Retreat Talk @ St. Apollinaris School

RETREAT TALK - 6TH GRADE CONFIRMATION RETREAT
MAY 26, 2017



Why are you being confirmed?

Is it just a "merit badge?" As if Catholicism were just some sort of scouting program?

God desires for you to spend Eternity with Him. That is, instead of "the other place."

If you were going to build a house, you would have to put in a foundation. If you're going to build a good life, you need a foundation, too.

The foundation of a good life is the Virtues.

These are "good habits." You don't get good habits by acting badly. You build up good habits by acting good. Just like getting a good jump shot requires practice, growing in virtue means practicing living virtues.



The good news is that through Baptism and the Sacraments, we receive the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Faith to believe what is unbelievable. Hope to trust when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. And Love, to love those people who aren't very lovable or when we don't feel like it.

These affect us as human beings by acting on our Heart, Mind, and Soul.

Faith affects the Mind, Hope affects the Soul, and Love affects the Heart.

By allowing these infused virtues to act in our lives, we become more than who we are, that is, supernatural. God has given us these Supernatural virtues for just this reason.

The natural virtues are Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. These, too, affect the Mind, Soul, and Heart. Prudence helps us to make good choices, Temperance helps us to respect ourselves and others, and Fortitude allows us to keep going when what we're doing is difficult – to have courage and boldness to do what is right. And Justice helps us balance our lives between friends, family, God, and community.

The Virtues are the foundation of a good life, but are even more than that. Virtues make us into the most perfect version of ourselves. Through God's grace and our effort, we become who God created us to be.

In Confirmation, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us in abundance. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the Virtues within us. But if we forgot to do our homework on becoming virtuous – that is, by developing good habits in our Heart, Mind, and Soul – we don't give the Holy Spirit much to work with. The more Virtues – that is, the more good habits you have – the greater the gifts to be received.



Whatever Virtues you do have, will be perfected – and amplified – by God's grace through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the reception of His Gifts. Through all the Sacraments, but especially through Confirmation.

But if we haven't put down a solid foundation of Virtue in our lives, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit won't have much to perfect within us. That is why it is important to develop good habits and grow in Virtue by being virtuous.

As we grow in Virtue, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit strengthen, perfect, and amplify these Virtues within us through His sevenfold Gifts. These, too, affect us.



As human beings, we are Body, Heart, Mind, and Soul. The Virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit affect our Heart, Mind, and Soul.

Knowledge, Understanding, and Counsel are Gifts that affect the Mind; helping us to take in, process, and share what we see, experience, and learn. Fear of the Lord and Piety affect the Soul; helping us to show reverence for God and the many gifts He has given us, and helping us to respond in our lives by sharing our gifts with God and neighbor. And Wisdom and Fortitude affect the Heart, helping us to make the appropriate choices, and to have the courage to follow through.



Thus, Our Heart, Mind, and Soul are affected by God's grace in Baptism through the Supernatural Virtues, by our own efforts (and the efforts of our parents and teachers) to develop good habits by living the virtues, and through Confirmation allowing God's grace to perfect our efforts through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Then, in the end, we will manifest the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That is, we will begin to experience Heaven on Earth. But it's not a light switch sort of thing – it takes work and effort. We need to exercise Faith, Hope, and Love – the Theological Virtues; we need to develop good habits by exercising the Human Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. And once we have laid down a solid foundation of Virtue in our lives, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit will perfect these Virtues in our Hearts, Minds, and Souls. Building us up into the best version of ourself – based on God's perfect plan, the plan He has laid out for each one of us from all Eternity.



And in that action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our response to God's grace, we will begin to see Heaven on Earth in the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. We will be able to experience the Glory of God in our lives and share that with others when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit and God's grace in our lives.

Saturday 1st Week of Lent @ Pan de Vida Retreat

HOMILY - SATURDAY FIRST WEEK OF LENT
MARCH 11, 2017
4:45 PM ORDINARY FORM MASS (7TH & 8TH GRADE RETREAT)



There are three words in today's readings that I want to focus on as a foundation for this homily.

