Sorry folks for not updating with homilies and stuff. I have been preaching almost every Sunday. I have just been too lazy to upload the homilies to the blog. Maybe I will get back to it soon. If you want the short version of today's homily, here it is:
1] God really really loves you, more than you can imagine.
2] You cannot forgive your own sins - forgiveness is a grace received from God (see number 1)
3] Show your love back to God by loving Jesus with all your heart.
4] Do that by loving others
5] Go to confession every month- admit your sins and experience God's love
6] Do not wait until you have conquered whatever sin or weakness you have. You will not succeed (see number 2)
7] Do not worry about whether you might sin again, you probably will. (see number 1)
In other news, Father Marcus will be returning to his home diocese in Nigeria soon. It is a sad time for us. Father Marcus has given our parish many years of faithful and loving service. He is a excellent priest and has been a good friend also. May God bless him in his ministry back home. Another priest from Nigeria (Father Jacob) is being assigned as my Parochial Vicar, for which I am very grateful to both his bishop and mine. Father Marcus cannot be replaced, but I look forward to working with Father Jacob. The parish will benefit from his service.
One of the parishes near us lost their priest. As a result, I have been going there on many Sundays to celebrate their Spanish Mass. Thanks God that other priests have been taking care of the English liturgies. The people are very accomodating and friendly. But I am sure that they are hoping for their own parish priest soon. We must pray that our bishop can find someone to come and serve them.
Sometime this summer I plan to have my gall bladder removed. There has been increasing discomfort. And a loss of power on my bike. Furthermore, I have been very tired. Your prayers are deeply appreciated.
Have a blessed week.
Showing posts with label homilies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homilies. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Body and Blood
1. Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi- that is, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In truth, every time we participate in the Holy Mass we are celebrating the Body and Blood of Christ. But today is a special day for us to focus our minds on this profound and mysterious truth: The bread and wine which we offer are transformed by the will of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit and the Words of the Son into the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus’ flesh is real food and blood is real drink, and He has really offered us Himself in this Sacrament. Of course, His Body and Blood come to us under the appearance of bread and wine. But we do not doubt the power of God to make things new. When God said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) what happened? There was light. When God commanded Lazarus to "Come out" (John 11:43), what happened? Lazarus came out of the tomb. So when the Son of God says "this is my Body which will be given up for you" (Luke 22:19), what happens? Can we doubt His words because they might be difficult to accept? Can we refuse to believe simply because we might be uncomfortable to eat His flesh and drink His blood? No, we really cannot refuse this belief in the power of the One who rose from the dead.
3. Nevertheless, the Eucharist nevertheless is a mystery. As children preparing for First Holy Communion, we learned the facts - the Eucharist is Christ’s Body and Blood. And each of us is required to give an intellectual assent of faith before receiving communion. When the priest or minister says Body of Christ, and we must answer Amen! In the seminary, we studied the Eucharist in many classes- Liturgy, History, Scripture, and Doctrine. But as important as it is for us to study the Eucharist in that manner, that is not where our intellect will grow in its understanding of this mystery.
4. True knowledge of the Holy Eucharist begins with faith. And it will grow only in acts of faith. We must believe before we see. To grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Eucharist, we must believe, we must adore, we must participate, and we must receive. Only then will our knowledge and understanding grow. It is like love. We could study love and read books about it, but until we actually love and are loved, we will never really begin to get it.
5. Observe the audience of Jesus in the Gospel. Many complained about Jesus’ words because they thought He was talking about cannibalism. In fact, many of the disciples left Jesus’ company that very day because His words were too hard to accept. What did Jesus do? He turned to the Twelve and asked them if they wanted to leave also. Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Those who remained with Him did not understand. They were probably scared. But they remained because they believed in Jesus and trusted in Him. As they continued to follow Him, they eventually ended up at the Last Supper. And on the night of the Resurrection, their eyes of understanding were opened (see Luke 24:13-35).
