Promises, Instructions and Warnings
Homily for November 27, 2016 First Sunday of Advent - A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Happy New Year! For us Catholics, today, the First Sunday of Advent, is the beginning of a New Liturgical Year. But it would be a little strange to run around and wish people a “Happy New Liturgical Year”, so I’m sticking with just “Happy New Year”. Try it – it might make people think you’re crazy but it will also give you an opportunity to talk about the Real Meaning of Christmas.
And despite what you are seeing on TV and in the stores, this isn’t the beginning of the Christmas season, but of the season of Advent. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin 'Adventus,' which means 'coming', and it is a preparatory season – a season of looking forward and waiting in anticipation for something great to happen. And as Catholics we use this period of Advent to prepare for two distinctly different events – the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus the historical figure, and, more importantly, for the time when Jesus the Christ will come again.
And all three of today’s readings help us to begin our preparations for this second event, the return of Christ: the first is a promise; then a series of instructions; and finally - a warning.
First, the promise. Isaiah talks about the future Kingdom of God that is to come, and he gives us a vision of hope. He describes the coming Kingdom as one of worldly peace; that there will be a day when people “from all nations” will come and seek the Kingdom. There will be no more wars, nor a need for them. The day of our salvation is coming.
But we are not there yet. And so, St. Paul gives us instructions in his Letter to the Romans on how we should be preparing ourselves for that day of salvation. His instructions sound almost the opposite of some of our Christmas preparations, doesn’t it? How many times have we heard about Christmas office parties which get out of hand? Did you know that there is more alcohol consumed for Christmas than any other time of the year except for New Year’s Eve? As for rivalry and jealousy, all we have to do is look to how people respond to Black Friday sales to see just how bad people can act.
And while that sense that the world will end tomorrow has diminished over the last two thousand years, our own need for a sense of urgency in our lives has not diminished, for we do not know the time and the place of our own departure and, sooner than later, we will be facing God, at least individually.
Which brings us to today’s Gospel. It seems to be a bit of a downer to begin a season marked with preparations for Christmas with such dire predictions. In his warning to His disciples, Jesus gives a harsh, apocalyptic view of the future – two men are working in the field: one is taken: one is left behind. Two women grinding in the mill: one taken; one left behind. The book series, “Left Behind” by Jenkens and LaHaye, was based on a literal interpretation of this passage – all of the faithful have been taken away by Christ, leaving the rest of humanity to face the upcoming apocalyptic battle between good and evil.
And yet, although we normally think of it as referring to some sort of cataclysmic event, the word Apocalypse comes from a Greek word which means literally "unveiling," or a revelation of something unknown. The second coming of Christ isn’t a time of depression; it is a time of joy for those who are ready. What if this passage means that the bad guys are taken away, leaving the rest of us to enjoy a new world with Jesus, free from tribulation? After all, Jesus has told us that He is coming back TO us, that the world will be renewed. Wherever we are in life, there is a better future in store for us. We wait in anticipation for His second coming to us.
Unfortunately, for many people the days leading up to Christmas ARE
depressing. There are those who will be facing the holidays for the
first time without a loved one who may have died or is gone; there are
those who see all of the celebrations and feel the pressures of not
having enough to celebrate with them; there are those who may be
experiencing family problems and may be estranged from those they should
be loving. They cannot see that the focus of this season is not about parties and
presents, but about the gift that God already gave us - the gift of Jesus and
the promise of a better future in His Kingdom, where we will be reunited with loved ones and experience the joy of being in the presence of God.
So let’s not get lost in doom and gloom. Advent isn’t a season of worry and despair; it is a season of hope and anticipation. I read somewhere, from a Catholic source no less, that since the Christmas season doesn’t begin until December 25th, that we shouldn’t be singing Christmas carols or turning on Christmas lights or even sending out Christmas cards before that day. I’ve never understood that. Think about the time just before a baby is born. What do you do? You clean and decorate the baby’s nursery; you hold baby showers and prepare gifts for the newborn; and if you’re GOOD friends of the mother-to-be, you might even prepare food for the family, knowing that once the child is born these will be the things which the family will need for the new addition to the family.
And so it is with us. Advent is a season of preparation, of anticipation. Let us take these next four weeks to prepare for the annual celebration of Jesus’ birthday, allowing the Spirit of Christmas enter into our lives and sharing with each other the joys we have received because Jesus is in our lives. Sing songs; share food and fellowship. But don’t let the frenetic activities of preparing for celebrating a historical event overshadow the true meaning of Christmas. Let us also prepare ourselves for His second coming into our lives.
Happy New Year.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Of Kings and Men
Of Kings and Men
Homily for November 20, 2016 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
This weekend we celebrate the end of our Liturgical Year, with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We commonly call this “Christ the King Sunday”, although I’ve recently met people who thought that it meant that they should attend Mass at Christ the King Church off of Northwest Highway this weekend.
Why do we celebrate this feast, especially at the end of our liturgical year? It reminds us that Jesus is more than a teacher, He is Our King. The Universe was created by and belongs to Him. Next week we begin a new cycle of teachings, beginning with celebrating His birth and preparing for his Second Coming. And today, we are reminded that He will come as our Lord and King.
This feast is a relatively new addition to our liturgical calendar, Church-speaking, since it was only added in 1925. In his encyclical establishing this feast day, Pope Pius XI (the eleventh) said: "If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all (people), purchased by His precious blood, are by a new right subjected to His dominion; (and) if this power embraces all (people), it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from His empire. He must reign in our minds, … . He must reign in our wills, … . He must reign in our hearts, … and (we must) love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God." We are Instruments of justice.
In a sense, then, this feast is really less about Christ as King as it is a reminder that WE are members of His Kingdom, and that we, too, have responsibilities to that Kingdom. When we are baptized, during our anointing with chrism we are told that we have been anointed as “priests, prophets and kings”. So, as Catholics, through our baptisms we are called not only to follow Christ as our King, but that WE are called to be kings as well.
Bishop Robert Barron summed our role as “kings” with this:
Finally, what does it mean for the ordinary Catholic to be a king? In the theological sense, a king is someone who orders the charisms within a community so as to direct that community toward God. In this way, he is like the general of an army or the conductor of an orchestra: he coordinates the efforts and talents of a conglomeration of people in order to help them achieve a common purpose. … How does one grow in the capacity to exercise kingly leadership? … On the Catholic reading, religious people—the baptized—come forth boldly and publicly and are more than willing to govern, to be kings, out of religious conviction. If you are looking for examples of what I’m describing here, look no further than William Lloyd Garrison, Fulton Sheen, Martin Luther King, or Dorothy Day. Baptized kings who refuse to reign are like a hilltop city covered in clouds.
