Homily Ordinary 4B: A new teaching with authority: Jesus’ and ours

 Homily for 4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B 2021

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 · Mark 1:21-28

Introduction

“A new teaching with authority.”  That is how the people at the synagogue describe the teaching of Jesus.  But what gives a teacher authority?  What gives my homily today authority?  There are generally four things that give authority.

1. 1.    Who a person is: a celebrity, a politician, a professor, a priest etc.
2. 2.    What they say: the content, the substance of their teaching.
3. 3.    How they say it: their style, their manner of speaking gives them authority.
4. 4.    What they do: for actions speak louder than words.

Let us reflect on how Jesus fulfils all these four qualities.

Scripture and Theology

First, what is it about Jesus, about who he is that gives him authority?  After all, isn’t he Joseph’s boy, the carpenter’s son?  A carpenter’s opinion might carry some weight with regard to furniture, but not with regard to preaching.

And yet in our first reading today, we heard Moses tell the people of Israel: “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.”  Here is Moses, an important figure among the people of Israel, much like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington for this country.  And yet he is saying that God will raise up a prophet like him from the among the people.  And he asks them to listen to that prophet when he comes.  Jesus is that long-promised prophet, to whom the people must listen.

But of course, we know that Jesus is more than a prophet.  Even the unclean spirit whom Jesus drives out of the man acknowledges as much saying: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  Yes, Jesus is the Holy One of God.  Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus is God. That is what gives his words authority.

Secondly, besides being God, Jesus also taught with authority because of what he taught.  The gospel does not tell us what he said in his homily on that Sabbath, but we can assume that it was a powerful message.  For elsewhere, he teaches God's truth, and there is a freshness in the message that he teaches.  Being the prophet promised by Moses, he is the one of whom God says I “will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.”  In his teaching Jesus fulfils the promises God made in the Old Testament and raises them to new heights.  For example, he teaches not just about love, but also love of enemies as in the story of the Good Samaritan; he teaches about the indissolubility of marriage, bringing an end to the possibility of divorce; he teaches about the need to reach out to sinners and lepers; in the Beatitudes he teaches about what brings about true blessings, true happiness; and in the Bread of Life Discourse, he teaches about his Flesh and Blood, the bread of Life.  Jesus’ teaching has authority, because what he says is true and profound.

Besides who he is, besides his powerful message, the third quality of Jesus’ teaching is his style.  Like any faithful Jew, Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath.  The synagogue was run by lay people, unlike the temple which was run by priests.  And so the synagogue service on Sabbath did not consist in offering sacrifice, but rather in reading from the Bible and preaching.  Think of Bible Study or in the mission churches without priests that have a service of the Word on Sunday.  And so anybody from the community could be chosen to read and to preach.  On this particular Sabbath, perhaps because he was already getting famous as a teacher, Jesus was chosen to read and teach.

And they were surprised.  When he taught, he taught them as one having authority, not as their scribes.  For when the scribes taught, they did so by quoting other authorities, like past rabbis and authors known for their wisdom.  They would say things like: “As Rabbi Shammai taught . . . or as the Prophet Isaiah prophesied.” They taught the way priests like me teach.  I don’t preach on my own authority; I make reference to what Jesus said, what the apostles said, what the Popes said.  Essentially I teach by name-dropping, relying on people with more knowledge and expertise than I have.  The scribes taught the way students write essays.  If you are writing an essay about American history, for example, you will try to bolster your argument with quotes from authorities like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King.  For these people add weight, add authority to your teaching.

But Jesus does not teach like that; he does not rely on any other authority. He is his own authority.  In today's passage, for example, when he drives out the demon he does say “in the name of God I command you to leave this man.”  He simply says: “Quiet! Come out of him!”  He teaches with authority.

The fourth reason that the teaching of Jesus had authority was that it was accompanied by powerful actions.  As we have just seen, after teaching, Jesus healed a man possessed by an unclean spirit.  He translated his words into actions.  When they saw that miracle, they said: "What is this?  A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." 

Throughout the gospels, Jesus performs miracles and wonders, not only to make people better, but also to convince them of his message.  In John's gospel, for example, he says: "even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father" (Jn. 10:38).  The healing of this man had the same effect on the people.

Christian Life and Conclusion

I would like to draw two lessons from this message for us.  First, does the teaching of Jesus still command any authority over us today?  Are we as impressed by what Jesus tells us through his Church, as were the people in that synagogue on that Sabbath?

A recent survey revealed that on many moral issues, American Catholics are not that different in their beliefs from their non-Catholic brethren.

·        Catholics are just as likely as non-Catholics to choose against the life of the unborn, the sanctity of life from natural conception to natural death.

·        Catholics are just as likely as non-Catholics to support the death penalty.

·        Catholics are just as likely as non-Catholics to support policies that adversely affect the poor and most vulnerable, refugees and immigrants.

In other words, does the teaching of Jesus on these things, even when delivered by less perfect instruments like the men who serve as our Popes and Bishops, affect us at all?  Do we take seriously the words of Jesus to those he sends out: “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Lk. 10:16)?

A second take-away message is how we deal with authority in our ordinary lives.  Apart from Jesus and his Church, who wields authority over us?  How do we wield authority over others?  There is a crisis of authority in our society today.  On the one hand people don’t listen to those who have authority to teach by virtue of their training and expertise, children don’t listen to teachers and parents, patients to medical personnel, citizens to law enforcement.  On the other hand, those in authority don’t exercise it well, sometimes abusing it, but more often simply abdicating their roles as when parents or teachers choose to be friends rather than mentors of those under their charge.

