Joy, Mercy and Love
Homily for December 18, 2016 Fourth Sunday of Advent - A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the land,
People were worried, wringing their hands.
“What should I buy, what should I get?”
Will my expectations of Christmas be met?
Mom in her apron, in a very foul mood,
Worried about cooking, would there be enough food?
Dad, too, was cranky, showing ill-will,
Worried about paying those after-Christmas bills.
And the children were impatient – the girls and the boys,
As they thought only of presents: the gifts, the toys.
But then, what to my blood-shot eyes should appear,
But a choir of angels, with good tidings to share.
“A child will be born in just a few days,
That, if you will let him, can change all your ways.”
“The gifts He will bring are joy, mercy and love,
Sent by the King of Kings from above.”
A week to go to Christmas. Are you ready? Despite some people starting their Christmas shopping as early as September and the big rush to spend money on Black Friday, it is said that this year the busiest shopping days for Christmas are still ahead for us, with next Friday expected to be the busiest of the year. And I wonder – how will all of this last-minute shopping lead us to joy, mercy and love?
In all three readings, we hear about the great Gift that God gave to us at the first Christmas – the gift of His Son, Jesus. It’s a gift that was planned for us from the beginning of time, prophesied by Isaiah, acknowledged by St. Paul confirmed by the angel to Joseph, and the gift does indeed lead us to joy, mercy and love – far more than any present that can be wrapped up and placed under a tree. For the Gift of Jesus not only leads us to joy, mercy and love – Jesus IS Joy, Mercy and Love Incarnate.
But like so many gifts that we receive, this gift comes with Some Assembly Required. And, as with any gift that is of significant value, we must follow the instructions on how to get the most enjoyment out of it, and a commitment to maintain it if it is to remain of value to us.
Commitment. Why is it that we’re willing to commit to large payments for a house or car or other toys, but are afraid to commit where it really counts – the maintenance of the gift of our faith? Is it that we want to keep our options open? If we do commit, is it conditional? What are our priorities? Is our faith more important than any other commitment that we make?
With the beginning of a new year around the corner, now is the time we should be thinking about those New Year’s Resolutions that we hope to begin, and let us start with resolving to cherish the Gift of Jesus in our lives. Make it the priority of your life.
Then, decide what you are going to do to maintain it. Commit to setting aside time every day to read something to grow your faith – not less than 15 minutes, or the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. If you haven’t already, complete a pledge card and commit to supporting your parish financially, every week. Commit to becoming involved in some sort of volunteer organization or project every month, even if it only one day each month. And, an excellent way to jump-start your faith or give it a boost for the new year is by attending the upcoming Men’s or Women’s ACTS retreat.
Make your commitments NOW, before the beginning of the year, so that you’re ready when the time comes. It is the fastest, surest way to Joy, Mercy and Love – the way to Jesus.
Finally, the Gift of Jesus is a gift meant to be shared with others. If we do – if we help others to encounter Jesus through our words and actions – then they too will be filled with the Holy Spirit and the gift of His Joy, Mercy and Love.
If the challenge seems daunting, remember what the angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid.”
Will you encounter Jesus at Christmas? Will you commit to assembling and maintaining your relationship with Jesus? Will you bring Jesus to others? I hope so.
And so let us exclaim, as we prepare for this week,
Merry Christmas to all; Jesus comes, whom we seek
– and who indeed seeks us.
AMEN
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Ransomed and Waiting
Ransomed and Waiting
Homily for December 13, 2016 Third Sunday of Advent - A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
“Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.”
These words from the prophet Isaiah are words of anticipation and hope. In the earlier chapters from Isaiah, the prophet warned what was going to happen to Judah because of their infidelity to God; now, after they have been oppressed by the Assyrians, Isaiah offers words of hope and encouragement to remind Judah that God is with them, despite what they’ve experienced. God will free them from Assyria’s rule and they will be able to rejoice once again. They have been ransomed; now they need only wait for their freedom.
So, this may be a good time to ask ourselves – are we still excited about the coming of Christmas? Are we preparing ourselves joyfully for Jesus in our lives? Or are we being worn down by the minutiae of our preparations and the false messages of depression and despair that seem to come to us from every direction?
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing about our need to prepare ourselves, not only for Jesus’ birthday, but for the second coming of Christ and the consequences of not being ready. Last week we heard John’s call to repentance and a warning of the impending doom for those who failed to repent; the week before that we heard Jesus’ warning about we don’t know when we will be called before God and so to be ready.
But if all we do is focus on the impending doom that we may face if we are not ready; if we allow our worries and troubles to overshadow the hope and promises of God, then we might lose the joy of what we should be anticipating. We can miss the true presence of Christ already in our lives today and the joy that He can bring to us.
After all, we are surrounded by evil in the news – so why should we rejoice? We know of friends and family members who have died and we miss those who cannot share the holidays with us – so why should we rejoice? We cannot afford to celebrate the holidays in a matter that is being emphasized in the commercials we see and hear – so why should we rejoice? We have so many things that are pressing in upon us – challenges to our health, our families, our well-being – so why rejoice?
In today’s Gospel, John has been imprisoned and now he sends messengers to Jesus to ask Him if He’s the one that everyone is waiting for.
Jesus’ response echoes what we heard in our first reading from Isaiah – look for yourselves: the blind can see; the dead are raised; the poor have good news proclaimed to them. Good News. Joyful news. The wait is over.
Because God IS with us.
Today we celebrate Gau-de-tay’ Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Gaudete means “Rejoice!”, and so we should, as we have passed the half-way mark of our journey toward Christmas. We pause in our Advent preparations to remind ourselves of the promise of joy that is to come. We light the rose-colored candle in our Advent wreath, and sometimes we don festive rose-colored vestments. (Yes, they are ROSE, not pink. Like in that old 80’s movie, girls may be “Pretty in Pink”, but not clergy, as I’ve been told many times by priest-friends.)
This Sunday, the midway point of Advent, makes me think about one of the many funny dog-videos I saw last week. I’m blessed with several friends on Facebook that are dog lovers, and whenever I need cheering up all I have to do is watch a couple of the videos that they post showing dog antics. This one particular video was of a little dachshund playing in the snow. It started with a field of snow, and the top of the snow was moving a little as something burrowed beneath it. All of a sudden, a little black head popped up from under the snow to look around for a minute, then back down he went under the snow to madly tunneling about, popping back up a couple of minutes later to get his bearings, then back down he went. He was obviously having a ball playing in the snow, even if he wasn’t sure where he was going.
So it is with us. The Church gives us this Sunday in the middle of our Advent preparations to allow us to pop up and get our bearings, and to remind us that our joy shouldn’t have to wait until Christmas. It can be in the preparations themselves that we have our encounter with Jesus.
And that’s the reason for the season – the coming of Emmanuel, God with Us. God is coming to us to be WITH us. He has already ransomed us through His death and resurrection. His presence in our life will bring us joy, if we let Him into our hearts. That’s His perennial Christmas gift to us – His presence in our lives.
In return, the greatest gift we can give to one another is the gift of OUR presence to others. Not “presents” with a “T-S”, but “presence” with a “C-E”.
As we wait for the coming of Christmas in two weeks, as we finish our last-minute preparations and gift-buying, we should ask ourselves: Do we have that most important gift ready – the gift of presence - for those we love? After all, the gift of our presence to others IS the gift of love. And God’s love is already here, ready for us.
The wait is almost over.
Homily for December 13, 2016 Third Sunday of Advent - A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
“Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.”
