30th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 28, 2018
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



“The Jesus Prayer” or the “Prayer of the Heart” is an eastern Church prayer form consisting of repetitions of the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” oftentimes synchronized with ones breathing.

The 19th century book “The Way of a Pilgrim” tells the tale of a wandering pilgrim who travels through southern and central Ukraine, Russia, and Siberia.

The pilgrim’s journey begins when he is struck by the words of St. Paul in First Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” He visits monasteries and churches hoping to find someone who will explain to him … how … to pray without ceasing – but without much success.



He finally meets a wizened old religious, who teaches him the Jesus Prayer.

The remainder of the book details the progression of spiritual development of the author – amidst his own struggles – and how his practice of the Jesus prayer affects him … and those around him.

Today is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We hear in the Psalm Response:

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Do we recognize the great things God has done for us? Are we filled with joy?



The first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of the same things that the verses of the Psalm speak of … restoration of the people of God … and the joy that they have experienced in response to that restoration.

In a sense, Israel has experienced a loss – and God has restored what they have lost.



The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of Christ’s priesthood – and His “offer[ing of] gifts and sacrifices for sin” in order to restore us – the members of His Body – to what our spiritual inheritance.

And in the Gospel, we hear the story of Blind Bartimaeus.

He cries out:

Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.

And despite the crowd telling him to stop,

he kept calling out all the more.

As Bartimaeus continues calling out, Jesus calls him.



He gets up. Throws aside his cloak, and goes to Jesus.

In a short exchange, Jesus asks him what he wants, he responds in the simplest of petitions, and immediately he received what he asked for, and followed Jesus on the way.

The prayer of Bartimaeus is nothing more than the prayer of the heart. He was single-minded in what he wanted. He threw aside the only thing he had to come when Christ called him, and in faith made his request, and received.



As we continue with our prayer in this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; and as we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us pray from our heart … in simplicity … and focused on Christ alone – who can save us … let us recognize the Great High Priest here before us, and crying out to Him:

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner

May we recognize the great things God has done for us, and let us receive … and be filled with joy.

29th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 20 / 21, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 9:00 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



Barbara Kellerman is a professor of public leadership at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University; and was one of the founders of the International Leadership Association. Forbes ranked her among the top 50 business thinkers, and she is considered one of the top 15 best minds on leadership.

Her recent works have focused on the role of what she calls “followership,” as well as bad leadership, and the waning of traditional models of leadership.



She enumerates seven categories of “bad” leaders: (1) incompetent, (2) rigid, (3) intemperate, (4) callous, (5) corrupt, (6) insular, and (7) evil. While enumerating five types of followers: (1) isolates, (2) bystanders, (3) participants, (4) activists, and (4) diehards – categorized by their levels of engagement and participation.

Dr. Kellerman has indicated that there is a lot a person can learn about being a good leader by being a good follower.

Today is the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.



Our first reading is from the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah – one of the “Suffering Servant Songs.” Christians have considered this to be the Person of Jesus Christ as evidenced in its being referenced in the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Acts of the Apostles, and St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

The “Servant” is Jesus, and His offering to God is His Life, Passion, and Death.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews portrays Our Lord’s self-offering into the role of High Priest, encouraging Christians (ourselves included) to approach the Throne of Almighty God through Christ Jesus, in order “to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”



The short Gospel reading from St. Mark is part of an optional longer reading, where first James and John are looking for prime seating in the Kingdom – that is, they want to sit at Jesus’s left and right. He, however, calls them to a higher purpose – to share in His “cup” and in His “baptism.” And indeed, James was the first Apostle to suffer martyrdom in Jerusalem, and John lived a life of suffering in exile.

We see in succession how last week the man who approached Jesus “went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Instead of bringing him happiness, the things he owned ended up owning him … and holding him back from following Jesus.



And today, the disciples are lobbying and jockeying for power … focusing on defective, worldly models of leadership … instead of focusing on following Christ – who is right there, in front of them.

Jesus’s call to follow Him requires us to re-evaluate how, who, and what we are following. And in choosing to follow Christ, we must follow His example of service to God’s Most Holy Will. We must follow Him, and Him alone, so that we can share in His power … and can reign with Him in the Glory of the Kingdom.



When we hear the word “authority,” we should recognize our own need to surrender to God who is the “Author” of life and the “Author” of all things. Further reading in the Book of Hebrews, would bring us to reflect on our own self-surrender to Christ Jesus, who is called the Author “and Perfecter of our faith,” and how that should influence us in our daily life as followers of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – let us pray to let go of worldly ideas of power, possession, and prestige – and surrender everything to God through Christ Jesus in the grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit. May we serve as Jesus served – through a complete self-gift and through a complete self-offering to God… in every thought, word, and deed.

