On Air Conditioning and Mercy and Forgiveness

I have two things to talk to you about this morning.

When I came into church  early yesterday morning to set up for a baptism I noticed it felt a little warmer.

When I walked through the door I ran into the air conditioning man who was distraught.

He explained that something major had gone wrong with the new wing air conditioning unit and that it would not run.

It is all still under warranty and I am sure they will make it right.

So if you are one of those people who always gets cold sit in the new wing

and if you are one of those people who are always hot sit in the old wing.

We hope to have it fixed as  soon as possible.

They are also going to work on the sound that the Old Wing airconditioning unit makes.

We are the only church in the Archdiocese that offers temperature preferred seating.

The second thing is this.

Last night two neighborhood boys I think grades 4 and 5 were riding their bikes in the parking lot across the street.

We know them, they swing on our swings,

and play basketball in our parking lot all the time.

They are always very polite and remember our names.

I just happened to be over by the pavilion and they showed me a bike trick.

Then the prayer garden caught the eye of one of them.

I didn’t really pay that much attention because they are good kids.

This little boy just stood there and look at the statue.

It was as if he had never seen anything like the it before

I yelled out “don’t touch it buddy it’s fragile.”

Then I told them it was better that they not ride their bikes in the prayer garden because it was like a church and I started to walk back to the friary.

When I glanced back and noticed both of them still there I walked back to reinforce the message that the statue was fragile and one of the boys said someone already damaged it.

I looked and the finger of the Blessed Mother was missing.

After a little coaching one of the boys dug up the two pieces of the finger where he must have buried  them in the dirt.

Evidently, he had reached up to grab the blessed Mother’s hand and the finger broke off.

They were both very afraid and sad.

I walked over to their house and spoke with their Dad who was also very kind and respectful and explained what I thought had happened.

I told him I would give him a call when I figured things out.

Then I came home to check the security tapes.

And I saw when the little boy must have buried the pieces.

You may not know it but there are ten security cameras over there.

I am so grateful that I didn’t yell or raise my voice.

I felt sad for the boys and very sad for you our parishioners because I know how proud you are of that prayer garden and the statue and I apologize that this happened so quickly.  

I promise we will do our best to get finger repaired and hand strengthened.

After it was all said and done

I came back to the pieta and sat at Mary’s feet to finish my prayers.

And I noticed that the beauty of our Pieta was so much more than a missing piece of marble the size of my little finger.

The statue

and what it teaches

still draws us into the mystery of mercy, forgiveness and healing.

It calls us to forgive even and especially when it’s easier to stay angry and bitter.

I also realized that this was an accident not an attack.

If we are, who we claim to be, followers of Christ and Children of Mary

this moment calls us to completely forgive the little boy who reached up to shake Mary’s hand and broke her finger.

I am sure that our Blessed Mother would be the very first person to forgive him and so should we.

This afternoon I am going to go over to the family and let them know our feelings.

I am going to tell the boys we still care about them very much and that they are still welcome to swing on our swings and play basketball on our court just don’t touch the statues.

If we can’t get the finger fixed perfectly it will serve as a reminder to all of us that as Children of God and Sons and Daughters of Mary,

the Mother of Mercy

We are called to be instruments of healing forgiveness and mercy in every circumstance.

So that was yesterday I am sure today will be better.

Have a good Sunday everybody.

Pentecost 2017 - Year A

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors of the upper room were closed and locked securely, Jesus came and stood in their midst

The disciples had locked themselves in the upper room because they were afraid.

They weren't sure what was going to happen next.

They weren't sure if the Temple Guard or Roman Soldiers would appear at the door and take them away to face the cross

They were also overcome with shame, shame because in a moment of fear they had abandoned their dearest friend and ran away.

Peter the supposed leader of the group had denied Jesus not once but three times and only the youngest of them had even dared to stand at the foot of the cross.

There they were afraid, alone, and filled with guilt, and suddenly there Jesus was.

