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LEARNING TO LISTEN
To cure the deaf and mute man, Jesus uses a sacramental pedagogy. He takes him aside, touches him, prays for him, and speaks to him. How we need this miracle repeated today, that our ears may open to hear the Holy Spirit’s inspirations! Our presence in society must transform it, or it is not really a presence. If our world is going badly, it is because there are still many Christians that refuse to see, hear, or speak. Brothers and Sisters: 1. The deaf and mute man is cut-off, locked up in his loneliness. He needs a brother who understands him and helps him to open himself to life’s reality and relationships with others. Jesus is that brother. Only Christ can cure us of our miseries and give us light to walk along the straight paths. “You called me,” we must say with Saint Augustine. “I called out and you have overcame my deafness. You shone bright and unclouded my blindness. You touched me and I began to desire your peace”. What signs do we perform to show that the Kingdom of God is coming? We are God’s sacrament for our brothers and sisters! Let us repeat Jesus’ same actions by caring for the sick and marginalized. The works of mercy are signs of the Kingdom of God. 2. Each day new miracles happen all around us. They are palpable signs of the Messiah’s presence. And we are the witnesses! Through sacramental signs internal miracles become apparent to us: the light of conversion that en-lightens people so that they might live centered on the death and resurrection of Christ, thus acquiring new meaning for their human existence. 3. Our lips speak from the abundance of the heart. An Arab proverb says, “Open your mouth only if you’re sure what you are about to say is more beautiful than silence.” Therefore, if speaking to God is something magnificent, it is even more so when listening to him speaking to us in the midst of a silence infused with love. Words are the means of communicating our intimacy to others; we cannot communicate a weak and petty intimacy, but rather a rich and enriching one that leads towards goodness and encourages action. In the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul reveals the process that the transmission of faith follows. Faith enters through hearing, that is, as a consequence of the preaching of the Gospel. In so far as they bear the Word of God, our feeble human words are “living and active, sharper than a double–edged sword.” Brothers and Sisters: In Baptism we have received the vocation to be communicators of the Word of God. Have we already learned to hear it? Saint Thomas defines the apostolate as “handing on what we have contemplated in pray-er.” Let us not betray the contents of the message. We are the living sacrament of salvation through our word and testimony. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests
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FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISH
The Christian knows he cannot solve all the problems of hunger, for the food given is quickly consumed and misery returns, but when the Lord asks us to contribute five loaves and two fish, we has the assurance that He will take care of multiplying it miraculously. Sisters and brothers: 1. The prophetic act of the multiplication of the loaves has a meaning that goes beyond satisfying the stomach. A child offered what he had and Jesus commanded the apostles to distribute it. This means that our human contribution is needed for the miracle since it is the starting point for this wonderful communion. The Word of God encourages us to share the riches of the earth more wisely. 2. Man today suffers a spiritual void and we have a duty to satisfy it; understanding is the most sublime trait of love. Jesus shows us so much love in this episode! Sometimes it is hard for us to understand others and that is when love plays a key role, because if we love, we can easily be understood. It is what a woman said to her husband: "If you loved me, you would understand me." If we want to figure out what type of hunger the brother at our side or all of society is suffering from, we must learn from Jesus to love and understand their situation. 3. What is understanding? First of all, it is to get in tune with all hearts. Saint Augustine said: "Imitate good men, tolerate the bad men, and love everyone because you do not know how today's bad man will be tomorrow." That is the love of Jesus to the thief, the adulteress, the Samaritan. What is love? To love is to give oneself even though the heart is bleeding; it is to support others without being discouraged; is learning to stand in solidarity with others; it is to think well of others and also not to ask men and women more than they can give; it is to close your eyes and open your hand. Today's world needs men who know how to give and receive. Love is an adventure and a risk. The Christian must always leave a trail of light behind, like a ship at sea. Do not be ashamed to call "brother" the beggar, the sick, the fallen or the man of dark skin, and let us not forget to treat our brothers with love and understanding. Think of all the material and spiritual wealth that God has given you. These are the bread and the fish he wants you to offer so that he can multiply them and satisfy the hunger of those around you. The hunger for bread is satisfied by generously sharing, but the deepest hunger that must be satisfied is that of the spirit. See if you can understand, love, and give yourself to others to make them happy. If so, you will be happy your-self. Source: Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests Silence Therapy