27th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 7, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



On July 22, 1962 … the deep space probe Mariner 1 was launched. Due to a software glitch, the range safety officer ordered it to self-destruct less than 300 seconds after launch.

38 days later, on August 27, its successor probe, Mariner 2, was launched. 110 days later, on December 14, it became the first spacecraft to encounter the planet Venus.



No photographs were taken. Rather, its instrumentation consisted of a microwave radiometer, an infrared radiometer, a magnetometer, and a Geiger counter.

19 days later, it stopped transmitting radio signals; but remains in a solar orbit to this day.



Mariner 3 was launched 23 months later with the intention of encountering Mars. However, it failed to deploy its solar panels, and eight (8) hours into the flight, the batteries died.

Mariner 4 was launched 3 weeks later, and after 7 and a half months, reached Mars. Over the course of six hours, 22 photographs were transmitted (twice), and the data was hand drawn – like a paint-by-number – while waiting for the computers to digitally process the data.



In total, 634 kilobytes of data was returned, and after 3 years and 23 days, the mission was terminated.

Now, over 50 years later, the search for Martian life remains on-going, with a long-term goal of attempting to return samples from Mars to Earth for more in-depth testing.



Our efforts to encounter extra-terrestrial life continues, without success … yet.

Today is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time.



Our readings focus on relationships – in particular marriage, children, and family.

Beyond mere interpersonal relationships – family relationships can cause great joy, or great stress. In life and in death, people oftentimes struggle to express the emotional and familial relationships in a positive way; while others experience deep and constructive levels of understanding, trust, and affection.



I have often wondered how – when it is so hard for so many to communicate within our own households and families … let alone between nations and ethnicities – how we expect to ever communicate with intelligent extra-terrestrial life … should we ever encounter it.

From infancy to old age, perhaps the best summary statement on relationships within families … and without … is that they are complex, often awkward, and many times difficult.



In the letter to the Hebrews, we hear that Jesus, in becoming “lower than the angels” for “a little while” is not “ashamed to call [us]” family. And that should give us pause.

The Sacrament of Baptism gives us new birth into the family of God; while the Sacrament of Matrimony makes husbands and wives sharers in God’s creative act, and presents the saving reality of Jesus Christ as a symbol of His love for the Church.



Our role, in all of this – whether in familial, parochial, or other relationships – is to unite ourselves with God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit … so that we might manifest in all of our relationships the power of divine love as expressed in the relationships found within the Most Holy Trinity.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist gives us the strength to do that on a regular basis, while the Sacrament of Confirmation configures us for mission in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Sacrament of Penance provides us with a means to bring God’s power into our struggles and weaknesses … so that we might better – day by day – put into practice the Faith we profess to believe.



In all the Sacraments, God has provided us the means to grow in Faith, Hope, and Love with Him … and to express His saving presence in our lives with those we encounter in our lives.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – may we encounter the Divine Persons in an extra-temporal and extra-spatial way. Let us engage the saving power of the Cross in our every thought, word, and deed … so that in all of our relationships – both human and Divine – we may find an encounter with the living Christ … Jesus Christ … as Brother, and Savior, and Lord.

26th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
7:30AM, 10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES

This past week, a word has re-surfaced, which it would seem has a vague meaning. But a word without much meaning is not much of a word in itself – as the whole purpose of words is to convey meaning.

The word is “clericalism.”

Clericalism can mean the over-esteem of the clergy by the faithful, the artificial separation of the clergy from the people, or even micro-management by clergy in their day-to-day work.

In a word, if you want to curse a priest, deacon, or bishop in the twenty-first century, just use the word “clericalism.” It seems it can mean just about anything in any situation.

But the word does have a meaning. And that meaning is profound.

Clericalism refers to an “ecclesiolatry” – that is, an “excessive devotion to the institutional aspects of organized religion … over and against the religion’s own beliefs and faith.” It can also refer to the “cronyism and cloistered [politics]” that often arise in organized religions.

It results in the creation of cliques and clubs, a separation of people at the top and the bottom, and the misuse of persons, assets, and power in ways that are outright toxic and grossly dysfunctional.

The idea of “my church – right or wrong” without examining the facts and issues; and without giving quarter to the rule of law – leaves nothing but an rotten shell … a failing human-led organization … devoid of God, and devoid of love.

Today is the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

St. James gets our attention with the opening words of Chapter 5 of his Epistle:

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.

But looking at the Greek word here rendered as “you rich”, it could perhaps be translated as “you who are overly satisfied.” 

In this we can hear the echo of the words of Our Lord in St. Luke’s Gospel, where He says four times “Blessed are you who …” – in an abbreviated form of the eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Plain – followed by four times saying, “woe to you …”

Both our Lord and St. James are pushing back against a certain “self-satisfaction” or a “smugness” in how people were living out their lives. This is less about how full their bank account was, and more about how full of themselves they were.

