Month: April 2020

Christ’s Divine Mercy

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As we virtually gather again, we continue to ask for God’s Mercy during this crisis. Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which 20 years ago Saint John Paul II officially designated this as Divine Mercy Sunday. He also canonized St. Faustina, whose diary provided the information on this beautiful celebration.


We call on God’s Mercy because, as St. Peter reminds us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Last week we celebrated the resurrection on Easter Sunday, this week commemorate the Mercy which God showed all of us in sending his Son to take away our sins.
God’s Mercy is evident throughout history and shown through the bible. God was merciful to the Israelite people on their Exodus from Egypt even though they questioned his every move and, even at one point, decided it was a good idea to worship a golden calf. Through Christ and the covenant that God entered into with us, he has shown his Mercy again.
God understands that as men and women, regardless of our knowledge of Christ, we will still sin, which is why Christ reminds his disciples that they are the ones to forgive sins here on earth. Christ accomplishes forgiveness of sin through the Holy Spirit and our priests during the sacrament of reconciliation.
This reconciliation is also borne out in the Divine Mercy image as we are renewed in Spirit through baptism by water. We are cleansed by the blood he shed through the sacrament of reconciliation. This Divine Mercy is not something that can be attained by good works, or merely living life in a way that WE believe is good. This Mercy is given freely to those who approach the fount of Mercy humble of heart and a hole waiting to be filled by the Spirit.
In order to accomplish this, we need to be able to put aside all of our proclivities for sin. This means we become closer to Christ. We do this with the help of this Divine Mercy as we grow closer and closer to Christ. This should not just happen as we approach the end of our earthly life; it should begin the moment we were baptized. We continue to grow closer to Christ as we receive His body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist. Finally, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation, this would allow us to continue to grow stronger in our faith, and our relationship with Christ as the Holy Spirit should dwell within us.
Our downfall comes when we leave the church and enter into the world. The world around us does not currently value faith in Christ the way it should. The values tend to reside in science and personal decision making. We believe that what we think is right and feels good is good for us. We do need to remember, though, that we are witnesses to God’s Divine Mercy every day.
We see this Mercy in the care that is given to patients by our health care workers, especially during this time of crisis. We see it in the compassion shown by our parish family as we come together to make sure our food pantry has everything they need to assist those with food and grocery needs. Not only during this time but also regularly when we are not in quarantine. We see it in the continued support of the parish during this trying time.
Someplace where it happens that is not as widely recognized is the handling of funeral services for families who have lost loved ones. Fr. Tom, the staff, and a dedicated group of volunteers help the family feel the love, compassion and care these folks have for them and their deceased loved one.
While we are certainly going through a trying time right now, we can see all around us images of God’s Mercy for all of us. While we may sometimes slip into ways that are not in line with Christ’s teaching, we can recover and through the grace bestowed upon each of us to come back to God.
We should be utilizing this time to help us see all the areas of our lives where God has shown us his Mercy and Love. Sr. Faustina had the good fortune through her devotion to have a profound relationship with Christ so that he could remind her of His unending Mercy. In doing so, he called on her to make it known to the world that he was waiting to be able to show this Mercy to those who were open and ready for it.
The Mercy that Christ shows to the disciples as he joins them after the resurrection by merely saying, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” With this act, he is showing us that we are all called not only to receive the Divine Mercy, which God so freely gives. We are also invited to go forth and show this Mercy to others.
Christ showed this to a group of people who abandoned him during the lowest time in his human life, the time of his trial and crucifixion. These people were with him from the beginning learning from him how to live, yet they let the world shape their reaction to the arrest of Christ. With the receipt of the Holy Spirit and the strength provided by Christ’s Mercy, these folks went forward and built the faith which we profess today.
I am sure that each of us can look back on our lives and see examples of where this Mercy saved us from going down a path of destruction. Since we have all received this Mercy, we are expected to show this to others who may wrong us. We can recall this example from the Gospel of Matthew with the servant who had his debt forgiven. “His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’”
All of the graces and Mercy which Christ has given to us are meant to be shared, so as we continue during this unusual time of the pandemic, let us all remember that while Christ wants to shower us in His Mercy generously. We are also called to show that same Mercy to those around us freely. When we fail, and we will fail, Christ will be there to extend his Mercy on us again if we willingly and humbly ask for it

Is There Hope in the Darkness

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Homily from Good Friday 2020


We call this Good Friday, but this name seems counter-intuitive. We are here discussing the day of the Passion and death of Jesus. We read from the Passion, and at the same time, we celebrate this horrific moment. This reality is even more pronounced as we cannot gather together in one place as a community to venerate the cross. Yet there is hope in the cross. In the beautiful Passion narrative, we hear from John, and we know that he is not going to lose anyone that believes in Him.

