4th Sunday of Easter @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
APRIL 22, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



It’s no secret that I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in Italy – starting  first in Rome, then Norcia, Assisi, and ending in Florence.

Part of my spirituality is looking and recognizing those events that I would call “signal graces.”



Signal graces are the little miracles that God tosses at us every day. These are somewhat off-the-wall and unexpected things – hence they are not dependent on us. But in their own ways, they show us how God, like a good Father, showers us with blessings when we do our best to abide in His will.



And there were signal graces that “popped up” during my trip to Italy. Such as … a brief visit with His Eminence Cardinal Burke … getting tickets (out of the blue the night before) to concelebrate Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday with the Pope … and finding out that I knew the Father Prior – sort of the second in command – at the Benedictine Monastery from twelve years back at graduate school in Ohio.



While those three things might be seen as coincidences, I would call them God-incidences – signs of God’s immense love for me, and signs to strengthen me in my call within the priesthood.

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday.”



It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Pope Francis, in his message for this event, points out that each vocation is as diverse and unique as the individuals that make up the Church. And having a vocation is not limited to priests or religious.
Each of us has a vocation – a call from God – which we have received from before we were born, strengthened in Baptism, and clarified in Confirmation, and nourished in the Holy Eucharist.



In his message, the Holy Father points out three aspects that he says are needed to properly accept God’s call – that is to properly accept and experience your own vocation.



The first aspect is listening.

We listen first through prayer which is the key to our relationship with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We listen, too, to the Word of God in Sacred Scripture. And we listen to our hearts, and sometimes to each other. But in a noisy world, we need to recognize that God very often speaks to us in silence – in a still, small voice. And it is in that silence that we are best able to listen and hear God’s voice.



The second aspect is discerning.

Discernment is sort of a “Church-y” word that too often is over-used as a way to blow-off or a way to cop-out of doing anything. True discernment is done in relationship – our relationship with God, our relationship with the Church, and our relationship with one another. Discernment made outside of these relationships is fruitless, and is an exercise in futility.



The third and final aspect is living.

The Holy Father tells us that “the Lord continues to call [us] to follow him. We should not wait to be perfect in order to respond … nor [should we] be fearful of … limitations and sins, but [rather] open our hearts to the voice of the Lord.”



The Greek philosopher Socrates said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” In terms of vocation, the vocation that is not lived out in the fullness of God’s grace is not a worthy vocation.

God doesn’t call us to be perfect, but He does call us to live our lives according to His call, and within His plan … His will for us. And it is in living out our vocations that we can best discern where God is calling us to follow Him.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray for God’s grace “[to] listen to [God’s] voice, to discern our personal mission in the Church and the world, and at last to live [our our vocation] in the today that God gives us.”

Let us listen, discern, and live out fully our own vocation in response to the voice of the Good Shepherd, Who knows us, Who lays down His life for us, Who leads us, and Who loves us.

Easter Sunday @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - EASTER SUNDAY - THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
APRIL 1, 2018
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



A “Blue Moon” is second full moon occurring within a calendar month. Yesterday night was the second full moon of March. The “Paschal Moon” is the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. That was also yesterday’s full moon. Also, yesterday’s full moon occurred on March 31 in both the eastern and western hemispheres.

The last time there was a “Paschal Blue Moon” with Easter falling on April 1 was the year 1646.



The pope in that year was Pope Innocent X (the tenth). His rival in the College of Cardinals commissioned a painting of Saint Michael trampling the head of Satan … who oddly enough resembles Pope Innocent X.

During his reign there occurred both the First English Civil War, as well as the 30 (thirty) Years War in Germany.

History aside, the astronomical phenomenon we witnessed last night last occurred 372 years ago. Pretty cool.



Today is Easter Sunday. Jesus is risen! Alleluia! Resurrexit, sicut dixit! Alleluia!

This morning we heard from the beginning of the 20th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel.

My sermons over the past week have focused on St. John’s word play in Greek. And this morning’s pericope does not disappoint.



In today’s Gospel we hear that St. John, on arriving at the tomb first “saw” the burial cloths; and then St. Peter, when he showed up – in second place – went into the tomb and “saw” the burial cloths; and finally, that when St. John went into the tomb and also “saw” … and believed.

Awkwardly, three very different words are all translated as “saw,” providing us with a rather flat reading of a very dynamic story.

Fleshing out the meaning of these distinct words in Greek, it might be more proper to say that when St. John first arrived at the tomb, he “looked” (in the Greek “βλέπει”) into the tomb at the burial cloths. St. Peter, came in behind John, and entering the tomb he “examined” (in the Greek “θεωρεῖ”) the burial cloths. Finally, St. John enters in behind Peter, and “perceived” (in the Greek “εἶδεν”) the burial cloths.

