4th Sunday Year A (Gospel Matthew 5:1-12) Why I am a priest

 

 

Today I would like to share with you something more personal than I usually would. I would like to tell you why I am a priest. Not how I became a priest, but why I am a priest. I suppose it’s something you probably don’t think of very often, but people often ask me why I became a priest.

 

First of all I believe that God called me to be a priest. There was a real sense of God calling me in this way and it was a persistent call. Although it was something both exciting and wonderful, it was also something scary and painful. I knew it would mean that I would not get married, which is a natural attraction for anyone. When people asked me if I did not want to be married, what I always say is that the calling to be a priest was stronger than the calling to be married, even though both were there. And that calling continues to be there.

 

The year I entered the seminary was the year when all the sexual abuse scandals began to break in Ireland. It started with my own bishop having had a child years before and it got steadily worse with all the other scandals. This made all of us in the seminary think a lot about why we were there. After I was ordained the scandals continued and the atmosphere in our society (in Ireland) was very difficult to work in as a priest. I know it was the same here in the US. Because of the way the media presented it, almost every priest was considered a pedophile, which was very difficult, as you can imagine. Why would I want to be part of an organization that tried to cover up such terrible scandals? The reason is simple, I believe.

 

I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the trinity who took on human flesh. I believe that this same Jesus sacrificed himself for us so that we could go to heaven when we die and be with our loved ones again. I believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, not in a symbolic way, but that it really and truly is the body and blood of Christ. Since I believe that is true, there could be no more extraordinary miracle to be part of as a priest. I always consider it the greatest privilege that I have as a human being and as a priest. It is always an honor and a privilege to be allowed go to the altar and celebrate the mass, even when I’m half asleep on a Monday morning, or when I humanly don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes it scares me when God reminds me that I am a sinner and struggle like everyone else and yet He allows me to do this for you his people, because He wants us to be able to receive him in Holy Communion. For all of us, that is an incredible gift. I do not understand it, but I believe it.

 

I also believe that God speaks to us through the sacred scriptures. God actually speaks to us in a very personal way and God has much to say to us. The scriptures were written by human hands, but they were inspired by God and that is why we never replace them with anything else. That is also why I continue to read them over and over again. What could be more important to hear than what God has to say to us?

 

I consider being able to hear confession as another great privilege. To be God’s instrument to bring his forgiveness and mercy to people is a wonderful thing, to see God healing people through me. That people will come to me as God’s instrument, is both humbling and wonderful to me.

 

As a priest I am called to people when they are sick and dying, to be at their bedside, even though I often do not know them and they will tell me things that they will not even tell their own families. I am asked to be there when families are going through great joys and sorrows.

 

Is it difficult? Yes. I have struggled with it every day since I was ordained 27 years ago. Twice I almost left. In fact one time I thought it was all over and I had even told people that I was leaving, not because I wanted to, but because I thought that I couldn’t handle the stress of it anymore; the daily hostility I was experiencing and the sense of isolation I felt in some of the places I was working. Yet each time the Lord called me back and showed me that He would take care of it and He did.

 

The prophets struggled in the same way and what they wrote is comforting. When the prophet Jeremiah is feeling unable to go on he says:

[The] word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jer 20:9)

 

Another time when Jeremiah is on the verge of giving up, God pushes him to go on, not just to take a vacation, but to continue.

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you.” (Jer 15:19-20)

 

I always find it comforting to see how most of the people who were called by God, tried to resist. They didn’t feel able, or qualified and they knew it would mean persecution.

 

The prophet Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets. After working an incredible miracle of calling down fire from heaven to show up the false prophets of the pagan gods, Elijah then has to flee for his life, because the queen threatens to kill him. He travels a day’s journey into the desert and then he sits down and says, ‘I have had enough Lord, take my life, I am no better than my ancestors.’ He wishes he was dead. But instead of God telling him to take some time off, he wakes up to find food and drink beside him and an angel telling him to eat, as he will need it for the journey ahead. God pushes him to keep going.

 

It is normal for any of us to become discouraged every so often, but God is always the one to strengthen us and help us to keep going.

 

In the second reading today it says:

God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,

and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,

and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,

those who count for nothing,

to reduce to nothing those who are something,

so that no human being might boast before God.

 

In a mysterious way God seems to delight in calling and working through the nobodies of this world, so that it is all the more obvious that it is God at work and this is something He continually shows me.

 

The apostles were no different. St. Paul writes, ‘But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.’ (2 Cor 4:7)

 

What inspires me the most? Your faith and every priest I know will say the same thing. My lifestyle as a priest is conducive to being close to God, although that doesn't necessarily follow, but most people's lifestyle isn't. Working in the secular world can be a lot more difficult and that's why your faith in spires me.

 

My faith keeps changing and growing and the path is often difficult, but I believe it is the most important path we will ever be asked to follow and so by his grace I will continue. I would like to finish with this quotation where St. Paul is talking about his own life.

