Drawn to Jesus

Have you ever met someone with such a strong personality that you immediately felt drawn to him or her? When such people enter a room, all eyes turn to them. Everyone jockeys to be at their elbow to bask in their charisma. Such people inevitably draw others to them because of their wit and charms.

No doubt, Jesus was just such a person. He stood out. Whenever he spoke, a crowd would gather. He could fill a room merely by walking into it. Jesus never had any trouble getting attention.

We see an instance of Jesus’ commanding presence in today’s gospel - the call of the first disciples. His first followers were fisherman. Growing up along the banks of the Sea of Galilee, they would have known no other life. Chances are they worked hard and saved to buy or build their own boats. At the time Jesus called them, they would have had much equity tied up in their profession. Yet they are willing to abandon it all in what seems a whim - to follow an itinerant rabbi with no visible means of support and no home to call his own. It was at no small cost to them, financially and personally. But the magnetism of the man was powerful. They could not risk losing the opportunity to befriend him.

As a Church charged with keeping alive the memory and ministry of the God-Man of Nazareth, we must reflect this magnetism of Jesus. The more we are like him, the more we will draw people into the Church. This is good news! However, to reflect the light of Christ, we must repent. We must strip ourselves of all the trappings of worldly life - the hoarding of wealth, the ambition for status and the abuse of power. When those marks of a worldly life appear in the believing community, it repels sincere seekers of the truth. It tells them that they should be looking elsewhere for the Jesus of the Gospels. But when we are humble, generous and self-effacing, the face of Christ becomes evident among us and the spiritual magnetism of Jesus leads others to learn from us who have sat at the feet of the Master.

And so, the most effective way to revitalize the Church is for each of her members - beginning with me - to live the gospel message in a radical way through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then our churches will not be begin enough to contain all the worshippers drawn to them.

Fighting Distractions in Prayer

During Bible study this week, the topic of distractions in prayer arose. Apropos, I found this prayer in my breviary:



Lord, open my lips to praise your holy name.
Cleanse my heart of any worthless, evil or distracting thoughts.
Give me the wisdom and love necessary to pray with attention,
reverence and devotion.
Father, let my prayer be heard in your presence,
for it is offered through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

God Wants the Patriots to WIN!

With so many problems in the world, the outcome of a football game - even a post-season one - is no concern to Almighty God. Therefore, I would never presume to pray for my team to win.

However, this Sunday’s match-up between the New England Patriots and New York Jets is an exception.

It is clear that the Jets coach and players lack a quality without which no one can please God - humility.

Even before the season started, they boasted about being the best team in football. They crowned themselves the early favorites to hoist the Lombardi trophy before even a down of football was played.

After losing the opening game to the Ravens and suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Patriots with the AFC East title on the line, their bluster and bravado spewed forth unabated. It came to a head this weekend with the Jets coach calling the rivalry personal and Antonio Cromartie, sire of ten illegitimate children, using profanity to describe his hatred for Tom Brady.

It is clear, then, that for the salvation of their eternal souls, the Jets coach and players must suffer a humiliating de-feet this Sunday against the Patriots. It may help them reflect on their behavior, abandon their pride and turn to him for the gift of humility.

Therefore, it is a work of mercy to pray that the New England Patriots will win this weekend.

A Light of Revelation to All Nations

The twentieth century opened with one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history - World War I. Advances in science and technology made the slaughter of human lives possible on a massive scale. Airplanes could now drop bombs creating widespread destruction, and mustard gas burned the skin off soldiers.

Nowhere was the fighting fiercer than on the front lines along the Western front. British and German troops hunkered down in trenches along the lines exchanging gunfire and lobbing grenades. When the artillery failed to kill the troops, dysentery and dehydration succeeded in finishing them off.

.However, on Christmas day of 1914 at Ypres, Belgium, the hounds of war were called off for a brief time. To celebrate the holiday, German soldiers began decorating their trenches with lights and singing carols. The British troops responded by singing carols of their own and shouting Christmas greetings to their German counterparts. In a show of holiday spirit, they agreed to stop the shooting to allow each other to leave their trenches to collect and bury the corpses of their dead comrades. In the process, the British and German troops began talking. They exchanged gifts and, in some locations, even held joint Christmas services.

Sadly, these friendly exchanges were not enough to bring an end to the brutal war. The fighting eventually resumed as fiercely as it had before. But for a brief time the soldiers came to see each other not as enemies but as friends. They recognized their common humanity. They saw that they all had families they were anxious to return to and a future full of dreams they hoped to pursue. For a fleeting time, they experienced the gift which Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was born to bring to earth. Only Jesus, who could gather indigent shepherds and wealthy, world-wise Magi together in a stable in Bethlehem, can bring peace to a world rent by conflict and division.

