Fr. Matt's Homilies

From the time I learned to drive until I got a smartphone, if I needed directions, I would go to MapQuest and put in the addresses and then either print out the directions or write them down. When I got a smartphone, it became convenient to just plug in the address on GPS and go!

We have GPS for navigation, but we also have GPS in the spiritual life. The spiritual life GPS could be called “God Provides Signs.” God provides signs to get us to our destination (which is Heaven). Sometimes these signs are natural signs, but sometimes they are supernatural.

Many people think that reason and faith contradict each other (or that they are even “at war”). This is a man reason why many young people leave the Church. I saw it quite a bit at my alma mater of MIT. But God gave us both reason and faith, so when they are truly understood, they cannot contradict each other. For example, the Big Bang Theory was proposed by a Catholic priest who understood that God brought the universe into existence.

By reason alone, we can know God exists. One way is by observing His creation, such as a beautiful sunset, a magnificent landform like the Grand Canyon, or even the order found in nature. I like to watch nature shows because they show the goodness of God. A second way to come to know that God exists is through the human person—understanding that we are designed for love and joy and that the fulfilment of that is something that we only get tastes of in this life. It is only by faith, though, that we can know that God is Trinity (3 Persons)—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And it is faith that tells us that God became man in the person of Jesus.

Today we have the Gospel of the Magi. Although their names aren’t listed in the Bible, their names come from Tradition: Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar. The Magi were wise men; they were men of reason. They trusted science (they studied the stars…early astronomers), and they studied the things in the world.

What does science say the Epiphany star could have been? It took 19 Centuries, but here is one that an astronomer from last century presented. On Dec. 25th of the year 2 B.C., the alignment of the planets Jupiter and Venus along with the star called Regulus would have been at its peak. The names are significant: Jupiter is the king of the Roman gods; Venus is the Roman goddess of motherhood; Regulus means “little king”; this alignment took place within the constellation of Leo, the lion, which is a symbol for the tribe of Judah. The theological significance would be something like this: the Father sending His Son into this world through Mary to the land of Judah, the people of the covenant. Although the Magi wouldn’t have had all this meaning (until they made it to Bethlehem), they would have known it was a significant event! We hear that they knew it was the birth of the King of the Jews.

The star led the magi to the greatest of discoveries. The magi represent those who are not Christians but are open to encountering deeper things like truth, beauty, and goodness. They needed a supernatural sign to get all the way, because stars don’t usually just stop over a house or a cave. So what could have gotten them to the manger? Well God used angels of light in the Old Testament, so it’s reasonable to expect he did the same here. The feast of Epiphany reminds us that Jesus came for the salvation of all—not just those who were born and raised Christian. The non-Jewish magi adore God in the baby Jesus.

The magi followed their star, which brought them to Jesus. We are told that they returned to their home country “by another way,” which we could take to mean the way of faith. They were changed by their encounter. God intervened in a dream. They avoid returning to Herod who had evil intentions to kill Jesus. Although we don’t know much of what happened after the magi returned to their home country, we can assume that they began to worship God to the best of their ability. The Catholic Church recognizes them as saints (their relics are kept at the cathedral in Cologne, Germany).

My brothers and sisters, GPS, God provides signs. Like the wise men, we follow the Star in our life. The Star that God has given us is the Catholic Church, which always brings us to Jesus. We want to be changed by encountering Jesus. We want to leave different than how we came—not just taking a different road back to our house but instead more filled with faith and love. If we or someone we know doesn’t see how faith and reason are reconcilable, we might want to do more research (like on Fr. Spitzer’s website www.magiscenter.com) . May we be docile like the wisemen so that God can direct us to our final destination of Heaven.

The message given to the shepherds is that they would find Jesus in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes were commonly used for newborn babies in Jesus’ day, so how is that a special sign? Specifically for the shepherds? In Charlie Brown’s Christmas, his best friend Linus cites the angels appearing to the shepherds: “I bring you tidings of great joy…” These shepherds were not just “any” shepherds. Their flocks were close to the Temple, and the 1st newborn male sheep (or “lamb”) of these flocks would be used as the Lamb of the Passover Sacrifice at the Temple in the spring. To protect the newborn lamb from getting any blemishes (since it needed to be unblemished for the sacrifice), it would be put in swaddling clothes. Then, to keep it separate from the other sheep and animals, the lamb would be placed into a manger, which was a feeding trough for animals. So, the sign—a newborn baby boy in swaddling clothes lying in a manger—would have special meaning for those shepherds. The meaning was this—Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

My brothers and sisters, it’s easy to see Jesus as a baby but what about as Our Savior? We need not only the Baby Jesus but Jesus the Savior. As the 2nd reading describes, Christmas is “when God our savior appeared.” Jesus’ birth is only worthwhile for us if we accept Jesus as our Savior. Before Jesus’ earthly life, death and resurrection, the gates of Heaven were closed (because of Adam and Eve’s sin). God loved us so much that prior to creation—from all eternity—He chose to send His Son, Jesus, to Earth to become human even going to the lowliness of being a baby. Since Jesus was like us in every way—He probably experienced tiredness, hunger and illnesses—He made everything in our lives occasion to do for God’s sake as prayers. Jesus’ coming to Earth was so that He could bring us to His Father’s House (“or Heaven”) after He returned there. As baptized Christians, we are saved but we are also in the process of being saved. Jesus will bring us to Heaven as long as we cooperate with the graces He won for us by His death.
Last year on Christmas, I invited people to make this parish their “3rd place”—meaning the most important place after their home and work/school. The people in the 1st reading were called “frequented” by God by Jesus walking the Earth. God frequents us, but do we have a desire to commit to frequenting God?

