Diakonia - Deacon Pat Kearns

Homily: “Lord, Help Me See” (John 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38)

2026-03-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Homily: “Lord, Help Me See”

(John 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38)

Several years ago, a surgeon who specialized in restoring sight told the story of a young boy who had been blind since birth.

After a delicate surgery, the day finally came when the bandages would be removed.

The room was quiet. His parents stood nearby holding their breath.

The doctor slowly removed the bandages.

For the first time in his life, light flooded into the boy’s eyes.

He blinked… looked around the room… staring at everything with amazement.

Then he turned toward his mother.

He reached out his hand, touched her face gently, and asked a question that brought everyone in the room to tears.

He said:

“Mom… is this what you look like?”

[Pause]

For the first time in his life, he could see the face of the person who had loved him since the day he was born.

Brothers and sisters,

Today’s Gospel tells the story of another man who experienced that same miracle.

But what Jesus gives him is not only sight for his eyes…

He gives sight to his soul.

In today’s Gospel we meet a man who has lived his entire life in darkness.

He has never seen the sky.
Never seen the face of a loved one.
Never seen the beauty of the world around him.

And when Jesus’ disciples see him, they ask a question many people still ask when they encounter suffering.

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

They assume suffering must be someone's fault.

But Jesus shifts their perspective.

He says:

"Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him."

In other words, Jesus reveals something powerful:

Even suffering can become a place where God’s glory appears.

Then Jesus does something unusual.

He spits on the ground, makes mud with the dust of the earth, and spreads it on the man’s eyes.

At first this may seem strange.

But if we remember the story of creation in Genesis, something beautiful appears.

God created humanity from the dust of the earth.

So when Jesus takes dust and forms clay again, something deeper is happening.

The Creator is restoring His creation.

Jesus is not simply healing this man.

He is re-creating him.

But the miracle is not finished yet.

Jesus tells the man:

"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam."

And here is something we should not overlook.

The man obeys.

He cannot see Jesus.
He does not fully understand what is happening.

But he trusts.

He walks to the pool.
He washes the clay from his eyes.

And suddenly, for the first time in his life…

he sees.

Imagine that moment.

Light rushing into his eyes.
The colors of the world.
The faces of people around him.

But strangely, the miracle does not lead to celebration.

Instead, the religious leaders begin questioning him.

They interrogate him.
They challenge him.

Eventually they throw him out.

Why?

Because the miracle challenges their certainty.

They believe they already understand God.

And here the Gospel quietly reveals something powerful:

The man who was blind begins to see…
while those who claim to see become spiritually blind.

When they question him, the man simply says:

“I was blind… and now I see.”

[Pause]

Those words describe more than physical healing.

They describe spiritual awakening.

Because the greatest blindness is not failing to see the world…

it is failing to see God.

One of the greatest saints in the history of the Church once described his life before conversion as a kind of blindness.

His name was St. Augustine.

Augustine was brilliant. Educated. Successful.

But he spent years searching for happiness in everything except God.

Later he wrote these words:

"I was blind, and I loved my blindness.
You were there, Lord, but I did not see you."

Then one day he encountered Christ in a profound way.

And his eyes were finally opened.

And he wrote the famous words:

“Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new.”

Augustine realized something the blind man in today’s Gospel also discovered:

The greatest blindness is not failing to see the world —
it is failing to see God.

And the Gospel ends in a beautiful way.

After the man is rejected and thrown out, Jesus goes looking for him.

Notice that.

The world rejects him.

But Jesus seeks him out.

And when Jesus finds him, He asks a question:

"Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The man answers with humility:

"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

And Jesus says,

"You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."

Now imagine that moment.

This man had just begun seeing the world for the first time.
He had seen people, faces, colors, and the beauty of creation.

But now something even greater happens.

For the first time in his life, he recognizes the One who healed him.

He sees not only the world around him…

he sees the Savior.

And his response is immediate:

“I do believe, Lord.”

And the Gospel tells us:

he worshiped Him.

Brothers and sisters,

That is the true miracle of this Gospel.

Not simply that a man who was blind could see the world.

But that his eyes were opened enough to recognize Christ.

Because many people today can see perfectly with their eyes…

yet they never recognize God working in their lives.

And so perhaps the most honest prayer we can offer today is very simple:

[Slow down]

Lord Jesus…

I was blind…

Help me to see.

I was blind and now I see - 4th Sunday of Lent (Year A)

2026-03-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Catholic Journey-Honest Faith/Life Discussions · I was blind and now I see

In today’s Gospel, we meet a man who has been blind from birth.

He has never seen a sunrise.

Never seen his parents’ faces.

Never seen the road in front of him.

And when the disciples see him, they ask a question that many of us ask when life is hard:

“Who sinned?”

Whose fault is this?

But Jesus answers in a surprising way:

“Neither he nor his parents sinned.

This happened so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”

In other words, this man’s life is not meaningless.

His suffering is not wasted.

God will use it for something greater.

Jesus then kneels down, makes clay with His saliva, and rubs it on the man’s eyes.

And He tells him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.”

The man could have said,

“Why mud?”

“Why walk there?”

“Why not heal me right now?”

But instead, he goes. He trusts. He obeys.

And when he washes…he can see.

That moment must have been overwhelming.

The first thing his eyes ever saw was light.

But what follows is even more remarkable.

Instead of joy, the man faces questioning.

Instead of praise, he faces doubt.

Instead of celebration, he faces rejection.

The Pharisees say, “This man cannot be from God.”

They examine him again and again.
They pressure him.
They threaten him.

But listen to his simple faith:

“All I know is this:

I was blind, and now I see.”

He doesn’t argue theology.

He doesn’t give a lecture.

He gives a witness.

That is how faith grows: not through winning arguments,

but through telling the truth of what God has done for us.

And when they throw him out of the synagogue,

Jesus goes to find him.

He does not leave him alone.

He seeks him out.

And when Jesus asks,

“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

the man says,

“Lord, I believe,” and he worships Him.

This Gospel shows us something beautiful:

the man moves from darkness, to sight…
Then to faith…
and then to worship.

That is the journey of every Christian life.

Let me share that once again.

the man moves from darkness, to sight…
Then to faith…
and then to worship.

Let me share a short story to help us understand a little more deeply.

There was a little girl who was born with very poor eyesight.

She could not read books like the other children.

She could not see faces clearly.

She often bumped into things.

One day her mother asked her,

“Does it make you sad that you can’t see like the other kids?”

The girl thought for a moment and said,

“Sometimes… but God must have a reason.”

Years later, she was able to have a very special surgery.

And after the bandages were removed,

for the first time in her life, she saw clearly.

She began to cry.

Her mother said,

“Why are you crying? You can see now!”

And the girl answered,

“I think God wanted me to learn how to trust Him before I learned how to see.”

Wow! That is wisdom, and from such a young soul.

And that is exactly what the blind man in the Gospel learned.

Before he ever saw Jesus’ face, he trusted Jesus’ voice.

Before he ever worshiped Him, he obeyed Him.

And that is why his healing becomes a miracle of the soul,
not just of the eyes.

Families, this Gospel speaks to us today because many of us can see physically… but we struggle to see spiritually.

We see our problems clearly.
We see our worries clearly.
We see the brokenness of the world clearly.

But do we see God at work?

Do we see His mercy?
Do we see His hand guiding us?
Do we see His presence in our homes?

The Pharisees see the miracle… but refuse to believe.

Why?

Because they already think they know everything.

But the blind man is humble.

He is open.

He is willing to be taught.

And that makes all the difference.

Children, this Gospel teaches you something important:
Jesus is not just someone you learn about.
He is someone you follow.

Parents and grandparents,
this Gospel reminds us that the most powerful faith we pass on
is not perfect knowledge… but lived trust.

The blind man does not say,

“I understand everything.”

He says,

“I was blind, and now I see.”

That is faith.

Faith does not mean life is easy.

It means life has light.

Faith does not mean there is no suffering.

It means suffering has meaning.

Faith does not mean we never struggle.

It means we never struggle alone.

And look at how this Gospel ends.

The man is cast out.

He loses his place in the community.

But Jesus finds him.

When the world pushes him away, Jesus pulls him close.

That is our hope.

When we are confused, Jesus finds us.

When we are afraid, Jesus finds us.

When we are rejected, Jesus finds us.

And He asks us the same question He asked that man:

“Do you believe?”

Not: “Do you understand everything?”

Not: “Have you figured it all out?”

But: “Do you trust Me?”

And when the man answers yes, he worships Jesus.

Because the goal of healing is not comfort.

The goal of healing is communion with God.

Let us end in prayer:

Lord, open our eyes.

Help us see Your hand in our lives.

Help us see Your love in our families.

Help us see Your grace even in our trials.

And when we do not understand,

let us still say with the man born blind:

“Lord, I believe.”

And may that faith become light not only for us,

but for our children,

and especially for

a world still searching for sight.

Amen

By your perseverance you will secure your lives (33rd Sunday Ordinary Time - Year C)

2025-11-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 21:5–19

(“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”)

Today’s Gospel gives us words that can shake us.

Jesus speaks of destruction, wars, earthquakes, persecution…

He tells His disciples that even the beautiful Temple — the pride of Jerusalem — will be torn down stone by stone.

You can imagine their shock.

The Temple was everything to them — it was their place of worship, their security, their proof that God was near.

And yet Jesus says: “Not one stone will be left upon another.”

Why would He say that?

Because He wants them — and us — to understand that faith cannot be built on things that crumble.

Even the most sacred building, the strongest nation, the best of plans… can fall.

But the heart that trusts in God — that endures.

1. Jesus isn’t warning us to fear — He’s inviting us to trust.

Jesus is not trying to frighten His followers; He’s preparing them for reality.

He’s saying: “Your faith can’t depend on comfort, or calm, or control.”

Because those things change.

What matters most is perseverance — the kind of faith that doesn’t give up when the world shakes.

The early Christians knew this.

They faced ridicule, rejection, even death.

Yet they stood firm — not because they were fearless, but because they knew Who walked with them.

Jesus promised:

“Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.

By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

2. A Story of Faith in the Fire

Let me a simple story with you.

There was a young mother named Clare, raising three kids in

poor city neighborhood.

Her husband had left, her job barely covered the bills, and her oldest child started drifting into trouble.

She told her pastor, “I’m tired. I feel like everything’s falling apart.”

And he said, “Then hold onto the one thing that won’t fall apart — your faith.”

So every morning before work, she lit a candle before a small image of the Sacred Heart and prayed,

“Lord, I can’t fix everything — but I trust You’ll walk with me through it.”

Months later, when things finally began to turn around — she said,

“It wasn’t the world that changed first — it was my heart that stopped giving up.”

That, my friends, is perseverance.

That is faith that refuses to quit — even when life gets messy.

3. So, What Does This Means for Us Today

Every one of us here has our own “Temple.”

For some, it’s our health.

For others, it’s our home, our work, our sense of control, our plans for the kids, or our dreams for the future.

And when any of those start to fall apart, it shakes us to the core.

But Jesus says, “Do not be terrified.”

Because when the world around us trembles — God hasn’t gone anywhere.

He’s right there in the middle of the storm, waiting for us to look up and say,

“Jesus, I still trust You.”

He’s not calling us to fear what’s coming —

He’s calling us to trust Who’s coming.