6. The Eucharist is crucial to the structure of the Church- not just because bishops and priests are the principal celebrants of the Mass, but because the Eucharist makes us Catholic. Every one of us who receives communion today receives the same Jesus. In the world there are over a billion Catholics. So how many will receive communion? More than a million, more than a hundred million, maybe more than five hundred million or more will receive. And each of us receives the same Jesus, who is One. And by receiving the One, we become One. We become intimate with God Himself. Through our worthy reception of Jesus in the Eucharist, we place Jesus at the center of our worship instead of ourselves.
7. Finally, we need the Eucharist if we want to live- not just here on earth, but forever in heaven, which is our true destiny as the children of God. The life of God we receive in Holy Communion makes it possible that our Holy Religion is not just pious words or humble thoughts, but a radical transformation of our entire selves- body, mind, and spirit.
2. Jesus’ flesh is real food and blood is real drink, and He has really offered us Himself in this Sacrament. Of course, His Body and Blood come to us under the appearance of bread and wine. But we do not doubt the power of God to make things new. When God said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) what happened? There was light. When God commanded Lazarus to "Come out" (John 11:43), what happened? Lazarus came out of the tomb. So when the Son of God says "this is my Body which will be given up for you" (Luke 22:19), what happens? Can we doubt His words because they might be difficult to accept? Can we refuse to believe simply because we might be uncomfortable to eat His flesh and drink His blood? No, we really cannot refuse this belief in the power of the One who rose from the dead.
3. Nevertheless, the Eucharist nevertheless is a mystery. As children preparing for First Holy Communion, we learned the facts - the Eucharist is Christ’s Body and Blood. And each of us is required to give an intellectual assent of faith before receiving communion. When the priest or minister says Body of Christ, and we must answer Amen! In the seminary, we studied the Eucharist in many classes- Liturgy, History, Scripture, and Doctrine. But as important as it is for us to study the Eucharist in that manner, that is not where our intellect will grow in its understanding of this mystery.
4. True knowledge of the Holy Eucharist begins with faith. And it will grow only in acts of faith. We must believe before we see. To grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Eucharist, we must believe, we must adore, we must participate, and we must receive. Only then will our knowledge and understanding grow. It is like love. We could study love and read books about it, but until we actually love and are loved, we will never really begin to get it.
5. Observe the audience of Jesus in the Gospel. Many complained about Jesus’ words because they thought He was talking about cannibalism. In fact, many of the disciples left Jesus’ company that very day because His words were too hard to accept. What did Jesus do? He turned to the Twelve and asked them if they wanted to leave also. Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Those who remained with Him did not understand. They were probably scared. But they remained because they believed in Jesus and trusted in Him. As they continued to follow Him, they eventually ended up at the Last Supper. And on the night of the Resurrection, their eyes of understanding were opened (see Luke 24:13-35).
6. The Eucharist is crucial to the structure of the Church- not just because bishops and priests are the principal celebrants of the Mass, but because the Eucharist makes us Catholic. Every one of us who receives communion today receives the same Jesus. In the world there are over a billion Catholics. So how many will receive communion? More than a million, more than a hundred million, maybe more than five hundred million or more will receive. And each of us receives the same Jesus, who is One. And by receiving the One, we become One. We become intimate with God Himself. Through our worthy reception of Jesus in the Eucharist, we place Jesus at the center of our worship instead of ourselves.
7. Finally, we need the Eucharist if we want to live- not just here on earth, but forever in heaven, which is our true destiny as the children of God. The life of God we receive in Holy Communion makes it possible that our Holy Religion is not just pious words or humble thoughts, but a radical transformation of our entire selves- body, mind, and spirit.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Gifts From On High
1. The Holy Scriptures proclaimed for Pentecost Sunday present us with two instances of the gift of the Holy Spirit- in the upper room on Easter Sunday, and in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, 50 days later. What is going on? Are there two Pentecosts? We can consider the nature of the Holy Spirit. There is only one Holy Spirit, but because He is God, He is infinite. To receive the Spirit does not prevent us from receiving Him again. And to receive one gift or collection of gifts of the Spirit does not prevent us from receiving more. We could look at the life of Mary. She received the Holy Spirit when she conceived Jesus in her womb. But certainly the joy of being the mother of our Lord and God was not an isolated or single instance, as if giving birth was the sum of motherly joy. Her experience of being the Mother of God affected her whole life in many ways.
