Sunday, December 16, 2018

Homilía–III Domingo de Adviento–Justicia por venir

Sofonías 3:14-18a

Filipenses 4:4-7

Lucas 3:10-18

   ______________________________________________________________________
               No me gusta mucho el color rosa. No es mi color favorito.
               Siempre me siento incómodo usando rosa.
               Hoy es domingo de Gaudete. El color litúrgico de hoy representa la luz que se ve en el cielo justo antes de que salga el sol. Es el hermoso color visto en anticipación a la luz del sol.
Para nosotros, los Católicos, el color es para recordarnos que el niño Jesús está por nacer. Por esto, debemos regocijarnos.
Hoy esta explosión de color interrumpe el color penitencial del morado del Adviento. Tenemos la oportunidad de tomar un descanso momentáneo de nuestra auto-reflexión y penitencia para regocijarnos. Cristo está casi aquí.
               En las palabras de apertura de la misa de hoy, repetimos la línea de san Pablo a los filipenses, diciendo: “Alégrense (en latín: Gaudete) en el Señor siempre; Nuevamente digo regocijo. De hecho, el Señor está cerca ”(Fil. 4:4-5).
Pero somos impacientes por la venida del Señor.
Las lecturas de hoy nos recuerdan ser pacientes.
"No temas ... no te desanimes!"
Escuchamos estas palabras del profeta Sofonías hoy.

Para muchos, es difícil no desanimarse por la retórica que se encuentra en nuestra cultura estadounidense actual. El miedo ha sido el tema principal de nuestro discurso.
Miedo a que los inmigrantes vengan a buscar trabajo. El miedo a los criminales que vienen del sur de la frontera para dañar a nuestras familias. Miedo a que la caravana invada nuestro país.
               Estas no son mis palabras. Pero las palabras de algunos otros.
               Esta retórica ha provocado mucha tristeza para muchos. Estoy seguro de que esta charla ha entristecido a esta comunidad.
               Pero Dios nos recuerda hoy su promesa de salvación.
               En un momento en que Israel se sentía amenazado por el enemigo y sus muchos desafíos como nación, la promesa de Dios estaba allí para alegrar a la gente.
               Qué maravillosas noticias para nosotros este fin de semana. El juicio de Dios trae consigo la promesa de nuestra salvación. Ante el peligro y la lucha, Dios está de nuestro lado, dispuesto a salvarnos porque nos ama.
               Esta es una paz que no es de este mundo.
Los temores de este tiempo se desvanecerán y con ello la charla enojada dirigida a aquellos que buscan una vida mejor en los Estados Unidos.
               El Señor promete nunca abandonar a Su pueblo, especialmente a aquellos que, como Jesús, María y José buscan seguridad y refugio.
               Acabo de regresar hoy de un viaje con Maryknoll a la frontera de Estados Unidos y México. Estuvimos en El Paso y Ciudad Juárez para entender mejor lo que está pasando en la frontera.
               De hecho, celebré la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en México. Fue una experiencia hermosa y significativa para nuestro grupo.
               La vista que vimos es muy diferente de lo que se muestra en los medios de comunicación.
Allí, conocimos a familias que se reunieron recientemente, madres y padres separados de sus hijos durante semanas o meses, pero que ahora están de nuevo juntos.
