Christ the King @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 25, 2018
7:30 AM, 10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



The word “king” has an etymology stretching back to Anglo-Saxon times in the work “cyning.” This ancient word has two part one meaning “kin” or “relative” and the other meaning “son”. The king was the “favored son of a relative”.

If we look at the Latin word for king, “rex” – we see its root in such English words as “correct” or “direct”. That is, to order or to set aright.

The Chinese word for “king” is “wang2” – and the character symbol indicates someone who unites heaven and earth and humanity.

The Greek word for “king” is “basileus” – where we get the modern term “basilica” a “royal hall” or perhaps, with apologies to the Jehovah Witnesses a “kingdom hall.”

And while that word may have its origins in the Roman Empire, in the light of today’s Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or perhaps more simply, Christ the King Sunday, perhaps these word associations can provide a guide.

Jesus is most certainly our “kin” in that as He is the Word Incarnate – the Word made Flesh … True God and True Man – His humanity has elevated our human nature.

He is the Favored Son of God the Father, and so our English word “king” most certainly applies.

As the Eternal Logos, the ordering principal in creation, He has set things aright, and has not only guided creation, but given us a rule of life and the means to attain it through Grace.

He has reconciled all things to himself – united heaven and earth in His Person – and brought peace through His Blood on the Cross.

And finally, we call Him Lord, and in this “hall” we give worship to God through Jesus Christ His Son in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps the difficulty for us as 21st Century Americans – living in a Constitutional Republic, and having just completed mid-term elections … is that we my see “kings” as a vestige of an outdated mode of governance.

Kings figure in our lives, but perhaps as the “Burger King,” or “China King Buffet,” or a “King-Sized” drink or candy bar.

We know who the King of Rock and Roll is (Elvis), the King of Pop (Michael Jackson,) and perhaps we’ve forgotten the King of Bling (Liberace.)

We have kings in our playing cards, in our checkers sets, and as the most protected member of our chess games.

There are king crabs on our oceans (and on our menus), as well as king snakes and king cobras in our zoos.

We may end up taking “kings” for granted as just another word. And this may make our understanding of this feast fall short of it full glory.

When Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925, his focus was more on the lack of sovereignty for the defunct Papal States, and the loss of civil power by the Vatican.

After the establishment of the Vatican City State in 1929, the focus of this feast became more eschatological – the future reign of Christ in the Kingdom of God.

But we lose something if we look too far ahead.

Jesus must reign in our hearts, our minds, our souls, and in our wills. He must reign over our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

And to do that, we must give Him “free reign” over us – and allow Him to truly be our King and our Lord and our Master. And that doesn’t sound very “democratic” … nor does it sound very “American.”

And so, it can be a bit of a struggle for us.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray to surrender ourselves entirely to Christ. Let Him be the conquering king … over sin and death, but also over us.

May Christ reign in our hearts, in our souls, in our minds, and in our lives … every minute … of every day. Long live Christ the King!

33rd Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - THIRTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
NOVEMBER 17 / 18, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT),  9:00 AM, 10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



In 1884, Pope Leo XIII (the thirteenth) ordered the recitation of certain prayers following any Low (that is, Recited) Mass. Two years later, he added to those prayers the Prayer to St. Michael. The presumed reason was due to the Holy See’s loss of temporal and civil power in 1870. After the establishment of the Vatican City-State in 1929, Pope Pius XI shifted the reason to be "to permit tranquility and freedom to profess the faith to be restored to the afflicted people of Russia.” In the simplification of the Liturgy following the Second Vatican Council, these prayers were dropped in 1965.

Yet, thirty years later, Pope St. John Paul II, in his Regina Caeli address said: “Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world.”

More recently, many bishops have requested the recitation of the St. Michael prayer after Masses. Our own bishop spoke to us priests two weeks ago regarding reciting this prayer – particularly at Masses of Reparation for the spiritual devastation caused by the scandals, but left it to pastoral discretion as far as reciting it at other Masses for the same reason.



The prayer is located on the back of the Song Books at the top left corner.

