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.”

22nd Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES

Extending forty miles – from the south side of the Swiss Alps and dividing the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, Lago Maggiore, literally the “Greater Lake” is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest lake in Switzerland. In the western arm of the lake there are three small islands which were acquired by the Borromeo family in the 16th century, and are still owned by their descendants to this day.

The family motto, Humilitas, is Latin for “Humility.”

Perhaps the most famous, and most humble, member of the Borromeo family was Saint Charles Borromeo – whose feast day is coming up on November 4 – and who was the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan in the 16th century, as well as a leading figure in the Counter-Reformation. 

Yet it is a not-so-subtle irony to see the family motto (“Humility”) spelled out in enormous letters in gardens, across lawns, and even as topiary hedges. 

I suppose it’s hard to be humble when your family motto can be photographed from space – you can find it on Google Earth … bigger than life … on Isola Bella – the “Beautiful Island” – spelled out in flowers on one of the expansive lawns.

The island is, indeed, quite beautiful … whether or not the immense Lombard Baroque Palazzo – whose construction began in 1632 – and which contains countless ballrooms, chandeliers, tapestries, and balconies – can truly stake any claim on humility. Perhaps that all depends on just what you mean by “humility.”

Today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our readings this morning revolve around a theme of Humility.

And while Humility may be difficult to find in a dazzling palace garden on your private island; it also has very little – actually nothing – to do with being a door mat.

Rather, Humility is the moral virtue – that is, the practice – that allows a person to remain within their proper and appropriate boundaries. Calling us to an ordered love of self; while still recognizing our total dependence on God, as well as our equal dignity with each other. Humility also opposes an immoderate abasement of one’s own self or one’s own abilities.

St. Benedict, who lived in the 6th century – 1,000 years before St. Charles Borromeo – has an entire chapter in his Rule dedicated to humility … often called “The Ladder of Humility” or perhaps it could be called Benedict’s 12 Steps to Humility.

An exhaustive exploration of the 12 rungs or steps of Humility is perhaps outside of the boundaries of a Sunday Homily. 

I do recommend the contemporary treatment of this subject in an easy-to-read book titled: Humility Rules by Benedictine Father J. Augustine Wetta.

Nonetheless, to summarize briefly, the twelve steps are: 

1. Fear of the Lord
2. Self-denial
3. Obedience
4. Perseverance
5. Repentance
6. Serenity
7. Self-abasement
8. Prudence
9. Silence
10. Dignity
11. Discretion
12. Reverence

Keeping in mind that all of these are to be balanced and none are to be taken to excess. They are meant to define our boundaries with God and neighbor. 

At its most basic, Humility is opposed to Pride. But it also opposed to Immoderation.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray for the grace to grow in the virtue of Humility – that we might not fall into sinful Pride, but rather know and maintain our spiritual and human boundaries and live them with balance and moderation.

21st Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul Parish

HOMILY - 21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 24-25, 2019
5:00 PM (SAT),9:00 AM, 10:30 AM (SUN) ORDINARY FORM MASSES




Born in 1895 on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the northernmost reaches of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Notre Dame halfback, George “the Gipper” Gipp, (number 66) was the university’s first Walter Camp All-American.

He originally intended to play baseball, but was recruited by the legendary Knute Rockne, despite having zero experience playing football. 

“The Gipper” led the Fighting Irish in rushing and passing for each of his last three seasons, and his career rushing yards (2,341 yds) remained a record for over half a century. Gipp remains Notre Dame’s all-time leader in average yards per rush for one season, career average yards per play of total offense, and career average yards per game of total offense. 

Two weeks after being named All-American, he died from pneumonia and strep throat. Penicillin wouldn’t be discovered for another eight years, and what are now simple infections were often fatal, even in the cases of healthy, young adults.

Rockne used the story of “the Gipper” to motivate his team to beat Army in a 1928 upset. 




According to the 1940s movie, Knute Rockne: All-American, the famous deathbed quote of George Gipp was,

I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy.

Today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

At the end of the second reading, from the end of the Letter to the Hebrews, the author gives a spiritual pep-talk of sorts:

discipline … brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

In the Gospel, Jesus answers a question with a parable. When asked,

Lord, will only a few people be saved?

Jesus responds with:

Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. 

The Greek word, translated here as “strive” is agōnizomai (ἀγωνίζομαι) – which is where we get the English word “agonize” or “agony.” The Greek word means to enter a contest, to contend with opponents or difficulties and dangers, to endeavor with strenuous zeal, to compete for a prize.