May we learn from Jesus, how to exercise authority well, by living up to who we are, by teaching substance, by teaching in a style that convinces others, and by doing what we say. But first, we ourselves must first obedient to Jesus, the Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Homily Ordinary 3B: The Pope and Bishops: fishers of men and women today

 Homily for 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B 2021

Jonah 3:1-5,10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

Introduction

We have just heard how he picked four fishermen to be his apostles: Simon and Andrew, James and John.  Today’s corporate hiring experts, however, might seriously question the criteria Jesus uses in choosing his Apostles. 

The experts might ask: why Jesus picked fishermen and not people with the skill set usually associated with the kind of ministry he was offering them. He could have picked people with public speaking skills like lawyers – and there were many lawyers, especially among the scribes and Pharisees.  He could have picked people with some religious training like the priests – and there were many priests, especially among the Sadducees.

Scripture and Theology

But perhaps Jesus knows something about fishing and fishermen that makes them the ideal candidates for his ministry.  That is why he says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  For the fisherman of fish brings some qualities to Christ’s ministry of fishing men: patience, humility and fishing itself.

Recently, I was watching the movie Forrest Gump for the millionth time and noticed something that I had not observed before, that fishermen are patient.  When Forrest begins his shrimping business to fulfil the promise that he made to his dead buddy Bubba, at first things don't go well.  He does not catch much shrimp for a long time.  But he does not give up.  That is the patience that a good fisherman soon learns, a quality that a good minister of Christ should have.

But the fisherman also needs humility to realize that much of his success is out of his hands.  Many factors will determine if he catches any fish at all.  Going back to Forrest Gump, he was only successful because a hurricane wiped out his competitors and he was the last man standing.  In Christ's ministry too, ministers have to depend on God's providence and not just on their own gifts.  God is the power behind the work of their hands.

And so, it is fitting that Jesus called fishermen and tasked them with redirecting their skills for the mission of fishing men and women for God.

Jonah, in our first reading was also an unlikely candidate for his mission.  God called him and sent him to Nineveh, a foreign city probably in present-day Iraq. But Jonah ran away.  Instead of going East, he got onto a boat heading to the West, to get as far away as possible.  We know the story of how there was a great storm, and after he drew the short straw to indicate he was to blame, he was thrown overboard by his fellow sailors to calm the storm.  And then he was swallowed by a fish, in whose belly he stayed for three days, just like Jesus will.  While in the belly and after he realized the error of his ways and returned to his mission.  The reluctant candidate would go on to deliver the message to the people, telling them, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”

Nineveh was a very large city needing three days to walk through it.  But Jonah had barely gone through a third of the city, when the people were convicted by his words.  Not only did they now believe God, but they also proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth, including the animals if you read on the rest of the passage.  God saw their response and he forgave them.  Like he tends to do, God used the services of Jonah to fish these people out of their sinfulness and bring them to conversion.  He anticipates the work of evangelization that Andrew and Simon, James and John will do for Jesus.

Christian Life

The fishing trip on which Jesus sent his apostles continues today; in fact, the Pope and the Bishops today are the successors of these apostles Jesus commissioned to become fishers of men.  What Jonah did for the people of Nineveh, preaching a message of repentance, our shepherds continue to do today.  Are we listening and converting like the Ninevites did?

This past week was marked by three events of national significance.

·        On Monday we remembered the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

·        On Wednesday we marked the inauguration of a new President and Vice-President and other national leaders of the country.

·        On Friday, we marked the 48^th anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision.

Our shepherds, Pope Francis and the Bishops, used these events as occasions to remind us about certain themes from the teaching of Jesus.

To mark Martin Luther King’s birthday Pope Francis wrote a message that said: “In today’s world, which increasingly faces the challenges of social injustice, division and conflict that hinder the realization of the common good, Dr King’s dream of harmony and equality for all people, attained through nonviolent and peaceful means, remains ever timely.”  How often we need to hear again and again that racism is a sin and work to ensure that every human being is treated with equal dignity, regardless of their race.  How often we must listen to our shepherds preach to us a message of freedom, peace and justice.

For his presidential inauguration message, the Holy Father prayed that the new administration “will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice.”  He also asked God to guide the efforts of the administration so that they can “foster understanding, reconciliation and peace within the United States and among the nations of the world in order to advance the universal common good.”  Given the state of our country, we need to listen very attentively to this message for unity and reconciliation, both as a country and as a world.

For their part, the US bishops also congratulated the new president and administration and pledged to work with them for the common good.  Like the Pope they expressed the same hopes of national healing and reconciliation, founded in America’s foundation to be one nation under God committed to liberty and equality for all.  But in very clear terms they also called out the new administration’s “policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender,” as well as those policies that threaten “the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.”  This is also a message that we need to hear today, just like the people of Nineveh.  We must recommit ourselves to uphold life, especially the life of the unborn, who like Pope Francis said, have no voice of their own.

Conclusion

The life to which God calls his messengers is not an easy one.  That is why Jonah could be forgiven for running away.  As we know the life of a real fisherman who earns his bread on the water, is similarly a hard one.  Jesus is not inviting Andrew and Simon, James and John, our Holy Father and Bishops, to go on a cozy, recreational fishing trip, that people do on a full stomach and cooler filled with beer.  This is not fishing out of a fish pond or fish tank.  This is one back-breaking, dangerous fishing trip.

That is why we must pray for our shepherds, the successors of the apostles, that they may be courageous in preaching the message of Jesus: “repent and believe in the gospel.”  May they preach this message in season and out of season.  May they, with God’s grace, with our help, bring in a great catch, and so gather into his heavenly kingdom, all God's children, all our brothers and sisters.

