Homily preached for the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, Nov 25/26 2017 - all Masses, St. John the Evangelist Parish

Today's Mass readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112617.cfm

Trivia question for you – what do Morocco, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Cambodia, Belgium, Bahrain and the Netherlands all have in common? 

Trivia answer – Each has a king.  Japan has an Emperor.  Denmark has a queen, as do sixteen different nations who honor Queen Elizabeth II as their monarch.

But we in America – we have no king, no queen.  Rejected him, got rid of him 241 years ago.  “We got this,” we said in 1776.  “We can rule ourselves.”  And we have, not perfectly but pretty successfully over those 241 years, I would say.

As a result, you and I have little understanding of what it means to have a king, a monarch. And that’s a pretty important thing to understand on this feast, the solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, isn’t it?  Even in those nations who still have a king or queen today, that person is usually a figurehead, as the governments are mostly elected by the people.  So I’m not sure the folks in those places really understand the concept either, as it once was.

There was a time when pretty much all the world, every nation, was ruled by a king or a queen.  What did it mean to have a king?

Of course, the king was the head of state – the public face and symbol of his nation, his people. The people would give him honor, respect, allegiance, even love.

The king was the leader – would lead his people, and his people would submit to being led. 

The king demanded obedience from those he ruled.  The king was leader, yes, but also ruler.  The executive branch, legislative branch – he made the rules – and the judicial branch.  The king was the supreme judge. So you prayed for a good king, a benevolent king, who would use such vast powers wisely and lovingly.

A good king would care for his people, care for the people entrusted to him.

We celebrate today that we have such a good king, a loving king, a perfect king – Our Blessed Lord.

A leader and ruler who lovingly and personally shepherds us, as we heard in our first reading from the prophet Ezekiel. 

“I myself” says the Lord three times.  “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest.”  That is the kind of king we pay homage to this day, every day.  The kind of king who loves us so much that He left heaven to come to save us!

But if He is a good and perfect king, a loving shepherd, what does that make us?  For after all, the concept of Christ our King implies a relationship.  If He is to be our King, we, then, are His subjects, His sheep even. 

It means that we are to submit our minds, our wills, our hearts, our lives to Him.  To let Him rule our hearts and lives as our King.  That’s the hard part.  Especially for us Americans I think.  We still have that tendency to say “I got this. I can rule myself.”

And this culture, which you can sum up, I think, in Frank Sinatra’s signature song “I did it my way” encourages just that kind of attitude.  “I don’t need no stinkin king.  I can do it myself.”  That is the attitude of the sleek and the strong of which Ezekiel speaks: “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly.”

He calls us to have the attitude of sheep, of subjects, humbly submitting to being led, trusting in His care for us, turning to Him and relying on Him in every aspect of our lives.  Letting Him really be the King of our hearts.

Now His is a different sort of kingdom – it’s one where we can, and do, vote for king.  By our lives, by the way we live our lives, we elect Him King of our hearts, or we vote for something else.  Our lives proclaim Him “my Lord, my King, my God,” or we proclaim “not my king.” We do that when we obey Him, or when we obey our own whims and passions.

And Our Lord, in this Gospel, tells us vividly, and frighteningly even, how we do that.  We do that by how we serve our neighbor.  Or how we neglect them.  By how we look for our King in the least, the poorest, the most defenseless among us.  Do we see in the homeless and hungry the face of Our Blessed Lord?  Do we give Him to eat, to drink?  Clothe Him, visit Him, care for Him?  Or did we go about our own business, our own way, ignoring them, serving ourselves? 

That is how we vote – that is how we proclaim Him my King, or not.  How we choose His Kingdom, or the Kingdom of the prince of this world.

A story is told about a king…who lived in a far-off land.  He had a wealthy kingdom, with all his needs and desires met every day by his royal court.  He was loved and respected by his family and noblemen and was known throughout the land for his wisdom and fairness.  He had everything he wanted, except for one important thing:  he had no heir to whom he could leave his kingdom and all its wealth.  So in his wisdom and he came up with a plan.  He would invite young people from all over his kingdom to come to the castle and be interviewed for the job.  He’d find the most-qualified, most well-suited young man to become his prince and heir.  The king sent out the word to his people and then he waited.

Far away in a tiny remote village, a poor young man heard about the king’s plan. Intelligent and hard-working, his heart leapt at the thought of meeting the king and perhaps earning his trust to become his adopted prince.  But the castle was a long way from the young man’s village and he had no supplies for such a hard journey.  So the young man worked and saved day and night to earn enough to buy the food he needed to make the trip and new clothes suitable for meeting the king.  After weeks of work and difficult travel, he finally found himself outside the king’s castle.