Dios nuevamente cumpliendo Su promesa de salvación a Su pueblo.
Allí alojamos y alimentamos a esas familias y les ayudamos a adaptarse a la vida en los Estados Unidos.
En el mensaje del Evangelio de este fin de semana Juan el Bautista nos dice qué debemos hacer. Cómo debemos ver el mundo a través de una lente de la justicia.
Todos estaban siendo bautizados, limpiados de sus pecados, en el río Jordán.
Incluso los temidos recaudadores de impuestos y los soldados le pedían a Juan que les aconsejara sobre cómo deberían demostrar justicia.
               El consejo de Juan es bastante claro: "No practique la extorsión, no acuse falsamente a nadie y esté satisfecho con su salario".
               Ellos pensaron que él era el Mesías. Pero Juan sólo estaba señalando la venida del Mesías.
               Para la gente de los días de Juan había mucha anticipación emocionada del Mesías.
               La gente tenía la esperanza de que el Mesías corrigiera todos los males de la sociedad. La gente tenía la esperanza de que el Mesías guiará a la gente en justicia y paz. La gente tenía la esperanza de una vida mejor.
¿Qué tan diferente es eso para todos los que estamos hoy aquí?
¿No deseamos las mismas cosas?
Juan nos recuerda, la justicia comienza con nosotros. Juan está señalando al Mesías, pero también nos recuerda que seamos más compasivos y menos egoístas. Este mensaje es bastante simple y fácil de seguir. Este mensaje es cómo mejor caminamos el camino de la justicia.
               El mensaje de Dios este fin de semana es un recordatorio de que Él nos llama a una conversión de nuestros corazones.
               Esta conversión significa compartir lo que tenemos con los necesitados, ser honestos y justos en nuestros tratos de trabajo, no dejar que nuestro deseo de poder nos aleje del Señor.
               Compartí este mismo mensaje sobre las fronteras con la comunidad de habla inglesa en nuestra parroquia a principios de este año. Mucha gente estuvo de acuerdo con el mensaje de dar la bienvenida al extraño. Algunas personas se enojaron conmigo por lo que compartí sobre esto y sobre mi experiencia en la frontera el julio pasado cuando también estuve en El Paso y Ciudad Juárez.
          No ven el problema a través de los ojos de Cristo.
Mi esperanza es que escuchen el mensaje de Juan el Bautista esta semana y tengan una conversión de sus corazones endurecidos.
Juan estaba predicando este mensaje a los corazones endurecidos de los israelitas y a otros justo antes del comienzo del ministerio de Jesús.
El Mesías está en la puerta, ¿estamos listos para saludarlo? ¿Están nuestras vidas ordenadas hacia la justicia y la integridad del corazón? ¿Estamos listos para encontrarnos con Él?
Si no estamos listos, recuerde la belleza del Sacramento de la Reconciliación y reúnase con el Padre en el confesionario.
Mientras nos preparamos para el próximo nacimiento del niño Jesús, que nuestros corazones no se turben ni se agobien. Que siempre recordemos la promesa de salvación de Dios. Y que siempre nos regocijemos.
El Señor viene pronto. ¡Regocijémonos!
   ______________________________________________________________________