We see in both the Old Testament and in the Gospel how even a little authority made some of the leaders of Israel … and some of the disciples … jealous of others’ exercising ministry in God’s Holy Spirit … and in Jesus’s Name.

Christians are called to be “in the world, but not of the world.” In His farewell discourse in John chapter 17, after asking God to do just that for His disciples, Jesus asks that we be “consecrate[d] … in the truth” as He then sends us into the world.

For us this can be tenuous. The culture worships money, power, and sex. And these false gods destroy lives – not only in the here and now, but in eternity. These false gods can warp our perceptions on how we are to utilize the gifts of God, the power of God, and our service to God within the Christian community. And these false gods can affect how we interact with one another … and with the poor.

In those situations, we need to indeed “weep and wail over [our] impending miseries” … and “woe to us” when we misuse what has been entrusted to us for the greater Glory of God and the building up of His Kingdom.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us “cut off” any worldliness that stands between us and Him. Let us “pluck out” those false gods and warped perceptions of who we are and who we are called to be in Christ. May our only boast be in Our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross – “through which the world has been crucified to [us], and [we have been crucified] to the world.”

25th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris Parish

HOMILY - TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 22/23, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES



Human relationships are complicated.

Social scientists tell us that all human beings need to feel love and acceptance.

All human societies demonstrate social exchange – in the form of business relationships or aspects of interpersonal exchange.

Human beings are also influenced by their peer group – that is, relationships develop ones sense of self and influence behaviors.



Positive relationships are described by psychologists as flourishing, budding, blooming, or blossoming – indicating that they are not only happy, but also show characteristics of growth, intimacy, and resilience.

Pathological or negative relationships, on the other hand, do quite the opposite. There are abusive relationships – on all levels of interaction. Dysfunctional relationships can foster co-dependency. And supposedly narcissists seek to distance themselves from intimate relationships, maintaining only superficial, self-serving contact with others.



A word which was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2010 which describes an uneasy middle-ground relationship is “frenemy.” “Frenemy” is an oxymoronic portmanteau of the words “friend” and “enemy” joined into a single concept.

It could be described as the person you love to hate or someone who pretends to be a friend so they can betray you at a later time.



Although it was only officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary eight years ago, its earliest use was in 1953 in an article by the gossip columnist Walter Winchell in the Nevada State Journal. The title of the article was “Howz about calling the Russians our Frienemies?” Yet nearly 60 years later, it still seems to be a neologism – a newly coined word.

Today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Saint James, in the second reading, provides us with a stern talking-to regarding how “jealousy … selfish ambition … [and] disorder” in our human relationships can impede our most important relationship – that is, our relationship with God almighty.

The reading from the Book of Wisdom shows that what James encountered is not unique to the first century. Written toward the end of the Classical Age, today’s first reading from Wisdom plays out the thinking and the efforts of the wicked who seek to undermine the righteous.

Sort of lends an ancient air to the early 19th century expression of “[darned] if you do, [darned] if you don’t.”

Even among the disciples there were thoughts of competition. Jesus is trying to explain the mystery of the Cross, and they’re picking out carpet patterns, and arguing about who gets the corner office in the New Jerusalem.



Our Lord’s tells them:

If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.

And then uses a child as a brilliant example of this.

In traditional legal doctrine, children under the age of 7 are considered to be legally incapable of committing a crime. Similarly, in Church Law, a child older than 7 is considered to be of the “age of reason.”

Jesus isn’t lionizing childishness – but rather, lifting up the example of simplicity and purity of heart. An openness and willingness to love our neighbor as ourselves. After first loving God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul. Solely for God’s sake, and love of God alone – without any thought of self.



As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – let us pray that the graces we receive in this Most Blessed Sacrament may change us – heal us – transform us into a living icon of God as fully active members of Christ’s body. May the Holy Spirit energize us to live lives worthy of our calling – so we might be vehicles of evangelization in the world.

24th Sunday OT @ St. Apollinaris

HOMILY - TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

7:30AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES

Tuesday, March 22, 2016 on Hoyt Street, in Saginaw, Michigan, the priests were lining up on the sidewalk outside the Cathedral for the annual Chrism Mass. It was Holy Week. We were vested in a variety of albs – the white robe worn by clergy, acolytes, and altar servers. We all wore off-white stoles from the vestment sets designed during the 1970s that were stored in the closets.

Shortly before the procession was to start, walking across the street was what looked like … Jesus. A man, barefoot, with long hair and a beard; wearing a white robe, a blanket, carrying a Bible, and a Rosary.

He tried to enter the Cathedral, but security teams were on guard against anything out of the ordinary. And after a brief encounter with security, he was escorted off the property.

I turned to the priest next to me and stage-whispered, “Gee! I guess Jesus isn’t welcome here anymore.”