4. So what does Perseverance in Everyday Life looklike?

Now perseverance doesn’t mean never being afraid.

It means showing up anyway.

It’s the father who still brings his family to Mass, even when the

kids fidget and life feels heavy.

It’s the grandmother who keeps praying her rosary every night,

even when her knees ache.

It’s the mother who cooks, cleans, and loves even when exhausted.

It’s the young adult who stays faithful in a world that tells them faith is old-fashioned.

That’s perseverance.

That’s the kind of quiet courage that builds holiness.

And you know — in our small parish, we see it every day.

We see it in the volunteers who clean and decorate the church,

In those who joyfully serve as sacristans, readers, altar servers, and extra ordinary Eucharistic ministers,

in parents who juggle jobs and still teach their children to make

the Sign of the Cross and pray together to God every night,

in those who carry hidden burdens but still smile and say, “Thanks be to God.”

That’s the strength Jesus speaks of today.

5. And then there is The Hope of the Gospel

Jesus never promised His followers an easy road.
He promised something better — His presence on the road.

He said, “I will be with you always.”

And when Jesus is with you, even the hardest trial becomes a path to grace.

The same Lord who foretold the Temple’s fall

is the same Lord who rose from the tomb.

He brings life from loss, and glory from suffering.

So when we look at the world — the chaos, the violence, the uncertainty —

don’t let your heart be troubled.

Because the story doesn’t end with destruction…
It ends with resurrection.

6. Closing: A Call to Faith

My friends, as we gather here in this little church —

as families, neighbors, and people of faith —

let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us that same holy perseverance.

To help us love when it’s hard,

to forgive when we’re tired,

to hope when we can’t see the outcome.

Because one day, when all the stones of this world have fallen,
what will remain is the soul that stood firm in Christ.

And we will hear Him say,

“Well done, my good and faithful servant…

by your perseverance, you have secured your life.”

Amen.

Jesus: Hate your Parents, Children, and Spouse

2025-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Homily on Luke 14:25–33

Today’s Gospel is one of those passages that can almost take our breath away.

Jesus 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.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

At first hearing, these words sound harsh—even shocking.

Isn’t Jesus the one who taught us to love?

Isn’t He the one who calls us to honor our father and mother, to cherish our families, to lay down our lives for our friends?

Why then does He speak here about hating father, mother, wife, children, and even our own lives?

We must understand what Jesus is doing.

He is not commanding us to despise our loved ones.

He is using the strong language of the time to shake us awake—to make us realize that discipleship is not a hobby, not something we fit in when it’s convenient.

It is an all-consuming love, a total surrender, a willingness to place Him above every other love in our lives.

Think of it this way:

Jesus is saying, “I must come first.

If you want to follow me, I cannot be one option among many.

I must be your foundation, your compass, your everything.”

He gives us two examples:

the builder who starts a tower without counting the cost, and the king who goes into battle without considering the strength of his opponent.

In other words, discipleship requires foresight, commitment, and readiness.

Now, let’s pause here and ask ourselves honestly:

what does this mean for us, here and now, in our parish, in our lives?

For many of us, faith can sometimes slip into the background.

We pray when we have time.

We come to Mass when it’s convenient.

We place Christ somewhere in the mix of our priorities—but not always at the center.

Jesus, in this Gospel, is inviting us to something far deeper, far greater.

He is inviting us to total discipleship.

That means we are willing to carry our crosses.

It means we put Him first, even when it costs us something.

And it always does cost us something.

For the young person, it may mean saying no to peer pressure and living differently than the crowd.
For parents, it may mean putting faith into the center of family life—even when it’s easier to skip prayer, or when sports and activities compete with Sunday Mass.
For someone in the workplace, it may mean choosing honesty and integrity even if it costs a promotion or prestige.
For all of us, it means being willing to forgive when it’s easier to hold a grudge, to serve when it’s easier to be served, to give when it’s easier to keep.

Carrying the cross isn’t about seeking suffering for its own sake.

It’s about loving Jesus enough to choose Him above everything else, even when it hurts, even when it costs.

I want to share a little story.

A few years ago, a woman in another parish told me about her journey back to the Church.

For years she had lived her faith only half-heartedly.

She prayed sometimes, went to Mass occasionally, but her career was her real priority.

Then, one day, she received difficult news:

her mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Suddenly, all the things that had seemed so important—her promotions, her salary, her recognition—felt empty.

In caring for her mother, she rediscovered prayer.

She began to rely on Christ again, to surrender to Him.

She told me: “It wasn’t easy.

I had to let go of control.

I had to carry the cross of watching my mother suffer.

But in that cross, I found peace, and I found Him again.”

That’s what Jesus means.

When we place Him first—even above family, above our own lives—we don’t lose love, we don’t lose joy.

In fact, we discover them in their truest, deepest form.

St. John Paul II once said,

“The person who does not decide to love forever will find it very difficult to really love for even one day.”

That’s what Jesus is calling us to:

not a passing feeling, but a forever decision to put Him at the center.

And let’s be honest: this isn’t easy.

Sometimes discipleship feels overwhelming.

That’s why Jesus tells us to “count the cost.”

He wants us to know upfront: this is a demanding road.

But here’s the good news—He never asks us to walk it alone.

He doesn’t just say “carry your cross”; He says, “Come after me.”

He is out in front.

He carried His cross first.

He walks with us, strengthens us, and promises us that beyond the cross there is resurrection, beyond the sacrifice there is glory, beyond the surrender there is eternal life.

So what do we take from this Gospel today?

Let me suggest three invitations:

First, let’s examine our priorities. Ask yourself: who or what comes first in my life? Is Jesus truly at the center—or is He on the sidelines?

Second, let’s embrace the cross. What cross are you carrying right now? Illness? Family struggles? Wounds from the past? Instead of running from it, can we carry it with Him, and even offer it up as an act of love?

Third, let’s recommit to discipleship. That means making faith visible in daily life: setting aside time for prayer, making Sunday Mass non-negotiable, forgiving, serving, loving—even when it costs.

My friends, Jesus’ words may sound hard, but they are words of freedom.

When we place Him first, everything else falls into its proper place.

Our families, our work, our possessions—none of them are diminished.

They are purified, strengthened, and transformed.

The saints understood this.

Think of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave up wealth and comfort to follow Christ with total joy.

Think of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who embraced the poorest of the poor because she saw Christ in them.

Think of ordinary men and women—even in our own parish—who quietly, faithfully live their discipleship every day, putting Christ first.

Brothers and sisters, today Jesus looks at us with love, and He says:

“Follow me. Put me first. Carry your cross. Trust me with everything.”

The cost of discipleship is real.

But the reward is greater than we can imagine: eternal life with Him, and even now, a peace the world cannot give.

So let’s not be afraid.

Let’s count the cost—and then say yes.

For in saying yes to Him, we say yes to life, yes to love,

yes to the Kingdom of God.

Amen

100 Days to Freedom Program

2025-04-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

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Woman caught in Adultery - Judgement - What do we fill our minds with?

2025-04-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C

Adapted from a Homily by Father Tommy Lane

What a contrast between the cruelty of the scribes and Pharisees and the compassion of Jesus in our Gospel (John 8:1-11).

The scribes and Pharisees had no regard for the woman.

They were only interested in using her to try to trap Jesus.

She was a pawn in their game of chess.

They had no regard for the fact that possibly she did not initiate the sin, perhaps it was the man.

But Jesus is full of compassion.

He restored the woman again, in two ways.

He restored her spiritually by forgiving her, telling her he did not condemn her, while also insisting that she not sin again, and he restored her to society by saving her life.

No one knows what Jesus wrote on the ground, but some people suspect Jesus wrote the sins of the scribes and Pharisees.

Notice also that it was the elders in the group who went away first.

The elders had committed more sins, those who had lived longer had more to be sorry about in their own lives.

The woman received forgiveness from Jesus and also received her life back again.

Notice Jesus’ last words to the woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” (John 8:11)

Although Jesus has forgiven her sin, he expects her to live a life of grace and union with God from now on by not sinning anymore.

Jesus doesn’t say that sin does not matter because sin does matter and damages our relationship with God.

So, Jesus says, “go away and don’t sin anymore.”

When we receive Jesus’ forgiveness he expects us to live as new people afterward.

That is precisely the attitude with which we are to come to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

It would make no sense to come to confess our sins if we intended to continue committing the same sins again.

In our human weakness we may commit the same sin again, but as we come to confession if we do not intend to amend our lives then surely, we cannot say that we are truly sorry for our sins.

Surely, we can only genuinely say that we are truly sorry for our sins if we have a firm intention not to commit sin again.

If we could see into our souls and see the damage our sin causes to our souls, and to the whole Church, we would flee from committing sin.

To better illuminate this idea, I would like read an excerpt of a letter written by Jacques Fesch to his mother before his execution which took place by guillotine in France on the 1^st of October, 1957.

The 27-year-old was beheaded for murder shortly after he bungled an armed robbery three years earlier (February 25^th 1954).

He underwent a conversion experience while on death row and the publication of his letters touched many, especially young people.

Cardinal Lustiger of Paris signed a decree that may one day see Jacques declared “Blessed.”

This is part of Jacques’ letter,

“This execution which frightens you is nothing compared to what awaits sinners in the next world.

It is not for me you should weep but for sinners who offend God.

As for me, I am happy Jesus is calling me to himself and great graces have been given me.

If you could only taste for a single instant the sweetness of the transports of divine love and could realize the absolute gravity of the slightest offense.

God must come first, do not forget it.

He calls you and believes in you, you are rich in his love.

Many souls are linked with yours and you will have an account to render.

You must go to Christ without whom you can do nothing.

If you seek him, you will find him.

But you must seek him with all your heart.

Above all do not seek your own will, but His.”

As I said, if we could see into our souls and see the damage our sin causes to our souls, and to the whole Church as the body of Christ, we would flee from committing sin and Jacques’ letter reminds us of the horror of sin.

Jesus said to the woman not to sin again and since sin is so horrible and horrific we need to take steps to ensure that we do not sin again because otherwise, we will gradually drift again into the same sin.

The first step to take is to deal with where all sin begins, in the mind.

Among the Native Americans, there is a story of a father who said there were two wolves fighting within him, one bad and one good.

His son asked which wolf wins and the father said whichever one he feeds the most.

Sin begins in the mind.

We need to feed our minds with what is good instead of what is bad.

Technology in many forms, in TV, internet sites, social media, and so many other ways, often feed our minds with bad stuff that leads us toward sin.

Sin begins in the mind, from there it moves on to become an action, from there it moves on to become a lifestyle, habits are formed, and then it affects us in eternity.

Jesus said not to sin again.

We need to begin by feeding our minds with what is good instead of with what is trash, rubbish, evil, and sinful.

I challenge you, as I challenge myself…

· This Lent and before Easter, make a commitment to go to confession if you have not already done so, and then to regularly go to confession

· To stop exposing our minds to things that draw us to sin.

· To expose and fill our minds with what is good, holy, and honest. And to pray, especially right now, that God helps us to understand how sin darkens our soul, separates us from Him, harms His entire Church, and that through His grace, and only through His grace, that we can be healed, strengthened, and will be able to avoid temptation and to sin no more.

Men's Spiritual Opportunity - Lent 2025

2025-02-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Beatitudes

2025-02-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

Homily (6th Sunday Ordinary Time - Year C)

Today's Gospel speaks of the Beatitudes, the Blessings.