The Locked doors of the upper room had no power over him.

And the first words out of his mouth were not angry.

They were not bitter, there was no shame on you, or no finger pointing.

All that Jesus said was

Peace be with you.

And to help them believe that it was really him,

he showed them the scars of his love,

the scars of his obedience, the scares  of the cross which he still carried in his hands and in his feet and in his side.

With those 4 simple words the disciples knew that they were forgiven.

They knew that he still loved them and they knew that they were set free from all of their guilt and their shame.

They were whole again.

Disciples rejoiced when they saw the risen Lord and experienced his loving mercy

Every single one of us who has experienced forgiveness which is freely and spontaneously given knows how the disciples felt on that day in the upper room.

The bigger the sin, the bigger the mistake, the bigger the betrayal, the bigger the joy when it is forgiven.

Yes Jesus burst through the locked doors of the upper room,

and Jesus burst through the doors of their locked, broken and shame filled hearts.

That´s what love does especially when it is accompanied by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And then something even more incredible happened.

Jesus breathed on them and said

Receive the Holy Spirit whose sins you forgive are forgiven them whose sins you hold bound are held bound.

That was John´s experience of coming of the Holy Spirit.

On that day of Pentecost as related by John, the core mission of the church and the core mission of every follower of Christ was made clear.

The forgiven became forgivers.

All of us need to be ministers of mercy and God's holy peace.

We who have experienced the healing forgiveness of God need to be heralds of forgiveness and healing.

In the book, Naked and You Clothed Me, Fr. William Bausch tells the story of a 41-year-old man named Tom who was dying of AIDS.

His parents lived in so much shame because of this, that they literally locked him in an upstairs bedroom so that no one could see him or visit him.

The priest then tells how when he was finally allowed to go up to his room and visit with him, he bent over to kiss Tom on the forehead and then took his hand in his own.

The emaciated, bed-ridden man whispered to the priest with tears streaming down his face, ‘No one touches me anymore.’...

His father remained outside of the room behind a closed door — until Tom died.

At the wake, he finally broke down and wept with shame and regret over how he had neglected and abandoned of his Son.

The Locked doors of his heart were finally blown open and Mercy and forgiveness were immediately his.

You all know me

There is no facade anymore

You know I have my faults you know that I am a sinner but I have to tell you there are two moment in my life which make every sacrifice I make worthwhile.

The first is when I hold up the host and say. This is my body which will be given up for you… and it is.

The second is when I say  I absolve you of all of your sins and they are.

Just like the Apostles locked the doors of the upper room that day because they were ashamed and afraid many or most of us have areas in our lives which we keep locked up.

Sins which we just refuse or seem unable to let go.

There areas in our lives which need to be forgiven and healed.

We all know their names, anger, bitterness, pride, selfishness, lust whatever.

Today’s gospel reminds us that no sin is beyond God´s mercy and God's peace. Godś love is more powerful than our closed locked hearts.

With every living breath it is our sacred mission and duty to share the forgiveness and mercy of God.

So many of us have made mistakes,

Mistakes which not only hurt us but even those we loved, ourchildren, our spouses, our loved ones.

On this feast of Pentecost, on this feast of the Holy Spirit all of us need to look into our own hearts and ask ourselves see what doors remain locked.

What areas of our lives need the the light and the power of the Holy Spirit so that they may be healed.

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Let us all seek and accept God’s mercy and forgiveness for ourselves.

Let us humbly and gently encourage others to do the same.

For Jesus said to the Apostles

Receive the Holy Spirit who sins you forgive are forgiven them

Whose sins you hold bound are held bound.

Amen

6th Sunday Of Easter - Year A - 2017

 May the Peace of Christ Reign in our heart.

Today’s readings present us with three simple truths that each and everyone of us needs to take to heart.

To understand them we need to situate the first two readings into the life and reality of the early Church.

The first reading from the acts of the Apostles follows right after Stephen’s Martyrdom.