So he again asked them,
“Whom are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answered,
“I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
This was to fulfill what he had said,
“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

Those of you in your homes are there so that we do not get anyone else sick, thereby saving lives. Christ saved lives with that statement in the garden. It was foretold of Jesus by the prophets, but we can relate to this statement in a new way during this crisis. We are scattered throughout the area, just as the disciples scattered from the garden that night.
While we here will venerate the cross that is processed in, we will ask all of you watching at home to venerate the cross or crucifix which you have chosen in your home. This action will allow our community to come together, though scattered, is a sign of hope and faith in the cross.
We have an advantage over the apostles during this day and age. We know how the story ends; the apostles had forgotten what Jesus had told them. The scattered apostles eventually all came back together in the upper room, just as we will gather again in the church to worship Christ.
With the Passion we hear of the suffering that Christ endured for our sake. Yet when it comes to the Eucharist, we will again celebrate this suffering in our acclamation. Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
We are quarantined in our homes, and like the apostles, we may feel isolation and fear due to this quarantine. We are reminded again of the Passion that Christ, even thru his suffering, will make sure that he cares for us. During the midst of his worst pain, he made sure that he took care of his mother and the apostles by tying them together to care for one another. The apostles were responsible for ensuring Mary’s well-being and Mary acting as a mother to us all.
Christ knew this was his fate, but he also knew that in submitting to His crucifixion without a fight that he was doing this for his friends, the apostles, and for us today. Christ died for our sins on this Good Friday. We know that while he dies today in three days, on Easter Sunday, he will rise again, thereby defeating even death.
We are currently sitting in our upper room, waiting for the cure, the apostles sat in their upper room, waiting for Christ to remind them of what he said. Christ accepted His Cross for us even though he knew we are sinners, all the while still spreading the message of peace, compassion, and love. He did this right up until his death. The apostles came together again out of fear, but also out of hope. The hope that all that Jesus had taught and told them would come to pass.
During this time of stress, while we sit in our upper room, fearing what may happen if we venture out, we should be bringing Christ into our homes, for the closer we are to Christ, the more he will strengthen us. This hope in Christ can help us to allay our doubts and fears. We can be more compassionate to those we are spending more time with than usual.
When we look at this crisis through the lens of the cross, we see that our current suffering is nothing compared to what Christ suffered. We know why he suffered on the cross to redeem us and save us from the power of death. We know that eventually, we will all pass from this life, and for those who believe and follow Christ teaching, there is the promise of eternal life with Him.
We, like the apostles, though, have a strength given to us by knowing Christ. We know that after Good Friday comes, Easter and Christ rose from the dead. There will be an end to the coronavirus pandemic even though listening to the news. It may not seem that way. Through Christ and his friendship, the apostles overcame their fear that came from the belief the same fate awaited those who followed Him. Yet they still believed in his friendship and his teachings enough to come together after his crucifixion to support one another. We do the same, even though it is a virtual gathering, to help support one another and look to Christ to assist us.
Through this, we are reminded that eternal hope comes from His Cross. Christ will not forsake us, even though we may be scattered and alone. He will come to us and help us to overcome this crisis so that we can freely gather again as a community in one place. This is the hope we carry through this unusual time in our lives. May the peace and hope seen in Christ crucified be upon all of those gathered here and all those in their homes around the world.

Be Not Afraid

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What are we to do during this time of confusion and fear. The numbers seem to go up every day, with the never-ending death toll also rising. We see this and become afraid for ourselves, our families, and those who we consider friends. This fear is born from the news we hear, yet it is not what God wants us to do.
One of the most used phrases in varying ways is “Do Not Be Afraid.” We have this to lean on during times of trouble and suffering. We are all suffering in one form or another. Those who are home, possibly with children, are beginning to become stir crazy and are wondering if all this is worth the pain and suffering it is causing.
If we consider a people of God, then fear should not be part of what we are feeling at this time. We need to go ahead and follow the directives of our federal and local governments in how we interact and congregate, but this does not mean we should be fearful of the outcome. During this time of suffering, we can become the men and women that Jesus calls us to be if we claim to be Christians.
If we choose to believe in Christ and truly let him live within our hearts, there is absolutely no reason for fear. We would become beacons of hope in the world by the joy and the serenity which we profess and express to others. Christ died on the cross, yes he did, but three days later he rose again.
We hear it said in scripture that all those who proclaim his name would receive salvation. The biggest question we have to answer is, do we genuinely believe that he is with us, or do we only say the words to those we want to impress or get off our back.
There are plenty of Christians who say, I believe in Christ, but do not have him dwelling within them. These are some of the ones saying we should ignore directives of the government and get together as always for Mass or Sunday services. Some of them believe that the government is just trying to limit our religious freedom in this country. Some believe that if they are worshiping God, they will not contract the disease. The question remains, are we willing to put others at risk simply to make sure we celebrate the way our religion calls us to do?
We undoubtedly need God in our lives during this time of distress to help guide us through the storm. The thing is we should be able to have God in our lives without attending religious services for a short period. We can bring him into our lives in any number of ways without risking our family and friends around us.
We can look at the scriptures to bring him closer to us. We can watch the Mass on Sundays, most likely from our parish, and listen to the homily on the readings, learning what our faith teaches. We can make an act of Spiritual Communion since we cannot currently receive the Eucharist.
We can read religious books that are available to learn again more about God and what our faith teaches in how to allow Him into our hearts to follow Him and His commandments. We can do all these things and learn more about God and Christ and make sure that we bring Him into our hearts as well as our minds. When we do this, we will no longer fear what is going on in our world, as the ultimate goal for every Christian is to gain eternal life with Christ. So be joyful and not fearful as we let Christ shine his light through us to light the darkness ahead.