Fr. Joel's homily for Aug. 31

TPA22 - The Answer to Human Suffering
There are many answers to human suffering, from politics to religion. How does Jesus answer the problem of suffering? He invites us to embrace it and to take up our crosses. A love that is willing to suffer and sacrifice is a love capable of defeating suffering.
[Readings]
[iTunes]

Yes we can?

I don't often make political comments but last night's Democratic convention was like watching trained donkeys do tricks on stage. It got me to thinking about the whole Obama'08 campaign, how he has trumpeted hope, change, and looking forward to a brighter future. His message has a lot of promise, except that it isn't a promise, or even a proposal. He strategically avoids going into details, because details would mean corralling the hope, it would mean having to choose. The truth is, we cannot have everything we want. We can't enjoy low cost healthcare with the cutting edge machines and single-occupancy rooms outfitted like four star hotels. We cannot live in the suburbs and drive a massive automobile into the city without polluting or driving up gas prices. We cannot enjoy low cost appliances that are Made in America by skilled workers who are paid high wages and enjoy health care at hospitals that look like spas. We cannot expect low taxes and high government services.

This far, we have been able to maintain our expensive lifestyle by carrying an outrageous amount of debt, both personally and nationally. Obviously this is a highly unstable system, and we see the symptoms of it all the time. More and more jobs move overseas for lower costs and higher profits. This "offshoring" allows us, in the short term, to keep our remaining wages high while keeping costs low, keeping the income and the expenses in the balance for the short term. But the snake is eating his own tail, and we cannot keep making the snake longer forever. Sooner or later, the whole thing is going to collapse.

The obvious solution is to live within our means, to be willing to spend more on what is worth having and to sacrifice what we don't really need. It means having to choose high taxes and socialized medicine or lower taxes and lower costs with lower services for those who are not rich. No one wants to make that choice, so Barak Obama doesn't mention it. Neither, I should note, does John McCain, whose offshore drilling plan is a thinly disguised way to prop up our current consumption without having to make deep-reaching changes. There are a few committed people who are willing to pay higher prices for locally grown food, or make the sacrifice of living closer to work and biking there, but these people don't seem to reflect the American people. By and large, we are happy with how life is, and determined to keep it going that way for as long as possible. I predict that for November we will elect which ever candidate paints the most convincing picture of the future we want to see, and not the one who points us toward the future we need to see.

Fr. Joel's homily for Aug. 24

TPA21 - Spiritual Fatherhood
Today Jesus makes Peter the Pope, the Papa, of his Church. Today's readings are about Spiritual Fatherhood, which has three qualities:
1) Reliable and Dependable
2) Protects others from harm
3) Equips them to be truly Free
God is the foundation of all true fatherhood; we must model our fatherhod on his.
[Readings]
[iTunes]

Fr. Joel's homily for Aug. 17

TPA20 - God Giving Good Gifts

Today the Canaanite woman's faith encourages us. When God is silent or when our prayers seem discouraging, we can take heart in this woman's great faith, which God rewards by healing her daughter. We have no right to God's gifts, but oh how generous God is.
[Readings]
[iTunes]

Homily for Aug. 15

Assumption of Mary: God Descends the Raise the Lowly

Today the Church celebrates when God took Mary's body into heaven. It is a reminder that we were made for heaven and that God will raise the lowly on high. Let us sing with Mary:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God my savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

[Readings]
[iTunes]

Is fasting good for you?

Long ago, in a far off blog entry, I commented on the traditional lenten practice of abstinence. I noticed that in the tradition, abstinence from meat and rich foods has always been associated with deliberate poverty, with simplicity of life, and with purity of mind, body and spirit.
Some recent articles about the "alternate day fast" describe this new kind of diet. Instead of demanding a strict died all the time, it allows you to eat every other day and follow a strict fast half the time. People tend to lose weight on this diet even if encouraged to feast on the other days. Research in animals has associated the diet with better insulin response and other indications of good health. Also, a reduced calorie diet in the long run is associated with longevity.

It makes me think that the traditional practice of fasting regularly, either during Lent, or on Fridays during the year, or during special seasons of retreat, may actually have health benefits as well as spiritual ones. Of course, taking up a fast as a time of more intense devotion and prayer is not the same as taking it up to lose five pounds, and it's best not to mix the motives. I am happy that scientific research takes away an excuse for not fasting.
Also, it reminds me that Catholics were often criticized in the past for fasting too much and for enjoying good food too much. I am beginning to think that these things go hand in hand.