I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him. (Philippians 3:7-8)

 

Second Sunday of Year A (Gospel: John 1:29-34) Listen carefully

 

Has God ever spoken to you? Do you wonder why God doesn’t speak to you? Has God ever spoken to me? Yes, many times, but not in audible words. Often through the Scriptures, sometimes in prayer when something just comes to my mind, or I become aware of something and it is often through other people, through something they will say, even though they will be unaware of it.

 

God is speaking to us all the time. A lot of the time we are not aware of it because we are not listening and there is so much noise. Everywhere we go there is noise, music playing, tv or radio on, texts on our phones. It is very hard to find silence and we need silence if we are to listen.

 

If God spoke to you, what would He say to you? If we really believe God created us and that we are being drawn closer and closer to him, then God must have plenty to say to us, but maybe not in the way we would expect. Think of your children, if you have children, or nieces/nephews, you want to teach them, guide them and encourage them. You want to help them make sense of their lives and point them in the direction where they will hopefully be most fulfilled. Even if you don’t have your own children, there are always people we come across that we want to help in some way, through encouragement, or a bit of wisdom that we have learnt from experience. That is also how God speaks to us. Since God created us, He wants to teach us, show us the path that will lead to our greatest fulfillment, guide us in making good decisions and encourage us. He wants to help us make sense of the world around us. Do you ever wonder what exactly Jesus was saying to the people he taught when he walked the earth? It is the same as what He teaches us now.

 

If you read the Gospels it shows us what Jesus was teaching the people and He was showing them how to live in accordance with his word. He was also helping them to live at a deeper level, not just doing the minimum. You don’t give your children the minimum they need, but as much as you can, so that they will be as well equipped as possible.

 

One of the most striking things about what Jesus taught was how different it was to the thinking of the world and it is still the same. One example that comes to mind is where Jesus quotes the law of Moses and says, ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ (Matt 5:44). Our culture says, ‘an eye for an eye,’ Jesus says the opposite. He says, ‘Do not judge, do not look at a woman lustfully, put others before yourself.’ Our culture says the opposite.

 

Who knows the best path and the best decisions for my life? God does. So if I want to follow the path that will be most rewarding and make the wisest decisions, then I need to listen to the One who has the answers.

 

‘But I am so busy, I don’t have time to stop and pray!’ We make time to eat, sleep and watch TV. We make time for whatever is important to us. If listening to God’s word is important enough to you, you will find there is time for it. Think of all the time you spend driving places. Turn off the radio. Get off the phone and listen! Talk to God from your heart and just be with him.

 

St. Benedict of Norcia lived around the year 500. Initially he went and lived as a hermit. But then more and more people began to join him and eventually he established a monastery and then other monasteries. He also wrote a rule for his monks, which is known as The Rule of St. Benedict, and it is still used by monks today, 1500 years later. It is basically a guideline of how they are to live from day to day. The very first word of the rule is the word ‘listen’. The second word is ‘carefully’. Listen carefully to my teaching.

 

We also talk about being ‘obedient’ to God. We are called to be obedient to God. The word ‘obedient’ comes from two Latin words ob audire, which means ‘listen intently.’ God is saying to us: ‘Listen carefully to what I have to say to you.’ Following God, means being obedient to God, which means listening to God. We won’t know what God’s word is, unless we read it and listen to it.

 

When Jesus was on the mountain with Peter, James and John and appeared in his glory, the Apostles heard the Father say, ‘This is my son the beloved; listen to him.’

 

At the wedding at Cana, Mary said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ In other words, ‘Listen to him.’

 

At one of the papal audiences, Pope Francis said this:

When we go to mass, maybe we arrive five minutes early and we start to chat with those in front of us. But it is not a moment to chat. It is a moment of silence, to prepare ourselves for dialogue with God. It is a time for the heart to collect itself, in order to prepare for the encounter with Jesus. Silence is so important. Remember what I said last week: we do not go to a show; we go to meet the Lord and silence prepares us and accompanies us [for this].

(Nov 15, 2017, St. Peter’s Basilica)

 

People come here up to two hours before the mass begins, in order to pray. They understand that it is an encounter with Jesus and they are preparing for it.

 

We are all different. All of us pray differently and that’s normal. But all of us need silence in some shape or form to be alone with God, to listen to God, so that the one who created us can speak to us. It says that Jesus continually went off on his own to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer before he picked the 12 Apostles. He was in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before the arrest. He was constantly turning to the Father and listening.

 

One of the most beautiful ways that God speaks to us is through the Scriptures. The Bible is a collection of letters and stories that God has written to us. Everything in the Bible addresses everything in our world today. Everything! Do you have a bible? If not, why not? Don’t you want to know what God has to say to you, because God is speaking to you. Take out your bible, or buy one and read one chapter of one book every day. It takes about 5 minutes. It probably doesn’t cost us a thought to watch an hour of TV, but how much time will I give to listening to the One who created us, the one who knows the best path for your life; the one who knows the answers to all your questions.