The Episode narrated by the Gospel describes the vicissitudes of some apostles so pressured by the urgency of the mission that “they did not have time to rest or eat”. Christ, the good shepherd, leads his sheep to restful places. When he sees them worn out by apostolic work, he takes them in the boat to a peaceful and secluded place to rest for awhile. Brothers and sisters, 1. One of the greatest victories for the evil one is trapping us in a world of noise and uncertainties that pervade everything. We live in an age of rush, rush, rush. We run around in a mass along the grueling highway of modern life. The noise pollution of cities reaches our ears at the highest decibels. The sickness of activism leads us to individualism, intolerance, anxiety and impatience. Today, no one wants to be alone, yet at times it is necessary to stop, retreat, and be by yourself. 2. In medical language, the sickness of time is called “cronopathy”. Not having a moment’s rest or a minute of silence or meditation has created a truly physical and spiritual pathology. Medicine ascribes this occupational dizziness and hustle and bustle to a wide range of organic disorders and neuroses; theology sees in it the root of paganism, religious indifference and man-centeredness. Man is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. It can't be found in the world of highways, factories, clubs, stadiums or businesses. In order to find it we need to look elsewhere and learn to listen to the voice of silence. 3. Cervantes once wrote, “He who retreats does not flee.” Solitude with God is a most fruitful experience; it is the solitude of two in company with each other. Silence is necessary for God to speak. We must not fear retreating once in awhile in order to take stock of our spiritual life. Silence is the place where great things are forged. Let us stop and smell the roses. We need that rest which will help free us from tension, wear and tear, and the fatigue accumulated over time. This retreat to restful places will be the best therapy for our insomnia, stress, and heart problems. Rest, solitude and silence will put order to our thoughts, feelings, emotions and even our problems and worries. But more important than all this is the fact that God continues to wait for us in the desert to reveal himself to us and tell us what are mission in life is. Let us go to a deserted place with Jesus to rest, but moreover to be with him, now and always. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests A Staff and Sandals Are Needed
The Word of God is like a seed; it needs an open furrow and a welcome. The Word of God is the link be-tween God and man; once inside a man’s heart, its transformation begins. Christ needs coworkers who pro-claim the Gospel. To them the Gospel’s recommendation applies: ”Take only your walking stick and sandals,” as if to say, “Don't put your trust in the means, but rather only in the grace of God.” Brothers and sisters, 1. The master's fortune will also be that of his followers. He was not well received by his countrymen for the mere fact of being one of their own. On another occasion, they wished to stone and hurl him over a ravine because he had given witness to his status as Messiah; he was persecuted, abandoned, betrayed and nailed to a cross. “What has been done to me shall be done to yourselves as well.” This does not only refer to the clergy, but also to his lay followers. It is clear that from the beginning, the preaching of the Gospel goes against the current of the world. 2. Today, people want to banish God from society. Secularization, laicism, and agnosticism have taken over the mass media, politics and economic power. Their laws and customs harm the most basic morals, assault life (abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, genetic manipulation, therapeutic cloning of embryos, etc.) assault family (quick divorce, gay marriages), assault our faith (our religious teaching, our popular devotions, the elimination of holidays). But where are committed Christians who can give convincing answers through their words and proclaiming truth and goodness through the witness of their lives? Where are those who bravely defend values in the public square, in academia, in the financial world, in scientific research, on the street? It seems that Christians with leadership and guts stand out by their absence. 3. A Christian is an apostle through the strength of his Baptism and his Confirmation. He is responsible for the salvation of his brothers and sisters. To be a lay disciple is above all, a must for a person of faith. It is to make God's love penetrate the world's ordinary circumstances. It is to feel that God drives us to get involved with people and their problems. To be a disciple is to pray as a little girl once did, “Lord, make the wicked good and the good likeable.” Being an apostle is not just talking about God, but living from God and bringing him to all those around us. Being an apostle is having a heart so overflowing with love that you cannot but share it with those around you. Brothers and sisters: Christ puts down three conditions in order to proclaim the Gospel: full time dedication to the mission, letting go of things, and the internal freedom to evangelize without limitations. Let us re-member that the success of evangelization depends not only on our own personal effort, but also on the grace of God. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests The Martyrs of la Florida
