True Excellence (2022-01-30, Sunday-04)

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Homily –  Jan. 30, 2022 /  4^th Sunday

● Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19  ● Psalm 71  ● 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13  ●  + Luke 4:21-30 ●

Title:    True Excellence…

[__00-a_]      There can be a risk, a risk, something risky about doing your best about. And Jesus faces the risk – and wrath / anger - of the crowd when he raises the bar or raises the standard for them in Nazareth, in his hometown.  Jesus is suggesting that their salvation and safety is not guaranteed by God just because of their cultural roots or historic religion ..that there is a need to connect and persevere in our relationship with God. And, this is a challenging message for us as well. It may not be what we want to hear…

Have you ever felt rejected by someone or more than 1 person close to you, by your child or sibling or spouse someone whom you wonder, “why doesn’t this person get it or get the message?”

          You – perhaps – have been the prophet or messenger rejected in your own “town” or “school” or “home”.

It’s tough to speak to your own people. Sometimes, by doing our best – or trying to do better – we can wind up unpopular or separate from everyone else.

          This does not just happen in the moral decisions or  the journey to spiritual salvation … I’d like to make a comparison.

[__00-b_]     I remember very well the name of my 8^th grade classmate, a girl in class, who was # 1 academically, smartest student in the school.  And I remember the boy in my senior year of H.S., the # 1 academically and the smartest in school.

          How do you get to be # 1, so smart? Is it just a matter of individual intelligence or “brightness”.

          Yes, this has something to do with it…but I also think such attainment is similar to the Christian joy of taking up your cross each day and persevering.

          I also recall that the smartest student/girl in my 8^th grade class and the smartest student/boy in senior year were not – by any measure of “coolness” or “popularity” – the most cool or most popular in school.

          And, that just seems to be – at times – the price we pay for doing the right thing or even for being excellent.

          And, there is a risk in really trying your best, or doing your best… hey, you might fail… you might not make it… so why try so hard?

          Living the Christian life is about trying our best…

[__00-c_]    

          Here is just one example of why I did not turn out # 1 academically, but I also think it reveals something about my own temperament and need for God’s grace to do better.

One evening, when I was in high school, I went to the trouble of going go to the local public library to do my homework. This way, I would be more focused, less distracted.

One of my friends called my house that very evening and asked where I was, my mom told him: “Jim is at the library”  So my friend came to the library. But he didn't come to the library with his calculator and books and his notebook to encourage me in my studying, he came to the library in his car to interrupt my studying and to insist that we should go out for something fun. Needless to say, I did no more homework that particular night.

I bring this up just to this example, because we may at times in our lives, encounter those who share our values who encourage us and but also those who don't share our values, and who get in the way of our striving for excellence in doing our best.  I am not blaming my friend – I made my own choice about what I thought was the “excellent way” at that particular moment.

And, for me – at that moment – I judged that the excellent way was the easy way and not to make any more effort at my studies.

Sometimes, I give up too easily and that did not end in high school!

 

[__00-c_]     St. Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians ch. 12, v. 31, that he wants to show us a still more excellent way. Are you someone interested in the most excellent way? Are you interested in the excellent way? I'm interested in the excellent way I think we all are.

It happens in material things in our purchase of objects or selection of services, or of medicine, of a doctor or of anything we seek that which the who is the most excellent, who has the most stars in the Yelp review are the best Google review, the highest number of points.

Are you shopping for a car?  Are you seeking the highest review, even if it's not an expensive automobile, you and I want the most excellent in our price range we seek and after we get that automobile then we want the most excellent parking space. Have you ever looked up reviews for the best parking garage?

I have!

We want it all we wanted excellent. We even want excellent parking spaces.

[__00-c_]     St. Paul is aware of this pursuit of excellence in the Corinthian church, because Corinth was a place of competition, a place where it mattered where you went to school, whether your child attended the best schools, or whether your home was in the best neighborhood, the Corinthians were competitive.

          And for this reason, Paul had been pointing out in Ch. 12 of 1^st Corinthians, that there are different spiritual gifts, but the same God and the same Holy Spirit, who is the source of all these spiritual gifts, Paul listed the spiritual gifts, which had incited the Corinthians to figure out that one of them would be the smartest in the room if they had the highest spiritual gifts.