Three different words, the first meaning to “look,” the second meaning to “examine,” and the third meaning to “perceive.” All, sadly, translated as “saw.”

We are here today for Easter.



How deeply are you participating in the liturgical action being played out in today’s Mass?

Are you “looking?” Sort of just hanging around, taking it all in.

Are you “examining?” Not just looking, but scrutinizing the details – the smells, the bells, the chanting, and the singing?

Or are you “perceiving?” Looking, examining, and understanding – not only with your mind, but with the eyes of Faith, the divine action and supernatural drama that is going on right here, right now?



Today’s Gospel reading begins with Mary Magdalene finding the empty tomb. During this week, we will hear of Jesus appearing to the ten disciples hiding in the upper room. And next Sunday, we will hear the story of Doubting Thomas.

Thomas moves from doubt to belief – by the supernatural virtue of Faith. The disciples move from fear to courage – by the supernatural virtue of Hope. And Mary moves from tears to joy – by the supernatural virtue of Love. Faith, Hope, and Love are the Baptismal gifts we have all received.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, may the eyes of our hearts be opened to be moved from looking, to a deeper participation in the Holy Mysteries of this day. May we be renewed in the supernatural virtues – the baptismal virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love – as we recall our own Baptism, and renew our Baptismal promises today … knowing that if we have died with Christ in Baptism, then we shall live with Him – and ultimately we shall reign with Him for all eternity.

Good Friday @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
MARCH 30, 2018
7:00 PM PRAYER SERVICE (ENGLISH)



John’s Gospel can be broken into four parts. At the beginning is the Prologue – covering most of the first chapter – and at the end, an Epilogue – the twenty-first, and final, chapter of this gospel.



The remaining two parts, which form the remainder of the text, are what is called The Book of Signs, which consists of seven miracles; and then what is called The Book of Glory … or The Book of Exaltation.



The Book of Glory begins with Chapter 13, which was the reading we heard last night – the washing of the feet of the Apostles. It is followed by five chapters of what are called the Farewell Discourses. These five chapters will make up the bulk of the readings during the Easter Season.



The Passion narrative, what we heard played out today, is familiar to most of us – consisting of chapters 18 and 19.



In the Prophecy of Isaiah, which was our First Reading, we heard what is called the Fourth Servant Song – which describes a Suffering Servant … the Man of Sorrows. This text predates Jesus by over 700 years.

Christians have seen the Servant described in Isaiah as a prophecy of the life and ministry of Jesus … and in this case, referring to Christ’s passion. There are five movements in this section of Isaiah.

Shock. Sorrow. Suffering. Silence. Salvation.

It is not difficult to see the connection between Isaiah’s prophecy and what we just heard read from John’s Gospel. And indeed, the Book of Hebrews provides a theological overlay as well.
But for now, let us reflect on the great love of God – that in the face of the fear, violence, anger and terror – God’s love remains as an unconquerable force.



St. John himself in his First Epistle tells us that “perfect love casts out fear.” And we continue to see this played out throughout Holy Week and the Triduum.



May we, through God’s grace, find the strength to unite our own sufferings with the sufferings of Christ. As members of His body, we are eternally united to Him. And by the action of the Holy Spirit … and through God’s gracious mercy, may we be filled with God’s most perfect love … that we may persevere in the total self gift of Christ … to the end.

Holy Thursday @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - HOLY THURSDAY EVENING MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
MARCH 29, 2018
7:00 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASS



For human beings, memory is the faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved.



While in the 21st century, we may joke about having a “hard drive” or “flash drive” up there, the actual neuroanatomy of human memory involves the hippocampus (a seahorse shaped section of the brain located under the cerebral cortex), the amygdala (almond shaped sections of the brain located behind the eyes), the striatum (located in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain), and the mammillary bodies (a pair of small round bodies, located on the undersurface of the brain).
Together these assist in short term memory, long term memory, emotional memory, and sensory memory.

Of course, the complex physiological basis for human memory remains theoretical. For now, downloading your thoughts or uploading your memories remains in the realm of science fiction.



Today is Holy Thursday and we are here to celebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.



In the first reading, we hear about the Passover, which the Lord instructed the Israelites would “be a memorial feast for [them], which all … generations would celebrate with … as a perpetual institution.”



St. Paul speaks of the Last Supper, and Jesus’ own words: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
Yet this is more than a "Hail fellow well met,” or a passing thought of “Good old Jesus. He was quite the guy, wasn’t He?”

The remembrance we celebrate is an “anamnesis” – an act of higher remembering within the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Mass, we pray the Eucharistic Prayer which remembers Jesus through an “anaphora” – a carrying back to that point in time when in the upper room, these events took place.