2. Likewise when the disciples received the promised gift of the Spirit, we do not have to presume that the gift they received was an isolated experience. Neither was it just one type of gift. For example, they received the Spirit of Sonship, by which they became the adopted children of God. They received the Spirit of Love- that is, the Love of God was poured into their hearts, so that they could love as Jesus loved them. Today’s Bible readings talk about three other aspects of the Spirit which the disciples received at Pentecost: the spirit of peace, the spirit of knowledge, and the spirit of power.
3. In the Gospel, Jesus says Peace be with you and breathed on the disciples. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of true peace and contentment. Not the peace of the world, which usually is simply the absence of war or fighting, but the peace which only God can give. The peace of God is something that is only completely fulfilled when we rest in the Lord. Saint Augustine said our hearts are restless Lord, until they rest in you. When we are fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God, then we will have peace, because then we will be what God has made us to be. Our attempts to find contentment and rest through doing what makes us feel good only end leave us in emptiness and sorrow. So part of the gift of the Peace which Jesus gave His disciples is the gift of the authority to forgive. Forgiveness is necessary so that we can become more like Jesus, not just as we are forgiven our sins which deform us, but also as we give forgiveness to others.
4. In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says that only through the Holy Spirit can we even say that Jesus is Lord. That is the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Knowledge of God. Only with God dwelling within us can we know who Jesus really is. We may know He existed, we may know He died, we may even know that He rose from the dead. But to get to know Him personally as He really is, we need the Holy Spirit. Through the gift of the Spirit, we can begin to grasp the mysteries of our faith because the Light of Truth is shining within us. An example of this is the Holy Eucharist- until we believe, until the Light of Truth shines inside, we will not see and understand.
5. The Acts of the Apostles recounts the event which we would say is formally Pentecost. That day, the Holy Apostles were huddled in fear in the upper, praying for the gift of God. When the Spirit rested upon them, they burst forth to proclaim the Jesus is Lord and God. They were no longer afraid. In the next few months and years, they would be arrested and persecuted, and most of them would be killed. But they did not waver in the faith, or in their desire to share it. And because they shared the faith, many came to believe and receive the same gift of the Spirit. Witness the mighty power of their words, by which more than 3000 were converted the very first time they spoke. It was not human wisdom which motivated these people to believe and receive baptism, it was the power of God Himself.
6. All this sounds exciting. Wouldn’t it be great to speak the truth about Jesus and convert thousands? Wouldn’t be great to receive knowledge of the mysteries of God? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to exercise authority and experience peace that the world cannot give? Are those days past? Could we receive the Spirit for the same kind of mighty works?
7. Those days are not past. Each one of us has received the gift of the Holy Spirit in our Baptism, so we are God’s children. The Church exercises the authority to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which we can make use of almost any day we want (just ask). We can boldly state “Jesus is Lord” because the Spirit has given us knowledge. And even if we do not fully understand, we are able to know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
8. Every one of us has been anointed at Baptism as Prophet, to proclaim the Gospel through our actions and through our words. In Confirmation, we receive the same gift of courage that enabled the apostles to lose their fear and speak out loud.
9. But we do not always experience the same power that the apostles did. Maybe the problem is, do we actually do it? Or are we still afraid? Do we hide our Catholic Faith? Or do we profess belief and then live as if there is no god? In various times in history, there have been tremendous numbers of conversions. And even in our own country, many people enter the Church each year. Will we be bold today in the true expression of our faith?
2. Likewise when the disciples received the promised gift of the Spirit, we do not have to presume that the gift they received was an isolated experience. Neither was it just one type of gift. For example, they received the Spirit of Sonship, by which they became the adopted children of God. They received the Spirit of Love- that is, the Love of God was poured into their hearts, so that they could love as Jesus loved them. Today’s Bible readings talk about three other aspects of the Spirit which the disciples received at Pentecost: the spirit of peace, the spirit of knowledge, and the spirit of power.
