26th Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
7:30 AM, 10:30 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES



James Sherley was an English dramatist of the early 17th century. He was said to have been “the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly the same language and had a set of moral feelings and notions in common.” He wrote plays from 1625 until 1642 – when Parliament outlawed the performance of stage plays.

He was born in 1596 in London, and studied at Oxford; eventually receiving his B.A. from Cambridge. After receiving his M.A., he served as an Anglican minister until his conversion to Catholicism around 1623.

His work spans 10 volumes, among which is the poem Death the Leveller. It begins:

The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:

He speaks of the tumbling down of crown and scepter, and the how even the strong must admit their weakness before death. Neither might nor earthly glory survive death, but ends by telling us:

Only the actions of the justSmell sweet and blossom in their dust.

Today is the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, and again we hear from the prophet Amos in the First Reading. We are skipping around in the book. Last week we heard of the reasons for God’s judgment on the people, and today we rewind two chapters and hear the prophet’s lamentations against the indulgent. In the preceding verses Amos also laments the willfully ignorant and the indifferent, and goes on to cry out against those who are impudent.

This is not an essay in dialectic materialism … between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Rather it is speaking against “having too much” and intentionally neglecting the duties toward ones neighbor.

But even more so, it is a warning against putting one’s trust in this world and the things of this world … to the point of putting our faith in material things and placing them before our duty to both God and neighbor. It is not a condemnation of wealth, but rather is a condemnation of the worship of it.

In the Gospel from St. Luke, we hear the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. In this world, the rich man, like the Pharisees, gave lip-service to God, but in his heart placed his trust in wealth and possessions. Lazarus, on the other hand, had nothing to distract his heart from God, and considering that he only received kindness from the local canine population, came to rely on God.

In the afterlife, Lazarus receives the benefits of his spiritual investments. Faith in God has eternal rewards, while faith in the world leaves one not only bankrupt in the next life, but also in a world of hurt.

St. Paul provides some guidance in the Epistle from the First Letter to Saint Timothy.
One phrase, however, is excised from our reading. Timothy is admonished not only to pursue deeds of righteousness, but is admonished to “avoid” worldliness and materialism. In some translations this is rendered as “flee” … that is: run away!

Paul acknowledges that this is not always possible, but that we must “compete” … or in some translations “fight” with our own inclinations to choose the right thing and orient our hearts and minds on the things of heaven.

And we are to do this by our “pursuit” of righteousness – that is, a right relationship based in justice with God and neighbor. Again, “pursue” can also be translated as “follow,” which gives us the three-part formula: flee, fight, and follow.

Of course, if we read just beyond where today’s reading ended, there is a fourth part which is to be faithful,

to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share,

thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.

Indeed, it is difficult to live in the world but not of the world, but death comes, in many cases, too soon. We must be flee the inclinations, fight the temptations, follow Christ, and be faithful to the Gospel. And in this we can be assured of an eternal reward.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray for clarity of mind and heart, so that we might always be in right relationship with both God and neighbor. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the source and summit of our Faith … with the firm intention and knowledge that we are made, not for this place … but for eternity.

25th Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 21/22, 2019
5 PM (SAT), 9:00 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES



In his 2005 book titled, Winners Never Cheat, subtitled, Everyday Values We Learned as Children (But May Have Forgotten), author Jon M. Huntsman provides what he calls “Lessons From the Sandbox”. He provides nine lessons:

1. Check your moral compass2. Play by the rules3. Set the example4. Keep your word5. Pick friends wisely6. Get mad, not even7. Be gracious8. Own what you do9. Give back

I will leave it to you, if you are curious, to find his book and read the explanations.
But indeed – we have all heard it – whether from parents, teachers, siblings, coaches – someone – that winners never cheat … and it’s corollary – cheaters never win.

Today is the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time. And today’s readings are hard to read, and possibly even harder to preach on.

The First Reading from the Prophet Amos is calls out the people of Israel for not following the rules … that is … for cheating.

The Law of Moses had clear rules and regulations regarding religious festivals, business relationships, and criminal punishments … among others. Yet these were all being ignored.

And God has taken notice of this.

But He doesn’t strike them down or smite them with lightning.

Instead He sends the prophet to call them out and point out that … cheaters never win.

