First Sunday of Lent -- Year C
(Luke 4)
They said he had a glass jaw. Yet he must have packed a punch. Floyd Patterson was a boxer in the 1950's and 60's. He became the first heavyweight champion to regain his title. After he retired, the champ wrote a book he called Victory over Myself. That phrase might serve as the theme of today’s gospel reading, indeed of all Lent. It may be the devil who tempts us, as he does Jesus in the gospel, but temptations work through our inner desires. Each of us must struggle to attain a victory over himself or herself.
First, the devil lures Jesus with bread. We know this kind of temptation. We experience it every time we feel reckless desire in our sensual appetites. When we want a third beer or a peek at Internet porn, we are being tempted with the devil’s bread. But there is more here than temptation to satisfy one’s individual desires. Jesus is about to begin his public ministry. If Jesus starts turning rocks into bread, he could easily gain the allegiance of the masses. Would not the people stand by him if he daily filled their satchels with bread? This is the temptation to which parents succumb when they buy a PlayStation for their teen to win her affection. They should realize that they can only attain a child’s love through attentive care.
Of course, our temptations are not limited to sex and booze. Just as when the devil promises Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship, we are tempted to do bad to achieve good. We may want to lie on an application form to get a decent paying job. The social dimension of this temptation is easy to imagine. Jesus is promised that the whole world will attend Mass on Sunday if he just kneels before Satan. Politicians grab this offer when they vote against restrictions on abortion to assure their re-election. We must realize that doing evil cannot produce what is truly good. Very often, like running red lights to get to work on time, it ends in disaster.
There is yet another, more pernicious kind of temptation. Not only do we want to control other people’s lives, we also want God to serve us on demand! How many times have we made God our instance of last resort, turning to Him for help only when all else fails? How many times have we attributed our success to our own keen judgment rather than acknowledge God’s Providence? How many times have we worried incessantly about what will befall us rather than trust in God’s love? In the gospel Jesus is tempted to subject his Father to his own desire. But he refuses to do this. For Jesus it is always “Thy will be done.” During Lent we learn to follow Jesus in this way. Through our prayer, fasting, and charity we put ourselves in God’s hands trusting that He can only do us well.
We should notice how Jesus uses Scripture to successfully turn away the devil’s lures. “One does not live by bread alone”; “you shall worship the Lord, your God”; “You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test,” Jesus tells Satan. In the parish mission this week we will look to Scripture for a better understanding of our faith. We will examine both the Old Testament and the New; two gospels and one of Paul’s letter. Now, it is true that the devil can also quote the Bible so we will have to interpret the texts carefully. I hope that you find the result helpful in moving closer to God on the Lenten journey. We will begin with Mass at 8 in the morning and 7 in the evening. After mass there will be a talk for approximately forty-five minutes. We will also make time for questions about our faith and for confessions. By all means, come if you can.
The “Return of the Prodigal Son” is a painting by the Dutch master Rembrandt. It pictures a young man in tattered clothing kneeling before a bearded man with a splendid red cloak. The young man yielded to the devil’s lures, probably sex and booze along with more pernicious kinds of temptation. Then he remembered the attentive care his father gave all his workers. So he came back. Now, he lays his head in his father’s bosom and puts himself safe in his father’s hands. He is where we want to be after the Lenten journey. Safe in our Father’s hands.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Homily for Sunday, February 18, 2007
(Corinthians 15)
A skull may scare us. But it also may provoke us to think. A famous painting at the Smithsonian Institute shows Mary Magdalene fingering a skull. From the look on her face she seems to be pondering what life is all about. “Do we live for pleasure?” she apparently asks herself, “or is there more to life than that?” In the second reading St. Paul does not have a skull but holds in mind the image of the first man. He is going to provide an answer to Mary’s question.
Paul calls him Adam. The name means man. There are no pictures of him. But his image resides in each of us. Our genetic make-up very closely resembles his.
Adam comes from the earth. In fact, the name A-dam literally means from the earth. He and, therefore, we as well share characteristics of other earthly creatures. We hear, see, smell, et cetera in similar ways as bats and buffalos. Other kinds of animals may even surpass us in these capacities. But none puts them all together better. We cannot fly like a bird but we have invented the airplane. We cannot lift many times our own weight like an ant. But we have developed levers, pulleys and the hydraulic lift. Along with Adam we are the crowning achievement of God’s creation.
