23rd Sunday After Pentecost @ St. Matthew Church

HOMILY - TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
NOVEMBER 12, 2017
3:00 PM EXTRAORDINARY FORM (LATIN) MASS

Oh why is heaven built so far,
Oh why is earth set so remote?

I cannot reach the nearest star
That hangs afloat.

Thus begins the four-stanza poem by the Victorian era poet Christina Rosetti, who died six years before the end of the nineteenth century. This poem is titled De Profundis – Latin for "Out of the depths."



Twice in today’s liturgy, the first lines of the De Profundis – more properly Psalm 129 (130) – are intoned: during the Alleluia verse, and in the Offertorio.

Many poets and authors have paraphrased or interpreted this text – more often than not in a spirit of despair … during a period of personal darkness or loss.

Yet today’s Mass texts and readings call us to greater perseverance and increased hope.



The Introit is from Jeremiah 29, a verse often misused and misinterpreted. The gist being that God has banished Israel to captivity in Bablyon for 70 years, and yet the Almighty proclaims that this shall pass. Awkwardly, this verse pops up on graduation cards as a declaration of a bright future. Yet the context here is of a lengthy exile … followed by a return.

In the Epistle, St. Paul gives the Christians in Philipi a choice between the Spirit or the Flesh. One is freedom, one is exile. Yet the world often portrays the license of the Flesh to be a type of freedom. But this is deceptive. True freedom is found in Christ Jesus … in the joy and the victory of heaven. We must be careful not to treat this “vale of tears” as our final destination.



The Gospel from St. Matthew chapter 9, gives us two images of our salvation. In the first, a woman with a hemorrhage is healed by the mere touch of Our Lord. For the ancients, blood was life; and the loss of blood was the loss of life. The disease that plagued this poor soul for twelve years was a slow leaking out of life … a rather graphic image of the loss of grace – when one may ignore its divine benefits and allow it to be depleted by dis-ease … either through sin or neglect.

And in the raising of the young girl, Our Lord shows Himself as Master of both life and death – being first mocked by the mourners, whose disdain turns to amazement at the restoration of life to the dead child.

Out of the depths … Out of the depths … we cry out to God for Salvation … in the midst of our earthly exile God hears our cries … and reaches out with salvation.



No matter ones condition – saint, or sinner – Our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered death, both spiritual and physical. We must never tire of crying out to Him for the graces we need for salvation … for saving … from sin … from the world … from ourselves.

Rosetti’s poem ends:

For I am bound with fleshly bands,
Joy, beauty, lie beyond my scope;

I strain my heart, I stretch my hands,
And catch at hope.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us call out to Christ to save us. Let us recognize the limitations of our earthly existence, and by the manifold graces of Holy Baptism and all the Sacraments let us “catch at hope.” For it is through perseverance in Faith, Hope, and Charity that we can rise out of the depths … and imitate both Christ and the Saints … to be transformed from the despair of the flesh into the glory of salvation … and eternity … in heaven.

31st Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
NOVEMBER 5, 2017
4:30 PM, 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



Released in late September 1969, the album Abbey Road was the eleventh album recorded by the Beatles, and would turn out to be the last album recorded by all of them together.

The final song of the final medley on the second side of this final album is titled: The End.

After a series of instrumentals, the final words are sung:

And in the end, the love you takeis equal to the love you make.

Today is the 31st Sunday of Ordinary time – the first Sunday in the month of November, the month that begins with All Saints Day and All Souls Day; and provides us with the goal of asking the prayers of the saints in Heaven, while we ourselves offer prayers for not only our loved ones – but also for all the souls in Purgatory

Our first reading is taken from the prophecy of Malachi. The word malachi means “my messenger.” This book is the last of the Old Testament prophets. It would be over 400 years before the coming of St. John the Baptist, and the arrival of Our Lord. The overall focus in the Book of Malachi is an effort to repair the broken relationship between God and His people.



Despite the Temple being recently restored following the Babylonian Captivity, the people and their leaders have taken a blasé attitude toward their relationship with God – dishonoring His name, His temple, and His steadfast love … by failing to honor God’s covenant and providing half-hearted service.

Malachi calls them to step up their game as we hear at the end of today’s reading:

Have we not all the one father?Has not the one God created us?Why then do we break faith with one another …

In the Gospel, Jesus calls out the Pharisees and the leaders of the people. They claimed to have a privileged relationship to God, yet their idea of honor and of service had become distorted and corrupted.

This is Jesus’ final public discourse before His passion, death, and resurrection.



His words echo the call of Malachi, saying:

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. …you have but one Father in heaven. …you have but one master, the Christ. 

In the Epistle – which is considered to be the first written by St. Paul – he emphasizes his parental role – telling the Thessalonians that he was attentive to their needs like a mother, and emphasizing his paternal role in providing God’s Word to them

not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God.

November calls us to contemplate our own end – through what are often called The Four Last Things. Not in a morbid or dark way, but rather by evaluating our own relationship with God and with neighbor. What is often translated as justice or righteousness – carries in the original language a heavy emphasis on right relationship.



