Homily – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Guatemala Mission Announce

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6

1^st Thessalonians 1:1-5b

Matthew 22:15-21

 

          Jesus is in a tight spot in today’s Gospel.  The Pharisees think they’ve trapped Him with a clever question about paying taxes to Caesar.  

But Jesus is no fool.  He outwits His opponents and proves once again He’s filled with divine grace. 

Paying of taxes was a prerequisite for peaceful living in the Roman Empire two thousand years ago. 

The same could be said today.  If we don’t pay our taxes we get in trouble and wind up paying much more than the original debt.  And we can even face jail time.

Now, let’s look at how this works in the Kingdom of God.  Because Jesus says, “Then repay… to God what belongs to God.”

What debt do we owe our Lord?  What form of payment is a prerequisite for peaceful living in God’s Kingdom? 

Today is World Mission Sunday.  It’s no coincidence that World Mission Sunday falls on the weekend of this Gospel reading.  Mission is one of the best ways to repay God what is God’s.  And for selflessly serving others, especially those on the margins, we are given a brief glimpse of the Kingdom in all its glory.

I heard a talk earlier this week by one of our parish school graduates and current senior at Archbishop Murphy High School about how a mission trip to Haiti this past summer changed her view of God. 

I’ve asked Katie Kelleher to share her story with us.  Katie...

I’ve always considered myself to be very independent.  So independent that I used to think I could do it all on my own.  I didn’t pay much attention to God and as I got busier and busier I started to forget about him.  It was just hard to see his influence in my life.  Usually the only time we take a moment to talk to God or look for him is when we need something or when things aren’t going our way.  Being the self-determined person I thought I was, I felt like I really didn’t need God. I still loved Him, I still went to Church and went through all the motions, but when it came down to it, I really didn’t need Him and I really didn’t see Him.

But sometimes when you forget about Him, he’ll find a special way to reappear.  You might

not realize it at first.  To be honest, you probably won’t realize it for a while.  Just like when Jesus appeared to his apostles on the road to Emmaus.  They had no idea it was Jesus who they had seen.  However, when you finally realize it, like the apostles, it hits you like a brick and knocks the wind out of you.

 It all fell into place a little too smoothly.  One day a friend happened to mention how her church was organizing a mission trip to Haiti and before I knew it, there I was at the meetings, signed up and ready to travel with her, her family and a group of complete strangers to Haiti for two whole weeks.

It’s really hard to put into words what we experienced down there.  I encountered what many would consider some of the poorest people in the world.  And I fell in love with each one of them.  Each morning I would crawl off the box spring that served as my mattress and start the sunscreen-Deet application that would protect me from the sun and dengue fever and the chikungunya virus.  After breakfast that was prepared for us by the older girls at the orphanage, we would trek the mile to the girls’ orphanage hand-in-hand with twenty five or so little boys.  When we arrived the first time, when I wasn’t smart enough to wear my hair up in a ponytail, my hair was attacked by the hands of little girls wanting to braid my hair.  They were so sweet.  And I will never forget the day they started to sing for us.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so sweet or so beautiful.  It’s a moment that doesn’t exist on video or audio like so many of our favorite memories are, though I wish it did.  It exists only in my memory and I’ll never forget about it.

While there, we ran Vacation Bible School for the orphans and the neighborhood kids.  And that was when I first saw what one could call a miracle of God.  Eve, an aspiring pastor and teacher, had children from the neighboring village packed into his truck, its trailer and on the roof.  I remember watching them spill out of his truck.  They just kept coming.  It was like Mary Poppins’s bag or a clown car.  Eve could take 30-40 kids in one trip.  Sadly, he could only make three trips so there were always children left behind who couldn’t come.  Because we could only afford to feed so many kids at VBS, we eventually had to close the doors after a while.  I felt so helpless when kids came late, knowing I couldn’t let them in.  The bang, bang, bang on the orphanage doors broke my heart knowing that not only would some kids not get to participate in VBS but also that they might go hungry that day.  Every now and then I would see Pastor who ran the orphanage sneak away to let kids inside because he too could not stand to deny any child the chance of attending Vacation Bible School.