Again like other earthly creatures we mess up. In fact, often our debasements like our accomplishments supersede those of animals. Examples abound. One particularly worrisome human failing was reported a couple weeks ago. A survey found that 42 percent of Internet users between 10 and 17 years of age have viewed on-line pornography. Never mind that most often they did not intend to see it and did not call it up. Children’s attitudes toward sexuality are still distorted by it. Being the kind of beings they are, no doubt many return with friends to view more and varied images. For such crimes as pornography, humans have merited the destruction that will be pronounced on us this Wednesday. The priest will impose ashes on our foreheads with the sobering words, “Remember, man, that thou art dust and to dust you shall return.”
But God has given us a second chance. Paul calls this new opportunity, the “last Adam.” He is, of course, Jesus Christ, born of the Holy Spirit to redeem us from sin. As the first Adam was able to pass on his image through genetic code, the second Adam gives us his spiritual life through his death and resurrection. Spiritual life empowers us to transcend earthly tendencies to sin. We resist entanglement in pornography. If we cannot shield our children from all Internet abuse, we are enabled to model for them a caring sexuality.
More than anything else, the promise of heaven spurs us on. Yet in our society, we are often reticent about heaven. Perhaps life in the United States is so full of opportunities that we are reluctant to imagine the life to come. Yet for Paul, the Corinthians, and still for much of the world today hope of heaven brings consolation for the struggle on earth. We strive to carry out the commands of Jesus in the gospel today so that we may obtain his heavenly image. To love our enemies, to give to those who ask, to forgive our offenders become our transport to heaven.
One of our favorite images of Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In one portrayal he retrieves a lamb from entanglement in a thorny bush. That lamb, of course, is we ourselves as earthly creatures. The entanglement is Internet porn or hatred of enemies. Jesus is there to rescue us. He is always there.
A skull may scare us. But it also may provoke us to think. A famous painting at the Smithsonian Institute shows Mary Magdalene fingering a skull. From the look on her face she seems to be pondering what life is all about. “Do we live for pleasure?” she apparently asks herself, “or is there more to life than that?” In the second reading St. Paul does not have a skull but holds in mind the image of the first man. He is going to provide an answer to Mary’s question.
Paul calls him Adam. The name means man. There are no pictures of him. But his image resides in each of us. Our genetic make-up very closely resembles his.
Adam comes from the earth. In fact, the name A-dam literally means from the earth. He and, therefore, we as well share characteristics of other earthly creatures. We hear, see, smell, et cetera in similar ways as bats and buffalos. Other kinds of animals may even surpass us in these capacities. But none puts them all together better. We cannot fly like a bird but we have invented the airplane. We cannot lift many times our own weight like an ant. But we have developed levers, pulleys and the hydraulic lift. Along with Adam we are the crowning achievement of God’s creation.
Again like other earthly creatures we mess up. In fact, often our debasements like our accomplishments supersede those of animals. Examples abound. One particularly worrisome human failing was reported a couple weeks ago. A survey found that 42 percent of Internet users between 10 and 17 years of age have viewed on-line pornography. Never mind that most often they did not intend to see it and did not call it up. Children’s attitudes toward sexuality are still distorted by it. Being the kind of beings they are, no doubt many return with friends to view more and varied images. For such crimes as pornography, humans have merited the destruction that will be pronounced on us this Wednesday. The priest will impose ashes on our foreheads with the sobering words, “Remember, man, that thou art dust and to dust you shall return.”
But God has given us a second chance. Paul calls this new opportunity, the “last Adam.” He is, of course, Jesus Christ, born of the Holy Spirit to redeem us from sin. As the first Adam was able to pass on his image through genetic code, the second Adam gives us his spiritual life through his death and resurrection. Spiritual life empowers us to transcend earthly tendencies to sin. We resist entanglement in pornography. If we cannot shield our children from all Internet abuse, we are enabled to model for them a caring sexuality.
More than anything else, the promise of heaven spurs us on. Yet in our society, we are often reticent about heaven. Perhaps life in the United States is so full of opportunities that we are reluctant to imagine the life to come. Yet for Paul, the Corinthians, and still for much of the world today hope of heaven brings consolation for the struggle on earth. We strive to carry out the commands of Jesus in the gospel today so that we may obtain his heavenly image. To love our enemies, to give to those who ask, to forgive our offenders become our transport to heaven.