We have all heard these passages before, some of us 100's of times, but have we ever really understood their meaning?

In the Gospel, Saint Luke draws a distinction in the opening lines between “The Large Gathering of Disciples” and “The Great Crowd of People.”

All of who came to either be cured of illness, or to hear the prophetic words of Jesus.

If we can imagine a world with little scientific knowledge, no antibiotics, and very few doctors, it is easy to understand the motives of the crowd seeking healing.

There must have been a great many people willing to grasp at any straw to be cured.

And a healer like Jesus, who seemed to have complete power over any affliction, and could cure any disease with just the words from his mouth, must have seemed like a gift from heaven to them.

These were people crying out in need, these were the truly poor, and so often we read of how Jesus' heart went out to them.

The crowd of Disciples on the other hand, were those who wanted to hear what Christ has to say.

They didn't especially desire a cure, perhaps they had already received one, but they were more attracted to his revolutionary teaching.

They wanted to know more, they wanted something much greater than a healing, they wanted the key to eternal life.

Waiting patiently for Jesus to come down from the hill where he had gone to pray, these disciples must have been hoping to hear more words of wisdom and inspiration from him.

The atmosphere must have been electric.

Jesus had just finished the night in prayer, having just selected the 12 Apostles, and now returning he focuses his eyes not on poor, but upon His disciples to give them yet another teaching.

The teaching that the disciples waited so long to hear must have come upon them as a bombshell.

To understand the significance of this teaching we must first understand who these disciples were.

The disciples would probably have been the equivalent of the middle class of today.

They were not hurting, they had no need for a cure, they could afford to travel, and they had no hesitation waiting around to hear Jesus speak.

These were no common people desperate for their next piece of bread.

And Jesus says to them: Blessed are you who are poor, hungry, and weeping.

What... They must have been shocked.

This was not the expected teaching.

These people were not poor, hungry, or weeping.

They must have been staggered to hear Jesus comparing them so unfavorably to the surrounding crowd of the sick and poor who were crying out for healing.

So, what was the message to the disciples, and what is the message for all of us here today?

Jesus is telling us that the very values that we hold so dear, prosperity, security, happiness, and everything we strive so hard to achieve for our children and ourselves are practically worthless when it comes to considering the values of the Kingdom of God.

It actually is poverty, starvation, and sorrow that are at the top of his list.

And he goes on to say: “happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, call you a criminal, on account of the Son of Man.”

WOW!

We crave respect, acceptance, honor, and respectability, and Jesus tells us that the very opposite is what will gain us the Kingdom of Heaven.

And even those welcome words of the gospel: “On account of the son of Man”, doesn't give us much comfort.

We don't want to be unliked, persecuted, or laughed at.

In fact, we will do almost anything to avoid it; it doesn't really matter on whose account it is for.

Isn't this really true about us.

We don't even need to hear the rest of the Gospel message:

“Alas for you who are rich, had your fill, or laugh, or when people speak well of you,” We know that this actually means more of the same.

And these are called the Beatitudes – The Blessings!

This is supposed to be Good News!

It surely is good news for the poor and the needy, really good news for them, but is it good news for rest of us?

Now we have come to the core of the matter.

And the point is that the Christian life takes us where we don't expect.

Sometimes where we don't want to go, and it demands a very great deal from us.

It demands that we give up our cozy assumptions; it demands that we take the harder road; it demands that we really do live for others and not for ourselves.

These are difficult teachings and none of us ever really manage to live up to them successfully, but we know in our hearts that this is what Jesus desires.

This is real Christianity.

What Christ desires of us is so counter-cultural, if we truly lived what he teaches, most people would think we have lost it.

Yet who are we to listen to: the world, or Christ?

In Closing, and Returning to the message of the Gospel and the message for us today.

You must decide: Are you the poor, the hungry, or the sick, that are to hear the reassuring message that you are blessed, and that your reward will be great in heaven.

Or are you like the disciples, finding it difficult to hear and believe Christ's words that your life is actually inferior to those who seem beneath you?

Not unlike the Disciples waiting to hear Jesus' words, they wanted to know the key to eternal life, so is our desire as well.

Today we have heard it!

Are we listening?

Are we willing to hear and apply Christ's message to our lives?

Do we truly desire eternal life?

Do we truly desire to follow Christ?

The Beatitudes are blessings only if we apply them to our lives.

The Gospel message is the Good news for all who believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, for all who follow his way, and For All who listen and respond.

The Epiphany of the Lord

2025-01-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60:1-6, Mt 2:1-12

The Gospel today is rich with symbols:

• The Journey,

• the Personalities from distant lands,

• the star, its disappearance and reappearance,

• the gifts,

• the difficulties,

• the dream….

All have a unique meaning, especially for Christians, and if contemplated can lead us to where it led the Magi:

To Faith in Christ.

Faith is indeed a long journey, a life-long one.

This Faith journey leads us from the security of the “Lands” we are familiar with, to a far-off place where the rules of the game are very different.

It requires courage to set out on such a journey when we could stick to the comfort and security of home and “do just what everyone else does.”

It requires us to persevere and continue the journey, especially when it is not clear where we are going…. because with all real journeys of faith, more often than not, the specific route and destination is unclear.

But where does such faith come from?

I think we all understand that it can’t be purchased, or even earned.

Faith in Christ is a grace; or rather it is the grace of all graces.

A gift given to us.

But this gift is not to be kept for ourselves, it comes with responsibility.

I was once told that to whom much had been given, much is expected.

We are all called to share this gift.

And in sharing this gift, this gift of faith, our primary responsibility is to be a personal witness of what it contains.

We are responsible for doing what we can in the sphere of our own lives so that the light of Christ shines through us to others.

• However, someone who is constantly bad-humored, or self-centered, or continually sad, is not a sign that God lives within them.

• Nor someone whose behavior and conversation is coarse and lewd and who profanes everything he sets his eyes upon or turns his tongue toward, he is not a sign that the sacredness and the beauty of God is within him.

• Nor someone who destroys her neighbor’s reputation on a daily basis; She will not inspire others to say, “Look how they love one another.”

• Nor will someone who lives only to have more of the “stuff” of this world, be likely to make people catch a glimpse of the world to come.

We must honestly ask ourselves: “What or who do I represent to those around me?

And am I, a transparent window into what can be seen as the City of God?”

Today’s readings also show us that Christ is for all, for everyone.

And that the church must be a city placed on a mountain top so all can see and all can come.

This church involves each of us.

Every Christian, and more so, every Catholic, Is this church.

Each one of us is the church in the sense of being the place where Christ dwells and is to be revealed to those who do not know him.

So let us ask ourselves,

“Do I really believe that I am the dwelling place of God?”

“Do I have such faith?”

Many of us were born into a Christian family and it is difficult to appreciate how great the gift of “Faith” actually is.

It is easy to take for granted, and we often fail to exercise it.

And as we fail to recognize and utilize this gift, it can grow weak, and then we are only capable of short journeys with few or no difficulties.

Perhaps we can’t even travel past the everyday obstacles to find Christ our Lord.

Whether it is due:

• to a health problem,

• or that difficult sister-in-law,

• or the way that particular priest celebrates mass,

• or that particular habit my wife or husband has,

we have such little “strength of faith” that we lose our way.

Many people think of the New Year as a time for a new start, and for some it is, but in reality, we have all been on a journey for years,

• and we choose who or what we are searching for,

• who or what we follow,

• and who or what we desire.

The Magi have shown us through example, that when Christ calls, and we focus on him rather than on ourselves, we can persevere.

Even at times when the star seems hidden, with faith, it will reappear, and as we journey in faith, we will, come upon –

“The Savior of the World.”

So in conclusion……this gift of faith that has been given to each one of us awaits a response.

And like the Magi, God speaks personally to us as well, if only we will listen and believe!

Rise up in splendor, Jerusaelm!

Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory.

Fatherhood

2024-06-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my Spiritual Director shared a riddle with me and then sent me away to ponder the riddle until our next meeting.

Here is the riddle:

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

I thought and thought about the riddle and then I finally figured it out, the answer is “Nothing.”

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

A riddle can also be called a parable. Parables are stories that leave the listener without an answer. Jesus liked to use parables in his teaching and often left the disciples to try and figure out the meaning of such stories. And here we are today, some 2000 years later, still trying to figure out just what Jesus meant when he told the story of The Wedding Feast, The Dishonest Steward, The Good Samaritan, and even The Mustard Seed.

A wise theologian once said that we can not comprehend the parables of Jesus until we see ourselves in the story. Like a small child, recognizing herself in the mirror for the first time, when we see ourselves represented in the story, then we finally get it.

Then we realize that we are:

• the rebellious son who ran away with his father’s fortune,

• or the Levite who passed by the beaten man on the road to Jericho,

• or even the foolish man who built his home on sand instead of rock.

Once we see ourselves in the story, the story then takes on a whole new meaning, and we learn a little more about ourselves, and more about God. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the second parable in Today’s Gospel that speaks of the Kingdom of God:

“With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, what parable will we use for it? It’s like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in it’s shade.”

Was the point of the parable that something small can grow into something great? Was Jesus perhaps saying that a small baby that was born in a humble stable would grow up to become a Savior, and people would find comfort and security in him? Could Jesus have been saying that this Church, which began with just a tiny gathering of fearful men in a small, upper room in Jerusalem, would one day become a gathering of millions of faith filled people? Or could this parable mean that if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, our faith would mature and grow, and would be enough to bring us to everlasting life? That is what is so wonderful about parables, there can be many different interpretations and meanings, and God has left it up to each one of us to figure it out for ourselves.

Today, However, I want to suggest another possible interpretation of the Parable of the Mustard Seed on this Father’s day. Could it be that the mustard seed is the child in our midst? We all know how much Jesus loved children, and how he would call them to him, even as the disciples tried at times to keep them away. Could Jesus be using the words of a parable to remind the fathers of every age that our children are our greatest gift, and our greatest responsibility? These children, these mustard seeds, are to be nourished, encouraged, protected, and guided, until they can grow to become the greatest of all plants.

But as Dads, we often become distracted and can fall short.

• We often work long hours to provide for our families and don’t have time or energy to play catch or help with school projects.
• We often are annoyed by our kid’s music and ask them to wear head phones shutting them out.
• We often try to mold them into what we want them to be, missing their uniqueness, and failing to support their dreams.

Assuming for a minute that Jesus told The Mustard Seed Parable to serve as a timeless reminder to fathers, there are also a few things I believe to be true as well:

• That the best way to love our children is to love, honor, and respect their mother.

• That the best gift we can give our children is a sense of safety and security as they grow up.

• That it is more important to give them our time, not our money.

• That it is more important to be respected by them, than to be liked by them.

• That it is more important to encourage them in their interests, than to require them to share in ours.

• And it is us, fathers, who are to teach, model, and live our Catholic faith fervently as the spiritual leaders of the home.

Like it or not Men, our actions speak volumes about us to our kids. They see everything we do, and what we don’t do, and they learn from us. They will always love their mother, but they will want to be like you. We have been given this great gift; some biological, some adopted, and some just placed in our lives.

Fathers play an irreplaceable role in the lives of children, and without their influence, lives of children are seriously affected. Just look around, look at a culture where so many homes are father-less. Look at how many children struggle without that Spiritual Leader in their midst.