Sitting by the castle gate was a filthy beggar dressed in dirty rags. “Have pity on me, my son” the beggar cried out to the young man.  “Help me.” The young man looked down at the beggar and his heart was moved to pity for him.  He gave the beggar the new clothes he’d worked so hard to buy.  And he gave him the money he’d saved for his return trip home. 

The beggar was overjoyed and thanked the young man for his generous heart and kindness.  But now his giving heart was fearful as he looked down at the old clothes he’d worn on his travels.  Since he’d given away the only new clothes he had to the beggar, he was going to have to wear his old things to meet the king.  “Oh well,” he thought, “I’ve come too far to let anything stop me now.” 

He was escorted into the palace and led down a long hallway to the king’s throne room.  As the huge doors opened before him, the young man stepped into the presence of the king.  And there, seated on the throne, was the beggar, wearing the clothes the young man had given him.  The king smiled and looked at his shocked visitor, threw open his arms and exclaimed, “Welcome, my son!”

That is the kind of King we have, sisters and brothers.  And that is how He will judge whether we are worthy to spend eternity with Him.  Let us choose wisely.

Homily - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 11/12, St. John the Evangelist Church

Mass readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111217.cfm

Good evening/morning.

I think a single word can sum up all three of our readings this evening/morning, and that word is WISDOM.  Wisdom. Our first reading, in fact, is from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom.

But what is wisdom?  Intelligent, smart, right?  I don’t think so.  A little story might help.

There were two little boys, ages3 and 5.  Whenever the boys’ uncle would come to visit he liked to play a little game with the 3 year old.  So he’d pull out two coins – a nickel and a dime, and he’d ask the little guy to pick one, whichever one you pick you get to keep.  Naturally, the 3-year old picked the bigger one, the nickel.  And this went on over a number of years, every time the uncle came to visit, with the younger one picking the bigger coin every time, until now the two boys are like 8 and 10.

The uncle comes by, and as he usually does, he pulls out the two coins, and as he usually does, the now 8-year old still picks the nickel.  A few minutes later, with the uncle out of the room, the older brother says, “you dummy – why do you always pick the nickel when you know the dime’s worth twice as much.”

“I’m no dummy,” says the younger brother.  “Unc has been giving me nickels for five years, and as soon as I pick that dime, he’s gonna stop playing the game!”

Sisters and brothers – that is wisdom.

It’s far greater than smarts, or intelligence. 

Wisdom involves being able to see ahead, into the future.  To understand what is going to happen.  What happens if I keep going down a certain road, if I don’t change direction?

And wisdom involves having priorities right.  Knowing what’s important, and what’s not.  What’s more valuable, and what’s less.

This world, which thinks it’s so smart, doesn’t have its priorities straight, doesn’t understand what’s more valuable.  And so it is, so often, with us.  We’re attracted to the immediate, the pleasurable, the shiny object, and will so often choose that over the eternal, what will bring us eternal joy.

This Gospel is about this sort of wisdom, isn’t it?  In Our Blessed Lord’s parable we see the five foolish virgins, and the five wise virgins.  The fools had made no preparation for the coming of the bridegroom, while the wise were always ready.

And that’s the simple but powerful message of all these readings, isn’t it – we will live in a life beyond this one, and if we’re wise, we’ll wind up in the right place. 

We’ll be prepared.  Unlike this foolish world, we will be prepared.

What does it mean to be prepared?

First, it means that we are careful to always be in a state of grace, free of serious sin on our consciences.  How?  By our obedience when faced with those decisions – to give in to temptations or reject them and stay faithful to the Lord.  

And for those times when we are weak, when we fail, and we are all sinners, we are all weak and all fail, well we have a place, we have a Sacrament! -  to repent and be reunited, reconciled to the Lord, who always stands ready to welcome us back with open arms and a loving smile. The Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Use it often!

Second, it means that we must forgive.  How can we expect the Lord to forgive us if we hold tight the offenses others have done against us?  Too many of us grow old with life-long grievances, unwilling or too hard-hearted to let it go, to let it be healed.  Too many of us take such grievances to our graves, never giving the forgiveness we are counting on from the Lord!

Third, to be wise and prepared means we must use our time wisely – to love as He did.  We are only given so many years, so many days, so many hours, so many breaths.  And we have no idea how many we’re given.  So it’s high time we examine how we’re using that time – is it the way He wants us to use it?  Is it the way He’s calling me, calling you, to use our precious days and hours?

Are we giving of ourselves in loving service, or hoarding our time, talent and treasure to ourselves?

Fourth and finally, are we spreading His Word, His Kingdom.  Sisters and brothers, you and I are IT – you and I are THE disciples He chose to bring His Word, His kingdom to Greece, New York, right here, right now.  Are we doing that?  It’s a big job, a big responsibility, and we might think He’s a fool to choose us, weak, sinful and afraid as we are.  But He’s no fool, and He gives us all the help, all the grace we need. 

