July 26, 2009
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
17th Sunday, Year B, July 26th, 2009
Today, after Communion, we will be hearing from our Honduras missionaries, Leah Cogan and Chris Jackson. How fitting that in the Gospel today, we also hear of Jesus’ concern for the poor in feeding the hungry with the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fish (Jn 6:1-15).
Jesus wants to satisfy both our physical and spiritual hunger. In this same chapter of John, Jesus will later teach the disciples about the Eucharist, in which He satisfies our spiritual hunger for love, truth and eternal life by giving us His Body and Blood in Holy Communion: “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54)
Our spiritual hunger is satisfied through the Eucharist AND by helping to satisfy the physical hunger of others. The latest statistics on world hunger, published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, report an 11% increase in world hunger, due to the global economic crisis. The number has surpassed 1 billion for the first time (the report defines chronic hunger as receiving fewer than 1,800 calories a day. By way of comparison, if I led a completely sedentary life, I would need 1,800 calories a day, but with moderate activity, I need about 2,200 calories).
In his latest encyclical, the Holy Father comments on the teaching of Jesus to “feed the hungry” as an “ethical imperative for the universal Church,” and that it is “necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination” (#27).
I highly recommend the Pope’s latest encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” “On Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth,” released earlier this month. It’s his so-called “social justice” encyclical, but it actually includes everything – the development of the whole person. So Benedict very deftly weaves together the individual’s spiritual development with the global economy and the plight of the poor in other countries – all are inter-related.
On a section on “rights and duties” the Pope reminds us that “human solidarity . . . imposes a duty. Many people today would claim that they owe nothing to anyone, except to themselves. They are concerned only with their rights . . . Nowadays we are witnessing a grave inconsistency . . . a link has often been noted between claims to a ‘right to excess’ and even to transgression and vice, within affluent societies and the lack of food, drinkable water, basic instruction and elementary health care in areas of the underdeveloped world” (#43).
I was visiting recently with some wealthy, non-Catholic friends. And I emphasize non-Catholic because their souls have never been satisfied by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. So perhaps I should not blame them for being obsessed with “food that perishes” (John 6:27). They were raving about the kobe steak some of them were eating (has anyone ever heard of it? I hadn’t). I learned, however, that “kobe” steak refers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. It is renowned for its flavour, tenderness and fatty well-marbled texture.
This might be a case of the “right to excess” in affluent societies: while we indulge our discerning palates with ever more exotic and expensive food, 1 billion people go hungry in the rest of the world.
Whenever I go down east, (where I was on holiday for 10 days), the tradition is not to eat steak, but fish, because it’s fresh, local and cheaper than Ottawa – but not just any fish, (like that boring, lower-class fish that Jesus served with the plain old barley loaves). No, we want something special on holiday, like lobster!
Imagine you were traveling down east with a good friend who had never ever tried lobster before, and you go to the fish store and there’s only one left. What is going to give you more enjoyment? To fight the crowd and try to get the last lobster for yourself and stuff your gullet in front of your friend? Or to buy it for your friend and watch him eat it and enjoy it, while you have your simple loaves and fishes?
If we try to selfishly enjoy the good things God has given us, we will not enjoy them much at all. One could say that “charity is the best sauce,” that charity to others – feeding the hungry – will make our own food taste better. And consider also the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs: “Better a dish of herbs where love is, than a fatted ox and hatred with it” (15:17). Better simple loaves and fishes, where love is, than a fatted ox, or lobster, or steak, without love.
We can even apply this little verse to the Eucharist. In terms of taste, the white host at Mass is dull and plain, like a dish of herbs or simple loaves, but it contains the very source of love, and the secret of life and joy!
The Eucharist will both help us enjoy the good things God has given us, and inspire us to share with others. While on holiday, I am still a priest, so I celebrate the Eucharist every day. I didn’t wear my black pants and black shirt and collar to the beach, but I did celebrate the Eucharist every day. I enjoyed eating lobster once, but I really enjoyed receiving Christ in Holy Communion every day.
In fact, I believe it is the dynamism of the Eucharist that sent me on my first mission trip to El Salvador, then later Honduras. As Benedict writes, “it is Christ’s charity that drives us on” (#20). And he quotes St. Paul from 2 Cor 5:14: Caritas Christi urget nos: the charity, the love of Christ for us in the Eucharist impels us to go out there in the world – to our families, our friends, to people of all nations, to share that love.