Homilia Ordinario 2B: Ayudar a las vocaciones a escuchar la voz de Dios

 Homilía 2o domingo del tiempo ordinario Año B 2021

1 Samuel 3:3-10,19; 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20; John 1:35-42

Introducción

¿Cómo se convierten en estrellas del deporte personas como Drew Brees y Oscar de la Hoya? ¿Jennifer López o Antonio Banderas, como se convierten en grandes actores? ¿Y Nelson Mandela y Martin Luther King, cuyo legado de trabajo por la dignidad humana y la igualdad celebramos esta semana, como se convierten en grandes líderes?

Creo que a menudo olvidamos que no siempre fueron las celebridades que conocemos. Olvidamos que tienen una historia de fondo, una que implica mucha preparación, trabajo duro y mucho sudor, incluso sufrimiento. Para apreciar plenamente su éxito, primero debemos comprender cómo lo lograron.

Escritura y teología

Las lecturas de hoy también nos brindan una especie de celebridades, personas a las que Dios da grandes responsabilidades.

·        Samuel fue llamado a ser profeta de Dios, un hacedor de reyes que eligió y ungió tanto a Saúl como a David, los dos primeros reyes de Israel.

·        Andrés y su hermano Simón fueron llamados a ser discípulos y luego se convirtieron en Apóstoles de Jesús. De hecho, a Simón le cambiarían el nombre a Pedro, que significa roca y sería el capitán del barco que llamamos Iglesia. En una especie de historia de la pobreza a la riqueza, el pescador se convirtió en Papa.

Pero todos estos hombres tienen una historia de fondo, sobre la que me gustaría que reflexionemos hoy. Si bien Dios puede llamar a quien quiera, en cualquier momento que quiera y convertirlos en profetas o apóstoles instantemente, no es así como suele actuar. A menudo, como hizo con Samuel y los dos hermanos, se toma su tiempo para preparar ellos, generalmente a través de la mediación y la ayuda de otras personas.

Empecemos por Samuel. Era el único hijo de Ana, su madre. No había podido darle un hijo a su esposo durante muchos años y había sufrido las burlas de la otra esposa. Pero después de escuchar sus repetidos llantos, Dios intervino y ella dio a luz a Samuel. Uno pensaría que una mujer así, cuando finalmente tuviera un hijo, se aferraría a él. Pero Ana, en agradecimiento, devolvió al niño a Dios y se lo entregó al sacerdote Elí para que lo criara para el servicio del Señor. El niño creció en la casa del Señor, una especie de aprendizaje. En su caso, el oficio que aprendió no fue la carpintería ni la plomería, sino la obra del Señor.

Elí jugaría un trabajo aún más importante en el llamado de Samuel como acabamos de escuchar. Tres veces Samuel no sabe que es Dios quien lo llama, pensando que es Elí, su maestro, quien lo llama. Solo después de consultar con Elí, Samuel se da cuenta de que es Dios quien lo llama. Necesitaba la ayuda de Elí, quien le dijo: “Ve a acostarte, y si te llama alguien, responde: ‘Habla, Señor; tu siervo te escucha’”. Elí era un audífono esencial, que le permitió a Samuel escuchar la voz del Señor.

De manera similar, con Andrés y Pedro, Dios usó a otras personas para prepararlos para su llamado. Como ya vimos, Andrés y otro discípulo eran seguidores de Juan el Bautista.  Estos hombres habían escuchado todo lo que el Bautista les había enseñado acerca de la venida del Mesías, acerca de la necesidad de preparar los caminos, acerca de que el Reino estaba cerca. Es probable que también se hubieran sometido al bautismo de arrepentimiento de Juan, una señal de conversión de una vida de pecado a una vida de justicia mientras esperaba la venida del Mesías. Y luego, como escuchamos hoy, Juan literalmente les señaló a Jesús diciendo: “Éste es el Cordero de Dios.” En otras palabras, estaba diciendo, "muchachos, el hombre del que les he estado hablando está ahí; vayan con él". Juan los preparó para convertirse en discípulos de Jesús.

Pero tenían que hacer más preparación. Se acercaron a Jesús y le preguntaron: “¿Dónde vives, Rabí?” Esa fue su forma de decir: "Señor, queremos vivir con usted y aprender de usted". Y Jesús respondió “Vengan a ver”. Y se quedaron con él durante tres años para aprender de él.

Además, lo que Juan el Bautista hizo por Andrés y su amigo, preparándolos y empujándolos hacia Jesús, Andrés lo haría por su hermano Simón. Iría a él y le diría: "Hemos encontrado al Mesías". Lo llevaría a Jesús y, como dicen, el resto es historia.

Vida cristiana

El Señor sigue llamando a la gente hoy. Existe un llamado básico para todos nosotros a ser discípulos, a ser cristianos. Y dentro de esta llamada más amplia, cada uno de nosotros está llamado a una vocación específica, como el sacerdocio, la vida religiosa, el matrimonio y, para algunos, la vida de soltero. Necesitamos ser los instrumentos que Dios usa para llamar a las personas hoy. ¿Podemos ser Elí para los Samueles de hoy? ¿Podemos ser Juan el Bautista para los Andrés de hoy? ¿Podemos ser Andrés para los Simones de hoy?

En mi viaje vocacional, he tenido muchos Elis, Juan Bautistas y Andrés. He tenido muchos maestros. Estas monjas y hermanos, sacerdotes y diáconos, catequistas y maestros, me dieron las habilidades y el conocimiento para que pudiera escuchar la voz del Señor y responder apropiadamente: “Habla, SEÑOR, tu siervo te escucha”.