Or they'd be the best in the room . Some of these spiritual gifts were pretty spectacular pretty spirits prestigious, including wisdom, knowledge, healing.

Who would not healing right now, or who doesn't want to be the best possible healer?

So, some of us in the church – through the Holy Spirit – are called to be healers and there are many wounded, hurting people right now. I hope and pray that Our Lady of Lourdes, that our mission and ministry will help to heal you, bring you home, bring you to God.

Yet, here I am – as parish priest – needing to remember that the healing does not come from me but from the Holy Spirit to you.

So, Paul is saying that there is a still more excellent way, and Jesus himself excellent exemplifies that there is a more excellent way.

 

[__00-d_]     And now we go to 1^st Corinthians ch. 13 in which the most frequently written and spoken word is à L-O-V-E. Love !

It is tempting to read this and reduce Love to that which we “fall into”

We have all experienced in some way, the moment of falling into love, or being very captivated or enamored by a particular person. Falling in love is not strictly a precursory to the lifelong commitment of marriage. 

We can see how even 2 friends can fall for or experience a very great affection for and connection with each other.

This, however, is not really the highest form of love. The most excellent way involves a commitment and decision from spouse to spouse, parent to child, brother to sister, child to parent.  And, there will be moments when we are not we do not – as they sing in The Lion King – “fel the love tonight…”

[][][]            Peter Kreeft, Boston College Philosphy professor, makes this observation, asks this question:

But how can we love someone if we don't like him? Easy — we do it to ourselves all the time. We don't always have tender, sweet, comfortable feelings about ourselves; sometimes we feel foolish, stupid, asinine, or wicked. But we always love ourselves: we always seek our own good. Indeed, the only reason why we feel dislike toward ourselves and berate ourselves is precisely because we do love ourselves! We care about our good, so we are impatient with our bad. [H-2021.04.01]  [][][]

So, I find myself challenged by this to love even the person I do not like. That is different from falling in love. This is the excellent way.

In what ways does this challenge you and me?

We read: “Love is patient”

It is our calling to be patient with the person who makes us wait.

We read: “Love is kind”

It is our calling not to return with kindness or prayer or blessing to the person who has insulted you.

We read: “Love is not pompous or boastful.”

          It is our calling to be humble or even silent about our achievements when everyone else is being praised or bragging… or putting their report card on the refrigerator.

          Love is the more excellent way.

Jesus has given us the supreme example of love by laying down his life for you.

And for me, Jesus is also similar to the kid in your class who is getting better grades than everybody else. And as they say he is throwing off the curve or messing up the curve by getting braised better than everybody else. And making everybody else work so hard. We don't like that kid. That kid is the enemy of the state.  Jesus was also the “enemy of the state” and was crucified for this.

    Because what we want is just to compare ourselves to everybody else. Jesus is that kid who gets a 90 when everybody else is getting 65 Jesus is leading the way but we are called not to compare ourselves to others, but to compare ourselves to Him. That to live by love, charity, by sacrifice, and to help others to find Jesus. Even if they are falling behind in class or even if they are not in school – or in church -- with us right now.   [FIN]

1 Body. Who We Are. What We Are. (2022-01-22, Sunday-03)

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 Homily – Jan. 23, 2022 /  3^rd Sunday

● Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10  ● Psalm 19  ● 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 ●  + Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 ●  

Title:    Getting the Name Right…

[__00-a_]    [Gospel of Luke, Salutation]

Luke, the Evangelist, is 1 of the 4 Gospel writers and in 2022 we read – on the Sundays of Ordinary Time from his Gospel. This is what “ordinary time” means – to read “in order”  and sequence – until the end of the Gospel book at year end.

What is new/distinctive about Luke’s Gospel is that it starts out as a “letter” (remember letters? ) and addressed to a person named “Theophilus” which is a 2 part name in which THEO = God and PHILUS = friend/beloved.  Theophilus is the beloved of God.

But we could also translate “Theophilus” to be addressed to you as the beloved of God. The Gospel of Luke is addressed to you and to me. Luke is writing it down in an “orderly sequence for you” and  “so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings of Jesus. ”  (Luke 1:3-4)   So the Gospel is addressed to both to WHO WE ARE – by name and what we are. We are the beloved of God.