One of our favorite images of Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In one portrayal he retrieves a lamb from entanglement in a thorny bush. That lamb, of course, is we ourselves as earthly creatures. The entanglement is Internet porn or hatred of enemies. Jesus is there to rescue us. He is always there.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Homily for Sunday, February 11, 2007 (in Spanish)
Mírese en un espejo. ¿Qué ve? ¿Una imagen exacta? No, su mano derecha aparecerá como la mano izquierda en el espejo. Si, está llevando una camiseta con escrito, el escrito aparecerá inverso. Podemos decir que cada cosa reflejada en un espejo es el contrario de cómo aparece en la realidad, al menos según la dirección. Cuando Jesús habla del Reino de Dios en el evangelio hoy, está tratándolo como si fuera un espejo.
En la realidad actual, los pobres tienen que luchar para sobrevivir. En el Reino de Dios, ellos tendrán carne y tortillas en abundancia. En la realidad actual, los que lloran andan cabizbajos. En el Reino, van a bailar. En la realidad actual, algunos están despreciados. En el Reino, serán brindados como santos.
Sin embargo, no son todos los pobres que vayan a comer bien y no son todos los que lloran que vayan a alegrarse. No, Jesús tiene en cuenta aquí aquellos pobres que ponen a Dios como el arquitecto de sus vidas. Estos pobres viven llevando a cabo sus planes. Un muchacho estaba buscando comida entre los desechos en un gigante recipiente de basura. Cuando un hombre lo vio, le compró unos pedazos de pollo frito. El muchacho lo comió hasta que notara un gatito maullando a su lado. Entonces, el muchacho echó parte de su pollo al gatito. Este es un pobre que vale el Reino.
En el Reino los ricos también experimentarán una inversión. Si no confían en Dios, van a encontrarse empobrecidos. Esta semana se informó que una joven bellísima murió inesperadamente. Ella llamó la atención hace algunos años por casarse con un billonario de ochenta y pico años. Si no desfalleció de una dosis excesiva de drogas, es cierto que las tomaba. También, la mujer mentía mucho. Su madre dijo que lo importante para la bella era la plata – mentiría y vendería su afecto para hacerse rica. Evidentemente como muchas personas de este género, ella fue dejada muy decepcionada.
Cuando usted tiene un momento, mírese en un espejo. ¿Qué verá? ¿Una persona bellísima? Sí, es cierto porque Dios lo ha formado. También, ¿una persona que ha puesto a Dios como el arquitecto de su vida? Esperemos que sí. Llevando a cabo sus planes vale más que la plata. Vale un puesto en el Reino de Dios. Sí, vale el Reino.
En la realidad actual, los pobres tienen que luchar para sobrevivir. En el Reino de Dios, ellos tendrán carne y tortillas en abundancia. En la realidad actual, los que lloran andan cabizbajos. En el Reino, van a bailar. En la realidad actual, algunos están despreciados. En el Reino, serán brindados como santos.
Sin embargo, no son todos los pobres que vayan a comer bien y no son todos los que lloran que vayan a alegrarse. No, Jesús tiene en cuenta aquí aquellos pobres que ponen a Dios como el arquitecto de sus vidas. Estos pobres viven llevando a cabo sus planes. Un muchacho estaba buscando comida entre los desechos en un gigante recipiente de basura. Cuando un hombre lo vio, le compró unos pedazos de pollo frito. El muchacho lo comió hasta que notara un gatito maullando a su lado. Entonces, el muchacho echó parte de su pollo al gatito. Este es un pobre que vale el Reino.
En el Reino los ricos también experimentarán una inversión. Si no confían en Dios, van a encontrarse empobrecidos. Esta semana se informó que una joven bellísima murió inesperadamente. Ella llamó la atención hace algunos años por casarse con un billonario de ochenta y pico años. Si no desfalleció de una dosis excesiva de drogas, es cierto que las tomaba. También, la mujer mentía mucho. Su madre dijo que lo importante para la bella era la plata – mentiría y vendería su afecto para hacerse rica. Evidentemente como muchas personas de este género, ella fue dejada muy decepcionada.