But this is more than a memory … this liturgical action is a re-presentation of the sacrificial self-offering of the Son of God to God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit … which collapses space and time … bringing us not only to the upper room, but to Calvary, and the tomb … and to all points of Salvation History – those places and times where God has intervened to save sinful humanity.

On Sunday, I spoke about that first part of today’s Gospel: “Jesus … loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” And how John’s Greek language word play connects Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper … with His final words from the Cross, “It is finished.” And finally in his old age John reveals to the early Christians how “perfect love casts out fear.”



And so, we see in Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection … the playing out of a perfect sacrificial total gift of God’s self … wiping away sin and fear and punishment.

At the end of the Last Supper – in the mandate of Christ (which is why today is sometimes called “Maundy Thursday” Jesus tells the Apostles … and us as well: “I give you a new commandment … love one another as I have loved you.”



What is new is that this love is total, complete, and perfect … a total gift of self, a complete sharing in the mysteries of the Most Holy Trinity, and a perfect sacrifice to bring about the redemption of humanity, or creation, and of the entire universe.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ: let us remember … let us be carried back … let us be raised up … through Him, and with Him, and in Him … through the perfect love of God … shown forth in this divine action.



Let us pause with the whole of creation … which stands still in this sacred moment … as the divine drama of reconciliation commences … and with bated breath awaits its consummation.

Palm Sunday @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
MARCH 25, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



We have just listened to the reading of the Passion according to St. Mark – the shortest, but most detailed of the Gospels.

On Good Friday, we will hear the Passion according to St. John.

Today – Palm Sunday – marks the beginning of Holy Week. And the high point of Holy Week are the “Three Days” – in Latin, the Triduum – of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

In the Gospel for Holy Thursday, we hear St. John tell us:

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had cometo pass from this world to the Father.He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

That last phrase “loved them to the end,” needs some fleshing out, because in Greek, there are three words for love: philos or “brotherly love”, eros or “romantic love,” and agape or “divine love” or “sacrificial love.” And the word used here is the last one – agape.



When St. John tells us “God is love,” he means agape – a divine and sacrificial love … a love that is manifested in a total self-gift.

In the Passion narratives, we see what that means when God becomes a human being, and pours out Himself in the person of Jesus Christ; not only at the end, but throughout His life and ministry.

The Passion is certainly not a “nice” story. It is a story of suffering, perseverance, love, and sacrifice. And there is violence, betrayal, injustice, and fear … lots and lots of fear.



Fear can be a powerful force in anyone’s life. Fear led Peter to deny Our Lord. Fear led Judas to betray Him. Fear is why the other disciples all ran away. The religious leaders and the Romans hoped to put an end to this uprising by inciting fear in those who dared follow this simple man from Nazareth whom they conspired to execute.

And at the foot of the cross, tradition tells us were Jesus’ Blessed Mother and the Apostle John.
What motivated this young man, John, to stay? While all the others disciples ran off?



In his First Epistle, chapter 4, written in his old age, St. John, himself,  gives us this secret to overcoming fear:

… perfect love drives out fear …

Of interest here, are the words used for “perfect love.” Love here is agape. While the word for “perfect,” in the Greek is teleios – the same word translated in John’s Gospel as “to the end,” also means “complete,” “mature,” or “finished.”

Even Our Lord’s final word from the Cross, "It is finished!" comes from the same Greek word, and could be translated "It is perfected!"



How are we to handle fear in our own lives? How are we to conquer the constant barrage of frightening images on television, in the news, and on the streets that surround us and threaten to overwhelm us?

By following the example of Jesus Christ – Who loved to the end … Who loved perfectly … Who loved completely … Who loved totally.

Paraphrasing St. John’s First Epistle, it could be said that:

… persevering to the end in divine and sacrificial love drives away any and all fear …

And so, despite the violence, betrayal, fear, and injustice that we just heard played out in the Passion narrative … and despite the same that are played out in our own world today … perfect love casts out fear … and perfect love is what this story of the Passion is all about.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us pray that we might persevere to the end … in the supernatural and perfect Love of God which is ours through Baptism, and strengthened in all the Sacraments.

Let us conquer fear through perfect love … perfect, sacrificial, and divine Love. The love that is shown to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Our Lord.

5th Sunday of Lent @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
MARCH 18, 2018
7:00 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



Comfort foods are menu items that hold a nostalgic or sentimental value to a person. A comfort foods are usually high in calories, high in carbohydrates, or perhaps just easy to prepare. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, a family, or a particular culture.

For me, growing up, it meant an egg fried in toast. The meaning behind that was, while it was easy to prepare, there were seven of us, so each was prepared one at a time. That usually meant that breakfast wasn’t in a rush.

