Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Wisdom 9:13-18 Philemon 9:10-12 Luke 14:25-33

We are celebrating today the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, which means that we have twelve more Sundays to the First Sunday of Advent.  Tomorrow is Labor Day - a federal holiday to honor and recognize the American Labor Movement and the works and contributions laborers in the many developments and achievements here in the USA.  I am sure that many of our ancestors have contributed to the building of America without necessarily counting the cost - a job well done!  This brings me to the Gospel today and hte demands of Jesus as great crowds followed him.

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, and he knew that suffering, rejection,and death awaited him.  However, many people in the crowds regarded this entry to Jerusalem as the victory march of a Messiah.  So, Jesus turns around and says: "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."  I am certain that stopped them in their tracks,and I wonder how man of the crowd stayed after that talk ... It was not uncommon to exaggerate and overstate a point in order to make the message very clear.  Jesus is telling us that whatever stands in our way of following him we must somehow leave behind.  I recently read: You can't defeat your demons if you are still enjoying their company.

Our world today has too many celebrities and very few heroes.  The media hypes up stars in sports, entertainment,and popular culture.  So many of these celebrities are far from being role models for the young church.  The few heroes we have around are people who know the pain of the cross and have endured great difficulties.  Our own Sr. Suellen Tennyson, who was abducted from a convent in West Africa last April knows pain and vulnerability.  Armed men ransacked the convent living quarters and shot up the place ... It's truly a miracle she is alive.  We will probably never know the whole story of what she has endured, but these are the kind of people to be imitated.

Jesus demanded that his followers carry a cross.  St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests said: "Everything is a rminder of the cross.  We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross." We are all crucified followers ...

I am going to tell you about the first disciples ... Andrew died on a cross, Peter was crucified upside down, Bartholomew was flayed alive, James ,Son of Zebedee, was beheaded, James, son of Alphaeus, was beaten to death.  Thomas was run through with a lance, Matthias was stoned and then beheaded.  Matthew was slain by the sword, Simon was crucified.  Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows,and Philip was hanged.  It was Tertullian, the early Church Father in the second century, who coined the phrase: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."  Most of us want discipleship to come easy.

Christianity is not just a Sunday morning religion.  It is a hungering after God to the point of death.  Jesus died for you in public, so don't only live for him in private.  Pope Gregory the Great, whose feast is September 3rd, said: "If the Gospel were practiced by Christians there would be no need for sermons."  Good example gives off a powerful light and challenges other to imitate it.

I am going to share with you a story about the challenge of breaking away to follow and embrace Jesus Christ.  This one grabbed my attention because in working with our seminarians, it's not unusual to hear of this or similar stories.  It's about a young man who became a Catholic and decided to become a Maryknoll priest.  His father said: "Don't do that."  He entered the seminary anyway, and when it came time for ordination, his father said to him: "If you get ordained in that Roman Catholic Church, you are out of this house and I will never see you again."  The youn man's heart was torn, but something within him said: "I must do this."  And he did it.

In order to live life fully, we must be people who are able to count the cost in almost every area of living.  Marriage is one of those areas which demands and calls for this in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death they part ... When two people get married in the Catholic Church, they give their entire lives over to each other.  The priest or deacon doesn't marry them, the Church does not marry them - it is with the exchange of vows that the couple become ministers to one another.  They are not just married - they are sacrament.  Dr. Scott Hahn puts it like this: "Your marriage is the one homily for your children."

One of the supreme handicaps of the Church is that there are too many people who follow Jesus Christ at a safe distance.  It's not easy being a disciple of Jesus Christ, and thus some followers melt away as soon as demands are made on them.  Many of our politicians today are afraid of losing their followers - the great crowds that follow them, so rather than challenge the people, they feed them with empty slogans.  they have become spineless sharks and America is falling apart ... We must look to people who carry the cross with encouragement and hope.  St. Teresa of Calcutta said: "The world is full of good people.  If you can't find one, be one."  That's our call and challenge today ...

Next Monday, Fr. Colin Braud and I will lead a group to Europe and at the end of the tour we will see the famous Oberammergau Passion Play, an so I share this thought.  A businessman had the opportunity to meet and speak with one of the actors who portrayed Jesus Christ.  Seeing the massive cross that was used in the play, the businessman wanted his wife to take his picture holding he cross.  He attempted to lift the cross to his shoulder but could hardly budge it from the floor.  He said to the actor: "I don't understand.  I figured the cross would be hollow.  Why do you carry such a heavy cross?"  With that, the actor explained that the play brings people from all over the world.  He said: "If I do not feel the weight of HIS cross, I cannot play the part."  Neither can we!

