*Homily Notes* Have you ever had the experience of being next to a fire in the midst of a cold night? Perhaps it was in the fireplace of your home in the winter Or outside somewhere on a chilly summer night The closer you get to that fire, the warmer you get And as you watch the crackling flames, sometimes you can just get lost in time As though you’re watching a sunset The full combination of the sounds, the sight, and the warmth almost seems to penetrate straight to the soul and warm us up. My brothers and sisters, today is the feast of Pentecost It is the birthday of the Church When Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit upon His disciples To fill them with His very life To help them understand the gifts that God give them as part of His Divine plan Scripture tells us that the room filled with a tunneling wind And tongues of fire appeared over each of their heads They were to use this fire not just for themselves But to warm the world To be a light for the world And tradition tells us that each one accomplished this task in His or Her own way One mission But different ways of spreading the Word on Fire – The Good News of Jesus Christ Today my friends Pentecost is still happening The Holy Spirit is very much still active in the world today We’ve received His light, We continue to receive His gifts every time we celebrate the sacraments We receive the fire of His love every time we get lost in prayer When minutes feel like seconds…when hours feel like minutes But we cannot hold the Flame of Hope to ourselves The Lord invites us to carry out His mission to warm the world. He calls us to spread the Fire of His Love. How do we do this? Think about the last time someone did something nice for you or said something kind to you. How did that make you feel? It warmed you up on the inside. It warmed the other person up as well. How much better of a world would we live in if people sought to do this constantly? To go out of our way to help each other... to build each other up? The next time you find yourself in front of a fire or before you go to bed each night --- Ask yourself: "what did I do today to warm the world around me...what did I do to spread the fire of the Holy Spirit?" *Click Here to Download the Homily*
Within the 1920s in Mexico was the height of the Mexican Cristero war started by the government of Mexico. On one side were the anti-Catholic government and rich bureaucracy of the country, and on the other side was the middle-class and poor of the country. This group wanted to do their best to protect their right to worship and right for the sacraments. They did not want to bow down to the unjust government and their greed. They realized the money was not king and therefore they coined the term “Viva, Cristo Rey” or “Long Live Christ the King”. There were a number of people that fled Mexico and a number of folks that went into hiding for fear of losing their life. There was a number of priests that were known as heroes of the people as they continued to minister to them as well as administered the sacraments. One of these priests was Cristobal Magallanes. Along with 21 other priests and possibly more, they continued to minister to the Mexican people despite the risk to their lives. Eventually Cristobal and the 21 were caught over the span of the war. It was until his dying breath that Padre Cristobal preached forgiveness and Cristo Rey. St Cristobal Magallanes and his 21 companion priests were canonized by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000.
"Who is this Matthias guy," was the question I received not too long ago from one of my school students.
Matthias doesn't show up in scripture until the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. There's an election taking place to name the next successor to the Apostles. They want to fill the void left by Judas. Gathering together, they pray to God that they may elect a worthy Apostle. Eventually Matthias is chosen.
Not much is known about Matthias's life. Acts tells us that he was a disciple of Jesus from the time of His baptism by John until Jesus's resurrection. Matthias knew the story of Jesus firsthand. This is what the Apostles wanted in a successor.
Tradition holds that Matthias would eventually travel south to Africa and cut back north eventually landing in modern day Georgia (the country) where he would be martyred. Some believe that he was crucified; however, a number of historians believe that Matthias was martyred with an axe. Why? Most art depicts Matthias holding an axe. Many martyrs during the time were depicted somehow with their instrument of martyrdom.
Achilleus and Nereus Died: 100 A.D. (Martyrdom) Feast: May 12th Patron: Those Persecuted for their Faith Living in the 1st Century, there's not much known about these two Saints. Much of what is known is what was written in an epitaph by Pope Damasus I. He explains that these two saints were soldiers who grew tired of being the persecutors. As soldiers they were called by the Roman Empire to be wholly obedient to the will of the emperor. Slowly over time they begin to think for themselves and to really reflect upon what they will leave behind after they're gone. This is when they encounter the Christian faith, not as persecutors, but as inquirers. They want to learn more about Jesus Christ. They eventually are baptized and go from being the persecutors to the persecuted. The story of Achilleus and Nereus seems to mirror that of St. Paul quite a bit. After refusing to recant their faith, Achilleus and Nereus became martyrs in the year 100 A.D. They were presumably burried in the cemetary on the Adreatine Way and a basilica was built to honor them.