We make New Year’s resolutions for many other areas of our lives. Is there a resolution that you might want to make for God this year? It’s Jesus’ birthday, but we are the ones who get gifts. Is there a birthday gift you can offer to the baby Jesus? To frequent Him? Maybe it’s through praying every day. Maybe it’s through participating in Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. Maybe it’s through visiting Jesus the Savior in Confession for the first time in years or at least more regularly. Maybe it’s through getting involved in Faith Formation in the parish for your kids or yourself.

My brothers and sisters, may our love of the Baby Jesus increase our love of Jesus our savior.

“What should we do?” This is the question that the crowd asks John the Baptist. John gives an answer for everyone: give to those who do not have. He also gives specific answers to others—to tax collectors and soldiers. The things he tells them to do are things that they should be doing anyways out of a desire for justice. The people react to this with expectation, a rejoicing that the Messiah would soon arrive.

If we were to meet John the Baptist today, what would he say to us? He would give the same answer as he gave to the crowds: give to those who do not have. For we who are Catholics, he would say participate in the Holy Mass every Sunday and pray. God gives us 168 hours every week, we are called to give Him 1 hour on Sunday. If you think God might be calling you to something more, maybe it’s to give Him 1 more hour each week in thanksgiving. One way to do that would be to come to an hour in the Adoration Chapel. I didn’t experience Adoration until I was in college. It changed my life and maybe it will change your life!

John the Baptist would also say to us: live out your state-in-life. For those who are married: be faithful to your spouse, love them especially in the bad times, and model to your kids that God is most important. For those who are single: grow in faith, chastity, and generosity; and serve others who are in need (not just providing material resources but your time). To those who are employers: pay your employees a living wage. A job that requires about 40 hours (or more) requires a person to give of their livelihood, so their pay should allow them to live (including food, shelter, a car, and a reasonable allowance for a cell phone, the internet, and entertainment). For those who are workers: work a full day and limit distractions. We don’t need to ignore our family during work nor do we need to work with a robot-like efficiency. We can have occasional breaks but if it gets to be a lot, then we are essentially stealing from our employer. To students (I know some of our college students are back and that this is the final week before Christmas break for many of our school children): do your work with excellence, and avoid things and people that take you away from God.

The crowds needed a John the Baptist, and we need one today. So, my brothers and sisters, I ask, who is your John the Baptist? John the Baptist was a man of wisdom; he was totally focused on God. He said, “Do these things so you are ready for the Lord.” Then the Lord Jesus came and said, “Follow me.” We all need to ask God regularly, “What should I do?” But God has also put people into our lives to also guide us on the way. For some, it might be a parent or a grandparent, for others, it might be a counselor. We all need to rely on the help of other people. That is why clergy and religious have spiritual directors. Although it is not possible for all of you to have Spiritual Directors (their time is limited and your time is limited), each of you can have a priest confessor. After Confession, you can ask Fr. Dave or I a question if we aren’t swamped (if we are swamped, then we have to get people in and out quickly). But you could ask “How should I pray?” or “How do I grow in this virtue?” or “How do I get rid of this vice?” You can also talk with us after Mass (after we have had a chance to greet everyone) or at donuts. Our doors are always open, too. We are just an e-mail or a phone call away.

We are invited like the crowds to ask, “What should I do?” God will speak to us of the concrete things He wants us to do. But we want to be willing to ask wise people in our lives who can help us to know God’s will in language that we can better relate to. By doing the things God wants us to do, we will be people of peace and justice.

If you were asked, “What is the Heart of the Twin Cities?” how would you respond? You could say the Heart of the Twin Cities is the State Capitol building in St. Paul (it is politically). If you were thinking for sports, you could say U.S. Bank Stadium. If you were thinking economically, you could say the IDS Tower. But if you were thinking spiritually, you would say the Cathedral. Imagine, that a highway was built directly from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to the Cathedral.

We know that the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, so the highway would be a little over 18 miles. (Compare with Highway 52, which is at least 5 miles longer due to its circuitousness). The straight highway would cross the Mississippi River not just once or twice but thrice (due to how twisty the River is), including once at Schaar’s Bluff.