3. In the Gospel, Jesus says Peace be with you and breathed on the disciples. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of true peace and contentment. Not the peace of the world, which usually is simply the absence of war or fighting, but the peace which only God can give. The peace of God is something that is only completely fulfilled when we rest in the Lord. Saint Augustine said our hearts are restless Lord, until they rest in you. When we are fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God, then we will have peace, because then we will be what God has made us to be. Our attempts to find contentment and rest through doing what makes us feel good only end leave us in emptiness and sorrow. So part of the gift of the Peace which Jesus gave His disciples is the gift of the authority to forgive. Forgiveness is necessary so that we can become more like Jesus, not just as we are forgiven our sins which deform us, but also as we give forgiveness to others.
4. In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says that only through the Holy Spirit can we even say that Jesus is Lord. That is the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Knowledge of God. Only with God dwelling within us can we know who Jesus really is. We may know He existed, we may know He died, we may even know that He rose from the dead. But to get to know Him personally as He really is, we need the Holy Spirit. Through the gift of the Spirit, we can begin to grasp the mysteries of our faith because the Light of Truth is shining within us. An example of this is the Holy Eucharist- until we believe, until the Light of Truth shines inside, we will not see and understand.
5. The Acts of the Apostles recounts the event which we would say is formally Pentecost. That day, the Holy Apostles were huddled in fear in the upper, praying for the gift of God. When the Spirit rested upon them, they burst forth to proclaim the Jesus is Lord and God. They were no longer afraid. In the next few months and years, they would be arrested and persecuted, and most of them would be killed. But they did not waver in the faith, or in their desire to share it. And because they shared the faith, many came to believe and receive the same gift of the Spirit. Witness the mighty power of their words, by which more than 3000 were converted the very first time they spoke. It was not human wisdom which motivated these people to believe and receive baptism, it was the power of God Himself.
6. All this sounds exciting. Wouldn’t it be great to speak the truth about Jesus and convert thousands? Wouldn’t be great to receive knowledge of the mysteries of God? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to exercise authority and experience peace that the world cannot give? Are those days past? Could we receive the Spirit for the same kind of mighty works?
7. Those days are not past. Each one of us has received the gift of the Holy Spirit in our Baptism, so we are God’s children. The Church exercises the authority to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which we can make use of almost any day we want (just ask). We can boldly state “Jesus is Lord” because the Spirit has given us knowledge. And even if we do not fully understand, we are able to know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
8. Every one of us has been anointed at Baptism as Prophet, to proclaim the Gospel through our actions and through our words. In Confirmation, we receive the same gift of courage that enabled the apostles to lose their fear and speak out loud.
9. But we do not always experience the same power that the apostles did. Maybe the problem is, do we actually do it? Or are we still afraid? Do we hide our Catholic Faith? Or do we profess belief and then live as if there is no god? In various times in history, there have been tremendous numbers of conversions. And even in our own country, many people enter the Church each year. Will we be bold today in the true expression of our faith?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday Things
Today I do not have a homily to post, since the deacons were preaching. But that will not stop me from reflecting on the Sunday readings...
It was rainy this morning, so the early Mass did not have as many people as I would have liked. The later Mass was very crowded, however. At the later Mass, I baptized 5 babies. The water was a little cold, so 4 of them cried a bit. The one whose parents held her so that she could see the water and reach down to touch it did not cry.
This afternoon, I drove out to the local Community College in the next county for a choir and band concert. It was very nice. One of our parishioners was singing in her last concert at that school before moving on to a four year institution.
I got back home from all the activities around 7:30, but it is too cold to ride. I hope tomorrow is warmer.
Now to the readings. Since in a couple of weeks, we will be celebrating Pentecost, the readings had a common theme of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus was speaking to His disciples telling them that He would not leave them orphans, but would come to them. And He would send another advocate (Paracletos) to be with them- the Holy Spirit. In the first reading, Saints Peter and John go to Samaria to impose hands on the people who had come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. The reason they even went to Samaria, was that the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem drove many Christians out of the city, and as they left, they continued to preach.