And I want to thank Leah and Chris for responding to God’s call to share the love He has shown them with the poor and the children in Honduras, and I look forward to their presentation after Mass, (and thus I am shortening my homily).
I would like to briefly mention that Pope Benedict actually recommends the kind of economic aid that our parish offers to Honduras. He writes, “economic aid . . . must be distributed with the involvement not only of the governments of receiving countries, but also local economic agents . . . including local Churches” (#58). I am happy to say that’s exactly what happens with our sponsorship of 30 children in Honduras. It is distributed with the help of the local Church, through an organization called Asociacion Colaboracion y Esfuerzo founded by a Catholic priest, Padre Patricio Larrosa.
How blessed we are to live in Canada, a country of tremendous natural resources and wealth, which satisfies our physical hunger and all our material needs, with such an abundance that we can also share our resources with the poor, our food with the hungry. And how blessed we are as Catholics to receive the Eucharist to satisfy our spiritual hunger for love, truth and eternal life. May our gratitude overflow in our determination to share these gifts with others.
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July 19, 2009
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 19, 2009
The theme of the shepherd is predominant in today’s readings; we hear mention of the shepherd in all but the second reading, even in the Psalm. Now, for many of us, the concept of the shepherd may not be as directly relevant as it once was. But, even for those of us who don’t have first hand experience of sheep, the images and ideas of sheep and shepherd are still fairly readily identifiable. We tend to think of sheep as docile, needing someone, such as a responsible shepherd, to care for them.
Because of this, we would not want to consider ourselves to be like sheep. We like to be independent, to follow our own way, even if sometimes that means dangerously straying from the flock. But spiritually, whether we want to admit it or not, we do need guidance and care. We need someone to help keep us with the flock, or help to gently bring us back if we have strayed. In today’s first reading, the Lord says that He will raise up shepherds to shepherd, to care for, His people. He has done that for us, and our shepherds are our priests.
The year dedicated to St. Paul just finished, and now this is the Year for Priests, as proclaimed by Pope Benedict last month. By virtue of our Baptism, we are all priestly, and we exercise our common priesthood through our life of faith. (1) But there is a difference between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood, the ordained priesthood. Father Tim and I have both received the sacrament of Holy Orders, which configures us to Christ. But the ordination of a deacon differs from that of a priest, and I’ll get into some of the major differences later. The priest by virtue of his ordination acts in persona Christi. (2) Through the ordained ministry, the presence of Christ is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. (3) Ordination consecrates the very being of the priest. This doesn’t make him sinless, or perfect, or even necessarily holier than anyone else. It does give him a unique, permanent character. He is a priest forever.
This parish has had many fine pastors, and I won’t focus too much on Father Tim, but I must say that in him, the Lord has definitely blessed us with a holy and responsible shepherd. He is certainly an example to me, and to all of us. Our gratitude and prayers, though, should be directed to all priests who have dedicated their lives to God and His service.
Pope Benedict has declared the Year for Priests partly because he sees that some people have lost the understanding of the mystery, and the gift, of the priesthood. It is not just for all of us to more fully recognize this, but it is also for the priests themselves. The Pope says “This year is meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world”. (4) He also quotes St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars, who said “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure that the Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of Divine Mercy”. “The priest is not a priest for himself; he is a priest for you.” (5) And for all of us.
As a priest, he is also a shepherd. That sometimes means teaching what is unpopular, teaching what is difficult, teaching what is contrary to what is currently fashionable to think, feel, or believe. Both Father Tim and Father Joe have mentioned on the last two Sundays the difficulties prophets face. The author of today’s first reading, the prophet Jeremiah, faced his share of problems; his words did not find favour with the rulers or the people, and he was persecuted and imprisoned. In our own day, priests often find it necessary to address controversial subjects such as abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, or bio-ethics. Or perhaps discuss topics that more intimately affect our spiritual life, such as Sunday Mass attendance and Sunday rest, and regular confession. People don’t always want to hear these things. These teachings may not find favour with some people or our rulers, our politicians. But, the priests speak to us on these issues anyway, they do so because they are responsible shepherds who love each person in their flock.
