Sacred Heart of Jesus

This homily was given at the Mass for the Sacred Heart of Jesus here at my college, and edited slightly for print.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

Have we come to know and to believe in the love God has for us?

In the first reading we hear that God chose Israel, not because they were a great nation, not because they were gifted or talented, but because he loved them. So, their existence as a nation was a proof of God’s love.

Yet God wanted to prove his love not for one nation but for all nations. God sent his Son. The Eternal, Uncontainable, Immeasurable love of God, was contained in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and set that heart on fire. We see the flame of love in every depiction of the Sacred Heart. The foundation of Jesus’ life and existence was the LOVE of the FATHER. Everything that Jesus Christ was, he was because the Father loved him. Everything that Jesus did, he did because he loved the Father.

The same love that burns in the Sacred Heart has been poured into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Have we come to know and to believe in the love God has for us? If we have, then our hearts should burn, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus who said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?

My summer as a deacon, I was at Holy Family parish in Brillion Wisconsin. The religious education coordinator had organized a Mass to begin the religious education year, where the parents and children could meet their teachers and get their materials for the year. Our coordinator decided to have each of the children write on a little construction paper heart, which said “I follow Jesus by __________”. They collected those hearts in a big basket and set them in front of the altar. The lady had planned to make a collage or something out of the hearts, but I overruled her. I'm not a big fan of collages, but the real reason was that the hearts were an offering to God and they had to be treated like a sacrifice. So after the blessing, we took the hearts outside, while the kids and their parents followed us. By the front of the Church we lit the hearts on fire, and the smoke rose up to heaven. When a little girl came up and asked “Why are you burning our hearts?” I answered, “Because, our hearts have to be on fire with Love for God.”

Our hearts should burn with the love of God. If they do not, what can we do? We could sit in the chapel and wait for the Holy Spirit to fall on us. But I think we should look at it a different way.

Another great summer experience was my jobs as a camp counselor at a Catholic summer camp in Shawano, Wisconsin. That job taught me how to light fires. Every Wednesday, lunch was hamburgers cooked on a camp fire. While the hungry kids munched on the potato chips and pickles and looked longingly at the raw burgers, I would struggle to light a fire and cook the patties. Now, we had a small stack of wood by the fire pit, but you can hold a lighter to a log all day long and nothing will happen.
The secret was to conscript the kids to gather handfuls of twigs and fallen sticks, little branches, bark and dry leaves. The little handfuls of sticks didn’t look like much but with a lighter and some newspaper I could start a full-blown fire in a few minutes.

The fire of the Holy Spirit is already burning in your heart, its just that the fire is faint. So, you need handfuls of twigs, dead and dry twigs. These are your weaknesses and failures, your struggles, which God can use to start a fire.

And there are so many more opportunities for little deaths. Showing up for first hour even though the professor is a bore. Staying for fourth period even though that second café isn’t working and you are falling asleep. Not saying something that would take the conversation in a bad direction. These little dead twigs don’t look like much, but each handful is fuel for the Holy Spirit.

The seminary has a way of increasing the fire. If we are like big, lumpy logs, then seminary is like chipping them into kindling! Sometimes you come to the end of the day and feel like you are, broken, chopped, crushed, and that all you have at the end of the day is little splinters! We are becoming the fuel for the fire that purifies our souls, and we are becoming kindling to start other souls on fire.

However, a good fire isn’t the one that you make with twigs. That is just a start. What you really want in a roaring fire is hard wood, wood that burns slowly and long. That is the kind of fire that will burn through the cold and the rain, that will burn through the night.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus burns with love for the Father, a deep love deeper than all other loves. And so should we! Deeper than our love for family, for friends, for children and lands, for our lives, is our Love for God; so deep that we could lose children and home, family and friends, and feel that we have lost nothing, next to the surpassing worth of knowing the Love of God. This is the deep fire, the strong fire, the fire that even death cannot quench. When the love of God burns this deep, everything we are comes from this love, and everything we do comes from this love, and we live and love with the same love that burns in the Sacred Heart.