Through Moses, God tells the people of Israel that they are "peculiar" and are called to be "holy."

And in the Gospel, Jesus tells His listeners to be "perfect."

Now, you probably know that Jesus didn't speak English ... or Spanish. And that the Old Testament wasn't written in either of those languages; and neither was the New Testament.

The Old Testament is mostly in Hebrew. And the New Testament is in Greek.

So, whenever we translate something, it gets sort of changed. 

So, the word we heard as "peculiar" can also mean "valuable," "treasure," or "jewel." I'm guessing nobody really likes to be called "peculiar." It sort of sounds like you're being called "weird." But "valuable," "treasure," or "jewel." That's actually nice. That sounds like a compliment.

And like Father said last night in his talk, God brought you here for a reason. And God has a plan for you by bringing you here. And God brought you here because you're valuable to Him. He treasures the relationship you have with Him, and He wants it to be even better.

And at the end of the first reading, God tells the people to be "holy." We maybe think of "holy" as being a statue or an image of a saint. And that's OK. But I'm not sure how often we see ourselves as "saints." But, that is what we are. The word here can also mean "pure," "sacred," and "set apart."

So, over the last couple of days, we've had opportunities for Confession. Opportunities to purify your souls through sacramental means. You've set aside these three days for this retreat. And we're doing a lot of sacred things: Mass, adoration, prayer, fellowship.

Baptism brings you into the life of God, and makes you a saint. So, if you're already baptized – your working on being a better saint. And if you're going to be baptized, your preparing to become a saint.

And at the end of the Gospel, Jesus tells us to be "perfect." Well, that sounds hard. Nobody's perfect. Right? But the word translated as "perfect" can also mean "complete," "integral," and "mature." What I sometimes call "the best version of yourself." 

And Jesus doesn't give us this as a demand. Instead He gives us a way to do it with His help.

The way He does this is through the Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament. The Bread of Life. Pan de Vida. 

The Holy Eucharist. The source and summit of our Christian life.

And what is this? A symbol? A ceremony? An idea?

NO.

The Eucharist is real. We call it the Real Presence, because it really is Jesus. Truly present to us. Just as He was present 2,000 years ago. But instead of appearing as a man. He is here under the appearances of Bread and Wine. 

Really, and truly. Present to us. Body, and Blood; Soul, and Divinity. 

Think about it. Many, if not most of you have felt it. Felt something. During the singing. During the silence. During Confession. During Mass.

He's here. Really, truly, present. Jesus is here.

And in a few minutes, on this altar ... He will make Himself present again. For us to receive Him into ourselves.

Why? Because of how much He loves you. And you. And you.

Jesus loves you. Say that to yourself: "Jesus loves me." Say it out loud: "Jesus loves me."

He does. He really does.

And He wants you to be holy. And He wants you to be perfect. And how does He do this?

He gives you Himself. Body and Blood. Soul and Divinity. 

Jesus comes to us in all the Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Anointing, Matrimony, Orders. 

But in the Eucharist, He is truly present in a truly special way. An abiding way. 

Jesus is here. Really. Truly. Present in the Eucharist.

Jesus is really now on Earth in the Eucharist. Say it with me.

If you emphasize a different part of that sentence, you can get to the depth of it.

And that is the mystery of the Eucharist.

God gives us this great gift of His own Son because He loves us. 

Jesus does this for us – gives us His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – because He loves you. 

Because you are valuable. Because you have been set apart. So that through His gift of Grace and the Holy Spirit, you can be made whole – made holy – made perfect.

And that's the secret, too. Jesus offered Himself for our sake 2,000 years ago. And at every Mass, He mystically re-presents this sacrifice on the altar. 

He comes to you, today. Right now. And at every Mass. And in the Tabernacle.

However you say it, Jesus is really now on Earth – right here, right now.

For you. And for me.