With so many riddles in the world, the answers are often found in the examples of those who model for us God’s love, strength, and virtue. And as Saint Paul states in the 2nd reading, for we walk by faith, not by sight, and we aspire to please Him.

As mothers are the heart and love of the home, fathers are to be the spiritual leaders of the family, just as Saint Joseph was the spiritual leader of the holy family.

The Father who through his actions and example:

• nourishes his children,

• helps them to grow,

• at times may find a need to prune,

• but ultimately will form them with large branches

• and then, can joyfully witness how others will come to dwell in their shade.

Fathers, you are the reflection of Christ to your children, young and old:

• serve them well,

• fulfill your responsibilities,

• watch those seeds grow into something great, great in the eyes of God,

• and then, in this life and in the next, you Truly will be blessed.

Happy Father’s Day!

Advent - Be Awake! The joyful wait

2023-12-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

Adapted Homily originally written by Msgr James P. Moroney.

I remember the day that Tom died, as Betty held his hand. She wept.

Oh, how she wept as she clung to his body in the hopes of somehow not losing the 39 years of married life they had lived and loved together.

The kids tried to console her, but it was of little use.

She just needed to cry until she couldn’t cry anymore.

The pain and the emptiness were much deeper than what I could ever have imagined.

She spent the next days and weeks longing for Tom more than she had ever longed for anything in her entire life.

She so wanted him to come back that every creak of the floorboard, and shadow around the corner, made her heart leap in hope.

Regrettably, time went by before I had realized it, it had been almost a year since I had spent any significant time with Betty.

She was still sad, but not as desperate as the last time I had seen her.

I inquired how she was doing and she told me about the day that made all the difference.

She said she had gone to Church and she was sitting all alone in the pew staring at the crucifix above the altar.

When all at once it occurred to her that it was not actually Tom for whom she longed, but God.

· The God who she prayed would forgive Tom’s sins.

The God who would keep her in his grace until the last day.

The God who had gone to prepare a place for Tom, and for her, and for all who loved others as he had loved them.

And her waiting for Tom was just a shadow of her deepest longing for God, her desire for love, and her desire to live in God and to know peace with him forever.

Don’t we all ache for God?

Don’t we all wait, waiting for something better, just like:

· The addict in the alley behind the Gas station who waits for a God who will come and remove all that enslaves him.

How about the single mother who waits for a day when she no longer has to work fifty-four hours a week, a night when she can sleep 8, a life when she will finally know the kids will be ok.

What about the soldier in the Middle East who waits for a morning when there are no more explosions, and every look is not feared as the precursor to an assault, and when he doesn’t have to bury his new best friend.

Or the old man in the nursing home who waits for the day he will no longer be alone, when pain will no longer be his most constant companion, and when he can once again rest in the embrace of her whom he loved.

What about the prisoner on death row who waits for a place where he will no longer be seen as evil, for a life that makes sense, for a time when love can be given and received, for the coming of a God who will love him.

What about the investment banker who waits for the day when he’s not gripped by the fear that he’s about to lose everything, for the day when he can count his value in the quality of his love rather than the size of his profit.

Or what about the little child who waits within her mother’s womb for a world that will welcome her, and parents that will love her, and a country who will protect her.

As Christians we should all realize and recognize that we wait in joyful hope, with baited breath, as we gaze toward the Eastern skies in expectation of the one who rises with healing in his wings…

But Exiled in a Babylon of our own selfishness, we cry out:

“Rend the heavens, O Lord, and come down to us!”

Yet he patiently waits for us in that confessional, ready to embrace us, pick us up on his shoulders, and carry us home to himself.

Still longing to be loved, orphaned by our infidelity and broken promises, we cry out,

“Why do you let us wander and harden our hearts?”

Yet he patiently waits on that altar, to feed us with himself and to make us sons and daughters of his Father, to live in us that we might live in him.

Still frightened that we have been abandoned, strangers in a strange desert, we cry out:

“Let us see your face and we will be saved!”

Yet he patiently waits for us in the poor, the sick, and the old, ready to console our frightened spirits.

Let us be honest, we all wait in joyful hope.

The part of us that is afraid to confess that secret sin.

The part of us that doesn’t think it’s possible to forgive what ‘that one’ did to us, or that God could really forgive me.

The part of us that cries in the middle of the night.

The part which feels empty and alone.

The part that’s overwhelmed and confused.

The part which amidst all the din and doubt waits…waits in silence for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ upon a cloud in all his glory.

My dear brothers and sisters:

This is a time for all of us to Wake up and to Get ready.

We are to be watchful and alert!

We are to go to confession, We are to celebrate the Holy and Sacred Mysteries like never before, and we are to pray; to pray deeply and honestly!

Also, we cannot forget about those around us.

We are to feed and care for the poor.

We are to go visit the prisoners and the old people in nursing homes.

We are to find the ones we have not yet forgiven and call them right now.

This is what the season of Advent is all about.

Making our hearts into mangers to receive our king, for He is coming.

There is but one ultimate question that we need to ask ourselves and ponder:

Am I ready…to stand before the One who is Truth Himself, the One who knows my heart completely, the One who has seen everything?

Am I ready to meet the Creator of the world, the creator of my soul?

Am I..

Truly..

Ready?

Transfiguration of our Lord - Seeing God face to face.

2023-03-05T11:51:00.035-08:00

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent Year A

Adapted from a homily by Fr. Tommy Lane

As we begin to discern today’s readings, I would first like to share with you a short story that just might help us understand the deeper meaning. The story goes something like this: Twins, a sister, and a brother were talking to each other in the womb. The little sister said to the little brother, ‘I believe that there is life after birth!’ Her brother protested: ‘No, no, this is all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling on to the cord that feeds us.’ But the little girl insisted: ‘There must be something more than this dark place, there must be something else where there is light and freedom to move.’ Still she could not convince her twin brother. Then...after some silence, she said hesitantly: ‘I have something else to say, and I am afraid you won’t believe that either, but I think there is a mother!’ Her little brother now became furious: ‘A mother, a mother, what are you talking about? I have never seen a mother and neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this place is all we have so let’s be content.’ The little sister finally said: ‘Don’t you feel this pressure sometimes? It’s really unpleasant and sometimes even painful.’ ‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘what’s special about that?’ ‘Well,’ the sister said, ‘I think this pressure is there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face to face! Don’t you think that’s exciting!

In the story, the twin brother did not believe there was anything beyond what he could see and hear and touch, while his twin sister believed there was a life beyond what she could see and hear and touch. The story reminds me of our lives. We are like the twin sister when we say, “we are only passing through,” meaning that this life is preparing for eternal life.

We all know and realize that We live in strange times with lots of tragedies and appalling accidents and many people dying young. During times like this, we need more than ever to remember that our lives here on earth is temporary, that we do have a special purpose, and that we are on a pilgrimage to God. Through our baptism, we are all sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. Like the girl in the womb who could not see her mother but believed, we too believe that eternal life follows this life and that there is more to this life than what we can see and hear and touch.

The Gospel today helps us to understand this even better. On the mountain Peter, James, and John saw that there was more to Jesus than met the eye. During the transfiguration they got a glimpse of the future glory of Jesus’ resurrection. Like them, we too get glimpses of the presence of God in our lives.

• We get glimpses of God in the love we receive from other people.

• We get glimpses of God when badly needed help suddenly comes to us from out of nowhere.

• We get glimpses of God when we look back over our lives and what we couldn’t understand in the past makes sense now.

• We see glimpses of God when we see someone making a sacrifice to help somebody else.

• We see glimpses of God in the beauty of a fine day, a nice beach or a beautiful sunrise or sunset.

• We see glimpses of God when a passage from the Bible or a homily strikes a chord in our hearts.

• We get a glimpse of God when we spend time in prayer and experience the loving presence of God in our lives.

And We get more than just a glimpse of God when we receive the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion.

The Transfiguration coming early in Lent encourages us to continue our Lenten penances because it reminds us of the glory of Jesus risen from the dead. When Jesus and the disciples came down the mountain Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about his transfiguration until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Of course, they did not know what he meant. Unknown to them the glory of Jesus’ transfiguration was preparing them to accept the scandal of the cross. They would understand this only afterward when looking back.

The good times take us through the bad times. So, when our cross is heavy or when we are tempted to despair about the meaning of life, let us look beyond the pain of the present moment and remember those times when we got glimpses of God, those times when God sent us his consolations. Let us look beyond the pain of life and see the presence of God in our world, and the offer of life that God wants to make to each of us. Let us look beyond the illusion of happiness that this life offers and gaze toward the real happiness that God offers us. Let us look beyond this world to eternal life with God. And let us be patient. As Catholics, we understand that the pressure we often feel in our lives is there to not only help us build virtue, grow in love and forgiveness, and reduce our pride but mostly to get us ready for another place. A place much more beautiful than this. A place where we will see our Jesus, our God, face to face.

Kevin Kearns Funeral Homily - 01.20.2023 - Saint Joseph Church, Marysville, CA

2023-01-28T07:42:00.001-08:00

The Catholic Journey · Kevin Kearns Funeral Homily

Kevin Kearns Homily – Deacon Pat Kearns (Funeral Mass 01/20/2023)

Kevin was quite the man, remarkable in many different ways. He was smart, creative, kind, giving, and yes at times stubborn and onery. He was also a fighter and a man of faith. We were quite surprised many years ago when he was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 cancer. He was only given a 50/50 chance to live. He fought, receive great medical care, and won the battle. He eventually went into remission and after so many years was deemed completely healed, cured. He did have some residual side effects from the drugs and radiation, he became hard of hearing, but he wouldn’t admit it. 😊

Just like how he would never admit he was color blind. Remember some of the outfits he would wear? He swore those colors matched. 😊

But seriously, having cancer changed his life greatly. After his recover he saw life much differently. He knew that life could end at any time and unexpectedly. If you ever asked him how he was doing, he would always say “Blessed.” He truly saw his life that way. He embraced life and was thankful for the life he had. He also shared his blessing with others. Most might not know but years ago he created a charitable organization that he named “Hope Floats.” He used the organization to sponsor teachers in poor areas of Africa and Guatemala. He also helped with the funding of cancer and diabetes research, and did so much more, too much to list. He was always looking for ways to help those in need, especially children. Maybe that was his way of being fatherly since he had never married. And speaking of fatherly, after our father suddenly died at the age of 65, Kevin naturally and effortlessly took over the role as the patriarch of the family. He watched over his younger 5 brothers, their lives, their families, and was always eager to help if help was needed. He also had a family-related dream. For many years he dreamed that one day he would buy a large piece of property and that all the brothers and their wives could live by each other and share in each other’s daily lives. He loved his brothers more than anything. Well, a little more than a year ago, Kevin did acquire a large horse ranch in South Carolina. He then moved to the ranch and became a South Carolina resident. My brother Tim and his wife Angela followed. And two of the other brothers were beginning to make plans to join them in the near future. His dream was becoming a reality. I had never seen Kevin happier than when he was on the ranch or with his horses. He especially enjoyed driving the tractors, riding the horses, puttering around the ranch on his Kubota Mule, or exploring the forest on one of the quads. In a small way we might say he was already experiencing a bit of Heaven on earth. +