In the Gospel, we hear the parable of the Dishonest Steward. Here, a steward is someone whose job was to manage the land and property of his master. And this steward was being dishonest. And this gets noticed by the master.

This isn’t so much of a lesson in “you can’t take it with you” as it is a lesson in “it was never yours in the first place."

The Dishonest Steward cheated his master, and ended up getting caught. Bottom line: he’s been busted.

As Christians we are called to live “in the world” but not to be “of the world.” The gifts we have are given to us … but we are only stewards, not owners.

We may end up cheating our Divine Master for a time, but ultimately we will face judgment. If we cheat, we will get caught … but if it’s not in this world, most certainly it will be in the next.

And that can make it difficult for us to make the right decisions … to follow those simple, sandbox lessons … especially if our focus has been distorted to viewing only the here-and-now, and we don’t take the long view and consider everything … everything … through the lens of Eternity.

The master goes on to commend the Dishonest Steward. But not for his dishonesty. Rather, the steward is commended for taking advantage of what he has for a short time, and leveraging it for his advantage later.

He knew that his time was short. And he knew that he needed to provide for his future, unknown life … and so he took that opportunity to provide for himself.

He was a child of the world, and was prudent with the things of the world. Jesus calls us children of the light – but points out that we act imprudently with the resources of Eternity that we have at our disposal.

Jesus, in this parable, points out that the children of the world gladly and actively cheat others out of the limited things of this world for short-term gain … but unfortunately, the children of the light – that is, His disciples … meaning us – we end up cheating ourselves out of the supernatural things that are our inheritance from God because we too often take them for granted.

St. Paul, in the Epistle, gives us a first step in making this happen. He points out that in all things, prayer should come first … prayer must be a priority.

In this First Letter to St. Timothy, St. Paul speaks of: supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings.

The bottom line is that we must make prayer a priority. And never miss the opportunities to take advantage of the resources – natural and supernatural – at that are available to prepare us for our heavenly future. To miss these opportunities is to cheat ourselves out of the generous graces of God poured out on us every moment of every day.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us pray that we might be more mindful to the gifts of God … and the presence of God … in our daily lives. May we also become more and more attentive to the action of His grace in our lives. And take advantage of the manifold opportunities we have to grow in grace … and mercy … and love.

24th Sunday in OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 15, 2019
7:30 AM, 10:30 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES



The Greek philosopher Aristotle lived in the 4th century BC, and wrote extensively on a plethora of subjects including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics and government.

One of the many things that set Aristotle apart from the other Fathers of Western Philosophy was that he saw in the study of Ethics something practical, not just something theoretical.



Aristotle taught that virtue has to do with the proper function of a thing – and when speaking of human beings, the proper function of body and soul in accordance with right reason. And in his Nicomachean Ethics, which speaks of virtue and relationships; the segment on Friendship is the longest of any other topic.

Aristotle delineates three types of friendships: (1) friendships of utility, (2) friendships of pleasure, (3) and friendships in pursuit of “eudaimonia” which is often translated as “happiness” or “blessedness,” but perhaps is better rendered as “well-being,” or “human flourishing.”



That is, friendships can be shallow – and involve using someone (friendships of utility) or based only on emotions (friendships of pleasure.) On the other hand, what Aristotle considered the most “perfect” form of friendship, involved mutually desiring what was best for the other person.

However, Aristotle – rather pessimistically – believed that friendships based on virtue were rare, because he believed that virtuous people were rare.

Nonetheless, Aristotle went so far as to propose that this perfect level of friendship itself was a virtue; and that friendship was not only important for living well – but was a noble and beautiful thing in itself.



Today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our readings today deal with relationships.



In the chapter immediately following what we heard read in the first reading from Exodus, we hear that:

The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a person speaks to a friend.

And in the second reading from First Timothy, St. Paul identifies himself as having once been:

a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant

Yet God’s abundant grace and mercy and love brought about Paul’s conversion from being an enemy of God to becoming a trustworthy minister of Christ.



The Gospel reading gives us two short parables and a longer parable in response to the Pharisee’s complaint that Jesus:

welcomes sinners and eats with them.