Considering His choice of words, one might posit that Our Lord is addressing acedia – that is, spiritual sloth. It is often too easy for us to approach the spiritual life on cruise control … treating it as some sort of an afterthought … certainly not as important as … well, any number of things that seem to get in the way.

Yet, Salvation requires a certain fight against temptations and sin. Elsewhere, St. Paul reminds us to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling.”

We should be zealously straining toward the prize – the eternal prize – of Salvation in Christ. 

And like any training, we must be vigilant. And as we heard in the first reading from Isaiah 66, we are likewise called to “proclaim [God’s] glory among the nations … [and] bring all [our] brothers and sisters from all [the ends of the earth.]”

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – let us heed the words of the opening Collect of todays’ Mass and “love what [God] command[s] and to desire what [God] promise[s], that, amid the uncertainties of this [passing] world, our hearts may be fixed on that [eternal] place where true gladness [and joy] is [ever] found.”

20th Sunday OT @ St. Vincent de Paul

HOMILY - 20TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 18, 2019
7:30 AM,  10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM MASSES



Clare Boothe Luce was the first American woman appointed to a major ambassador posting abroad.
She was an incredibly flexible writer ... composing everything from drama and screenplays to fiction, journalism, and even war reporting. She was known as a charismatic and forceful public speaker.

Clare was born in 1903, in New York City. Her parents never married, and they eventually separated. Sadly, she recalled her childhood as “unusually unhappy and bitter.”



She became a Catholic in 1946 following the tragic death of her only daughter two years prior. Archbishop Fulton Sheen gave her instructions, and guided her into the Catholic Faith.

Her politics became increasingly conservative as time went on; and she campaigned for every Republican presidential candidate from Wendell Wilke to Ronald Reagan.

She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1943-1947; was ambassador to Italy from 1953-1958; and she was ambassador to Brazil for 4 days in 1959. She was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 1973-1977; was the first woman to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award from West Point; and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.



She died in 1987 of cancer in Washington, D.C.

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord speaks on having come to bring about division. And we are reminded in the Letter to the Hebrews that we “have not yet resisted [sin] to the point of shedding [our own] blood.”

And while all of this may sound quite nasty and perhaps even gruesome ... while it is most certainly not politically correct ... at least in polite society ... to speak of division - that’s today’s Gospel message.



Yet there is something to be gained by realizing that our relationship to God in Jesus Christ ... brought about by our own Baptism ... recognizing that this grace divides us from sin ... and as such separates us from the world ... and it’s burdens ... inasmuch as it unites us to Christ.

Clare Boothe Luce relates a spiritual experience from her teenage years where first she first felt “a sensation of utter aloneness” ... which was followed by a feeling that “Something [greater] Was [with her.]”

She goes on to say that her “whole soul was cleft clean by it, as a silk veil slit by a shining sword.” She felt, as it were, a division ... a separation.

She goes on, next, to say that “joy abounded in all of [her]. Or rather, [she] abounded in joy ... adrift in this immense joy, as a speck of dust ... in a great golden shaft of sunlight.”

This is the division Our Lord is speaking of ... a division which separates us from “every burden and sin that clings to us”.



The Letter to the Hebrews goes on to speak of Christ’s cross - or as He calls it in the Gospel today, “[the] baptism with which I must be baptized” ... all of which he endured “[f]or the sake of the joy that lay before Him.”

Baptism brings us into relationship with the Most Holy Trinity ... a divine relationship ... a joy beyond our understanding and comprehension ... which bestows on us the Supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Baptism, is a free gift, which brings us into communion with the Saints ... who are the “great ... cloud of witnesses” that surround us.



In writing about the Saints, Clare Boothe Luce says: “the saints give little thought to changing the world around them. They are too busy changing the world within them. They are not out to reform Caesar, but to conform themselves to Christ.”

Yet while the division Christ brings - the separation from sin and suffering - that we experience in the Sacraments ... we are reminded by St. Paul elsewhere in Scripture that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, ... and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

As we continue with this liturgy, may we ... through Word and Sacrament come to better know Christ ... both in our separation from the “burden[s] and sin” ... and by experiencing the “joy that lay before [us]” in our a Christian life ... in which we are entrusted with “the message of reconciliation” ... that is, the message of the Gospel.



We will shortly join together as one body ... the Body of Christ ... and with one voice ... we will profess our common Faith.

May we not only be reminded of our own Baptism ... but also experience in a new and powerful way ... the graces of Baptism ... the joys that lay before us ... in our lives and in our hearts.