Stephen was one of the first Deacons, and was the first disciple of Jesus to give his life rather than renounce his faith.

His violent death by stoning shocked and frightened the early church.

His death drove home the point that anyone who professed faith in Jesus Christ might be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The experience was so strong that many believers left Jerusalem out of fear.

One of those who left was Philip who we read about in the first reading.

He fled to Jerusalem and went to Samaria and when he arrived there he did not curl up into a ball and hide in fear, rather he began to share his faith in Jesus despite the danger.

His preaching was so convincing that some Samaritans came to believe and be baptized.

When  historians look back on stephen’s martyrdom they tell us that his sacrifice served a two very special purposes

It strengthened the commitment and resolve of the early disciples and it help to  spread the Gospel to a much larger area which would not have happened if the members of the Church had remained in Jerusalem.

What was at first glance seemed tragic in the long run turned out to benefit the Church.

As Tertullian a early follower of Christ. The Blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church.

In the Second reading from  the first letter of St. Peter the author is writing to console the Church in Asia Minor.

That was Paul’s territory and Peter would not have written them if Paul was still alive.

This leads the scholars the believe that Paul had probably already been beheaded just outside of Rome.  

Peter’s letter seems to have been written shortly before his own martyrdom.

It was clear that the Roman Empire want not pleased with this new sect of Jews some called Christians.

For the next couple hundred years there would be decades of peace for the followers of Christ and decades or persecution sometimes severe persecution.

Peter knew as the leader of the Church in Rome his life was in danger, yet he did not run

And in those challenging dangerous times we find him writing the incredible words we heard today.

You see in 1st Peter the author was trying to convey to the Church what it should say and how it should act in a world hostile to the Gospel.

His message can be summed up as

Always be willing to share the reason for your hope.

But do so humbly and gently even if your are being persecuted.

So here are the three truths we need to take to heart

1. The example of Stephen and Philip cause us all to accept the fact that being a follower of Christ bears with it a cost and in some cases a significant cost.

A cost which all of us must recognize and be willing to pay

We may be misunderstood,

we may be ostracized,

we may be persecuted,

we may be passed, over or made fun of,

and sadly in these times many are even called to give their lives rather than renounce their faith.

Every true follower of Christ must accept the cost of discipleship.

2. The second lesson is that sometimes the bad things we endure may really be good just waiting to happen. Once I met a man in the hospital who had suffered a severe heart attack when I

A dear friend I had in washington used to say.

The Devil meant it for bad but God made it good.

Stephen's murder was bad but in the end his sacrifice spread the gospel, grew the church and strengthened the resolve of the other disciples.

There are difficult moments in our own lives and sometimes we have to accept them for what they are and wait until the final word is written on them.

The third truth is simply this Peter reminds us in the second readng that all of us every single one of us is called to share the good news with whomever we can.

Our faith is not simply given to us as, some kind of private consolation or feel good pill

Rather we must be willing to share the reason for our hope with anyone we meet.

Our world is becoming more and more hostile to religion almost any religion.

The world needs to hear the reason for our hope and Peter reminds us that we must do so gently and patiently even when we are persecuted.

No one will ever change a human heart with anger and bitterness…anger and bitterness don’t give peace or hope the only thing they can give is anger and bitterness.

Only humble, patient, gentle and maybe even suffering love, can change a heart and bring it to faith and to hope.

Our world needs faithful loving disciples of Christ to restore it’s hope

Amen

5th Sunday of Easter Year -A- 2017

If anyone reads this blog I'm sorry I've been so lax in putting up my homilies. I'll try to do better.  Peace 

May the Peace of Christ Reign in our Hearts

The beautiful words “ Do not let your heart be troubled” were meant to encourage the Apostles as they would witness Jesus being arrested tortured and hung on the cross but they were also meant for us.

Fear has always been a part of the human condition.

We are afraid of so many things.

Fear is so prevalent in our society that John Paul II felt it necessary to almost continually remind us not to be afraid.