Covering these issues is important, but they are important as components of assisting us in our spiritual growth. God gave us shepherds to bring us closer to Him. He also gave us priests to do what no one else can – say Mass and hear confessions. St. Jean-Marie Vianney also said: “Go and confess to the Blessed Virgin or to an angel. Will they absolve you? Will they give you the body and blood of Our Lord? No, the Blessed Virgin cannot make her divine Son descend in the host. Even if you had two hundred angels there with you, they could not absolve you. A priest, no matter how simple he may be, can. He can say to you: go in peace, I forgive you.” (6) This is not in any way meant to diminish Our Lady or the angels, or to put the priest above them, but to recognize the unique and powerful gifts of the priest. The priest has the ability to do what no other creature on earth or in heaven can: by the power of the Holy Spirit, he changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and he absolves sins in God’s name. He does not do this by himself, but God does this through him. The priest acts; it is God who makes the action fruitful.
There are two major parts to every Mass: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Without the priest to perform the consecration, there would be no Liturgy of the Eucharist. All of our prayers and readings in the first part of the Mass are preparing us for and leading us into this holy mystery, which can only be accomplished by a priest. Even when we have a service with the Liturgy of the Word and communion, in order to have communion, there has to have been a priest involved at some point. Christ has given us these men to make Him present to us in a real and substantial way, and to lead us to connect our whole lives to the Mass. He has kept his promise, and given us priests to teach us, to guide us, and to care for us.
Of course, we need more priests. I’m sure there are many men that God is calling, but for one reason or another are not responding to that call. We must do our part and continue to pray for vocations, pray that more of these men say “yes” to their call. And, as the Year for Priests continues, please pray for our priests even more than usual, and pray with gratitude to God for the gift he has blessed us with, the gift of our shepherds.
1.)Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1547
2.)Ibid, 1548
3.)Ibid, 1549
4.)Pope Benedict XVI, Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI proclaiming a Year for Priests June 16, 2009
5.)Ibid.
6.)As quoted by Fr. Roger Landry, “The Gift of the Priesthood”, Inside Catholic, July 10, 2009
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July 5, 2009
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Fourteenth Sunday, Year B, July 5th, 2009
I would like to introduce you to a very unlikely prophet. I think the children especially will be interested in this prophet. And since there is no children’s liturgy in the summer, (and I will miss vacation Bible school as I will be away on holiday), I will take some time to talk to the children. OK, children, are you listening? The readings today talk about rejected prophets: Ezekiel in the first reading, and Jesus who was rejected by the people of Nazareth. Today I would like to introduce you to another rejected prophet. You have already met him once at Easter, and I am bringing him back today. Any guess who he is? (Sound ribbet, ribbet, ribbet)
Yes, a frog! You may wonder: how is a frog a rejected prophet? That’s crazy! How is a frog a rejected prophet like Jesus or Ezekiel? Well, to answer that, I would like to recite a poem for you about why God created the frog.
It was July, 2004 and I was feeling stressed about something (being a new pastor?), thinking, “it’s July! It’s summer! I should be relaxed!” Then God inspired in me this little poem.
The Frog
On vacation in July
the quiet waters by
God made the frog
a bump on a log
to sit and be wise
Green eyes
that think and blink
to pass the time
while men to work rush by
deaf and blind
On Jordan’s bank the cry
from heaven sent
for our meditation:
“Time for God is meant
this short life spent
with stops for contemplation.”
That’s the job of a frog
here in Gog and Magog1
to practice and to preach
where the Gospel doesn’t reach
Greeks by sin and self-will enslaved:
“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved”2
and into heaven leap.
OK children. If you have ever seen a frog on the shore of the Castor River or some pond or lake somewhere, they are almost always sitting still. I have never seen a frog actually catch a fly. I have only seen them sitting still or swimming away once you scare them.
Frogs are prophets by sitting still. Through them, God preaches to us that we must make time in life for sitting still in prayer, meditation, contemplation. Through them, God teaches us about the third commandment, to keep the Sabbath holy, to rest on Sundays and holidays!
Perhaps the frog is not so much a rejected prophet as an ignored prophet. Like the poem says, “men to work rush by, deaf and blind.” People speed along Craig Street beside the Castor River, rushing to and from work. They don’t notice the quiet, hidden prophet sunning himself by the river – the frog sitting still, reminding us of our own need for rest.