 

Jesus said, ‘Everyone who listens to my words and acts on them is like a sensible man who built his house on rock. The rains fell, floods came and the wind blew and buffeted the house, but it did not collapse, because it had been set solidly on rock.’

 

That rock, is the word of God. If we have the correct foundation, then it will be easier to follow the path that calls us on, the path which leads to him. The more you read the word of God, the clearer that path becomes. And it is the only path worthwhile. It is a difficult path, but it is the only one we need, because it will lead us to what we long for: our happiness and being with our loved ones again.

 

God has a lot to say to us, but we must listen.

 

‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening.’

 

The Baptism of the Lord (Gospel: Matt 3:13-17)

 

The baptism of Jesus (by Eoin Madigan)

Peter said to the people, ‘In truth I see that God shows no partiality. Rather in every nation, whoever fears him and does what is right, is acceptable to him.’ (Acts 10:34-35).

 

Cultural differences are interesting. What is acceptable to us, can be totally unacceptable in other cultures. When I was living in Rome, I learnt that in Italy the people will be very conscious of how much you drink as a priest. In a restaurant they will count every drink you have. In Ireland people don’t think about it and in fact will be quite tolerant, even if the priest has a drink problem. Complete opposites.

 

My friend bishop Michael Gokum in Nigeria, told me that in Nigeria, giving Holy Communion with the left hand would be considered very offensive. They would also consider it very inappropriate for a priest to be in a restaurant. Neither of those things would cost us a thought.

 

In the second reading today St. Peter says he realised how anyone can be acceptable to God if they do what is right. That might seem obvious enough to us, but it wasn’t obvious to them at that time. The Jewish people believed that they were specially chosen by God, which they were and that meant anyone else who was not Jewish was not so important to God. But then the Lord began to teach the Apostles that He was there for everyone, of every nationality and creed. It took them a while to come around to this way of thinking. In fact the first few times some Gentiles (non-Jews) received the gift of the Spirit, the Apostles were quite surprised. They hadn’t expected this. They didn’t think that Gentiles would be given the gift of the Spirit. God was helping them to gradually broaden their horizons. Everyone, of every nationality and creed was being called into God’s family. The Lord was helping the Apostles to see a bigger picture, but as with most of us, this happens gradually.

 

Everyone is called to be part of God’s people and all are welcome, however, that doesn’t mean that anything goes. There is a thinking today that everyone should be welcome in the Church and should be able to continue their life-style, whether it is in accordance with God’s teaching or not. That is not what Jesus taught. The Apostles preached faith in Jesus Christ and repentance for sin. Jesus’ first words in his preaching were, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt 4:17). Turn away from sin. Christ died for our sins and we are called to be in relationship with him, but we are also called to repent of sinful ways of living, ways which are not in accord with God’s teaching. Our culture is demanding that we accept everyone’s lifestyle, regardless of whether it is sinful or not. That is not what Christ preached. Immoral sexual behaviour is not acceptable to God and the Apostles were very strong in their preaching about this. Listen to what St. Paul wrote:

‘Of this you can be sure: no immoral, impure or greedy person (that is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God’ (Eph 5:5).

 

‘The acts of the flesh are obvious, sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery, hatred and discord, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, no one who practices such things will enter the kingdom of God’ (Gal 5:19-21).

 

That means that sexual sins are serious and we must repent of them ourselves and encourage others to do the same: homosexual sin, heterosexual sin, sexual sin outside of marriage (fornication), pornography and every other kind of impurity. All of these are offensive to God. ‘Oh, but we might offend people if we say anything.’ Is it better to warn people of the possibility of losing eternal life with God because of sin, or to be quiet in case we offend someone? because that is what it comes down to. Jesus’ own words: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord”, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father in heaven’ (Matt &:21). You often hear people say, “I love God and I’m a good person.” That’s nice, but am I doing the will of the Father in heaven? because that’s what matters.

 

It is interesting that one of the things that attracted people to Christianity at the beginning, was their way of life, which didn’t allow every kind of immoral behaviour and sexual deviance, because the Christians understood that we have a higher calling from God, that shows us that our bodies are not meant for any kind of behaviour, but a life of purity, which recognizes the dignity that God has given us. The Roman Empire was morally bankrupt, very similar to our society today and as a result it imploded and destroyed itself. People were drawn to Christianity because they didn’t want to accept this way of life. Instinctively people knew this wasn’t right, because the Spirit teaches us what is right.

 

In 1917 Our Lady told the three children in Fatima that the current war, which was WWI, would soon end, but that if there wasn’t repentance a worse war would follow. It seems there wasn’t repentance and the Second World War followed. In WWI it is estimated that about 20 million people died. In WWII it is estimated that about 70 to 80 million people died, because there wasn’t repentance for sin. That is how serious sin is. People are inclined to say that God would never punish us, but that’s not what is in the Scriptures. Many times the world, or different places, became so sinful in their behaviour, that God wiped them out. It is God’s world, not ours. We are God’s creation, not our own and we are accountable for what we do.