And that was where God revealed himself to me.  Through the orphans, through my team members, through Pastor, I was able to see God working through them.

The funny thing about Haitians is that they don’t know they’re poor.  They see God’s touch in every aspect of their lives and constantly thank him for his blessings.  They pray harder than any group of people I’ve ever encountered.  And that just blew my mind how someone so poor and less fortunate than me could praise God and sing his name a million times louder than I ever could.  I felt ashamed.  Here I had been given so much yet seemed thankful for so little.

So, when my life gets tough, I think about Haiti.  I think about the story my friend’s mom told me.  The first time she visited Haiti, she was passing out lunch when she saw a little boy take half of his rice and wrap it up in his coloring page of Jesus that he had made that day at camp.  When she asked him what he was doing, he answered her saying he was taking it home to his family.

It is truly in the poorest and smallest of God’s people that he genuinely shines through.  I hope that one day, all of you can experience the love that they have for him.  I hope that one day the world can love and give like they do.  I hope one day I’ll be able to worship him the way they do.

 

As you listen to Katie’s words about her experience, you can clearly see how God used mission to draw her closer to Christ and His mission for us all.

Young people today are leaving our Church in droves.  It’s been suggested by many that faith becomes irrelevant in the lives of young people in the face of today’s cultural pressures.  But take them away from our privileged world and the bombardment of consumer messages and glorification of bad behavior, and set them to service to the poorest and most marginalized in the world, and the vision of God’s Kingdom becomes clearer.  It comes alive in their hearts.

Next summer, let’s share a mission experience with the young people of our parish.  Let’s enliven their hearts with a glimpse of God’s Kingdom. 

We are now organizing a mission trip for families to serve a Catholic Church in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala in the summer of 2015.  It’s a beautiful place with beautiful Tzutuhill Mayan peoples.  These are faithful, devout Catholics who will welcome us with open arms.

 I invite you, as a family, to join us in this mission.  I’ll have sign-up sheets in the vestibule after Mass for those interested in finding out more.

If you are unable to join us, perhaps you would consider writing a check to help fund our mission journey.  Please make it out to the ICOLPH Guatemala Mission Fund. 

Let this be an annual journey to build up the Kingdom and help our young people better see God in their lives.

            I have many LDS friends and admire how their young people stay connected to the Mormon Church by serving in mission.  We Catholics can learn a lot by their example.

      Let us start a new tradition in our parish.  Let us start our young people on a lifelong mission to repay to God what is God’s and in doing so find purpose and meaning in life.  Let us help them to find the Kingdom by serving others and serving God and keep the mission of Jesus Christ alive in their hearts forever. 

Homily - Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Numbers 21:4b-9

Philippians 2:6-11

John 3:13-17

 

            What is it about these Christians exalting an instrument of torture? 

That’s exactly what we’re doing this weekend as we commemorate the feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 

            We are rejoicing in something so terrible, yet so beautiful.

             I’m sure this is confusing to non-Christians all over the world.  It even was confusing to Jews in the early Christian Church.

            I had an interesting experience this past week while speaking to our new International students at Archbishop Murphy High School as we prepared them for participation in our Joy and Hope Mass celebrated Wednesday.  

Our namesake Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy had the Episcopal motto:  “In Christ there is Joy and Hope.”  His birthday is coming up in a few weeks and our first all school Mass was a beautiful way to celebrate his belief that Christ is our source of all human joy and hope.

Most of our International students are from China and claim no faith tradition.

            To a young person from Asia, Christianity probably seems odd. 

An explanation of how Catholics believe the living presence of Jesus, the son of God, is truly found in the Eucharist produced astonished looks, laughter and heads shaken in disbelief.

This weekend we all get to wrap our heads around how a device of torture and death is a means of redemption for the whole human race, a living symbol of our salvation.