I don’t really like the color pink. It’s not my color.
I always feel uncomfortable wearing pink.
Today is Guadete Sunday. The liturgical color today represents the light seen in the sky just before the sun comes up.  It’s the beautiful color seen in anticipation of the light of the sun. 
For us Catholics the color is to remind us baby Jesus is about to be born. For this, we are to rejoice.
Today this burst of color interrupts the penitential color of purple of Advent. We get to take a momentary break from our self-reflection and penance to rejoice. Christ is almost here.
In the opening words of today’s Mass, we repeat the line of St Paul to the Philippians, saying, “Rejoice (in Latin: Gaudete) in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”(Phil. 4:4-5).
But we are impatient for the coming of the Lord. 
Today’s readings remind us to be patient.
“Fear not… be not discouraged!”
We heard these words from the Prophet Zephaniah today.
For many, it’s hard not to be discouraged by the rhetoric found in our American culture today. Fear has been the main theme of our discourse. 
Fear about immigrants coming to take our jobs. Fear of criminals coming from south of the border to harm our families. Fear about caravan invading our country.
These are not my words. But the words of some others.
This rhetoric has led to much sadness for many.  I’m sure this community has been saddened by this talk.
But God reminds us today of his promise of salvation.
At a time when Israel felt threatened by the enemy and its many challenges as a nation, God’s promise was there to gladden the people.
What wonderful news this is for us this weekend. God’s judgment brings with it the promise of our salvation. In the face of danger and struggle, God is on our side, ready to save us because he loves us.
          This is a peace that is not of this world.
The fears of this time will fade and with it the angry talk directed at those searching for a better life in the United States.
The Lord promises to never abandon His people, especially those, who like Jesus, Mary and Joseph are seeking safety, security and refuge.
I just returned today from a trip with Maryknoll to the U.S./Mexico border.  We were in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to better understand what’s going on at the border.
In fact, I celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. It was a beautiful and meaningful experience for our group.
The view we saw is much different than what is being portrayed in the news media.
There, we met families who were recently reunited, mothers and fathers separated from their children for weeks or months, but who are now back together again.
God again fulfilling His promise of salvation to His people.
There we housed and fed those families and helped them to adjust to life in the United States.
This weekend’s Gospel message has John the Baptist telling us what we should do. How we are to see the word through a lens of justice.
Everyone was being baptized, washed clean of their sins, in the river Jordan.
Even dreaded tax collectors and soldiers were asking John for advice on how they should show justice.
John’s advice is pretty clear, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
They thought he was the Messiah. But John was only pointing to the coming of the Messiah.
To the people of John’s day there was much excited anticipation of the Messiah.
People were hopeful the Messiah would right all the wrongs of society.  People were hopeful the Messiah would lead the people in justice and peace. People were hopeful of a better life.
How different is that then for all of us here today?
Don’t we wish for the same things?
John reminds us, justice starts with us. John is pointing to the Messiah, but he’s also reminding us to be more compassionate and less selfish. This advice is quite simple and easy to follow. This advice is how we best walk the road of justice.
God’s message this weekend is a reminder that He calls us to a conversion of our hearts.
This conversion means sharing what we have with the needy, being honest and fair in our business dealings, not letting our desire for power to lead us away from the Lord.
  I had this same message about the borders for the English speaking community in our parish early this year. Many people agreed with the message about welcoming the stranger. Some people were angry with me for what I shared about this and about my border experience last July when I was also in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
They do not see the issue through the eyes of Christ.
My hope is they will listen to John the Baptist’s message this week and have a conversion of their hardened hearts.
John was preaching this message to the hardened hearts of the Israelites and others just before Jesus’ ministry was about to begin.
The Messiah is at the door, are we ready to greet him? Are our lives ordered toward justice and integrity of heart? Are we ready to meet Him?
If we are not ready, remember the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and meet with Father in the confessional.
As we prepare for the coming birth of the Christ child, may our hearts not be troubled and burdened. May we always remember God’s promise of salvation. And may we always rejoice.
The Lord is coming soon.  Let us rejoice!