We must constantly be on guard against the temptations and the corruptions of the world. Lest our responsibilities and duties as Christians – followers of Christ – become twisted into authoritarian powers. Leadership and inspiration should never be corrupted into mere management and control … to avoid running the risk of distorting our vocation – our calling from God – into an occupation – something that just fills up our life.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – let us pray that the infinite graces of so great a Sacrament will strengthen us to fulfill our baptismal roles of Priest, Prophet, and King. May we never sink into the morass of worldliness, but rather focus on our Christian duties,  the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the call of God … which has been placed on each and every one of our lives.

Because, “in the end, the love [we] take, is equal to the love, [we] make.”

Road Trip Letter @ St. Apollinaris School

LETTER TO FAMILIES
NOVEMBER 3, 2017
ROAD TRIP PLANS



Dear Friends,
I’m going on a road trip!
On Saturday, my big brother, Bill, is flying in, and on Monday morning, we’re driving to Michigan. It will take three days, and we’ll drive through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and finally get to Michigan. Directions are easy: Take Interstate 80 to Chicago, and then get on Interstate 94 into Michigan. Then I’ll be in Michigan with my family for two weeks. After Thanksgiving I’ll turn around and come back. This time I’ll be bringing my good friend Father Tom. That’s 3 more days on the road. And then I’ll be back in Napa! While I’m in Michigan I’ll go to the Beatification ceremony for Father Solanus Casey. He was a priest who died in 1957. He’s famous for his prayers and many miracles. I also hope to go to a  hockey game, sleep in a lot, go shopping with my parents, and eat a ton of turkey.
Be good while I’m gone!
See you soon.
– Fr. David

All Saints Day @ Justin-Siena High School

HOMILY - ALL SAINTS DAY
NOVEMBER 1, 2017
11:55 AM MASS



Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.

We often think of canonized saints as the only type of saints. But saints are real people, not statues. By virtue of our Baptism, we are called to be saints.

In order to be a canonized saint, there are five steps.

1. Be dead for 5 years.
2. Local bishop opens an investigation of their life and sends it to Rome. When it is accepted by the Congregation for Saints, the individual is given the title "Servant of God."
3. The Congregation for Saints reviews the materials from the investigation and if it is determined that the person lived a life of "heroic virtue," they are given the title "Venerable."
4. Then, there are two possibilities. If the person died for the faith as a martyr, they can automatically move on to the next step. Otherwise, there must be a miracle attributed to their intercession. The miracles are fastidiously examined and must be outside of science. If the person was indeed a martyr, or if a miracle occurred through their intercession, they are given the title of "Blessed." 
5. Finally, after this, if a second miracle can be attributed to their intercession, they are given the title of "Saint." 

The difference between Blesseds and Saints is that Blesseds are for a particular region, while Saints are for the whole world-wide Church.

Now, for ourselves, how do WE become the saints we are called to be?

1. First is Holiness. This means, literally, "set apart for service to God." Every time we set aside something: time, effort, or ourselves ... in service to God, we grow in holiness. Saints gave all they had to God, and we can work toward giving more and more of ourselves to God.
2. Second is Virtue. We all have good and bad points to our lives - virtues and vices. Saints had "heroic" virtue. This means that they allowed God to perfect, through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, their virtues; while working to lessen their vices – and make up for their mistakes.
3. Finally, is Perseverance. Saints may not have been perfect, but they all kept trying. Never give up on being a Saint, and never be discouraged. Work constantly to grow in holiness and virtue, and God will bless your effort, and through His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, your imperfect efforts will be perfected through God's power.

And that's how Saints are determined, and how YOU can be a Saint!

30th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
OCTOBER 29, 2017
10:30 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as C-E-R-N or “sern”, was establsihed in 1954 in a suburb of Geneva on the border of Switzerland and France. It operates the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, providing particle accelerators necessary for high-energy physics research. It has 2,500 scientific, technical, and administrative emplyees on staff; and last year generated nearly 50 petabytes – that is, 50,000 terabytes – or roughly 100,000 times the storage of my own personal computer … and for that matter, more than three times the data stored that has been stored on the entire World Wide Web for the past fifteen years.

It was five years ago that scientists at CERN discovered the Higgs Boson – the so-called “God particle.” For our purposes, it is an elementary particle which explains why some fundamental particles have mass – or weight.



Recently, research at CERN demonstrated a complete and total symmetry between matter and anti-matter. Without going into the gruesome details, what that means is: the universe as we know it should not exist. According to this research, everything should have been destroyed within the first nano-moments of the Big Bang. Or in other words, according to the most recent research in high-energy physics … the universe as we know it should not exist.

But, somehow … some way … something … or perhaps maybe we can say … Someone … is keeping it all going.



For now, as physicists ponder on why everything exists, maybe the answer can be found in Faith.

Today is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The readings today speak of the “Greatest Commandment” – that is, to love God and to love our neighbor. And this isn’t partial or as-you-like-it.



Rather, Jesus exhorts us to:

love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.

All. All. All.

All in … all the time … with all you’ve got.