Y, sin embargo, el verdadero viaje que me llevó a mi ordenación hace casi veintitrés años comenzó en casa de mi familia. Mamá me puso en este viaje, cuando nos enseñó a mis hermanos ya mí, el Padre Nuestro, el Ave María y la Gloria al Padre; cuando nos contó historias bíblicas de una manera que pudiéramos entender, muchas de las cuales todavía recuerdo hoy; cuando nos llevó a la iglesia el domingo, incluso cuando teníamos que caminar cinco millas hasta la iglesia. Ella me hizo posible conocer a Jesús, enamorarme de Jesús y estar listo cuando me llamó a ser sacerdote, para decir: “Sí, aquí estoy, Señor; Vengo a hacer tu voluntad."

De manera similar, quizás muchos de ustedes también hayan respondido a su llamado, porque primero asistieron a esa escuela tan importante de mamá y papá. En una conferencia sobre vocaciones hace unos años, un padre joven ansioso preguntó al orador: "¿Cuál es la mejor manera para mí de inspirar vocación en mis hijos?" La monja le dijo: “empieza por amar y cuidar a tu esposa”. Cuando los niños vean el amor entre mamá y papá, aprenderán también cómo ser buenos maridos y buenas esposas, cómo ser buenos sacerdotes y buenos diáconos, buenas monjas y buenos hermanos.

Además de nuestros maestros en la escuela, además de nuestras familias, hay un grupo más que es crucial para fomentar la vocación: ustedes los feligreses comunes. ¿Alienta a sus compañeros feligreses a perseguir su vocación matrimonial, religiosa o sacerdotal? ¿Le ha acercado a un joven y le ha dicho: "Pareces tu uno que sería un buen sacerdote?" ¿Le ha acercado a una pareja joven que está saliendo, o que está recién casada, pero tiene algunos problemas, animándolos en su compromiso, dándoles algún consejo de su experiencia? ¿Le ha sido Elí, Juan el Bautista y Andrés para otros?

Conclusión

Hoy no tenemos muchos sacerdotes, religiosos, incluso matrimonios duraderos. Especialmente no tenemos muchos sacerdotes y religiosos Latinos.  Algunos podrían pensar que el Señor ha dejado de llamar a las personas a las vocaciones, como lo hizo en el pasado. Pero creo que Dios todavía está llamando a la gente; somos nosotros los que hemos dejado de ser sus intermediarios. Necesitamos ayudar a otros a escuchar su voz.

¿Le imagina los sentimientos del entrenador de secundaria de Drew Brees al verlo jugar en la Superbowl? ¿Le imagina los sentimientos de la profesora de teatro de secundaria de Eva Longoria al verla ganar un Oscar? ¿Puede imaginarse los sentimientos del maestro de religión de Martin Luther King al verlo dar su discurso “Tengo un sueño en el Lincoln Memorial”?

¿Le imagina a si mismo teniendo sentimientos similares cuando uno de sus protegidos sigue el llamado de Dios a su vocación? Y cuando llegue a la puerta del cielo, ¿puede dar cuenta a Dios de cuántas vocaciones ha fomentado?

Homily Ordinary 2B: Helping vocations hear God’s voice

 Homily for 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B 2021

1 Samuel 3:3-10,19; 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20; John 1:35-42

Introduction

How do people like Drew Brees and Michael Jordan become sports stars?  How do people like Denzel Washington or Meryl Streep become great actors?  How do people like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King whose legacy of working for human dignity and equality we celebrate this week, become great leaders?

I think that we often forget that they were not always the celebrities we know.  We forget that they have a back story, one that involves much preparation, back-breaking hard work and tonnes of sweat, even suffering.  To fully appreciate their success, we must first understand how they achieved it.

Scripture and Theology

Today’s readings also provide us with celebrities of sorts, people who God gives great responsibilities.

·        Samuel was called to be a prophet of God, a king-maker who chose and anointed both Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel;

·        Andrew and his brother Simon were called to be disciples and later become Apostles of Jesus.  In fact, Simon would have his name changed to Cephas, or Peter, which means rock and would captain the ship we call the Church.  In a rags-to-riches kind of story, the fisherman became pope.

But all these men have a back story, which I would like us to reflect on today.    While God can call anybody he wants, any time he wants and make them prophets or apostles overnight, that is not how he usually operates.  Often, like he did with Samuel and the two brothers, he takes his time working on them in the background, usually through the mediation and help of other people.

Let's start with Samuel.  He was the only son of Hannah his mother.  She had been unable to give her husband a child for many years and had suffered the taunts of the other wife.  But after hearing her repeated cries, God intervened and she gave birth to Samuel.  You would think that such a woman, when she finally got a son, would cling to him.  But Hannah in gratitude instead gave the boy back to God, giving him to the priest Eli, to raise him for the service of the Lord.  The boy grew up in the house of the Lord, a kind of apprenticeship.  In his case the trade he learnt was not carpentry or plumping, but the work of the Lord.

Eli would play an even more important role in the calling of Samuel as we just heard.  Three times Samuel does not know it is God calling him, thinking that it is Eli, his teacher, calling.  Only after conferring with Eli does Samuel realize that it is God calling.  He needed the help of Eli who told him: "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."  Eli was an essential hearing-aid, who enabled Samuel hear the voice of the Lord.

Similarly, with Andrew and Peter, God used other people to prepare them for their calling.  As we saw already, Andrew and another disciple, were followers of John the Baptist.  These men had heard everything that the Baptist had taught them about the coming of the Messiah, about the need to prepare the pathways, about the Kingdom being at hand!  It is likely they had also undergone John's baptism of repentance, a sign of converting from a life of sin to a life of righteousness as they awaited the coming of the Messiah.  And then as we heard today, John literally pointed Jesus out to them saying “Behold, the Lamb of God.”  In other words, he was saying, "guys, the man I have been telling you about is right there; go to him."  John prepared them to become disciples of Jesus.