St. Ann Church
Solemnity of Pentecost Year C
June 4, 12022

Acts 2:1-11 I Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23

Veni Sancte Spiritus, Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Surely our hearts are filled and kindled with the fire of the Holy Spirit today as we join our newly ordained priest, Fr. Andy Gonzalez, in celebrating the nearness of God in word and sacrament as he celebrates his First Mass of Thanksgiving - God is good! Dios es bueno! And what a joy it must be for this newly ordained priest to celebrate this First Mass of Thanksgiving as we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today is a day of thanksgiving to God for answered prayers, and for Fr. Andy’s journey in faith, which began with the decision to be baptized when he was twelve years old in his native Cuba - a place where most Catholics practiced the faith in secret out of fear that Fidel Castro’s communist government would restrict their career choices.

We know from today’s word of God that the disciples were locked in a room out of fear … Living in fear is not living at all, and that is how some of our brothers and sisters in various parts of the world live because of dictatorships and government ruling about God. In ways, that is how the young boy, Andy Gonzalez, lived in Cuba - out of fear just like the disciples, but after baptism and being claimed for Christ by the power of the cross, he had a desire to keep God’s commandments by loving God and neighbor, and so the dream of a journey in faith began. In baptism, we celebrate the rite of Ephphetha - a strange word to us in a largely English-speaking nation. It’s a Greek word meaning Be Opened. The priest or deacon touches the ears and mouth of the newly baptized, praying for an opening of the ears to receive God’s word, and for the mouth to proclaim with faith the glory and praise of God. Thank you, Fr. Andy for hearing and proclaiming - the spirit of the Lord is with you! In a very real way, what the Sacrament of Holy Orders brings about is order out of chaos.

The journey of Fr. Andy was somewhat chaotic: Cuba, Guatemala, Florida, New Orleans … I am sure that there were times of great fear and chaos, but now the Holy Spirit brings peace and identifies you as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God …

In ways, your wearing of the chasuble - a “seamless garment” worn by Christ, will always be a reminder that you are another Christ in the sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore, you now wear the finest robe … Just as the father ordered his servants to bring the finest robe and put it on his prodigal son, a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet, so now you wear the finest robe … However, Fr. Andy is not wearing sandals today, but he is wearing new shoes … Maybe, when you go to Chalmette you will get some Cajun Nikes - Jesus did tell the disciples to pull out into the deep for a catch … You have received an apostolic mission!

I hope and pray that in and through you as a priest that the Holy Spirit will open closed doors, and that you will be a source of the peace of Jesus Christ to those who are fearful in any way. You will be the ruah and breath of God, and a source of peace for those who will come to you in the confessional, and you will build bridges between heaven and earth in the celebration of every Mass - the greatest apparition place of all time! God’s flock is in your hands, give it a shepherd’s care. May God bring to fulfilment the good work he has begun in you.

We all have a mission as the baptized, and God has given all of us a great purpose, keeping in mind the many and different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit. We need to replace our fear with the driving wind of a strong faith … It would be a mistake to restrict Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit to a one-day wonder when a house in Jerusalem was rocked by a mighty wind and there were mysterious tongues of fire in the air. St. Paul tells us in the reading to the Corinthians of various gifts of the Spirit to the community, like parts of one body with different functions. The wind and flame express the movement of God in expressing proclamation of the message …

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and pastor said: “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.” In a sense that is what happened on Pentecost Sunday - they were interrupted by God!  The strength of the Church is not in the strength of its institutions but in the authenticity of its witness.  Fr. Henri Nouwen wrote: “Without Pentecost the Christ event - the life, death and resurrection of Jesus remains imprisoned in history as something to remember … The Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell within us so that we can become like the living Christ here and now.”  We can’t let the Church be imprisoned in history - the Spirit of Pentecost is about practicing holiness on ordinary days!

Mindful of the different kinds of spiritual gifts, I think of people as musical instruments … Without outside help they produce not a single sound, but given even the slightest touch a magnificent tune can emanate from them.  So, speaking of magnificent tunes, I share this delightful story about a mother who bought tickets to a concert by Ignace Paderewski, the great Polish pianist.  She took her five-year-old son hoping that the experience would encourage him in his own young efforts at music.  The mother was delighted to see how close to the stage they were seated.  She met an old friend and got so involved in talking that she failed to notice that her little boy had slipped away to do some exploring.

When the concert was about to begin, the lights dimmed and the audience hushed and the spotlight came on.  Only then, the mother discovered that her five-year-old was on stage sitting on the bench in front of the concert grand piano, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”  The mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, Paderewski walked onto the stage, went over to the piano, bent down and whispered to the little boy, “Don’t stop! Keep going!”  Then, leaning over the little boy Paderewski started filling in the bass.  A few seconds later, he reached around the little boy with his right hand and added a running obbligato.  Together, the great Polish maestro and the tiny five-year-old mesmerized the audience with their playing.  When they finished, the audience broke into a thunderous applause. 

The image of the great maestro and the little five-year-old makes for a beautiful image for the Holy Spirit and the Church.  We can see how the boy resembles the apostles and the Church, and the great Polish maestro resembles the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles and us, leaning over them and us whispering words of encouragement and reaching around them and us adding something beautiful to their and our feeble human efforts.  We are not alone.  The Holy Spirit is leaning over us, whispering: “Don’t stop!  Keep going!”  So, Fr. Andy, don’t stop, keep going.

