Homily – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – PREPARES

1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a

Romans 9:1-5

Matthew 14:22-33

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When we take our eyes off Jesus, we sink, we fail, we fall.

But when we keep our eyes on Jesus, we rise, we sail, we soar.  

This is the main point Jesus is making in this week’s Gospel message.  And it applies to everything in our lives if we just heed His words of encouragement: “take courage… do not be afraid.”

How many times have we passed up opportunities to serve because we don't think we can do it?

Perhaps these are opportunities to serve at work on some big project. Or serve in our family with caring for an ailing loved one. Or serve the Church by walking with and mentoring a family who has chosen life. 

If we focus on Jesus, “take courage… do not be afraid,” we might say “yes” more often, better hear God’s voice “whispering” in our lives, serve others more fully, and be the People of God he’s calling us to become.

           But are we brave enough to walk on these waters? 

There’s a new ministry in our Archdiocese and in our parish community in need of a few brave souls to hear Jesus’ call to "come," walk on rough waters, “take courage” and “do not be afraid.” 

The new ministry is called PREPARES and it was launched with last year’s Pastoral Letter “Who is my Neighbor?” This letter from the bishops calls on all people of faith not to take our eyes off the poor, not to take our eyes off Jesus. 

PREPARES offers pregnancy and parenting support to families who have chosen life.

I’m sure you’ve seen the baby crib in the sacristy of both Churches recently looking for needed supplies.

But even more than that, PREPARES needs a few courageous women, men and families to “’walk the journey’ with pregnant and parenting… families… who find themselves lacking a healthy support network.”1   

By stepping onto these stormy waters, you will walk with families, and be a mentor, helping to provide wrap-around services from the time of awareness of pregnancy to the child’s fifth birthday.

Of course, you will not do this alone.  You will be trained by PREPARES professionals on how to provide meaningful, professional and sustainable support to these vulnerable moms, dads and families who choose life, and help them nurture their children through pregnancy and early childhood. 

     Sound like a daunting task?  Sound like stormy waters too difficult to walk on?  Sound like something Jesus is calling you to do?

Sure, it’s easy to get too focused on the wind and the waves of such an endeavor, but I encourage you to “take courage… do not be afraid,” and do not take your eyes off Jesus.  His love is enough to help you serve others in this special way.

And remember, sometimes the Lord speaks in that “tiny whispering sound” in your heart.

The bishops of our state came up with this idea for PREPARES and it’s growing by leaps and bounds all over the state.

It’s starting to grow in our own parish community, but right now we need a few courageous volunteers to step forward and commit to be mentors for families and make a long-term commitment.

As one PREPARES organizer puts it beautifully, “We bring hope to life especially for those most in need. And part of what Christ gives to us is that hope we can then extend to others.”2

I met a woman recently experiencing homelessness living in a car with her one year old baby girl.

The woman is not on drugs, not abusing alcohol. She’s just living below the poverty line and unfortunately has no home for her and her baby right now.  She’s not the only one. There are many like her on the streets of Snohomish County. 

Would you be surprised if I told you she was Catholic and was confirmed in our parish?

This young woman is just trying to raise her baby girl as best she can under incredibly difficult circumstances.  

MercyWatch and Catholic Community Services are helping her find permanent shelter.

Perhaps you could help mentor this new mom?  And she’s a great mother, too.

St. Paul gives voice today to the sadness this mom feels about her situation. In today’s Letter to the Romans, Paul is talking about his despair about Jews who refuse to see Jesus as the Messiah.

His words remind us of “the sort of thing people say when they are in the depths of … suffering…. When you’re in that state, everything that happens, every word you hear, every sight you see is (colored) by the fact that something has gone desperately wrong.  You cannot forget it for a moment.”3

And so it is with this mother who needs our love and support.

PREPARES organizers have a goal we can all be a part of. They say: “We want the 300 Catholic parishes across the state to be open for families to walk in and say ‘I need help.’  And that they feel welcomed, and loved and not judged.  That’s the vision of this beautiful program.”4

There’s an ad for PREPARES in today’s bulletin with a contact number for coordinator Sheila Davis if you're hearing that “tiny whispering sound.” 

Maybe you know the popular song on Christian radio called Oceans by Hillsong United? I think it gets to the central message of today’s Gospel and the call of Jesus to build up the Body of Christ with life-giving programs such as PREPARES. 

Here’s a lyric from that song:

You called me out upon the water
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find you in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand

And I will call upon your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace
For I am yours and you are mine

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      1 PREPARES video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL3Bx2_lfUr8xmHJIlidPzeq0n1DdLClkx&v=iOnqaEJivS4

      2 PREPARES video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL3Bx2_lfUr8xmHJIlidPzeq0n1DdLClkx&v=iOnqaEJivS4 

      3 Paul for Everyone – Romans: Part Two – N.T. Wright – page 3 and 4 

      4 PREPARES video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL3Bx2_lfUr8xmHJIlidPzeq0n1DdLClkx&v=iOnqaEJivS4

Homily - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Saving A Life

Zechariah 9:9-10

Romans 8:9, 11-13

Matthew 11:25-30

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Some here may remember that popular 70s song by Elton John called Someone Saved My Life Tonight.

Today’s Gospel message is for all those struggling with a loss of hope, all those burdened by burdens too heavy to bear, all those who may be battling severe depression and despair.

Jesus is the someone who can save your life.
            But in our present age Jesus many times comes disguised as His disciples committed to helping ease the burdens of those who are at their wits’ ends.

Perhaps you heard the name John Tumpane.  He’s the 34-year-old Major League Baseball umpire who was walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh last week when he came upon a woman stepping over the railing to end it all.

He calmly approached the woman and gently grabbed a hold of her, saying, “Hey, you don’t want to do that.”

She replied, “No one wants to help me. Just let me go.” 

“I told her that wasn’t going to be the case, I was not gonna let go.”

Tumpane just tightened his grip. Soon, two others joined him in holding the woman through the bars of the bridge that traverses the Allegheny River. 

He said, "A couple times… she just slipped her legs off that little ledge, and just became a dead weight and we had to really hang on."

Throughout the ordeal, the woman asked, “Why are you doing this? You don’t care about me.”  Tumpane said, “I care. I care. We (all) care about you.”  And told her she wasn’t alone.

Doubting his authenticity, she insisted she wouldn’t be remembered by him. ”You’re gonna forget about me,” she said to Tumpane.

He told her, “I will never forget you, my whole life.”

Eventually police and EMS arrived on the scene and took over. They got the woman over the railing and secured her to a gurney.

Tumpane bent down to comfort the woman and tell her, “You’re safe.  Look at all of these people who care about you.” He then prayed with her just before she was taken to the hospital.

A reporter who was an eyewitness to the scene said, “Afterwards, he was so shaken up.” She said, “I grabbed his hand and thanked him. He looked like he was going to cry.”

After the incident, Tumpane returned to his hotel room to call his wife, rattled by his brush with grace.

Then he got dressed and headed to the ballpark to call balls and strikes as Pittsburgh hosted Tampa Bay.

As teams were warming up, he noticed the two other men who helped him save the woman’s life. One was a Tampa Bay team employee.

Tumpane said, "We had no idea that three people on that bridge, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, would have ... moved on with their day,” reflecting and noting with a sense of awe and wonder how these three men would find themselves in the same ballpark hours later.  They’d "all helped ... save someone's life" that day.

Thursday, before the series finale between Pittsburgh and visiting Tampa Bay, the Pirates organization and its fans honored Tumpane with a standing ovation.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Today’s gospel passage speaks of how those who are vulnerable are the most receptive to the revelation Jesus offers.  Even the word he uses for childlike, in Greek “hèpioi,” connotes the dependence of one who is needy.

As one bible scholar put it, “Perhaps, Jesus suggests not so much that God keeps things hidden from but rather our blindness is the real obstacle to seeing clearly the message of love and unity which Jesus constantly lived out.

If I cannot acknowledge my total dependence on God, I live in blindness. If I allow what I have learned and understand intellectually to hinder my “spiritual” eye, I remain in darkness—even partial blindness prevents me from seeing fully the truth in a given encounter."

St. Paul reminds each and every one of us today, “the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

Perhaps you know of someone who is struggling or who is carrying a heavy burden.  Do something!  

Through your caring, concern and compassion, you, too, can be Christ to a person in need of the Savior’s love. Perhaps you’ll even save a life tonight. This is how we build the Kingdom here on earth.

The Spirit of God dwells deep in the soul John Tumpane. It’s clear he understands what Jesus meant about alleviating heavy burdens and helping those struggling to find rest in the love of the Lord.

So, “Rejoice heartily, O daughter of Zion. Shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem. See, your king shall come to you, a just savior is he… His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the Earth.”

Homily – Most Holy Trinity – A Most Memorable Baptism

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9

2^nd Corinthians 13: 11-13

John 3:16-18

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One of the biggest blessings for our Christian community is getting to witness baptisms and witness the Holy Trinity in action. 