But there was more preparation in store for these new disciples.  They went to Jesus and asked him: “where are you staying?”  That was their way of saying, “Sir, we want to live with you and learn from you.”  And Jesus responded “come and you will see.”  And they stayed with him for three years to learn from him.

In addition, what John the Baptist did for Andrew and his friend, preparing and nudging them towards Jesus, Andrew would do that for his brother Simon.  He would go to him and tell him, "We have found the Messiah." He would bring him to Jesus, and as they say, the rest is history.

Christian Life

The Lord continues to call people today.  There is the basic call for us all to be disciples, to be Christians.  And within this wider call, each of us is called to a specific vocation, such as the priesthood, the religious life, marriage and for some the single life.  We need to be the instruments God uses to call people today.  Can we be Eli to the Samuels of today? Can we be John the Baptist to the Andrews of today?  Can we be Andrew to the Simons of today?

In my vocationak journey, I have had many Elis, John the Baptists and Andrews.  I have had the privilege of attending many good schools and had many great teachers.  These nuns and brothers, priests and deacons, catechists and teachers, gave me the skills and knowledge, so that I could hear the voice of the Lord and respond appropriately, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

And yet, I would say that despite all the help I received in school and seminary, the real journey that led to my ordination nearly twenty-three years ago begun at home in my family.  Mom set me on this journey, when she taught my siblings and me, the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father; when she told us Bible stories in a way that we could understand, many of which stories I still remember today; when she took us to church on Sunday, even when that meant walking five miles to church.  She made it possible for me to know Jesus, fall in love with Jesus and be ready when he called me to be a priest, to say, “Yes, Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will."

Similarly, perhaps many of you have also responded to your calling, because first you attended that all-important school of mom and dad.  At a conference about vocations a few years ago one anxious young father asked the speaker: “What is the best way for me to inspire vocation in my children?”  The nun who was giving the talk told him: “start by loving and caring for your wife.”  When the children see the love between mom and dad, they will learn too how to be good husbands and good wives, how to be good priests and good deacons, good nuns and brothers.

Besides our teachers in school, besides our families, there is one more group that is crucial in fostering vocation: you the ordinary parishioners.  Do you encourage fellow parishioners to pursue their vocations of marriage, religious life or the priesthood?  Have you come up to a young man and said: “You look like one who would make a darn good priest?” Have you come up to a young couple that is dating, or that is newly married but having some problems, encouraging them in their commitment, giving some advice from your experience?  Have you been Eli, John the Baptist and Andrew to others outside your family?

Conclusion

Today we have a shortage of priests, religious, even lasting marriages.  Some might think that the Lord has stopped calling people to vocations, like he did in the past.  But I think God is still calling people; it is we who have stopped serving as his intermediaries.  We need to step up to the plate to prepare and help people to hear his voice.

Can you imagine the feelings of the high school coach of Drew Brees watching him play in the Superbowl?  Can you imagine the feelings of the high school drama teacher of Meryl Streep watching her win an Oscar? Can you imagine the feelings of the religion teacher of Martin Luther King seeing him give his “I have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial”?

Can you imagine yourself having similar feelings, when one of your proteges follows God’s call to their vocation?  And when you will arrive at heaven’s gate, can you give an account to God, of how many vocations you have fostered?

Homily Baptism of the Lord B: Fulfilling all righteousness

 Homily for Baptism of the Lord Year B 2021

Isaiah 55:1-11; 1 John 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11

Introduction

We know that Baptism takes away sins.  So, why is Jesus, the Son of God, who was without sin, undergoing this ritual meant for the forgiveness of sins?  But an even more intriguing question is this: why did the evangelists write about this event in the gospels, knowing very well that it would embarrass the Church by having the Messiah receive baptism from John the Baptist?

Scripture and Theology

To the first question of why Jesus underwent baptism, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus himself tells us why.  When John the Baptist protested to Jesus saying: "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me? (Mt. 3:13-15), "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness" (Mt. 3:15).

But what does it mean to fulfil all righteousness?  The Catechism tells us that “Jesus' gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying” (CCC 1224).  In other words, he is doing those things that a righteous Jewish person was expected to do: going to synagogue on the Sabbath, going to the temple, paying taxes and now coming to John for a baptism of repentance. For when in the Creed we profess that Jesus became man, we profess that Jesus was indeed fully man as he was also fully God.  We have to avoid a heresy that first arose in the early Church which taught that Jesus was only God, with his humanity as some kind of facade.  But if he was really man, then he had to act like it, act like a righteous man.  And by undergoing this baptism, Jesus showed that he a righteous man.

The Catechism also says that by his baptism Jesus was accepting and starting his “mission as God's suffering Servant” (CCC 536).  As we know Jesus’ mission was to die for our sins.  And so, “He is already ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’. Already he is anticipating the ‘baptism’ of his bloody death” (CCC 536).   In other words, by humiliating himself in undergoing this baptism Jesus is anticipating what he is going to do on the Cross.  Even in the Christmas story we have already seen his humility, born of lowly parents, born in a stable, forced to become a refugee as a baby.  And later on, in his ministry, he will continue to do the same thing, identifying himself with tax-collectors, prostitutes and sinners.  And so, this theme of humility and solidarity with sinners is found even in his baptism.  By undergoing this baptism, Jesus humbled himself, identifying himself with sinners, who needed the baptism.  Jesus goes down into the water and sanctifies it, so that we can be purified by it.