 

Everyone struggles with sin. That is normal and God assures us of his forgiveness and mercy if we repent, so we should never be afraid of our own weaknesses and struggles. But there is a big difference between falling into sin and living a double life. To persist in a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s teaching and then expect God’s love and mercy is naïve and it is not what the word of God says. Everyone is welcome in the Church, but not everything goes. Our culture is demanding that we accept everyone’s lifestyle, even if it is immoral. That is not what the word of God teaches and we have to resist it and we will be despised for it and called bigots and small-minded, but it won’t be the first time.

 

After Jesus was Baptised in the Jordan there was a vision of the Spirit coming down on him in the form of a dove. The Father in heaven was empowering him with the gift of the Spirit, to enable him to live the mission that the Father had given him, to teach the people about God and to offer himself for the sins of the world. The Spirit gave him the strength and wisdom He needed for this difficult mission. It says that after his baptism, Jesus was led to the desert for 40 days, for a time of testing.

 

When we are baptised we receive God’s grace and the gift of the Spirit to enable us to live the Christian life. The path to God is not a way of life that we can easily live, by our own strength. It is difficult, but that is why God gives us the gift of his Spirit to help us.

 

When we are baptised, we state what it is we believe and we commit ourselves to this way of faith. Baptism is choice for God. That’s why every Sunday we say the Creed: ‘I believe in God the Father…’ We are stating what we believe and what we have chosen. If you were baptised as a child, someone else will have spoken on your behalf, but they do this on condition that they will pass on the faith as we grow up, otherwise it would be hypocrisy. If someone comes for baptism as an adult, they must go through a time of learning about our faith, which we call the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). We have several people in this parish doing it this year and they will be fully accepted into the Church at Easter. They go through about six months of instruction and only when they understand the faith properly will they be baptised.

 

In the Church, everyone is welcome, but not everything goes and I think that this passage from the Old Testament speaks to us today about this very calling:

 

‘If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and bless their land.’s (2 Chron 7:14)

 

‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

 

 

The Epiphany (Matthew 2:1-12) All peoples of all religions will recognise Jesus Christ as Lord

 

The great 20^th century theologian Karl Rahner (1904-84), wrote, ‘The Christian of the future will either be a mystic, or will not exist at all.’ We are called to be mystics, that is, to continually seek and be open to what is spiritual and mystical. Sometimes I think we can be too inclined to ‘explain away’ everything in our faith, when in fact it is very mysterious and should be.

 

St. Thomas Aquinas, who died in 1274, was another extraordinary theologian and wrote a vast amount on theology, still used today. Towards the end of his life he had a vision of heaven and after it, referring to his work, he said, ‘All is straw.’ He was so overwhelmed by what he saw, that all his writings seemed meaningless.

 

The truth is that God continues to speak to us in unexpected and mystical ways. And God will continue to draw us closer to himself, as long as we remain open to that journey. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), a 16^th century mystic, said that the Lord will bring us to the greatest union with him in this life, as long as we remain open to it. She said the only thing that prevents us from reaching the deepest union with God, is our own fear and unwillingness to go any farther. God wants us to be as united with him as is possible in this life. Why doesn’t that happen to more people? Because we become afraid and want to put the brakes on. It is easier to settle for a basic understanding and practice of our faith and not go any farther.

 

The feast of the Epiphany is the feast of Christ being revealed to the world. The three wise men, or astrologers, were led to where Christ was. They are supposed to have come from different countries, pagan countries, who did not know the true God. They were astrologers (those who study horoscopes!), which is expressly forbidden in the Scriptures.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the

fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in

witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. (Deut 18:10-14)

 

The Magi (possibly ZoroAstrian priests) represent all the peoples of the world since they were not Jewish, but came from pagan nations who did not know the true God. It is a way of saying that Jesus’ coming is for all peoples of all religions and race. All people will recognise that Jesus is the Son of God. God guided them through what they were involved in, astrology, which was how they were searching for God. It is a reminder to us that God can and does use all and every means to speak to us and draw people closer to himself.

 

The three gifts are symbolic. Gold is the symbol of a king. Jesus is a king, the King of kings and the master of the whole universe. The use of frankincense is a sign of recognising a divinity, or God. Jesus is Son of God, the second person of the Godhead. And myrrh is a perfume that represents the suffering He will go through to win eternal life for the human race. 

 

If you think of most of the figures in the Bible who had anything to do with Christmas, they all had mystical experiences which led them closer to God. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary; he also appeared to Joseph. Angels appeared to the shepherds and a star guided the three kings or Magi.