Baptisms are usually joyous occasions.  Whether during Mass or in a private ceremony, baptizing a child “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” is a rewarding gift for the child, parents, Godparents, family, friends, parishioners, even the minister of the Sacrament.

This special day is filled with so much joy and hope, and endless possibility as a child’s soul is bonded to Christ for eternity.   

Although, there are times when the recipient of the sacrament is less than enthusiastic about the experience. 

I remember baptizing a rather rambunctious two year old once.  Thankfully, at his parent’s request, the baptism was done at a private ceremony (that should have been a hint about what was to come).

The young boy was more interested in running around the Church than participating in the sacred moment.

When time came for his dad to hold him over the baptismal font, he was having none of it. He screamed bloody murder and tried to wiggle from his father’s firm grasp. 

With an abundance of parental patience, the Sacrament was administered. 

When it came time to apply the Sacred Chrism, this deacon did his very best to get the oil on the top of the boy’s head, more a rapidly moving target.

And all the while, the young man had yours truly locked in a death stare.  If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man.

After the baptism, he returned to his whirling dervish ways. 

As the family was leaving and embarrassedly thanked me for the baptism, the young tot promptly ran up and kicked me in the shin. 

Let’s just say it was a memorable experience, one that taxed all in the Church. But even this baptism was joyous occasion. 

Although I must confess, the whole time I was praying, “Come Holy Spirit.”  

And “Jesus, forgive him for he knows not what he’s doing.”

Even though this child was making a scene, he was made perfect in Christ. Baptism makes each of us spotless; we become a new creation.

The Catholic Church baptizes using Trinitarian formula which is   “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  It is not considered a valid baptism unless these sacred words from Christ are spoken.

For those formed with the Baltimore Catechism, you might remember these questions about the Holy Trinity:

                      “How many persons are there in God?”

            “In God there are three Divine persons, really distinct, and equal in all things – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

“What does ‘trinity’ mean?”

            “Trinity’ means three-fold or three in one.”

            “Can we find an example to fully illustrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity?”

            “We cannot find an example to fully illustrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, because the mysteries of our holy religion are beyond comparison.”

            “Is there but one God?”

            “Yes; there is but one God.”

Just a sampling of what the Baltimore Catechism taught about the Most Holy Trinity.

Perhaps you had a nun teach these lessons using a three-leaf

clover. Or in recent years had a theology teacher use the example of the three states of water (ice, steam and liquid) to illustrate the Trinity.

            Even the Pope's two primary ministries are reflective of the Holy Trinity: The Ministry of Unity (reflected in one God) and the Ministry of Diversity (reflected in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three in one).  To quote Saint Pope John Paul the Second:  “Unity not only embraces diversity, but is verified in diversity.”  The Vicar of Christ, currently Pope Francis, is expected to maintain Unity while promoting Diversity. Sounds paradoxical and a little confusing, not too unlike the Trinity.

On this Most Holy Trinity Sunday, it is important to remember that from the very beginning of our Christian lives, we all were sealed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

That’s why every time we enter the Sanctuary we use Holy water to recall our own Baptism with the sign of the cross, and honor the Holy Trinity, this singular belief, this one dogma: one God, in three persons.

Or when Mass begins with the sign of the cross, Father uses the familiar words from today’s second reading from St. Paul: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Well-known Catholic blogger Deacon Greg Kandra said this about the sign of the cross:

"Just think of what that simple gesture means.

We touch our heads for the Father – the one whose mere idea, whose smallest thought, created us. This is where we began, in the mind of God.

We touch our hearts for the Son – the one whose unceasing love took him to the cross, and the one who taught us, as well, how to love through his own Sacred Heart.

We touch our shoulders for the Holy Spirit – the one who gives us strength, and who carries us on His shoulders — on His wings, if you will – and who enables us to be God’s arms, working on earth.”

We celebrate this important Solemnity one week after Pentecost to honor one of the greatest gifts of our faith:  The Blessed Trinity.

As Moses said to the Lord in today’s first reading from Exodus, we (the children of God) are a “stiff-necked people,” but we are “pardoned from our wickedness and (our) sins.” And He receives us as His own.

Gospel writer John reminds us today, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.” 

I will now forever remember these words when reflecting fondly on my encounter with an angry two year old.

We are all living and breathing icons of the Most Holy Trinity, from the time we are baptized, and born in Christ, to the time when our lives end on earth and we die in Christ to everlasting life. 

We are truly blessed for all eternity thanks to the beautiful gift of the Most Holy Trinity.