The cross was used by Rome to keep conquered cultures in line. It stood outside many city walls in the Roman Empire, adorned only with decaying human corpses. It was the terror method of its day.

For Jews, the cross was a stumbling block in the early Christian Church to understanding the divinity of Christ.  How could the Jewish messiah, the expected one, who would lead the people of Israel out of centuries of oppression at the hands of so many evil empires, be killed on the cross?  How could God let this happen?

These thoughts brought much shame, disgrace and misunderstanding to so many in the Jewish world two thousand years ago.

For us today who take the cross and its symbol of our salvation for granted, we must remember that it took a long while for early Christians to understand how a tool of evil and darkness could become a symbol of holiness and light.

The Gospel of John gives us today the key to understanding this transformation:  God so loves every human creature that He gave us His only son to save us from the pits of Hell, to put an end to death forever and bring about eternal life for all who believe. 

Here’s an interesting fact you may or may not know.  When the Catholic Church gets serious it pulls out the Gospel of John. 

Christmas, Easter and many other important dates on our liturgical calendar, the Gospel is John is the Gold Standard.

            This weekend, as we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we hear one of John’s most-quoted passages.  In fact, it’s so popular that for decades we’ve seen it on posters at sporting events both here and around the world -- John 3:16:   

            “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.”

In the Gospels, this is what is called a greatest hit -- a passage so often used that many Christians can quote it from memory.

How interesting it appears this Sunday!   How interesting it appears on a weekend we honor something that created so much shame, so much disgrace, so much misunderstanding to early Christians.

It’s an amazing and beautiful paradox; something that is seen one way as evil and terrible, but when looked at in another way appears life-giving and wondrous.

In our first reading from Numbers we hear a paradoxical story of the people of Israel asking for God’s deliverance from bad food, harsh desert conditions and an abundance of serpents.  How interesting that Moses prayed for the people and the Lord told him to “Make a saraph (a type of venomous snake) and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”

A snake that takes away lives is replaced by a snake that is a symbol of life.

I’m sure you’ve read the news about the recent beheadings of Americans at the hands of the terror group ISIS. 

Or read about the slaughter of Christians and other religious minorities by terrorists labeled as “diabolical” by a leading Catholic scholar on Islam.

This is a group hell-bent on imposing its will to dominate the whole world with its methods of terror and vows to kill anyone who does not submit to its narrow interpretation of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.

But remember, in Christ there is Joy and Hope.

American journalist James Foley understood that.  This devout Catholic reportedly regularly prayed the rosary while in captivity.  He was the first American executed by ISIS.

Foley wrote an email to a friend after being released from captivity in 2011 in Libya.  I think it shows how strong his faith grew during his imprisonment.  I’d like to share it with you:

“I’m writing to thank you for your efforts to publicize my captivity.  My family and I are forever grateful.  It meant so much to my family to provide a platform to reach others who helped secure our release.

While I was in captivity, I was unaware of the tremendous efforts that were being made on my behalf.  I prayed to be permitted to call my mother and let her know I was all right.  When I was finally able to call home my mother told me that (my alma mater) Marquette University was holding a prayer vigil for me and that my friends from Marquette were constantly calling her in support. 

These words boosted my spirit tremendously for the final weeks of in captivity.

I hadn’t truly lived the values of seeing God in all people and things until my freedom was taken from me for 44 days.  I prayed every day that my family would know I was alive and for the soul of our colleague (the photographer Anton Hammerl) who was killed.  I was truly humbled and broken.  But the faith of so many kept my spirits alive and the series of miracles that led to my actual release cannot be described as anything but.”

In Christ there is Joy and Hope.

Last month, James Foley was videotaped kneeling in a bright orange prison jumpsuit before a man dressed all in black who said a few words then beheaded this Catholic journalist on a video posted all over the internet.  

When the Gospel of John today talks about the Son of Man being lifted up it refers to both the cross and to heaven.  As Jesus returns to the Father, the cross is “the first step on the ladder of the ascension.” But “take way the Cross and Christianity is nonsense.”

We may see evil and darkness in the Cross James Foley carried on his final day on earth.  But the light of Christ burned brightly in his heart.  The forces of darkness may have taken his life, but we all should find joy and hope in James Foley’s belief in God, and trust in Jesus.

There are some calling Foley the first Christian martyr of this conflict.

What can we do in the face of such evil and cruelty?

Let our prayers be for those living under the oppression of terror the world over and those who are its victims.

Let our actions be of kindness, love and compassion to counter this cruelty, hate and violence. 

Let our voices not be complacently silent, but speaking out loudly against these forces and their diabolical agenda. 

Recently Cardinal Donald Wuerl poignantly spoke from his heart at the end of the Mass of the Holy Spirit marking the start of the school year at Catholic University in Washington DC.  He asked:

“Where are the voices of Parliaments?  Where are the voices of Congresses?  Where are the voices of campuses?  Where are the voices of community leaders?  …  Why such silence?  

I think each one of us has at least the power to raise our voice and in solidarity for people distant from us, unknown to us… not a part of our nation, but they are a part of our human community. 

It rests on the conscious of all of us.  Atrocities happen because there are those who commit them and those who remain simply silent.”  Thoughts to ponder today from Cardinal Wuerl.

Maybe by lifting up OUR voices something beautiful will emerge from all this ugliness in the world. 

May the light of Christ shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.   And may they find joy and hope amidst an abundance of evil and despair.  

Homily – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Walking On Stormy Seas

 

Isaiah 55:10-11

Romans 8:18-23

Matthew 13:1-23

 

            I love the great outdoors. More specifically, I love doing things in the great outdoors: biking, running, hiking, kayaking.  If you asked about my passions in life, besides my family, faith and friends, these things would be high on the list.

It was exactly two summers ago this month I went on a nearly fatal kayaking trip from the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal area.  A buddy joined me.  He’s a meteorologist and longtime TV forecaster.

As we were about to set off, I asked him if he was at all worried about the odd skies looming over Whidbey Island.  He told me he’d keep an eye on it, but otherwise wasn’t too concerned.

So, we launched, slowly paddling around the Mukilteo Tank Farm toward Everett.  As we cleared the long pier of the Tank Farm and entered open waters the waves started to get a little rougher.  That crazy sky was starting to move overhead.   Winds were kicking up.  We kept paddling. 

Eventually, waves of two to three feet were breaking over the boat.  So, we decided to turn around and head back to our launch point.

Just off the end of the Mukilteo Tank Farm pier, a rogue wave sideswiped my kayak, flipping the boat in rough waters.  I quickly climbed out from under a capsized boat.

Seconds before this all happened I was in deep prayer, asking, “Lord, I’m only two months away from ordination and now I’m going to drown on Puget Sound? Why make me go through four grueling years of formation only to take my life now? What did I do wrong?  Are you telling me something?”

But the minute my body hit the cold Puget Sound water, an unexplainable calm came over me and I knew I was going to be fine.  Truly, it was an indescribable peace.

Just like Elijah, I didn’t hear the voice of God in the roaring of the seas or the rushing of the wind, but in a quiet whisper -- underwater.

 

It was almost as if Jesus was saying to me in the quiet of my heart, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Now I must confess.  Kayaking was a new endeavor for me that summer.  To be truthful, I had not taken any safety classes yet and had never learned how to get back in a boat once capsized or roll a boat from a capsized position.  These are things every experienced kayaker knows how to do.  

I emerged from underwater, thankful I was wearing a good life vest, grabbed my 17-foot kayak and started to swim around the Mukilteo Tank Farm and toward shore. 

We were nearly a quarter mile from the beach and knew I’d have to pace myself to get there and not let go of my boat. 

But the whole time I paddled to shore, all 45-minutes of it, I knew I’d be OK.  Rough waters, salty gulps of seawater, and all. There was absolutely no fear.  No panic.  Just calm.

Now, perhaps you were thinking I was going to say Christ appeared, I picked up my boat and walked across the water with Jesus?