That man is Carl James Joseph, who since 1991 has travelled through 47 states and 20 countries spreading the Gospel, and living a life of radical simplicity. He is from Toledo, Ohio; graduated from high school in 1979; and has never married. 

A documentary film was made about him in 2007; it’s titled “The Jesus Guy,” and it’s earned 3.5 stars in customer reviews on Amazon Prime Video.

If you ask him his name, he tells you it’s “What’s your name?” Seeming to answer a question with a question. Perhaps it’s because, what he’s doing isn’t about himself … but about something … and Someone … bigger.

Today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The first reading from Isaiah chapter 50 is what is one of the “Suffering Servant Songs” – which Christians apply as a prophetic description of Jesus during His passion. 

This correlates with the Gospel passage from St. Mark – Jesus asks the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” 

St. Peter gets the answer right, but he misses the mark on how this will all be worked out. 

The Gospel ends with Our Lord admonishing the disciples saying:

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 

And in a truly Incarnational approach to Christian living, St. James in his letter reminds us that our Faith requires action when he says: “faith … is dead … if it does not have works.”

In our own day and age, I believe we all struggle with these same things. Who is Jesus? Who do we say that He is? How does my faith affect my thoughts … my words … my actions?

And perhaps even more so, Who are we? How does my Faith affect who I am? How is Jesus part of my life? Is He welcome in my home? My heart? My workplace? My prayer life? My church?

A living Faith is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit – dynamic, active, moving. 

A living Faith means taking up the cross – every day – and that can be messy … violent … brutal.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ; let us pray for the courage to take up our crosses … in Faith, in Hope, and in Love. Let us welcome Christ into our lives, and in our hearts, and in our homes … no matter the cost … let us resolve to follow Him … wherever He may lead us.

22nd Sunday of OT @ St. Apollinaris

HOMILY - TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
9:00AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES

“You can’t judge a book by its cover,” is an idiom with origins in the mid 19th century. It is a metaphor which admonishes the listener to go beyond an external appearance to understand what lies beneath … to question first impressions, and to seek more information regarding an individual, or a thing.

Today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In the Gospel, Jesus is confronted with the Pharisees who ask why his disciples do not follow the traditions of their elders.

What is going on here is that the Law of Moses, which is enumerated first in Exodus, and then in Deuteronomy – where today’s first reading is taken from. The Pharisees took this Law, and wrote their own laws in order to build a hedge or a wall around the Law. Subsequent generations added more laws – or more walls – until there were 613 additional rules (365 negative admonitions … or “thou shalt not’s”, and 288 positive admonitions … or “thou shalt’s”).

The emphasis was on the outside – with little understanding of what was going on inside.

Jesus breaks through the wall and indicates that too much effort has been going into external appearances and that the original purpose of the Law – to help the People of Israel grow in holiness – has been obscured if not entirely lost.

The reading we hear today is a bit of a cut-and-past of the 7th Chapter of St. Mark. In the full text, we can hear the Pharisees accusations and condemnations against Jesus and his followers, followed by Jesus’ declaration of the purpose of the Law, and his explanation to His disciples.

While we get all four points in the edited version, there is something to be said for reading the entire text.

Jesus points out that cleanliness and uncleanliness are not brought about by arbitrary external works, but rather by what is within a person – what is in their hearts. And that the Law was meant to draw the hearts of the Israelites to God.

At the time of Moses, the pagan rites were arbitrary acts meant to control the weather or the harvest – random things that are not able to be controlled. Moses’ words speak of “wisdom and intelligence,” and again, these are internal attributes of individual, which were meant to bring about a change in the hearts and minds of the Israelites.

St. James repeats a similar theme in telling his listeners – and us as well – to welcome God’s word which is planted in us and allow it to save us. But rather than a passive hearing, St. James pushes us to go further and to be “doers of the word” and to perform works of mercy.

In that, the grace from God that fills us … should motivate us to live out a life worthy of the Gospel

The news continues regarding the scandal in the Church. And I spoke about it last week. This week, I want to encourage you to not put your faith in wicked and sinful men who seek to honor God with their lips, but their hearts and actions are far from God. 

There is a battle going on for the soul of the Church – and in that, for your soul as well. 

We must trust God, whom St. James calls “the Father of Lights”, and welcome the light being shined upon the darkness of this scandal. This must be confronted head on with transparency, humility, and above all truth. For truth is not an opinion – Truth is a Person – Jesus Christ Himself has told us that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

We must speak the truth in charity, and move to clean the house of the Church – which requires opening up the windows and closets and cupboards, and getting to work removing the rot, and muck, and filth that has accumulated over time. Reparation calls us to fix what we didn’t break; and to repair what we haven’t damaged. This is Our Lady’s call to us from Fatima. 

Our job is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ – who is Our Salvation and Our Hope.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us beg for the infinite graces of so Blessed a Sacrament. And let us work and pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom … and for the Triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.