And now let us move on to the second question.  Why did the evangelists include this story in the gospels?  They could have left it out, just as they leave out many things that Jesus said and did during his teenage years and in his twenties.  They could have left it out so as not to give ammunition to a small group of the followers of John the Baptist, who believed him, not Jesus, to be the Messiah.

But like many things Christian, the evangelists do not shy away from the truth, however complicated and many-sided it might be.  Unlike modern men and women who want simplistic “either . . . or” answers to their questions, Christianity accepts “both . . . and” answers.  And so, to the question of whether Jesus should have been baptized by John, the evangelists give us a two-sided or a “both . . . and” answer.  They don’t see anything wrong with holding as both true, on the one hand the fact that Jesus is fully God and without sin, and on the other hand, the fact that Jesus underwent a ritual meant for sinners.  They have the intellectual capacity to handle both facts without compromising anything of the truth.  They understand that our faith is much broader than a single point of doctrine.  And that is why they can report that Jesus was baptised by John, because they know that it will not change one tiny bit, the truth of who is he is.

Christian Life

If you look at our catechism, we have many such apparent contradictions in our Catholic teaching.  Let me give you twelve such examples.  We believe that:

1.      God is both One Divine Nature and a Trinity of Three Divine Persons.

2.      Jesus is both Fully Human and Fully Divine.

3.      Jesus is both Son of Mary and Son of God.

4.      Mary is both Mother of God and Mother of Jesus the man.

5.      The Christian religion is based on both Scripture and Tradition.

6.      The Church is both a Divine Mystery and a Human Institution.

7.      The Church is both One Universal "Body of Christ" and Many Particular Local Communities.

8.      Christ's priesthood is the basis of both the Priesthood of All Believers and the Ministerial Priesthood.

9.      Our salvation is a result of both God's Grace (a free gift) and Our Cooperation (accepting the gift).

10.  We can know God through both Faith and Reason.

11.  Our world can be understood through both Religion and Science.

12.  On Judgement Day God will be both Merciful and Just.

The Eucharist is also one of those “both . . . and” doctrines.  Our Archbishop has decided that in addition to the Year of St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis, during this year we focus on the Eucharist, especially after going through a year in which our access to it has been limited thanks to the pandemic. During this year we will have a chance to explore the many apparently contradictory truths.

For example, the Eucharist is both the Sacrifice of Christ and a Community Meal of Thanksgiving.  In the Eucharist we receive what appears to be the bread and wine, but what we also know that to be really the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  In the Eucharist we can receive from one species, like the host or from the cup, but we believe that we receiving the whole Christ, his body and soul, humanity and divinity.  In the Eucharist we can receive even a tiny piece of the host, perhaps because the priest did not consecrate enough hosts, as I have done on a couple of occasions; but we still believe that we are receiving the full Christ, and we are receiving the full benefits of communion with God.

We are able to believe these things only because we have inherited the same manner of approaching our faith that the apostles and evangelists taught us, a manner that is not afraid to confront head-on complex realities, a manner that is not satisfied with simplistic answers.  Unfortunately, many today, including some Catholics, have instead adopted a manner of thinking that is more akin to Evangelical preachers than to our venerable tradition.  They choose one aspect of the faith and run with that, ignoring everything else.  For example, recently, some have rejected the guidance of the Church, given both by our bishops and by the Holy Father, on how we might respond to this pandemic, particularly regarding the use of vaccines.  And they do this, because they are anchored to one particular issue ignoring all others.

Conclusion

As we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, we should reflect on the meaning of our own baptism.  We know that, our baptism by removing original sin from us and by making us adopted children of the Father, set us on a lifelong journey of growing in faith, hope and love.  By our baptism we undertook to believe all those things that Jesus teaches us through his Church.  We must remain faithful to the full teaching of Jesus in his Church, even those things like his baptism, which we don’t fully understand.  So that, when we come to the end of our earthly journey, God the Father will say to us those words he said to Jesus at his baptism: “You are my beloved Son/Daughter; with you I am well pleased.”

Homily Epiphany B: All the nations shall adore the Lord

 Homily for Epiphany Year B 2021

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Introduction

We have just heard the story of the magi, the three wise men from the East, arriving in Jerusalem and asking to see the new-born king of the Jews, so as to give him homage.  Let us put ourselves in the shoes of the people of Jerusalem, as they received these three foreign guests, these pagan visitors.

So, imagine tomorrow, three Buddhist monks from Thailand, all decked up in their orange habits, knocked at your door and asked you to direct them to the nearest Catholic Church, because they wanted to pray.  Or imagine three Arab Muslims, again all decked up in their robes and hijabs, showing up and asking for similar directions.  What would your response be?  Would you not probably wonder at the intentions of these non-Catholics, these foreigners?

The people of Israel experienced a similar tension throughout their history.  They knew that they were certainly God’s chosen people, but they were not very sure about the status of the pagans, the Gentiles, the non-Jews.  The visit of the magi and indeed today’s feast of the Epiphany can help resolve that tension.

Scripture and Theology

In today's first reading we heard Isaiah tell the people of Jerusalem that they were God’s chosen people alright and their day of glory would come, but also that through them the Gentiles would also be saved.  Isaiah tells Jerusalem: “upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.”  But then he quickly adds that: “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” In other words, other nations on seeing the glory of the Lord upon his special people, will also come to him and be faithful to him.  That is why Isaiah says: “Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.”  Yes, all nations gather and come to Israel, because she has the way to salvation.  Isaiah concludes this passage by saying: "the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.  Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD."  The regions mentioned here include virtually the known world of the time, as far as Sheba which is located in present-day Ethiopia.  And so, Isaiah, writing about 700 years before the birth of Christ already expressed the idea that salvation was open to all nations through God’s chosen people, Israel.