Homily for Aug. 10

TPA19 - Walking on Water with Jesus


Walking on water is a miracle we would all like to attempt. We can, with Jesus' help. There are things in our lives that our beyond our control, things that sometimes threaten to destroy us. They are not beyond the control of Jesus. If we pray and keep our eyes on Jesus, we too can walk on water.

[Readings]
[iTunes]

Dark Nights

Fr. J: So you finally saw The Dark Knight. What did you think?

Fr. B: It was powerful. It was long and rather dark, but the director moved the plot along well so it didn't drag. I like the fact that the action followed the story and not the other way around.

Fr. J: I found it a very heavy movie. It was very well written and also very well acted; the dialog was superb. Heath Leger did a tremendous job with the character of the Joker to the point that he really stole the show. Perhaps it should have been named "The Joker" instead. I felt that the character of the Joker was pure evil and it made the movie more than just dark.

Fr. B: I agree that the Joker was a heavy character, and some of his monologues were just too much, but what do you mean "more than just dark?"

Fr. J: The Joker was really kind of an incarnation of Satan. He was pure evil. He had no history, no name, and existed just to do evil. Batman had a difficult time with him. The movie calls into question the meaning and purpose of Batman in Gotham City but it never really answered the questions. What is his purpose? He exists to stop evil, which means he is constantly reacting to the Joker and always a step or two behind.

Fr. B: I thought in a way the movie did answer the question. The Joker is so completely evil that his only motivation is to cause destruction, but this forces a kind of reckoning on the characters, a judgment of their real motivations. Harvey Dent "falls" because his motivation is not pure, and his character becomes a living representation of this, but Bruce Wayne's true quality is shown through the film.

Fr. J: And what is Bruce Wayne's true character? Why does he do good? He could end all the mahem just by killing the Joker, yet he refuses. The movie should have ended with the showdown in front of the tractor trailer truck. It could have too, if Batman had killed him.

Fr. B: I think that would have been the "easy out" that most movies take. Remember that Bruce was afraid of what he would have to become to stop the Joker; an evil character, one who deals death at will.
Because he refuses to take this path, he only has one other way open to him, the way of self sacrifice. He sacrifices his personal desires for the good of the city.

Fr. J: His sacrifice certainly isn't appreciated by Gotham, which would prefer to sell him out. Batman puts Harvey Dent forward as the hero who can save Gotham, but ultimately I guess you're right. Harvey is unwilling to suffer. That makes the difference between the two characters.

Fr. B: The Joker thinks that every person is fundamentally evil, and if pushed hard enough their evil side will dominate. Harvey Dent proves him right, at least for a moment. However, the episode with the ferries is the ultimate example. The Joker thinks that, out of fear, the people will destroy each other in a dog-eat-dog attempt to save themselves.
Batman believes that people are fundamentally good, and the episode with the ferries proves that he is correct, and I think it shows the movie's message: if you are willing to suffer rather than do evil, then evil cannot ultimately hurt you. That is the solution to the "unsolvable" problem that the Joker perpetually poses.

Fr. J: I also loved the scene with the two ferry boats. It was played out very well and really showed what human nature is capable of. I was a little disappointed with the way the movie ended -- I felt the end of the Harvey Dent plot line was just added frustration on top of an already difficult movie. Batman was fighting against lies -- people who were cops, and yet were on the take as well. And in the end, he seems to choose a lie over the truth when he says, "Sometimes people deserve more than the truth." In fact, the whole voice-over at the end was disappointing. It didn't explain what had happened; it just set us up for a sequel.

Fr. B: The biggest weakness of this movie, and the previous Batman Begins, is that Bruce Wayne/Batman's character is underdeveloped. He isn't submerged by the Joker, but still we don't know what he is thinking and we don't know why he is good or what his hopes are. I wonder if perhaps the writers don't know. It is so much easier for us to believe a purely evil character than one who is good; good characters in movies are generally twisted and struggling people who happen to do good.

Fr. J: Or they are simply good with no explanation, as in this case. The Batman character was the one real weakness of the movie. I suppose he believes in the goodness of Gotham and is willing to fight for it, even if it means he can never live a normal life. Which leads to my own personal conclusion about the movie -- superheroes need to be celibate. Look at the last Superman movie. Look at the struggle played out in the three Spiderman movies between Peter Parker's loyalty to MJ and his loyalty to the people of the city. Maybe that's what priesthood is all about -- fighting for the goodness in others at the expense of a "normal" life.

Fr. B: Sorry to end this, there's a light in the sky...

TPA18 - God's Love Provides for Us

TPA18 - God's Love Provides for Us
God's love is everlasting and unshakable. Today's readings show how that His love provides for us as Jesus multiplies five loaves and two fish to feed 5000 men, not counting women and children.
[Readings][iTunes]