I'd like to make a distinction in this in this homily about who we are and what we are.   Here's an example of a difference between who we are and what we are.

[__00-b_]    [GETTING THE NAME RIGHT]

For a few months, I had a college roommate who I realized later did not even know for certain what may last name was.

          I realized this one day not because he called me by the wrong name but because there was some mail delivered to our building. He was going through the envelopes and found one addressed to some named “James….” And then he asked me … “is this your last name?”

          It was not my last name. At the time, I will admit, I felt not sorry for him, but kind of hurt and sorry for myself… although I do see the humor in it now, that he was sharing a room with me – we were roommates and he only was sure of my “first name”, not my last name. That was strange to me.

          It made feel – for at least a little while – somewhat insignificant.

          He did not know who I was … this surprised me…because “what”  I  was – i.e., his roommate … seemed to determine that he should have known my name… it does not always work out !

          It was not surprising to me when he moved out and it was a very temporary roommate situation. I suppose he could took what I was or who I was.

 

[St. Paul wants to get your name right.]

          This is the message of St. Paul in his 1^st Letter to the Corinthians that no matter how small or insignificant a role we may feel we have or how weak or disabled or disenfranchised we may feel, we still have a role to play.

          Paul wrote:  “Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it does not for this reason belong any less to the body…”

          Is it not true that we want and need our whole body to be functioning in order for us to feel whole and to function.

          And, while we may go to RetroFitness or PlanetFitness or any gym or any place to exercise in order to work out or strengthen certain part of our body, for stronger legs or back, or healthier heart rate… we really are not in the gym in order to exercise parts of the body, but to exercise the whole body. It’s not about WHAT we are but who we are.

          St. Paul’s message also reminds you that your role in church, in the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, is not determined by WHAT particular label or title or official role or capacity

          I am blessed – we are blessed by the service of everyone in church. Yes, we are blessed by every lector / reader through whom the word of God is proclaimed. They help us to hear what is READ.   (PRAYER)

          We are blessed by every usher who helps with hospitality and to assist in taking up the collection of and gifts of our community. They us to recognize what we RECEIVE and that we are RECEIVED by God in this church.   (FASTING…)

          We are blessed by every volunteer through whom our current “Souper Bowl” soup can drive and other fundraising drives are performed (ALMSGIVING).  Yes, we are blessed by all of these individuals.

Yet, we are also blessed by you  - everyone of you here at Sunday Mass – and also blessed by those who participate remotely or from home due to health or other reasons.

For you are the Body of Christ and while you may feel you are hidden or concealed, you also of critical importance to the health of the whole body. This is both WHAT YOU ARE AND WHO YOU ARE… Perhaps, you do not read at this microphone, but you do have a responsibility to read and receive the word of God.

Perhaps you do not stand as an usher, but you do have a responsibility as an ambassador for Christ wherever you are.

Perhaps, you do not supervise the collection of donations or perhaps you cannot even afford to make a donation to poor, your charitable giving – of any amount – and your prayers and petitions are gifts back to God.

We need you.

While we may have to “social distance”, we are not in church to pray as separate individuals but to pray with and for each other.  We are also here to exercise the WHOLE BODY – there is no minimum monthly fee like at RetroFitness

[GETTING THE NAME RIGHT]

When my sister was born in the late 1970s, my father had the opportunity of being not just in the hospital building, while my sister was born, but in the delivery room with my mother and with my sister for her birth. And my father told me how he watched carefully after delivery after the delivery of my baby sister how the nurse and doctor would put the name and ID tag on the child's ankle, that ankle bracelet on the child to identify who is who. He certainly wanted – we all wanted - to get both the first name and last name right in this instance.

 He also told me how we observed that there was a momentary mix up. And the nurses and doctors had to correct themselves to be sure that my sister was correctly named, tagged, identified relative to another child, there was in fact, no mix up.

My father didn't even need to intervene. But he remembered that and told us about it. My father was not in the delivery room, for me are my two brothers. But since we all kind of look and talk alike, we figure we're good. That we are one body, we're all one were identified. With regard to a child, we would go to great lengths to protect that one body, that one person's body who is connected to us to ensure a child is identified safe. And in the clear.