Fr. Cáncer’s expedition sighted the Florida coast at approximately 27º latitude, somewhere near present-day Bradenton. Initial contacts with native peoples were apparently amiable and peaceful. On one occasion Fr. Cáncer knelt in prayer with his fellow missionaries and with Magdalena, and they were joined by many Indians. Fr. Tolosa and Fuentes were apprehended and killed shortly after they opted, against Fr. Cáncer’s judgment, to separate themselves from the rest of the missionary party and travel on foot to their destined port. Their deaths were later confirmed by a Spaniard named Muñoz, who had come to Florida with the Soto expedition and who now sought refuge with the Dominicans. Some time later Fr. Cáncer went ashore and was clubbed to death after having fallen to his knees in prayer. The location of these killings was most likely present-day Safety Harbor, Florida. These Dominican missionaries have enjoyed a continuous fama (reputation for martyrdom) from an early date. A remarkable relic is the diary that Fr. Cáncer kept in his own hand, which was completed by Fr. Beteta, an eyewitness to his death. 4) Fr. Pedro Martínez, S.J. (between September 28 and October 6, 1566) Fr. Pedro Martínez, a native of Teruel in Aragón, was appointed Superior of the first band of Jesuits bound for Florida, who departed Spain in June of 1566. With him were two fellow Jesuits, Fr. Juan Rogel and Br. Francisco Villareal. When their ship was near the coast of Florida, Fr. Martínez volunteered to take a small party ashore in a smaller boat in order to seek directions and supplies. On September 14, 1566 they made landfall, perhaps on Cumberland Island. As they traveled through native villages they were well received until they entered a region under the control of Saturiba, who was partial to the Huguenots. Near present-day Mount Cornelia, on the eastern outskirts of Jacksonville, Fr. Martínez’s companions went ashore in search of fish, leaving him and the remaining crew in their boat, which was soon surrounded. Not availing himself of an opportunity to escape, Fr. Martínez was eventually pulled from the boat, dragged ashore, and beaten to death. He has long been regarded as the proto-Jesuit martyr of the Americas. 5) Father Luis Francisco de Quirós, S.J. (February 4, 1571) 6) Brother Gabriel de Solís, S.J. (February 4, 1571) 7) Brother Juan Bautista Méndez, S.J. (February 4 or 5, 1571) 8) Father Juan Bautista de Segura, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571) 9) Brother Pedro de Linares, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571) 10) Brother Sancho Cevallos, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571) 11) Brother Gabriel Gómez, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571) 12) Brother Cristóbal Redondo, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571) These eight Jesuit missionaries were killed in February 1571 in present-day Virginia, which at the time was claimed by the Spanish and was part of La Florida. In the summer of 1570, frustrated with the slow progress of evangelization in the Spanish forts ringing the peninsula of Florida, Fr. Juan Bautista de Segura, a native of Toledo, opted to undertake a mission far to the north to a region known as Ajacán. Apart from the long- standing Spanish interest in this region, Fr. Segura was attracted to this location by an Indian named Paquiquineo, a native of Ajacán, who had received baptism while in Mexico City, having taken the name Luis, and was now offering to assist the Spanish in the conversion of his tribe. We will continue next week. Source: Martyrs - Martyrs of La Florida Missions - Tallahassee, FL ALWAYS FORGIVE
The Our Father includes two petitions that are fundamental for the life of a Christian: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Jesus answered Peter’s question about the limits of forgiveness with a parable about two hearts: the heart of the king, representing God “rich in mercy” who forgives and forgets all our debts; and the heart of the unjust servant who chokes his debtor without an ounce of compassion. Sisters and brothers: if we do not take advantage of God’s mercy at the opportune time we risk hearing our condemnation at the final judgment, distancing us forever from Divine Love. 1. The first thing we must do is forgive, but up to what point? The Christian attitude is unique. It means ardently seeking reconciliation with one’s enemies. It means never holding a grudge or hoping that the other will just recognize his fault and admit how little he knows. It means being humble and not thinking that one’s own imagined reasons for justice will always prevail. This call from Jesus to live a life without seeking revenge or trying to make others pay back “all they have done to us” is truly a very demanding challenge. We need to examine our consciences today to see if we are really following this gospel teaching, especially as regards that person who it is hardest for me to get along with. Then we need to take the necessary steps to change. Do we work hard at forgiving? Do we fight against rancor? 