The second reading had a similar theme from a couple of weeks ago- that of suffering for doing good. Saint Peter exhorted people to always be ready to give a reason for their hope. And that if they were going to suffer, it would be better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil. His words were not just words that he preached. It would not be long until Saint Peter himself, as well as many of the apostles, would pay for their belief in Christ with their lives. Nevertheless, they continued to give a reason for their hope.
Sometimes as Catholics we have a little trouble doing that. We sometimes think that as long as we are "nice" everything is going to work out. But really, Jesus does not ask us to be "nice." He asks us to be faithful. Our actions should be our primary mode of preaching about our beliefs. But our words should not fail us. When I was in the semminary, one of our professors (a priest) used to tell us "if you do not study, you are going to Hell." His reason was that studying the faith, becoming knowledgeable and skilled at explaining was our job, our calling from God. To waste time or to fail to do the necessary work to fulfill our calling would result in a severe judgement. Another professor (also a priest) told us that if we did not learn how to answer, people would go down the street to find someone who would. And he is right.
But it is not just the priest who should be able to answer. Sometimes a person who has a question never gets to the priest. Sometimes the person who has to give a reason for their hope is their brother or sister, or their neighbor, or co-worker. Each of us should be a lifelong learner. And we should not be afraid to speak the truth, even if people do not want to hear it. We never know when the seed of faith that we plant with courage and conviction will take root in someone. Maybe they will turn to Christ because they observed someone who actually lived and actually took the time to learn.
Of course, it is not all intellectual. In all our learning, the most important aspect is prayer. If Jesus is not a real person to us, if our relationship with God is not personal and intimate, not only will we be poor evangelizers, our own faith will be too weak to do us a lot of good. Jesus promised not to leave us orphans. God wants to be intimate with us, to come to us and be with us forever. That is certainly something to hope for.
It was rainy this morning, so the early Mass did not have as many people as I would have liked. The later Mass was very crowded, however. At the later Mass, I baptized 5 babies. The water was a little cold, so 4 of them cried a bit. The one whose parents held her so that she could see the water and reach down to touch it did not cry.
This afternoon, I drove out to the local Community College in the next county for a choir and band concert. It was very nice. One of our parishioners was singing in her last concert at that school before moving on to a four year institution.
I got back home from all the activities around 7:30, but it is too cold to ride. I hope tomorrow is warmer.
Now to the readings. Since in a couple of weeks, we will be celebrating Pentecost, the readings had a common theme of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus was speaking to His disciples telling them that He would not leave them orphans, but would come to them. And He would send another advocate (Paracletos) to be with them- the Holy Spirit. In the first reading, Saints Peter and John go to Samaria to impose hands on the people who had come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. The reason they even went to Samaria, was that the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem drove many Christians out of the city, and as they left, they continued to preach.
The second reading had a similar theme from a couple of weeks ago- that of suffering for doing good. Saint Peter exhorted people to always be ready to give a reason for their hope. And that if they were going to suffer, it would be better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil. His words were not just words that he preached. It would not be long until Saint Peter himself, as well as many of the apostles, would pay for their belief in Christ with their lives. Nevertheless, they continued to give a reason for their hope.
Sometimes as Catholics we have a little trouble doing that. We sometimes think that as long as we are "nice" everything is going to work out. But really, Jesus does not ask us to be "nice." He asks us to be faithful. Our actions should be our primary mode of preaching about our beliefs. But our words should not fail us. When I was in the semminary, one of our professors (a priest) used to tell us "if you do not study, you are going to Hell." His reason was that studying the faith, becoming knowledgeable and skilled at explaining was our job, our calling from God. To waste time or to fail to do the necessary work to fulfill our calling would result in a severe judgement. Another professor (also a priest) told us that if we did not learn how to answer, people would go down the street to find someone who would. And he is right.
But it is not just the priest who should be able to answer. Sometimes a person who has a question never gets to the priest. Sometimes the person who has to give a reason for their hope is their brother or sister, or their neighbor, or co-worker. Each of us should be a lifelong learner. And we should not be afraid to speak the truth, even if people do not want to hear it. We never know when the seed of faith that we plant with courage and conviction will take root in someone. Maybe they will turn to Christ because they observed someone who actually lived and actually took the time to learn.
Of course, it is not all intellectual. In all our learning, the most important aspect is prayer. If Jesus is not a real person to us, if our relationship with God is not personal and intimate, not only will we be poor evangelizers, our own faith will be too weak to do us a lot of good. Jesus promised not to leave us orphans. God wants to be intimate with us, to come to us and be with us forever. That is certainly something to hope for.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Be Built into the Holy Priesthood of God.
This was the homily I preached on 20 April 2008:
1. Among those who follow Jesus Christ, there are two kinds of priesthood. The more familiar kind is the ministerial priesthood. That is the priesthood of the ordained ministers such as the bishop and myself. The ministerial priesthood is a sharing in the high priesthood of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd for the purposes of teaching, sanctifying, and leading the flock of the Lord. Ministerial priests are men chosen from among the people of God and set apart for ministry, just as Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas were set apart to receive the laying on of hands.
2. A ministerial priests acts in the person of Christ in the administration of the Sacraments. It is true that we exercise great power and authority, but it is not our own power or our own authority, but that which belongs to Jesus. I first felt a call to the priesthood when I was 6 years old. But the Lord did not really get my attention until I was already 31 years old. In my case, there were many lessons to be learned before I was ready to hear His call. I have to say that I have never regretted being a priest. And I would suggest that many of our young men pray about it with an open heart. It is a great life serving God and making a real difference in the world.
3. When Saint Peter is referring to the priesthood in the second reading, however, he is not talking about the ministerial priesthood, which nevertheless is absolutely necessary for the Church. Saint Peter speaks of the common priesthood of all Christians. That is the Royal Priesthood that we have been made part of by virtue our Baptism. The Royal Priesthood and the Ministerial Priesthood are different, but not by degrees. That is, an Ordained Priest is not “more priest” a member of the Royal priesthood. It is a different kind, although related. For every baptized person is a member of the Royal Priest- you and I both.
4. The Royal Priesthood is significant. In the old Covenant, all the families were to be priestly families. That is, their sons were to be chosen as priests for offering the acceptable sacrifices. After the people had worshiped the golden calf, God took away the priesthood from all but one family. Therefore, for every person to be built up into the Royal Priesthood is a fulfillment of God’s original plan for the whole world, that each family, each person, would be precious in His sight. For that reason Saint Peter exhorts the people to let themselves be built up into the holy Priesthood.
5. The purpose of this Common Priesthood of all believers is so that we can offer a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God. Offering sacrifice is a fundamental activity of a priestly family. By our Baptism, we are called to continually offer these spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. The spiritual sacrifices which we are called to make are : prayers praise and adoration of God (in the Holy Mass, it is crucial to participate, in particular to say the "Amen," which is a prayer reserved to the assembly of the people). Not all spiritual sacrifices are invisible or intangible, for example the paying of the tithe and sharing in the material goods is a spiritual sacrifice and a symbol of the sharing of ourselves. There is the offering of time spent with God and His people. In truth, everything that we do: at work, at play, at home, at school, whatever it is can be a sacrifice to God, if we lift it up to God and do our best.
6. Similar to the Ministerial Priesthood, the Royal Priest comes from Jesus Christ. As He offered Himself on the Cross for our sake, our most important sacrifice is the sacrifice of our total selves to God out of our Love for the good of His kingdom.
7. In order to make a sacrifice, however, one has to trust. When Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham had to trust God. When the priests of the old Covenant offered up the best lambs from the flock, they had to trust God. When a family begins to tithe on their income, they must trust that God will take care of them. When a man offers himself to the Ministerial priesthood, or a woman offers herself to the consecrated life, they must trust in the Lord. Fear is the enemy of true service of the Lord.
8. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us do not let your hearts be troubled, ... have faith in me. Jesus exhorted them by proclaiming that He alone is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. So we need to trust in Him and follow Him.
9. In the Old Testament, the priests did not own land, because the Lord was supposed to be their sole possession. Although Jesus continues to permit us to own things, nevertheless, as His priestly people, Jesus calls us to have Him as our most prized possession. To know Jesus and to trust in Him, to become One with Him means that He will work from within us. If we would exercise our Baptismal priesthood, let us trust in the Lord and put all things into His hands so that we can witness His power.
1. Among those who follow Jesus Christ, there are two kinds of priesthood. The more familiar kind is the ministerial priesthood. That is the priesthood of the ordained ministers such as the bishop and myself. The ministerial priesthood is a sharing in the high priesthood of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd for the purposes of teaching, sanctifying, and leading the flock of the Lord. Ministerial priests are men chosen from among the people of God and set apart for ministry, just as Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas were set apart to receive the laying on of hands.
2. A ministerial priests acts in the person of Christ in the administration of the Sacraments. It is true that we exercise great power and authority, but it is not our own power or our own authority, but that which belongs to Jesus. I first felt a call to the priesthood when I was 6 years old. But the Lord did not really get my attention until I was already 31 years old. In my case, there were many lessons to be learned before I was ready to hear His call. I have to say that I have never regretted being a priest. And I would suggest that many of our young men pray about it with an open heart. It is a great life serving God and making a real difference in the world.
3. When Saint Peter is referring to the priesthood in the second reading, however, he is not talking about the ministerial priesthood, which nevertheless is absolutely necessary for the Church. Saint Peter speaks of the common priesthood of all Christians. That is the Royal Priesthood that we have been made part of by virtue our Baptism. The Royal Priesthood and the Ministerial Priesthood are different, but not by degrees. That is, an Ordained Priest is not “more priest” a member of the Royal priesthood. It is a different kind, although related. For every baptized person is a member of the Royal Priest- you and I both.
4. The Royal Priesthood is significant. In the old Covenant, all the families were to be priestly families. That is, their sons were to be chosen as priests for offering the acceptable sacrifices. After the people had worshiped the golden calf, God took away the priesthood from all but one family. Therefore, for every person to be built up into the Royal Priesthood is a fulfillment of God’s original plan for the whole world, that each family, each person, would be precious in His sight. For that reason Saint Peter exhorts the people to let themselves be built up into the holy Priesthood.
5. The purpose of this Common Priesthood of all believers is so that we can offer a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God. Offering sacrifice is a fundamental activity of a priestly family. By our Baptism, we are called to continually offer these spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. The spiritual sacrifices which we are called to make are : prayers praise and adoration of God (in the Holy Mass, it is crucial to participate, in particular to say the "Amen," which is a prayer reserved to the assembly of the people). Not all spiritual sacrifices are invisible or intangible, for example the paying of the tithe and sharing in the material goods is a spiritual sacrifice and a symbol of the sharing of ourselves. There is the offering of time spent with God and His people. In truth, everything that we do: at work, at play, at home, at school, whatever it is can be a sacrifice to God, if we lift it up to God and do our best.
6. Similar to the Ministerial Priesthood, the Royal Priest comes from Jesus Christ. As He offered Himself on the Cross for our sake, our most important sacrifice is the sacrifice of our total selves to God out of our Love for the good of His kingdom.
7. In order to make a sacrifice, however, one has to trust. When Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham had to trust God. When the priests of the old Covenant offered up the best lambs from the flock, they had to trust God. When a family begins to tithe on their income, they must trust that God will take care of them. When a man offers himself to the Ministerial priesthood, or a woman offers herself to the consecrated life, they must trust in the Lord. Fear is the enemy of true service of the Lord.
8. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us do not let your hearts be troubled, ... have faith in me. Jesus exhorted them by proclaiming that He alone is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. So we need to trust in Him and follow Him.
9. In the Old Testament, the priests did not own land, because the Lord was supposed to be their sole possession. Although Jesus continues to permit us to own things, nevertheless, as His priestly people, Jesus calls us to have Him as our most prized possession. To know Jesus and to trust in Him, to become One with Him means that He will work from within us. If we would exercise our Baptismal priesthood, let us trust in the Lord and put all things into His hands so that we can witness His power.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)