The Holy Name of Jesus

Today’s feast, Mary,the Mother of God, was traditionally celebrated as the Circumcision of Jesus. The readings of the day are a vestige of the old observance. It seems that, when the liturgical calendar was reformed, the powers that be (or that were) decided that it was too difficult for modern believers to relate to Jesus’ circumcision. So instead we are left with a feast to Mary, with readings for the Circumcision of Jesus when the people are celebrating New Year’s Day. Talk about a mess!

Why was Jesus’ circumcision celebrated in the first place and what meaning could it have for us as we begin the second decade of the twenty-first century?

On the day of his circumcision, Jesus became an heir to the covenant God made with Abraham. He was marked as a member of the chosen people. In doing so, he took another step toward fulfilling those promises and establishing a new covenant.

But, most importantly, on the day of his circumcision, he received the name announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel. He was called, “Jesus”, a name which means “salvation” and “victory”. Through this child, and in his name, God will conquer sin and death and bring salvation to those who believe.

We all know people who are name droppers. They talk about all the important people they know to make themselves look important. Or they use the names of powerful men to get access to employment or positions of influence. As baptized believers, we have the power to drop the greatest name of all, the name of Jesus. In his name we brag about our importance as children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. In his name we have access to the throne of grace where we can find forgiveness of sin, strength in temptation and the love to lay down our lives for others. There is no other name given to us by which we are to be saved than the name of Jesus!

So, along with celebrating the motherhood of Mary, New Year’s Day could also be observed as the feast of the Holy Name, if that doesn’t complicate things further. In Jesus’ name we have victory over sin and death. He came born of a woman (taking on our sinful nature) and born under the law (subject to rituals and observances that could never sanctify or justify us) to purify human nature and elevate religion to a person, filial relationship with the Father. Through the name of Jesus we become sons and daughters of God and heirs to his Kingdom. Also, we are no longer children of Eve, subject to condemnation and death, but children of Mary, the Mother of God.

Maybe that - our sonship in Christ through Mary - is what ties this all together.

Saint John Lateran

Every parish is part of a larger group of parishes called a "diocese". Every diocese is led by a bishop. Because a bishop oversees all the parishes in his diocese, he is not assigned to a single parish church. However, every bishop does have a cathedral which is a church set aside for special ceremonies such as the ordination of priests and deacons as well as other diocesan-wide liturgies.

Our pope, Benedict XVI, is also a bishop, the bishop of the diocese of Rome. And, like all other bishops, he also has a cathedral. It is a common misconception that Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is the pope's cathedral. In fact, it is actually the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. The feast we celebrate today is the dedication of that basilica some seventeen hundred years ago.

What makes that one church building so special that we are setting aside a day to celebrate it? Well, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran is the first public church in the city of Rome. Before the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, followers of Christ met in private homes for worship. Without the freedom to worship according to their beliefs, they often had to hide out of fear of persecution. Now, with the dedication of this great basilica in 324 A.D., Christians could come out of the dark and worship together in public without the fear of being arrested, tortured or even killed. After nearly three centuries of harassment, we can only imagine the jubilation that took place that day seventeen hundred years ago when Christians gathered in the city of Rome to worship Jesus Christ.

Nonetheless, for all the history that has taken place in that church, for all the popes who have celebrated Mass there, for all the emperors and kings who have knelt there, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran is merely a building. It could easily be destroyed by an earthquake or fire. The real beauty and power of that church comes from the presence of Jesus there. And, that presence is due to the people who gather there daily to hear his word and receive his body and blood.

When we use the word "church" in everyday language, we are usually referring to a building. For instance, we call this building a "church". But the word "church" has a fuller, more spiritual meaning. The Church is the People of God, all those who have been baptized in the name of Jesus. We are the Church. Just as we are still Americans when we travel to England or Zimbabwe, so we are still the Church when we leave this building and return to our homes.

This is Saint Paul's message today in the second reading from the Letter to the Corinthians. He writes, "YOU are God's building". And later, "YOU are the temple of God," and "...the Spirit of God dwells in YOU." Paul and his fellow Christians did not have public buildings in which to worship. Rather, they understood that wherever they gathered, they themselves were the Church. The Spirit of God was not dwelling in buildings but in the hearts of those who believe. They themselves in their bodies formed the temple where God was present.

