Samaritan and Mercy

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https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx8IQkJZZ39KZE8yYzl0Z3pUUHc

Boasting in the Cross?

Audio: click here

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Last week we talked about making sacrifices for following Christ. When we choose Him, we say no to certain things. Indeed, when Elisha burned his 12 oxen with their own yoke, he was burning the bridge to his past life. He said “never again” to his old life, and Christ demands the same for us.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

No one proclaimed the Gospel more boldly than the apostles, and perhaps Peter and Paul, whose feast day we just celebrated, were the most outspoken. Every one of the 12, except for John the Beloved, were martyred for their witness to Christ. Saints Peter and Paul died in Rome, the city of the Pope throughout the centuries. Saint Paul's words today were very true in his own life: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Paul definitely lived these words, but I feel like for us it is difficult to grasp what it actually means.

Did you know that in the early church, the Christians never used the symbol of the Cross to symbolize their faith? It is not because they were ashamed of the Cross, but because it was such a horrific image. The only equivalent I can see in our own times would be something like the electric chair or the stocks or the guillotine or the gallows. You see, like them, the cross was a tool with one special purpose: public execution and humiliation. For Paul to say I boast in the Cross of Christ, was, and should be, a bit shocking for us.

But what the Cross has done for Paul is what makes it all make sense: through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

So what does it mean to be crucified to the world? Well, we have to understand what “the world” means. Think of it as the web of sin and evil that has grown up around us, like when we say “welcome to the real world” or “those are the ways of the world,” which are rarely consoling or complimentary. God so loved the world, that was created good and still is except for our history of sinfulness, that Christ was crucified for it. To be crucified to the world means to be transfixed with Jesus on the Cross and love what He loves there, and hate what he hates. We hate sin. We hate separation from God and from each other. We hate that innocent people are trampled on and that children aren't loved. We love justice and mercy. We love the weakest because of who they are and not what they can or cannot offer to society – their life and their love is enough. We love the Father's Will, no matter the cost, because we love union with Him forever in heaven.

That is what it means to be crucified to the world and the world to you.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Paul rejoices that the world is crucified to him and he to the world. So too can we, if we have made the decision to follow Christ completely, if we let Him lead us in life. When we give over everything to God, he consoles us like a mother nursing her child, as Isaiah reminds us. Then it is no longer a fearful thing to proclaim Christ to the world, to boast in the Cross of Christ, because you know Him who has delivered you and carries you and leads you and walks beside you all your days. That is how Paul could daily face death for years and never lose a wink of sleep. He was resting daily in the comforting arms of the Lord. Ask Jesus to help you to be united to Him on the Cross that you may be consoled by His presence in this Mass, that you may be fed by His Body and Blood in this Eucharist.

Cutting Off Former Ties to Follow Christ

AUDIO ONLY AGAIN.  Apologies for those who like to read the homily...

FYI: I think the 11am delivery was a bit more articulate, and more entertaining! =)

audio from 9am: click here
audio from 11am: click here

Oops!

I forgot to record my homily during Mass this week!  I apologize!
Below are the notes I preached from, and I apologize that they are scant.
You can also find my full-text homily from three years ago here

I've been involved with Marriages a lot lately. One thing that I could say because it is true but it isn't the right time to say it and I'm glad I haven't said it: “you feel great now with all kinds of joy, but let me warn you: life is miserable so get ready for it!” This is of course not fully true but it is a part of the picture that needs to be considered: all vocations require sacrifice and difficulty at times.

Love takes sacrifice in this life.

Saint John tells us: “This is love: Not that we have loved God, but that He has loved us”

Christ shows us the cross and that is what love looks like.

The Cross is essential for Jesus' disciples.

We are called to be saints. We are called to love radically.

It is the cross that makes a saint.

Little sins lead to bigger sins

Audio only: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx8IQkJZZ39KdlVGTWw1aDBSZUk

Sacred Heart / Immaculate Heart

Audio only this week: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx8IQkJZZ39KbHNsemJCTEtOTTg

Holy Trinity Homily

Audio: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx8IQkJZZ39KZWdtYWtKWk9JVzA

Trinity
Central Mystery of our Faith
Mysterion – perpetually go deeper.  Depths of the ocean.
God is Love.  THIS IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE – VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE.
Two deacons today.  Bishop spoke of how their choice is very countercultural, of how he was told he was foolish to go to seminary.  Why would you spend the rest of your life celibate, obedient, and on a meager salary?  When considered from the perspective of a secular non-believer, it seems crazy and foolish.
Marriage today is also very countercultural.  Why would you want to spend the rest of your life with someone?  Many people in my generation aren't getting married.  They are afraid – of what?  They cannot say or articulate that, but I think it's afraid of the unknown, the commitment, and of the potential pain that may arise from imperfection (and potential failure).  If you look at marriage, it seems brash and foolish, too.
Even just truly living your Catholic faith today is very countercultural.  It means disagreeing with so much of what our society holds to be valuable and important.  It means at times being outcast, shut down, mocked and possibly rejected – like Jesus was.  So why would you do that?
However, I think we can understand that there is something deeply good about marriage that even the world recognizes, and we can all understand why people get married because we see the key that unlocks the craziness and foolishness of getting married:  LOVE.
We all want to love and be loved, as Blessed (almost Saint) Mother Teresa said.  People get married because they have found a relationship of true and abiding love, where they can love and be loved.
Catholics live their faith deeply when they have a relationship like that with Jesus.  When they don't just know about Him, or about the Father and the Holy Spirit, but they have relationships with all three persons of the Blessed Trinity.
Young men become Deacons on their way to priesthood because their relationship with the Lord is more important than anything the world can offer, even though it offers much.  Because this world has all that you could want, but nothing that you need.  It has everything and it has nothing.
So fall in love, and it all makes sense.  Get drawn into God, who is Love, and your life will roll out in front of you.  Your faith will grow, and so will your prayer, and thus your joy.  Amen.