When our love is this deep, we are not afraid to throw everything on the fire; our hopes and dreams, our plans for he future, whatever will burn, so that the love in our hearts will burn bright, and will be a beacon to those who are lost and wandering, and bring them to God.

The world is a cold and dark place and the only candle that burns with the Love of God is your own heart. But why light a candle, when you can light a bonfire? A bonfire is just a pile of junk if it isn't lit on fire.

What good is your heart if it hasn't been lit by the fire of the Holy Spirit?

Taking the Mass to the world

My custom made Mass kit, just recently finished. Like the Jedi Knights of Star Wars, who have to build their own light saber as part of their training, we have to build our own Mass kit. Mine includes a place to hold the Roman Missal, and everything I need to celebrate Mass on the road except for an alb and chasuble.
(So maybe the Mass kit isn't necessary for ordination, but if you want to be that picky Jedi knights don't exist either)

Homily for May 25

Corpus Christi - You are what you Eat
Jesus provides a family meal for his family, a meal of the Eucharist around the altar table. As we receive his Body, we become the Body of Christ. You are what you eat. [not recorded at a live Mass]
[Readings][iTunes]

Homily for May 18

This weekend I was away from the parish. I traveled to Indiana to attend my brother John's graduation from college. It was really an exciting event in the life of my family. Both sets of grandparents were able to attend, and they commissioned John in the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. I was reflecting on Trinity Sunday and college graduation. Had I given a homily, this is what I might have said:

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Today the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday in honor of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is one of our famous mysteries, a puzzle to philosophers and ordinary Christians alike. Christianity contains two completely unique and revolutionary ideas. If you believe them, then you are a Christian. The first is the Incarnation of Jesus, and the second is the Trinity. What does it mean to believe in the Trinity?

It means, first of all, that the One God is a community. The one-ness is not a One of a being Alone, but the One of a community. The difference is crucially important. A One of a being Alone is the rule of a tyrant or dictator. A One of community is the rule of Democracy. When the Holy Trinity decided to create human beings, it wanted to reflect in some way its own community. So it chose to create the Family. The Father, Mother and child of a family mirror the divine Trinity. They are a one of Community.

This weekend we celebrate graduation. It brings to mind many things. First, a thankfulness for the family. Each one of you is a product of some kind of family, and many of you have your families to thank for the things you have achieved. You have spent four years here in college and have become members of a new family. Even though you leave this institution, you will remain Alumni from now on. You have joined a university family. You have also made many friends, hopefully some that will last you the rest of your life. You now belong to many families. Among all these, the most fundamental and important is the family of the Trinity. Yes, you are also a member of the Trinity. You were baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Just as many families gather for meals, so you join the Trinity at the table of the Eucharist. God's family is your family, the most fundamental family of all. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you take His family values with you.

Some of you have many accomplishments from the time you spent in college. Some I see are wearing cords or medals or emblems of various groups and activities. Others have nothing but a cap and gown. However, all of you are leaving with the most important thing you could have: an education from this fine institution, and a diploma to prove it. The education is what really matters more than anything. This institution exists to make you education possible. None of the fine buildings and beautiful plaques here would make a bit of difference if students were not served by them. If we existed to build pretty buildings, collect grants and hand out awards, we would not be a university. We exist to serve you. I hope, in your time here, you have come to appreciate the sacrifice of others.
Your parents sacrificed to make your education possible.
Your teachers have served you during your time here.
Your fellow students have helped you from time to time.
Your education is a gift from others.

In the same way, the family of the Trinity does not exist for itself. God chooses to serve others. The existence of the world and your own existence are all gifts -- unearned, but much appreciated. All that we see is a gift from this Trinity. You are called to exist in the same way, in service to others.