Some typical American comfort foods would be apple pie ala mode, cheeseburgers, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, or anything chocolate.



Comfort foods are seen by some as a stress eating response – a way to feel better through food. Although other studies have shown that men eat when they feel good, while women eat when the feel bad.

Broad brush strokes aside, eating patterns and menu choices are always unique to individual persons, families, regions, and cultures.

Like all things, whatever we eat or drink – should be done in moderation.



Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

We are 27 days in, and have had – counting today – 5 Sundays off.

How are things going?

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say,

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

10 chapters earlier in John’s Gospel, at the Wedding Feast of Cana, Jesus’ first miracle, He had said just the opposite - that His hour had not yet come.

What has changed?



In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we are told that Jesus

learned obedience from what he sufferedand when he was made perfect,he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

What obedience did Jesus need to learn?

In essence, the translation into English loses a bit of its meaning from the Greek. This phrase could be rendered that Jesus

increased in conformity [to us] by the things that he sufferedand when this was completehe became the author of salvation for all who are conformed to him

Saint Athanasius, the great 3rd century doctor of the Church said it this way:

For the Son of God became man so that we might become God

And so as Jesus took on our sufferings in conformity to human nature, so that if we are conformed to Him, we can share in His divine nature.

This is the spirit of adoption that we share as members of Christ’s body through Baptism.
Or as St. Paul says in Second Timothy:

If we have died with him [then] we shall also live with him;if we persevere [then] we shall also reign with him.

The bottom line is that too often Christians become “comfortable” with the way things are. When in reality, we are supposed to become “conformable” to the Person of Jesus Christ.

A big reason why we increase our prayers, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent is so that we can become more and more conformed to the image of Christ Jesus.

Less “comfortable” … more “conformable.”



And this is the “new covenant” that the prophet Jeremiah speaks of in the first reading … written seven centuries before Christ – to have God’s law written on our hearts through a deep and personal knowledge of God through the forgiveness of sin.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … may be be strengthened in our Lenten practices – not for their own sakes, but to bring us closer to God by the action of the Holy Spirit, conforming us more and more to Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

Liturgical Ministries Reflection @ St. Apollinaris Church

LITURGICAL MINISTRIES HOMILY AND REFLECTION
MARCH 10, 2018
HOMILY: 8:45 AM MASS, REFLECTION: 9:45 AM

HOMILY



The Eucharist is our lifeblood – and the lifeblood of the Church.

The Second Vatican council reminds us that within the Eucharist, is contained the whole spiritual wealth of the Church.

We must always remember that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life – of our whole Christian life.

In the sacristies of the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity – Saint Mother Teresa’s sisters – all over the world, there is always a little sign hanging as a reminder for the priest. The purpose of this sign is to inspire him to offer Mass with devotion, freshness, contemplation, and enthusiasm.



The sign reads:

O Priest of God,
say this Mass as though it were 

your first Mass, 

your last Mass,

your only Mass.

Priest, or deacon; ordained, or lay; active, or receptive – anyone engaged in the celebration of the Eucharist in any way can approach the Mass as if it were their first time, their last time, or their only time.



The Mass can be broken up into its commensurate parts. There are books, talks, charts, Missals, or Missalettes that provide instruction or guidance on the Mass. And as many of those as there are, there are probably as many ways to break up the structure or explain the elements of the Mass.

From a spiritual perspective, there can be said to be three interior movements of the Mass. These can be applied to the particular parts of the Mass in sequential order, but also can occur at any point in the liturgy.

1. The way of purification.2. The way of illumination.3. The way of union.

Returning to the Missionaries of Charity, in their chapels, as in any chapel, there is always a crucifix. Written next to the crucifix are one of the last words that Jesus said from the cross:

I thirst.

Jesus thirsts for our souls … for our hearts … for our attention … for our love. And we should thirst for union with Him … for union with His most Sacred Heart … for union with His will … and for union with the Divine Love which unites Him to the Father and the Holy Spirit.



And finally, at the close of the Eucharistic Prayer is the doxology – the words of glory – that say:

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory and honor is yours,

for ever and ever. Amen.

And so, these are our marching orders. In the pew, in a ministry, on the altar, in the choir … in our action or our reception … to participate in the liturgy as if it our first, last, or only Mass … to seek the grace to be purged of anything that separates us from God; to hear His voice in the prayers, the hymns, the Scriptures and allow the Light of Christ to enlighten our hearts, minds, and souls; and to unite ourselves body, mind, and soul with God Almighty … as we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass … and receive the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar – Jesus Christ – Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.

REFLECTION

Eucharistic Liturgy Notes