So, we too are called to be Kings, and Christ taught us how to rule. Our Church continues to teach us how to rule. Pope Francis is a living example on how to rule. And if there’s a mission statement for our kingship, it is the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
We’ve studied and prayed and reflected on the Works of Mercy during the Jubilee of Mercy, which along with our Liturgical Year closes this weekend. The Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica, which was opened on Dec. 8th last year, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, will be closed and sealed with brick and mortar this weekend signaling the end of this extraordinary event, and the doors will remain closed until another Jubilee event is declared.
But although Pope Francis will be closing the Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s, our call – our Mission – to show mercy continues. We, as subjects in Christ’s Kingdom, must now continue living and practicing the Works of Mercy, not just occasionally or when convenient, but as a life-style.
Which brings us to today’s Gospel. First, a bit of trivia. Who was the first saint to enter heaven? I’d say it was St. Dismas – the Good Thief from today’s Gospel. Although scriptures doesn’t reveal the names of the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus, other writings identifies the Good Thief with the name of Dismas, and Jesus tells him that “today you will be with me in paradise.” Can you imagine what all of the other saintly people waiting their turn to enter Heaven must have thought when Dismas strolled through the gates with Jesus? “Hey, no cutting in line?!”
It’s a trick question: they were HAPPY! Remember, there is great rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner.
Dismas recognized Jesus as King. Not an earthly king but the King of Heaven. He didn’t expect Jesus to come down from the cross; he didn’t expect Jesus to save his earthly life. Despite the pain and suffering he experienced, Dismas recognized Jesus for who He was, and believed with the hope that comes with faith. And Dismas’ plea to be remembered by Jesus when Jesus assumed His reign was a plea for mercy. His plea is our plea. And Jesus will respond to us just as He did to Dismas – with God’s infinite mercy.
It is our mission, then, it to carry that mercy to all those we meet.
Would you recognize Jesus today? It would be tough, if your only contact with Him is as a spectator at a Sunday Mass. It would be like meeting someone in passing at the airport or on a commuter train. If you saw them enough times you might get to a point that you recognized a face, but unless you sat with them and talked with them you’d never know them.
So it is with Jesus. We encounter Him through His Word, His Liturgy, and His people. And shortly, you will hear about a way to encounter Jesus through an upcoming ACTS retreat. But it is through prayer that we talk with Him. We must pray, and we must listen.
Finally, we’re reminded from the Second Vatican Council’s document, “Lumen Gentium” or “Light of the People”, that “as His disciples, WE are named as His kings so that we too ‘might be constituted in royal freedom, and that by true penance and a holy life we might conquer the reign of sin in ourselves’”.
We are called to be Kings. We are also God’s Stewards of the many blessings He has given to us. Let us prepare ourselves and act like it.
Homily for November 20, 2016 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
This weekend we celebrate the end of our Liturgical Year, with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We commonly call this “Christ the King Sunday”, although I’ve recently met people who thought that it meant that they should attend Mass at Christ the King Church off of Northwest Highway this weekend.
Why do we celebrate this feast, especially at the end of our liturgical year? It reminds us that Jesus is more than a teacher, He is Our King. The Universe was created by and belongs to Him. Next week we begin a new cycle of teachings, beginning with celebrating His birth and preparing for his Second Coming. And today, we are reminded that He will come as our Lord and King.
This feast is a relatively new addition to our liturgical calendar, Church-speaking, since it was only added in 1925. In his encyclical establishing this feast day, Pope Pius XI (the eleventh) said: "If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all (people), purchased by His precious blood, are by a new right subjected to His dominion; (and) if this power embraces all (people), it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from His empire. He must reign in our minds, … . He must reign in our wills, … . He must reign in our hearts, … and (we must) love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God." We are Instruments of justice.
In a sense, then, this feast is really less about Christ as King as it is a reminder that WE are members of His Kingdom, and that we, too, have responsibilities to that Kingdom. When we are baptized, during our anointing with chrism we are told that we have been anointed as “priests, prophets and kings”. So, as Catholics, through our baptisms we are called not only to follow Christ as our King, but that WE are called to be kings as well.
Bishop Robert Barron summed our role as “kings” with this:
Finally, what does it mean for the ordinary Catholic to be a king? In the theological sense, a king is someone who orders the charisms within a community so as to direct that community toward God. In this way, he is like the general of an army or the conductor of an orchestra: he coordinates the efforts and talents of a conglomeration of people in order to help them achieve a common purpose. … How does one grow in the capacity to exercise kingly leadership? … On the Catholic reading, religious people—the baptized—come forth boldly and publicly and are more than willing to govern, to be kings, out of religious conviction. If you are looking for examples of what I’m describing here, look no further than William Lloyd Garrison, Fulton Sheen, Martin Luther King, or Dorothy Day. Baptized kings who refuse to reign are like a hilltop city covered in clouds.
So, we too are called to be Kings, and Christ taught us how to rule. Our Church continues to teach us how to rule. Pope Francis is a living example on how to rule. And if there’s a mission statement for our kingship, it is the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
We’ve studied and prayed and reflected on the Works of Mercy during the Jubilee of Mercy, which along with our Liturgical Year closes this weekend. The Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica, which was opened on Dec. 8th last year, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, will be closed and sealed with brick and mortar this weekend signaling the end of this extraordinary event, and the doors will remain closed until another Jubilee event is declared.
But although Pope Francis will be closing the Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s, our call – our Mission – to show mercy continues. We, as subjects in Christ’s Kingdom, must now continue living and practicing the Works of Mercy, not just occasionally or when convenient, but as a life-style.
Which brings us to today’s Gospel. First, a bit of trivia. Who was the first saint to enter heaven? I’d say it was St. Dismas – the Good Thief from today’s Gospel. Although scriptures doesn’t reveal the names of the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus, other writings identifies the Good Thief with the name of Dismas, and Jesus tells him that “today you will be with me in paradise.” Can you imagine what all of the other saintly people waiting their turn to enter Heaven must have thought when Dismas strolled through the gates with Jesus? “Hey, no cutting in line?!”
It’s a trick question: they were HAPPY! Remember, there is great rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner.
Dismas recognized Jesus as King. Not an earthly king but the King of Heaven. He didn’t expect Jesus to come down from the cross; he didn’t expect Jesus to save his earthly life. Despite the pain and suffering he experienced, Dismas recognized Jesus for who He was, and believed with the hope that comes with faith. And Dismas’ plea to be remembered by Jesus when Jesus assumed His reign was a plea for mercy. His plea is our plea. And Jesus will respond to us just as He did to Dismas – with God’s infinite mercy.
It is our mission, then, it to carry that mercy to all those we meet.
Would you recognize Jesus today? It would be tough, if your only contact with Him is as a spectator at a Sunday Mass. It would be like meeting someone in passing at the airport or on a commuter train. If you saw them enough times you might get to a point that you recognized a face, but unless you sat with them and talked with them you’d never know them.
So it is with Jesus. We encounter Him through His Word, His Liturgy, and His people. And shortly, you will hear about a way to encounter Jesus through an upcoming ACTS retreat. But it is through prayer that we talk with Him. We must pray, and we must listen.
Finally, we’re reminded from the Second Vatican Council’s document, “Lumen Gentium” or “Light of the People”, that “as His disciples, WE are named as His kings so that we too ‘might be constituted in royal freedom, and that by true penance and a holy life we might conquer the reign of sin in ourselves’”.
We are called to be Kings. We are also God’s Stewards of the many blessings He has given to us. Let us prepare ourselves and act like it.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Attitude in Prayer
Attitude in Prayer
Homily for October 23, 2016 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
In today’s Gospel, did you notice that the tax collector stood in the back of the temple area to pray? I wonder – was he Catholic …?
In any case, what’s prayer? If you looked it up, you’d probably find that prayer generally can be grouped as prayers of adoration and worship, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers of petition for ourselves or intercession on someone else’s behalf. It seems that while we sometimes give thanks for what we have – like when we rattle through “grace” before a meal, mostly we believe that what we have, we earned ourselves and so don’t give thanks often enough. And while we praise God at Mass or when some miraculous event occurs, when was the last time you saw someone jump up in a crowd of people at your office or social event and shouted, “Praise Jesus!”?
It seems that the greatest majority of our prayers focus on intercession and petitions. We want something from God. And that's OK, as long as we don't forget the rest.
All of today’s readings – including the responsorial psalm – are about asking God for something. Mercy. And as we approach the close of the Jubilee of Mercy, I think it is helpful for us to think about what our priorities are in our prayers, our attitude in our prayers, and what we really want from God from our prayers.
Why do we pray? How many of us have the attitude of the Pharisee in today’s Gospel, “Hey, God, I’ve got a great life. I’ve got a new car, a big house, and I have enough money that can go and do just about anything I want. I’m a good guy, and I’m so glad I don’t have to struggle like some of those poor schmucks. Well, I gotta run or I’ll miss the Cowboy’s football game.”
But often we’re on the other side of the fence. There’s been many times when I’ve had someone say to me, “Why should I bother to pray? It doesn’t seem to do any good.” Or, “Why does God seem to answer everyone else’s prayers but mine?” Maybe we’re fighting just to survive and we’re desperately seeking a way out of our troubles. Especially during this election year, where there’s been such hatred and viciousness surrounding us, we cry out, “Where’s God when we need Him?”
We are living in troubling times, but are they worse that when Jesus walked the Earth? Israel was an occupied country under Roman rule; almost all of the Apostles were martyred for their faith. In our second reading, St. Paul is in prison as he writes to Timothy, and he knows that in a short while he too will be executed. There were diseases and natural disasters and war and violence, just like today.
(OK, maybe they didn’t have to deal with people dressing up in scary clown costumes accosting them, or with listening to the clowns currently running for political office. But they did have to deal with the Pilates and Herods and Caesars of their time, not to mention their chosen leaders in the synagogues and the Temple.)
And if you were to measure the success of our prayers of petition and intercession during the last 2000 years by their earthly effectiveness, then it would seem that it is a waste of time to pray.
But prayer is much more than just getting God to give us something or fix something for us. Our prayers are our conversations with God. Conversations. They are meant to be two-way – speaking AND listening. And listening can be tough, since God doesn’t normally respond in a manner we are used to – no phone calls or emails, no text messages or even a Facebook post. We must learn to LISTEN to God, to hear His voice – with our hearts. And we cannot do that unless we make time for God, to be alone with Him.
God DOES hear our prayers. And, like in the first reading from Sirach, we don’t have to be poor to be heard; rich or poor, God listens to all of us equally, especially when we turn to Him with a contrite spirit.
But if all we do is pray to get something, whether for ourselves or someone else, without being poor in spirit – an attitude of respect for God because He is God – then we’ve made God nothing more than a genie in a bottle, like Barbara Eden in the old TV series “I Dream of Genie”. Pop the cork and ask away, and maybe your wish will come true.
Like Paul, we must focus on our true future – eternity. And IF, in our prayers of petition, we recognize our own shortcomings and ask for God’s mercy, He will hear us. Then, like Paul, we will be able say, no matter our current sufferings, that “the Lord will rescue us from every evil threat and will bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.”
Amen.
Homily for October 23, 2016 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
In today’s Gospel, did you notice that the tax collector stood in the back of the temple area to pray? I wonder – was he Catholic …?
In any case, what’s prayer? If you looked it up, you’d probably find that prayer generally can be grouped as prayers of adoration and worship, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers of petition for ourselves or intercession on someone else’s behalf. It seems that while we sometimes give thanks for what we have – like when we rattle through “grace” before a meal, mostly we believe that what we have, we earned ourselves and so don’t give thanks often enough. And while we praise God at Mass or when some miraculous event occurs, when was the last time you saw someone jump up in a crowd of people at your office or social event and shouted, “Praise Jesus!”?
It seems that the greatest majority of our prayers focus on intercession and petitions. We want something from God. And that's OK, as long as we don't forget the rest.
All of today’s readings – including the responsorial psalm – are about asking God for something. Mercy. And as we approach the close of the Jubilee of Mercy, I think it is helpful for us to think about what our priorities are in our prayers, our attitude in our prayers, and what we really want from God from our prayers.
Why do we pray? How many of us have the attitude of the Pharisee in today’s Gospel, “Hey, God, I’ve got a great life. I’ve got a new car, a big house, and I have enough money that can go and do just about anything I want. I’m a good guy, and I’m so glad I don’t have to struggle like some of those poor schmucks. Well, I gotta run or I’ll miss the Cowboy’s football game.”
But often we’re on the other side of the fence. There’s been many times when I’ve had someone say to me, “Why should I bother to pray? It doesn’t seem to do any good.” Or, “Why does God seem to answer everyone else’s prayers but mine?” Maybe we’re fighting just to survive and we’re desperately seeking a way out of our troubles. Especially during this election year, where there’s been such hatred and viciousness surrounding us, we cry out, “Where’s God when we need Him?”
We are living in troubling times, but are they worse that when Jesus walked the Earth? Israel was an occupied country under Roman rule; almost all of the Apostles were martyred for their faith. In our second reading, St. Paul is in prison as he writes to Timothy, and he knows that in a short while he too will be executed. There were diseases and natural disasters and war and violence, just like today.
(OK, maybe they didn’t have to deal with people dressing up in scary clown costumes accosting them, or with listening to the clowns currently running for political office. But they did have to deal with the Pilates and Herods and Caesars of their time, not to mention their chosen leaders in the synagogues and the Temple.)
And if you were to measure the success of our prayers of petition and intercession during the last 2000 years by their earthly effectiveness, then it would seem that it is a waste of time to pray.
But prayer is much more than just getting God to give us something or fix something for us. Our prayers are our conversations with God. Conversations. They are meant to be two-way – speaking AND listening. And listening can be tough, since God doesn’t normally respond in a manner we are used to – no phone calls or emails, no text messages or even a Facebook post. We must learn to LISTEN to God, to hear His voice – with our hearts. And we cannot do that unless we make time for God, to be alone with Him.
God DOES hear our prayers. And, like in the first reading from Sirach, we don’t have to be poor to be heard; rich or poor, God listens to all of us equally, especially when we turn to Him with a contrite spirit.
But if all we do is pray to get something, whether for ourselves or someone else, without being poor in spirit – an attitude of respect for God because He is God – then we’ve made God nothing more than a genie in a bottle, like Barbara Eden in the old TV series “I Dream of Genie”. Pop the cork and ask away, and maybe your wish will come true.
Like Paul, we must focus on our true future – eternity. And IF, in our prayers of petition, we recognize our own shortcomings and ask for God’s mercy, He will hear us. Then, like Paul, we will be able say, no matter our current sufferings, that “the Lord will rescue us from every evil threat and will bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.”
Amen.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Homily for September 11, 2016 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Have you ever been lost? I don’t mean the kind where you weren’t given good directions to go somewhere. In that case it’s usually your destination that’s lost. You’re not lost – not really. You know where you are, even if you don’t know where you are going. It’s kind of like the signs you see in the mall with the red “X’s” that say, “You are here.” You know where you need to go, and while you may need to look up your destination, at least you know where you’re at.
I’m talking about the kind of “being lost” that comes when you don’t know where you are or which way to go; the kind of “lost” that leaves you with a feeling of total helplessness. It’s the kind of “lost” that causes you to be afraid, or worse, panicked to the point of despair. The kind of “lost” where you don’t know what to do or where to turn. The kind of “lost” where you feel all alone.
I think we’ve all experienced that feeling at times during our lives. Maybe we’ve been traveling someplace where we’ve never been before, like a foreign country, and lost our way. Or maybe our car has broken down and we’re miles from help. It’s not so bad if someone’s with us, but if we’re alone, then the fear – even panic – can set in. I’ve been there.
And I don’t mean just physically lost. There are times in our lives where something happens that we aren’t prepared for: the loss of a job; a serious illness; a sudden death. Something goes terribly wrong – at work, at home, at school, or even in the world at large – and we don’t know where to turn for help. That’s the sense of being lost because we don’t know where to go or what to do. And that sense of “being lost” is magnified when we believe we have to face it all alone.
Many of you may have felt that way 15 years ago this weekend. On September 11th, 2001, our lives were forever changed when a small group of people, guided by hatred, stole the lives of almost 3000 people and left tens of thousands of others “lost”. Many still carry the scars, even if they don’t necessarily feel “lost” anymore.
Now, there’s a whole new generation that only know of 9/11 through the stories they’ve heard, movies on TV and pictures in their history books. I can understand what that’s like, as that’s how I remember Pearl Harbor from 50 years before. But the wars and prejudices, the hatreds and the … evil … still exist in our world today and, while the immediate sense of being lost from those earlier events may have faded, there will always be those times when something happens, dividing us and leaving us once again feeling lost and abandoned.
And when we have nowhere else to turn, when we think we’ve been abandoned, it is then that we ask ourselves, “Where is God?” And God answers us, “I am here.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us three examples of how God responds to our being lost: the first is about a lost sheep, the second is about a lost coin, and finally the one about a lost child. Each story tells us of how God is there for us.
In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus tells us that God is searching for those who may not even know they are lost – the lost sheep has wandered away from the safety of the flock and may not even know it’s in danger. Through His Church, God reaches out to those lost souls, first taking to them His Love and His Mercy, and in turn bringing them back to eternal life.
The second story tells us that even the least of us is valuable to God. No matter how small and insignificant we may think we are or that, since God has all the rest of the world who are better than we are, why would He need us? He still searches for us because we are VALUABLE to Him. We are a product of His love and He doesn’t want even one of us to become “lost”.
Finally, we have the story of the prodigal son. We’re all very familiar with this parable and the story is rich in many metaphors of our lives, but today I want to stress that for those of us who KNOW that God is out there, those of us who have deliberately turned our back on His love, He is STILL waiting for us. And we don’t have to come all the way, or grovel, or beg for His Love. His Love is there, it has always been there, it will always be there. He is telling us, “You are NOT Alone.”
And while it sometimes appears that we are lost, it only appears that way to us. God ALWAYS knows where we are, and He gives us so many ways to find our way home to Him. One of the best is the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confession. All we have to do is turn to Him and He will come running for us.
So, whenever we feel lost, especially to the point of despair, and we are overwhelmed with the evils of the world around us and don’t know where to turn or what to do, we need to remember that God is with us. And when we don’t think that we’re going in the right direction, if we just follow Jesus, He will lead us to our final destination.
One final thought. There is a song that is popular right now called, “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. The lyrics go something like this:
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move /
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through /
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You /
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!…
When you think you are lost, turn to Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it is over something as small as failing a test in school or something as large as facing the loss of health or even life. God will not abandon us.
Sister Faustina said, “Jesus, I Trust in You.” And so we sing, as we face the unknown evils of our current world:
Jesus, I will Trust in You.
Homily for September 11, 2016 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Have you ever been lost? I don’t mean the kind where you weren’t given good directions to go somewhere. In that case it’s usually your destination that’s lost. You’re not lost – not really. You know where you are, even if you don’t know where you are going. It’s kind of like the signs you see in the mall with the red “X’s” that say, “You are here.” You know where you need to go, and while you may need to look up your destination, at least you know where you’re at.
I’m talking about the kind of “being lost” that comes when you don’t know where you are or which way to go; the kind of “lost” that leaves you with a feeling of total helplessness. It’s the kind of “lost” that causes you to be afraid, or worse, panicked to the point of despair. The kind of “lost” where you don’t know what to do or where to turn. The kind of “lost” where you feel all alone.
I think we’ve all experienced that feeling at times during our lives. Maybe we’ve been traveling someplace where we’ve never been before, like a foreign country, and lost our way. Or maybe our car has broken down and we’re miles from help. It’s not so bad if someone’s with us, but if we’re alone, then the fear – even panic – can set in. I’ve been there.
And I don’t mean just physically lost. There are times in our lives where something happens that we aren’t prepared for: the loss of a job; a serious illness; a sudden death. Something goes terribly wrong – at work, at home, at school, or even in the world at large – and we don’t know where to turn for help. That’s the sense of being lost because we don’t know where to go or what to do. And that sense of “being lost” is magnified when we believe we have to face it all alone.
Many of you may have felt that way 15 years ago this weekend. On September 11th, 2001, our lives were forever changed when a small group of people, guided by hatred, stole the lives of almost 3000 people and left tens of thousands of others “lost”. Many still carry the scars, even if they don’t necessarily feel “lost” anymore.
Now, there’s a whole new generation that only know of 9/11 through the stories they’ve heard, movies on TV and pictures in their history books. I can understand what that’s like, as that’s how I remember Pearl Harbor from 50 years before. But the wars and prejudices, the hatreds and the … evil … still exist in our world today and, while the immediate sense of being lost from those earlier events may have faded, there will always be those times when something happens, dividing us and leaving us once again feeling lost and abandoned.
And when we have nowhere else to turn, when we think we’ve been abandoned, it is then that we ask ourselves, “Where is God?” And God answers us, “I am here.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us three examples of how God responds to our being lost: the first is about a lost sheep, the second is about a lost coin, and finally the one about a lost child. Each story tells us of how God is there for us.
In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus tells us that God is searching for those who may not even know they are lost – the lost sheep has wandered away from the safety of the flock and may not even know it’s in danger. Through His Church, God reaches out to those lost souls, first taking to them His Love and His Mercy, and in turn bringing them back to eternal life.
The second story tells us that even the least of us is valuable to God. No matter how small and insignificant we may think we are or that, since God has all the rest of the world who are better than we are, why would He need us? He still searches for us because we are VALUABLE to Him. We are a product of His love and He doesn’t want even one of us to become “lost”.
Finally, we have the story of the prodigal son. We’re all very familiar with this parable and the story is rich in many metaphors of our lives, but today I want to stress that for those of us who KNOW that God is out there, those of us who have deliberately turned our back on His love, He is STILL waiting for us. And we don’t have to come all the way, or grovel, or beg for His Love. His Love is there, it has always been there, it will always be there. He is telling us, “You are NOT Alone.”
And while it sometimes appears that we are lost, it only appears that way to us. God ALWAYS knows where we are, and He gives us so many ways to find our way home to Him. One of the best is the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confession. All we have to do is turn to Him and He will come running for us.
So, whenever we feel lost, especially to the point of despair, and we are overwhelmed with the evils of the world around us and don’t know where to turn or what to do, we need to remember that God is with us. And when we don’t think that we’re going in the right direction, if we just follow Jesus, He will lead us to our final destination.
One final thought. There is a song that is popular right now called, “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. The lyrics go something like this:
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move /
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through /
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You /
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!…
When you think you are lost, turn to Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it is over something as small as failing a test in school or something as large as facing the loss of health or even life. God will not abandon us.
Sister Faustina said, “Jesus, I Trust in You.” And so we sing, as we face the unknown evils of our current world:
Jesus, I will Trust in You.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Oh Lord, It's Hard to be Humble
Oh Lord, It's Hard to be Humble
Homily for August 28, 2016 Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Today’s readings are about humility, and they make me think about a somewhat spiritual country and western song that was popular when I was in college. I’m sure many of you remember it, even if it was written before your time. I’ll bet you could even finish the chorus: “Oh Lord it's hard to be humble / When you're perfect in every way.” (I can't wait to look in the mirror. / Cause I get better-looking each day.) Yep, Mac Davis’ little ditty actually made it into the top 10 in 1980.
I know it seems silly, but there’s a lot of spiritual truth in this song. Oh, I don’t mean the part about getting better-looking each time we look into a mirror – we all know better than that. But the part about it being hard to be humble – we might as well say it’s almost impossible to be humble all the time. Or, even most of the time. Why is that?
Well, we don’t see very many examples of humility in our world today – it’s very pride-oriented. All we have to do is look at the egos of those running for political office, or the actions of many of the people in professional sports or the entertainment industry to see powerful egos at work. (Not everyone – there are a FEW humble sports figures.) And we want to share in their glory – we say that we are PROUD to be Americans or we seek to join groups or organization that we think are important to others.
And we are proud of the accomplishments of our children, or even of our friends and co-workers; and we often equate pride with that good feeling we get whenever we do something good for someone else. Is that so bad? Can we be humble while still feeling pride in ourselves or those around us? Yes, if we recognize the source as coming from God.
In his book, “How to be Somebody”, Mark Mendes points out that the virtue of humility can be especially difficult to develop since it requires us to overcome the vice of pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. And Mendes’ book is full of examples of how the saints and others lived humble lives and it has many prayers and quotes from them on how they worked be humble before God. If humility is the opposite of pride, then we must find ways to become humble. Jesus points out over and over again that humility is the key to get into heaven.
But most of us want to be a SOMEBODY. And while I’m sure we’ve all done things we are NOT proud of, each of us usually has at least one thing in our life that we brag about, whether it is something to do with what we have or what we’ve done. And we often depend on recognition of our accomplishments to get ahead and “succeed” in the world. Often our sense of self-worth comes from whatever it is that we are “proud” of.
It IS hard to be humble. But, we are NOT perfect. And we need to work at overcoming our pride. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us two lessons in humility that we can learn from – one has to do with who we think we ARE and how we think we should be treated, and one about rewards for what we DO and how we should treat others.
The first, the example of the seating at a banquet, is a warning about having a false sense of self-worth, of thinking too much of ourselves in comparison with others. When we go out somewhere, don’t we position ourselves in relation to others, especially as a group – maybe because we want to sit beside someone? Or, do we become indignant when someone cuts in front of us in line at a store, or cuts us off driving? How often do we resent how we are treated by others because it isn’t FAIR or they don’t understand “our” rights? If things don’t go our way do we become embarrassed or angry? When we judge ourselves in relationship to others and how they treat us and we don’t recognize that our true value in life comes from being a child of God, then we risk becoming angry or resentful; or worse, we risk entering into a state of depression or despair whenever our false sense of self-worth fails us.
The second example is one of earning rewards. When we do something good for someone else, don’t we want someone to say “thank you” or make some other kind of acknowledgment of our actions? Jesus is warning us about becoming part of a “mutual admiration society” where we exchange “gifts” with those who really don’t benefit from them while those who are in need go without. While we are created equal in the eyes of God, we are not created equal in our earthly situations. God expects us whom He has blessed to help others in need, and if we focus on gaining earthly rewards, then we risk losing our heavenly ones.
I wonder – are the saints horrified when we name something after them? How many buildings should be named, “Anonymous”? In one of the many biographies of Mother Teresa, who will be canonized next Sunday, she said that she was always worried that people would think too highly of her and her accomplishments. She always said that it wasn’t her; that it was God who accomplished everything and she just happened to be the poor instrument that He used at times. Do we have that same attitude of acknowledgment to God whenever we do something that deserves recognition?
There is prayer called The Litany of Humility. It is divided into three parts: in the first we pray for Jesus’ help to overcome our desires; in the second we for Jesus’ help to overcome our fears; and in the third we pray for grace to desire actions of humility. I hate the prayer because it makes me very uncomfortable, but maybe that’s the first step for me to become more humble. Maybe it can help you, too. “The Litany of Humility.”
Mac Davis’ song ends with, “But I’m doing the best that I can.” That is our challenge; that is the question we must ask ourselves: Are we doing the best that we can? With God’s help and Mercy, we can.
Homily for August 28, 2016 Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Today’s readings are about humility, and they make me think about a somewhat spiritual country and western song that was popular when I was in college. I’m sure many of you remember it, even if it was written before your time. I’ll bet you could even finish the chorus: “Oh Lord it's hard to be humble / When you're perfect in every way.” (I can't wait to look in the mirror. / Cause I get better-looking each day.) Yep, Mac Davis’ little ditty actually made it into the top 10 in 1980.
I know it seems silly, but there’s a lot of spiritual truth in this song. Oh, I don’t mean the part about getting better-looking each time we look into a mirror – we all know better than that. But the part about it being hard to be humble – we might as well say it’s almost impossible to be humble all the time. Or, even most of the time. Why is that?
Well, we don’t see very many examples of humility in our world today – it’s very pride-oriented. All we have to do is look at the egos of those running for political office, or the actions of many of the people in professional sports or the entertainment industry to see powerful egos at work. (Not everyone – there are a FEW humble sports figures.) And we want to share in their glory – we say that we are PROUD to be Americans or we seek to join groups or organization that we think are important to others.
And we are proud of the accomplishments of our children, or even of our friends and co-workers; and we often equate pride with that good feeling we get whenever we do something good for someone else. Is that so bad? Can we be humble while still feeling pride in ourselves or those around us? Yes, if we recognize the source as coming from God.
In his book, “How to be Somebody”, Mark Mendes points out that the virtue of humility can be especially difficult to develop since it requires us to overcome the vice of pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. And Mendes’ book is full of examples of how the saints and others lived humble lives and it has many prayers and quotes from them on how they worked be humble before God. If humility is the opposite of pride, then we must find ways to become humble. Jesus points out over and over again that humility is the key to get into heaven.
But most of us want to be a SOMEBODY. And while I’m sure we’ve all done things we are NOT proud of, each of us usually has at least one thing in our life that we brag about, whether it is something to do with what we have or what we’ve done. And we often depend on recognition of our accomplishments to get ahead and “succeed” in the world. Often our sense of self-worth comes from whatever it is that we are “proud” of.
It IS hard to be humble. But, we are NOT perfect. And we need to work at overcoming our pride. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us two lessons in humility that we can learn from – one has to do with who we think we ARE and how we think we should be treated, and one about rewards for what we DO and how we should treat others.
The first, the example of the seating at a banquet, is a warning about having a false sense of self-worth, of thinking too much of ourselves in comparison with others. When we go out somewhere, don’t we position ourselves in relation to others, especially as a group – maybe because we want to sit beside someone? Or, do we become indignant when someone cuts in front of us in line at a store, or cuts us off driving? How often do we resent how we are treated by others because it isn’t FAIR or they don’t understand “our” rights? If things don’t go our way do we become embarrassed or angry? When we judge ourselves in relationship to others and how they treat us and we don’t recognize that our true value in life comes from being a child of God, then we risk becoming angry or resentful; or worse, we risk entering into a state of depression or despair whenever our false sense of self-worth fails us.
The second example is one of earning rewards. When we do something good for someone else, don’t we want someone to say “thank you” or make some other kind of acknowledgment of our actions? Jesus is warning us about becoming part of a “mutual admiration society” where we exchange “gifts” with those who really don’t benefit from them while those who are in need go without. While we are created equal in the eyes of God, we are not created equal in our earthly situations. God expects us whom He has blessed to help others in need, and if we focus on gaining earthly rewards, then we risk losing our heavenly ones.
I wonder – are the saints horrified when we name something after them? How many buildings should be named, “Anonymous”? In one of the many biographies of Mother Teresa, who will be canonized next Sunday, she said that she was always worried that people would think too highly of her and her accomplishments. She always said that it wasn’t her; that it was God who accomplished everything and she just happened to be the poor instrument that He used at times. Do we have that same attitude of acknowledgment to God whenever we do something that deserves recognition?
There is prayer called The Litany of Humility. It is divided into three parts: in the first we pray for Jesus’ help to overcome our desires; in the second we for Jesus’ help to overcome our fears; and in the third we pray for grace to desire actions of humility. I hate the prayer because it makes me very uncomfortable, but maybe that’s the first step for me to become more humble. Maybe it can help you, too. “The Litany of Humility.”
Mac Davis’ song ends with, “But I’m doing the best that I can.” That is our challenge; that is the question we must ask ourselves: Are we doing the best that we can? With God’s help and Mercy, we can.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
A Religious War
A Religious War
Homily for August 14, 2016 Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Today’s Gospel is short and - maybe – not so sweet. Jesus is saying that there will be division in the world for those who follow Him. And we only have to turn to the news to see that even today, he’s STILL right.
Pope Francis said two weeks ago that the world IS at war, but not a religious war. ISIS disagreed, responding to the pope’s comments that he is naïve and that from their perspective, it IS a religious war. Which is right?
Maybe both.
Pope Francis is right when he says that wars, despite what a person may claim, are usually about someone (or a group of someones) that want something that someone else has – whether it is money or resources, or power – and are willing to resort to violence to obtain it. And ISIS is only the most recent group in our long history that has used religion as an excuse to obtain what they want – their own way.
But in reality, for true Christians there is only one true “religious” war, and it is fought daily by individuals against themselves. It is the ages-old battle that we often refer to as being between Good and Evil – and I don’t mean between Jesus and the Devil. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the Devil does exist, and when he takes sides, he isn’t on the side of Good. But for each of us the true religious war lies in deciding which of two gods we will follow – the One True God, or a false god. And there is only one false god, and it's not Satan. It’s the god that we see whenever we look in a mirror. It is either God’s way or our way, and we try to make ourselves into gods when we decide not to follow God's Will. All of the wars and divisions and hatred and greed and pride and any of the other deadly forces we face are the result of wanting things our own way.
That’s the division Jesus is speaking of today. And if everyone truly followed the teachings of Jesus - of love, of obedience, of mercy - then there would be no wars – there would be no need for them.
But we refuse to follow Jesus, and so, we are at war. As Christians we must be defenders of our faith when attacked, whether that be from terrorists from half-way around the world with warped ideologies, or from those closest to us in our families and workplaces. As Christians versus the rest of the world, however, there has to be a difference in our approach to the battle – like the original old hippies’ 1960’s anti-war slogan: Love not war. (It wasn’t “make love not war”, despite what some might think.) To be a Christian, our approach to battle has to be one of love and mercy. One of peace and not violence. One of sacrifice.
But not everyone believes as Christians should, and so we are a house divided. That's how Jesus describes it: A House Divided. And then Jesus makes it even more personal: it's father against son; mother against daughter. (In-laws against out-laws? – uh, nevermind.)
For those of us who have children who have left the Church, or family members or friends who have left the faith, this Gospel passage strikes at our hearts. We love and care for our children, our family, our friends, and yet they won’t listen to us! They have NO respect!
I mean, just look at the kids today. They almost all have cell phones and, if they still watch TV, it’s probably because they have one in their bedroom. We blame their bad manners and lack of respect for us and other authoritarian figures like teachers and police officers on the media and we claim that they are tuned out because of computer games and texting and social media. Reminds me of a quote I once heard:
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
(By the way, for those of you who didn’t figure it out, that quote comes from Socrates, approximately 400 years before Christ walked the earth.) Nothing new here - some things never change.
But we really do want them to save them, right? And as good Catholics, we see in our faith the way to salvation. And so we must be strong in our faith. And if we are to be strong in our faith, we must be on FIRE for our faith.
Do you consider yourself on fire for your faith? If not, why? What would it take to light a fire within you? To make you STRONG in your faith?
Many of you have been watching the Olympics in Rio, and you know that in order to compete at that level, there is one thing they must do – PRACTICE. They practice in their field because they believe in their ability to compete. And so it should be with us. We must PRACTICE our faith in order to compete well against the challenges that we face.
As we begin a new school year, St. Paul’s has many, many opportunities for you to grow stronger in your faith, but it will take more than just the one hour at Mass on Sunday. Become a member in one of the many organizations here like Catholic Daughters, the Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, the Women’s Guild, and VOLUNTEER whenever the opportunity arises. Spend at least one additional hour each week participating in something beyond the hour you spend at Mass. And if you REALLY want to help set the world on fire for Christ, set YOURSELF on fire through participating in our upcoming ACTS retreat.
But for next week, I want you to put your faith to work and try something. Invite a family member or friend who has fallen away from the Church to come to Mass with you. Invite your children – those older ones you can’t force to come with you – and bribe them with lunch or dinner or SOMETHING if you have to. They may say, "no", but you can and must keep trying. It may be the spark they need to start a fire in their soul.
And it may help enkindle that fire within you, too.
Homily for August 14, 2016 Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Today’s Gospel is short and - maybe – not so sweet. Jesus is saying that there will be division in the world for those who follow Him. And we only have to turn to the news to see that even today, he’s STILL right.
Pope Francis said two weeks ago that the world IS at war, but not a religious war. ISIS disagreed, responding to the pope’s comments that he is naïve and that from their perspective, it IS a religious war. Which is right?
Maybe both.
Pope Francis is right when he says that wars, despite what a person may claim, are usually about someone (or a group of someones) that want something that someone else has – whether it is money or resources, or power – and are willing to resort to violence to obtain it. And ISIS is only the most recent group in our long history that has used religion as an excuse to obtain what they want – their own way.
But in reality, for true Christians there is only one true “religious” war, and it is fought daily by individuals against themselves. It is the ages-old battle that we often refer to as being between Good and Evil – and I don’t mean between Jesus and the Devil. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the Devil does exist, and when he takes sides, he isn’t on the side of Good. But for each of us the true religious war lies in deciding which of two gods we will follow – the One True God, or a false god. And there is only one false god, and it's not Satan. It’s the god that we see whenever we look in a mirror. It is either God’s way or our way, and we try to make ourselves into gods when we decide not to follow God's Will. All of the wars and divisions and hatred and greed and pride and any of the other deadly forces we face are the result of wanting things our own way.
That’s the division Jesus is speaking of today. And if everyone truly followed the teachings of Jesus - of love, of obedience, of mercy - then there would be no wars – there would be no need for them.
But we refuse to follow Jesus, and so, we are at war. As Christians we must be defenders of our faith when attacked, whether that be from terrorists from half-way around the world with warped ideologies, or from those closest to us in our families and workplaces. As Christians versus the rest of the world, however, there has to be a difference in our approach to the battle – like the original old hippies’ 1960’s anti-war slogan: Love not war. (It wasn’t “make love not war”, despite what some might think.) To be a Christian, our approach to battle has to be one of love and mercy. One of peace and not violence. One of sacrifice.