Sunday, December 9, 2018

Homily–Second Sunday in Advent–Making Strait Paths

Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6
   ______________________________________________________________________
               Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.
               During Advent, we are all called to prepare for the coming of the Lord: by examining our consciences, by confessing our sins, by making straight His paths in all our relationships with God and with each other.
               In today’s Gospel reading, we see John the Baptist proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
               People were flocking to the River Jordan to confess, and have their sins washed away. John was preparing the people for the coming of Jesus.
              

               I have a confession to make.         
               In August 2017, I was set to preach the weekend of August 12th and 13th on an important new ministry in our parish called Prepares.              
               But on the Friday before the weekend homily racist white nationalists carrying torches and chanting racist slogans marched on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.  A young woman was killed during a counter-protest the next day.
               Everything inside my bones said I should drop the prepared homily and preach on the evils of racism. But I felt the need to fulfill a promise to a ministry leader and went ahead with the homily anyway. 
               This homily is my feeble attempt to make amends for not speaking out then.
               It’s amazing we’re still dealing with racism in 2018. Isn’t it?
               We live in such a broken world where social sin can corrupt our American souls.
               As Catholics, we are called to stand up against such sinfulness and firmly proclaim Jesus to those in error.
               In mid-November, U.S. Catholic Bishops gathered in Baltimore. One of the things they did was release a new pastoral letter to counter the evils of racism and how WE Catholics are called to respond to this social sin.
               It’s entitled “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call To Love.”
                More on that in a minute.
               Perhaps you read about the ugly incident recently at a frozen yogurt shop in Kirkland involving a young African American man. 
               Byron Ragland is a court-appointed special advocate and visitation supervisor. The nine-year Air Force Veteran was at the frozen yogurt business to supervise a parental visit between a mother and child. And, yes, he’s African American.
               But employees got scared by the presence of a young black man sitting alone in the shop and called the police. Even after explaining his presence to two Kirkland police officers, he was still asked to “move along.”
               Is this 1950s America?! 
               Ragland told the Seattle Times, “That’s all it takes in America — for you to be black, and to be somewhere you’re not supposed to be… And where you’re supposed to be is not up to you. It’s up to somebody else’s opinion.”
               Thankfully, the frozen-yogurt shop owner and police officers eventually issued an apology to Ragland for the incident. The City of Kirkland is now having all of its employees, including the police, undergo special bias training.  
               In today’s first reading, Baruch is consoling exiles returning home to Jerusalem, reeling after years of catastrophic destruction and forced slavery at the hands of the Babylonians.       
               Bible scholars believe his words of “lofty mountains made low” referred to an excess of pride, arrogance and materialism among the people of his time. His words of “depths and gorges filled in” referred to a shortage of justice and obedience to God.
               Baruch is sharing a reminder of God’s covenant promise of peace, divine mercy and justice to his people. But most importantly he’s telling us how the wasteland of the human heart can be made new again -- through repentance.      
               Don’t we all need God’s providence to find our way back home?
               This is what John the Baptist is promising his Jewish brothers and sisters in the River Jordan -- a chance to be reborn in the spirit, to walk away from evil ways and prepare for the Lord’s coming.
               Where is our River Jordan?  How can we be washed clean of the stain of our social sins and be made new again?  What can we do to right the wrong of racism?
               The U.S. Bishops pastoral letter offers us a path forward in battling the social sin of racism present in our nation today.
               The letter has been under development for four years, ever since the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, showed how our wounds of racial division in the U.S. are far from healed.
               In the letter, posted on our parish Facebook page, the issue of racism is put into the light of the Gospel and Catholic Teaching. 
               Its intent is to give hope to those who have been wounded by the sin of racism, encourage those who work to try to eradicate racism, and challenge the hearts of those who perpetuate racism by their words and actions.
               Louisiana Bishop Shelton Fabre says, “at the very heart of racism is the denial to recognize the basic human dignity of someone of a different race or ethnicity, to recognize the gift of human life that God has given to them.”
               He went on to say, “Love compels each of us to resist racism courageously.”
               I read an interesting statistic that may shock you.
               According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, since 9-11, only 27% of all terrorist acts in America have been committed by radical Islamic terrorists. 73% of all terrorist acts since 9-11 in the U.S. have been committed by white racists and Right Wing extremist hate groups in America.  Ponder that for a moment.  
               Our indifference on the issue of racism is fueling the resolve of these real terrorists, giving them permission to openly show their hate, both online and in the public square.
               The U.S. Bishops are calling us all to examine our consciences, reflect on any flawed thinking, and shine a spotlight on “where the racist attitudes of yesterday have become a permanent part of our perceptions, practices and policies today.”
               Then we are called as Catholics to go out into the public square and help right these wrongs. Stand up to those who spew hate and proclaim Jesus.
               This is how we can cleanse ourselves from the evils of the social sin of racism. This is how we build a better world.  This is how we make straight His path and prepare for the coming of the Lord.
               I leave you with a beautiful picture of redemption.
               One of those white racists who took part in the march on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville has since had a conversion of heart.
               Navy veteran Ken Parker was out of work and without direction in his life, so he joined the Ku Klux Klan, eventually became a Grand Dragon, and started propagating that America was headed for a race war.
               With a heart filled with hate, he marched on Charlottesville and even was happy about the death of the counter protesters.
               When he returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, Parker met a black preacher in his neighborhood with a heart filled with love.
               Pastor Will McKinnon of All Saints Holiness Church opened his small, predominantly black church to Parker and his fiancé, and over time love thawed the hate Ken Parker had in his heart.    
               Today, he’s a changed man. His sins were washed away by the love of Christ – quite literally washed away as he was baptized a Christian by McKinnon early this year.
               Parker’s words of love have now moved to action of love.  He’s begun the process of removing all the racist tattoos on his body.  He says the process is quite painful, but he says, nothing like the pain and fear he’s have caused others with his past words and actions.
               Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Homily – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – The Deaconess


