act like fools, but like thoughtful men. The Church’s rich history of theology is our faith seeking understanding of what it believes. But the great gift of reason seeks to understand out of love for God who reveals what we believe, the God who can neither deceive nor be deceived. It’s not the other way around! The creature does not give conditions to the Creator, saying, “Explain yourself! Let me see it all for myself and then I’ll believe you!” That is not “reasonability” but “rationalism”, which places our faith not in God who reveals but in our own broken wisdom.
Christ gives a free invitation both to those Jews of the Gospel and to us to believe and to receive Him. The “how” of Jesus in the Eucharist will always elude us: it is a mystery. But it is precisely in believing and receiving Jesus that the “how” and “why” of faith becomes more clear to us. Why is there suffering? We ask God. How can a priest forgive sins? Why don’t You just reveal Yourself to everyone? Why aren’t all of my prayers answered how I want? But God’s unsearchable wisdom is not a calculator that spits out answers with cold, logical efficiency. Our God is a Person who loves us intensely. We come to understand a person by entering a loving relationship, not by demanding “information” from them. Two people on a first date don’t pound the table and demand “Show me the deepest secrets of your heart!!” , or there probably won’t be a second date! Instead they are gradually enveloped by the mystery of love between persons, and they begin to understand each other as heart speaks to heart and reveals what only love can grasp.
Does our God not make the same loving invitation? Out
over the world He ceaselessly cries: “Let whoever is simple turn
in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say, Come eat of My food and
drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may
live; advance in the way of understanding. The man who feeds on My
flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him.” Remaining
in one another, we come to love, and loving, we come to understand.
Fr. Tom Holloway
Some time ago a tightrope walker in New York City devised a way
to string a rope across one building from the 60th floor to a building
across the street on the 60th floor. People watching the spectacle
asked one another, “Do you think he can make it?” The other replied,
“Of course I believe he will make it.” The first person then said,
“Would you ride piggy-back when he walks across the wire?” Now that
would be faith.
The disciples of Jesus were asked to have faith. He wanted
them to believe in him, not just his miracles. He wanted them to
see that God loves them and would take the unusual step of becoming one
with us by taking on human flesh. Can you believe that? Then,
if you can put your faith in that, can you believe that this same person
would be lifted up on the cross? There glory would be found.
Can you believe that? That is faith.
Two weeks ago I suggested that sometimes our faith requires us
to show acts of reverence even when we struggle. We stand at attention,
we genuflect or bow to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. These
are external signs of an internal change of heart. At least that
is what should be occurring. If we struggle with understanding and
believing in the real presence when all we see is bread and wine, how can
we take our faith into the world?
Joshua asked the people of Israel once they had gotten settled
in the land if they were still interested in serving the God that got them
there. He told them that he and his family would serve the Lord.
The people respond that they too will not forget the Lord, but will serve
him too. We know that there good intentions were not always lived
out.
I believe that we run into the same problem and maybe for the
same reason. When the people settled in the land they didn’t need
God to provide manna each day to eat. They didn’t need God to help
them find water. They weren’t afraid of serpents and scorpions any
more. They could rely on their own resources without Christ.
You and I probably grew up in homes where Church attendance was
non-negotiable. There wasn’t any discussion about if you were going
to Church, only when. Today it is said that Church attendance by
Catholics averages only about 50%. Many do not think there is anything
wrong when they don’t attend Mass on Sundays or Holy Days. Is it
possible that we don’t see as much of a need for Christ today because we
are not facing the Depression, World War II, or polio? Have we figured
out ways to take care of ourselves without Christ? How will the next
generation know and love the Lord if they do not hear about Him?
The second area that faith seems weaker today is in marriage.
It is far more common today to see divorce and remarriage than it was 40
or 50 years ago. Many more couples do not get married in the Church.
This would have been unheard of then, but it seems no big deal for many
Catholics today? Is it possible that the notion that husbands and
wives should love each other in holy submission seems outdated? Does
anyone submit to anyone for any reason? Submission to one another
requires faith in one’s spouse that Christ dwells within. It requires
faith even knowing their weaknesses and faults. That is what faith
is all about.
The third area is in the marketplace or the world. Christian
faith requires that we be promoters of life. Yet today there seems
to be more violence than in years gone by. We tolerate abortion and
capital punishment as necessary. We are more prosperous than probably
any other time in our history and yet many people around the world still
are hungry. I believe that many Christians, including Catholics tend
to see their faith as something that is for Sunday morning. The rest
of the week is lived in the world where faith doesn’t seem to play a role.
There is something wrong with that picture. Catholicism believes
that Christ took on human flesh and lived among us and gives us His body
and blood because this world is very important.
Faith in the Eucharist is believing that bread and wine become
Christ’s Body and Blood. It’s seeing past the physical signs to the
spiritual reality. But it is also believing that Christ’s real presence
is found not only on the altar or in the tabernacle, but also in each other.
One cannot be a believer and deny the real presence in either place.
Yet, our actions too often are like the apostles who walked away from Jesus.
The Lord asks us every day, “Do you want to leave me too?”