I’d like
to say that I am absolutely a product of my American culture. Just like most
people, I get very excited when something new is about to come out. This was a
trait that has been with me for as long as I could read. I grew up in an era
when personal computers (PCs) were on the rise in family homes. It was also the
era when personal gaming consoles were becoming more common in American
households. New technology was revolutionizing the world in the late 1980s, and
it would be a trend that would continue at an unprecedented rate.
As an
adult, I look fondly upon my memories of childhood. I, of course, enjoyed long
hours of playing outside with my family and friends; yet, I also enjoyed the
challenges and storylines presented in video games. I remember being torn between
riding my bike with my good friends, or staying inside and attempting to beat
Super Mario Brothers for the 100th time. Usually my mother made the
decision for me by giving my younger brother and me $1 and telling us to walk
up to Kmart at the end of the street to buy something for ourselves.
As I grew
older, the graphics and complexity of video games grew substantially with each
passing year. My parents would always sacrifice as best as they could in order
to help their three boys get the latest system that all of their friends and
cousins were playing. As you can imagine, Christmastime was much anticipated
every year when gaming companies like Nintendo, Sega or Microsoft would release
their next-gen system. It was all the talk, especially among boys, at schools
all over America. It still is.
Now, as a
Catholic priest, I cannot help but look back on those moments of gaming and ask
myself, “why?” Why were video games so encapsulating to me as a youth? Was
there some redeeming quality to which I can now point as an adult? Every time I
have a chance to reflect upon these questions I begin by thinking about the
skills with which playing video games help gamers.
1.Hand-Eye Coordination:
This is probably the most quoted excuse gamers give to their non-gaming
counterparts.
2.Reaction Speed: Because
so many things are happening on the screen all at the same time that require
the gamer’s attention, in order to win, the gamer must often act fast.
3.Reading: Really?
Reading? To go off of personal experience, a cousin of mine actually learned
how to read by reading subtitles in video games. He would get help with the
words he could not understand. To this day I would say that he is an excellent
reader.
4.Problem Solving: Most
video games, whether or not people notice, contain a series of complex problems
to be solved. Each gamer becomes a detective trying to solve these problems.
5.Imagination: This is
probably my favorite point. Video games immerse their players into a world that
is created, mostly, out of pure imagination. When people play video games they
get to enter the skin of someone or something else. As they play, a story
enfolds right before their eyes. It is an interactive story, whereas reading a
book is more of a passive endeavor.
Now, I
must say that the Church has always preached moderation. Temperance is one of
the cardinal virtues, after all. Games can have addictive qualities. I remember
doing a presentation a few years ago about the effects of video game addiction,
and there are some alarming statistics. This is why I caution that self-control
is a very important characteristic for anyone to develop, especially in a world
that seems to have limitless distractions.
Recently,
I must admit, I was in conversation with a group of students from the grade
school on the very topic of video games. Being not as connected as I used to
be, I always enjoy hearing about the games that are popular with the youth
today. At some point in the conversation, one of the students’ faces turned
from excitement to a look of nervousness. I could tell that he wanted to say
something.
“Fr.
Chris,” he eventually began during a lull in the conversation. “My class is
going to confession tomorrow, and I’m pretty nervous.” The others in the group
nodded their agreement. “Is there anything that I can do or that you can say to
make it a little easier to go,” he asked me.
I’ll admit
that the student caught me a bit off guard. I wasn’t quite sure how we went
from talking about video games to talking about the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. With all of their eyes on me, I said a quick prayer asking God
to help me give the group an explanation that was adequate enough to at least
make things a little bit easier for them. “Before I begin my response to you, I
want to let you know that there is a point that I will eventually make. Just be
patient,” I said to them. “When I was younger, there was a feature in video
games and consoles that I really liked,” I began, as they all looked at me
intently. “This feature actually has a lot to do with the Sacrament of
Confession.” As I said this, I know I had their complete attention. “When you
lose in a video game on a certain level or to a certain boss, most of the time
a question pops up on the screen. What is that question?” I asked.
“Would you
like to retry,” replied one of the students.
“That’s
exactly the question I was thinking about. But what happens if you hit ‘retry’
and play the level the exact same way as before?” I asked.
“You lose
again,” replied all the students.
“Well, in
real life, God gave us a real-life reset button. It is called the Sacrament of
Confession. In a video game, when you lose, you have to figure out what you did
wrong in order to win. We have to do the same thing in real life,” I continued.
“You don’t just come to the confessional, say your sins and leave without
really thinking about what you did wrong. You have to strategize.”
I learned
very quickly as a young priest that, when you have all the eyes of a group
looking back at you, they are immersed in what you are saying. At this point, I
had the entire group of students looking very intently at me. In all honesty, I
knew that this explanation was absolutely a gift from the Holy Spirit. I was
just blessed to be along for the ride.
I took a
breath and continued. “Because God is very merciful, He is always willing to
forgive you and give you another chance, but you have to be willing to admit
what you did wrong. The priest is there to help you strategize a little bit,
but you’ll learn the best strategy to defeat the temptations of your life
through prayer and your relationship with God. As the priest says the words of
absolution, God is giving you another chance to try again.”
“What if I
mess up again?” one of the students asked.
“You come
back to the confessional to try again. You admit what you’ve done wrong and you
approach life differently,” I said. “In life, what do you think our goal is?”
I will
admit that I am very well-known to smile a lot, but I had an
extra-big smile on my face as one of the students
responded: “To become a saint.”
I could
not have been more pleased with how my conversation transpired with my students
that day. Occasionally I will have one come back to me and tell me that our
conversation helped him or her understand the Sacrament of Confession so much
more. They also tell me that they try to explain it to their friends or family
the same way that I explained it to them. As a priest, I am elated when
students walk away learning something new, but words do not even seem adequate
to explain the satisfaction I feel when a student tells me that they used what
I taught them to teach others.
In those
moments, I realize that I have helped create new evangelists.
And on
that particular day, a group of students learned that “game over” does not
always mean “the end.” The real-life “reset button” is a new opportunity to
strategize and “try again.”
This weekend we hear the story of the Vine and the Branches. Jesus calls Himself the Vine and tells His disciples that they are the branches. As branches they're called to produce fruit, but sometimes those branches don't produce fruit. Now, we have to take ourselves to the mindset of a 1st century Jew in order to understand this message a little bit more. *CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO HOMILY* In the 1st century, folks living in the area of Jerusalem were very familiar with fruit producing plants. They understood that healthy plants produced the most fruit... figs, grapes, olives, etc. So when Jesus calls Himself the True Vine, they listen intently to His message. They want to know where He is going with it. In a way, Jesus wants His disciples to imitate Himself. They are to go out and serve others, especially the most vulnerable in the world around them. They are to seek out the outcast. This is the fruit that Jesus wants.
The story of the conversion of St. Paul illustrates this point very well. He goes from being one of the greatest persecutors of the early Church, to one of its chief champion evangelists. He goes from throwing believers of Jesus in jail, and even martyring some of them, to being martyred himself for being a believer in Jesus. Now, at this time, they weren't called Christians quite yet. They hadn't completely cut themselves off from the Jewish faith. Early on, Saul (Paul) as a rabbi wanted to snuff out this Jesus movement because he felt as though it watered down his beloved Judaism. He felt as though this movement was leading people astray. It is an encounter with the Risen Christ that changes his life completely. When the Lord eventually calls Him home, you have to imagine that St. Paul not only showed the fruit of his labors, but he showed an entire vineyard worth of fruit. We're called to ask ourselves, what fruit are we able to show to the Lord this day? What have we done for Him and His people?
Pope Pius XII instituted the Feast Day of St Joseph the Worker in 1955 as a way to counter the Communist movement. Celebrating this Feast Day calls to mind the dignity of work --- of being able to use our minds and hands to help make the world a better place. We also call to mind the dignity of work as a way to provide for families so that families can thrive from their own labor. *CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO HOMILY* Why St. Joseph? Tradition holds that St. Joseph was a carpenter. Being Jesus's foster father, he would have taught Jesus the tools of his craft. There would have been many hours Jesus and Joseph would have spent in Joseph's workshop building and creating new things to help improve the lives of people around them. On this day, we imitate St. Joseph by using our skills to help move the world in a positive direction. Along the way, we too are called to be teachers so as to help others bring forth the dignity of work as well.