I bring all this up because our readings talk about highways being made. Our 1st Reading from Baruch discusses the return from the Exile—a 900-mile journey that they would want to be as flat and straight as possible. In our Gospel, St. John the Baptist quotes Isaiah who calls for a straight path for the Lord to be made. The people in Jesus’ time were far from God because of sin. John the Baptist is calling for a baptism for repentance of sins. Sin creates barriers in our lives. Sin creates potholes in our lives. Some of the sins are small. We call these venial sins. But some sins are big. A serious sin that we know is seriously wrong and we do with full freedom is a mortal sin. It is like when our car gets totaled. When we commit a mortal sin, our car cannot continue its journey to its destination. We cannot be in communion with God until we get our car fixed.

If sin creates barriers, love removes them. The Sacrament of Confession is love. Confession levels the road of our life. Confession fills in the potholes of our lives. Confession rebuilds our life with a stronger pavement (maybe from dirt to asphalt to concrete to gold). Confession does not just bring us back to our previous spiritual position; it can raise us to a higher position through the graces we receive in Confession. One of the graces we receive is that it becomes easier to not sin going forward.

The fact that people do not go to Confession means that their highway keeps deteriorating. There are other things in our lives that we do not do even though we know we should. People do not go to Confession just as they might not go to the doctor or the dentist. I finally went to the dentist for the first time in two years, and I had a cavity. Priests are spiritual doctors, so it is not surprising that people do not go to Confession.

There are several reasons why people avoid Confession. Some people think that they only need to confess their sins to God. We should certainly confess our faults to God daily. We also should go to the Sacrament of Confession. Jesus gave His Apostles the power to forgive sins: “Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven. Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” Jesus instituted Confession for our sake so that we hear that our sins are forgiven.

It is really difficult to admit our faults to another person. We want to remember that it is Jesus who absolves our sins. Also, the priest cannot do anything based on something that he learns in Confession. Imagine someone confessed to me that he rigged the lottery tonight so that the winning numbers are 1- 2-3-4-5. I can’t go buy that winning lottery ticket afterwards, because I learned that information in Confession.

Also, some people do not know how to go to Confession. We live in a time when if we don’t know how to do something--assemble a dresser, change oil in a car, sew a button—we can look it up on YouTube. The same is true with Confession (brochures for those who don’t like technology). If you do not remember how to go to Confession, just show up! If you are sorry for your sins, the priest can help you to make a good Confession.

I want to speak about the fact that other parishes have communal penance services in Lent and Advent. There are several reasons why we don’t typically offer that here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. First of all, we have two priests here, whereas many other parishes only have 1 priest. A communal penance service requires a lot of resources—namely time and money (a parish has to pay outside priests for their time and travel). Also, we offer Confessions 7 times a week on 6 different days. Fr. Dave and I want Confession to be a normal part of your spiritual life. Confession is not just for Advent and Lent. It’s a year-round Sacrament, because people sin year-round.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, God wants us to get to Heaven. He asks that we “make straight the way of the Lord.” We do that especially by going to Confession. If you have stayed away from Confession for a long time, pray that God may remove those obstacles. And then receive God’s deep mercy.

Even though Jesus didn’t openly declare that He was a king, others knew that He was a king. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of King David. King David was promised that his royal line would last forever. At Jesus’ birth, three magi (or kings) from the east bring gifts, including gold (to signify Jesus was a king). My confirmation saint—Saint Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel)—after Jesus tells him that he saw him sitting under a fig tree, calls Jesus the King of Israel (JN 1:49) After the multiplication of the loaves, the Israelites were ready to go off and make him king (JN 6:15). On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode on a donkey into the holy city of Jerusalem; it was prophesied in the Old Testament that a king would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (see Zech. 9:9). As we heard in the Gospel, Pilate calls Jesus the “King of the Jews.” Pilate saw Jesus as a threat to the emperor. And then on the cross, the good thief (also known as Saint Dismas) say, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”

We know that Jesus is a king, but what type of king is he? From Pilate’s question “You are a king?” we learn something. Jesus doesn’t answer with a “Yes,” so he is not the type of king that Pilate thought he was (he is not a political or tyrant king). As the Gospel relates, Jesus is the King of Truth. He is the King of Mercy and the King of Love.

Every king has a throne, so what is Jesus’ Throne? The good thief approached Jesus there—the Cross is the Throne of Mercy. We are King Jesus’ servants if we trust in His Mercy. Jesus’ kingship is one of obedience; He reveals the love of the Father. Now He sits at the right hand of God the Father. He has been given all power over Heaven and Earth.

My brothers and sisters, how can we serve Christ the King? Royalty is rather foreign to us here in the U.S. In countries that have royalty, almost all people respect and honor royalty (much more than heads of state). For example, Queen Elizabeth II—over 8 in 10 British view her favorably. We also hear sayings like, “Long live the King! And death to his enemies!” These help to foster respect and honor of royalty. Well, our love for Jesus should be greater than any person (even any loved one), because He has loved us so much!