When we reminisce about the life of a loved one, especially so near to their time of passing, and if they go suddenly as in Kevin’s case, one can’t help but feel a sense of sadness and sorrow. We are united today in our sadness and sorrow at the death of Kevin Kearns. The reality of death, with all its pain and sense of loss, confronts us at this moment. But as we are united in sorrow, we Christians are also united by something else... our Faith. Confronted with the reality of death, we must allow ourselves to be confronted with the reality of our Faith. The reality... not a "maybe" or "I hope so" or fantasy or wishful thinking, but a reality. Our Faith opens our minds to the whole picture about life, death, and what happens after death. Only in the light of our Faith can we begin to understand what has happened to Kevin and how we are to keep going from here. When in our Faith we speak about heaven, and resurrection, and the next life, we do not speak about these things primarily because they give us consolation and strength. They certainly do that, but the primary reason we speak of these things is because they are True. God has spoken His Word to us; we hear it in the Scriptures and in the teachings of our Church, and we respond to it by saying, "Yes, I believe; it is true!" God has broken the silence about death, and told us that He has conquered it! Death was not part of God's original plan; it came into the world because of sin. Death is not from God; death is from turning away from God. Yet God did not leave us in death's power. He sent Christ, who died and rose again and conquered death! God has spoken to the world through Christ, and told us that He wants to give us victory over death in and through Jesus Christ! Because of this, a Christian is not silent in the face of death! Many people, on coming to a wake or funeral, do not know what to say! Death seems to have the last word. But we who believe are not silent. We speak! Christ is risen! Death has been conquered! Many people think that the story of human life is, "Birth, life, and death." For a Christian, it's different. The story is not "Birth, life, and death," but rather, "Life, death, and Resurrection!" Death does not have the last word; life does! Death is not the last period after the last sentence of the last chapter of the human story. There's another chapter to come! Death is not the end of the human story; it's the middle. The end of the story is Resurrection and life that has no end! The farewell that we give to Kevin today is a temporary farewell; the burial we give Kevin is a temporary burial. He will live! He will rise!

The ceremony today contains many reminders of this, and it points us to the fact that Kevin was baptized. We sprinkled the (remains) with holy water at the beginning of the ceremony... This recalls the waters of baptism that were once poured on Kevin. The white funeral pall is a reminder of the white garment placed on the newly-baptized... a sign of the new life of Christ given to the Christian. This candle is the Easter candle; it is present at every baptism, and symbolizes the Risen Christ. When Kevin was baptized right here in this church, the life of the Risen Christ was poured into his soul! He began to share, here on earth, the life of heaven! At baptism, God rescued Kevin from the power of death; He literally snatched him from the dominion of death and transferred him into the Kingdom of Christ -- a kingdom of eternal life. Christ said to Kevin on that day, "You do not belong to death! You belong to me!" Therefore, a Christian does not merely die. A Christian dies in Christ. Those two words, "in Christ," make all the difference in the world! We belong to Him by baptism, and we live in Him by a life of prayer, obedience to His teachings, and faithfulness to the Sacraments of the Church. If we live in Christ and die in Christ, we will rise in Christ! In the midst of all this, should we grieve? Yes, brothers and sisters, it is OK to grieve; it is natural, because we love Kevin. Even Christ wept when His friend Lazarus died... and He wept even though He was about to bring Him back to life! Yes, we as Christians grieve. But we grieve with hope. It is OK to be sad today that we do not see Kevin anymore, but it would be wrong to think we will never see him again. It is OK to grieve, but it is wrong to despair. Christ is alive! We pray today for Kevin that he may complete the journey to heaven. Pray for him every day, and for yourselves. Look at him today and say with faith, "Kevin, you do not belong to death. You belong to Christ, and so do we!" Amen.

The reality of Heaven and Hell (Advent)

2022-12-04T11:09:00.001-08:00

"The Reality of Heaven and Hell" (2nd Sunday of Advent)

Today is the 2nd Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation, and the Gospel today has a profound message for us. The Gospel begins with the words of the prophet Isaiah, declaring that God was sending a messenger to prepare the way. The messenger would be a voice crying out in the desert. That voice was to be John the Baptist. Understanding John the Baptist is not an easy task, probably not unlike the task posed to those of his time. Few people, 2000 years ago, probably truly and completely understand what he meant when he declared his mission “To prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.” However, the gospel states that John the Baptist who appeared in the desert proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And what was the response of the people of that time: The scripture states that people of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John further stated that one greater than he would be coming. John the Baptist is the very voice of Advent, the voice of the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth to intervene in the relationship between God and ourselves. What John stated when he said “I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit", was not just a word about Jesus, It was the Gospel – It was the beginning of the good news for the world. John and his message happened at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on this earth, and John and his message still are the beginning today for all those who want to find their way out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.

However, there is one reality that so many Christians have lost sight of, and because so, their whole faith foundation has become weak and makes them easy prey for temptation and sin. This reality that I speak of, is having a clear distinction and belief in Heaven and Hell. That’s right, I said Hell. I would be shocked to hear of a Christian that didn’t believe in Heaven, but you would not believe how many Christians I have met that question the reality of Hell. Without a clear understanding of the reality that your behaviors and actions in this world do have consequences, and that the result of those actions either lead you to heaven or hell, could leave a person confused, and lost, and can lead to a rationalization for behaviors that are clearly sinful and in opposition of God. What is missing, and what I am speaking of, is the understanding of a healthy “Fear of the Lord.” The “Fear of the Lord” as it is spoken of in the Bible, is not just a concept, but an experience that predisposes us to wisdom. In fact, “The Fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom. The “Fear” is not the fear of a tyrannical God who arbitrarily inflicts punishment, but a fear that gives proper respect to a God who administers “Just punishment” for those who deserve it. The biblical “Fear of the Lord” is an intelligent fear, based on a deep perception of the holiness and majesty of God, which rightly recognizes the possibility of violating the law of God, despising His love, rejecting His mercy, and meriting eternal separation from Him. While the fear of the Lord is simply the beginning of wisdom, the end of wisdom is love. The scriptures tell us in fact, “blessed is the man who fears the Lord.”

Saint Catherine of Sienna, a Doctor of the Church, relays to us from a vision from God the Father that there is much more depth to the reality of heaven and hell than many commonly suppose. She states that sin and evil are far more ugly and more horrendous than most of us can imagine, but so too are the beauty, glory, and goodness of heaven greater than we can comprehend. Saint Catherine states that there are four torments of hell.

• The first is that souls are deprived of seeing God.

• The second is that the souls agonize ceaselessly with regret about what has been lost.

• The third is that unlike the beatific vision in heaven, the souls in hell will be immersed in the demonic vision, the source of evil itself. God even showed Catherine a brief vision of hell and reminded her of the vision by stating, “You will recall that when I once let you see him (the devil), for a tiny while, hardly a moment, as he really is. You said, after coming to your senses again, that you would rather walk on a road of fire even till the final judgment day than see him again. But even with all you have seen, you do not really know how horrible he is.”

• And the fourth torment is the ceaseless burning of an immortal fire that has as many forms as the forms of the sins that were committed. Stating that:

- Misers will be plunged into the filth of greed

- Violent souls will be engulfed in cruelty

- The indecent will be engulfed in indecency and wretched lust

- The envious in envy

- And those who were hateful and bitter toward their neighbors will be engulfed in hate.

So why do I go on and on about the reality of heaven and hell, it is because heaven and hell is a reality, a reality that so many have allowed to fade away in their conscience. Without this acknowledgment and understanding, Saint Augustine, Saint Catherine, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Theresa of Avila, Saint Therese of Lisieux all warn of the ease and likelihood of falling for the traps of the devil and spending eternity in hell.

So where do we go from here? This brings me remembering a story I once heard that involved a professor and a great master. The professor traveled to the Far East to meet with a great master and the professor asked the master to teach him what he needed to know to have a happy life. The professor stated: - I have studied the sacred scriptures - I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer, please teach me. At this point, the master served tea to his guest. He poured the professor a cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and he still poured, until tea was cascading upon the floor. The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull, stop, no more will go in,” he cried out! “Like this cup” the master stated, “you are full of your own opinions, your own ideas, your own speculations, you are full of yourself. How can I show you the way, until you first empty your cup.” Doesn’t this story represent our own lives so very much! We want to be shown the way, yet at the same time, we want to pursue and follow our own desires, our own ideas.

John the Baptist called to the people with the message of repentance. He called to them to hear his message and then to take action so that they would be able to greet the Messiah and walk in his way. He preached to “repent.” Repent, what does the word repent mean? Quite simply, it means to “turn around”, to change directions, to face a new way, and to begin to walk in that way, leaving the old way behind. Just as the professor had to empty himself to learn the way of the master, so each of us must change direction if we are to truly see the Lord and walk with him from the wilderness to the promise land.

Advent is a time to empty ourselves. It is a time of Quiet and reflection. It is a time for acknowledging our sins, it is a time for enjoying the sacrament of penance, it is a time of forgiveness, it is a time for change. It is a time to purge ourselves of habits and behaviors that draw us away from God, and it is a time to cultivate holiness in our lives and in the lives of others.

When we realize this and make room for God in our lives, then we are on the way to true repentance after the example of John the Baptist and can joyfully accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

2022-10-01T16:37:00.004-07:00

The Catholic Journey · Faith The Size Of A Mustard Seed

Faith (Luke 17:5-10) 27th Sunday Ordinary time – Deacon Pat

Adapted from a homily by Father Michael Marsh

How many of us have said: “If I just had more faith.”

I think most of us have struggled with this at some point in our lives.

We might even have thought:

· If I just had more faith, I wouldn’t have so many questions or doubts.

· If I just had more faith, God would answer my prayers.

· If I just had more faith, he or she would not have died; or he or she would have recovered.

· If I just had more faith, I would be more involved in the Church.

· If I just had more faith, I would be a better person, a better parent, a better spouse.

· If I just had more faith, I would know what to do, I would handle things better.

· If I just had more faith, life would be different.

Sound Familiar?

Maybe to understand this Gospel message more deeply and this concept of faith we need to examine the apostle’s approach to faith.

Jesus has just warned them not to become stumbling blocks to others and enjoined them to forgive as often as an offender repents even if it is seven times in one day.

The Apostles must have thought:

· This new teaching is too difficult to do and to live that way.

So, they asked, “Jesus, Increase our faith.”

It seems like a reasonable request.

If a little is good, a lot must be better.

If McDonald’s can supersize our fries and drinks surely Jesus can supersize our faith.

This request to increase their faith,

the belief that if they had more faith things would be different,

reveals, at best, a misunderstanding of faith itself and,

at worst, probably demonstrates a fair amount of unfaithfulness.

Jesus is very clear that faithfulness is not about size or quantity.

“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,” he says, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

· Faith is not given to us in a packet to be spent as currency in our dealings with God.

· Faith is not measured out according to how difficult the task or work before us will be.

· Faith is not a thing we have or get.

Faith is a relationship of trust and love.

It means opening ourselves to receive another’s life and giving our life to another.

That other is Jesus the Christ.

That one faith-relationship is determinative of who we are and how we live.

· Faith is not about giving intellectual agreement to a particular doctrine or idea.

· Faith is not about how much or how strongly we believe Jesus’s words or actions.

When we speak about a married couple’s faithfulness, we do not mean they always believe or agree with each other’s ideas or even a particular understanding of marriage.

· They are faithful because they have committed themselves to each other in love and trust.

· They are faithful because they continually give their life to the other and receive the other’s life as their own.

· They are faithful because they carry with them that one relationship wherever they go, in all that they are, and all that they do.

So true it is also in our faith-relationship with Jesus.

Faith will not, however, change the circumstances of our lives.

Instead, it changes us.

Living in faith does not shield us from the pain and difficulties of life,

it does not undo the past,

and it will not guarantee a particular future.

Rather, faith is the means by which we face and deal with the circumstances of life – the difficulties and losses, the joys and successes, the opportunities and possibilities.

Faith does not get us a pat on the back, a reward, or a promotion in God’s eyes.

It is simply the way in which we live and move and have our being so that,

at the end of the day,

the faithful ones can say, without pride or shame,

“We have done only what we ought to have done!”

Nothing more and nothing less.

· We have lived in openness to, trust in, and love for Christ.

· We have allowed him to guide our decisions, our words, and our actions.

· We have been sustained by him in both life and death.

Faith, however, is not lived out in the abstract.

It is practiced day after day in the ordinary everyday circumstances.

Some days when the pain and heaviness of life seem more than we can carry it is by faith,

relationship with Jesus,

that we get up each morning and face the reality of life.

Other days present other circumstances.

When we feel the pain of the world and respond with compassion by:

· feeding the hungry,

· housing the homeless,

· speaking for justice;

· when we experience the brokenness of a relationship and offer forgiveness and mercy;

· when we see the downtrodden and offer our presence and prayers,

· and when we help a woman carry her pregnancy to term,

— in all those things we have lived, seen, and acted by faith.

And speaking of acting, we now have a special opportunity to put our faith in action, especially in light of the reversal of Roe versus Wade.

We have an opportunity to help those mothers with a crisis pregnancy who might have previously aborted their child.

So many will now be in need of reassurance, support, friendship, and help.

Thank goodness for the Gabriel Project where volunteers called Gabriel Angels are trained to:

· be a resource to answer questions about pregnancy, childcare, and parenting,

· Provide friendship and emotional and spiritual support,

· Help with items for a new baby,

· And have knowledge about available community resources.

Maybe God is calling you to become one of these Gabriel Angels, one of their volunteers?

Or maybe you can help in other ways.

Truly this is something worth praying about.

God often creates situations and then waits for us to act. Or not act.

Wasn’t it Padre Pio that once stated the greatest of all sins in the world are sins of omission?

Situations where God was waiting for us to act and we did nothing.

So what is our take-away from this special Gospel message today?

Maybe it is that Faith is how we live;

the lens through which we see ourselves, others, and the world;

the criterion by which we act and speak.

Maybe it means that Faithfulness no matter where we go, no matter what circumstances we face we do so in relationship with the One who created, loves, sustains, and redeems us.

Jesus does not supersize our faith.

It is not necessary.

We live by faith not because we have enough faith but because we have faith, any faith, even mustard-seed sized faith.

That is all we need.

Jesus believes that, so should we.

The question is not how much faith we have, but rather, how are we living the faith we do have?

How is our faith, our relationship with Jesus, changing our lives, our relationships, the lives of others?

If it is not, more of the same will surely make no difference.

The mustard seed of faith is already planted within us.

It is Christ himself.

He has withheld from us nothing.

We already have enough.

We already are enough.

We do not need more faith.

We need more response to the faith, to Christ, to the relationship we already have.

Let us now act upon this faith, starting today, and become a reflection of Christ to the world around us.

Love as I have Loved You (5th Sunday of Easter - Year C) Sunday Homily

2022-05-07T07:31:00.006-07:00

Deacon Pat – 5th Sunday of Easter Homily

Today, we are reminded of the New Commandment that Christ gave us the day before he suffered. We are brought back to that Last Supper when Jesus was gathered with his closest companions and opened his heart to them. It was the night when his heart overflowed with love as it never had before. It was the night when he revealed the secret identity of every Christian, the distinguishing mark: He said "This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." And not just any kind of love, but Christ-like love: He added "I give you a new commandment... As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." Being a Christian is much more than being a member of a club. Being a Christian means having an urgent, important mission in life. It means being another Christ in the world. Jesus gave his very life in order to fulfill his Father's will and win salvation for sinners. Each one of us is called to reproduce in the unique circumstances of our lives that exact same pattern: dedicating our lives to discovering and fulfilling God's will and striving to help as many people as possible to know, love, and follow Christ. Yet, if critiqued honestly, how well do you think we are following Christ’s command?

Mahatma Gandhi, last century's leader of India's independence movement, received his education in Europe. Although he wasn't Christian, he had many opportunities to study Christianity and get to know Christians. Later in his life, he commented on this experience. He said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

And G.K. Chesterton, the famous British convert to Catholicism and great apologist for the faith in the early twentieth century, made a similar statement. He was responding to critics who claimed that since Christianity had been around for so long, but hadn't solved the world's problems, it must be false. Chesterton responded: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

These two examples remind us of something we already know: too often, too many Christians are satisfied with a mediocre Christianity. But Christ wants more for us. He wants to release our full potential as human beings. But what does that potential consist of? It consists of our capacity to love, to know others as Christ knows them, and to dedicate ourselves to their good. Christ knows that if we follow him down that path, we will be truly happy, and we will make those around us truly happy, here on earth and forever in heaven.

Well, by now you are probably thinking “OK, I get it. But how do I begin? How do I start?” I think Saint Teresa of Calcutta had the Right Idea of Love – She said that the One thing that can sometimes hold us back in our efforts to follow the Lord's New Commandment is a false idea of what love should feel like. We tend to think that true love is always accompanied by nice feelings, and if the feelings go away, that means the love has gone away too. That's also what radio, TV, and social media will tell us, but that's not what the Gospel tells us. Love, true love, Christ-like love, goes deeper than feelings. It demands sacrifice, self-giving, and self-forgetfulness. Christ-like love always involves a cross. That's what makes it Christ-like; that's what makes it true love. If we can get this truth to sink down from our heads into our hearts, we will be freer to love more as Christ loves, and we will lead happier lives, and make those around us happier too.

Maybe a few more words from Saint Teresa of Calcutta can help guide us:

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and transparency may make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.

Why? Because in the final analysis, all of this is between you and God…It was never between you and them anyway." Wise words from a Holy Saint.

In closing I have a small request for all of us here today: As we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, let's prayerfully ask Him two things:

1. to help us to pick up our crosses willingly and to love those around us as He has loved.

2. and to help us in accepting God’s grace to act in such a way that those around us will know we are His disciples by how we love one another each and every day.

Amen

The Catholic Journey · Love as I have Loved You - Homily

Advent - What is it for Christians?

2021-12-04T08:04:00.005-08:00

The Catholic Journey · Advent - What is it for Christians?

Advent - What is it for Christians? (Deacon Pat) (2nd Sunday Advent, Year-C)

As you are aware, we are now beginning the second week of Advent. Many people have a difficult time differentiating between the seasons of Advent and Lent, yet they are significantly different. During the season of Lent, our focus as Catholics is on our sins, doing penance, and preparing for Easter. Advent is also a special time to reflect deeply on our lives, but instead of focusing so much on our sins, it is a time to look at the relationships in our lives, initially with Christ, and then with others.

The readings today speak of:

• Lowering mountains

• Filling age-old depths and gorges

• And making the ground level

As well as:

• Making the winding roads straight

• And the rough roads smooth

But what does this have to do with our current lives and our relationship with others? Well, could the mountains be the huge obstacles that we place between Christ and us:

• Our Pride

• Our Self-Centeredness

• Our Greed

• Our Lust

• Our Laziness

• And Our Anger?

And the valleys.... could they be the areas of our lives where we try to hide in our:

• Addictions

• Our secretes

• Our hidden thoughts and agendas?

Yet, God does not want us to hide, nor does He want us to be “God-Like” in our unwarranted Arrogance. He wants our love of Him and of each other to increase ever more and more and for us to grow in the knowledge of every kind of perception to discern what is of value. The value in life is not what we own, or what status we possess, but rather in what kind of relationships we have established and maintained.

• Are we loved, and do we Love?

• Do we serve others, or are we expected to be served?

• Do we Love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and with all of our strength?

• Do we love others as Christ has loved us?

Advent is a time to reflect upon these relationships in “the light of Christ,” and to initiate change in our lives where change is needed. Advent is also a time to honor and celebrate the gift of God in sending his only son to earth to begin a relationship with us, and to prepare for the time when we will meet Him again. It is a time to put our lives back in order. It is a time to turn away from our habits, our routines, and our ways that seem to lead us away from Christ. It is a time to turn back toward Christ, to rekindle that relationship, to repair the damages, to return to that closeness, that intimacy. And not only with Christ, but also with those special people that God has placed in our lives. If there is hurt and anger in any of your relationships, it is a time for forgiveness and compassion. If there are relationships that over time have dwindled in closeness, grown cold, or maybe even Luke-warm, It is a time to rebuild them.

• There are very few Men and Women in this world, if any, who would say that their marriage is just TOO intimate!

• Or Sons and daughters who could say that they couldn’t be any closer to their parents, or their siblings.

• Or anyone I know, who could say that they couldn’t be any closer in their relationship with God!

We all have an opportunity, the real question is will we take this time, this special time, to act in the Spirt of Advent?

Advent is also a time to make a difference in the world around us. We are living in a peculiar time, not only in The Woodlands, or in Texas, but also in the entire United States. Some might say that there is more a more darkness growing around us and it only takes watching the news for a few minutes to see why one might think so. Yet, even with this growing darkness, there seems to be more and more people choosing to not participate in faith communities, especially the Catholic Church. You might ask why? I have been told by some, that when they observe many Catholics and their behaviors and actions, they don’t really see much difference than that of the “Un-Churched,” or what they do see, can often be described as hypocritical.

I can remember a few wise words my father gave to me many years ago. He stated: “It’s not our thoughts or words that truly define us, but what our actions say... that does.” When he first mentioned this to me it really did not have much impact, I was a teenager. It was not until a few years later that I began to realize what he trying to teach me. I always knew my dad was a good man. He was liked by everyone, respected as a gifted teacher, and was known as a catholic. However, after one particular night, I began to see him differently. That night I had stayed out much too late, and knowing that I was going to be in trouble, I made my way to my parent's bedroom door to tell them that I was now home and ready to accept my punishment. But when I quietly opened the door, there was my dad, on his knees, praying the rosary. From that night on, I began to take a closer look at my dad. I watched and notice things about him I had never taken the time to notice before. I began to see all the things he secretly did, obscured from the sight of most.

• I noticed how he never passed by a homeless man without giving him something, even if it was a few kind words.

• I noticed that a negative word never seemed to come from his mouth.

• I noticed that he was always the first to forgive.

• And I noticed that he prayed the rosary every night, on his knees, in private.

It didn’t take long watching this quiet and humble man to realize that he was not only a good and just man but a holy man. I often wonder what people would see if they decided to watch me as close as I watched my father... seeing the things that God sees every day. Have you ever wondered what people would see if they could see you as God sees you? None of us are perfect, that is for sure. And it takes true humility to look at ourselves and see where we have failed, faulted, strayed, and to admit that we have, in our actions, turned away from God. However.... the good news is! That.... is what.... Advent is all about! It is about looking at our lives, our relationship with Christ, our relationships with others, and changing our ways. It is about returning to Christ and becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be, especially in the light of Christ. This decision to repent, to turn back toward Christ, to put our lives back in order, is the first step in preparing the way of the Lord, initially in our hearts, then in our actions, then in our relationships, and then... in the world around us. This is.... the Gospel, the Good News of the Lord.