2. The condition for being forgiven is being the first to forgive. This is the meaning of the Our Father: “as we forgive those who trespass against us.” When someone knows that he himself is forgiven, he in his turn is quicker to forgive. He who has received free of charge, in his turn gives free of charge. As St. Cyprian teaches: “There where you were wounded, you are now cured. Love those who you used to hate, those very ones you could not bear.” 3. Vengeance has no place among Christians. There is no place for the law of the Talon: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Our community, our family, our workplace, our friends – all of this is a natural place for acceptance and forgiveness. Let us look around us and ask ourselves: how do we treat others? Are we building a world of vengeance or a universe of forgiveness? God is more human than we are, and when we imitate his behavior, we ourselves become more human. Peter’s question is also very human: “How often must I forgive my brother? Seven times?” But God puts no limits on his generosity: “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven times.” Neither should we put limits when the time comes to forgive our brother. The strength of the Lord will lead us to live in harmony with the way God himself has treated us: we, like Him, will strive to be “rich in mercy”. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests Pray for Vocations Christ trusts His apostles to reveal and introduce "salvation" to all of His people; He calls us in a personal way, awarding us redemption and conversion. Such a mission implies the social transformation of the human race. The modern priest must play both a father and a teacher role. Not everyone can carry out such a demanding task; nor is it a responsibility that can be easily mastered. We are being called now, more than ever, "the harvest is great." Brothers and Sisters, Today's Gospel recounts Christ with His generous mercy, who is moved when seeing His people "abandoned and exhausted", like sheep that have no shepherd. It is in that situation the Church finds itself in today for "the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few." We need priests! Why have vocations diminished? What has happened to our world? It is obvious that materialism has invaded the home and the school grounds; as well as the economy, the political arena and our work places. The family obsesses about its financial well-being, their "social status". Learning institutions are but conduits of information, rather than developing virtuous traits and community. The youth are motivated by the practical and useful, seeking comforts; the standard of a disposable society. Thus, we cannot be surprised by the following conclusion from this Gospel reading: The harvest is plentiful and growing, but the laborers are few, and declining. Yet there is a deeper cause for concern: "modern man has expelled God from their daily lives." 1. Jesus Christ's primary directive is 'prayer': "Pray to the Lord of the harvest to provide the laborers to gather His crop." The Church will grow vibrantly if the community of believers is solid and well-instructed in religious doctrine. One of the most serious shortcomings of modern Christians is religious ignorance. Formation must be nurtured. Our contemporary world demands from its Christians "to supply rationale for their faith." But "nobody can provide what they themselves do not have." Our prayer must remain strong: "Lord, send us saints and holy priests that reflect your heart." 2. His second recommendation describes the distinctiveness of the Christian life: "We have received it free, thus should share it freely." Every Christian is a "Gift from God" to his fellow brothers and we all should follow the unselfish example of Jesus Christ who surrendered His life; His death on the cross for the salvation of all men. It is imperative that we teach our youth so through Christ's generosity both the quality and quantity "of shepherds to tend to His sheep will multiply." We must pray fervently to our Lord for vocations and educate our children about generosity so they will recognize the call of a life to God. The entire community that supports them will treasure them like vessels of clay. Amen. Source: epriest.com My dear brothers and sisters, when someone we love dies, we become aware of a large absence in our life. In today’s Gospel we hear how the death of Lazarus leaves a large absence in the lives of those who loved him. By the time Jesus arrives Lazarus is already dead, and Martha voices her regret: if Jesus had been here with them earlier, things would surely have turned out differently. But Jesus’s absence is essential to the story. John tells us at the beginning of his account that through the death of Lazarus the Son of God will be glorified. Just as the blindness of the man in last week’ Gospel served as the occasion to show Jesus as the light, so the death of Lazarus will serve to show Jesus as the life.