Jesus takes up this idea in the gospel reading. In a shocking scene, Jesus takes a rope and drives out the money changers from the temple, overturning their tables and sending the sheep and oxen away. Jesus then uses the situation to teach us something about who he is and what his mission is. When asked by what authority he took such a drastic action, he told them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." As Saint John explains, he wasn't speaking about the temple building, but the temple "of his body". Jesus, by his death and resurrection, would become the new temple. The temple was no longer a physical building in Jerusalem, but Jesus' very body. In this way, we don't have to go all the way to Jerusalem to offer worship which is pleasing to the Father. We can offer that worship anywhere and anytime through Jesus Christ, the new temple and the new lamb of sacrifice.

When we realize that the Church is the People of God and the Temple in which God's Spirit dwells, it has some profound implications for our life.

First of all, if the spirit of Jesus dwells in the Church, then we cannot love Jesus without loving the Church. None of us has just a personal relationship with Jesus. We all love and serve Jesus as members of a Church. Throughout the centuries, the Church has kept the teaching of Jesus intact. We all have learned about Jesus through the teaching of the Church and encountered him through her sacraments. The Church is the instrument Jesus uses to communicate his love and his presence to the world. How could we not love the one through whom we come to know our Savior?

Secondly, if the Church is the People of God, we cannot love the Church without loving people. Loving the Church is not a matter of loving buildings, ceremonies or history. It is a matter of loving all God's people no matter how good and no matter how bad. Can all of us who say that we love this parish also say that we love the people of the parish?

We are not alone in our journey of faith. The Spirit of God dwells in each of us and in all of us. We experience Jesus in this building because of the people who make up this parish community. Land and buildings can be taken away from us, but no one can deprive us of the Spirit of God who dwells in our hearts through faith and makes us the Church. That is the essence of our celebration today. Not just a church building in Rome, but a People who have witnessed to Christ for over two thousand years and will continue to do so until he comes again in glory.

Ask and ask and ask

This was the homily I gave at my first full time parish assignment back in 1992.

In this world, nothing is free. If you want something, you have to pay for it. If you want to get ahead, you have to work hard for it. Everything comes with a price tag and with strings attached.

But with God, it is totally different. Whatever He gives us is free with no strings attached. Everything we have comes from Him: our lives, our families, the ground we walk on and the air we breathe are all His free gift. And when we need anything, all we have to do is ask him and He will give it to us. We do not have to earn it or prove to Him that we deserve it. We only have to ask because He is a loving Father who wants to give us whatever we need. Through the power of prayer, we can speak directly to God for ourselves, for our family, for our loved ones and for the whole world.

When Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer, He wants them to understand the tremendous power that prayer unlocks for them and, more importantly, He wants them to learn how to use that power wisely. In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us two things about prayer: first, what to pray for and, second, how to pray for it.

First of all, what should we ask for?

Of all the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer, I want to focus on just one: “Give us this day our daily bread.” In Jesus’ time, bread was the food most commonly eaten. It was the major ingredient of every meal. So when Jesus taught His disciples t pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” he was teaching them to ask God for the nourishment they needed to get through the day. This nourishment can be understood literally as food for the day or symbolically as money to pay bills, patience with the people around us, or strength to get through a difficult time.

Before I get up in the morning or while I’m taking a shower, I like to think about all the things I will need for the day whether it will be volunteers for CCD or money to make my next car payment. Offering to God my needs for the day helps remind me that nothing will happen to me that He and I cannot handle together. I will never need anything that God cannot provide for me.

Besides teaching us what we should pray for, Jesus teaches us how we should pray for it. We have to be persistent. Like the man in the parable, we have to keep on knocking on heaven’s door until we get an answer from God. If we don’t get what we ask for on the first try we have to keep on going back believing that God will answer. Being persistent like this strengthens our faith. It makes us realize how much we depend on God everyday to give us what we need. If God always answered us right away we might start to think that it’s because we somehow earned it instead of realizing that God gives us good things not because we deserve them but because He loves us. Also, if God gave us everything we wanted when we wanted it, we might begin to love God’s gifts more than we love God Himself. God gives us the power and the privelege to ask for what we need and He promises to hear our prayer, but is is up to Him to decide when, where and how He will answer us.

How wonderful it is that the God who created the whole universe and all its wonders cares about each one of us. How wonderful it is that He has given each one of us who believes in Jesus the power to ask Him for what we need. We can go straight to the boss with our problems and know that He cares about our deepest needs and will provide for us. To those who are hungry, He will give food. To those who are struggling to pay their bills, He will somehow provide the money. And to those who are lonely, He will provide strength and love. With God, everything is free. All we have to do is ask and ask and ask.