 

Different events and experiences often open people’s hearts to God. Sometimes it is through a crisis, such as sickness, or the death of a loved one, that gets us thinking differently. Many times I have seen people deciding to come back to Church after the death of someone close to them, because it has got them thinking about the more important things and that is always good. The Spirit keeps calling us to search for God. What is important is that we keep searching and remain open. It is good that we ask questions about what we believe in. I believe and accept that the Scriptures and the teachings of our Church are from God and I submit to them, but I will continue to ask questions. The more searching I do, the more my faith grows.

 

Each week when we come to the mass, we come to an encounter with God which Jesus revealed to us, which is why we never change it. That’s also why the time before mass is not just the time for a social gathering, but the time for us to prepare for this wonderful encounter with God through the Scriptures and the Eucharist. God wants us to come to him and hear him and this is one of the most wonderful ways that He helps us to do that.

 

It might seem a bit arrogant of us to say that all people will recognise that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God. That seems to imply that we are right and that everyone else is wrong, but that is not the case. People of different religions have very different understandings of God and God speaks to all people through different religions. Even for those who never come to know Jesus in this lifetime, they still have eternal life won for them by the death and resurrection of Christ and eternal life is still offered to them through Jesus, just as it is to us. When they die they will see this at once. They will know immediately who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

 

Although we lost the possibility of eternal life with God through what we call Original Sin, God regained the possibility of eternal life for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can accept or reject this gift individually and we do this through our faith. All people are offered this possibility regardless of whether they come to know of God in this life or not, but it is not as if there is a neutral ground for those who do not believe. We accept life with God when we die, which will be our total fulfilment, or we lose it forever if we reject God and that is the choice we must make.  

 

This is also where our conscience is so important, because even if we never hear of God during our life, God speaks to us through our conscience, giving us a basic understanding of what is right and wrong. Our faith and the teachings of Jesus through the Church, give us a better understanding of what is right and wrong. All of the decisions that we make throughout our life are bringing us closer to, or driving us farther away, from God.

 

As Christians, we are the people who recognise that Jesus is the Son of God and has done all these things for us. We consider ourselves blessed that God has made himself known to us in this way, but it doesn’t mean that we have a better chance of going to heaven than anyone else. That depends completely on how we live our life. When we die we will realise that all this is really true. And when other people of different religions die, they will also recognise that Jesus Christ is Lord. What is important for them is to live their faith as well as they can, just as it is for us.

 

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter had a vision while he was praying. This was in the early days of the Church, when they were still trying to figure out whether only the Jews were saved, or the Gentiles as well. Peter said he saw what looked like a large sheet being let down from heaven, filled with all kinds of birds, reptiles and animals. Then he heard a voice say, ‘Get up Peter, kill and eat,’ but he replied, ‘Certainly not Lord, I have never eaten anything impure, or unclean. Then he heard the voice say, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean’ (Acts 10:13-16). This was repeated three times. Later he explained this vision and said, ‘So I have come to realize that God has no partiality, but that anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.’

 

Sometimes people are critical of missionary work, where missionaries go to poorer countries and preach the Gospel to people who may not have heard it. People will argue that they shouldn’t be talking about faith, but only helping them with material needs, but this is not true.

 

The Lord sent the Apostles out and said, ‘Go teach all nations and baptize them…’ (Matt 28:19). No one has to accept the faith, we are all free to do what we want, but everyone should know what God has done for us. God wants all people to know what He has done for us and He has entrusted us with the mission of passing on that message and it is a really important mission. St. Paul writes, ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.’ (1 Cor 9:16). Woe to me as a priest, if I do not pass on this message. That is a very important part of what I am called to and God will hold me accountable.

 

The best way for any of us to proclaim the Gospel, is by living it as well as we can ourselves. Personal witness is the best preaching. You don’t have to say anything. St. Peter also writes: ‘Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have. But always do it with curtesy and respect.’ (1 Pet 3:15)

 

Meanwhile we pray that all peoples will come to recognise that Jesus Christ is Lord, because this is the truth which God has revealed to us. Either way we try to respect people who believe differently to us and remember that they are also children of God.

 

 

Every knee shall bow

in heaven, on earth and under the earth

and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

 

 

Feast of the Holy Family (Gospel: Matt 2:13-15, 19-23) Our imperfect families

 

My family lived in Dublin until I was six years old. One time when I was about five I was brought to a party of a school friend, but for some reason I decided that I didn’t like the party and that I wanted to go home. I figured that the best way to do this was secretly. So I told my friend that I would hide out in the yard and that he should come and try to find me after a few minutes. When I got outside I climbed over the wall, made my escape and headed home. The only problem was that I had no idea how to get home. So I headed off and asked a mail-man how to get to York Road, in Dun Laoghaire, where we lived. He looked at me suspiciously, but told me where to go. When I finally arrived home I found a big police motorbike in the front drive. The police officer looked out the door and said, ‘It’s ok. We have found him.’ Maybe that’s where my love of motorcycles began! Everyone was out looking for me. My poor parents were not the better for this experience.  Family life is not easy.