These words from the prophet Isaiah are words of anticipation and hope. In the earlier chapters from Isaiah, the prophet warned what was going to happen to Judah because of their infidelity to God; now, after they have been oppressed by the Assyrians, Isaiah offers words of hope and encouragement to remind Judah that God is with them, despite what they’ve experienced. God will free them from Assyria’s rule and they will be able to rejoice once again. They have been ransomed; now they need only wait for their freedom.
So, this may be a good time to ask ourselves – are we still excited about the coming of Christmas? Are we preparing ourselves joyfully for Jesus in our lives? Or are we being worn down by the minutiae of our preparations and the false messages of depression and despair that seem to come to us from every direction?
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing about our need to prepare ourselves, not only for Jesus’ birthday, but for the second coming of Christ and the consequences of not being ready. Last week we heard John’s call to repentance and a warning of the impending doom for those who failed to repent; the week before that we heard Jesus’ warning about we don’t know when we will be called before God and so to be ready.
But if all we do is focus on the impending doom that we may face if we are not ready; if we allow our worries and troubles to overshadow the hope and promises of God, then we might lose the joy of what we should be anticipating. We can miss the true presence of Christ already in our lives today and the joy that He can bring to us.
After all, we are surrounded by evil in the news – so why should we rejoice? We know of friends and family members who have died and we miss those who cannot share the holidays with us – so why should we rejoice? We cannot afford to celebrate the holidays in a matter that is being emphasized in the commercials we see and hear – so why should we rejoice? We have so many things that are pressing in upon us – challenges to our health, our families, our well-being – so why rejoice?
In today’s Gospel, John has been imprisoned and now he sends messengers to Jesus to ask Him if He’s the one that everyone is waiting for.
Jesus’ response echoes what we heard in our first reading from Isaiah – look for yourselves: the blind can see; the dead are raised; the poor have good news proclaimed to them. Good News. Joyful news. The wait is over.
Because God IS with us.
Today we celebrate Gau-de-tay’ Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Gaudete means “Rejoice!”, and so we should, as we have passed the half-way mark of our journey toward Christmas. We pause in our Advent preparations to remind ourselves of the promise of joy that is to come. We light the rose-colored candle in our Advent wreath, and sometimes we don festive rose-colored vestments. (Yes, they are ROSE, not pink. Like in that old 80’s movie, girls may be “Pretty in Pink”, but not clergy, as I’ve been told many times by priest-friends.)
This Sunday, the midway point of Advent, makes me think about one of the many funny dog-videos I saw last week. I’m blessed with several friends on Facebook that are dog lovers, and whenever I need cheering up all I have to do is watch a couple of the videos that they post showing dog antics. This one particular video was of a little dachshund playing in the snow. It started with a field of snow, and the top of the snow was moving a little as something burrowed beneath it. All of a sudden, a little black head popped up from under the snow to look around for a minute, then back down he went under the snow to madly tunneling about, popping back up a couple of minutes later to get his bearings, then back down he went. He was obviously having a ball playing in the snow, even if he wasn’t sure where he was going.
So it is with us. The Church gives us this Sunday in the middle of our Advent preparations to allow us to pop up and get our bearings, and to remind us that our joy shouldn’t have to wait until Christmas. It can be in the preparations themselves that we have our encounter with Jesus.
And that’s the reason for the season – the coming of Emmanuel, God with Us. God is coming to us to be WITH us. He has already ransomed us through His death and resurrection. His presence in our life will bring us joy, if we let Him into our hearts. That’s His perennial Christmas gift to us – His presence in our lives.
In return, the greatest gift we can give to one another is the gift of OUR presence to others. Not “presents” with a “T-S”, but “presence” with a “C-E”.
As we wait for the coming of Christmas in two weeks, as we finish our last-minute preparations and gift-buying, we should ask ourselves: Do we have that most important gift ready – the gift of presence - for those we love? After all, the gift of our presence to others IS the gift of love. And God’s love is already here, ready for us.
The wait is almost over.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Promises, Instructions and Warnings
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.
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 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)