The third – and longest – of these parables is known to us as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.”
The dictionary definition of “prodigal” is: “recklessly wasteful; [or] lavish.” If we are merely talking about material things, then indeed, the son is “prodigal.” But, if we are talking about the things of God – that is, grace, mercy, and love … then, we just might describe the father as being “prodigal.”



The relationship of the father to both the younger son and the older son are far from ideal. The younger son takes advantage of his father’s generosity and wastes it on raw pleasure. But the older son seems to have been using his father’s good will – all the while harboring negative thoughts and emotions about … well, just about everybody.

The father calls both of his sons to a more perfect relationship – to desire “well-being” and “happiness” … not in a one-sided or selfish way … but in a way that is mutually supportive … based on the beauty and nobility of grace and mercy and love.



Because, the father in the parable reflects the infinite generosity of the Most Holy Trinity – we can see all three Persons reflected in this character: God the Father, Who gave us all of creation “to cultivate and care for it,” God the Son, who “came into the world to save sinners,” and God the Holy Spirit – the Source of all mercy and grace; honor and glory; Faith, Hope, and Love.

As we approach this altar to receive the Most Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – let us examine our own hearts … and our own inner motivations.

Let us choose to love God for Himself and for His own sake – casting off any shallower aspects of our relationship with the Divine – so as to grow in our own friendship with God.



And as we move forward in this Divine Liturgy – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – when we recite the Lord’s Prayer and say: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done” … may we mean it with renewed devotion and heartfelt intensity … as we seek to renew and intensify our own relationship with the Almighty.

23rd Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 7-8, 2019
5:00 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 10:30 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES



The Roman goddess Minerva was claimed to have burst from the head of Jupiter – after he had eaten her mother (who had been tricked into turning herself into a fly.) Minerva sprung from Jupiter’s head fully armed and wearing armor. For the Romans, she is the goddess of strategy and warfare, arts and trade, and – perhaps most notably – wisdom.

Like her Greek counterpart, Athena, she is associated with owls. Owls being considered a symbol of knowledge and wisdom, most likely because of their characteristic ability to see in the dark.



Throughout Greek and Roman art and architecture, one sees owls and owlets.

Built upon the ruins of the temple of Minerva in Rome is the 13th century Gothic church of Santa Maria sopre Minerva –  whose name even betrays that it is built over the ruins of the original temple of Minerva.



St. Catherine of Siena died in the convent here at the end of the 14th century, the renaissance painter Fra Angelico died in the friary during the 15th century and both are buried here, as are the earthly remains of Popes Urban VII and Paul IV.

For about a dozen years at the beginning of the 15th century, the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas were kept in a chapel, until their translation to Naples.



Coincidentally, both St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Catherine of Siena have been named Doctors of the Church – not having anything to do with medicine, though. Rather a Doctor of the Church is someone who has made a significant contribution to theology and doctrine through their writings, study, or research.

Today is the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our readings can be loosely connected to “wisdom.” From a Theological perspective, wisdom is the “intellectual virtue concerning the first or highest causes of all things” – that “first cause” being God Almighty. Wisdom is one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit which illuminates the mind and draws it to God. Knowledge, also one of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, allows a person to see things from God’s perspective.



The first Reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks of the necessity of “wisdom … sent [from the H]oly [Spirit]” in order for our human mind to grasp and know the wisdom of God.

Our Lord, in St. Luke’s Gospel, speaks of the requirements of being His disciple. He calls His disciples to extreme love. In using the word “hate” Jesus is not calling us to a positive antagonism, but rather to love Him so much, “that all other love is like hatred in comparison.”



We are admonished to “carry [our] own cross[es] and come after [Christ]” … We are to “calculate the cost” so that we might “finish the work” … To “renounce all” things in order to be true disciples.

For ourselves, this means a “daily identification with Christ … surrender to God’s will … [and] death to self.” This is serious business – as we heard in the opening prayer, for we are redeemed into freedom in Christ, and adopted by God the Father for a heavenly inheritance.



As a final foot-note, on your way out of the building today, in the narthex – that is the main entryway of the Church – look along the baseboard. Spaced regularly around the foyer are little owls on the tiles. As a sign and symbol to remind us that true wisdom and true knowledge can only be found in serving God and knowing Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.

And as we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray that we might constantly grow in our own knowledge of God and Jesus “Christ [Who is] the power of God and the wisdom of God.”