 

This is a feast day which I think can often make us feel disappointed with our own families, although we don’t admit it, because it seems to tell us that our families are not what they should be. Things go wrong and we drive each other crazy. Someone gets into trouble and lets the family down. Marriages don’t always work out. We are afraid what others will think of us.

 

Then we are presented with the holy family, who we imagine were living in bliss all the time. That is not reality. They were poor. When Jesus was born they were homeless. Then with a new baby they had to flee to Egypt to escape an attempt on the child’s life and became refugees. When Jesus was brought to the temple, Simeon told them he was destined to be a sign that would be rejected. He would not be a success. Who wants to hear that their child will be rejected by people? Later they lost him for three days. Can you imagine the stress of losing one of your children for three days?

 

So why are they presented to us as a model? because they had their priorities right. God was at the center of this family. It was the right environment for the person of Jesus to grow and mature in. Jesus had to grow up as a person just as all of us do. He had to learn to be responsible, to read and write and learn the Jewish traditions and that takes a long time. It involves a lot of learning for each of us, and a lot of patience and sacrifice on the part of our parents, but how we are formed is vital. There is an African proverb which says, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ We all have a part to play, even if that is just encouraging those who are struggling. If there are young families around you who are struggling financially, especially one parent families, look out for them. There is a couple I know who were telling me recently that at one stage, because one of their children was sick, they lost their home in order to pay hospital bills. The husband told me that for several months they lived on next to nothing. We never know how people are struggling and we must look out for each other.

 

We know almost nothing about the first thirty years of Jesus’ life, but no doubt it was very important for his growing and maturing as a person, and to help him be ready for the mission that He lived out for the last three years of his life, teaching people about God and sacrificing himself for us.

 

The main role of our families is to provide a safe, loving environment for us to grow up in, so that we will blossom as people and learn how to deal with the world. None of us come from a perfect family, but that doesn’t matter. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking about how things might have been, or should be, but the bottom line is that we are the way we are. We come from the kind of imperfect families that we come from. The path through our lives often takes unexpected turns and things can work out a lot worse than we had intended. Does it matter? Not in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord is not the one to say, ‘You should be different.’ That is what people will say, but that is not what the Lord says. He is always the one who encourages us, reassures us and gives us new strength to keep going.

 

Think of all the people that Jesus came across in the Gospels. He took them exactly as they were, including many people who were causing public scandal. It didn’t matter what faith or cultural background they came from. He always showed great sensitivity to their dignity. Satan discourages, but God always encourages. Jesus called Satan ‘the Accuser.’ He continually accuses us and tries to shame us and make us give up. But Jesus does the opposite. He is always the one to encourage us and reassure us of his presence. What is important is not how we should be, but that we remain open to God. If we are listening and open, then the Lord can lead us forward. All God needs is our openness. Everything that we go through plays a part in forming us as people. The only thing that is important is that we are willing to get up again, to begin again and turn to the Lord for help, as often as is necessary. 

 

If God is not at the center of your family, maybe it’s time to bring him into your family. Is there a crucifix in your home? If not, why not? Are you ashamed or embarrassed to say who you belong to, who is Lord of your life? Apart from God, our life is meaningless. Do you ever read the word of God with your family? If you think this seems over religious, think about how much time you spend watching TV, filling your mind with worldly and often sinful things. Why not read a chapter from one of the Gospels at the end of your main meal together? Pray grace together.

 

There is a wedding tradition which I came across many years ago, from Croatia, if I’m not mistaken. When a couple get married, they have a crucifix blessed at the wedding ceremony and then they bring it to their home. They place it in a prominent place to remind them that God is with them in their marriage. When they are struggling they are to come before the crucifix to ask God for his help. This is the balance that God invites us to have. God must be at the center. Only in God will we find the strength we need to keep going and the very meaning for our existence. Without God our life is meaningless.

 

God understands that family life is not easy, but that is also why He invites us to keep turning to him and asking for his help. That is why the sacrament of marriage is so important, because it is inviting God to be part of that marriage, not just to bless the couple on their wedding day, but to be with the couple throughout their whole life. God wants to help us, but we must allow him to help us too. Our families may be far from perfect, but God can still work through them to help us come closer to him.

I want to finish with this story about a couple I came to know here in Florida. Maria and John (not their real names) got to know each other in high-school and got into a lustful relationship. She became pregnant and graduated six months pregnant. They decided to get married for the sake of the child, but he said they had no love for each other and the first ten years of their marriage was miserable. They endured each other and spent as much time apart as they could. But after 10 years they both started to take an interest in their faith. They decided they would try to live their marriage exactly as it says in the Scriptures, following what God has laid out for marriage, the role of the father and the role of the mother. He said within a short time things started to change and they actually fell in love for the first time. That was over twenty years ago and he said they have had a wonderful marriage ever since.

 

God knows exactly what will work and He tells us what will work. There is an order to God’s creation and if we listen to what He tells us, it works and will help us more than anything else. God wants things to work out for us, but we must listen.