In a book about both Christian ethics and the philosophy of true happiness, Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer wrote:

“I would not purport to tell you who you are. The who of the person is unique, holistic, intangible, and difficult to get a hold of. [And, these days, I would add there is so much “identity politics” that we cannot agree….] But, Father Spitzer writes, I would like to get at the “what” i.e., what a person is…  ”

And, so, this is just my offering to you – on this anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision about the right to abortion and why Catholic Christian faith takes a stand for “what a person is”

For with the benefit of not just spiritual ideas of the soul and the fact that we can experience ourselves as both a body and a soul…we also  now have benefit of significant scientific endeavors to tell us what the unborn child is. We may not know who the child is, or who the child will be named after.

But, we can know – now – not only what the child is – in a developing state but also what the child will be and also that the child in the womb and mother truly two-in-one. They are a unity.

[] So the reason we are called to teach and profess our faith in the sanctity of life is so that we will remember this human dignity. And this human dignity also extends to us to remember that what there are certain things about us that cannot be changed what we are in terms of our biological sex, our gender, this is what we are. And there's a genius to how we are made. And we are called to respect how we are made and to help others respect how they are made as well. [][][]

Also, while we are separated into many identities and ideologies, do we not agree that our human dignity is not attached to any of these identities or ideologies.

Human dignity – whether we are talking about the right to life, to liberty or the pursuit happiness – belongs to “what we are” even though there may be divisions that determine “who we are”.

You have the same right to happiness as I do.

While you may have experienced or been touched in some way by abortion, it is also important to remember that “mercy” and compassion are what and who God his.  There is no sin beyond God’s absolution after your repentance.  This is what and who God is.

We are many parts. We are all one body. This is who we are and what we are.

 [* * *FIN, end __ver. 5 * * *]

Good News of Incompleteness (Cana) (2022-01-16, Sunday-02)

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Homily – Jan. 16, 2022 /  2^nd Sunday   ● Isaiah 62:1-5 ● Psalm 96  ● 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ●  + John 2:1-11 ●   Title:   Good News of Incompleteness

[__00_]   This morning I came to the church and, FIRST … unlocked the doors. THEN,  I turned on the lights. THEN,  observed that the sound system was on our sound system actually is on all the time, I didn't have to turn on the sound system.

THEN,  I set up some books. And then I went to turn on the heat. That's the thing that makes this room warm. So the temperature goes up, and the heat did not come on. I left the church, and I didn't think about oh, wow, that was great. The doors got unlocked, the lights went on, the sound systems on, I didn't think about all the things that had gone well, I thought about the one thing that was wrong. The one thing that was unfinished or incomplete. I read that there's something in psychology

 

psychgology / Zeigarnik effect, the tendency to remember unfinished tasks better than finished tasks.

The Zeigarnik effect states that people tend to remember unfinished or incomplete tasks better than completed tasks.

[__01_]   The effect was first observed by Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who noticed that waiters in a café (Vienna) could recall the orders they had not yet delivered better than those they had distributed.

Aren’t you glad to know that your waiter in a café or restaurant – or that Amazon –remember your order – which is incomplete – better than the orders  they have already delivered!

[__02_]    [1^st DEFICIENCY.]

What is unfinished or feels “incomplete” about your life or your work right now?

          Many things about our health, our finances, our schedule may make us feel incomplete.

          Recently, I had this feeling and fear that I would not be able to finish or complete something that was very dear and important to me.

          Recently, my friend told me that his mother died, passed away at the age of 95.

          My friend and I have known each other since college and we were roommates for one year. He could not take me / stand me for more than 1 year.

          He asked me to celebrate his mother’s memorial / funeral Mass and help him with all the arrangements. While I was honored to do this, I also felt some pressure, some mental stress because I was also going to speak about my friend’s mother at the funeral Mass.

          I felt “incomplete” – and was thinking about this “incomplete” task for several weeks.

          I felt like the couple in the wedding at Cana in Galilee.

          I had no wine.

My HD hard drive of memories was blank. Everything in my “BYO” reserve was dry.