In a few years you will have a class reunion. When you return here again, I don't care if you have a list of achievements as long as your arm. If you win more awards, if you get a high-paying job, if you have a Blackberry and a foreign car. There is only one thing I want to know:
Can you point to someone whose life you have improved? Did you use your education for the good of someone else?

If you use this education only to further yourself, you have missed the point of our University family. You have also missed the point of our family, the Trinity. The point is to be of service to others, just as God is of service to you. You have received here the tools you need, the education and formation required, in order to help others. Now it is your turn to serve. Fortunately, you are not alone in this task. Your university is behind you, and most importantly, God is also helping. Come back frequently to the family table and receive the gift of the Eucharist. It will give you the energy you need to continue to serve. And may God be with you, now and always.

Buy to Save the Environment

Fr. Benjamin is right - a simple life is an environmentally healthy life. You might enjoy this video:

Buy more eco-friendly?

Being "green" and eco-friendly seems to have moved into the mainstream of American life. Even Amazon.com offers environmentally friendly shopping suggestions from the first page. A quick glance at these products finds no discernible common theme among them. Flat-panel televisions that are low-energy certified are placed next to toilette paper made with 80% post-consumer fibers, clothes made with organic cotton and shoes with recycled rubber soles (my favorite is the sew-it-yourself shoe, on another website). Americans don't want to destroy the environment, and what better way to save the environment than to buy something eco-friendly.

Does anyone else notice a contradiction here? We are so culturally programed to purchase, that environmentally-friendly becomes another purchase. The problem is that, no matter how low-energy that new television is, keeping your old one (and keeping it off most of the time) will use far fewer resources. As one article in the International Herald Tribune notes, truly being green would not mean buying trendy eco-friendly, but buying less and using fewer resources.

From this perspective, my grandparent's generation were far more eco-friendly. Since they typically had very little money, clothes were passed down from one child to the next, shoes were repaired and re-soled, and food came from the nearest farm and it was canned to last the winter months (instead of being shipped frozen from warmer climates).

Obviously this blog is not about environmental practices; there are plenty of other blogs for that. However, I believe that living a good Christian life means living simply and without too much waste and pollution. Part of the reason is that God has created the world, and using it well is a way of honoring God. However, the demand is much deeper than respect for God. Most of our waste comes from poor choices, impatience, greed, vanity, and other evils which really have their source in the spiritual life. Living a good Christian life is inseparable from personal discipline, from choosing what is truly good instead of what appears good at the moment, and being content with what we have instead of restlessly looking for more. This does not mean that we don't spend or enjoy life, but that we use resources carefully and choose where they will be spent, and spend them on what is most worth having. This is true whether it is money, gasoline, or personal time. The best kind of environmentalism is the one rooted in these principles, and these principles are part of living a good Christian life.

Homily for May 11

Pentecost - The Spirit Sings in our Hearts
The Spirit could be understood like a song, a duet sung by the Father and the Son from all Eternity, a song so alive that it has its own existence.
On Pentecost, we are privileged to enter the song, or rather, to have the song enter us. It brings us peace, courage and unity.
May your life be filled with this Holy Spirit.

(PS: Fort McHenry is actually in Baltimore; I say Boston in my homily).
[Readings][iTunes]

Holy Ghost Flower Power

Sunday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost. In Rome, the fire department sends a truck to the Pantheon. Why the fire department? Maybe they are inspired by that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire. Since the fire department is standing around the Pantheon, they send some men up on the roof with baskets of rose petals. After the final blessing, the firemen toss the petals through the hole in the roof and they float down to the people below. It makes one think of the grace of God floating down from heaven to earth.