 

Remember what Jesus said,

“Whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain came down, the streams rose and the wind blew, and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose and the wind blue and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash.” (Matt 7:24-27).

 

'When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him. '(Luke 2:39-40)

 

4th Sunday Advent Yr A (Gospel: Matt 1:18-24) Blessed is she who believed

 

 

When I was working as a chaplain in a hospital I was talking to some of the nurses one day about Christmas and the topic of the Annunciation came up: that is, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and she conceived Jesus in her womb. One of them said, “It’s a nice idea. But it’s impossible!” I couldn’t help thinking, what does ‘impossible’ mean, when it comes to matters of faith. And in fact that is one of the things that the angel Gabriel said to Mary to help her to believe. ‘Your cousin Elizabeth in her old age, has herself conceived a son and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing will be impossible for God.’ (Lk 1:36-37)

 

In the Bible there are several people who were called ‘blessed’ because of their faith.  Abraham was told that he would have a child and he believed, but he was 100 years old when it happened and his wife was in her nineties. By our way of thinking it couldn’t have happened, but he had faith and it did happen.

 

The angel Gabriel came to Zachariah, when he was performing his priestly duties and told him that his wife Elizabeth would conceive a son, even though she had been barren all her life and was now also an old woman. When the angel Gabriel told him this, he found it hard to believe and he questioned the angel. The angel Gabriel wasn’t impressed and said, ‘I am Gabriel who stand before God… Since you have not believed me, here is a sign for you. You will be struck dumb until the time comes for this to happen.’ (Lk 1:19-20). So even though he doubted, it still happened.

 

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would have a child, but not by human means. She believed, even though she didn’t understand, and it happened. The angel reminded her that ‘nothing is impossible to God.’ All of these people and many others, were told to believe even though it didn’t make any sense to them and they did believe, without understanding. Elizabeth said to Mary, ‘Blessed is she who believed that the promises made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ I wonder would many of these things have happened if the people involved had refused to believe until they were sure, until they were able to know these things were true? They believed because God asked them to believe.

 

Today we are still asked to believe many things which we don’t understand. The temptation is to dismiss many of these things as being childish stories, just because they are not logical to us. But not understanding them is no reason to dismiss them. Why do many people dedicate themselves to a life of prayer locked up in a convent, or monastery, to a God that we cannot see? I don’t know, but they do.

 

How can we know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is really present in the Eucharist and that it’s not just a symbolic ritual? I could probably give you an impressive theological explanation for it, but it wouldn’t convince you. In fact it wouldn’t convince me either, because we can not understand many of these things, but we do believe them. That is the difference between faith and reason. 

 

The truth is we can’t know these things, but we certainly do believe them. We believe them because God taught us these things through Jesus. And God continues to teach us many things through his Spirit, speaking to us through his Church, speaking to us through the Scriptures, speaking to us through modern day prophets.

 

There is a book and movie called The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel. He was an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He and his wife Leslie were both staunch atheists. One evening when they were out for dinner, their daughter Alison starts choking on a piece of candy and she is in serious trouble. A nurse, called Alfie, comes to the rescue and saves Alison’s life. As Leslie is thanking her, Alfie says that it was God’s providence that she was there as she was not meant to be there that night. This catches Leslie’s interest and she begins to take an interest in Christianity. Long story short, she becomes a Christian. Her husband Lee is furious and he decides to set out on a campaign to prove that the case for Christ is a fraud.

 

He begins going to different experts in different areas to get proof. He talks to a psychologist asking him if it were possible that the Apostles were hypnotised into believing the resurrection. The psychologist says that would have been impossible. Then he goes to a physician to show that Jesus could have survived the crucifixion, but he also says that would have been impossible and hands him a copy of one of the major medical journals which has a whole article about it. The more research Lee does to disprove it, the more proof he gets of the reality. Finally one of his fellow journalists points out to him that he has more than enough proof to believe it was real, but that he is just being stubborn. Lee recognizes it and is also converted.

 

One of the more unpleasant tasks I have had as a priest was to stand up in front of the whole church after some of the horrific reports on child sexual abuse came out. I had my homily prepared, but I felt the Lord saying to me, ‘Just tell them why you are a priest.’ So I did just that and I said, ‘I have every reason to not be a priest when these scandals come out, but the reason I continue is because I believe. I believe that God is real, that heaven and hell are real, that the Eucharist is real, that the Scriptures are the word of God…’

 

Most of the events in the bible that we read about are real, although some are analogies. But these things really happened. They are not just stories.

 

As we come to celebrate the mystery of Christmas, and it certainly is a mystery, perhaps the best thing we could do is to say, ‘This is a very mysterious thing, which I don’t understand.  But I believe it, because the Lord has made it known to us.’

 

‘Blessed is she who believed that the promises made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ 

 

 

2nd Sunday of Advent Year A (Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12) Will God really forgive me?