Today is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The continued focus as we continue throughout the month of November, and as we move toward the close of the Church Year, is of an “eschatological” theme. “Eschatology” is the division of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final disposition of one’s soul in particular and of humanity in general.



The first reading is from the Book of Daniel. Written two-hundred years before Christ, it consists of two parts: the first being the goings on in the court of the Babylonian court, and the second being four apocalyptic visions … the last of which we heard proclaimed today.

The second reading wraps up the section of the Letter to the Hebrews on Christ’s priesthood and sacrifice – contrasting the temporary priesthood in this world with the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. In a similar sense, calling us to look beyond the here and now … toward that which is to come.



The Gospel reading from St. Mark comes from near the end of the thirteenth chapter. This chapter begins with Jesus prophesying the destruction of the temple. Jesus then speaks of the signs of the end, a coming persecution, and a great tribulation. In what we heard today, Jesus speaks of His own second coming.

The chapter ends with an admonition to “be watchful! be alert!” This section is read on the First Sunday of Advent in one of the three Sunday cycles.



For ourselves, with so much news about deaths and tragedy… a second year of fires and destruction… and a second round of scandals in the Church … there is certainly enough bad news to fill countless newspapers and news reports.

But we must keep our eye fixed on Jesus Christ, and we must keep our minds focused on what is eternal. Knowing that, despite our immediate thoughts and worries, that God is in charge, and that God’s plan for us is bigger than any loss we may observe or experience in this world.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us rely more and more on supernatural and spiritual helps. May our lives be an expression of the power of God’s grace and mercy and love to a world in need of these unseen resources - our inheritance from God as His beloved children, redeemed in Christ, and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

5th Resumed Sunday after Epiphany @ Holy Family

HOMILY - FIFTH RESUMED SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
NOVEMBER 11, 2018
12:00 NOON EXTRAORDINARY FORM (LATIN) MASS
HOLY FAMILY CHAPEL, RUTHERFORD, CA



Howard William Osterkamp from Dent, Ohio served for nine months of his two-years of service on the 38th parallel in Korea with C Company, 5th Regimental Combat Team.

About half-way through those nine months, he was wounded in the leg with schrapnel, and suffered two breaks in his leg, but this was misdiagnosed by Army doctors, and he was returned to the front lines for four more months.

Osterkamp is credited with the phrase: “All gave some; some gave all.”



Today, is Veteran’s Day – which originated as Armistice Day 99 years ago at the end of the First World War. It took 19 years for Congress to declare it a national holiday.

It is also the memorial of St. Martin of Tours, who originally was a military man from a military family, and lived in the fourth century.

Pious legend tells us that Martin, seeing a poor beggar in the cold, took his sword and cut his own military cloak in half – sharing it with the shivering man. That night he had a dream where Christ appeared and repeated that well-known phrase “what you did for this the least of my brethren, you did for me.” And upon waking up, Martin saw that his cloak was no longer half, but 100%.



This led to his conversion, and eventually becoming a bishop in France.

Interestingly, the words “chapel” and “chaplain” supposedly arise from the French word for cloak or cape … and refer to the buildings where St. Martin’s cloak was displayed for prayer, and to the clergy who attended to the cloak as it moved from place to place.

In today’s Epistle from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we hear: “But above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.” Also of interest is that this is the Scripture that gives rise to the prayer all priests pray when they assume the chasuble – the outer cloak of the sacred vestments used for Mass.



In the Gospel, we hear one of the parables of weeds and the wheat. When the good seed came up as weeds, the servants are puzzled, while the master knows: “An enemy hath done this.”

In our own time, there is much bad fruit to be found in business, politics, and just about everywhere. There are weeds among the clergy – among those who have claimed to serve the Church. Yet, those men  no longer seek to serve Holy Mother Church, but rather viciously now seek to be served by the Church. This has caused much damage to souls, and indeed “An enemy hath done this.”



Our solution is a call to arms – but not with swords or troops or calvary. Rather, our weapons against the Enemy of our souls are virtue, prayer, and charity … as St. Paul has told us in today’s Epistle.
In order to know this Enemy, we must examine the fruits. And where the fruit is rotten and weeds grow in place of wheat – we know what has happened, and we know what it is we must do.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us never forget that He, and He alone has given everything. And indeed, while “all gave some, and some gave all” Yet we know that it is God alone Who has given us every good thing. Let us, in following Christ – Who gave His Life for our salvation – and those good examples of service – both to country and to Church – seek to return to God all the good He has given us … for the Greater Glory of the Almighty.