1 Kings 17:10-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
          ______________________________________________________________________
This weekend’s Gospel message compares the actions of a poor woman who sacrifices her all for the Lord with the behavior of Scribes who pursue false greatness and take financial advantage of widows in their care.
Jesus makes clear who we need to stand with.
Jesus also makes clear the importance of sacrifice as disciples. 
This summer, I was blessed to participate in a week-long Maryknoll formation on global solidarity with the poor. 
24 lay people, deacons, priests and nuns (including a Mother Superior from Tanzania) gathered at Maryknoll in Los Altos, California, to learn what our church teaches about standing with the marginalized, the poor, the despised and the outcast.
Our program included a field trip to Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West from 1910 to 1940.
During its years of operation, Angel Island was a center of detention for immigrants seeking asylum or searching for a better life in America.
Many of those who passed through Angel Island were from China. But others came from all over the world.
The site became a military base during World War Two and eventually was slated for demolition until a California historian toured the site in the 1960s and discovered beautiful hand-carved calligraphy in many languages on the walls of the former detention cells.
The ghosts of Angel Island speak through their words.
I’ll share just one of the messages. This one’s entitled:
Random Thoughts Deep at Night
In the quiet of night, I heard, faintly, the whistling of wind. The forms and shadows saddened me…
The floating clouds, the fog, the darken sky. The moon shines faintly as insects chirp. Grief and bitterness entwined are heaven sent. The sad person sits alone…
The carved calligraphy had been puttied in and painted over by the military. But now have been restored for generations to come and see and learn of this powerful chapter in U.S. history.
Angel Island also was dubbed the Island of Sadness for the racist treatment experienced by thousands of people who passed through its doors.
It was there I learned of a female deacon named Katharine Maurer.
To thousands of people who knew her, she was called in Chinese Kaun Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. To others she was simply known as the Angel of Angel Island.
Maurer was a Methodist Deaconess assigned to Angel Island upon graduation from formation in 1912. 
Protestant reformers in the 1800s envisioned a better world based on the principles of Jesus’s teachings. Some of these activist churchwomen were Methodists who launched a deaconess movement in 1888 to minister to the most-needy in society.
The unmarried 29-year-old Maurer was initially dispatched by this movement to San Francisco to minister to picture brides sent from Asia to marry men in the United States.
In today’s second reading from Hebrews we hear how Jesus is the perfect sacrifice.
 Katharine Maurer spent most of her adult years perfectly sacrificing her own life in service to immigrant sojourners who came through Angel Island.
          While Deaconess Maurer was not a widow, she was a relatively poor single woman who poured out her own life for Christ, standing with the poorest of the poor.
          She had no surplus wealth, but gave all she had to people from faraway lands. 
Deaconess Katharine understood what it was like to be an immigrant. Born in Canada, this German Canadian became a U.S. citizen at the height of World War One when Germans were viewed with much suspicion and contempt.
This experience helped her to relate to her immigrant friends better. Her greatest gift was an extraordinary ability to connect with people from all parts of the world.
Deaconess Maurer quickly became the station’s chief welfare or social worker, establishing English classes, a library, and organizing clothing donations for detainees.
Much of what she did was counsel people.
Maurer said in an interview, “often… there is little one can do except listening, trying to comfort, without trying to give anything, just helping to bring about that release that comes from sharing troubles, and sometimes in the telling one finds solutions.”
Many left transformed by their encounter with the deaconess. Some families even honored her by naming daughters after her. 
Deaconess Katharine never sought after honors in the human world, but was treated like a saint by women and men who experienced her loving tenderness at Angel Island.
She worked at Angel Island for nearly 30 years and served immigrants another 11 years in San Francisco after the detention center closed its door. She retired at age 71 and died about 10 years later in 1962.        
In today’s Gospel reading, Mark contrasts the behavior of scribes in the temple who sought false greatness with the actions of a poor widow who was deemed great by Jesus for giving her all.
The rich including the Scribes gave to the Church from their surplus wealth.
The poor widow gave everything to the Church, putting wealthier people to shame for their lack of generosity by comparison.
Much like Deaconess Maurer who gave everything in service to the poor on behalf of the Church. She’s an example for us all on how to give one’s life for the Gospel. 
You may ask what about women deacons in the Catholic Church?  Perhaps you’ve even read that Pope Francis is studying the early Christian tradition of the female diaconate with an expert panel.
The two-year study project will issue its final report in the coming months.
The Cardinal in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith cautions us all that the Holy Father only asked the group to study the issue of the female diaconate in the early Christian Church. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Pope Francis will allow Bishops to ordain female deacons.
The early Christian Church did have female deacons. We read about a deacon named Phoebe in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Not much is known about the role of female deacons in the early Christian tradition, but if more modern examples of female deacons, such as Deaconess Katharine Maurer, are any indication, I, for one, am grateful to these women for their diaconal ministry.
          To stand in solidarity with the poor, we have to be like Jesus and first pay attention. We have to be like Jesus and respond. We have to be like Jesus and lead others to respond.
          If we think we are too poor to respond, we have to trust in God like the widow who encountered the Prophet Elijah today and trust that if you do give to those in need, more will be given back to you in return.
        As we all strive to live Christ’s mission of solidarity with the poor and marginalized, may we come to a greater understanding of the contributions made by all cultures, all peoples and all genders to God’s Church. May we all better learn to stand with the poor and respond to their needs. And may our Church be forever transformed by this call to global solidarity.

                           (VIEW video of Maryknoll trip to Angel Island)