Cuando usted tiene un momento, mírese en un espejo. ¿Qué verá? ¿Una persona bellísima? Sí, es cierto porque Dios lo ha formado. También, ¿una persona que ha puesto a Dios como el arquitecto de su vida? Esperemos que sí. Llevando a cabo sus planes vale más que la plata. Vale un puesto en el Reino de Dios. Sí, vale el Reino.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Homily for Sunday, February 4, 2007
(Luke 5)
The Super Bowl may be sold out. But scores of millions will watch it on television. They will keep one eye on the play of the quarterbacks. Which one can control the game? They will have the other on the coaches. How will the cool Lovie Smith of the Bears and the cooler Tony Dungy of the Colts maneuver their players? With similar interest the crowds pay attention to Jesus in the gospel we just read.
The people crowd around Jesus to hear the word of God. Sometimes we play down the importance of words. As children, we chirped, “Sticks and stone can break bones but words can never hurt me.” Yet we have witnessed the power of words. The eloquent words of Lincoln, “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” have shaped our love of country. We know that a few harsh words spoken with a mixture of contempt and ill-timing can provoke one man to kill another. What of God’s word then? It effectively consoles and advises us when we are in need. How can the people help but draw close to Jesus?
We should note that the “word of God” encompasses all the ways in which God reveals Himself to humans. Nature itself is a word of God since it was created by God to reveal His glory. The Bible or Scripture first voiced but eventually written comprises what most people think of as the word of God. Jesus himself is often identified as the “Word of God” since in him God reveals His full message for the entire world. Jesus’ spoken words do not differ from the one word but elaborate on it so that we might understand. We might think of the word of God as a spring of water. Every drop of water – every word -- does not differ from the water of the spring but incorporates it.
Jesus tells Peter, “Put out into deep water.” He is not only advising where to fish but also indicating the profundity of God’s word. Sometimes we think of the word of God as a general guide in life. It seems fair to “do unto others what you would have them do to you.” But we reserve the really large questions of existence for other sources of knowledge. With such a shallow perspective we will miss the depth of wisdom which the word of God offers. For example, a raging question today is intelligent design in evolution. The word of God shows how creation took place in stages culminating with the human species. This development indicates a priority of dignity to humans which should not be denied. Yet evolutionists who treat the human race as an accident of nature without any real priority seem to be doing just that. It may indeed be difficult to say whether God left traces of His design in fossil remains. But Scripture does tell us that the Creator did guide the development of creation.
Taking to heart the word of God by first meditating and then acting on it produces great rewards. Our lives grow not just more exemplary but happier. More importantly they become heaven-bound. The gospel indicates these benefits by the superabundant haul of fish. Peter and his partners are literally overwhelmed by the number. We cannot say that the word of God provides explicit solutions to all our problems. But it does give both direction and inspiration for making good decisions. More and more, reflection on the word of God is taking place in Catholic homes. Parishioners are coming together to discuss how Sunday Mass readings apply to their lives. In one parish such groups seem to keep the people united as time begins to pull them apart.
Seeing the immensity of the catch, Peter realizes that God’s power is at play here, not human know-how. He instinctively asks Christ to leave because he knows that he is not worthy to be in his presence. Seldom are we so honest. We generally see ourselves worthy of any opportunity. But we aren’t and we need to admit it. Our unworthiness is something like signing up for a course in physical chemistry, going to the first class where the lecturer uses terms that we never heard, much less understand, and knowing we don’t belong there. As the word of God is consoling, it also judges. It will provoke necessary guilt by pointing out where we go wrong.
But Christ will give us the means to correct our ways. He tells Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Since he is God, he can turn Peter’s situation around. Where Peter felt like he would die of shame, Jesus gives him a whole new life. John Paul II often quoted these words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid” to young people. “Don’t be afraid,” he would say, “to counter the trend by living chastely.” He might say to us today, “Don’t be afraid to live by the word of God.”
A couple of years ago an Alabama judge took the word of God on tour. Judge Roy Moore hauled a 5,280 pound monument with the Ten Commandments inscribed on it throughout the country. He wanted his case against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision removing the monument from his courthouse to enter people’s consciousness. The marble was not very big, but so sturdy that keeping an eye on the crane that moved it created a sense of overabundance. Of course, the word of God does not have to be encased in marble to have impact. Read, meditated and acted upon from a little Bible, it can give us a whole new life. That’s our hope now. In some way the word of God will give us new life.