31st Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - THIRTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
NOVEMBER 3 / 4, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES

Call waiting is a telecom service offered by phone companies so that a person may switch from a call already in progress to accept a second incoming call. The person receiving the calls can also switch between the two calls.

To let you know that there is a second call coming in, a 440 Hz (four hundred forty hertz) tone is played in the earpiece every 10 seconds. If you want to disable this, you dial *70 (star seven zero) before making a call.

Call waiting was rolled out in the US starting in the early 1970s, when the old dial phone switches were replaced with electronic touch tone switches.

These days, it seems, call waiting is a normal part of any phone service; and it would seem strange to not have call waiting on any phone line.

Today is the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In the first reading and the Gospel, we hear the Jewish prayer known as the Sh’ma (שְׁמַע) – Sh’ma Israel, Adonia elohenu, Adonai ehad. Or:

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!

This prayer is the centerpiece of Jewish morning and evening prayer, and it’s twice daily recitation by devout Jews is considered a mitzvah – that is, a religious precept commanded by God. Since the 3rd century, rabbis have held that there are a total of 613 precepts or mitzvah – 365 negative commandments (i.e. “Thou shalt nots”) and 248 positive commandments (i.e. “Thou shalts”). 

The number 365 was thought to be to the number of tendons in the human body, while 248 was thought to be the number of bones in the human body by medieval rabbis. 

Modern physiology says that a newborn has over 300 bones, while an adult has about 206; and that there are about 1,320 tendons in an adult body.

And while not particularly accurate, the idea being taught is that the precepts of God were uniquely suited to humanity, and if God created Adam and Eve with 365 tendons and 248 bones, then it was fitting that God should give that many commandments to keep us upright and connected. 

Today is also the beginning of “National Vocations Awareness Week.” 

And while all of us have a vocation – that is, a call from God. God calls us from our first moments in the womb, and strengthens our call sacramentally in baptism and confirmation, as well as in marriage and holy orders.

Each person’s call is as unique as each person is unique … each call is configured to a particular  and unique individual. Our call originates with God … but it is part of us … it is in our bones … a reflex … a gut response … in response to the action of the three Divine Persons … operating in our lives.

When we hear the word “vocation,” we tend to think of religious sisters and brothers; or deacons and priests. 

And while “religious vocations” seem to be front and center in service to the Church – the Church in actuality is the People of God. And there are a whole lot more of you than there are of me.

Nonetheless, I would like to speak briefly about my own vocation – not because it’s particularly important or fascinating, but because with this being “National Vocations Awareness Week,” my own vocation is the one vocation of which I am most aware.

I am a late vocation. That means, I was NOT in my 20s when I was ordained. For the record, I was 46 when I was finally ordained a priest, and turned 47 three days later. I used to tell diocesan Vocation Directors that I had “call waiting.” I’m not sure they found it as funny as I did, but that was OK.

Throughout my life, I knew I had a call. But there were things I needed to do, and places I needed to go … before I ended up “settling down” as a priest.

And so, by the time I reached the day of my ordination to the priesthood, at the age of 46 years, 11 months, and 362 days … I had worked in the automotive industry, designed electronics for factory systems, written safety software for vehicle brake and traction systems, served in the US Naval Air Corps, flown on reconnaissance missions, studied languages, travelled and lived abroad, held a US Patent, did a brief stint as a public defender … and had seen and experienced and done … an awful lot of different things.

When I acted on my call – after many years of “call waiting,” … I took the plunge. The rest is history. This coming June, will be my 10 year anniversary. 

God’s call requires a response from us. A call needs to be heard. Like the words of the sh’ma prayer: “Hear O Israel the Lord is your God.”

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us be attentive to the voice of God … calling out to us in the Person of His Son … and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us listen to, and hear the call … and respond: “I love you, Lord, my strength.”