As servants of Christ the King, we are tasked with helping to advance the Kingdom of Love. This is especially something good to reflect on before Thanksgiving. At our own Baptism, we were anointed into Christ’s Kingship. As our 2nd reading tells us, we are priests for God our Father.
One way we can be servants of Christ the King is by living a holy life. We want to live so that we are never separated from Christ the King. We do this by following the 10 Commandments and working to exterminate vices in our lives. We are called to place all of our decisions at the feet of Christ the King, even those that are most personal or most intimate among married couples. We know that Arguments over politics or religion aren’t going to win people to Jesus’ Kingdom; neither does nagging. So, we might need to have a rule at the Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinner table to have no discussions on politics, Covid, or (and I dare to say) religion. As joyful disciples who make Jesus Christ known and loved, we are in the long-term battle of showing the great love God has for everyone. If our loved ones aren’t practicing Christians, then they have separated themselves from Christ the King and His Kingdom; we are to invite them back. As I’ve said before, love is willing the good of the other. We are called to love God and love others as yourself (just as our King does).

Another way to serve Christ the King is through prayer. Praying for our loved ones is the best way to love those we will be spending the holidays with. For those not running GobbleGait, consider starting your Thanksgiving Day with Mass here at 9 a.m. Eucharist means thanksgiving, and it is the best way to offer thanks to God for His many Gifts. Through prayer, we can enthrone King Jesus in our hearts. We have a King who is not too busy for us. We can approach Him at any time; we can be united to Him in whatever we are doing. He knows everything in our lives. It can be good to make an act of love during the day like, “Jesus, King of Love, I trust in your merciful goodness.”

Another way we can serve Christ the King is through the Sacraments. Jesus’ Kingdom was ushered in by His death on the Cross. He died so that we can have eternal life. The Sacraments rain down Graces from His Throne of Mercy.

My brothers and sisters, we have a King in Christ Jesus. He is King of the Universe. He wants to be King of our lives. We are His servants when we live a holy life, pray, and participate in the sacramental life of the Church. By being connected to our King of Love, we can then advance the Kingdom of Love in the world.

Widows before Jesus’ time had a very difficult life. They had previously relied on their husband’s income. They didn’t have any college degree or trade degree. There was no Welfare and also no life insurance. In our 1st Reading, we hear of the widow of Zaraphath, who is down to the last of her flour and oil due to a famine that had hit the region. The widow in the Gospel places 2 coins in the treasury. These were 2 lepta coins, which amounted to 1/64 of a daily wage, so not worth much. These widows must rely on God’s providence going forward; they trusted God with their lives. Their actions were praiseworthy. We could think of a similar situation, where the actions would not be praiseworthy. Consider an imprudent dad who comes home and say, “Time for a family meeting…I quit my job and gave away all our money!” That would be imprudent of the dad. The widows’ actions were praiseworthy because they probably did not have dependents to provide for (although hard to tell with the 1st Reading), and because they offered their whole livelihood to God (or to his representative, in the case of the widow of Zaraphath).

Brothers and sisters, we are called to give out of our livelihood. I would like to make some connections from today’s readings to other passages in the Bible. Most of us are familiar with the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (cf. Luke 16:19-31). We don’t want to be stingy like the rich man who lived sumptuously in this life but chose Hell because he didn’t take care of the poor man Lazarus. So, we are reminded today--don’t be stingy with God and don’t be stingy with the poor. We want to give generously because God can never be outdone in generosity. God rewards a generous giver—the more we give from the heart, the more God increases grace in us.

This week, we celebrate Veterans Day where we honor all those who generously gave of themselves in service of our country. To give with whole-hearted generosity is what we want to aspire to. Jesus praises the widow’s 2 coins for the sake of divine worship as well as the gift of a pure heart. We know that Jesus cares more about the disposition of the heart than the amount of the gift. The widow goes back home with joy. She will find out in Heaven how much Jesus valued her gift due to the love she had for God. We are reminded that Jesus sees the good we do throughout our lives

We are called to give money to the Church and to charities. We call this almsgiving. Almsgiving manifests our love and generosity to the Lord. It springs from a merciful heart—a desire to give relief to those in need. Almsgiving is so that others’ needs are met. We give from our livelihood so that others might have a livelihood. We might have to give up some of our “wants” along the way. Through almsgiving, we become detached from things of the world. It tends us to be very generous with God and our fellow man. We learn to not just be satisfied about providing for our own wants (or our family’s wants) but in providing for the needs of others.

In one of the letters to the Church in Corinth, St. Paul praises them for giving beyond their means (2 Cor 8:3). I am grateful to see the many parishioners who have donated blankets for Appalachia and who have donated pies for the homeless in past Thanksgivings. Money can have a rather direct benefit. For example, the proceeds of GobbleGait (which I’ll be running for the first time this year) go to Hastings Family Service.

Our money can basically be multiplied in other countries. My favorite international charities are Cross Catholic Outreach and Aid to the Church in Need; they provide for both material and spiritual needs. If we were to think about what could most help the livelihood of a priest ministering in a developing country, a motorcycle is a great gift. Without a motorcycle, he has to walk between towns to minister to people.