The Super Bowl may be sold out. But scores of millions will watch it on television. They will keep one eye on the play of the quarterbacks. Which one can control the game? They will have the other on the coaches. How will the cool Lovie Smith of the Bears and the cooler Tony Dungy of the Colts maneuver their players? With similar interest the crowds pay attention to Jesus in the gospel we just read.
The people crowd around Jesus to hear the word of God. Sometimes we play down the importance of words. As children, we chirped, “Sticks and stone can break bones but words can never hurt me.” Yet we have witnessed the power of words. The eloquent words of Lincoln, “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” have shaped our love of country. We know that a few harsh words spoken with a mixture of contempt and ill-timing can provoke one man to kill another. What of God’s word then? It effectively consoles and advises us when we are in need. How can the people help but draw close to Jesus?
We should note that the “word of God” encompasses all the ways in which God reveals Himself to humans. Nature itself is a word of God since it was created by God to reveal His glory. The Bible or Scripture first voiced but eventually written comprises what most people think of as the word of God. Jesus himself is often identified as the “Word of God” since in him God reveals His full message for the entire world. Jesus’ spoken words do not differ from the one word but elaborate on it so that we might understand. We might think of the word of God as a spring of water. Every drop of water – every word -- does not differ from the water of the spring but incorporates it.
Jesus tells Peter, “Put out into deep water.” He is not only advising where to fish but also indicating the profundity of God’s word. Sometimes we think of the word of God as a general guide in life. It seems fair to “do unto others what you would have them do to you.” But we reserve the really large questions of existence for other sources of knowledge. With such a shallow perspective we will miss the depth of wisdom which the word of God offers. For example, a raging question today is intelligent design in evolution. The word of God shows how creation took place in stages culminating with the human species. This development indicates a priority of dignity to humans which should not be denied. Yet evolutionists who treat the human race as an accident of nature without any real priority seem to be doing just that. It may indeed be difficult to say whether God left traces of His design in fossil remains. But Scripture does tell us that the Creator did guide the development of creation.
Taking to heart the word of God by first meditating and then acting on it produces great rewards. Our lives grow not just more exemplary but happier. More importantly they become heaven-bound. The gospel indicates these benefits by the superabundant haul of fish. Peter and his partners are literally overwhelmed by the number. We cannot say that the word of God provides explicit solutions to all our problems. But it does give both direction and inspiration for making good decisions. More and more, reflection on the word of God is taking place in Catholic homes. Parishioners are coming together to discuss how Sunday Mass readings apply to their lives. In one parish such groups seem to keep the people united as time begins to pull them apart.
Seeing the immensity of the catch, Peter realizes that God’s power is at play here, not human know-how. He instinctively asks Christ to leave because he knows that he is not worthy to be in his presence. Seldom are we so honest. We generally see ourselves worthy of any opportunity. But we aren’t and we need to admit it. Our unworthiness is something like signing up for a course in physical chemistry, going to the first class where the lecturer uses terms that we never heard, much less understand, and knowing we don’t belong there. As the word of God is consoling, it also judges. It will provoke necessary guilt by pointing out where we go wrong.
But Christ will give us the means to correct our ways. He tells Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Since he is God, he can turn Peter’s situation around. Where Peter felt like he would die of shame, Jesus gives him a whole new life. John Paul II often quoted these words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid” to young people. “Don’t be afraid,” he would say, “to counter the trend by living chastely.” He might say to us today, “Don’t be afraid to live by the word of God.”
A couple of years ago an Alabama judge took the word of God on tour. Judge Roy Moore hauled a 5,280 pound monument with the Ten Commandments inscribed on it throughout the country. He wanted his case against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision removing the monument from his courthouse to enter people’s consciousness. The marble was not very big, but so sturdy that keeping an eye on the crane that moved it created a sense of overabundance. Of course, the word of God does not have to be encased in marble to have impact. Read, meditated and acted upon from a little Bible, it can give us a whole new life. That’s our hope now. In some way the word of God will give us new life.
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