I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time being anywhere for part of the time with some of what I’ve got ... even after several cups of strong coffee!

And on top of that, Our Lord admonishes us to:

love your neighbor as yourself.

Since sociologists consider that pop-culture images are intended to create self-loathing on a wide scale, maybe the second one isn’t so difficult. If there isn’t anybody who really even like themselves … then maybe it’s not all that hard to dislike other people on the same level as we all hate ourselves.



But God is calling us to something greater.

If the God of the universe – who quite possibly has been keeping things in check for umpteen billions of years … despite whatever the laws of physics and the best scientific research is currently showing … If God can keep everything together right here, right now … and everywhere else … and out there … then maybe, just maybe He can also provide all of us us with what we need so that we can keep it together … and be all in … all the time … with everything we’ve got.

The God who is holding the universe together … wants to help us hold ourselves together.



The Supernatural Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love are given to us in Baptism. They help us to remain “sanctified” or “divinized” as the Eastern Church calls it. To truly be sons and daughters of God is no small thing. But on our part, it requires a complete surrender to God … Who despite His immense power, grants us a free will … and allows us to reject Him. This same Person who is keeping the universe from self-annihilation … sent His Son, Jesus Christ … to share in our humanity and redeem us … save us … from our own self-destructive tendencies … and our own self-annihilation … that is, what we call sin.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us pray to be able to share completely and fully in the Divine Life of God … which is already our inheritance through Holy Baptism. May we who are re-born of water and the Spirit truly embrace our right to be re-born in Grace … so that, with God’s assistance, we might truly love Him completely and totally … with our whole heart, our whole mind, and and our whole soul.

And then, as we recognize how powerful His love is for us, may we learn to love ourselves as God loves us … and in turn, share that Divine Love with one another.

Article on St. Apollinaris Evacuee Efforts @ SF Catholic

ARTICLE FROM SAN FRANCISCO CATHOLIC
OCTOBER 22, 2017



Other than misspelling the name of the parish (Apollinaris is correct,) and seriously cutting back on the list of volunteers; it's not a bad article. We're not in downtown and we've always had two daily Masses. Otherwise, a nice article on the work done by St. Apollinaris parish during the wildfires and evacuations.

Online copy with corrections made here.

29th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
OCTOBER 22, 2017
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



In the 1977 movie titled “Oh God,” John Denver portrays store manager Jerry Landers who is granted an audience with God … Who reveals Himself first as a voice on an intercom, and then as a voice on the radio. Eventually, when God does appear in person, He is portrayed by George Burns – an American comedian, actor, singer, and writer; who died 21 years ago at the age of 100.

Jerry is tasked with getting the word out that “God lives! …God is here and He’s giving you a guarantee … [He] set all this up for you and made it so it can work.”

And despite the simplicity of the message, Jerry can’t seem to get it out. He’s met with skepticism on one hand, and overwhelmed by religious fervor on the other.

His own struggle to come to grips with being chosen by God and trying to understand the message he is tasked with getting out makes him a sort of a-religious everyman struggling to embrace as a reasonable possibility that God could indeed exist.



In a final courtroom scene, God’s closing argument is:

“I know how hard it is in these time to have faith. But maybe if you could have the faith to start with, maybe the times would change. You could change it. Think about it. Try. … If you find it hard to believe in me, maybe it would help if you knew that I believe in you.”

Today is the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In the first reading from Isaiah, God speaks through the prophet and explains that He will end the Babylonian captivity of Israel through a future king of Persia – even going so far as giving a name, which when played out hundreds of years later.



Scholars are torn between believing that was truly a prediction or an insertion by a later commentator. Nonetheless, the point is the same: God not only exists, but directs the flow of history, and He has a plan.

St. Paul, in the first few lines from his First Letter to the Thessalonians, reminds them – and us as well – that we are chosen by God to live out and proclaim the Gospel in word and power through the graces given to us by God: namely, Faith, Hope, and Love.



And finally, in the Gospel, both the Pharisees and the Herodians put Jesus on trial. They think they’ve got Him in a bind – a “lose-lose” situation, if you will. If Jesus opposes the Roman tax, they can have the civil authorities arrest Him as a rebel; but if He supports it, He will lose the support of the people.
Jesus takes a third way. In identifying the coin as “what belongs to Caesar” He tells them to give it back to it’s owner. But then admonishes them to repay “to God what belongs to God.”

For ourselves, we have been chosen by God – from before we were born – and more importantly – through the waters of Holy Baptism, which have bestowed on us the supernatural graces of Faith, Hope, and Love. With this solid, spiritual foundation, God indeed has “set all this up for [us] and made it so it can work.” God has already given us “the faith to start with,” so we can utilize His power to change things – to change the world – starting right now with ourselves.

No matter how strong or how weak our Faith may be, God indeed believes in us, and is taking a chance on us. So, maybe it’s time we step out in Faith and take a chance on God.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us ask for a deeper outpouring of those Baptismal graces so that we might be strengthened in Faith, Hope, and Love … and fueled with the power of His grace, let us go forth from this place as messengers of the Gospel – chosen by God, redeemed in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit