Tag: Sermon on the Mount

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Solemnity of All Saints

Picture from an outdoor mass with John Paul II in Victory Square, Poland, 1979

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Responsorial: Psalm 24:1BC-4AB, 5-6
Reading 2: 1 John 3:1-3
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12A

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110120.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

All Saints’ Day is an opportunity to reflect on what it means to live as children of God. But before we get to that, let’s just do a little housekeeping, okay?

We don’t worship saints. Period. We worship God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All believers are part of the community of saints. Why do we call some “saints?” Well, it’s definitely not for their benefit. As St. Paul tells us, the saints have already fought the good fight, they’ve run their race, and they kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). And St. Bernard preaching in the 12th century said, “The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them.” <1>

So, calling someone a “saint” is really a church thing. Why? Well, in our society today, we honor all sorts of people, right? We might hold up athletes, or actors and actresses, or successful and innovative businesspeople. We lift them up as inspiration and maybe even role models. How many children have thought to themselves, “I want to be just like him or her when I grow up!”

The Church lifts of people and calls them “saints” as role models for all of us. Some are martyrs for the faith, probably not unlike the three believers brutally murdered outside the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice, France. Other saints lived lives of heroic virtue. We are all called to be holy. Jesus tells us, “You are therefore to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And the Second Vatican Council document, Lumen Gentium, devotes an entire chapter to the “Universal Call to Holiness”. <3> These saints are people who we believe made use of God grace – the same grace available to all of us – to help them in their quest for holiness.

Take for example the mother-physician Gianna Beretta Molla who in 1962 refused a life-saving procedure during her pregnancy that would have resulted in the abortion of her fourth baby. The Church lifts her up as an example of extraordinary faith and love.

Or take Blessed Stanley Rother, a priest from Oklahoma, who was murdered in 1981 in Guatemala. He had been recalled home but asked for permission and in fact returned to Guatemala despite the risks. In a letter to the faithful in Oklahoma, he wrote, “This is one of the reasons I have for staying in the face of physical harm. The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger.” <2> He is not just a role model for priests. He is a role model for all of us who are trying to live lives of intentional discipleship or as Pope Francis would say, missionary discipleship.

The lives of the saints and their stories should inspire us and hopefully give us some ideas about how we can live our lives in pursuit of holiness. Okay, this is the background for today’s celebration.

Today’s reading from Revelation paints a picture of heaven and there are people from all over the world dressed in white robes. They are martyrs for the faith. “These are those who come from the great trouble. And they washed their clothes and whitened them in the Lamb’s blood” (Revelation 7:14). In our second reading from First John, we are called “God’s children” (1 John 3:2).

What does it mean to be children of God?

Our Gospel today comes from the Sermon on the Mount which instructs us as disciples, believers, children of God, about justice. But Jesus teaches that justice should not be restricted to a perfunctory level, but he goes to the heart of the matter. We strive to be holy as the Father is holy. <4> And the path of the disciple is not easy. Most of us will never be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice like those three believers murdered in Nice, France this week. But we may face ridicule from our friends and families. We might even lose friendships over our faith. Jesus tells us:

• In a highly polarized world, Jesus wants us to forgive and turn the other cheek.
• In a world that values the symbols of wealth and the latest new “toy”, Jesus wants us to live humbly and to give generously.
• In a world scarred by war and division, Jesus wants us to love our enemies and to work for peace. <5>

All of us disciples are caught in a balancing act between what we need to do in this world to provide for families and the call to holiness. Every saint ever named understands this tug-of-war. Maybe that’s one of the reasons the Church asks us to celebrate “All Saints” today, so that we are inspired by those who have already run the race and who were filled with God’s grace. You see, we are not alone in the struggles we face. Every generation of believers has faced their own time of trial. While we should never stop working for justice, it is reassuring to know that we are united in faith with our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout time.

Homework! Inspired by the Word of God and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions. First, when have I put more trust in this world that in God? Second, how can I live a simpler and more generous life?

I pray our homework will help us live our discipleship with greater conviction. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Artist unknown. Pentecost Mass for 300,000 people celebrated by Pope John Paul II in Victory Square, Poland, 1979. JPG file.

Notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

<1> Saint Bernard, abbot, sermon (Sermo 2: Opera omnia, Edit. Cisterc. 5 [1968], 364-368).
<2> Beecroft, Mason (December 16, 2014). “Making the Case for Martyrdom.” This Land. This Land Press. Accessed October 30, 2020. https://thislandpress.com/2014/12/16/making-the-case-for-martyrdom/
<3> See Lumen Gentium, Chapter V, beginning with paragraph 39: https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html.
<4> O’Neil and Black, The Essential Moral Handbook, 127.
<5> “Sunday, November 1 All Saints” the Word Among Us. Web. https://wau.org/meditations/2020/11/01/176958/.

References:
1. Anderson, Kelly and Daniel Keating. James, First, Second, and Third John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017. Kindle.
2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
4. O’Neil, Kevin J. C.Ss.R. and Peter Black, C.Ss.R. The Essential Moral Handbook: A guide to Catholic Living. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori, 2003.
5. Williamson, Peter S. Revelation. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2015. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Seeing God in the beatific vision, 163, 1023, 1028, 2519
2. Heaven, 326
3. Poor in spirit, 544, 2546
4. Church as sacrament of unity of human race, 775
5. Heaven, 769, 1023-29
6. Celebrants of the heavenly liturgy, 1136-39, 2642
7. The new people of God, 1138
8. The seal, 1295-96
9. Revelation that we are children of God, 1692
10. Christian beatitude, 1716-24
11. Peace makers, 2305, 2330
12. Pure in heart, 2518
13. Confidence before God, 2633, 2777-78

Solemnity of All Saints https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110120.cfm
Lectionary: 667

Reading 1
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”

Responsorial
Psalm 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Reading 2
1 John 3:1-3
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

Alleluia
Matthew 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”

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What distracts us from the vineyard?

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grapes

Mass Readings

Fifth Sunday of Easter
April 29, 2018
Reading 1 – Acts 9:26-31
Psalm – Psalm 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
Reading 2 – 1 John 3:18-24
Gospel – John 15:1-8

To listen to the homily recorded during mass, click here.1

Isn’t it funny how we easily we can become so easily distracted. We can be distracted by technology, by social media, binge-watching shows on our favorite streaming channel. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I step away from these things, I say to myself, “Whoa! I just burned a lot of time! Where did the time go?” These things can keep us distracted from the big picture, or to us today’s imagery, they can keep us focused on the branch and lose sight of the vine.

But that distraction is not just limited to our toys. We can become distracted in our faith life too. There are people who can become obsessed with the latest novena. I actually heard this the other day. Someone said to me, “Don’t break the chain or we won’t win the lottery! I’ve even heard people say, “if you don’t pray the rosary every day, then you’re not as good a Catholic as I am.” If you don’t go to adoration, then you’ll never develop this special connection I have with Jesus.

But there’s a problem with that kind of thinking. Pope Francis has talked about this often. He wrote all of us a letter this past March, called Rejoice and be glad (Gaudete et Exsultate or GE) – it’s a great letter and I encourage all of you to read it. Pope Francis reminds us that this kind of thinking can lead us to an ancient heresy called Gnosticism, (GE, 36-46). We think we have access to some secret dimension of Jesus because we follow this particular canon law, or we insist that you go to adoration or we insist that you attend the Latin mass or we insist you receive the Eucharist on your tongue.

Those aren’t bad things, but they can be a sand trap! The problem with this sort of thinking is that we can become so obsessed with the action that we lose sight of Jesus Christ.

It’s difficult to get into the head of someone from almost two thousand years ago, but I really think that Paul before his conversion was suffering from a similar type of religious distraction. Paul was so obsessed with the Law that he became a brutal persecutor Jewish Christians. He lost sight of the purpose of the law which of course was to give glory to God. It takes the radical act of Jesus knocking him off his high horse to get him to open his eyes so that he can see the entire vine. Is it any wonder that Jewish Christians were afraid of him when he comes to Jerusalem in the first reading? They weren’t there at his conversion, so they weren’t sure.

But Paul’s conversion is complete and peace prevails. St. Paul sets an example for us that if we want to live a life of connected to Jesus the vine, then we need to do what we heard in the second reading today. John tells us that to live a life of discipleship, we should love one another as he commanded us to.

What are Jesus commandments all about? Well, spend time in the Gospel according to Matthew. In Matthew 5 at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us the beatitudes that set the stage for what thinking like a disciple is all about. But the beatitudes are not an end unto themselves. Jesus will tell us in Matthew 25 how those beatitudes should manifest. Now this is really important for all of you “type A” personalities, or double a’s or triple a’s – you know who you are out there. Those of you who try to make data-driven decisions, you want metrics, you want the bottom line, then here it is. Read Matthew 25. Jesus tells us if you don’t feed the hungry, if you don’t give drink to the thirsty, if you don’t clothe the naked, If you don’t visit the sick and the imprisoned, he will say, “go away,” (Mt 25:40).

In Matthew 7, Jesus says you can do all of these things in my name – you can even do miracles in my name, but without love, when you get here, I will say, “I don’t know you,” (Mt 7:23).

Whoa!

That should keep us up at night. It has kept me up before on those nights when I do an examination of conscience and reflect on one of these passages from Matthew. They challenge me. I have to ask myself am I living the Gospel of Jesus or am I living the gospel of Rudy? And there’s a huge difference – huge difference, right?

James picks up this idea and will tell us faith without works is meaningless. And without works, our faith is meaningless, (James 2:14-18). So how do we find expression for our faith? We have to love like Jesus loved.

How? We have to love like Jesus loved.

How did Jesus love? Look at the crucifix.

Picture of the Crucifix at St. John Vianney, Round Rock, TX USA
The Crucifix during the Easter season at St. John Vianney, Round Rock, Texas

Reread Luke’s account of the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was hesitant. He cried so intensely that he shed tears of blood (Luke 22:44), and said, “Father, let this cup pass.” But in the end, he said, “okay,” and he willingly went to the cross to save you and to save me. Pope Francis says that’s what true love is all about.

So if we are to love like Jesus commanded us, then we should love one another just as fiercely as he loves us.

Is any of this easy? No. That’s why Jesus gives us the Church and through His Church he gives us Scripture and the sacraments. We are not alone! Being part of the community helps prune those elements of our life that are not helpful. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “A branch cannot bear fruit on its own.” If we want to live a life as disciples, then we need to remain in Jesus so that we can bear the fruit of hope, and the fruit of love that this world desperately needs.

Homework! There are two things I ask you to consider:

First, what things in my life distract me from Jesus?
Second, how can I do a better job at keeping Jesus’ commands?

Don’t just think about these questions academically. List them. Make an action plan. Pray about them and try with God’s help and the help of the community to live a life of discipleship firmly connected to the vine.

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, may we bear much fruit through Jesus. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes:

  1. If for some reason the link does not work or stops working, in your browser search for St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Round Rock, Texas, and click the link. Once there, in the search bar type “homilies” which should take you to a list of all the homily recordings archived on our website.
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On Gaudete et exsultate

Cover of the booklet Gaudete et Exsultate

My brothers and sisters, I have wonderful news! Pope Francis wrote us a letter. You can read it here for free or you can purchase a copy here! I enjoyed it and I highly recommend you read it!

So, what’s this all about?

Well, Pope Francis gets right to the heart of what it means to be a disciple: we are called to holiness. Wait, me holy? Yes! Keep reading.

What is holiness? To be holy doesn’t mean you need to wear a monastic habit and swoon in mystic rapture (96). Pope Francis tells us that holiness is faithfully living the life God created for you and for me. He warns us not to get stuck in a bland, mediocre existence or a life marked by hedonism and consumerism (1, 108).

But I cannot be holy! Look at me! Look at my life! Pope Francis reminds us that we are all sinners. In a 2013 interview with the editor of Civiltà Cattolica, he was asked, “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” After a rather pregnant pause, he replied, “I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.”

We are all sinners, but by the grace of God, we experience forgiveness and healing and yes, we can live a holy life. You see, the Easter story is the story of God who does not give up us despite everything we’ve gotten wrong, we get wrong and we will get wrong. The Easter story is about a God who stubbornly pursues us despite our sinfulness. Through the Incarnation, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God restores creation – He sanctifies creation. Easter is a reminder that God looks at you and me and says, “yes!”

To understand how to be a Christian, how to be holy, Pope Francis tells us we needn’t look any further than the Gospel (63-94). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23) which are a portrait of the Father whose love and mercy we are called to reflect in our own lives.

But how can I tell if I’m living a transformed life that emulates the Beatitudes? Jesus tells us that too. In Matthew 25 (vv. 31-46), Jesus gives us the metrics for living a holy life, what Pope Francis calls “the great criterion” (95). “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me,” (rsv-ce vv. 35-36).

It is love that holds the power transform our lives into holy lives. It is love that transforms our piety into holy action. It is love that reflects the love of the Father and helps us to see Jesus reflected in the faces of those around us. Without a lived faith marked by love, we risk Jesus saying to us, “I never knew you,” (Mt 7:23).

Don’t panic! Keep it simple. Holiness can be found all around us and very often right next door. Pope Francis tells us that holiness is found in, “parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence,” (7).

But Pope Francis warns us about some of the great challenges that undermine our encounter with the risen Jesus – forces that strive to distract us and to prevent us from living lives transformed by God’s mercy. He tells about the two ancient and ever-present enemies of holiness – modern versions of the heresies of Pelagianism and Gnosticism, saying that these lead to “false forms of holiness” (35).

In the modern form of Gnosticism, he said people believe that faith is purely subjective and that the intellect is the supreme form of perfection. This can lead Catholics to think that “because we know something, or are able to explain it in certain terms, we are already saints,” (45).

In the modern form of Pelagianism, he said the common error is to believe that it is by our own effort that we achieve sanctity. This can lead Catholics to forget that everything in fact “depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy,” (Rom. 9:16), (48).

The pope reminds us that “the Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative,” (52).

He goes on to remind us that spiritual warfare is real. Jesus equips us powerful weapons for battle: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word of God, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of charity, community life, and missionary outreach (162). But he warns us that worship and prayer alone or following certain ethical norms are not enough to give glory to God. He writes, “It is true that the primacy belongs to our relationship with God, but we cannot forget that the ultimate criterion on which our lives will be judged is what we have done for others,” (104).

To cultivate our spiritual growth, he encourages us to persevere with patience and meekness (112-121). He encourages us to experience joy and to face life with a good sense of humor (122-128). He encourages us to live our Christian lives boldly and passionately (129-139). He reminds us that we are not alone and that real growth in holiness happens within community (140-146). He also encourages us to develop an active prayer life in which we not only speak with the Lord, but we also listen (147-157).

What does he mean by developing a “spirit of prayer” (147)? He recommends we develop the Scriptural habit to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:16-18) and gives us examples from the lives of the saints. He goes on to say that through a prayerful study of Scripture we find Jesus in the Eucharist, “where the written word attains its greatest efficacy, for there the living Word is truly present,” (157).

Finally, he teaches us that our spiritual growth is aided by discernment – to understand whether something is coming from the Holy Spirit or from the devil (166). To put it simply, discernment is a prayerful and thoughtful spiritual exercise to determine whether something comes from God or from the devil (for more information see “Introduction to Discernment of Spirits”).

Am I blessed? Do I find consolation: courage, strength, inspiration, joy, peace (echoing St. Paul’s fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, (Gal 5:22-23))? Or do I feel desolation: anxiety, sadness, fear, restlessness, dryness or emptiness? To learn a little more about consolation and desolation, read my post “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!”

With so many technological distractions consuming all of our time, it is more important than ever to develop the practice of discernment.

Central to discernment is a daily examination of conscience (169). An examination of conscience is not just about reflecting on my shortcomings today. That is important of course, but a daily examen is also about trying to see God’s presence in our lives. Pope Francis teaches us that, “Discernment, then, is not a solipsistic self-analysis or a form of egotistical introspection, but an authentic process of leaving ourselves behind in order to approach the mystery of God, who helps us to carry out the mission to which he has called us, for the good of our brothers and sisters,” (175).

Gaudete et exsultate is a powerful reminder that we are made for so more! We are all called to a life of holiness! Can we get there? Yes and no. On our own, we could never accomplish it. Only by the grace of God are we capable of such an undertaking in this increasingly secular world. As Jesus reminds us, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” (Mt 19:26).

So what are you waiting for?

Jesus, I trust in you!