As you can imagine, the people of Israel had mixed feelings about this belief.  If they were God’s special people, why does he reach out to others also?  In fact, the prophets had already been challenging them not to take their special election for granted, not to be complacent, not to be arrogant.  Amos and Jeremiah especially challenge them to remain faithful to God and avoid sin, as a way of living to their special calling by God (Am. 3:2, 9:7; Jer. 7:1-12. Cf. Is. 28:14 ff.; Mic. 3:11; Deut. 7 & 8).  For with every special calling, comes a special mission or as Spiderman reminds us, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

And how is Israel, how is Jerusalem, going to be the source of light for the nations?  The answer is to be found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus, the Son of God, came into this world through the Jewish nation, to save not only the Jews but the whole world.  That is why St. Paul can confidently write to the Ephesians, as we heard in today’s second reading, that God’s grace, “has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”  In other words, that prophecy of Isaiah, is now fulfilled in Jesus.  Since the coming of Jesus, now even the Gentiles are invited to the way of salvation.  And that is why these foreign magi also come looking for the newborn king.

Ten days ago, at Christmas, we celebrated the revelation of God's Son to the world, in the person of the baby Jesus, that was born in Bethlehem.  We have seen him revealed first to some Jewish people.  On the night he was born, the Jewish shepherds of Bethlehem welcomed the child Jesus and the good news of salvation that his birth brought.  At his presentation in the Temple, the baby would be welcomed by the Prophets Simeon and Anna, also Jews.

Today we celebrate his revelation, his manifestation, his epiphany to the rest of the world. The Magi, also called the three wise men from East, represent the pagan world, the non-Jews, the Gentiles.  Perhaps it was of them that Isaiah had said that they would “come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.”  They came to do what our responsorial Psalm prayed for: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!"  They came to see the king who would "rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. . ..”

But let us not forget the question of the three wise men: “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?”  We must remember that the Jewish people have a special place in God's plan of salvation, one that even now, God has not repented.   We can think of the Jewish people as being like yeast that is not meant to be eaten by itself, but is meant to leaven up the whole batch of dough.  And so, God chose them and worked through them, and sent Jesus through them, so that they would be a light for the whole world.  For as we know, a flashlight is shone, not to illuminate itself, but so that others can see better by it.

Christian Life

My friends, in many ways we are also God’s special people, his chosen ones.  We are privileged to know Jesus Christ, to receive his Word and sacraments regularly.  We are privileged to a country of material plenty, peace and freedom.  We are each privileged with personal gifts, resources and circumstances.  How do we use that special election, our privilege?

As a priest, I know first-hand what it means to have certain privileges that others don’t have.  Everywhere I go wearing my collar, people, even non-Catholics welcome me with kindness.  I have even gotten away with a speeding ticket or two because the nice police officer was kind to me on account of my being a priest.  At a reception, despite my protests, people will usher me to the head of the line. These are not privileges to take for granted, but to be grateful for and use for building God’s Kingdom.  Like Israel, I must make my words and actions, the light and shining radiance for others to follow and see God.

The words of Isaiah to the people of Jerusalem are being spoken to us today.  We must welcome the Magi of today, so that they too can see the newborn Jesus.  We cannot do this if we enclose ourselves in the unholy trinity of “me, myself and I”, or whatever sect of individualism we belong to.  We must place at God’s disposal all we are, all we have, so that like he used Israel to enlighten the nations, he can use us to bring others to himself.

This is a message that our Holy Father has emphasized since he became Pope.  And it is a message he returned to for his New Year’s messages, pointing out that many people, certainly by God’s grace, have given themselves completely for others, during the pandemic.  He concluded that “The painful events that marked humanity’s journey last year, especially the pandemic, taught us how much it is necessary to take an interest in others’ problems and to share their concerns” (Angelus, 20210101).  It is not just about us; it is about others too.

Conclusion

Let us be the star that guides others to Christ, first by cultivating thoughts and attitudes of solidarity rather than individualism, then by translating those thoughts and attitudes into words; and finally, by putting our words into actions of solidarity and compassion for others.  And at the foundation of all our thoughts, words and actions, may our prayer be that all peoples on earth will adore our God.

Homily Mary Mother of God: Trinity of blessings: Christmas, Mary and New Year

 Homily for Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Year B 2020

Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

Introduction

Happy New Year to you all. The Catholic Church has an interesting way of starting the new year.  First, she obliges us to come to Mass, knowing very well that we stayed up late last night waiting for the new year, probably with a drink or two in our hands.  Then the Mass we celebrate, our readings and prayers, hardly say anything about the new year, but instead focus on the Blessed Mother.

Especially after the year that we have had, marked by a pandemic, social unrest, a record number of hurricanes some of them with Greek names, and the ongoing political upheaval, you might be asking, what our Mass today can speak to us about all these things.  Well, thank you for asking.

Today’s Mass highlights three interconnected themes:

·        First, we mark the eighth day of the Christmas Octave

·        Second, we celebrate Mary’s Motherhood of God

·        Third, we mark the beginning of a new civil year

And so, like God himself, we have a Trinity of themes in this one celebration.

Scripture and Theology and Christian Life

Let us start with the eight days of Christmas.  Catholics celebrate Christmas, not for one day, but for at least eight days!  But why eight days?  If you were paying attention during the reading of the gospel you may have been struck by this verse which said: "When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb."  The eighth day after the birth of a child was important for the Jewish people; it was the day of circumcision for boys and the naming of the child.  Some think the eighth day was chosen to allow the mother to recover from the delivery to be present and to allow the baby to be strong enough to undergo the ritual.  But the rabbis also give some spiritual reasons, such as to ensure that the child is sanctified by celebrating at least one Sabbath before circumcision.