Who Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise again, he will show her that he means now: “I am the resurrection and the life.” So the death of Lazarus does not mean that it is too late for Jesus to be his life. In a loud voice Jesus calls to the dead: “Lazarus, Come out!” The great miracle is that while he is dead Lazarus hears the word of Jesus and obeys it. Hearing the voice of the Son of God, Lazarus lives again. When Lazarus comes forth he is still wearing the clothes of a dead man. He is still enshrouded. Jesus now addresses the community: “Unbind him; let him go free.” In obeying the word of Jesus the community plays its part in helping Lazarus unwind and emerge into the light of his new life. The story of the raising of Lazarus proclaims the great truth that Jesus is Lord of life. He has power to call us out of our tombs- for the Christian life only begins when we, Ben though we are dead, hear the word of God and obey it. We know from experience that we don’t have to be dead physically to be in need of being raised up. E can be dead in the midst of life- hoping for a word and a community that will put us together again. The voice of Jesus calls us all from making the tomb our natural habitat. It also challenges us to take responsibility for our brother who, like Lazarus, is loved by Jesus. If we see someone buried alive we are invited to do as Jesus and the community do in the Gospel: call them, and help them go free. If we do that as part of our Lenten task, then the resurrection at Easter won’t come as too much of a surprise. May the grace of God be with us, amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is traditionally called Laetare Sunday from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon. “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her”. This Sunday speaks to us of joy, because as we journey to the Calvary with Jesus this Lent, we are reminded that the moment of our redemption is coming closer. Joy has a spiritual origin, arising from a heart that loves and feels itself loved by God. Today, rose-colored vestments are permitted in place of purple. In this way the church reminds us that joy is perfectly compatible with mortification and pain. It is sinless and not penance which is opposed to happiness.
In the first reading, the prophet Samuel was sent by God to Jesse to anoint one of his eight sons as the future King. As Samuel arrives, Jesse presents seven of his sons to the prophet. It did not occur to him that his youngest son might be the chosen one. Samuel in a similar way was impressed by the eldest son and seeing his great height thought he would be God’s choice. But he was wrong. They forgot that “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” The Lord saw in David something more than meets the eye. And as Christian, St Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “we walk by faith and not by sight”. In the gospel, Jesus saw the need of the man born blind; that he wanted to be healed. The irony of the story is that the man born blind recognized Jesus as the messiah while the religious leaders failed to see. But this man’s journey to recovery of sight is of great importance to us. Jesus made clay with his saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”. Jesus demonstrated his love for this man by healing him. He united deed and a word-command, but leaving it to the blind man to make the final decision to obey his word. Jesus’ action and word would remain unfruitful if this man would refuse to go and wash. He obeyed the command and his sight was restored. Instead of his healing arousing in the heart his parents, neighbors and the religious leaders joy and rejoicing; it causes interrogation, separation, division, rejection, anger, and fear. Why, because they refused to see the miracle and the person who healed him. Bless us Lord that we may see! In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit, Amen. Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD. My dear brothers and sisters, we enter into the third week of Lent. Last week, we participated in our Lenten retreats with the theme “From the Cross to the Light”. As we look at the light, we are filled with hope. There is a type of hope that can help us momentarily and give us motivation to keep going. However, this hope runs out the moment we stop thinking about it. This type of situation is what the people of Israel experienced in the desert. Of course, the natural need for food naturally leads us to seek the means to achieve and satisfy hunger and thirst. But the message that the book of Exodus wants to communicate to us is deeper: complete trust in God. This confidence is different from the one we were referring to up to now; we can call it with the same name, hope, but the origin is God.
This hope is what we know best as a theological virtue; that is, it is a gift from God. The essential difference between the virtue of hope and the hope that we can manufacture is that we receive the former from God through grace. The second ends the moment we put it aside. Although the first, the hope of God, we can also deny it and we will become blind to it. It is in these moments that we begin to lose our entire trust in God and we can even tempt God, as the people of Israel did. Our response should be like that of the woman at the well. Jesus waits for us at the well, even in the heat of midday, to draw us closer to Him. Just as the people of Israel approached Moses to ask for water, so we put ourselves at the feet of the Samaritan woman and approached the well with Jesus. Hope is possible by the grace of God: the hope that He gives us, which is a firm confidence that God fulfills the promise of eternal life. All this comes from living water that becomes a spring capable of giving eternal life. This is God's hope. The firm conviction in eternal life for the gift we have received. This is our faith. And so we are invited to share that spring of charity with our neighbor today. In this third week of Lent I would like to invite you to reflect on these as questions: · 1.What hopes have I created that do not bring me satisfaction? 2.What moments remind me of experiencing the living water that Jesus Christ offers me? 3. And, with this information, what do I want to say to Jesus in my prayer today? May the grace of God be with you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen |
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