However, when I sat down to pray, when I took some time for silence, a significant memory came to mind of my friend's mother. It was had to do with an autobiography of a college professor  who had lived us live successfully and persistently despite his blindness, lack of vision.

In a sense, he also had “no wine.”

This autobiography made a big impression on me. And, my recall of this was not my own doing. It was Holy Spirit coming to me to enlighten me, to fill my own glass with a better wine with a better vintage than I could have come up with, on my own. So I just encourage you in your moments of deficiency, and your moments of not knowing what to say, to take time in prayer in quiet and enlightenment to ask for help.

In this case, this moment of “deficiency” reminded me of someone who was a mediator of God’s “infinite” love to me.

Mary, our mother knows we have no wine. She is praying for you. From deficiency to infinity.

 

[__03_]    [2^nd. DECLARATION.]

The miracle of Cana is not simply about the abundance of wine – and the fact that there was a BYOB tradition even then… those ancient guests would have brought their own wine. This miracle is also about the blessing and holiness of marriage and about what God brings.

The “wedding” or joining is not only for the bride and groom at that wedding but also about Jesus laying down his life for you and for me.

Do you recall that there is always a kid on the playground or in the backyard who will do something like this when he makes an oath or swears an oath and he says… “cross my heart and hope to die.”

That kid may be exaggerating ..but he is doing or striving for exactly what Jesus is doing ..he is backing up his oath and promise to us by his whole life.

And, that is what every man and woman entering into marriage is doing for his wife, for her husband.

Marriage symbolizes what God does for us and also what God wants to work in our lives.

He wants to make what is incomplete into what is complete.

So, it’s just a reminder that marriage is not just about what the man brings and the woman brings and whether they keep satisfy each other safe and secure.

In my own experience of taking “vows” / promises as a priest at my ordination, I recall that I did not say very much – speak very much out loud at the actual ordination. But, I have this very distinct memory of the ritual in the beginning when the name of every candidate for ordination was called. My name was called  and I announced “present”. I am present. But, I am also aware that my “presence” alone is not enough. It is God working through me and through you as well.

And it is significant that Jesus takes the water, what is transformed here, Jesus takes the water for Jewish ceremonial washings and purification takes in a sense, the lowest quality water the most degraded water, and turns this into excellent wine. Jesus takes the water being used for something relatively superficial, for the for the hands, feet and the skin and transforms it into something that we can drunk, can consume and can convert us to Jesus Christ.

Marriage is about a 3^rd person, Jesus Christ, in whom we are all “related” and completed by his marriage to us, by his sacrifice.

 

When I read more about the “psychology” and the effect of remembering things that are unfinished, I was interested to learn that – understandably – we often fear getting started on a big project..just because it may seem overwhelming. This is a reason for procrastinating. Like I need another reason !

Anyway, my point is that the researchers also want you to do something that Christ encourages … just get started… start with something small…. Then you will remember the road  you are on and the goal you have.

Jesus also invites to start small and remember that both God and love are in the details.

We also can be transformed as his disciples and in living the our vow to him….  Both in “health and sickness,   in good times and in bad, for richer for poorer, we can know that his love, his way, is the best wine that we could not bring on our own. Jesus  completes what we cannot do on our own.

[END __]

Water. Worthiness. Wildfire. (Baptism of the Lord, 2022-01-09)

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Homily – 11:30 am Mass on  Jan. 9, 2022 /  Baptism of Lord  ● Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 "Comfort, give comfort   ● Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7, "Beloved, the grace of God has appeared.."    ● Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 ●

 Title:   Water. Worthiness. Wildfire.

 [__01_]  On Interstate 95 / I-95 in in Virginia, a several days ago, there was a big traffic tie-up due to snow and ice.

Perhaps you saw the news that there were people trapped for 16 hours, 18 hours or longer in their cars in their vehicles, some in their trucks, they could not get out or move.

And the regular law enforcement, first responders, State Troopers, could not help everyone in need. Some  “good news” I read about this incident of the ice/snow in Virginia was about the identity of those who did help and rescue.

They were truckers who were on the road. Big truck drivers who are known to have a lot of supplies on board.