Based on this Jewish practice, Catholics celebrate Christmas for eight days for other reasons.  Only two feasts of the Catholic calendar, Christmas and Easter, can boast of this honour of having an Octave.  These two feasts celebrate the two principal events of our salvation, which are, the mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas and the Paschal Mystery at Easter; on these two hinges, our salvation depends.  If we celebrate Mardi Gras for weeks on end, all the more reason for us to celebrate the central events of our salvation, especially the birth of the Lord, for at least eight days.  Such a prolonged celebration will hopefully allow us to marinate in the spirit of Christmas so that it becomes a part of our lives always.

That brings us to the second theme of today, Mary’s Motherhood of God.  The Church chooses to celebrate this eighth day of Christmas with a Solemnity of Mary as Mother of God.  If you think about it, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God and man, it is fitting that we celebrate the fact that his mother is the Mother of God.  Because we believe Jesus to be both God and man, we also believe that Mary is the mother of God.  But this belief is not universal.  Both in the early centuries of the Church and today, some people believed that Mary was only the mother of Jesus the man, but not the mother of Jesus, who God.

In my home country of Uganda, Mothers are often called, not by their own names or even the names of their husbands, but by names of their children.  A mother is often referred to by a phrase that roughly translates as “mother of so-and-so.”  My mother, for example, is rarely called by her name "Josephine," but is referred to as “Mama Deo,” after me.  Most mothers appreciate this custom, since it emphasizes their role of motherhood and links them closely with their children.

It should not surprise us then that Mary is also honoured in her motherhood.  Because her son Jesus is both God and man, he gives his mother the title of "Mother of God."  St. Paul’s reminds us of this fact in today’s second reading, saying: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  Did you hear that?  God sent his Son, born of a woman.  God chose this woman, Mary to bring his Son into the world.  What an honour for a human being, an honour we must celebrate at Christmas.

And now to the third theme of today's celebration, the fact that we are beginning a new civil year.  Some mark the new year by drinking copious amounts of bubbly, others by making resolutions whose life-expectancy is shorter than that of a housefly.  Catholics begin the New Year by asking for God's blessings.

The first reading from the Book of Numbers provides the formula that the Lord prescribed for his priests to use whenever they blessed the people.  It went:

The LORD bless you and keep you!  The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

After the year we have been through, we surely need to ask God to bless and keep us, to let his face shine upon us and be gracious to us, to look upon us kindly and to give us his peace.  Only God can do this.

But we must be careful what we mean when we speak of God’s blessings.  There is a tendency among some Christians today, to say, "I am blessed" only when they fall into some good luck, when they escape misfortune or just when things are going well.  "I am blessed I have a job; I am blessed that I walked out of that car wreck uninjured; I am blessed to have survived COVID-19."  And, Yes, these are God’s blessings.  But we cannot limit God’s action to those things that bring us joy as the so-called prosperity gospel teaches, suggesting that those who have fallen on bad luck are not blessed.  This thinking presents us a God who is nothing more than a fairy God-mother dishing out material favours to us.

Such a God is alien to the God that Jesus Christ was born to reveal to us.  The blessings God gives us and which we ask him should include much more than material prosperity and include spiritual wholeness as well.  Just listen to the Beatitudes, in which Jesus teaches us the blessings that we must seek:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they who mourn . . . . Blessed are the meek . . . .  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . . .  Blessed are the merciful . . . .  Blessed are the clean of heart . . . .  Blessed are the peacemakers . . . . Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness . . . Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

While God does not send us suffering, being good and all, he expects that when it comes, we undergo it in a Christian way.  The Christian way sees blessings even in suffering, only because we have hope in the Lord just like God’s servant Job, like the martyrs, like St. Paul.  Moreover, our problems did not magically end at the stroke of midnight.  That is why we must continue seeking God’s comfort and learn a thing or two about how to live our lives.  As some wise person put it, “Our hope is not in the New Year, but in the One who makes all things new.”

Conclusion

Last night, Pope Francis was not able to celebrate the New Year vigil services because of painful sciatica.  But he sent a message, read at the service, in which he highlighted the fact that despite the difficulties of the last year, God has not abandoned us.  He added, that in fact God has shown himself at work in the many acts of closeness and affection, care and compassion that we have shown each other.  He noted that “many people who, without making noise, have tried to make the weight of the trial more bearable,” pointing to medical personal and priests in particular.  And he reflected that all this goodness can only happen because of God’s grace, God’s strength. 

What we did last year for each other, we must continue to do again this year.  For some inspiration, we can return today’s short gospel, that described the encounter between the shepherds and Mary, and the resolutions they each made after that encounter.

As for the shepherds: “When they saw this [the baby in the manger], they made known the message that had been told them about this child. . .. the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”  In other words, they went out as missionaries, preaching the good news of the birth of the Saviour, and joyfully praising God.

As for Mary she did something different.  We heard: “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  While the shepherds chose the active part, she chose the contemplative part, the behind-the-scenes kind of response.

As we begin this new year, we are called to do both, to the contemplative life hat is, reflecting on all that we have seen and heard and to the active life, that is, sharing with others all that we have seen and heard, glorifying and praising God for all we have seen and heard.

And so, on this eighth day of Christmas, we ask Mary, the mother of God and our mother, who was blessed by God with many singular favours, to intercede for us, so that we too may receive, not just the things we want, but the true blessings we need from God.  May the Lord bless us in his mercy!