Jesus always rested on the Sabbath; He kept the commandments and taught others to do the same. Interestingly, when He was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, it was on the Sabbath, while teaching in the synagogue. I wouldn’t be surprised if He was speaking in part about keeping the commandments. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ezekiel was also a rejected prophet because he reminded the people to keep the commandments they were breaking. People never like to be told that they are breaking the commandments.
Jesus kept all the commandments to perfection, and He kept the Sabbath holy by doing two things: 1) He went to the synagogue every Sabbath, just like Catholics attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday), and 2) He did no work on the Sabbath; he rested. Jesus was a carpenter like St. Joseph, and both of them probably worked very hard for six days, but on the Sabbath neither one of them would even think of touching a hammer or a saw. The Gospels tell us that one sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through the grainfields. Perhaps they were simply relaxing on the Sabbath, going for a walk and enjoying the beauty of nature. Perhaps if Jesus lived in Russell, He and His disciples would go for a walk in the grainfields or near the Castor River and look at the frogs.
A recent study reports that “nearly 25% of Canadians aren’t taking the full number of vacation days they’ve been allotted” (Ottawa Citizen, May 14, 2009). “Not surprisingly, 42% of poll respondents said they’re feeling stressed, tired and vacation deprived.”
Hmmm. 25% of Canadians aren’t taking their full number of vacations, and 42% of respondents are feeling vacation deprived. Hmmm. Let’s ask frog what he thinks about that . . . ribbet, ribbet, ribbet . . . I agree! Frog says that Canadians should take their full number of vacation . . . and avoid work and shopping on Sunday, to truly rest on the Lord’s Day.
“Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet.” What? You want me to tell them that, about the first precept of the Church? They’re not going to like that. You want to be a rejected prophet? Do you want me to throw you to the wolves (or whatever animals eat frogs)? OK. The first precept of the Church is that Catholics must also attend Mass on Sunday (or Saturday) – every Sunday. (Compendium of the Catechism, #432)
Frog is not an experienced prophet; he just blurts things out without thinking. But I know from experience how easily offended people are when they are reminded of the commandments and the precepts of the Church. So I would offer this analogy. First of all, the Church makes laws for our good. For example, it is written in Canon Law that priests must take a retreat every year (normally of at least 5 days). It is for our good. But there are probably some priests who complain: “stupid Church law . . . five days a year! I don’t have time for that! I have important work to do!”
Imagine if the Church came up with some law that married couples had to go on a date at least once/month. You can imagine a modern, busy, stressed out couple, who were making at least some effort to follow Church teaching, complaining about this law. (1st Voice) “Stupid Church laws . . . Honey, it’s the end of the month, and we haven’t gone on our date yet!” (2nd voice) “Well, dear, we really should make some effort to follow Church teaching and go on our date.” (1st Voice) “(Sigh) OK . . . What about next Friday, can you get a babysitter?”
We see the same couple, the day after their enforced date, smiling and happy, because they made an effort and took the time, and they have totally forgotten their complaints about “stupid Church laws.”
There’s a wisdom in the commandments and the precepts of the Church, that insist that we attend Mass on Sunday, rest, and avoid – if at all possible – working or shopping. There’s a wisdom in it, but you have to try it out; you have to live it.
I know many of you attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday) no matter what. Others may be more irregular. I encourage all of you – trust the wisdom of the Church in her commandments and precepts. Just do it! Just decide that you will attend Mass every single Sunday (or Saturday) no matter what. You go on holiday, you check the internet for the closest parish and you go to Mass. Just do it, and God will bless you. Rest on Sunday. When it comes to working or shopping on Sunday, just don’t do it unless it is absolutely necessary. Rest and God will bless you.
“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved.” This is a quote from Isaiah 30:15. This is such a tough lesson for human beings to learn. Because we are so often enslaved by sin and self-will, thinking we can save ourselves. But the Word of God reminds us, “by waiting and by calm you shall be saved. In quiet and in trust your strength lies” (Is 30:16).
There was once an over-enthusiastic crowd asked Jesus, “what can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered, “this is the work of God, that you trust in the one he sent” (John 6:28-29). That you trust in His commandments and in His prophets – Jesus, Ezekiel . . . the frog, that you trust in His Church and her precepts.
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