 

Many people I come across live with the fear that maybe God won’t forgive them, or hasn’t forgiven them, for past sins. If God has forgiven me, why do the memories of past sins keep coming to the surface? I think a helpful analogy is this: if you can picture your soul. When we sin, it’s as if we wound our soul. When we are forgiven the wound is healed, but a scar remains. Those scars come back to us as memories. We remember the sin and wonder if God has really forgiven. There is a prayer that I often pray after Communion. People always ask for it.

 

In the comfort of your love, I pour out to you my Savior,

The memories that haunt me, the anxieties that perplex me,

The fears that stifle me…

 

Another concern that goes with that question is whether I am now less acceptable to God. I have often heard people say, “I am a disappointment to God.” We are never a disappointment to God for something we have done. God knows what we are going to do before we do it. What matters most is that we come back and ask for forgiveness. The only way we can be a disappointment to God is if we reject him forever. That is not what God wants for any of us.

 

There is a great story in the Old Testament about King David. David was considered one of the greatest kings of ancient Israel. He conquered all around him and gave the appropriate honour to God, but that is not just why he was considered great. One day, when he was at the height of his power, David was taking a walk on the roof of his palace when he noticed a beautiful woman taking a bath in a nearby garden. He enquired who she was and his officials told him “She is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” David already had many wives, but he decided that even though she was the wife of another, he wanted her. So he ordered her to be brought to him and he slept with her.

 

Some time later she sent him a note to say that she was expecting. Now David realised that he would be found out. So he had her husband Uriah sent for. Uriah was away fighting for David at the time. When Uriah returned, David asked him how the battle was going, etc. Then he had Uriah dine with him and told him to go home and rest that night and that he would send him back to the battle the next day. But it says that Uriah did not go to his wife, but slept at the door of the palace. Maybe he smelt a rat.

 

The next day, realising that Uriah had not spent the night with his wife, David invited him to have dinner with him in the evening and made sure that he had plenty to drink. Again he told him to go and spent the night in his house and that he could return to battle the next day. But it says that even though he had plenty to drink, he did not spend the night with his wife.

 

The following day, having realised that he did not go home, King David wrote a letter to Uriah’s commanding officer and asked Uriah to take it with him, back to the battle. In the letter King David told his commanding officer to place Uriah at the worst of the fighting and then to pull back, so that Uriah would be killed. So Uriah took the letter—his own death warrant—and returned to the battle and was killed. King David then took Bathsheba as his own wife.

 

So now you have lust, jealousy, adultery, deceit and murder, by the so-called great King David. So why is he called a great king? Because God loves David He is not going to let David get away with this, so he sends the prophet Nathan to David who tells him a story. Nathan says, “There was once a very rich man in a town who had all the sheep, cattle and wealth he could want. There was also a poor man who had just one little lamb, and he loved the lamb as one of his own family. One day a visitor came to the rich man, but rather than taking one of his own animals, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it for a meal.” Then it says that when King David heard this he sprang to his feet and said, whoever has done this deserves to die for such a crime. And then the prophet Nathan says, “You are the man.”

 

Now here is the thing. What makes David such a great king is what happened next. When Nathan points the finger at David and says, ‘You are the man,’ instead of having Nathan killed for accusing him as many other kings might have done, David says, ‘I have sinned against the Lord,’ and he repents. That is why David was considered a great king. He was big enough to repent and acknowledge that he had done wrong.

 

What God did to David after this is also interesting. We might imagine that God would have David struck down, or removed as King, but no. David is punished, and the child that Bathsheba conceives dies. Then David takes Bathsheba as his wife, but then Bathsheba has another child by David and that turns out to be Solomon, the king who brings a reign of peace to Israel and also builds the temple.

 

So, God is saying a lot to us through this story. First, the importance of acknowledging our own wrongdoing. Secondly, that even when we have done wrong God can and will still work through us, bringing good even out of the worst mistakes we make. The important thing is that we do acknowledge our sins.

God confronts us when we sin because He loves us. He knows that sin hurts us and so God asks us to confess, so that we may be healed.

 

Moses was called to lead the people of Israel out of slavery. But when Moses was a young man, he saw one of his own people fighting with an Egyptian and he killed the Egyptian. The next day he realized he had been seen and so he fled the country. About 60 or so years later, God called Moses to lead the people of Israel from Egypt. Moses sin was not an obstacle to God.

 

Jesus freed Mary Magdalene from seven spirits and she had a bad reputation to begin with. And yet Jesus granted her the grace of being the first person to see Jesus after the resurrection. What a privilege! She is called the Apostle to the Apostles, because she then went to the Apostles to tell them what she had seen, although they did not believe her.

 

St. Peter denied Jesus three times and yet after he repented, God made him the first pope and leader of the Church.

 

What do these things tell us? Not only does God forgive us when we repent of sins, but God can still use us in amazing ways. Our sins are not an obstacle to God. The important thing is that we do repent of them.