The Cost of being a Christian (Homily from 28th Sunday Ordinary Time - Year B)

2021-10-10T10:36:00.003-07:00

Twenty-Eighth Sunday Ordinary Time – Deacon Pat

One of the many struggles of sharing the gospels, the good news of becoming a Christian with someone, is getting them to see that there is a cost of making the decision to become a disciple of Christ.

So often, the focus is more on the reward that awaits them, and they never stop to think about what this decision will cost.

When someone does not understand the price to be paid when choosing to become a Christian, difficulties will arise when they find themselves in situations that are demanding, situations that can eventually cost them a great deal.

It is in such times that one’s faith is put to the test.

In these circumstances, some disciples turn from the path of righteousness and head back into the world from which they had escaped.

In the Gospel today, we can see just such a situation when Jesus is approached by a young man who seems to be interested in doing what is right in regards to salvation.

Jesus tells the young man that there is a price to be paid if he chooses to take the path he is seeking, and in the end, we see that the young man was not willing to make the sacrifice necessary to inherit eternal life.

In this story, we learn that being a disciple of Christ will cost us everything that keeps God from being first in our lives.

We also learn a lot about the man who approached Christ.

We learn that he was following the rules, but that he probably did not truly understand what was beneath the rules, the reason for the rule.

He runs up to Jesus and says, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

He did not say, “Who must I become to inherit eternal life?”

Perhaps, this young man already felt that he was doing all that was required of him by following the rules, and he only wanted Jesus to confirm what he was already doing.

He did not actually expect Jesus to tell him to do anything beyond the law, beyond the rules.

In addition, when Jesus asked more of him, he refused because that was not what he wanted to hear.

How many of us are just like this young man?

We do what we think is expected of us, we follow the rules, or maybe most of them, but don’t let Jesus ask anything more of us, or we too might refuse.

Didn’t Christ tell us that to be a Christian we cannot serve two masters, we serve either God or mammon, but we can’t serve both.

In the Gospel, the young man had two masters speaking to him:

· God in the flesh told him to sell everything;

· Mammon (The World) told him to hold onto what he had.

He couldn’t do both, so he chose to submit to the one he valued the most.

The man went away grieved.

As far as he was concerned, the choice to follow Christ was just too costly.

Many of us come to Mass to hear the word of God and focus on the promises of eternal life.

Most of us see ourselves as basically good people, believing our lives are morally good, and when we pray to God, we often ask for guidance and direction to make our lives better.

Yet, we are often caught off guard when we find that Jesus desires more than we are giving, that he desires all that we have, all that would stand in the way of serving God.

So, what do we do?

Some of us, many of us, turn away from what He is asking.

In other words, is it not true that many of us really are not seeking to change much in our lives at all?

We seek God to only confirm what we are already doing, maybe only to have Him acknowledge the rules that we have followed.

Are not many of us just like the young man in the gospel message?

But what is Christ trying to teach us?

What is the message for us today?

Isn’t he trying to say that our faith is much more than just following a set of rules?

Being a Christian will actually cost us everything that keeps God from being first in our lives.

As with the young man, it was not his wealth that was the problem, but rather the value he placed on it.

Jesus never said it was sinful to be wealthy, but he did warn us of what riches, or the pursuit of, might do.

What Jesus did, was simply state that there was one thing this young man lacked:

Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing, Go, sell what you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven: then come, follow me.

Consider this, to lack something means something is missing, but Jesus tells him to get rid of something.

Yet, it is in the getting rid of something that Jesus says he will find the means to get something.

What this young man needed was to love God above all other things.

It was here that he would find eternal life.

How many of us need to get rid of something to get something?

Confusing, isn’t it?

How many of us completely understand Christ and his teachings for us?

Can we rightly say that we understand our faith as well as we should?

How many of us know not only what the church teaches, but also why it teaches what it does?

I believe that if more of us knew the “why” of what our church taught, and not just the “what”, our catholic church especially here in America would look much different.

So where do we begin to grow in our understanding of the faith?

Well, we have many options.

We can read the church documents, such as the documents from Vatican II, or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

We can visit trusted internet sites, listen to podcasts, or we can attend classes.

Our parish offers a variety of opportunities just look in the bulletin or listen to the invitations shared in the announcements.

There is also ACTS for men and women.

And for the men especially of the parish, we have “That Man is You” which has been life-changing for thousands across our nation.

In closing, I have two final questions for all of us to prayerfully consider. They are:

· What must I do to inherit eternal life?

· And Who must I become to inherit eternal life?

I challenge you as I challenge myself to honestly and humbly ask Christ these two important questions and then to listen to his response in the quiet of our hearts?

Once the response is heard, we will then have a choice to make.

· To act with all of our heart and soul?

· Or to be like the young man in the gospel message today, ask the question but find Christ’s response to be too costly, and just walk away?

The Choice is ours..... It’s called, “OUR FREE-WILL.”

Laying you life down for a friend

2021-05-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Deacon Pat Homily (Saint Joseph – Mother’s Day)

John 15; 9-17 Love One Another-the Supreme Commandment

· If you were going on a long trip, what would you say to your family and friends before you left?

· If your children were moving away from home, what would you say to them?

· If you knew that you were going to see someone for the last time, what would you say?

In each case you would probably remind them of your love and care for them, as well as give them some instructions or words of advice.

Well, not unlike us, knowing that He was soon to leave, Jesus gave us and his disciples His final instructions and words of advice.

Today’s Gospel passage is part of the final instructions that Jesus gave to the disciples the night before he was crucified.

Jesus knew that the disciples would not easily find love in the world.

He knew that the world would largely hate them and His message.

In fact, much of the world still hates His message today.

How often are Christians belittled, ignored, or even attacked?

Nevertheless, we, like the disciples, are called to love each other and our fellow man in spite of opposition.

When we love each other, we will experience the joy of obeying God.

When we love one another, we also allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and grow in us.

But how it grows will depend on our connection to each other, to God, and to His Church.

The stronger our faith the more we will do, and it is the things that we do for God and for others that brings glory to God and strengthens the Holy Spirit within us.

Love for others means being willing to die for others.

Jesus showed his love for us by dying on the cross for our sins.

The men and women who serve in our armed forces also show this same type of love.

· They and countless others who served were willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others.

· They were willing to go out of their way for others by dying to save their lives.

· They came to the aid of those who were in need even at their own personal expense, and they are still willing and ready to do so today.

Mothers show this same type of love for their children.

· More mothers than not would willingly lay down their lives for their children rather than see them suffer.

· Their love is freely given and given without compromise or cost.

· That is why we honor them so much, especially on Mother’s Day.

· They reflect in a powerful and mystical way, God’s love.

Thank you, Mothers, for who you are

and for being that special light and comfort in our lives.

Jesus also showed how far that type of love can take someone when he died for us.

If Jesus could lay down his own life for us, isn’t there a part of our lives that we are willing to lay down or surrender as well?

Maybe it has to do with a pride, or an unwillingness to help, envy, greed, hatred, an act of forgiveness, or even something else?

This message that speaks of love is intimately connected to relationships.

God wants us to have relationships that are more than superficial.

But relationship building takes time and requires compassion, wisdom, empathy, kindness, courtesy, and forgiveness.

When we love one another, we act as God’s hands and feet to those that he puts in our lives.

Serving others does take time, effort, and sometimes even a little money but the blessings outweigh the costs.

We must not forget that loving others as God loved us is the heart of Christian discipleship.

Christian life can only exist through these human relationships, especially when they are based on mutual respect and humane values.

The apostle Peter showed the same type of love in the first reading.

His love for others, combined with the visions he and the Roman centurion Cornelius had led Peter to minister to Cornelius and his family.

When Peter proclaimed the Good News, the Holy Spirit moved within his audience, and it marked both a second Pentecost and the spreading of the Good News to all people (not just the Jews).

If the Holy Spirit could move in the hearts of Peter’s audience, it can also move in the hearts of the people in our world today.

Yet, these people will need to be open to hearing it, and more especially we need to be open and willing to share it.

If we are to be fruitful for Christ, we must seek His will for our lives and let Him lead us to what He wants us to do for others and for Him, even if it seems a little uncomfortable.

Because when we love one another, we fulfill the second of Jesus’ two Great Commandments, to love thy neighbor as thyself.

When we love Jesus, He also becomes our true best friend.

· Friends have our best interests in mind, just like Jesus does.

· Friends will be with us in good times and bad times just like Jesus is.

· They help us to expand our world, expose us to new and creative possibilities, and sustain us when we are in need.

God has chosen all of us for the purpose of bearing much eternal fruit in such personal characteristics as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

These characteristics will grow within us and help us when we tell others about Jesus and lead them into a fruitful and personal relationship with him.

Let’s take a moment and reflect upon our lives, our lives as Christians.

· We can say that Jesus is our friend, but can we say that we are His friends?

· Do we listen to Him when he speaks to us, or do we only want Him to listen to us?

· Do we want to know what’s on His heart and mind, or do we only want to tell Him what’s on ours?

Being a true friend of Jesus means listening to what He wants to tell us and then using that information to do His work in our world and in our lives.

So, with all that has been shared, what is the true message for us here today?

Simply, the message is:

· Christ is love, and we are to love as He has loved, even to the point of willingly laying down our lives for our friends.

· And, even if the world shall hate us, we are to love, and in that love, and service of love, we will be… eternally… united.. with God.

Amen

Palm Sunday

2021-03-28T14:43:00.004-07:00

The Catholic Journey · Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday – Deacon Pat Kearns

In the gospel proclaimed today we have followed Jesus from the praises of Palm Sunday, through His passion, His suffering, and ultimately His death. For us Catholics, this week, Holy Week, continues the story of what we are, and who we are as a people. This week is the most Holy Week of the year. And beginning this week, today is Palm Sunday; where we celebrate that “First Joy” of the Lenten Season. We celebrate our Lord’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem where he was welcomed by crowds worshiping him and laying down palm leaves in the street before him.

In a few days, we will arrive at Holy Thursday – The most complex and profound of all religious observances, with the exception only to Easter. Holy Thursday celebrates, as instituted by Christ himself, that of the Holy Eucharist and of the priesthood. His last supper with the disciples, and the celebration of Passover, He is the Self-offered Passover victim. Every ordained priest to this day presents this same sacrifice by Christ’s authority and command in exactly the same way. The last supper was also Christ’s farewell to his disciples, some of whom would betray, desert, and deny him, all before the sun would rise again.

Then, following Holy Thursday is Good Friday, when the entire Church fixes her gaze on the cross at Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of Good Friday:

• in the adoration of the cross,

• in the chanting of the “Reproaches,”

• in the proclamation of the passion,

• and in receiving the pre-consecrated Host, we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the death of our Lord.