Homily for May 4

Ascension - Jesus Takes the Highest Point
The Apostles have their hopes dashed once again when Jesus, instead of conquering Israel, leaves them and ascends to heaven. But his Ascension is part of a much bigger picture - Jesus is conquering the whole universe, and taking over his rightful throne. Often we get stuck on little events and forget the big picture. Jesus sends the spirit so that our lives can be part of that big picture.
[Readings][iTunes]

Homily for May 3rd

Ascension - First Communion Homily
I gave two different homilies this weekend; this one was for First Communion. Jesus ascends into heaven, and yet he promises, "I with you always, until the end of the age." One of the ways that Jesus remains with us is through the Eucharist. We must not only open our hands and mouths to him, but also our hearts. This homily concluded with a renewal of the First Communicants' baptismal promises.
[iTunes]

Holy Spirit of God

Today the Church traditionally celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, exactly 40 days after his Resurrection. In many countries, including most of the United States, the Feast is transferred to Sunday so that it can be celebrated by more people. So if you went to Mass today and it wasn't the Ascension, just go back on Sunday. The Ascension marks the day when Jesus returned to his Father in Heaven, with the promise that he will return come down from Heaven at the end of time to complete the redemption of the world.
It is comforting to know that Jesus is coming back, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Well, Jesus promises to his Apostles that he will not leave them orphans, but he will ask the Father to give them another advocate, counselor, guide, and protector, the Spirit of God. In fact, the same Spirit which descended from Heaven onto Jesus in the form of a dove when he was baptized in the Jordan river would soon be poured out on the infant Church in the form of tongues of fire.
The Spirit is what propelled the mission of Jesus and enabled him to proclaim the good news, to forgive sins, to heal the sick, and to offer his Body and Blood in sacrifice. Jesus expected that in the meantime before his second coming, the Church would continue that same work. This work is only possible in the Spirit, but once the Spirit is poured out, the Church can do the works of the Lord. This does not just mean the Sacraments; believing the Gospel and living the Christian life exceeds our human capacity. The Holy Spirit is indispensable, because we as the Church try every day to do what is humanly impossible.
The Church in the United States seems to be facing many difficulties. Many people talk about the fact that the Church is divided into different factions, that the people in the pews do not believe, that the priests are sinful and the bishops lack zeal. Perhaps it is true.
However, the true source of unity is the One true God, and the only source of faith is the Spirit of God, and the only purification from sin is the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the only source of zeal is the grace of the Father. If the Church in America needs anything, it is a greater and more abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In these days before Pentecost the Church prays fervently through the liturgy that God would pour out the Spirit on us and on the whole world. This is a prayer which we should all join in, a novena of nine days for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Magnetism of Christ

Here is an excerpt from a ZENIT news article, a report by Carrie Gress on here experiences with Benedict in New York:

Q: How did the people on the street and other reporters react to him?

Gress: ...At Nationals Stadium, I was awestruck by the number of young people and young families. One family I met had traveled from Idaho with five children just to attend the Mass of 46,000. It was certainly no private audience, and yet you could see how happy they were to be there -- to be a part of the event. This was an emotion felt by almost everyone involved. Even the press seemed to get caught up in it. Its not everyday that two seasoned journalists are stunned into silence. Wolf Biltzer of CNN and NBC's Tim Russert both had a semi-private audience with the Holy Father. "I must say, I don't often say it, but I truly feel blessed that I had this opportunity to do what I've just done," said Blitzer on CNN

"You know, I didn't ask him a question, and I listened carefully and Tim Russert, if you can believe it, was even more polite and even more stunned and silent than I was," Blitzer said, adding, "I think the two of us did not embarrass our profession, our news business. We just stood there and we watched, we did what we were told."

It's hard to think of more remarkable responses.

Q: Do you think the Pontiff's trip to the United States was a success?

Gress: If success can be measured by how one brings Christ to others, I think it was a tremendous success. With Pope John Paul II, people flocked to him because of his personality, exuberance, charm and charisma. Even in his later years, there was still speculation that that was the draw for so many young people -- they wanted to be close to a celebrity.

But with Pope Benedict, the celebrity flash is just not there -- and yet, he drew people in with the same magnetism -- a magnetism that can only be attributed to Christ. From the president down to school children, everyone seemed to be caught up by his witness of hope.