My brothers and sisters, we learn about generosity from the widows today. By giving of our livelihoods, we experience joy in this life and in the life to come. May we give without counting the cost.

Bartimaeus’ words--“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”—are words that well up from the depth of his being. Bartimaeus was deeply aware of the fact that his blindness was something that neither he nor anybody else could change. Yet he puts his faith in Jesus.

There are different types of blindness that we experience in our lives--physical, spiritual, and psychological—that God wants to give healing for. First, there’s physical blindness. By “blindness,” I don’t just mean loss of sight but really anything physical with our bodies that limit us. God can cure these ailments miraculously and instantaneously. Often, though, physical healings (like after an injury, a stroke, or a surgery) can take days if not months. We do well to cooperate with doctors’ orders, because doctors are those that God has put into our lives to help us towards good health. This includes things like exercising and eating right—something that not only aids our bodies but can even help our mood. In my life, I’ve suffered broken bones, which were healed through casts. I’ve also had shingles and epilepsy, which I took medicine until I was cured (if I hadn’t taken them, I would have remained in a poor state). As I mentioned in last week’s homily, a person can offer up physical hardship for the good of others. We know, too, that pain and even death cannot separate us from God.

Now to pivot to spiritual blindness. All of us are born in spiritual blindness. This is because of Adam and Eve’s Original Sin. None of us are born with spiritual sight. Baptism gives us the Light of Christ and the ability to see through the gift of Faith. It is then that we become joyful disciples. Some Protestants (like the Baptists) put the cart before the horse—they think only those who can make a personal act faith can receive baptism. But this goes against Church tradition—from the earliest days of the Church, infants can receive Baptism. We receive the fullness of faith at Baptism.

For those of us who are over the age of 7, if we think we are the most perfect human since our Blessed Mother, we are probably deluding ourselves. Our 2nd reading reminds us that priests have weaknesses, too. So Fr. Dave and I aren’t going to remark to yell at you in Confession, “You did what??!”
God typically gives instantaneous spiritual healing (such as in the sacraments). For example, the Words of Absolution are Jesus speaking through the words of the priest (who is a spiritual doctor): “I absolve you from your sins…” Besides the spiritual benefit of the Words of Absolution, there is also a psychological benefit—it is helpful to hear God say to me that my sins are forgiven. We can also receive direct spiritual healing by turning to God when we are tempted by the devil—saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, get away from me Satan!” Sometimes, though, God permits spiritual blindness to last a while. Such as the case with St. Teresa of Calcutta (a.k.a. Mother Teresa), who spiritual blindness (or “darkness”) for 20 years. This did not mean that God was far from her; in fact, God was close to her.

And then finally, there is psychological blindness. Each of us have weaknesses (or even mental illnesses) that make it difficult to love our self and love our neighbor properly. There are things we do that challenge our relationships. We can receive long-term healing through people like counselors, life coaches, and mentors. A few years ago, I was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum, which basically means that my brain is wired differently than most people. The effects of my autism I will be working through in the future, with the help of my counselor.

If we have faith in Our Lord especially on account of our failings, Jesus’ divine power will shine forth in us, sustaining us in our weakness. As St. Paul writes, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities [or weaknesses], that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:9).

My brothers and sisters, we are called to follow Jesus on the way. After Bartimaeus was healed, he followed Jesus on the way (that is how we know his name). His new identity was as a joyful disciple of Jesus. He became a healed healer, one who helped others to receive healing from Jesus.
We receive healing of all sorts from Jesus. We can pray along with Bartimaeus, “Jesus, son of David, have pity (or mercy) on me!” That was essentially an Act of Contrition. When I am hearing Confessions at places where people don’t know an Act of Contrition (like at a jail or a hospital), I have them repeat similar words— “Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me!” We can pray those words at any time, perhaps before we go to bed is a great time.
May we receive healing from Jesus so that as joyful disciples (like Bartimaeus), we can help others experience God’s healing.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be an astronaut. So I took interest in the news story this past week that 90-year old William Shatner (who once played the character Captain Kirk on Star Trek) will experience space for real. Now if you have $1.5 million, you could, too, join the elite group of those experience space travel. Just remember to donate the first 10% of your ticket cost to the parish.

In our readings today, we hear about rich men who had everything that money could be. We know that money is useful for acquiring possessions and experiences (like space travel now). Many people strive to be happy by buying expensive cars, boats, cabins, and vacations. But these are fleeting…
King Solomon in our 1st reading knew this. That’s why he prayed for wisdom. Wisdom like: you never see a U-Haul truck following a hearse. That’s because you can’t take it with you when you die. Imagine a rich man showing up to Pearly Gates and saying to St. Peter, “Look at all this money I have.” To which, St. Peter would reply, “Oh great! We can use that for Monopoly up here.” We are also reminded of the parable Jesus tells of a man who had many things and said, “I will build bigger barns.” But it was said of him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you” (cf. Luke 12:16-21).