We don’t have much time.  So we’d better get at it, huh?

Real wisdom can be summed up, I think, in the simple words of the psalmist – “make me know the shortness of my life.”  Wise people know, yes often from painful experience, that life is short, life is fragile.  We saw that so tragically and vividly in a little Baptist Church in South Texas just six/seven days ago.

But the truly wise know that this life is not the end. The truly wise are always ready, always hoping, always looking for the coming of the Kingdom, the coming of the bridegroom, who is of course Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Homily preached for the Solemnity of All Saints, Wednesday November 1, 2017 - 6p St. John the Evangelist Church

Mass readings:   http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110117.cfm

Everybody has a favorite saint, huh?  Who’s yours?  Your namesake perhaps?  Or maybe another saint who’s special to you?

I have a couple favorite saints. My namesake, for one, St. Edward, King of England.  I was touring Westminster Abbey in London something like 20 years ago and there, behind the altar, is St. Edward’s chair, a dumpy old wooden chair but famous because every king and queen of England sits in it when they’re crowned and vested.  I was given his saint’s name, so I have to show favoritism, even if he lived nearly 1000 years ago!

Another favorite of mine is St. Joseph…patron of fathers and husbands, workers, protectors, providers.

Oh and St. Peter, too….mainly because he was so human – bold but so weak, betrayed the Lord, then led our Church, gave his life for the Lord as did so many of the saints we celebrate today.

The Solemnity of All Saints - while the best known saints have their own feast days, we gather this evening to celebrate All Saints.  All those who’ve gone before us, who’ve lived exemplary lives, lives of beatitude, lives of heroic virtue, lives of bearing their crosses and surviving great distress and are now gathered around the throne of God as we just heard in our first reading.

But why do we celebrate them?  For a few reasons actually –

Because of their example.  These days we emulate sports figures, and politicians, and entertainers…Kardashians, anyone?  The ones we should be emulating are the saints, who show us in so many diverse ways the way to live, the way to genuine self-giving love, the way to holiness.

We celebrate them because of their help, their support, their intercession – we have this cloud of witnesses, like this giant cheering section up there, rooting us on on our own faith journey, giving us aid and comfort and praying for us before the throne of God.

And, because to reverence the saints, we give praise to God.  None of the saints, you see, did it on their own.  They’re with God in heaven for one reason – Our Blessed Lord died and rose again to save them.  To be sure, each had to cooperate, each had decisions to make, each had to respond to God’s call with a heroic “yes!”  But by reverencing the saints, we are praising Jesus our Savior.

And we celebrate them this day because you and I are called to join them.  To become saints ourselves.

Oh that’s silly, Deacon Ed, you might say.  If you knew me, you’d know I’m no saint.  That’s certainly true about me!

But make no mistake, you and I are called to Sainthood, whether or not we’re ever canonized, whether or not we ever have a feast day. 

It’s comforting, I think, that of all the saints we celebrate today, every one was a sinner save Mary, the Blessed Mother of Our Lord, who was of course born without stain of sin.  But other than her, all these holy men and women were, like you and me, sinners. 

Some were great sinners – St. Paul presiding over the stoning of St. Steven comes to mind.  Or the sexual sins of St. Augustine - “Lord make me chaste, but not yet,” prayed St. Augustine. But St. Monica kept praying for her son and praying for him and lo, he became one of our greatest saints.

Yes, even though each was a sinner, each persisted in the faith, each let the power of grace work in their lives, and each grew in holiness.  And each went to their graves having lived exemplary lives.

Sisters and brothers, you and I are called to join them.  Father Larry Richards, a well-known Catholic speaker from Erie, spoke a few weeks back at the diocesan men’s conference.  I bought three of his book “Be a Man” – one for each of my two sons in law and one son-in-law to be, God willing.  It was lunchtime and I waited until Father Larry was done praying before the tabernacle to ask him to sign each book.

“Be a Saint” he wrote in each one.  And then he looked at me and said “…or go to hell!”  “Be a saint or go to hell!”  That bluntness was a shock to me!  But the choice before us is really that stark. 

If we pursue lives of selfishness and sin, keeping Jesus far away, or confined to an hour each week, we’ll go to the warm place. 

But if we pursue with all our effort the path of holiness, giving ourselves completely to Him and letting His grace work in our lives…if we choose to obey Him in all the little decisions we face…if we strive to live lives of self-giving love, of beatitude - you and I will join those holy men and women who’ve gone before us, and we, too, will live eternally in the peace and unimaginable joy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Oh, and I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t mention the greatest of the saints – Our Blessed Mother – whose help is most valuable, and who will absolutely lead us to her Son if only we ask her and trust her.  Let us ask her right now for her intercession – “Hail Mary, full of grace…”