They were already in the traffic jam. And they put the word out from Facebook, Twitter, social media that if you're in trouble, you should go and find a trucker find a truck driver along I-95.

 And the truck driver will help you the truck drivers had flashlights, they had extra blankets, they had extra food, they could charge people's phones. The truckers could help on the “inside” of the incident in ways that the regular first responders and law enforcement could not.

I just use that as an example that Jesus is coming to be with us on the “inside” of our lives.  Yes, his the 2^nd person of Trinity, dwelling in eternal glory as the Son with the Father and Holy Spirit.

Yet, he is also the incarnate son, born of Mary, one person both divine and human.

 

 [__02_]  Today is the feast / Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord.

          Today we read that Jesus is baptized in this Gospel of the 1130 mass on Sunday at Our Lady of Lourdes. What's going on? Why does Jesus get baptized?

Jesus is not being freed from original sin. Jesus is not going to make his 1^st Holy Communion in the way that we make our 1^st Holy Communion.

Jesus is being baptized to show us that he is on the inside of our lives that he's the incarnate Son of God, he is blessing .

Jesus is not being blessed by the water Jesus himself is blessing the water.

And we refer to a sacrament as a visible sign of an invisible reality, that there's something invisibly happening even through the visible sign. And there's three visible signs that are brought up in baptism, or words that come up in the Gospel, there's the water, there's the worthiness, and there's the wildfire.

[__03_]    [1^st WATER.]

          Have you ever tried to be the photographer at a baptism? If so, you have tried to capture the precise moment at which the deacon or priest pours the water over the child’s head?

          You are also interested to note exactly how the child receives this water – calmly? Out of control?

And going into water has a similar effect on us imagine you are going into water going to the beach (not today though !).

But you're going to the beach in theory someday in the future, and you may wish to enter the very, very slowly. Because the water is bracing the water can be shocking. And even for a child who sleeps through the baptism.

We've all seen that children who are so calm, that they don't even wake up during the baptism, I would suggest that the water even has a shocking surprising effect on them.

Because that's what water does. It has kind of a shocking effect on the outside, but also on the inside. But baptism is meant to have this instantaneous change on us.

Forgiveness is meant to have this instantaneous change on us. If you think about how hard it sometimes is to admit we are wrong. But then once we do it once we do admit we're wrong once we repent, going to confession, for example, to a priest or admitting our we're wrong to another person. Sometimes we're surprised how fast the moment passes, how instantaneous it is. The water symbolizes something instantaneous.

The water reminds us of this baptismal vow to renounce sin, so as to live in the freedom of the children of God. That's a baptismal question. Do you renounce sin? So it's living the freedom of the children of God, and to renounce something is something instantaneous.  We may have to do it repeatedly.

 

[__04_]    [2^nd  WORTHINESS.]

          Am I worthy, are you worthy to to be baptized?

          The answer is complicated.

Am I worthy or are you worthy to be baptized? We read in the Gospel today, John the Baptist says, I am not worthy to untie the sandals of his feet.

At Holy Communion before we before we receive, we pray these words: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Forgiveness is not about being worthy. Sometimes we put it in those terms, for example, and say, I'm not going to forgive that person. I didn't get the apology I expected. Because I didn't get the apology I expected I'm not going to forgive him or her. And we might say the same thing about ourselves. When I do something wrong. I might say, Well, I really don't know how to apologize. I really don't know what to say.

 So I'm not going to say anything, I'm going to hope this whole thing blows blows over, because I offended somebody.

And so we might also judge ourselves “unworthy” or cut off from mercy and forgiveness. But forgiveness is not something we are given because of our worthiness. Forgiveness is something we are given because we repent, because we asked for it.

And I'm sure that you have forgiven others, not because you thought the other person was were worthy, but because you saw something good, invisible, that somebody else didn't see.

And God sees something good in us an invisible reality in us. And I'd like to connect this to the baptismal promise that says, we are you know, the 2^nd baptismal promise:

“Do you renounce the lure of evil so that sin may have no mastery over you do renounce the law or the attraction of evil, we are called to renounce the attraction of evil, because that's not worthy of us.”

We are seeking a greater worthiness.

[__05_]    [3^rd WILDFIRE.]

          Baptism is about FIRE, and about WILDFIRE. I guess I had to say “wildfire” to get this word to line up with “water” and “worthiness”

          Baptism is about a wildfire.

          But, it is a good wildfire.

          We only hear these days about uncontrollable wildfires that burn for weeks and months and destroy billions of dollars in property and do untold damage.

 

 

In a time of crisis, sometimes people do a lot of good things in a time of crisis, those truckers on I-95 in Virginia were spreading the word on social media that they were willing to help anybody unconditionally who came to them in the storm.

That's a wildfire of goodness. And there are wildfires of goodness that have happened during this COVID 19 pandemic as well. People reaching out to each other people reaching out through the community of West Orange through Our Lady of Lourdes in many different ways. The wildfire is meant to remind us of this baptismal promise do you reject Satan, the author and Prince of sin?

          Yes, these wildfires are bad.

          But, there is – in the natural world – a way in which even “wildfires” are good because the fire burns up – on its own – dead branches, leaves and the fire can actually restore the environment.

          Wildfire is connected to baptism forgiveness in that it is also meant to restore, to clean up, to purify our lives, and not just in a superficial way.

          It is also connected this baptismal renunciation:

          “do you reject Satan, the author and prince of sin ”

The Devil or Satan has another fire in mind for us but we are reminded that we are motivated by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of God's goodness, the fire that burns in our conscience, the fire to do the right thing, sometimes in in ways that other people do not see.

In our lives, we seeking an invisible reality, the invisible reality of the Holy Spirit, which we learned first from our baptism in this through the symbols of water of worthiness and the wildfire   [END]

Lights On/Off. Epiphany's Gifts. (2022-01-02)

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Homily – Jan. 2, 2022 /  Epiphany Sunday  (C)

●    ●  + Matthew 2:1-12   ●       ●

Title:   Lights On/Off. Epiphany’s 3 Gifts.

[__01_]    Last week my parents were enjoying a visit by their grandchildren; together with my sister and brother-in-law. Their children are little. One evening a minor battle or fight broke out between two of the grandchildren about the ideal degree of light or darkness that should be in the room at bedtime in order to fall asleep.

Perhaps you have had such discussions in your own home, or such talks about whether or not a light should be left on or struggled to find the safest way of sleeping in a dark room, while also having illumination. when needed. At night. The two granddaughters were at odds, she wants the door wide open and I can't sleep with the door open and the light shines in my eyes. And the other one said I need the light on to fall asleep.

Perhaps one of them had read this medical study that exposure to light at bedtime makes it difficult for your brain to achieve deeper sleep. So apparently, we do need darkness in order to rest in order to fall asleep. So the score in this battle is lights on zero, lights out one.

 

[__02_]      This is the feast of the Epiphany / 3 Kings / Magi Magi from the east. King Herod, current political ruler of Judea, felt threatened by this star rising in the east. Herod is  someone who prefers to for the lights out to be asleep. Sleeping in the dark has its benefits. For the true REM sleep (rapid eye movement) King Herod wants the lights out.

And in a later section of this gospel, we read the extent to which Herod will go in order to put out the lights in order to continue walking in darkness. Herod was in fear for his own power, his position, his placement, precisely because someone else had turned on a light.

The light turned on is Jesus, our Savior born of Mary with Joseph as their foster father.

So maybe we should say the score is now tied -- LIGHTS ON 1, LIGHTS OUT 1.

The Magi knew a light was on – this is the star in the sky. The Magi arrived in Herod’s “room / palace / space” and said, “ ‘ Where is the newborn king of the Jews, we saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage’. When Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”  (Matthew 2:1-2)

Herod no longer sleeps peacefully, Herod lacks faith and is interested only in himself.

[__03_]       The feast of the Epiphany three kings reminds us that yes – that something happens LOCALLY in a particular geographical place.  

Jesus is the Messiah born in a Jewish family and with Jewish roots for Christians, first, in the Middle East.

This is also an INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL EVENT -  This is Jesus’ manifestation to the whole world to all nations. And to every aspect of our lives.

His light shines in the darkness. Pope Benedict XVI, in a reflection about the meaning of Vatican II saw that the Magi were not simply regional representatives from different parts of the world. But we could also regard them as kind of representatives of different subject matter, or different types of leaders.

For what did the Magi bring, they bring gold, they bring frankincense and they bring myrrh

Traditionally, the gold represents wealth given back to God, the incense represents our worship, and the myrrh represents that we ultimately die and that our bodies are going to be embalmed or anointed.

Each gift signifies different types of people or maybe even three different aspects of our lives.

And with these three GIFTS in mind – reflecting on B16’s 2007 Epiphany Homily – each GIFT also represents new “international or global Magi” who are also called by the star. (Benedict XVI, Epiphany Homily, vatican.va, 2007 January 6)

There also three types of people who are very influential in the world today who are meant to be consecrated to God.  They are the Magi of today. We are also called to imitate the Magi.

 

[__04_]        1^st. The Magi who are politicians and public leaders. INCENSE.

I connect this to the incense the gift of the incense, and the gift of the incense or the worship. I bring this up politicians and public leaders, we have a temptation, a temptation or a tendency to make our politicians or our leaders into Gods into idols. But no woman or man in a politically elected office is a God, they do not need us to worship them.

They need us to worship for them, to pray for them. Pray for their for their conversion for their souls, and that they will use their power to protect all people to protect the unborn, the vulnerable to protect the elderly to protect children, everyone from In fact, everyone from a child in foster care to an elderly person in a nursing home.

Everyone in public office is called to offer incense and observance in relation to God.

So the incense reminds us to pray for leaders.

 

[__05_]        2^nd. The Magi who are SCIENTISTS +  TECHNOLOGY LEADERS. GOLD.

The gold symbolizes wealth. Because where can you make the greatest possible amount of money these days? It's in science or technology. It's in Silicon Valley, or in some other Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley in Manhattan, or some other technological hub.

 Where can we make big money we can make big money by developing a vaccine the fastest possible upload speeds. The sleekest phones. The best-selling phone, tablet. Science is gold.

But, do scientists, do you and I in our scientific ident identities and endeavors give ourselves to God?

Now you might say to me, Hey, Padre, I'm not a scientist. I didn't. I didn't memorize the periodic table of the elements. I didn't invent AMZN or Facebook.

But we're living in a very scientific and technology driven world these days. You are told, I am told again and again, follow the science. Sometimes that almost sounds like follow the science and science is an idol.

But we are called to follow this. But if we're called to follow the science, we're also called to follow that science is also God's gift of understanding, for example, how we are made that we are made in His image and likeness, female or male to teach others about the science of living authentically female and masculine lives, which is neither a life that is passive nor toxic. Science is gold. Science makes many things that's not a bad thing. Science makes money that's not a bad thing.

But we also need the light of Christ to give back our gold in respect to God. Doing so will help us to rest better.

 

[__06_]        3^rd. The Magi who are EVERY PERSON. LIFE/DEATH. MYRRH.

Myrrh is an embalming or an anointing used for someone who is dying or has died. Oil signifies life and death.

We are living through and suffering through a pandemic of global proportions right now. The gift of the myrrh reminds us that our earthly lives are finite and that we ultimately will surrender ourselves to God.

I pray that there will always be Magi or wise men in your life wise men and women in your life and my life will treasure you for who you are at every stage of your youth, your middle age, your elderly age.

However, our lives do not have value just because we are healthy or just because we are living.   Our lives have value as we suffer and even after we die.

Christmas and New Year's are reminders and celebrations of Christ the child, but it is also remember remembrance that we are all children. And as children, we belong to someone else. This is the definition of being a child, a child belongs to someone else. And in the theology of the Incarnation, it is God who

FOSTERING

WHO.. fosters us with His love, so that we and fosters us with His grace so that we can always grow in holiness.  All of us are FOSTER CHILDREN, all of us have been adopted by God.

 FORGIVENESS. And, for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, we belong to God who forgives us of our sins, we are called to repent and to ask God for help,

FONDNESS. and to remember that God is fond of us, God gave His life for us, gave his light for us in his journey to the cross for you and for me, and he leaves the light on for you and me. We come to him with our gifts. We are also the Magi.

“We have seen his star at its rising and we have come to do him homage”.  (Matthew 2:2)

[__fin_]