My faith is strong, but I guess, like Peter, not that strong.  But Christ was present in my experience in a deep and meaningful way, calming the stormy seas of my heart, grabbing my hand and silencing all my fears. 

The only embarrassing moment was calling my wife Mary to have her come get us since we had to ditch our boats on shore in front of a locked chained-linked fence and walk a mile or so down the rocky shore to an exit point. 

There’s a popular song on Christian radio these days. If you listen to Spirit 105.3 perhaps you’ve probably heard it.  The song is Oceans by Hillsong United. 

The lyrics beautifully peg what I experienced on stormy seas:

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown - where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

             Don’t we all experience moments of fear in our lives? 

Lately, the news of the world is causing much fear and anxiety, testing all our faiths...

                 -          Christians being crucified and children beheaded or families evicted from their longtime homes, threatened with death, or left to starve or die of thirst by the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (I.S.I.S.)

-          A deadly Ebola virus outbreak in Africa, killing hundreds, with the potential to spread to many more countries, killing many more people


-          An armed conflict in Gaza pitting the Israeli Army against Hamas militants with hundreds to thousands of innocents killed in the fray        

So many terrifying things in the news these days, it's no surprise so many people are walking around fearful, on edge or even angry.
That’s why I like the song Oceans.  It helps my spirit know who’s in control in this messed up world.  One lyric says it all…

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Sadly, this fear is even found today in our Catholic Church among people who do not like Pope Francis and his message, especially Catholics here in the United States.

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of the Holy Father for the way he shows love and mercy to a broken world. 

 

In fact, I’ve been asked by the Archdiocese to speak on this topic at Theology on Tap on August 27^th at Finn MacCool’s Irish Pub in the U-District.

 

Archbishop Sartain kicked off the event this past Wednesday and hit it out of the park.  If you know a young adult struggling with faith, encourage him or her to attend.

 

Full Recap of Archbishop Sartain's Theology on Tap talk

 

For those who like what Pope Francis has to say, perhaps you saw his Top 10 Secrets for Happiness this week.  It’s a great read and posted here.

Click to link to Pope Francis' Top 10 Secrets for Happiness

 

But not everyone likes Pope Francis.

A popular conservative priest blogger has some sound advice for these Catholics.  And he referenced today’s Gospel message sharing his advice in a blog post entitled:  Ten Things to Remember if Pope Francis Upsets You (below are links to all 10).

 

Fr. Longenecker's 10 Things to Rememeber if Pope Francis Upsets You - Pt. I

Fr. Longenecker's 10 Things to Rememeber if Pope Francis Upsets You - Pt. II

 

Here are just a few from Fr. Dwight Longenecker.  He said:

“Remember Francis is from Argentina. The church scene there is very different from the atmosphere in the USA and Europe. He surprises us in many ways. He surprises right wing conservative American Catholics with what seems to be left leaning economic positions. He surprises liberal Catholics with his emphasis on the devil and the battle against demons. He surprises those in the developed world with his passion for the poor and his ability to turn over some tables. This is part of his gift to the church: that he is an outsider and as such he surprises and disturbs. Isn’t that part of what the gospel should do? It’s supposed to make us uncomfortable. It’s supposed to make us re-examine our preconceptions, our self righteousness and our certain certainties. Isn’t that what Jesus did to the religious establishment?”

Fr. Dwight goes on to say…

“God knows what he’s doing, and if a particular pope challenges your faith…well, faith isn’t much good unless it’s challenged.  What kind of faith is it if it’s nothing but certainty and confidence all the time? Think of St. Peter walking on the water. That’s faith.”

Perhaps it’s a personal crisis that’s gripped your heart with fear: a cancer diagnosis, a failing marriage, an estrangement with an adult child, or loss of a job. 

 If your heart is ever troubled -- for any reason -- today’s Gospel message encourages us to keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk on stormy waters.  Or like me keep treading water and swimming to shore. 

Christ will be right by your side calling you to a trust that’s without borders.  “And your faith will be made stronger - In the presence of your Savior.”