But not everyone believes as Christians should, and so we are a house divided. That's how Jesus describes it: A House Divided. And then Jesus makes it even more personal: it's father against son; mother against daughter. (In-laws against out-laws? – uh, nevermind.)
For those of us who have children who have left the Church, or family members or friends who have left the faith, this Gospel passage strikes at our hearts. We love and care for our children, our family, our friends, and yet they won’t listen to us! They have NO respect!
I mean, just look at the kids today. They almost all have cell phones and, if they still watch TV, it’s probably because they have one in their bedroom. We blame their bad manners and lack of respect for us and other authoritarian figures like teachers and police officers on the media and we claim that they are tuned out because of computer games and texting and social media. Reminds me of a quote I once heard:
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
(By the way, for those of you who didn’t figure it out, that quote comes from Socrates, approximately 400 years before Christ walked the earth.) Nothing new here - some things never change.
But we really do want them to save them, right? And as good Catholics, we see in our faith the way to salvation. And so we must be strong in our faith. And if we are to be strong in our faith, we must be on FIRE for our faith.
Do you consider yourself on fire for your faith? If not, why? What would it take to light a fire within you? To make you STRONG in your faith?
Many of you have been watching the Olympics in Rio, and you know that in order to compete at that level, there is one thing they must do – PRACTICE. They practice in their field because they believe in their ability to compete. And so it should be with us. We must PRACTICE our faith in order to compete well against the challenges that we face.
As we begin a new school year, St. Paul’s has many, many opportunities for you to grow stronger in your faith, but it will take more than just the one hour at Mass on Sunday. Become a member in one of the many organizations here like Catholic Daughters, the Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, the Women’s Guild, and VOLUNTEER whenever the opportunity arises. Spend at least one additional hour each week participating in something beyond the hour you spend at Mass. And if you REALLY want to help set the world on fire for Christ, set YOURSELF on fire through participating in our upcoming ACTS retreat.
But for next week, I want you to put your faith to work and try something. Invite a family member or friend who has fallen away from the Church to come to Mass with you. Invite your children – those older ones you can’t force to come with you – and bribe them with lunch or dinner or SOMETHING if you have to. They may say, "no", but you can and must keep trying. It may be the spark they need to start a fire in their soul.
And it may help enkindle that fire within you, too.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Asking for the Holy Spirit
Asking for the Holy Spirit
Homily for July 24, 2016 Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
What would you do if you won the lottery? A BIG one – like the 1.6 billion dollar Powerball last January. OK, so that one was split three ways but still, half a billion dollars is a LOT of money, and if you had all that money, what is the first thing that you’d want for yourself? (I mean, after paying off your bills, of course, And giving St. Paul’s ten percent of your winnings – after taxes.) In other words, if money was no object, what’s the ONE thing that you want most of all? A new car? A new house? Some other expensive toy?
But, maybe what you want can’t be bought with any amount of money. Maybe you’re fighting health issues, and you just want them to go away – an end to the suffering or to get healing for an illness that others have said is incurable?
Or maybe what you really want is something that you don’t think you could ever get, or that you even deserve. Maybe it’s just something as simple as having someone to love, or someone to love you?
I really want you to think seriously about this for a moment - if you asked God for ONE thing for yourself today, what would it be?
Now – I want you to ask yourself another question: “WHY”? Why do I want a new car or a new house or for the pain to go away or to live longer – or whatever it is that you want? I’m sure that whatever it is, you have a good reason for wanting it, but since you want it, you obviously don’t have it. So, ask yourself, why do I want this one thing over anything else?
Now, hold onto that thought for a few minutes.
Today’s Gospel from Luke is one that’s often quoted by those who proclaim the “Gospel of Prosperity”. Others passages include:
- Matthew, chapter 7, verse 11: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” and Matthew, chapter 21, verse 22: “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
- Or, Mark, chapter 11, verse 24: “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.”
- Or in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 14: “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it”; and John, chapter 15, verse 7: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
According to these scripture passages, if you pray hard enough, you should get what you ask for, right? Maybe not. I didn’t win that big Lottery jackpot in January, and I even bought a ticket and prayed about it. So I guess I didn’t pray hard enough? Or maybe God knew it wouldn't be good for me.
In any case, let’s take a closer look at today’s Gospel reading. It begins with Jesus’ disciples asking him how to pray, and Jesus teaching them a shortened form of the Lord’s Prayer. (The “Our Father that we usually pray comes from Matthew’s Gospel). But look at how today’s Gospel ends: “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
The answer to everything we need or want lies in the precious gift that God wants to give us: the gift of His Holy Spirit – the gift of Himself. And if we look at what Jesus is telling His disciples from that perspective, we see that the other gifts that God offers us through His Holy Spirit are far greater than mere cars or houses or money or even health.
Do you remember the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit from your CCD or faith formation classes? I’m embarrassed to say that I have to usually look them up. The 7 gifts are: Knowledge. Understanding. Wisdom. Counsel. Courage. Piety. Awe and Wonder of the Lord. And the 12 fruits are: Peace, Joy, Love, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Chastity, and Self-control. These are the Good Gifts that God has in store for us, available to us if we just ask.
Why are these gifts so valuable? Why should we want them instead of wealth, health or power? How do they answer the question of “what’s the one thing I want most?”
Because if you think about the question I asked you earlier, “Why do I want what I want?”, we find that it is because we are lacking in one or more of these Gifts. We want what we want because we don’t have what we need – peace, joy, love, courage, wisdom – and so on. We mistakenly think that more money, or better health, or earthly hookups will satisfy us, and they don’t.
But, God knows what we need, and He wants to give it all to us. Like we hear in the classic Rolling Stone’s song, “You can't always get what you want / But if you try sometimes you might find / You get what you need." If we pray for the Holy Spirit, then we'll get what we need, for all we really need is the Holy Spirit, and with it comes an inner peace and joy which fills our longings and leads to a holiness that bring us closer to God.
One final thought. In order for our prayers to be answered we need to pray with persistence. Persistence in prayer isn’t just us knocking on God’s door with a list of our earthly wants, but it is about helping us come to a better understanding of what we need. And, with that understanding – that wisdom – we also come to recognize that God indeed answers our prayers. We only have to accept those gifts that He offers us so that we can also experience the one Gift we need most: His Love.
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