Then…. The Easter Vigil. The vigil, held at night, signifies Christ’s passage from the dead-to-the-living by the liturgy that begins in darkness, representing Sin and Death, and is enlightened by the fire and the Easter candle, the light of Christ. The Church, the mystical Body of Christ and the community of believers, is led from spiritual darkness to the light of His truth. We rejoice in Christ’s bodily resurrection from the darkness of the tomb:

• we pray for our passage from death into eternal life,

• from sin into grace,

• from the weariness and infirmity of old age to the freshness and vigor of youth,

• from the anguish of the cross to peace and unity with God,

• and from this sinful world unto the Father in heaven.

As we now begin Holy Week, it is a time for deep and sincere reflection on who we are, on our current relationship with Christ, and a time to embrace Christ’s passion. Everything we are as Catholics rest upon this week. The week that includes Christ’s Passion, His Death, and ultimately His resurrection. It is a time for us to embrace our own passion, our own sorrows, our own troubles, our own crosses, and to die to the sinfulness of our lives. The sinfulness that all too often is rooted in Greed, Pride, Lust, and Envy. If not done already this Lent, it is time for Confession, a time to be freed from the shackles of sin. It is a time to unite our lives with Christ. It is a time to be resurrected with Christ. To be spiritually resurrected anew, awakened to His joy, His freedom, His power, and His love. Pause His life is to become our life… His life is to become our life…….

The Kearns Boys - Life Stories from Six Brothers

2021-03-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

The Catholic Journey · The Kearns Boys - Life Stories by Six Brothers

The paperback version of the book was released a few months ago and has been well received.

We are currently recording the audio version with each brother personally recording their own stories.

Here is a sample from the end of the book where each brother shares their reflection on writing the book.

This is from Pat (Number 4 brother).

God's Healing Touch (Mark 1:40-45)

2021-02-14T12:32:00.002-08:00

The Catholic Journey · God's Healing Touch

Homily – Deacon Pat - Mark 1:40-45

God’s Healing Touch

In today’s gospel, we heard that a leper approached Jesus with strong faith and with a humble heart asked for healing.

Seeing his faith and humility, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him with love and mercy.

That touch to the leper bridged the gap between what is clean and what was unclean, and in that connection he purified the man and he was healed.

We all need healing from some kind of leprosy that separates us from our true selves, from others, and from God.

But what is this so-called Leprosy that I speak of?

· Is our leprosy a pervasive selfishness?

· Is it an addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, excessive internet shopping, gambling, or pornography?

· It is a chronic expression of anger, rudeness, hostility, self-centeredness, or righteousness?

· Is it gossip, or an unhealth addiction to the internet and social media?

The list could go on and on….

Weakness in many ways goes hand in hand with being human does it not?

We all know our weaknesses, don’t we?

Especially if we are practicing the Catholic practice of examining our conscience on a daily basis, reflecting each night during our prayers on not only the blessing from the day but also on our failures, our sins, and our short comings.

Those who have kept the discipline of the daily examine are well aware of their spiritual leprosy.

And those that are aware have three choices:

· They can try to rationalize away their weakness. The devil loves that!

· They can live in a sense of personal shame while doing nothing about it. The devil likes that too!

· Or, they can turn to Christ and ask for healing. You can image how the devil feels about that.

I think most of us here would agree that to be human is to battle against inclinations and temptations that often are contrary to a Godly choice or what we would consider a virtue.

I would bet that many of us here would also agree that even the most fervent and devout Catholic will slip and fall to temptation from time to time.

But what separates those who are actually embracing the faith and God’s Sacraments from those who are not, are those who run toward Christ when they sin.

Running to Christ means running to the Church and her Sacraments as in the Sacrament of healing, also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.

This is where we reach out to God with a contrite spirit and humbly ask for forgiveness and our soul is washed clean by God’s touch of grace.

Yes, it takes humility and faith to go to confession.

Just as the Leper in the gospel surely showed humility and faith as he approached and spoke to Jesus, and asked to be healed.

Isn’t it remarkable how these Gospel passages can speak to us directly if we allow them to?

· Ask, and God shall hear.

· Ask and God can heal.

And when we are healed, we can then be an agent of further healing to others.

Yes, it takes faith and courage, but Jesus calls each one of us to destroy the walls that separate us from Him, and from others, and to welcome the outcasts and the untouchables of society.

Those outcasts and those untouchables might just be some that we can call family, relatives, friends, acquaintances, or even co-workers.

God’s loving hand must reach out to the poor, the sick, and lepers — this often can be done through us — and Jesus wants us to touch their lives.

And how we touch their lives does not need to be great missionary feats or enormous acts.

They can be very simple as Saint Teresa of Calcutta taught us through her motto: “Do small things with great love,” her “small things” left a big impact on the lives of so many of the poor and outcast.

Yet Mother Teresa’s lived wisdom taught us even more as she said, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy, but rather the feeling of being lonely and unwanted.”

I know this personally to be true after spending over three decades serving those in the mental health system.

The pain of loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is a greater sorrow, a deeper ache, than any other disease I am aware of.

And yet, this pain and sorrow at times can be so easily relived.

All it might take is for someone to be willing to be Christ-like to them.

I recall a story I once heard of St. Francis of Assisi encountering and kissed a leper on the road.

The leper soon disappeared and then Francis realized that he had embraced and kissed Christ.

I wonder how many opportunities we have had to meet Christ on the road of our daily lives and missed those opportunities due to being too distracted, too self-focused, or just too unbothered?

Our Pope Francis very often says that, “Our Church community should be seen as a hospital for sinners, not as a hotel for saints.”

Lets us begin today seeing our own faults first.

This will keep us humble.

Let us also pledge that we will run toward Christ when we sin and ask for His forgiveness.

And Finally, as we prepare ourselves to receive in just a short time the Most Holy Eucharist, Christ himself in body, blood, soul, and divinity, that we accept his healing touch.

That He will open our hearts to see those in our families and in our community who are hurting.

And that we will share God’s love and mercy with them as we would share with Christ himself.

Praise be Jesus Christ, Now and Forever.

Sharing Your Faith

2021-01-23T11:01:00.001-08:00

The Catholic Journey · Sharing Our Faith

Advent - What is it and why do we need it? (Second Sunday of Advent)

2020-12-06T09:36:00.001-08:00

The Catholic Journey · Advent - What is it and why do I need it?

A Thanksgiving Message

2020-11-26T18:09:00.004-08:00

The Catholic Journey · Happy Thanksgiving 2020

Thanksgiving Day

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. (Lk 17:11-19)

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

“The Gospel of the Lord”

In Luke’s gospel, we start with ten men who have the worst disease of their day.

The physical ramifications are horrendous.

Leprosy attacks the body, leaving sores, missing fingers, missing toes, damaged limbs.

In many cases, the initial pain of leprosy gives way to something more terrible than that - a loss of sensation in nerve endings, leading to more damage to more body parts.

The disease can take 30 years to run its course, and in that time span, entire limbs can simply fall off. It is, assuredly, a most horrible disease.

We have nearly an impossible task in trying to fathom what it was like 2,000 years ago when medical treatment as we know it today was almost non-existent.

I recalled reading in a book a few years back while being on a pilgrimage, a Christian woman was near a modern-day leper colony.

Something within her had always wanted to minister in a leper colony and her trip overseas had given her the first opportunity to be near such a place.

She walked by the entrance three times.

She saw those who were suffering.

She begged herself for a chance to go inside. But she could not.

The reason? The smell overwhelmed her.

She could not work up the stomach to go inside the colony.

She could not bear the thought of missing the opportunity to personally serve the Lord and the Lepers, but at the same time becoming violently ill at what she was faced with seemed to be too much.

The trip passed, and she was not able to go inside.

And, I think, we gained a new appreciation of how bad this disease must have been in the days of Christ.

It wasn't just the grotesque damage, or the attack to our sight.

It wasn't just the loud cries, the attack to our hearing.

It was also the smell of rotting, decaying flesh, overwhelming even our sense of smell.

The emotional pain of a leper, however, must have been even worse than the physical pain.

He was removed from his family, from his community.

There could be no contact, whatsoever, with his children or grandchildren.

None. Immediately removed. His wife would not be allowed to kiss him goodbye.

He would not have allowed it anyway, for fear that she, too, would become afflicted.

Lepers tended to roam together, looking for food, begging for assistance from a great distance, learning to yell in loud voices, both from the need to warn others, and to beg for help from across the way.

What would it have been like to have been removed from friends and family for a lifetime, and to have been forced to announce that removal on a daily basis? It must have been horrible.

And yet, in this account, ten men encounter Jesus, and hear him say the most unusual thing.

"We want to be well!" they scream at Jesus.

And the great teacher responds, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

The local priest had duties other than leading the worship on each Sabbath.

He was also something of a health official.

If a person was miraculously healed of leprosy, it was up to the priest to inspect the body, to test for a complete removal of the disease, and to announce the person healed.

In such cases, the person would have been cleansed, and at that point, it would be fine for the leper to see his wife again, to hold his daughter again, to look for work again.

If the priest gave him the OK, he would be healed!

Now, Jesus says to these lepers, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

They look down at their bodies.

The hands of one man are still mangled.

Another man looks at his leg, which ends with a filthy rag at the knee.

Another looks at his skin, and finds it as repulsive as ever.

In other words, all of these men were no better off than they had been ten minutes earlier, when they had first spotted the famous teacher.

And yet, they headed off in search of the priests.

And on their way, they were healed.

On their way, a hand reappeared and tingled with life.

A crutch tripped on a filthy rag, as it fell to the ground.

The leg was back, healthy, whole, complete.

The skin cleared, and the tiny hairs on a forearm turned from snow white to a healthy brown.

One looked at the other, another looked at the rest, and the screaming started.

The smiles broke into cheering and a sweet madness.

They raced off in the distance, not believing that the nightmare was finally over.

But in order for the miracle to happen, these men had to start walking in faith before their circumstances had changed one tiny bit.

Is there a more potent lesson for us, on this Thanksgiving Day?

We cannot wait until the problems are over to start walking in faith.

We cannot put conditions on our holy God.

We cannot say, "Lord, as soon as there's enough money, I will follow your instructions."

We cannot pray, "Lord, if you'll just solve this issue in my family, I'll start going to church regularly."

We cannot put conditions on God!

Instead, God places a demand for faith on us, before anything at all has changed.

God might say, "Love me despite the disease.

Obey me despite the lack of talent, or the lack of resources.

Follow me now, despite the depression.

Say no to the temptation, while it still is difficult.

Praise me in the darkest of nights, and in the worst of circumstances."

This is the nature of God, a God who loves us so much.

He gives us the opportunity to be thankful when nothing about our circumstances gives us motivation.

My friends, that is the very definition of faith.

If we praised God only on the good days, only in the best of circumstances, it would not be faith at all.

That would be more like a business arrangement - and this is not about business!

Some of you might be in horrible circumstances, right now.

This year has been one of the most difficult years for so many of us.

With the COVID pandemic and all its effects, it has created so much turmoil; financial, emotional, a sense of overwhelming fear and anxiety.

Many have lost jobs, and lost their homes.

For many of us, our lives have been permanently affected and the way of life we had known and were comfortable with is no longer in sight.

Yet, we are Catholic, we are to believe. We are to have faith.

We are to know that God’s ways are not our ways and that He uses everything to create a greater good and to give an opportunity for us to grow in virtue, especially trust, love, patience, perseverance, forgiveness, and hope.

So, the question on this Day of Thanksgiving is:

Will we be thankful despite the difficult circumstances?

Will we, like the Lepers, believe and have faith in the promises of Christ?