The very first words he spoke to the world after his election as Pope were simply

“Do not be afraid.”

In the Gospel the Word reminds us that when fear comes upon us

It is important to have faith in God and Faith in Jesus.

we have faith in Jesus then we value what he valued and discard what he didn’t think was important.

Faith in Jesus liberates us from the cares of the world

Faith in Jesus frees from so many fears.

Believing in Jesus sets us free

by showing us what is really important in our lives and by showing us how to get home.

The Gospel also encourages us to have faith in God.

But many of us ask ourselves how can we trust God?

How can our belief in God give us peace and encouragement?

The real question should be how can we not trust God?

If God was willing to send us His only Son to pay the price of our sin and lead us home then doesn’t it follow that God will give us anything we could ever possibly need to come home to him?

Yes Fear is such a part of our world our entire world

The poor fear dying from hunger or sickness and they fear for the future of their children like anyone else.

The poor are often very afraid of the violence which is so sadly commonplace in the lives of refugees and those in desperate need even in our country.

The rich fear not having enough even when some have so much they could never spend  what they have.

The powerful fear that someone will grow more powerful than them.

The influential fear that someone will become more popular and take their place.

Children fear they will be abandoned.

Teenagers fear they won’t fit in or that they are not handsome or beautiful enough.  

Some are so afraid that they even stop eating. Eating disorders are a sad example of just how fearful our society has become.

Young adults fear they won’t find a husband or wife they can share their lives with.

College students fear they won’t find their place in the world

They are afraid they won’t find that special place in our world which is life giving to them and where they can make their contribution.

Young families fear not having enough to give to their children

People starting out in their careers fear that they won’t get that special break they need or that they will screw things up.

As the children get older Mothers and Fathers are so often afraid for them.

Will they be happy ?

Will they have friends ?

Will they do drugs?

Will they find someone to love?

Will we be able to protect them from the struggles of life?

In middle age many people ask themselves is that all there is?

Is this what life was about? They are afraid life pasted them by

In their fifties… people often wonder if they have gone as far as they can go in their careers.

They fear the young smart talented people who are following them..

They wonder if they still have what it takes to make their contribution.

In their sixties and seventies thoughtful people wonder if they have ever really made any difference with their lives.

They often ask, did I do anything at all of value?

As people grow older they fear getting older

They are afraid of aches and pains

They are afraid of sickness

They are afraid that they won’t have enough to retire on

They are so afraid of losing their independence

When people are near death many are afraid to meet God

We pray our whole life thy Kingdom Come but when it does we say not yet.

Yes fear is all around us.

If we let it ….fear can rule our lives.

GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO BE AFRAID

LET ME REPEAT THAT

GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO BE AFRAID

God DOES NOT WANT US TO LIVE IN FEAR.

The Gospel says “Do not let your heart be troubled”

If we allow Jesus to be the way the truth and the life

then we really need very few material possessions

We can even be surprised by how little we really need.

If we base our lives on God’s truth

Then we can look at other people as our brothers and sister and not merciless competitors

If we pattern our lives after Jesus

Then we don’t have to work 60 hour weeks so we can have the wrap around porch and the garage that could fit three third world families  but rather we can play with our kids and never miss one of their games.

If we pattern our lives after Jesus

Then we don’t have to be the most powerful

Remember Jesus saved us by being weak

If we pattern our lives after Jesus

Then we don’t have to fear for our children because we can see that they are held in the loving hands of God

If we pattern our lives after Jesus

Then we don’t have to fear sickness or old age because even these experiences through which almost everyone must pass can make us better people more generous people.

Sometimes older couple grows apart until one of them gets sick and needs the other.

The salvation of many people and many marriages has been found in the challenge of sickness and the necessity of caring for your husband or wife who is ill.

Caring for someone or being cared for changes a person’s heart.

This week let’s meditate on these powerful words

Do not let your hearts be troubled have faith in God and faith in me

God meant what he says. Amen