Anchored in Faith, Your Soul…Our Mission

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 I Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14 -20

World War I produced one of the most memorable images in American history with the United States Army recruiting poster depicting Uncle Sam pointing an accusing finger at the viewer urging young men to enlist in the war effort. It was painted by James Montgomery Flagg. The image was later adapted by the U.S. Army with the new unforgettable call to action: I WANT YOU …

I want you is the basis of the readings from last Sunday and again today. Hey Jonah, “Set out for Nineveh and tell the people to fast and pray or their city will be destroyed …” Hey Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations, I appointed you …” Hey Francis, I want you to leave your wealthy and comfortable life in Assisi … Hey Teresa, you need to leave that fancy convent and help the poor ... Hey, Patrick I want you to be a bishop and go back to Ireland and evangelize them crazy Irish … Hey Michael, I want you to stop fooling around and playing in the mud for I want you to be a priest … Hey Sean, yes you, I want you to be a priest too … Hey, Billy I want you to go to New Orleans … I know it’s 5000 miles away … Hey, Drew, Sam, Josh, Dominic, Michael, Leander, Andrew, Paul, Jeffrey, Dan, yes you, I want you to be a priest too … Hey, Tom, Mary, Pauline, Sophia, Melanie, Tony, Patrick, yes you, I want you to be more involved in the ministry of the Church … I want you on the Pastoral Council, the Finance Committee, working with the poor, the Altar Society, the School Board … And before I go any further the excuses are clocking up like a bill.

Jonah tried to run away, Jeremiah complained saying he could not speak and he was too young … Excuses! Some of the baptized don’t even come to Sunday Mass with the excuse: “Well it’s the only day I can sleep in … I go shopping that day …” Make an effort, not an excuse. Be stronger than your excuses. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means availability, a willing heart, and helping hands. The adventure of discipleship! St. Catherine of Siena said: “Be who God meant you to be and set the world on fire.”

Psychologist Abraham Maslow has an interesting response to the question of why so few people leave all to follow a dream, or pursue a noble cause.  He says they are afraid to become what they are capable of being ...  They thrill at the idea and possibility but they also shudder at it. 

Scott Neeson was a Hollywood big shot and the president of 20^th Century Fox back in 2003.  He led a glamorous life - lived in a five bedroom home worth millions of dollars, drove Porsche’s and Ferrari’s and had a big boat.  He was a man of means and luxuries who said: “I sort of enjoyed it, but I wasn’t particularly happy.” He took a backpacking trip to Cambodia that year, and what he saw changed the course of his very comfortable and luxurious life.  He saw poverty like he had never seen before.  He saw children picking food out of the trash just to survive.  Every day he walked through the slums that surround a landfill outside the capital and largest city of Cambodia.  Thousands live there amid the filth and stench of the landfill.  So, Scott established programs to help feed and educate the children on a massive scale.  One of his friends back in Hollywood thought that he wouldn’t last more than a few months.  The friend said: “I thought he was having a midlife crisis.  But Scott never returned to 20^th Century Fox.”  You see God has greater plans for us than we have for ourselves.  What I am is God’s gift to me.  What I become is my gift back to God.

Sometimes I imagine the story of Jonah as our story too because there is a tendency to try and hide from God because God tends to ask us to leave behind the comfortable nets of everyday life and enter the “Nineveh” of our lives that needs change so as to truly embrace the ways of God.  So, we hide but deep down our hearts are restless … until they rest in God!  I often think that we are like the prodigal son too who selfishly leaves home, not to mission and be God’s minister, but to recklessly go through life using up the talents given him by the father.  It’s not until the prodigal son is at the bottom of the ladder that his mind and eyes are opened to the possibilities that he comes home to the Father.   

On occasion I think of my own life as a Jonah and Whale Story, except that I was coughed out of the belly of an aircraft at New Orleans International Airport.  You see God has greater plans for us than we have for ourselves.  What I am is God’s gift to me.  What I become is my gift back to God.

Jesus says to us: “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.”  In about three weeks we will hear the priest and deacon call out on Ash Wednesday: Repent and believe in the Gospel. 

The call of Jesus is directed to sinners in the first place, indeed to everyone, even the good people.  Funnily enough it’s the people who humbly admit and confess their despair and sinfulness that are given entry into heaven - tax collectors and prostitutes, we are told … Many people today don’t recognize their sinfulness and others think they are beyond redemption. To be honest, I think most of us crucify ourselves between two thieves: the sins of the past and fear of the future.  That said, we should find ourselves all the more ready to be “fishers of men” calling out to others to listen to that inner voice crying out to be nourished by the Body of Christ.

The Gospel is in between two phases, “Come and See” and “Go and Tell.”

You see God has greater plans for us than we have for ourselves.  What I am is God’s gift to me.  What I become is my gift back to God.