We hear about the difficulty of being saved in the Gospel: "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" This is because if somebody has everything, then why would they need God? The rich man was lacking the one necessary thing; his inability to sell his possessions was his symptom but not the underlying cause. The rich man was lacking joy.

As many of you know, we kicked-off our new mission last week. Do you have it memorized? “The mission of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is to form joyful disciples who make Jesus Christ known and loved.” The rich man asked what must he do to have eternal life, but he might of well have asked (in light of our mission), “What must I do to be a joyful disciple?” Can you imagine yourself asking Jesus that question? If you’re like me at all, we often think that we are living a pretty good life. We might check-off boxes: go to Mass (check), pray each day (check), follow the Commandments (check…although maybe not to the degree of the rich man). But maybe we don’t want to hear what Jesus might say to us…something like, “Sell everything and come follow me.” It is good to realize that we over-emphasize material things, whereas we should focus more on things like being close friends with Jesus.

Rather than seeing what we have to give up to follow Jesus, I think it is helpful to reflect on what we gain. First and foremost, we receive the joy of knowing Jesus. As it turns out, the only thing we need in life is not a something, but a someone…Jesus! Joy can only come from God. So show me a joyful person, and you have a believer. Someone who doesn’t know God, doesn’t have joy. We also receive eternal life; this life is like a blink of the eye in the grand scheme of eternity. We also receive treasure in Heaven. This calls to mind another parable that Jesus gives—the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A person sells off everything he owns to buy it (cf. Matthew 13:44). The treasure of Heaven is worth letting go of everything we have!

Like Jesus said to rich man, He says to us, “Come follow me.” So how do we follow Jesus? First, we reject any notion that once I get confirmed or graduate high school or college, I’m done with learning…with learning my faith. Faith Formation is for life. So I would encourage you to get involved with some sort of Faith Formation: the Synod small groups, Catholic Watchman, Women at the Well, or a Bible study. If
you can’t commit to one of those right now, then at least listen to some Catholic talks like on Relevant Radio or Fr. Mike Schmidt’s “Bible in a Year” app. That way you can understand why our faith fills us with joy.

We know that there are many children who are growing up in unstable homes. So, a thought experiment: How would my lifestyle change if I were to take in a foster child or to adopt a child with special needs? I might have to live simpler, but I could still have joy.

We also want to have daily “Joy Time”—time with Jesus in prayer. A great place to pray is in our Adoration chapel.

We are called to bring joy to others, which is the same as bringing Jesus to others. This is what is meant by evangelization. It is sharing the joy we have with others. We don’t need to worry that we will have less joy if we share it. Conversely, we experience greater joy when we share it, because it brings us into greater communion with our family and friends.

My brothers and sisters, we are called to follow Jesus today. By doing so, we might not have all the possessions and experiences that we would want. But we will have joy. When we share that joy with others, we can trust that they are getting the best gift in the world—Jesus himself.

One of the catchiest marketing jingles is for a store that no longer exists—Toys ‘R Us. “I don’t want to grow up. I’m a Toys ‘R Us kid.” The next time that Fr. Dave sees my LEGOs in the rectory, I’m going to tell him, “I’m a Toys ‘R Us kid.”

I think we all see that it’s a gift to be a kid. Jesus tells His Disciples to “Receive a child.” We might ask who doesn’t receive a child? But here Jesus is referring not only to children but to anyone who is a “little one.” So not just those who are short in stature but anyone who is powerless in society. So we begin to see the reason for his statement.

Although most people would see children as gifts, it’s helpful to think about what their giftedness consists of. I will focus on two characteristics. The first is that they are sponges for information. It is easier to learn a foreign language as a child than as an adult; it is easier for a child to memorize a lot of things than for an adult to memorize. Children are docile, which means teachable. Maybe Jesus is implying that the rest of us are not so docile! And so, this shows the importance for kids to be taught the faith from a young age—that their foundation in the faith is instrumental for later in life. But also, even if you went to a great Catholic school (like SEAS), it is good to get involved with adult Faith Formation opportunities, because Faith Formation is for life. It might be more difficult, but you can teach old dogs new tricks!

The 2nd trait of children I’ll give by way of example. Imagine you work at a restaurant. Imagine that a billionaire like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos (head of Amazon) came to your restaurant. You can be sure that they are going to leave more than a $5 tip! On contrast, imagine someone who is hungry who comes to the restaurant and doesn’t have a cent to his name. He probably won’t have any way to repay the meal. Children have this type of poverty. There are others, too, who can’t repay—for example, immigrants, helpless, needy, and the sick. We are called to serve the poor and suffering who are in the image of Jesus who was poor and suffering. Today’s teaching from Jesus (basically, don’t Lord it over others) is a remedial lesson from his Sermon on the Mount (that the Disciples didn’t take to heart): “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who is poor, particularly poor in spirit.

Today’s Gospel teaches us the role of following and leading—that it should all be done out of love of Christ. This pertains to the 4th Commandment—“Honor your Father and your Mother”—although it refers to anybody that God has put as an authority over us. Followers are called to obey. We all are followers at times. We can’t error by obeying those who God has put over us—our parents, our teachers, our bosses, or our priests—unless they ask us to do something immoral. In our obeying, we are called to be like Jesus who always obeyed the Father.

For leaders and those in authority, they are called to be a servant to those under them. In this way, they are to be like Jesus the Servant. His suffering as the Just One was prophesied in the 1st reading. Jesus is the Servant in the entire plan of salvation (including His suffering and dying for us), but also concretely in serving His Disciples by washing their feet giving us all an example of servant leadership.

We are reminded that the ordained priesthood (bishops, priests, and we will include deacons in there) is at the service of the common priesthood (which is all of you—the laity). To reflect on how a couple of our shepherds serve us. First, our shepherd of the Archdiocese—Archbishop Hebda. Archbishop is calling for a Synod this coming Pentecost, so he has asked all parishes to have Synod small groups (that start here this week and the following week). Archbishop doesn’t want decisions to come from the top-down but to be reflective of the desires and concerns of the faithful. He has given us three focus areas to focus on for the Synod: (1) that parishes are at the service of evangelizing, (2) that we are forming disciples for mission, and (3) that we are focusing on good and effective ministry to young people.

And now our shepherd of the parish—Fr. Dave. Seeing the direction of the Synod, he decided to put together a new job—the Director of Evangelization (which is Laura Stierman, who has been here for a couple months now). Going forward, he wants us to focus on why we exist as a parish. What is our purpose and what is our mission? Spoiler alert—it is to be joyful disciples who make Jesus Christ known and loved (but more on that in the coming weeks).

My brothers and sisters, Jesus tells us to “receive a child” or a little one. We remain childlike by being docile and poor in spirit. We also work at being a servant to those who are over us and those who are under us. By doing so, we will find ourselves counted among the “greatest” in the Kingdom of God.

One of my favorite movies is The King’s Speech (2010). It focuses on Prince Albert, the Duke of York, who lived in the early 20th Century. He had a stuttering problem (like 1% of the population). Many speech therapists at that time believed that stuttering was a strictly physical condition. The Prince’s speech therapist, though, believed that stuttering had a psychological dimension to it. The therapist pioneered a new therapy—that the Prince would sing the words he was having trouble saying. When his brother King Edward VIII left the throne to marry, Prince Albert became King George VI. The speech therapy was very important for a speech he gave on September 3, 1939 when he declared war on Nazi Germany. The speech was given live. He was told to speak it to his therapist as if they were just having a conversation between friends.

We hear about those with speech problems in our readings today. In our 1st Reading from Isaiah, we hear, “The ears of the deaf be cleared…The tongue of the mute will sing.” This happens to some of the mute in the Bible. The prophet Moses said to God at the Burning Bush, “I am slow of speech and tongue.” To this God replies, “I give the eloquent speech!” God reluctantly permits Moses to use his brother Aaron for his spokesperson (at least for a while). In the New Testament, we hear about Zechariah who doubted that his wife Elizabeth would have a child in her old age. So God struck him mute until his son, John the Baptist, was born. And what is the first thing that Zechariah does when he can speak again? He sang about God’s blessedness (“Blessed be the God of Israel.”).

In today’s Gospel, we hear about a deaf man with a speech impediment. Jesus heals him and says the words, “Be opened!” Jesus uses saliva to heal the man—saliva was thought to have therapeutic qualities in the ancient world. Not so much any longer! But still, it shows how Jesus uses material things as a vehicle to God’s grace. This happens, too, in the Sacraments.

One sacrament that mentions speech is Baptism. At your baptism (even if you don’t remember it), the priest or deacon performed an Ephphatha (“Be opened!”) rite based on today’s Gospel passage. He would have said, “May the Lord Jesus soon touch your ears [touches the ears] to receive his word, and your mouth [touches the mouth] to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God.” I think that that blessing gives some insight into our spiritual life. As I regularly discuss, it’s important to listen to God’s word. In particular, we need to work at deafening ourselves to the cacophony of the world—all the sounds that don’t build us up. The tongue is also an important instrument. Like Moses, Zechariah, and the man in the Gospel, we are called to praise God in song and word.

Another sacrament in which speech is included is Confirmation. At Confirmation, we are given the grace to proclaim Christ to non-believers. I like to think of that moment as sort of like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the butterfly can’t fly to the heights, and it is closed off from hearing or
making sounds. When the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon, it then has the wings to fly to the heights. At Confirmation, the Holy Spirit says, “Be opened!” If we don’t see people flying to the heights after Confirmation, it might be because they have chosen to stay in their cocoons. At Confirmation, we receive gifts or charisms to help build up Christ’s Body the Church, but we have to be willing to foster them and use them.

A final sacrament related to speech that I would like to reflect upon is Holy Orders. A man who is ordained is given the grace to preach. In seminary, we would give “practice homilies.” But before ordination, they were just practice! And it wasn’t an actual homily until it was at an actual liturgy. If my homilies ever connect with you, it’s from the grace of Holy Orders (and not my introverted personality).

My brothers and sisters, as we reflect on the ways in which God’s power brought people to speak—in the Bible, in history, and through the Sacraments—we ask that God would use us as His mouthpiece. May we “be opened” to the Holy Spirit working in our lives so that God’s goodness would be proclaimed to all people.

Like the Israelites in our First Reading and the disciples in the Gospel, a choice has been set before us—will we serve the Lord or not? In the passage that precedes today’s Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat (or literally “gnaw on”) the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” This week, many of Jesus’ disciples say that this teaching is difficult and then abandon Jesus. This teaching on the Eucharist is the only time in the Gospels where there is a mass exodus of believers. We should note that Jesus doesn’t prevent them from leaving and He doesn’t water down His teaching. Only those who can accept His Teaching on eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood will be able to follow Him to the Cross and His Sacrifice on Calvary.

Here at Mass, we have the opportunity to receive Jesus’ Flesh and Blood. When we do so worthily, God’s life flows within us and the Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us. We are fed by God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Choosing to serve the Lord doesn’t mean that our life is on autopilot, though. We need to choose Jesus every day. Choosing Jesus means conversing daily with Him in prayer, turning to Him in temptation, and receiving His forgiveness when we sin. We draw strength for living from our Eucharistic Lord, especially through receiving Him at Mass.

If consuming Jesus’ Body and Blood is something that Jesus requires of mature believers, why aren’t there more practicing Catholics? I think in large part it is because many Catholics do not live as if the Body and Blood of Jesus is flowing through them. This is the case for all of us when we choose to sin.
I think an important way for understanding the lack of fruitfulness in receiving the Eucharist is through understanding how Jesus desires us to receive Holy Communion. Jesus desires us to receive Holy Communion both spiritually and sacramentally. However, some people only receive Jesus spiritually but not sacramentally while others only receive Jesus sacramentally but not spiritually.

First--those who only receive Jesus spiritually but not sacramentally: these are people who following Jesus whole-heartedly but not receiving the Eucharist. This would include some Protestants who don’t know about the importance of the Eucharist or perhaps who are still in the process of becoming Catholic (through a process like RCIA). Those who don’t receive sacramentally would include people who break the 1-hour (it used to be a lot longer) fast before Holy Communion. It also includes Catholics who are not able to come to Mass. If you do not have the ability to get to Mass, make sure you let the office know that you want the Eucharist.

Second--those who only receive Jesus sacramentally but not spiritually. This would include non-Catholics (who perhaps without proper understanding) receives the Eucharist without believing everything that the Church teaches. And, more importantly, this would include Catholics receiving the Eucharist in the state of mortal sin. As St. Paul in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians urges us to examine our conscience:
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself" (11:27-29).

My brothers and sisters, we keep communion with Jesus by following His command to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. May we cooperate with God’s grace so that we can be gracious vessels of His Flesh and Blood. And may we commit to encouraging others to receive Jesus both sacramentally and spiritually.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is viewed by the Israelites as being sent by God. They are beginning to think that he could be the Prophet-like-Moses that God had promised to send. The crowd now suspects that Jesus believes himself to be even greater than Moses. This is why they expect him to do something greater than Moses (who pleaded with God to send the manna), so they ask for a sign. Jesus tells them, “My Father gives the true bread.” When Jesus says “true” bread, he does not mean that the Manna was false; rather, that the manna was incomplete or less than perfect. God was foreshadowing in the manna the even greater care that God provides in Jesus.

God chose the material of bread and wine to be transformed into Jesus’ Body and Blood. Why did He chose bread and wine, though? Bread is simple; it is usually not eaten alone (but it can suffice for a meal if that’s all that you have…unless you’re Fr. Dave, who is gluten intolerant). Wine has a festive significance—we drink it at celebrations and at banquets.

There are several instances in the Bible of bread and wine. For bread in the Old Testament, we have the offering of the priest Melchizedek, then the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate the night of the Passover, then the manna in the desert that we heard of in the 1st Reading, and later King David and his troops eat the bread of the presence. In the New Testament, Jesus multiplies the loaves (which we heard about last week). As for wine, there is the cup of blessing at Passover in the Old Testament. And then Jesus’s 1st miracle was changing water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana. To the festal dimension of wine, Jesus adds a heavenly dimension to it. The Mass is the wedding feast of God’s kingdom where we the faithful drink the new wine that has become the Blood of Jesus.

Jesus says at the end of the Gospel, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” This identity of Jesus is intricately linked with a Beatitude he says elsewhere: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be satisfied.” When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, which just means right relationship with God, then everything else falls into place. Other things that we could hunger and thirst for just seem rather unimportant.

So my brothers and sisters, as we come forward to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life, we ask that we would be satisfied by the Lord. Then our duty becomes to help others to be satisfied by Him.